#//Plus he still is sore over the Traveler; though if THEY extend the offer first; he WILL latch onto it

[dutybcrne]

No thoughts, just Kae in that one corrupted/allied to the Abyss sibling verse I rambled abt a bit ago occasionally bullying Abyss mages into cuddles whenever he’s with the Abyss sibling bc Klee was onto smth when she called hers Mr Fluffy, they are the closest thing to stuffies he can have out there-

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine impressing Wing and Wei with your metal bending and them developing a rivalry over you. 

You and Korra were walking around Zafou and you kept edging back to the metal bending arena, not so subtly trying to watch the metal bending game Wing and Wei were playing. Korra smirked noticing and stopped so you could watch properly, she knew you’d wanted to come to the metal bending city since you were a kid. Wing and Wei noticed they had an audience and smirked showing off a little. You supposed they had lots of girls turn up to watch them play but you were only interested in the metal bending...mostly.  “Hey Korra wanna join?” one of the twins called and Korra smiled awkwardly. “I’d love to but I can’t metal bend...y/n can though” she said gesturing to you. “Why don't you give it a try?" Korra asked and you saw the twins frown "she can mental bend? We thought she was your cousin or something?". You always got this, you didn’t look like an earth bender and to be fair you hadn’t lived much of an earth bender life. You mother and home were in the southern water tribe but thanks to your earth nation father who loved to travel and fell in love with your mother you were born the first and only earth bender of the southern water tribe. Seeing as there were no earth bending teachers around when Korra’s earth bending teacher came to teach her they let you train with her and you became fast friends. Despite inheriting your dad’s bending abilities that was all you got from the earth nation, you’d taken after your mother looks wise and so looked like a native water tribesman and always got suprised reactions when you'd bend earth instead of water. Just like Wing and Wei’s reaction. "Her names y/n and no she's from the southern water tribe but she's an earth bender" Korra called back protectively. "And i can metal bend too" you added embarassed Korra was doing all the talking for you. You could tell from their expressions they weren’t fully convinced and so hopped onto the court to show them. "Probably better than you" you added confidently and saw that light a competative spark in them. "Let’s see" one of the twins, Wing you thought, smirked. "We'll go easy on you at first" the other one smiled patronisingly and you raised an eyebrow. He sent the disk at you and you side stepped it rather than using bending. The other twin sent another at you and you dodged that one easily because of how slow they were sending them. “We thought you were a metal bender, what are you scared?” Wing called and you locked eyes with him. He launched another disk your way and you slammed it back at him. It crashed into the wall beside Wing’s head and crumpled apart. Both of them stared at you shocked how aggresive you suddenly were. "Woop go y/n" Korra called and you saw the boys narrow their eyes. "Okay so you can metal bend" Wing called and you smirked "you’re observant". He narrowed his eyes and launched another disk at you, faster this time but you batted it away just as easily. Then Wei launched some attacks and you deflected them right back at him making him duck. Wing sent more at you, sending multiple disks at you to try and overwhelm you but you didn’t even break stance as you hit them aside. You could tell Wing was getting more frustrated than his brother, he was glancing to the sides of the court where a crowd of his family and your friends had gathered to watch. You figured he was embarassed to be losing at a game he’d invented and smirked, you weren’t done with these twins yet. It was Wei’s turn to attack you and you were fixed on him when straight after Wei had sent his first disk Wing sent some at you too. They sped towards you and you panicked slightly trying to comprehend the disks flying at you from two different locations. You took out Wei’s disk first then Wing’s but Wing kept sending more. Wei smirked and joined in, it was now two on one. You heard Bolin cry out that wasn’t fair but you only concentrated harder, only Korra could beat you at earth bending and you weren’t going to add more names to that list. You planted your feet and refused to give up your position. You bent one of the disks on it’s return and caught Wei’s leg ruining his balance. You smirked and with a flick of your wrist reversed the disk’s direction making it crash into Wei’s back sending him sprawling onto his stomach, flat on the floor. Wing stood infront of him and now it was one on one. Disks flew back and forth and your posture slipped in the effort to beat him, you wanted to win so badly. Finally Wing made a mistake and let his guard down his defense sloppy. You slammed a disk into Wing's chest and he fell backwards over Wei. "Wooo hooooo" Bolin screamed "that’s how we earth bend in republic city...metal bend...well you know what i mean". You smiled as even Wei and Wing’s family clapped and you walked over to the twins. "Hey good fight are you okay?" you asked and offered a hand to help them up. Wei took your help but Wing didn’t "who taught you to metal bend like that?". "Some crazy lady i meet visiting some relatives in a swamp" you shrugged honestly and Wing snorted "fine don’t tell us" and barged past you. You stared after him concerned and Wei chuckled. "Don’t worry he's just a sore loser" Wei smiled at you "you were great by the way, the best i’ve ever seen". You smiled "thanks". “You should’ve visited Zafou earlier” Wei grinned “metal benders are rare and you seem to be a pretty special one”. You blushed but smirked “you’re not bad either” and Wei smirk grew. 

You friends soon seperated you from the twins but that didn’t mean your interest hadn’t been peaked by them. That night Suyin planned a large feast and you were pleased to see you’d been sat between the twins. You noticed Wing shifted away from you as you sat down but Wei positivly beamed at you. You chatted with the more social of the metal being twins, who was flirting pretty shamelessly, when Wing stood up abruptly and stormed from the room. Suyin followed and you frowned. You tried getting back on with dinner but couldn’t help but wonder if Wing’s bad mood was because of you. Now your adrenaline had died down you wondered if you’d been too intense in the match. Maybe you’d injured or offended him in some way, you had hit him pretty hard in your rush to win and you always got pretty heated with the trash talk. As soon as Suyin re-entered you leant over to her "Is Wing okay?" You asked “I noticed he seemed tense, I didn’t injure him did I?”. Suyin smiled "no you didn’t injure him, atleast not physically, Wing’s fine". "He’s just been sulking in his room all day" Huan called and your gaze shot to him. Wei hit him over the head and Suyin touched your arm "it’s okay y/n it’s not your fault, Wing’s just always had trouble losing". You nodded thoughtfully “I get that, I’m very competative too”. “Thats an under statement” Korra commented making everyone laugh. "You’re like Wing in that way then” she smiled “don’t worry he’ll get over it I promise”. You nodded but still couldn’t concentrate on your meal.

You excused yourself to go to the bathroom and went down the coridoor you knew Suyin had said was her familie’s quarters. The room doors were helpfully marked with the name of the sibling who owned them and you stopped outside Wing’s. You knocked and heard a muffled call. You pushed the door open and caught Wing mid reply “Wei I swear to.. ow you" he said spotting you and going quiet. You raised your hands in a peace offering “hi, i just wanted to check why you left dinner, i hope it wasn’t because of me". Wing dropped his eyes "you know it is". You frowned "but why? Can’t a girl be better than you?". "No it’s not because you’re a girl". "Then what is it?" You asked. “I just don’t like to lose okay, metal bendings always been the thing i’m best at, even better than Wei though he won’t admit it and the fact someone who hadn’t even played the game before could take me on like that...” he trailed off “you caught me off guard, looking at you I didn’t think you’d be that good...not that I’ve been looking at you a lot” he babbled and you smirked. “Well if it makes you feel better we can always have a rematch?” you asked “now you know how, and i’m quoting you here, good i am”. Wing smiled “yeah that’d be good, wanna go right now?” he asked jumping up and you frowned. “I think your mom’s put a lot of effort into the meal your missing” you replied “plus i’m hardly dressed for it” you said glancing down at the dress Asami had gotten you into. “Ow yeah...” Wing nodded “well tomorrow then? Me and Wei train in the mornings, you could join us?”. “Deal” you agreed and Wing smiled at you brightly. Someone coughed from the doorway making you jump and you turned to see Wei. “So this is where you got to” Wei commented and you blushed to be found sneaking around his home “yeah I came to find Wing”. “and we made up" Wing jumped in and Wei smiled "that’s good..." glancing between the two of you. "It’s true" you nodded "Wing invited me to train with you guys tomorrow if that’s okay with you?". Wei nodded "that’s fine with me" he smiled leaning against the door frame "maybe you can teach us some of those moves from today". "I’ll try" you nodded "not sure how quick you’ll pick them up though". Wei grinned "still in fighting talk mode i see". Wei went to come further into the room when Wing moved suddenly "we should go back to dinner". You looked at him and he turned to you "i’ll come back with you, lets go". You nodded and Wing gestured for you to go before him "ladies first". You smiled at him and headed towards the door. When you reached Wei he extended his arm to you making you smirk. “I know where the dining room is Wei” you told him and Wei smiled “I know but I could escort you there? I mean you are our guest, it’s only polite”. "Sure because grabbing a girl you just met today is so polite" Wing replied appearing on your other side. You smirked at Wing’s comment but took Wei’s arm as they jointly led you back to the dining room. “Wing” Su smiled “I see y/n managed to convince you to come back”. “Yeah she did” Wing blushed and Wei smirked “she can work magic apparently as well as metal bending”. The others laughed and Wing hit Wei’s arm.

Suyin watched as her sons bickered both of them blatantly showing off infront of you while you chatted to Korra not even aware of their show. “I think your sons are going to kill each other in competition” Lin commented and Suyin smirked. “No they’re brothers, they’ll behave maturely and....” she trailed off as Wing flicked a pea at Wei behind your back for cutting him off from talking to you. “They’re going to fight like it’s war” Lin commented and Su sighed “i’m sure they’ll work it out” but Wing and Wei did seem pretty invested in you. You managed to get their attention good and fully in the 24 hours you’d been here, god only knows what would happen in the coming days. “She doesn’t have a twin does she? A sister perhaps?” Suyin asked and Lin smirked “nope! Only child”. Su sighed as her boys watched as you left the room with Korra utterly transfixed. “Yeah this is going to get messy I hope they don’t come on too strong”. “That girls been the avatar’s sparing partner for years, trust me she can handle your boys, if I was you i’d worry for them” Lin smirked. 

[my-writings-and-musings]

I got a wonderful commission to share here today. I hope you're all ready for some ADORABLE shenanigans!!

MTMTE/Brave Police Crossover

The bots rescue an unusual group out in space, and make some unexpected friends.

"So, how are our new arrivals doing?"

Ratchet kept his voice rather low, but had little need to do so with the bots in question chatting away too eagerly to overhear him. 

"Good, as far as they've told us." First Aid replied, looking over the notes on his data pad with an expression of still overwhelmed awe. These "Brave Police" truly were a marvel; earth made bots just as capable as any Cybertronian, complete with the ability to transform! Casting a glance back to the group, he had to pause at the sight of Drift chatting happily with them all, feeling as left out as everyone else did for the moment. Being the only one who had their particular earth language in his files, the ninjabot had been their translator from the moment of their unexpected arrival, though had quickly become amicable enough with the gathered group to start chatting away even when there was nothing to interpret. Noting that he technically had yet to speak to any of the new arrivals directly, First Aid amended his statement. "Well, as far as they've told Drift, anyway."

"We'll have a language download primed in just a few minutes, conversing will be far easier in short order." Ultra Magnus reassured the gathered bots from his monitor, finishing up the unexpected language program they had so sorely been needing. Despite the copious quantities of data they had on alien languages, not a single file on earth languages had been ready to go... Rodimus had been less than happy at the news. "A few minutes after that, the whole ship will have access, eliminating further language barriers."

"A few slow minutes!" the captain remarked in a huff, tapping his pede as he watched the loading bar crawl to completion. Casting a longing glance at Drift, he made no effort to hide the source of his impatience. "I should have been able to welcome these bots on board, I'm already late to the job!"

"Complaining will not make this go any faster-"

Even Ratchet had to chuckle at Ultra Magnus's expense when the monitor suddenly pinged to notify them it was finished, but Rodimus wasted no time rubbing it in, practically fist pumping only for a moment before diving in. Downloading the program at impressive speed even for him, the captain booted up the new language straight away, leaving everyone else to catch up as he hurried over to their guests.

"Hey everyone!" he greeted happily, loving the thrill of a whole new manner of speaking. The Brave Police perked up at the sound of their primary language, which Drift had referred to as "Japanese", with the aforementioned bot looking especially pleased. Smirking at his friend in particular, Rodimus addressed the whole group as the bots behind him finished up installing the program. "Am I coming through loud and clear?"

Drift smiled, but looked to the blue mech that had identified himself as the head of their team. Even if he hadn't, however, Rodimus could tell by the way he jumped up and saluted that the bot in question was a natural leader. "Very clear!" he said enthusiastically, offering a hand to shake with impeccable manners that almost seemed to be made all the more charming by his boundless enthusiasm. "Though we've already met, I would like to personally introduce myself and thank you for the rescue."

"Not a problem! We were in the neighborhood, you know?" Rodimus replied, finding things infinitely easier now that the two could talk directly. As the rest of his own team caught up behind him, with Magnus giving him a pointed look of disapproval, he allowed the earth based bots to speak freely at last.

"I'm Deckerd, and these are the other members of the Brave Police." said the police bot, looking to his assorted friends and opening the floor for them. 

"I am McCrane." a reserved but friendly mech said, giving a very polite nod of his helm as a greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you all."

A far more brightly colored mech, of a similarly solid build, gestured eagerly to himself. "I'm PowerJoe."

"Call me Dumpson!" a bright red mech announced, flexing an arm to show off his impressive strength. Rodimus had no doubt the bot would be very popular at Swerve's, and almost didn't notice the source of the next introduction from a sparsely lit corner.

"Shadow Maru."

