#I’d rather it have been a teams chat though

[kg-clark-inthedark]

A guy I hired recently just sent me a cryptic email with no subject line that just says “honor is given before it is received” Do I need to duel him now or something?? Have I just been invited into a guild?What the fuck is this

[boldlyvoid]

Bigger Than The Whole Sky | Part Four: Forever and Always

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Summary: desk duty, new co-workers, bonding with Jack, decorating Juliette's room, baby showers and unwanted guests... the second half of this pregnancy is full of surprises.

Warnings: emotional chats, canon typical violence (a young girl passes away), implied smut, angst, fighting (not Aaron and Y/N), birth talk

Word Count: 9.1k

Masterlist

another 8 weeks blew by and suddenly she’s halfway through this pregnancy and her clothes really don’t fit as well and she’s extra tired. She was right about being sicker in the second trimester… man, did it ever suck having constant acid reflux and feeling like she was on the edge of throwing up every few hours if she wasn’t constantly eating snacks… and eating snacks all the time made her grow not just in the stomach region. Her thighs are getting bigger, her ass is firmer and her tits are fucking huge. Her face is rounder, her hands and feet are swollen, and she’s uncomfortable almost all day long.

It’s rough but worth it. 

She’s sitting at her desk, reclined in her chair and her feet are up on a box of files. She has a ginger ale and a sleeve of crackers open as she works away. Today's the first day of official desk duty and up until 20 minutes ago, she thought there wouldn’t be a real case. Derek rushed from his office over to Aarons, they shut the door to talk and the Cruz showed up too. 

“Hey…” a familiar voice makes her presence known behind her. 

Y/N sits up straighter and turns to her, “Tara, you made it!” She stands up and opens her arms for a hug that Tara graciously accepts, she holds her close for a moment, not too tight, she doesn’t want to press against her bump too hard. 

“Sorry it took so long, trying to find my work attire in my boxed-up mess of an apartment took a while,” she explains. Moving from San Fransisco to D.C. wasn’t easy, but she made it. 

“That’s fine, we haven’t been busy… but I think something’s happening,” she points up at Aaron's office. “Derek and Cruz are in there right now, but it doesn’t look like they’re rushing to solve anything so, let’s get you introduced to everyone.” 

Y/N walks her around most the desks, she introduces Tara a handful of times to all the people who work in the bullpen and Tara shakes everyone's hand. However, the only person who wouldn’t shake her hand isn’t actually in today.

“And this is Dr. Reid's desk, he’s our resident genius,” she says as they arrive at it. “He’s handling some family issues but he will be back next week and he’s only a phone call away if the team needs him.” 

“I’ve heard about him, I’m excited to get to know him.”

“Just up these stairs is JJ’s desk,” she explains, slowly taking the steps one at a time and holding the railing. She’s been off balance a lot lately and the last thing she wants is to fall. 

Once she’s up the stairs, she knocks on JJ’s open door, “Hey, Tara’s here.” 

“Oh, hi,” JJ stands up, also pregnant but carrying her baby a lot lower. 

Y/N never used to believe that you could tell what gender a woman was carrying just based on bump and then she got pregnant with a girl while JJ had a boy… their bumps are so different. JJ carries wide and low while Y/N’s bump is like a perfect ball under her shirt. 

“What’s in the water here?” Tara teases, shaking JJ’s hand. “Thank god I moved here alone, I wouldn’t want to be next.” 

“The lady I replaced, Kate, also left to have a baby,” Y/N teases. 

“Oh wow, I guess it’s your age group though, all my friends were pregnant in their 30 too,” Tara shares. “I’d much rather be a stepmom someday.” 

“It’s really rewarding,” Y/N admits with a sweet smile. “Aaron’s son is the sweetest kid.” 

“He gets it from his dad,” Tara teases, knowing Aaron only through a few interviews and phone calls, she only knows this happy, new Aaron. The Aaron that’s overjoyed with his perfect family and not overstressed with work. 

After JJ, they head out of the bullpen and down to Penelope’s office where Luke is sitting with her, trying to flirt his way into her heart. 

“Hey, guys,” she cuts into their conversation, “our new member is in, this is Tara and Tara this is Luke Alvez and our tech girlie, Penelope.” 

“Nice to meet you,” she shakes Luke's hand first and then Penelope pulls her in for a hug, “oh, hi,” she melts into Penelope’s arms. 

“Welcome, I’ve heard so many wonderful things, I can’t wait to work with you,” Penelope says, still holding Tara close. 

“Same here,” Tara says as she pulls back. 

“Speaking of, do you know what Hotch, Morgan and Cruz are all talking about?” Y/N asks. “They’ve been in Aaron’s office for a while now.” 

“There’s a presidential threat,” Penelope explains. “They’ve been asked for a consult but I don’t think it’s a case for us.” 

“Oh, okay,” Y/N’s surprised. That’s a new one. She never thought they’d have to consult on a presidential threat, but it must be a big one. “Tara, I can show you to your office now?” 

“I get a whole office?” She’s surprised. 

Y/N nods, “We thought since you’ll still be interviewing the serial killers, you’d want a space to talk on the phone without prying ears.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Tara exclaims, visibly happy with her choice to join the unit. “I’ll see you guys out there,” she says as she follows Y/N back out of Penelope's space and down the hall. 

She brings her back into the bullpen just as JJ is leaving her office and rushing over to Aarons, she sees Y/N and Tara and shouts over to them. “We have a 10-year-old girl who was just abducted from a park in Wauwatosa!” 

“Shit, okay,” Y/N stops dead in her tracks. “I’ll continue the tour later… Anderson,” she shouts over to him. “Can you grab Penny and Luke, and tell them to meet us in the briefing room? Tara and I will meet them there,” she orders and pulls Tara towards the other set of stairs towards the round table. 

Y/N cleans the older files off the table and powers up the presentation board, she logs onto the computer it’s attached to and searches the system for abductions in Wauwatosa so they can read over the file quickly while the plane gets ready. CARD already has a case going with everything they know. She loads it up and starts reading over it as fast as she can with Tara doing the same as she takes a seat at the round table. 

The team is quick to fill the room, they discuss what little they know and then JJ gets a call from the pilot to tell her that they’re ready to board. “Okay, we gotta go,” JJ says as she hangs up. 

Derek, Tara, Luke and JJ all rush out the door to grab their things while Aaron takes a minute to say goodbye to Y/N. He wraps her up in a hug and cups her face in one hand as he pulls back, his other hand gently rubs on her belly, “I love you, both of you.” 

“Be safe,” she begs. “Come home to us.” 

He nods, leaning in to kiss her. He breathes her in, holding her in a kiss and then just as she thinks he’s pulling away for good, he kisses her again and again. She can feel everyone watching them through the briefing room window, but she doesn’t really care. She keeps kissing him, smiling slightly, she loves how affectionate he gets before he has to go. When he does eventually pull away, he sighs. “I love you. Now, you call me if you need me, okay?” 

“Okay,” she can’t help but smile. “Go save the day, superman.” 

He hesitates to keep going but he knows the plane is waiting for them and he still has to grab his bag from his office. But fuck it, he thinks. He pulls her in for one last kiss and then he’s off. 

She follows him out of the briefing room, he’s a lot faster than she is so he's leaps ahead of her, “I can text Jess from the plane or you can get Jack tonight?” 

“I can get him,” she offers, breathing heavily from walking so fast. “All his things are at our house now so it’ll be easier if I get him.”

At his office door, she watches him pick up his bag and search the room for his phone. He pats his side to ensure his guns are still there and pulls up his pant leg to check the other gun. He’s all good to go, so he lets out a sigh, his shoulders drop and his brow goes up as if to say, “I guess this is goodbye.” 

“Call me when you can, I love you,” she says one last time, stepping out of the door frame so he can squeeze past. 

He runs his free hand over her stomach as he moves past her, “I love you—” 

“Hotch, man, we get it, you’re in love, lets goooo,” Morgan says from the double glass doors, the teams already in the elevator, on their way down to the shuttle car that will take them to the runway. 

“Get going,” she scoots him along. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he complains as he runs down the little steps and heads off after Morgan. He turns back to her just before leaving the room, he blows her a kiss and then he’d gone. 

She just smiles, shaking her head, everyone is watching her with the same sweet look. It’s nice to see Aaron like this, having their boss in love has been a blessing, they appreciate this. He’s not as much of a hard ass anymore. 

“Back to work,” she teases everyone. 

She lets out a sigh, it’s weird when he’s not around. And instead of going back to sitting at her desk, she grabs her snacks and makes her way down to Penny’s office. Where she will stay for the remainder of the day. 

—

Jack’s school ends at 3:20 but afterwords he has his activity program. It goes on all year long, they spend the first 45 minutes working on homework and then the rest of the afternoon playing some kind of sport or game until their parents come to pick them up. It stays open until a quarter after 6, ensuring that the children have a safe place to be while their parents finish the work day. 

A few months ago, Aaron went into the school and changed Jack's 2nd emergency contact from Will to Y/N. They bumped will down to the 3rd spot, but as long as Y/N’s going to be at home either pregnant or watching their daughter, she will be available to watch Jack. 

She arrives at the school around 5:30, makes her way inside to the gym and finds the sign-out table quite easily. “Hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N, Jack Hotchner’s step-mom, I’m here to sign him out.” 

“Oh okay, one sec,” the girl starts flipping through sheets of paper and lands on Jack's file. She can’t be older than 17, she’s just a high school student getting her volunteer hours working with the elementary school's activity program. “Can I just see your id?” 

“Sure,” she quickly pulls out her FBI badge cause it’s quicker than getting her license from her purse. 

“Oh wow,” she can’t believe she’s meeting an agent. “Isn’t Jack's dad an agent too?” 

She nods, “he is, he’s away on a case.” 

“Are you not allowed to go when you’re pregnant,” she asks, referring to her baby bump. 

“You’re allowed, I just don’t feel comfortable,” she shares with a small smile. “Can I go in and get him?” 

“Yep, um, here,” she opens the door for Y/N and all the kids look to see who it is. 

“Mom!” Jack calls out, running to her side. “What are you doing here?” 

He hasn’t ever called her mom to her face before. She tears up a bit but hugs him back, “Your dads on a case so I thought I’d come to get you and we could go get dinner?” 

“Can we go to McDonalds?” He asks, “I really want some chicken nuggets.” 

She laughs, “Yeah that sounds delicious, go get your bag.” 

It doesn’t take long for him to say goodbye to everyone and get his things, she gets him loaded up into the car and he begs to sit in the passenger seat beside her. “Not until you’re 13,” she reminds him and he sulks a bit. 

“I just like sitting beside you.” 

“Then we’ll get a booth at McDonalds and you can sit with me there, okay?” 

He drops it then and simply puts on his seatbelt while she gets in the front seat. She asks him about school, and he asks where his dad is in the country, they share little stories and laugh a bit while she drives. She always dreamed about being a mom, about these little moments with her kid… having them with Jack is even better. 

She takes him inside the restaurant to order, the nice lady taking their order offers to bring them their food when she sees how pregnant she is and so they go find a seat. Jack sits right beside her, snuggles into her side and places his hand on her belly, “how long until she’s here?” 

“She’ll be born sometime in September,” she reminds him again. “Do you want to know what we decided to name her?” 

“Can I?” His eyes light right up. 

She nods, “We kept it a secret for a bit just to see if we really like it and we do, it’s definitely her name… we’re going to call her Juliette.” 

“Juliette,” he swoons, loving it. He kisses her belly again, “I love you Juliette!”

She just smiles, loving where she is in life. “Your dad and I wanted to ask you for some help with her middle name.” 

“Really?” He looks up at her with wide eyes, he can’t believe it. 

She nods, “She’s your baby too. I want you to feel as loved as she is, I would hate for you to feel like we’re replacing you or that your dad has a new family. We’re a family all together.” 

He smiles, really appreciating that she wants to include him so much. “Can I think about it?” 

“Yeah, take your time,” she doesn’t mind at all. 

When their food arrives, they break into their chicken nuggets and talk all about the new comic book he’s been reading. He reminds her a lot of Spencer when he starts talking about his super hero’s, it’s cute. 

“What if we named her Juliette Hale Hotchner?” He asks. 

“Hale,” she thinks it over, it sounds cute. “Like Haley?” 

He nods, “Cause then she’s still in the family.” 

It makes her heart ache for him, there’s no way she can say no to this. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s her name. Juliette Hale sounds perfect.” 

He gets so giddy, bouncing in the seat, “I can’t wait to meet her.” 

She takes her phone out and starts to look up the meaning of the name, just to see what else it could mean. Her heart almost stops when she see’s it, “Oh my god, Jack look, Hale literally means Hero.”

“It does?” He can’t believe it either. “What does my mom's name mean?” 

“Hold on,” she says as she searches it. “Hay cleaner, hay meadow, wise one and hero…” 

“thats cool, my mom was a hero,” he says proudly. 

She searches his name next, “Your name means god is gracious, so you’re a god and your moms a hero.” 

“What about Dad?” 

She looks up 'Aaron' and smiles when she sees it. “Teacher and Mountain of Strength, very true.” 

“He is strong,” Jack agrees. “Is that why you like him?” 

“No, I like him because he’s soft,” she shares with a sweet smile. “My last husband wasn’t nice to me and when I told your dad that, he just wanted to protect me. He gave me a hug, he helped me clean up my bloody nose, he got me a good divorce lawyer, he was my best friend and I fell in love with him.” 

“I’m really glad you fell in love with him.” 

“Me too,” she wraps her arm around him and holds him close. “I love you too, you know.” 

“I know,” he snuggles in close. “I love you, too.” 

—

She gets him all tucked into bed that night, she kisses his little head and she heads back downstairs to finish locking up for the night. She cleans up the living room, sets the alarm and starts heading back to the stairs when her phone starts to ring in her purse. 

It’s Aaron. 

She answers with a smile, “Hey, handsome.” 

“Hey,” he answers, he sounds sad. 

“How's the case?” 

“She died. I had to inform her parents… but we caught the sick fuck who did it,” he explains, his sadness turning to anger. “Is Jack still up?” 

“No, I’m sorry, he just fell asleep,” she explains. “I’m so sorry Arron, are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” he sucks in a deep breath and sighs. “It just sucks. We’re going to fly back in the next hour, I should be home around 2 or 3.” 

“Wake me up when you get in?” She asks, “Please? I miss you and I have something nice to tell you.” 

“Oh, can’t you tell me now?” 

She shakes her head, “mm-mm, sorry. I rather tell you in person.” 

“I see how it is,” he teases right back. “Well, we’ve gotta drive to the airport now so I’ll let you go. Try and get some sleep before I get in, yeah?” 

“You too. The files can wait. Have a nap on the plane,” she says, more of an order than a suggestion. 

“I’ll try. I love you.” 

“I love you too, bye.” 

“Bye,” he has the last word and then he hangs up. 

She sighs, the silence in the house is weird. She turns all the lights out but one lamp by the front door and the porch light. All the doors are locked, the alarm is on, and he has his keys and knows the code so she heads upstairs. She stops by Jack's door to listen in, making sure he’s still asleep and then she continues on to her room. She changes, puts cream on her belly and grabs a parenting book. 

She gets maybe 3 pages in when she slips into sleep, sitting up against the pillows and her lamp light still on. 

—

Aaron gets in around 3, like he said he would, the alarm goes off momentarily but he disarms it and resets it as soon as he can. He turns out the lamp light, leaves his bags by the door and heads right upstairs. He could see her bedroom light was still on from the street, he hoped she was asleep and not still awake and waiting for him. 

He tiptoes down the hallway and slowly pushes her bedroom door open. She’s sound asleep. Mouth open, book discarded on the bed, she’s out. 

He carefully sits on the side of the bed, he runs his hand over her arm, “lovey…” he whispers, watching her slowly wake. She blinks a few times and then she smiles when she notices it’s him. “Hi.” 

“Hi,” she whispers back. 

He leans in and kisses her a few times, it’s only been 16 hours since he saw her last but that doesn’t matter. He missed her. She wraps her arms around him as best she can and hugs him, breathing him in, she missed him too. 

When he pulls back he smiles, “Let me change and we can snuggle up and talk, okay?” 

“Okay,” she agrees. 

He heads into the closet and opens his safe, he puts his guns away first and locks them up. He takes his suit off and hangs it up next, he finds a new t-shirt and slips it on as well as a new pair of boxers. When he returns she’s turned the lights out and she’s laying on her side, facing his side of the bed, so he quickly gets in with her. 

Once he’s in the bed, he sighs, he loves their bed. He loves her. He’s missed being home even if he was only gone a day. “How are you feeling?” 

“Tired,” she slightly laughs. “You?” 

“Same… but I still want to talk to you.” 

