#and my father decides that today is a good day to bike on one of the busiest streets in our area

[vivwritesfics]

"I Know"

Peter Parker has the best girlfriend ever

1.1K

Peter Parker x Reader

I've been MIA for the longest time because the inspo just hasn't been there. But I've gotten away from university for a few days, and this is what came from my peaceful time alone

"I'm so sorry, baby," said Peter. He stood on top of a building, watching a bank robbery happening opposite. A bag full of snacks and two pairs of his favourite pyjamas lay discarded beside him, and Peter made a mental note to pick it up later. The wind was biting, but Peter didn’t care. His attention was split evenly between his girlfriend and the bank robbery.

This was not the first time he had flaked on date night, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. He and his girlfriend both knew. But Peter Parker had the most understanding girlfriend in the world.

"It's okay, Pete," she said. Peter could picture her now, snuggled up in her bed, waiting to change into a pair of his pyjamas, with her snack basket filled and her laptop loaded up with a Christmas movie. "Go... save the world."

It wasn't quite saving the world, but she made Peter smile. She always made Peter smile. Y/N was the most understanding person in the world. "I'll be at yours as soon as I can. Don't open the chocolate without me."

After that, Peter had no choice but to hang up. The bank robbery had started to wrap up and Peter had to stop them. He put his phone in his bag, pulled his mask over his face, and swung down to the bank. "You guys have ruined my date night."

“What the fuck?” One of the bank robbers dropped his white bag filled with green notes and swung a bat at Peter.

It was cartoon-y, how these robbers were behaving. The white bags, the notes flying all over the place. Their ski masks weren’t masks at all, but unfolded beanies with the eyeholes cut out. “Wait, can I get a picture? My girlfriend is going to love this.”

***

Y/N’s family loved Peter. Somehow, he’d never been late to dinner with her parents. Either criminals decided to take the day off, to let Peter have his dinner, or for once somebody else was cleaning up the city in his stead.

But not tonight.

“I’ll be maybe ten minutes late,” he said as he swung through the city. His suit was discarded, but his tie was still around his neck.

Y/N had her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she put in a pair of earrings. Dinners like these were a big deal to her parents. The whole family dressed up fancy, all of her sibling’s partners were invited and they had at least three courses. “Pete, babe, it’s fine. I’ll cover you.” And, as she said it, she didn’t sound disappointed at all.

Peter really had the best girlfriend in the world. “Holy shit, I love you,” he said, only just noticing his tie. But it was too late to remove it now. “Please send me the cover story.”

They said their goodbyes (with Y/N begging him to stay safe) and went to do their things. Peter fought the bad guy, managing to keep his rather expensive tie intact. Y/N finished getting dressed for dinner and went downstairs to greet her parents.

Her siblings and their partners were already downstairs, drinks in their hands.

“There she is!” Called her brother as Y/N stepped into the room. He checked his watch and feigned a frown. “Not like that boyfriend of yours to be late, is it?”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Y/N rocked on her heels. “Actually, Peters gonna be late today,” she said, hoping they weren’t going to ask anymore questions.

“That Parker boy is never late,” her father said, “What’s holding him up?”

Before now, Y/N hadn’t thought of an excuse for Peter. She had just hoped they wouldn’t ask, and then he could’ve come up with his own backstory. (Peter had gotten good at that).

“Uhh…His house… caught fire? And his aunt… is in the hospital… with death?” oh yeah no this was not going well. “Oh! And the tire on his bike popped.”

Yes. That was very believable.

But nobody questioned it as Y/N sat beside her sister and her sister’s girlfriend. “He’ll be here soon.”

Her eyes shifted to the floor, which only made everything more believable. She pulled out her phone and sent Peter the cover story, just seconds before the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” She shouted, jumping up.

Racing to the front door, Y/N pulled it open to see Peter stood there, still sorting out his suit. “You are so lucky nobody else answered the door,” she said and buttoned up his shirt correctly. “I sent you over the cover story,” she whispered and kissed his cheek.

Pulling him into the house, Y/N pushed him towards her father. “Hello, Mr L/N! Sorry, I’m late, my tire burst.”

Suddenly, Y/N’s mother came running out of the kitchen. “Peter, my dear!” She shouted and pulled him in for a hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about May and your house. You can stay here for as long as you need!” She cried, running her fingers through her hair. He looked at Y/N with her brows furrowed. ‘Go with it’, she mimed. “How about we all go and visit May as soon as we’re finished with dinner?”

“Oh! Please, Mrs L/N. That’s not necessary.” Peter pulled away from his girlfriend’s mother and grabbed Y/N’s hand. “Can I have a word with you upstairs?” He asked her, and Y/N allowed herself to be pulled up to her bedroom.

As soon as the door was shut Y/N was wrapped around him. “I missed you,” she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Missed me so much you told your family that May was in the hospital?”