Drift looked immediately impressed at the stealthy mech's skills, but before he could say a word the next member was speaking up quite emphatically 

"I'm Drill Boy!" he said from atop a medical berth, kicking his legs eagerly and bursting with so much energy one might actually miss the soccer ball positioned in his chassis. Every bot present mutually wondered if it was a design or an actual functional ball, especially Rodimus, but the topic was minor enough to be filed away for the moment. A red and white mech spoke up next, his tone so flat Rodimus immediately knew Magnus would have a new friend by the end of the day.

"Duke."

At last, a lightly colored bot chilling on an open chair spoke up, lazily offering a playful salute as he introduced himself. "I'm Gunmax, baby."

Rodimus knew, straight away, he had found his own favorite amongst the group. At least, this bot would undoubtedly be the one he related to most. Behind him, a grumpy presence cleared his vents and spoke up.

"I'm Ultra Magnus. Now that we are all acquainted, I believe it is time for some more in depth explanations-"

"Come on, Mags! These bots have been through enough!" Rodimus said, patting the much larger mech on the arm and ignoring the look of frustration it got him. Perhaps there was residual impatience from the language delay, but he had no intention of sitting through anything he didn't feel like. "Besides, I think we established the basics well enough. You guys are from earth, right? Human constructed?"

"Yes. We were in space to foil a criminals plot. We were successful, but had it not been for your rescue, I fear we would not have made it home." Deckerd replied, calling back to the shell of a space station they'd been rescued from. Evidently some human had invented a kind of interstellar travel for nefarious purposes, been stopped by the Brave Police, but not before managing to get them all incredibly lost. Looking to the floor, the police cruiser continued a little awkwardly. His request was wrapped up as a tentative statement. "That is... we are still hoping to return home."

Rodimus smiled, hoping to get the group comfortable eventually by being as welcoming and laid back as possible. Clearly they weren't accustomed to calling their own shots. "To earth? Hey, not a problem! It's a stone's throw from here... on a cosmic scale."

There was a small groan of exasperation, and Drill Boy hopped off the table, pouting like a sparkling. "Aww, do we have to go back right away?"

"Drill Boy-" Deckerd admonished, turning on the spot to face the younger mech but never getting a chance to finish.

"I agree with him, boss!" Dumpson affirmed, making their poor leader's face turn to mortification as he was quickly outnumbered. Power Joe affirmed the sentiment, gesturing to the medical bay that had awed them when they'd first arrived.

"Yeah! We've only heard rumors of beings like us, yet now look where we are!" he said, recalling their impossible wonder at furniture their own size being *everywhere*. The Cybertronian presence on earth had never been especially heavy in their home country, and with official information at a minimum, their rescue had been a discovery for both sides.

"We certainly can't overstay our welcome!" Deckerd countered, blushing as he tried to compel his fellow officers to comply. Far too polite to share his own desire to stay, the police bot flinched as Gunmax piped up, offering his usual level of laidback snark in a single retort.

"Then let's just stay until we're no longer welcome!"

"Everyone-"

"Hey, no worries!" Rodimus said, stepping in to rescue the poor leader before an argument could break out. Endlessly amused by what he was seeing, the captain was quite confident he spoke for everyone when he offered an extended stay. A quick glance along mostly affirming looks told him as much. "You guys are welcome on the ship while we chart a relaxed course for the blue marble, sound good?"

Deckerd flushed again, looking down and kneading his hands together as he replied. "We wouldn't want to impose-"

"No imposing here. Magnus, Drift, can you relay a message to earth so these bots can call home? Ratchet, any chance you can synthesize some fuel for them out of what's in stock?" Rodimus said, putting an arm around Deckerd and speaking quickly so there'd be no time to argue. There was thankfully no resistance, as Magnus appeared too resigned to offer any. Ratchet, however, had a quick request to make before anything else could proceed.

"I'll need access to... diagnostics. Our anatomies differ quite considerably, so if I'm going to offer care, I'm going to need more information." he said, likely recalling how shocked he'd been upon first scanning them and discovering no sparks. Not to mention their use of earth fuel over energon, or how they lacked transformation cogs, and that was to say nothing of their unfathomable processor design... It had been the first time he'd experienced surprise in the medical bay in a long time.

Deckerd nodded politely, gesturing helpfully to himself as he did so. "I can share my own, doctor. Theirs are based on mine."

"There, we all good?" Rodimus said, guiding the group of new arrivals to follow him out the door. He could tell these poor bots were unaccustomed to a world designed around beings like them, and thus he wanted very much to show them what they were missing out on. Plus, they deserved a bit of fun after everything they'd been through. "In the meantime, how about a tour?"

"Yes! Yes please!" Drill Boy replied, hopping right beside Rodimus and nearly bouncing on his spot. The enthusiasm was almost infectious, and the captain couldn't help but puff up as he pinged the doors to open. 

"Alright, let's go!" 

The entire group followed in short order, even the most reserved of them looking curious as to what awaited them. While the antics reminded him of sparklings, Rodimus had to remind himself they were incredibly young, so the comparison technically wasn't too far off. Considering that, he felt he owed them a good time. Drill Boy made that easy, at least, hurrying beside him with wide and amazed optics.

"Is the whole ship this big?!" he asked as they stepped into the hallway, turning in circles as he tried to absorb the entire space at once. Deckerd stepped forth to explain the actions of his teammate, though he was clearly quite impressed himself judging by the delighted smile on his face.

"Only our office is built to accompany beings of our size." he said, giving the Cybertronian pause as he considered living in a world designed for much tinier beings. Earth had seemed okay while visiting, but suddenly the thought of living there seemed... cramped. Judging by how these bots were marveling at a mere hallway, he wasn't wrong. Did the humans just expect them to squeeze through everything all the time?

Gunmax joined Drill Boy in appreciating the change of stretching out his arms high above his helm and looking quite pleased at how he didn't even come close to the ceiling. "This is way better! There's elbow room to spare!"

"Look! We can fit through all the doors!" Dumpson announced, standing beside a random doorway to emphasize how his bulky frame could easily slip inside. Rodimus had to fight the urge to chuckle at the sight, especially with how delighted every one of his charges appeared at the idea. Several even tried the comparison for themselves with multiple individuals beside a single frame. When they finally did go back home, he'd have to leave them with a parting gift of Cybertronian door technology. Perhaps even some blueprints for a building in their size were due.

"Hold up!"

A familiar voice made him stop and turn on the spot with a delighted grin.

"Drift!" he called out as his friend hurried up behind them, looking just as excited as Rodimus felt. The Brave Police looked equally delighted by the return of their initial interpreter, especially when he was offered a spot on the group. "Wanna help me show these bots around?"

"I'd love to! Magnus is handling the transmission message." he said, looking to their guests with a helpful smile as he explained what that meant. Not that he wanted to assume anything, but interstellar communication didn't seem to be amongst their skills. "You guys will be able to call home when we're done."

"Boss will certainly be relieved to hear we're all safe." Deckerd said, looking like the news had taken more than a little weight off his own shoulders. Exactly who their "Boss" was hadn't been specified, but from the sound of things they did admire and care for whoever it was. Which was good, because if there was even an inkling the humans weren't treating them well... Rodimus had his thoughts cut off by a polite question. "If I may ask, where did you learn to speak Japanese?"

"When I was on earth I spent some time in Japan." Drift replied happily, recalling how he'd explored the country and added the native language to his database to better understand what was going on around him. Thankfully he had kept it despite leaving earth behind, or these bots wouldn't have had a way to communicate their medical needs. Considering how flabbergasted the medics had been... that was an immeasurable blessing. "I've still got a number of other languages saved up, more for the memories." 

"Can you speak English?" Duke said, surprising even his cohorts with the question. Looking a little flustered at the attention, the surprisingly shy bot quickly clarified with an addendum under his breath. "It was... the first language I was programmed for..."

"I'm pretty sure most bots who have been to earth can speak English, learning a language isn't too hard for us as long as we have a download pack for it." Drift explained helpfully, and Rodimus had to stifle a smile at how his friend appeared ready to take the bot under his nonexistent wings. Ultra Magnus might have some competition befriending this one, it seemed. 

"Hey, what's a "Swerve's?" Drill Boy asked, pointing ahead and totally oblivious to the conversation they'd just been having. The bright neon lights on the wall and the bots hanging about gathered the attention of the entire Brave Police, and in an instant Rodimus and Drift shared a knowing look of anticipation. Hopefully, this would be the most fun their guests had ever had.

"The best place on the ship to unwind, make friends, and knock back a few drinks." Rodimus declared proudly, gaining the attention of the bots outside the bar as he did so. While the news of the "Earth made bots" had traversed the entire ship several times over, no one had seen them yet, and thus there was an immediate buzz of excitement. Rodimus hoped they were all ready to become very popular in a short stretch of time. 

"Drinks? For real?" Gunmax said, quickly moving to the front at the mere mention of the word and looking absolutely ecstatic. "About time, I'm parched!"

"But we don't consume the same types of fuel!" Deckerd reminded them all, looking uncertain and perhaps, a little hopeful to be wrong. While he didn't actually know the ins and outs of their differences in fuel consumption, Rodimus knew there was a bot who would, and was banking on him to have already crafted something. 

"Let's see about that." he said, somewhat obscure on purpose as he guided the group past Ten. Each one appeared to go through a cycle of intimidation to confusion when the big tough door guard said his single word and welcomed each of them with a wave. The inside of the bar was buzzing already as they squeezed inside, the newcomers optics going wide as they beheld the incredible activity thumping away to the music. Chatter only increased as their presence was noted, but Rodimus made it clear the group was with him and on a mission. He didn't want to unleash them to the chaos without loosening them up a bit.

"Hey Swerve!" he shouted over the noise, clearing enough space for everyone to gather beside the bar. The barkeep pretended to have just heard him, despite clearly having been watching them all from the moment they came in, and he stepped right up to the counter with a glowing visor. Clearly, he'd been waiting for this.

"Need something, Captain?" he greeted, still playing coy and acting as if he wasn't buzzing with excitement for the new arrivals. 

Rodimus, ever the sport, happily played along. Having ensured the whole ship had access to the language file, and allowing everyone interested to download it at their convenience, he spoke so that their guests could easily overhear the conversation. "Not me, but do you have anything for some travelers from earth?"

Before Swerve could answer, Drill Boy secured a seat at the bar, grabbing an empty drink and holding it up as the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. By the sparkles in his optics it might have been.

"Deckerd, look!! Everything is our size, even the cups!" he exclaimed happily, sitting up haphazardly on the stool as if he'd never had a place to sit in his own size. Technically speaking, he'd only ever had the one, so this might as well have been life changing. 

"I've got more than cups, I've got some mixes for you to drink out of them!' Swerve declared proudly, producing a bottle of oil based liquid that astounded the gathered bots. Having only ever had fuel for practical purposes, the very idea of consuming for fun was resulting in some beautiful expressions of surprise. Loving the reaction, Swerve explained his process with well deserved delight at the accomplishment. Dark, iridescent liquid that shimmered at the smallest movement was poured into waiting cups as he did so. "I looked at your usual fuel formula and made a few tweaks that should make it taste a lot better. What do you think?"

While each bot took their cup and drank with varying levels of bravery, there was still undeniable curiosity from every one of them, even the most cautious. Dumpson, Power Joe and Gunmax knocked theirs back like a shot while Duke, McCrane and Deckerd sipped politely, the rest falling somewhere in the middle as Swerve held his metaphorical breath. Thankfully, the results came in with incredible speed.

"Fuel can taste this good?!" Drill Boy shouted, finishing off his entire cup in a rush and leaning over the entire bar in a desperate search for more. "Please tell me you made enough for us to take home!"

"No wonder Gunmax always drinks it, this is amazing!"

"It never tastes like this, this is something else!"

"Is this why the Boss always drinks so much?! It can be this good?!"

Rodimus and Drift couldn't back some good natured laughs at the reactions, quite happy to have introduced the bots to some much needed fuel and a fun time at once. Swerve, looking like he was overwhelmed with pride and genuine emotion at the compliments, had to regain himself before opening another bottle. 

"I made plenty! Plus, I can make more!" he said, pouring more glasses for his new group of fans as the rest of the bar quickly fed off the growing celebratory energy. "As much as you want while you're here!"

"Hear that, everybot?!" Rodimus said above the din, taking advantage of the segway to set the newcomers free to mingle and hopefully befriend a few more bots. He could already see a few potential takers now; Tailgate appeared to be bursting with questions, and First Aid had reappeared to do the same, not to mention Ultra Magnus and Ratchet were stepping inside... The whole ship had to be present, and thus he made sure to be audible by everyone as he issued a statement so informal it could hardly be called a command. "The Brave Police will only be with us until they have to return to earth. In the meantime, let's show them how to have fun, Cybertronian style!"

A hearty cheer rose up, and by the natural fusion and fission of social groups, the earth bots were soon surrounded by eager and curious Cybertronians acting like long lost siblings.

Rodimus was vaguely aware of a tap on his shoulder, and while he expected to turn and see Magnus, Deckerd appeared rather sheepish as he held a partially drunk cup in both hands. Speaking just loud enough to be heard, he asked a question the captain hadn't actually prepared for. "If I may ask, what is this "Cybertron" I've heard referenced so often?"