“Good, 'cause I have big news,” she teases. “I told Jack her name tonight, we went to McDonald's for dinner and he was asking about when she’d be here… I told him he could pick her middle name too.” 

“Oh?” 

“He picked out Hale,” she explains, carefully watching his face in the darkness to make sure he’s okay with it too. “It means hero, but he said it also keeps his mom in the family.” 

Aaron stays silent for a moment and then reaches out to hold his hand over her belly, “Juliette Hale… I like it.” 

“It’s kinda perfect,” she admits. 

“Our family is perfect,” he whispers, clearly a little teary. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she replies, leaning in to capture his lips against her own. 

—

Another 5 weeks have come and gone, over a dozen new cases too. 

Spencer’s back finally, his mom in a new care facility over in D.C., Tara and Luke are so settled in it feels like they’ve always been here. Their little work family was doing great. JJ’s about to hit 30 weeks pregnant, she’s in the home stretch and they’ve picked a name. Michael. The whole office has bets on the day he’ll arrive and how big he’ll be. And Derek's moving into a house with his girlfriend… everyone is so happy, it’s nice to see. 

The team’s away in Idaho, wrapping up paperwork and interviewing the latest unsub before they catch a flight back home. It wasn’t a hard case, nothing they haven’t seen a million times before. 

She’s sitting at her desk on her computer, searching through Pinterest for nursery ideas. She’s absolutely transfixed on this wallpaper of watercolour flowers, she wants the room to be light and pretty, not too crazy, and something she’ll like as she grows up. She pins a bunch of pictures of different designs, even rooms with painted, wainscotting around the room and the wallpaper just on the top 3rd. She loves how it looks, it’s so cute… and then she sees one of the walls has wooden letters that spell out the name Juliet. Not the same spelling they’re going for, but similar. She’s completely sold now. 

She adds it to her board “Juliette Room” and starts to scroll through it, not realizing Penelope is coming up to stand behind her. 

“Oh my goodness, is that the baby room idea?” 

“Oh,” she jumps in her seat a bit, “yeah… yeah, it is. I’m going to start ordering things so we can have it done before she gets here. Granted she’s not going to be sleeping in there for a while, I still want to have it done for when she comes home.” 

She scrolls all the way up to the top to show her everything and that’s when Penelope sees the name. “Juliette,” she swoons, her heart fluttering in her chest. “Oh, that’s perfect!” 

“You think so?” 

“I know so!! It fits so well with Jack and Hotchner too! Oh, I can just imagine how cute she’s going to be.” 

“If you want to put her name on the baby shower invitation you can? We’re fine with people knowing it, just not the full name yet, it’s a surprise.” 

“Can I know?” She begs, leaning in close. “I can keep a secret, I promise?” 

She smiles, knowing that even if it got out to the team it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. “Her middle name was picked by Jack… he asked if it could be Hale. For his mom.” 

Penelope’s hand jumps up to cover her mouth so she won’t cry, “oh my gosh?” 

“I know, he asked me that in a McDonalds and I had to do everything I could to not sob, but then we found out Hale also means Hero so… it really fits her,” Y/N explains. “She’s our little hero, Juliette.” 

“Do you think I could do the baby shower with the same theme? Baby in bloom?” She asks, gears already turning in her mind. 

“That would be nice,” she agrees with a big smile. “You don’t have to go too crazy with it, you know? I’m okay with it just being here with you guys.” 

“Mm-mm, can’t do that,” Penelope teases. “I’ve already gotten Aaron to pass me all the addresses of your family and Dave has agreed to let us use his backyard and I’ve rented tables and chairs, I just couldn’t decide on a theme but now that I have I can start decorating.” 

“Pen—

“You’ve waited almost a decade for this, I’m going all out,” she puts her foot down. “You deserve a big party because you’re going to be the most amazing mom in the world. That should be celebrated.” 

She could cry, “Thank you, Penny.” 

—

Derek and Luke come over on the day she hits 30 weeks exactly. Everything she ordered for the baby room had arrived  and there was no way on earth she was going to be able to help Aaron put it all together or hang the wallpaper. So her strong, manly co-workers offered to come over and help. Both their girlfriends came too. 

Savannah and Lisa both brought some food, making sure the boys were fed and Y/N had something nice to eat as well. From the moment Lisa walked in with a tinfoil-covered dish, she made the house smell so delicious, Y/N couldn’t wait to dig in. Evan Jack, the ever-picky eater, wants to try it. 

The guys upstairs end up getting the wallpaper on the walls before they come down for some food as well. Y/N takes it as her chance to go upstairs and look at the work they did. When she enters the room she’s amazed. It’s going to be exactly what she imagined. Derek is going to come back tomorrow and put the wainscotting on the lower half of the walls and then she can paint them. She’s going for muted tones, water-colour flowers on top and a light sage on the wainscotting. The crib is golden, so is the Juliette sign that she’s going to hang over it. Her dresser is white and pink with golden nobs, and instead of the green rocking chair she picked out at Ikea, she got a floral upholstered chair for middle-of-the-night feedings.  

Her favourite feature, however, is the framed saying she found. “Even after the hardest storm, the flowers still find a way to bloom.” 

It was going to be perfect. 

She stands there, looking around at the boxes, the pile of wood and the few cans of paint, in awe of what was to come. Holding her belly in her hands, she really can’t believe just how fast this has all happened. This was how it was always supposed to be. Part of her wishes she could go back in time and meet Aaron right away… the rest of her knows that wasn’t supposed to work. 

Aaron comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, startling her slightly. He holds his hands over her own, on her belly, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Daydreaming?” 

She hums, “Yeah… I’m so happy.” 

He kisses her just below her ear, “I’m happy you’re happy. That’s all I ever wanted.” 

“Knocking me up was the best thing you ever did,” she teases him. 

He nibbles on her ear lightly, “You do look very good carrying my child.” 

“We have guests downstairs,” she reminds him. 

“I know,” he sulks, kissing her neck for a few more moments before they run the risk of getting caught. He sighs, “I love you 10 million times more than I ever thought I could and it’s only getting more intense as the days go on.” 

She turns around to face him, her bump keeping her from getting as close to him as she wants to be, she cups his face in her hands, “I know, believe me, I know. I’ve never felt so loved in my whole entire life. I didn’t think this amount of love was possible… but here I am, in my daughters' room with the love of my life.” 

“And to think you wanted a boy?” He teases. 

“I have one,” she reminds him. “He’s downstairs stuffing his face with his new favourite meal… I’m going to have to get Lisa to leave the recipe for me.” 

Aaron leans in and kisses her. This is all either of them ever wanted. 

—

The baby shower is planned for Sunday, August 13th, a month and 3 before she’s due. Penelope sends out all the invitations in June, including one for Peter's mom with explicit requests that Peter doesn’t know. That’s the only thing she doesn’t want. She never wants to see him again. After nearly 10 months without him, she feels clean, free, and safe again. 

Life is peaceful. Life is good. She’s excited for the future again. 

The baby shower is only a few weeks away, she hasn’t seen anything other than the invitations. Knowing Penelope, it’s going to be insane. She can’t wait to see everything she’s ordered and how she’s going to decorate and even the games she has planned. It’s going to be so nice to see her family again, so far everyone in her immediate family is coming. She hasn’t seen them in a while. 

Her only real job is finding a dress to wear to the party. That’s the hardest part. With her ever-growing stomach and the heat this summer, she has no idea what to get. She knows she wants something floral to match the theme and she wants a sun dress but finding the two together is hard. Maternity shopping also sucks. 

It’s actually Aaron who ends up finding her a dress. 

He comes home from a case with a shopping bag in his hand, he meets her in their bedroom and sets it down in front of her. “We had 2 hours before the plane would be ready so we went to get dinner as a team and the store next to the restaurant had these in the window.” 

They were in LA for the most recent case. Of course, he found something there. 

She carefully takes it out of the bag, peels the tissue paper off it and gasps, “Aaron?” 

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?” 

She holds it up to her body, it’s the perfect size, it’s the right colour and the flowers match almost exactly to the wallpaper and the chair in Juliette's room. She can’t believe it. It’s exactly what she wanted. 

“How much was it?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” he pushes the question to the side. “It’s part 1 of your push present.” 

“You know about push presents?” She can’t believe it. 

He nods, “Penelope has given me a run down…” 

“You really don’t have to get me anything, having your baby is gift enough for me,” she explains. “I mean it. All I wanted was a baby, you gave me that and more… I mean, now I have a stepson and a house and you. I’m good.” 

“Yes, well, I’m going to spoil you regardless.” 

“Aaron,” she stares him down. “I don’t want you to go too crazy, okay?” 

“No promises,” he teases. “Do you want to try on the dress?” 

“You just want to see me naked,” she knows him too well. But she starts to stand regardless. 30 weeks pregnant now, it’s hard to do most things on her own. “A little help?” 

He helps her take her shirt off, then her pants. He gets them down to her ankles, kneeling there in front of her, he kisses her stomach gently. He feels up her legs, unshaven as it’s hard to do everything with a belly this big. But Aaron loves it. He loves everything about her. 

Back on his feet, he helps her put her dress on and moves her towards the mirror, “Look at you… this dress was made for you.” 

“Was it?” She asks, teasing him. “Are you sure you just found it? You didn’t have someone make it for me?” 

“I would have, but no, I actually found it. You can look up the store, it’s Daisy Maternity in LA,” he explains. 

“I believe you,” she smiles at him through the mirror. “No can you you help me out of this? I don't want to ruin this before the party next month.” 

“Arms up,” he instructs, helping her lift the dress up and off her, he rests it on their bed gently and then returns to her. He runs his hand down her arms, he cups her belly and pulls her in closer. His chest is flush against her back, and he smirks at her through the mirror. “isn’t Jack at a friend's house?” 

“He is…” 

Aaron unclips her bra with one hand and pushes the straps off her shoulders, kissing her there instead. “you’re so pretty.” 

“If you say—

He grips her jaw and stares at her through the mirror, making her look at herself too, “you are beautiful.” 

“You’ve gotta move my dress off the bed before you fuck me,” she teases.

He back away, picks up the dress and takes it into their closet where he slips it onto a hanger and places it on the rack with the rest of her dresses. When he gets back, she’s put her shirt back on and she’s sitting in bed with her maternity book. “Really?” 

“what my feet hurt?” She complains. “Believe me, I would love for you to ravish me right now but I don’t have hardly enough energy.” 

“So let me do all the work?” He suggests, climbing onto the bed and laying down between her legs. She can barely see him with her belly in the way. 

She just laughs at him, she lets him push his legs further apart and then lifts her hips so that he can take her underwear off. 

This was going to be a long night.

—

On the day of her baby shower, she gets all dolled up and by the time her dress is on, she’s exhausted. Aaron helps her down the stairs, they get her loaded up in the passenger seat of the SUV with Jack in the backseat and they don’t move. “What are—” 

“I have a present for you,” he explains, turning to her with a smile. “Jack helped me pick it out. “

“I did,” he pipes up, standing between their seats, leaning over to see his dad pull something out of his pocket. 

It’s a tiny little box. One that a ring would come in. “Aaron?” 

“I know we’ve never really talked about it… getting married again after everything we’ve gone through would be hard, but I still want you to wear my ring,” he explains, opening the box. 

The ring is beautiful. A gold band with a heart-shaped ruby in the middle surrounded by little diamonds. 

She laughs through the tears that drop down her cheeks. “Will it fit on my swollen fingers?” 

He laughs too, “I’m not sure… there’s only one way to find out.” He takes the ring out of the box and she extends her left hand to him, letting him put it on her ring finger as far as it will go. 

It makes it to her second knuckle and not much further. “Well… I guess we’ll have to wait till after the baby—

“Here,” she takes it and slides it onto her pinkie. It fits perfectly. “I’ll just move it over when my hands go back to normal.” 

Aaron takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips, kissing her gently. “You’re mine forever and now everyone will know it long after the bump is gone.” 

She stares at him, he can’t even joke about that with Jack standing behind them. “Aaron…” 

He simply leans over and kisses her for real, Jack claps behind them, overly excited for this to be real. “Are you going to have a wedding?” 

They pull back with smiles, at the same time saying “no.” they don’t need a wedding to make this real. The love they have for each other is real enough. 

“But if we go to the courthouse one day, you and your sister can be our witnesses, okay?” She promises. 

“You’ll be my best man,” Aaron assures him. “we’ll do it next year.” 

“This day exactly,” she agrees. “An August anniversary will be nice.” 

“And Jules will be old enough to sit through it… we might need to bring her godmother to hold her though,” Aaron teases. That’s another thing they have to announce today. 

“Who’s her godmother?” Jack asks. 

“Penelope and maybe one day Savannah,” she explains. “Cause Derek is her godfather, whoever he marries one day will be her other godmother.” 

“Dereks also my godfather,” Jack cheers, loving that he shares another thing with his sister. 

“So if anything ever happens to me and your dad one day, they’ll take care of you guys for us,” she makes sure he understands what that means. 

“Nothing will happen,” Aaron assures him. “But every couple needs a backup plan.” 

“Dad won’t let anything bad happen to us ever again,” Jack is confident. 

“Me either,” she agrees. “Now get your seatbelt on, we can’t be late to our own party!” 

He hurries to his seat and does up his buckle, Aaron waits until they’re all completely secure and then he backs out of their driveway. The drive to Dave's house isn’t long, it’s almost the same as their drive to work, seeing as Rossi and Gideon both bought houses close to Quantico at the height of their careers and Dave never left. He has a mansion on the water, it’s a perfect spot for all their parties and as they pull up… it’s the most beautiful spot for a baby shower, too. 

There’s a big flower arch over the garden gate that they have to go through to get to the party. The entryway has a guest book with a Polaroid camera so each guest can take a selfie and stick it in the book. She takes a moment to flip through all the familiar faces she knows and loves, noticing they’ve all written something sweet to Juliette for her to read when she’s older. Maybe at her own baby shower one day. 

When she walks in all eyes are on her. She’s hugged by her immediate family who she hasn’t seen in ages, they each touch her belly and can’t believe how far along she is. 34 weeks and a few days… she’s so close to the finish line. 

Her family is ecstatic to meet Aaron, they huddle around him and ask him so many questions, giving Y/N the chance to look around at everything Penelope set up. 

The food table is immaculate, and the cake she got has fake flowers on it and everything. Every little table for her guests has the most beautiful floral centrepieces and everyone has cute little drinks too. That’s when she notices there’s a bar and waiters and the whole thing has been catered. “Penelope?” She calls over to her. “I thought I said not to go crazy?” 

“And I said this baby is going to have the best party ever,” Penelope reminds her. “Come sit.” She rushes over to her side and drags her over to her main table, “do you want a drink?” 

“What do you have?” 

“We have mom-osa’s… non-alcoholic fruity drinks named after you and the little one. Would you like the Y/N which is Sprite, raspberry lemonade and muddled raspberries or the Juliette which is a sparkling cider, ginger ale and pineapple juice?” 

“Oh the Juliette sounds delicious, I think she’d like that one too,” she teases, holding her belly. 

“One Juliette coming right up!” 

Oh, how she can’t wait until Juliette is really here. She can’t wait to hold her and see her face and get to know her. Her personality, her quirks, her likes and dislikes… she wants to know if she’ll have Aaron's scowl or maybe she’ll share his and Jack's brown eyes? Is she going to be tall? Is she going to sleep well or stay up all night like her mom used to? There are so many possibilities and she can’t wait to learn each and every one about little Miss Juliette. 

—

The party goes smoothly. They have food, they play games, and everyone places guesses on when her baby will be born and how big she’ll be. They have a race to see who can change a diaper the fastest, they give speeches and there’s even a little slide show of baby pictures that Penelope was able to get from Y/N’s parents and Sean, who makes an appearance as well. 

It’s a wonderful reunion for so many of them. More fun than a wedding would’ve been, but it brought out the same crowd. The best part, Jess’s girlfriend is there to take pictures of everything. She gets group shots, solos, action shots, candid, you name it. It’s all going to be remembered for years to come. 

Peter's mom is there. It’s not weird, either. She talks to Y/N’s family, shakes hands with Aaron’s side and she brought the most beautiful present. For years, she was making a blanket for what would’ve been her baby with Peter… its sat in a box for too long. It’s a beautiful gift. The first of many gifts she has to open. 

The presents portion of the party is the best part. She unwraps all sorts of things from cute outfits to baby toys to a brand new stroller and even a playpen. She held off on getting a lot of things knowing that this was happening, and it’s a good thing because she’s not going to need to get much else. Her family covered it all for her. 

She’s handed another present when she looks at the garden gate and sees an all too familiar face. 

“What are you doing here?” She asks, standing up with her jaw dropped. Aaron is quick to his feet, standing in front of her like a shield. 

