#(i was thinking about my late great grandma today and how she and I used to press wild flowers and leaves that grew in fields aroutour house

[echo-stimmingrose]

Annabeth is the type of person to buy Percy flowers whenever she leaves for a while or just whenever she feels like it and Percy absolutely adores it. He has a collection of pretty cases so he's always ready for a new bouquet, and even presses and dries the flowers before they can wilt so he can keep them forever.

[gunthermunch]

[Transcript under the cut]

Bluma: rows and flows of angled- angel hair Bluma: and ice cream castles in the air and fa-feather UGH canyons everywhere Mila: can i join you? Bluma: …singing? Mila: sitting. Bluma: oh. that's better, i'm not a good singer Mila: me neither, but i do love that song. Bluma: mmmnhgh Mila: what's wrong, pumpkin? Bluma: i lied to you, the guys from school are right. i do avoid my classmates as of lately Mila: oh, Bluma- why are you keeping all this to yourself? Bluma shrugs Bluma: they don't even like me anyways. it's not like my parents can do anything about it Mila: hmm… Bluma: i'm not letting my mom kill a child! Mila: who said anything about killing someone? Bluma: i know your ploty face! Bluma: sighs Bluma: …one day this girl Orla asked me why i didn't like getting my pictures taken and i told her it's because it makes me sad i get to show up on them and my mom doesn't and she just backed off. and then some kids laughed. i thought Orla was nice Bluma: i just wish i got to feel normal outside of my house one day Mila: you'll find your people, munchkin. you're just so little still Mila: and you know who used to struggle in a similar way? Bluma: who? Mila: grandpa. Bluma: … i guess we both have a coconut allergy Mila: oh not Marcus darling i meant- Mila: I guess your dad didn't tell you about Ernest yet. Bluma: who's Ernest? Mila: your father and uncles' dad, and my very first big big love, and husband. Bluma: …wait Bluma: Marcus is not my real grandpa?! Mila: darling you have two real grandpas. Bluma: okay this can be great. where is he? Mila: oh uh- he- is… gone, honey. Bluma: hm. my luck today is really bad. Bluma: how did he fix himself anyways? Mila: well, he didn't. we just found each other and made a family Mila: and then you eventually came along. So… let's say i love a nice weirdo Bluma: i appreciate your honesty, Mila Munch. Mila: thank you. Bluma sighs in relief Bluma: i like this room Mila: i still think it stinks, but if you like it we can make it yours next summer Bluma: really? Mila: of course. Bluma: can we hang stars from the ceiling Mila: yes. Bluma: and can i triple braid your hair while we watch TV? Mila: oh yes. Bluma: i love you grandma Mila: i love you too, my baby.

WG: yeah there's no way im sending this. sorry Marcus: it's chill. do you feel better tho? WG: kinda. who knew Gunther was right about that writing your feelings over thing Marcus: speaking of that, what are you even doing over there? WG: uhh uncleing? and i guess i've been playing a lot of guitar. and singing WG: i stopped sucking a little Marcus: man you should totally try and make something out of that. get out! travel! make yourself a city guy! WG: aha… who knows really. WG: hey uh thank you. i didn't mean to dump all that onto you. Lucas did say something about you being great at this but holy shit Marcus: eh, i'm just a mama's boy that watched too many telenovelas with her. Mila: and it shows. Marcus: heeyy Mils!

WG: HEY Blooms! let's get you home already

Bluma: coming!!

[bomberqueen17]

letters

So in 1944 my grandpa got tuberculosis. It was bad enough that they sent him to a sanitarium up in the Adirondacks for a rest cure, which was what was recommended at the time. He'd been married to my grandmother for just a little while; they had a son, my uncle, and she was pregnant with my dad.

While he was there he wrote letters daily. He wrote a lot of letters, I think, to his parents and sister and friends. But the ones he sent to his wife, my grandma, she kept.

I don't know the chronology of it all, but after Grandma died, probably my dad found the packet of letters, as he was the one who went through her effects-- might have been his little sister, my aunt. Anyway the packet got circulated around, and then came back to my dad, who carefully organized all of the letters into a binder with individual plastic archival sleeves. Someone asked after them recently, and Mom found them and pulled them out. I was over there today, feeding her cat while she's on vacation, and so I leafed through them.

Grandpa's handwriting is similar, a bit, to my late father's, so I was able to read it reasonably easily. He started strong, the first letter he recounts how he fared in the rainstorm he'd apparently left home in, and then asks how Grandma fared.

How are you, my Baby? Did your schooner of sleep bear you safely thru the storm? If it didn't then you won't be reading this sorry excuse for a letter.

In that same letter he goes on to say,

Zounds! How can I create in this infernal bedlam? All the patients are up (as far as possible) and braying, the phone is ringing, Ma is delivering the Gettysburg Address + Pa is making more noise with a piece of wrapping paper than I could make with a hammer and a piece of steele [sic].

It rapidly escalates from there, and in a later letter he explains that the rest cure was so boring he had literally nothing to do, nothing to write home about, and so in an effort to keep from dwelling on how much he hated it there, he would write these flowery, possibly-repetitive love letters, because he simply had nothing else to talk about.

Your accounts of the marital woes of the [illegible, probably neighbors] are really hair-raising, but I don't think that the happiness of our marriage is due entirely to good fortune. As I have always said, we were made for each other a long, long time ago and our hearts refused to love anyone until the right one came along.

Looking at the postmarks, I realized they dated from right around the time of my father's birth, so I found the one that was sent the day after Dad was born, and it did not disappoint.

My beloved Words cannot express just how I feel this morning; I am all mixed up. You are so wonderful that sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve you. You are the one who is increasing our fortunes, for truly our children are the treasures that make us rich. You are so brave, so cool that I hold you in undying amazement. I am sure of one thing, My Darling; I know your sons will love you, not just because you are their mother, but for your own precious self, for the truly great woman you are. For the ordeal you have gone thru to bring these precious lives into being, rest assured of the eternal devotion of your menfolk. Last night all I could think of was you. I heard the night train coming into the station and my heart said "Run, run and catch the train before it is too late. Run to your loved ones and to hell with the results. Run, let nothing keep you from their sides." But my head said, "No, don't undo all that has been done. They also serve who stand and wait. Wait, and by so doing, prove your love to be more than the reckless love of youth, prove it to be the wise, guiding love that lives on long after passion has spent itself and thus spent, dies." And so I waited and the train left without me + my heart hated me for it.

Oh boy I cried, I sure did. (I had to look it up; "They also serve who only stand and wait" is from John Milton's Sonnet XIX.)

He always uses beloved or darling or somesuch as the salutation, but he often refers to her as Red within the text of the letters, because she had red hair. He occasionally made saucy references to their sex life, elsewhere in the letters. But mostly it's absolutely banger shit like this:

My thoughts and deeds, my smiles and tears, my happiness, my loneliness, my joy, my sorrow, my every breath, yea, even the final beat of my loving heart are poor blossoms placed on my altar of adoration, raised in humble gratitude to you.

Her name was Margaret, and I never knew her to have any nicknames, she just went by her name. Except to him, apparently. But as for him-- his government name was John, as was my father's, but my father never had to have a nickname, because there was never a day in his life Grandpa went by John. His name was Buddy, everyone called him Buddy, and he signed his letters as Buddy.

He died in January of 1978 of complications related to the damage to his lungs from the tuberculosis (not directly, but it was related). Grandma was standing in the hallway of the hospital, watching him sleep, waiting for him to wake up so he could meet my older sister, his third grandchild. He never did meet her.

She died in 2002 of congestive heart failure; I'd spent much of the preceding week with her and she'd spoken mostly of him.

[laurenairay]

comes back to me, burning red - F. Andersen

Summary: Kendra Lee and Freddie Andersen lost touch after he was traded from Anaheim – will a surprise encounter bring back their friendship? And maybe more?

I’m jumping in as a pinch hitter for @misshoneyimhome for @callsign-denmark’s Luck of the Puck fic exchange! I haven’t written about Freddie in a little while so it was fun getting back to him – and thanks for answering all my questions! Such a lovely twist of fate after receiving my own fic from her today.

Flashback sections are in italics.

Words: 7.9k

Warnings: discussion of Freddie’s injuries, light angst, friends to lovers, cheesy flirting

Title from: Red by Taylor Swift

~

“Good morning Kendra Lee!”

Kendra grimaced, shutting the door to her yoga studio behind her, her long blonde hair swinging as she turned.

“Full name, first thing in the morning? What did I do?”

Her colleague and friend, Mimi, just snickered, shaking her head.

“Nothing bad, I promise,” Mimi said, smiling.

“Still ominous,” Kendra mused, swiping her staff card to log her as present in the building, “What’s going on?”

“Okay so you know how you moving over to Raleigh with me a month ago was to give you opportunities to do more yoga rehabilitation work?”

“Yes…?”

It was true, as vague as her friend was being. Having worked across yoga studios California for nearly 11 years, Kendra had jumped at the chance of diving more into rehabilitation work within yoga. Being made co-owner with Mimi and her sister Celeste was just the cherry on top.

“I was staying late last night to finish up the stock check and I got a call – specifically for you to do yoga rehab for an athlete needing conditioning to make his way back to playing. I know it’s right up your street, kind of exactly what you want to do more of, so I said yes.”

“You said yes already?” Kendra asked, surprised.

“I know, I know, but this is a huge opportunity. I said yes, with the caveat that I would double check timings with you this morning and let them know your availability for today,” Mimi explained.

“For today?” Kendra gasped.

“Yes, I know, but the guy organising it all for the athlete was insistent – the athlete chose you, off a list of yoga instructors based on feedback from other clients you had, and that’s huge,” Mimi said, wincing in apology.

Kendra took the time to think over her friend’s words, throwing her long blonde waves up in a twisted bun, her typical work hairstyle.

“You’re right. That is huge. Surprising, but huge. I guess, uh, just see what I’ve got this afternoon? I know I’ve got a couple of classes this morning already,” Kendra eventually said, “including…damn it, one that start in 15 minutes.”

Pregnancy Yoga, affectionately known as Moms who Move. Not women to mess around.

“Alright, you go get set up and I’ll call them back. Thanks, Kendra. And sorry for it being so last minute,” Mimi smiled.

“Hey, it happens. Let’s stay positive with it!” Kendra grinned.

As sudden as the work was, it really was where her heart lay, so this could only be a good thing right? Everything she’d been working towards?

“That’s the spirit I love! Get it girl!”

Kendra just laughed her way into Studio Two, her usual room, ready to make sure her class was set up in time.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Kendra was pleasantly tired. All three classes had run smoothly so far today and there had been no major hiccups (or incidents) with any of her students. Even the Grooving Grandmas class (the adorable name her group of 12 senior ladies gave themselves) had behaved today, which only left her in a great mood.

So great, she lost track of time, until Mimi poked her head into the room.

“Hey, Kendra, your 2pm is here.”

“Oh damn, the athlete?”

“Yeah that’s the one. I’m just finishing up his intake forms if you want to join us,” Mimi said with a smile.

Kendra smiled back, nodding as she followed her friend out to the front desk. If she was being honest with herself, she would’ve liked a bit more preparation time, or even a name to start with. Hell, even the sport the athlete played in would’ve been useful, so she could start thinking of a program for them. Hopefully the athlete would understand the last minute nature of the set up. Hopefully.

But standing there in the lobby was the last person she expected to see. Just as tall and gorgeous and imposing as she’d last seen him in Anaheim, before he left over 7 years ago. He was her athlete?

“Freddie?”

“It’s been a long time, Kendra,” he murmured, smiling.

“You two know each other?” Mimi said, confused.

~

“How are your teaching hours coming along? You can’t have many left now before the next level, right?”

Kendra smiled up at her boss brightly. After her initial 200 hours training, she knew that teaching yoga was going to be her life’s work, even though she was only 21. Having worked insanely hard over the past two years, she was nearly ready to lead classes all by herself rather than as an assistant, and wasn’t that a heady thought? “No, not many left at all. As of yesterday I actually have 990 hours logged.”

“So you’re nearly ERYT 200?” her boss, James, grinned.

The third level of yoga instructor, after two years and 1000 hours of teaching.

“Just 10 hours left!” Kendra said brightly.