The query was unexpectedly heavy, but he answered regardless. "It's our home planet, and-"

Before he could finish, Deckerd appeared shocked by the mention of " planet", as if something had finally come together in ways he struggled to process. "There's truly a whole planet of beings like us-you?" he said, betraying the source of his wonder in a single misspoken word. Rodimus felt his spark, something he had to remind himself the other bot didn't share, ache a little in sympathy for the bot. One could hardly tell they were of different worlds, but for all the problems of Cybertron, it was clear to him who had the advantage. The Brave Police didn't have an entire species of their own, and their time here had undoubtedly made them a bit more aware of that. It only made Rodimus all the more determined to give them a good time. 

"Yeah! It's a little rough right now, but once we clean up a bit you'll be welcome to visit." he said, noting that plenty of friendships would be made today to help that happen. Drill Boy was showing off tricks to a whole team of bots, Gunmax was competing with Dumpson and Power Joe to down shots, McCrane was having a conversation with Cyclonus as Tailgate watched with a glowing visor, Shadow Maru was actually chatting with Ravage, and Duke was indeed hitting it off with Ultra Magnus. There was no shortage of enthusiastic camaraderie to go around. Primus, he merely had to blink and there was a transformation speed contest, his shipmates awed at their shared ability to transform...

"I'm certain it will be fun." Deckerd said as he surveyed the minor chaos with a chuckle, optics warming with delight at his team having so much fun beside their newly discovered companions. Rodimus wanted to tell him that it would be more than fun. The Lost Light was wonderful, obviously, but there was a whole galaxy out there to explore! Hopefully he'd be able to convince them all to come on some future trips when they slung by earth again in the future. Maybe they weren't durable enough for meteor surfing, but they'd undoubtedly appreciate theme parks, virtual reality hubs, and the countless bars that lined the stars. 

"I promise it!" he said enthusiastically, putting an arm around the other bot like an affectionate big brother. For all of his reserved traits, the police bot chuckled at the gesture. Beaming as a monitor and microphone in the corner caught his optic, Rodimus guided the other mech through the crowd, speaking over the noise as he gestured with excitement. 

"Now, while we're still sober enough to appreciate it, let me introduce you to bot sized karaoke!"

[halequeenjas]

Solt Circle || Connor, Orion, & Jasmine

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @connorspiracy @3starsquinn & @halequeenjas SUMMARY: Jasmine offers Connor the chance to come help her with a ghost at one of her listings. Rio comes along to film and ghost-y times are had.

Connor was excited to work with Jasmine. Knowing that she’d been the one to banish Bloody Mary and the Sandman had given him the biggest fanboy hearteyes. She was exactly what he’d been lacking in his life; a mentor, a leader, a bloody inspiration. She wasn’t like one of his family’s old friends who couldn’t stand ‘em and helped Connor out of some begrudging sense of community while still holding it against him that his dad had fucked off to do a boring grown-up job. She was actually excited to work with him, and if she could get rid of Bloody Mary, maybe she could actually help Nadia. Honestly, it was a relief to know her inability to get rid of Larry Bob wasn’t a reflection on her talents. Whatever healthy skepticism he’d had about her had subsided. Not only that, but she was offering him his own banishing, and letting him film it. “Mate this is gonna be epic,” he said excitedly as he got out of the car with Rio right outside the address Jasmine had given him. Her car was already parked, and he could see the For Sale sign swinging in the autumnal breeze. “Way better than last time. You’re gonna get to meet another exorcist. I reckon she’s really rich too, judging by her… well, everything, and she’s paying us for this.” He knocked on the door, film, but polite. 

While banishing ghosts was never how Jasmine pictured her life when she was younger, it was a duty she took very seriously. She’d seen too many times first hand just how dangerous White Crest could be and if she could make it even a little safer while still making a profit, it seemed like a no brainer it was what she had to do. Everything with Larry Bob was currently on hold with her arm still broken and body sore. But a banishment would be easy enough and she wanted to encourage Connor to keep practicing. While the whole YouTube thing made her shake her head a bit, she appreciated his eagerness to learn and become better with his craft. It was apparent he was very excited for this and it was a warm feeling that she welcomed. She opened the door when they arrived and greeted, “Welcome to the haunted cabin. I could probably leave it haunted and sell to some hipsters, but that’s unethical so here we are.” She gestured with her good arm for them to come inside and knew Connor would immediately be able to see Mrs. Solt’s ghost. She was an elderly woman who just had a hard time letting go of her home and wasn’t particularly malicious. They had spoken some and Jasmine told her she’d be helping her move on and find peace. She wasn’t a poltergeist, so it was possible. She seemed afraid but receptive. “So I’ve got some snacks just in case we need a little boost at any point. I’m going to let you take the reins on this one and step in if needed. As you can see, I’m a bit out of commission right now.” She eyes the skinny kid in baggy clothes and asked, “Who’s your friend?”  

Orion was always thrilled by Connor’s excitement to see new, haunted areas. Now, Connor seemed more excited than Rio might have seen him at any of the locations they had visited. He understood his friend’s excitement, the idea of meeting anyone with a similar hobby or passion was thrilling enough. Add in the bonus of seeing a ghost and filming it just seemed to be the icing on the cake. “It’s really cool that she’s helping out with this stuff.” Rio agreed with Connor, clutching the bag around his shoulder that held the equipment he worked for Connor. Helping film and edit had been a welcome distraction from having to deal with the onslaught of people in his life attempting to comfort him following his parent’s death. They seemed to come from all directions. The actual friends in his life, people from the hospital and gym his parents worked at and even former neighbors that found him around town. Considering his parents had lived here for over twenty years and had a pretty strong reputation within the town didn’t help Rio’s anonymity. The kindness was appreciated, though it forced a narrative on Rio to be heartbroken and mourning that he wasn’t sure he could live up to.When Jasmine opened the door, he recognized her almost immediately. Though his parents had already been living here since Rio was born, he had become familiar with her brand selling other houses within Harris Island. Initially surprised by the realization that a seemingly normal realtor was actually an exorcist, Rio eventually settled on being impressed. “Hi! I’m Rio. Er- Orion. Quinn. But I go by Rio usually.” He held out his hand in offering if she was the type to formally introduce himself. “I’m Connor’s friend. And Coworker. I help film sometimes.” Introductions weren’t exactly Rio’s strong suit. But considering he was here to film and not speak, he at least figured he wouldn’t have to talk much today as the two worked their magic. 

"Yeah, I mean, we help each other, I guess? She seems way more experienced than me, but she has this one guy she can't get rid of, so I'm helping her back." Jasmine had quite the presence, broken arm and all. He hoped Rio wouldn't be too intimidated by her. Connor gave a low chuckle at Jasmine's ghost. "That's what you get for taking on Bloody freaking Mary," he said, clearly still impressed. He found her ethics around the supernatural to be interesting. "You've got people like me who travel around visiting haunted places. You should probably have a subset of clients who want to buy the places as tourist attractions." He realised with a brief moment of panic that he'd forgotten to mention Rio was coming. "Oh, sorry. I should have mentioned. Kind of distracted with all the Bloody Mary and Sandman stuff. But this is Rio, my camera-man." With the door open, they stepped inside and Connor looked around the entryway, taking in the energy of the place. "So what kind of haunting are we dealing with? Annoying kind that knocks your eggs off the counter or like the real bad kind?"  

“Someone had to do it. I just happened to have some know-how and figured why not me,” Jasmine said with a wide grin on her features. It was more than evident that both Connor and Blanche were beginning to look up to her which was a pleasant feeling in itself. Being able to put those younger than her on the right path was an honor she took seriously and it was nice they seemed to respect her all the more for it.  She extended her hand to Rio and responded, “It’s good to meet you, Rio. I’m Jasmine Hale.” She noted the familiarity of the name Quinn and the recent news article but opted against mentioning it. Seemed like poor timing though it had been just on the tip of her tongue. While Connor’s gimmick was one she’d thought of plenty of times before, it still seemed wrong to let ghosts be some sort of tourist attraction and gave too much potential to endanger people. “You might be on to something, but probably better to avoid that for now. Don’t want ghosts getting angry and spiteful on people.” She led them into the living area and began to explain, “Mrs. Solt is far from an antagonist ghost. She just wants everything in her home to stay the same and is having a tough time moving on. I told her we’d help her. Mrs. Solt,” she called out at the end of her sentence and an elderly ghost appeared. She wore the same floral nightie she always wore and looked uneasy as she approached the trio. 

After introducing himself, Orion planned on remaining in the backseat. After all, exorcisms and ghost stuff were more Connor and apparently Jasmine’s area of expertise. While Rio had done as much reading up on what the Scribrary had to offer on spirits, he wouldn’t say he knew much about them. Plus, as the three settled into the space, it was clear the two were discussing someone that Rio couldn’t see. The ghost of the woman that owned the house, from what Jasmine had said. But aside from her words, Rio had no sense of a fourth presence besides a small nagging paranoia that he was in danger. And Rio felt that everywhere he went. “Sounds a bit sad, honestly.” Rio chimed in quietly, wondering if he died somewhere in town if he would be able to move on or not. “Uh- I can’t see you Mrs. Solt but hello” Rio gave a nervous smile and waved around the room, no idea where he was actually trying to signal. He turned back towards Jasmine and Connor, “Where do you want me to set up so I’m out of your way?”

Although Jasmine came across as a snobby Karen-type personality at first glance, someone who thought the whole world revolved around her and her needs, Connor was beginning to see that there was more to her than that. He sort of admired the strength of her moral compass. Before he'd become an exorcist, he'd attended countless haunted tourist attractions and left the ghosts remaining there after he left. Of course, there were some he'd been able to help move on just by talking to them, understanding them, but the majority of the time he treated the visits like a one night stand; get in, get what you wanted, and get out. 

"You won't be in the way," Connor reassured Rio, his voice quiet and reassuring. "We'll set up a couple of fixed cameras in different parts of the room and you can handheld the rest." He turned on the GoPro that was attached to the front of his jacket, letting Rio get the tripods set up, and he made his way towards Mrs. Solt, taking a seat on the end of one of the sofas. He understood what Jasmine meant. She didn't feel ominous, just lost and confused. "I'm Connor," he introduced himself, trying to get her attention. "Did you live here a long time?"

“It is a little sad, but that’s why we’re going to help her,” Jasmine explained to Rio. If she were being honest, this was the kind of haunting she preferred. Poltergeists and possessions always resulted in some sort of pain. But this? Mrs. Solt could be banished and not have her soul destroyed. She was a sweet woman and Jasmine wished peace for her. In the same vein, that sweetness could only last for so long before she veered into instability. She shook her head and quickly added, “You definitely won’t be in the way. Though I will be staying out of the shot. The whole of the internet does not need to see me in this thing.” She held up the cast with a look of distaste on her face. 

She watched quietly as Connor interacted with the ghost, wanting to see how he spoke with her. “Nice to meet you, Connor,” Mrs. Solt said in her most endearing voice. “I have. Raised both my daughter and granddaughter here.” There was something wistful in the way she spoke as if it had been too long since she’d seen either of them. It was enough to pull at her own heartstrings, but she let Connor take direction here. Maybe a little talk would do it after all, but she knew Mrs. Solt still held out hope that her granddaughter would reappear. Come home after all these years. In this town, the missing often didn’t just show up again and Jasmine couldn’t help but think something terrible happened to her. 

Orion busied himself with setting up tripods and cameras. Since he wasn’t much help when it came to spirits, he could at least have everything ready to film just in case something happened. For now, the view was pretty similar to a lot of the filming that Rio had done since landing the job, Connor holding a conversation with an empty house.  But Rio knew the truth, even if he couldn’t see it for himself. Once the extra camera was recording from the tripod, Rio held the other camera close to his chest and tried to get some other shots from different angles just for editing options. 

"Ruin your public image, would it?" Connor teased as Jamine said she’d rather stay off-camera. He had a wry grin on his face for a moment, then he became perfectly charming as he made himself at home on the couch. Some spirits, he found, preferred it when you just acted completely normal, like you belonged. Some took it as an affront. He got the impression Mrs Solt could just use some company. She'd probably been alone here for years. 

"Really, your daughter and your granddaughter? Three generations of Solt women," he chuckled kindly. "What are they up to these days?" He trusted Rio to let the camera roll. Anything that Jasmine appeared in, they could edit. "Do you smoke, Mrs Solt?" he asked, offering her one from the packet and taking one for himself. It was a simple test, really, just to see how corporeal she was. If that didn't work, he'd offer her a mint. "Of course, I won't light one if you'd rather I didn't." 

“Exactly,” Jasmine had responded with an easy smirk on her face. She leaned against the bannister to the staircase as Rio set up the cameras. There was a proud look on her face as she watched Connor converse with Mrs. Solt with ease. Treating nonviolent spirits with respect could always go a long way. It seemed like he was really amping up the charm, too. She could practically see the posh English charm seeping in. 

“Yes,” Mrs. Solt answered somewhat quietly as she looked sadly ahead, “My daughter moved out a few years ago after little Jessie went missing. She’s in New York now.” Terrible city and no one here if Jessie ever found her way home. She looked back up to Connor with sad eyes and momentarily glanced at the cigarette. “Oh no, I shouldn’t. I haven’t had one since before Melody was born.” Then again, it was a little too late to care for her health. “Oh, what the hell, I’ll take one.” She reached for the cigarette, her fingers managing to wrap around it for only a few seconds before they simply went through it. “Silly me, I forget about that sometimes. Thank you for the offer though, sweetie.” 

“And you shouldn’t be smoking in here,” Jasmine added on. 

