#also that brooke gif is FRIED

[stretchbrock]

WHAT YOU SHOULD REALLY BE ASKING ME IS... DID YOU LOCK ME IN OR OUT? SCREAM: THE TV SERIES (2015-2019) : SEASON ONE

[tvintedspvrkarc]

have you been naughty or nice ??

[mrsjobarnes]

Bob did what?

A/N ~ Hey yall! I’m always so nervous to post because I don’t have anyone to proofread it. I also threw the last paragraph together. Lol Anyways enjoy

Like and comments welcome! 

Please do not steal my work! 

Bob x reader 

Warnings - Fluff, Pregnancy, Injuries & Anxiety 

Word count: 912

It was a regular day. 

 When you woke up this morning, you went straight to the kitchen to make Bob breakfast. 2 fried eggs, toast with raspberry jelly, with a cup of coffee to go. He walked in and wrapped his arm around you and kissed your cheek and then your 7-month belly. “Well don't you look gorgeous, sweetpea” he said as you broke into a blush. Even Though you have been married for 3 years he still has that effect on you. Right as you finished making his breakfast, the baby monitor went off. “I got it, honey,” Bob said, getting up. 

“No honey, I got it. Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.” You waddle into Brooks’s room and turn off his fan then walk to the crib. “What's up, big man! You ready to go eat breakfast with dad!” you said picking him up. He was getting so big but so were you. Setting the 2 and a-half-year-old down you both walk/waddle hand in hand to the kitchen. 

“Hey, buddy! How did you sleep last night” Bob asked, pulling Brooks into his arms. 

“I had dweams about planes and puppies,” he said while rubbing his eyes, clearly not fully awake yet. You place a bowl of cheerios and fruit in front of him. You start to move back to the stove. 

“That's a cool dream buddy,” he said, rubbing brook’s hair out of his face. “Hey whoa, whoa, sit down. I'll get you breakfast and your meds” he said springing up. He quickly moved around the kitchen. As you talked with Brooks about what you were going to do today, Bob put a plate full of toast and fruit in front of you along with prenatal meds. You lean up and kiss him. You were so grateful to have a wonderful husband. “Okay, I have to go now. The group wants to go out for drinks, but if you need to tap out let me know,” he said, kissing Brooks head. 

You guys had a busy morning of cleaning and laundry, for a 2-year-old he was very helpful. Right as he was going down for his nap, your phone rang. You slowly get up to get it, except you don’t remember where it is but you hear it. “Hey buddy, let’s play a game called find mamma’s phone,” you said with a silly face. He giggled and took off after it as you slowly got up to chase after him. Once you get to him you see that you have 5 missed calls from Fanboy, 7 from Rooster, and 3 from maverick. Your stomach dropped, and your blood ran cold. You quickly called Rooster and as you listened to it ring you started rubbing your belly to calm down. 

“Y/n thank god you called me back. I’m sending Jake to come to pick you up to bring you to the base.  There was an accident during a training exercise today. Phoenix and Bob had to eject, it wasn’t a smooth landing. He broke his leg when he landed, they are setting it in surgery. I’ll keep you updated” he informed you. Once he was sure that you were okay he hung up. You start panicking and rushing around the house to get Brooks’s thing 

“Brooks” you yelled “We need to go to the doctor on base to see daddy,” you said as calmly as possible. Not even 2 minutes later you hear the doorbell ring. You waddle as quickly as can be to the door. You are met with a calm Jake. You don’t know how these pilots do it. 

“Hey Y/n breath for me,” he said, wrapping you in a hug. “Last thing I heard he was doing good,” he said, pulling back to look you in the eyes. You hear a loud crash and quickly turn around to be met with your son dressed up in his dinosaur costume with his doctor kit in his hand. You appreciate how caring your son was. 

“I'm ready to help with daddy momma,” he said walking out to the car. 

“Alrighty follow the little man” Jake laughed. You were a nervous mess the entire car ride. When you arrived on base you rushed, well more like waddled at a fast pace to his hospital room with Jake and Brooks hot on your trail. When you enter the room you are met with the sight of your husband's leg in a cast and a bashful smile. 

“Hey Sweetpea” he said. You look at him and waddle over wrapping him in a hug. “Hey, hey, hey I’m okay.” He said pushing the hair out of your face. Planting a kiss on your temple. Brooks walks up to the bed and attempts to crawl up but fails. You bend over and pick him up so he can see Bob. He crawls into Bob's lap.

“Dadda, why is mommy crying?” he asked. 

“Momma was just sad because Dadda  got hurt”  

“It’s otay momma, dad just a bobo” he said causing everyone in the room to chuckle. You give him a kiss on the head. They decide it is okay for bob to be discharged as long as one of the other pilots helps you with him. They all agree and set up a system on who is assigned to help. You were glad you had a support team and that baby Floyd wouldn’t make their entrance for another 10 weeks.

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Chapter 8

In the Wind's Singing

Rating: M - Minors DNI

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Wordcount: 2.6k

Warnings and tags: fluff; bonding; discussions of autopsy/corpses; Coca-Cola is canon in Star Wars; no, I'm not joking; SMUT; masturbation

Suggested Listening:

Summary: The strike team returns from scouting Balmorra.

A/N: This story shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings and "Do It Again," but all three fics can be read as stand-alones.

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Voices are in the wind's singing

More distant and more solemn than a fading star.

—T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

The hologram flickered off, and Rex stared thoughtfully at the empty space where it had projected. Slowly, he said, “I want you to start looking into the clone assassin’s identifying code. Find out how it was wiped, and see if you can replicate the process.”

Cerra  wrinkled her nose. “Does that mean I’m going to have to dissect his arm?”

“That’s for you to find out. I know you’ll do whatever it takes,” Rex said. “In the meantime, I’m grounding you for a few days. No sparring, no supply runs, no missions until your hand is healed.”

She felt a surge of impatience, but his tone brooked no argument, so she simply nodded. Some battles were simply not worth fighting, and she knew Rex would win this one anyway. 

“I need to leave this afternoon to meet with a contact,” Rex continued. “Will you be all right alone?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Hand isn’t that bad.”

“Good,” he said. “Then you can get started on that ID code today.”

“Aye, aye, Cap,” she said with a mock salute.

Once Rex was gone, Cerra opened the stasis pod and examined the dead clone assassin’s forearm. Unlike the inhibitor chips, the identifying codes were not an implant; instead, the data was coded directly into the clones’ wrists. Nothing on the surface indicated how the ID data had been wiped. There was no scar, no wound—nothing except cold, smooth, brown skin. When she scanned it, a hologram appeared, but the contents were empty. She had a sinking feeling that she was going to need to remove the skin and examine it under a microscope to learn more.

Mechanical repairs were no problem for Cerra, but she was wildly unqualified to undertake any kind of medical examination, let alone an autopsy. For the thousandth time, she wished Kix were there. She worried that she would compromise the evidence, and the longer she had the stasis pod open, the more the clone assassin’s body would degrade. With that in mind, she sealed the pod again and began researching autopsy techniques on the Holonet. She watched autopsy vids for what felt like hours with a kind of gruesome fascination, barely noticing when the proximity sensor alerted her that the freighter had returned.

Echo, Fireball, and Gregor entered the garage to find Cerra sitting cross-legged on the couch, utterly engrossed by a vid projected from the holotable as she ate from a promising-looking container. Echo’s stomach rumbled.

“Boys,” she greeted them without looking up.

“Something smells good,” Echo said.

“I got takeout from Dex’s,” she said. “There’s more in the kitchen.”

“Is that brualki brisket?” Gregor asked.

“Yeah, I got extra for you,” she said. “There’s also brakkenback stew, nerfburgers, and two orders of each kind of protato on the menu.”

A woman of taste, Echo thought, heading to the kitchen to examine the options.

“Ugh, what are you watching?” Fireball demanded.

“Autopsy vids,” she mumbled around a bite of brisket.

“While you’re eating? Gross,” Fireball said.

“Gotta figure out what to do with our friend over there,” Cerra said, pointing at the stasis pod. “Besides, it’s not like I’m eating directly off a corpse.”

Echo pulled a face. Gregor went to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until he found a small medkit. Then he swiped the remaining container of brisket and a bag of fried protato wedges and flopped down next to Cerra on the sofa. 

