#this started as a fun thought about how charles would respond to the Feeding the Piano a Bale of Hay piece

[dontcare77ghj]

Fighting

Natasha x reader x Bucky x Clint

This is the second time I’ve had to repost this. It’s getting bloody annoying.

“I’m going out.” You said, pulling your bag onto your shoulders. 

“Where are you going, doll?” Bucky asked, walking towards you and resting his hands on your shoulders.

“My mother’s in town. She wants to have lunch.” You gave him a smile, which he returned. He knew how much you missed your parents.

“Is your dad also coming?” He asked you.

“No, he’s working with the professor. He might be in town next month though, maybe the three of you could join us?” You asked, biting your lower lip.

“Maybe,” Bucky answered weakly.

“You look nice,” Clint said as he entered the hall, Natasha, right behind him. “What’s the occasion?”

“I’m having lunch with my mother.” You said as he kissed your cheek in greeting. “I won’t be back till later, want me to pick up some take out?” You asked, looking between the three.

“I’ll be out,” Natasha answered. “Sorry, kotenok. I won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” Natasha told you, moving forward to kiss you. “Have fun. I love you.”

“Love you too.” You said, watching as she left the hall without sparing Bucky a glance.

“I’ll make dinner tonight,” Clint told you. “Buck, you gonna join?“ 

"Think so.” Bucky nodded. “I have to meet Steve for a training session,” Bucky said, kissing both you and Clint before leaving.

“It’s not getting any better.” You whispered to the archer. “They won’t even be in the same room as each other.”

“It’ll get better, babe, I promise,” Clint said, pulling you to his chest. “Don’t worry about them right now. For now, go and have a great time with your mother. I’m going to talk to Tash before she leaves, and Buck later, see if I can’t speed this up.”

“Okay.” You nodded. “I’ll be back. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Clint kissed you before you moved into the elevator. “Hey, I’m going to fix this, okay?” He called as the doors were closing.

“I believe you, hotshot.” You smiled. “I believe you.” You repeated as the doors closed.

“Oh, I missed you.” You sighed, wrapping your arms around your mother.

“I missed you too, darlin’.” Your mother said, pulling back to look at you. “You don’t call me nearly enough.” She teased, using her gloved hands to push the hair off your face.

“I call you more than I call dad.” You said as the two of you took your seats. Your mother had chosen a cafe about an hour away from the Tower. When you’d arrived, she’d already picked a table outside the small cafe.

“That’s because your daddy never picks up.” She laughed. “Never has.”

“Have you heard from him?” You asked her. 

“No darlin’. Even if your daddy were the type to pick up, he’s working on something really big for Charles.” She shook her head. “I’d just distract him.”

“I spoke to him a couple weeks ago.” You commented. “He said he might come down next month.”

“That was supposed to be a surprise.” Your mother laughed.

“Was it?” You asked, raising a brow. “I’m pretty sure you were on that call. At least at the end.”

“I was, wasn’t I?” She laughed. “I’m sorry darlin’ my heads in the clouds.” She said as a waiter brought over your drinks.

“When did you order?” You quizzed her, pulling the drink towards you.

“When you texted that you were five minutes away.” She shrugged. “I made sure it was your favorite.” She added.

Before you could say anything, a passing car let out a loud squeal causing the woman across from to jump. And flicker.

“It’s not my favorite.” You said, looking down at hot chocolate with cinnamon. “I’ve only had it twice before, and both times were with you, grandma.”

“You’re smarter than I thought.” Mystique chuckled, eyes flashing yellow.

“You always underestimated us.” You scoffed, narrowing your eyes. “Where is my mother?”

“Anna Marie is fine,” Mystique assured you. “She believes you’re meeting her in half an hour across town. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She tutted as your hands began to glow like your fathers.

“And why is that? People are more than aware of what I am capable of. It wouldn’t shock them.” You told her.

“It might not shock them, but what could shock you would be their deaths.” She said. “You didn’t think I came here alone, did you? If you do anything, I have people waiting to kill every human around us.”

“What do you want?” You asked her, lowering your hand.

“You.” Mystique said, leaning forward. “I want you to come with me." 

"Something tells me you don’t mean for family bonding.” You scoffed.

“Unfortunately not.” She shook her head. “Wouldn’t that be nice? I haven’t seen you since you were knee-high.” She chuckled.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have joined Magneto then.” You narrowed your eyes at the woman. “You would’ve seen a lot more.”

“I’m not your enemy, Y/N. We’re family.”

“You betrayed us.” You snapped. “Are you going to kill people if I don’t come peacefully?”

“Only if you use your powers.” She clarified. “Despite what you think of me, I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“Well, I’m not coming with you. Never will.” You stood from the table. You quickly turned and walked away from the table. You pulled out your phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Pick up, Clint.” You groaned, pulling out your cards as you rushed down the street. 

“This is Hawkeye. I’m saving the world, or in a hospital bed. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you.” Clint’s voicemail came down the line.

“Merde.” You swore. “Clint, I’m in trouble.” You started but were unable to finish as you were pulled into an alleyway. Your phone fell to the ground as you broke out of the hold. With deft fingers, you threw a card at your attacker, watching as the energy caused a small explosion.

A high shriek echoed through the alleyway before a small man entered your line of sight.

“I thought Storm fried your ass, chéri.” You smirked as Toad clung to the wall.

“I always come back.” Toad laughed.

“Like a cockroach.” You said, tapping into kinetic energy and throwing another card.

Toad once again dodged the explosion, but as he was, you turned to run. Only to be stopped by Multiple Man and Mystique.

“You have to come with us, Y/N. It’s not really a choice.” Mystique said, stalking forward.

“You haven’t even said why I have to.” You commented, looking between them and Toad. “Losing your memory, old woman?”

“Magento wants you.” Multiple Man told you. “And what he wants, he gets.” He said, turning multiple. 

“Erik needs to learn to live with disappointment.” You said, throwing more cards at the group. Toad let out another shriek, Mystique dodged, and you were lucky enough to get multiple man. 

You made a move to run out the entrance only to be pushed back by the Blob.

“Once again,” Mistique started, recovering from her shock. “It wasn’t a choice.” She said as one of the Multiple Man shot forward and attached the collar to your neck.

“You son of a bitch.” You growled, turning and attempting to attack the version, only to be brought to your knees by an electric shock.

“I am sorry, Y/N.” Mystique apologized before turning to Multiple Man and nodding. 

The last thing you saw before you blacked out from the pain was him turning the dial and Mystique walking away.

Non-reader POV

“Yoo-hoo.” A southern accent said as she entered the team’s shared living room. “Your robot let me up, Sug,” Rogue said as Tony stood to greet her. Only he, Bruce, and Wanda were currently in the room.

“Then, he did the right thing,” Tony said, embracing the woman.

The entire team had met Rogue and Gambit three years prior, and though Gambit could be a little hard to swallow, they all loved the woman.

“Oh, you’re sweet, Sug.” Rogue chuckled. “Is my daughter around? We were supposed to have lunch, and she never showed.” Rogue asked the three.

“I saw her leaving a couple hours ago,” Wanda told her. “But she never showed?”

“No. And she won’t pick up her phone. I’m getting a little worried.” Rogue told them. “If it were her daddy, I wouldn’t blink an eye, but Y/N always answers.”

“I could track her phone if that makes you feel better.” Tony offered.

“Please.” Rogue smiled at the man.

“Okay. JARVIS could you please track Y/N’s phone?” Tony asked the AI.

“Could you also bring Clint, Natasha, and Bucky down here?” Bruce added. “We can see if they know anything.”

“Miss Romanoff is on a mission. She left an hour ago.” JARVIS responded. “I have sent Y/N’s location to your phone, Mr. Stark.”

“And Y/N’s phone is,” Tony started, pulling up the file. “In an alleyway an hour away.”

“Who’s in an alleyway?” Clint asked, entering the room. “What are you doing here, Rogue? I thought you were with Y/N?” He further questioned, hugging the woman.

“She never showed,” Tony said. “JARVIS pull up any security footage involving Y/N LeBeau.”

“Wait, go back. What’s happening with Y/N? Where is she?” Clint asked.

“We don’t know. Y/N never came to lunch, and she won’t answer her phone.” Rogue explained to her daughter’s partner.

“Y/N is missing?” Bucky asked, entering with Steve. Bucky rushed to his boyfriend’s side and grasped Clint’s hand.

“Found her, sir,” JARVIS announced. 

“Put it on the screen,” Tony said, leaning against the back of the couch.

“That’s Y/N, and that’s you,” Clint said, watching the scene before him.

“That ain’t me, Sug.” Rogue shook her head. “That’s my mother.” She said as the Rogue imposter flickered blue. “And that’s the brotherhood,” Rogue added, noticing the other mutants.

“How fast can we get Nat back here?” Clint asked as the feed cut out.

“Is there any new information?” Natasha demanded as she stormed into the living room.

“Nothing.” Clint shook his head.

“JARVIS can’t track her down?” Natasha asked.

“If he could, he would’ve,” Bucky told the woman, causing her to turn and glare at him.

“Don’t give me attitude, Barnes.” She snapped.

“Knock it off the pair of you,” Clint said. “We don’t have time for the two of you to argue. Anna, did you say the professor could track her down?”

“It’ll take time, but he should be able to.” The woman nodded. “I’ll head back to the house. Let him know what’s going on.” She stood and swayed.

“Woah there.” Clint held her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine. I’m fine.” She nodded. “I need to get back to the manor.”

“How about I drive you?” Tony offered. “Katniss, Cyborg, why don’t you fill Rushman in, and I’ll take Rogue to the manor. I can help explain things to the professor.”

“Sounds swell to me, darlin’.” Anna smiled. “I’ll call with any news.” She promised.

“As will we.” Clint nodded. “We’ll get her back, Anna.”

“I know we will.” Rouge nodded. “My mother may be many things, but she would never allow harm to come to her family. At least the old her wouldn’t. I just hope she’s still that woman.” She said before leaving with Tony.

“Upstairs now,” Clint growled at his partners. “I know the two of you are pissed at each other, but you need to put that to the side right now,” Clint said once they were upstairs. “Our girlfriend is missing,

and I can’t be worried about her and worrying about the two of ripping the other’s throat out.”

“Clint, we know not to let our feelings get in the way here,” Natasha assured him.

“You better. I promised Y/N she would come home to the two of you having sorted out your issues. I can’t be a liar now.” Clint murmured, the weight of the situation having hit him.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Clint,” Bucky promised, pulling him into an embrace. “Everything will be okay.”

Reader POV

“I was wondering when you’d come to see me.” You said, leaning against the wall. “You went through enough trouble to get me.”

“If I were to say I wish I did not have to involve you in this, would you believe me?” Erik asked, walking into the center of the room.

After being electrocuted until you passed out, you had awoken in a dark room with the collar still attached to your neck. The room was entirely made out of metal, preventing your escape with its lack of doors or windows.

“No, I wouldn’t.” You said, causing the man to chuckle.

“You’re more your father’s daughter than you realize.” He commented.

“Did you bring me here to talk about family trees?” You asked, raising a brow. 

“Somewhat yes.” Erik nodded. “Your father stole something from me, and I want it back.”

“I bet I can guess what he stole.” You smirked, looking at his helmetless head.

“Astute observation." 

"You’re not getting it back if my father stole it. He’ll have gotten far away and hidden that helmet of yours.” You told him.

“Well, you’re right about one thing,” Erik smirked, waving his hand and causing the metal wall to open up. “He did hide the helmet.” He said as your father was thrown into the room and onto the floor.

“Dad.” You gasped, rushing to his side.

“I’m fine, chérie.” He assured you, sitting up with a groan. “Not my first time being thrown around.”

“And it won’t be your last. I don’t take well to thieves, and I don’t have time for this. Tell me where my helmet is.” Magneto demanded.

“I’m sorry, connard.” Your father shook his head. “But, your helmet is long gone by now.”

“You’ve just sealed your own fate,” Erik said. “What comes next is your father’s fault.” He told you before opening the panel and leaving the two of you alone.

“Dad, are you okay?” You asked the man. 

“Depends, are there normally two of you?” He groaned, holding a hand to his head. “Dat big one got me in the head. I’ll be fine.”

“Dad, why did you steal from Magneto of all people?” You asked as he took your hand.

“Charles asked for my help. He said Erik was plannin’ something. He wanted to stop ‘im.” Your father said. “I got the helmet, and I got as far as I could. But they found me, jokes on ‘em, I always got a backup plan. I got it away, and in two days, it’ll arrive on Charles’ doorstep with a note of where we are.”

“So, he’ll be able to find us?”

“He’ll be able to find us chérie.” He promised, wrapping an arm around you. “We’re going to get out of here. I promise. I’m sorry I got you dragged into this.”

“I don’t blame you, dad. Not in the slightest.”

Non-reader POV

“I’m sorry, but I can’t reach her.” Charles apologized, pulling off Cerebro. “I can’t locate her whatsoever.”

“Does that mean she’s,” Clint trailed off as Rogue tightened her grip on his hand.

“I don’t know.” Charles shook his head.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Bucky asked. “I thought that machine was supposed to be able to find anyone.”

“It is. It does. There are only two reasons that could be Y/N’s in a room made of metal or she has,” Charles trailed off.

“She’s been gone for two days. This is bullshit!” Bucky yelled, storming out.

“I’ll talk to him,” Natasha said, racing after him.

“Clint, you stay here. I think I should talk to them.” Rogue said, walking after the two.

“Barnes, you need to calm the fuck down.” Rogue could hear as she came closer to the two.

“Like you can talk. I saw what you did to the training room last night.” Bucky scoffed. As Rogue turned a corner, she saw Bucky aggressively pacing as Natasha leaned against the wall.

“At least I’m not taking my anger out on other people,” Natasha said. “Something you’ve been doing for days.”

“And what does that mean?” Bucky snapped, spinning to face her.

“It means you two got some communication issues, Sarg,” Rogue announced her presence. “Don’t think none of us noticed. Ya’ll is as subtle as a zebra in a herd of horses. Want to tell me what’s eating away at the two of ya?”

“Anna, it’s not that big a deal,” Bucky told her, making Natasha scoff.

“Don’t lie to the woman,” Natasha said before turning to her girlfriend’s mother. “He’s been in a mood with me for the past week, and combined with Y/N’s kidnapping, he’s taking it out on everyone else.”

“The four of ya’ll are so in love, don’t think I’ve ever seen any of ya argue. Not even once. Must be important.” Rogue said as she walked closer. “Talk to me. You won’t be able to help Y/N if you aren’t talking with one another.”

Natasha and Bucky shared a look before the man let out a sigh.

“Nat brought up starting a family last week. Clint and Y/N were on the fence, neither of them really cared what happened. But Nat’s for, and I’m not.” Bucky admitted.

“So, you’re not happy because he don’t want a family?” Anna asked Natasha.

“It’s not that.” Bucky cut in.

“Buck wants kids. He’s already made that clear. I’m not mad that he said no then. I’m mad because his reasoning is he thinks he’s too dangerous to be a father.” Natasha explained to her almost mother-in-law.

“I’m a monster, Natasha. A murderer.” Bucky told her.

“Darlin’, you’re one of the sweetest monsters I ever met,” Rogue said. “You’re standing in a house of people who society has labeled as monsters. Some of us have done things we are not proud of. Myself included. I killed three men before I realized what my gift was.”

“But that wasn’t your fault.” Bucky protested. 

“And whatever you’ve done in your past isn’t yours either. I know your story, James. It wasn’t your fault. The blood is not on your hands, it’s on theirs.” Rouge smiled at him. “And if after all this, should the four of you start a family, I know that baby will be raised by the most loving parents it could get.”

“You’re really good at putting things in perspective.” Natasha chuckled.

“Where do you think Y/N gets it from?” Rogue smiled. “Are the two of you ready to join the others now?”

“Yeah. I have to apologize to Charles anyway.” Bucky nodded. 

“We have news,” Charles said as the three re-entered the room. “Good news. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Rogue asked, rushing towards the professor. “Were you able to find her with Cerebro?”

“No, with Remy.” He said as Clint handed over a parcel.

Rogue smirked as she pulled out Magneto’s famed helmet.

“That man can steal anything.” She chuckled, putting the helmet down and pulling out a letter. 

“That he can. He’s also always got a backup plan.” Charles said as she read through the letter.

“What does it say?” Natasha asked Anna.

“It says where they are.” Rogue looked up at her.

“That doesn’t answer the question of why it’s mostly good news,” Bucky said, folding his arms.

“Erik has a Gem of Cyttorak,” Charles told him. “And he intends to use it. All he needs is a test subject.”

Reader POV

“Chérie, you need to stop pacing.” Your father said, having watched you paced the length of the room for the past few hours.

“I can’t help it.” You groaned. “We’ve been in here for god knows how long, we still have these stupid collars on, and I have a bad feeling after what you said about the Gem of Cyttorak." 

"Chérie, you’re working yourself up.” He said as he stood. “There’s nothing we can do right now. We have no weapons and no powers. We have no options, but wait for an opening.”

“I hate how calm you are right now.” You sighed as he pulled you into an embrace.

“Been doing this a long time, ma fille.” He chuckled. “I thought you would be used to this too.”

“Never been kidnapped before, dad.” You told him. “I’m normally too good for them to get.”

“Welcome to my world.” He laughed, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “We’re going to get out of here. I’m going to get you out of here.” He said before the metal wall creaked open.

“There are few things I don’t take well to,” Magento stated as he floated into the room with the Blob and Mystique following him. “One of those things are thieves.”

“I stole from you. I get it. But my daughter, she had nothing to do with it. She didn’t even know I was here.” Your father stepped forward.

“I understand that, but she’s needed.” Magento nodded.

“For what?”

“Your daughter is a publicly accepted mutant. The homo-sapiens are not afraid of her, they love her. We are still not accepted by all, but your daughter could be the step forwards.” Erik explained.

“I am an advocate for mutant rights. Everyone knows that. I am doing what I can to show them we are not dangerous.” You said, moving to your father’s side.

“But you could do more if you were more powerful. I can enhance your powers.” Erik said as the Blob stepped forward.

“The gem.” You whispered, eyes widening in realization.

“Dat don’t work like that, Erik. You know what happened to the last three.” Your father growled, putting his arm in front of you.

“I believe I have perfected it. And if not, let it serve as a warning to not steal from me.” Magneto said as the Blob picked your father up and threw him into the wall behind you.

“Dad!” You exclaimed, wishing to rush to his side only to be grabbed by the Blob.

“Erik, this wasn’t what we discussed. You mentioned nothing about putting my granddaughter through that.” Mystique said as the Blob wrapped his arms around you and lifted you off the ground.

“Plans change, Raven. You once said you would do anything for mutant kind. Don’t make a liar of yourself.” Erik told her as the three moved out of the room, with you struggling in the Blob’s hold.

“Raven, I’m your family. Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to mom, to your daughter.” You begged, attempting to rip yourself out of his grasp.

“If this works, you will be improving life for all mutant-kind,” Erik told you. 

“I am already doing that.” You snapped. “I am showing them we are not a threat. If you do this, you are giving them something to be scared of.”

“Maybe they need to be afraid,” Erik said, opening yet another wall to reveal an almost medically set up room. “Now, if this works, your powers will be enhanced beyond what you ever thought. You will be more powerful than that team of yours combined.”

“I don’t want to be more powerful.” You said as Blob walked you towards a large chamber.

“Unfortunately, there are several side effects to the process,” Erik continued as if you hadn’t spoken. “For one, we’ve noticed subjects come out without the capability of emotions. A small sacrifice for the advancement of our kind.” He shrugged.

“Raven, please don’t let him do this.” You begged as the chamber door opened. “For me. For your daughter. For yourself, christ.” You said as the collar was ripped off you, and you were thrown into the chamber. 

The vault door sealed itself quickly, and you were trapped. You let out a loud scream as you waved your hand and threw a great burst of pure kinetic energy at the door. It budged, but it did not open.

“No more of that,” Erik said as he began the process before you could throw another burst.

A yell escaped you as the process started. You threw another blast at the vault door but fell to your knees as the light began to fill the chamber.

“No!” Raven yelled after you let out another yell. Loud grunts and thuds entered your ears before the light shut off, and the vault door opened.

Hands pulled you up and wrapped your arm around their neck before you were dragged out of the chamber.

“What did you do to them?” You asked, taking note of Magneto and the Blob’s unconscious forms.

“Chloroform bomb,” Raven said as she pulled you out of the room and into the hall. “Prototype I’m working on.” She commented.

“Where’s my dad?” You asked her.

“We’re getting him. And then the two of you are getting out of here.” She said, pulling you around a corner.

“What about you?” You asked her.

“I haven’t done anything right since you were knee-high. Maybe before that. If I can just give you two time to get out, maybe it’s a start.” She said, coming to a wall and pressing her hand to a different colored panel.

The wall slides open, and you saw your father in the middle of the room.

“Ma fille.” He gasped, rushing towards you and taking you off Raven. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything. I’m the reason Y/N got out. And the reason you’re both gonna get out. Now go.” Raven urged the two of you.

“I’m afraid no-one’s going anywhere,” Magento announced as the metal walls came to life and pinned the three of you to them. “Except back in that chamber.”

“I don’t think so.” You said, attempting to pull away. 

“And why is that?” He turned his attention to you.

“You left me uncollared.” You smirked, sending out the largest blast of energy yet.

Magento soared through the air but tightened the metal holding you. You, your father, and Raven all let out loud cries of pain as the grip became unbearable.

The Blob hurtled through the kinetic energy, collar in hand, as Toad appeared from nowhere.

Toad stole the collar from the Blob’s hand and climbed the walls to reach you. You let out an enraged cry as he snapped it back on your neck.

“Fuck!” You snapped as your energy wave was cut off, and you were left powerless. Again.

“I am going to enjoy rendering you an emotionless sieve. Our people suffer, and you fight against us.” Erik growled, floating forward. “When you see the light, you will realize, we are one. Right now, all you are is alone.” He said, stopping front of you and gripping your face.

Before you could spit at the man, comment, or otherwise, multiple shots rang through the air. Erik let out a shout as he was hit.

“We have a different definition of alone,” Bucky said as he appeared at the end of the hallway.

“Of course.” Erik scoffed. “The homo-sapien is standing in the way of progress.” He said, pulling out the bullet.

“Once again, different definitions,” Clint said as he and Natasha joined at Bucky’s side. Clint shot a plastic-tipped arrow at Magneto as Natasha handed Bucky a new gun.

“You think three of you can even match one of us?” Magneto asked, clicking his fingers. “Toad, Blob, teach our guests exactly we’re capable of.”

As your partners easily began to outmatch Magento’s goons, Mystique began to move in her binds. Your eyes were drawn to her and you watched as the woman shrunk into a mouse and slipped out her imprisonment. 

As Magneto was too distracted watching the fight, he failed to notice Raven scurry across the floor and shift back to her blue form.

Raven first moved to your father and began pulling on the man’s collar. With a small grunt, she was able to rip it off, but she alerted Magneto to what she was doing.

Your father didn’t waste any time as he used the energy to free himself and pulled a pack of cards out of one of his many pockets.

“52 explosives on hand.” He smirked, throwing a handful of them at Magneto as Mystique moved to you.

“Hold still.” She said, putting her hands on the collar. Mystique ripped the collar from your neck and you managed to get yourself out of the bindings.

Turning to the scene before you, you smiled. Toad was stuck in his own tongue, Blob lay sprawled on the floor unconscious and Erik was pinned to the floor with your father’s energy and two arrows stuck in his shoulders.

“Doll,” Bucky said, rushing forward to pull you into an embrace. A content sigh escaped you as you sagged in his grip and your two other lovers joined you and Bucky.

“Are you okay?” Natasha asked, turning your face to her. “Both of you?” She asked your father.

“Fine, chérie.” Your father nodded, leaning against a wall. “Mighta crushed a rib but I’m fine.”

“Yeah I might be able to taste my spleen, but I’m good.” You smiled.

“We might need to take you two to medical,” Clint said. “Let’s get you back to the jet. Anna’s worried sick about the pair of you.” He added, causing Erik to laugh loudly.

“You’re too late.” Erik chuckled. “None of you are making it out of this building.” He said.

“What did you do?” Raven demanded of him. “Erik, what did you do?”

“If I’m correct, this building won’t be standing in three minutes. It’ll be eviscerated from the Earth along with anyone in it.” Erik said as Bucky dragged him off the floor.

