#I can already see raleigh pride face | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vintagedolan · 4 years

Note

heyyy, how about if you’re going on dates w grayson and he tells you he’s a single dad and has a daughter! and introducing you to her 🥺

big oof this one GOT ME and I got carried away, enjoy!!!

You weren’t bored, but it was seeming more and more like he was. Fidgeting with the hem of your dress under the table, you watched him type furiously on his phone, attention devoted entirely to whatever was so consuming. It was your fifth date with Grayson, and he’d always had his phone close by, but never like this.

“Am I boring you?” You asked, a bit more sass in your tone than you really intended.

“What? No! No, no not at all, it’s- um... well,” he mumbled, obviously unsure of what to say. “I just have a... situation, that I need to figure out.”

“You wanna elaborate on that?” You asked, confused. You watched him battle with himself for a moment, debating on saying what he was about to say.

“My daughter’s sick. She’s with the babysitter, and apparently she’s running a fever. I need to get home, I’m really sorry.”

Only one real word of that registered.

“Daughter? You have a daughter?”

“This wasn’t how I wanted to tell you. Shit. I’m sorry, I’ll pay for your uber and everything, this isn’t at all how I wanted this to go, I swear I was gonna tell you, tonight actually-”

“Gray, Grayson, slow down. It’s alright, I get it. But an uber is gonna cost you a fortune from here, why don’t we just go back to your place and I can get a ride from there.” You tried to calm him down a bit, already rising from your seat.

“I... uh...”

“I don’t have to go inside, I totally understand if you don’t wanna tell her you were on a date. But it’ll save you about $50 bucks.” You knew that the money didn’t really matter to him, but in all honesty you just wanted to spend a little more time with him if you could.

“Okay. Yeah, okay. Let’s go.” He casually dropped a hundred bucks on the table and reached for your hand, leading you out of the restaurant, down the stairs and to the car. Glancing in the backseat as he backed out of the parking space, you couldn’t help but notice that it was entirely empty.

“No carseat?” You asked. Even in the dim glow of the dashboard lights, you could see his blush.

“Wasn’t sure it would be the best wingman on a date. It’s in my garage at home,” he admitted.

“I bet the base is a bitch to take in and out of here,” you mused.

“Oh god, it’s actually awful. Wait... you don’t... do you?”

“No, I don’t have kids. Just been around them a lot. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Raleigh. She’s two and a half, and spoiled rotten,” he added, shaking his head a bit as he started down the road.

“Oh, I bet you had nothing to do with that,” you teased, rolling your eyes. Based off how he’d treated you thus far on your dates, you knew he gave his daughter the world and more.

“I blame her uncle Ethan, or her grandma. Girl has more outfits than I have space for in my house,” he chuckled. There was a happiness in his voice you hadn’t heard yet, a pride he got from talking about her.

“Is her mom still in the picture?”

“No. She left when she was about 6 months, said it was too much. We rushed into things, I was too excited to be a parent I think, and she just wasn’t ready. I got full custody pretty soon after that, so she’s all mine now. It’s hard, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Well, she sounds like the luckiest girl in the world,” you smiled. Pictures were running through your head now of Grayson as a dad, holding a little curly haired girl in his arms, rocking her, playing with her down on the floor. It was the most flattering light you could see him in.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just - I really, really like you, and I didn’t want to scare you off,” he mumbled, nerves back in his voice.

“I get it Gray. But hey, I don’t scare that easy. Kids are cool,” you shrugged. Sure, you weren’t expecting this at all, but it wasn’t going to do any good to freak out over it now - that would only hurt Grayson. You’d at least give it a shot, see how you felt. So when he reached over to take your hand you let him, squeezing back in reassurance that you weren’t going anywhere just yet.

When you got back to the house, he parked beside an unfamiliar car - the babysitter’s, you realized - and came around to help you out.

Just as you were about to offer to wait outside, he spoke up.

“Would you wanna come in? If she’s feeling any better she’ll probably go right to sleep, and we could still hang out. It’s totally okay if you don’t want to, I would understand, but-”

“I’d love to meet her,” you smiled, taking his hand and letting him lead you to the house. Your heels clicked on the concrete as you approached the front door, waiting for him to unlock it.

You stepped inside when he held the door open, immediately comforted by the homey vibe of the house. It was mostly minimalist - white walls and dark wood broken up by the arrangement of toys scattered around.

It wasn’t until the babysitter came around the corner that the attention shifted.

“Molly, hey, sorry about all this, she was totally fine all day. Must be a stomach bug,” he was saying, but you were just looking at the little girl in her arms. Raleigh was smaller than you’d expected her to be, her little frame wrapped up in footie pajamas adorned with little rainbows. She was a spitting image of Grayson, her features just a bit softer than his - dark hair curling around her ears and her neck.

You watched as he quickly got the cash out to pay her, passing it to her and then immediately reaching for his daughter, as if he couldn’t wait another minute to have her in his arms.

“Hey pumpkin. I missed you. Yeah, you don’t feel so good, hmm? You’re burnin’ up,” he was cooing, immediately slipping into dad mode, your heart melting into a puddle at the sight. She curled up into his neck, hugging onto him as she sucked on her pacifier - but her eyes were trained on you, even as Molly waved goodbye and left. You waved at her softly, not wanting to scare her.

“Raleigh this is Y/N, she’s daddy’s friend. Can you say hi?”

She lifted a tiny hand to wave at you, and then she pointed, mumbling something behind her pacifier.

“Blue? Yeah, her dress is blue, you’re right,” Grayson praised, somehow understanding her.

You weren’t sure who was more surprised - you or Grayson - when Raleigh reached out for you with both arms, asking you to hold her.

You didn’t hesitate, scooping her up and placing her on your hip. She started to run her little hands over the fabric of your dress, occasionally squeezing it in her fist.

“She never goes that easily to people, it took her a month to even look at Molly without crying,” Grayson said.

“Well, I guess I’ve got the magic touch,” you said, somehow immediately summoning karma down on top of you for your tiny little ego boost.

There was only a retching sound of warning, and then you could feel hot liquid going down your chest.

“She just puked on me didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question - you didn’t even have to look to know exactly what happened.

“Holy fuck. Holy fuck I’m so sorry,” Grayson was more than flustered, but he hadn’t moved in the slightest. It wasn’t until Raleigh started wailing that either of you moved.

“Hey, hey it’s okay, it’s alright,” you murmured, trying to comfort her, all your attention moved to her. When you looked, she was covered in her own puke, face red as she screamed. You turned, heading down the hallway, checking doors until you found a bathroom. It was all instinct and babysitting experience after that.

You calmed her down as best you could, stripping her out of her soiled pjs and getting a washcloth, running it under warm water and starting to clean her up. You sang a little tune you remembered from when you used to babysit, and it soothed her enough, her sobs turning into sniffles.

“There, see, look! All better! All cleaned up,” you smiled, tickling her little belly. “Let’s get you some medicine and find where your daddy went, yeah?”

The two of you found him in the living room, headed towards you armed with baby wipes, a towel, a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He seemed shocked that his daughter wasn’t crying, and he sat everything down on the couch, reaching out for her.

“Y/N I’m so sorry, this whole night is a disaster,” he groaned, putting the back of his hand to Raleigh’s forehead.

“Believe it or not, I’ve had worse dates,” you laughed at the absurdity of the whole situation.

“I brought you a change of clothes. I’m sorry about your dress, I’ll buy you a new one,” he offered, sheepish smile spreading across his face. Raleigh was already started to doze off - you could tell by her face that she felt better already.

“Eh, it was on clearance anyways, no biggie. But I will take the sweatpants offer,” you grinned, going over to get the clothes and taking the baby wipes with you for good measure.

You headed back to the same bathroom, stripping down and changing out of your dress and into the much more comfortable joggers and t shirt he gave you, making sure to wipe your chest down just in case before you got dressed. You tried to get your dress clean, but it was futile - you’d have to put it in the wash or just call it a loss and toss it.

So, you went back out towards the front door, sitting the crumpled up fabric on the floor before heading back out in search of Gray. To your surprise, he was in the kitchen, already cooking away with the baby monitor in close proximity.

“How do I look?” You grinned, making a show of the outfit, being sure to point out your heels. He laughed, a belly laugh that you hadn’t heard before.

“Honestly? Sexiest I’ve ever seen you, truly,” he smiled, reaching back to get a few more things from the cabinets.

“Raleigh already down?”

“Oh yeah, she’s always been a great sleeper. Thank you, for taking such good care of her. I think she just needed to puke and get it over with, she already seemed a bit better when I put her down. So, it looks like we still have the night to ourselves after all.”

And that night ended up looking like the two of you cuddled up on the couch with vegan mac and cheese - your dinner had been cut short after all - with a movie on the screen, baby monitor on the table beside you. With each minute that passed your doubts started to fade away - maybe this was what you really wanted after all.

#blurb #grayson blurb #goodnight im going to my GRAVE NOW #anon #ask #c:raleigh #g:blurb

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deathlikesdeep-dish · 4 years

Text

Heat (Zoro x Reader)

Hiiii!

I’m new on the One Piece fanfic scene but I had a ton of fun writing this first little story for the One Piece of Summer Writing Challenge! (also please forgive me if there’s multiple submissions i’m returning to tumblr after like an 8 year hiatus lol) (also also i’m sorry i’m verbose i hope this isn’t too long)

Warnings: some language

Word Count: 3628

Word Prompt: Heat

You can hardly believe that it’d been two whole years since the crew had been together. Two years. Holy shit. You feel a lump in your throat as you approach Shakky’s place. You have no idea who, if anyone, had already arrived. Your heart races excitedly at the thought and a small smile creeps over your features. You make yourself sit on a nearby bench and breathe before you hike the last flight of stairs to the bar. It’s a hot day, impossibly hot and you sit and take a sip of water from your hip flask. The cool liquid pours down your throat and you sigh happily as you wonder what the very near future would hold.

Would it be Franky? You imagine the blue-haired madman, and laugh. Maybe he’d found another way to fuel his cyborg frame other than cola. You laugh again.

Who am I kidding? You think to yourself. The reason he runs on cola is because he wants to run on cola.

Or maybe it would be Usopp or Chopper? The last time you saw Chopper, it had been so frightening. He was vast and out of control from using those rumble balls. A shudder runs up your spine at the thought, but you push the thought away shaking your head. Your h/c hair ruffles at the motion, and you push a strand out of your face as you stare at the ground beneath your boots. Usopp, you are sure, will be one of the early ones, not wanting to be one-upped. You roll your eyes, your mind’s ear imagining him shouting, “Well, of course I’m here first! I’m the great captain Usopp!”

You already know what Brook--you mean “Soul King” had been up to. You laugh. You had to admit that his stuff was pretty catchy, and you wonder if he’d even want to come back to the pirate life after all that fame and fortune. It had been nice over the last two years to follow him in the papers whenever you could; a small link to your old life had been comforting and familiar.

Nami and Robin were almost certainly already here--Nami, probably off conning some shop owner into giving their store away half-price, and Robin wandering around looking at architecture, reading a book, or saying weirdly cryptic lines to passersby. You sigh fondly, reminiscing about the times the three ladies of the Strawhats spent together. Not having had many female friends to speak of before the Strawhats, it had been nice to have some badass women to bond with over the months before your separation. In your two years alone, you’d missed the companionship.

Maybe Sanji is at Shakky’s already, cooking up some delicious concoction for you to devour. Your stomach grumbles on cue, and your mouth waters thinking about it. If Luffy was already here, then any food would be gone twice over. Of all the changes that are sure to have occurred, your captain’s appetite is the least likely to change. You can only imagine what power he has achieved in the last two years. Your stomach sinks a bit thinking about when you learned of Ace’s death in the Paramount War. The pain Luffy must have endured. Alone. But, he was not one to dwell, and wouldn’t want you to either.

So you don’t. You’re strong--much stronger than you were the last time the crew saw you. You’re not the same girl that you were two years ago. No, not even close. You’re taller, with broader shoulders and hips. While you were once slender due to malnutrition, you are now toned and muscled after two years of hard training. You felt vitality that you once never thought you’d feel coursing through your muscles. Your top, frayed at the hem, falls to just above your naval and drapes over one shoulder, leaving the other uncovered. Your s/c flesh is exposed to the waistband of your khaki shorts. The leather of your boots is soft and worn, the same pair you’d been wearing when you were launched away from your crew by Kuma. The holster dangling from your waist carried some of your throwing knives, which you twiddle absently at your side in nervousness. You had become adept at hand to hand combat since the crew saw you last. You are nimble, fast and lethal. You smirk and let the confidence roll over your body. You can’t wait to see how skilled everyone else had become.

You flex and stretch, standing up from the bench and begin your ascent up the stairs. They groan under your weight and you shift the bag on your shoulder, securing it more tightly against your body. You feel your heart beginning to race again at the thought of the final crew member. You can only imagine how strong he’d become.

Zoro.

You think of his green hair, and his white shirt, the top buttons always haphazardly undone. His slim black pants and boots, the sound of his earrings jangling in the sea breeze. You see his tight, intense gaze and that smirk that always weakened your knees. The knot in your stomach tangles more at the thought as you crest the top of the stairs. You recall the days that you sat in the Crow’s Nest together as he worked out. He never paid you much attention, but simply tolerating your presence in his sacred space made you feel important.

You feel the heat rise to your face and you can’t tell if it’s because of the sweltering sun of the Archipelago or the indecent thoughts that have begun to flood your mind. You take a deep breath as you nearly reach the doorway of Shakky’s place, when you stop in your tracks at the silhouette in the doorway. The sun is bright, so you can’t make out who it is right away, but as the figure takes a step, there’s no mistaking that green head of hair.

“Well,” You hear Shakky’s voice from inside the bar.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be the first,” You hear Rayleigh’s voice chime in.

The greenette stays silent for a moment and then replies, “Oh yeah? Nobody else has shown up.” He pauses. “Well damn, guess they got lost.”

You can hear the smirk in his voice. It’s unmistakable.

Before you can stop yourself, you call out to him. “Zoro!” You immediately flush, but you know this time it’s not from the heat.

You see Zoro stiffen at your voice, but he quickly turns around and meets your gaze with his own.

Christ…

You immediately notice that your eyes only meet one of his, a scar running from forehead to cheekbone on the left side of his face, his eye tightly shut. It makes him look even more ruggedly attractive, if at all possible, and you allow yourself to stare for a moment. His jaw, still angular and chiseled, is formed into a lazy half-smirk. Your e/c eyes trail down from his jaw to his throat and his collarbone, a body part you became intimately familiar with when you’d spent long moments staring at it over the top of his unbuttoned shirt, wondering what it would be like to nuzzle your face into its contours.

A part you are not used to seeing so casually, was the rest of his broad chest, which is exposed under the deep green coat he was wearing, the trademark Mihawk scar that ran from shoulder to hip still proudly displayed. You are glad to see that his haramaki remained unchanged over the last two years along with the three swords he carries at his side. He shifts his weight to his left side and leans his forearm on the hilt of his swords.

“Y/n!” He replies with a broad grin of recognition. He jogs toward you, and you find yourself moving towards him too.

Zoro is stunned to see you. In all honesty, he is stunned to know that he’s the first to arrive in the first place. Although, he did leave several weeks prior. Just in case.

You are...so different. His eyes move across your body, and he coughs, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks. He grits his teeth frustratedly.

Shit...get it together. He thinks to himself.

“I can’t believe we’re the first ones here!” You say, before pausing. “Actually...how the hell are you the first one here??”

You laugh and he manages to chuckle too. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He jokes.

“Shakky and Raleigh inside?” You ask, jabbing your thumb towards the open door to the bar.

Zoro nods, rubbing a calloused hand at the nape of his neck. “Yep, they’re in there. Waiting like the old gossips they are.” He laughs quietly, shaking his head.

You can’t help but watch his arm move behind his head. His worn bandana is tied around his bicep over the top of his coat, and you can’t help but imagine how his tanned skin stretches over the muscle there. You realize, too late, that you had been silent for a beat too long.