Even against the one sided conversation that Orion was able to see, it was evident that Connor was winning the woman over. When it came to social cues, Rio had been a wreck the majority of his life. Seeing the ease that people like Connor had with people and ghosts had always perplexed Rio. When the two had first met, Rio had spent hours watching every video that Connor had uploaded. At first he had assumed that it was a persona. Just an act that he kept up for the fans on the other side of the screen. As it turned out, Connor was just as easy going in real life. “He certainly has a way with words.” Rio spoke softly, mostly to Jasmine so he could avoid interrupting any conversation between Connor and the ghost. He had learned to talk in between the conversations, only when he knew that he could edit certain parts out. A small grin broke out across his face when the cigarette hovered for a split second before falling to the ground. Bingo. Without a second thought, Rio found himself adding onto Jasmine’s statement, “You shouldn’t be smoking at all.” It took a moment before he realized how much of a mom he sounded like and began blushing immediately, “It’s uh- bad for your health.”

"Oh," Connor's face changed. So that was why she clung on. She was holding out hope that Jessie, whoever she was, would come home. "Is Jessie your granddaughter?" he asked, puzzle pieces sliding together. He gave a sympathetic understanding smile as Mrs. Solt's hand slid through the cigarette packet. Okay, so she wasn't a spirit who was particularly prone to control over corporeal things. "Okay, well, it would be impolite of me to smoke if you can't." He put the cigarette packet back in his inside jacket pocket. "Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, waving a hand at Rio. "Sorry about my mate over there. I do lots of things that are bad for my health." He adjusted his position, leaning back, more relaxed, hoping Mrs. Solt would copy his body language. "Can you tell me about Jessie?" 

“He’s right,” Jasmine agreed as Rio mentioned he shouldn’t be smoking at all. It was a habit that Jasmine personally hated, but noticed it seemed to be popular on the other side of the sea. The smell and health dangers were enough to make her scrunch her nose. She peered over Rio’s shoulder to see what this all looked like on camera. “Huh, surprisingly good shot for not being able to see all the subject matter.” Her focus shifted back to Connor and Mrs. Solt who were conversing easily. Maybe she didn’t have any right to feel a sense of pride as she watched them, but she did all the same. Connor still had a lot to learn and he was eager to do so. Still, he showed a certain level of maturity and understanding while talking to Mrs. Solt that told Jasmine he took all of this seriously. 

“Jessie was sixteen when she went missing about five years ago,” Mrs. Solt explained through teary eyes though she could produce no real tears. She wasn’t stupid. She knew the odds and knew it was unlikely Jessie was still alive, but hope was a fickle thing. She couldn’t just let go of that. Couldn’t just let go of the idea that maybe her little girl was still out there. Who would she turn to if she did find her way back? The idea of her alone in the world or worse distressed Mrs. Solt. “I need to be here in case she comes home.” 

Even with as simple of a compliment as telling him that his camera angling was good, Orion could feel his face heating and could only imagine how bright red it was glowing at the moment. He had never been great at accepting compliments, but he was even worse at taking them from strangers. “Oh uh- Thank you. I’ve gotten a good bit of experience now trying to film stuff that I can’t see.” It was frustrating at times, only catching Connor’s side of a conversation and trying to piece the full context together. He was picking up on the reason why Mrs. Solt hadn’t left. Something to do with a missing relative, Jessie. Knowing that they were helping these spirits was still rewarding all the same. Whether Rio could see them or not. “Thanks by the way, for helping him. Connor gets super excited about all of this stuff so I know he must be thrilled to have someone else that he can learn things from.” 

He tried to fill in as much as possible, looking to the camera and telling them what Mrs Solt had said. As much as Connor enjoyed the excitement and certain level of recklessness that came with being a YouTuber for the supernatural, that didn’t mean he couldn’t equally treat a clearly sensitive situation with the respect it deserved. He could practically feel Mrs. Solt’s suffering. It hung in the air, engulfing the entire home. Her spirit was so ingrained in this place. Her loss, too. “I’m so sorry,” he said, voice soft. “Mrs. Solt, you clearly love her a great deal. But…” He had to do this sensitively. “But if Jessie is still alive, she wouldn’t be able to see you even if she did come back. And… she doesn’t know you’re here.” He reached out his hand. He couldn’t quite touch her, but he put his hand on hers all the same. “If you move on, if the worst has happened and she’s… not coming back, then she’ll be on the other side waiting for you.” 

The way Rio flushed as she complimented the shot didn’t go unnoticed by Jasmine. She was far too interested in seeing how Connor engaged with the ghost to call it out. Too many people didn’t know how to take a compliment around here. It wasn’t a problem she ever had, but she still found it mildly perplexing. Mrs. Solt was opening up to Connor and he was asking all the right questions. As it stood, they could probably do without a banishment which was always preferred. It was a gentler way to go. Her head tilted as she watched them with a soft smile on her face. She turned back to Rio and simply answered, “Of course. Connor’s a good kid. He’ll be helping me with some things, too. It only makes sense to teach him what I know.” There was also the fact it was rewarding to pass on some of what she knew to the younger generation. 

Mrs. Solt sat there quietly for a few moments. She’d never really been able to let herself believe that Jessie could be dead. For all these years, she’d held on to hope even if her heart broke every single day that Jessie didn’t return home. Somewhere in the darker corners of her mind, she knew it was unlikely Jessie was alive. She’d been missing far too long. Phantom tears rolled down her cheeks as she quietly whispered, “I know you’re right. Even just to see her alive one more time…” See the likely beautiful woman she’d grown up to be. Hear her voice. It’d be everything. If she wasn’t though, that just meant she’d kept her little girl waiting on the other side needlessly. “I think I’m ready.” She focused on letting go of the fear. Of seeing her little Jessie on the other side. There was barely time to wave as she felt herself fade away. 

Though Orion couldn’t see the ghost, he could read a room. The way that Connor’s words seemed to wind down. The deeper focus on Jasmine’s face all told him that something was happening. Something that he couldn’t hear or see or maybe even feel, but was definitely happening nonetheless. “Is something happening?” Rio asked quietly again, squinting his eyes as if doing so held any chance of him catching a glimpse of the woman the other two could so easily see. Right now, all he could do was trust that Connor was working his usual charm and doing the right thing. If they were lucky, when they reviewed the footage they would be able to capture at least a few glimpses of the experience. Even an orb or a flashing light would be enough for some of the fanbase. “Something totally just happened. Man, not being able to see ghosts is such a drag when I’m like technically a ghost hunter.” Was Rio a ghost hunter now? He didn’t really feel like one, though he supposed he did work for one. 

She passed onto her new afterlife with Connor holding onto her hand. He couldn’t quite feel her, but he knew it had helped, even if only the gesture of it. These were some of the best exorcisms to take part in. He stared silently at the spot where Mrs Solt had been just a moment before, as if saying a silent goodbye. “She’s gone,” he said, his voice tender. “She just needed a little bit of encouragement. I think she’ll be happier now.” He stood, gesturing to the area she’d have appeared on camera. “You should see some changes, right here. There’ll have been some orbs in the shot, or something that looked like dust in the air, now cleared up.” He explained both for Rio and for the audience. “There are lots of reasons people stick around after death. Sometimes they just need to say goodbye, even if it’s only mentally.” 

Moments like these were never easy, but they were always rewarding in their way. Too many people like them could forget that ghosts were once real people, too. Jasmine was proud of the way Connor handled the situation with Mrs. Solt with an amount of compassion she hoped he never lost. She nodded along slowly as Connor explained to Rio what had just happened. All she could hope was that maybe Mrs. Soly was reunited with her granddaughter again. In this town, it wasn’t likely she was alive after missing all these years. “You did well,” she told Connor as she approached and place a hand on his shoulder. It felt as if something should be done for Mrs. Solt though she wasn’t quite sure what. She simply stated, “I think I’ll maybe say a few words to honor her. She seemed like a good woman. Mrs. Solt, I hope you find peace in your new afterlife and that one day you’re reunited with both your girls. I have no doubt they never stopped feeling your love.” This always felt off, talking to the dead once they were gone, but the woman deserved some sort of remembrance. 

Turning the camera off after Connor had wrapped, Orion let his arms fall to his side so he could join the two of them. A ghost passing over always seemed like it was bittersweet. Sure, their spirit had moved on to an assumingly better place, but it also meant that they were just… gone. Never to be seen again. “Nice job!” Rio agreed with Jasmine and gave Connor a thumbs up. “I think we got some good footage too. I mean, I can’t actually see anything. But the shots all looked good.” Since it seemed like more of a teaching moment between the two, Rio busied himself by collecting the rest of the equipment and starting to pack it away. It was cool seeing them work together on something like this, both things that the two seemed to be passionate about. “Is it sad that I know the spirit in this place was good and it still creeps me out?” Rio asked once things seemed to have wrapped, “Are we done here?”

Connor nodded, solemn but hopeful. Today had been a good one, and he didn’t get many of those these days. “Yeah. We’re done.”

[kandaxxx]

Nice blog!!!! Can I ask for a scenario (or whatever you see fit) for kanda bandaging up his s.o who was injured??? Can you make it cute and fluffy pleaseeee!

You’re always allowed to ask for something that involves my baby boy! Plus, cutesy, feeling Kanda is my fav 😊 After thinking hard about this request, I came up with an entire fic idea for this, so this is definitely probably too long, but I hope you enjoy~

Running through his internal Rolodex of every mission he had ever been on, Kanda couldn’t remember a single one that he had actually enjoyed. He always did well, as he was a skilled Exorcist, but he had never actually had fun going out on them. They were jobs, nothing more. Jobs that left him feeling dirty, tired, and sore.

They also meant being away from his lover for extended bouts of time, something that would always immediately put him on edge. His partners noticed this, that he was even meaner and crankier and more confrontational and explosive than he usually was.

But luck appeared to be on his side. For the first time in a long time, his lover had been assigned to the mission with him.

The pair had traveled by train into Croatia. Kanda had spent most of the train ride in the same way he usually was, sulking and quiet. He half-listened as his partner prattled on about this and that, though if they had been paying attention, they might have noticed the way he was watching the changing expressions on their face as they looked at the passing scenery outside of the window in total adoration. They were so beautiful, and he found himself distracted by the child-like wonder and surprise and awe on their face as they saw different scenes.

They checked into an Inn with their assigned Finder and were walked through what the Finder had found in his own exploration of the area: stories of a woman who lived in a small cabin on the outskirts of the town. She was supposedly in possession of a mirror that contained magicks that allowed the person looking into it to see the happiest moment they had ever experienced in place of their reflection. It was said that she offered the mirror to those who had been devastated by the loss of a loved one to allow them to relive happy memories. 

They brought their belongings up to their shared room. They had suggested that they go to bed for the night and start fresh first thing in the morning. But Kanda, ever impatient, wanted to go investigate right away. He didn’t bother waiting for an argument before grabbing them by the arm and all but dragging them from their room and out into the cool air. 

Despite Kanda having to frequently remind the other, “We’re not on a fucking vacation!” whenever they wandered off to look at something or adventure, they had found the cabin with relative ease. 

It had been completely surrounded by akuma as far as the eye could see. The duo stole a glance at each other and nodded in sync. Neither had to speak a word to know exactly what the other was thinking.

Mugen was drawn. His partner’s weapon was drawn. They simultaneously launched themselves into battle.

It was ugly. It was tiring. There were just so damned many.

As Kanda, airborne, brought Mugen down to slice an akuma in half, one managed to catch him from behind, landing a particularly nasty hit to his abdomen. He heard his partner cry out his name in horror as he crashed into the ground. In their distraction, they took a horrific hack to the leg, red spraying everywhere.

That was all Kanda needed. His spotted vision suddenly went as red as their blood. The rage was all encompassing; he couldn’t lose them. No, he wouldn’t lose them. He forced himself up, ignoring the way his abdomen ached with the movement, and cursed himself to heal quicker so he could end this battle.

It was ugly and nightmarish, but they were able to finish it.

When all of the akuma were slain, the old woman took them in and provided them with as many first aid supplies as she could. Kanda bitterly batted her away, leaving he and his partner alone in a small room.

As though he weren’t even aware of the agonizing way his abdomen burned with every minuscule movement, he could only focus on one thing: them. They were conscious, which filled him with relief. 

He carried them to a tiny bed, gentle as possible before climbing onto the thin mattress and sitting down next to them. 

“K-Kanda,” They rasped. “You need to wrap your own wounds. Don’t worry about mine, I can get them.” They started to sit up and the swordsman scowled as he used the palm of his hand on their shoulder to push them firmly into the bed.

“Shut up.” He muttered. Brows furrowed, he began to arduous task of wound care. The head-nurse would have been horrified to see him go about it; with his enhanced healing, wound care wasn’t something he was very familiar with. But he wasn’t an idiot and was perfectly capable of doing fine enough to at least be effective, even if it wasn’t neat.

Their skin shuddered at his feather light touches as he applied salve to the wounds.

“Seriously, Kanda. I know you’re a crazy badass that can heal fast, but the cut in your stomach is bad and needs to be wrapped.”

Kanda’s hands froze and his eyes traveled up the injured form of his lover up to their face, still beautiful through the scrapes and drying blood and dirt. For a moment, his mind went blank. Suddenly, he felt something fluttering in his chest. He could have lost them today, but that wasn’t the worst of it; it was how surprised he felt when he realized that losing them would have absolutely destroyed him. It wouldn’t have been the first time he lost somebody who mattered to him...he knew what that kind of hurt felt like.

He wouldn’t have survived it again, he was sure.

Seemingly out of nowhere, he bent forward and, soft as could be, pressed his lips into theirs, his palms strong on either side of their face.

When he pulled his lips back and pressed his forehead to rest against the others, he just sighed.

“K-Kanda?”

The young man blinked then, broken from his reverie. He sat back up straight and reached over to grab another roll of gauze. “Shut the fuck up and let me get this over with.” 