“Next time, you can buy dinner, and then you get to pick the holovid, Fireball,” Gregor said. “Cerra, did you take your antibiotics?”

“What antibiotics?” she asked distractedly.

“That’s what I thought,” Gregor said drily. He extracted a couple of pills from the medkit and handed them to her. “Take these.”

Cerra automatically took the pills and swallowed them, then handed Gregor a tub of glockaw sauce without taking her eyes off the holovid. “Ooh, look, they’re about to peel off the skin!”

Fireball gagged. Gregor dipped a protato wedge into the sauce and popped it into his mouth, chewing happily. Echo looked down at the container of stew he’d selected, and his stomach lurched, cheeks going even grayer than usual.

“I, uh, think I’ll hit the shower,” he said, setting the stew back on the countertop.

Cerra and Gregor didn’t respond, too immersed in the holovid. Despite himself, Fireball drifted closer, leaning over the back of the sofa with his eyes glued to the vid. He absentmindedly reached for a protato wedge, and Gregor slapped his hand away. Cerra wordlessly handed her half-empty bag of shoestring fries to Fireball. 

Echo shrugged and headed to the refresher. He took his time in the shower, knowing that the rest of the group was likely to be distracted. The hot water relaxed the muscles in his back and soothed his aching limbs where his prosthetics connected. His mind drifted to Senator Chuchi—Riyo, as she’d insisted he call her. He couldn’t imagine the beautiful, gentle Pantoran watching holovids of corpse dissections. When Rex had opened the stasis pod to show Echo and the Batch the clone assassin, Riyo had carefully avoided looking at the man’s face. She hadn’t become desensitized to death and violence the way Cerra and his fellow clones had, but she was fearless, even in the face of Rampart’s attempts on her life.

She was so lovely. Sweet, but strong. As he pictured her smooth, cerulean skin, her soft lilac hair, and the subtle curves of her body, he felt his cock stiffen. Seizing the rare moment of privacy, Echo soaped up his hand and began to stroke himself, careful to keep silent. He braced himself against the shower stall with his scomp arm, tilting his head back to let the warm water flow over his neck and chest. 

He envisioned Riyo around him—her mouth, her body, her sighs of passion and her enveloping warmth, her wide golden eyes glazed with need. His breath became ragged. It had been months since he’d been with a woman, he was acutely conscious that any of the team could walk in at any moment. Gritting his teeth to hold back his groans, he squeezed harder and increased the speed of his hand. Before long, the surging pleasure overwhelmed his control, and he spilled hot, white jets of cum onto the shower floor.

All his breath left him in a rush, and his head sagged to rest on the arm that braced against the shower wall. The water started to run cold, so he finished washing and toweled off, dressing quickly and returning to join the others.

Echo suppressed a laugh when he saw Fireball sprawled on the sofa with the other two. The two clones had removed their armor and now wore only their black body gloves. The holotable was cluttered with empty wrappers and takeout containers, and somebody had filled a bucket with ice and several bottles of ale, two of which Gregor and Fireball were already drinking. Echo noticed that the bulky bandage on Cerra’s hand had been replaced with a neat bacta patch, and the medkit had been put away. The group had turned raucous, and Fireball kept up a running commentary on the vid.

“You call that a primary incision?” he jeered. “I could do better blindfolded, with a vibrosword!”

“If you’re so confident, maybe you should do the autopsy,” Cerra said.

“No thanks,” Fireball said. “It’s one thing to watch a holovid. It’s something else when it’s a brother.”

“I know,” Cerra said. “That’s why I’m not drinking. Gotta keep my head clear so I can focus on the techniques.”

Echo grunted as he heated up a bowl of stew. “I can’t believe you’re still watching that. Why not put on something like the Great Galactic Bake Off instead?”

Cerra twisted around to look at him. “You’re a Bake Off fan? Have you seen this week’s episode yet?”

“No. I usually watch it with Omega,” Echo replied.

“Hmph, Charo Intan was robbed last week,” Gregor grumbled.

“You’re just saying that because the Sullustan got Galaxy Baker,” Cerra teased.

“His technical bake was a disaster!” Gregor exclaimed. “The judges are out of their minds.”

Fireball listened to the exchange with a look of utter bewilderment. “What are you even talking about?”

Three heads swiveled to stare at Fireball.

“You haven’t heard of the Bake Off?” Gregor asked incredulously. “Do you live under an asteroid?”

Fireball shrugged.

“Oh, my sweet summer child,” Cerra said, punching the control panel of the holotable. “Prepare to lose your sanity and any hope of a social life.”

Echo was surprised at how nonchalant Cerra seemed, especially after the previous night’s disaster. He took his bowl of stew to the sofa and nudged Fireball out of the way as he sat down. It was a tight squeeze with the four of them, so Cerra scooted onto Gregor’s lap to make room. Fireball picked up her legs to drape across his thighs.

Echo couldn’t quite figure out what was going on between Cerra and Gregor. He had assumed they were a couple when he’d first arrived, but he had second-guessed himself when their obvious affection for each other never seemed to go beyond platonic demonstrations. But Gregor’s reaction to Cerra’s distress the previous night; the tender, intimate words he’d whispered as he comforted her; and in particular his anomalous hostility toward Rex made Echo reevaluate his assumptions yet again. But now the commando seemed utterly unfazed as Fireball joined their little snuggle pile, even as the younger clone settled in cozily beneath Cerra’s calves.

Fireball rolled up one of Cerra’s pant legs and began to doodle on her skin with a marker, drawing complex, abstract swirls in black ink. The familiar opening jingle of the Bake Off started to play, and Echo gave up on trying to unravel the complexities of—kriff—whatever was going on at the other end of the sofa, turning his attention instead to the holovid.

Once again, it seemed Echo was the odd man out. It seemed strange and wrong to watch the show without Omega, and he missed his brothers’ familiar camaraderie. He didn’t think Cerra was intentionally excluding him, but he couldn’t help feeling a little stab of envy at how easily she and Gregor had allowed Fireball into their little circle. The younger clone hadn’t needed to work for it at all; they’d simply absorbed him. Echo frowned as he wondered if he had done something to make Cerra hold him at a distance.

As if on cue, she rummaged through the bucket of ice, retrieving two bottles of ale and cracking them open. To Echo’s surprise, though, she held one out to him, and when he took it with a silent nod of thanks, she clinked her bottle against his and took a sip. Echo reflexively drank his as well, watching out of the corner of his eye as Cerra settled back against Gregor. The commando shifted to wrap his arm around her, tugging her closer to him and easing her head onto his shoulder.

“This is the week that useless Garr Tevv goes home,” Gregor declared. “I can feel it.”

“I don’t know, buddy,” Cerra said. “The judges don’t seem to share your opinion of Sullustans. I think he’ll make it to the finale.”

“What’s wrong with Sullustans?” Fireball asked.

“Heh, it’s a long story,” Gregor chuckled.

“You can’t judge all Sullustans by what Borkus did,” Echo said.

“Oh, can’t I?” Gregor asked. “How do you feel about Skakoans?”

“Fair point,” Echo conceded. 

“Why are there so many contestants from Separatist worlds?” Fireball asked.

“Something about bringing the galaxy together after the turmoil of war,” Gregor said. 

“By making them compete against each other?” Fireball sounded confused.

“Friendly competition,” Echo clarified. “Although it hardly seemed friendly when Timi Riniath stole Runa Mone’s conservator and left her custard out to curdle.”

“Ugh, I can’t believe they let Timi stay in after that,” Cerra complained. “Such a cheater.”

“I still think it was an honest mistake,” Gregor said.

“No way,” Echo and Cerra retorted in unison.

“Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” Cerra said automatically.

Echo inhaled sharply, and Cerra’s face went rigid as they both realized what she’d said. How many times had Fives repeated that sentence? He and Echo spoke jointly so often that it was practically their catchphrase. Fives and Cerra must have shared the same tendency for her to have picked up the habit.

“Kriff,” she whispered. “Sorry, Echo. I wasn’t thinking. It just slipped out.”

“That’s all right,” Echo said uncomfortably. “It was bound to happen sometime.”

Gregor rubbed a soothing hand on Cerra’s back. Fireball looked more confused than ever, but he wisely didn’t ask questions and went back to his drawing. 