“Y/n? You good?” He asks, raising a brow.

Your attention snaps back like a rubber band and you laugh nervously. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just can’t believe how long it’s been.” You say lamely.

You walk into the bar, Zoro trailing behind you and you greet Shakky and Rayleigh with a wide grin. Shakky compliments your new look, making you spin around as if to show off your outfit. You can’t help but feel confident and a surge of pride wells within you. She pours you a drink, having already poured one for Zoro, and invites you to sit down at a far booth. You sit next to Rayleigh, playfully bumping him and he wraps an arm around your shoulder. He gives you an affectionate squeeze as he tells you how pleased he is to see you guys again. Zoro takes a seat at the far corner of a booth. He props his feet up and takes a long drag of sake straight from the bottle. He’d already finished the drink that was poured, naturally, and stopped Shakky before she could pour him another. He asked for the bottle, shrugging and said that we should just “cut out the middleman.”

You regale the three others in your tales of the last two years. You speak about your Master, your training, the island you’d resided on, everything. Shakky gives updates too, about some of the rumors that had been floating around in the Strawhats’ absence, particularly about Luffy and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Shakky, never one to be subtle, asks Zoro pointblank about what he’d been up to.

“Eh, not too much excitement,” He says vaguely. “The usual. Swords, drinking, naps.” Shakky rolls her eyes, unsatisfied, but you just laugh, knowing that he was not one to talk too much about himself.

After a long while, the four of you notice that the sun has begun to set. You are beginning to feel the drinks you’d consumed, your laughter a bit louder, your tongue a bit looser, your hair a bit wilder. The bar is illuminated in deep orange and red hues and you glance over at Zoro. Half of his face is cast in shadow, while the other half colored the same tint as the room. It looks almost as if he is on fire and you are mesmerized by him. He’s staring at you intently. You see beads of sweat along his hairline, and you notice that he has removed his outer coat.

“Damn Shakky,” He breathes, not breaking eye contact with you. “I don’t remember it being this hot two years ago.”

Shakky laughs. “Well, we’re going through a bit of a heatwave right now. It’s unusual for this time of year, but occasionally the weather currents bring a front in. It’s supposed to be like this for the next few days.”

His knees are propped up and he rests his forearms on top of them as he breaks your gaze and looks out the window. HIs profile is immaculate, and your eyes trace each feature--his straight nose, his angled jaw, and his full lips. Your lips subconsciously part, and it isn’t until you feel your tongue on them that you notice how you’re staring. Shakky, however, has noticed how the two of you have been trading stares at each other the entire evening. She smirks and stands with a yawn.

“Well Rayleigh,” She starts. “It seems likes it’s about time to close up shop for the evening. You good?”

Rayleigh looks confused at first, however, when Shakky gestures quickly to you and Roronoa, Rayleigh nods knowingly. He looks down at his nearly full drink and smiles. He tips his head back and swigs down the rest, placing the empty glass resolutely on the hard wood. “You know what, Shakky? You’re absolutely right. These old bones can’t drink like they used to. I’m headed down to my place at the docks. It’s cooler there anyway.” He stands up and bids the room farewell. The doorbell jingles behind him as he exits the bar.

You get the feeling that they’d been watching you and Zoro, and you feel embarrassed. But you don’t want to complain. You just hope that Zoro wouldn’t be ready to turn in yet either.

Shakky approaches Zoro and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Night, Roronoa. If you get lonely, my room is always open.” She winks at him, entertained by how he squirms at the unexpected contact.

“Uh, yeah, sure…” He mutters, flustered. Shakky laughs.

“Shit Roronoa, just relax. I’m only kidding.” She walks over to a door behind the bar, presumably that led to her sleeping quarters, and opens it. “Or am I?” She grins slyly.

This time, Zoro knows better. The greenette shakes his head with a chuckle. “Goodnight, Shakky.”

She, too, disappears. The door closes behind her with a soft click, and the two of you are left alone. The sun has finally set beneath the mangroves and the sound of crickets fills the room. Despite the sun having set, the room is humid and very warm.

You reach a slender hand up and wipe beads of condensation off the back of your neck with a nervous sigh. “You’re right, Zoro,” You say after a moment. “It is absolutely stifling in here.”

He hums in agreement and holds up the bottle of sake questioningly. You nod and he tosses the closed bottle to you. However, his toss is a little short and to the left. But you’re fast and you catch it without a problem, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Aim much?” You joke as you pour yourself another drink before tossing it back to him.

He catches it easily and smirks. “Well, just checking to see if all that training you were going on about actually paid off.” He takes a swig. “Seems like it did.”

You were unbelievable. Zoro marvels at your agility. He had been enthralled as you told your story of the last two years. He watched the way your eyes lit up in excitement at certain parts or when your tone shifted to something more sinister. This was the y/n he’d always known--vibrant, curious and powerful. Zoro has always admired your tenacity. It was something of himself that he saw in you. He admired your intelligence as well, and your quick wit. It had always been a little intimidating, but now you were a force. It overwhelmed the swordsman. And thrilled him in the same way a new enemy excited him, got his adrenaline pumping and his heart racing.

He watches as you take a sip of your drink. His gaze follows the long line of your neck down to your collarbone, which he finds himself lingering on for longer than what was appropriate between nakama. You had always been objectively attractive, but Zoro never really paid attention to things like that. But now, you made that impossible to ignore. He is very attracted to you, entranced by your confident aura that pours off of you like cool sake.

The alcohol warms your blood and before you know what you’re doing, you prop your elbow on the table and say, “Seems like your training paid off too. I mean, look at you. All extra-muscley and shit.”

Zoro’s eyes widen slightly before he laughs out loud. “Thank you? I think.”

The liquid courage you’ve consumed does little for your filter (or your shame) so you continue. “I remember when I used to hang out in the Crow’s nest while you worked out. You were strong then, obviously. But it’s different now. You seem...invincible.” You breathe.

Zoro takes a moment to consider. “Invincible, huh?” He chuckles. “Hardly.”

You scoff and roll your eyes, but don’t reply.

Zoro stands up, his coat remaining in his seat. Your eyes follow the contour of his chest and he notices you watching him. He loves knowing that you look at him the same way that he looks at you.

“Come on,” He says after a moment, holding out his free hand, the other still holding the bottle of sake.

You take it without thinking. “Where are we going?” His hand is rough and cool to the touch, despite the heat in the room. He’s never held your hand before now. His good eye lands on you with a smirk that turns the knot low in your stomach.

“Up,” He replies in a whisper.

You nod wordlessly and stand up, trailing behind him as he walks towards the back door of the bar. When you exit, you sigh happily when a cool breeze flows along your damp skin. He echoes the sentiment with a contented hum, and continues towards the side of the building where he finds a ladder.

“Ladies first,” He grins, gesturing for you to climb the ladder up to the roof of the bar.

You raise an eyebrow, but comply nonetheless. As you climb, you make sure to move your hips more exaggeratedly, knowing the view you were providing him.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, of course, and admires your ass as you climb the ladder. You really are something. He wants to do more than just hold your hand. He wants to trail his hands along your curves, feel your strong body against the planes of his chest. He wants to know what your lips taste like, what your h/c hair feels like entangled in his fingers. But he knows that he needs to take it slow for both of your sake. It’s been two years. A lot has changed, and you are still his nakama first and foremost. There’s nothing that he would sacrifice to keep that.

The ladder is taller than you think it is by looking at it and when you arrive at the top of the bar, you are surprised to find an expansive platform.

“Wow,” You look open-mouthed. “How’d you know this was up here?” You look to Zoro who hops up onto the platform.

He shrugs. “I didn’t. I just saw the ladder earlier and figured it would be worth exploring.”

He walks up behind you in all of his shirtless beauty and sits, his legs apart as he leans back on his forearms. You’re still standing, looking up at the vast mangroves all around you, the stars peeking through the tree-tops. He lets you admire the scenery because it gives him a few moments to admire you. He clears his throat to get your attention and pulls you down to him.

With a light gasp, you find yourself sitting between his legs, your back against his chest and his arms wrapped around you. You are blushing furiously now. He hums contentedly, moving to nuzzle your hair and inhale your clean scent.

“What are you doing?” You manage to croak out.

“Enjoying the company,” He murmurs into the side of your neck.

You feel his heart beating swiftly against your back as you lean into him with a deep sigh. Your brain wants to overcomplicate this.

What does this mean? What does he want? Does he feel the same way about me that I feel about him? Does he...you gulp. Does he...want me, the way that I want him?

He feels you stiffen. “Y/n, hey,” He says. “It’s okay. This doesn’t have to mean anything that we don’t want it to mean.”

It seems like mind-reading is on the roster of new super powers he’s acquired. You grumble internally.

He laughs, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear before he moves away. You whimper softly at the loss of contact, and turn to face him with a confused look. Though he did shift backwards, he didn’t move all that far away from you, so you’re surprised that you’re nearly face to face when you turn around.

He gently touches his thumb to your parted lips. “We’ve got time, y/n. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. So let’s just take the time and figure it out.” He smiles.

You feel your heart swell in your chest as you meet his intense stare. “Y-yeah, o-okay.” You stutter, still not quite believing that Roronoa Zoro has anything he wants to figure out with you. Your reverie is interrupted by Zoro’s gentle kiss. It’s a kiss that foreshadows what else could come of it, one that’s slow and burning and brimming with possibilities. He pulls away with a shudder.

“We’ve got time.” He says again, seeming to convince himself with the second iteration. “Besides,” He pulls back fully this time, taking in your lovely face before he smirks. “It’s too damn hot to be this close right now anyway.”

#doctorgerth #one piece of summer #summerwritingchallenge #roronoazoro #one piece #zoro x reader #zoroxreader #onepiece #laws-yellow-submarine

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homeformyheart · 4 years

Text

hopeless - m!raleigh carrera x mc (plat)

author’s note: i’m not sure if this fits into the same universe my other platinum fics take place in but i had fun with it. i hope you enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. songs and lyrics owned by their respective creators. series/pairing: platinum – m!raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian); red carpet diaries cross-over – matt rodriguez x cadence dorian rating/warnings: 14+; swearing, descriptions of drinking, minor angst word count: 2.6k based on/prompt: “all you had to do was stay” by taylor swift / “secret love song pt ii” by little mix summary: news of cadence’s engagement makes raleigh and cadence revisit the way they left things.

hopeless

when cadence flew out to los angeles to secretly film music videos for her entire album, the last thing she expected was that she would get engaged. but here she was, in as private of a spot as one could find in the city of stars, with the matt rodriguez in front of her on one knee with a beautiful vintage-inspired octagonal diamond ring. no one was around except for a private photographer he hired so that they could control what made it to the press.

“cadence dorian, will you marry me?”

she knew what her answer should be. after all, her and raleigh had officially called it quits eight months ago. operative word being “officially.” it didn’t take long before she was introduced to matt when he was cast in her music video and raleigh’s label paired him off with some up-and-coming actress.

cadence fought to stay present and hoped that matt would think the tears forming in her eyes was because she was overwhelmed, when in reality, she was thinking back on the last time she spoke to raleigh.

6 months ago

“i don’t know if i can do this anymore,” cadence whispered. they had publicly broken up two months ago but were still carrying on in private whenever they could. “everytime i see you, a part of me dies a little more. all we have are these stolen moments, which won’t last once one of us has to go on tour again.”

those stolen moments included spending a few hours late at night in his bedroom a few nights a week, but whenever cadence struggled with feeling like she was a shameful secret, raleigh would cave and take her out as long as they both wore disguises. tonight was one such night and leave it to raleigh to find the one club in new york city that wouldn’t be packed with celebrities on a saturday night.

cadence saw raleigh’s grip on the steering wheel tighten as he drove them back to her apartment. her eyes welled up with tears and she let them fall down her face, ruining her makeup, as she sat silently in the passenger seat.

“don’t do this now, please. we had a nice time tonight, didn’t we?”

cadence pulled the long, curly-haired wig off her head and threw it onto the dash. “i want to hold you in the street, and kiss you on the dance floor. i should be able to shout it from the rooftops. why can’t it be like that?”

“cadence, you know it’s to protect you. you’re just starting out and i’m not going to ruin that for you… we— we can’t,” raleigh said, his throat tight and voice shaky as if he was afraid of where the conversation was going.

“i don’t want to live love like this. i don’t want to hide us away, constantly wondering if it will ever change,” cadence said sadly, drying her eyes with the back of her hands, ignoring the streaks of makeup now staining her skin.

raleigh pulled into the underground garage of her building and parked the car. he reached over to hold her hand in both of his and cadence felt a sob escape her.

“you mean the world to me, cadence. i want more than anything to show you off as my girlfriend, but we have to be careful for a while longer.” he gave her a dazzling smile, but she knew his heart wasn’t in it.

“i wish we could be like that, raleigh. but it’s obvious that it won’t happen and i can’t keep going on like this. i’m sorry,” cadence sobbed, pulling her hand from his and trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down.

cadence stepped out of the car and toward the elevators as raleigh looked on in stunned silence. she didn’t look back because she knew if she did, she’d want to run right back to him.

“cadence?”

she was brought back to the moment by the sound of matt’s voice and all she could do was nod and smile and let the rest of her tears “of joy” stream down her face as matt wrapped his arms around her and spun her around.

* * * * * raleigh looked out the window of his penthouse apartment with a glass of mezcal in his hand. against his better judgment, he scanned tabloid headlines earlier that day when a photo of cadence caught his eye. the photos made it look like she was cozying up to matt rodriguez in los angeles. raleigh prided himself on being around long enough in the industry that he could spot a tabloid relationship in two seconds, but there was something about how cadence looked in those photos that made him pause.

it was clear she was having fun and enjoying herself in the photos. he recognized the look on her face when she was mid-laugh and the cheek-hurting smile she had on reminded him of the beginning of their tabloid relationship over a year and a half ago now. but even back then, raleigh knew there was something special about cadence, something that he wanted to be real, something that made him blur the lines that defined his fake relationships in the past.

he looked at his watch and knew he needed to head out if he was going to make it to the event at a reasonable time. he knew cadence would be there and while he was fine with their recent game of avoiding each other at public events, he needed to run into her tonight. he gulped down the rest of his drink and walked out of his apartment. time to get some answers.

* * * * * his eyes zeroed in on cadence the second she walked into the room. she was wearing a gorgeous gold dress that no doubt was made for her given how it fit her every curve perfectly and showed off her shoulders and collarbone. raleigh felt his body temperature rise as he pictured ripping her hair out of its pinned updo and sucking at the sensitive spots on her neck and collarbone that he knew so well.

either he had been staring for too long or cadence sensed his presence because she looked over in his direction. they locked eyes and it was as if the entire room faded away; raleigh held her gaze, almost daring her to break eye contact first. which, she did, but not before she flashed him a look that he couldn’t quite place – apologetic? regret? embarrassment? whatever it was, it fled her features faster than he could blink. he wasn’t given any time to think about it as the tinkling sound of utensil against glass somehow seemed to drown out the conversations around him.

he looked around quickly and didn’t see any food so where the fuck did people get utensils? and more importantly, why didn’t he have a drink in his hand yet? not that he was eager to join in what was inevitably a toast to the couple of the hour.

“if i could have everyone’s attention,” the host of the party spoke over the din, smiling warmly. raleigh didn’t miss the way matt held out his arm toward cadence or the way she tucked hers into the crook of his elbow seamlessly while looking up at him with that beautiful smile radiating off her face.

“cadence and i want to thank all of you for coming out to celebrate our engagement.”

raleigh tuned matt out for the rest of the toast and looked at cadence incredulously. he glanced down at her hand that was wrapped around matt’s arm and could make out a glittering diamond ring on her finger. how had he not noticed that? and more importantly, how could cadence not have given him a heads up? he had assumed the relationship was for publicity and that somehow, when her career was more established, they would find their way back together.

he watched as cadence waved to the crowd before walking up the steps to the makeshift stage and seating herself behind the sleek black baby grand piano. raleigh was mostly sure that his jaw hadn’t dropped and his eyes hadn’t widened, but he was still too stunned to check.