His tone had been annoyed, but the other hadn’t missed the softness that had glazed itself over his eyes.

[firethebluesky]

Hateful

Chapter three of my "Even the Best Laid Plans" fic.

Saturday, Summer 27, Year 6

Addie woke up the next morning pleasantly sore but uncomfortably alone. She remembered vaguely that last night, Arlo had settled in right next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and sleeping soundly. She'd even fallen asleep with her head on his chest. There was no way that Arlo had gotten up witout her noticing. But the bed was empty. There was no sign that Arlo had even been by last night: his side of the bed was made, the clothes they had so carelessly tossed aside were gone, and even the rug had been straighened out.

A quick glance out the window revealed the sun to be high in the sky, judging by the color of the sky outside. Upon closer inspection, the clock on the wall read noon.

"Blast!" She cried as she threw herself out of bed, pulling on yesterday's clothes as fast as she could and sweeping her hair up into a loose ponytail. Higgins had for sure beaten her to the best commission that morning. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she have slept in?

Addie raced out of the house, forgoing her habitual mailbox and resource box check in her haste to get to the Commerce Guild. She blew right by Ack, who was trying to point out the composite wooden boards she'd forgotten to turn in for the last four days for a commision. She didn't notice Remington riding his horse through the Plaza, even though it wasn't his usual patrol. She didn't notice Antoine, Albert, and Sonya chatting outside of the Round Table. She didn't notice the odd glance Gust gave her as she pushed by him and QQ to get inside. She didn't notice when she hit Builder Wang with the door as he was coming out of the Commerce Guild. Everything Wang was holding previously cascaded down the steps of the Commerce Guild, the desk lamp Higgins had so carefully inspected earlier tumbling into the fountain. The door shut behind her before Addie could hear Wang very colorfully cursing her out.

She did, however, notice the inspection tables blocking her path to the commisions board. It took her a few flustered, frustrated seconds to realize it was Saturday, and there were no commissions on Saturdays. When it did finally register, and the adrenaline died down, she let out a deep sigh of relief. No commissions meant no fluctuation in rep points, plus it was the end of the month, after all, which meant her position as number one for the season was secured. Celebration was in order.

Addie cast a quick glance around the atrium for her usual Saturday companions. They weren't hard to spot. Presley, Polly, and Isaac were all seated on the couches opposite her, sharing worried glances and cups of tea.

Presley, even with the large streaks of white in his hair, had never looked better. The years had been quite kind to the elderly man. Isaac, opposite him, sat poised on the edge of his seat like always, posture absolutely perfect, despite the chair's innate ability to swallow a person whole. And then there was Polly, ever the sweetheart, with her hair down today instead of pulled out of her face with a pencil. Her fingers bore traces of the charcoal pencils she would use to stubs in the wee hours of the morning, working hard to complete the extra credit work Lucy had set for her. Addie smiled- the girl never stopped working. Well, at least not when there was tea involved.

Polly caught Addie's eye and beckoned her over, patting the spot next to her in offering. Addie moved to sit, taking the fragile tea cup Presley had extended to her. It was good tea, she thought as she downed the whole thing in one go, not even bothering to breathe or add her usual milk and honey. She extended the cup wordlessly, and Isaac filled it, but this time, Addie slowed down and enjoyed each sip.

"It's so good to see you, little one," Isaac broke the silence, using his endearing nickname for her. "It's been so long since we last played together in the park." Addie's cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"And it's been weeks since you've actually slowed down long enough to say something but 'hello' and 'gotta dash' to me as you run out the door!" Presley chimed in, setting down his tea cup on the coffee table so he could cross his arms.

"And you promised you'd help me out with my new project at the research center!" Polly added, turning her whole body to face Addie, tucking her legs under herself in a cross legged fashion. "But you've only ever come in to see Petra, and not me!"

"I'm sorry, guys." She ducked her head, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that I've just been so busy with the workshop. You know I've gotta stay on top. I haven't been the number one workshop in Portia for the last five years for nothing."

Polly snorted, a very un-Polly-like noise. "Oh, please! It's not as if you need the points! Higgins is a steady two *thousand* points behind you. You could stop working for the rest of the year and he still couldn't catch up to you."

"What's got you in such a rush, little one?" Isaac reached out and took Addie's hand.

"We know... well, *I* know it's not about the rankings." Polly said. "You've never worked this hard in all your time at Portia. You've got a fire under your ass that's bigger than the whole of Central Plaza! Question is, what could possibly more important than your ranking?"

Presley inhaled sharply. "Polly!" He exclaimed in a heated whisper. "Watch your language!" Polly rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Addie, which made the latter female chuckle. When Addie didn't answer, Polly resorted to cruel tactics, which involved tickling.

"Polly! Polly! I'm going to spill my tea all over my clothes!" Addie managed to gasp out though the laughter. Polly just continued gleefully.

"Good! It's your punishment for not telling me what's going on! Are you taking a trip? Are you moving away? Yikes, I hope it's not that! Are you trying to make it into the Builder's Guild? That would be cool! Come on, spill!" At that exact moment, Polly pushed too hard, and, coincidentally, Addie did spill. But not in the way Polly was hoping.

"Polly!" Addie gasped as the hot tea soaked the front of her shirt, scalding her, then just as quickly going cold. But Polly didn't notice, she just kept on guessing.

"A boat? A fancy banquet for all your best friends? Really awesome presents for your best friends forever? Are you saving up for a new factory? A yard extension? A new house?" She suddenly stopped, as if something had knocked all the air from her body. "It's a guy, isn't it? You're saving up to get married, aren't you? You need a bigger house for babies, is that it? Are you pregnant? Oh my Peach, you're pregnant, aren't you? I KNEW IT! ADDIE'S GOT A BOYFRIEND!"

Addie covered Polly's mouth as fast as she could. "Polly! Quiet down or the whole town will hear you!" She glanced around to see if anyone had entered the Commerce Guild and overheard their conversation. Satisfied when no one else could be seen, Addie let Polly go. "I'm not pregnant, for your information. I've got other priorities right now."

"Oh my Peach, who is it, and why don't I know about it?" Polly was bouncing up and down in her seat, more excited about the prospect than Addie was. Addie looked around once more, checking for anyone lurking in a corner, before turning back to the group. Presley and Polly leaned in conspiratorially, while Isaac sat back with a lazy grin.

"What I say here stays between the four of us, you hear?" Addie looked at each person in turn, catching their eyes and staring them down. "I don't want the whole town knowing my secrets. Got it?" Polly nodded frantically, eager to get to the juicy details.

"You're right, Polly. I have been seeing someone." Polly's eyes widened as she wiggled in her seat like a caterpillar. Presley and Isaac just looked bemused. "You know how Arlo walked me home after the Day of Memories last year?" Polly nodded, but then the realization slowly dawned on her. If Addie thought her eyes had been wide before, then they were the size of dinner plates now. But then Polly seemed to deflate, and her eyes swept to Presley, who gave her a tiny, nearly imperceptible shrug. Addie watched Isaac's face fall from happy to worried, his forehead furrowing.

"Oh honey," Polly reached out comfortingly. This was not the reaction Addie has expected to get from her big news.

"What? What am I missing here?" Addie has never been more confused. Just what was going on?

"Arlo's gone." A deep, powerful voice came from the doorway. Addie whipped her head around to see Remington standing in the doorway, Builder Wang cupping a bloody nose just behind him. Where the heck had he come from so silently, and how had he overheard their conversation from that far away? "He took the first bus to Sandrock this morning. He left this behind." He advanced to press a single piece of paper into her hand. Addie couldn't take in the typewright fast enough.

The top of the page was emblazoned with the Flying Pigs logo, followed by a short letter of congratulations, an order to travel to Lucien immediately, and a extravagantly loopy signature. The letter was dated just a week before. Addie was speechless.

"I... I... I don't understand." She managed to stutter out. "How... Why... I don't get it. Is this a joke?"

"It's hardly a joke," Remington leaned up against the back of Isaac's chair. It was then Addie noticed just how exhausted he looked, as if he'd been awake all night.

"When did you find out about this?" Addie asked Remington. He couldn't answer right away.

"Five days ago." The words seemed to stick in his throat. "I've taken over as Captain of the Civil Corps. Sam and I have split up Arlo's patrol routes, which probably explains our slightly bedraggled appearances."

Addie was trying so hard not to cry. Arlo had left Portia without telling her and without saying goodbye. He'd kept his greatest achievement a secret from her. That's what stung: after all the scheming and dreaming and planning the two of them had done to get Arlo into the Flying Pigs, Arlo still hadn't found it in himself to share his success it with her. The room seemed to go blurry for a moment.

Polly wrapped herself in a hug around Addie, holding her tightly, while Isaac took her hands gently and squeezed. Presley stood up to walk behind the couch and place his hands gently on Addie's shoulders. Only then did the tears start to fall onto Addie's cheeks as she feverishly blinked to keep them away.

"Hey guys," a voice came from the doorway. Everyone looked up to see Wang still standing there, holding his nose to staunch the tiny trickle of blood there. "This has been real heartwarming, but can I get some help here?"

The glares from Polly, Presley, and Isaac shut him up pretty quickly. Wang mumbled good apologies and stepped outside.

Remington sighed. "I'll leave you guys be." He took one last look at Addie desperately trying to hold it together before heading out the door, closing it softly behind him. Once he left, Addie burst into sobs that should her whole body.

"It's okay, little one. Cry as much as you like." Isaac crooned softly. "We're all right here for you." So cry she did.

[hailqiqi]

Skirting Katabasis

AO3 - Chapter One - Chapter Two

Chapter Three: She Forgot it Wasn’t Just About Her

Words: 2,913

Written for the @pidgebigbang!

Shout out to @ibupony for their glorious artwork (spoilers for a later chapter) and @sp4c3-0ddity for their diligent beta-ing (this chapter would have been very different without her).

This fic was not supposed to be this angsty, but I’m proud of how many headcanons I’ve managed to cram in.

Are the read mores working again yet?

“Forgive my interruption, Princess, but did you just say refugees?”

J'aothlians were officially Pidge's least favourite aliens. They ranked even lower than Galra, given that she actively liked more than a few of them.

“Yes, Kztaun, there is some refugee movement between planets in the Coalition,” Allura replied. Her disdain was loud and clear through the bond, but — impressively — there was no trace in her voice. Allura’s diplomatic skills were one of Voltron’s best assets.

Pidge, for her part, was only ever expected to play nice, but she really should be better at diplomacy. The Holts had been in the Garrison for six generations and ranked as Commander or higher for all of them.  Charity galas and harsh whispers of ‘Katerina, please don’t embarrass me this time’ were staples of her childhood.

She’d only escaped her junior débutante ball because half her family ‘died’ and it would be ‘too much stress’. Honestly, that was probably the only objectively good thing to come out of the Kerberos mission.

“You see, Princess, we don’t exactly have the room or resources for refugees, though we are of course happy to help in other ways…”

Pidge carefully kept her face neutral, biting back a snort. Her mother would have been proud.

J'aothl had plenty of room for refugees, and refugees would probably be lining up to come here. The city was built of white stone and had wide, clean streets and large squares filled with orderly-but-colourful stalls. A pristine white beach and a crystal-clear ocean bordered it on one side, with vast, mostly uninhabited savannas extending to snow-capped mountains on the other.

They could gift each refugee an acre of land and probably still never see them. Alas, J’aothl was in a heavily occupied quadrant of the Empire and inaccessible by anything other than teludav, a technology which the rest of the Coalition were sorely lacking.

“Actually, the refugee situation is mostly under control. We were hoping that you could help us make inroads into the more established areas of the Empire…”

The J’aothlian ministers — or Kztaun, as they called themselves — discreetly heaved a collective sigh of relief. Pidge felt a wave of anger wash over her. Two-faced, selfish snobs.

The planet had been a part of the Empire for millennia, and over the centuries evolved into a vacation destination for Galra subjects. It was nothing like the impoverished, oppressed planets Voltron usually visited. The only reason J’aothl was considering joining the Coalition at all was because tourist GAC had ground to a halt with all the upheaval. Even the commander in charge of the planet had been redeployed elsewhere, along with his entourage.

The Kztaun Major was obviously hoping that the Coalition could help to plug the gap.

Pidge tried to tune out the discussion as it turned towards intelligence, trade, and treaties. Natural beauty aside, J’aothl was apparently the most medically advanced planet in the universe and the original creators of Altean healing pod technology, which was the main reason Allura and Coran had jumped at the invitation despite the risky location. If they came on board Pidge would end up being briefed separately on the tech side of things, so it didn’t really matter if she paid that much attention now.

Plus, the last time she’d been in a room with people like this she’d gotten herself arrested for assault and banned from the Garrison Social Club. She didn’t quite trust herself to speak.

“...come here, the view across the water is absolutely delightful. After dinner, if you have time…”

Hunk glanced at Pidge nervously while she suppressed a twitch.

“Oh yeah, I’d love to!”

“I’m exceedingly glad to hear that our Justice Kztaun will be able to show you more of our beautiful planet. Now if we could…”

Pidge pushed her annoyance down and battled to tune out the conversation again. She was a Holt. She’d been brought up around people like this, and honestly? This lot had nothing on some of the Garrison wives.

It was probably because she was tired.

That had to be it. Pidge was really proud of the progress she'd been making on The Obol lately — the first half a foot or so was even recognisable as the bottom of the spaceship, a feat she didn't think was possible without Hunk — but progress came at a price, and for Pidge that price was collapsing into bed way past midnight after quick showers to get the grease off.