“Good to know you shared the same brain cell with Fives as I did,” Echo said to diffuse the tension. “Feels like there’s still part of him with us.”

For once, it seemed he’d said the right thing, because Cerra visibly relaxed, and a small smile crept over her face. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”

The recap segment of the show ended, and they all turned to the holovid. Fireball occasionally asked questions about how the competition worked, which Gregor answered enthusiastically, and soon the group became fully captivated. They cheered for their favorites and booed the contestants they disliked. At some point, a second round of beers was passed around, and by the end of the show, Fireball had already downloaded the old episodes onto his datapad so he could watch them next time he was on a long hyperspace jump.

Cerra looked haggard and was probably feeling the lingering effects of the sedative Gregor had administered as well as the aftermath of everything else that had happened the previous night. She didn’t manage to stay awake through the whole episode, lulled to sleep by the way Gregor absentmindedly rubbed her shoulders and the soft drag of Fireball’s marker against her leg. 

“I’ll take first watch,” Fireball said quietly.

Gregor nodded, standing cautiously with Cerra in his arms and staggering a little under their combined weight. Cerra jostled awake with a startled grunt.

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Gregor said. “I’ve got you.”

She blinked owlishly at him and looked around.

“Good night, Cerra,” Fireball said.

“G’night, Tup,” she murmured as she burrowed her face into Gregor’s shoulder.

Fireball and Echo exchanged confused looks with Gregor, who just shrugged and turned away to carry Cerra to the barracks. Echo and Fireball cleaned up the detritus of their impromptu watch party, and then Echo headed for the barracks as well. 

“I’ll take the second watch,” Echo told Fireball. “I don’t think Gregor has slept at all in the last two days.”

Inside the barracks, Gregor had already tucked Cerra into her bunk and was changing out of his body glove into a pair of sweatpants. Echo eased down onto his bunk and detached his leg prosthetics with a sigh of relief. Gregor climbed into his own bunk, and the barracks descended into silence.

By some miracle of fate or the Force, Echo slept. When Fireball shook him awake to stand watch, Echo flinched away, his heart racing. Fireball held up his hands placatingly and returned to the main room. Echo dressed quickly and reattached his legs, then went to join him.

“All quiet?” Echo asked.

“So far,” Fireball said. “But I got a comm from my brother Nemec. He wants out. Do you think Rex will help?”

“I know he will,” Echo said firmly. “We’ll start planning the extraction as soon as Rex gets back.”

The anxiety in the younger clone’s face eased, and he nodded gratefully when Echo told him to get some rest. Before he returned to the barracks, though, Fireball had one more question.

“Echo?” he asked hesitantly. “Who’s Tup?”

“No idea,” Echo said.

---

Next chapter

[regaliasonata]

Character ask Dustin!!

Character Ask: Dustin Brooks

First Impression

-Most likely a goofball, doesn't know how to frown since that would make him literally sick. Probably the weakest but most versatile person on the team ao he's hard to kill.

How I Feel About The Character/Impression Now

-Love him honestly, would like to meet him or even be friends tbh, one of the strongest members and has a major thing for guys.

Favorite Moment

-Witnessing the Beevil situation and him just decimating the situation with the new mode for his ninja sword.

Idea For A Story

-an ambitious child of a space royal that can control all aspects of earth such as meteors, stars and even summoning beetles.

Relationships

OTPs

-Hunter/Dustin like have you met me 😏, Also pretty much anyone on the team can be placed with him tbh because the rangers got major chemistry.

-Conner/Dustin as I see that really having a bunch of potential(look we've all established Dustin's one of the most strongest rangers via brute strength so him being able to lift Conner like he's nothing is just peak requirements solved for red😭)

BROTPs

-Entire Ninja Storm team, no explanation needed.

-Dustin/Leo/Cole/Jarrod/Flynn/Adam, lion rangers are either hanging out on the weekends or causing a ruckus out in the open. Cole and Leo are Dustin's favorite for reasons, inner fan boy crushing from seeing rangers on TV as a kid.

-Marah/Dustin, I could see then actually becoming friends after the season but it would take a long process before then, though they would make a nice duo.

Unpopular Opinion

-Had ATLA released in the 90s I'd bet Dustin would be basing all his arsenal on Toph, maybe it's just me wanting to see civilian powers again but I hope he makes a return just to show off this lost creativity of non ranger powers that we had from Ninja Storm to Mystic Force.

One thing I wish would/had happened in the show

-Should've kissed a guy or had a power up of his own, well second part applies to all team members.

-idk why but the idea of an Evil Dustin via Lothor(like that one episode) as an arc would be interesting, actually cement how crazy the earth element can get with the right practice, from growing plants, controlling heated crust, explosions etc.

Headcanons

-No doubt about it Dustin can identity as Bi, Trans, Gay, Pan. No way that dude is straight cause he pretty much loves everyone.

-He lives happily in bliss but again it does lead to his downfall cause how can Dustin tell when someone is being rude to him, though being sad or angry leads to a lot of emotions coming out.

-He sometimes grows a little stubble for a beard and on his chest, low and behold the day he wears a v-neck out Hunter has to stop other students from charging at Dustin and dude is just unaware of it. This combo plus a flip of his curly locks and everyone around just falls over.

-While they like him the yellow rangers except for Kelsey, Chip and Katie banned him from being in group chats because he doesn't know WHEN TO STOP SPAMMIMG SHIT LATE IN THE NIGHT. Taylor would throw fried bird legs at his window for two weeks straight after he video called her while she was busy on a date...doing stuff

-Dustin and Shane have some of the weirdest conversations

Shane: Brazilian guys are so fucking hot, Hunter really scored huh.

Dustin: Yeah...wait what.

-the Ninja Storm team are one of the only teams that weren't captured by the whole Zedd fiasco during Cosmic Fury and honestly get roasting rights against those that did get captured. Like it's Zedd! Not even the real version, how does one get fumbled that badly, Dustin, Taylor, Chip and Lily having the time of their lives just calling out the BS.

Taylor: That's why you invest in zords that are spiritual.

Chip: Or Magical.

Lily: Or are summoned from you.

Dustin: Or just turn giant yourself.

[bowieandqueen11]

Picnic Date With Howl Pendragon Headcanons

Request: Headcanons for a cute picnic date with Howl? Your other headcanons awoke the Howl lover in me!

I’m so glad it did!! I just 😍 Also I’m sorry if this is awful, but Uni already has me so stressed out!

Comments are always appreciated! <3

Every breakfast time, you had been trying to convince Howl over your cup of tea that the two of you should just go off and spend some time together, away from the castle and away from the war.

It takes a bit of time to convince him. At first, he just raises an eyebrow and takes another chew from his fried eggs, shaking his head and saying he has too much to do to be away from home for too long.

Finally, after yet another shake of his head, you sigh and go back to your bedroom, leaving Howl alone in the kitchen. Calcifer, seeing how silly Howl is being, really lets rip and pretty much makes Howl take you out on a picnic.

He, of course, after a bit of forcing, realises how upset he’s been making you, and that he would do anything to make the person he loves most in his life.

He makes Markl cook the two of you a whole bunch of food, although he does help a bit and ‘oversees’ the cooking, even if he doesn't admit it to you. 

Although he did go out to a quaint nearby little market, full of multicoloured cobblestoned streets and fluttering banners, the smell of fresh apples and baked tarts filling his nostrils as he bought a cute wicker basket and tartan blanket from a little old woman.

He sets up the castle door so it leads the two of you into a wonderful, enchanted forest. He links one arm with you, smiling down at you with a look of complete contentment, before he whips his cape behind his shoulder and pulls the two of you into the billowing wind.

The forest hummed with life as you gripped tighter onto Howl’s shaking, oversized dress shirt. You gaze up as he leads the two of you deeper into the canopy, searching for the source of the sweet twirping. The only thing you can see is the bright sun that breaks through the cracks, lighting up the winding path in front of the two of you - little wildflowers brushing against your shoes, and crunchy leaves falling among your steps.

The fragrance of minty grass and deep earth fills each of your breaths like water, fresh and cleansing, cleansing your soul.

Howl laughs as he places his large hands over your eyes, and no matter how much you tug at his fingertips, he doesn’t take them off until the two of you reach an enchanting weeping willow tree, sweeping its branches down over the edge of a babbling brook.