“We need to get moving.” He said as Natasha lifted the Toad off the ground.

“Hang on.” You stopped Bucky, grabbing the collar off the ground. Without a word, you clamped it onto Magneto’s neck. “Let’s go.” You said, raising the Blob.

The six of you began to book it to the exit. Natasha, Clint, and Bucky were in the front of the group as they knew where to go and you were slightly trailing.

Time continued to pass and the exit was drawing near. You were so close when you were grabbed from behind. A grunt left you as Multiple Man threw you to the floor, the Blob dropping behind you.

You shot a ray of energy at him as said man turned multiple. You shot to your feet as you continued to hit him with energy. The man continued to multiply and was closing in on you.

Several gunshots made you jump and you smiled as Natasha and Mystique rushed towards you, helping you take out Multiple Man.

“The two of you get out of here.” Mystique said, pushing the two of you towards the exit. “I’ll grab these two.”

“But the bomb.” You protested as Natasha pulled you towards the exit. 

“This is my start. Go!” She said firmly. You gave your grandmother a nod before allowing Natasha to pull the two of you to an exit. 

As the two of you made it out of the building you were brought into a tight embrace from your mother.

“Thank God you’re okay, buttercup.” Your mother said, squeezing you tightly. 

“We gotta get away from the building,” Natasha said, guiding the two of you to a safe distance. 

“Where’s Raven?” Your father asked as the three of you approached the rest of the gang.

“She’ll be out in a second,” Natasha explained, resting her head on Bucky’s shoulder.

“She has ten before it’s over.” Erik laughed. “She won’t make it.”

“Shut your filthy mouth.” Your mother snapped, allowing Clint to pull you into his side. “She’ll make it.” She said, turning back to the building.

The entirety of the group turned with her to watch, wait, for Raven to stumble out. The seconds continued to pass and your mother let out a cry as the building blew. Debris flew, smoke and flames rose, and the building fell. 

Raven did not walk out.

“It was a lovely service,” Natasha said, running her fingers through your hair. “I think she would have liked it.”

“It wasn’t really for her anyway.” You shrugged. “It was more for mom. They’ve been fighting for so long, and just when I thought they’d be fine grandma went and died. At least I know what kind of woman she was.”

“From what you’ve said she wasn’t a great mother or grandmother,” Clint started, squeezing your hand. “But she knew what counted in the end. She saved you and your father.”

“I’m just glad you’re home,” Bucky said, resting his chin on Clint’s shoulder and smiling at you. “Home and safe.”

“I’m just glad you’re not fighting anymore.” You smiled back at him. 

“Your mother talked some sense into us. She’s pretty good at it.” Natasha told you.

“She is.” You agreed. 

“And it’s not the time now, but she did convince us that we should really sit down and discuss everything we need to,” Natasha added. “So hopefully there’s no more fighting over things we should be really talking about.”

“Your mom got them to stop fighting.” Clint chuckled. “That woman is an angel.”

“I’ll let her know you think so.” You said, smile glued to your face now. 

The past week had been a roller coaster of ups and downs. There were a lot of bad things that had happened, but there were silver linings. And one you could think of right now was, no more fighting in your group.

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[outlawsworld]

Trusting strangers - Chapter 2

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: Reader reveals the truth about where she is from but is worried about the consequences.

Warnings: mention or abuse and rape. But just fluff.

Author notes: I enjoyed writing the first one so much that I had to continue. Please let me know if you like it and if I should keep writing. I know a fair bit happens in this chapter but it's all setting the scene for the rest of the story ❤️🤠

Chapter one here

--

''We got time'' The words rang in your ears like alarm bells. You knew you had no choice but to tell Arthur the truth.

You had played out in your head this situation many times. How you were going to tell the gang the truth. Hosea was going to be the one you told. He had always been kind to you and he would definitely listen to the full story. The last person you expected to confess to was Arthur but here you were. 

You breathed out a sigh and looked down at your feet. Arthur was still standing over you hand ready at his gun belt.

''Well go on, spit it out'' He grunted impatiently. You looked up at him straight in the eye almost pleading with him to not make you speak but it was no use. Arthur was not one to back down from what he wanted.

''My daddy owned a ranch just outside of a city called Saint Denis. He bred and sold fine horses. They were worth a ton of money so this attracted all sorts of people. Mostly rich people but also thieves as you would expect. There was only me, my daddy and my mamma. My mama was a small housewife that didn't have any fondness for horses. I guess they hoped I would be a boy so they had someone else to help. My dad didn't care that I was a girl because as soon as I could walk, I could ride. He taught me everything I know about horses and he knew a lot.'' You paused to look at Arthur.

His expression was unmoved. ''So you're a rich girl?'' He laughed under his breath rolling his eyes.

''Hold on a minute, I told you it was a long story and I ain't done'' you fired back irritated by Arthur's reaction. ''He also taught me how to shoot. Having so many good horses we had to learn to defend our ranch from thieves that came along. I got good at it too. I would spend hours helping my daddy on the ranch and then go practise shooting everyday.'' You looked back down at your feet.

''One night a big storm hit and I went out to make sure the horses were alright. I heard gunshots coming from the house but by the time I got there these men had killed my daddy and beaten my mama bloody. My daddy had managed to gun down a load of them before they stormed the house. I didn't have a gun on me and they soon grabbed me too. They kept me and my mama hostage for a few months. Feeding us next to nothin' and beating us when they wanted somethin' to do. My mama didn't last long, not with all the beatings before....well at least she is in a better place.'' You closed your eyes for a moment trying to hold back tears as you remembered the past events. Composing yourself you carried on.

''After she passed the men thought beating me wasn't as fun anymore. They needed something more...I tried to fight them off at first but I didn't have the energy. They would pin me down, rip my clothes off me and have their fun. There was nothin' I could do. I was defensless and weak. This went on for a month or two but it felt like a liftime'' Your voice wavered but not with sorrow but with anger and embarrassment. 

''One night, one of the men came and had his way with me but after forgot to tie me back up and passed out drunk. I managed to sneak through the house to my Daddy's gun closet. Got my hands on his best rifle and took out every single one of the men in the house. There were more of them outside and I knew they had heard the gunshots so I took off. Grabbed our best stallion and rode as fast as I could outta there.'' 

''Some came after me but I managed to gun them down but there was a witness and I was suddenly an outlaw. My face was plastered on every poster in town. No one would listen to me and if they did no one would believe me. I ran changing from place to place for a couple months. Pick pocketing and hunting to stay alive but I was barely breathing. I hadn't eaten properly in months. A couple of weeks back the men from my daddy's ranch caught up to me and gunned my horse down. They had me surrounded, I tried to give them a good fight but there was too many of em'. Last thing I remember was getting hit over the head with something hard and waking up to Bill finding me. They must have thought they had killed me because I know that they wouldn't have left me there if they knew I was alive. They would have taken me back to the ranch and kept me for their own entertainment. So there. Now you know everything. I've got absolutely nothing and there is a bounty on my head''. You sighed not daring to look at Arthur but needing to know what he was thinking.

The silence was deafening and you could feel your heartbeat getting faster. ''Why didn't you just tell us?'' Arthur finally spoke. His tone was now soft compared to the harshness before. 

''Tell a bunch of strangers there is a bounty on my head? How would I have known you wouldn't just turn me in?'' You scoffed at his question before silence again. Why was he not saying anything? You wanted to know what he was thinking but he wasn't giving anything away. Instead he just turned to his horse and mounted before giving you a look to do the same. You mounted up and kept a slow walk next to Arthur. Your chest felt tight as you hung your head low. The feeling of embarrassment and ashame overcame you as you realised there was no going back. Arthur, the man you barely knew and didnt trust, knew everything.

The ride back was quiet and slow. Neither of you had spoken a word to each other and it was making your mind go crazy. You knew as soon as you got to camp Arthur would tell Dutch and the next day you'll be turned in for your bounty. There was no use running. Arthur had proven he is not a man to be messed with and you knew you wouldn't get far. You came to the conclusion that this was it. There was no point in fighting anymore.

''I'm sorry'' Arthurs low voice brought you back to reality. Shocked, you looked at him and he turned to meet your eye. ''No one should av' gone through all that. Those men got what they deserved''. For the first time he was properly looking at you. He had no sarcastic tone in his voice and he looked genuinely sympathetic towards you. Arthur was the first person you had told and you expected him to just spit and laugh in your face but here he was actually showing kindness to you. 

''It's in the past now.'' You broke the eye contact between you both. ''You gonna tell Dutch?'' although you didn't want to ask, you couldn't help yourself. You had finally found people who were nice to you after months of tourchur and you didn't want to loose that.

''It's your past'' He paused looking away from you ''Not up to me who knows it or not but you may wanna tell 'em at some point'' You nodded gratefully in reply. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. All this time trying to find someone who would listen to your story without calling you a liar or trying to turn you in with no luck. The last person you expected to listen, to truly listen and understand, was Arthur. Maybe you judged him too quickly.

You both arrived back in camp in the mid afternoon. The camp was quiet as people were out doing their daily jobs. The smell of the stew coming from Pearson's pot was mouthwatering after the morning you had. Mrs Grimshaw was the first to greet you as you arrived at the hitching posts.

''Where the hell av' you been Miss (Y/N)?'' She looked you up and down and you dismounted Johns horse. ''We all thought you had up and left'' Her hands placed on her hips waiting for an answer. She looked angry but slightly relived that you had come back.

''It's my fault Mrs Grimshaw'' Arthur intervened ''I took her hunting with me this mornin', I needed more than one horse and she was the only one awake'' Mrs Grimshaw turned her attention to Arthur.

''Well next time let me know before you go off like that but at least you made yourself useful Miss'' She softened her tone when Arthur spoke up for you. ''Better get some food and get on with the rest of your chores then'' she smiled before she walked off to go and yell at someone else. 

You breathed a sigh of relief ''Does she ever take a day off?'' You smirked as you began to untack the horses.

''Nah but you'll get used to it'' Arthur smiled at you and nodded before leaving you to take the buck to Pearsons cart. You watched him leave with a slight warmness in your chest and a smile on your face. 'Get used to it' does this mean you will be sticking around? You assumed Arthur might still have intentions to turn you in and collect a decent bounty but these words changed your thoughts. The feeling of telling the truth with no bad consequences made you relax a little. You began to think if you thought Arthur was the worst man here then this gang isn't too bad..

The rest of the afternoon went quickly. You managed to get all of your chores done in very little time with the help of Tilly and Mary-Beth. You had become very close to these two girls in the short time you were there, almost enough to trust them. Trusting strangers was hard especially when you had been on the run for some time. You learnt only to rely on yourself but these were kind people and they were all in the same position as you. 

''(Y/N)'' You heard your name being called from the hitching posts. ''Come help me with this would ya'' Charles was stood by one of the horses lifting its front leg. Quickly you ran over to him to see what was wrong. 

''You alright?'' You questioned as you observed what he was doing. The horse was losing a shoe but it had twisted and stood on the nail. Before Charles had a chance to respond you grabbed the shoe and started levering it from the horse's hoof while Charles lifted the leg. You managed to get the shoe completely off and without any extra damage to the horses hoof.

''We need to make a poultice to stop any infection but she should be fine in a couple of days'' You patted the mare as Charles released her leg.

''You really know what you are doing, don't cha''' He smiled at you as you got to work with some herbs and material to wrap the mare's foot in. After, you and Charles sat in the shade under the tree observing the rest of the camp while you relaxed. 

You saw Arthur head out again with Hosea riding a big black shire horse. He never got a full day around camp before he was out doing another job again. You couldn't help feel slightly sorry for him as you never saw him truly rest. He must be tired constantly but he never complained as long as it was worth his time. The rest of the camp were beginning to settle for the night and you and Charles peacefully watched the sunsetting. 

''Seems like you have settled in well with the gang'' Charles smiled at you. ''I have only been riding with them for around 6 months and it took me longer to find my place then you have''.

''I just do what I'm told and ask questions later'' You giggled ''But I am glad to have been found by you lot, don't know where I would be if I hadn't'' 

"Probably would have starved" he smirked at you. "I'm glad they found you. I need someone who knows as much about horses as you do" he smiled gesturing to the mare from earlier.

"I'm glad too, like you say I would have died if it wasn't for this gang" you smiled back then looked at the mare. "lookin' after horses don't feel like a chore to me so always happy to help"

Charles looked at you and opened his mouth to say something before he was cut off.

''Charles, (Y/N)!'' Javier called to you both before gesturing to gather round the fire. 

"Come on, better join in or people will start talkin'" Charles helped you to stand and you both walked to join the group.

This became a routine on a night that whoever was in camp would gather round the fire to tell stories. This time Javier told his story and everyone listened intently. You looked around the campfire at each of the gang members and couldn't help but smile. This could work. You could stay here with them and learn to trust each other. The thought made you relax and smile which didn't go unnoticed.

''It's nice to finally see you smile'' a rough voice quietly spoke to you before sitting next to you on the log. He was hushed so it wouldn't draw attention to the rest of the camp. ''I don't think I've seen you smile yet, well not a proper smile anyway''. You looked to see John sitting next to you. He had fresh scars on his face and dark features. 

''Don't think I had reason to'' You turned your attention to him.

''Well it's a nice thing to see. I'm sorry I've never actually had a chance to speak to you. I'm John'' He smiled and held his hand out to you which you shook giggling.

''Why thank you John. (Y/N), nice to finally meet you'' You let go of his hand and you smiled back at the fire in front of you. ''I guess I'm smiling because I'm happy. Haven't felt happy in a while'' you admitted.

''Well...I'm glad you are happy. There ain't much we can offer but at least we have each other'' John looked around the camp and then back to you. ''You will be safe with us. By the way, thank you for going huntin' with Arthur today. I definitely wasn't in the best way this mornin'" he laughed gesturing to his head.

"No problem, it was nice to get outta camp" you smirked.

"I trust old boy was good with you?"

"Oh god, I forgot to thank you for letting me borrow her. Yes, she's a good horse" you smiled looking in the horses direction.

"That she is. Well you must have been good company because I didn't get an earful from Arthur when he got back" John took a sip of whiskey. "Normally I wouldn't hear the end of it"

You spoke to John for a while as you found he was easy to talk to. He told you how he got his scars and how Arthur and Javier had saved him. The scars were healing well and he was nearly back to full strength so he would be off running jobs again soon. As the night drew to a close John walked you back to your tent and wished you a good night before taking his leave. 

You laid on your bedroll in your tent staring at the ceiling. The smile was still plastered across your face and you finally felt like you were in the right place. Everything seemed to fit perfectly. What a day....you didn't want to let yourself get too used to this feeling as you knew that things could change in a day. But just for tonight you allowed yourself the feeling of happiness. You were safe for now.

The next day was slow. You had done all of your chores by midday and there was nothing much to do. The only reason you felt like this was because for the last two days you had been out of camp. So being cooped up all day was slightly boring. You decided to go round and see if anyone needed your help. John was just about to go on watch so you asked to tag along which he accepted gratefully. It was a nice sunny day without a cloud in the sky so you were more then happy to sit out with him.

''You know it's nice to 'av company for once. Can get boring by yourself'' He walked to the spot to keep a look out and you sat at the bottom of the tree beside him. 

''Well I'm glad I could tag along. I like to keep busy'' You admitted.

''Really?'' He asked surprised ''The rest of the girls are normally happy to 'av the afternoon off but if your ever bored feel free to join me'' 

You sat with John for a couple of hours talking about the gang. ''Nah, he's a lazy old man but he's harmless. Wait till he tells you stories from when he was young. That'll make you laugh'' John laughed whilst talking about Uncle. 

''I'll keep that in mind when I'm next trying to avoid him'' You were both in fits of laughter that tears were almost falling from your eyes. Soon you composed yourself and Bill came to take the next watch. Without hesitation you stood up and followed close behind John back to camp before Bill offered for you to sit with him as well.

John giggled at this ''You ain't a fan of Bill then?'' 

''I'm just cautious. He's never the kindest''. Plus you didn't want to admit it but you really enjoyed John's company and replacing that with Bill's would have been dissapointing. 

"Yeah I wouldn't say that but he ain't so bad. He's dumb as rocks but he won't hurt ya" John comforted you. He patted you on your shoulder, gave you a friendly smile and went to his tent for some rest.

When you reached the camp you went to sit with the girls and little Jack. They were braiding each other's hair and Tilly was teaching Jack to make a flower chain. You complained about how bored you had been all day and they all hmmed in agreement. Before long you were all talking about Mrs Grimshaw and how she thinks she is the one in charge around here. Once you had your hair neatly braided by Abigail you decided to head to your tent to have a nap but as you were making your way across camp you heard shouting as Hosea and Arthur arrived back from their trip.  

You carried on towards your tent expecting them both to go to the rest of the camp when you caught a glimpse of Arthur heading straight towards you.

''Y/N'' Arthur called to you. This was the first time he said your name and somehow it hit differently with you. Something inside you said if your name was worth learning then he had accepted you into the gang. You stopped in your tracks and before you knew it Arthur was standing in front of you. ''I've got something for ya'' He motioned his head to follow him and without question you did.

He took you over to the hitching post where a beautiful Black, American Saddler, Stallion, stood. You gave Arthur a confused look as you approached the horse giving it a firm pat on the neck. 

''You don't have a horse and....Well Hosea needed to sell one so....and I'm starting to like my new one. I thought'' He paused and looked at your shocked face as you realised what he was trying to say. ''Well he's yours if you want 'im''

Was this real? Had Arthur gone out of his way to get you your own horse. You looked at the beautiful stallion and back to Arthur. ''I don't know what to say'' Your mouth was hanging open but your lips were upturned into a smile. 

Arthur smiled at you ''I wanted to say thank you for helping me out yesterday'' He paused as you nodded at him with a grateful smile. His voice was soft and genuine again. ''This was the best one of a bad bunch, I knew I couldn't get you a cheap nag as I remembered you knew too much about 'em. Didn't think I would get away with it" Arthur joked but tried to keep a straight face as to come across serious.

''Thank you Arthur'' You smiled before fully looking over the horse. Arthur blushed under the brim of his hat at hearing you say his name. You could tell Arthur didn't want you to think he was capable of kindness as he made up the excuse of getting you a shit horse. But the more you looked over the stallion the more you knew that it was a fine one. It wouldn't have been cheap if he had actually bought it. ''I owe you one'' You said trying to look at him from over the horses back. 

''You can help me with a job tomorrow if you are up for it? Gives you chance to test your steed out'' He took the saddle off the horses back ''It's just a little house robbery but I need another pair of hands just in case something goes wrong'' .

''Sure'' You took the bridle off the horse ''but wouldn't you rather go with one of the men'' You gave him a questioning look.

''You are just as good as any of 'em by the way you handled yourself yesterday'' Arthur got a brush out of the saddle bag before passing it to you. ''Unless you feel you ain't up for it'' he teased you waiting for a reaction.

''Oh, I'm more than up for it'' you smirked at him before beginning to brush your horse down. ''I was just making sure''.

''I'll let you two get acquainted then'' Arthur gave you a cheeky smile before heading over to the rest of the camp leaving you with your new horse. 

You couldn't help but feel excited to go on your first real job for the gang. Does this mean they trust you. So many thoughts rushed through your head but the main one was......what do I name you? 

While you were thinking about names you heard a man screaming from the camp. You looked over to see what all the noise was and you saw Dutch, Bill and Arthur standing around the man they had tied to one of the trees. He had been there the whole time you had been in the camp. Tied to the tree like that for weeks on end. You avoided him most of the time as you had no idea why he was there and you were new to camp. Fratanising with the enemy wouldn't look too good for you. Occasionally you would ask him if he was okay but that was all.

They had pulled his trousers down and Bill was holding a huge pair of tweezers threatening to geld him. You watched as you saw Arthur's face hardened again as he threatened the man. He was so confusing, one minute you think he is a kind caring man and the next he does something like this. You had to think twice as you had done things you were not proud of too, to servive, and maybe that's all he was doing. Although he seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much. Doubt filled your thoughts and suddenly you couldn't help thinking maybe he was only showing you kindness to keep you on there side, to stop you running off. You might be valuable to them. There was already $2000 on your bounty, imagine if that went up the longer you were an outlaw.

You pushed these thoughts to the back of your mind as you watched them untie the young man from the tree. Arthur pushed him into a walk and Dutch hollered for John to go with Arthur and Bill. You managed to hear them talking about finding an O'Driscoll hide out. Before you knew it the four men were riding out of camp on another job.

"No rest for the wicked" you wispered into your horses ear.

You began to regain your thoughts. "Dallas, I think that suits you" you carried on brushing the stallion until he was gleaming and it began to get dark.

There wasn't many of you round the campfire tonight. You sat with a bowl of stew and kept warm by the flames. Someone grabbed your shoulder and you looked up to see Hosea stood over you.

"How you doing little lady?" He asked. He reminded you of your daddy in this moment. 'Little lady' used to be what he would call you but he also had the tender look in his eye, the same look Hosea was giving you now. He was like you dad in many ways the more you thought of it. He was kind and soft but tough and stern when he needed to be. Just the other day you saw him threaten Bill with his pistle because Bill was too drunk and getting on his last nerve.

"I'm alright Hosea, and you?" You answered back.

"I'm not bad, thanks for asking" he looked around the campfire for a minute. "Fancy accompanying me on a stroll round the camp?"

You nodded your head before standing up. Hosea held out his arm for you to link yours through as you set off on your walk. You were both quiet at first, it wasn't at all awkward but peaceful. The noises from the surrounding nature was relaxing, you could hear the water stream nearby and the sound of owls in the trees.

"Where did you get off too last night, anything exciting?" You decided to break the silence.

"Arthur and I decided to go hunt a bear I had heard about. The animal was about the size of a house and unfortunately got the better of me" he turned and smiled to you but he seemed troubled. "Arthur mentioned that you had told him about your past" you eyes widened as Hosea spoke. Suddenly your heartbeat raced and you began to look around for some sort of trap he was walking you into.

"Whoa, calm down there" Hosea petted your arm. "He didn't tell me anything just that you will tell your story when you are good and ready. He said to trust you"

You felt a sudden rush of relief which made you dizzy. Hosea saw the look on your face of panic and paused for you to say something. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you Hosea" you looked at him and you saw your farther in this moment. You went with your gut feeling which was screaming at you to tell him everything.

Hosea listened to every word as you spoke, not once turning his glance away. When you started to get upset he took both your hands in his and squeezed them tight. The warmth from his hands gave you strength and made you trust him instantly. After you finished he pulled you in for a long hug. You didn't know how much you needed human affection until the moment. The tears came streaming down your face and soaked his shirt but he didn't seem to mind. He was warm and you felt safe in his arms at this moment.

Hosea broke the hug before lifting your chin to look him in the eye. "You fit in here more than you know. We need you just as much as you need us and I promise that no one will ever lay a hand on you again" he smiled and you knew he wasn't lying. "Arthur speaks very highly of you, sees great things and now I do too".

You felt a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. Maybe Hosea was right, maybe you did fit in more then you ever cared to realise. You both made your way back to the campfire and you thanked Hosea for everything before taking a seat. As you looked round the fire it was like you saw everyone for the first time. They were all outlaws running from something. They had all been scared and mistreated but they had each other and you were now part of that. Through all the shit you had been through, you thought no one would understand but everyone here would. Of course they would because they had all been through hell and back together. You just needed to learn to trust them and maybe you were already starting too.

--

Chapter 3

#arthur morgan #rdr2 #rdr2 community #rdr2 arthur #john marston #red dead redemption imagine #red dead redemption two #charles smith #dutch van der linde #red dead redemption hosea #rdr2 photography #rdr2 john #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fandom #rdr fanfiction #red dead redemption john #red dead redemption arthur #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption fanfic #rdr2 jack #arthur morgan fanfic #arthur morgan x female reader

[shyrose57]

3: Over time people have found a way to make potions last longer, but theres also a way to make them permanent until a different potion counteracts it, but its very hard to do this and most people die trying to do it because the potion gets highly unstable that even a simple tap can make the potion explode. Raq knew how to make a potion permanent, so after managing to successfully make a permanent one, he just had to throw it on Ran and wait until he was left alone to get him. 

4: The fishermen have made a pretty soild plan to follow when this reaction to touch is suspected to be happening. First they of course ask him if touch is ok, and if he says no then they just stay by and give him a blanket. If he cant/doesn't respond then they decide to not touch him incase it causes a bad reaction. And still remain nearby, but they also attempt to comfort him more directly by sitting as close as possible and repeating comforting words and sentences to him. 