Facing the the universe's self-proclaimed greatest hosts and 'most evolved civilisation' on roughly two months of averaging four hours’ sleep a night would be difficult for anybody.

“I’m sure your Blue Paladin would make a fine escort.”

Pidge closed her eyes and blocked it out. It was just because she was tired.

Her bad mood had nothing to do with the Justice Kztaun being one of the most beautiful alien women Pidge had ever seen, nor the fact that she had been making eyes at Lance since the Castle had touched down.

Nor the fact that Lance was lapping it up.

Nausea swirled in her belly, and Pidge swallowed. It was ridiculous, but whatever. She wasn’t going to care.

The Kztaun kept batting her eyelashes at him, smiling, flipping her hair over her shoulder (even though it wasn’t even as long as Pidge’s had been!), and directing the conversation towards him for his 'valuable input'. Lance, for his part, was actually being charming — flirting subtly, paying her compliments at all the right times... Since when was he even able to do that?!

He'd barely even glanced at Pidge. Pidge, who'd been stupid enough to think that maybe they were on the verge of something. That maybe he actually liked her back. That liking Lance might not be such a bad thing after all, that maybe, maybe --

Hunk’s warm hand closed around her lower arm gently, cutting that train of thought off before it could show on her face. Pidge wished she could slip her hand into his, squeeze it until she could feel the steady comfort radiating through his warm skin, but that wouldn’t exactly look professional.

Instead, she took a deep breath as quietly as she could and focused on counting the flowers in the vase. Had she seen flowers resembling these at one of those horrible galas before? Maybe if she could place a memory she could remember some snarky comment about how ‘legacy women don’t pilot’ and get angry again.

Anger looked good on a soldier. Bursting into tears at the negotiating table? Not so much.

At least she was meeting Keith later. Apparently the chair and a few smaller pieces had been sold to a collector on the outskirts of the city, so she was meeting him after the dinner tonight. All she had to do was try to ignore stupid Lance and his stupid flirting (with everyone but her, he’d never flirted like that with her) and the concerned gazes that everyone else kept shooting her way...and somehow keep ignoring them all the way through dinner. Oh, and she had to definitely not stage a repeat of the Holt Fundraising Dinner in the process.

Then she would be free to sneak around the city with Keith who, at the very least, wouldn’t judge her if she needed to hit something.

Just six more vargas to go.

 #

 Madonna, how did she get into these situations? Here she was in space, millions of light-years away from any known allergens, and yet her eyes were sore, itchy, and watering, her nose was completely blocked, and her chest felt tight.

She glanced at Keith next to her on the sofa, completely unaffected as he sipped his tea, and for a fleeting moment she understood Lance’s jealousy.

Another round of sneezing racked her body with the force of an ion cannon. M'tchkiera tsk'd sympathetically. "I really can't understand how that can be common for your species," she said as she passed Pidge another tissue. "Anyway, as I was saying... Litchvr then had to travel to the Pyralliul Quadrant, which as you know is terribly far from here..."

Just to spite her -- because that seemed to be what the universe was up to today -- another one of those stupid ngl'achra-whatevers (why was every name on this stupid planet impossible to pronounce?! Cats. They were space cats. Done.) climbed over her shoulder from the back of the sofa and jumped onto her lap. She hurriedly pushed the space cat off as gently as possible, but the quiznaking furball still managed to leave a cloud of pastel pink and blue fur in its wake.

And off she went with another round of sneezing.

"Here, dear, have some more tea." A cup of steaming neon pink tea appeared under Pidge's nose when her vision finally cleared. She accepted it gratefully, and, without missing a beat, M'tchkiera (who insisted on being called Mad'ynko for short, because that apparently made complete, logical sense on J’aothl) continued on with her story. "At that point in time his mother had taken up with a woman from the Y'cht'kry District near the Gyrzcha Savanna -- I know you're likely busy with paladin and other duties but if you do get a chance to explore the city, don't waste any time there, it's dreadfully boring..."

Pidge had no idea what the conversation was even about anymore, so she tuned it out and hoped she was humming at the appropriate times. Mad'ynko — the first collector Keith had identified as having parts of The Obol — was an elderly J'aothlian lady who seemingly had a great deal of money and very little to spend it on. She had greeted them kindly, ushered them inside, listened to why they had come, and immediately offered them tea. Honestly, she was the first J'aothlian that Pidge actually sort of liked.

Only sort of, though. So far she had told them the life stories of what seemed like every single person in the district --  along with those of their cousins, childhood best friends, and random farmers’ market buddies — but whenever Keith steered the conversation back to The Obol, she would look at one of her bazillion space cats and say, 'But they would be so sad without their favourite chair!'

Two of said space cats were watching her from the familiar orange chair right now, their fluffy tails swishing slowly as they sprawled out on the seat, mocking her with their eyes.

Pidge refrained from sticking her tongue out and took another sip of tea. The pinnacle of human engineering, and it had been reduced to a cat tree.

She was going to need something stronger than tea.

"So then Harold, Zgniecs bless his soul—" Pidge blinked. Harold? "—was awarded the Medal of Highest Healing, but of course, as his widow, I submitted it to the Museum after his passing, and, as luck would have it, it ended up on the pyre—"

"I'm sorry for your loss," Pidge murmured automatically, feeling completely thrown for a loop. Everything on this stupid planet was completely unpronounceable, yet this woman's husband had been called Harold?

(It was probably short for Glyg'tch'kinzkaria.)

"Oh, Harold?" Mad'ynko waved a hand dismissively. "No need, my dear, no need. I'm well shot of him. Remaining dutiful while the poison worked was troublesome, of course, but—"

Both Pidge and Keith choked on their tea in unison.

Keith recovered first. "Uh," he began, banging his fist against his sternum. "You poisoned your husband?"

Mad'ynko looked at him coolly over the rim of the delicate silver teacup. "Why, yes, dear, of course. He was a philanderer." She took a sip, then smiled at Pidge. "It was by far the best decision I ever made. I've still got some left; shall I give you a vial together with the spaceship parts in case your black-haired beau here decides to stray?"

Pidge spluttered, making herself sneeze again in the process. "We're not together! We're just friends!"

"Oh?"

One perfectly groomed eyebrow was arched high as she looked between the two.

"We're...not like that," Keith confirmed, gripping his tea tightly. "Pidge is more like...like a little sister, than anything."

"Aw, Keith!" Pidge smiled and ducked her head cutely, batting her eyelashes at him, though the effect was probably muted somewhat by the giant clump of snot she could feel dangling from her nose.

Keith rolled his eyes and handed her another tissue, but that was definitely a blush on his cheeks, the sight of which warmed her heart.

Mad'ynko studied them curiously, one pale hand gently stroking the pastel purple space cat in her lap. She waited until the tissue had joined the growing pile of them in the trash can by Pidge’s feet before continuing the conversation.

"Why not? Are you already married to another?” Mad'ynko smiled indulgently, and Pidge was irresistibly reminded of summer nights spent being subjected to her Nonna’s good-natured — but nosey — neighbours. “Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but I find it difficult to believe that one as beautiful and accomplished as yourself should be single!"

Yep, Mad'ynko would fit right in with the donna. (Had she mentioned having a son who was single yet…?)

Keith laughed. "She has a boyfriend."

"No, I quiznaking don't," Pidge cut in, mood immediately souring. She took a deep breath and relaxed her grip on the delicate cup before continuing, ignoring the curious look Keith shot her. "I don't have time for a boyfriend, anyway."

"Much better that way, I fear," Mad'ynko answered primly. "Men simply can't help themselves. It's better to be alone than to allow someone to make you feel second-best."

"Tell me about it," Pidge muttered bitterly, downing the rest of her tea in one gulp. Apparently Lance really couldn't help himself. It was like he saw a pretty face and his brain just switched off.

Stupid, stupid, stupid—

Mad'ynko leaned forward to pat Pidge on the arm, nudging the purple space cat off her lap in the process. "Don't you worry, my dear. I'll make sure to add a vial or two to the package."

Pidge stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Maybe Mad'ynko would be the first J'aothlian she liked, after all.

 #

 “Hand it over.”

Pidge wiped the sweat off her brow and blinked. “Hand what over?”

“The poison she gave you,” Keith said with a roll of his eyes. “Hand it over.”

“I’m not gonna use it.” She glared at him when Keith shot her a look over his water packet.

They were standing in the Great Puzzling Hangar at about two in the morning, having just finished cleaning and installing all three chairs onto the now-completed floor (having an extra pair of hands really helped with the heavy lifting).

They’d gotten the chair back to the castle via a hair-raising ride across the city in the cab of one of Mad'ynko’s neighbour’s sons’ hover-vans. For all its ‘great civilisation’, J’aothl apparently had very little in the way of road rules.

(Keith was going to return to Mad'ynko’s with an Altean blanket-cloud for the space cats tomorrow. He had been offered a lift, but Pidge suspected he was going to walk.)

Aside from the chair, Mad'ynko had also purchased a small box of odds-and-ends which now needed to be categorised properly. None of them were the missing thruster engine piece (from what Pidge could see), but one piece definitely looked like a bit of the flight stick…

“Pidge.”

She sighed. “Keith, I am not going to poison Lance. Relax already.”

“I’d rather you didn’t have temptation to hand,” he said evenly, plopping himself on the ground in front of her box.

Pidge steadfastly ignored his gaze and continued sorting through the contents.

“Pidge…”

“Ugh, fine!” She pulled the two little vials from her pocket and threw them at him.

The jerk caught them with ease — how were his reflexes so good? Was it a Galra thing? — and she ducked her head, focusing on the box so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I don’t have any reason to use them on Lance anyway. It’s not like we were dating.”

“You weren’t? I thought you were spending all your free time together.” Keith’s tone was genuinely surprised.

The words stabbed her straight through the heart, and she tried to hide a wince. She shrugged miserably, knuckles tightening around a titanium exhaust of some sort; apparently she wasn’t the only one who’d been reading things wrong.

“Yeah, well, I guess that meant something different to Lance.”

Keith didn’t reply, and she willed herself to focus on the pieces. For the next few moments they sat in silence, the only noise the slurping of Keith’s straw and the clinking of metal on metal as Pidge grouped like components together.

Keith’s water packet had long been empty by the time he finally spoke.

“Pidge, I...I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

Sudden, burning tears pricked at her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. “Look… I knew Lance was like that from the start. We all did. I guess… Oh, quiznak, Keith, I don’t know.” Pidge ran her hands through her hair and gazed at the ceiling of the hangar. “Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”

“Sure.” Keith tossed his empty water packet towards the door and got to his feet. “What were you planning on working on next? Is there anything else you want me to move while I’m here?”

–> Chapter Four: She Forgot to Step Outside Her Head

Fun fact: the space cats have glowing red eyes like the fluffy demons they are.

Also fun fact: Everybody on the team pronounces J’aothlian words differently. None of them are right.

[theseadagiodays]

May 11, 2020

Sanctuaries

My favorite refuge: The view from the summit of my backyard park

I’ve been thinking a lot about sanctuaries lately.  Defined as “a place of refuge or safety; a nature reserve; or a holy place,” the meaning of the word is entirely interpretable by each individual.  

Recently, the term has proliferated in reference to US cities who claim they will protect migrants from a certain unnameable leader’s xenophobic policies.  Unthinkably, this same buffoon has even threathened to withhold coronavirus relief funding to such cities if they continue to harbor “unwanted” residents.

It seems, for every sanctuary, there exist forces who want to threaten them.  This is as true of religious persecution around the world, as it is with safe houses for women escaping violence.

In our Lullaby Project, Instruments of Change works quite intimately with this population.  Through this time, we’ve been fortunate to continue supporting single mothers to write original songs about their hopes and dreams for their children.  What we’ve learned from them is that, ironically, while many of us have struggled to self-isolate at home, these women have never felt safer, with the prospect of being found, or of unwelcomed visits from their abusers temporarily lifted.  

In Women Rock, another program that we’ve shifted to digital engagement through Google Classroom, our participants have written a secular choral hymn identifying nature as the sanctuary that has provided them the most solace during this time.   A verse from their song, Hidden Symphonies is below.

Listen to the silence

Morning bird calls at play

Soul refreshing music

Through isolation days

It is interesting that more and more evidence suggests people rarely catch the virus while outdoors (https://globalnews.ca/news/6906508/coronavirus-outdoors-parks-closed/).  Intuitively, this resonates with me, as someone who has always found sanctuary staying active outdoors. So, while experts stress that social distancing in public parks is still necessary, simply sharing these wild places six feet away from strangers has been a blessing.

Art has always been another refuge for many.   And it’s no wonder some artists have been turning to nature as their canvas.  The Swiss artist, Saype’s work is perhaps the most ambitious example.  His stunning ephemeral piece, Beyond Crisis, made with biodegradable spray paint, is designed to fade naturally as the grass grows, in much the same way we all hope this virus will eventually disappear once nature takes its course (with ample cooperation from humans).

https://twistedsifter.com/2020/05/giant-biodegradable-artwork-of-hope-appears-atop-swiss-hillside/

And finally, another creative community, in Sag Harbour, NY, has found an inventive way to share their work while galleries are closed.  Barns, front yards, and back gardens have become museum walls for dozens of installations that locals are welcome to view, as safely distant drive-bys.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/arts/design/drive-by-art-long-island.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Art%20%20Design

Paintings by Darius Yektai; Diane Blell’s “Table for Two Separate tables”; Erik Fischl’s “Young Dancers Dancing”

May 12, 2020

Daily Delights

I have also been trying to hone my lens for finding a different kind of art in nature.  With time to slow down and stay close to home, I have paid much closer attention to the little wonders that surround me.  I began the practice of doing this shortly before self-isolation, when I learned about Ross Gay’s poetic essays collected in his book Daily Delights. https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Delights-Essays-Ross-Gay/dp/1616207922

As if prophetically, NPR featured him on my favorite podcast This American Life, in late January.  https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights

And this reminder, to savor life’s small pleasures was exactly the armor I needed for this period.  Since February, I’ve kept my own daily delights journal.  And here are just a few snapshots that have made the cut since quarantine began.