‘Oh, Howl, this is beautiful!’

‘Only the best for you, my star.’

He had placed tinkling little fairy lights over the leaves of the tree, so when he laid the blanket down under its shadows, and held his hand out towards you with a bright smirk, it really felt like something out of a fairy tale.

For the rest of the day, he constantly sneaks warm, long, chaste, lingering, any type of kisses he can get from your lips, remarking how they taste like peach, or blackberry, or whatever the two of you had shared from the basket.

Towards the end of the day, he pulls you into his chest so you were snuggled up under his jutting chin, and he places his long legs on top of yours. He picks blue and violet delicate wildflowers from around his arms, linking them together into a crown and winding it intricately into your hair.

He begins humming a little tune into the warm air - the song you always would sing to him in bed, stroking back his hair behind his ear and littering his cheek with kisses when he can’t sleep or he’s had a bad day.

In the end, when you start to get sleepy in his slender arms, you grab his wrist and pull him down until his head lay on your own lap, his hair spread a shining blonde along your legs like spilled starlight. You start to take little daisies and braid them into his own hair as he just looks up and watches your every movement with awe.

The two of you can’t help but burst out laughing in delight at how you’re now matching.

He also just stops for a moment, when you reach into the basket and pull out some sparkling raspberry cider for the two of you to share, just sitting with a lingering smile on his face as he admires how exquisite you are.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1020 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back, they said no break but they didn't tell us there wouldn't be a chapter for the next week because of...the Olympics I think? Something that stopped the weekly fix

but that was then, today we have One Piece as we continue on from our chain of Tobi Roppo fights

Spoilers for Chapter 1020 - Support the Official Release too

The cover page now makes me want fried prawns, damn you Denjiro!

So close with Yamato's DF, turns out it's Inu Inu no Mi: Model Makami rather than Okami like I guessed

To my credit I didn't know what a Makami was, there are so many mythological creatures of Japan, turns out though it's a protector deity of Makamiohara...in the Yamato Province. Said to protect the people's crops for boar and deer (which may be a nod to Oden and the Mountain God), it also happens to be the guardian deity of Wano - which feels a little like an Alabasta nod

It's also meant to protect against fire (like Kaido) and robbery (like Orochi), but Kaido - while admitting that Orochi was a tyrant - wants him to protect what Kaido and Orochi has made Wano into: a hub of weapons development

Ice attacks as well to show the contrast with Kaido's fire, though it's pretty apparent that he didn't go all out with that fireball while Yamato is still weary

Finally over to Robin and Brook vs Black Maria but Brook is worried, because Robin's seeing people from her past

Clover, Olvia and Saul too, definitely a trap, though I don't wanna say they're dead in case Oda pulls a curve on us

But Robin is too smart for the trick, suckering the figures posing as illusions with some uppercuts. It must still hurt for her though

The one posing as Saul was a Number as well, seems to be our only female Number, this was Kunyun so given how we've heard that laugh already she's number 9, Numbers 1-3 are still missing

Robin could've given him a signal true, but it is alarming that they can fish into your memories like that

It's a Black Maria ability too, don't really recall Ancient spiders doing that, Mythical maybe but not the Rosamygale

She's also attacking from the ceiling, wrappings that definitely weren't there the last we saw her keeping things discreet

Turns out Brook was subject to illusion too, but pandering to his hopes of his crew being alive is probably not the best way to trick him, I mean he did have to bury them all after 50 years of preserving their bodies on the ship

So it turns out Black Maria's weapon isn't a severed head, it's another SMILE abomination XD I did get a giggle out of that actually, big head but a tiny pug body, guess he doesn't mind so long as he's that close to Maria. Dunno how he can make fires though but Kamijuro's lion belly could do the same

Maria if you keep hanging upside down with all that flesh showing you're gonna give people heart attacks...or awakenings...or both, either way stop distracting us from your horrifying lower half and intent to kill our heroes!

While Taunting the duo's belief of winning and then directly taunting Robin, Maria burns the floor to keep them cornered, Robin using her Spider Net to dangle with Brook in the air

I mean, Robin's not wrong, the Castle's already on fire thanks to Orochi

Brook though has a plan, since we now know the weapon is Alive he can attack it

Robin's 'the fuck?' face though XD

New Attack from Brook, he can freeze people by going through them in his soul form, pretty handy that and it knocks Pugbutt out of the weapon

And then his body deals with the fire to save Robin when Maria knocked away the bit of roof she was hanging on

God bless tiny faces

Maria really trying to pull up old feelings though, suggesting that the crew will sell Robin out eventually like others, because she's a burden and even Sanji brought her to Maria

Excuse you Maria but now that Jimbei's part of the crew Sanji's is the third-highest bounty, and still an undervalue considering how Luffy's is over 4x more right now

Brook and Robin aren't too concerned though, even going as far as leaving Maria to Robin while Brook takes on the goons and Number

'He's one of the wings that will allow the pirate king to soar' - what a freaking line

Here comes Naked Kaiju Robin! Maria your big woman energy can't compare to Naked Kaiju Robin, it's already over

But we're back to the land where in a portside Okobore town Luffy still hunts for meat

Shinobu and Momo have escaped too thanks to Shinobu's kite, which I had expected when she rotted the floor anyway

Momo looks like he was gonna say Kiku and Kin'emon died, but Luffy interrupted him before saying the D word, I wonder if they could still be healed, though it is wishful wondering

Luffy is right though, he can't break now, he needs to be strong until the fight is over

So there's Caribou!

Come on man, I stood up for you after the Cover Story showed you have something like a heart in there, true you may help for your own reasons but in Sabaody you wanted to ride with Luffy

But that's how we're getting back up, Momo is gonna fly Luffy to the top

Though it wasn't the same heights as 1000 and 1010 before them it was still a really good chapter. I mean, I could whine about how Robin vs Maria was only a third of the chapter sandwiched between Yamato's DF being revealed and Luffy coming back into consciousness but frankly, I think we needed the fight to go longer.

Not only did we need to set up Robin 1v1 but Maria hardly got to show any powers up until now, so it was more of a showcase, and it doesn't hurt for some of the Tobi Roppo fights to last longer than the quantity of a chapter and a half. Though Brook and Usopp remain the only characters without the big fights so far now they have been extremely effective on support, and with Oda reminding us of the Numbers I think Usopp may still have a chance to face 1-3, Brook's enemy I don't have any clues on but he showed off a new move.

Yamato's DF being a Wano guardian deity does push me towards the idea that Yamato may stay in Wano after all, he wants to be free yes but Oden wanted to ensure that Wano was ready for Joy Boy, wouldn't Yamato want to follow that? Instead of protecting Wano for Kaido he would feel at least some responsibility to protect Wano from Kaido. Plus it doesn't bode well for his Straw Hat candidacy that his powers are ice-based, since we already have that in Brook (then again, Zoro, Sanji, Luffy and Franky can all use fire so maybe not).

The appearance of Caribou does make me hopeful that he can pull a clutch move as well, he seems on Luffy's side at least for now so maybe we can strong-arm him into helping. The key if he does would be how much he can store within himself, he can contain something or someone as big as Shirahoshi after all, what if he hid someone to bring into the belly of Onigashima?

Luffy riding Momo to the top of the dome also makes a lot of sense, calling all the way back to Punk Hazard too. This'll likely be Kaido's first time seeing Momo in Dragon form too, but Oda remains tight-lipped on how Luffy survived and communicated while in the water.

No break I hope this time, meaning next chapter will likely proper conclude our fight with Naked Kaiju Robin (or probably clothed Kaiju Robin considering that was a mid-transformation) and Maria, cool move but still would like to see some Haki from her, and a new nickname, Devil Child doesn't work when she's an adult. But alas, happy to see Robin get a solo fight.

[juniwilson]

Zoom Call | The Wilson Family

Includes (top to bottom): Clover, Brook, Autumn, Glenn, Sky, Robin, Holly & Juniper Wilson; mentions of Cliff & River Wilson, and @chris-grimaldi When: Fri. April 29, 2022, late morning/early afternoon Notes: Due to Juni’s pregnancy, the producers have allowed them to make a private, camera-free Zoom Call to tell their family. Triggers/Content Warnings:

Juni was beyond grateful the production crew arranged for them to reach out to their family for a brief, private moment to share the news of their pregnancy. They had no idea just how many of their family members would end up on the Zoom call but at the designated time, the screen soon filled with seven other windows popping up with the faces of their mother and six of their seven siblings.