“That’s kind of perfect, if I’m being honest. We’ve been contacted by the Anaheim Ducks to run a conditioning class for a portion of the team. There are 20 players who’ve signed up, and the idea is that those who find it useful will sign up for more classes.”

“20 ice hockey players. My God. Will they take it seriously?”

She’d seen plenty of jocks in her 21 years and she knew exactly how much they goofed around when they didn’t care about things.

“Oh yeah, this is mandatory for these players and I’ll be evaluating them to send it back to their trainers. It’s serious – and it’s a big opportunity for the studio too.”

“Yeah definitely. And it’ll be good to see a different type of client for a change,” Kendra nodded.

“We love our yoga moms, don’t front,” James mused.

Kendra just grinned. She did love her beginner’s yoga mom class, he was right.

“It’ll be a big opportunity for you too, to work with them. If enough sign up, I’d like you to take on at least one for solo instruction the moment you have those 1000 hours done, to give you that experience. But if any of them give you any trouble, you let me know, okay? I won’t stand for it, regardless of who they are.”

“Thanks boss.”

“Any time.”

By the time 11am rolled around, Kendra was nervous. Not a bad nervous though, more like butterflies. She was so closed to her next stage of yoga teaching that she could almost taste it. She just hoped that this giant group of giant men would be a positive experience. They arrived in a herd, filling up the room quickly, and Kendra waited at the front of the room off to the side while her boss waited for them all to be ready.

“Alright, thanks for joining us today. I’m James Fields, owner and lead yoga instructor here, and this is Kendra Lee, who will be running this class alongside me,” he started.

She just grinned at the curious looks sent her way. Let them underestimate her, that was fine.

“As you all know, this class is mandatory and I will be evaluating you for your conditioning staff, so pay attention and we’ll all have a great time.”

Kendra watched a few disgruntled expressions popping up and fought not to laugh. Hockey players. She should’ve known they wouldn’t be any different. As her boss continued to talk, Kendra’s eyes drifted across the room, eventually landing on the man in front of her. Well, man was pushing it – this guy couldn’t be more than a couple of years older than her. A broad-shouldered redhead, pretty face, serious expression taking in her boss’s words. This one was paying attention. This one wanted to learn. Good. Even from here she could tell he would tower over her, although at 5ft2 that wasn’t really a difficult barrier. Maybe 6ft4? Maybe? Either way, this guy was going to be a good student, she could already tell.

As if he could sense his eyes on her, the man glanced over, catching her gaze. She froze, a little embarrassed to be caught staring, but he just smiled. Oh what a lovely smile that was. It was all she could do to smile back.

“If you’re all ready then, Kendra will lead you through Sun Salutation to warm up.”

She broke out of her thoughts, waving cheerfully at them all and earning a laugh. “I’ll be gentle, I promise,” she grinned.

~

“Yeah Freddie used to come to classes at my first studio, back in Anaheim about 10ish years ago. It’s been a while,” Kendra nodded, forcing a smile on her face.

Mimi raised an eyebrow but smiled politely at Freddie. “If you head on into Studio Two, Kendra will be right with you. I just need her to sign a form.”

He nodded, following the instructions with a smile sent Kendra’s way, leaving her alone with her colleague.

“Okay what the hell was that?” Mimi asked, wiggling her fingers in the direction Freddie went.

Kendra sighed, hands on hips.

“That was an old friend who I haven’t seen or spoken to in over 7 years. Him coming here out of the blue just threw me off, that’s all.”

“Is he going to be a problem? Because I have no issue with kicking him out if he doesn’t deserve a moment in your company,” Mimi said firmly.

It was times like this that Kendra really loved her friends.

“No, no it’ll be okay. There was no drama, we just drifted out of contact. Sure it sucked, but it was a long time ago? It’ll be fine. Besides, like you said, this is a big opportunity for me to do more with yoga rehab, right?”

Mimi pursed her lips but nodded. “Alright, if you’re sure. But let me know the second that you change your mind, if you need to.”

Kendra just gave her a quick hug, nudging her friend’s hip with her yoga mat, before heading resolutely towards Studio Two.

~

“So you enjoyed the last group class then?”

“I did. Anything to keep my flexibility up as good as it can get, right?”

Kendra just smiled, nodding. “Not that you seemed to have a problem with your flexibility.”

“Well I certainly haven’t had any complaints.”

He froze the moment the words left his lips, looking mortified. It was all she could do to burst into laughter at the horror on his face.

“I am so sorry. That was so unprofessional,” he groaned.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard since I’ve started here,” she said, still giggling, “You have nothing to worry about Mr Andersen.”

“Please, call me Freddie?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as his cheeks flamed red.

“Sure thing. Now let’s talk solo session scheduling – what works best for you?”

~

Kendra took a shaky breath as the memories of her first solo yoga session with Freddie washed over her, before steeling herself, pushing open the studio door. Freddie was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor on the mat he’d brought with him, and immediately smiled up at her, loosening a bit of tension in her chest. She could do this. She could totally do this.

“Hey, Freddie,” she said, unrolling her own mat.

“Hey Kendra. It’s good to see you,” he replied as she sat down opposite him.

“Good to see you too. I won’t say it isn’t a surprise because that would be a lie, but it is good to see you after all these years.”

Freddie winced a little, making her grimace inside. Was that too much?

“About that…”

He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, so Kendra quickly shook her head. Their past wasn’t what this was all about, and it would do neither of them any good to hash it up now.

“You’re here now,” she said firmly, “So, yoga rehab. Do you know much about what it entails or if there’s anything your team specifically wants?”

“Uh, I only know the basics really. Obviously I’ve done it a lot before for conditioning, which is what my trainer said this mostly will be as my injury was a blood clotting issue rather than muscles or joints?”

Blood clots. Damn. And for someone only in their 30s?

“That must’ve been really scary,” she murmured.

His eyes widened a little in surprise, but he nodded, smiling sadly. “I genuinely thought my career was over. I’ve been out for stretches of time before, but never for anything like this. I felt…helpless,” he admitted.

She could only guess he was being so vulnerable because of their history but she still appreciated his honesty. It can’t have been easy to admit such a thing.

“I can imagine you would, yeah. But the team are figuring it out, right? They wouldn’t be signing you up for yoga rehab if they didn’t have a plan in place?” Kendra said, trying to be positive.

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. They’ve tried a few things and they seem to be happy with the results anyway – they’re looking at about a month if all goes well,” Freddie nodded.

“That’s fantastic. I’m glad I’ll be able to help you get back to where you need to be. I’ll do a bunch of research after today, to make sure I’m not pushing you too hard, to make sure I’m doing the best I can for you,” Kendra said, smiling.

One month. One month with a rehabilitation she’d never come across before. This was the exact kind of challenge she wanted – and it would be with Freddie?

“I know you will, Kendra. I trust you completely. I just…”

He trailed off, chewing his bottom lip, his hesitation making her chest ache.

“What is it?” she prompted, trying to be gentle.

“I don’t want this to be it. I’m not ready for my career to be over. I still want, no, need to prove myself,” he said softly.

“Your talent and reputation precede you, Freddie. Everything that you’ve achieved with the Leafs and now with the Canes? How beloved you are by teammates and fans? You prove yourself, every day.”

“You’ve followed my career?” he asked, clearly surprised.

To be fair, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to keep following him after he left Anaheim, but it was Freddie.

“How could I not? We were friends,” she shrugged, trying to keep her voice light.

A wave of sadness washed over Freddie’s expression, making her heart clench in her chest, but before he could speak, Kendra cleared her throat.

“You’ve got this, Freddie Andersen. We’re going to get you back to where you need to be, and you’re going to kick metaphorical ass. Maybe even literal ass if you need to,” she said firmly.

Freddie managed a small smile, nodding.

“Let’s do this then.”

~

“Hey, Kendra. Thanks for today. I really enjoyed the session.”

She looked up at Freddie as she took her hair out of the twisted bun she put it in for working, letting her hair cascade down her back in blonde waves.

“You don’t have to thank me every time, you know,” she mused.

After that fateful first group class, Freddie has eagerly signed on for more conditioning classes at her studio, and her boss had happily signed him on as her first solo yoga client the moment she reached her 1000 hours milestone. It had been intimidating, if she was being honest, but she was thriving under her own steam, leading all on her own. It didn’t hurt that Freddie was a willing student, keen to increase his flexibility and core strength. And it didn’t hurt that he was absolutely gorgeous either – but that was just for her own thoughts.

“I want to thank you though. The team, management in particular, are really noticing the work I’ve put in as full-time backup, and that’s all down to you,” Freddie said with a shrug and a smile.

“Well in that case, gold star for me,” she grinned.

Freddie barked out a surprised laugh, making her giggle as she rolled up her mat.

“Did you, uh…do you have any more classes now?” he asked, awkward enough for her to pay attention.

“No, you were my last of the day. Why?”

“There’s a new smoothie bar that’s opened up down the road and I was going to go after this – if you want, come with me? I’d love to learn more about how you got into yoga instruction so young,” he said hopefully.

Kendra eyed him for a moment, trying to read any implications or anything untoward in his words. The last thing she wanted was to give off the wrong impression, especially in her first adult job, but Freddie just looked so genuine that she couldn’t help but to smile. A friend couldn’t hurt, right?

“I could go for a smoothie,” she said after a moment or two, nodding.

“Great! Um, I’ll shower, change, and meet you in the lobby?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she mused, “See you soon.”

Within no time at all, Kendra had changed into a cute little cropped lilac sweater and black jeans, leaving her hair down her back to dry in waves. She hadn’t packed any makeup with her, annoyingly, but Freddie saw her all the time without makeup so she guessed it didn’t really matter. Even if she would’ve preferred a dashing of mascara and a swipe of lipgloss. Maybe she’d have to leave a spare of each in her work bag, just in case any future hangouts after work happened.

If today’s smoothie run wasn’t awkward, of course. Damn she hoped it wouldn’t be awkward.

“Ready to go?”

“Let’s do this!” Kendra said cheerfully.

Freddie just smiled down at her, easily towering over her 5ft2 frame with his 6ft4 one – yes she’d looked up his height to be certain, she was curious – opening up the door for her to walk through first.

“Such a gentleman,” she teased.

“I aim to please,” he drawled.

Kendra snorted, immediately covering her face in embarrassment, but Freddie grinned like a cat who got the cream.

“Cute snort,” he smirked.

“Ass,” she shot back, sticking out her tongue to let him know she wasn’t actually mad.

Freddie just laughed, a clear beautiful sound that sent butterflies in her stomach going overdrive. No, this was not the time. Be a professional. Don’t be a giggly idiot. Damn it.

The walk to the smoothie bar couldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes, the two of them staying in a comfortable silence – something that Kendra found difficult with people she’d known for years, so for her to feel such at ease with someone she barely knew? It was strange. Nice, but strange.

“Okay, what’ll it be?” he asked, looking up at the board, “My treat.”

“Are you sure?” she frowned.

Sure, this was her first job and she’d only been in it a couple of months, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pay her way.

“Absolutely sure. I insist,” Freddie said firmly.

The intensity in his eyes, warm but solid, made her inhale sharply and nod. If he insisted…

“I’ll have almond milk, pineapple, kale, and mango, with a dash of honey. Thanks, Freddie,” she said, smiling up at him.

He just smiled back down at her, sending those butterflies into overdrive again, stepping forward to repeat her order as well as giving his own. When their smoothies arrived, Freddie walked over to a table in the corner so she followed, sitting down with a happy sigh.

“Oh man that’s good. Thanks for inviting me out,” Kendra said, after taking a sip of her smoothie.

“You’re welcome. It’s nice to actually meet someone near my age that as interested in yoga as I am,” Freddie said simply.

“Yeah? Not too many friends or girlfriends wanting to join you?” she asked, somehow managing to stop herself cringing to hard at the wording of her question.

Freddie just smirked slightly but didn’t call her out, thankfully. “No friends who want to do yoga with me, no. Most the team only do yoga when they absolutely have to. And no girlfriend either.”

“That’s a shame,” she said lightly, ignoring the zing through her body, “Yoga is fun and a great stress-reliever.”

“Is that why you got into it then?”