10: Oh definitely, in fact the fact that Ran is blind almost starts a fight when Asidi reaches to grab Ran and Grievous gets in the way, yelling at him to back off. Which gets not only Asidi mad but also makes Ran afraid. Which just ramps up the tension ten fold. To the point there may be a full out fist fight, until Lucia thankfully notices Rans predicament and manages to get them inside for the antidote, with Siren stepping up to talk to Asidi. A antidote for a permanent blindness potion would consist of a mix of water and milk, a fermented spider eye to temporarily weaken his immune systems so the antidote can get fully in, a Ghast tear (regeneration so slowly allow the sight back as to not overwhelm the person), and a golden carrot (its a vision based ingredient in general), and glistening  melon (healing to help push the blindness out while also just numbing the person in general). Then a day later or when signs start to show of the vision coming back, a potion of strength to help the immune system strengthen back up and help get the last bit of the blindness potion out hopefully. Most potions do have a counter potion, but it's only the really complex or permanent potions that have a deemed antidote (difference is the counter is just 1 potion and 1 or 2 ingredients. A antidote is a mix of multiple different potions and ingredients making it more complex). It takes Ran longer than he'd like to admit to get used to it again, he has to do small practices like walking around or running around a room, picking up a pencil and writing, just doing simple hand eye coordination exercises to get used to sight again. But at first when his sight starts to slowly come back he starts to relax a bit more, he's still scared and clings to someone until its almost fully back though. And then he just starts having Watson or Benjamin around to help him get used to it again. He is deeply embarrassed when he learns how he acted when he was blind, and it takes a while for him to regain his confidence/get used to the idea that everyone saw him like that. But they help him feel better by telling embarrassing stories about themselves so he doesnt feel like he's alone and the gladiators have a one on one session with him saying how their proud of him and feel like their closer now, to which Ran does agree. And when it comes to Ranbob, the two aren't super close yet, but close enough they can be close toghere and alone toghere without anything happening. So when Ran learns Ranbob was the only one able to truly comfort him, he isnt super happy, but is almost like satisfied or content. He doesn't mind and it even gets him thinking a bit. 

12: That was funnier to me than it should've been

13: You didn't do anything we just love to cause chaos when given the chance. And I did tell them that and they were very happy and just said "Ima Little gremlin 😈😈😈😈😈😈😈" then disappeared for the rest of the day. 

14: All of the above. But mostly because of curiosity. The idea that theres a immortal god just out there is incredibly fascinating to them and Jackie especially really wants to meet him. Watson and the fishermen are more hesitant to the thought of meeting Foolish. Mostly because he is a god that could easily kill them, and maybe trespassing onto his property isn't the best idea? But Jackie isnt taking no for an answer and he will forcefully drag everyone with him. They wouldn't know but you did give me a idea of what if Raq has a totem and when Raq blinds Ran they think that they killed Raq, but instead he slips away. And no one notices til its to late.

15: Oh yes, Edward is mid telling of how Ranboo was always so socially shy and tried his best to seem invisible, as Ran and Ranbob throw snowballs and agure in the background. And Edward is telling of how Ranboo was so scared of destroying Technoblades property as he was scared he'd get kicked out as Ran and Jackie are just hasitly digging up the ground in the background in a race. He does also tell them how much Ranboo used to go mining for fun, so often he went mining that he actually became the richest person in the SMP and beyond all because he was bored. While on the way there Cletus and Isaac where complaining about how much they had to mine just to get a few bits of iron. Edward also shared how little Ranboo knew of his enderman side and how he suffered because of it, making the brothers thankful that they had a enderman hybrid mom, and even teachers who took time to teach them about their enderman side and how to please it and its limits. It also gets embarrassing when Edward asks for stories about Ran and Ranbob. Especially when Watson jumps up to tell an embarrassing story about Ran. Even the brothers get in on it and share stories about Mizu. Jackie, Isaac, Charles, and Ranbob all sit around Edward when its time to tell stories about the SMP. And Edward has actually started private lessons with the brothers to teach them the enderian language after he finds out their enderian is extremely rusty and out of date. 

Also I wanted to include this in my timeline submission but I forgot to so have it here. Although I said I want this to be a primarily Tales focused au I just can't help but imagine Phil, Karl, Ranboo, Tubbo, Techno (plus maybe Quackity, Bad, and Sapnap) being sucked into the future by a failure from Karls watch and them having to work with the gladiator and fishermen groups to find their way home. But that would probably be another au.

3: Oh, interesting. So Raq managed to corner Ran? How did he do that? How did everyone feel about them getting split off from Ran only to find him blind and terrified?

4: That sounds really nice of them, actually. I’m glad he’s got a good support system. If the gladiators ever had to deal with it themselves(maybe the Fishermen got temporarily separated, or something), how would they go about it, and how would they fare?

10: Aww, they’re protective of him. Good, he needs someone to be! It’s for the best that fight never really started, that definitely would have made things a lot worse, huh? Antidotes sound really interesting, honestly. Definitely off track of your AU, but if you ever have the time, what kind of antidotes would your world building use for other potions, and which potions could be made permanent? Very glad he gets his sight back though. He’s content with it? Curious, curious.

12: I’ll do it, don’t make me!

13: Yeah, that fits the bill alright. They are a gremlin, and it’s good that they’ve acknowledged that. Also, you saying they just disappeared for the rest of the day makes it sound like they just poofed out of thin air until midnight for feeding time. 

14: Jackie wants to see god, and so he will. Maybe fight him too, but that’s up for debate. And also ‘until it’s too late’? Anon, what happens? What’s Raq gonna do? Which of the poor children are gonna suffer from this?

15: FGHJK-

Edward: Ah, yes. That Ranboo. So polite and well-mannered. 

His descendants: *screaming in the background*

Edward: So, so well-mannered. 

Also, I want funny stories about Ranbob and Ran. Can I have funny stories about them? Please, Anon?

Them ending up in the future actually sounds pretty interesting, especially considering the group and who they end up with. Honestly, if you’re up for talking, I’d love to hear about it. Maybe you could make it like a spin-off from this AU, or something? Not canon, but a fun idea? I think, I’m not entirely sure how spin-offs work, if I’m being honest.

#dream smp #Brothers AU #dream smp au #tales from the smp #ranbob

[khoicesbyk]

His…

Author’s Note: I’m a Bloodbound groupie so here’s one of many stories by me!

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains strong sexual content and strong language.

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Adrian Raines (LI) and Tiana Reynolds (MC)

***Disclaimer: All character name(s) (except MC) belong to Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,071 words.

One night Tiana was on her way to Adrian’s office with a late night dinner. She figured that he hadn’t eaten yet; so she ran by the newest Chinese restaurant around the corner and grabbed them both some food. She couldn’t wait to see him.

You see, it’s been quite a whirlwind 3 months for Tiana. She was hired by brilliant but reclusive billionaire, Adrian Raines. She was supposed to be his personal assistant. Only she would soon discover that; she’d be more than that.

It only took hours after her being hired; for her to find out that Adrian is a nearly 300 year old vampire. He’s one of the 6 members of The Council.

Once she got off the elevator, she went straight to his office; as fast as her heels would carry her. Once she got there she was greeted by Adrian and The Baron and few of his goons.

“What the hell’s the matter with you? Don’t you know how to knock?!”, he yelled at her. She just rolled her eyes as a response.

“Boy! You sure know how to pick them don’t you, Boy Scout? We’re in the middle of discussing official and important business; and your trollop just barges in all willy nilly!”, he sneered at Adrian.

“First off, jackass! I work here! And secondly, if this “so called discussion” has anything to do with you of all people a.) it’s not official b.) it’s not business and c.) it damn sure ain’t important!”, she snapped back; which caused Adrian to snicker.

“Ohhh so you think this is funny, do you?! Dozer! Show the tramp what it happens to those who disrespect me.”, he said to his thug with a menacing grin. Adrian’s face soon went from annoyed to angry.

“Allow me to remind you Baron; this is MY office; and your goon is human! So what do you think will happen to him, if he goes anywhere near her?”, he responded as he stood up. He red eyes clearly boring a hole through The Barons’ henchman.

”Fine! I won’t have him touch her! For now anyway!”, The Baron replies.

“Get out of my office!”, he hissed at The Baron with his fangs bared.

“Have a good evening gentlemen!”, she told them as they walked out the door. Once The Baron and his men were gone and she locked the door behind them; Adrian had regained his composure.

“So; what’s that in the bag?”, he asked her.

“Chinese! It’s dinner basically.”, she replied.

“Smells good. Thank you for bringing it Tiana.”, he replies with a warm smile. She sets the bag down on a small coffee table; then joins him at his desk.

“So…what was all that with Baron von Asshole about?”, she asked.

“He wants to take over Vega’s senate seat. And wanted my help on his campaign.”, he answered.

“Yeeeeeaaaaaaah…no. Thanks! Appreciate your initiative! But no!”, she tells him. He chuckles at her then says, “that’s actually somewhat similar to what I told him. So, how’s the baby shower planning, going?”

“It’s going great! We’ve got pretty much everything covered. Me and Lily are the dream baby shower planning team! I still can’t believe that Sam and Mina are having triplets!”, she says excitedly.

“Give them my congratulations.”, he tells her.

“Of course! Now let’s eat before the food gets cold; and I’m stuck having to hear you whine, moan, bitch and complain about how you hate when your Chinese gets cold.”, she responds. He chuckles at her.

“You know…I am quite famished.”, he says to her.

“I know! That’s why I got food. That we should eat. Like right now…okay why are you looking at me like that?”, she asks with a giggle.

“Because; I don’t remember saying that it was food that I wanted.”, he said before pulling her into his lap. His eyes filled with hunger and desire.

“Ohhh well! Since you’re famished Mr. Raines…let me feed you.”, she says before he kisses her with unrestrained passion.

He was indeed famished and was going to feast on her. In every sense. As they kissed; she unbuttoned his dress shirt; revealing his very taut muscles. The man had a body; most male fitness models would kill for.

It always amazed her how; the son of slaves, could build a billion dollar biotech empire. But; that’s exactly what Adrian has been able to do.

He was born Adrian Thomas Raines on April 17th, 1753 in Faulkner Mississippi. He was raised by his maternal grandparents. Who were able to escape to Chicago with a very young Adrian; after his father was killed and his mother was sold. He grew up as an eager young boy. Always willing to help in any way that he could. When he was 17 years old; his grandmother encouraged him to go out on his own and build his own life. He traveled all over the Midwest and New England before he settled in New York City. That’s where he met his wife Eleanor.

They were married then moved into a small house that he built by hand. She eventually became pregnant and gave birth to their son Charles. Life was good. Until that fateful night that Eleanor and Charles were killed and Adrian was left to die as well. At just 28 years old; life was over for him. Until he was turned into a vampire. And the rest is history.

Now Tiana was a whole different story. She was born Tiana Imani Reynolds on October 28th, 1988 in Charlotte North Carolina. But she grew up in Rockville Maryland.

After earning her Communication Degree from University Of Maryland; she and her best friend Lily Spencer packed up and moved to New York. They were in search of a new life; full of fun, adventure and opportunities. And both girls got that in spades. Lily was left to die after she was mysteriously attacked by another vampire. Well, she would be dead if Adrian hadn’t saved her life by turning her. Saving her best friends life; was enough for Tiana to see Adrian in a whole new light.

So there they were; hot and heavy. Her hands were sliding up his chest; while his found their way up her skirt. He was obsessed with her. Her smile. Her eyes. Her lips. Her curves. Her taste. Her wit. Her bravery. But mostly; he was obsessed with her blood. He loved to feed off her. And truth be told; she loved it just as much as he did. Soon; they were both naked and kissing with hands all over each other. She went from being in his lap to being pinned between his hot, hard body and the top of his desk.

“Adrian…”, she moaned as he let his mouth go to work on her breasts. He alternated between each one by licking, nipping, kissing and sucking on her nipples. It was driving her crazy.

“You are exquisite…”, he murmurs against her soft skin; as he brings her up, so that she’s sitting on the edge of his desk. He tangles his right hand in her hair and gently pulls her head back, exposing the soft flesh of her neck. He ran his tongue across the skin; until he settled his lips just above her artery.

“Please don’t torture me…”, she begged him.

“Shhhh…it’ll all be over soon. You know how much I love making your pulse race; before I feed. Makes you taste that much sweeter.”, he whispered in her ear.

She shivered from a mix of anticipation and adrenaline; as his arms tightened around her, holding her very still. She knew what was coming next. She was ready and excited for it. That’s when she felt his fangs pierce into her neck. Her body was on fire. Every last one of her nerve endings tingled. Soon the sweet pain; gave way to an even sweeter pleasure, as he began to feed.

“Yesssssssssss…”, she moaned softly. She could feel the blood leaving her body as he fed. In that moment; is when she felt most alive. She didn’t want him to stop. Once he was satisfied; he pricked his finger to seal the wound.

“So delicious…”, he tells her. His voice was low, almost to a growl.

“Wait until you taste the rest of me.”, she replies with a wink and sly grin.

Once again he greedily devoured her mouth. Letting his tongue tangle with hers and letting one of his fangs scrape her bottom lip. He kissed down her jawline and neck; savoring the sweet taste of her flesh.

With a wink of his own; he playfully ran his fangs across both of her nipples. Doing so; caused her to let out a sound that was both a gasp and a moan.

“Don’t stop…don’t ever stop…”, she moaned.

“Ohhh never that. I would never stop pleasing you.”, he replied before kissing down the center of her breasts. This is all he needed and wanted. Her just her. He continued going lower letting his fangs and mouth sweetly, gently and slowly torture her.

He wanted her in a frenzy and he was getting her there. Her breathing started to labor as he got to her epicenter. He trailed soft sweet kisses along the top of her right thigh. Every so often; he’d scrape his fangs across her thigh as he got closer to her treasure trove. Her body trembled with anticipation; she wanted him to touch her in the worst way.

“Adrian please! I need you to—“, was all she managed to get out; before she was cut off by him, “relax, lay back and close your eyes Tiana. All I want you to do is feel.”

She did as she was told to do. That’s when she felt his mouth descend onto her.

“Oh my God! Yesssssssssss!”, she shrieked.

She felt electric. Her body not only sang but it tingled. Heat coursed through every inch of her; as he tasted her. Between his fingers, his tongue and especially his fangs going all over the place; she was in heaven. She did what she could to ride the intense waves of pleasure but soon; it became a little too much.

She thought she was going to try to move but Adrian had other plans. When he felt her start to move away; he wrapped his arms around her thighs; pulling her close to him and holding her in place. They weren’t finished until he was finished.

“Ohhhhhhhh God! Adrian! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”, she screamed. She was about to break from the orgasm that was building inside her. Pulses raced throughout her body; every time she felt his mouth move against her. Before either of them knew it; her orgasm broke and she exploded in his mouth.

“Ohhhhhhhh shit! YESSSSSSSSSSS! YES! YES! YES! OH MY FUCKING GOD!”, she screamed as she rode the wave of her orgasm.

When Adrian finally let her go; she was a mess. Her breathing was erratic and she was trying to control the tremors caused by the aftershock.

“You were right. The rest of you is delicious!”, he whispered in her ear.

“Do you have to be so damn good at that?”, she asked breathlessly.

“No but it’s fun to put you through it anyway.”, he answered. She wanted to punch him but instead she pinched him.

“Owwww! What was that for?”, he asked.

“1.) you’re a vampire. Which means 2.) that doesn’t hurt.”, she replies.

“No but; it sure as hell deflates my ego.”, he said to her.

He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the couch; across the room. She cuddled close as he let his fingers skim up and down her spine.

“You should really eat something T. It’s not good for you to skip a meal.”, he says as he places a small kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll eat soon. Right now, this is all I want.”, she responds.

In that moment while in his arms: she was all his. And he was all hers.

Stay tuned for more from me!

😘

@txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

K.

#choices fanfiction #choices #fanfic #khoicesbyk #pixelberry #choices stories you play #adrian raines

[onfleekson]

I don’t drink wine

Note: This is my first piece. I am not an English major.  My use of commas, my grammar and maybe some of my spelling might be horrendous. Please do not copy or repost without crediting the source.

(Female reader x Josiah Trelawny)

Part 1

The sun was setting over the horizon.  You were finishing up some chores around camp; chopping wood, feeding the horses.  In the middle of your task, Kieran comes to take over brushing the horses.  He smiles warmly at you as you head out to your tent. 

You had a solo mission tomorrow to prepare for, specifically requested by Dutch: To find an associate and ensure his safety.  You chuckle remembering how you responded to this.  “Boss, is Trelawny ever really lost and in danger? The snake can slither out of any situation.”  But he insisted.  The length or Trelawny’s silence has him worried, and Dutch was always the type to look out for his own.  It’s why you joined the gang in the first place.

As you enter your tent, you look at your small mirror as you undress for the night.  You pause when your eyes meet your own in the reflection.

Thoughts... memories you’ve pushed back in your mind resurface as your fingers slide over your face. You close your eyes. Against your better judgement, you remember.

It was the night before Blackwater, the plan had been laid out, assignments had been made and the gang was ready.  Some of them headed out to the pub for drinks, including yourself.  You all seemed to be suffering from a severe case of restlessness.  It happens usually to the same people before a big heist like this: Bill, Javier, John, Sean, Davey, Mac and you. Sometimes Arthur and Hosea would come to babysit the lot of you, sometimes the girls would join, but this time a new face joined the midst.

Trelawny wasn’t new to you, just unfamiliar. You had joined the gang around the same time Charles had several months ago. Trelawny was in and out and so you never had the chance to get to know the man.  However, after some time you’ve come to the conclusion on what type of character Trelawny is. He pops in ever so often to give something Dutch wants, information most of the time, then he’ll scurry off the next second. He never stayed for the fighting, he never had to provide for the gang, or ensure their safety.  It was something that didn’t sit well with you.

And here he was. The boys were spread out, playing dominoes, laughing with the local working ladies, enjoying the night.  You were sitting at a table, in a heated discussion with Mac and Davey about who the better shot was between John and Arthur.  That’s when HE appeared; out of nowhere, unannounced with extra beers for the boys. “And a fine wine for the lady,” Trelawny said flamboyantly, wafting the drink as dramatically as possible with a face of pure enchantment before placing the drink in front of you. 

Normally, you’d ignore the man and go on about your business.  This wasn’t the first time the snake attempted to initiate an encounter with you.  However, normally you aren’t borderline shit-faced.  To make the situation worse, your frustration was stoked by the fit of laughter coming from the Callander brothers. 

And boy, was you mad.

You stood up suddenly with such intensity that it silenced the boys and made Trelawny flinch. You grab Mac’s beer and down it, unknowingly calling the bar’s attention over to you.  Then you grab Davey’s drink and down that one as well.  When you finish, the bar erupts in a drunken cheer. Davey and Mac stand and pat you on the back, making comments to whoever was listening about how you was their woman.  Pushing them aside jokingly, you gracefully (not so gracefully) take a few steps toward Trelawny.  You push the wine over to him, “For the lady,” you say as you curtsey with as much extravagance as you can muster.

The brother’s fit of laughter starts up again as they make fun of Trelawny.  Satisfied with your work, you rise from your curtsey to relish the look on his face.  However, it was not the face you had anticipated.  Trelawny was completely besides himself with laughter.  You frown, confused. “Haha, oh- oh my dear, what a wondrous creature you are,” he said between his laughter, wiping tears from his eyes.  “You sure had me there.” he said looking up at you with adoration.

Unable to deal with the snake any longer, you take your hat and stumble out of the bar.  You hear some people call after you, but you ignore it.

“I’ve had enough for one night, Amore,” you whisper to your horse as you mount and ride away into the night. 

Dizzy and warm, you relish the cold night air as Amore takes you whichever direction he so chooses to go.  It was something the two of you did when you were too drunk to function.  You’d get on your trusty steed and he’d take you for a ride until you were sober enough to find your way home or until you passed out.

However, recently, your horse has been developing this strange habit during your rides.  Which reminded you, “Amore, so help me God, if you do that- that thing again... I swear I’m going to eat you for-” You were not able to finish the sentence, however, when all of a sudden your horse comes to a sudden stop and you begin to lurch forward.  It was a feeling you were becoming familiar with, and now knew all too well.  A split second was all you needed to accept your unfortunate fate, but it was not enough time for you to get a good hold of the reigns.  Then, in the next second, you’re sent flying into a freezing river. 

You’ve learned that you’re as good a swimmer drunk as you are sober.  You’ve been bucked into bodies of water enough times to learn this, unfortunately.  So you stay in the water for a minute, allowing the cold to take hold of your bones and chill you into a kind of sobriety. Then, slowly, you float up to the surface.  You were at Blackwater’s harbor.  Amore was peering down at you. 

“What if I couldn’t swim, and I died? Hu? What would happen to you then, you dumb horse...” you say bitterly. Too busy thinking of recipes that included horse meat in them, you don’t hear the gallop of another horse nearing until it’s too late.

“No! Trelawny, I don’t need save-” before you could finish your sentence, the man clumsily jumps off his horse and into the water, jumping onto you and pushing you back underneath the surface.  You could feel one of his arms around your waist as he pulls the two of you back up.  Breaking the surface, Trewlany is sputtering and struggling for air.  He swims to shore, the one arm now linked to yours instead of around your waist. You’re still too surprised to break away from his hold and you let him pull you ashore.

Once the two of you reached land, Trelawny turns to lie on his back and tries to catch his breath.  The harbor was dimly lit, but it was enough to be able to make out his red face and exhausted demeanor.  “You’re not a good swimmer,” you point out.

“A thank you would suffice,” he breathed between his gasps for air.

“I didn’t need saving,” you retort.

Silence.

“Why are you here?” you ask.

“The boys said you were fine riding on your own, but I was worried.  I guess it’s a good thing I followed you, or you’d still be in that river,” he said, finally catching his breath.

“I told you I didn’t need savin’!” you snap again.

Trelawny sits up and looks over at you unconvinced.

Silence again.

“Th-Thanks for caring enough to be out here, I suppose,” you mutter.

Trelawny laughs again, startling you. “I’ll take what I can get, I suppose,” he says looking back out onto the water.  You peer over at him.  His thick black hair was dripping wet and shining in what little light there was.  His mustache was in the same state as well.  His clothes were completely soaked.

“We should get back to camp and get dry before you get sick,” you say. You stand, make your way over to him and hold out your hand.  “and what about you, don’t you get sick?” he asks as he takes your hand.  With one hard tug, you’re able to pull Trelawny up.  He stumbles a little, but you help him regain his balance. “I don’t get sick,” you say. He laughs again, weakly. The two of you make your way to your horses.

As you’re securing your saddle, you look over at Trelawny again. You didn’t realize he was standing so close to you, and it startles you again. “Trelawny, your horse is over there,” you say, turning away from him. You curse yourself under your breath for being taken by surprise by him so many times tonight. The alcohol was probably the reason why you weren’t so sharp, but it was no excuse for letting someone catch you off guard so frequently. You’re more careful than that.

Trelawny didn’t move, however. He looked at you, a little red in the face still, but with the same look he had at the bar.  Adoration.  Frustrated, you snap at him again, “this is no time for your tricks, Trelawny! We need to get back to camp as soon as possible.” He doesn’t look away. Instead, he raises one of his hands to your face and cups your cheek.  “My dear, what a wondrous creature you are...” he says quietly as his face draws closer to yours.  You blush and stammer, unable to find the words to express yourself.  But before he can kiss you, you push Trelawny away.

“Of all of God’s damned creations, you are, by far, the slimiest, most dim-witted...” you start but your voice trails off as you notice Trelawny’s state.  His eyes are fairly glazed over and he’s stumbling backwards, unable to catch his footing.  You lunge to catch him before he falls. “Trelawny,” you call to him, slapping his face  a bit.  You put your hand to his forehead and it’s warm.  Fever.

It doesn’t take long for you to get Trelawny onto your saddle.  It doesn’t take long for you to reach camp and get him settled into a bed and seen and attended by Miss Grimshaw and Strauss.  It didn’t even take long for the charming snake to break the fever and recover.

However, as you stand in your tent, days later, peering at your reflection in the mirror with your hand over the same cheek Trelawny held.  You realize it’s going to take a hell of a long time to forget the way he made you feel that night.

#rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fandom #josiah trelawny #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde #rdr #fanfic #fanfiction #rdr 2 fanfiction

[phoenixgirlreviews-blog]

A Blessing In Disguise (Days Of Our Lives/General Hospital Crossover AU)

Chapter 1 – Goodbye Salem, Hello Port Charles

SALEM, ILLINOIS

THERESA DONOVAN’S APARTMENT

SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2017

8 a.m.

The alarm rang and Theresa’s eyes shot up as she quickly rose out of bed, her blondish brown hair all messy and hanging in her face. She then went into the bathroom and got ready for the day – brushing her teeth, washing her face and even combing out all of the tangles from her hair.

Theresa groaned and screamed in frustration and agitation as she pulled and tugged with all her might to get a particularly huge knot out but to no avail.

“Ow, ow, ow, dammit!”

Then after several more minutes of messing and fighting with the knot and finally getting it under control, she heard a loud voice calling from the hallway.

“Mommy, hurry up! I wanna watch my favorite show!”

“In a minute, Tater Tot!” Theresa hollered as she gave a couple more strokes of her hair and then ran her hands through it slowly.

“Okay, that’s better.”

She then dug into her closet and got out a great outfit – a pretty purple floral blouse and a pair of navy blue dress jeans with dark black combat boots. After getting dressed, she then went over to the mirror to admire herself for a moment, fixing up her hair into a half-bun with a clip and a pick. Shortly thereafter, she turned towards the door and headed out of the room.

--

Several minutes later, Theresa walked downstairs with Tate in her arms and then went over to his high chair, where she placed him in securely. She then went over to the refrigerator and took out a couple of puree baby food jars, placing them on the counter.

Theresa picked up a banana flavored baby food jar and pulled out a drawer, whipping out a small metal spoon. She then opened up the jar and stuck the spoon in.

“Okay, Tate, here comes the choo-choo train!” Theresa announced as she brought over the jar of banana puree to her son and took out a spoonful, offering it to him.

Tate frowned and shook his head, grimacing and crossing his arms defiantly.

Theresa then licked her lips, circling the spoon in the air with one hand while making a rubbing motion on her belly with the other.

“Mmmm… Yummy banana! Come on, Tate! Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like Kion?”

Tate hesitated for a moment, considering her words. Then after a few short minutes, he opened his mouth and allowed his mother to feed him.

After Tate was done eating, Theresa cleaned him up and took him in her arms, heading upstairs.

“Come on, kiddo. We better get ready to go to your dad’s.”

--

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER

THE KIRIAKIS MANSION

The doorbell rang and Brady opened, revealing Theresa and Tate in the doorway.

“Hey, Theresa! Glad you can make it!” Brady smiled warmly as the two exes hugged.

Theresa stepped into the mansion with Tate and the baby supply bags in hand.

“Yeah, traffic was rough,” she griped as she entered the living room and sat down on the couch, exhaling sharply.

“How was work?” Brady asked as he sat down next to her.

“Pretty good. Our summer collection was a huge success and got a lot of great publicity. Everyone is still talking about it on social media,” Theresa answered with a small, satisfied smile on her face.

“That sounds amazing, Theresa. You should be really proud,” Brady complimented her.

“Aw, it was nothing,” Theresa blushed, feeling flattered. “Nicole, Kate and Anne deserve all the credit too just as much as I do.”

“Ah, so the wicked witch of the west finally showed up,” a gruff male voice intoned as Victor and Maggie walked into the living room.

Theresa glared with a scowl but fought to keep her tongue.

Tate then jumped out of her arms and rushed over to greet his great-grandparents.

“Grandpa Victor!” he shrieked excitedly as he embraced the old man joyfully. “You’re here!”

Victor chuckled, his face immediately brightening at the sight of the blonde haired child.

“Great to see you too, my boy.”

“Ready to have some fun today, my little one?” Maggie grinned brightly at him.

“Yeah, Grandma Maggie!” Tate exclaimed, doing a fist pump.

“Let’s all go into the garden then,” Maggie declared as she grabbed Tate’s hand and walked off, with Victor following them.

Melanie then came downstairs and met up with Brady and Theresa in the living room.

“Oh hey, Theresa. Wasn’t expecting you for another hour,” she grinned with an earnest and friendly expression.

“Yeah, just wanted to be here on time,” Theresa shrugged casually.

Melanie didn’t respond but acknowledged her with a silent nod.

Over the past couple of years, Melanie and Brady had become much more committed and devoted to each other as a couple, much to Theresa’s chagrin.

Even after Tate was discovered to be Theresa and Brady’s long lost son and was brought back home to Salem, she still desperately hung on to a tiny sliver of hope that somehow Brady would eventually see her in a brand new light upon realizing what a great mother and person she really was and take her back.

But as Brady and Melanie’s relationship continued to thrive and Theresa focused more on her new responsibilities as a first time mother and a newly successful fashion designer and savvy businesswoman, she slowly began to realize that she was wasting her time hoping and praying that she and Brady would miraculously get back together and it was high time she had to move on.

It was a cold and hard truth that at first Theresa wasn’t prepared or even willing to accept at first, but eventually she got to the point where she came to terms with it. And after a long while, Theresa slowly began to let go of her dreams of a future with Brady and worked harder at building a more prosperous future for herself.

And if she really had to be honest, she even admitted to herself that she would rather be happier as a single working mother than an unhappily married woman.

“Cool. Well, have a great day then, Theresa,” Melanie smiled with a wave.

“Thanks, Melanie,” Theresa nodded politely and she turned around to face Brady.

“Well, gotta go. I’ll stop by after work to pick him up.”

“Sounds great,” Brady replied with a nod.

“Okay, see ya,” Theresa waved goodbye and quickly headed out the door.

--

After another successful and hard day at D.W. Design, Nicole and Theresa went out to grab a bite to eat. They stopped at a local deli that had recently opened up and got some sandwiches.

Theresa took a huge bite out of her turkey and cheese sub and moaned in satisfaction with a huge smile on her face.

“Ugh, this is sooo good.”

“Yeah, now that is what I call a real sub,” Nicole declared as she also munched on her salami and ham sub and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Yep,” Theresa nodded as she swallowed her food and took a sip out of her water bottle.

“So how are things with you and Eric?”

“We’re doing good,” Nicole replied after taking a moment to swallow her food. “Eric is really happy with the work that he’s doing and a lot of people on social media are singing him endless praises. I’m so stoked just mentioning it.”

“Yeah, it’s really nice for Eric to finally find a passion that allows him to do what he loves and still be with you,” Theresa quipped. “I always had a feeling that you two were meant to be together.”

“Oh, really?” Nicole smirked coyly with an inquisitive eyebrow. “Did you?”

“Well…” Theresa grinned sheepishly with a casual shrug. “He literally turns into a completely different person whenever he’s with you. At least you are able to get him to stop being such a grumpy sour puss all the time.”

“Well, he helps keep me sane and grounded. That’s why I love him,” Nicole replied.

“Yeah,” Theresa sighed deeply. “I kind of feel bad though that he had to give up the one thing that he devoted so much of his life to. I mean, I don’t personally care for religion or even church, but I know how much it meant to him.”

“Yeah, but just because Eric can’t be a priest anymore doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t still be a devoted, loving disciple of God,” Nicole rejoined.

“True,” Theresa nodded.

The two women then fell silent and continued to eat their meal. Theresa gazed down in deep thought as she nibbled on her sandwich periodically, looking very troubled. Nicole then noticed Theresa’s sudden change of mood and frowned anxiously.

“Hey, you okay, Jeannie T?”

“Yeah,” Theresa replied glumly, taking a long drink of her bottle. “You know, I was thinking about that offer we got a couple of weeks ago from Crimson to expand our brand out of state and establish a new office in New York.”

“And?” Nicole queried.

Theresa took a deep breath, exhaling sharply.

“I’m actually thinking of accepting it and moving to New York.”

“What?” Nicole started, nearly choking on her water and gawking in bewilderment.

“Theresa, are you nuts?! You have everything  you could ever want here. You have a very successful fashion line, an adorable and sweet baby boy who loves you and a couple of really great and loyal friends. What more could you possibly want?”

Theresa frowned, averting her gaze and playing with her hair.

“I-I don’t know. I just feel like there is something missing in my life and I can’t figure out why. Like there’s this really weird funk I can’t seem to shake myself out of.”

“Like what?” Nicole inquired.

“Well…” Theresa trailed off, pondering. “For one thing, I haven’t dated anyone ever since Brady and I had called it quits and none of my other relationships have quite panned out so far.”

“I mean, everywhere I turn, everyone around me seems to have someone in their lives. You and Eric, Brady and Melanie, Chad and Abby, Will and Sonny and even J.J. and Gabi. Me? I have nobody. It’s like I’m literally the only single young woman in the whole town and no one wants to touch me with a ten foot pole.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Theresa,” Nicole reassured her with a gentle squeeze of the hand. “Trust me; you are going to find that special someone.”

“It’s only a matter of time before you are going to find that perfect guy who is going to love you for you. Believe me, if I would’ve realized that years ago, I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache and drama.”

“True that,” Theresa laughed.

“So what is this Crimson company exactly?” Nicole asked.

“Well, it’s technically a subsidy of this multimedia company called Aurora and it’s run by an older blonde woman named Nina Reeves.”

“She had seen a whole bunch of articles and videos on our company and she was so impressed that she had decided to extend the offer to us. But if you don’t want to move our company to New York right now, that’s fine, Nicole. I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable doing.”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Nicole smiled, gazing at her intently. “I appreciate the sentiment. But are you sure you really want to go through with this?”

“I haven’t really decided yet,” Theresa mulled. “I still need to figure things out. I mean, I’m scared of leaving all of the things and people that I love behind, but at the same time I’m also not sure if I should really pass up this offer. I mean, who knows if I’m ever going to get an opportunity like this again?”

“That’s a good point,” Nicole retorted.

Theresa checked her phone and then picked up her paper wrapping and water bottle.

“I better go and get Tate from Brady’s. I also need to discuss this with him once I figured out what I really want to do.”

“Good luck then, Theresa,” Nicole hollered as Theresa dumped her garbage into the trash can and then started to walk back to her car. She glanced over at Nicole and gave her a small wave.

“So I’ll call you or text you later?”

“Sure,” Nicole replied. “See you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, bye,” Theresa hollered as she left the deli.

--

The following afternoon, a car pulled up in front of the local cemetery and Theresa stepped out of the vehicle, carrying a bouquet of roses, lavenders and daffodils.

She then walked past several long rows of graves as she slowly scanned the area in search of one particular resting place she wanted to visit.

Finally, she arrived at her destination and she knelt down on the soft grass, setting down the flowers beside her as she took out the ceramic vase from its hole.

The minute she laid her eyes on the engraved inscription on the grave marker before her, her eyes welled up and she fought back tears.

CAROLINE BRADY

BELOVED MOTHER, WIFE AND GRANDMOTHER

“Hey, Grandma,” Theresa murmured, her voice holding back a choked sob. “It’s me, Jeannie. I need to talk to you about something.”

She glanced up at the dark, cloudy sky and noticed the soft gusts of wind picking up. Theresa then turned her focus back to Caroline’s grave.

“I got this really great job offer to go to New York and expand my fashion line there. This Nina woman seems really excited to work with me and I also feel the same way.”

She then paused, feeling at a loss for words.

“But I…”

Theresa shook her head, chuckling wryly.

“I don’t want to leave everything that I know behind. I don’t want to leave behind my friends, my family, everything that I’ve ever known or loved…”

“But I also want a chance for my fashion brand to grow and thrive, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself if I turn down this opportunity. I need to evolve and adapt as a businesswoman and entrepreneur – otherwise, what’s the point? Grandma, please give me a sign; show me that I’m going on the right path, that I’m making the right decision.”

Right as she said this, a cold burst of wind blew directly into her face, almost sending her tumbling into the ground.

Theresa landed on her hands and knees and looked up just in time to see a stream of dead and dried leaves dancing and circling in the wind. Just as she was getting up to her feet, she heard a soft voice that was so faint that she almost didn’t catch it at first, and yet it sounded so familiar and clear in her head.

Do it.

Theresa then stood up suddenly, looking up in confusion and bewilderment as the voice continued to ring in her ear.

Just do it.

“Grandma?” Theresa whispered, wide-eyed.

Do it.

Do it.

Do it.

Do it.

The voice continued to whisper softly to her until it gradually faded away.

Finally Theresa let out a big sigh and relaxed, suddenly not feeling so scared and apprehensive anymore. She then looked over to her left and smiled tenderly upon noticing that there were some flowers left at her uncle Bo’s grave.

“I’m glad that Aunt Hope hasn’t completely forgotten about you, Uncle Bo, even if she is Aiden Jennings’s new wife now. I know that there’s a part of her that will always love you no matter what.”

She then said a few prayers before turning around and walking away, her resolve and determination strengthening with every step that she took.

--

“Wait, you’re leaving? But why?” Brady demanded in shock and horror upon learning what Theresa had just told him.

“It’s time to make a new change in my life, Brady,” Theresa informed him calmly. “I’ve been in this town long enough and I’ve done all that I could ever do here. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to make a living and be a good parent to our son. And now I have a chance to start over in a brand new town and have brand new adventures.”

Brady frowned, rubbing his chin with a puzzled look on his face.

“Okay… But can’t we at least talk about this before you run off to a whole other state?”

Theresa then burst out laughing hysterically, her eyes beaming.

“Why else would I be here, Brady? Trust me, I’m not that dumb.”

“What’s this I hear about someone moving?” Victor demanded as he stormed into the living room.

Theresa then turned to face Victor with a proud smirk.

“Well, I’ll have you know that I’m not going to be around here for much longer. I’m accepting that job offer from Crimson and I’m moving to upstate New York.”

“What did you say?” Victor gawked, his eyes bulging in disbelief and leaning in closely to make sure that he had heard correctly.

“She said that she’s moving to New York, Dad!” Brady bellowed in a loud voice.

“Really? Truly?” Victor reiterated incredulously as he was fighting to keep an increasingly widening grin from crossing his face.

Then after a few minutes of silence, Victor let out an excited holler as he jumped and yellowed for joy.

“I don’t believe this! It must be my lucky day! The wicked witch is finally leaving this ivory tower! Hallelujah!”

He continued to celebrate and rejoice in a boisterous and loud manner as Brady stood there with a slackjawed and mortified expression and Theresa covered her mouth and fought to keep herself from laughing.

“What on Earth is going on here?” Maggie demanded as she entered the living room with a suspicious look on her face.

Brady shrugged.

“Granddad is just excited that Theresa’s moving away to New York because she got a new job offer.”

“Oh, really? Well then, congratulations, Theresa. Brady and I wish you the absolute best of luck,” Maggie replied as she went over to Theresa and hugged her.

“I won’t!” Victor declared loudly as he continued to cheer and hoot in the background.

“Aw, thanks Maggie. That really means a lot coming from you,” Theresa blushed as she hugged her back.

“It’s no trouble, Theresa. You are Tate’s mother, and in my book that makes you family,” Maggie informed her earnestly.

“Yeah,” Theresa looked away with a guilty expression. “I know you had every right to hate me after all the crap I’ve pulled with Brady and Melanie…”

“Oh, hush now…” Maggie interjected, putting her hands on her shoulders and gazing into her eyes. “It’s all in the past. What matters now is the person you are now.”

“Thanks,” Theresa blushed sheepishly in a low voice.

“So I guess we’re going to court now to hash out the new living arrangements,” Brady sighed, dropping his shoulders and hanging his head.

“Yeah,” Theresa nodded, sharing his concerns. “I just need to figure out how I’m going to tell our own son that we’re about to rip him away from everything that he’s ever known and loved.”

--

After breaking the difficult news to their son Tate, Brady and Theresa headed back into court in order to update their current joint custody agreement.

“So it is agreed then that the new amended custody agreement is both to your liking?” the judge announced.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Brady answered.

The judge then turned to face Theresa with a neutral, emotionless expression.

“And what about you, Ms. Donovan? Do you also find this acceptable?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Theresa nodded.

The judge then turned his attention to the whole court, raising up his gauntlet.

“Then let it be on the record that both Ms. Donovan and Mr. Black are both in agreement that the minor child in question, Tate Donovan Black, will spend the large majority of the year with his mother in Port Chales and will then spend every summer and every other Thanksgiving and Christmas with his father in Salem. I hereby approve of this custody agreement until further notice. Dismissed.”

Theresa, Brady and their lawyers then parted ways and headed out of the courthouse but the two former spouses met up with each other halfway and gave each other one last embrace.

“Good luck, Theresa.”

“Same to you, Brady.”

--

A couple of weeks later, Theresa was already at the local airport and was waiting to board her flight with Tate and Anne.

Theresa glanced up at the flight information board every few minutes, waiting anxiously for her flight to be called.

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Anne replied sadly, hanging her head. “I’m never going to see you again.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Anne; I’ll come by for a visit every now and then,” Theresa assured her.

Anne gave her a wistful and tender smile.

“You know, I can’t believe we’ve been friends for like what, 4 years? It feels like we’ve known each other for our whole lives and it also seems like yesterday that we first met and became best buddies.”

“Yeah, where did the time go?” Theresa chuckled, shaking her head. “And to think all I ever cared about then was worrying about getting the next high and not giving a damn what anyone else thought.”

“Funny how life can change so quickly in so little time. And now I have a prosperous career and a beautiful baby boy that I love and treasure more than anything in the whole world. All I need now is a good-looking Prince Charming and my life will be complete.”

“Well, maybe you’ll find him in New York,” Anne suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Theresa suggested.

Anne gave her a loving squeeze with a nuzzle.

“Promise you won’t forget me?”

“I’ll never forget you, Anne,” Theresa beamed as she pressed her head back against hers.

“Flight to Port Charles, New York now boarding,” a female voice intoned.

“Well, this is it,” Theresa sighed as she picked up Tate and her luggage. “I’ll miss you, Annie.”

“Good luck, Jeannie T,” Anne replied sadly as the two women shared one last tender embrace before Theresa turned and walked away, heading straight for the boarding gate.

Anne watched her best friend leave as she eventually disappeared into the thick crowd of people bustling and moving about. She then collapsed on her knees and broke down into inconsolable, hoarse sobs, the reality of the whole situation finally crashing down hard on her.

#alternate universe #general hospital #days of our lives #romance #drama #single motherhood

[cecilspeaks]

137 - The Mudstone Abyss part 3

Kevin: If this had been an actual emergency, this signal would be followed by screaming and chaos.

Welcome to Desert Bluffs.

Hello, Desert Bluffs! It has been exactly one week since language resumed functioning.

We are all of course relieved to finally be able to greet neighbors once again with a friendly “You should smile more!”

But sometimes with good news comes bad news. It’s also been exactly one week since all construction on the Mudstone Abyss was halted. There are still several creeping shadows roaming about the dig site, causing everyone who goes near there to become so overwhelmed with joy that they run away screaming. It’s unclear why the shadows are still there. We don’t know what they want. Some have said they want us to dig no further, and that these shadows are responsible for our loss of language. I think they came out to see the beautiful craftsmanship on our Mudstone Abyss.

Mayor Lauren Mallard called for a halt to construction despite adamant protests from the media. The media spent the past week constantly texting and calling the mayor, telling her construction must continue, because it has been the media’s dream since childhood to bring a grand physical testament to the Smiling God’s endless happiness and love. But the mayor has been slow to respond. She’s probably busy scheduling contractors to restart work on the monument. Maybe the media should try texting the mayor again.

[typing noises] Why… is construction… still… halted… Lauren? Oh, that sounds a bit aggressive. Let’s brighten that tone a bit with… oh, bleeding gums emoji… spider with human eyes emoji, cry-laughing emoji, there we go.

The mayor and I have been close for a long time. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think our more difficult times were back when we used to run a company together. We had some typical disagreements over who was in charge. She thought that because she was the president of the company, she should have final say on all decisions. Whereas I knew that I was one of the Smiling God’s chosen prophets, and our all-loving devourer would not choose a prophet who made mistakes. I believe ceasing construction was a mistake. Certainly our mayor thinks digging the Mudstone Abyss is somehow connected to our loss of language, and I appreciate her concern, but there is only anecdotal evidence to support this.

More on this story as it develops.

But first, I wanted to tell you that Charles and I went out again! Originally, Charles and I were going to go to the opening of the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit at the Desert Bluffs Museum of Art. This exhibit features many of O’Keeff’s famous flower paintings, but reimagined as if O’Keeffe were a joyous worshipper of the Smiling God. Artist at the museum have painted large smiles and centipedes over O’Keeffe’s originals, and the result is apparently quite powerful and moving.

Then Charles and I planned to have another luxurious dinner at Vermillion, but at the last minute, Grandma Josephine and her demons told him they weren’t available to babysit Charles’ five-year-old Donovan, and we couldn’t find a babysitter.

So instead Charles, Donovan and I spent the day at the Desert Bluffs’ Spinning Smiles amusement park. We rode the Spine Compressor, the Esophagus Remover, and a brand new roller coaster called Intentional Sepsis. Donovan was really delighted by all the struggling actors dressed in stuffy unvented animal costumes. Donny got his picture taken with one person dressed as a smiling tortoise. We could hear the man in the costume panting heavily and begging for water. Donny turned to the tortoise and said: “The sun calls for sacrifice because the sun loves all that it sees.” The man inside rasped: “Air! Please! I don’t know where I am! Please!” and passed out. [chuckles] Donny giggled right as Charles took the photo. It was actually really adorable. What a great memory to capture!

We went back to Charles’ house and made sandwiches and watched cartoons, but Donny wasn’t interested in the television, he just played with his toy planes, zigging and zagging them over his head, turning and swirling them in reckless fits. I hope he does not grow up to be a pilot.

I sat next to Charles on the couch, mesmerized by the motion of Donny’s planes until Charles and I fell asleep. Around 2 AM, I woke up. Donovan had put himself into bed and Charles was snoring softly against my shoulder. I carefully stood up and pulled Charles’ legs onto the sofa. The whole day had made me happy, but not in the way I wanted to be happy about it. happiness should be something you have, not something you take. I placed a blanket over him and drove home.

I’m getting an update that Mayor Lauren Mallard is holding a press conference at City Hall. Let’s hear her speech live.

Lauren: People of Desert Bluffs, after discussions with City Council as well as some prominent and very knowledgeable members of the media, I have decided to reopen construction of the Mudstone Abyss. I know many people are frightened by the shadow beings drifting around the dig site, as well as the ones lurking in and around your homes, but there is nothing to fear. These shadows are merely the impure souls of those devoured and then later (disgorged) [0:07:52] by the Smiling God. They’re not worthy of your fear. These shadows don’t even have faces. We cannot discern their intentions or feelings. They move around in quick jerks and starts, flickering in and out of our vision, sometimes standing just behind us while sloowly tilting their heads. And unless you’re looking in a mirror, there’s no way you can even see that.

So I’m not sure why you’re all freaking out. Plus they are completely intangible. [chuckling]Watch! There’s one right now, passing in front of me. I’m whipping my hand back and forth right through it. it can’t do anything, it’s just a shadow! It can’t eve smile. [chuckles] Construction resume at 7 AM sharp on Monday. We’ve assigned every citizen a daily 8-hour time slot with two 10 minute breaks. We’ve also hired some clowns to come by to keep everyone smiling. As a former corporate president, I know first hand how important laughter is for maintaining a healthy work environment. Skeleton silverfish! What, uh? Silverfish French press carbuncle. I can’t pillowcase slapstick? Uuh, plenty of hibiscus! Yeah.

Kevin: Ah, Mayor Mallard! Such a way with words. Well you heard her, it’s a joyous day. In fact, probably a future holiday. I cannot wait to start digging again next week, Desert Bluffs! Let’s look now at the Community Calendar. These are probably the last non-construction events we’ll have for a couple of weeks.

On Wednesday afternoon at Morning Bird Records, the Society for Painless Living will be holding a protest march against the construction of the Mudstone Abyss. Well, I don’t usually read press releases for such tiny events, but I guess there might be one or two people who want to exercise their right to assembly. So if this sounds like something you’re interested in, I guess you should go to the march, and then think about all the joy the Smiling God has give you and question your motives for refusing to appreciate it.

Thursday morning, the Citizens of Free Will will host a sit-in at the Sunlite All-day Diner to demonstrate their opposition to the Mayor’s order for mandatory labor on the Mudstone Abyss. Huh.