“Juniper, dear! Oh my goodness, it’s so good to see you! How are you? I can’t believe it’s been months since we’ve heard directly from you!” Their mother, Sky, began.

“Well, it’s been months for you all,” Robin pointed out in his usual even tone, “I spoke to June last month.”

“Still jealous,” Clover added while their mother simultaneously lamented, “We know, Robin. We know.”

“So what’s going on?” Brook asked, cutting right to the point. “You’ve got us all here, does this mean you get to leave the island soon, or that you get to make a home visit like some of the others did?”

Holly chimed in, “Orrr is this another prize win and you’ll get to talk to more than one of us for a little while?”

Juni shook their head, “No, it’s nothing like that. I--”

“Maybe she’s going to tell us some more about Chris-freaking-Grimaldi!” Clover gushed. “By the way, I did not expect him to show up on Ship-Wrecked at all but wow! Heart eyes for my sibling? I am so here for it! Please tell me that’s legit and not just really crafty editing because wow, talk about an instant attraction! Tell him that banana bouquet was SUPER cute! I laughed but also thought it was so sweet!”

“Wait, wait, wait, back up a second,” Glenn said, sitting ramrod straight while his eyes bugged, “Chris Grimaldi. AKA the top tier Chris, AKA Batman AKA my favorite actor is on that island?! On that show? And he’s interested in you, Juni?! When the hell was anybody gonna tell me?!”

“Language, Glenn,” Sky chided.

“I’ve been keeping you posted about Juni being on the show, so you have no one to blame here,” Clover pointed out.

Holly sighed, “And I tried to tell you two weeks ago that you should really start watching, Glenn.”

“Yeah but you didn’t say anything about Chris being on there,” he accused with a scowl and then looked to Juniper, “So wait. He’s interested in you Juni, yeah? I always knew he had good taste.”

“Did you forget he’s been divorced twice already?” Brook pointed out.

“So? What’s your point?” Glenn argued back with a shrug, popping some food in his mouth. “He still has great taste, especially if he’s got heart eyes for my big sis.”

Juni smiled and managed to say, “We did decide to date, yes. And I don’t think the show will finish wrapping up until sometime this summer, so--”

Glenn interrupted again, mid-snacking, “Wow. That’s not all that far away but that’s also a helluva long time for you to have been gone. I didn’t realize shows like that filmed for so long.”

“They don’t. Not normally,” Brook said flatly. “Juni do you really think this was a good idea? I know you want to find love but you’ve been gone for months. Even Survivor and all those other reality shows don’t film for this long.”

“I know, but... it won’t be that much longer.”

“What about your job?” Robin asked. “Are they as understanding or was all of this worked out in your contract when you signed to be on?”

“Guys!” Autumn waved her hands as though she was swatting some flies away. “Let Juni talk!”

“Yes, really,” Sky agreed and then nodded to Juni on her screen. “Go ahead, Junebug, dear.”

Juniper took a deep breath. “I know Chris hasn’t been here on the island all that long yet, but, Clover, I don’t know what all you’re seeing on the episodes but it’s not any sort of editing. There was something there for us pretty quickly after we first met. It does feel really fast--it is, I know it...and... I know that’s probably unsettling for some people but he makes me happy. And I’m glad that we’re dating and continuing to get to know each other and see where things go between us, especially because, I’m--”

“I knew it!” Clover burst out excitedly. “I mean it’s always nice to have you confirm it but I knew it wasn’t just the cameras editing and triyng to make it look like there was something there. Like you guys looked so cute when you first met, and I saw you guys had a picnic date, which...adorable!”

“It really was,” Autumn agreed, “He was really smooth taking to your interest in astrology to get that kiss. Like, serious brownie points to him for that.”

“Right?!” Clover borderline squealed. “Like he always seems super chill and charming in interviews but wow!”

Brook rolled her eyes, “You guys do remember that he’s an actor, right? And sorry Glenn, I know you’d jump his bones if you had the chance--no offense, Junes--but I really don’t think that having two divorces under your belt is something to just brush off, especially when he’s now got his eyes on our sibling. Getting close to him on an island is one thing but what about when you get back to the real world?”

“Brook,” Holly started in an eldest sister, reprimanding tone.

“No, Holly, this needs to be said. “It’s easy to get swept up in Fantasy Island but Juni deserves to keep the realities of who she’s getting close to in mind too. Chris could say a lot of sweet things that could sweep anyone off of their feet but does that mean that he’s someone who’s right for Juni?”

Robin wasn’t easily riled but he spoke up again in his more monotonous tone, “His ex-wife cheated and married his brother who also impregnated her, which wasn’t his fault or in his control. And his ex-husband’s a senator and trans activist. Not exactly something to be ashamed of but how many politicians do you know are actively working as politicians while married to a working actor?”

Everyone on the call fell silent for a moment but Glenn licked his index finger and swiped a tally mark in the air. “I rest my case.”

“You didn’t make one,” Brook pointed out, scowling this time.

Sky spoke up again, “Brook, honey, being on the island is also allowing Chris and Juniper, and all of the other couples time to get to know one another well. That certainly counts for something crucial for a relationship to work. And really, it isn’t fair to reduce Chris to a cliche just because he’s an actor or divorced.”

Juni’s eyes were down as their hand came to rest on their stomach. They didn’t want to cry and they didn’t want to throw up but both feelings were beginning to rise in them. Autumn and Holly seemed to notice at almost teh same time and spoke their concerns over one another.

“Are you okay, June?”

“Juni, it’s okay, what’s wrong?”

Juniper took a deep breath and when she lifted her head up, she finally told her family, “I’m pregnant.”

“WHAT?!” nearly all of them said.

“The baby is Chris’s.”

“OH MY GOD!” Autumn, Clover, Brook and Holly said in near unison and with varied inflections.

 That’s why I got this call with you guys.”

“Didn’t see that coming,” Robin said, quirking an eyebrow up. By far and away, his reaction was the calmest of them all.

“You mean, I’m gonna be the uncle to Chris Grimadli’s child?!” asked Glenn. “I’m gonna call the kid Damien. Or you know, heavily suggest it as a baby name, regardless of gender.”

“Shut up, Glenn,” his twin retorted.

Brook asked, “When did this happen?!” in a very indignant tone.

“It was the nighttime picnic, wasn’t it? I bet it was,” Clover gushed, hands pressed to both of her cheeks. “If someone did something like that for me, I’d probably end up pregnant too.”

Autumn waved them off again, “Clover, hush! What does it matter ‘when’? Juni are you sure? Are you okay?”

She nodded, wiping at her eyes before any tears could form, “I’m sure. The medics here confirmed it a while ago. And honestly? I’m happy, and I’m scared, and-... and I just needed you guys to know.”

“Oh, Juniper...” their mother frowned. “I just want to wrap my arms around you right now. It’s going to be alright, dear. And I’ll talk to your dad about making a trip out to see you as soon as you get home, okay?”

Brook couldn’t completely tamp down the acid in her voice as she asked, “How’s Chris handling all of this?”

“He’s been amazing. Really. Neither of us planned this, of course, but he’s been really attentive of me even before I told him. But he’s excited to become a dad, and we both plan to keep on figuring things out as time goes on. We’re only telling our families right now though, and he’s told his best friend who I think is basically family to him, so.. if you guys could not tell anyone--not yet. I just want to get through the first trimester.”

“Of course,” Sky spoke before any of her children could. “None of us will say a thing--we understand. And you have no idea how good it is to hear that Chris is already being involved and supportive. There’s plenty I’m sure that you two have to sort through, not only becoming new parents but becoming a new couple. And obviously your sister, Brook, has made her reservations known but I’m sure she comes from a well-intended place.”

“Of course I do!” Brook stated. “Juniper’s my sibling, my family. I love her and I want her happy. Do you think I’d be saying anything at all if I didn’t?” After huffing, she looked right at Juniper and said, “Listen to me. Mom’s right, I have my...reservations, as she put it. But that doesn’t mean I want you to be miserable or alone or both. And it doesn’t mean I won’t be Auntie Brook to your baby any more or less than I am to River’s kids, or Autumn’s, Holly’s, or Glenn’s. But I don’t know Chris and until I do, I’m going to be a skeptic.”