Kendra relaxed back into her seat, taking another sip of her drink, before starting to talk. Over the next hour, the two of them exchanged life stories, getting to know each other properly. Freddie talked about his career so far in the Danish league, how different and difficult it was to move over to Anaheim in August, how he’s just trying to make his mark now he’s been with down with the AHL team most the season and only up for a week. In turn, Kendra talked about how she’d always lived in California, having moved from her hometown in Santa Monica to Anaheim after meeting her now-boss at a training course, how she’d seen her mom doing yoga with her friends and fallen in love with the flow and peacefulness of it as well as the strength it gave. Talking to Freddie felt like they’d been friends for all her life, something she’d never experienced before, and she could only hope this wasn’t the last time they got to do this. Freddie was special, that was clear as day, and she felt lucky to see this relaxed side of him that she doubted many were privy to.

Eventually though, once their smoothies were finished, they had to leave before they overstayed their welcome, and Freddie walked her back to her car.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking across the parking lot on my own, you know,” she mused, jerking her chin in the direction of his car, all the way on the other side.

“And if some weirdo stalks you to your car when I can prevent that, I’d rather avoid you being alone,” he shrugged.

“Aww are you my knight in shining armour, Mr Andersen?” she teased.

Interestingly, his cheeks dusted with a blush.

“I’ll sweep you off your feet any time you need, Miss Lee,” he smirked.

Kendra just burst out laughing, shaking her head at his banter flirting. Ridiculous guy. This was going to be a fun friendship, she could already tell.

“Give me your number? We can sort out another smoothie run,” Freddie said, smiling.

She ignored those traitorous butterflies and nodded, unlocking her phone and handing it over. It could only be a good thing to have more friends in Anaheim, right?

“You think you can handle seeing me outside of the yoga studio?” she mused.

“Oh I know I can.”

~

Kendra and Freddie settled on three yoga sessions a week for his rehabilitation, 12 in total, to give him the conditioning build up he needed while still taking care to manage his recovery. She’d spent all night after that first meeting researching and planning the best course of movements and flows for him, making it challenging but helpful, eventually dragging herself back to bed at 4am, satisfied that what she’d planned would help him.

With any client, she would want to make sure she was satisfied, but with Freddie? She needed it to. Even after everything, she didn’t want to let him down.

Their first two sessions went well, the first mostly easing Freddie back into the swing of things, assessing where his strengths and weaknesses were, and the second session left Freddie groaning but smiling, happy he was able to push himself. Their third session, which Kendra was preparing for, would be another mild push, nothing extreme but still to see where she would need to adjust any plans.

It was all a process, but one she was enjoying immensely. Not just because of her student.

“Knock knock.”

Kendra jolted out of her thoughts, hand on her heart as Freddie walked into the studio with a grin.

“You are the worst,” she groaned.

“So you don’t want the smoothie I picked up on the way?” he mused.

He brought her a smoothie?

Her lips parted in surprise, but she stuck her hand out anyway, Freddie just laughing as he passed it over. The moment she took a sip, a wave of nostalgia ran over her. All she could think about were the smoothie runs and coffees hangouts and even the occasional lunch they used to go to together. Two and a half years of memories all flooding through her system, and it was all she could do to keep her face calm and neutral as the memories of conversations and vulnerability and laughter swirled through her thoughts. This wasn’t fair. This really wasn’t fair. She wanted to be mad at him for daring to dive back into their past like him leaving meant nothing, but how could she? How could she be mad when those memories still brought her joy?

“Almond milk, pineapple, kale, and mango, with a dash of honey. My favourite. Maybe you’re not the worst. You really remembered this?”

“Of course I did. I loved our smoothie dates,” Freddie nodded, smiling.

Dates?

“Dates?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Figure of speech? I don’t speak English?” he offered.

“Yeah nice try, I’m pretty sure your English is better than most people I know,” Kendra mused.

Freddie blushed but laughed.

“How could I forget anything about the girl who got me doing the best Bridge pose of my life, hm?”

She tried valiantly not to think about how good Freddie looked bent over in a backwards arch. Valiantly.

“Alright, but don’t think this means I’ll go easy on you, Freddie,” she said brightly, “We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he grinned, “Give it to me rough.”

Kendra took a moment, trying to hold in her laughter, before she gave in and cackled.

“Oh man that was so bad, even for you,” she grinned.

“Not my finest, I’ll give you that,” Freddie shrugged, a light blush on his cheeks, “Still made you laugh though.”

Well he wasn’t wrong there.

Kendra sipped on her drink while Freddie laid out his mat, leaving the cup in a safe spot as she moved to stand in front of him.

“As always, let’s start with Sun Salutation,” she grinned.

The next hour flew by. As she promised him, Kendra did push him hard – some of the poses he wasn’t quite ready for, she could see that, at least even for the length of time they were trialling today. His natural flexibility hadn’t left him, that much was obvious, but there was still work to do. At least she could take pride in being part of rehabilitation that would never push him further than he was ready for. His safety, physical and mental, was the most important thing.

But he could do this. She knew that he could do this, and that excited her.

“Alright, that’s us done for today. Thanks, Freddie,” Kendra said softly.

Freddie opened his eyes, practically floating from savasana, face flushed from exertion.

“Thank you, Kendra. I feel awesome. Tired but awesome,” he grinned.

“Not aching too much anywhere?” she asked, standing up gracefully.

Freddie groaned as he stood up, rolling his shoulders as he checked in with himself. Kendra smiled wryly at the action – at least she could trust an athlete to know his own body.

“No, not too much,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she frowned, hands on hips.

“I promise. I know the difference between aching from a good workout to aching from injury and pain. This is good,” Freddie insisted.

Well alrighty then.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Kendra said happily, rolling her neck from side to side to loosen tension, “Take a shower, Andersen, I can smell you from here.”

Freddie barked out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement.

“Care to join me?”

“In your dreams.”

Freddie just smirked, sending a shiver down her spine. There. That was it, the spark she’d been missing for so many years.

“See you on Wednesday?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Freddie nodded.

~

From: Freddie I have a return date March 7th

From: Kendra That’s amazing! I told you that you could do it! These last eight sessions have really paid off! Do you feel ready?

From: Freddie As always, I should’ve trusted that you were right lol I think so? My body does for certain

From: Kendra And your mind? If you don’t feel mentally ready, Freddie, please don’t let them push you

From: Freddie Thanks, I appreciate that I think it’s more nerves than not mentally ready? Like, I don’t want to let the team down. And I don’t want critics to call me washed up

From: Kendra You could never let the team down They can see your passion, see how hard you’re working And screw the critics. They don’t know you or your body You are the furthest thing from washed up, so don’t talk about yourself like that

From: Freddie I’ve missed your fire. Yes ma’am

From: Kendra Damn right you have. That’s more like it

From: Freddie Can I still finish off my course of session with you? And maybe carry on for a few more afterwards? Just to make sure I still have that confidence?

From: Kendra As many as you want I’m here for whatever you need

From: Freddie Whatever I need? I like the sound of that

~

“So today’s your last official yoga rehab session with Freddie. How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, it’s all gone really well. It’s been nice reconnecting with him, as well as seeing him grow back into his conditioning and confidence. You were right, Mimi, this was a great idea,” Kendra grinned.

Mimi and Celeste both smiled at her, but the smiles quickly turned hesitant. What? What was wrong?

“Has he said something? Have the Canes said something?” she asked, starting to worry.

Had she done something wrong and he hadn’t had the guts to tell her?

“No, no, god no. Freddie’s had nothing but high praise for you since he got here and I have no doubt he’ll be saying the same to his team,” Celeste said quickly.

“He talks about me?” Kendra asked, not knowing whether to ignore the butterflies in her stomach or not.

“He does. And he always has a smile on his face when he leaves here, same as you. We just…”

“Just what?” she prompted.

“We just want you to be careful,” Celeste said, finishing her sister’s sentence.

 What the hell?

Mimi winced at Kendra's expression before clearing her throat.

“When I met you, it was obvious that part of you was missing,” Mimi said softly, Celeste nodding.

What?

“What do you mean?” Kendra frowned.

“This fun flirty side of you? These beaming smiles? It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but seeing you around Freddie makes so much sense,” Mimi explained.

Okay that was crazy.

“We really are just friends,” Kendra said, shaking her head.

Mimi and Celeste send her matching disbelieving looks.

“No, really,” Kendra said, shrugging, “We always had this flirty banter but it was never anything more than that.”

“Never anything more?” Celeste said, raising an eyebrow, “Not even once?”

“No!” Kendra laughed, “He would come to my yoga classes, we’d get coffee or smoothies occasionally, sometimes lunch, but never anything more.”

“I really don’t think you see what we see. What no doubt everyone sees when they watch the two of you,” Mimi said.

“You can’t fake that kind of chemistry, Kendra. He clearly has feelings for you,” Celeste added.

What?

He had feelings for her?

And everyone saw it?

Mimi and Celeste watched her obvious turmoil with soft pitying smiles.

“Think about it. Just think about it. That’s all we’re saying,” Mimi said, her voice warm and reassuring, “And be careful?”

“You’re our girl, okay? We just want you to be happy,” Celeste said, smiling.

“Uh yeah, sure. I’ll think about it,” Kendra murmured.

It was all she could do to walk in a straight line for their staff kitchen, desperately needing a cold bottle of water to sip on while she sorted through her thoughts.

She’d always found Freddie attractive. That was something she could admit to without hesitation. But it was something she’d buried deep, knowing she could never act on it. Bringing that acknowledgement back up to the surface was terrifying, because it wasn’t just a physical attraction – it was everything about him. If she let herself think about how attracted she was to him, let herself think about his laugh, and his kindness, and his terrible taste in coffee, and his soft smile when he talked about his family, and literally everything else about him…she felt like she would explode.

How was she supposed to behave normally around him in their last scheduled yoga session, when all of these dangerous feelings were bubbling at the surface?

No, she had to find a way. She couldn’t ruin everything, not when she’d just got him back into her life. She just couldn’t.

Somehow, she managed to keep a lid on her emotions for her entire day until Freddie’s session at the end of her evening, running through the most challenging routines that pushed him to his limit, but left him with a smile on his face. He was ready. He was really ready for his return to play in two days time.

So why did it feel like everything was ending?

Freddie had stayed mostly quiet, focusing on his movements, but there were times in between flows that she caught him staring at her as if he was thinking. Thinking hard. It was almost off-putting, if it didn’t make her feel giddy. Were her friends right? Were her feelings really reciprocated?

Whatever was going through his mind, she didn’t know, but even she could feel a trembling intensity between the two of them that she couldn’t put a finger on. It felt like…anticipation.

When their class was over, Freddie insisted on waiting for her to grab all of her things, Mimi and Celeste just smirking as he waved goodbye to them, escorting her out to her car. This time he apparently hadn’t parked that far away from her, so he was insistent on walking her properly, although it could definitely be classed as more of an extremely slow stroll rather than a walk.

Like he was drawing this out as much as she was.

“You must be freezing,” Freddie murmured, “Here take my jacket.”

Before Kendra could form a word of protest at his sudden words, Freddie was slipping his jacket off and placing it over her shoulders. The warmth immediately hit her body, thrumming through her veins, and she knew without a doubt that her burning cheeks gave her thoughts away.

“There. Better?”

It was all Kendra could do to nod, staying silent as Freddie made a grunt of approval. Why was this affecting her so much? It was a just a jacket. It was just a jacket, right? It didn’t stop her sinking into the warmth though, picking up the scent of his cologne, ignoring the way her heart started beating that little bit faster.

She had to say something. She had to say something.

“Freddie…I need to ask you a question,” she said softly.

“Go for it,” he mused.

“Did you know it was me when you agreed to do a yoga rehab course?”

“What?”

Kendra exhaled a little shakily, but shook her head. She needed to know.

“When your team suggested yoga classes as part of your rehab treatment plan, how did you pick a teacher? Did you know I would be running this for you?”

“Ah.”

A single word. How ominous.

But Kendra just stayed silent, unwilling to say anything else before he did. She needed to know. It would change everything.

“The team gave me a list of options, with short descriptions about the teacher and any feedback from other clients. And…the moment I saw your name on the list, I didn’t have to think any further or look at anyone else,” he murmured.

“What?”

Freddie let out a shaky breath, halting his walk, so Kendra stopped next to him. What did he mean by that?