“people like you always want back the love they gave away,” cadence started singing, her soulful voice ringing clearly through the speakers, “and people like me wanna believe you, when you say you’ve changed.”

raleigh had heard this song several times already, it was cadence’s number one single off her upcoming album, which he presumed had plenty of references to their relationship. but he didn’t care. the only thing he had ever truly wanted in his life besides his freedom from sunset skatepark was sitting up on that stage singing her heart out.

the room broke out into loud applause and cadence bowed before stepping off the stage. raleigh felt his feet propel him toward her and barely registered that he was standing in front of her until she looked up and said his name.

“raleigh?”

“can we talk?” he asked. she nodded and he followed her to a dressing room just outside the ballroom and locked the door behind him.

cadence crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. “what did you want to talk about?”

raleigh gave her a long, scrutinizing look. “i guess congratulations are in order. i would’ve appreciated a heads up.”

“we’re not in a relationship anymore, raleigh, you made sure of that. i didn’t realize we still owed things to each other,” cadence snapped, eyes blazing.

“cadence, you know that’s not fair. you know i care about you and was trying to protect you,” raleigh hated that he was pleading.

“i didn’t ask you to protect me, i asked you to be with me. you had me in the palm of your hand, raleigh.”

raleigh’s fingers itched to reach out and hold her close to him, to have his body envelop hers in that way where she fit so naturally, it made you wonder if his body was made to hold hers. “i figured we’d end up together again, once your career was more established.”

cadence blinked in surprise and her eyes softened. raleigh had never given her any indication that he had thought that far ahead regarding their future, at least not seriously anyway. “oh, raleigh. i think it’s hopeless. we just weren’t meant to work out,” she sighed and walked past him to open the door.

“do you love him?” raleigh asked quietly. he glanced away once before looking at her, an almost imperceptible sign that gave away the fact that he was nervous. cadence knew this sign well and a sharp pain and sense of longing tugged at her heart.

“of course, i’m marrying him,” she replied, dropping her gaze. he was looking at her so intensely, she felt like he would see right through her. she turned around and walked out the door.

raleigh followed her and turned her back around to face him. “no, look me in the eye and tell me that you love him,” raleigh demanded firmly, grabbing her chin gently and lilting her face up so she was looking up at him.

“raleigh, i—”

“cadence, babe? there’s someone i want you to meet,” matt called out from behind her, cutting her off.

she gave her best apologetic look to raleigh and said, “i better go.”

as she turned around, he grabbed her hand gently and whispered in her ear, “you haven’t answered my question yet.”

cadence chose to ignore him as she followed matt to the other side of the room, toward his hollywood friends, all of whom she had met before. they ducked behind the group inconspicuously.

“are you okay? things looked a bit tense,” matt asked softly once he was sure that his friends were effectively blocking cadence from raleigh’s view.

5 months ago

“are you okay? you look a bit tense,” matt said, his tone friendly and free of judgment, which cadence appreciated.

“my publicist wants us to be in a fake relationship. i’m just tired of that sort of thing and thought she’d be a little more understanding since it hasn’t been that long since my last relationship ended.”

matt looked at her thoughtfully. “i gathered that most of the songs we filmed these music videos for were about at least one past relationship, but they were all about the same guy, weren’t they?”

cadence nodded, somewhat grateful that she was feeling too down to feel embarrassed that matt figured out she was still pining for raleigh.

“well, why don’t we try dating for real? it might help you move on and we’d still give our publicists the public relationship they want,” matt suggested. “and who knows? if everything goes well, we can even get engaged.”

cadence was surprised at the sincerity in matt’s voice. she tilted her head as she considered what he was really suggesting. “that would definitely catch everyone’s attention. okay, let’s do it.”

“i’m fine. mission accomplished,” she said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

“it’s not over until it’s over,” matt said, caressing his thumb over the diamond on her finger. “but maybe it’s time to make it official.”

cadence wrapped her arms around him and let herself be comforted by matt’s strong, warm body. “thanks matt. i’ll see you later.”

raleigh watched cadence make her way to the exit before following as quickly as he could. he meant it when he said he was going to get answers. by the time he made it outside, she was nowhere in sight. but he wasn’t going to give up. he flagged down the nearest cab and gave them instructions to her apartment.

when he arrived, he made his way to her unit and hesitated for a beat in front of her door. did he really want to do this? hear that she was in love with another man and was planning on marrying someone that was not him? did he no longer have a chance; was it really hopeless? raleigh lowered his hand briefly as he thought through a scenario where she was lost to him forever.

he let himself wallow for barely a minute before shaking his head angrily. cadence owed him a clear answer. and he at least owed her the truth about his feelings. he knocked twice and pressed his ear to the door. her apartment had a fairly thin door and he could only hear dead air. she probably hadn’t gotten home yet. raleigh took off his jacket and made himself comfortable on the floor. he would wait for however long it took.

cadence looked out the window of the cab as it approached raleigh’s brooklyn neighborhood. she felt a wave of nostalgia come over her at the familiar street lamps and buildings they passed. once they arrived, she quickly ducked inside the building and made her way to the elevator. there were two penthouse units on the top floor and cadence stood outside raleigh’s, suddenly wishing she had changed out of the ridiculous glittery gold dress and heels into something more casual. she steeled herself and held her chin up as she knocked on the door. after a beat, she knocked again, louder, just in case he left and went home after their brief interaction earlier than night. she hadn’t seen him leave the event and figured she might have to wait. she bunched up the skirt of her dress so she could sit on the fabric and took off her heels, sighing with relief. now all she had to do was wait.

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @dulceghernandez; @thegreentwin; @kat-tia801; @otherworldlypresents; @brycesgirl; @robintora;

#reposting for new blog #choices platinum #choices #pb choices #playchoices #choices fanfic #choices fanfics #playchoices fanfictin #raleigh carrera #cadence dorian #matt rodriguez #raleigh carrera x mc #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera x cadence dorian #raleigh x cadence #not twc #my writing #my choices fics

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doctorgerth · 4 years

Text

One Piece of Summer (Heat ZoroxReader)

(I apologize if I did this wrong! First time submitting to things lol)

Hiiii!

Warnings: some language

Word Count: 3628

Word Prompt: Heat

Would it be Franky? You imagine the blue-haired madman, and laugh. Maybe he’d found another way to fuel his cyborg frame other than cola. You laugh again.

Who am I kidding? You think to yourself. The reason he runs on cola is because he wants to run on cola.

You already know what Brook–you mean “Soul King” had been up to. You laugh. You had to admit that his stuff was pretty catchy, and you wonder if he’d even want to come back to the pirate life after all that fame and fortune. It had been nice over the last two years to follow him in the papers whenever you could; a small link to your old life had been comforting and familiar.

Nami and Robin were almost certainly already here–Nami, probably off conning some shop owner into giving their store away half-price, and Robin wandering around looking at architecture, reading a book, or saying weirdly cryptic lines to passersby. You sigh fondly, reminiscing about the times the three ladies of the Strawhats spent together. Not having had many female friends to speak of before the Strawhats, it had been nice to have some badass women to bond with over the months before your separation. In your two years alone, you’d missed the companionship.

So you don’t. You’re strong–much stronger than you were the last time the crew saw you. You’re not the same girl that you were two years ago. No, not even close. You’re taller, with broader shoulders and hips. While you were once slender due to malnutrition, you are now toned and muscled after two years of hard training. You felt vitality that you once never thought you’d feel coursing through your muscles. Your top, frayed at the hem, falls to just above your naval and drapes over one shoulder, leaving the other uncovered. Your s/c flesh is exposed to the waistband of your khaki shorts. The leather of your boots is soft and worn, the same pair you’d been wearing when you were launched away from your crew by Kuma. The holster dangling from your waist carried some of your throwing knives, which you twiddle absently at your side in nervousness. You had become adept at hand to hand combat since the crew saw you last. You are nimble, fast and lethal. You smirk and let the confidence roll over your body. You can’t wait to see how skilled everyone else had become.

Zoro.

“Well,” You hear Shakky’s voice from inside the bar.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be the first,” You hear Rayleigh’s voice chime in.

The greenette stays silent for a moment and then replies, “Oh yeah? Nobody else has shown up.” He pauses. “Well damn, guess they got lost.”

You can hear the smirk in his voice. It’s unmistakable.

Before you can stop yourself, you call out to him. “Zoro!” You immediately flush, but you know this time it’s not from the heat.

You see Zoro stiffen at your voice, but he quickly turns around and meets your gaze with his own.

Christ…

“Y/n!” He replies with a broad grin of recognition. He jogs toward you, and you find yourself moving towards him too.

Zoro is stunned to see you. In all honesty, he is stunned to know that he’s the first to arrive in the first place. Although, he did leave several weeks prior. Just in case.

You are…so different. His eyes move across your body, and he coughs, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks. He grits his teeth frustratedly.

Shit…get it together. He thinks to himself.

“I can’t believe we’re the first ones here!” You say, before pausing. “Actually…how the hell are you the first one here??”

You laugh and he manages to chuckle too. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He jokes.

“Shakky and Raleigh inside?” You ask, jabbing your thumb towards the open door to the bar.

Zoro nods, rubbing a calloused hand at the nape of his neck. “Yep, they’re in there. Waiting like the old gossips they are.” He laughs quietly, shaking his head.

“Y/n? You good?” He asks, raising a brow.

Your attention snaps back like a rubber band and you laugh nervously. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just can’t believe how long it’s been.” You say lamely.

“Damn Shakky,” He breathes, not breaking eye contact with you. “I don’t remember it being this hot two years ago.”

His knees are propped up and he rests his forearms on top of them as he breaks your gaze and looks out the window. HIs profile is immaculate, and your eyes trace each feature–his straight nose, his angled jaw, and his full lips. Your lips subconsciously part, and it isn’t until you feel your tongue on them that you notice how you’re staring. Shakky, however, has noticed how the two of you have been trading stares at each other the entire evening. She smirks and stands with a yawn.

“Well Rayleigh,” She starts. “It seems likes it’s about time to close up shop for the evening. You good?”

You get the feeling that they’d been watching you and Zoro, and you feel embarrassed. But you don’t want to complain. You just hope that Zoro wouldn’t be ready to turn in yet either.

“Uh, yeah, sure…” He mutters, flustered. Shakky laughs.

“Shit Roronoa, just relax. I’m only kidding.” She walks over to a door behind the bar, presumably that led to her sleeping quarters, and opens it. “Or am I?” She grins slyly.

This time, Zoro knows better. The greenette shakes his head with a chuckle. “Goodnight, Shakky.”

You reach a slender hand up and wipe beads of condensation off the back of your neck with a nervous sigh. “You’re right, Zoro,” You say after a moment. “It is absolutely stifling in here.”

“Aim much?” You joke as you pour yourself another drink before tossing it back to him.

He catches it easily and smirks. “Well, just checking to see if all that training you were going on about actually paid off.” He takes a swig. “Seems like it did.”

You were unbelievable. Zoro marvels at your agility. He had been enthralled as you told your story of the last two years. He watched the way your eyes lit up in excitement at certain parts or when your tone shifted to something more sinister. This was the y/n he’d always known–vibrant, curious and powerful. Zoro has always admired your tenacity. It was something of himself that he saw in you. He admired your intelligence as well, and your quick wit. It had always been a little intimidating, but now you were a force. It overwhelmed the swordsman. And thrilled him in the same way a new enemy excited him, got his adrenaline pumping and his heart racing.

Zoro’s eyes widen slightly before he laughs out loud. “Thank you? I think.”

Zoro takes a moment to consider. “Invincible, huh?” He chuckles. “Hardly.”

You scoff and roll your eyes, but don’t reply.

Zoro stands up, his coat remaining in his seat. Your eyes follow the contour of his chest and he notices you watching him. He loves knowing that you look at him the same way that he looks at you.

“Come on,” He says after a moment, holding out his free hand, the other still holding the bottle of sake.

“Up,” He replies in a whisper.

“Ladies first,” He grins, gesturing for you to climb the ladder up to the roof of the bar.

You raise an eyebrow, but comply nonetheless. As you climb, you make sure to move your hips more exaggeratedly, knowing the view you were providing him.

The ladder is taller than you think it is by looking at it and when you arrive at the top of the bar, you are surprised to find an expansive platform.

“Wow,” You look open-mouthed. “How’d you know this was up here?” You look to Zoro who hops up onto the platform.

He shrugs. “I didn’t. I just saw the ladder earlier and figured it would be worth exploring.”

“What are you doing?” You manage to croak out.

“Enjoying the company,” He murmurs into the side of your neck.

You feel his heart beating swiftly against your back as you lean into him with a deep sigh. Your brain wants to overcomplicate this.

What does this mean? What does he want? Does he feel the same way about me that I feel about him? Does he…you gulp. Does he…want me, the way that I want him?

He feels you stiffen. “Y/n, hey,” He says. “It’s okay. This doesn’t have to mean anything that we don’t want it to mean.”

It seems like mind-reading is on the roster of new super powers he’s acquired. You grumble internally.

He gently touches his thumb to your parted lips. “We’ve got time, y/n. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. So let’s just take the time and figure it out.” He smiles.

@laws-yellow-submarine

WOW WOW WOW this is absolutely amazing, my darling!!!! I was totally enthralled the entire time and was really hoping it wouldn’t end any time soon! And you painted the scenes so beautifully, it felt like I was actually in the story!! All the characters are so well written and gah I didn’t think it was possible to fall more in love with Zoro but damnnn this story had me swooning for the swordsman 🥰

I really really enjoyed this and I’m honestly so glad you took part in this little challenge! Could I add this wonderful story to the masterlist? 💕

#one piece of summer #summer writing challenge #heat #roronoa zoro #zoro #zoro x reader #female reader #submission #deathlikesdeep-dish

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writingbakery · 5 years

Text

“[bi]cycles of love”🚲

this little piece was originally written as oc content, then reworked for a different fandom, and finally comes to rest here. it’s very special to me, as i’ve never fully learned how to ride a bike, & i always wanted a friend to teach me, so we could fall in love over the handlebars <3 taglist; @shinhoetoshi @secondhand-trash @keigos-dove @redbeanteax @katsukisprincess @shinsouzone

[pairing; shinso hitoshi x gn!reader]

[warnings; romance, crushes, friends to lovers, growing up together, slice of life, too many bike references]

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ

┌─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐

pinarello; an italian bicycle manufacturer

based in Treviso, Italy. founded in 1952

raleigh; a british bicycle manufacturer

based in Nottingham. founded in 1885

└─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

hitoshi loves his bike.

it’s a pretty thing, a pinarello, painted gold over the chrome and cream along the framework. a tiny silver bell sits across one handlebar, the grips sturdy enough to tie whatever he’s carrying on as he rides. the seat is a tan leather, red stitching bold at its seams, just wide enough for comfortable sitting.

six years of wear and tear have left the chains a little rusted, the leather of the seat dimpled in the middle like the indents of hitoshi’s cheeks. the gold is chipped here and there, but he spends every weekend painstakingly painting over the glimmers of chrome, pouring all his pride into the fullness of his tires, the sheen of his spokes.

he can still remember the way his chest had tingled with excitement the first time he’d laid eyes on it, propped up in the tiny garage against his father’s workstation. the bright red ribbon is garish, too flashy & overbearing for such a simple gift, and the rough strokes of gold against the metal are clearly from his father’s calloused hands, but no present has ever been so special in his eyes, and it shows.

he’d shot up like a weed that summer, legs scraping against the concrete every time he dragged his cherry-red raleigh down the street. long outgrowing his training wheels, the bike was a relic even when he’d received it at four years old, and the chains rattled dangerously every time he went over three miles an hour.

still, he’s fond of the old thing, and adding the red stitching to his new bike was a little nod to the bike of his childhood. the only thing he loved more than the raleigh was his pinarello; and the only thing he loved more than his pinarello was you.

you had been in hitoshi’s life since you were born, really, a chubby cheeked tomato of a baby that had babbled excitedly every time you’d seen hitoshi’s too-big, two year old eyes. even so young, hitoshi had felt an overwhelming urge to keep you close, cuddled right up against his baby pink heart that beat too fast whenever you so much as smiled at him.