Oh this looks netter! Thursday afternoon, the Natural Smiles theatre company- I love that name! – is opening their new play, “The Pit of Ruin”. Playwright Danika Lopez says her work is an (--) [0:10:36] parable about the arrogance of religion, government and media. Lopez’ play, according to their press material, tells a story of a bloviating radio host.. who overreaches his position, enslaving an entire town in order to feed his hunger for religious power. I like the sound of this theatre company less and less. There has to be some community event that’s actually fun in here.

Friday morning, the People for Clean Sharp Teeth will be burning Kevin the radio host in effigy. I don’t… understand.

[long beat] I’d like to spend more time on this. Explaining to you, dear listeners, that my happiness is not yours to take. I’d like to have all afternoon to teach you about how you must receive your own joy by making joy, rather than destroying others’ joy. But I cannot spend any time on this, because I’m getting word that Mayor Mallard is being forcibly removed from her podium at City Hall! A large crowd of unsmiling people overtook the Mayor and the city council. The crowd used a tattoo gun to draw a permanent frown on the Mayor’s face, which effectively exiles her from this community. The crowd is chanting: “Pete Ma’s handlebars, Pete Ma’s handlebars!” The police have tried using their bullhorns to call for order, but instead of words they’re emitting bird chirps. Language seems to be failing us again.

Desert Bluffs, I need you to remain calm. I need you to take a deep breath and think positive thoughts. Think about the Smiling God, its mammoth wriggling form and thousands of legs emerging from the earth and devouring your body. Envision your whole self nestled in the moist, loving belly of the divine beast. Smile while you do it, Desert Bluffs. Keep smiling. Keep – I’m getting a phone call. Oh, it’s from Charles! Maybe he found a babysitter.

Hey Charles, I was just thinking about you. You know there’s a night club that opened last month? It’s called No Exit. I thought maybe we could drop off Donny with Josephine this evening and then… Uh huh. So you called to see if I wanted to go to the zoo with you and Donny this afternoon instead? Uh.. W-well, I was just looking at the weather and I’m not sure if today’s the day to… It’s not. Charles. I have the weather report right here. Listen.

[“Hymn #101” by Joe Pug]

I figured it out, Desert Bluffs. The mob outside City Hall has dispersed. They returned Lauren Mallard with her tattooed frown to her position as mayor, but city bylaws prohibit anyone incapable of smiling from serving in that position. So for now, we have no mayor. The drifting shadows around the Mudstone Abyss have dissipated, returning whatever other otherworld they came from, and the construction has begun again at the monument dig site, several days ahead of schedule.

I figured it out. During our phone call, Charles was getting flustered. I asked what was wrong and he said Donovan was distracting him by swinging his toy planes around again. I told Charles to focus on us and not worry about what Donovan was doing. “We can’t talk about us, Kevin, without worrying about what Donovan is doing,” he snapped at me. “Donovan is us. That’s the deal, OK?” And I was hurt. I wasn’t smiling. I don’t like criticism, it makes me sad, and then mad, and then – confused.

Listeners, I don’t often use strong language, so if your ears are sensitive to vulgarity, turn the volume down for a few seconds. I hate! Not being happy. I hate it! There, I said it. I’m sorry.

I thought about what Charles said. I thought about his teeth, his chest, his hair, his snoring, his smile. I thought about Donovan. I thought about Donovan swinging those toy planes around above his head, like the birds in that dream every one of us has every single night. You know, where the birds zig and zag across a blood red sky, recklessly turning and swirling in panicked fits. Donovan’s planes were, in fact, moving in the exact same pattern as those birds. I figured it out. Each movement, each turn, each path of each plane was identical to those birds’ paths.

Listeners, it’s not a dream. It’s a message. The shadows do not speak in our mouthy languages, but in shapes and patterns. I interrupted Charles to tell him this. I told him to take Donny to the Mudstone Abyss. I told him to bring Donny’s planes. Charles and Donny approached the shadowy figures. The gathered crowd called to them to stop, to move no closer to the shadows, but all the crowd could yell was “cabbage coat hangers!” Charles then presented Donny to the shadows, and they flickered as he zigged and zagged his planes above his head. And then – a miracle happened. Glowing dotted lines appeared in the paths of the toy planes. A radiant geometry, triangles and stars and hexagons. The shapes began to connect to each other, circles forming spheres, triangles forming pyramids. The shadows raised their arms and disappeared. Donny stopped flying his planes around, but the dotted lines hung in mid air, an unreadable but completely comprehensible message to the now silent crowd.

They figured it out. One by one, the people returned to the dig site and began carving the shapes they had just seen into the mudstone. As people grew tired and stepped away for rest breaks, they found that their words had returned to them. And when they went back to digging more, they fell silent again, but only because they felt more comfort in their new spatial language of shapes and motion. The anger over the construction was no more. Citizens came together, not just out of a common communication, nor for the good of a great monument, but because happiness finally showed itself to them, and they discovered their own paths to peace. Through the pride of choosing the hard work, for the benefit of all. 

Charles called to tell me how excited he was for me. “You figured it out,” he said. “Kevin, you figured it out.” I told him: “Donny figured it out. He didn’t spout a solution in words, but in deeds. You should be proud of your son, Charles, I said. I am proud of him.” I didn’t say anything else. I need more time to know what else to say. Soon, we’ll go visit the zoo. Hopefully soon we’ll have a night to ourselves. To drink, to dine, to dance, and late at night in a quiet home, to dream a dream of diving birds, of love and language. And we will wake up the same people in a different place. The earth will have moved, the clocks will have moved, the sun will not have moved. But we will wake and we will smile, and we will do our best to understand ourselves and others.

Desert Bluffs, I didn’t figure out the language of the abyss, Donny did. I didn’t figure out what the language intended, you did. What I figured out was that I sometimes push too hard. I will do my best to not do that. We are building this monument because you want to. I want to too, but I’m glad you found your own way here. Lauren, tattooed frown scrawled crooked on her face, is standing over the pit and staring at the shapes the dream has shown us, as though reading messages only she could understand. She is muttering strange syllables to herself and staring at obvious malice at the workers in the pit. So even she has found a hobby in this – post-mayoral life.

Thank you, Desert Bluffs. I love this town. I’m happy you do too.

Stay tuned next for the sound a child makes upon seeing a giraffe in real life.

And as always, Until next time, Desert Bluffs, Until next time.

Today’s proverb: Kangaroos are deer abbreviated.

#welcome to night vale #wtnv #welcome to night vale transcripts #desert bluffs #episode 137 #the mudstone abyss #the mudstone abyss part 3

[fardell24b]

Quinn’s Code - The Lab Mouse, the Geek and the Convention

Instalment 6: The Lab Mouse - the Geek and the Convention

Monday, November 21, 2005

Lawndale High School

The sophomore Biology class was in session, with Lawndale High's head Science teacher, Janet Barch, teaching.

“And like a husband going home to his noble and self-sacrificing wife, the rat keeps returning to the food box. That is, the positive reinforcement.” She then turned to her misandry. “Huh, if only men could be more like rats. Oh, sure, they come home at first. You feed them, you wait on them, and then, after twenty-two thankless years, they just up and leave. No note, no phone call, no nothing!” She slammed the ruler on the desk. “Just... like... that!”

 “I wonder why he left,” Daria Morgendorffer said to her friend, Jennifer Burns.

 “Now, before I divide the class into teams of two, who can give me another example of reinforcement?” Ms. Barch paused. “Fine, class. Ignore me... just like he did! Kevin?”

 “Uh?” Kevin Thompson drew out.

 “Shut up, Kevin,” Ms. Barch said, her misandry at full intensity. She turned to Daria. “Daria? Reinforcement?”

 “Hmm...” Daria began. “To make a child stop crying, a mother might say, ‘That's it! I'm sending you to El Paso to live with your real father.’ Whenever the child gets upset, the mother might wave an airline ticket in her face, or maybe even frame it on the wall by the clown picture. The ticket stops the girl from crying, or showing any emotion... ever.”

 Jennifer looked at Daria. 'Is that right?'

 “I like the way you think. Kevin... Daria will be your lab partner.”

 'Uh, oh!' Jennifer thought.

 “What!” Kevin's girlfriend, Brittany Taylor, shrieked.

 “You two will design a maze, and condition Kevin,” Ms. Barch said, then she quickly recovered from her almost faux pas. “I mean, condition a mouse using positive or negative reinforcement.”

 “But babe, we've never been separated on a lab project before! What'll we do?” Kevin wondered.

 “Pass? “ Daria asked.

 Jennifer chuckled in amusement.

 “Brittany, Charles will be your partner.”

 “But Ms. Barch, I'm a cheerleader!” Brittany squeaked in protest.

 “Give me an 'R.'” Charles Ruttheimer III, aka Upchuck, said suggestively.

 “I really like doing mazes. Those ones on the back of cereal boxes are cool,” Kevin said.

 “Well, now I am excited,” Daria said.

 “Shut up, Mack!” Ms. Barch said.

 Michael 'Mack' Mackenzie raised his eyebrows in surprise.

 “Ms. Burns will be your partner,” Ms. Barch said.

 'Cool, I can deal with that.' he thought.

 “Cool,” Jennifer said.

  “So, now Kevin's my lab partner,” Daria said at lunch.

 “Next best thing to working alone,” Jane said.

 “Oh, no. He likes mazes,” Daria said.

 “I'd swap if Ms. Barch would let us,” Jennifer said.

 “Mack's not that bad,” Jane said.

 “I'm not complaining. I've worked with him before, although that was years ago,” Jennifer said as she started to reminisce.

4 years earlier

Younger Jennifer and Mack working on a project in Jennifer's living room...

 They were collaborating on a design for a future city.

“So we put the hospital here?” Mack asked.

 Jennifer merely nodded.

 “Cool,” Mack said. He drew the hospital, slightly embellished.

 Jennifer gave a thumbs up.

 “So, should there be a park near the hospital?”

 They continued their work.

 Present

“Good times,” Jennifer said quietly.

 “Cool,” Jane said. She turned back to Daria. “Maybe you could get a wind up toy to distract him,” she said.

 “His wind-up toy is working with Upchuck,” Daria said.

 “That is definitely unfair for her,” Jennifer murmured.

 “Certainly,” Jane said.

 Kevin came up to the trio. “Hey, Daria. Mind if we do the maze thing at your house? My cable's broken.”

 Daria began to get a calculating look on her face.

 'She's up to something,' Jennifer thought.

 “Sure,” Daria said.

 “Cool!” Kevin said.

 Jane looked at Daria. “You have a plan, don't you?”

 Daria shrugged.

 “Of course you do,” Jane said.

  Helen Morgendorffer clicked off the TV. “Daria, I heard you're working with Kevin Thompson on a science project. He's quarterback of the football team, isn't he?”

 Daria remained silent and looked at Quinn.

 “Brittany was crying in the girl’s room,” Quinn said.

 “Isn't he?” Helen asked.

 “Yes,” Daria said.

 “Science is fascinating. Tell me all about it, honey.”

 “I can't. I signed a confidentiality paper. The other scientists would be mad,” Daria said.

 Helen sighed. She turned to Quinn. “Oh, forget it. Quinn, how was your weekend?”

 “It was awesome! Cindy and I totally pwnd all the guys in Halo and Age of Empires, and then the rest of the games were pretty even...”

 Helen interrupted. “Daria, please tell me about the project.”

 Daria sighed. “It's about how behavior is affected by positive or negative reinforcement.”

 “Sounds super,” Helen said.

 “Like... say, you have a friend who responds to everything you say with, "‘That's great!’ This insincere reply is the same whether you saved a life or killed a bug, and thus becomes ‘negative reinforcement,’ causing you to withdraw from that person or persons,” Daria said.

 “Wow. That's fantastic!”

 Daria rolled her eyes.

 “Maybe if you and Kevin work well together, he'll associate you with feeling good and want to include you in his circle of friends,” Helen said.

 'I don't think so, Mom,' Quinn thought.

 Daria just ignored Helen.

 “Maybe I'll help with the project. I'm into science,” Quinn said.

 “Quinn, that's great!”

 “Quinn, I don't need your nerdiness in doing my project,” Daria said.

 “Dar-i-a! I've told you many times. I'm not a nerd! I'm a geek! There's like a rather large difference,” Quinn said with annoyance.

 “Not from where I sit,” Daria said.

 Helen sighed, recognising the start of one of her daughters' many arguments.

 However the doorbell rang interrupting the belligerence.

 “Door!” Quinn said as she went towards it.

 The phone rang.

 “Phone!” Helen said.

  Quinn opened the door. “Hey, Kevin,” she said.

 “Hi, Quinn. Hey, Daria, I'm ready to start this maze thing,” Kevin said.

 “I'll be helping, Let's go,” Quinn said.

 “Sure,” Kevin said.

 However, Daria had a distraction in mind. She turned on the TV. “Look, Kevin: the Pigskin Channel. Great big guys slamming into other great big guys. Fun.”

 “Cool!” Kevin said.

 “The Pigskin Channel! Classic football games 24 hours a day -- every day, all this month.”

 “I guess it's just you and me. Got your saw and sandpaper?”

 “Sure,” Quinn said. She looked at Kevin totally engrossed in the Pigskin Channel. 'There's no way I can get his attention away from that without turning off the TV, or changing the channel.'

 “Good play!” Kevin said.

  Daria and Quinn entered the garage from the dining room. “So you have a plan for the maze?” Quinn asked.

 “Of course,” Daria said.

 “Good,” Quinn said.

 Daria went over to where she had placed the pieces of wood.

  Mack pulled his white Valiant up in front of a small two story house, with a ramshackle yard. He got out, walked to the door and knocked on it. Jennifer soon came to the door. “Hi, come in,” she said quietly.

 “Hi, Jen, could we start on the project tonight?” he asked.

 “Sure,” Jennifer said. She led him towards the garage...

   Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Once again, Kevin Thompson arrived at the Morgendorffer's house. “Hi, Kev, my man,” Jake Morgendorffer said as he met Kevin at the door.

 “Hi, Mr. Morgendorffer, is Daria home?”

 “She's here; she's up in her room. Daria! Your friend is here!”

 “Cool!”

  Daria was up in her room, and on the phone. “So you and Mack, have been friends a long time then?”

 “Since early grade school,” Jennifer said.

 “That's a long time,” she said.

 “I guess so,” Jennifer said.

 Daria then heard her father call out that Kevin was there. “Daria! Your friend is here!”

 “Sorry, I have to go, Kevin is here,” she said.

 “Good luck.”

 “Thanks, bye.” Daria hung up and then went downstairs.

 “Hi, Kevin,” Daria said as she came down the stairs.

 “So, am I helping with the maze thing, or watching the Pigskin Channel?”

 “Watching the Pigskin Channel.”

 “Are you sure, Daria?” Jake asked.

 “I don't need his help,” Daria said as she turned on the TV.

 “Oh,” Jake said.

 Daria then headed towards the garage, out the front door.

  Quinn entered the living room from the kitchen, carrying snacks for her friends. She saw her father and Kevin watching a football game on the TV. 'Isn't he supposed to be helping Daria?' She had helped Daria with building the maze the previous night but she didn't want to do it again. “Kevin?”

 No response.

 “Kevin!”

 Still no response.

 “Kevin!”

 Again, no response.

 Quinn changed tack. “Daddy?”

 “What is it, Quinn? I'm watching this game.”

 “Why is Kevin watching the TV and not helping Daria?”

 “She asked him to,” Jake said as he scratched his chin.

 “Of course she did,” Quinn realised.

 Jake turned back to the TV. “Wait a minute, I don't remember that!”

 “It happened, Mr. M.”

 Quinn sighed.

  Quinn re-entered her room and placed the platter of snacks on the table next to the computers.

 “Oh, that Daria!” she exclaimed.

 “What's up with her this time?” Kristen Bell asked.

 “She's not allowing Kevin to help her with the lab project!”

 “Did she give a reason?” Cindy Brolsma asked.

 “She says that he would interfere with what she's doing and give her a bad mark!'

 “Maybe you could ask her if she could find him something he can do and still contribute to the project,” Cindy said.

 “I will think about it,” Quinn thought. 'If only I can find a way to ask her that won't lead to an argument...'

 “Anyhow, you're ready for the convention this weekend?” Kristen asked.

 “Yes, my Ichigo costume is almost ready,” Quinn said.

 “Crossplay?” Kirsten asked.

 “No, Kristen, Tokyo Mew Mew, not Bleach!” Quinn said with a nervous laugh.

 “Sorry,” Kristen said as Cindy laughed.

 “So, are you coming?” Quinn asked.

 “Certainly,” Cindy said.

 “I'm coming,” Kristen said.

 “It's going to be great!”

   Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Kevin arrived at Schloss Morgendorffer a third time. “Hi again, Kevin, watching the Pigskin Channel again?” Jake asked.

 “Of course, Mr. M,” Kevin said.

 “Cool,” Jake said.

  Quinn had seen Kevin park his Jeep from her bedroom window. She grabbed her cell phone.

  Jennifer and Mack were in Jennifer's garage, training the mouse. Jennifer's phone rang. Jennifer dropped the mouse in surprise. “Where did it go?” she asked.

 “I'll look for it whilst you talk,” Mack said.

 “Thanks,” Jennifer said. She pressed the answer button. “Hi.”

 “Hi, Jennifer?”

 “Yes?”

 “It's Quinn.”

 “I know, what are you calling about?”

 “It's about Daria, and Kevin. She's not letting him participate in their lab project!”

 “Have you talked to her about it?” Jennifer asked; she didn't want to broach the subject with Daria.

 “Not yet,” Quinn said.

 “Talk to her about it; see if she could give him something for him to do.”

 “Yeah, Cindy said something similar.”

 “Good. Anyway I have to go, the mouse is being difficult.”

 “How can a mouse be difficult?”

 “You don't want to know, bye.”

 “Bye.”

 Jennifer put the phone in her pocket. She turned to Mack. “I'll help, don't want it getting into my food...”

  Quinn hung up after her conversation with Jennifer. 'I guess I would have to talk to Daria after all,' she thought as she went to her closet to get out her so-far-incomplete costume for the convention.

  Brittany finished filing Upchuck's disgusting magazines. 'I don't want to touch them ever again!' She went back to the Rutthiemer's garage.

“Ok, I have finished filing your magazines!”

 “There are more chores I have in mind for you, otherwise...”

 “Ooh!”

  Hours later, Jennifer collapsed into bed, exhausted. She and Mack had been unable to find the mouse...

    Friday November 24, 2005

Kevin arrived at Schloss Morgendorffer a fourth time (as Daria didn't want him over on Thanksgiving). “Hey, buddy, let's watch a re-run of Superbowl XXXII!” Jake said.

 “Sure, thing, Mr. M.”

  Quinn entered the garage from the dining room. She saw Daria training the mouse. “Daria, we need to talk.”

 “About what, Quinn?”

 “Could you possibly find something for Kevin to do and still contribute to the project?”

 “No.”

 “What do you mean, 'No'?”

 “Exactly what I said, Quinn. There is no way in which Kevin can contribute in a meaningful way.”

 “You're underestimating him.”

 “I'm not!”

 “Surely, if he can be a quarterback, he can follow simple instructions!”

 “He would mess it up!”

 “Are you sure?”

 “Yes! Damn it! Remember, I'm in some of his classes, and I observe that he's incapable of taking in the simplest of information!”

 “All I'm saying is, give him a chance!”

 “No!”

 “Yes!”

 “No!”

 Daria and Quinn continued arguing.

  After a few minutes the two sisters stopped their argument. “What is it to you anyway?” Daria asked.

 “Kevin deserves to be treated better than the way you treated that duo back in Highland.”

 “He is being treated better!”

 Daria watched Quinn leave the garage, heading back towards the living room through the dining room. 'Now I have to find a way to include him,' she thought. It wasn't often that Daria conceded that Quinn was right.

  Elsewhere, Brittany was tired of running errands for Upchuck. “Ooh!” She entered the Rutthiemer's garage. “Okay, I shined your spoon collection, filed your disgusting magazines and finished your shopping.” She pushed some of the shopping into Upchuck's arms. 'I wanted to do my own shopping on Black Friday!' “Can I go now?”

 Upchuck put the shopping down on a bench and took out a jar of honey. “I'm sorry, Brittany, but I specifically said I wanted the honey that comes in a bear, not a jar.”

 “Ooh! You, you... weasel!”

 “"And remember, Kevin, it was the week that you two had broken up, so I don't think you should be too angry with... Back-Seat Brittany."”

 “Ooh!” Brittany stalked away. 'This has to stop! Kevie isn't staying at the Morgendorffer Temptresses house any more!'

  Over at the Burns Residence, Mack and Jennifer were still searching for their mouse.

  Brittany approached the Morgendorffer's house as the sun was beginning to set. 'I will sneak in, grab the mouse and then get away,' she thought.

  Brittany came up to the side of the house and looked into the garage. It was empty. The mouse was just waiting in the maze for her to grab it! She tried the side door, next to the window. Locked! She edged along to the sliding door and looked into the kitchen. Perfect! The kitchen was deserted. “Yes!” She said. She then heard a noise above.

 She heard Daria saying “Who's there?”

 'Oops!' Brittany thought. She leaned against the kitchen door, so as to not be seen by Daria. 'Of course her room has to be on this side of the house!' She waited a few moments before opening the kitchen door.

She opened it a bit. It made a noise, as the ball bearings did their thing. “Eep!” She stopped. After a few moments she restarted opening the door. Slowly and slightly lifting it so as to not have so many bearings making noise...

 Having opened the door a quarter of the way, she then tried to slip into the house...

 However, there was a problem: Her chest. Or more accurately, the large amount of padding in her bra. “O-ooh!” 'Of course!' She then pushed the door open further, a few bearings rolled. She paused, no noise, other than that of the Pigskin Channel in the living room. 'Right!' she thought. She squeezed through. There was pressure on her chest, but no worse than what she had subjected herself to at the beginning of puberty.

 Brittany; having squeezed through the door, fell sideways into the kitchen. She quickly put her leg out and ended up doing the splits next to the table. She quickly got up and looked around the kitchen. 'Now, which door goes to the garage?' she thought. She tried the first door. Dining Room.

Second door. Downstairs bathroom, and stairs down to the basement. “OK...” She went back to the Dining Room. She then saw an extra pair of doors opposite to the kitchen. Brittany smiled.

  The cheerleader entered the garage. She grabbed a box which lay near the door and approached the maze. “Now don't say a word,” she said. She grabbed the mouse, which bit her hand. “Ouch! You icky, little... animal!” She trapped the mouse in the box. “Now, you Morgendorffer Temptresses. You are going to need a new excuse if you want to drag my Kevin over here now.” She quickly let herself out via the side door...

  Daria came downstairs to investigate the noises that she had heard. She saw the sliding door slightly open. 'Uh, oh!'

 Daria ran into the garage, she saw that the side door was open, that one of the boxes was missing and that the mouse was no longer in the maze. “Oh no!”

  Quinn was playing Guild Wars when Daria slammed open the door to the room. Quinn turned from the computer. “What is it, Daria?”

 “The mouse is missing!”

 “I'm surprised as you are, Daria.”

 “You're saying that you had nothing to do with it?”

 “Exactly,” Quinn said.

 Daria could see that Quinn was telling the truth. “Great! Now I have to ask Kevin.”

 Quinn smirked as she turned back to the online game. She knew that Daria was in for a tough time.

  Daria came downstairs and flicked off the TV in the middle of a play. “Hey! I was watching that!”

 “I have some bad news, Kevin.”

 “What's so bad that you had to turn off the TV?”

 “Listen, our mouse is gone.”

 “What?”

 “Without the mouse, we fail, and we won't have time to train a new one.”

 “Bummer, I wish there was something I could do, but what?”

 “Did you take it?”

 “What? I haven't been in the garage!”

 “I see,” Daria said.

  Brittany arrived home and carried the box with the mouse in it to her brother's bedroom. As always she dreaded entering that place, with its weird smells and weird décor. She opened the door slowly and walked over to where her brother was sitting at his desk. He got up making the chair fall back. “Hi, Britt!” Brian Taylor said.

 “Don't let this mouse out of your sight, okay?” Brittany asked as she handed Brian the box.

 “Sure,” Brian said in an unnerving tone.

 “Look after it!” Brittany said as she turned and left the room. She didn't notice the evil smile on her brothers face...

  At the Burn's house, there was a clattering as Mack dug through bits and pieces of old furniture in the garage.

 Jennifer sighted something running out from behind an old television. She leapt for it and grabbed it. “Yay,” she said.