“I took it as a sign from the universe that I finally had a chance to make up for letting our friendship fizzle out. You were one of the best parts about Anaheim for me, and I was so wrapped up in my head in Toronto that I was stupid enough to let our friendship go. To let you go. I wanted to see you again. I knew that you would be amazing from the yoga side of things, but to get the chance to say that I’m sorry? I couldn’t pass that up.”

As he spoke, his words clear and his expression more serious than she’d ever seen, her heart started racing like it never had before. He really meant all of that, didn’t he? He really chose her?

“You have nothing to apologise for,” she eventually said, a little more breathless than she would care to admit.

“Yes, I do,” Freddie replied, huffing out a laugh, “You deserved better than I treated you.”

He looked relieved, like her being mad at him was even a possibility (not with them, never with him), but she just shook her head. Yeah, it had hurt at the time, when she finally resigned to losing contact with him – but that was over 7 years ago. With time, that hurt had faded into an ache, which in turn faded to occasional wistfulness. She could never hold a grudge against him for a trade, and certainly not for following his dream. That just wasn’t who Kendra was.

She started walking again, Freddie wasting no time in joining her, even though their steps were practically glacial in speed.

“Maybe I deserved a little better communication but it was so long ago, Freddie. I’m not holding onto past grudges. And honestly, the fact that you chose me because you wanted to reconnect? That’s all I needed.”

“Really?” he asked, voice hopeful.

“Really really,” she grinned, “Although I’m sure you can think of something to make it up to me.”

A grin spread across Freddie’s face too, making her feel a little giddy.

“Anything you wanted, Kendra Lee.”

“That is a dangerous offer, Frederik Andersen,” she shot back.

He just shrugged, grin not leaving his face. “You know I’m good for it.”

This, these flirty exchanges, served to do nothing other than light her blood on fire. Why was it always so easy to slip back into this with him like nothing had changed? That was a good thing, right?

“Come out with me on St Patrick’s Day night,” she blurted.

He raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed, but she just laughed.

“I’m going to a karaoke bar with Mimi and Celeste – join us,” she explained.

“That’s what you want? Out of all the things you could’ve asked for…you want me to join you for karaoke,” he said incredulously.

Kendra inhaled sharply at the implication in his words but nodded anyway, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

“I do. It’ll be fun, to see you outside of work, and to do something with you that we’ve never done before. We already have a little booth booked and it’ll be better than cramming into a regular bar for St Patrick’s Day,” she said firmly.

He laughed softly, shaking his head in disbelief, before eventually nodding.

“Alright, I’ll be there. Text me the address,” he mused.

Kendra just grinned, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach as they finally reached her car.

“Thanks for lending me your jacket, Freddie.”

“Any time.”

~

By the time the evening of the 17th March rolled around, Kendra was buzzing. She'd not seen Freddie since his debut back on the ice, him having given the three of them tickets to say thank you. Watching him win? It was everything, and she couldn't have been prouder of him. But with his schedule and hers, he hadn't scheduled any more classes like he'd said he'd wanted to, so Kendra had been limited to text messages, hoping that her daydreams weren't just silly fantasies.

Kendra, Mimi, and Celeste had been in O'Malley's for an hour, and Freddie still hadn’t arrived. The longer that time went on, the more disappointed she felt, not wanting to believe that after everything they’d regrown between them that he would just ghost her. No, that wasn’t Freddie. It couldn’t be Freddie.

“Breathe. Have a drink. He promised he’d be here, right?” Celeste said with a sweet smile.

“He did. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have changed his mind,” Kendra sighed.

“Hey, no sad faces. It’s St Patrick’s Day and we’re having a good time!” Mimi said cheerfully.

Kendra just groaned, taking a big gulp of her beer, her friends just cheering. They were right. She couldn’t dwell on this. If Freddie was going to come or whether he wasn’t, she was still out with her friends to have a good time. That was what she needed to focus on.

“Up next, Kendra singing Red!”

“Ooh girl that’s you, go!” Mimi squealed.

Kendra took a deep breath to steel herself, sliding out of their booth with a confident smile. If anyone could make her feel better, it would be Taylor Swift, she knew that much. As the intro music starting playing, she focused on letting it flow through her, tapping her foot in time with the beat.

“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street, Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly, Loving him is like trying to change your mind, Once you're already flying through the free fall, Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all.”

As if summoned by magic, the door to the pub opened, and Freddie walked in. Within seconds he saw her standing on the karaoke stage and stopped in his tracks, offering her a small stunned smile. He came. He didn’t ghost her. Freddie actually came as she asked him. That had to mean something, right?

“Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes, Tell myself it's time now gotta let go, But moving on from him is impossible, When I still see it all in my head, In burning red, Burning, it was red.”

She found herself pouring her emotions into the words, pouring everything she felt about Freddie into the song, not able to take her eyes off him. By now, Mimi and Celeste had noticed how she was performing just for Freddie – she could see their grins from across the room – and a few other patrons were starting to notice too. But she couldn’t stop herself. Her body felt almost out of control, singing her heart out to the only man who’d ever truly held it.

“Oh, losing him was blue, like I'd never known, Missing him was dark gray, all alone, Forgetting him was like trying to know, Somebody you never met, 'Cause loving him was red, Yeah, yeah, red, Burning red.”

His eyes were almost wild, locked onto her like she was the only person in the room. It was a heady feeling, giving her the confidence she needed to finish the song with a smile.

“And that's why he's spinning 'round in my head, Comes back to me, burning red, Yeah, yeah.”

She curtseyed dramatically to cheers and applause as the song ended, a wide grin on her face, and she moved to step off the stage, Freddie was already there with a hand extended to help her down. She took it silently, inhaling sharply as Freddie didn’t let go – instead her guided her across the room to the bar, the crowd parting with whatever intensity was on his face, so much so that they were served immediately.

“Two baby guinnesses,” Freddie asked politely.

The barman just laughed, nodding as he poured the shots, Freddie not letting go of her hand even as he paid for their drinks. He passed her one of the shots with a hopeful smile, the sweetness in his eyes intoxicating, so she clinked the glass gently with his, the cool liquid sliding down her throat smoothly.

“I wasn’t sure if you would make it,” Kendra said, offering him a small smile.

“I was thinking. Thinking about a lot of things. And I have something I need to say,” Freddie murmured, voice barely audible above the rumble of the room’s conversation.

“Oh?” she said, breath caught in her throat.

“I need to be honest with you, Kendra. I don’t think I can do any more classes with you.”

Oh. Everything in her chest felt like it was crumbling, Kendra barely able to get a breath in.

Wait, what?

“It would be incredible unprofessional of me,” Freddie added.

“Unprofessional? Freddie, if I’ve done something-”

The last thing Kendra was expecting was for Freddie to cut off her words with a kiss.

And not just any kiss. A toe-curling, melt into his arms, curl her fingers into his shirt kind of kiss. As his hands cupped her face and his lips moved with hers, it was all she could do to let out a soft little moan, interrupted only at the chorus of cheers and whistles around them. Freddie broke the kiss with a soft laugh, Kendra just feeling dazed, but his shy smile just made her giddy all over again.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long. I just didn’t think I could,” he admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

They were right. Mimi and Kendra were right.

“What changed?” she managed to ask.

“We changed,” he said. “We’ve both grown so much in ourselves since I left Anaheim and I am proud of both of us for taking what we need to make ourselves happy and successful. But I don’t want to lie to myself any more, thinking that I don’t need you too.”

“You need me?” she said, surprised.

“I do, in every way. I was an idiot for so many years, Kendra. I don’t want to waste any more time,” he said seriously.

“Jesus, Freddie, knock a girl for six why don’t you,” she said, huffing out a laugh.

He froze at her words, clearly fearing the worst, but Kendra just grinned. How could she be anything but excited?

“I’m yours, Freddie Andersen. I always have been,” she said happily.

The smile that spread across his face was worth a thousand lifetimes. This was what she had been waiting for. Exactly this.

“Now, buy me another drink and sing a song with me, and I’ll consider kissing you again,” Kendra grinned.

He laughed in disbelief but grinned so widely in response that it made her giddy. “One blue moon pale ale, coming right up.”

Her favourite girls night drink? How did he remember everything she’d ever said?  They were really doing this. They were finally doing this. 

“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” she laughed.

“Probably. You love it though.”

That she did.

[marymary-diva17]

Leave him alone leave us all alone (3)

Regret and worry had become feeling of the village since the discovery, of the metekayian clan olo'eythan eldest daughter. The two clans had already been worried about toruk makto eldest son, but now that worry had been passed onto the girl who had been blamed for everything. Regret and worry had been felt by the parents and sibling, and it had been felt by the sully family as well. Regret and worry will be felt forever for the actions that had been placed.

mo'at " please great mother hear my pray help this child, one of your children who in needed of your help please great mother" mo'at was praying for the recovery of angi as she still laid there sleeping.

norm " her heart rate and brain waves are still the same no change"

mo’at “ angi you can’t leave the world like this”

Max “ this is terrible all around we were all worried about neteyam, that none of us checked on her and now look where it got us”

mo’at “ angi is a girl with pure heart and spirt of warrior she will fight this”

norm “ what if she chose not to fight what if it not up to her to decide” silence had filled the room as the three adults were looking at the teen girl, who hadn't woken up yet. Most of the night mo'at had stayed up watching over the girl hoping she will wake up, but the only movement the girl did was breath but her breaths are very low.

norm " how bad did we allow this to get"

mo'at " bad enough for her to be in this state and for us to be in this waiting game for her to awaken"

norm " the children seem torn up about everything last night"

max " they are all close to her and I'm start to think that regret what they said"

mo'at " yes it seems like they true but did regret come to late"

????? " grandmother" the three adults soon turned around and saw, the kids standing there. Kiri and tsireys to holding basket of food while rotxo was holding a jug of water.

neteyam " we came to see how angi was doing"

norm " you should be resting neteyam you were hurt as well"

neteyam " yes I was hurt but I'm not the one who got badly hurt saving someone else from death and now laying down in deep sleep or coma"

mo'at " let them stay it will be good to have more company and maybe the present of her sibling and friends will help" the kids were soon allowed to step into the room, as they place the stuff down that they brought.

kiri " we brought some food and water for you grandmother and angi"

lo'ak " will she be able to eat or drink"

mo'at " she able to drink but I don't think sold food will do her well, only soups"

tsireya " sister please wake up you can't be like this we need you I need you"

rotxo " here some water for her make sure she drinks it" tsireya had taken the cup, and made sure angi could drink it safely.

rotxo " hey sister I'm here as well you have to wake up and stay to meet our new baby sibling, they going to need you as we need you"

tuk " angi will be okay right grandma"

mo'at " yes sweetie she will be fine we just need her to wake up"

tuk " angi it me tuk I want you to wake up please so we can play again"

kiri " we all need her"

spider " dad she is okay"

norm " yes son she will be okay we just need to wait we are make sure she getting all the help she can"

lo'ak " I hate this waiting game"

neteyam " lo'ak"

lo'ak " sorry I just hate all the talk that going around today, everyone has been saying their own opinions on angi right now"

kiri" everyone seems worried about her she in a worst state then I was in" the group was quite was they are sitting in the room waiting for anything to change. Soon the sound of someone arriving towards the entrance had gotten everyone attention, everyone soon looked up to see the four adults

Tonowari " hello everyone" ronal didn't say anything as she made her way towards her daughter, soon sitting down and looking at her daughter.

ronal " she looks so peaceful"

tsireya " don't worry mom everything will be fine angi a fighter she will wake up and everything will be fine"

ronal " ma daughter if you can hear me please wake up your family and clan still need you"

tonowari " she will awake up ronal our daughter will return home to us"

Jake " kids the adults need to talk right now you all should of hangout or play for some being"

lo'ak " dad we wish to stay here with angi she will do the same of us heck she has done the same for kiri and tried to do the same for neteyam"

Jake " lo'ak I'm not going to fight you right now it best if you all leave this is an adult conversation, you all are still kids"

Kiri " we will be able to see her later"

Jake " yes you all can"

tuk " oh okay angi we will be back shortly to come see you" all the other kids had gotten up after saying goodbye to angi, but neteyam still stayed.

Jake " neteyam you need to leave it okay"

neteyam " I wish to stay I don't wish to leave until I know she okay"

Jake " son please"

neteyam " angi please come back to us don't leave me don't leave us" neteyam didn't care who heard what he had just said and how they took his words.

tsireya " we will return sister"

rotox " yes we will be back" the kids had soon bid their goodbye to angi they hated on how, they didn't get a reply back from her. The kids soon left the aura of the room had become even more worried and sad.