Peter is standing at the gate, entering the party he wasn’t invited to with a smirk. He’s holding a gift in his hand. 

“What is he doing here, Jane?” She asks Peters mom instead. 

“I didn’t tell him, I promise!” 

“she posted it on Facebook,” he announces as he gets closer. “She said she was going to her daughter in laws baby shower. I’m not stupid, I knew that meant you.” 

“So you tracked down the address and showed up?” Aaron asks, heated already. 

Derek is up and walking toward Peter, about to put his hand on his shoulder when Peter brushes him off. “Hey man, I’m just bringing her a present, who knows, it could be mine.” 

“It’s not.” Aaron stands his ground. “Get out. Now.” 

“Peter, leave, please,” Jane begs him, feeling awfully embarrassed. 

“Here,” he passes the present to Derek, who takes it carefully. “I just wanted her to have something—

“You’re a fucking asshole,” she cries, she pushes Aaron out of the way and stares him down. “You could’ve given me a baby, you could’ve told me the truth but instead you lied to me for 10 fucking years! You made me think I was broken and not worthy of being a mom or being loved. But you’re the broken one! Something sick and twisted exists in your brain and you’re never, NEVER going to be as loved as I am now. You lost. You’re always going to lose. You’re a fucking loser.” 

He just nods, taking it all, “wow,” he laughs. “Thanks for showing everyone what I put up with for 10 years.” 

“GET OUT!” She screams, “I swear to god if I see you near me or my family again I will kill you. I’m not fucking kidding. Leave.” 

Out of nowhere, Jack is standing in front of Peter, he kicks him in the balls and Peter falls to the floor. Jack kicks him a second time, in the face... “That’s for hurting my mom.” 

“Jack,” Aaron runs over and swoops him up and moves him away from Peter. 

She rushes over to them, brings Jack in for a hug and holds him there, “Thank you, baby, but you can’t go around kicking people.” 

“He deserved it. He hit you,” Jack remembers from the few conversations they’ve had about her evil ex-husband. 

Peter's nose is bleeding, he’s able to get back up to his feet and he laughs, “I’m going, I’m going… just, have a good life… that’s all I wanted to say. I didn’t come here to start shit, it’s just easy for me to turn mean, you know that.” 

“I don’t care, just get out,” she begs this time. “Don’t make them drag you out. They will.” 

Just like that, Luke and Spencer are standing with Derek and Aaron, all ready to get him out if they have to. Peter leaves without another word, heading out past the gate, Luke follows him, making sure he gets in his car and drives away. 

She sighs, turning back to the crowd. “I’m so sorry about all that… um, we’re just going to go inside, you guys can start eating cake?” 

“on it,” Penelope rushes over to the food table. “Who wants the first slice?” 

Y/N rushes inside with Aaron and Jack, “I can’t believe that just happened.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jack apologizes. 

“No, buddy, don’t apologize… if you ever see him again, at your school or driving past the house, you come to get us or you call 911, okay? You can’t hit him again, but he’s not a safe man to be around,” she explains to him. “I may call you my little hero, but you can’t put yourself in harm's way for us.” 

“She’s right but,” Aaron puts his hand out and high-fives Jack, smiling proudly. “You’re going to be a great big brother.” 

“I just,” Jack starts talking then stops himself. Furrowing his brow in a way that makes him look exactly like his father. “I hate him. I had to.” 

“I’m not mad at you,” she assures him. “I love you very much, thank you.”

He hugs her tight, sharing all his love with her. “Come on, let’s go back out there.” 

Once they return, every eye is on them again. She gives them a pressed-lipped smile, “Sorry about that…” 

“I’m sorry,” Jane apologizes, “I didn’t think he’d track me down and come here. I honestly don’t know him anymore. He’s not the boy I raised. He’s changed.” 

“It’s okay,” she assures Jane. “Um… where’s the present he brought?” 

Derek has it still, “I opened it already, just to make sure it was safe.” 

“You can take the man out of the bomb squad,” Aaron teases, “thank you for that.” 

“Anything for you guys,” he gives them a smile. 

She takes the present from him and opens it, finding a couple outfits she bought when they started trying, thinking it would be good luck. She left them behind for a reason. Both because she didn’t want them and to make him deal with what he did to her. But now they’re back. 

She holds them up for everyone to see, faking a smile, “It’s cute…” 

She puts it back in the box and hands it to Penelope, leaning in close to her ear, “Can you make sure these go to goodwill or something?” 

She nods, “of course.” 

“While I have everyone's attention,” she starts to speak as she walks back over to her table, she raises her glass and looks out at everyone. “I wanted to thank a few of you… Jennifer, thank you for being pregnant at the same time as me. I don’t know how I would’ve done this alone, being able to complain and compare with you has been so nice.”

“It’s my pleasure,” JJ assures her, raising her glass to her as well. 

“And Penelope, you’ve done such an amazing job with this party and taking care of me while everyone’s been away on cases. I love how you added all our pregnancy cravings to the office kitchen and you got me a comfy chair for your office, you’ve been my best friend these last few months that i’ve been stuck on office duty… there’s no one else I’d rather have watch my daughter if something ever happened to me. So, will you be her god-mother?” 

“YES!” She squeals. “Oh my god, I love being a godmother, please? Oh, I can’t wait I’m going to spoil her every day of her life.” She wraps her arms around Y/N and holds her there for a moment. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she holds her back for a moment. When she pulls away, she turns to Derek. “But every kid gets two godparents, so Derek, would you like to be her other one?” 

“Add that to the endless list of things I’d do for your family,” he smiles. “Of course.” 

“Thank you for taking on the extra workload for me and Aaron, he’ll be back to work before you know it,” she teases. 

Aaron nods with a smug smile on his face. “I’m going to love being home for 6 months, but I’ll be back. Maybe we can trade-off?” 

Savannah laughs, “Maybe.” 

“And I also want to thank Tara and Luke, you guys are the best replacements I could’ve hired,” she teases. “Seriously, ever since you’ve joined the team it’s been so much easier to catch bad guys, you’re making the world a better place for us to bring Juliette into.” 

Everyone claps for the team then, all in agreement that what the BAU does is magic. 

She holds her drink up one last time, “And to Dave, thank you for letting us use your house for this party. At least he doesn’t know where I live now.” 

That gets a giggle out of the crowd, but they all take a drink after. 

Jack stands on his chair, tapping a spoon off his glass like he’s seen in all the movies. “Can I say something?” 

“Yeah, buddy, go for it,” Aaron supports him, keeping a hand behind his back so he doesn’t fall backwards. 

“I just want to tell Y/N, my mom, that I love her,” he says with a smile. “And I love my sister and I’m so happy with my new family.” 

“Oh Jack,” she swoons again. Reaching over for his hand. “You’re the sweetest boy in the world, I love how much you love me and your sister. You’re going to be the best big brother, I just know you’ll keep her safe.” 

“We all saw just how far he’s willing to go,” Aaron teases, making everyone laugh again. “And we wanted to thank everyone who was invited for coming, thank you for making time to celebrate Y/N and her first baby. Thank you for making this special for them.” 

—

JJ goes into labour at 37 weeks, just like everyone expected her to. She calls Y/N and Aaron to the hospital after her little guy is born, wanting them to meet him first and she knew what that also meant. 

When they arrive, Spencer is already there with Henry, holding the tiny baby while JJ and Will watch on with awe. 

“Hey,” she makes their presence known. 

“Y/N, hi,” JJ welcomes her in, “sorry for calling so late.” 

“It’s okay,” she really doesn’t mind. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay… it was a lot quicker than Henry’s birth so I wasn’t expecting that, they didn’t even have the opportunity to give me an epidural.” 

“I’m so sorry,” she reaches out to touch her arm. “Did it hurt?” 

She laughs, “Yeah… oh yeah it sucked.” 

Y/N’s slightly scared. She’s always wanted a baby but she’s never been good with pain. She’s not ready but at the same time, she wants her baby as soon as possible. Being only 2 weeks behind JJ, she doesn’t have much time left, this baby is coming out one way or another and she just has to deal with it. 

“Here, Spence, can you pass him to Y/N,” JJ asks. “Hold him, experience the joy and you’ll understand what women mean when they say the pain isn’t as noticeable once they have a baby in their arms.” 

She carefully takes Michael in her arms, he’s so tiny. “Oh my god, he’s so cute?” 

“She makes cute babies,” Will teases. “My sister's kids came out all purple and swollen, these guys, they’re perfect.” 

“I’m sure Juliette will come out cute too,” JJ assures her. “I mean, Jack was too cute when he was born.” 

“Where is Jack?” Henry asks. 

“He’s with his aunt,” Aaron explains, quietly standing over Y/N’s shoulder, looking down at Michael, he reaches over and lets him hold his finger, the two of them are just in awe.

“When we had Henry, we gave him a godparent from Will's side and my side,” JJ explains. “Spencer has been the best support, it’s hard to get Will's sister out here often to help, so we thought why not give Michael two god-parents that are always around…”

“We’d love to be his god-parents,” Aaron accepts it right away. 

“I’m going to be home for a year so if you need anything, you know where to bring him,” Y/N reminds them. “Heck, I might even just stay home permanently and babysit all the FBI babies.” 

“I’ll be taking a decent paternity leave,” Will announces. “I loved staying home with Henry for the first year. We could have playdates, though?” 

“I would love that,” Y/N smiles over at will. “Our kids are going to be best friends yet again.” 

@mrs-ssa-hotch @14buddy22 @spottedzebrasinpartyhats  @mimischaos @rousethemouse

General Taglist 

@ncsls0515 @stevesmunsons @reidsbookclub @sweetyyhippyy @manuosorioh @mrs-dr-reid @k-k0129 @squishyturtle @katsukis1wife @babybisexual @marsmunson86 @buckleyhans

[tarditzgrade]

chat i dont think i’m gonna finish all these before the week is up

Day 2 Hero/Villain

The ninja team are on a museum heist and Lloyd’s on distract duty. Problem is the security guard he’s meant to distract is kind of cute.

Around 2652 words :) i don't know how museum security works and im not doing the research to find out

“Would’ve thought there would be more people back here.” Cole muttered.

“Not too much interesting about a bunch of pots.” Jay responded over the radio.

“I’d have to disagree.” Zane argued. “The design and history present in them can be quite fascinating.”

“Tell that to this empty ass room.” Kai scoffed.

“Pottery history is great and all, but,” Lloyd cut through the conversation. “Any updates on the statue?”

“We’re still working on it, Lloyd.” Nya informed. “We’re getting real close, though. Jay’s almost cracked the last password you’ll need.”

Lloyd huffed. This was possibly one of the most boring ways a heist could go awry. Well, boring for those on the floor. It was probably hectic as hell for those behind the scenes.

The original plan was for Cole, Kai, and Lloyd to go into the museum during opening hours, steal some real expensive sculpture that was being held in a storage room, sneak it out the back, get away in the van, and get it to the buyer.

In and out like that. No more than an hour should’ve been spent in this building.

Yet here they were, on hour four in this place because someone decided to switch which room the sculpture was in.

For once, they had every detail of the plan laid out to the letter. Every guard, every password, every exit had been figured out and accounted for, but the one thing that they hadn’t thought of, the one thing that they thought couldn’t go wrong, went wrong.

So now Lloyd was stuck wandering the museum with Cole and Kai, while Zane, Jay, and Nya were in the van, scrambling to figure out the new location of the statue and how to get it out of the museum before the place closed.

No, of course, they couldn’t wait until some other time to grab the sculpture. The buyer wanted it by tonight or else they’d back out of the deal. And the sculpture might not even be in the museum by tomorrow.

Kai stuck his tongue out at one of the old vases he was staring at. “It just gets repetitive after a while, doesn’t it? Staring at dusty old pots. I’d’ve rather tripped a wire than have this relocation stuff happen. It would’ve been more exciting than just waiting around.”

“Really.” Cole agreed. “That would’ve at least led to some high speed chase or maybe some kind of stealth escape.”

“Can we not openly talk about our crimes in public?” Lloyd asked.

Cole spread his arms, gesturing to how empty the room was. “Who’s gonna hear it, Lloyd? No one’s here.”

“Yeah, everyone’s at the space exhibits or the dinosaurs.” Kai added. “Y’know, the cool stuff we could be looking at instead of ceramics.”

“Well, it’s not our fault the museum decided to relocate the statue near all the pottery.” Nya chimed in, over their earpieces.

“Where even is that storage room?” Kai wondered. “You guys said it was around here, but I haven’t seen anything.”

“The entrance out of the public area is in the next room over, but there’s a few more hallways and doors after that.”

Kai beelined to the spot she pointed out, eager for something else to do. He looked around the corner for a second, then beckoned the other two over.

“We lucked out.” He told them. “It’s just one guard standing next to the door. No one else in the room.”

“I’ll distract him.” Lloyd offered.

“I’ve got it!” Jay shouted in excitement, cutting off Lloyd’s time to detail a quick plan. He lowered his volume. “Sorry, sorry. I’ve got the last password. I’m sending them to Cole in the order that you’ll need them. I think there’s also a lock or two you’ll have to pick.”

Cole checked his phone. “Got ‘em. Is everyone ready?”

“Been ready for the past three hours.” Kai patted Lloyd on the back and shoved him towards the entrance of the next room. “Go get ‘em, Lloyd.”

“Cameras are going down now.” Zane said. “I’d say you have about twenty to thirty minutes before they figure out how to get them back online.”

Lloyd stepped out into the room, with no real plan in mind. If it was a bigger crowd, Lloyd would fake an injury to draw attention to himself, but that would probably be suspicious in a room with just two people in it.

He figured he’d act casual and peruse the ceramics in this room before trying anything.

…Kai was right. All the artifacts just kind of blended into each other with no real distinction between one and the next.

At least the ones in the last room were decorated and intact, these ones were just plain, broken fragments. If you got lucky, one would have a legible pattern scratched into the surface, but that seemed to be it.

But he wasn’t here to complain about pottery, he had to figure out how to get that guard away from the door.

Lloyd supposed he could always go up and talk to him, but that probably wouldn’t get him away from the door. He could also call him over somehow, but he would have to figure out how to and that might not even work.

“Are you interested in the bowls?”

Lloyd spun to find the security guard calling to him from across the room. He was still standing by the door, but his attention was now on Lloyd.

Now, Lloyd was not at all interested in the bowls. In fact, he didn’t even know he had been staring at bowls.

But, in his time of distracting security guards, never had the guard themselves set up the bait.

“Are these bowls?” Lloyd asked. “I figured they were something else.”

“The ones you’re looking at are bowls, but there’s other kinds of kitchen items in here.”

Lloyd could see the broken pieces in front of him coming from more bowl-shaped objects. “I guess they are bowls. Do you know a lot about these things?”

The guard shrugged. “A good amount.”

Easy catch. “You mind telling me more?”

The guard looked left, then right. A useless action, no one else was in the room, but him and Lloyd. He picked himself off the wall and walked over to the display case Lloyd was standing in front of. His back was to both the storage room door and the entrance to the room.

As he got closer, Lloyd picked out a few general details about him. Black hair and a little taller than Lloyd’s height. Lloyd still figured that he could take him in a fight if it came down to it. He had a standard security jacket thrown over his clothing and no other gear besides a walkie-talkie.

The guard leaned over the glass display case. “Well, for starters, everything in this room is pottery from a bunch of ancient eastern villages.” The guard motioned across the room. He brought his hand back to the display in front of him. “These ones specifically were used for religious purposes.”

Cole poked his head into the room, noticing the guard abandoning his post. As soon as the guard’s eyes were off Lloyd, he motioned with his head for Cole and Kai to move.

Lloyd fed him a question or two to keep him talking. “Religious purposes? How can you tell?”

The guard pointed at the little plaque beneath the case, which stated all the stuff he said very clearly

“Oh.” Lloyd knew he looked dumb, but that was the least of his worries.

Kai and Cole shuffled across the room as quietly as possible, reaching the door that was meant to be guarded. Cole began to figure out the keypad, while Kai kept watch for him.

“I mean, besides that,” the guard continued, “you can tell by the etching on the bowls.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you see those patterns on the bowl?”

Lloyd could. They were the same ones Lloyd had dismissed earlier as barely legible scrawls.

“They’re images of old gods, or what people thought they looked like.”

Lloyd pointed to one. “That one doesn’t look like a person.”

“Because it’s not. Some people thought the gods appeared as snakes or other animals.”

Lloyd looked back up to check Cole and Kai’s progress. Cole had figured out the password and gotten the door unlocked with minimal noise. The guard didn’t notice as Cole and Kai slipped through the door.