Baby ducks, Hula hoops, Elderly couple park bench massage, Backyard swing

May 13, 2020

Radio Days

While so much has changed about my daily rhythms, of late, there are a few pillars that I’ve kept in place to give my life some necessary scaffolding, in order to maintain a sense of familiarity and grounding.  

One of these is the ritual that my partner and I have had for years, of listening to This American Life every weekend.  Ira Glass’s strangely pleasing-though-nasally drone has accompanied hundreds of our road trips to mountains, lakes and forests, as we’ve sought weekend adventure. But for now, living room listenting has had to suffice.

On May 4th, the show just happened to be honored with the first ever Pulitzer Prize for audio journalism.  So, that’s a well-earned feather in a podcast’s cap.  But, awards or not, their carefully curated slices of life never fail to amuse and inspire.  

Interestingly, I think more and more people are turning to podcasts, perhaps as an antidote to screen fatigue, and also because it seems to align with the nostalgia for days past that is so alive right now.  So, I wanted to suggest a few podcasts that might particularly resonate at the moment.

If it’s a longing for “other” that’s calling you, there is an incredible website called Radio Garden that lets you travel anywhere in the world, to sonically “drop-in” to whatever environment intrigues you (http://radio.garden/listen/alpha-boys-school-radio/ijKUlByg). For a real time sense of what moves people across the globe, you can experience the music, stories, and language of cultures from Antanarivo to Zagreb, with just a spin of their online globe and a simple click.  Here, you can access literally thousands of radio stations.  However, in my experience, their interface works best on a Chrome rather than Safari browser.

Early in quarantine, when I was in sorest need of a good laugh, This American Life put together an episode on fiascos that really helped bring levity at a time when we all began to feel our world fall apart.  https://www.thisamericanlife.org/699/fiasco

And speaking of when things fall apart, Buddhist nun Pema Chodron’s book of the same name has served as a sort of bible for many westerners, as they’ve turned to the ancient Tibetan tradition in which she was ordained.  Another podcast favorite of mine is Krista Tippet’s On Being.  And her most recent May 7thepisode featured herself and musician/meditator Devandra Banhart alternatively reading passages from this sage book, while reflecting on its relevance for the times.

https://onbeing.org/programs/devendra-banhart-when-things-fall-apart/

May 14. 2020

Finding Bliss

Ai Weiwei’s 2010 “Grapes”, with a coincidental resemblance to the coronavirus

Interviewed about how he’s responding to the virus, Ai Weiwei replied, “I never create anything.  I just try to cope with the situation at hand.” We all need coping tools and strategies for those times when things fall apart.  Ai Weiwei’s plainspoken answer sounds almost religious, the way he describes art as his salve.  And this makes sense to me.  But for many years, faith in an actual religion never did.  Raised as a half-Catholic, half-Jewish Unitarian, I only attended services until I was about 11, when Sunday youth orchestra rehearsals took their place.  So, I never fully understood the role of weekly church service until we travelled to India, for 10-days of Dalai Lama teachings.  This annual offering, which he made for 30 years, was an even greater gift than we expected, given that these Kalichakra teachings ceased just after our 2007 trip, unbeknowst to us.   Every day, for 5 hours, 1,000s of seekers flocked to the grounds of his Dharamsala temple, and listened by radio simulcast, in 1 of 17 native tongues, to his special blend of humor and clarity.  Each day, we all left bubbling to the rim with reaffirmed intention to be our best selves.  The coffeeshops, all over town, were a twitter with armchair philosophy between strangers trying to understand and integrate his words.   Uncanny kindnesses abounded.  And you could feel our resolve get ever more reinforced with each return to his daily talks. However, it’s only once we left Dharmasala, with equally grand intentions to “remember”,  that I recognized the role of these daily infusions. Because with each passing day, best behaviors, careful speech, and pure thoughts deterioritated, if only a little at a time.  

Note the curly-haired, golden-sweatered sore thumb in this sea of burgundy-robed monks...

So, while that did not instill in me a renewed church-going tradition, I have found my own ways to be “reminded.”  They’ve just come in different forms.  

For Geoff, it’s long runs and bike rides that serve as his spiritual medicine.  And for me, it’s a panoply of things.  Sometimes its communion with nature.  Other times yoga.  Writing. Handstand therapy.  Or even what my favorite yoga teacher likes to call “Hammock Enlightenment.”  

Eoin Finn is an artist of the highest order.   Good living is his canvas.  The body is his brush.  And bliss is his paint.  He calls his teaching Blissology, and spreads his backbends, heart-openers, and ocean loving vibes from Indonesia to Byron Bay.  

He and his family have been quarantining in Bali, since they were leading teacher trainings there, just before global travel nearly shut down. And fortunately, he continues to extend his generous spirit through free weekly livestream Stay Om yoga classes, on Facebook.  If you happen to miss his 5 pm Sunday classes, the videos remain online to follow any time. So, I hope some of you take the opportunity to worship the DUDE (Delight in Universal Divine Energy) with him some time. I promise there will be plenty more acronymns and puns where that one came from.  Plus, a good dose of deep stretches for your limbs and soul.

https://www.facebook.com/blissarmy/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARD502BDBWegIvZPmn6ec9pFCtdEPtRnELt_iabxb0_c5Mmnzq3UPiAddV8fEanrbJLeSOhgYWdeQOlu

May 15. 2020

Birthday Bash

Those who know me are aware of the special challenges birthdays pose for my creativity.  I relish the quest for the perfect homemade card, surprise gift, Bitmoji or GIF for a friend or family member.  And I love throwing a good bash.   I am also aware of the undue pressure this has caused my partner, over the years, to come up with a reciprocal gesture or party idea.  But given the added constraints of a quarantine, Geoff went over and above the call of duty this year to produce!

While the novelty of Zoom parties had already worn off, he still managed to find a brilliant way for my loved ones to send serial video messages throughout the day, with the bonus of a clever twist.  I’m not quite sure how he found the time, in his manic 70-hour work weeks, to put this together.  But, 43 clues later, I was delivered a personalized crossword puzzle, with each hint related to the messenger.  He really outdid himself this time, and I could not feel more grateful.

Meanwhile, unsure if he had anything up his sleeve, I got up to my own fun messying my hands to make this Covid Pinata.  I confess, I borrowed the idea from an article I saw online, but just couldn’t resist.  

And last night, of course with proper social distancing, we took great delight in beating the crap out of this brutal virus with a couple of friends.

[eveies0]

Sexy Neighbor

Enjoy Sex Toys With A Neighbor

I’m not a religious guy, but even I know that you’re not supposed to covet your neighbor’s wife. Still, I wonder if they, whoever the proverbial “they” may be, would give me a pass if they saw my neighbors wife. I mean, come on! With a body like hers – toned from tennis and the personal trainer she no doubt can afford – who wouldn’t covet her if not just a little? Now, you might think that I’m describing someone young and lithe. Lithe she may be. And I have no doubt of her agility, which I have imagined an aid to certain sexual exploits more than a time or two. But Alice, the perky and petite brunette who lives two doors down, is actually a good fifteen or twenty years my senior. As a man in his early 30s who is accustomed to sleeping with women in their 20s, my undeniable lust for this older vixen took me by surprise. > Go here for Anal Vibrators It’s not really my fault, however. I didn’t even know that Alice was married at first. She comes and goes, ostensibly because she has an active social life, and I only occasionally see a man join her at home. I honestly thought he was a lover and not her husband; he’s so rarely home. It wasn’t until I ran into him one day during my morning jog a few months after I bought the house – my first and the first among my friend group – that he introduced himself and related that “The Missus” had informed him of the young, new neighbor. At that point, I’d spoken more words to him than her, so it struck me that she had thought to mention me. I chatted with him cordially for just a few minutes before continuing my run, envious that he had managed to bad such a woman. I figure he must frequently travel for work to be gone so often. While her husband was away, Alice didn’t think twice about being friendly to a strange man. Although she hadn’t gone to the lengths of bringing over a casserole when I moved in, she would sometimes wave when both of us happened to be outside and occasionally chat about the weather. During one particularly long stretch when her husband wasn’t at home, Alice formally introduced herself to me, and our conversations grew a bit longer. It was clear that she was flirting. I assumed that she was missing male attention and wanted a little shameless but harmless flirting to validate her appeal as a woman. No doubt, she was appealing, and I spent enough time on the gym and money on haircuts to turn more than a few heads myself. I was happy to oblige my neighbor in a little flirtatious banter. Anyway, it gave me more opportunity to gaze at her gorgeous body. And while I didn’t mean to make it obvious, there were times when I’d find my eyes had dropped to her body when she was talking. When I’d look back up, Alice would be smiling, having noticed the direction of my gaze. But Alice didn’t seem to mind, and we fell into a bit of a routine whenever I was winding down for a jog – she left me alone to my workout if we crossed paths when I was just exiting my garage – or she was gardening. Still, it came as a bit of a surprise when she rang my doorbell one afternoon. Her visit seemed to deliberate, and we had only communicated to that point during chance meetings. I was curious about the point of Alice’s visit when I looked spied her cute face through my peephole. When I opened the door, Alice beamed at me as though I were an old friend, and I found myself grinning back. I couldn’t help it. > Go here for Dildo Sex Toys “Alice. What pleasure brings you to my door today?” “I’m afraid it’s not much of a pleasure, Jason. I’ve got a small problem, and I was wondering if you could help. As you may have noticed, my husband was out of town.” There was something in the way she spoke that last part that piqued my interest. As it turned out, Alice’s hot tub was acting up. While that wasn’t my forte, I figured it might have been something simple like a blocked drain that I could easily fix. I suspected that Alice thought I was more hands-on than I really was. While I could change my own oil and do minor fixes around the house, I preferred not to and often hired someone to do those jobs. They took up valuable time that I could dedicate to work or the gym. Anyway, I hadn’t spent a lot of time learning those skills when I was busy earning my degree and working my way up the corporate ladder. Plus, even if I just gave things a once over as if I knew what I was doing and declared the problem out of my wheelhouse, this would give me a chance to check out Alice’s house. I wondered if she and her husband were as well-to-do as I had suspected. And following her out of my home, down the street, and into hers gave me a chance to gaze at her shapely ass. I wondered if she did squats at part of a workout. Or perhaps she was old enough to still use a step machine at the gym. I lucked out that Alice handled me the manual that went with her hot tub. She had only recently had it installed, so the paperwork was still lying around. I glanced at the tub and then through the manual, hoping to find an easy fix. As it turned out, hot tub pumps can occasionally contain too much air, leading to a low flow like Alice was experiencing. According to the manual, all I needed to do was open the access panel, and airlock valve to reset everything. I did as the manual instructed, and the hot tub was soon working as desired. Alice was incredibly grateful, even going so far as to kiss me on the cheek. With a glint in her eye, she informed me that it was only fair to let me use the hot tub when I wanted as repayment. I assured her that it wasn’t a lot of effort – it truly hadn’t been – and wondered if she intended for the sexual undertones. She wasn’t being super overt. > Go here for Fetish Clothing I left after giving her my phone number, ostensibly should she run into any other problems. She could call and save herself the trip if I wasn’t at home. I was bummed that Alice hadn’t invited me into the hot tub with her right at that moment, but I also knew that it wasn’t wise to mess with a married woman. Alice didn’t seem to get the message, however. About a week later, I got a call from an unknown but local number. I answered it, hoping that it wouldn’t be a scammer. “Hello.” “Hi, Jason. It’s Alice, your neighbor.” “Oh, hi. Is there something I can help you with?” “I don’t have any problems, thanks to you. I just thought I’d extend my offer for you to use my hot tub again.” It was clear where she was going with this. So, with a line about how my muscles were sore from hitting up the gym, I agreed. I changed into a polo and swim trunks before taking a few moments to go over myself in the mirror just in case this was going where I thought it was. I briefly wondered if I should bring my own towel before leaving my house. I opted not to. Alice had her own, after all. She met me at the door in a gorgeous silk robe that hinted at the swell of her breasts. Alice’s hair wasn’t damp, indicating that she hadn’t yet been in her hot tub. She motioned for me to follow her upstairs, where the hot tub was already running. “As you can see, it’s running as good as new, thanks to you.” Her smile made my stomach flip, but what she did next made my jaw drop. Alice dropped her robe onto the floor of the bathroom, revealing that she was naked underneath. I could see the swell of her proportionate breasts, the curve of her spine, and the crease between her ass and thighs. My cock swelled to attention as my breath caught in my throat. She stepped over the side of the hot tub and paused as the hot water touched her skin. Finally, she settled in and turned around to look at me. “Come on in Jason. And I don’t think you’ll need those,” she beckoned to my clothes. I kicked off my sandals and disrobed, revealing my erection as I did. Alice took it in appreciatively as I walked toward the hot tub. > Go here for Sex Lubricants Before I had a chance to get in, Alice leaned against the inner wall that separated us. The water lapped against her breasts, and I could see her nipples, hard beneath the water’s surface. She reached out and wrapped her hand around my cock. I groaned. The water splashed as she began stroking me, and I moved closer until my toes touched the outside of the tub. A bit of water leaped over the edge as Alice adjusted her position and leaned forward to take my member in her mouth. As I was surrounded by her hot, wet mouth, warm water splashed the front of my thighs. The way Alice worked my cock suggested that she’d had plenty of practice at the art. And her eager demeanor indicated that she loved doing it. I reached down to support myself with my hands on the edge of the tub, and Alice looked up to make eye contact. She was unabashed as her lips glided up and down my shaft. If she kept this up for much longer, I was going to blow my load in her mouth. Alice must have sensed this because she slowed her movements until, finally, she backed off from my cock. Her saliva dripped between her mouth and my member before she wiped it away, somewhat unceremoniously for a woman of her status. Then, she stood up, the water dripping from her gorgeous body. “Sit,” she pointed at the seat of the hot tub. I finally stepped over the wall and into the hot water before seating myself on the seat beneath the surface. My erection still pointed sky high, the head of my cock poking out from the water. This made it easy for Alice to turn around and plant herself on my cock. The movement was graceful yet swift, and I was buried in her pussy. She placed her hands on my thighs to steady herself as she moved her hips back and forth, fucking the cock of a man she barely knew. But who was I to argue? I took the time to run my hands over this gorgeous woman’s body. I felt her curves and pinched her nipples – the left one elicited a squeal. Alice fucked like a pro. I just wished her hair was long enough to pull as I leaned forward and bit her neck. Of course, it didn’t matter. I was going to come either way. With my hands on Alice’s hips, I began controlling the rhythm of our movements. This freed her up, so she could snake one hand between her legs and begin fondling her clitoris. I wondered if it was as hard as my cock, but the thought quickly fled my brain as I felt my orgasm approaching. “I’m going to come,” I warned her in case she might not want me to come inside her. “Yes, do it,” Alice shirked. She was rubbing herself furiously by now, and I suspect her own orgasm was inevitable. I groaned as I released a flood of my cum into her tight pussy. My cock was still spasming when I felt the first contractions of Alice’s orgasm, and I pulled her hips down against me tightly. I was still waiting for my pulse and breathing to return to normal when Alice stood up, reached for a towel, and stepped over the hot tub wall. She turned to look at me. “I’m going to hop in the shower and rinse off the chlorine. Then, you can meet me in the bedroom and eat me out until I come.” I nearly choked. Sure, you shouldn’t covet your neighbor’s wife, but resisting certainly wouldn’t help neighborly relations. I did the only thing I could do: I headed to the bedroom. Read the full Neighbors Erotica article.