 “You've got it?”

 Jennifer nodded.

 “Finally,” Mack said in relief.

 Jennifer placed it back in the maze. “But now we only have the remaining three days to train it!” she said.

 “True, but I bet yesterday was tense,” Mack said.

 “We had Thanksgiving at a relatives house,” Jennifer said.

 “That makes sense.”

 “Yeah.”

  Daria re-entered her room. 'I need to find out who took that mouse.' She opened her closet and took out a notebook. 'Time for investigating,' she thought.

 She started writing out a list of suspects.

  Brittany Taylor

Charles Rutthiemer

…

  Later that night, Quinn put the finishing touches on her convention costume. “Done!” she said.

   Saturday, November 25, 2005

Early in the morning, Cindy and Kristen approached the Morgendorffers house. “This is going to be a great convention,” Cindy said.

 “So you say,” Kristen said. She had heard Cindy and Quinn go on and on about it for the last week, along with Quinn's complaints about Daria's treatment of Kevin.

 “You are going to enjoy it, just wait,” Cindy said as she pressed the Morgendorffer's doorbell.

 “Of course,” Kristen said with a sigh.

  Quinn heard the doorbell as she came down the stairs. She drew the coat around her as reached the bottom and went to the door.

 “Hello, Cindy, Kristen,” she said nervously.

 “Hi Quinn, you're ready?” Cindy asked.

 “Yeah,” Quinn said, running her hand through the chin length wig, and still showing nerves in her voice.

 “Show it,” Kristen said with a smirk.

 “OK, but I'll put the coat back on until we get there,” Quinn said. She dropped the coat to the floor, revealing a Mew Ichigo costume, complete with a replica of Mew Ichigo's weapon, hanging on Quinn's right hip.

 “Cool,” Kristen said.

 “Very cool,” Cindy said as she pulled the door closed behind her.

 “Um, yeah. I'm not used to showing this much skin,” Quinn said.

 “Well, there shouldn't be too much trouble at the convention,” Kristen said.

 “True, but I hope that Upchuck wouldn't be there.”

 “I wouldn't worry about that. Apparently he has been annoying Brittany all week,” Cindy said.

 Quinn picked up her coat and put it back on. “Yeah.” she said. “Let's go.”

  Daria knocked on the door at Jane's house. After a few minutes, Jane answered it. “Daria? Don't you know what time this is?”

 “Time to search for the lab mouse whilst there is plenty of weekend left,” Daria said.

 “Couldn't you have gone to Jen's first?” Jane said with a yawn.

 “You're closer,” Daria said.

 “True,” Jane said as she moved aside to let her friend in.

  Ten minutes later, after Jane had put some caffeine in her system, she pondered the situation that Daria was drawing them into. “So, you want me to help you and Jennifer get the mouse back from Brittany even though you're not entirely sure that it was Brittany who took it?”

 “Yes,” Daria said.

 “Let me get the polaroid and I'll join you,” Jane said.

 “Good.”

 “If nothing else, I can stop you from getting too 'rash' with her.”

 Daria grumbled.

  Quinn, Cindy and Kristen arrived at the convention.

 Lawndale County Bi-Annual Anime Convention 2005

 They got out their tickets as they came to the door.

 “Quinn Morgendorffer.”

 “Here.”

 “Cindy Brolsma.”

 “Here.”

 “Kristen Bell.”

  They entered the main hall and saw that a great many people had already arrived. “I didn't realise that Anime was this popular in Lawndale,” Kristen said.

 “I think most of the people may have come from Oakwood, Middlebury or other nearby towns,” Cindy said.

 “That would make sense. They may have come from Baltimore too,” Kristen said.

“Yeah,” Quinn said as she doffed her coat and handed it to Kristen.

 Kristen took the coat and put it on. She said aside to Cindy. “She's going to be a center of attention, isn't she?”

 “I don't doubt it.”

 They then approached a nearby Astroboy exhibit.

Laughing, Quinn, Cindy and Kristen rounded a corner. “Hi, Jenna,” Quinn said.

“Hi, Quinn. That's an amazing costume,” Jenna Schwartz said in admiration.

“Thanks. I made it myself.”

That took Jenna aback. “Wow, you sew really well,” she said.

“I'd like to improve though, part of the costume itches.”

“It's still rather good,” Jenna said.

Quinn smiled.

Quinn, Cindy and Kristen came to a makeshift booth. “Tatiana?” Quinn asked.

“Hi, Quinn, Kristen, Cindy. Would you like copies of my fan fiction?” Tatiana Olivova asked, holding out a stapled printout of fanfic.

“Of what is the fanfic?” Quinn asked.

“This is a Ranma fic in which the Saotomes never go to Jusenko, but the Tendos do,” Tatiana said excitedly.

“Ranma, no way!” Kristen said, slightly creeped out.

“Let me guess, Akane is hit with the reverse of Ranma's curse?” Quinn asked, wariness and scepticism showing in her voice.

Tatiana glared at Kristen before answering Quinn. “Yes! How did you guess?”

“I've started to read fics like that before. It's hardly original,” Quinn snarked.

“Oh, then this,” Tatiana said, putting the AU Ranma fic down. She picked another, smaller, fanfic paper up. “A one shot One Piece fic set shortly after the Alabaster arc.”

Quinn took it. “It had better be well written,” she said.

“I have a beta reader,” Tatiana said in response.

“Good,” Quinn said.

“You have other One Piece fics?” Cindy asked.

“Yes,” Tatiana said, she handed Cindy another fic. “An AU from the Alabaster arc, in which Chopper doesn't join the Straw Hats.”

“I'm not that familiar with One Piece. I wouldn't appreciate it,” Cindy said.

“Oh,” Tatiana said. “Good point.” She accepted the One Piece fic back from Cindy and soon handed her another fic. “A one shot Sailor Moon fic set in the first season,” she said.

“That will do,” Cindy said with a smile.

“And you Kristen?” Tatiana asked eagerly.

“I'm only familiar with Pokemon,” she said sheepishly. She glanced at Quinn. “And half the first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.”

“Oh,” Tatiana said. “I'm afraid I don't write fic for the former. And I haven't printed out my Ghost in the Shell fics.”

“That's ok,” Kristen said, relieved.

“By the way, Quinn. Your Mew Ichigo cosplay is quite convincing.”

“Thanks.”

Quinn, Cindy and Kristen took their leave from Tatiana's booth. “She's actually rather good,” Cindy said as she glanced over the fanfic that she had been given.

“Really?” Quinn asked.

“Well,” Cindy said slightly uncertainly. “Her writing's good at least, and her characterisation of Usagi.”

Kristen pondered “Then again, it's not that hard to characterise Usagi correctly.”

“Not true,” Quinn said. “There's more to her than her tendency to burst into tears.”

“Quinn's right,” Cindy said as they turned a corner and came to a Ghost in the Shell booth.

“Cool,” Quinn said as she noticed that booth...

At the convention, there was trouble! “What do you mean it's bad. It's well written!” Tatiana objected.

“Look here,” a Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan, (or fanatic) said, pointing at a place in one of Tatiana's Yu-Gi-Oh! fics. “This is completely out of character!”

Tatiana grabbed the paper out of the fan's hand. “How is it out of character. How is it out of character?” she asked.

“Kaiba would never act altruistically towards Yugi in that manner!”

“Oh, that! It's been established in this series that his parents didn't die when he and his brother were children,” Tatiana explained.

“It's part of a series!? I thought it was a oneshot,” the fan said. He looked the beginning of the story over again.

“No, it's in a series.”

“It doesn't say it's in a series.”

“Well, it is. The rest of it is on fanfiction.net if you want to have a look.”

“I don't want to have a look!”

“If you don't like it, give it back,” Tatiana demanded. She made a move for the paper in the fan's hand.

“NO! I'M NOT!” The fan's shouting brought the attention of nearby convention goers, including Jenna and Koichi.

“That won't end well,” Jenna said in embarrassment. Koichi nodded.

The fan grabbed the fic papers on both side and started ripping it up. “HEY!” Tatiana exclaimed. She placed her hands on her hips. “Do you know how much printer ink costs!” she objected. The fan continued ripping it up.

“I know, its a complete waste of ink, and paper!” the fan said, as he scattered the pieces about. “Let's see what else you have here...”

“Oh no you don't!” Tatiana growled as she stared the other person in the eye.

“I will!” the fan said as he grabbed another fic...

“What?” Cindy said, confused.

“What?” Quinn asked, turning from a fan artist's booth.

“Look!” Cindy said pointing.

Quinn looked in the direction where Cindy was pointing, and saw Tatiana struggling against a security guard whom was escorting her out of the convention. “Oh dear! Looks like someone didn't like her fanfics,” she said.

“Most likely, but why is she the one who's being thrown out?” Kristen asked.

“She overreacted?” Cindy wondered.

'That's likely,' Quinn thought.

Tatiana was pushed out of the doors of the convention center. “You can't ban me from Lawndale Anime Conventions for life!” she exclaimed.

“Not for life. Another four years. Until you're an adult,” the security guard said.

“This is outrageous! I wasn't at fault!”

“No, but you caused a disturbance.”

“It still wasn't my fault!” Tatiana objected with her arms crossed.

Tatiana sat boredly outside the convention hall. 'This is tedious!' she thought. She wished she had a yo-yo or something. She had already re-read what remained of her print-outs many times.  “I shouldn't have been thrown out,” she murmured for the umpteenth time.

Mack's full Valiant pulled up  pulled up outside a modestly sized white house with a clean yard. Daria, Jane and Jennifer had enlisted Mack and Lisa Fisher on their search for Brittany and the mouse. Brittany hadn't been at Lisa's house, nor at Angie Zammit's or Nikki Dowlings.

They noticed a few other cars. “Donna's older brother seems to haven't gone back to College yet,” Lisa said.

“Thanksgiving may not have been enough,” Jane said with a shrug.

“I guess so,” Daria said.

Lisa rang the doorbell. A modestly dressed middle-aged blonde woman answered the door.  “Hi, Mrs. Bolton, is Donna home?” Lisa asked.

“Yes, Lisa. She's up in her room. Come in and I'll get her,” Donna's mother said.

“Thanks,” Lisa said.

“The others can come in too,” Mrs. Bolton said.

“Cool,” Jane said. As soon as Donna's mother had turned, Jane lifted the polaroid and took a picture.

Lisa glared at Jane. “That's not a good idea,” she whispered as she stepped inside.

“For use in an artwork,” Jane explained.

“I guess so,” Lisa said, uncertainly. She had heard from various other classmates that Ms. Defoe considered Jane to be very good.

A minute later, Donna entered the living room. “Hi, what brings you here, Lisa, Mack?”

 “Actually it was Daria,” Mack said.

 “I was wondering if you knew where Brittany is?” Daria asked.

 Donna looked uncomfortable. “Brittany? Actually, she's in my room,” she admitted.

 “She is?” Daria got up and headed to the stairs where Donna had come down.

 “Wait, Daria,” Jane said. She and Jennifer also got up.

 Daria waited at the foot of the stairs for her two friends to catch up. “Wait, which room is yours?” Daria said when she realized that she wouldn't know which room Brittany would be in.

  “I'm not telling you,” Donna said with her hands on her hips. “I'll go get her.”

 “I'll wait,” Daria said as she went back to her seat.

  Donna returned to her room, where Brittany was gazing out the window. “Brittany? What did you do to annoy that Daria girl?”

 “Annoy her!” Brittany squeaked. “She was stealing my Kevvy!” She paused. “Why?”

 Donna gave her a look. “You may have been worried about Upchuck, but she's here.”

 Brittany sat down. “Tell her I'm not here!”

 “She's already knows that you're here,” Donna said.

 “You told her, didn't you?”

 “Yes.”

Donna came down. “Brittany doesn't want to see you,” she said to Daria.

 “She doesn't? Then I'll stay here until she changes her mind.”

 “If Brittany doesn't want to see you, she doesn't want to see you.”

 “I'm still staying here. Go and tell her that.”

 Jennifer placed her hand on Daria's shoulder. “I think that is not a good idea.”

 Daria was stubborn. “Maybe not, but she entered my house and took something that wasn't hers. I would rather talk to her, than involve the police.” She turned back to Donna. “Tell her that too.”

 Donna sighed. “Would you really do that?”

 “Only if I had no other choice,” Daria replied.

 Donna thought for a moment. “I will tell Brittany that.”

 “Good,” Daria said.

Brittany saw Donna come back into the room. “Is she gone?”

 Donna gave a sympathetic look. “She won't leave until she talks to you. She also said that you took something from her house and that she would go to the police about it if you don't talk to her.”

 Brittany's eyes opened wide. “The Police? Eep!”

 “What did you take from the Morgendorffer's house?”

 “A mouse. But it was so that Daria would stay away from Kevin.”

“I see,” Donna said. 'Brittany, Brittany, Brittany, he's not worth it,' she thought.

 Brittany looked down. “Kevvy ignored me!” she said forgetting to say that the Pigskin Channel was responsible, not Daria.

 “Still, talk to Daria.”

 Brittany sighed, and got up. “I'm ready.”

Brittany came down the stairs after Donna. “I'm here, Daria. I'm not sorry that I took that stupid little animal!”

 Daria's voice was low. “I know why you would take it, but I'm not after Kevin.”

 “You are!”

 “I am not. You can have him. He's only over at my house because Ms. Barch put us together on the science project. The same reason why you're working with Upchuck.”

 Brittany twirled her hair in thought. “That's true. I would still have the problems with Upchuck though,.”

 Daria, Jane and Jennifer exchanged a look. Why would Brittany still have a problem with Upchuck if they weren't working together? “Right,” Jane said with an eyebrow raised.

 Daria turned the conversation back to her intent. “I would like that mouse back!”

 “I don't have it here!” Brittany projected.

 “Of course not,” Jennifer murmured.

 “I know you wouldn't have it here. I hope you didn't let it go,” Daria said, her face in Brittany's.

 Brittany glared back. “What do you think I am? Stupid? I gave it to my brother!”

 Jane stepped next to Daria and looked at Brittany. “How do you know that he didn't let it go?”

 Brittany twirled her hair again. “He had better not, the little creep!”

 “Now. I'll give you a deal...” Daria began.

 Brittany interrupted. “What sort of deal?”

Daria shot back. “...You give me the mouse back, and you can have Kevin back.” She paused. “If we go to your house now.”

 “Upchuck might be there!”

 “That would be the least of your worries,” Daria said as she gave a disconcerting smile.

 Brittany flinched. “Oooh! We don't have to go now!” she said as she brandished a fist. Daria responded by grabbing the cheerleader by her shoulders.

 “Um, Daria, you don't want to do that!” Lisa warned.

 “We are going now,” Daria said.

 “No!” Brittany said, and promptly twisted Daria onto her back in a martial arts move. Daria leapt up and was promptly restrained by Jane and Jennifer.

 “You're good,” Daria said stubbornly.

 “Brittany, I think it would be wise to accept Daria's request,” Donna said. She didn't want the stand off happening in her living room to go on for much longer.

 Brittany then began to twirl her hair more intently than before.

  Mack's Valiant and Donna's Hyundai Elantra pulled up outside the Taylor mansion. Mack, Jane, Jennifer and Daria emerged from the Valiant. Brittany, Donna and Lisa from the Elantra. Brittany looked around nervously. 'He's not here,' she thought.

 “It looks as if no one's home,” Jane said.

 “I agree,” Jennifer said.

 “Time to go in,” Daria said.

 “Follow me,” Brittany said.

  Brittany opened Brian's door to find the creepy room deserted. “Here's not here,” She said after a moment.

 “Is your father or step-mother home?” Daria asked.

 “You're not going to tell them!” Brittany said.

 “I might,” Daria said in response.

 “O-ooh! I'm not going to say if they are or not!”

 “Are they or not?”

 Brittany remained unwilling to tell Daria if her father or Ashley-Amber were home. “Daria, I think it's best not to bring her parents into this,” Jane said.

 “Why not?”

“Brittany might accuse you of slander or something. Not in so many words of course,” Jane replied.

 “Of course.” Daria turned to Brittany. “I'm not going to tell them, but they may know where your brother is.”

 “I think they're here,” Brittany said.

  Brittany's father didn't have a clue, but Ashley-Amber told Brittany that Brian was seeing one of his friends.

“That's disappointing,” Jane said after Brittany had come downstairs and told them

 “We're not going to try to go around Brian's friend's places are we?” Donna asked.

 “The places he hangs out at; creepy,” Lisa said with a shudder.

 “Some are creepier than Andrea's,” Donna said.

 “And you would know this, how?” Jane asked with a raised eyebrow.

 “I had to accompany Brittany there to pick him up once,” Donna said.

 “And she had a sleepover at Andrea's in middle school,” Lisa said.

 “Never again,” Donna murmured.

 “Right,” Daria said.

“Brittany, there would be an address book somewhere?” Jennifer asked quietly.

 “Yes,” Brittany responded.

 “You know where it is?” Daria asked.

 “Yes,” Brittany replied.

  After Brittany had copied the details for Brian's friends as described in the address book (which they had borrowed from Steve), they left the Taylor residence heading towards the closest of those addresses.

Back at the Convention Quinn came back to Cindy and Kristen with a signed Manga. “Yes!” Quinn shouted. Kristen put her hands over her ears. “Cool,” she said sardonically.

 “What is it? Cindy asked excitedly.

 Quinn pointed to the katakana phrase on the cover of the manga. “Saibakanada no toraburu,” she said.

 “Huh?” Cindy asked.

 “Loosely translated: Cyber-Canadian Troubles,” Quinn said. “It's cyberpunk.”

 “Oh, so it's like Ghost in the Shell, except in Canada?” Kristen asked.

 “Wait, how can you read it if it's in Japanese?” Cindy asked. 'She would have mentioned it if she knew the language,' she thought.

 “I understand some symbols. Besides, Koichi knows it,” Quinn replied.

 “Cool,” Kristen said.

  Having not found Brian at other places, the Valiant and the Elantra pulled up in front of a run down townhouse in Lawndale Flats, a public housing estate on the north-eastern edge of town.

“Still think that place in Texas is worse?” Mack asked.

 “Yes,” Daria replied, having mentioned Highland earlier. She opened the door.

The young lady warily opened the door a crack, ensuring that the chain lock was in the correct position. She saw a large group of teens just outside. A girl with long auburn hair was glaring at her. “Hello, how can I help you?”

 “Is this the Mankin residence,” the auburn haired girl asked in a monotone.

 “Yes, it is,” the young lady said timidly. 

“Is someone named Brian Taylor here?”

 “No comment. Who's asking?”

 “I'm his sister!” a very perky blonde said in a high pitched voice.

 “Oh, but not everyone can come in, only about four of you at most. There isn't much room.”

  Brittany, Daria, Jane and Lisa entered the Mankin's rather spartan (and tiny) lounge/dining room behind the young mother. They could see that there wasn't much in the way of chairs.

 “Cal, Brian's sister is here,” Ms. Mankin called.

 “Coming, Mom,” was the reply. The sounds of a ruckus in the bedroom came through the wall.

 “Would you like anything?”

 “Soda would be nice,” Jane said. Lisa and Brittany nodded.

 “Water would be fine,” Daria said.

  Brian and his friend Cal emerged from the bedroom. “What are you doing here, Brit?” he asked.

 “I would like the mouse back,” Brittany said.

 “She took it from me,” Daria explained.

 “It's not here!” Brian said with a disturbing smile.

 “What's going on?” Ms. Mankin asked, wanting to know what exactly was going on.

 Jane turned to Daria, who then explained, with some commentary by Lisa...

  “Let's see if I have this straight, Ms. Barch assigned Brian's sister's boyfriend to Daria, which caused Brian's sister to get jelous? And she then tries to stop her boyfriend from spending time with Daria by stealing the mouse from Daria's house? Is that right?” Ms. Mankin asked after some thought.

 “Yes,” Daria replied.

 “Pretty much,” Jane added.

 “It's rather stupid,” Ms. Mankin said.

 “I agree with that,” Daria said.

 “If only...” Ms. Mankin said briefly before stopping.

 “I realize that now,” Brittany said, with a slight shake of her head.

 “So, Brian, where is the mouse?” Ms. Mankin asked, wanting to get to the point. 'I hope he hasn't done something to it...' she thought.

“Not here!”

 “Clearly!” Ms. Mankin said with her arms over her chest, and glaring at Brian. He smiled. 'He's creepier than ever!'

 “It's at home!” Brian said.

 “It's not in your room!” Brittany said.

 Brian smiled again. “It's in the basement.”

 'There's something strange about the way he's smiling,' Daria thought. “We definitely didn't look there. Let's go,” she said.

 “I agree,” Jane said.

 “Sure,” Brittany said.

 “You want to take Brian with you?” Ms. Mankin asked.

 “Yes,” Brittany said.

 “Bye, Cal.”

 “Bye, Brian,” Cal said quietly.

  The group left the townhouse. “So, we have Brian?” Mack asked.

 “Yes, the mouse is apparently in their basement,” Lisa said.

 “Let's go,” Mack said.

 “Sure,” Donna said.

The two cars then arrived back at the Taylor's mansion, after driving across Lawndale, 20 minutes later.

 Brian and Brittany went down to the basement. Shortly afterwards, Brittany emerged from the basement carrying a box, the same box that she had taken from the Morgendorffer's garage. “It's in here, Daria,” Brittany said.

 “I wonder why,” Jane said.

“Good,” Daria said as she snatched the box away. She opened the box and looked at the mouse. “Of course.”

“What?” Jane asked. Jennifer repeated her question with an enquiring look. Daria showed them the mouse. “Oh! That creep!”

 “He obviously did something,” Jennifer said quietly.

 Daria closed the box.”Thanks for your help,” she said to Mack and the cheerleaders.

 “You're welcome,” Mack said.

 “Time to go,” Daria directed.

 “Sure,” Jane said.

  However, when Daria opened the door, she found Upchuck on the doorstep. “Ms. Morgendorffer, I know Brittany's here.”

 “What is it to you? I'm sure that you have your project well in hand.”

 “Indeed I do, but I need some input from her. Ms. Barch will fail us otherwise.”

 Daria could see the truth in that statement. However something was 'off' about Upchuck's demeanour. “What aren't you saying?” she asked.

 “Who cares? Let's go,” Jane said.

 “Wait, Jane. Something's up,” Jennifer said.

 “Probably,” Jane said after a little thought.

 “Brittany doesn't want to see you, Upchuck!” Donna said.

 “True,” Upchuck admitted.

 “Kevin wouldn't like it when I tell him what you have been doing,” Daria said.

 “That big lug? The worst that he would do is try to pummel me. I have taken karate.” Upchuck adopted a karate pose for emphasis.

 “I guess...” Jane began.

 “What do you have on her?” Daria asked, interrupting Jane.

 “What?” Jane asked.

 “What?” Upchuck echoed.

 “It's obvious that you have something on her,” Daria said.

“Feisty!”

 “What is it, Upchuck?” Jane said.

 “I'm not saying!”

 “Give it to me!” Brittany said, emerging from one of the side rooms.

 “No!” Upchuck said.

 “Yes!”

 “Whatever it is, hand it over,” Daria said.

 “Even if I wanted to, it's safely at home,” Upchuck said.

 “Go there,” Daria said.

 “No, Daria. Brittany, I will tell Kevin, if you don't come now.”

 “So that's it,” Jane concluded. Jennifer nodded as she came to the same conclusion

 “That's what?” Daria asked, confused.

 “They cheat on each other, some of the time. He's caught Brittany at one of those times,” Jennifer whispered to Daria.

 “Oh, then go and tell Kevin, Upchuck. Just leave Brittany alone,” Daria said.

 “It isn't the usual type of cheating.”

 Daria turned to Brittany. “It isn't an adult, is it?”

 “Of course not!” Brittany answered, squeaking higher than usual.

 “It's a teen, but not someone from Lawndale,” Upchuck said, placing the emphasis on the town's name.

 “O-ooh!” Brittany had had enough. “So what if it's the Oakwood quarterback!”

 Donna was shocked. “Sam Stack? But he's Kevin's biggest rival!”

 “I know,” Brittany said in embarrassment and shame.

 Donna saw the expression on her friend's face. “I won't tell him.”

 “So, it comes out,” Daria said.

 Donna shot a look of annoyance at Daria. “Thanks, Donna,” Brittany said.

 “Now, it's time to go,” Jane said.

“Yes, I need to figure out what to tell Ms. Barch on Monday,” Daria said.