Hard part was over. Of course, Lloyd couldn’t bail immediately. The longer the guard stood over here, the more progress Kai and Cole could make without the guard noticing something was off.

“These guys thought that this god in particular appeared as a tiger sometimes. He was a god of the hunt, though, so that makes sense.” The guard kept talking and Lloyd listened. Not much else to do.

“And so what was this bowl used for?”

“Ah, there could be a bunch of things. Maybe they used it for prayers before a hunt, maybe they used it to sacrifice their winnings from a hunt to thank the god. Some people think they used it for rituals to commemorate hunting games.”

Lloyd nodded along, feigning interest. Or…well, he thought he was feigning interest. Some of the stuff the guard was talking about was kind of interesting.

“Hey, Lloyd. You’re free to go now.” Jay radioed to him over his earpiece. “Kai and Cole are making enough progress that we’d be gone before anyone finds anything out.”

Lloyd could not respond to Jay, but honestly, he wasn’t paying much attention to anything besides the guard.

As the guard rambled about all the uses of a bowl, Lloyd did not miss the way his eyes lit up when bringing up the different possibilities. The guard’s enthusiasm for the subject was clear on his face as he kept talking.

Lloyd liked hearing people nerd out about stuff they liked and he would be lying if he didn’t find it a little adorable.

…

Holy shit, there was no way he was catching feelings for a security guard.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to talk your ear off, though.” The guard stopped his ramblings and apologized. “I’m sure you’ve got other exhibits to see.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” Why was he saying that? “I was boring myself to death staring at this stuff. But I hadn’t thought about all the things you brought up. Makes it a little more interesting.”

“Lloyd, that was the perfect opportunity to get away.” Nya remarked.

Unhelpful commentary aside, Lloyd had come to that realization himself. Why was he even still here? Kai and Cole were probably out of there by now and him staying here would only hold up the mission.

The guard looked at him with confusion. “Then why are you back here? You’re like three rooms deep into this pottery exhibit.”

A fact Lloyd was painfully aware of. He played dumb. “I don’t know. I was just wandering.”

The guard bought it, thankfully. “That’s fair. Not many people come all the way back here. It’s so deep into the museum and they don’t keep anything too exciting over here.”

“It seems exciting to you. How come you know so much about this stuff?” Why was he perpetuating the conversation?

“Lloyd, I don’t mean to question your tactics,” Zane radioed in, “but are you flirting with the security guard?”

Lloyd ignored him. He was in too deep now. The guard seemed shocked at Lloyd’s comment. “Oh, thank you. I work in the museum, so I usually get to spend a lot of time with the stuff.”

“So you don’t usually do security work?”

“Not really. I’m usually the info guy and I’m posted farther up, but apparently they moved something important behind that door.” He pointed to the door that Cole and Kai had disappeared behind however long ago. “It was a quick switch and they were short on staff so they just told me to stand by it for a few hours.

“Keep this between you and me,” the guard leaned in closer to Lloyd, “but the museum said that caught word that someone was gonna steal whatever they put back there.”

Lloyd feigned shock. “Really? Shouldn’t you still be over there if it’s so important?”

“Eh, if it was that important, they’d put more people back here. But so few people come back here, I guess they thought one guy was enough.”

“Or maybe they thought that you were enough to handle any threat.”

The guard laughed at his joke and Lloyd would definitely be willing to hear that laugh again. “You’ve got jokes. Although, you are right, I should get back over there, eventually. Is there anything else you wanted to know about anything in here?”

Yes. He almost said that, but Zane reminded him of reality. “Lloyd, I appreciate you finally trying to find a date, but you need to get out of there. We are not sabotaging the mission because you have a crush.”

A harsh reality, but Lloyd supposed he could always come back. “I’d love to, really, but I’ve got somewhere to be. How about I get your name so I know who to look for if I return?”

An idiot, he was. He may or may not have walked right into a trap he set up himself.

“You’re not the most perceptive, are you?” The guard gestured to his nametag. In Lloyd’s defense, it was slightly hidden behind his jacket. “It’s Brad. Brad Tudabone, but just Brad’ll do.”

Then, the guard asked the question Lloyd regretted setting up. “What’s yours?”

Nya, oh so helpfully, chided Lloyd. “I don’t care how cute you find the security guard, Lloyd. You are not going to give him your name.”

Now, Lloyd could’ve given him his real name and just hoped that the mission went so smoothly no one would ever consider him as a part of the heist. Lloyd could’ve given him a fake name, but it probably wasn’t the best move to start off with a lie like that. Lloyd could’ve also given him no name at all, and just bluff his way out of the situation, somehow, but that would’ve probably been the most suspicious thing to do.

His silence was going on for a beat too long.

“It’s Lloyd.”

He gave him his name. It seemed like the easiest option.

He could hear shouts of disagreement over his earpiece, but he just had to ignore them once more. Maybe Lloyd was a common enough name that he wouldn’t remember it. Or maybe he’d luck out and Brad wouldn’t tell anyone that he had seen Lloyd around here.

Brad looked Lloyd up and down. “Lloyd, huh? Alright, well, I guess I’ll see you around then.”

He waved Lloyd off and Lloyd waved back as he left the room to make his way out to the nearest exit of the museum.

“Lloyd, that is the dumbest thing you've ever done for a mission.” Nya stated once he had gotten to the van.

“He didn’t even do it for the heist,” Kai called from the back. “That conversation could’ve lasted five minutes and everything would’ve gone exactly the same.”

“Why’d you even give him your name?” Cole asked. “I feel like getting his number would’ve been so much easier and also wouldn’t have given up identifying information.”

“I didn’t think about that,” Lloyd admitted.

“No, no.” Jay responded from the shotgun seat. “I think Lloyd did the right thing by not getting his number. That would’ve been moving too fast.”

“Getting a number is too fast?”

“For this situation? Yes.”

The truck descended into conversation as to whether getting his number would’ve been jumping the gun, and also the fact that Lloyd would probably get implicated in this crime, but Lloyd couldn’t find it in him to join.

He was about to gain a much greater interest in pottery.

[wcamino-confessions]

hi, seraphronos/v01d4l_n0x here (yes the real one /silly) probably this doesn't look the most professional considering I literally just retired but I've been frustrated about certain things that happened whilst I was on the team and I've never really had the change to vent it all out. and yes I know this isn't really relevant anymore but I just needed to rant a little little disclaimer: my time on the lt apart from this situation was great!! loved it on there and I loved working with everyone else frfr !! so this is not intended to slander them at all this is mostly about the helper anon here, so to clarify for anyone unaware: void-anons is not me. they are a blog made to purposely impersonate me, and no I don't know who they are. I have my suspicions, but I'd rather not risk falsely accusing someone considering that's literally what happened to me lol. also this is mostly about me and my experiences so I'm not speaking from the team as a whole here so to start: literally fuck you helper anon. not cool man 👎. you didn't have to make the blog look like mine and could have made it completely anonymous but no you really just had to drag me into it (which im assuming was because im not the most active in chats so it was easier to make it seem like it was mine cause there would be no one to back me and my actions up). also I'll forever be annoyed at the rui aesthetic. like that is literally my guy ☹️. I understand you had frustrations about how things were handled and yeah I get it, but you really did not have to drag me into it??? and then joke about me getting demoted afterwards and act proud of the fact you did???? again just really not cool boooo 🍅🍅🍅. I hope both sides of your pillow are warm tbh I really do not like you my second point: the chats after I returned. yes guys I did read up. I definitely get why the other helpers were frustrated as was I but I felt some of the comments were kinda personal about me?? like I saw the point about how I wasn't close with the other team members show up a few times and like?? that isn't really about the confession that's about me 👎. and just to add on yes I'm aware this was like 8-9 months ago now, and most people part of that discussion have now retired third (and probably final point): the team as a whole on the issue. First of all, it took 2 days of constant bumping and sending proof I don't own the account just to get back on the team. 2 days I was waiting to see if they'd actually believe me. if it was me I honestly would have admitted it, but the fact it isn't and that it's completely out of my control is the worst feeling. little note here but I did really appreciate the members of the lt who sent me pms apologising/asking if there's anything they could do, thank you guys, love u /p. but the fact still stands that they haven't been demoted, and I have pushed for any updates/information that I was allowed to know, but I just kept getting told that 'we're working on it'. I know it's a difficult situation but it really just came across to me like nothing was actually being done. extra few little notes here but the fact that the first confession mentioned how they were on a burner account then proceeded to make it look like it was mine?? why would i do that?? also why was I immediately demoted without being given the option to explain anything first. I feel the actions from the team were very rushed and whilst I do understand it was quite a unique situation, I feel like the steps taken weren't completely thought through. to add to this though I'm glad I did get an explanation in ufc not too long back. I appreciate the transparency /gen. last note from me but I'd like to add the reason that I have so much to say here was because I felt as if I was being shut down at certain points. naturally, this was brought up in casual helper chats more than once and so I'd rant a little, but I had to hold myself back in case of anything.

I did proofread this a little but it is long so pls ignore any mistakes 🙏

[loren91]

Young Royals and the three act structure, Part two

Here we go again! Last time we spoke about how season one is constructed within the three-act structure. If you haven’t read the previous post I’d recommend you do so, because I’m not gonna explain each plot point again. Now we shall look at how this applies to the rest of the show, and based on that make a small prediction about season three.

So now that we’re all up to speed, let’s get to it!

I wanna take a moment first to consider Wille’s Want vs Need in regard to season two. The Want hasn’t really changed - He still wants to be with Simon. Although we are now aware of his Need, because of how the previous season ended, his struggle now is more about how to get there. Essentially, coming to terms with taking accountability and committing to his values. Consider where he’s at the start of the season, compared to the end. In episode one he calls his mother and literally blames her and the court for everything. Missing the point that it was his own lack of communication that drove Simon away from him in the first place. He’s not ready to take accountability yet. That’s why he can’t have what he wants. In the end though, in episode six, that’s exactly what he does. He admits he was in the video with Simon, to correct what he did wrong. The emotional journey he’s been through this season pushes him to actively make decisions based on his own beliefs, not letting the crown manipulate him anymore. Wille has become fully aware of what he Needs.

We continue our structure analysis with season two. And I gotta be honest for a second, I struggled a bit identifying some of these beats. They’re not as grand as they were in the previous season, making the structure a bit less obvious. The way I see it, the second act this time around is veeery long. But once again, if you disagree with me, let’s chat!

Act 1

Act tension - Can Wille and Simon resume their relationship?

Sequence 1

Set up/Hook - Since this is season two, we already know most of the characters and there’s no need to go deep about what is plaguing Wilhelm, we know what happened last season. But when we catch up with him, it’s clear he’s had a terrible Christmas. He’s sad and alone in the castle, doesn’t speak to his mother, and is very angry at August. Then he returns to Hillerska.

Sequence tension - What’s gonna happen when Wille and Simon reunite?

Point of attack - Wille is eager to be around Simon again, but Simon is trying to avoid him and even asks for space.

Inciting incident - Wille finds out about Simon’s date with Marcus.

Sequence 2

Sequence tension - What is Wille gonna do with this new information?

Things are moving rather quickly here because again, this is the sequel, there’s no need to linger on the set up. So we are immediately faced with the first major plot point, the Lock-in - Wille calls the royal court and blames them for everything that’s gone wrong so far. He also makes the decision to actively fight them, by threatening to renounce the crown. This also establishes the royal court as the main antagonist for this season. August is still an antagonist, but no longer the main one. The main tension is also established.

Act 2

Act tension -  How will he win Simon back?

Sequence 3

The protagonist starts this sequence having learned something new - Simon is making attempts to move on. Wille responds with petty anger. Then we get a pinch point - Jan-Olof shows up to remove Wille from Hillerska. Demonstrating the royal court's power. 

Sequence tension - Can Wille stand up for himself against the crown?

Sequence 4

The build-up towards the midpoint - Felice advises Wille to be around Simon as much as possible, to keep trying, and that he does. Like bargaining with Simon about having a secret relationship, helping Simon get a spot on the rowing team, and confronting him about his relationship with Marcus.

Sequence tension - Is Simon actually moving on?

And here comes the dreaded midpoint once again - Wille sees Simon and Marcus kiss. He now believes he’s lost Simon forever. What we could call “A false defeat”. This changes his aim from winning Simon back, to attempting to move on himself. 

Sequence 5

Wille is trying to adjust to this new reality where he can no longer hope for Simon to come back to him. We could identify two pinch points here. One is the locker room fight, where Simon admits he can’t accept Wille's title. And the other is when Simon shows up at the ball with Marcus. Both of these remind Wille of the fact that he can’t be with Simon. 

Sequence tension - Can Wille let Simon go?

Again, some subplots advance here - Sara and August’s relationship intensifies.

Sequence 6

Starting with a plot point, a moment of reflection for our protagonist - Despite Wille’s attempts to let go, Simon runs after him at the ball. They end up kissing.

Sequence tension - They still love each other!

Wille is overjoyed by this turn of events, and for a moment believes that they can be together again.

Sequence 7

Just like last time, Young Royals drags out the drama by adding an extra sequence here. A pinch point - Another reminder of the royal court's power. Kristina telling Wilhelm that August is next in line to the throne after him. Their argument in the music room could also be accounted for here.

Sequence tension - Wille is starting to realise how much his title affects Simon.

Wille’s offer to give up the crown could be more considered as a character-building moment, rather than a plot point. And Simon’s decision after this is more of a plot point in his own storyline.

The crisis that serves as build-up to act three - August threatens to report Simon for the drugs, if he reports August for the video. Wille reacts very strongly and takes it as a personal attack. 

The end of act two, where the protagonist faces their biggest challenge yet - The aftermath of the field scene. Wille is alone again, Simon isn’t talking to him, and his title has badly hurt Simon once again. On top of all this, he has to do the speech. 

Act 3

Act tension - Can Wille do the speech?

Sequence 8

Here the protagonist will make a big decision - Though perhaps is more Simon making the decision, to have a secret relationship.

Then we have the last major plot point, the twist - Despite the fact that Wille absolutely does not want to do the speech, he does it anyway, because he can’t let August be rewarded. 

Sequence 9

Sequence tension - What is he gonna say in this speech?

The climax - Wille stops, considering the contents of the speech, and disagrees with it. He decides to admit it was him in the video. 

Resolution - The smile they share I guess? But it’s still an open ending since this monumental decision leaves us with many question marks. Preparation for season 3.

The show obviously consists of so much more than just these beats, like subplots and character-building moments. The purpose of these things should be to strengthen the characters, as well as add more depth to the main plot. Take our beloved fish scene as an example, it doesn’t really do much to advance the plot. But it’s a very good moment for solidifying Wille and Simon’s relationship! Which is important to keep us, the audience, invested in their story. 

Subplots are quite interesting and tricky to get right. They tend to follow the same structure as the main plot. It’s also common for subplots to cross paths with the main plot as well, and sometimes even fundamentally affect it. However, since the main plot should always focus on developing the protagonist, you shouldn’t let any of the other character’s arcs hijack it. But you also generally don’t wanna keep the two narratives completely separate, because then the subplot might end up feeling forced and meaningless. A great example from Young Royals is the drug plotline between Simon and August. Let’s break it down real quick.

Act 1 - the deal

Set up/Hook - August approaches Simon. Clearly, they are not friends. Inciting incident - August asks Simon to get booze for him. Lock in - Even though Simon initially declined the offer, he eventually agrees to help August.

Act 2 - the money issues

Pinch point - August returns and now asks for drugs, despite being late with the payment. Midpoint - Simon learns August can’t pay him back because August is broke. Pinch point - Simon gives August more drugs to sell, so he may pay him back. Crisis - August threatens to frame Simon for the drugs after the party. (The plot lines cross and affect each other)

Act 3 - the threat 

Climax - Wille manages to convince the others to frame Alexander instead. Resolution - Simon is safe (for now)

The reason why I don’t account for Simon going to see his father here is because I’d argue that them reconnecting is its own subplot, more related to Simons relationship with Sara, than it is to the August situation. It’s also an unresolved plot line still. Micke showing up at Lucia I suspect to only be their crisis point, or maybe even midpoint? Depending on how the rest of it plays out in season three of course.

Another neat trick writers may use with their subplots, is to parallel the main plot, either to highlight the themes of the story, or to explore alternative outcomes. For example, the Sara and August plotline at times resembles Wille and Simon’s plot, for very good reasons. Like how August and Wille are from similar backgrounds, yet they’re very different people. Especially at the end of season two. By that point the emotional journey August has been on, falling in love with Sara and reflecting on his wrongdoings, you’d assume he would have learned something or displayed some kind of character growth. But nope. Instead, he doubles down and causes further intentional harm to the people he’s already hurt. While Wille, in the same episode actively works to redeem himself to Simon. This is meant to strengthen Wille’s position as the protagonist we should root for, by comparing him to August, who remains to be an awful person. So even though it may feel like season two is giving more screen time to the secondary characters, that still has a purpose for the overall narrative.