you had loved the raleigh almost twice as much as toshi did, always begging to sit behind him as he cruised up and down your quiet street. you’d scoot yourself up so close to hitoshi’s back, socked feet against the red pegs of his training wheels, chubby little hands digging into his waist. stuck together like that, your excited giggles would wash over the shell of hitoshi’s ears, smooth and sweet like the breeze.

at ten, you weren’t much taller than you’d been at four, six, eight, always comfortably nestled against hitoshi on the dilapidated raleigh & if it weren’t for both of the chains finally snapping one afternoon, hitoshi would’ve given it to you. the deep, wobbly pout on your lips had been far too much for his twelve year old heart to bear, already thumping with the beginnings of sweet babylove, and that’s how he finds himself promising to take you along on his pinarello always.

the pinarello is bigger than the raleigh, longer & a little wider in the seat and suddenly you’re not leaning forward against hitoshi but sitting, chest pressed tight to his back as you sail around the neighborhood. like this, hitoshi can feel the steady thump, thump, thump of your heart, beating in tandem with the giggles that escape you every time hitoshi rounds a corner too fast, the wind ruffling his messy, home-cut bangs and teasing your pink cheeks.

hitoshi takes you everywhere, to the corner store on fifth & main, the park, the library, to school in the morning and back home at night. those are his favorite moments, when the sky is tinged with dawn or dusk, sleepy whines floating up from the smaller human clinging to his body, warm cheek pressed close against his back. like this, you’re soft and sweet and so painfully close that hitoshi can almost call you his, the love in his chest innocent & fresh like baby powder.

the love grows and grows and blooms so wide and bright that it hurts sometimes, pushes against the confines of hitoshi’s chest and winds up his throat like it wants to bubble from every corner and edge, spilling from his eyes and mouth and ears like kaleidoscope lights, dotted with the shine of your smile.

and yet, hitoshi tucks it close to the ever steady beat of his heart, not quite ready to let it blossom the way it wants to. he’s not prepared to face the light in your eyes, the sunshine of your smile and tell you that your are hitoshi’s everything, just in case you don’t want to be. and hitoshi would be okay with that, really, in the same way you’d be okay with your favorite teddy bear losing its stuffing, or the stars twinkling out slow, one by one. it would sting and hurt and ache but eventually, the world would right itself again, and he’d breathe like he did before he fell in love with soft cheeks and sweet smiles. your happiness has always been his main priority, and he’s determined to uphold that silent promise.

and he spends so, so much time preparing himself for the worst, bandaging up his heart before it can break, that when he finally pours his heart out to you, sits you down on the soft leather seat of the pinarello and tells you he loves you, that he’s woefully unprepared for your face to break out into a smile as wide as the morning sun shining down on them, the gleam of it outshadowed by your pretty glow.

now, he finds himself pacing outside of your house, two down and one across from his own, his best plaid pants on and his good black turtleneck - the one his mother had said made him look “distinguished” - tucked into them, the glint of the afternoon sun bouncing off his silver belt buckle. he’s nervous, and understandably so, the little drops of sweat rolling down his temple and skating along his jaw. he’s regretting letting his mother fill in his eyebrows and line his eyelids with her kohl pencil, certain that you’ll think he’s overdoing it, worry and panic rolling in slow, methodical waves inside him until he’s ready to fake the flu and escape back into his bed.

the soft squeak of a door, followed by a gentle click of its lock snaps him to attention again, and suddenly all the air’s left his body, fear and worry melting into a forgotten puddle at his feet as you make your way down the porch steps and towards hitoshi.

you’re dressed a little more appropriate for the warm spring weather, a maroon pair of corduroy overalls with a baggy black sweater tucked underneath, the collar wide to expose your glitter speckled collarbones. your black creepers have maroon laces to match, and if he squints right hitoshi can see a gold and maroon bumblebee pin in your hair, a gift from him. you’ve got more glitter on your eyelids and cheeks, and if he were twelve still, he’d worry about getting glitter against the back of his turtleneck as you ride down the street on his pinarello.

as it stands, he’s lucky he still remembers how to breathe.

you give a timid little wave, hand covered in pretty silver rings that catch the fading sunlight. “hi, toshi,” you say into the cool air, voice shy and rich with all the nervousness hitoshi’s holding in his stomach. somehow, though, knowing that you’re feeling the same way he is soothes the stress creeping up his throat, and he smiles dopily back before he can stop himself.

“hi kitty. you look amazing, so pretty. really pretty,” he manages to say before the nerves creep up again, the crimson flush staining his cheeks mirrored on your own. you stutter quietly, dig your toes into the dirt and smile; “you too, toshi. you look handsome,” you mumble, but the sunshine is written all over your face. your eyes flick up after a moment to rest on hitoshi’s face again, and you can see the warmth lying there, the fondness that you know is all for you. then they fall just behind him, and the endearment only grows.

right. the bike.

at eighteen, hitoshi still hasn’t gotten his licence - he’s not a bad driver, per say, he just hasn’t gotten rid of his driving jitters, and he’s far too embarrassed to ask his parents to drive them. besides; “i thought it’d be meaningful for our first date, kind of? i did promise to take you everywhere, right?” he asks hopefully, a hand coming down to rest on the handlebars. the answering smile he gets in response warms his heart, the love forcing its way up in the open air.

you easily step up to the pinarello, pausing to wrap soft arms around hitoshi’s waist in a welcoming, calming sort of hug. it’s a silent affirmation, one that he appreciates immensely; you both have always been able to read each other, and he’s certain the relief blossoms out over his face clear as day. swinging a leg over and settling into the seat, he grins up at you widely, face full of unbridled enthusiasm. “your chariot awaits, your highness,” he teases, and that earns him a wind-chime bout of laughter, sweet and tinkling down into his ears. they’re older now, not quite as small as they used to be and your legs are crowded just behind his own, knees knocking together with nervous excitement.

you easily snuggle into hitoshi’s back, one hand reaching up to tuck an earbud into his ear - a recent new tradition of yours, sharing headphones and alternating on whose library they listened to - an easy, soft beat filling the silence. it’s upbeat but slow, a perfect soundtrack to the picnic they’re headed to along the river, a sweet spring afternoon of newfound love. when they get there, hitoshi will drop the pretty necklace he got you from the flea market into the river via sheer nerves, and you will spend too long rambling about nothing in an attempt to soothe your own anxieties. you’ll share a chaste, too-shy kiss in the glow of the sunset, then another, and another until you’re giggling into each other’s mouths, honey soaked declarations of love in the moonlight.

but for now, you’ve got your cheek pressed to hitoshi’s back, your arms wrapped close around his waist and one hand tangled in hitoshi’s own. hitoshi’ll ride slow to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk, your giggles floating up to his ears amidst the smooth melody of their music and he’ll know that everything will be alright, the world will right itself again.

he’ll always love his bike. but he’ll always love you just a little bit more.

#bnha shinsou #shinsou x y/n #shinsou x you #shinsou x reader #hitoshi shinsou #shinsou fluff #bnha fluff #bnha x y/n #bnha x you #bnha x reader #boku no hero fluff #boku no hero fanfic #evywrites

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the-nazario-chug · 5 years

Text

The Shallow

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoy this! I've been wanting to make a Raleigh fic forever lol I'm actually really proud how this turned out, which does not happen often.

Summary: Leraine Young, AKA Raine, has returned to the Madison Square Garden. This time not as the opening act, but the act. However, her notorious fake-ex crashes the party (in the best way).

Pairing: Raleigh Carrera (M) x MC (Leraine Young)

Word Count: +2,100

Disclaimer: Pixelberry owns Platinum and Raleigh Carrera. A Star Is Born and all the rights belong to Warner Bros. Pictures.

The energy of the concert hall is on fire. When a crowd of twenty thousand people is stomping their feet and chanting her name like she just won the world series, it's hard not to get nervous. And excited. Also nauseous.

With that in mind, she should try not to puke on stage in front of thousands of her fans, a jumbo-tron, and just about the entirety of the American press.

So no pressure, as usual.

Raine! Raine! Raine! Raine!

Needless to say Zadie and her team had gone all out for this show. Raine is all dolled up in a gorgeous purple and blue gradient leotard, covered in sparkling rhinestones and flashy tassels, complemented with rhinestone fringe ankle-boots. Her black wavy hair dyed with a dark red ombre and her makeup neutral with a dark lip (though with a sprinkling of blue eye-shadow glitter). She's clutching Raleigh's guitar which he had given to her the day they met, something she now considers her good-luck charm when the man himself isn't present. (it also goes well with her outfit, which is a plus.)

Speaking of her handsome as sin, totally not fake ex-boyfriend, he did say he'd be here to send her off tonight. Raine's seen hide nor hair of him, but she didn't want to take it personally. If he’s busy she knew they could meet up later and celebrate. Unfortunately, it is a sacrifice commonly made in their line of work, so they both tried their damnedest to not let it get between them.

As Raine tries to sneak a peek through the curtains, she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns (definitely hoping for it to be Raleigh) to see Fiona grinning at her. Looking suspiciously like the cat that just caught the canary.

"There's been a change of plans. Open with your rendition of 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born. It'll be our little announcement for your cameo in the movie."

This is a little odd, it wasn't often Fiona changed plans last minute. It didn't really make sense how eager her manager looked either as she was hardly easy to please.

It also happened that song was supposed to be a duet.

Though as the cheers rose to a roar, the thought was swept from Raine's mind. It wasn't so unusual to go solo for a duet, and she has a long performance to ready herself for. So, she takes deep breaths as Fiona gives her a thumbs up and hurries off to the wings.

Despite the cacophony out on the stage, Raine can still hear the echo of her heels beat in sync with her thumping heart. And when she grins wide and gives a cheery wave, they become even louder than she thought possible. Raine laughs in delight.

The lights blare down and she can hardly see a face in the stadium.

"What's up MSG! How are we feeling tonight?" Raine yelled into her microphone as she yanked it from the stand, and turned it to the screams from the audience.

"I'm thrilled to be here for all of you. I know you're as hyped as I am for the new movie 'A Star Is Born' coming out this fall. So tonight I'm happy to start off with the premiere hit 'Shallow' as the cherry on the cake! I hope you all enjoy!"

In the excitement, Raine adjusts her guitar and readies herself to strum the melody. A lilting acoustic intro filters through the speakers.

Only thing is, Raine hadn't started playing yet.

Her chest constricts as the cheers rise again in intensity. In the din, Raine can hear footsteps against the floor of the stage, and when she turns she can't hide the way her jaw drops.

"Tell me somethin' girl,"

Raleigh is sauntering towards her, all bow-legged swagger and strumming his own guitar. He doesn't even bother to keep that cocky smirk off his face 'cause he knows he got her good.

"Are you happy in this modern world?

Or do you need more?"

Looking up at her through his lashes, eyes bright and his hair tousled to perfection. He's wearing a tank top with a suspiciously familiar rhinestone design and how dare you level tight denim jeans. Suddenly her heart is racing for an entirely different reason than just the thrill of performing. This had been planned since the start and she was none the wiser. Last minute change of plans, her ass.

Raine decides not to bother getting lost in all the details though. Any surprise that includes her man serenading her while looking fine as hell, she isn't going to complain about.

"Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?

I'm fallin'"

He was close now, real close. The soft timbre of his voice rolling over her in waves, tempting Raine to close her eyes and appreciate the soothing tones. The only thing stopping her is Raleigh's eyes, piercing hers with an intense honesty and longing she had only recently gotten to see in earnest. A gaze she was starting to adore. Her own stare, meanwhile, wanders down to his arms that are looking too good in that top, the muscles tensing with a light sheen of sweat reflected from the packed stadium and lights. She'd be embarrassed from her ogling, if his survey of her in return wasn't as shameless.

And as sure as Raine is that they are not supposed to be seen together like this in public, she should have guessed that Raleigh would be this ostentatious while breaking that rule.

"In all the good times I find myself longin',

For change,

And in the bad times I fear myself."

While Raleigh continued plucking the instrumental, Raine finally registered some fans talking in her periphery.

"Oh my god, didn't they break up?"

"He's trying to win her over! That's so romantic!"

"They still look so good together, are they gonna start dating again?"

Taking another breath in, Raine knows her part was coming up. So she gives into her temptation and takes a step closer to him. Close enough that she can feel the heat of his breath against her cheek. She raises the mic between them.

"Tell me somethin' boy,

Are you tired of tryin' to fill that void?

Or do you need more?

Ain't it hard keepin' it so hardcore?"

Filling the space between them with her voice, she thought about how fitting this is for them. Though she didn't doubt it was intentional. Now she understood why Fiona would have this change of heart, allowing them to be seen like this. It was as dramatic as their faux break-up for sure. Generating hype for her upcoming cameo and therefore, her royalties.

But Raine didn't care about that. All she cares about is the man in front of her. The spotlight is shining a halo around his perfect-messy hair, and she finds herself wanting to run her fingers through it. For a brief moment, she wonders if her urge would give their game away somehow. (Not that she already had with that lean in.)

Screw it. Raleigh can surprise Raine at her own concert, she's allowed to have some surprises up her rhinestone encrusted sleeves too.

"I'm fallin'," As Raine continues the chorus, she reaches up strokes her free hand through his dark locks. She holds in her own giddiness while Raine swears she can hear squeals erupt from the crowd, but Raleigh is all she wants to keep her attention on. A surge of satisfaction and affection grows in her chest when she sees the shivers that course through him, and how his eyelids flutter in pleasure. The almost inaudible rumble from Raleigh's chest that she can feel from their short distance apart. Pride that she's the one who can do this to him.

"In all the good times I find myself lo-ongin'

For change," Her hand drifts from his hair to his ear, and cheek. Restraining a shiver of her own as her thumb rubs the stubble along his jawline, then glides to his mouth and grazes his bottom lip. Raleigh's eyes are dark and the electricity of the connection between them sparks with vigor. God, she wants to kiss this man already.

All good things to those who wait, she decides, especially when Raleigh Carrera is concerned.

"And in the bad times, I fear myself-"

Her voice echoes throughout the Garden, and as Raine reaches up again to brush a stray lock of hair from his brow, it feels like they're the only two in the world. In the silence of thousands holding their breath, and the air crackling with unspoken tension, she's never felt so connected to a single person.

In that moment they both grin, their hearts zinging with that knowledge. Raine tilts her head back slightly and serenades the hell out of her beau. When her belting voice reverberates, the tension cracks and their fans cheer unabashed again.

"I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in

I'll never meet the ground!

Crash the surface, where they can't hurt us, we're far from the shallow now."

High off the thrill of the stage, and each other, Raine and Raleigh lean closer and sing together. Practically nose to nose, Raine can hear the cheeky intrusive thought in the back of her mind that he is so it for her, now.

"We're far from the shallow now…"

As the crowd's cheers reach their peak again, they both stay in each others space. For a second it feels like they're in their own little bubble again, like no one could hear them.

Until Raleigh mutters something that is very much heard by everyone.

"Be my girl, Leraine."

Raine's eyes dart to his, to find him already looking up at her with a soft smile.

"Raleigh… ?" Right now that's all she can squeak out, she knows he's aware how close the mic is to their faces. And their audience is almost unnervingly silent. Raine supposed some part of her knew they'd get back together in public after the concert but she wasn't expecting it to be so quick.

He smiles patiently, and steps back before going down on one knee. Thousands of voices gasp and mutter amongst themselves. But Raleigh's only looking at her.

"I know I messed up big time, and I didn't realize it until it was too late. I never meant to hurt you. And I never expected how much that would hurt me. 'Cause you make me want something real, Leraine. You make me want to be real. What's between us is like nothing I've ever known before, and I was an idiot for not seeing that sooner. Do you wanna give this another chance?" Raleigh's voice is soft but sure, like he's been waiting to let all of that out forever.

Some of it is for show, Raine isn't naive enough to think otherwise. So no one suspects their first go around was fake. But what Raine does know is his feelings are real and just for her. What the public knew didn't matter as long as she had Raleigh Carrera in her life.