Autumn sighed, “To be fair to Brook, she was that way with all of us who’ve got spouses. It took her what felt like a millennium to warm up to Lance, even after we got engaged.“

“Well, she is a family lawyer after all,” Robin reminded.

Holly hummed, “True. Brook’s always been like the Wilson family bouncer for significant others too. Or at least that’s how Sheila puts it.”

Brook sniffed and shrugged hearing her siblings speak of how she’d behaved towards her in-laws, obviously unapologetic for her earned title in the family.

“And she knows she’s going to get it tenfold if she ever brings a significant other around to meet the family,” Glenn added helpfully.

“Pretty much,” Robin agreed despite being as single as his twin brother and Brook currently were.

Sky smiled at Juniper on the screen, “Junebug, just please take care of yourself and my littlest grandchild. That includes your mental and spiritual health, alright? And if your fear is stemming from how fast things are moving between you and Chris, just remember that every relationship runs on its own timeline. Some people get together and just know and it works out for them to have a long time commitment to one another. Some take much longer to discover that special someone. Just look at your own family. Your father and I were only together for three months before we took our vows and here we are almost thirty-nine years later. Autumn and Lance were high school sweethearts and are happily married with their family of four now. Holly and Sheila were together for five years before marrying and have their own child, and River and Tiffany had a shotgun wedding after only six months of courtship. Now they have three children and a great life together! And although Glenn and his ex aren’t together, they both make wonderful co-parents.”

“Awww, thanks, Mom,” Glenn crooned, feigning a bashful expression that earned him eye rolls from his other siblings and a small chuckle from Juniper.

“The point is,” Sky said, “That no matter what speed or direction things go, you don’t have to follow anyone’s expectations, except for the ones you set and pursue.”

Smiling softly, Juniper could feel fresh but different tears welling up. “Thanks, Mom. Thank you so much. And thank you all for being here for me.” They took a deep breath, “I have to get going because I am feeling a bit queasy and the producers weren’t giving me too long to be on here, but I promise when I get another chance, I’ll call, okay? Please let River and Dad know what’s going on, and give Dad a big hug for me? I miss him. I miss all of you!”

“We miss you too!” They all replied back over one another in varied tones.

“Love you, June,” Robin spoke while Holly and Autumn blew kisses. Clover and Glenn waved, Brook gave a solitary nod and the tiniest of smiles to their sibling, and Sky pressed a hand to her own heart while keeping her eyes on Juniper.

“Take care, dear. We’ll see you before you know it.”

Juni nodded back and smiled, “Bye, Mom,” before ending the call. And sure enough, with their stomach churning, Juni only had mere seconds to make it to the nearest bathroom.

[stusbunker]

Questions: What If?

A Supernatural Fan-fiction

Featuring: Sam Winchester x Female Reader

Setting: Season 10

Entry: Erica’s 30th Fluffy Birthday Challenge

Prompt: #16. If Tomorrow Never Comes- Garth Brooks

Chapter 4 of my Questions Series

A/N: Happy Birthday Erica @ericaprice2008! Thanks for letting a new SPN blog in on the fun. This developed into a series because there isn't enough fluff in the Winchesters' lives and I am now a sap. I think it is readable as a stand alone fic if you don’t want to read it all. This segment includes regular show violence, swearing, and monsters. Lyrics in italics. xoxo Stu

The case had taken its toll on her and Dean, leaving Sam to drive the Impala back to the Bunker. The passing headlights grew fewer as the late night hours bled into the early morning mists. Something had broken open inside him when Y/N was taunting the witch, the way she refused to back down. Her words ran through his mind like a bad radio jingle.

“I’ve no one left to lose, Elphaba. Give me your best shot!”

She couldn’t have meant it? After everything they had endured together, breaking free of Gadreel, losing Dean to the demon inside him and getting him cured and home. Hadn’t that made her one of them? Weren’t they hers to lose? Wasn’t she his? No, thought Sam. She wasn’t and he’d been a fool to pretend she felt more than friendship towards him. If her words meant anything, it was that he was, somehow, still naive.

He tucked the keys in his jeans pocket and bent over to open the passenger side door. The very few times Dean let him drive; she sat shotgun. Her face scrunching in the dim lights of the garage.

“Hmmm, don’t wanna move,” she whined, Sam couldn’t help but smile at her childlike pout.

“Come on Sleepy, your bed’s waiting,” Sam draped her arm around his shoulders, scooping her up at the knees.

“Yessss, score,” Y/N murmured into his neck without even opening an eye. He knew he was only carrying her for selfish reasons, but if both parties benefited it couldn’t be a total loss, right? She smelled of incense and her body lotion, the smoke lingering on her hair. He breathed her in before setting her casually on to her unmade bed.

“Thanks, Samwise,” she whispered before wrestling out of her jacket.

“‘Night, doll,” he replied too low for her to hear. Switching off her light as he gently closed the bedroom door.

*

The next day Sam found Y/N dancing around the kitchen, doing something that appeared to be cooking but bordered on chaos. She was blaring an old country song and two stepping as she fried potatoes. He waited against the door frame, not wanting to break her revelry. His stomach growled with the cooking oil in the air, his chest tightening with each easy sway of her head as she hollered along to the music.

“Oh, I’ve got friends- in looooooooow, places!” She finished, spinning to dump the first batch on some paper towels.

Sam tried to bite back his laughter, giving her a snarky slow clap as she realized he was there.

“Har-har, Winchester. Don’t act like it’s not true.” She stuck her tongue out at him and plopped the plate of potatoes on to the table. There was something baking in the oven and just as the second set of potatoes hit the fryer, she started to slice up a cantaloupe.

“Do I smell breakfast?!” Dean sauntered in, running his hand over his bed head. “Y/N? No, wait, scratch that, I’m not even going to ask.” Dean downplayed his surprise and grabbed his designated coffee mug.

The hunters quickly settled in for a shared meal, not eating over their laptops with research, not grabbing whatever fast food they could find. It was easy domesticity and Sam couldn’t help but savor it. Dean killed the mood when he began teasing Y/N on her pick of radio station, but she held her ground arguing that in the kitchen, “Chef picks the music and the rest should be chewing with their mouths closed.”

The day went on like any other, taking turns scrolling for cases, squabbling over the general chores that kept the bunker livable and occasional bantering. It was a rare good day. Y/N called it an early night, claiming she had a show she wanted to catch up on.

Dean gave her a salute-like wave as she slinked back down the hall in her pajama pants and slippers. Sam had mumbled a good night, trying to keep his eyes from following every move she made.

“Dude, what is with you?!” Dean tossed a bottle cap across the table at his painfully obvious brother.

“Nothing,” Sam stared back at the screen with his brow pinched.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up, he shook his head and went back to reading. He drained his beer and turned in for the night. Leaving Sam to stew over his longing ache in solitude.

*

Two days later

Y/N loaded their bags into the trunk as Dean checked the oil. Sam was the last one out of the Bunker, hands full of coffees for the road. They had a half day’s drive ahead and were working out their strategy for interviews.

“Why don’t we take the parents while Dean goes and talks to the coroner?” Y/N asked leaning over the back seat to see Sam’s phone and the map of the town.

“Uh, why don’t I go to the coroner? Dean could probably sucker a pastry out of the vic’s mother.”

Dean looked over at Sam confused, yet impressed. “Look at you having my back.”

Sam shrugged, “Just don’t want to deal with hangry Dean later if this takes awhile.”

She shifted back into her seat, missing Dean’s gaze in the rear view mirror. He did not need this, whatever this was that was going on between Sammy and her. He held his tongue, worked the case and got some cheesecake. All in all not a bad day on the road. He didn’t like being the levelheaded one, but Sam was leaving him no option.

*

She swung at the shifter with Sam’s face. Her shorter arms forced her closer to the monster than she would have liked. Its eyes danced as it easily dodged her blade. Its lips curled viciously as it saw her tire, “running out of adrenaline there little huntress?”

“Why? Need a break?” She huffed and flipped the knife between her fingers.

“Sam’s going to be so devastated when he sees what I do to you,” the creature taunted.