Young Royals in general like to use their secondary characters to highlight the overall theme of the show. As @darktwistedgenderplural pointed out to me, widening the view of Wille’s Want vs Need to the want of being loved for who you are, and the need to be your most authentic self, we find that the same principle can be applied to all the five main characters. Despite all their journeys being unique, their wants and needs remain universal. They are all there to strengthen the theme of the show.

So what was the point of all this rambling? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the story consists of exactly three seasons. The way I see it, since the three-act structure can be found in every element of this show, each season is also meant to represent one of the acts. Season one is the set up, season two is the confrontation, and season three will be the resolution. If we try to map out the entire show that we have so far in the structure format, you can quite quickly find the pattern.

Season 1

Set up - Wille is sent to Hillerska where he meets Simon and falls in love. Inciting incident - The video is released. Lock-in - Wille does the statement and Simon breaks up with him.

Season 2

Pinch point - The royal court proves to be a major obstacle to Wille getting what he wants. Midpoint - Wille and Simon kiss at the Valentine’s ball, proving they still have feelings for each other. Pinch point - The royal court is still trying to manipulate him, making him do the speech. Moment of reflection - Wille considers how much his title affects Simon and chooses to come out.

My theory is that at the start of season three, we’ll get to the Crisis point of the over-arcing plot. Where our protagonist will face their biggest challenge yet and be at their lowest point before the climax. And hopefully, we’ll get a proper resolution this time around! (Something more than a cliffhanger at least, please and thank you)

So even though it’s sad that our lovely little show is coming to an end, I think it’s worth looking at the bigger picture here. The writers clearly intended for it to have three seasons so that we would have a satisfying story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There are so many examples of shows that self-sabotaged by running for way too long and not being able to keep consistent quality. But the Young Royals team got to stay loyal to their story and tell it in their way, and I think that’s beautiful.

Young Royals is a love letter to storytelling, and you can’t convince me otherwise ❤

[idontknowreallywhy]

Practical Suggestions for supporting people with RSD in the workplace

Am reposting my response to this excellent post because of course tumblr never shows reblogs in the tags view… and I’d really like as many thoughts as possible!

RSD and the Workplace

Been searching for things to help explain this to my new boss without it sounding like “I am a sensitive little flower please don’t ever criticise me.”

It’s tricky… the last thing I want is for people to withhold professional feedback because that just feeds into the fear that “I’m getting it all wrong but they are too polite to tell me.”

But at the same time I need to explain why sometimes I may overreact… why a minor issue might be the end of the world for a while and why I will fixate heavily on correcting a mistake (or, more frequently obsess an unhealthy amount over perfecting something just in case there is a mistake that I have missed because that would trigger aforementioned end of world).

Anyone else have any experience in this area? I can’t find many resources from an occupational health perspective and I have a meeting with HR soon to discuss putting something in place. The last slide talks about understand and acknowledging but how does the supportive environment look?

My ideas so far

- it’s not that we don’t want feedback! It just needs to be done in a way that doesn’t prompt the SHOCK chemical reaction in my nervous system. Perceived negativity arriving out of the blue is like being jumped out on from the shadows by a knife-wielding maniac in a clown mask. Receiving feedback in a predictable and expected way is more like approaching an angry dog (having put on protective clothing and made a plan for how to deal with each of the two or three things it might do)

- If you want to discuss something with me please explain exactly what it’s about in the request. “Can we chat later?” will result in every moment of the time between the request and the actual chat being consumed by me overanalysing my every action of the last 12 months and not actually doing any work in the interim. If I know what it’s about I won’t be as highly reactive when the revelation comes (and I will be more able to focus on what you are actually saying as my brain won’t still be lingering on ALL the other non-issues I have tormented myself about in the intervening time).

- Maybe a regular catch up time for informal feedback would work? Don’t wait for issues to get bad before raising them?

- Please be aware that my initial defensive response isn’t a rejection of the feedback, or stubbornness. I might splurge a list of reasons you are wrong or I might shut down and need to take a while to process it. Either way I will eventually come around and take the constructive bit on board.

- One of the silliest things about RSD is that even neutral feedback can feel highly negative at times. (Sort of like how we all accept dropping from “Kind regards” to “regards” is the ultimate professional burn, even though the it’s not written “with deep antipathy” it reads it!!) This is particularly the case with emails actually. I’m not saying fill your emails with smiley faces but if requesting a change of task / focus / adjustment to something or just giving the next instruction, it’s worth knowing that slipping in the slightest acknowledgement of previous work being satisfactory, even a complement or a brief “thank you for doing the previous thing, I’ll look at it later” changes the entire tone and tells the primitive brain that “this is a positive interaction, dial down the fight or flight”

- Finally - FOMO is a thing. But the fear is that you are not included because THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU / YOU ARE NOT TRUSTED OR VALUED rather than concern at missing out on a pleasurable thing. An easy way to deal is to check with your staff whether they want copying in on things or not - some may find constant emails about things they don’t need to engage with overwhelming. Others may see other team members being included and worry about why they are not and what should they know and what if they miss something that causes them to make a Mistake later?) This was a big deal for me as old boss was very kindly trying to avoid overloading me but I spent months assuming she valued everyone else’s opinion over mine.

Obviously I need to condense these a little to make them HR friendly. But.. what else? Can tumblr RSDers (or anyone who works with them) chip in any more practical suggestions?

[fanficshiddles]

The Call Of Fate, Chapter 3

The day after Jade first met Arthur, Loki was outside in the sun reading a book on the lawn. He was so engrossed in his book, that it took him a moment to notice someone coming to join him on the deck chair next to him.

Looking up, he smiled as it was Jade. He was glad he was wearing sunglasses so she couldn’t see his eyes flickering down her body to check her out. It was an unusually hot spring day, so she was wearing a vest top and shorts.

‘Fed up of the company inside?’ Loki asked, pretending to focus back on his book. Though he was looking at her at the side of said book.

‘I just thought I’d come out and bug you for a while. Didn’t take you as someone that enjoys the sun, considering how pasty white you are.’ Jade said as she got comfortable to sunbathe.

Loki chuckled low. ‘Same for you, I thought goths melted in the sun?’

‘Nah that’s just vampires.’ Jade smirked. ‘Do you really think I’m a goth?’

Loki laughed. ‘In comparison to the rest of us here, yes. But overall, not too much. If anything, you’re more like a cupcake goth.’

‘A cupcake goth?’ Jade turned her head to him and lowered her sunglasses.

‘Yeah. Slightly goth, but in a sweeter, not too gothly kind of way. Plus, your hair is like icing on a cupcake.’ He smirked and lowered his sunglasses too, winking at her.

Jade shook her head and laughed. ‘Cupcake goth, that’s a new one.’

The two settled back to enjoy the sun. Jade was going to listen to music, just in his presence, but she noticed that he hadn’t actually turned the page of his book in a few minutes.

‘If you’d rather have peace, just let me know.’ Jade said.

‘Not at all. You’re not quite as tedious as the rest, so I’ll allow you to remain in my company.’ Loki said cockily.

Jade rolled her eyes. ‘Was it just me, or was Natasha’s curry last night a bit… uhm…’

‘Disgusting?’ Loki asked.

‘Yeah… Though no one else said anything so I thought it was just me. But I struggled to eat it.’

‘Trust me, everyone else struggled too. But no one wants to tell her how bad she is at cooking after the first time Thor commented on it, she almost choked him to death with her thighs. She doesn’t take too well to bad comments about her cooking. So we just keep quiet.’

‘Noted… What about you, are you good at cooking?’

‘I am.’ Loki nodded.

‘Why does that not surprise me? I’m guessing Gods are good at pretty much everything.’ Jade grinned.

‘More or less.’ Loki shrugged. ‘Although Thor didn’t get the memo… How about you, can you cook?’

‘Not really, but I know it and don’t choke people for telling me it’s shit. The only thing I am good at cooking is Bolognese. That’s it. Anything else I try, is a disaster.’

‘Remind me to never let you loose in the kitchen then.’ Loki chuckled.

‘Unless it’s Bolognese!’ Jade corrected.

‘Hmm, I’m not sure about even that.’

Jade threw her bottle of sun cream at him, but he swiftly caught it before it hit him. ‘You’ll need to try harder than that, cupcake.’ He smirked.

Jade and Loki spent most of the afternoon together, chatting away and enjoying the sun. When they headed inside for dinner, they found a few of the team glaring at them at the table.

‘What’s going on?’ Jade asked as she sat down, confused.

Before anyone could answer, Natasha walked in with Bruce, carrying the last few plates of dinner. ‘Oh you two missed out on the curry leftovers from last night. So you’ll have to cope with Bruce’s noodles, sorry.’ Natasha said as she gave them their plates.

Loki and Jade looked at one another and sniggered, trying not to laugh. Steve, Tony, Vision and Wanda had been first to the table and the lucky ones to get Natasha’s leftovers.

‘What are you two sniggering about?’ Thor asked loudly across the table, making everyone look at them.

‘Just something that your brain would not be able to comprehend, brother.’ Loki said, making Jade laugh a bit more.

‘Oh god. They’ve been bonding.’ Steve groaned and face-palmed.

Loki and Jade just grinned as they began eating.

-

A few days later, it was finally time for the meeting with the lawyer that Natasha had set up. Jade was feeling super nervous about it, this would either make or break her.

She met with the lawyer in Fury’s office, with Fury and Natasha present.

‘You must be Jade, I’m Richard.’ He shook Jade’s hand then everyone sat down at the table.

‘Natasha filled me in with all the information… This is going be rather short and brief, I’m afraid.’

Jade’s stomach sank and she felt her heart breaking already.

‘Unfortunately, due to this being a family matter within such a wealthy and royal family, it’s something that can’t be won. We could try and go to court over the matter, but it would be a waste of not only money, but time as well. I have spoken to all of my colleagues and other lawyers I know from other firms, but none of us have been able to come up with an angle to attack from where we’d have even a small chance of winning. I’m really sorry, as I know this isn’t the news you’d be hoping for.’  

Jade didn’t respond, she sat frozen on the spot. This had been her last hope, that there would be a way out of this forced marriage. So she could get back home, to her friends and family she’d grown up with.

Fury and Natasha conversed with Richard for a few minutes, but Jade couldn’t hear what they said, she had zoned out completely. Just panicking about her fate.

‘Jade?’ Natasha’s hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it. ‘I’m really sorry, Jade…’

Jade swallowed and slowly stood up. ‘Thanks for trying…’ She then made her way out of the room without saying anything else.

Loki had been waiting down the corridor, but when he saw the lawyer leaving rather quickly, he got worried. That worry grew when Jade stepped out of the room and didn’t even make it a step further before she broke down crying.

‘Jade.’ Loki rushed over to her as she began to crumble. He caught her before she fell to the floor, she cried into him and he pulled her into a hug.

Loki teleported them both to her room, he figured she would want some privacy. But he stood and held her tightly while she cried until there was no more tears left.

‘I’m sorry…’ She whispered as she pulled back from him.

‘No need to apologise, cupcake.’ Loki said softly.

Jade smiled a bit at that, but it quickly faded.

‘It didn’t go well with the lawyer?’ He asked.

Jade shook her head and sat down on the edge of her bed. Loki joined her.

‘I… I can’t marry him, Loki. I can’t. He was awful, really awful. Said I looked ridiculous, that I’d have to grow out the blue in my hair, cut it and get my tattoos removed. He wants to completely change me. I can’t do this, I can’t cope.’ She began panicking again.

Loki rubbed her back soothingly. ‘It’s going to be alright, Jade. I don’t know what we can do, but there will be a way out of this. And you do NOT change yourself for anyone. If you want to keep your hair blue, then you keep it blue. No matter if it’s royalty trying to change you or not. Same with your tattoos, it’s your body. He does not get a say in what you do with it.’ Loki said firmly, trying not to get too angry at the thought of this man.

‘What if he forces me to change?’

‘He can’t do that. If he dares try to, then he will have me and the Avengers to deal with.’ Loki growled.

Jade smiled a genuine smile and she felt a warmth inside her. She knew that Loki was mischievous and could be a bit egotistical sometimes, but she had known deep down all along that he had a soft side and was kind.

‘Thank you, Loki.’ Jade fell into him and pressed her head against his chest.

Loki put his arm around her and just let her be for a while. For reasons he didn’t know, he wanted to kiss the top of her head, but he resisted from doing so.

‘I’ll make you a deal?’ Jade said after a while when she sat up straight.

‘What kind of deal?’ Loki raised an eyebrow.

‘If you don’t tell anyone about my meltdown, I won’t tell anyone about you being so soft and comforting.’

Loki chuckled. ‘Deal. It’s good you know I have a reputation to keep up.’ He winked at her.

‘I know, I know.’ Jade smiled and patted his shoulder.

‘We better go join the rest for dinner.’ Loki suggested.

‘Yeah… save me some food. I just need five minutes to myself, if you don’t mind.’

‘Of course.’ Loki smiled at her again and gave her shoulder a squeeze before heading out.

Jade took some time to compose herself. She had no idea what she would do now, but she knew one thing for sure… She wasn’t going to be alone going through this. She had just under a year to come up with a plan, but she had a God on her side.

‘Why couldn’t he be the prince I have to marry? At least he wouldn’t be trying to change me, and he’s pretty hot… God, what am I saying?’ She muttered to herself as she re-applied her make-up before going to join them.

[aeoki]

Phantom Airship - Prologue

Location: ??? Characters: Sora, Natsume, Tsumugi & Mayoi Season: Winter Writer: Seitarou Kino & Akira 

TL Note:

Red and white manju are Japanese rice cakes filled with red bean paste.

Mayoi: ............

Mmm... Wait, where am I...?

Err, is this the jungle? Speaking of jungles, the "Hokkaido Jungle" that "Trickstar" is trapped in is rather vivid in my memory.

Could it be that I've also been taken there..?

No, no! That wouldn't make sense at all! I may be timid but I haven't committed any crimes that would warrant being brought to the jungle...!

This must be some sort of bad prank. If someone is watching from somewhere, please let me out!

............

Uuu. There isn't any response... Which means this may not be a prank...?

I lost my composure there but "SS" has ended, so there wouldn't be a need to kidnap me, would there?

Ow, ow, ow. Maybe I hit my head somewhere, but I've got a headache. Perhaps that's also why my memories seem to be hazy.

In any case, I shouldn't sit here twiddling my thumbs. I should search the area to see if anyone is nearby.

...Hm? What is this large shadow?

*Thud! Thud!*

(Eeek...! A-A monster? A creature covered in scales just passed by...!)

(Is this a dream? Or is this reality? Just what on earth is going on...?)

(I’m starting to remember now.)

(A forest that spreads far and wide. Large creatures I've never seen before roam the area. This strange “unrealistic world" is...)

The Phantom… Airship…

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< A few hours earlier. One day in the beginning of January. >

Mayoi: Ahh... I wish I was dead! I want to disappearrrrr!

I'm not someone worthy of being acknowledged. I'm simply a foolish and repulsive “freak” wearing the skin of an ordinary human…!

You must be far too simple-minded to want to ask for my help, Anzu-san. I’m sure you’ll just be disappointed when you see how I perform in reality.

Uuu… My self-hatred is making me dizzy.

This is the perfect time to take a look at the secret photo I’ve obtained recently… There is a nutrient one can gain from looking at adorable and pure children!

Ahh, the “Branco” performance…! How lovely they look!

The others are following Aira-san and performing in such a sparkling manner. It really is a feast for the eyes, ehehe, ehehehehe…♪

Sora: HaHa~! *Tackles Mayoi*

Mayoi: Whaa!? W-W-W-What is it!?

This is a secret room that hardly anyone knows about. I swear I had it locked as well…!

Sora: HiHi~ Happy New Year, Dark Onii-san!

We haven’t seen each other since “SS”. huh~? How have you been doing?

Mayoi: S-Sora-san… Why are you here?

Sora: ? Should Sora have knocked?

Senpai told Sora the password to the digital lock. He said he told Sora so Sora can talk to Dark Onii-san wherever Sora wanted to.

So, Dark Onii-san, please have a chat with Sora!

The venue was bustling during “SS” so even though we were in the same “Red Team”, we didn’t have the chance to speak with each other. And Sora wants to hear what “ALKALOID” has been up to recently too~♪

Mayoi: Y-You’re oddly quite aggressive. It’s all too bright for me…!

I don’t mind chatting with you, but how about we do so at a cafe or restaurant instead of this lonesome place?

Sora: Why’s that? It’s quiet here so Sora thinks it’s perfect for a chat, though?