Pulse hammering, Raine smiles and whispers into the world.

"Yeah, I'd honestly love that."

Raleigh grins and surges up to meet her, and all of the sudden he's holding and kissing her finally without anymore waiting necessary. And all she can think is woah. Their guitars and the microphone who knows where now. Hopefully not smashed on the ground.

Still, she doesn't regret what just happened in the slightest.

In the elated screaming around them, Raleigh mutters against her lips, "I'm totally gonna spin you."

"What? You are not-!"

He's got that shit eating grin on that she knows means, I've got a great idea everyone else knows is bad but none of you can stop me.

"Yup, I'm doing it. This is happening."

"Raleigh, no it's-!! Auh!"

Even with her protests, she's still laughing when Raleigh lifts her by her thighs and spins her on the stage. Much to the delight of everyone in attendance.

When they're both out of breath and Raleigh's put her back in his arms, the words he whispers in her ear Raine knows are meant for her alone.

"I'm glad I've got you keeping me honest, love."

Lights flash around them as he keeps holding her close, no doubt the paparazzi and fans alike capturing every moment. And just like the song from their impromptu duet Raine can see with clarity how crazy her life has now become. How deep they both are in this sea of stardom.

Well, so long as Raleigh’s there with her, she can’t bring herself to mind.

#choices #choices stories you play #platinum #platinum choices #raleigh carrera #mc x raleigh #raleigh platinum #choices raleigh

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bulletprooflarrybackup-blog · 6 years

Text

TOP 100: Take Me Home Tour H/L Moments 2013

Lisa, Jess and I have been getting super excited for the WWA tour and thought a great way to get even more excited would be to go through every H/L moment from the 2013 tour and put them into a top 10 list.

As you can tell by the title of this post, that did not happen. Because guess what! This is the hardest post I've ever had to make because I couldn't pick 10 or 20 or even 50 "essential" moments from this tour.

THINK ABOUT THAT.

We all pine for the days of yore when the Up All Night tour was going strong, and there were a lot of moments I love from that tour. But it was also a much shorter tour and took place over a shorter period of time. It was a case study in teenage love affair: flirting, sex and hearteyes. The Take Me Home tour was different (obviously lol) in that it was much more subdued (partly for unhappy reasons).

But after going through this, I think I might like this tour better, which seems crazy, but once you go through this list (and Lisa's), you'll see that this tour was all about being settled, domestic and fond in the face of what appeared to be pretty extreme measures to have us believe they weren't even friends anymore.

But once you go through this list, I think you'll agree, that nothing that matters has changed.

(gif credit)

Let's do this.

These are in chronological order, because if I had to rank them, I'd stroke out from the pressure. Going by date is a fun way to see that this tour was CONSISTENT. There were more cute moments in the first half of the tour than the last half, but overall, they were always there. They never went away.

Harry checking out Louis an hour into the first show | London | 23 February 2013 - x x

Louis making Harry laugh | London | 23 February 2013 - x

"They could never shut us down." | London | 24 February 2013 - x

But Louis would really like to shut Narry down | London | 24 February 2013 - x

Louis did a cartwheel and Harry was cheering him on before he even started it and then wolf whistled and was so fond | London | 24 February 2013 - x x

Louis saving Harry from being crushed by the stage | Glasgow | 26 February 2013 - x

This picture | Glasgow | 26 February 2013 - x

Harry staring at the sun Louis | Cardiff | 3 March 2013 - x

Harry shows Louis the clitoris sign | Dublin | 12 March 2013 - x

Louis shares his crisps with Harry | Manchester | 16 March 2013 - x

Louis touches Harry's hip gently & fondly | Manchester| 16 March 2013 - x

Playground crushes | Manchester | 16 March 2013 - x

Louis admiring his boyfriend | Liverpool | 17 March 2013 - x

Dancing together in Teenage Dirtbag | Sheffield | 19 March 2013 - x

Louis' fond scrunched up face | Birmingham | 22 March 2013 - x

Louis makes Harry laugh so hard he can't sing | Birmingham | 23 March 2013 - x

Louis sees Heaven Harry | Birmingham | 23 March 2013 - x

Louis thinks Harry might be hurt & crushes our souls with The Head Tilt | Birmingham| 23 March 2013 - x [Jess' favorite]

This picture | Birmingham | 23 March 2013 - x

This whisper | Birmingham | 23 March 2013 - x

"Oh, I'm not alright." | Liverpool | 31 March 2013 - x

"You were mine and we never said goodbye." | London | 1 April 2013 - x

Mirroring | London | 1 April 2013 - x

Harry touches Louis' shoulder & his soul | London | 2 April 2013 - x

The Signal Reappears Briefly | London | 4 April 2013 - x x

Then Harry grips Louis' shoulder in their bow | London | 4 April 2013 - x

Harry's Fond Face | London | 6 April 2013 - x

Harry deep throats a banana at Louis causing Zayn to check on Louis' well being | Sheffield | 13 April 2013 - x

Harry really laying it on thick with his Louis thirst | Sheffield | 13 April 2013 - x x

Harry pretends not to know how to do a handstand even though he knows how to do a handstand just to let Louis win | Sheffield | 13 April 2013 - x

8 weeks in and Louis is already over the Zarry | Nottingham | 16 April 2013 - x

Harry spins Louis | Birmingham | 17 April 2013 - x

Cracking each other up | Manchester | 20 April 2013 - x

Louis taps his heart and looks at Harry during "Over Again" | Amneville | 30 April 2013 - x x

"They could never shut us down." | Oslo | 7 May 2013 - x

Louis sings "Hot In Here" and Harry gets excited | Stockholm | 8 May 2013 - x

Their hands as they look at a fan book | Denmark | 10 May 2013 - x

These M&G pics | Denmark | 10 May 2013 - x

Louis doesn't care if Harry's sick, he'll drink his tea if he wants to because they share everything else | Denmark | 10 May 2013 - x [Jess' favorite]

Louis makes Harry smile and is adorably smug | Berlin | 11 May 2013 - x

Louis attempts to become the personification of the word "fond" | Berlin | 11 May 2013 - x

Whisper Whisper | Munich | 16 May 2013 - x x

"They could never shut us down." | Milan | 20 May 2013 - x

The Dream Team in action | Madrid | 24 May 2013 - x

Harry likes what he sees | Mexico City| 9 June 2013 - x

Harry is just really fond of Louis | Mexico City | 9 June 2013 - x x

H/L on a mothafuckin' boat | Miami | 11 June 2013 - x

Holding hands at the M&G | Miami | 14 June 2013 - x

Louis' extreme concern at Harry falling | Louisville | 16 June 2013 - x

"I'm in love with you, and all your little things." | Columbus | 18 June 2013 - x

Louis in the Gibson shirt Harry got in Nashville and holding hands in a M&G | Raleigh | 22 June 2013 - x

Harry "Fond" Styles | Washington, D.C. | 23 June 2013 - x

Running into each other and Louis' sweet reaction | Philadelphia | 25 June 2013 - x

Hand holding at the M&G | Boston | 26 June 2013 - x

Louis' private Harry smile | Boston | 26 June 2013 - x

These smiles | Jones Beach | 28 June 2013 - x

Harry checking to see if Louis is watching him and Louis fonding away | Jones Beach | 28 June 2013 - x

This really adorable fan account | Jones Beach | 29 June 2013 - x

Making each other laugh | East Rutherford | 2 July 2013 - x

In a room full of people, you're the only one around... | East Rutherford | 2 July 2013 - x

Hand holding at the M&G | Hershey | 5 July 2013 - x

Louis kills the spider for Harry who can hardly believe his husband is that considerate and amazing | Hershey | 5 July 2013 - x x

Racing down stage together | Hershey | 5 July 2013 - x

The fond is unleashed | Hershey | 5 July 2013 - x

Harry causes widespread pain by changing the lyric to "They can never hurt us now" | Hershey | 5 July 2013 - x

Harry looks after Louis and gets him a throat lozenge | Hershey | 6 July 2013 - x

Over Again | Hershey | 6 July 2013 - x

Magnets | Toronto | 10 July 2013 - x

The way Louis laughs at Harry when he killed the bug | Chicago | 13 July 2013 - x

The way Louis gently held Harry's wrist during their bow | Chicago | 14 July 2013 - x

Niall brings up the First Meal Louis Ever Cooked | Kansas City | 19 July 2013 - x

"Here cutie, have a nacho." - Louis to Harry probably | Dallas | 22 July 2013 - x x

Liam messing with Louis by messing with Harry | Dallas | 22 July 2013 - x

Hand holding at the M&G | Oakland | 31 July 2013 - x

Louis finally snapping at fans who kept throwing things at Harry on stage throughout the entire tour | Las Vegas | 2 August 2013 - x

The gentle touches | Las Vegas | 2 August 2013 - x

Harry's favorite part of Chop Suey the human face is still the eyelashes | Chula Vista | 4 August 2013 - x (chop suey)

Harry barely restraining his pride and love for Louis as Niall announced Louis had just signed to play football with the Doncaster Rovers | Chula Vista | 4 August 2013 - x

Louis looking at Harry and wiggling his eyebrows as Niall announces Louis had just signed to play football with the Doncaster Rovers | Chula Vista | 4 August 2013 - x

Harry really, really likes Louis | L.A. | 7 August 2013 - x

Louis really loves Harry | L.A. | 9 August 2013 -x

These pictures | L.A. | 9 August 2013 - x x

The way they talk to each other | L.A. | 9 August 2013 - x

"You were mine and we never said goodbye." | L.A. | 10 August 2013 - x

Harry is incredibly amused by Louis | L.A. | 10 August 2013 - x

The Cake Licking Incident of 2013 | L.A. | 10 August 2013 - x x

Harry openly teasing Louis after the Cake Incident | L.A. | 10 August 2013 - x

Flirting via microphone stand stealing | L.A. | 10 August 2013 - x

Harry will do anything Louis tells him and they both love it (the Goldfish Moment) | Adelaide | 23 September 2013 - x

This heartbreakingly fond face Harry made when Louis' voice cracked in "Over Again" | Adelaide | 25 September 2013 - x

Harry watching the sun rise Louis finish "Over Again" | Melbourne | 2 October 2013 - x

Harry does his favorite yogo pose for Louis | Melbourne | 3 October 2013 - x

I'm not over Haylor and neither is Louis (99 Problems) | Christchurch | 10 October 2013 - x

Harry turns our hearts inside out by saying "Still the One" | Melbourne | 16 October 2013 - x

Whatever was going on during "I Would" | Brisbane | 20 October 2013 - x

This angle | Brisbane | 30 October 2013 - x

Fist bump | Brisbane | 30 October 2013 - x

"I think you know what's coming, Louis...ganbarimasu!" | Tokyo | 2 November 2013 - x

"If in doubt, say it fast." | Tokyo | 2 November 2013 - x

These Flirts | Tokyo | 3 November 2013 - x

#tmh tour larry #ls gifs #mine #top 100

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avelera · 6 years

Note

So Raleigh and Mako have their iconic first face-to-face meeting at the helipad and people have written meta about how drift-memories show Mako silhouetted and haloed by the umbrella while Raleigh looks commanding and soulful. We know they'd been writing for a few years but do you have any strong headcanons about how Newton and Hermann first met face-to-face?

(For the record, I LOVE that meta about Raleigh and Mako that you’re referencing!)

This is a really interesting question, Anon! A lot of my headcanons kinda come about either because of fanfic I read that feels “right” or expediency for something I need in a story where I need an explanation that feels “right”. My headcanon about their first meeting is definitely a combination of those two. I think the @hermannhaslovedthestars webcomic does an EXCELLENT job and really solidified for me a sense of what happened, and a vague reference to that sort of set up (which I’ll describe below) even played into some dialogue I wrote for the latest Prisoners’ Dilemma chapter (hopefully forthcoming this week).

I’ll go into detail below, putting it below a cut so I can ramble ;P

So I think their first meeting was a huge disappointment for both of them, like soul-crushing. They had been writing canonically “passionate” letters to one another for years, the idea they were crushing hard on one another remotely is so ubiquitous in fanon it’s practically canon at this point. My thoughts on this draw from other PR meta I’ve enjoyed but they include:

- The letters helped filter out some of Newt’s more rambling and hyperactive interactions and leveled him out enough that he came across as, y’know, a normal human. It also let his genius shine in a way Hermann found appealing.

- Likewise for Hermann–I was going to say that the letters helped Hermann come out of his shell but I just realized that’s fanon and not canon. Canonically, Hermann has no trouble butting into conversations he’s not a part of and saying rather embarrassing personal things like the “Handwriting of God” speech. At least when it comes to his field (which is the extent of how we see him really in the films) he’s not shy at all. So let’s let that fanon die for a second.

- Really what the letters probably did for Hermann was make him less of a stern, judgmental jerk hung up on his work. He’s a bit of a forbidding person even (if not especially) with his social awkwardness. So I imagine it’s more that the letters allowed him the perceived privacy (see his rule about “public displays of affection”) to open up a bit and maybe even make flirtatious overtures and give compliments to Newt. So letters helped him come across as a normal human as well, one who can give displays of affection.

- So then you’ve got this situation where both of them in person are so much more abrasive than they are over letters. Newt is too loud and chaotic and any playful jabs he makes probably don’t land right and end up stinging Hermann’s pride instead. Hermann is too stern and serious, a total killjoy, and his waspishness is on full display. He won’t do anything affectionate in public, where they probably met, so none of his softer side can come through. Newt is bouncing off the walls and not checking himself at all or slowing down to clarify his point or pad it with anything less than his unfiltered internal monologue.

- I see both of their worst social habits going into absolute overdrive as the first meeting progresses. They were both already super nervous, and then as things don’t click they get even more nervous, so they both fall back on their worst behavior instincts, insulting one another and trying to shore up their pride (which both have in spades, to the point of arrogance). This just makes matters worse and before you know it, they’re both in too deep to calm down and check in with one another and see if there’s been some kind of misunderstanding along the way.

- All their worst fears about the other, and about this meeting, are realized. This is in part because I’m sure both had a best case scenario and a worst case scenario in their head, with nothing in between (even though reality is always in between), and it becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy when everything isn’t amazing and it’s not this incredible meeting of souls where finally all the social isolation they’ve felt elsewhere just melts away because they’re with each other.

- Because here’s the thing, our social habits don’t just go away when we’re with someone we care for. No one can read our minds. And it takes a bit of acclimation before even the most attentive soulmate can read what’s really happening in our heads. I think from the letters they thought they knew one another very well and, sure, they knew one another’s minds very well, but not their social cues like, “I insult people when I’m nervous,” for Newt or “I snap at people when I feel like I’ve lost control of a situation,” for Hermann.

- By the way, Hermann canonically shows he cares by snapping at Newt, for example about his safety for the Drift experiment, disguised as criticism of the experiment itself, which Newt was unable to see for what it was. Meanwhile, Newt is like an immature kid on the playground: he pulls Hermann’s proverbial pigtails because he wants his attention, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative attention. But look at how he puffs up around Hannibal Chau as well and tries to impress him! Newt pokes the bear with people whose positive attention he craves, which are people he respects. If he didn’t respect Hermann, he wouldn’t care about getting his attention at all, but Hermann can’t read that about him.

- Most tragically though, I think both of them needed that meeting to be everything for them. They needed to see fireworks and hear the choirs of angels singing. At even the first sign of awkwardness, which could have even been just due to mistranslation or confusion, I think the first chink in the armor appeared, and then everything fell apart like dominoes after that as the anxiety level skyrocketed when things didn’t go as well as they had dreamed (and of course they didn’t, because they couldn’t). And that built the resentment as the other “betrayed” what Newt/Hermann needed from him, emotionally, to the point where it became a wall that was impossible to climb over without one of them, at least one of these two prideful, socially inept geniuses to back down. Someone needed to bend and say, “Hey, did I miss something?” but I also think, for the record, that both of them were bullied growing up and when you’re bullied you often learn 1) how to be a bully yourself and 2) how to not show weakness. So they locked themselves in a game of chicken where neither could back down from being a jerk because to admit weakness was to lose. The pen-pal becomes the enemy and neither knew how to stop it from spiraling further after that.