Jake " max give it to us straight about angi condition"

max " if she doesn't wake up soon we might have to declared her ..."

tonowari " declare she what human tell us"

max " we might have to come to terms that she will die"

ronal " no she to young she can't leave this world so young"

max " we will do everything we can but that the end of day we can't control death and life as well"

neytiri " no"

mo'at " sadly it true"

ronal " she so young she has so much to live for we can't lose one of children"

tonowari " don't worry ronal will fins out a way and save our daughter"

ronal " yes" ronal had placed a hand on age forehead as she looks at her daughter, lay there and just sleep.

ronal "please great mother hear my pray and save our daughter"

Jake " none of the children were able to sleep last night they had become overwhelmed with worry and fear"

tonowari " either tsireya and rotxo could sleep as well, they didn't see that good this morning as well"

mo'at " she their sister and friend she very important to them, and she seem to be a different type of importance to neteyam" the four adults looked confused by mo'at words.

tonowari " what do you mean"

mo'at " if you can't tell by he was the one closer to her and wish to stay and almost fought you on that, then the words he said you are all blind and deaf fools"

ronal " how ...."

mo'at " enough no more fighting"

Jake " I know this not the time but the meeting will be happening soon we need to attend to protect our clans and families, we have to do this for the safety of everyone"

tonowari " Jake is right"

ronal " tonowari"

tonowari " we need to be there for our people our daughter a fighter will be come see her later, and maybe we can find out a way to save her as well"

norm " we will stay and watch over here and come to tell you if anything bad happens, we will make sure she stays safe"

max " yes we will stay with her until your return or mo'at return"

tonowari " thank you" all the adults had looked expect mo'at had left leaving her alone with the humans.

mo'at " angi if you can hear what had been heard please fight or see what had happened to you ... I don't know if the great mother is testing you or us but she most have something planned... but please fight and overcome this challenge that had been placed on you I believe in you child"

mo'at " oh great mother please take care of angi whatever the outcome this event might have on us" mo'at soon left the room leaving the humans alone with angi, everyone had some hope that angi will wake up and that she will be fine but there was also some fear and worry that angi will never wake up.

[itmeansiris]

The Solar System Legacy Challenge: In Memory of Jorden Gen 1 pt.52

The morning after the funeral Spirit walks around the house checking on everyone. Its early, not long after sunrise, but she was accustomed to being up in the morning to tend to the garden and fix breakfast and coffee before Jorden awoke. But on this morning she paced the halls checking cramped bedrooms to make sure everyone was sleeping comfortably. She's opens the door to find Zohreh awake and smiling, while the triplets sleep soundly. She sits on the edge of the toddler bed closes to his portable crib.

Spirit: Good morning Sunlight.

The name she bestowed on Zohreh for becoming a bright spot in her daughters life when everything seemed so bleak and stark in comparison at the time. He was also the only one of four kids to have Kason's blonde hair color.

Spirit: It seems only you and I know there is a day to be lived. No worries your grandma enjoys getting to monopolize your attention.

While she continues chatting Zohreh waves to Spirit and blows her a kiss. 2 milestones.

Spirit: Oh my aren't we full of life! That's just what your mommy needs from you my Sunlight. You're growing up so fast, and your birthday is in less than a week.

Spirit felt pure bliss at being the first to witness Zohreh's new milestones.

Out front Kason wakes up and grabs a cup of coffee. He hadn't slept much (checking on M and the kids through the night) and the couch hadn't been the most comfortable place to sleep. He doesn't hear her approach and Spirit scares him purposely. Kason jumps, startled by Spirits silent approach. She doubles over laughing. He takes a seat trying to recover.

Spirit: Thought I'd scare some life into you. Everyone around here seems so lifeless. Only one of us died. We do not need to act as if we are all gone.

Kason smiles happy to see Spirit her normal self.

Kason: How about you take a seat and I start on some breakfast. Oh care for a cup of Joe I started a pot its still hot.

Spirit: I'll pass on the coffee but breakfast sounds wonderful we do have a house to feed. How about French Toast.

Kason: I think I can make that happen.

Kason sets to task getting French toast made for the whole family, chatting animatedly with Spirit.

Spirit: I'll go check on Zohreh, he was up last time I checked. He's in good spirits today. He even laughed and blew his old grandma a kiss this morning.

In the hallway on the way to check on the kids Spirit runs into Mercury.

Spirit: Good morning Little Planet.

M: Good morning mom.

Spirit: Sunlight?

Mercury breaks into a grin following her mother into the kitchen.

M: He waved to me for the first time. He's been having a lot of first lately.

Spirit: Kisses, smiles, waves I think he's a feeler that one.

M: Good morning my love.

Kason: Good morning beautiful, how are you feeling this morning. Spirit requested French Toast for breakfast.

Spirit eardrops on the exchange having chose French Toast for one reason. Kason flips the last of the French Toast onto a plate.

M: French Toast sounds great. Look mom its even better than daddy's.

Kason softly exhales and Spirit smiles

Spirit: Anything was better than your fathers French Toast.

The rest of the family joins them.

That evening Beckett joins M in the yard. She'd been looking at the stars.

Beckett: Find anything interesting?

M: Wanna take a look?

He declines

Beckett: That was always you and dads thing I was never any good with a telescope. But I don't mind keeping you company.

M: You weren't any good cause you never used yours. You were too busy knocking it over with your soccer ball or your bike.

She teased. Beckett stretched out on the blanket

Beckett: Actually that was yours. Besides I used it right once...to look into the neighbors windows

M: Beckett! Oh my watcher! Did you really?

Beckett: Trust me all I got was a close up on parts of Mr.Linh that should never be seen by a child.

He stutter recalling the image

M: Which one?  Chánh or Arturo?

He rolls his eyes as she comes over to join him

Beckett: Really M does it matter? Besides I was trying to get a look at Ms.Cahyaputri daughter.

M: Ha, you were at the wrong window! Wait...is that why your telescope went missing in the middle of the night? And you told dad someone stole it.

Beckett: I thought he would kill me, it was so expensive and he really did try his best to teach me. But after what I saw I could never go near that thing again.

M: He didn't even ground you. He just went out and bought a chess table.

Beckett: Which I was much better at I might add. He must have known. No one in the neighborhood would have stolen the telescope and I made no secret how much I disliked the cursed thing.

M: Classic dad...I'm not sure I ever saw him mad.

Beckett: Nah. Dad didn't know how to be angry, everything just bounced off him. I used to think he was bottling up his anger until one day I realized he just embraced his carefree nature. It must have been nice not letting anything get you down...

Beckett:.......

He drops his head to his knees and buries his face. His next words raw with emotion.

Beckett: I miss him M....I know mom says to celebrate his life but it hurts...

Mercury was only a year older than Beckett and because they were so close in age and he was bigger than she was by the time they were 15 he always behaved and secretly told people he was her "Big Brother"

She pulled her little brother close

M: I know Bek. It's okay, I know how much it hurts.

She gets up and gets the jar of marbles below the stairs. She can see the remains of the last chalk circle her father had likely drawn.

M: How about a game?

PREV

NEXT

[rmsstevielol]

If u don’t want to agree to it being a colony then at least accept that they, along with the Irish and the Welsh were oppressed. If you don’t want to accept that then I don’t really know what to tell you becuase to me what im about to list right now seems an obvious example of oppression; trying to wipe out and I quote “ethnically cleanse” cultures, beating children for speaking Gaelic or Welsh right up until the late 20th century, after the battle of Culloden tartan and Gaelic was banned and if caught speaking Gaelic or wearing tartan, you were exiled, flogged or even executed, if you happened to have any ties with the Jacobites then you were literally rounded up and executed. Another example and a much more modern one is an account from my great grandma saying when she was at school you could be beat for speaking Gaelic and when my Nan was younger she was literally taught to “speak English” or more “proper”, meaning getting rid of the accent. Another example are the deep rooted stereotypes that still exist today about Scottish people, that all of them are “violent”, “angry”, “loud”, “drunk”, “savages”, “barbarians”, “not feminine” I could go on.. but these type of things are so common and they’ve been taught for so long that it is impossible not to think of the Scot’s like that and yes, some people may not be thinking of it as “not that deep” when in reality it is because they just aren’t funny and they make people look at us as if were some sort of joke, like our accents are always the butt of the joke or something. My mum has experienced things as simple as a dirty look whenever she gets a bit loud of says something in a strong accent and even on one occasion, an officer in the army telling my dad to “control his wife” after she refused to sing God save the King, as if she were “out of control” or something. All of these things are some sort of oppression and even though they aren’t as severe as they were before, they are still a thing.

I could go on about this topic for hours talking about other things like when talking about being Scottish, they always end up being the butt of the joke whether that be making fun of the accent, making fun of the bagpipes, the traditional dress. I live in England and I have a lot of friends who tend to do these things subconsciously and I wouldn’t hold it against them but I think it does need to be spoken about more and spoken about where it comes from and why it could be quite offensive. I’m so sorry to ramble on but a quick thing to point out is the fact that just becuase I want to spread the history of oppression of the Scot’s, it does not mean that I deny their involvement in the British colonialism of other countries and the involvement in the slave trade, i am aware it happened and are embarrassed and ashamed of the Scottish people who did that and I do consider them to be a “traitor” to Scotland but I just want to make my country’s history known and how they did suffer without people comparing or disregarding as something not that important or not as bad, yes some Scot’s did awful things and were involved willingly with British colonialism etc but it should not shrug off the suffering they went through as a country themselves.

I am sorry I couldn’t speak more for the Welsh or Irish but I didn’t want to then speak about their history and get it wrong. 🫶

[03-shiro-25]

Min Yoongi | Are my feelings not important?...

Min Yoongi x gn reader

Synopsis: at reader's family dinner he saw how worried a very important person to him reacted to someone not feeling well mentally and got reminded about how the person reacted when reader felt like he could never be happy again

warnings: angst

Note: i will probably mainly write for Suga on this blog. He is like my ULT Bias AND ULT comfort person on this planet. He helped me so much so I feel the most comfortable when I write for him (and Jk)

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵❘༻༺❘‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵❘༻༺❘‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

Today was the day you would be meeting up with your whole family. You were so excited, you haven't seen them in forever. You had a pretty good relationship with your family. But since they were all busy with their own lives and you were busy with your work as an producer at hybe entertainment you never got the chance to meet up.

It was in the afternoon when you started to get ready. You didn't put on anything fancy or styled your hair. They all knew you were no fan of dressing up and stuff. So you were not worried when you looked in the mirror and saw yourself with messy hair, some wide jeans and an plain black shirt. You liked your style.

So after you were finished getting ready you headed to the front door where your boyfriend was already waiting for you. "You ready?" he asked you as he eyed you up and down with a smile. He knew how exited you have been for the last week. You were only talking about that dinner and how you have missed them all so much. The whole week your mood had been over the roof.

"I guess you will come home late today then?" he opened the front door for you as he walked out with you.

"Yeah, probably haha" you giggled, growing more excited. "Well, I might still be at the studio when you come back so either you go home to rest or you come visit me after your dinner" he shot you a dirty grin before he started to laugh. "Yeah, we will see. Love you. See you later." you spoke fast, giving him a small kiss before each heading to your own cars. He drove off to the studio while you went the other direction towards the restaurant where you were supposed to meet your family.

The moment you arrived one of your aunts came walking to you. "Y/n! It is so good to see you again! Did you grow a bit more again? I swear you are taller than the last time I saw you" She always said that when she saw you. You laughed "Hello to you too! You think I grew again? Well I hope so!" you smiled at her. You really liked her.

"Come with me! The others are already inside" she told you as she lead you the way to the table where your whole family sat. You almost teared up at that sight. Your two aunts who were always bickering about something. Your grandma who was in despair since her hearing aids weren't working right AGAIN, your uncle who didn't speak much, your older sister with her bright pink hair AND her husband was here too! He was really introverted! At family meetings he almost only talked to you! With others he only said something when he was asked something, but with you he talked and talked and talked. You waved and smiled at him, he did too when he was you.