from http://eveies0.blogspot.com/2020/04/neighbors-erotica.html

[ronaldmrashid]

The Key To Living Longer: Fear Being Alone Far More Than Going Broke

I’ve always told my wife that if all goes to hell, at least we’ll still have each other. After all, we met during college when neither of us had any money. We were happy just spending time together between classes in the Sunken Gardens at The College of William & Mary. Having to start over with nothing wouldn’t be so bad.

I’m convinced part of the reason why some couples choose to have so many children despite the cost, the stress, and the time commitment is because they too, fear being alone one day. Having nobody visit you in the hospital when sick is depressing. Having to play children’s games at a nursing home is no way to live out your remaining years.

For me, being alone is far scarier than going broke. When you lose someone, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be able to find someone as good. But if you lose all your money, there’s a good chance you’ll recover through some ingenuity and hustle. 

The Risk Of Social Isolation

I truly believe the key to living longer is having someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. Having close personal relationships and a strong community to interact with are the top findings why certain communities have longer lifespans than others. Check out the chart from Susan Pinker’s TED Talk.

Living to 100 and beyond. Click to watch the Ted talk

I’m thankful for all the detailed comments left on Financial Samurai, even the unpleasant ones, because they share windows into different people’s souls and promotes new topics of discussion.

Here’s a comment left by JD on my uncontroversial post entitled, Things Worth Spending Max Money On For A Better Life that is incredibly insightful about why someone people are alone. If you read the post, you know it simply provides suggestions, not commandments, on where you might want to pay a premium to live a better life.

Why not just put anything down? Couldn’t disagree more. With this advice you’d go from frugal to broke in no time at all. You could justify buying anything and everything.

Mattress at the top? My mother was conned into buying a pricey new one by her brother. When you’re old and in pain the bed you’re lying upon in immaterial. I’ve tried it from time to time. It’s okay but not worth $1,000+ but when I’m tired I can sleep anywhere on anything. The people pushing beds are making killings on TV because people are foolish to believe their hype.

Home Appliances & Home Theater systems are Scams. They’re built cheaply designed to break down–All of em! The more money you pump into them doesn’t guarantee quality or quality or longevity anymore. A crap movie is still a crap movie regardless of how big the screen or high the resolution. Maybe you’d like to push Kueric coffee machines too. Fear and Status sell. Means nothing.

Dental Care is overrated and relies upon Fear to sell. A magical sonic toothbrush? Really? They pay you a few bucks to hype this? Just basic brushing, a minimum of once a day is all that’s needed. Even flossing has been proven to be excessive if not dangerous.

Work clothes & shoes – Hint: if you’re Retired (i.e. Not Working!) it matters not! Especially if you’re not a socialite and enjoy doing things by yourself.

Food – Some of us Enjoy the Simple pleasures of Simple food. I’m surprised you’re not hyping caviar here as well! Junk food is only bad for you if you thrive on it excessively and make meals of it. For some of us it’s what makes life worth living.

Car Safety is another one of those things relying on Fear to scare people into shelling out money. Once upon a time frugal sites said the same thing. All cars made today are basically safe but it is the Drivers behind the wheels one must watch out for. You’re safer driving a stripped-down basic car than one loaded with electronics so you drive while watching a DVD and yelling on a phone while studying a schematic of your car!

Such detailed intentional objection. I figured there must be more to JD’s story so I asked him to share more about himself, and he did.

I’m frugal, and the real deal. I’m financially independent with a high net worth. I’m also not a hypocrite. The simple things in life are free and once you get used to them, luxury living is rather petty and obviously to impress the masses. Furthermore, everything I’ve typed up there is true and I can back each and every statement up.

I’m not negative, I’m real and honest. I’ve also debated people to death and I don’t intend to waste my time doing so online again. Everyone lives in their own realities with their own priorities, petty as they may be. It’s why my personal relationships have never worked out. My own preferences have been exotic and queer to most people at times. I’ve turned down steaks for Big Macs, for instance. Because they taste better to me.

If you want me to reiterate a few. Planned Obsolescence pretty much wipes out the need to buy “the biggest, best, most popular, and coolest” of appliances (in conjunction with the “bathtub” curve regarding breakdowns). A $300 refrigerator will last as long, if not longer than a $3,000 one with a ridiculous touch-screen and wi-fi system, and certainly require less maintenance and make life.  Easier for you. Oh, sorry, no bragging rights with an Ordinary refrig.

That’s what it’s all about: Status; impressing the guy next door. Maybe you need such recognition, but I do not. The bottom line is that I saved $2,700 which is more money in the bank making interest. Plus, I’m not pulling my hair out over a touch screen that’s malfunctioning and a unit that needs software updates etc. I could extend this analogy to include all manner of modern “smart” tech which makes live miserable in the long-run, including fancy thermostats which need their batteries replaced constantly and maybe even recalibration. All for Look At Me I’m Better Than You gratification, and a cumulative drop in wallet dough. If you’re secure in Yourself you care not about appearances to project upon others. You are indeed Comfortable and truly at peace. I’ve splurged in the past and I almost invariably feel guilty afterwards. Because the outcome simply was never worth it. Maybe I just need a shrink.

Frankly, I’ve found this website a disappointment. Your early articles were generally good, but you’ve changed over the years. Perhaps this wife of yours has had an influence on your psyche. It’s why I’m not married. If you want real financial know-how, checkout Bell’s Living Stingy blog. Not 100% in agreement of course but I do tend to agree mostly with his lifestyle (minus the BMWs and his sometimes quirky politics).

Although JD said a lot of unflattering things about me and this site, it’s good he followed up with details about his beliefs. Here are some of my observations:

1) There may be some self-esteem issues because he thinks having a nice TV, refrigerator, bath tub and wi-fi system is for showing off to your neighbors instead of for the owner’s personal satisfaction. I’m not sure how our neighbors will ever know about our nice equipment unless we invite them over to a bath tub or online gaming party.

2) Guilt for spending money despite having a high net worth. Many of us have this problem because part of the reason why we got to a high net worth is by being frugal. Old habits are hard to quit.

3) JD is alone. By comparing things with others, bringing up my wife, his shrink, and his failed relationships, it seems he either enjoys being alone or desperately wants to find someone.

How Not To Be Alone

If you want to live longer and happier, then it’s probably beneficial to find someone to go through life with according to the research. To be loved and accepted is all we can ever ask. Although there is no guarantee of finding someone, we can at least improve our odds by doing some of the following:

1) Ask whether you’d be happy hanging out with yourself for hours. Pretend you’re stuck for five hours at an airport due to a computer system malfunction. Would you enjoy your company? Or would you not be able to stand yourself? The airport test is one of the key determinants every applicant must pass when applying for a job that demands rigorous work hours and plenty of travel.

2) Find ways to look at the positive. JD decided to look at my post as an offense to his frugality. Even though my post wasn’t forced upon him or cost him anything to read, he got triggered by my suggestions. Meanwhile, most other people decided to see the positives of the post and share some of the things they value the most. The more you can see the good in things, the more people will start seeing the good in you.

3) Turn on your grateful switch. Whenever I sprain my ankle, I’m thankful I didn’t break my ankle. Whenever my wife is feeling tired after a long night, she is thankful she has a son to be tired for. In the very simplest terms, if we can be grateful for just being alive, our world will change for the better.

4) Smile. Nobody can resist a big toothy smile. Strangers will automatically smile back at you for no reason. A smile is like a powerful magnet that draws people to you. The next time you’re zooming down fresh powder, dancing to your favorite tune, or riding a jet ski, notice how sore your cheek muscles get after the session is over. It’s because you’ve been smiling nonstop without anybody noticing. The more you can smile, the happier and healthier you will feel.

5) Focus on solutions. Problem solvers don’t just accept a bad scenario, they find a way to go around the wall. There is no greater turn-off than the person who complains why life isn’t fair and then sits on their ass all day. The water cooler gossipers at work invariably are the first ones fired. One of the reasons why blogs have taken off is because journalists only report the news, while bloggers not only share the news but also offer actionable steps. When you can build some credibility by consistently doing what you say, attracting others is an inevitability.

6) Take care of your mental and physical health. Nobody will love you if you can’t love yourself. Loving yourself starts with taking care of your mental and physical well-being. You don’t have to look like a swimsuit model or have the mind of the Dalai Lama, you just have to consistently work at reaching your healthiest potential. Stay active. Keep an open mind. Read voraciously. Practice what you’ve learned. Forgive yourself and others.

7) The more people you meet, the higher your chances. Meeting someone you can connect with is a numbers game. Sharing a common interest is the easiest catalyst to start a meaningful relationship. I have one friend who is always on a date despite not being particularly attractive. He’s not afraid to ask every person he meets for their contact information because he’s not afraid of rejection.

8) Stay hygienic. For the love of God, shower, wash your face, brush your teeth, and floss no matter what JD says about not buying a Sonicare tooth brush! If you smell and are dirty, nobody will want to come close to you, let alone kiss you. Ask your friend(s) if you smell, because some people do and have no idea. Let your natural pheromones attract other people in ways that only science can explain.

9) Develop emotional intelligence. If you’re clueless, it’s dangerous because you may not know you’re clueless. This is also called the Dunning-Krueger effect. An emotionally intelligent person understands another person’s viewpoint and works to socialize in a manner that’s agreeable. An example of an emotionally unintelligent person is one who asks things like, “can I pick your brain” without first developing a relationship or providing something of value. Communication skills are key to a high EI.

10) Be generous and kind. Showing generosity and kindness is one thing if you have everything. Showing generosity and kindness when you have nothing is next level humanity. A woman by the name of Kate McClure raised over $360,000 for a homeless man through a GoFundMe campaign after she ran out of gas on an interstate in Philadelphia. Johnny Bobbitt Jr., walked a few blocks and bought her some with his last $20 and asked for nothing in return. Johnny has a second chance in life after drugs and alcohol derailed his plans.

We Are Programmed For Companionship

Having a lot of money is pointless if you have nobody to share it with. During my days in finance, I met plenty of wealthy, but lonely folks who had let their desire for wealth consume them. Every single one of them regretted working so much in their 20s and 30s, and not working more at finding someone they could come home to.

There’s no denying that luck plays a role in finding a companion. But I’m certain we can all do more to increase our chances at finding someone if that’s what we want.

Relationships are hard to maintain because we tend to take each other for granted. Marriage is constantly a work in progress. But I say it is better to have loved than to never have loved at all.

Related:

The Average Net Worth For The Above Average Couple

Marrying Your Equal Is Better Than Marrying Rich

Financial Dependence Is The Worst: Why Each Spouse Needs Their Own Bank Account

Readers, why do you think some people remain alone? What are some other ways to improve our chances of finding the one? You can read more of JD’s comments on love and life in the post, The Best Financial Move I Made Is Something Everyone Can Do. They are fascinating to me because they are the opposite of my beliefs. 

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/TheKeyToLivingLonger_Master.mp3

The post The Key To Living Longer: Fear Being Alone Far More Than Going Broke appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-key-to-living-longer-and-happier/