“And that your house burnt down,” she said quietly, laying her head on his chest. “I know I said I’d cover for you, but I’m not very good at it, Pete.” Her arms snaked around his middle, sitting beneath his blazer.

Peter’s phone suddenly buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned once he looked at it. “Oh god, what is it?” Asked Y/N, looking up at Peter with wide eyes.

“Baby, I love you but, I’ve got to go. I swear this’ll-”

“It’s okay, Peter, I know.”

Peter kissed her. It was slow, yet oh so intense. One of those kisses that makes you gasp. “I have the best girlfriend in the world.”

[todoroki-waifu]

I was wondering if I could get a fluffy Draken x Fem Reader x Mikey where all three are married and the reader finds out that she’s pregnant but doesn’t know how to tell them with them being busy with the bike shop they both own and the constant visits with the other gang members so she decides to surprise them all at once when they come to visit.

Note: Thank you for the request! My first Mikey x Reader x Draken fic. :) Definitely feel like I need more practice writing Draken, but I hope you enjoy!

Draken x Reader x Mikey

Warning: Female reader and mentions of pregnancy.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1,403

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"Breakfast is ready!" You called your husbands from the kitchen, setting up the table.

"Coming!" Mikey attempts to get up from the table, but Draken stops him. 

"Stay still! I'm not done with your hair." He scolds, combing his blonde locks before gathering the section that falls over his eyes. Draken then secures the chunk of hair with an elastic.  "Hurry! I'm hungry, Ken-chin."  "Shut up. If you only knew how to do your own hair, we'd be in the kitchen by now."  "I don't wanna." Mikey liked having Draken do his hair.  "No bickering this early in the morning." You said as you placed their respective drinks on the table. Your partners both mumbled before giving you a kiss each on the cheek.  "You're not eating?" Draken raises a brow at a lack of plate on the table. "Uhh..nah, I'm okay, actually. I'm just gonna have some tea." You walk over to the boiling water, checking to see if the electric kettle was finished.  "You sure? You okay?" Draken frowns at you skipping breakfast. It was the most important meal of the day. "Yes, baby. I'm fine. I'm just not ready to eat yet." The truth is you were a bit nauseous, but you couldn't let them know. Not yet. You had to figure out a way to tell them that they were going to be fathers.  "Do you want Ken-chin to make you something?" Mikey offers Draken to cook you breakfast which the taller blonde doesn't mind, but he does shoot a small glare at his partner. Mikey had hands, too... "No, really. I'm good with my tea for now. Besides, I'm off today so I have all day to eat." You did sit between them when your tea was done, conversing about your plans for today.  Once they were finished, you gave them the lunches you packed for them, both men kissing you before heading to work. You had the day off because of a doctor's visit, but you didn't tell them what kind of appointment.  You were pregnant, about 8 weeks now and today was going to be your first ultrasound. You wanted your husbands to be present, but at the same time, you wanted to surprise them. Also, you wanted to make certain that you were actually pregnant. You were paranoid, hearing stories of false positives and you knew that an ultrasound would help determine the truth. And it did! You walked out of the appointment with a picture of your tiny baby. You smiled, overwhelmed with so many emotions. Happy, because you’re growing the family you, Mikey, and Draken had been talking about. Nervous, because there’s no manual on how to take care of a child.

You desperately wanted to talk to someone so you went straight to Mikey’s and Draken’s bike shop. However, their store was full of customers. Clients were picking up their motorcycles, bringing in their impaired ones, or purchasing new parts. You realized that now that winter was ending, spring was beginning which meant bike lovers were going to be out more. 

“Ah, my sun and star!” Mikey stops his conversation with a customer and leaves the task to Draken. Draken yells at him briefly before going back to their client. Mikey hugs you tightly, lifting you up slightly from the ground before peppering your face with his lips. 

He hated being apart from you too long. Didn’t matter if he had Draken. He wasn’t you. 

“My love, you can’t just abandon work like that.” 

“But you’re more important.” He pouts. 

“I understand, but paying our bills and not living on the streets is also just as important. If we don’t have money, then we can’t get any dorayaki.” And that seemed to motivate your invincible husband. 

You waited for them in the back, not minding if it took them a while. It gave you some time to think about how you were going to tell them the good news. You figured you could just show them the ultrasound pictures and take it from there. However, you hear a group of familiar voices enter through the front. You immediately stuff the pictures of your sonogram into your bag, peeking your head out from the break room. It was some of the Toman group. A few of them needed repairs on their bikes while the rest conversed with you and Mikey. The Toman gang stayed until the shop closed, but invited the three of you for dinner.

And it had been like that for almost two weeks. Your partners have been extra busy at the shop, finding that more people were discovering their small business. Not only that, but it seemed as if all of Toman wanted to catch up with their previous captain and vice captain. You didn't mind, but you were focused on how you wanted to announce your pregnancy to your husbands. 