Next was your little sister. She was still pretty young, about 12 years old, but really cute. Then your stepdad and finally your mother. When she saw you she immediately stood up to hug you. "Hey my treasure, how have you been?" since you were a child she always called you her treasure. You thought that that was really sweet. "Work is great, it is really fun! And the people I work with are very nice" she nodded at you as your aunt interrupted you. "Yah! We don't want to know about your work! Tell us, do you have a girlfriend yet?" you just rolled your eyes at her.

Of course she only wanted to know that. "No, I don't" you said without explaining that you have a boyfriend. "Do you have a boyfriend?" your older sister asked you. Now a smirk grew on you face. "Yes, I do." your sister just smiled at you knowingly. A sigh was heard from your aunt.

The dinner went on like that. Just catching up on the lives of each other. In between you went to your sisters husband to talk to him since he couldn't really talk with the others. But you noticed that your younger sister has been awfully quite the whole time. Your mother seemed to have noticed too as she excused herself and her youngest child. They stood up and left the table to a quiet area where they could talk unbothered. You had a strange feeling so you followed them.

You knew eavesdropping wasn't ok but you somehow couldn't stop yourself, you were way too curious. They stopped in a hallway where no people where. You hid behind a wall where they couldn't see you but you could see and hear them. Your mother crouched down a bit to be on your sisters level. "Please tell me what's wrong love" she looked at her with concern-filled eyes. Your little sister looked down to the ground. "I don't know... I just haven't been to happy with my live lately I guess.." the little one mumbled. To ashamed to look at your mother.

"It is just... I hate my life at the moment..." the moment you said these words to your mother you regretted it and wished you would have just stayed silent.

Oh no... You were ready to step in at every moment. Preparing yourself you argue with your mother and comfort your sister but it never came to it. Your mothers next acts and words shocked you. They hurt. "Would you like to tell me why sweetheart? Maybe we can work on making it better together?" she softly spoke as she hugged the small one in a comforting manner.

Your heart dropped the moment you heard her say that. You were not expecting that. An aching pain started to spread in your chest and your breathing got caught in your lungs. Suddenly your body felt heavier than before and your mind went blank.

She seemed angry and disappointment "Sorry that your life is SHIT. I am sorry for giving birth to you and gifting you this awful life." what she said and the way she said it broke you. It sounded as if she thought that it wasn't her problem and that you only wanted to hurt her. Tears started to fall from your eyes. You came to her because you thought she would give you comfort... but she didn't.

You had to get out of here. You had to leave. You couldn't stay here right now. So you rushed back and gathered your stuff. Your family looked at you confused. "Sorry... my boyfriend needs me home as soon as possible. It was nice meeting you all again." with that you left and basically ran to your car. As soon as you closed the car door your mothers word repeated in your head over and over again. 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' over and over again. Like a broken record. No matter how hard you tried to think of something else the words kept replaying in your head.

You could barely concentrate on driving, almost getting in a car accident. 'Where are you Suga?.. I need you..' with that thought appearing in between your mothers hard words you drove faster. Needing to see him as soon as possible. He was the only person on earth that could give you comfort.

You arrived at the studio and rushed inside, heading straight to your boyfriends 'genius lab'. With every step you took your body started to feel heavier. You knocked before entering after you heard him give you the ok. As he turned with his chair to see who it was he was surprised to see you already back. He thought you would stay away longer. "Hey baby, why are you back already? Is everything ok?" the moment he asked you that you felt your strength leaving your legs as they slowly gave out under you.

You leaned on the closest wall to you and slowly slid down until you were sat on the floor. Suga was beyond concerned, jumping up from his seat to rush and crouch down in front of you. "Hey. Hey.. what is wrong baby? Did anything happen?" he asked but you couldn't answer him. 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' 'Maybe we can work on making it better together?' the words your mother said to your sister replayed in your head, like it was mocking you.

Did she love your sister more then you? Why did she react different with her? Is she more important than you?...

"Are my feelings not important?..." that was the first thing your boyfriend heard from you this night. Your voice sounded lifeless as you were just staring in front of you. It scared him. A few single tears streamed down your face. A frown adorned his face after he heard these words leave your lips. "Of course your feelings are important. Don't ever think that they are not, ok?" he tried to reassure you. "Would you like to tell me what happened?" you had been so excited about tonight, he just had to know what could have ruined that for you.

"My mother... when I was a kid and felt like everything was to much and like I would break down every moment I trusted her and told her how I felt... 'Sorry that your life is SHIT. I am sorry for giving birth to you and gifting you this awful life.' That were her exact words to my feelings... but today my little sister told her that she was feeling like I did back than... my mother wasn't angry at her. She offered to help her.." Yoongi's jaw clenched as he heard the story.

How could your mother have said that to you? Especially at a time you were feeling like shit anyways. He was furious. And he was sad for you. You looked so broken when you spoke about it. So he sat down onto the floor beside you and offered you some cuddles. Of course you accepted as you leaned in and cried your eyes out on his shoulders. He made you feel like your feelings were important. Like he understood how you felt. He was your family.

"You know Yoongi? When she said that to me back then I of course felt hurt, but more did I feel sorry. I shouldn't have told her how I felt. It must have been hard for her to hear these words leave my lips.." you thought about it.

"Even if it hadn't been easy for her, you were suffering too. And she is your mother. She is supposed to be there for you. To help you through tough times. So you had no reason to feel sorry" he sounded sad as he spoke.

"Actually, every time she cared for someone else I felt my heart ache and questioned myself 'Why couldn't you care for me the same way? Why? Do you not love me enough?' For years the memories and thoughts wouldn't leave my head. It was so draining. I felt tired. But I can't talk with my mom about this... even though I really want to know why she reacted the way she did.."

"I will do anything I can to help you forget about it. I am sure your mother had a good reason for her behavior back then. And please never feel like you are any less important than anyone else. For me you are the most important person alive." a small smile could be seen on your face thanks to his words. As he saw that he felt relieved and smiled back.

You were not angry at your mother. But you had to admit you were a bit hurt and disappointed. But that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the man who was currently holding you close, telling you over and over again how important you were. Soon you fell asleep in his embrace. He couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Thinking about what your mother said and how you must have felt hearing these words as a kid.

He swore himself that he would always pay attention to your emotions and would help you whenever you needed him.

[thecapriciouscapricorn]

i wrote an entire account of my Appalachian family, tracing from the late 1600s to my great-grandma’s passing in 2016. it was one of the hardest things i’ve ever done on multiple levels but also one of the most, if not THE most, rewarding projects i’ve ever completed.

my family is Melungeon but i’ve found that our ancestors had more Jewish blood (and possibly Romanichal blood based on the given names they had that were common among Romany in the 19th century i.e. Luvenia, Herod and Aquilla, and how some of them moved back and forth a lot in short timespans, but i’m not sure) than the Black and Native DNA that people think of when they think “Melungeon”, though i’m possibly descended from a Pamunkey chief, Totopotomoi, a long way back. our family has constantly intermarried with the Sizemores and gosh that makes me feel like i have a connection to royalty!

i got a very tiny amount of West African on my 23AndMe test and my dad took a MyHeritage test and got back Balkan. but the African results I got are really confusing bcuz it didn’t say anything specific, just “African Hunter-Gatherer”.

i know it sounds weird talking about tiny bits of African DNA i have but for context for those who don’t know much or anything about Melungeons, our identity isn’t as much about the non-white blood we have, but rather about how our ancestors formed tight-knit, insular communities because of how they were discriminated against and from there they formed their own unique culture that’s trickled down to us. a lot of us today are phenotypically “White” and therefore have white privilege and yet at the end of the day, race is and has always been a social construct and we still have legitimate spiritual connections to our ancestors.

my grandma says she’s going to take me on a road trip to see my relatives in Ohio and our ancestral state of Kentucky and i’m SOOOO excited. i’m genuinely stoked.

[rain-is-cool]

THANK YOU FOR THE TAG @littleeggrock !!!! I APPRECIATE IT!!!!!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope!! But my middle name is from my great grandma on my dad’s side!

2. When was the last time you cried?

Probably a week or so ago at 3 AM because the thoughts at that late at night be wildinnnnn (but I also was abt to cry today because my head hurts so bad, but that’s basically everyday, I get headaches a lot)

3. Do you have kids?

Yep!! I have 2 children with my platonic husband!! (Their not actually my children, it’s a bit me and my friends have going on lmao their actually not even a year younger than me 💀)

4. What sports do you play/have played?

I played lacrosse for a year-ish and I almost joined a team for soccer and volleyball but didn’t end up committing to it so I never played

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Oh definitely, I love sarcasm, I also love tone tags for that reason to because it allows people to understand me better (and help me understand them lmao)

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Just anything I can tell without interacting with them really, how they look, who they’re talking to, do they seem serious or joking? Should I avoid them or is it ok to approach them? Stuff like that

7. What’s your eye color?

I was told when I was younger it was hazel but I personally think it’s more brown

8. Scary movie or happy ending?

Oh DEFINITELY happy ending, I can handle scary movies for the life of me 😭😭😭

9. Talents?

I can play the ukulele somewhat decently!! :]

10. Where were you born?

Ok don’t make fun of me for this but…. Florida

(Please help I hate it here)

11. What’s your hobbies?

Gaming, Reading, Music, Collecting rocks/sticks, learning abt Greek mythology, and a whole other things that would take to long to list lol

12. Do you have any pets?

YESSS I HAVE FIVE!!!!

(I’ve had a lot more in the past to lol)

Cat #1 A gray tabby cat named Stormie (she gets locked in the closet a lot but she’s the most social out of the 3 cats)

Cat #2 A black cat named Binx (yes from hocus pocus) he’s very fluffy and fat and the only one of the cats that will maybe scratch you

Cat #3 A calico cat named Vida (as in the Spanish word for “life”) she’s very skittish but a sweetheart 💙💙💙

Dog #1 A mini Australian shepherd named Hazel, she’s very skittish but very sweet once she warms up to you

Dog #2 A idfk-even-though-I’ve-been-told-and-he-does-have-a-specific-breed named Nico, he’s still a puppy so he’s very energetic, he’s also very social :]

13. How tall are you?

Short as fuck 😭😭😭

I’m 4’11 - 5” and I get bullied because of it (in a /aff way) all the time 😭😭😭

14. Favorite subject in school?

English/Language Arts/ELA ALL THE WAY

You know how people say there’s math gays and there’s English gays? YEA IM THE ENGLISH GAY (I’m currently failing math)

15. What’s your dream job?

To be a Veterinarian, to work at a music store, or to work at Barnes & Nobels :] !!!

TAGSSSSS: @asterssunzephyr @gh0stmythz and @okaioh Hiya guys!!! How are you?? :D

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Remembering my grandpa: the coolest guy I've ever met

so, like, still haven't processed what happened. that's honestly pretty typical for me, it's something I used to feel really guilty about (everybody around me would be crying, and I wouldn't actually feel those emotions for upwards of a year), and I've gotten better at addressing what's under the surface before it gets to the point of a breakdown. there are several reasons for why my biggest personal metaphor for grief is as follows

our love is a garden; this grief is a seed

mostly been keeping myself busy, just cleaned most of the kitchen in one go, probably going to clean my room later today. also been thinking a lot about how incredibly cool my grandpa was. he's genuinely one of the most rad people I've ever had the chance to meet, and I don't even know all of his stories!!! just gonna ramble about him for a bit

dropped out of high school (and later got his GED) because WW2 was happening and he enlisted (either lied about his age or was just barely old enough). got recognition for his marksmanship skills, and (forgive me for not knowing his official rank/title) even ended up being a sort of guard for a high ranking officer. I remember being told that when they had to drive somewhere, Gramps was the guy with a scoped rifle keeping an eye out for trouble, ready to counter ambushes or something like that.

(the point is that I haven't heard the details since I was a kid, but his rifle skills were incredible, especially considering his age at the time)

known for drinking Respect Women Juice and being a stand-up guy. I've read some of his memoirs (not published, but they might be at some point, I'll let y'all know), and he talks about how mad he was at my grandma's dad (his eventual father-in-law) because the FIL was soooo excited to have "man time" with Gramps, after already having treated Grandma like the son he would have preferred, and Gramps couldn't understand why FIL wasn't appreciating the incredible woman that Grandma was. seriously, Grandma was also a badass, an equally incredible sharpshooter who only quit competing (having reached the highest level for women in the US) because she realized in order to keep winning she'd have to actually put time and effort into getting better. also she was a great cook, apparently. had a real temper tho

Anyway, there's also some other stuff about his respect for women, but that involves a bit of family drama with other relatives that I don't want to get into online. The gist is that he went out of his way to make sure that several women in the family got treated fairly, especially when some people weren't properly appreciating the work of a stay-at-home mom.