Mayoi: Ugh… I can’t help but agree when I see your beautiful eyes.

In any case, this isn’t a good place to chat. It’s a secret room no one should be entering. It would inconvenience you if my shame were to surface…!

Natsume: HmM. I was wondering what you were up tO, but you took the photo without my permission, I sEE?

Mayoi: Eek! Y-You’re here too, Natsume-san!?

Natsume: HeHE. I entered while you were distracted by SoRA.

It’s not just us two – Senpai is here tOO. I’d be happy if you’d give us a warm welcoME.

Tsumugi: Hello, Ayase-kun~

Your performance with “Crazy:B” at the “SS” main battle was a sight to behold.

In truth, I had wanted to tell you right away, but everything was quite busy that day.

Ah, come to think of it. As a New Year’s gift, I’ve brought leftover catering from “SS”. Please have some red and white manju[*] ♪

Mayoi: No, thank you. Uh, umm…

Do you all have some sort of business with me? All three members of “Switch” are here. Are the magicians here to exterminate the freak…!?

Natsume: Your imagination is too extreME.

To tell the truth, we have a job that’s perfect for you – someone who doesn’t have a lot of self-confidenCE.

We’d like to invite “ALKALOID” to the “Phantom Airship”. Will you help us oUT?

Mayoi: The “Phantom Airship”...? What’s that?

Sora: You’ll see when you come! But Sora can guarantee you won’t be disappointed~

Please believe in us “Switch”! We’ll definitely use our “happy magic” to turn you into a warm “colour”, Dark Onii-san ☆ Mayoi: Okay? I don’t understand a thing, but all right, I suppose…?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤNext Chapter →

[tomoyajpeg]

White Brim | Epilogue 2

[ powered by ois~su ♪ ]

Tori: Mmph, really... I can’t think of anything to say.

It’s weird. I lost that badly, but I don’t really feel frustrated about it.

Eichi: Well, you all did your best too, didn’t you? It wouldn’t have been strange if everything was over and done with a little quicker, but unexpectedly you were able to persevere until the very last moment.

Tsukasa: Tomoe-onii-sama was truly a thorn in our sides... I would have never thought that a “fish” would be armed.

Hiyori: Fufu. It might be simple to abandon your social standing, but the bounds of the world of the living won’t disappear so easily. That’s exactly why discrimination won’t ever disappear, either.

Whether it’s a convenient, carefully thought out form of amusement or the setting of a game, real-world problems aren’t able to just up and vanish.

Eichi: Mhm. You poked a hole in the fragile rules of our game. I’ll commend you for this much, Hiyori-kun, your unexpected cunning was operating at full capacity.

Hiyori: Not as much as yours was, Eichi-kun. Are you, perhaps, a demon of some sort?

Eichi: I’ll take that as a compliment.

Tori: .......

Eichi: Hm? What’s wrong, Tori? I mean, you were completely deceived, emotionally devastated, and then lost our game on top of that, so are you feeling a little down?

Have you become disillusioned with me?

Tori: No... the angelic Eichi-sama who shines so beautifully onstage, and the devilish Eichi-sama who tricks everyone and triumphs in the end...

I love both of them. I’ve been saying that from the very beginning, haven’t I?

Eichi: That’s true. When you thought I’d died, your tears were real. Even I cannot doubt that radiance.

Eichi: You really do care about someone like me.

Tori: Yeah. Even though it looks like you have a lot of trouble believing that.

So, just like you did this time, even if it’s just a little bit, I want you to tell me more about yourself. I want to know and love everything about my beloved Eichi-sama.

Don’t hide away anymore, or try to cover things up, or pretend to be anything different. Don’t show me the fake Eichi-sama that you want me to see, show me the real thing.

From now on, please. Don’t keep me at a distance.

Eichi: I’ll endeavor to do so. I promise.

And I hope that when I really do die, you’re at least able to smile just a little. I’d like it to be a farewell that doesn’t leave you grieving in the very depths of despair.

I’ll teach you about my everything, little by little. I just pray that you won’t be crushed to pieces under its weight.

Tori: .......♪

Tsukasa: Fufu. It seems that Tori-kun has, at long last, finally reached the same point as I.

I am reminded anew of the importance of what I was able to obtain from Leader— from Leo-san.

Tori: And why do you look so triumphant?

Tsukasa: Well, I quite naturally ended up on the winning team this time, did I not? It feels as if the frustration earned from my crushing defeat at the hands of Crazy:B has cleared up to some extent. ♪

Eichi: Mhm. Your straightforward nature is a virtue, but there are no true straight lines in the natural world. You should remember to be a little more flexible in how you handle the situation in front of you.

Tsukasa: Yes. I shall take to heart what I have learned from this lesson, Tenshouin-onii-sama. ♪

Now, then. While it has been very enjoyable to reminisce about last night’s game and chat like this, I’m sure that you all must have your own affairs to return to—

Tsukasa: So I would like to immediately partake in my “winner’s privilege.”

Tori: ? What are you talking about?

Eichi: Fufu. Since this is such a special occasion, I’ll let you in on another evil, no-good side of mine, Tori.

Sometimes, rather than lying, the more effective option is to not tell the truth.

Tori: ...?

Eichi: I told Anzu-chan and Tsukasa-kun about it, and Hiyori-kun already knew about it and simply chose to keep quiet. It just so happens that the winner of “clamming” is allowed to make the loser their servant for just one day.

Tsukasa: Yes. And that is what I meant by “winner’s privilege,” the reward earned from emerging victorious. It’s a very special benefit.

Tori: Huh? Did you say “servant”...? So we were humiliated by losing, and now we have to be even more humiliated on top of that?

Eichi: The winner takes it all, and the loser has everything taken from them... He~y, Anzu-chan, it’s time for the costume you worked so hard on to make its proper debut.

Tori: Huh? Huh? Anzu, why are your eyes suddenly sparkling like that...!?

Tsukasa: Fufu. If you think about it, Onee-sama tricking and betraying Tori-kun is quite out of the ordinary for her, but this was her aim all along.

Onee-sama has always had an unrestrained longing to dress us all in adorable outfits, hasn’t she?

To be honest, I don’t quite comprehend that feeling, but as I hold such great love for you, Onee-sama— I would like to understand it.

Tsukasa: And so, with that said; come along now, Tori-kun. For the whole of today, you shall be my adorable maid. ♪

Eichi: And Hiyori-kun is my maid. ♪ Ah, don’t run away! It’s not like this is your first time, right?

Hiyori: T-this is why I never want to go to parties Eichi-kun’s place is hosting in the first place!

I don’t really mind wearing a cute costume, but I definitely don’t want to be manhandled and ordered around by Eichi-kun!

Eichi: How about you just chalk it all up to bad luck and give in?

Even though I’m sure you wanted to be on the “fisherman” team this year, defeat me and win, and then be in a position to order me around as you like...

Unfortunately for you, in reality it just didn’t turn out that way.

Hiyori: Uuu, this sucks! I’ll win next year, okay!? And then I’ll have you pay me back for this humiliation a billion times over!

Eichi: Isn’t that exactly what someone who always loses his bets would say?

Tsukasa: Indeed. If you’re frustrated, you should just win next time.

...I, as well, will not lose a second time.

Tori: N-no! No way! I’m telling you, I lost to Eichi-sama! I did not lose to Tsukasa!

If it’s a rule, then there’s nothing I can do about it, but at least let me be Eichi-sama’s servant! I don’t want Tsukasa!

Tsukasa: Now, now, don’t throw such a violent tantrum, and stop flailing around. Are you a toddler?

Tori: Uwaaaaa~n! Stop it! Don’t make me wear it, don’t put that maid-like white frilly thing on my head!

Eichi: To obtain anything, there must be equal compensation, Tori.

If you don’t want to be fitted with the mark of a loser, that servant-like white brim a second time— grow stronger, become an adult.

And next time, win.

Fortunately, I’m sure that from now on there will be countless opportunities to do so.

Tori: I-I’ve already learned my lesson~! Whether it’s something important or not, just teach me about it like a normal person, Eichi-sama!

If you’re too mean, I’m going to end up hating you, okay!?

Eichi: Ahaha. Well, for starters, let’s teach you how to tell a believable lie...

[ ☆ ]

[shxtodxroki]

Match-Up Exchange

These are some match-ups done for @stars-tonight as part of a match-up exchange we agreed to! Hi hi there! I know you posted the match-up you wrote a few days ago so I hope the wait wasn’t too long while I finished this up ^^ Thank you for being so friendly during this exchange (and for being patient with me when my ask didn’t send lol) and I hope you enjoy your match-ups! You seem super cool, so if you ever wanna pop back onto my blog either for a request or just to chat you’re more than welcome to! :D Also apologies in advance for any typos, I was only able to briefly proofread this!

For Haikyuu, I’d Match You With:

Tooru Oikawa! 

Reasoning:

Honestly, I think you and Oikawa would be a good pairing because you have a few key similarities and are the kind of people who would make good partners for one another, while also having enough differences to make things interesting and learn new things from one another! This one was tough at first because I had several options in mind who I thought might work for you, but in the end Oikawa just seems like he’d be perfect for you :>

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- First things first, I honestly think Oikawa would be fascinated by your ability to play the piano. He thinks it’s so beautiful and he loves hearing everything you play, if you practice at school and he’s not busy with practice I think he’d absolutely beg you to let him join you so that he can listen in and tell you how good you sound! :>

- He also loves that you’re also interested in volleyball too! I don’t think he’d necessarily need a partner who enjoys the sport as well, but it’s definitely a plus for him and he loves practicing with you when you feel up to it :D Plus it makes him feel less bad dragging you to his games, knowing that you know how the sport works and can have fun watching it rather than being stuck going to games you don’t understand or enjoy!

- He’s definitely really good with words of affirmation when it comes to his partner. He may be teasing with his loved ones often, but he’s also very loving and verbally affectionate with you, and especially if he knows you’re not feeling great he ramps up his love and affections in order to show you how much you mean to him and help comfort you. He’s great with physical touch, too, he’s super cuddly and could honestly be holding you all the time if you’d let him so there’s definitely no shortage of physical affection for him to show his love for you with <3

- And when he comes to quality time, honestly he really loves that you show your love for him in this way. Being the captain of the volleyball team does make him quite busy even when the team makes sure to take reasonable time to relax and recharge, and he finds himself missing you a lot when he’s at practice if you’re not there. So just being able to spend time in your company, whether on an official date or just at his house after school when he’s free, means so much to him, especially since he’s always whining about how much he misses you when you’re not there

- An easy way for the two of you to spend time together after he’s been practicing all day and isn’t up for anything too crazy would be watching TV together and snuggling on the couch. If the two of you like the same shows then of course he’s ecstatic about that, but even if not, he’s happy to watch some of your favorites and show you some of his in return, so the two of you can gush about them and discuss big plot points together! He’s definitely a bit chatty when watching the TV, though, but if that annoys you then he will eventually shut up for you <3 

- Snuggling and napping together is also something he really enjoys! He’s one of those people who sometimes falls asleep without even realizing it, and honestly, he loves the feeling of your head resting on him as you sleep, it makes him feel like he’s protecting you even if he’s just sleeping alongside you hehe

- And this goes without saying, but I also think Oikawa would think you’re so so beautiful <3 He absolutely adores you, and he’s always telling you about how wonderful he thinks you are both inside and out :> And he’s not shy with the compliments at all, being in a relationship with him means you have to get used to him constantly telling you how stunning your eyes look in the sunlight or how much he wants to run his fingers through your pretty hair 

- And above all else, Oikawa is super protective over you. He may tease you a little, but he is the ONLY one who’s allowed to tease you because he knows how to do it in a way that’s fun and not hurtful to you. But the second anyone else comes along and upsets you or does something that hurts you, he’s SO quick to step in and defend you because he refuses to let some nobody make his beloved sad <3 He’s your number one defender and cheerleader always, this man truly adores you so so much and he’d do practically anything for you

Second Choice:

Honestly, I also really considered Iwaizumi for your match-up, as well as Daichi and Kuroo! A lot of the third years have similar qualities, extroverted and outgoing but still kind, understanding and absolutely adoring of their partners. Truthfully I think any of them could have made a good match for you, I just ended up settling on Oikawa because not only did he seem like a good partner for you, but in turn you seemed like the kind of person he’d find super fascinating and would be drawn to straight away :> 

Song For Your Relationship:

Buy With Luv by BTS Feat. Halsey <3

For Obey Me, I’d Match You With:

Diavolo!

Reasoning:

This one was honestly easier than the last match-up, Diavolo quickly stood out when reading your description of yourself. He’s a guy who matches all the qualities you look for in a partner, is a complete sweetheart while also being incredibly smart and capable, and would be incredibly drawn to a lot of your interests. I truly think he would adore you from the moment he met you, which is why I think he’s the perfect choice for you :D

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- Okay, so starting off I think Dia would really love cats! He finds them so heart-warming and fascinating when you start showing him pictures of cats up in the human world, they’re so precious to him. And if he can find a way to safely get one down to the Devildom, I think he’d be more than happy to adopt a sweet little human world kitty with you so if you wanted that you can have a taste of home and the two of you can be cat parents together :>

- He also thinks it’s so fascinating that you enjoy writing! Given how busy he is, he often doesn’t have the time or mental energy for creative outlets like writing with the little free time he gets, but that just makes him respect you more as he knows how much effort writing can take. And he’s always so eager to read your writing, too. He’s respectful if you don’t want to share and won’t push, but if you are willing, it puts such a big smile on his face as he reads through your writing and compliments the hell out of it

- I think Dia’s another one who would love the fact that you play the piano. Being friends with Lucifer means he’s gained quite the taste for classical music over the years, and he adores it whenever you give him the chance to listen to you as you practice, enjoying the soothing background noise from his love as he works through his daily duties <3

- Omg and if you want someone who both adores giving and receiving physical affection, then this man is absolutely perfect for you. He’d be more than happy to just absorb you into his arms tbh, he’s a big fan of hugs and is always coming up and wrapping his arms around you <3 And he loves letting you sit on his lap while he goes through any papers he needs to complete, letting you play with his hair or his free hand or whatever else you feel like. It helps keep him grounded as he goes through his day

- He’s absolutely fine with making the first move, too! Diavolo’s not one to shy away from what he wants, so once he’s sure he has feelings for you much deeper than just fleeting attraction, he’s quick to make his way to you and propose a dinner date at his castle. He wants to get to know you, to hear all about you and hopefully woo you in return (if you haven’t already fallen for him by that point lol)

- And he’s also a super protective boyfriend :D Diavolo doesn’t necessarily like to flaunt his status, but if anyone ever decides to mess with you in even the most minor of ways, he makes it VERY clear that they are not to be messing with his girlfriend like that. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to defend you, nothing gets past him or Barbatos and it’s not long before no one in the Devildom even thinks to cross you

- And despite his busy life, Diavolo’s incredibly attentive, which means he can always tell when you’re feeling down and in need of a bit of extra reassurance. He always wants to see you happy, so knowing you’re not feeling your best absolutely breaks his heart and he’s determined to lift your spirits. He can be so eloquent and loving with his words in those moments, too, telling you each and every reason why he adores you and all the wonderful things he sees in you that he’d like you to see in yourself, too <3

- I think a small way that you and Dia would enjoy spending time together would be reading together before bed <3 Whether you read the same book out loud together or both read separate books beside one another is completely up to you, he just enjoys the chance to enjoy your company for a while and unwind with you after a long day before laying down for the evening

Second Choice:

Once again I considered a couple of options for your match-up. Mammon came to mind because not only is he a wonderful partner and one that’s well suited for you, but he would also find you incredibly interesting due to how different you are from him! And I considered Satan as well because he had a lot of similarities to you, which is why I eventually decided on Diavolo because I felt he was the perfect happy medium between the two and matches all of the things you need in a partner :>

Song For Your Relationship:

La Da Dee by Cody Simpson <3

[megatraven]

The Higher We Soar Pt. 1

Pairing: Adrinino/Ninoir Summary: A series of intense meetings between Nino and Chat Noir that brings them closer together, interspersed with Adrien lending Nino an ear regarding his crush and his worries. Or, a Wings AU where Nino is crushing on Chat Noir and Adrien both, but the superhero seems more possible to pursue than his best friend. A/N: Part one of two of my backup fic for @adriensvie as part of the @mlsecretsanta 2022 exchange! I apologize for the lateness, January has been an extremely busy month for me, but I hope you had a great holiday and a great start to the new year! :) I hope you enjoy this, and I’ll be posting the next and final part hopefully within the next week!

AO3

_

The first time Nino meets Chat Noir, the hero sweeps him off his feet- literally. Takes him into his arms as if he weighs no more than a feather and just narrowly keeps the both of them from being squished by an akuma.