You preferred them to be the first ones and eventually tell the rest of your friends, but seeing how busy their schedules were, you decided to do it at tonight's dinner. It was at a restaurant where one of the Toman members knew the owner so the place was reserved just for you and the gang. Since you didn't know how you were going to reveal the news, you decided to seek help from Hina.

"Oh my gosh, you're preg-" Hina nearly screams out your secret, but you quickly had to hush her.

"Shh..! Yes, I am, but I need help telling everyone." You whispered low enough to where only she could hear. 

"Hmmm....okay, okay. I got it. I'll take care of it." She winks as you both walk from your little corner and merge with the rest of your friends. A few minutes later, Hina is calling everyone to take a picture. You all gather around the coral haired girl, attempting to squeeze into the little phone screen. She holds her arm out, adjusting it as needed. Draken and Mikey take up both your sides, making sure to stand where you all could be seen.

"Okay, ready? 1...2...congrats to Papa Mikey and Papa Draken!" Hina says gleefully, recording everyone's initial reaction. Everyone made various noises, all eyes turned to you.

"Wait...what? Papa?" Mikey raises a brow then glances up at Draken.

"Hold on...you're..pregnant?!"  

"Mhm!" You're trying not to laugh at everyone's faces, especially the ones who were still trying to process it. You pull out your phone, showing them a picture of the little life that was growing in you. Everyone cheered loudly for the three of you, wishing you good fortune and offering any help that you may need. 

Dinner was fantastic and also relieving. You're finally free of your secret's burden. You're currently nestled between Mikey and Draken, the three of you looking over the sonogram pictures from your previous appointment. 

"So you've been going to these appointments by yourself?" Draken realizes how long you've known about your pregnancy. 

"Well, yeah. At first, I wasn't sure and wanted to confirm with my doctor, then after that, I was trying to find a way to tell you."

"I'm sorry. We've been so busy with the shop." He starts to feel guilty for not noticing sooner. 

"I'm gonna stop going to work and take care of you from now on. Ken-chin can handle the shop." Mikey snuggles into you and Draken reaches over to bop him on the head. He was so attached to you. Not that Draken wasn't either, but he was more realistic when it came to wanting to be around you and earning a stable income. 

"Manjiro, you know you can't do that. And Ken, no need to be sorry. I chose to not say anything." You grabbed both their hands, giving a kiss each to the back of them.

"Well, expect us to be coming with you to those appointments from now on." Mikey smiles, his heart beating with happiness and excitement. Draken nods in agreement then goes back to stare at the ultrasound photos, his cheeks hurting from the smile that was plastered on his face for a while. 

You let out a happy sigh, snuggling into Draken while Mikey is hugging you from behind. You're excited and nervous about this new chapter in your lives, but you feel less anxious knowing that your two loving husbands are going to be with you all the way. 

[octuscle]

Working everyday sucks. I mean is this the life we dreamt of when we were young? I mean I had the choice between knowledge and sports. I chose the academic way but there are days I wish for another chance to decide. Working with my body instead of my brain would be cool. Is there a Chronivac program to solve this problem?

Dude, I understand you so well. I mean, you're in-house counsel at your company, 48 years old…. Got 20 more years to work. The peak of your career is probably right now. Damn it! If you would have made the right decision at the right time… I'll choose the setting "Become younger with simultaneous modification of the past". Means in clear language, you become now each hour a year younger. And at the same time you have dedicated yourself one year more to a career as an athlete. Whether you end up as a gold medal winner, Formula 1 champion or coach of a soccer team in the district league, I can't tell you yet. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Friday morning, 6:00 a.m. At this time you feel like an old man. Your back has been better. But trust me, in a few minutes you will feel better. Your mind is already off the weekly meeting in the shower. They're on the runs you're planning for the weekend. By the time you sit down to breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (raw vegetables, sugar-free muesli, low-fat quark), you already feel considerably fitter. You sold your car a year ago. Your new bike was almost as expensive. And now you ride it to the office like every morning.

09:00 a.m., weekly meeting of the department heads. Since you've been doing more sports, you love Casual Friday. Your tight suit pants fit snugly and your rolled-up arms show off your tanned, wiry forearms. Three years of hard training are having an effect. It's certainly helped your career, too. Most of the other department heads are not only fatter than you, they are also much older.

The morning goes well, at lunchtime you can convince your colleagues to have sushi. Normally, they always go out for schnitzel at the brewery on Fridays. Then you would have had to take a salad again. And a non-alcoholic beer. Okay, that would have worked, too. But in the meantime it causes you physical pain to watch how some people maltreat their bodies. As you brush your teeth in the office after lunch, you grin very contentedly in the mirror. You are now 40 years old. But as a rule, everyone thinks you're younger. Triathlon and soccer have gotten you out of your post-college slump over the past eight years. And now you're the departmental Adonis. One of the youngest department heads in the entire group. And an absolute winning smile!