When Quinn, Cindy and Kristen left the convention for the day, they found that Tatiana was still sitting outside. “Why are you still here?” Kristen asked.

 “I had planned to be at the convention all day,” Tatiana said. Her voice showed a mixture of boredom and exasperation.

 “So? There's are other things to do in Lawndale,” Cindy said.

 “Not many!” Tatiana answered.

 “Those options are still available,” Quinn said.

 “I guess so,” Tatiana said.

 “How are you getting home?” Cindy asked.

 “My sister is picking me up,” Tatiana said.

 “That's ok then,” Cindy said.

 “We can wait, keep you company,” Quinn suggested.

 “No need to do that,” Tatiana said.

 “Oh, OK.”

  Later that night, the Morgendorffers were having their usual dinner of microwaved lasagne.

 “How was it at the Convention, Quinn?” Jake asked.

 Quinn started into her description of events...

“...And then Tatiana was thrown out,” Quinn said as she continued her description of the convention.

 “Well, she caused a disturbance. That's what happens when obsessions get out of control,” Helen said.

 “I guess so,” Quinn said. She considered that it was a possiblity that Tatiana was obsessed.

 “How was your day, Daria?”

  “The usual,” Daria said, deciding not to give anything away. (She hadn't been able to get the mouse to respond to any stimuli. It had just lay there, shaking. She knew she had to out Brian to Ms. Barch somehow, but without naming him.)

 “You must have done something. I notice that Kevin isn't here, watching the pigskin channel,” Helen said.

“Yeah, where is he?” Jake asked.

“Jake! Let me ask!”

 “Sorry.”

 “He has finished his part of the project,” Daria said.

 “Are you sure?” Helen asked.

 “Of course he has,” Daria answered.

 “I know that you went somewhere today,” Jake said.

 “I go somewhere every Saturday,” Daria said. 'At least since we moved here.'

 “I suppose,” Helen sighed.

   Sunday, November 26, 2005

Quinn, Cindy and Kristen arrived at the convention for the second day. Quinn was wearing the Ichigo outfit again. “What do you think will happen today?” Cindy asked.

  “It probably will be as exciting as yesterday,” Kristen said.

 “What make you say that?” Quinn asked.

 “Tatiana is here,” Kristen said, pointing her out.

“Tatiana? Weren't you banned for four years?” Quinn asked.

 “I was, but it's not fair!”

 “You think you could change their mind by being here?” Quinn asked.

 “Possibly!” Tatiana said.

 “I don't think it would work,” Kristen said.

 “Sorry,” Cindy said, as they went in.

 Tatiana sighed.

  Daria, Jane and Jennifer were in the garage, with the mouse. “It's hopeless. He hasn't touched his food,” Jennifer said.

 “I know what to say to Ms. Barch,” Daria said.

 “The truth?” Jennifer asked.

“Without mentioning Brian by name,” Daria said.

“Good,” Jane said.

 “So, what are you saying to Ms. Barch?” Jennifer asked.

 “You'll find out tomorrow,” Daria said. Jennifer nodded.

 “But what'll happen to the mouse?” Jane asked.

 “I have no idea what Ms. Barch will do with it,” Daria said.

 “True, maybe one of our classmates?” Jane asked.

 “But which student would want a traumatised mouse as a pet? It wouldn't be worth it,” Daria said.

 'I guess so,' Jane thought.

   Monday, November 27, 2005

Ms. Barch's class was in session. “Brittany, Charles. You're up.”

 Brittany and Upchuck carried their cage to the front. It contained a hamster tube leading to the cheese.

“We started with...” Upchuck began.

 Ms. Barch interrupted. “Shut up, Charles. Brittany, did you go with negative or positive reinforcement?”

 Upchuck gulped. He hoped Brittany would read from the cue card that he had given her.

 Brittany took out the card that Upchuck had printed out for her. “We used positive reinforcement to train the mouse to find the right way to the food in the center of the maze,” she said. Unfortunately she sounded dull.

 Ms. Barch took the cue card off Brittany. “Who wrote this?” she asked.

 “It doesn't matter,” Brittany said, knowing that if she did tell the teacher that it was Upchuck who wrote it, that she would fail.”

 Ms. Barch came to that conclusion anyway, but didn't want to fail Brittany. It was the best that she had done since she started at LHS the previous year. “OK, Brittany, you get a B-.”

 “That's a relief,” Upchuck said.

 “Not you, Upchuck! You get a D-!”

 Upchuck groaned.

 “Daria and Kevin.”

“In conclusion, this mouse -- through no fault of my own, Brittany -- was repeatedly abused by a ten-year-old boy. As a result, the mouse's primary response to everyday stimuli is fear. Similar reactions also occur in humans. Take the mugging victim, beaten with nunchuks in an alleyway. As he, or she, recalls the attacker's face -- his scraggly goatee and cheap, dangly earring -- she learns to hate and fear all men, regardless of age, race or taste in jewelry,” Daria said as she concluded her presentation.

“Really?” Kevin asked.

 “Don't interrupt, hateful scum. Excellent job, Daria. You get an 'A.'”

 “All right!” Kevin celebrated. Too soon...

 “Not you, you man. You get a 'D.'”

 “All right!” Kevin said. It was still his best lab grade ever...

  Kevin met Daria in the hallway after class. “You know, Daria, I really liked hanging out at your house and working on the maze thing.”

“Yeah, the week just flew by. It was like you were hardly there.”

 “Thanks.” Kevin paused. “Hey, Daria?”

 “Yes?”

 “I'm having a big party Friday, and I want a lot of cool people there. Could you...”

 “Yes?” she asked with slight hope.

 “...ask Quinn if she could make it?”

 “No, Kevin, you can ask her yourself,” Daria said in reply.

 “Um, OK.”

#brittany taylor #charles ruttheimer iii #daria #daria morgendorffer #fan fiction #helen morgendorffer #jake morgendorffer #jane lane #janet barch #michael 'mack' mackenzie #quinn morgendorffer #the lab brat

[mysteryfanfictheatre3000]

Back to the Frollo, Chapter 13

Warning: makeout sesh in a church.

Chapter Thirteen

I don't know how I let Claude talk me into extending our romantic weekend, but there I was, in his private chambers, huddled on the bed, and wrapped in a hand-crocheted afghan I made for him last winter.

So this is modern-day again? This author really has to tell us when she’s switching between timelines.

Claude insisted that I return him to Paris because he was anxious to find and punish the soldier who embarassed him. I knew Claude didn't...well, neither did I...want to say good-bye too soon. It had just started to rain; sometimes I forget how chilly the Palace of Justice can be on damp, autumn nights. Claude left to confer with his officers, and I began thinking about our first night together during that fantastic summer. Claude was so sweet; well, to tell the truth, he got a little silly and steamy after I started singing that old Ray Charles song. I couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

I still don’t understand his affinity for whatever random music Danisha enjoys. He’s a 1400s priest; he wouldn't ever like that. Ever.

Claude returned to the room and sat on the side of the bed. "Don't tell me you're cold, darling", he said good-humoredly, noting my efforts to get warm. "I'm not that cold', I half-heartedly protested, "it's just that I was waiting...." "Waiting for me to warm you, my love?" Claude leaned over and kissed my lips. "I'm not cold anymore, baby", I said as I embraced his lean body and let the afghan fall from my shoulders. He chuckled softly in my ear as he began to caress me and held my body close to his.

That was an image I never need to have in my head. Ugh. Stop.

"Mmmm...Danisha...", Claude sighed while he continued to kiss and caress me. I enjoyed his moans of pleasure, as I returned each caress with equal passion. "Ooh, Claude...", I sighed, my body tingling from his mouth and hands on my skin. Desire rose and stirred in me like a storm.

Let’s not go into smut territory, please. Please. I don’t want to have that vision in my mind of these two doing the nasty.

Suddenly, I whispered, "Claude, what if someone comes? The soldiers..." Claude Frollo, who was not about to stop what he was doing, laughed softly and said, "My dear, no one or nothing will disturb us tonight. I've left strict orders...Ooh, darling, you are so beautiful."

Wait, soldiers? Did they go back in time again together? Did I miss that? I guess they’re at the Palace of Justice, for some reason. The fact that they keep treating it like this uber-romantic place disturbs me because it was where prisoners were kept and tortured.

And with that, Claude and I embarked on yet another night of passion. The pattering of rain against the window, and the crackling of the fire set the perfect stage for our romantic rendevous. Funny, our first time was not all candlelight and roses; instead, what started as a pleasant visit was soon transformed into a night of shocking revelations....then the fun began...

I don’t want to hear about your “fun!” Stop!

******

Have to hurry and get things together....There he is! I had just finished supper, tidied the house, and changed my clothes when I heard the knock on the door. Claude was coming over and I wanted everything to be perfect. Although we had seen each other nearly every day since that anguished, tearful session in the bell tower, Claude hadn't set foot in the modest home I shared with Fern, not since that day I offered him cake and lemonade I went out of my way, cooking foods I knew he'd never tried but would learn to like.

No, he won’t learn to like him. Again, they’ll just make him sick. Very sick. That being said, feed it to him anyway, he deserves it.

I planned a simple supper of fried chicken, green beans, and cornbread. Cooking over an open fireplace is an experience in itself; Fern taught me a few tricks on regulating the heat and how to keep myself safe when near open flames. It wasn't easy but I finally got the hang of it; nonetheless, I still missed the 20th century conveniences of gas stoves and microwaves.

Wait, so you’re cooking green beans, fried chicken and cornbread over an open flame? You can’t cook all those things all at once with the same method and temperature. Fried chicken… can that even be made with the resources Danisha has here?

I peeped through the glass and sighed with relief. "Claude!", I said as I opened the door, "I wasn't expecting you until later." I threw my arms around him and kissed his lips. "But I'm glad you're here." Claude Frollo smiled and returned the kiss. He was carrying a small basket and somthing else: a rolled parcel wrapped in muslin. "What's that, baby?", I asked. Claude set the basket and parcel on a table, then removed his hat and cloak. "Not so fast, dearest one", he playfully said as he neatly hung his wraps on the hook near the door. How did he know where our coatrack was....

It’s right near the door he just entered. He probably just looked at it. There is nothing sinister about placing a coat on a very visible coat rack.

Claude then handed me the rolled parcel, saying, "I saw you admiring this and I thought you'd like to have it." He smiled broadly as I unwrapped the bundle. I gasped in surprise; it was a tapestry! It was a small, but detailed, work, no larger than an average-sized poster, depicting the French countryside complete with the Seine flowing lazily through quiet woods and meadows. I marveled at the intricate stitches and the softness of the fabric. "Oh Claude, it's gorgeous! I don't know what to say...."

I have no words. What a totally inaccurate and shoehorned-in gesture!

I immediately embraced and kissed him. "Thank you! Thank you!" Claude chuckled and returned my kiss, then replied, "You are most welcomed, my darling." At once, I hung the tapestry in a prominent spot near the front window; that way, it would catch the morning light.

And fade in the sun, or….?

I stood back and looked at this work of medieval textile artistry; Claude walked up and embraced me from behind. "Does it look familiar, Nisha?" I narrowed my eyes and examined the tapestry further; then it hit me! "Isn't this the one I was looking at....", I said with astonishment. Claude kissed the back of my neck and stroked my hair as he finished, "On that first day we met. Even after your little outburst, I had made up my mind to give you this treasure."

This is like every awful rom-com ever made, but in the 1400s between two unlikable racists.

I turned around to face him. Mmmm...he looks so fine! "Honey, you didn't have to do this." Claude kissed me again, deeply this time, and I couldn't resist responding to him with my own fiery passion. "You deserve the best, sweet darling", he said, "I want you to know that I'd do anything for you. I love you so." We held and kissed each other for several minutes. Maybe, I thought, this would be the night. We had been fighting the inevitable ever since that night we confessed our love. One step at a time, girlfriend, don't rush it.

You confessed your love to each other in a teary, dramatic mess of a discussion, publicly in a church. You’ve already made out. You change your attitude every five seconds and hate/love him. You aren’t taking things one step at a time, you’re going way overboard with each other.

I then focused on the basket, asking Claude, "Now, sugarbritches, what's in the basket?" Claude Frollo looked at me with sparkling eyes, then took me by the hand over to the table. "I do believe I owe you something; I'm surprised you haven't asked for it by now." I removed the white cover, reached inside and took out a ball: my special autographed baseball!

This mix of ancient tapestries and Americana is just weird. This story can’t even pick an aesthetic and stick to it, it’s just all over the place. It doesn’t know what it is.

"The thing that started it all...", I playfully began as Claude started laughing. "And ultimately brought us together", he added. Then I noticed another item in the basket. "What's this, Claude?", I asked as I pulled out what looked like a Mason jar. Now I was confused. Mason jars did not exist during the 15th century. And what's this amber liquid inside?

She knows that Mason jars didn’t exist yet, but she thought Columbus was Spanish and had already sailed to America? This is in the same vein as Frollo knowing the inventor of tupperware. It’s like they curiously only know about each others’ time periods when the author says they should for plot convenience.

Claude nonchalantly replied, "Oh that. Just something I'd thought you'd like. Go on, my dear, open it." I complied and opened the jar. The contents, the aroma, were unmistakable: Tennessee whiskey. "How?...Where?...Claude...Tennessee whiskey? In 15th century France?!" I was so dumbstruck, so utterly confused, that I felt myself swooning.

I’m utterly confused, too. That’s not even romantic. It’s booze. He easily could have gotten you French booze. Did he time-travel just to get you special whiskey? How does he even know what whiskey you like?!

Claude rushed over and caught me, taking the jar from my trembling hand. After placing the jar on the table, Claude guided me to the couch and cradled me like a small child. In my dazed state, I heard him say, "Danisha...I'm sorry, my love. I wasn't thinking...it's much too soon." I partially regained my senses and asked him, "What do you mean by 'too soon'? I don't understand."

Much too soon to give her whiskey as a present, but not too soon to have a loud public makeout session in a church?

Claude tenderly kissed my face and mouth; his mood now turned to serious concern. Finally he said, "Nisha, my dearest one, I know all about...How can I put this without shocking you further?" I felt my bearings returning, only to be knocked for a loop again. "You know all about what?", I asked, now feeling uneasy and apprehensive. "Darling", Claude replied gently, "I wanted to wait, but...I know all about Fern, the...'car'?...your little excursions..."

How? And why is he not burning her as a witch, then? He should be freaking the entire hell out right now. That’s like me falling in love with an alien and finding his alien spaceship, and not being the least confused. Frollo should be utterly bemused.

I felt myself swooning again as I looked at Claude in bewilderment. "You KNOW about us? Why are you telling me this? I thought you loved me! You said you'd never hurt me!"

Wait, why is his knowledge of the car hurting her? How is that breaking any promises? He just said he noticed the very noticeable car.

Tears welled in my eyes and Claude, now feeling guilty about this revelation, drew closer to me, and held me tightly. "I knew this would be too much for you. But, sweet Nisha, everything would've been eventually revealed. I never meant for this to hurt you; I love you too dearly to upset you." He kissed me, then, finally confessed what would at last explain why Fern brought me to medieval Paris.

Did you not think to ask her why she brought you here at the beginning of your little excursion? You just went along with it with no clue as to why?

"Danisha...Your friend, Fern...darling, please don't be too shocked...has been here before...she's one of my spies."

That makes absolutely no sense! How was he able to communicate with Fern and why does he want Danisha badly enough to set spies after her in the future? How does that even happen? Nothing in this story matches up and everything is a mess. Every time I think I’ve seen it all she throws me for another loop that makes me want to jump off a bridge. I’m slowly losing the will to live.

#back to the frollo #The Hunchback of Notre Dame #Claude frollo #danisha

[eighteenoheight]

I suck at collecting my thoughts without rambling and deciding not to put it out into the universe, but sometimes you just need to word vomit and get over it.

This is about the dumb drama with Gabbie Hanna and the rest of the internet.

I don’t really have a horse in this race, everyone involved I have been a “fan” of in the sense that I would binge watch them and then forget they exist for months. Since Jenna Marbles stopped uploading I don’t have time for YouTube content other than doll customs, sims 4 builds and lavendertowne. Gabbie is only still on my radar because I genuinely like and relate to her music. It’s become a meme to hate on her music and discredit her talent which I don’t fuck with. Regardless if it’s not to your taste, it’s kinda gross to do that imo. Otherwise I’m not really involved in her content. 

I think I’ll start with the Trisha drama because that’s still ongoing. Allegedly it started with Trisha and Jason’s relationship. And based on what I know of the situation, I would have done exactly the same as Gabbie. If you’re told something like that you have a few options. Stay silent and let the rumors continue to spread. Tell the partner with the alleged STD that these rumors are circulating. Or you can tell the partner whose health is possibly at risk.First option is very unhelpful, you look like the asshole for withholding information like that. Second option also bad, who is this person more willing to be open and truthful with? Their romantic partner, or someone they barely know. Last option you risk alienating that person, but at least your friend won’t potentially get an incurable STD. Casual reminder that this is a real life person, and Jason’s health is way more important than Trisha’s pride. Sorry about it but it’s true. From what I’ve gathered, Trisha is the one who made this a public thing. And apparently she continued to spread the STD rumors to turn people against Gabbie. 

However, the internet overall took Trisha’s side in this matter, which I find bewildering. Gabbie handled the rumors like an adult, which is something everyone is asking of these internet influencers. This was the first time I noticed the internet was BSing me. I thought I was going crazy.

This situation opened my eyes a little bit when it came to internet drama and since it’s been hard to understand how I was born in the same world as these drama channels.

And I used to love drama channels. The tea was splash in your face get third degree burns kinda hot. But after that drama I couldn’t see them the same. I’d see what they were saying about Gabbie and assume it was the truth because I didn’t care enough to look into these things. Another thing that brings me to my later conclusion is the drama with makeup brushes. This involved a few other youtubers but it seemed like Gabbie was the one held most accountable. 

Now the recent issue going on is Gabbie had what is considered a mental breakdown on the internet. And instead of taking the time to be kind, or leave someone alone who was clearly not okay. Her meltdown became a meme. And this was perpetuated by Trisha, who is still somehow exempt from “starting drama” yet if Gabbie responds to it she’s the one stirring the pot? Excuse me, but if someone was making tik tok after tik tok mocking my mental health you can bet your bubble butt I would respond. Also funny how the same woman who made a mockery of DID very recently is making fun of someone else’ mental issues. It’s like the internet is very selective in who they hold accountable. It’s like they choose the villain of Youtube and everything they do is bad, and everything other people do to them is good. It’s like the youtube hunger games. 

And little bit of tea here, but in Gabbie’s rants on everything... Did she lie though? Based on what I’ve concluded she was right about almost everything. She was and still is being gas-lit by the internet. And maybe everyone disagrees but I’ve been watching this unfold. For example the alleged shadowbanning.

Shadowbanning is a popular topic on YouTube and has been for a while. I know channels have been shadowbanned. A lot of political channels I’ve watched in the past get hidden from me, so I have to actively search for them to get any results Yet when Gabbie says she thinks she’s been shadowbanned and has the receipts to back it up, suddenly no one’s ever heard of shadowbanning. They act like it’s ludicrous to think YouTube abuses their platform and fucks creators over. Suddenly it’s out of the question and no it’s just Gabbie’s content isn’t remotely popular anymore. I find it completely believable, because not only have I seen it with other channels, for some reason I’m the only bitch on the planet who notices how convenient it is that her views immediately dipped after accusations of being a rape apologist started popping up. Not everyone is in the know about internet drama so for that dramatic decrease to have happened, it couldn’t have just been people believing the accusations.That is gas-lighting. You’re aware of YouTube's problem but when Gabbie says it’s happening to her suddenly she’s a liar, she’s crazy.

I want to briefly tackle a sensitive topic of a former friend of Gabbie’s and fellow youtuber. I want to be cautious with my approach because what she went through was horrific and I don’t want to take away from it with what I’m about to say. Don’t want to name this person because it feels super tacky to do so. I remember this person from vine and I always got a bad vibe from her. I had a friend in the past who was really toxic and after that experience I’ve found it a lot easier to pick up on people who are similar. When I get the vibe from people I’ve always been proved right. Gabbie allegedly said something really nasty to this person. But after my initial disgust I couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was a response to being hounded. My old friend would do this all the time. They would push me to give a rude response that they would then use against me in the future. Of course my own inner trauma could be affecting what I’m getting from this situation, but as I’ve said my inklings haven’t been proven wrong yet. From more things coming out it seems to prove me correct. This has been a conflicting thought I’ve had for so long. It’s like a trauma response and I’ve unlocked a power to spot the assholes. 

Overall this issue I think points to the internet having a specified target. I think this is a pretty common thing outside of the internet. It’s like society has to pick an enemy that they can scapegoat and attack to feel morally superior. I think it’s really evident in politics. The difference is instead of picking an entity or group, the internet chooses a single personality to hone in on. James Charles was the target for a while, and I think Gabbie is currently the biggest one now. Whether she does wrong or not, it’s hard for me to take it particularly seriously when the internet is acting so blatantly out of control. There are plenty of grievances to have with Gabbie, but bandwagonning on all of it looks pathetic.Currently the trend is holding people accountable for their actions which I can always get behind, but it looks like the end-goal for Gabbie is to harass her off the internet. Because when she responds to the drama she’s feeding into it, yet when she doesn’t respond she’s... Still feeding into it. I don’t get it. I feel like she’s tried to capitulate to the internet, but she’s somehow worse than when she’s just telling them to fuck off. It’s a game she can’t possibly win because every choice it’s automatically the wrong one. Example: the tea channels demand she talks about the issues, but when she does they tweet about her never shutting up. Like which is it guys? Is she being too silent or too loud? This series of events have made me lose a lot of respect for drama channels, especially their responses to being called out. “Accountability only extends to those we don’t like. Don’t talk about how I was on J* payroll. Forget that I constantly invade the private lives of others. That Youtuber’s response wasn’t to my liking! Trust me, I’m the arbiter of good, Jesus has his hand up my ass tickling my guts and I’m wearing a halo, see?” 

Honestly just have some standards, don’t dunk on creators because it’s trendy. Hold them accountable for shit that actually matters, because otherwise there’s no point believing you when someone has done something wrong.

#I understand you wanna make your coin but for the love of god take a little bit of pride in your work #unimportant post keep scrolling #if it's out in the universe I don't have to keep it in my head

[selfhelpfactory]

The Power Of Creativity Summary | learn how to build lasting habits, face your fears, and change your life.

Print | Free Audiobook | Print(In)

This book is for new writers, musicians, filmmakers, artists and anyone who has ever asked questions like “How can I become more creative?” or, “How can I get more ideas?” or “How can I focus on my thoughts and just let them flow?” Through The Power Of Creativity Summary ill try to answer your questions. So let’s begin…..

The power of creativity infographic summary

The Mirror:

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

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You and I have too many dreams, we both wanna achieve & have too many things but to want something & to be brave enough to pursue it are two different things.

Procrastination is the problem we all face. The problem is you are afraid to start, afraid to think big.

Once you reach a certain age you get caught up in the day to day job, other people start depending on you, worried about paying bills and conscious about what others will think about you. All these reasons hold you back from taking creative decisions and doing what you like.

All you have to do is just start small and keep improving each day with incremental changes.

The theory is nice but the practice is better

Moments Of Inspiration:

DREAMS!!! if you don’t know let me tell you all the masterpieces ever existed came from dreams. These are known as moments of inspiration.

For example, Paul McCartney wrote the song,” yesterday ” which came to him in his dream. He had no idea how wrote it. He just woke up one morning with the song in his head. Isn’t it cool.

Similarly, painter Salvador Dali preferred having a sweet sleep before working on his big ideas.

He wrote in his book,” in undertaking an important pictorial work which you are anxious to bring to successful completion and on which your heart is particularly set, you must before anything else begin it by sleeping as deeply, as soundly as possible for you to do”.

This doesn’t mean you’ll just sleep & keep waiting for the dream to inspire you or give you an idea. All these masters can do it cause they have fertilized the soil/brain and seeded their ideas long in advance.

The creative process is as much about preparation and good habits as it is about moments of inspiration. So focus on preparing yourself, creating good habits, make a schedule. – Bryan Collins

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Sacrifice Non Essentials:

Stop wasting your time on useless things. You have to replace your bad habits with a good one

Are you willing to sacrifice tv, social media, trashy books, night outs??