He was an active scuba diver for many, many years, and several of his longest friends were met via the hobby. at one point, he even worked with several of them to buy a large amount of land on San Juan Island (of the San Juan Islands), where they divided it up and all built houses together. I have many memories of going to visit during the summer, and honestly it was really impressive what they built together. Grandpa also loved kayaking, and even dabbled in making kayaks!

Putting more under the break because I recognize this is lot

In order to get to San Juan Island, most people take a big ol ferry. during an incident that got a fair bit of coverage in the local newspapers, my Grandpa was taking the ferry when he realized someone in the distance was in trouble (small boat, might have gotten flipped or something, again don't remember all the details). Grandpa was quick to take action, got the attention of the ferry's crew, and was able to arrange a rescue. If he hadn't noticed the boat, chances are the person/people would have died.

Gramps was very active even up into his mid-to-late eighties (genuinely very fit and healthy until his kidneys started failing), and had some fun ventures as part of a historical group that went around the San Juan Islands finding old map markers/territory markers (god, I wish I remember the right word) and using modern tech to record their exact locations. It was like a scavenger hunt, almost, using old/outdated maps to find these things.

He was also an official boat inspector for Friday Harbor (the main part of San Juan Island) for several years, and was recognized for his hard work/the sheer number of inspections he did.

On top of all of this, my Grandpa was genuinely one of the warmest, funniest guys around. If someone asked me to think of an example of healthy romantic love, I would think about my Grandpa and my step-grandma. Then I'd think about my brother and his gf but that's a whole other thing. Grandpa was full of love, and had no qualms with showing it, using his musical talent for serenading her (he also joined in during the family gathering jam sessions). The way he looked at her will be forever engraved in my memory, full of love and full of life.

There are plenty more stories about Grandpa, some of which I just never heard, and some of which I have simply forgotten. I'm gonna miss him.

[nilolol30]

Endangered: Momo's ending

_____________________

Today I was wondering around the town I didn't have much to do but I thought fresh air would be nice I also bumped into the Guardian he had a house right next to the entrance of the city he still likes the guard the area and keep everyone safe.

Then I saw Momo helping Granny set up her couch for her new shop she was sitting outside on a small chair smiling as Momo was struggling to get the couch through the door.

"Heyo Momo need some help?" I gave them both a wave as I walk over Granny waved back.

"Oh yes please I can't get this...THING through the door" Momo put the couch down he was obviously about the swear but Grandma turned to him and shook her head.

"It's best if we tilt it sideways it's too wide to fit" we began pushing the end up onto it's side then lean it over a bit to carry it in Momo holding the other end.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner! Sorry to have you help" Momo sighed as we set the couch down where Grandma asked us Momo dusted his hands off.

"It's okay I offered to help plus I was bored anyway" walking back out the door Grandma thanked me and Momo then we both started walking around.

"So uhhh what have you been up to human?" Momo asked leaning over to me slightly.

"Hmm nothing much today B-12 found some old books so he's just trying to re-write them so they're in better condition but so far I've just been walking all day" B-12 did look really happy when he found those books I'm not sure what they are about yet B-12 said is was a surprise.

"That's great! Hopefully soon we finnish setting up his house and his new lab oh don't tell him about that though it's gonna be a surprise" Momo whispered the last few parts.

"Aww that's really sweet!" Momo had blush marks on his screen and he softly laughed.

"Thanks but it was Seamus' idea" we were nearly at the end of our town it was still growing so it not that big companions are still in the process of moving in.

"Actually human I wanted to ask would you like to have dinner at my place?" That was a little unexpected sometimes me and the rest of the outsiders and Stray have a small bonfire and eat together late at night I haven't had dinner with just one person.

"Of course Momo I'd love to" he quickly turned to face me with a surprised look.

"R-really? That's great! Uh I mean thank you" Momo scratches the side of his screen with a smile.

"Why don't we head over now? Clementine taught me how to cook some of your foods" really? That's really considerate.

"Okay! Thank you Momo" I grabbed Momo's hand to hold it as we walked to his place it was fairly similar to his old apartment but a bit more cleaner he still somehow brought his big orange sign to have above his door.

Opening his door Momo held it open for me to walk in I thank him and step inside and he made his way to the kitchen.

"Uhh it may take a bit make yourself home while you wait!" Momo turned on the stove and set a pot of water over it and took out some carrots.

"Are you sure? I can help if you'd like?" Momo waved his hand with a smile.

"No no you relax while I cook" nodding I decided to sit at the couch and turned on the TV it took us a while to set up electricity but Doc and Clementine managed to do it.

I could hear Momo cut up some vegetables while humming it was nice I could hear Momo throw some stuff in the compost bin Clementine asked everyone to start doing it so she could use it for her greenhouse.

It didn't take long until I heard Momo set a plate down on the dinner table and called me over on the plate was mashed potatoes with peas, carrots and corn and a cup of water Momo pulled the seat out for me.

"Wow Momo thanks! This looks so good!" I said sitting down as Momo pushed me in then taking his own seat in front of me on the other side.

"It's honestly no problem I think it's nice doing things for people you lo- anyway c'mon I wanna know if I cooked it right!" I laughed and took a few bites it was good! Clementine taught Momo well.

"This is great Momo you did it perfectly" Momo let out a happy noise and a heart popped on his screen.

"So umm have you been thinking of a name?" Momo asked fiddling with his hat.

"Name? Oh right naming myself..." Honestly I've been so busy I kinda forgot about it...

"Why don't you name me?" Momo jumped with a shocked expression.

"M-me name you?! But I.."

"C'mon it could even be a nickname or just something you personally call me B-12 sometimes call me kiddo even though I'm an adult but you get it!" Honestly I knew Momo liked me Clementine said I should just wait until he makes a first move to be braver so maybe I can kinda give Momo some hints plus I really wanna know what he'd come up with.

"...are you sure?" Momo started to fiddle with his fingers he had digital sweat but was still blushing.

"Of course Momo I like you so I'd love to have a nickname from you!" Well that came out rather quickly but I think Momo got it.

"Well... How about sunshine?" Aww that's a cute nickname.

"Oh why sunshine?"

"Well ever since we meet you made me happy and you showed me the bright sky you made a lot of people happy and you stand out a lot too in a nice way" Momo looks away for a bit but looks back at me with a smile.

"And you- wait...YOU LIKE ME!?" ah I was wondering if he heard that.

"Of course Momo I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Clementine told me it would be best if you confessed so I assumed you told her you would and I didn't want to beat you to it but I'm glad I did though" standing up I walked over to Momo and hugged him he of course returned it.

"No I was being too much of a wimp It took me forever to even ask you to dinner" Momo hugged me a bit tighter hiding his screen on my shoulder.

"You're not a wimp Momo I was scared to ask you out too I just kinda went for it everyone takes time for stuff like this" I gave Momo a comforting pat on his head.

"So... does this mean I can take you out on a proper date?" Momo peaks out from my shoulder I laughed.

"Of course! Do you wanna rub it in Clementine and Doc faces that you actually confessed?"

"But I didn't" I gave Momo a kiss on the top of his screen another heart appeared.

"Well they don't have to know that" Momo laughed and nodded.

"Okay but after we have that date!" Momo pulled me closer to him as we both laugh nearly falling off the chair.

"What kind of date do you wanna have?" I asked Momo thought for a moment.

"We could...we could go to the pretty river with the fish"

"Then it's settled!" That river is really nice I won't tell him I've been fishing around there though he doesn't need to know that.

"Would you like to stay over the night though?" Momo glanced away after asking.

"I'd love to" Momo let out another noise of happiness as yet another red heart appeared on his screen.

"Oh you can take my bed I'll sleep on the couch" aww such a gentleman.

"We can just share a bed? Of course if that's moving to fast we could-" Momo quickly cut me off.

"Oh no! I mean yeah we can share I just thought you'd be uncomfortable"

"That's really thoughtful thank you"

Soon me and Momo began cleaning up I helped wash the dishes and he dried and out them away neatly after sitting on the couch and having a nice conversation I got tired.

Momo carried me to his bed and tucked me in with his blanket and layed next to me but he made some space I pulled him over for a hug.

"Don't you want any of the blankets?" I asked he wasn't even covered by any.

"No you can have it all to yourself I really don't need it" Momo laughed.

"Okay goodnight Momo"

"Goodnight... Sunshine"

[mariacallous]

Sheila Glickman Leventhal isn’t your average Jewish American grandma. The 82-year-old owner of Cecil’s Deli in St. Paul, Minnesota, the spot her parents opened and where she’s been peeling and dicing potatoes since she was eight years old, is also an every day yogi and was recently named the St. Paul deli matriarch. 

In a chaotic, fun interview with lots of laughter, Sheila (along with the occasional two cents from her daughter Becca Kvasnik) told me the most important factor to restaurant success, the most essential Jewish ingredient, and how she’s pretty confident she could still make schmaltz on Mars. 

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

What is it like running a Jewish food space in an off the beaten path Jewish area? 

Sheila: Listen. We’re not off the beaten path. A lot of Jews settled here. They may have gone to New York but then they came here, either because they had family here or because they found it safer. I know that’s the way my mother-in-law felt, who first settled in Brooklyn. 

What is the most popular menu item?

Sheila: The Reuben, absolutely. 

Name a food that was once popular and has since gone out of style.

Sheila: Let’s say tongue. If you’re a New Yorker, you expect tongue on the menu. Tongue was an item that we discontinued because people stopped wanting it. It wasn’t healthy. We used to stuff the chicken neck… 

Becca: Oh Jesus.

Sheila: … I can still see my grandmother standing there stuffing the chicken neck. We have it in the case, though we don’t make it. We have it frozen in the case. I’m pretty sure I can make it. I just don’t know where I would get the skin off the chicken neck. 

Becca: Sounds like a winter project.

Sheila: Yes!

Do you think people are looking for more traditional Jewish dishes or a modern twist?

Sheila: It’s all about the old favorites. We sell a lot of chicken matzah ball soup. A lot! And sweet and sour cabbage borscht. It’s always been popular. 

Have you seen an increased interest in Jewish food lately?

Sheila: When my husband and I got married in 1961, there were 13 Jewish delis in St. Paul. That’s not including Minneapolis. Today, there is only one in St. Paul. 

What’s the secret to success?

Sheila: I consider consistency the biggest part of being able to stay in business. Be consistent and try to keep your people happy.

What do your non-Jewish customers think of the deli?

Sheila: After the Jews left the neighborhood the non Jews took their place very quickly and were our best customers. They wanted kosher corned beef, but with all the kosher meat places in Chicago closing down things got more difficult. 

Any secrets you’re willing to share for making great Jewish food?

Sheila: Schmaltz! My parents opened this business in 1949 and my mother always used beef liver (to make chopped liver). She never used chicken liver. Now, we use beef liver and combine it with onions and schmaltz. It’s to taste and it’s a simple thing. A little bit of schmaltz in everything goes a long way.

Is there a story behind the menu? Any nostalgic menu items? 

Sheila: The menu hasn’t dropped many of the original items. The current menu is huge. My son creates the menu and he gets a little carried aways because he’s always wanting to create new things. I would say the matzah ball soup.

Becca: And the corn beef sandwich. 

Sheila: Oh, and the potato salad and coleslaw! Our potato salad and creamy coleslaw recipe has not changed since I was a little girl. 

Where do you see Jewish food going?

Sheila: Let me just say that I plan to be here another 20 years. 

Becca: Oy.

Sheila: My daughter thinks I’ll outlive her. Anyway, I don’t think Jewish food will ever go away. I see the way people are. They love it. You should see what it’s like at Christmas, how the people flock! The young families, the old families, they love our food and they love that kind of food. I think that’s how things are always going to be unless we live on another planet where the delivery would be harder. Although we might be able to create our own (schmaltz), all we really need is a chicken.