“Yeah, well, if I were you; I would be worrying more about what I am going to do to you,” she wasn’t taking the bate.

The face she knew like the back of her hand made a look of mock revelation, “Oh, you don’t know do you?” It kept her circling in the condemned house, the furniture littering their paths as they each tried to get the upper hand.

“Yeah, Sam is fairly private, isn’t he?” The shifter tossed over a desk, forcing her to lose her balance. She hopped out of the way only to topple over the dingy sofa. It sprang above her, pinning her against the faded cushions.

“He thinks about you, like this, squirming underneath him, out of breath and eyes burst open with want.” She recoiled as the beast trailed Sam’s perfect nose up her jaw.

“Shut up, mutant!” She spat into its face, giving her the opening she needed, she rolled hard against the shifter, freeing her knife hand and slashing at its cheek. It growled in pain and outrage. She tried to scramble away as voices called from the back of the house.

“Sam!” She cried, the shifter stood, pulling her to its chest, holding her head at a neck snapping angle between Sam’s strong arms.

“Sam!” It mocked back. “Save me! Oh, princess, this is going to be a gruesome ending to your little ‘will they, won’t they’ saga.”

“Let her go, Sparky!” Dean’s icy voice barked as he aimed his gun at his brother’s face.

Sam’s face pinched as he saw her being held in such a way by his hands. “It’s going to be alright, Y/N.”

“Sam, I’m scared,” she played it up, giving the monster the dramatics it obviously craved.

“I know you are, I’m right here.”

“Seriously? One minute you’re threatening me and then lover boy shows up and you turn in to a sniveling mess! Woman up!” The shifter complained. “And you, Dean, mister tough guy, if you were going to shoot me you--” The shot rang out across the room. One silver bullet to the head from Sam’s gun.

“I hate when they bestow their judgement upon us, fucking monologues,” Y/N stretched her neck and stepped away from the corpse.

“Alright?” Dean asked, checking that the monster stayed down with an extra stab of his knife to its heart.

“Yeah, took you long enough.”

Sam approached her nervously, not sure how much she would want to be near him after someone with his face had just man-handled her. “Sorry, got a little tied up,” he held up his wrists to show her the chaffing from his bindings.

“Always knew you were a kinky bastard,” Dean muttered. “Let’s torch the imposter before we have to explain another one of your dead bodies.”

Dean dragged the body by the feet as Y/N and Sam cleared a path through the creaking house. “Are you hurt?” Sam’s voice dropped as she rubbed her lower back.

“Nothing a hot bath won’t fix.” she shrugged. “Also, you suck.”

Sam laughed, thinking she was referring to shifter-him. When her face remained serious, panic crept up his back. “What did he say?”

“I’m pretty sure it was a ‘she’, but anyway let’s just say I don’t like being lied to Winchester.” Her face was a stone mask, her eyes burning into him as the sourness of guilt flooded his stomach.

“Guys! Let’s go!” Dean called from the back lot. The moment was broken, she looked away and Sam swallowed all explanation.

*

The ride home was one of utter silence, broken only by the radio or Dean complaining about the lack of stations. Sam stared out into the night and Y/N curled up with her earbuds and her latest podcast. Dean was going to have to say something, but he was not in the mood tonight. He’d let Baby bring them home in one piece first, give everyone some space.

The next day

When she wasn’t hiding in her room with the door locked, Y/N had been short with each of them all day. Dean coaxed her out with coffee and a grocery run, letting the fresh air ease the mood before poking the bear.

“That shifter got under you skin, huh? It’s always tough when they look like somebody you care about.” Dean asked as he pulled into the parking space. She looked at him like he had something on his face, amused yet trying to politely listen.

“What?”

“Are you trying to have a heart-to-heart with me?” she sighed, rolling her eyes as Dean huffed.

“Whatever,” he slammed the driver door and let her push the cart. She kept him in check in the bakery, only letting him buy two pies for the week. They picked over the produce, knowing Sam would bitch if they got the wrong stuff. They approached the check out line joking with each other, the old cashier beaming at them.

“Aren’t you two sweet?” The lady’s tag read Francine.

“Thanks, Franny, but she’s my sister.” Dean continued to flirt with the clerk as Y/N got the bags back into the cart.

“You two drive safe!” The smitten lady waved, Dean having made her day.

“Sister, huh?” Y/N bumped Dean with her shoulder as they fitted the bags carefully on the floor of the backseat, not wanting to pop the trunk in a busy parking lot.

“Yeah, I mean, would you prefer sister-in-law?” Dean gave her a look.

“Don’t, Dean. Just, not right now,” her voice fell and he knew he had hit a nerve.

“That’s what this is about? What the hell did that shifter say?!” Dean refused to start the car until she gave the unsavory details, his knuckles white against the wheel at times. She couldn’t look him in the eye, but her voice gave her away.

“So you’re pissed because Sam hasn’t told you how he feels?” Dean guessed, half certain he was keeping up.

“Is that how he feels?” Y/N challenged, watching Dean’s face as he realized he had walked right into that.

“You’re going to have to ask him that.” Dean exhaled as she accepted his complete bullshit response. “But, and this is a big but, would it be a bad thing if he did?”

Y/N mulled over that question, just giving Dean a tortured look as he finally pulled back into traffic.

*

She helped Dean sort the groceries, before snagging a bag of Krunchers and disappearing back into her room for the night. Dean approached Sam with a beer and a stern look.

“You have got to talk to her, man. Whatever is going on between you two? I’m done. I had my Dr. Phil moment and now it’s on you.” Dean raised his bottle in a toasting motion and slumped into his usual spot at the library table.

“What’d she say?” Sam asked, lips tightening and leaning forward.

“Nuh-uh, man,” Dean gave his brother an incredulous look. “I like my parts where they are thank you very much.”

After a few minutes of heavy silence, Dean broke, “Come on! You don’t pansy out like this, go tell her.” Dean scrolled on his computer, trying to move past the awkwardness.

“Tell her what?” Sam asked, tisking, failing horribly at hiding his emotions.

Dean cleared his throat and looked Sam straight in the eye. “You’ve been trying to lie to me since you were four, Sam. You’re still terrible at it. Especially when it comes to this crap.”

Dean wasn’t having it, not anymore. Sam’s mouth curled down with his embarrassment, he scratched the back of his head in chagrin.

“I don’t know, man. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Sam sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Look, I’m not Mister-Happy-Endings-- But if I’ve learned ANYTHING is that you take the good things as they come. Guys like us, it doesn’t happen too often.” Dean’s hand was palm up like it was an offer, eyes wide, hoping that Sam would stop overthinking for once.

Sam’s lips were tight, listening to Dean as if in conflict. He should have made an argument, but wanted Dean to be right. Sam needed her in his life, for however long she would stay. Could he risk losing her by admitting how he felt?

An hour later

Sam lingered outside of her bedroom door, his chest rising with calming breaths that weren’t helping. She was blasting her music again, but something like a sob resonated below the melody. Sam’s worry overtook his fear and he knocked.

“Go away!” she snapped.

“Y/N? Everything alright?” Sam’s voice was rougher than he meant it, but he had to nearly scream to make it over the song.

“Just leave me alone,” she growled back.

“Not gonna happen.” Sam tucked his hair behind his ears and pressed his head to the door.

“Stubborn sonofabitch,” he heard her say, soon the door swung open, causing him to catch himself on the door jam. “What?!” Her eyes were red and her hair was matted, and Sam couldn’t stop staring at her.

And the thought crosses my mind If I never wake up in the morning Would she ever doubt the way I feel About her in my heart

If tomorrow never comes-

She just glared at him, shaking the door with the hand she didn’t have balled on her hip. “I love you.”

“What?!” She shouted, his voice lost in the old Garth Brooks’ song. She spun to turn the dial to a conversational level. Sam scrunched his nose and cleared his throat as she turned back around, the loose sides of her robe swaying with the motion. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Her features had turned curious, her arms crossed over her chest. He ducked his head down and stepped closer to her. “I love you.”

“What?” She asked again, eyes glistening as her head tilted to see him better.

He chuckled, “Third times a charm, huh? I love you, Y/N. I just thought you should know. I don’t know what that shifter said was running through my head, but I shouldn’t have hid this from you, for so long.”