He should be afraid. He is afraid.

But the adrenaline counters his fear, and opens him to an opportunity he’s never had before: check out Chat Noir up close.

His heart is already beating rapidly, only to increase when Nino takes notice of how soft Chat Noir’s feathers are when they shield him from another attack, or how brilliantly his wings- dark as the night- catch the light and gleam iridescent and beautiful. And it might skip a beat when Chat Noir looks at him, a too-charming grin doing the same for his face that the sun does to his feathers.

“You okay?” he asks, and it’s not cocky or annoyed or frustrated at all. Instead, it’s the opposite, filled with genuine concern and kindness. As if Chat Noir really cares about him, somehow.

Nino swallows, trying to force his heart back down his throat.

“I- uh. Fine. You’re f- I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.” He really looks it, too.

“It is?”

“Can’t have my b- my, uh, number one fan getting hurt!”

Nino stares at him.

Chat Noir stares back.

And then, slowly, Nino grins.

“Yeah, that’d suck, dude. I’d have to change my favorite hero to Ladybug.”

A laugh, loud and boisterous, leaves Nino’s head spinning, though he keeps it together this time.

“Hey, Ladybug is a great hero to have as your favorite. She’s mine, after all! So I wouldn’t take offense to that... but at the same time, I’d like to be a little selfish and keep you on my team.”

His team.

“Well. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

“Good.” Chat smiles at him. “But you should actually go- akuma and all.”

“Oh! R-right, I forgot.” He pauses. “Well, I didn’t forget, but-”

“I know.”

“Okay.”

Chat Noir turns away, and he’s about to leap into the air before he stops, turning back to look at him one more time.

“Oh, and Nino? Fly safe.”

Then he’s off like a shot, a black streak flying through the air, almost too fast for Nino to register. He thinks- and maybe it’s wishful thinking- that Chat Noir glances at him again before he’s out of sight. He hopes he did.

Turning away, Nino gives his own wings a little test, making sure he was good to go before he left. Nothing hurt, his feathers were barely even ruffled, and-

Did Chat Noir know his name?

_

“How did he know? Dude. Adrien. How did Chat Noir know my name? I’ve literally never met him before,“ Nino rambles, pacing in front of his best friend. “I mean, he’s awesome, it would have been great to meet him without, you know, almost dying. But I haven’t. That was the first time and he knew my name!“

“Maybe you just look like a Nino,” Adrien helpfully supplies, a little too genuine for Nino to think he’s joking.

“...No. No, that’s not it.”

Taking his hat off, Nino runs a hand through his hair, first to muss it up a bit, and then again, just because it gave him something else to do rather than wear a bare patch in their carpet.

“It’s just... it felt so familiar, you know? Like we’d done it before. Like that wasn’t the first time he said my name.”

“...Maybe it wasn’t.”

Nino laughs a little, dropping down onto the couch next to Adrien. His drop bounces Adrien into the air a little, and his friend’s wings adjust for balance as his own stretch out behind him.

“Maybe not. That feels even more bizarre, though.”

Adrien nudges him with an elbow, drawing Nino’s gaze over. His smile is sweet, as always, but there’s a teasing edge to it that’s started coming out more and more ever since they moved in together. Nino was happy for that; it meant Adrien was coming into himself more, becoming more confident.

Holding up a pair of controllers, he wiggles them around, waggling his brows at Nino- which, to Adrien’s credit, definitely takes his mind off of Chat Noir. A little.

“But is it as bizarre as you winning at Super Penguino Bros Deluxe?”

Nino snatches his controller away in a heartbeat, letting the distraction happen.

“You won’t be trash talking when I kick your ass.”

It’s Adrien’s turn to laugh as the system boots up, and that might pull Nino away from his thoughts on Chat Noir more than the game itself.

And yet, he can’t help feeling that this is all very, very familiar.

_

The second time Nino meets Chat Noir, there’s no time for small-talk or what Nino eventually decided was painfully awkward flirting.

Instead, there’s the smell of singed feathers, a dislocated wing that, honestly, might be broken, and a normally cheerful superhero looking far too intense, far too serious.

Nino’s wings fold against him nervously, bristling when Chat Noir glares at him.

“Why did you do that? Why-?” he coughs, loud and rattling, into his hand. His suit is dark, but not so much that Nino can’t see a spattering of blood there before he draws it away. “You could’ve been hurt.”

“I guess... I wasn’t really thinking.”

“No. You weren’t,” Chat snaps, though her shudders after, and it’s barely enough of a warning for Nino to catch him before he collapses to the ground. “Shit-”

“Woah! Yell at me later- we need to get you out of here.”

Struggling a bit, Nino shifts Chat Noir, careful not to jostle him too suddenly. It’s hard to get a good hold on him with his wings, larger than average, especially his bad one- and when he tries, the pained sound that leaves the hero stops him in his tracks. He can’t even touch it without Chat hurting more, and there’s no way they’ll be able to get away from the akuma undetected if something isn’t done.

“Ok. Ok, it’s fine,” he says, setting Chat Noir down on the ground as gentle as he can. One hand searches for his phone while the other stays on Chat for support. “We’ll do something else. Get your wing in a sling or something.”

“Stop. Stop-” Chat Noir coughs, but determination hardens his gaze and chases the pain out of his expression. “I can’t leave, Nino. Ladybug needs me.”

“She’ll be okay long enough to get you help-”

“No.”

“Dude-”

“I can’t leave her out there alone,” he says, almost desperate, and somehow the prospect of leaving his partner alone seems to pain him more than his ruined wing. “I promised to protect her.”

Nino pauses for a long moment, watching Chat Noir grow more and more anxious to rejoin the fight. A large part of him thinks he should deny Chat Noir, take him away to get checked up anyways. It’s the same part that made him jump without hesitation into the akuma’s path to save Chat. The same part that makes his heart do double-time. And, yes, the very same part that might, maybe, possibly have a crush on him.

A smaller part- the part that still maintains any logic when it comes to Chat Noir- knows that Chat Noir knows his own limits better than Nino ever possibly could. And it knew that he was a superhero, that Chat Noir gets himself into a pickle with akumas almost weekly, and that he’s always fine in the end. It knows that Chat Noir will be okay after this, too. even if he does go and rejoin the battle.

And it’s all of him, every last inch, that has faith in Chat Noir.

So finally, he relents.

“Alright, fine. But at least let me help you get your wing situated before you go.”

Chat Noir heaves a sigh of relief.

“Okay. Deal.” A pause. “How’re you going to do that?”

“Oh. I have help coming,” Nino says, a grin lighting up his face in spite of the circumstances as he holds up his phone.

On it is a message to a group chat, alive with activity from the other members, some sharing research on how to properly bind a wing, others with links to WikiHow articles on popping a dislocated wing back into place, some with WebMD pages on how to tell if your wing is broken or dislocated or just plain strained. Then others are getting the necessary supplies, asking if they need tape, if a sheet will do, if the gauze their mother keeps in the bathroom will help.

One person even says that their cousin is a nurse, and that they’ll facetime him when they arrive.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea... there’s still an akuma around-”

“Hey! Don’t sweat it, okay? My friends are awesome. They’ll get here and help you get back on your feet in no time.” Nino sets his phone down, and sets his hand over Chat Noir’s. “That’s my promise to you.”

Chat stares at him for a long time, not saying anything. His green eyes, catlike in their appearance, search his face for something, and it’s all Nino can do to keep the rising heat from his cheeks.

He’d never thought much about having the full attention of a superhero on him. At least, he didn’t until the last time they met- the first time. He never would have expected it to feel so intense, that the weight of his gaze would be heavy and wonderful all at once, warming him down to the core. Like a weighted blanket for Nino’s terrible, awful, ready-to-burst heart.

He’s about to say something- anything to break this silence that threatens to push him too fast into something too dangerous- when Chat Noir blinks.

Whatever he was searching for, he must have found it, because his body relaxes as much as it’s able to. And then he smiles, pain be damned, and it darn near takes Nino’s breath away.

“It’s nice to see someone have so much faith in their friends.”

“They’re the best. Really.”

“No argument there, I trust your judgement... when it comes to friends. Not jumping into the middle of a battle,” he says, chiding him still. “My suit protects me enough; don’t put yourself in harm’s way for me, okay?”

“I mean... Like I said, I wasn’t really thinking. I just... saw you get hit, and knew I could do something. So I did. I can’t promise that I’ll hold back if it happens again.”

“...Guess I’ll have to make do with the other promise you made me, then.”

It’s the only time Nino might ever laugh at seeing Chat Noir look so defeated.

_

He can’t sleep.

He’s already gotten up and out of bed four times in the past hour- five if he includes the time he got up to push Adrien back into his bed properly. Half of his body was hanging down from the top bunk, one wing tip gracing the floor before Nino got up to fix it.

The other times were to pace. Or get water. Or get water and pace. Or stare into the bathroom mirror until his eyes grew tired. Nothing seemed to help, though; his mind couldn’t stop running around it, haunting him each time he closed his eyes. He groans, rolling to face the wall, but that lasts less than a minute before he moves again, turning his face into his pillow. His hands clench onto the edges of it, turning each side up until they cover his ears.

Groaning again, louder this time thanks to the pillow muffling his voice, he turns to face up and lets the pillow lay on his face while he stretches out spread-eagle, one of his wings curling up against the wall. His fingers twitch first, then his leg until he finally sits up and throws his legs over the side of his bed. The pillow falls sadly to the floor and-

“OHMYGOD.”

He jumps back, scrambling away as he tries to find purchase on something before he falls back and hits his head on the wall. He desperately clutches onto the blanket beneath him, and it’s the first time he’s ever cursed the expensive blankets Adrien had bought for them as they slip away. A dull thud is the only sound in the room for a moment before Nino curses under his breath, reaching back to rub his head.

“Dude. What the fuck,” he says, glaring up at him.

Adrien is still there, hanging down from his bed and watching Nino with the most shit-eating grin Nino’s ever seen on him.

“You were thinking so loud it woke me up.”

“That was not cool.”

“Aw, come on.” Like a cat, Adrien slinks down to the floor, too graceful for the middle of the night as his feet touch the ground with hardly a sound. He sits down on the edge of Nino’s bunk and pats the spot next to him. “Tell your good ol’ buddy Adrien what’s keeping you up.”

Nino glares at him, still rubbing at his head, but as always, Adrien’s earnest look softens his edges. With a sigh, he scoots forward, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders as he draws his knees up to his chest.

“I just... hope he’s okay.”

“...Who?”

“Chat Noir.”

“Oh.” He considers Nino’s answer while his wings, folded neatly against him, flutter just enough to draw Nino’s eye. “He’s fine.”

And that makes Nino suspicious. Eyeing him, he pokes a finger into Adrien’s chest.

“You sound pretty damn confident in that...”

“Um- Well, yeah, Ladybug’s power always puts everything back together. So even if Chat Noir was hurt, he’d be okay now.”

Nino deflates.

“Ah. Yeah. I know. It’s just... I don’t know. I can’t get him off my mind anyways, and I didn’t see him after the akuma, so I didn’t actually get to see him all healed up.”

“Don’t worry, Nino.” An arm and a wing both wrap around him in a hug, the warmth and familiarity putting him at ease. “You didn’t get to see it, but believe me. Chat Noir’s perfectly fine thanks to you.”

Nino gives him a small smile, leaning into Adrien’s side.

“Don’t you mean thank to Ladybug?”

Adrien shrugs.

“Who knows if they would’ve been able to beat that akuma if you hadn’t helped him out? He wouldn’t have been able to fly.”

“Well... he might have been able to. You didn’t see it, but the determination coming off of that guy... he was so focused, so desperate to rejoin Ladybug, I really think he might have flown anyhow. Even if the wing was more than dislocated...”

He remembers the way Chat Noir had looked. The way the determination had shone in his eyes, fierce and unyielding. Even in such a haggard state, Nino knew he would win. There’s no force on Earth that could dissuade him of that. Chat Noir would never give up, would never back down, and...

And he would never leave the city unprotected. No matter how broken it made him.

He would always be okay.

Letting out a long breath, Nino pulls his blanket tight around him.

It isn’t Chat Noir’s pretty blond hair, his mischievous green eyes, or even his stark black wings that make Nino’s heart do double-time, although they all help.

It's how personable he is, his charm, the loyalty that not even Nino could question, even when he’s only met the hero twice. It’s that Nino trusts him implicitly, believes in him without any doubt clouding his mind. That’s what draws him in.

That’s what makes Nino’s crush come to life.

That’s-

“Nino?”

Snapping his gaze up, he meets Adrien’s concern with embarrassment.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“...Yeah. I mean... Yeah.”

“...Want to try getting some actual sleep?”

He nods, a little surprised to realize that he really does feel tired. Like his mind has calmed down after Adrien’s reassurance, even though neither of them can possibly know for sure. Something in the way Adrien had said it, though, made Nino believe him.

“I should try, yeah. You should, too. I keep waking you up- you’re gonna be more tired than Marinette and Alya tomorrow.”

“Oh, I’m okay,” Adrien says, getting in another squeeze before he lets his wing drop back, and takes his arm from Nino’s shoulder. “Just focus on getting some rest yourself, alright?”

“I’ll do my best. Thanks for letting me vent it out a little.”

“Anytime, Nino. I’ve always got your back, you know.”

“I know.”

For the first time that night, Nino finally feels tired.

He dreams of blond hair, and wings that change from gold to black and back again.

In the morning, he doesn't remember any of it, except for the feel of the air beneath his wings, a warm hand in his own, and the inexplicable joy that follows him well into the day.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Got another one for you!!

Games that simulate a dirty dozen, rogue 1, saving private Ryan style climax where all or most of a team of soldiers or operatives die one by one to achieve a Very Big Goal

THEME: Band of Brothers

Hello friend. Here are some recommendations - I wanted to approach this ask from a slightly different angle, but there are still a couple games about soldiers in particular.

Canon Fodder, by Nico.

So, you gooey flyworms, you got away with it, you think that's it, training's over and it made you some heavy killing machines! Well, allow me to tell you that you are putting your bayonet very deep in your eye! 

I bet that less than a tenth of your party will survive your first encounter with the enemy, and less than that will survive until their first transfer. If you have even an ounce of self-preservation, if you apply everything, I mean everything you’ve learned, you may survive, I mean maybe, before being transferred to specialist units. Now take your gear and make me proud by going to die for the fatherland.

Using the Breathless game system, this game gives your characters resources that will deplete throughout play. The game doesn’t come with a built-in mission, but rather gives you the tools to complete a mission like the one in Saving Private Ryan. 

This game feels like it’s still partially in the works, as the game doesn’t hold everything listed in the table of contents, and some parts of it have not yet been translated. I’d say this is a good jumping off-point for using the Breathless system in a wartime environment, but you’ll have to do some of your own work to fill in the gaps.

Over the Top, by Stitched Together Games.

On the Western Front of the Great War, you and your fellow soldiers squat in the muddy trenches, ducking to avoid artillery shells and hoping that the trench fever gets the other side before it gets you. Soon the order will come, and you’ll all go up, over the top, and into the waiting guns. 

This GMless roleplaying game allows you to tell the stories of a squad of soldiers as they are forced to throw themselves against increasingly impossi

This game has a definitive endpoint - at the end of five weeks in-game, your crew will go on their last assault. Every week, the players will roll on a d5 table to figure out what happens next in the game - and not all of the games’ events involve combat. You might receive a letter from a loved one, lose a comrade to the terrain, or repair the trenches. 

If you want to explore the difficulties of war through stories of difficulty and communal hardship, you should check out Over The Top.

Alice is Missing, by Hunters Entertainment.

Alice is Missing is a silent role-playing game about the disappearance of Alice Briarwood, a high school junior in the small town of Silent Falls.

The game is played live and without verbal communication. Players inhabit their character for the entirety of the 90-minute play session, and instead of speaking, send text messages back and forth to the other characters in a group chat, as well as individually, as though they aren’t in the same place together.

Hauntingly beautiful, deeply personal, and highly innovative, Alice is Missing puts a strong focus on the emotional engagement between players, immersing them in a tense, dramatic mystery that unfolds organically through the text messages they send to one another.

Hear me out on this one. 

In Alice is Missing, you’re playing teenagers, who have very little power in the world around them, and you are trying to complete a Very Big Goal - that of trying to figure out what happened to your friend, and, if possible, save her. You will sacrifice many things to find her, including your secrets, your reputation, and in some cases, what you thought about her other friends. Your character might die in this game.

It is very unlikely that Alice actually comes out alive in this game, but in the end, you will find her. And when you find her, your characters won’t be the same people who started this adventure - the game cements this into play by having everyone record voice mails that will only be heard by the entire group at the end of the game. 