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 19: Clarke/Octavia, First Kiss + Decorating Cookies

2022 Ficmas #2

Clarke/Octavia, high school AU, ~1200 words

For the prompt "first kiss + decorating cookies"

*

Having lived fifteen years with a certified Christmas fiend, Octavia knows a few things about the holiday. The fiend in question is her brother, Bellamy, and he's taught her how to string popcorn garlands to decorate the tree; how to brew the best warm, spiced cider; and even how to safely hang lights along the roof of their house. She knows how to bargain shop for Christmas gifts and how to wrap them immaculately. For the last three years, she's been in charge of choosing the wreath to hang on their front door.

She also knows that the spirit of Christmas is one of generosity and community, which is why it makes perfect sense for the Blake family to all but invite Clarke Griffin to live with them this holiday season. Clarke's parents finalized their divorce in October. She's having just about the most cheerless holiday of anyone Octavia knows, and she gets the most pathetic hangdog expression on her face when she talks about how they haven't even bought a tree for her mom's house, or how her dad somehow lost the Christmas stocking she's had since she was a baby, and it's not like they ever went all out with the decorating, but this year it's been particularly grim...

So Octavia's mother insists that Clarke stay for dinner, and Bellamy invites her to help trim their tree. They teach her the lyrics to at least six new Christmas songs. On the night she gifts them a carton of store-bought eggnog as a thank you, she stays so late drinking it with them that Aurora insists she spend the night.

Octavia and Clarke have been best friends since they were three, so all this should be totally great. Except that Octavia has recently realized she's in love with Clarke, so instead it's all totally awkward.

Today, they're baking cookies in the Blakes' tiny kitchen while they wait for the promised snow to fall so they can go sledding on Wallace Hill. Bellamy's already warned them that probably won't be possible until tomorrow, but it's early yet—the sun still falling in flat, white-yellow rays across the sugar-streaked counter, lighting up strips along the avocado-colored cabinets, bleaching Clarke's blonde hair nearly white when she stands at the sink, her tongue between her teeth, carefully pouring vegetable oil into a measuring spoon. They're using great-grandma Blake's secret family recipe: right out of the back of a magazine from 1955, but it feels old and special because their mom wrote it out on an index card when they were little, and now the thing is dog-eared and stained. Clarke's wearing one of Bellamy's heavy knit sweaters, and striped pajama pants she borrowed from Octavia. She looks like one of them, like she's already home.

Makes Octavia's heart ache.

Being in love is the stupidest thing she's ever done.

"Is your mom going to kill us for what we did to her kitchen?" Clarke asks later, as they wait for the cookies to finish baking, and the clouds outside the window gather but do not yet break into the promised snow.

Octavia glances around at the carnage. It is pretty bad. Way worse than when she and Bellamy bake.

"Nah," she answers. "We're just breaking a few eggs or whatever."

"I think that's for omelets," Clarke murmurs and underneath the table, she bumps the edge of her foot against Octavia's foot.

The cookies come out misshapen but otherwise fine—"Not burnt at all," Clarke is happy to declare, as she pulls out the tray with a pair of snowman pot holders. "My first batch of cookies..." She sounds almost wistful, looks at them with a soft sort of pride.

"You've never made cookies before?"

"Nuh-uh. Jake and Abby were never into baking." Since the separation, she's taken to calling her parents by their first names. Octavia watches her, watching the cookies, but before she can decide what to say, Clarke turns abruptly toward her and asks, "So where's the icing?"

They have green, red, and white, and a little bit of blue hidden in the back of the cabinet, which has probably been there for years.

"We usually just do squiggles and stuff on them," Octavia says, as she lines the three not-suspicious tubes up in a row. "Sometimes Bellamy does polka dots but I think it just looks like he gave the cookie chicken pox."

"Just squiggles?" Clarke raises an eyebrow. "I thought you'd do like an elaborate Christmas scene or something."

"Me?" She mimics Clarke's expression, adds another layer of exaggerated surprise.

"Yeah, you're so into Christmas!"

"And my art skills peaked with stick figures!"

Clarke opens her mouth to shoot back another reply, then shuts it again. She's got that look on her face again, half determined and half nefarious, the look she gets when she has a plan and she wants to be in charge of it. Very carefully, she picks the tube of red icing, hands it to Octavia, and then selects the green for herself. "Everything you've done for me this Christmas," she says, "the least I can do is give you an art lesson."

Her voice sounds so much softer than Octavia thought it would be. Her smile is almost shy.

"Yeah," Octavia breathes. "All right."

If anyone asks, the stupid blush on her cheeks as Clarke leans over and guides her hand is just from the heat of the oven, the stuffy warmth of the old Blake furnace as it beats back the winter cold.

Together, they turn the cookie into an ornament, make another into a snowflake, draw a snowman on a third. Their chairs pulled close together, and Clarke's arm bumping up against her arm, and Clarke's familiar laughter in her ear every time they mess up—her laughter sounds so cute now, to Octavia's ears, and that's how she knows she's in this deep.

If Clarke were decorating the cookies by herself, her reindeer would look like a real reindeer, and not a bunch of red and green blobs. Octavia is really weighing this partnership down. She’s so consumed with this thought that she doesn’t notice as Clarke deliberately adds a dollop of icing to her finger—not until she says, "Oh, no, got some extra all over me," in her most deadpan voice, and then wipes it off on Octavia's nose.

Octavia stares back at her. "Griffin, are you trying to start a food fight in my mother's kitchen?"

"No! I'm trying to give myself an excuse to do this."

And she leans forward and kisses Octavia's nose, licks the icing off with a tiny flash of tongue.

It's the wildest and most unexpected thing that's ever happened to Octavia in her life, because this is Clarke, and that was a kiss, but she isn't sure what sort of kiss it was, and now Clarke is staring at her with a wide-eyed and open-mouthed expression that is a little hopeful and a little scared and a little excited all at once. Her face is as red as Octavia's feels.

So all in all, there’s only one thing she can do.

Octavia pushes the tray of finished cookies away, pulls her chair a little closer, and very slowly, very carefully leans in. Clarke doesn't pull away. She tips herself forward instead, meets Octavia's kiss awkwardly, sincerely, gently at first, her hands grabbing on to Octavia's hands. As they kiss, the frigid winter clouds converge outside the window, and flurries of snow begin to fall.

[heartshapedcaskett]

I still cannot shake that at 3:55am today a year officially passed since I witnessed my grandma die. The pajamas I wore that night are still in the bag I put them in when I got home the following morning. Ziploc sealed in the hopes to preserve the scent of the pants I borrowed from her dresser drawer; I never went home that day. She was so ill earlier that evening. By this point she was unable to speak and attached to oxygen. Knowing I might need some rest I slipped her pjs on and I stayed nearby. Mama and I hadn’t slept that whole week. Late nights were spent regulating her chart for her medication. Anything to relieve the pain of the cancer that agonizingly and aggressively ate at her. She was ready to go. I know she was. I remember her telling me she wanted to see her mama and brothers again. All her friends. Everyone. A few nights before her passing I sat by her bedside I was alone with her as mama stepped out into the living room for a moment. Grandma begged me to go home telling me she knew I was exhausted and wanted me to sleep. But God knows I wouldn’t have slept in the first place. Then her voice turned to panic she was asking me where my uncles were. “Where are my babies?” I told her they were safe and my Uncle Tim was on his way over and that “Chrissy” my mama (her youngest child) was in the other room. Her other sons would be here soon. I consoled her. Her voice softened as she relaxed against the two pillows propped behind her. In those last days before she lost the ability to speak we would sit and talk about God, memories, and aspirations. She always referred to her dad as “daddy” and my great grandma as “mama.” She was recollecting her childhood to me. Grandma’s hands were soft against my arm and even softer when she clasped mine. The same soft hands that were once calloused from picking cotton as a little girl. Hands wrinkled from age and a clear indicator of the toil she experienced all throughout her life. I think the most difficult part of retelling this story is how in her final days I couldn’t speak to her. She would moan and gasp. It was so unbearable. Uncharacteristic. Each elongated breath would be followed by a horrendous choking sound that dissolved me and brought me to the brink of madness. I cannot possibly imagine how much pain she was in. These last five years I was use to caring for her. Cleaning the house, doctor’s visits, and generally being by her bedside. But cancer was a battle we already tackled in 2011 and she beat it. But now I was 24/7 on the clock. I dropped out. I quit my job. I never spent a moment away from her. You watch your own mother weep into her hands; exhausted and unable to verbalize her concern. There are things I will never ever erase from my memory. Death was not peaceful. The process was agonizing. And I barter, argue, and wrestle with God begging him to give me a reason as to why he put my Grandma through so much pain. The life she led was never easy. The abuse she faced in life. All of it. And it ends like this? It’s so unfair.

[chelleztjs18]

Hello you mrs. honey nut cheerio lefty eyebag 🎅

Yeah it was me who sent that greeting 😁 I didn't want to bother you with a long message, so I kept it short and simple hahaha

How are you? How was Christmas morning? Did you get some good presents?

I want that heat.. yeah, today it is at 9 degrees, will snow sometime later and there's wind chill of -2. So I am bundled up while working.

So I made the tiramisu..with a little twist. Have you ever had biscoff cookies? Instead of the lady fingers, I used that. Let me tell you.. it was amazing. Then I almost made this thing called a mango float.. it's a dessert from the Philippines and it's like a frozen cake. It was so good too.

The ham, it was a small 2 lb honey ham.. it came out perfect. I was very happy and content with the food yesterday. I ate an extra slice of the ham just for you. I thought to myself, "poor lefty eyebag, she is going to have turkey, while I am enjoying this nice honey ham...oh well" 🤣🤣

Hm so when I listened to that song, it made me think about something like a chaotic couple. Someone is obsessed with the other person but the other person is just stringing them along because they like the attention. The person that's obsessed is okay with it though and doesn't want to let it go.

I know what you mean about tumblr being a safe space hahaha when I was younger, I had a different tumblr account,and it was filled with angst and it was my diary. Of course now I don't know what the username and stuff is for it, and I think I deleted that tumblr.

Aw its good that Emily is having her fun since she is with her cousins! Poor adults though who can't sleep in hahaha but at least the best thing is to see the kids happy and enjoying themselves! Did she like all her presents from grandma?

What foods did you get from the Indonesian place? Was it all good like you expected it to be?

I hope you enjoy your Christmas celebrations 😁 don't party it up too much though, you aren't as young as you were... just kidding 😂

-CuriousGeorge

Hii hii curious corn-punn righty eyebag!

How r u? How is everything after christmas? Tell me what did i miss..😁

I'm back! Haha. Sorry for the late answer.. the last days of the trip were busier because we tried to do more stuff n hang out more. I went to my friend's christmas party though. Had some great indonesian food, my friend made huckleberry champagne mule too n it was so good! I had a few of that n some shots. 😅

Christmas morning was fun,Em got a lot of presents n she didnt even know where to start n she was kinda done opening gifts.after opened some.lol. one of my brother in law got covid so he n his family couldnt come to have turkey dinner with us.

We made turkey dinner with corn bread casserole, sweet potato casserole with marshmellow, gravy, mashed potato, sweet rolls, stuffing and candied carrot.

Wow the tiramissu u made sounds really good! I wish i could try some. I found a new place that sells tiramisu n it has espresso with grand marnier liquor in it. Oh my god! It's so good! I love it. It's one of the best i hv had.

Did u do the mango desert too? Aww did u really think of me when u ate that ham?😆 honey baked ham is so good, i love it.haha.

N yes thats a really good theory u got from that Glass Animals song. I love it, the relationship sounds toxic. 😅 but i bet it will be fun to write.

Yes, Em likes all the presents she got. She is so spoiled haha.

Well the indonesian restaurant i went was the one i used to go so i already know how good their food r. I bought 3 different dishes. 1 panfried thin rice noodle thats kinda the same with philipines pancit noodle i think.. 1 chickem poridge with curry sauce n spicy, with chunks of fried bread n green onions n i also got something thats called ketoprak. It's hard to explain but u can google it. It's a dish with thin rice noodle, with steamed rice cake, tofu, sprout n with garlic peanut sauce n some friedncrackers.

The desert i got is a thick pancake cut in half n folded with some toppings in the middle of it. I got the chocolate peanut one.

Now, the curious Q & A session is back.. so give me next question, curious george.😅😆🤭

Cheerio!