Sam smiled shyly down at her now. His eyes hooded in anticipation and an inkling of hope. She reached up and brushed his hair back, a soft smile curling her luscious lips. He closed his eyes at the softness of her palm, relishing in the closeness. “I love you, too, Sam.” Her voice cracked, but the richness returned as she finished, “but you still suck.”

He outright laughed now, a deep chortle, as his hands snaked around her waist. “May I?” he asked as he angled his face just above hers. She answered by diving in, taking his waiting lips in a hungry kiss. He melted against her and forgot everything that had been keeping him from this bliss.

Next Chapter: Where?

@dontshootmespence @madlu45 @because-imma-lady-assface

[tastydregs]

You can now order Miso Robotics’ latest kitchen robot for $30,000

Miso Robotics today announced that its newest kitchen robot, Flippy Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), is now commercially available. The final design, which can cook up to 19 food items, mounts the robot on a recessed overhead rail to avoid interfering with human staff. On the backend, improvements to ChefUI, Miso’s software, aim to assist staff with workflows through a dashboard displayed on a 15.6-inch touchscreen mounted to the robot. An Intel depth sensor enables ChefUI to identify food and temperatures while learning to reclassify new foods introduced to ROAR.

ROAR costs around $30,000, but Miso plans to continue to price it down over the next year to $20,000 or less through a $1,000 monthly “robot-as-a-service” fee that includes regular updates and maintenance. ROAR can be purchased on a payment plan through TimePayments, and in the future, Miso says it will offer other financing options involving a lower upfront deployment fee and correspondingly higher software-as-a-service fee.

As declines in business resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic place strains on the hospitality segment, Miso believes that robots working alongside human workers can cut costs while improving efficiency — and overall safety. The company asserts its restaurant partners’ pilots to test ROAR create avenues for reducing human contact with food during the cooking process, ensuring consistency while freeing up human cooks to focus on less repetitive tasks.

Miso has long claimed that ROAR and its predecessor, Flippy, can boost productivity by working with humans as opposed to replacing them. ROAR can be installed under a standard kitchen hood or on the floor, allowing it to work two stations and interact with a cold storage hopper. It benefits from enhancements to ChefUI that expand the number of cookable food categories to chicken tenders, chicken wings, tater tots, french fries and waffle fries, cheese sticks, potato wedges, corn dogs, popcorn shrimp and chicken, onion rings, and more. Most recently, ROAR “learned” to cook Impossible Foods’ Impossible Burger, which Miso says requires special handling because of its texture and thickness.

“Additional new elements [in ROAR] … include an input zone that can receive manually loaded baskets and a safety shield that protects kitchen staff from hot fryers … Now we can really integrate not only with the POS system, but also all the delivery apps,” Miso president and chairman Buck Jordan told VentureBeat via email. “We have also added more cameras and sensors, to enhance our computer vision capabilities to drive more efficient operational workflows for operators. We can now track inventory, down to the chicken nugget, in the back of the house … And we have sped up the learning process for Flippy to scale menus — as quickly as 30 minutes in some cases.”

ROAR, which features a customizable LED panel that operators can use for branding, is able to prep hundreds of orders an hour thanks to a combination of cameras and safety scanners, procuring frozen food and cooking it without assistance from a human team member. It alerts nearby workers when orders are ready to be served and takes on tasks like scraping grills, draining excess fry oil, and skimming oil between frying batches as it recognizes and monitors items like baskets and burger patties. Plus, it integrates with point-of-sale systems (via ChefUI) to route orders automatically and optimize which tasks to perform, altering portion sizes for foods to map back to customer customization requests.

Miso says it saw “tremendous success” last year, serving up more than 15,000 burgers and more than 31,000 pounds of chicken tenders and tots. ROAR will soon flip burgers at more than 50 CaliBurger locations globally, and it’s already been deployed at a CaliBurger and a White Castle in Pasadena, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and Chase Field in Phoenix.

Despite Miso’s claims to the contrary, think tanks like the Brookings Institution anticipate automation will cause the loss of countless jobs. Roughly 36 million Americans hold jobs with “high exposure” to automation, meaning at least 70% of their tasks could soon be performed by machines using current technology, according to a report. Among those most likely to be affected are cooks, waiters, and others in food services.

But some restaurant industry executives claim high turnover rates underscore the need for automation. The official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics turnover rate for the restaurant sector was 81.9% for the 2015 to 2017 period, with the average cost to replace a worker estimated at $2,100 to $2,800.

[beat-weightlosstips]

Weekend Adventures

Weekend Adventures

Hey, hey! An additional Monday previously – does any individual else truly feel like this weekend went by especially swiftly?!

On Friday night, the weather was warm so we decided to appreciate our grill and deck for dinner! Matt’s mom was in town for a weekend workshop so Matt whipped up foods for the three of us – grilled chicken + baked beans + grilled asparagus. Yummy mixture!

The chicken was tremendous so I’ll be eating some of the leftovers for lunch this week. 🙂

On Saturday, Matt and I slept in and then met some close friends for a hike. A cold front was on its way along with some storms, but fortunately they held off till we have been completed hiking!

We hit up Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington with friends Shane, Matt, and Matt’s girlfriend Christine, and had exciting strolling around, hopping in excess of rocks, and chatting with them as we enjoyed the trails!

Christine’s canine Tucker was also along for the journey – this kind of a cutie!

We hiked about for a couple hrs just before heading to south Arlington to grab a late lunch at a spot called William Jeffrey’s Tavern. I had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich – it was tasty! Plus some of Matt’s fries. 🙂

It stormed whilst we were consuming and when we came back out the temperature had dropped about 25 degrees. Whoa!

Matt and I invested the rest of the afternoon soothing and then met up with his mom in Georgetown for dinner soon after her workshop. We hit up Mai Thai – I’d been there prior to and it’s constantly yummy! We all shared some of the fresh summer season rolls, then I had a veggie and shrimp dish with a garlicky brown sauce and brown rice.

From there, we headed to a friend’s birthday celebration for a bit!

On Sunday morning, we slept in once more and then I headed out to meet my girls Kathleen and Sarah for a late morning run. We are all operating the Cherry Blossom ten Miler and working on creating our distance back up!

We met at Kathleen’s spot more than close to the Capitol and did one of my favorite large loops involving the Capitol, the nationwide mall, and a bit of the tidal basin for good measure. 🙂 It was cold and a bit windy but sunny – sound running climate – and we have been having this kind of a very good time out there we ended up going farther than we planned! Time flies when you’re getting entertaining – I love these two. 🙂

I was rocking a new pair of tights (the Ghost Crop Working Tights) gifted to me by my buddies at Brooks as element of my ongoing ambassadorship, and they are my new fave. So cute (how enjoyable are the colors?!), Genuinely comfy, and greater waisted so they really do not move all around at all although you run (or give you awkward minimal rise muffin leading). They come in a cute lighter/pastel print, too! I hope they make them in solids as well in the long term – I’d love to get a bunch of pairs since they match so properly.

They are also a genuinely exciting texture – very light-weight and stretchy, despite the fact that they did not allow the wind by means of so I wasn’t cold at all. They have been also ideal from going straight from our run to brunch because they don’t display sweat and dry genuinely quickly!

We ended up covering 7.3 miles – great run! Also, this is Kathleen’s post-baby working distance record – way to go girl!!

Right after the run, we met up with Matt and Kathleen’s husband Zach + their child and all of us walked in excess of to Union Industry for brunch. I received a mocha from the cute coffee area and a biscuit, egg (x2), cheese, and bacon sandwich from Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.! You guys know I really like my biscuits. 🙂 This one particular was truly good – the photograph doesn’t do it justice!

Following relaxing back at property for awhile in the afternoon, Matt and I headed back out for dinner last evening, this time to Kapnos Taverna in Arlington for some Greek tapas with Matt’s mom and my mom! Enjoyable to have each the moms with each other. 🙂

We got a ton of things and shared – and I brought property some leftovers to enjoy this week! No leftovers of the baklava, although, sadly. )

I’ve received an additional hectic week ahead, although I’m hoping this one particular will be a tiny a lot more low essential than final week. 🙂

Have a excellent day guys!

What was the most scrumptious factor you ate this weekend? I cannot choose – we were spoiled by lots of enjoyable meals out this weekend and every thing was so very good!

Read More Recipes At NaturallyCurvy.com