Games I've Recommended in the Past

Boot Black, by Dagger Press.

[randowwriter]

Inklings Challenge 2022

@inklings-challenge

Sorry for posting so late; I wrote it last month, and I wanted to run it by someone first. (Who gave me the advice to end this part here with a cliffhanger rather than go through the first conversation as far as I’d written.) (Hopefully, you’ll see part two fairly soon? Maybe?) But I’m on Team Lewis, and this is my Portal Fantasy this year. :)   

"Lord, guide me. My hands have gone weak from lack of service. I am restless without leaning on You. Let me serve You in a way that is truly fitting, in a way that is all in for you. Please Lord, help your servant to serve you." It's dark, like he's still asleep, cool as a breeze in blandness, though his eyes have opened. It's a clear sky speckled with stars above his head, filled to the brim with the dark around him, like even the stars don't cast enough light. And when he moves his arm as if to test the air or wave at the stars, his habit falls warmly and almost softly against his arm, like a waterfall, it ripples against his skin. And Brother Antonio isn't quite sure what to make of this place, that doesn't feel like the old Monastery walls, he's used to, with their wide-ish stone gate that sat more open than closed. With the old walls and their familiar wooden cracks, the way the floor answered back when he'd walk across it with his sandaled feet. This is unfamiliar. Like stepping into the forest while sleep walking and getting lost. He has no idea where he's at, and he's a bit too old for wandering. Fifty is closer to him now than twenty once was, and he's absolutely positive that he's past the age for wandering and for sleeping in a forest. And yet, here he is, with only the dim memory of a prayer behind his eyes. A prayer that felt different, that had cast the warm glow of sparks along his back, the almost catching fire but still standing stable kind, the kind that somehow digs into the heart by no power of man. That's where he'd been, with the comfort of four monastery walls around him. And now, there's not even the distant sound of Friars chatting amongst themselves quietly or the hushed whisper of prayer in the Chapel or anywhere, it's quiet except for the gentle rustle of leaves in the trees and the silent pad of paws and hooves along the ground. And he's not sure what to make of the cool of the night that still hints at the warmth of Summer despite Fall rapidly approaching. Brother Antonio gets up to stand, and pauses to take in his surroundings just as his eyes adjust to the dark of the moonless night. And he realizes that he's only a stone's throw away from an old tower or perhaps more accurately a couple feet away, within the easiest of a walking distance. And inside there, no bears will stumble upon him or worse yet, wolves. And yet, outside feels as familiar as breathing, and among all things, he'd always been drawn to nature, the quiet upturning of leaves to the sky like hands raised up in prayer, the way an animal will still and quiet itself as if lost in the beautiful thralls of prayer, a wordlessness that reminds him most importantly of that intimate conversation with God. Or even the way that with the gentle familiarity of an animal hard at work with life makes his mind draw to God who oversees every action and charitably looks down upon us. It's familiar to be in the woods and beautiful like the quiet touch of moonlight or the delicate chatter of a squirrel, even though neither present themselves to the middle aged Friar eyeing his surroundings with the curiosity of an infant and the confusion of one that has wandered farther from home than planned on. So, he shuffles as cautiously as one who is still figuring out where he's at and enters the tower to the bleak coldness of stone. It's worse inside. Filled to the brim with empty space and a few scattered pieces of old wooden beams and stairs that climb up and up as if they could reach the sky despite the roof of the tower overhead, higher than one can even imagine, almost dizzingly high above his head. It's cold and most of all, lifeless, inside here. As Brother Antonio takes to the stairs, looking for any stragglers like himself, in case someone could use a kind word or perhaps a companion. The stairs are long, and Brother Antonio feels more than just his age when he finally gets to the top floor, just as fallen apart as the bottom was. He can't tell where all these old wooden beam fragments came from, and he wonders what it looked like in its prime, as he wanders this room, bereft of anything akin to life beyond his own breath and his own nearly silent steps. There are no pictures or paintings or even hints of what lie before it. It's nearly like an old fort, a way to guard oneself against the world, and so he descends, taking each step with the cautious care of age. And he thinks of how dull life looks when others are separated from it. It's hard to imagine a place so bare without even a tiny trace of the life that used to reside there. It's nearly impossible to imagine a family crowding amongst themselves for shelter, huddled away for safety from a storm or an attack. It's also nearly impossible to imagine soldiers holed up here, preparing for war or even defending themselves from a war. It's hard to imagine this place ever had people within it. And yet the wooden beams and the simple construction of it hint at otherwise. Brother Antonio steps out of the tower, feeling much too cold for the quiet night, and he gathers a few sticks and makes a fire, thinking of Brother Francis, of the lessons he'd imparted all those years ago. And he smiles as he whisper sings to the fire in quiet regard for the night, "Oh, Brother Fire." And it's such a quiet thought, such a gentle and peaceful thought to just be present in this moment, and he focuses on the way the fire curls up towards the sky, the gentle finger like flames that he knows better than to reach for. It's warmer out here, with just the hint of possibility of companionship. And it's oddly familiar in a comforting way, like the gentle voice of a friend, though he sits alone and turns his whispered song into a nearly quiet prayer of gratitude. God is with him always, always present with a comforting hand and a kind gaze. Brother Antonio, being alone, gets extra time to focus outward, to focus on God, to quiet himself in order to pour out his heart filled with gratitude to God even as tiredness tries to pull his eyes shut. "Thank You, my Lord." He mutters though for what, there could be many things, and his mind is drawn towards God and away from his missing his brothers, missing the community that they formed, the way they drew each other, all, to worship. Because somehow having a friend can strengthen one's own call towards worship, strengthen one's grateful heart and warm lips, lifted up in praise. And it's so quiet tonight that even Brother Antonio falls back asleep, with the gentle whisper and the quiet roar of the fire, as familiar as it is therapeutic in its rhythm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When he awakes, it is to a knife. A pale hand going up a slightly unsteady arm, and dark blue eyes almost green in their depth, peering at him. "Who are you? And what do your clothes mean?"

[csvent-2]

(Jelveils)

Not about the species itself but about a previous mod who is honestly talking things too far.

I’ve been in the jelveils server since launch, only ever had and heard good things about them, they try their best to make the economy balanced, blah blah all that stuff.

This previous mod used to be very well liked. Until they got confronted by the other mods for being too aggressive with other members. And it wasn’t like a aggressive confrontation from what I’ve seen through screenshots.

And then the previous mod (who was older than all of the other mods) went on a cussing spreed and straight up vented in a general chat, saying that they were useless and stuff like that.

They literally called the owner a word I would rather not repeat(it’s not a slur but I’d rather not repeat it) for being stressed out by the situation.

I’m not gonna name drop (pretty sure that’s not even allowed on this blog anymore lol)

But holy hell. That was a mess. I think the situation was handled a little messily but my goodness was the previous mod really aggressive with the rest of the mod team

And I’ve heard they’re still complaining about jelveils. This happened last year. And the ex-mod is still spreading misinformation about the species all because they didn’t get their way

Tl dr; ex-mod gets extremely aggressive because they are told that the mods have received reports of them making people uncomfortable, calls owner names for being stressed out because of their actions

+ starts spreading misinformation because they want to be seen as right and can’t accept they did somethings wrong.

I know this is probably a topic that people of the server want to avoid but I though it was needed due to the fact the person has been talking about jelveils more again, from what I’ve heard and seen

The species itself is a non-profit so I really like it for that but that mod was a big yikes at the end

(Please do not answer if it does not come through as anon, thanks :] )

🌸

[ajoytobeheld]

Recording Update Number One

April 13th, 2011

So, to those not in the know, we’re currently in Mas Pau, Catalunia, recording a new album. Our first as an 8 piece. Things are going wonderfully. I can’t ever remember the atmosphere within the band being this exciting and positive, and so far I think this is being reflected in the confidence of the writing and performances.

I, myself, have done very little thus far. Building tracks up from the bottom means vocals are usually the last thing we put on a track, this suits me fine though, because it means I get to sit around all day doing my favourite things: re-watching episodes of the Office US/downloading Coronation Street, reading, drinking (I’ve really discovered a love of white wine spritzers this past week and a half), chatting up hot chicks on the internet and watching football.

Having said that, I’ve been getting a fair bit of writing done. I’ve been in a fairly ‘dark place’ of late, and so coming away to Spain has come at just the right time. It’s great to have this new album to channel ‘my shit’ into, but in turn it’s also often difficult to want to address these things when really they’re the sort of things you’d rather move on from and deal with.

As B S Johnson put it “Why do I trawl the delicate mesh of my mind over the snagged and broken floor of my past?”.

Cos we gotta, Bry!

We’ve teamed up with John Goodmanson again for this record, and he really is the best. It’s hard to imagine working with another producer, such is our love for the way he works with us, and the bands he’s worked with in the past. He’s a whole bunch of stories from working with Nirvana, or Sleater-Kinney, or Wu Tang or a whole host of other things we daren’t mention. Hell, the guy went to school with Slim Moon and Kathleen Hanna. He was in a band with Donna Dresch. This stuff is cat nip to us. Plus, he tolerates/joins in with our childish humour to an extent that is, frankly, disgusting.

I’ve mentioned on twitter a few times, a song called ‘The Black Bird, The Dark Slope’, in fact we played it live a couple of times in February. I’d love to list all the song titles of new tracks, to make it all seem a little more real, but I shall resist, for professionalism’s sake. I’m particularly excited about a song called ‘Tiptoe Through The True Bits’ though. It’s a real tear jerker, I think. I hope.

I dunno what sort of info from the studio is interesting, so if there’s anything you’d like updating on, let us know and I’ll answer it in another blog.

I hope you’re all doing good and enjoying the better weather.

Word,

G

(Here are some photos, encompassing our experiences thus far)

[daydreaming-away-reality]

Shared Suffering

Cedric Diggory x Reader | ☁️ | 1.5k | Soulmate AU

When you had woken up this morning, you had felt sore everywhere. It was the kind of feeling of having pushed yourself too hard while doing a physical activity the day before and all your muscles hurt the next day kind of feeling.

Which you had done nothing of that sort yesterday - having spent the day studying at the library.

So this could only mean one thing.

Letting out a groan, you rolled over in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Looks like this weekend was going to just be trying to recover from the pain that wasn’t yours.

Whose pain were you experiencing you may ask?

Your soulmate’s.

After your first year of studying at Hogwarts, the feeling of being sore or even in pain at times was a common occurrence for you.

It took a while, but you had soon deduced that your soulmate was an athlete. There was no other possible explanation besides them being a big klutz. But even then, who periodically gets hurt like that on a timely manner?

Having deduced this, you had always made sure that you were always careful not to add to their existing constant soreness.

It didn’t mean you were happy with this situation though.

The frown on your face deepened as you sat up.

As you slowly moved around to get ready for the day, the sound of knocking on your door halted your actions.

“Good morning, (Y/N)!” 

Tracey stuck her head into your room, her signature bright smile adorning her face.

“Not a good morning,” you responded, shaking your head a small smile on your face.

“Whaaat?” Tracey asked, bouncing her way in. She immediately made herself at home in your room. “Is it your soulmate again?”

You nodded. “I’m literally sore everywhere. Maybe I should have stayed in bed today.”

“You promised to come with me to watch the Quidditch match though!” Tracey protested. “Should I beat up your soulmate when you find out who they are? They deserve it for putting you through so much pain.”

“Appreciated. But then I’d feel it too,” you said.

Tracey made a face. “Unfortunate. Well, we should get going!”

You stifled back a yawn as Tracey looped her arm around yours. “Where do you get all your energy from?”

Tracey just laughed as she pulled you off.

Through the flurry of breakfast and chatting with other friends, the morning went by quickly as your soreness faded. Lucky for you, your soulmate must have decided they had enough training from yesterday.

It wasn’t long before Tracey and your other friends noticed the time and hurried you all off to the Quidditch field where the match was going to take place.

Slytherin vs Hufflepuff.

Pulled into the already busy stands that were filled with yellow and black, you looked around. You honestly weren’t too big on sports, so in the first few years of Hogwarts, you would drop by to watch the odd match. Ever since finding out your soulmate was potentially an athlete, you began to show up more frequently. 

You knew enough of the game to tell when a team scored, and that was good enough for you. 

A blur of robes flew by the stands, causing everyone around you to erupt in cheers. 

“Here we go!” Tracey exclaimed, hanging onto you.

With the excitement in the air, you watched the game in quiet awe as the players soared around the field. Points were being scored and the game was looking rather close.

It was drawing close to late game when a sparkle caught your eye - the golden snitch.

Clearly that was when the seeker of the Hufflepuff team noticed it as well, as he went after it quickly. 

Cedric Diggory - the Hufflepuff prefect, Quidditch team captain, and the ideal student. 

Someone like him always felt pretty distant with how much he was accomplishing despite how friendly he was with everyone.

Sure, he was captivating and managed to catch a lot of attention. And right now, he had your full attention. 

Or at least the attention you could manage after feeling like you’ve been punched in the stomach and the wind knocked out of you.

“- and Diggory is hit by a Bludger, yikes, that one looked rough...”

“(Y/N)?” Tracey asked, noticing you bent over and hugging your stomach. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you wheezed, keeping an eye on the Seeker. He had placed a hand on his stomach and had a grimace on his face, but was already getting himself back into the game. “I think I found my soulmate.”

“We won!”

“Woohoo!”

The cheers of the Hufflepuff house filled the entire stadium and continued into the Common Room as everyone celebrated the victory. 

Cedric felt his teammates clap his back as they congratulated him for catching the snitch that helped win the game.

“Sorry about the Bludger, mate,” Anthony apologized. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Cedric reassured. 

Anthony shook his head with a smile. “Your poor soulmate.”

Cedric awkwardly laughed. Caught up with Quidditch practice and games, he often let it slip past his thoughts that his soulmate experienced his pain too. 

Making his way through the Common Room with quite a bit of trouble from the excited Hufflepuffs, he managed to leave the room only to bump into someone else.

The figure in front of him had moved back and the sound of them banging into something filled the air.

It wasn’t the noise that caught Cedric’s attention. Rather, it was the jolt of feeling as if he had run his elbow into something. 

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, reaching out to stabilize the girl he bumped into.

She looked up, (E/C) eyes meeting his. “It’s fine, Cedric, I wasn’t really looking where I was going either.”

Just out of the corner of his eye, he could see she was cradling her elbow. 

The same elbow he had felt hurt - even if it was temporarily. 

You awkwardly waited as Cedric still held onto you at an arm’s length. Accidentally bumping into him was not part of your plan. In fact, you weren’t sure what your plan was let him know you were his soulmate.

After apologizing to you, the head boy had simply frozen in front of you. 

“Um, Cedric?” you quietly asked.

Your voice broke him out of his trance as he took one of your hands in his own.

“Come with me.”

Without any additional warnings, he pulled you off. You could feel your cheeks heating up as you noticed others were noticing the situation you were in as the two of you maneuvered through the hallways. If this kept up, everyone would soon be talking about how the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain dragged a girl - you - off somewhere after winning the match.

Once the two of you were away from everyone else, Cedric took a step towards you. 

Flustered, you halted, watching the situation unfold.

“Your elbow...” He quietly gestured towards the elbow that you had bumped earlier with a nod of head. “Sorry about that.”

Hearing this made you immediately realize that he knew. He had felt it too. 

He knew.

“I’m sorry about before as well - you felt that during the game, didn’t you?”

You were hesitant, but you gave him a small nod.

“It’s okay though,” you immediately reassured him with a wave of your hands. “I know to expect these feelings.”

You could see the downward tug on his lips that made his charming face look sad. Before you had the chance to even think of another way to reassure the Hufflepuff Head Boy, he pulled you into a warm embrace. 

“I’m sorry I put you through all that,” he murmured.

The sound of his heartbeat racing and the genuine tone of his voice made you melt. Slowly lifting up your arms, you held onto him. Once Cedric felt this, you could feel him relax as well. 

Perhaps finally finding and being with your soulmate stirred up feelings in you, but at the moment, there was no where else you would rather be. Being so close to him, you could smell his sweat from just winning the Quidditch match, along with something else you couldn’t name, but whatever it was, it was very calming.

“Have you known long?” Cedric asked.

You shook your head. “That Bludger today was actually what made me realize it was you.”

Cedric made a mental note to thank Anthony later. 

“Take it easy during practices please,” you mumbled into his chest. “I was so sore this morning.”

Your soulmate leaned back so he could look at you properly. You were his soulmate and nothing could make him happier. Even though he had just met you, Cedric knew that this was going to be the start to something beautiful. The smile he had on his face - one you would soon learn that it was meant only for you - lit up the dim hallway. 

“I’ll try my best. Anything for my soulmate.”