Because when you sacrifice the non-essential parts of your day, you’ll gain the momentum you need to progress your big ideas.

Favorable Environment:

Remove everything from your workplace that distracts you (television, Games, magazines like that).

Cause willpower is finite and, trust me, you don’t wanna waste it on fighting with distractions. Leave clues like notes, bookmarks like that.

Be Efficient:

Both good & bad ideas appear at an unusual time and unusual places, like in the shower.

So you must be efficient in your daily routine.

That is why keep everything organized and easy to access, so you won’t waste time looking for pens, notes, etc.

Be Effective:

Set deadlines for your creative projects.

Turn up every single day to do what you meant to do and then stick to your routine. At the end of the month or so, review your routine.

Feed Your Subconscious:

Before going to bed read, write, or try to remember what work you did today.

Doing this will pass the idea to the subconscious, which will continue to work on the idea/thought while you are asleep.

Next morning try to remember what you dreamt & write it down quickly before it fades out of mind.

Reward Yourself:

To keep motivated yourself, mark small victories, like keeping a new creative routine or reaching a little milestone, etc, and reward yourself for it.

Doing this will build a mental link between your new routine and positive experiences.

Commit To Your Ideas:

Creativity doesn’t appear whenever you want.

You have to work every day, engage yourself in doing your craft, you have to be dedicated.

Turning up every single day builds the creative resources regarding your craft in your subconscious mind. This way you prepare your mind and body for your creative work.

Trace Your Creative Roots:

You can spend your life doing thousands of worthwhile creative goals/work. But the harsh reality of life( paying the bill, having a job, settling down, etc) complicates your ability to do what you want. As you get older, your chances of doing it go down.

Talent, hard work, opportunities are useless if you don’t know where you are going.

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Purpose:

You can’t give your best if you don’t know,” why you are doing what you are doing”.

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You have to educate yourself about what drives you & inspires you.

The purpose will guide you through the tough times. Find your guiding purpose!!

Mission Statement:

Most of the time you are so afraid of what people will think about you, you feel demotivated.

In such times you need a personal mission statement, which will keep you on track & keep reminding you why you do what you do.

Write your mission statement now!! Keep reviewing and updating your mission statement monthly.

Learn The Demands Of Your Craft & Audience:

You don’t have to care or worry about, what others think of you & your ideas. That’s the only way to know what your craft & audience wants.

Many great ideas are born because somebody had a problem they wanted to solve. But No one wants to invest their time, money, energy in creating a product/solution which no one wants.

That’s why instead of assuming what the audience wants, develop an early concept/prototype. Share it with your audience, get feedback, and use it to improve your product/Solution.

Start learning the fundamentals of your craft first. Keep track of your progress so you can know, how far you have come & how far you still have to keep going.

The lifelong practice is what separates amateurs from professionals & professionals from creative masters. – Bryan Collins

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Find A Mentor:

The path to success is full of struggle & huddles. You’re not the only ones who struggle, want to think outside the box, needs the motivation to keep going or craves for critical feedback.

Almost everyone faces these problems and having someone or following someone who has completed the journey you are on will save your efforts, time & energy.

Having a mentor offers opportunities to learn creative skills faster & gain access to creative insights and resources. Mentor will show you how to avoid committing common mistakes and help you learn skills faster.

You will become more accomplished and creative if you have a mentor guiding you. There are two types of mentors, good mentors, and great mentors.

Good mentors are easy to find. Good mentors can be teachers, your friend, your colleagues who are more successful than you.

Great mentors are fewer and harder to come across. These are the people who motivate you, their work keeps inspiring you.

It doesn’t matter if your mentor is alive or not. Napoleon Hill suggested in his book, ” think and grow rich” to have an imaginary council of mentors.

Hill’s council included Edison, Charles Darwin, and 7 others. Similarly, you can also have imaginary mentors of your choice. Learn everything from their works, books, etc.

When you encounter a problem, ask yourself what would your mentor do, and act like that.

Strengthen Your Mind And Body:

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. – Haruki Murakami

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One of the best ways to stay motivated, turn up every single day, and keep going is running and meditation. Meditation and exercise will help you embrace positive change in many different ways.

Meditation is a scientifically proven way to improve concentration and memory and also to make you smarter.

When you meditate you are able to focus more on tasks & fewer mood swings occur. If you are not able to meditate then you can try running. Running is a lot like meditation.

When you are passionate and working too hard on a project, it is very necessary to have a break, so your body and mind can relax.

When you are physically and mentally healthier, you are better able to concentrate on your work and ideas.

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Side Project:

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. – Abraham Maslow

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You can be only happy if you can express yourself by doing what you really like.

If your main gig isn’t giving you enough time or space to write, draw, paint or play if you spend your nine to five responding to the demands of others or if you work on the project only because they pay bills, then you need a side project.

When you are messing around, when it’s just for fun, when nobody gets hurt, paid or laid, it’s a side project.

When you are stuck, can’t make decisions, feel like procrastinating, at these times you can work on your side project and relax & have some fun doing what you like.

All the work, the research you do, during your side project

You never know when this side project becomes your main gig. This book was Bryan Collins’s side project which later turns out to be 3 parts book series.

Side projects help you procrastinate and still get things done.

They also help you create new habits without taking risks or investing a lot of time & money on a single idea.

Also switching from the main project to side project gives you much-needed break.

And don’t feel overwhelmed by the scale & ambition of your side project.

Look at your side project as an experiment, be bold, do things differently, allow yourself to fail.

Work on several things at a time, and you will connect them in exciting and unexpected ways.

What you practice for just an hour or day on your side project, can change your life in the future.

Go To War Against Your Fear:

There’s only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. – Paula Coelho

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You don’t know if what you are doing, creating will have the potential to survive in the market, and each day is like a struggle while working on it.

Your fear of what people will think, hold you back.

You are afraid of starting, but you are even more afraid of being found out. That people will criticize you, your work, your ideas, that you are not good enough, etc.

Remember it’s really very important to turn up every single day and get things done.

Eliminate useless daily tasks & activities which waste your time and focus on creating creative habits. Make it a ritual so you perform it every single day without thinking.

Another thing which holds you back is self-doubt like, I am not good enough and all.

Accept negative self-talk for what it is. Just talk. – Bryan Collins

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The best way to avoid self-talk & get them out of your head is journaling or meditating or exercising.

Rejection/ failure is part of the process. Everyone who succeeds has to face Rejection/failure.

Start acting like a champion. Be confident & bold with your ideas, thoughts, and answers. Keep doing this and your success will be inevitable. If success were easy to accomplish then conquest wouldn’t worth it.

Passion:

“Passion!! Being crazy about something, doing something which makes you happy, is very important. Find your passion.

Once you find your passion, you’ll have the reason to get up every single day and create what you actually love. Passion will keep you going when nothing will.

Practice every single day even if you don’t feel like it.

The road ahead is long and winding, but you are bolder, stronger, and more powerful than you can imagine. – Bryan Collins

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I wish you luck. You can do it!!!!

Conclusion:

The biggest problem in your life: you are afraid of starting.

Begin your creative project after sleeping as deeply as possible.

Sacrifice useless activities & habits.

before sleeping think of the project, you working on. And write down every detail of your dreams the next morning.

Celebrate small victories by rewarding yourself.

Find your purpose!! Make a personal mission statement. These two things will serve you as a road map.

Don’t make assumptions about what your audience wants.

You will become more accomplished and creative if you have a mentor guiding you.

When you are physically and mentally healthier, you are better able to concentrate on your work and ideas.

Have a side project, which will make you feel happy, relaxed.

You are afraid of starting, but you are even more afraid of being found out.

Review:

The power of creativity is the best book on creativity, I have read so far. The author,” Bryan Collins” is speaking to you through the book. Every aspect of creativity like where it comes from, how to harness it, how to keep motivated etc is well explained. The book is full of quotes and examples which I personally very liked. And at the end of each chapter, there are insights and action steps that keep you engaged. This is the roadmap to sharpen your creativity. This was, ” The Power Of Creativity (part 1) summary” let me know in the comments if you liked it.

And if you really wanna get better at your craft then I recommend you to read all the three parts of The Power Of Creativity by Bryan Collins. The best part is part 1 free, you can read it on kindle or google play books for free.

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#Creativity #Self Growth

[allezelizabeth]

OUIBUS or NONBUS: Late to Bruxelles + Lost in Paris

The first post after a wonderful birthday trip shouldn't be to complain about a company, but here we are. 

"Why didn't you just take a high-speed train?"

Initially, I was supposed to head down south to Toulouse to see some friends. When that fell through, as in I never received a response to confirm, I was looking for another place to visit for a few days that was still close enough to Paris since I was set to depart from Charles De Gaulle. In just a matter of days, the Thalys train ticket was at about €100 (approximately $ 117 USD) one-way. This was a no-brainer. I needed a cheap ticket out of Paris. 

For €47 ($55.41 USD), I purchased an aller-retour (round trip) ticket from Paris to Bruxelles. My return ticket was to Charles De Gaulle so that I didn't have to take a taxi cab back to CDG from the rive droite. 

When Plans Fall Apart

Leaving Paris via la gare de Bercy was the easy part. I arrived about an hour before departure and I noticed several things. For starters, people were pissed off. The information booth was filled with folks attempting to buy tickets and yelling about bookings. Several buses pulled up to the quais (dock/platform [pl.]), but there was no sense or reason to the operation. Normally, I'd suggest technology over paper, but this time around I'd have to say you would be left out in the cold if you tried to use the OUIBUS app to do anything. This is the exact reason why our boarding took about 30 minutes. The driver checked passports and tickets on laggy smartphones. I had a printout, but it didn't matter. We were already behind schedule. I checked the site to get my seat number as the chauffeur didn't think it was pertinent information. 

The cabin was cozy and I had access to a 220v outlet and a USB port. The air flow was nice. WiFi (pronounced wee-fee) was spotty and limited to 50mb, which was used up about an hour into the trip. The bus also had a WC, but I didn't use it.

Three hours into the trip, the driver took a 45-minute break at rest stop just outside of the Belgian border. This was, according to their site, included as part of the journey time.  Pas vrai. We arrived about 2 hours late into Bruxelles. This ate into my time in Bruxelles, but I made up for it by having espresso and staying out late. 

The Beginning of The End

After a less than a spectacular inbound trip, I left OUIBUS a 'neutral' review. While the amenities on the first bus were decent, I couldn't forgive them for the 2-hour delay. What if I had a train to catch? Or a flight? I was lucky neither was the case, but I could see how it could affect someone's itinerary.

Bright and early at 7 am I made my way back to the Bruxelles Midi Station to catch the bus back into Paris-Roissy-CDG Airport. I was sad to leave Bruxelles but relieved to be heading back home. It was pitch black outside when I heard the bus driver calling people over to form the queue.  I present my passport to which he snickers 'Americaine.' I laugh and respond, "Malheureusement (unfortunately)."  I hand him my paper ticket and ask, "CDG?"

"Oui."

A second driver is rushing him to get people on board. When I asked what my assigned seat number was, he paused for a moment and then blurted a random number.

"Onze."

I sat down feeling uneasy, so I checked the website and indeed my seat number was 41. As I made my way to my assigned seat a woman there told me in French she was told to sit anywhere. I didn't want to move her. So I just said, "Pas de problème." I went to the last row and chose a window seat. As we began our journey I started to smell the foul odor emanating from the WC, which only got worse by the minute. I wasn't the only one being accosted by the putrid scent; however, I was able to keep my breakfast inside of me.

Once I started to see recognizable landmarks I was relieved that I was going to make it into CDG on time. Did OUIBUS redeem themselves? Non.

Instead, the driver appeared to be lost. We drove between terminals. Ever go around in circles on a bus? It isn't fun. When he finally found the correct station and platform he parks. Nobody seems to get off except one couple and I figured this is their stop also. I grab my things and I get off the bus. To my surprise, the couple lights up a cigarette and from a distance, I see a frantic bus driver on the phone. Now I'm worried. I ask to get my bag from the baggage bin and he waves me off. I'm frantically looking for my ticket when he orders people to get back on. Maybe he's at the wrong terminal I thought. I take the first seat right up front because I want to make sure I get off quickly at the next stop.

We end up driving straight into gridlock traffic. I suddenly realize that we are moving towards Centre-Ville and away from CDG. One passenger gets yelled at for asking if he'll make his train on time.  As the time goes by, I become more aggravated and start to live tweet my whereabouts to OUIBUS including snapshots along the way. WiFi is no longer connecting and the Orange F network is having trouble keeping up. At approximately 12:15 pm, we are dropped off at some random bus stop near Gare Routière de Bercy. 

I can't see a taxi stand anywhere, so I walk towards the bus station. It looks different than the bus station I remembered. That's because I was at the train station (Gare de Bercy-Paris) that just happened to have OUIBUS platforms. (I now know that I could have kept walking to the other side, but trust me when I say, it was quite the walk because I couldn't even see the OUIBUSes anywhere!) I go up two flights of stairs with all of my belongings only to see a park. I'm racing against time and head back down. I'm hungry, sweating and tired, but I am determined to get to CDG. I walk back towards the bus stop and flag down the first taxi I see. He asks if I ordered the taxi. I didn't want to lie, but I also needed to go. With a dejected look on my face I said, "Non, pas moi (No, not me)." After looking around he then asks me where do I need to go.

"CDG!"

He waves me in and I throw in my luggage. I arrive at CDG at 1:16 pm.  He didn't accept cartes bancaires ou cartes de crédit, but luckily I had one €50 bill, which I handed to him as he gave me a receipt. I found the nearest bench and tried to process what had just happened. 

Note: Because the Orange F signal was weak, one tweet didn't make it through. I took a screenshot.

   What's Next?

If you go through my Twitter feed, you'll see that I was given a link to a complaint form which I have since then filled out. However, I'm not sure how effective that will be since their site is horrible. I've sent it three times and once through Facebook messenger as I have yet to receive any kind of confirmation email. On top of that, the negative comments on their Facebook page have given me no hope.  I should have just taken the train and will do so the next time I decide to take a trip to Bruxelles from Paris. OUIBUS should change their name to NONBUS.  Don't be taken by the cheap fares. It's tempting, I know. Still, with all the drama that comes with the ticket, I'd rather pay more and have peace of mind.  Avoid at all costs, or it will cost you!

Here links to some other reviews:

OUIBUS Reviews on Trust Pilot

OUIBUS Review by Melanin Travel

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#Paris #Bruxelles

[selfhelpfactory]

The Power Of Creativity Summary | learn how to build lasting habits, face your fears, and change your life.

Print | Free Audiobook | Print(In)

This book is for new writers, musicians, filmmakers, artists and anyone who has ever asked questions like “How can I become more creative?” or, “How can I get more ideas?” or “How can I focus on my thoughts and just let them flow?” Through The Power Of Creativity Summary ill try to answer your questions. So let’s begin…..

The power of creativity infographic summary

The Mirror:

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

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You and I have too many dreams, we both wanna achieve & have too many things but to want something & to be brave enough to pursue it are two different things.

Procrastination is the problem we all face. The problem is you are afraid to start, afraid to think big.

Once you reach a certain age you get caught up in the day to day job, other people start depending on you, worried about paying bills and conscious about what others will think about you. All these reasons hold you back from taking creative decisions and doing what you like.

All you have to do is just start small and keep improving each day with incremental changes.

The theory is nice but the practice is better

Moments Of Inspiration:

DREAMS!!! if you don’t know let me tell you all the masterpieces ever existed came from dreams. These are known as moments of inspiration.

For example, Paul McCartney wrote the song,” yesterday ” which came to him in his dream. He had no idea how wrote it. He just woke up one morning with the song in his head. Isn’t it cool.

Similarly, painter Salvador Dali preferred having a sweet sleep before working on his big ideas.

He wrote in his book,” in undertaking an important pictorial work which you are anxious to bring to successful completion and on which your heart is particularly set, you must before anything else begin it by sleeping as deeply, as soundly as possible for you to do”.

This doesn’t mean you’ll just sleep & keep waiting for the dream to inspire you or give you an idea. All these masters can do it cause they have fertilized the soil/brain and seeded their ideas long in advance.

The creative process is as much about preparation and good habits as it is about moments of inspiration. So focus on preparing yourself, creating good habits, make a schedule. – Bryan Collins

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Sacrifice Non Essentials:

Stop wasting your time on useless things. You have to replace your bad habits with a good one

Are you willing to sacrifice tv, social media, trashy books, night outs??

Because when you sacrifice the non-essential parts of your day, you’ll gain the momentum you need to progress your big ideas.

Favorable Environment:

Remove everything from your workplace that distracts you (television, Games, magazines like that).

Cause willpower is finite and, trust me, you don’t wanna waste it on fighting with distractions. Leave clues like notes, bookmarks like that.

Be Efficient:

Both good & bad ideas appear at an unusual time and unusual places, like in the shower.

So you must be efficient in your daily routine.

That is why keep everything organized and easy to access, so you won’t waste time looking for pens, notes, etc.

Be Effective:

Set deadlines for your creative projects.

Turn up every single day to do what you meant to do and then stick to your routine. At the end of the month or so, review your routine.

Feed Your Subconscious:

Before going to bed read, write, or try to remember what work you did today.

Doing this will pass the idea to the subconscious, which will continue to work on the idea/thought while you are asleep.

Next morning try to remember what you dreamt & write it down quickly before it fades out of mind.

Reward Yourself:

To keep motivated yourself, mark small victories, like keeping a new creative routine or reaching a little milestone, etc, and reward yourself for it.

Doing this will build a mental link between your new routine and positive experiences.

Commit To Your Ideas:

Creativity doesn’t appear whenever you want.

You have to work every day, engage yourself in doing your craft, you have to be dedicated.

Turning up every single day builds the creative resources regarding your craft in your subconscious mind. This way you prepare your mind and body for your creative work.

Trace Your Creative Roots:

You can spend your life doing thousands of worthwhile creative goals/work. But the harsh reality of life( paying the bill, having a job, settling down, etc) complicates your ability to do what you want. As you get older, your chances of doing it go down.

Talent, hard work, opportunities are useless if you don’t know where you are going.

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Purpose:

You can’t give your best if you don’t know,” why you are doing what you are doing”.

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You have to educate yourself about what drives you & inspires you.

The purpose will guide you through the tough times. Find your guiding purpose!!

Mission Statement:

Most of the time you are so afraid of what people will think about you, you feel demotivated.

In such times you need a personal mission statement, which will keep you on track & keep reminding you why you do what you do.

Write your mission statement now!! Keep reviewing and updating your mission statement monthly.

Learn The Demands Of Your Craft & Audience:

You don’t have to care or worry about, what others think of you & your ideas. That’s the only way to know what your craft & audience wants.

Many great ideas are born because somebody had a problem they wanted to solve. But No one wants to invest their time, money, energy in creating a product/solution which no one wants.

That’s why instead of assuming what the audience wants, develop an early concept/prototype. Share it with your audience, get feedback, and use it to improve your product/Solution.

Start learning the fundamentals of your craft first. Keep track of your progress so you can know, how far you have come & how far you still have to keep going.

The lifelong practice is what separates amateurs from professionals & professionals from creative masters. – Bryan Collins

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Find A Mentor:

The path to success is full of struggle & huddles. You’re not the only ones who struggle, want to think outside the box, needs the motivation to keep going or craves for critical feedback.

Almost everyone faces these problems and having someone or following someone who has completed the journey you are on will save your efforts, time & energy.

Having a mentor offers opportunities to learn creative skills faster & gain access to creative insights and resources. Mentor will show you how to avoid committing common mistakes and help you learn skills faster.

You will become more accomplished and creative if you have a mentor guiding you. There are two types of mentors, good mentors, and great mentors.

Good mentors are easy to find. Good mentors can be teachers, your friend, your colleagues who are more successful than you.

Great mentors are fewer and harder to come across. These are the people who motivate you, their work keeps inspiring you.

It doesn’t matter if your mentor is alive or not. Napoleon Hill suggested in his book, ” think and grow rich” to have an imaginary council of mentors.

Hill’s council included Edison, Charles Darwin, and 7 others. Similarly, you can also have imaginary mentors of your choice. Learn everything from their works, books, etc.

When you encounter a problem, ask yourself what would your mentor do, and act like that.

Strengthen Your Mind And Body:

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. – Haruki Murakami

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One of the best ways to stay motivated, turn up every single day, and keep going is running and meditation. Meditation and exercise will help you embrace positive change in many different ways.

Meditation is a scientifically proven way to improve concentration and memory and also to make you smarter.

When you meditate you are able to focus more on tasks & fewer mood swings occur. If you are not able to meditate then you can try running. Running is a lot like meditation.

When you are passionate and working too hard on a project, it is very necessary to have a break, so your body and mind can relax.

When you are physically and mentally healthier, you are better able to concentrate on your work and ideas.

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Side Project:

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. – Abraham Maslow

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You can be only happy if you can express yourself by doing what you really like.

If your main gig isn’t giving you enough time or space to write, draw, paint or play if you spend your nine to five responding to the demands of others or if you work on the project only because they pay bills, then you need a side project.

When you are messing around, when it’s just for fun, when nobody gets hurt, paid or laid, it’s a side project.

When you are stuck, can’t make decisions, feel like procrastinating, at these times you can work on your side project and relax & have some fun doing what you like.

All the work, the research you do, during your side project

You never know when this side project becomes your main gig. This book was Bryan Collins’s side project which later turns out to be 3 parts book series.

Side projects help you procrastinate and still get things done.

They also help you create new habits without taking risks or investing a lot of time & money on a single idea.

Also switching from the main project to side project gives you much-needed break.

And don’t feel overwhelmed by the scale & ambition of your side project.

Look at your side project as an experiment, be bold, do things differently, allow yourself to fail.

Work on several things at a time, and you will connect them in exciting and unexpected ways.

What you practice for just an hour or day on your side project, can change your life in the future.

Go To War Against Your Fear:

There’s only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. – Paula Coelho

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You don’t know if what you are doing, creating will have the potential to survive in the market, and each day is like a struggle while working on it.

Your fear of what people will think, hold you back.

You are afraid of starting, but you are even more afraid of being found out. That people will criticize you, your work, your ideas, that you are not good enough, etc.

Remember it’s really very important to turn up every single day and get things done.

Eliminate useless daily tasks & activities which waste your time and focus on creating creative habits. Make it a ritual so you perform it every single day without thinking.

Another thing which holds you back is self-doubt like, I am not good enough and all.

Accept negative self-talk for what it is. Just talk. – Bryan Collins

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The best way to avoid self-talk & get them out of your head is journaling or meditating or exercising.

Rejection/ failure is part of the process. Everyone who succeeds has to face Rejection/failure.

Start acting like a champion. Be confident & bold with your ideas, thoughts, and answers. Keep doing this and your success will be inevitable. If success were easy to accomplish then conquest wouldn’t worth it.

Passion:

“Passion!! Being crazy about something, doing something which makes you happy, is very important. Find your passion.

Once you find your passion, you’ll have the reason to get up every single day and create what you actually love. Passion will keep you going when nothing will.

Practice every single day even if you don’t feel like it.

The road ahead is long and winding, but you are bolder, stronger, and more powerful than you can imagine. – Bryan Collins

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I wish you luck. You can do it!!!!

Conclusion:

The biggest problem in your life: you are afraid of starting.

Begin your creative project after sleeping as deeply as possible.

Sacrifice useless activities & habits.

before sleeping think of the project, you working on. And write down every detail of your dreams the next morning.

Celebrate small victories by rewarding yourself.

Find your purpose!! Make a personal mission statement. These two things will serve you as a road map.

Don’t make assumptions about what your audience wants.

You will become more accomplished and creative if you have a mentor guiding you.

When you are physically and mentally healthier, you are better able to concentrate on your work and ideas.

Have a side project, which will make you feel happy, relaxed.

You are afraid of starting, but you are even more afraid of being found out.

Review:

The power of creativity is the best book on creativity, I have read so far. The author,” Bryan Collins” is speaking to you through the book. Every aspect of creativity like where it comes from, how to harness it, how to keep motivated etc is well explained. The book is full of quotes and examples which I personally very liked. And at the end of each chapter, there are insights and action steps that keep you engaged. This is the roadmap to sharpen your creativity. This was, ” The Power Of Creativity (part 1) summary” let me know in the comments if you liked it.

And if you really wanna get better at your craft then I recommend you to read all the three parts of The Power Of Creativity by Bryan Collins. The best part is part 1 free, you can read it on kindle or google play books for free.

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