- I do think they both secretly know they “like” each other, or at least that they see themselves as “in the trenches” together and that they do have positive interactions (largely despite themselves) over the year, but in order to end the fighting, it really does take Hermann conceding that he cares whether or not Newt lives or dies with the “I’ll go with you,” line about the Drift. He’s conceding that Newt’s idea will work (which he resisted before) and helping Newt. Newt immediately construes it as a romantic overture because, well, it kind of is for them in a way that I consider borderline canonical given that the actors played them as in love in Uprising. Hermann ducks a little bit there and pleads “the end of the world” as a reason for his change of heart, but Newt basically disregards that (as he does many things Hermann says, lol) and makes it a friendship thing anyway which Hermann responds to as well, giving lie to his claim that it was pure business.

So to go back to that first meeting… I think it was a date. Maybe they met at a bar or a coffee shop. Maybe it was more romantic than that. Maybe one of them set it up to be a date and the other thought they’d meet before trying to date, and the wires got all crossed. But I absolutely believe that both built up this first meeting in their mind to such heights that there’s no way on earth that they wouldn’t walk away disappointed in some way, and that’s exactly what happened.

Edit: Actually, I wanted to add how I think that would play visually.

I bet in their memories there is a visual change in the Drift from what “really” happened.

I bet both of them are larger than life in that memory. I bet in the memory of the first time they laid eyes on each other they both look amazing, like the hottest fanartist take on the other that you can imagine. Newt looks like a rockstar. Hermann looks like, well, Burn Gorman in a suit when he’s not trying to look “like Hermann” (which has a whole physicality around it to downplay how fucking hot that man really is).

I bet it morphs. I bet they both start to take on aspects of a childhood bully the other had. Newt becomes sneering, Hermann becomes disdainful. They start to “look” like someone who is out to get them but maybe, just maybe, the attractiveness level doesn’t drop. Hey, if you’ve been bullied, if you’ve been socially awkward, then chance are you’ve been rejected by someone you perceived as attractive, to the point where attractiveness itself becomes forbidding.

It could play into them making the other out to be some sort of obnoxious little goblin that’s out to get them: downplay the threat, make it ridiculous and mock it so it isn’t as scary. Hermann is constantly pointing out to others and himself how hopeless Newt is, Newt points out how Hermann’s (probably staggering) intelligence is pointless and basically just self-important noise.

But to go back, I think visually in the Drift they’d see one another as “sneering” for most of their memories, but it would be like scars overlaying this borderline angelic or heroic first image of them informed by that love and hope that things would work between them, before they opened their goddamn stupid mouths and ruined it.

#newmann #pacific rim #pr meta #my meta #kidnapping au #Anonymous

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gutterballgt · 6 years

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Happy Pride!! Do you think Chuck and Raleigh would celebrate? If so, how? -Kai

Oh, man!

Because Raleigh has no intention of “celebrating” at all, at least not in public. Everyone who needs to know at the shatterdome knows, and that’s enough for him. Most of the outside world thinks he’s straight, and he’s not exactly thrilled with that, but it’s none of anyone’s business that Raleigh Becket, golden boy and savior of the world, is bisexual. He’s done far too many post-Pitfall interviews and press tours as it is, and he just wants to keep this one thing to himself.

Chuck has no patience for that shit.

He’s been stuck in battle mode for more than half his life, and he wasn’t even really aware that Pride was a thing until Mako brought it to his attention by wearing a rainbow scarf into a planning meeting one morning. Once she explained, he was on fire to Do The Thing.

Needless to say, he was a bit put out when Raleigh said no and meant it.

“Oi, there’s a parade tomorrow and everything. I wanna go be in it. I’ve never had a parade that wasn’t for the goddamn war before, and I fucking want to go.”

“So go.”

“With. You.”

“I’m not going.”

Grumbling, Chuck crossed his arms and pouted. “You don’t wanna be seen with me? ‘M I suddenly not good enough for Raleigh Fucking Becket?”

Rolling his eyes, Raleigh stood up from where he’d been lounging on his bunk and moved to stand right in Chuck’s face. “If you want to announce that we’re together from the mountaintops, that’s fine. Herc can put together a press release in an hour.” He shrugged. “But if you want me to lead a parade, the great Raleigh Becket in a trademarked rainbow shirt with a pithy slogan on it so the news can have a soundbite to replay over and over… no.”

“But mate, think how many people out there would feel strong enough to come out knowing a hero like you is–”

“No.”

“Raleigh–”

“Chuck. I said no.” His jaw clenched. “You don’t… I can’t….”

Surprised by the vehemence of the response – Raleigh hadn’t so much as quibbled at Chuck’s initial, awkward overtures and freely admitted he was bi, so where was the problem? – Chuck backed down, though not without feeling a bit hurt.

And Raleigh saw that hurt and sagged, his head lowering.

“You don’t get how it was, okay?”

Chuck didn’t know what had happened, but it had clearly been enough to cause this much ruffle in a man who’d looked into another dimension without flinching. If it was bad enough to make Raleigh Becket balk….

So, instead of getting petulant or, worse, angry, Chuck softened his tone. “Tell me?”

Sighing, the bloke sat back down on the bed. “You weren’t really in the program for the glory years, were you? When we were all rock stars?”

Wary of a misstep but wanting to help now that he realized there was a problem, Chuck slowly sat down beside the poor sod. “I was in the academy. Reckon I knew how it was, but yeah, by the time I was able to pilot, jaegers were already falling on the regular.”

Raleigh nodded without looking at him. “Yance and I were the golden boys. All-American beef, not too bright but very photogenic. The PPDC trotted us out into the limelight every chance they got. Showed us off like prize pigs at a county fair.”

Chuck cleared his throat. “I might remember a bit of that. Might still have some publicity stills, if I’m honest.”

That got a glance from blue eyes that finally held a hint of warmth and just the tiniest quirk of a grin.

“Good to know. Anyway, Yance was straight as an arrow, but I’ve always had an eye for both. Once word of that got to the brass….” The hint of amusement faded, and the bloke looked away again. “They clamped down on it like a vice. No word of any scandal, or we were out on our asses. No hint of anything but good ol’ heterosexual boys being heterosexual boys. We could bang all the female jaeger flies in the world, but if I so much as kissed a man….”

Chuck wanted to storm from the room and find someone to beat up. Preferably whatever homophobic fuckshit had come up with such a bullshit policy. Since that fucker was likely dead or holed up in the so-called safe zone where all the rich wankers had migrated inland, he made himself stay put.

“Anyway.” Raleigh shrugged like it didn’t mean anything, but his shoulders were too stiff to pull it off. “Just… you can see why I don’t want to be the PPDC’s poster gay now when they refused to acknowledge me when it could’ve done the most good.”

No one had ever told Chuck to hide who he was. Hell, he was actively encouraged to be as big an insufferable ass as possible because, by the time he was comfortable enough in the spotlight to spout off, the PPDC needed all the press it could get, good or bad. To find out that Raleigh had been threatened, had been bullied into cutting off that part of himself, into hiding it away until the end of the fucking world had made such things moot….

He forced his fists to unclench, then put an arm around the bloke’s broad shoulders. “Listen, mate. Maybe… maybe now is when it would do the most good.”

Blue eyes shot him an annoyed, narrow-eyed glance.

“I’m serious.” Sighing, he leaned his forehead against the bloke’s temple, plastering himself up against Raleigh’s side. “All that shit is done, yeah? The whole world is starting over. Mate, I’m not asking you to be the poster child, eh?”

Raleigh stayed silent and still. Unmoved.

“Raleigh, love… you saved the whole damn world. That means you get to tell it to go to hell and be who the fuck you want to be, yeah?” He huffed softly, giving the rigid bloke a gentle squeeze. “Who the fuck would dare to tell you different?”

After a long, long moment, that hard, resisting body relaxed a bit. Relaxed a bit more. Gave in and actually leaned against him in return.

“You really, really wanna be in a non-military parade, don’t you?”

He grinned against the silly wanker’s cheek. “In the worst way, mate.”

Lo and behold, Raleigh actually chuckled and turned his head until they leaned forehead to forehead. “Such a jerk.”

Smirking softly, he opened his eyes and looked at the pretty bloke he’d been lost on since the moment he strode into the jaeger bay looking like a homeless person. Beautiful, really, even with those knock-out baby blues closed.

“I’m not asking you to lead the parade, Raleigh. Not even asking you to wave at the cameras or make nice with the press or be a role model for baby gays in need of a hero to emulate.” Another gentle squeeze. “Just wanna walk down the street with thousands of people like us, holding your hand with one hand and flipping off the homophobes with the other.”

Another chuckle, and the bloke opened his eyes. Jesus, that blue. Went right to Chuck’s heart every goddamn time.

“Okay, okay. That, I think I can do.”

Elated, he gave the bloke an impulsive kiss, then smiled against those pretty lips. “Too right, mate.”

“But I’m not wearing a slogan.”

“You don’t have to.”

“…I might wear a rainbow.”

“That can be arranged.”

Grinning, they separated enough to actually plan their strategy. They had a Pride parade to attend, and Chuck intended to do it fucking right.

Herc decided to go along for solidarity. Mako, of course, had already planned to attend. Pentecost had to resort to a wheelchair most days, thanks to the more aggressive chemotherapies sapping his strength, but if Mako was going, he was going. She had supported him all those years, and it was his turn to support her.

In the end, almost the entire shatterdome ended up marching, some as allies and some as active participants, and the ones that didn’t go watched on their viewscreens and cheered their fellow ‘dome mates on.

And when it was all over and Raleigh swore he’d be washing glitter out of every fold and crevice of his body until Christmas, even he had to admit that it had been a damn good day.

The next year, Chuck didn’t even have to ask.

#chaleigh #pacific rim #pride month #it'd be nice if bigotry weren't still alive and writhing by the time the kaiju war ended #but this is humanity #and we suck #but we're trying to get better #and raleigh and chuck would so be there for it #Anonymous

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years

Text

Veterans Push for Medical Marijuana in Conservative South

RALEIGH, N.C. — Each time Chayse Roth drives home to North Carolina, he notices the highway welcome signs that declare: “Nation’s Most Military Friendly State.”

“That’s a powerful thing to claim,” said Roth, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Now he says he’s calling on the state to live up to those words. A Wilmington resident, Roth is advocating for lawmakers to pass a bill that would legalize medical marijuana and allow veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating conditions to use it for treatment.

“I’ve lost more men to suicide since we went to Afghanistan in ’01 than I have in combat,” said Roth, who said he doesn’t use cannabis himself but wants others to have the option. “It’s just unacceptable for these guys to go overseas and win the battle and come home and lose the battle to themselves.”

He is among several veterans brought together by a recently formed advocacy group called NC Families for Medical Cannabis. These veterans have testified before the legislature and visited lawmakers individually.

In a state that’s home to eight military bases, one of the largest veteran populations in the country and a Republican-controlled legislature that prides itself on supporting the troops, they hope their voices will act as a crucial lever to push through a bill that has faced opposition in the past.

“If we really want to be the most veteran-friendly state in the union, this is just another thing we can do to solidify that statement,” Roth said.

From California to Massachusetts, veterans have been active in the push for medical marijuana legalization for decades. But now, as the movement focuses on the remaining 14 states that have not enacted comprehensive medical marijuana programs or full marijuana legalization, their voices may have outsize influence, experts say.

Many of these remaining states are in the traditionally conservative South and dominated by Republican legislatures. “The group carrying the message here makes a huge difference,” said Julius Hobson Jr., a former lobbyist for the American Medical Association who now teaches lobbying at George Washington University. “When you’ve got veterans coming in advocating for that, and they’re considered to be a more conservative bunch of folks, that has more impact.”

Veterans also have the power of numbers in many of these states, Hobson said. “That’s what gives them clout.”

Successes are already evident. In Texas and Louisiana, veterans played a key role in the recent expansion of medical marijuana programs. In Mississippi, they supported a successful ballot initiative for medical cannabis in 2020, though the result was later overturned by the state Supreme Court. And in Alabama, the case of an out-of-state veteran arrested and jailed for possession of medical marijuana incited national outrage and calls for legalization. The state legalized medical marijuana earlier this year.

To be sure, not every veteran supports these efforts, and the developments in red states have been influenced by other factors: advocacy from cancer patients and parents whose children have epilepsy, lawmakers who see this as a states’ rights issue, a search for alternative pain relief amid the opioid epidemic and a push from industries seeking economic gains.

But the attention to the addiction and suicide epidemics among veterans, and calls to give them more treatment options, are also powerful forces.

In states like North Carolina, where statewide ballot initiatives are banned, veterans can kick-start a conversation with lawmakers who hold the power to make change, said Garrett Perdue, the son of former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and a spokesperson for NC Families for Medical Cannabis and CEO of Root Bioscience, a company that makes hemp products.

“It fits right in with the general assembly’s historical support of those communities,” Perdue said. “For [lawmakers] to hear stories of those people that are trusted to protect us and enforce the right of law” and see them as advocates for this policy “is pretty compelling.”

Gary Hess, a Marine Corps veteran from Louisiana, said he first realized the power of his platform in 2019, when he testified in front of the state legislature about seeing friends decapitated by explosions, reliving the trauma day-to-day, taking a cocktail of prescription medications that did little to help his symptoms and finally finding relief with cannabis. His story resonated with lawmakers who had served in the military themselves, Hess said.

He recalled one former colonel serving in the Louisiana House telling him: “They’re not going to say no to a veteran because of the crisis you’re all in. As someone who is put together well and can tell the story of marijuana’s efficacy, you have a powerful platform.”

Hess has since started his own nonprofit to advocate for medical marijuana legalization and has traveled to other state and national events, including hearings before the North Carolina legislature.

“Once I saw the power my story had,” he said, “the goal became: How do I expedite this process for others?”

Experts trace the push for medical marijuana legalization back to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s, particularly in California’s Bay Area.

As the movement tried to expand, medical marijuana activists realized other regions were not as sympathetic to the LGBTQ community, said Lee Hannah, an associate professor of political science at Wright State University who is writing a book about the rise of legal marijuana in the U.S. They had to find “more target populations that evoke sympathy, understanding and support,” Hannah said.

Over time, the medical marijuana conversation grew from providing symptom relief for patients with AIDS to include such conditions as cancer, pediatric epilepsy and PTSD, Hannah and his colleagues noted in a 2020 research paper. With each condition added, the movement gained wider appeal.

“It helped change the view of who a marijuana user is,” said Daniel Mallinson, a co-author on the 2020 paper and the upcoming book with Hannah, and an assistant professor at the Penn State-Harrisburg School of Public Affairs. “That makes it more palatable in these legislatures where it wouldn’t have been before.”

In 2009, New Mexico became the first state to make PTSD patients eligible for medical marijuana. The condition has since been included in most state medical marijuana programs.

The movement got another boost in 2016 when the American Legion, a veterans organization with 1.8 million members known for its conservative politics, urged Congress to remove marijuana from its list of prohibited drugs and allow research into its medical uses.

“I think knowing an organization like the American Legion supports it frankly gives [lawmakers] a little bit of political cover to do something that they may have all along supported but had concerns about voter reaction,” said Lawrence Montreuil, the group’s legislative director.

In Texas, when the Republican governor recently approved a law expanding the state’s limited medical marijuana program, he tweeted: “Veterans could qualify for medical marijuana under new law. I will sign it.”

It’s smart political messaging, Hannah said. Elected officials “are always looking to paint laws they support in the most positive light, and the approval rate of veterans is universally high.”

Nationally, veteran-related marijuana bills seem to be among the few cannabis-related reforms that have gained bipartisan support. Bills with Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in Congress this session deal with promoting research into medical marijuana treatment for veterans, allowing Veterans Affairs doctors to discuss cannabis with patients in states where it is legal and protecting veterans from federal penalization for using state-legalized cannabis.

Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), who has co-sponsored two bipartisan bills concerning veterans and medical marijuana this session, said the interest of veterans is “what drew me to cannabis in the first place.”

In North Carolina, veterans like Roth and Hess, along with various advocacy groups, continue to drum up support for the medical marijuana bill. They know it’s a long battle. The bill must clear several Senate committees, a full Senate vote and then repeat the process in the House. But Roth said he’s optimistic “the veteran aspect of it will be heavily considered by lawmakers.”

An early indication of that came at a Senate committee hearing earlier this summer. Standing at the podium, Roth scrolled through his phone to show lawmakers how many of his veteran contacts were now dead due to suicide. Other veterans testified about the times they had contemplated suicide and how the dozens of prescription medications they had tried before cannabis had done little to quiet those thoughts.

The hearing room was silent as each person spoke. At the end, the lawmakers stood and gave a round of applause “for those veterans who are with us today and those who are not.”

The bill later passed that committee with a nearly unanimous vote.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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Veterans Push for Medical Marijuana in Conservative South published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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stephenmccull · 3 years

Text

Veterans Push for Medical Marijuana in Conservative South

RALEIGH, N.C. — Each time Chayse Roth drives home to North Carolina, he notices the highway welcome signs that declare: “Nation’s Most Military Friendly State.”

“That’s a powerful thing to claim,” said Roth, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“If we really want to be the most veteran-friendly state in the union, this is just another thing we can do to solidify that statement,” Roth said.

Veterans also have the power of numbers in many of these states, Hobson said. “That’s what gives them clout.”

But the attention to the addiction and suicide epidemics among veterans, and calls to give them more treatment options, are also powerful forces.

Hess has since started his own nonprofit to advocate for medical marijuana legalization and has traveled to other state and national events, including hearings before the North Carolina legislature.

“Once I saw the power my story had,” he said, “the goal became: How do I expedite this process for others?”

Experts trace the push for medical marijuana legalization back to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s, particularly in California’s Bay Area.

In 2009, New Mexico became the first state to make PTSD patients eligible for medical marijuana. The condition has since been included in most state medical marijuana programs.

It’s smart political messaging, Hannah said. Elected officials “are always looking to paint laws they support in the most positive light, and the approval rate of veterans is universally high.”

The hearing room was silent as each person spoke. At the end, the lawmakers stood and gave a round of applause “for those veterans who are with us today and those who are not.”

The bill later passed that committee with a nearly unanimous vote.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Veterans Push for Medical Marijuana in Conservative South published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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homeformyheart · 4 years

Text

and the winner is... - m!raleigh carrera x mc (plat)

author’s note: a happy ralence fic for @raleiighcarrera (to make up for the angsty one i published on her birthday XD)

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. song mentioned is “home” by gabriella aplin. series/pairing: platinum – m!raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian) rating/warnings: 13+; fluff word count: 2.4k summary: raleigh and cadence continue to test the limits of their competition to see who is more fashionably late throughout their relationship.

and the winner is…

raleigh checked his phone for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour. cadence hadn’t replied back since she told him she was running late 40 minutes ago. unlike raleigh, she prided herself for being fairly punctual, so being more than 20 minutes late to an event was a cardinal sin and just plain absurd. they were attending some a-lister’s tequila brand launch party and agreed to meet at the venue since cadence was busy with marketing details for the upcoming album.

a familiar pair of hands suddenly covered his eyes. “guess who?” he didn’t need to turn around to know that it was his stunning and breathtaking girlfriend of two years.

“you’re late, even for you,” he murmured into her ear as he let himself fall into her embrace.

“i think i’m just very fashionably late. besides, i learned from the best,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before pulling back just as a waiter came by with a tray of drinks.

they both grabbed a glass of the featured tequila-based cocktail but not before raleigh gave her a knowing look, his eyebrow quirked and his smirk close to becoming an excited grin.

“i think that has us tied now. i guess i’ll have to up the ante at your album release party next week.”

cadence took a measured sip of her drink before giving him a flirty smile. “don’t. you. dare,” she said sweetly, but raleigh heard the threat underlying her tone.

it had become a game for them, fueled by their competitive streaks, occasionally tempered by their love for each other and not wanting to hurt each other. sometimes they alternated who showed up late to the award shows and event appearances but walked a more careful line for more personal events, like album release parties or concert afterparties.

unfortunately for cadence, raleigh was true to his word and told the group he’d “meet them at the party” the week after cadence’s album dropped. in just a week, she had three singles crack the top 10 list. her release party was at 10 circus again, despite fiona’s best attempts to convince cadence to keep things new. raleigh had given her the idea to celebrate how her success had come full circle since the odyssey and she thought it was an appropriate sentiment for her third studio album. of course, she was currently distracted by the growing frustration at how much raleigh was pushing her patience. he was already half an hour late and that was after she made it clear that he was on thin ice. at this rate, she was going to have to perform without him there.

fiona finally gave her the signal that meant she couldn’t wait any longer and she took a deep breath, preparing herself to perform on the elevated stage. she grabbed her guitar and took a seat in front of the microphone, strumming a few chords to get the crowd’s attention.

“thank you to everyone who helped inspire, create, promote, and enjoy this album. this is ‘home’,” cadence said, looking out at the crowd with fondness at the familiar faces. all but one, of course.

“i’m a phoenix in the water, a fish that’s learned to fly...” as cadence began singing, she didn’t notice raleigh sneak in from the back entrance.

he watched her perform from the side of the stage so he was out of her peripheral vision. he knew he was pushing his luck by making her think he was a no-show but he was putting the finishing touches on his surprise for cadence. as she neared the end of her song, raleigh carefully shuffled forward so he would be in her line of sight. as soon as she noticed, he gave her his trademark smirk and winked, enjoying the glare she gave him.

“as long as we’re together, does it matter where we go?” cadence held the last note before humming along with the final chords. she waved and bowed to the crowd before walking off behind a makeshift paneled area next to the stage, where raleigh quickly caught up to her.

cadence just glared at him and attempted to walk around him. raleigh blocked her until she huffed and stopped in front of him, arms folded over her chest.

“i’m not in the mood to put up with you right now, raleigh. you missed my performance after i told you not to be late,” cadence said, trying to keep her tone even.

“i didn’t miss your performance, i promise – i was watching from the back. and i know i’m late but i have a very good reason, if you’ll humor me,” he said in his most apologetic tone, throwing in what he hoped was an irresistible smile.

it must’ve worked because cadence rolled her eyes but grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her to the back of the club and up the employees only stairwell. cadence’s irritation at raleigh was replaced by curiosity as she followed raleigh up multiple flights of stairs, past the manager’s office and storage rooms, until they ended up on the roof. raleigh led her away from the doorway and cadence gasped – at least 50 candles created a path from the doorway to the opposite railing, their soft glow illuminating the otherwise dark roof.

as they walked toward the railing, cadence suddenly heard booming sounds and looked up to a fireworks show over the east river. she turned to raleigh, who was looking at her adoringly, but before she could say anything, he pulled her in front of him so that he could wrap his hands around her waist from behind.

“this is why i was late. i love you, cadence dorian,” he murmured into her ear as he watched the fireworks reflected in her eyes.

“alright, you’re forgiven. i love you too,” cadence whispered back, her eyes mesmerized by the fireworks show. “why did you do all this though?”

raleigh stayed silent and before cadence could question him further, her eyes widened as she noticed the “will you marry me, cadence?” spelled out in the sky by the fireworks in dazzling white. as she turned to face raleigh, he took a few steps back and bent down on one knee, holding out a small box with a large emerald-cut diamond ring nestled inside.

“cadence, when i first met you at the one in a million audition, the last thing i expected was to fall for you. but you continued to surprise me with your strength and courage in facing down this crazy industry without losing sight of the real you. and every day i’m reminded that you choose to see the real me and that made it so easy to fall in love with you. i never expected that i’d ever experience true, real love in my life and now, i can’t imagine the rest of my life without you. cadence dorian, will you marry me?” raleigh took a deep breath and held cadence’s gaze, trying to make sure he conveyed as much emotion as he felt.

cadence’s hands flew to her mouth and tears started prickling the corner of her eyes. she had to blink rapidly and remind herself to focus on what raleigh was saying. in truth, she was shocked and overwhelmed. she was always reminding herself not to expect a long-term future with raleigh, since the likelihood of him settling down was low and she tried to just enjoy the present moment.

“cadence?” raleigh shifted anxiously as he waited for cadence to respond. it didn’t really occur to him until that moment that there could be a chance she said no.

cadence let out a laugh and nodded furiously. “of course i’ll marry you. i love you, raleigh,” she said enthusiastically, leaning in to give him a deep kiss.

raleigh pulled back and stood up, taking her left hand in his right so he could slide the large diamond ring on her finger, the cool band sliding down her finger reminding cadence that this wasn’t a dream. she wrapped her arms around raleigh’s neck, kissing him over and over again until she was breathless.

1 year later

raleigh closed the door behind him and took a step toward cadence, his hands tucked into the pockets of his gray suit.

“you know, it’s supposed to be bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” cadence said, adjusting her veil as she smirked at raleigh’s reflection in the mirror.

raleigh didn’t say anything, but his casual smirked softened into a genuine smile as he approached her from behind. he slid his arms around her waist and gazed at her reflection in the mirror with adoration.

“it’s a good thing i’m not superstitious. you look breathtaking, mrs. carrera,” raleigh said, with genuine affection in his voice.

cadence tilted her head slightly so she could give him a kiss. raleigh immediately deepened it, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue, his hands tightening at her waist.

after a few moments, cadence gently pushed his chest back. “i’m not going to become mrs. carrera if you make us late to our own wedding!” she giggled as raleigh leaned in for one more kiss.

“we can’t have that, can we? i still have more points than you,” he smirked as he walked away.

cadence continued gazing at the door after raleigh walked through it, tapping her chin thoughtfully. two can play at that game, she thought to herself as zadie walked in and immediately scolded her for smudging her lipstick. she stepped outside of the room with zadie, who adjusted her train once before heading inside the chapel, leaving cadence alone with her father.

“you ready?” he smiled gently at her and cadence almost considered being on time. key word being almost.

she heard the music soften that was supposed to be her cue. raleigh, his groomsmen, and her bridesmaids would be waiting at the altar, and her wedding planner would be standing by to cue the organist.

“not yet, i want to make him sweat a little,” cadence said with a mischievous smirk. her dad chuckled and she was grateful that he was going along with her little prank.

it didn’t take long before people came by to check on her. first, she had to convince her wedding planner that it was okay she was delaying the ceremony by a few minutes and swore her to secrecy. next, when zadie came up to her and found out what she was doing, willingly offered to mess with raleigh’s head and tell him that cadence was reconsidering. finally, by the time fiona came out to check on her, cadence knew she couldn’t delay any longer.

“he is about 10 seconds away from running out here in a panic thanks to zadie,” fiona warned, but cadence could tell she was enjoying this too.

“fine, fine, let’s get going, then,” cadence said, rolling her eyes. she walked up to the archway with her father and waited for the music to start before stepping forward.

all mischievous thoughts instantly vanished when she saw her husband-to-be waiting for her at the end of the aisle. cadence barely registered the faces of her friends and family around her as she walked toward the love of her life, and when she was a few steps away, noticed how vulnerable he looked. she immediately felt a pang of guilt for freaking him out, but pushed it aside to marvel at the wondrous look in his eyes as he lifted her veil and took in her appearance.

it wasn’t until after their vows were said and they were walking back down the aisle as mr. and mrs. carrera that raleigh leaned in so that only cadence could hear him say, “you almost gave me a heart attack – can we call a truce so i never have to worry about that again?”

cadence laughed and gave his arm a squeeze. “truce.”

2 months later

“raleigh, i officially win!” cadence said triumphantly, holding out a white stick. “my period is late.”

“what?” radence just looked at her, dumbfounded. she handed the stick to him and he noticed that it had two pink lines. even he knew what that meant.

“are you seriously telling me that we’re having a kid by announcing it as part of our stupid competition? didn’t we call a truce?”

cadence beamed and raleigh laughed. “yep, but this definitely makes me the official winner. you’re going to be a daddy and there is no way you can beat this one and you shouldn’t even try if you know what’s good for you.”

raleigh wrapped cadence up in his arms and twirled her around. “alright, you win. i love you.”

8 months later

cadence squeezed raleigh’s hand as another contraction hit; she barely registered the gasp of pain he released as he tried to pull his hand from her grip, without success.

“why won’t you come out?! you’re already a week late. please, please come out already!” cadence begged her swollen belly.

“ow, cadence! i love you, but you’re definitely going to break my guitar hand,” raleigh grimaced, pulling his hand from hers and massaging it.

cadence gave him a murderous glare. “this is your fault, carrera. karma for that stupid competition and you’re not the one trying to push a human being out of their body so i don’t want to hear another complaint or so help me, i’ll—augh!” cadence reached out and grabbed raleigh’s arm as another contraction ripped through her.

a long 11 hours later, cadence and raleigh looked on in awe at the tiny bundled human in her arms.

“hi baby girl, we love you so much already,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

raleigh kissed cadence’s forehead and shifted so he could sit on the bed and put his arm around her. “i didn’t think it was possible to love something this much,” he agreed softly. “she sure took her sweet time getting here and put her mommy through hell.”

“i think that means she’s probably going to have a rebellious streak like her father,” cadence joked, watching her infant daughter sleep.

“we might have a new winner on our hands, if you’re ready to pass on your crown,” raleigh said, gently taking the bundle from cadence and holding her in the crook of his arm.

cadence laughed softly. “i think you’re right. she wins.”

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @dulceghernandez; @thegreentwin; @kat-tia801; @otherworldlypresents; @brycesgirl; @robintora;

#choices platinum #reposting for new blog #choices fanfic #choices #choices fanfics #raleigh carrera #cadence dorian #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera x mc #raleigh carrera x cadence dorian #playchoices fanfiction #pb choices #playchoices #not twc #my writing #choices fic writers creations #my choices fics

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theliqht · 5 years

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9 Signs You Need Help With best keyboard to learn piano

How are they doing this?

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youtube

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Delighted MOOCing!

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elisiyawritesfics · 7 years

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Chapter 2; The Temple

Series: Path of Pyrite Fandom: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Word Count: 2474 Words

"Are you sure you're going the right way?"

"Your distrust in my navigational skills is offensive. I know where I'm going."

"Kath, last time you said that, we ended up in a cave where I swear there were coyotes hiding in."

"You wanna give it a go then? I'm sure your navigational skills are way better than mine."

"Hey, tone down the sarcasm, young lady."

"Oh, God, stop, you sound like dad." As Kathryne pushed a plant leaf out of her way, she let go of it just in time for it to smack Tyler in the face. "Have some more faith in me, would ya? We're almost there."

Tyler, after swatting the big leaf out of his face, came to Kathryne's side. "You said that for the last mile. You sure you're not lost?"

Her emerald eyes glanced up at her brother for a moment before she pointed to a path that crept between two cliffs. "It's right there, I swear. Just follow me." Kathryne was confidant that this was the way. It was that gut feeling she had, and her guts were never wrong. Well, most of the time. Maneuvering around large rocks and plants then ultimately the crevasse she pointed to before, the duo soon found themselves standing at the temple ruins.

While Kathryne had this smirk of pride on her face, Tyler was completely astonished. First off, he had regretted ever doubting his sister, that's for sure. Second off, he couldn't believe he was standing at the ruins of what was suppose to be the gate to the City of Gold.

"Go ahead, tell me how great I am. I'm waiting."

"You're freakin' amazing, Kath. Harvard University should be lucky to have you. How the hell did you even pinpoint a location?"

"Hours of scouring the internet and libraries. I had way more luck in the libraries, though. There were a few books dedicated to the the biggest expeditions of the 14th Century. It took some time, but I cross-referenced the Raleigh expedition in 1595 and the Drake expedition in 1587, as well as a few claims of Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada on his travels in 1536."

"When did you do all this?"

"After we got back from Rome, once the whole fun in looking into the history of the Illuminati died down." As she spoke, Kathryne had walked around the perimeter to find the entrance to the temple. She had expected some kind of giant door or somewhere along those lines, but she just found a staircase descending down into the temple. "Over here."

Tyler scurried over to his sister, only to see her making her way down and in. "Well, isn't this welcoming," he said as he reached into his bag to grab two clip flashlights. Good thing he remembered them when she didn't. "Here, you might wanna use this."

She paused and looked back, taking the flashlight from him and clipping it to the strap of her tank top. "I'd be careful turning them on, God knows how long anyone's been here and bats could probably be slee—"

And there goes the light. But surprisingly, there were no bats. Odd, but nothing to worry over.

"Okay, prove me wrong, why don't cha?" Kathryne rolled her eyes, flicked on her flashlight, and took a good look around. There wasn't much out of the ordinary of expectance; wall carvings and murals that were cracked and being overgrown by nature, pillars that are slowly crumbling apart which is kind of worrisome.

"So, where's all the gold?" Tyler asked as his eyes darted everywhere. "Wouldn't you expect this place to be glimmering?"

Kathryne nodded. "I would, you're right," at a turn, her flashlight caught the dull reflection of what she assumed was metal. "Ah," she mused, then picked up the metal, which turned out to be a Spaniard armor helm. "the Spanish beat us to it."

"I thought you said one of those guys you mentioned before managed to find this place?"

She shook her head. "I said they went on expeditions to find this place, that's it. It's rumored that Drake actually made it here, but there's no solid proof on that since his expedition log was lost."

Tyler finally looked ahead of them, there was a hallway winging around and a light at the end of that hall. "So, should we keep going forward."

"Of course, what kind of monster do you take me for?" Kathryne feigned this offended look, even added a dramatic flair by placing her hand over her chest to emphasize the offense. "There's still an entire temple to explore, even if all the gold's gone, we still found the temple of what would have been the gate. Hell, there might even be more on the other side. It's so worth the look around."

"Okay, okay, I get the message, shut up and go alre—wait," he cut himself off and held Kathryne back by the arm.

Of course, this confused the raven. "What?"

Tyler was still, sniffing the air. Was that the smell of gunpowder? Or was it just fire? His senses were shot to all hell after some time in the service. "Something exploded recently? Or something was on fire. Maybe someone is here. Stay behind me." Now, he took the lead. Kathryne followed right behind her brother as they made their way through the hall. This hall was cluttered with wooden beams and platforms, probably from when the Spanish were here. The light that they had seen was just the collapsed roof of the temple. Now, they were at a place where the floor had caved in as well, and the only thing bridging the gap together was a fallen statue.

"Someone was here," Kathryne stated. "that statue wasn't always like that. Look at where it landed, the dust blew out of the way."

"And it looks like it happened just minutes ago," Tyler pointed out. "You think it might be someone who could mean trouble?"

"I hope not. Either way, we're not stopping, so go. I'll be right behind you."

He nodded. The brunet made his way to this makeshift bridge and climbed up it, walking to the upper level with ease. Once he was on the other level, Kathryne then moved next, hoisting herself up onto the statue to walk across it. About halfway through, she could feel movement under her feet. Oh, shit. She booked it, sprinting across just as the statue lost leverage against the lower level and began to slip. Just as it fell, she jumped, and Tyler had caught her by the wrist.

"Jesus, Kath! Give me a heart attack, why don't cha?!"

"It's not my fault the thing slipped!"

With a grunt and a solid tug, Tyler lifted her out from dangling over the precipise of death and into his arms. "I swear to God, I'm going to carry you like this the rest of the way."

Kathryne squirmed with a pout. "No, I may be small, but don't." Forcing herself out of his grip, she landed on her feet with a sigh. "Okay, so, moving forward, now that the near death experience is now past."

The duo pushed ahead, only to be stopped by another obstacle; a door. Kathryne looked around, and to the left were two chains, one with a weight and one without. "There," she pointed at the chain. "would you do the honors?"

"What, can't do it yourself?" Tyler teased.

"Yes, because I can use all of my body strength to lift up a probably one ton weight. I'm only 4'11, there's not much body weight to use."

"Puny little sister, you're so tiny, it's adorable."

"Tyler Lee, I'm going to strangle you."

"Kathryne Elizabeth, you can't even reach my neck."

The girl made a strangling motion with her hands, but then let out a dreaded sigh of defeat when she accepted the fact that he was right. The face made Tyler laugh, but at least he went and actually pulled the weight up to lift the door. But neither of them were expecting this giant torch thing on the other side to be lit.

Kathryne ducked under first, when she was on the other side, she saw that a cart had been crushed by the door. It looked like someone used it to prop the door open for a little bit. Someone was definitely here.

"Is there anything you can wedge between this thing and the floor to hold it open?"

"Uh," she looked around for a moment before spotting another cart of stones just behind the giant torch. "Yeah, gimme a sec." Kathryne made her way behind the cart to push it towards the door. When it was right under it, Tyler slowly lowered it onto the cart, and the moment he leg go of the chain, he basically slid under the door. Good thing he did it quick, because the cart was weak under the weight.

"Okay, Indiana Jones," Kathryne laughed.

Tyler got up, dusted his pants, and merely grinned. "C'mon, it was cool." Now, their attention was on the giant torch thing. "So, what do you make of this?"

The raven shook her head. "I don't know, maybe it was some kind of guide. But that's a stretch of a guess." To her right was a new hallway, illuminated by the ceiling lamps. "But, it leads us somewhere. So, lets go."

Before Tyler could say anything, Kathryne was already trotting off ahead like a toddler who just mastered the art of walking. The hallway they went down was similar to the last one, just lit up more. Tyler was right behind Kathryne, figuring out that someone was here very recently didn't sit well with him. He had his crossbow out and in his hand, ready to shoot at any sign of threat.

They came to a stop at oddly open doors. There had been a pulley system type door here as well, only with two weights instead of one. But it was already opened. And fallen pillars lined horizontally paved a path that was fairly easy.

"Yeah, someone was definitely here. Be careful, okay, Kath—"

And there she went, skipping across the pillars with ease.

"Seriously?"

"What? I just wanna see what'son the other side."

Tyler rolled his eyes with an 'Oh, what am I gonna do?' type of sigh before leaping his way across the fallen pillars. Luckily none of them collapsed like the statue did. On the other side was a staircase leading up. Was this a way out? They made their way up, light had gradually grew the higher they went. Soon, they could make out the sky once more through the caved in ceilings, and the moment they were at the top of the stairs, in front of them after a pair of pillars was what looked like either an altar or pedistal with hieroglyphic images surrounding it on the wall. The wall itself had a divot, vs if something was meant to be there.

"What do you think was there?" Tyler broke the silence.

Kathryne narrowed her eyes at the hollow space. "Something important," she paused to look down. At her feet were tracks of something being dragged, but that wasn't what caught her eye. It was the reflection of light in the ground. Using the tip of her toe, Kathryne moved the dust around to reveal gold specs. "Something gold."

"It couldn't be El Dorado, could it?"

"No, El Dorado was the city of—" she stopped herself for a moment to think. She had been mentally flipping through her memories to think of what could have been there. Many books she had read explained the myth of the city, but only few mentioned the actual history. Furrowing her brows, Kathryne slowly nodded. "No, you're right. The legend was the city, but El Dorado translates to the Golden Man. People of this civilization believed their rulers to be gods, and to show their importance, they would be dipped in gold."

Tyler looked up at the divot in the wall. It was well over twice his size in height. "But a man couldn't be this tall."

"No, of course not. Maybe it was a commemorative statue or something. I don't know exactly."

"So, what now? We just turn around?"

"Not yet."

Tyler tilted his head slightly. "But there's nothing here. Just gold specs and a hollow space."

"And tracks," Kathryne followed said tracks with her eyes to another corridor. "There's still a trail to follow. And you bet your ass I'm gonna follow it."

"You're not giving up until you find the statue, or whatever it was, aren't you?"

"Damn right. Let's go." Without another word, she turned to follow the tracks into the next hall. Partway through, she saw that it had a little drop down, to which she merely jumped down. "Careful over there, it drops," Kathryne advised her brother before making the quick right. Vines seemed to decorate the walls more than before, she suspected that they were closer to an exit. The hall took a left, and just as she thought, there was the back way out.

Tyler stuck right behind her. He refused to let her out of his sights, but that was just because he was usually the protective older brother. (You should have seen how he reacted to Kathryne and Tohen, Joxy was close to losing her brother.) "Looks like the Spanish got in the easy way," he observed from how the wall was crumbling.

"Probably. Guess they really wanted that golden thing."

"Who wouldn't? It must have been worth billions, probably trillions now."

They followed a path up. Though the tracks seemed to have ended, Kathryne wasn't stopping. And Tyler knew that, which is why he didn't stop her a second time.

"You hear that?" Kathryne asked after a minute or so of silence.

Tyler took a moment to listen past the sounds of them moving. "Is that a waterfall?"

The duo exchanged a look before pressing forward. Just as the narrow path cleared, they saw the waterfall they heard, plus a little more. It was a submarine. In the middle of the Amazon.

"Is that a...?"

"German U-Boat from World War II? Yes, yes it is."

"You're going in it, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."

Their conversation was cut short when they were silenced by the sound of a gun cocking. Oh, shit.

#uncharted drake's fortune #fanfic #ocs #uncharted fanfiction #elisiya writes

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theliqht · 5 years

Text

fire inside music: What No One Is Talking About

How are they executing this?

These are accessing MOOCs, or Enormous Open On the internet Courses. Even though platforms happen to be offered from elite colleges like MIT and Stanford for virtually ten years, open-source courses continue to improve in amount and popularity. Now, even some local people colleges like Wake Complex School,located outside the house Raleigh, NC, provides MOOCs to a global viewers. This expanding availability indicates There is certainly now an unbelievable range of courses available to any individual having an Connection to the internet, no matter area.

Subjects MOOCs go over can vary from contemporary robotics and astronomy to Roman architecture and the American Novel Since 1945. MIT, such as, has courses centered close to Arithmetic, Engineering, Electrical power and Science, in addition to a surprising range of classes concentrating on the Humanities and Great Arts. The College of Michigan presents courses starting from "Storytelling for Social Adjust" to Python, data analytics, and device Mastering. You can also acquire Management lessons from HEC Paris by means of MOOC, rated by The Economist as possessing the 2nd strongest enterprise university alumni community in the world.

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If learning One more language just isn't superior on your own to-do list, probably it should be: In 2017, New American Financial system documented employer desire for bilingual workers much more than doubled since 2010. This demand proceeds to improve. Greatest languages to study? Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.

Build up your resume with wanted expertise. Perhaps there's a far better career at work you recognize you can do, but your manager doesn't Consider you happen to be competent for it as you deficiency particular capabilities. MOOCs are a great way to turn out to be proficient in areas like HTML coding, Search engine optimization analytics, or regardless of what skill you need to develop into the proper human being for that position.

Follow the backlinks in this post To find out more on many MOOC programs. MOOCs can also be readily available by way of a variety of educational platforms, such as Coursera, Udemy, and edX. But MOOCs can be accessed instantly via each College, and can be found by using the following Google research limiting syntax entered into your google look for bar:

web page:edu MOOC subject

By way of example, if I enter web-site:edu MOOC robotics, I get about 7,000 success, like this Introduction to Robotics Specialization from Penn Engineering. By utilizing this syntax, you can normally bypass the clearinghouses and find what exactly You are looking for on university web sites, even classes the clearinghouses may not supply.

Content MOOCing!

"Millennials," "Generation Y," "The Peter Pan Era" - they go by many names and were being born roughly involving 1980 and 2000.These are the generation that grew up with smartphones, rear-facing cameras, World-wide-web etcetera. They had been at a tender and susceptible age when Harry Potter very first took his flying lessons on his magical broom, whenever they witnessed The nice tumble of the dual Towers of Environment Trade Centre in Ny city on 9/11. The millennials grew up during the era of cellular phones, electronic cameras, email, text-messaging, mp3 gamers, handheld online video game gadgets, WhatsApp, Facebook/Instagram, YouTube Films, web browsing and what not.

A person these kinds of millennial who knocked my socks off was this youthful Lady named Anushka, a teen in her early twenties. Her white t-shirt with "MILLENNIAL" in large, black, Daring letters just caught our brief consideration and we could not stop considering her Exclusive Talent Presentation, listed here at Nirmiti Academy. The Do it yourself (Do It You) Craft was her unique expertise. She represented a young encounter of the millennials. In addition, it absolutely was her presentation that spoke far more of her to be a millennial. She was a true go-getter when it came to existing her unique talent in a unique way. We could see her beaming with pride and contentment to showcase her special expertise to Other individuals. She was so excited that she was conversing a mile a moment. She had a lot of to mention about this and she could go on and on and hold us glued to her presentation. The millennials like Anushka and plenty of Other people are inspired to work on factors which fascination them. Simultaneously, I could also see her becoming struggling to smile and current herself Fortunately. Absent are definitely the moments for the millennials the place they experience present and luxuriate in their surroundings. They may be the generation who feel the constant will need for Digital interest which sales opportunities them to overshare their lives and moments on social websites or go inward in deep conscience to search out them selves. This leaves them unconnected with the Bodily world all-around them.

Millennials can be a very praised and self-confident era. They are really a extremely optimistic technology. They've a larger need to own lifetime encounters rather than to accumulate product prosperity, Although they do like to acquire things that can help them to delight in Individuals ordeals. Millennials are probably the most educated generation. As the selling price tag of education and learning has become so significant and continuing to climb on a yearly basis, Millennials became extremely savvy with regards to their instructional selections. As opposed to previous generations who saw instruction as a ritual and an expenditure inside their future, millennials look at training being an expenditure, Except it's going to empower them to be able to be a far better particular person. They anticipate education and learning to assist them get ready for The brand new opportunities and challenges of this age, rather than assisting them by giving actuality-dependent facts/understanding. The millennials wish to be challenged by thinking of the longer term and how they might lead to creating a much better Modern society and natural environment. They do not experience the need to develop into "textbook clever / book worms".

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They are aware that points is usually conveniently discovered on the net by their own personal unbiased action. They're the technology that features and prosper on understanding at finger "simply click". In the globe of open entry to awareness, it will make little sense to rely upon the classroom like a forum with the transfer of knowledge.

Instead, The scholars Substantially prefer to learn from the tales and ordeals of Some others. These shared stories and experiences enable them to augment their very own knowledge by learning from your results and issues of Other folks. This can help them steer clear of earning the exact same blunders as their influencers. Hence, they like to speculate extra in their time and money on these plans which assistance them to build many tactics that they might include into their ideas and final decision-producing process, thus building a new talent established.

We are unable to dismiss The reality that millennials can also be a era of uncertainties and fluctuations. They can be the era who likes to keep switching their devices. They grew up with know-how wherever all the things was at their fingertips. It results in being disheartening for them to not get what they need when they want it. Almost all of the items are handed to them with a silver spoon. This would make them truly feel entitled to get what they want with no Placing in much effort.

While They may be the foremost workforce of the businesses currently, they do not believe in lifelong employment. Lifelong dedication can be a fairy tale for the millennials. They normally soar from on position to another as they are constantly in quest of some thing new and much better. These substantial anticipations turn out to be their downfall and would make them less economically secure than their mothers and fathers.

Millennials are listed here to remain! They are really young, brilliant and energetic and they ARE the longer term. They are excellent belongings which the world should harness and use. They can be the era that is certainly revolutionizing the earth. They're the budding leaders of tomorrow. They adopt technological know-how and stimulus in the identical breadth. This technology can also be a collaborative and social generation that includes a center on comprehending and setting up their expertise by numerous forms of medium to find out the responses. It really is for that educator like us to deliver an arena for engagement and discovery and also become a written content skilled and mentor. It really is for Studying System vendors like Nirmiti Academy to offer an explorative and experiential knowledge and produce out their legitimate potential in life and at work. It is this transformational journey that we at Nirmiti Academy look forward to daily to learn, unlearn and relearn with these youthful and magical generation - the Millennials!

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