The building empties out at 3:00 pm. But you don't just give your all in sports. When you shut down the computer at 6:00 p.m., all the e-mails have been processed. Yes, you are considered an absolute nerd. And you are. Ever since you graduated with your bachelor's degree 12 years ago, you've been working hard. In sports as well as in your job. Your promotion is only a matter of time. But that doesn't matter. You hang up your suit in your closet, stuff your shirt, shoes and knee socks into your backpack, put on your racing bike outfit and start cycling. You'd like to do another 100 kilometers tonight. Two and a half hours would be a good time… Sometime between 20:00 o'clock and 21:00 o'clock it makes click. You almost lost control of the bike. You are now just under 24 years old. And after graduating from high school, you decided to become a carpenter. The alternative would have been to study law. Like your father, like your grandmother, like your brother. But even though you weren't particularly talented at handicrafts, you wanted to do something completely different. Something physical. And fuck, that was the right decision. Today, at 33, you have your own business, plenty of time for sports, and certainly a much more relaxed life than your brother….

Now the changes come one after the other. The beginning of the transformation quickly reaches your 17th and 16th birthday. And the younger you are at the time of onset, the more serious the effects.

At 11:00 p.m. you lie in bed showered. It was a hard day. But you love your job. In the past, you would have dreamed of a different life. When you started playing soccer at the age of 14, you were already too old for the big career. Well, you were active in the second Bundesliga for a while. But now, as a physiotherapist and fitness trainer at a first league club, you're not dissatisfied. It pays pretty good money. And a bit of the boys' glamour falls on you, too. At least you get around a lot… You fall asleep at the thought.

Alarm clock rings like every day at 06:00 o'clock. You don't give a shit that it's Saturday. Could also be Sunday or Christmas. Drink a liter of water to detox, then run ten kilometers. At 07:30 your physiotherapist comes to the hotel room, 08:30 breakfast with the team. Kickoff for the soccer game is today at 8:30 p.m. Until then, light training, a yoga session and coaching with your social media consultant are scheduled.

Let the haters make fun of the soccer millionaires. You've been fighting for your career since your foot first touched a ball. And you work a hell of a lot harder for success than any armchair farter who studied business, law or mechanical engineering. And that's why you will win today!

[bella-goths-wife]

Truth in a picture part one

Father lost boys x reader

“Are those box’s too heavy” your boss, Paul asked concerned

“No I’m fine” you reassure as you lift the box cautiously

You had been working for Paul for a few weeks now. He was a good boss and was kind, he always defended you from rude customers and overall looked out for you. 

Working as Paul’s employee was practically heaven, apart from the dirty surroundings. So you decided that since Paul couldn’t do it himself on the account that he was an old man, you would do it for him.

“You seem spacey today” Paul commented as he hovered around you as you lifted box’s “something wrong?”

“Just got a lot on my mind” you say offhandedly as you start to unpack the old box’s your found in the back

“Want to talk about it?” Paul asks concerned

“Nah I’ll be fine” you say with a gentle smile and a shake of you head.

Today was the day that you would be meeting up with James and Michael at the bar. Today was the day you would trick your fathers. You were nervous but you were also curious

As you were lost in your thoughts you pulled out a photo. The photo was folded back so the only visible person was a young woman who had surprisingly similar looks to yours

“Ah I see you’ve found Katie” Paul comments sadly as he looks at your confused face “she looks so happy in this photo”

“She does” you say with a furrow in your eyebrows as you look at this woman with fading familiarity.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t frame it” Paul sighs as he goes into the back to get another coffee

As your about to question him, you unfold the photo and see an shockingly familiar face staring back. David’s blue eyes glared into the camera and effectively pierced your soul.

He had his arm thrown around the woman’s shoulder and was kissing her other hand as he looked at him with a smiley, amused face.

Thoughts rushed through your head like fast cars on a motorway. How did David know this woman? Was she one of his victims? Why does she look so familiar?

Your broken from your thoughts when Paul emerges and looks inside the box before plucking another photo out.

“This one it a good one too” Paul says with a smile “it was taken just a few days before she…”

Paul cuts himself off as he sighs and puts down the photo on the counter and you take a good look. It’s the same woman as before holding a infant, you’d say around 2-3 year old. She’s kissing the girls forehead and the child has a delighted look. Why does that little girl look so familiar?

“My granddaughter” Paul breaks the silence with a sullen tone “she went with Katie and never came back, she was a good kid”

“What was her name?” You ask as you comfortingly stroked his back when you saw tears well up in his eyes

“Y/n” he answered and you looked at him taken aback “I know, the universe surprised me when you walked in”

You head an engine rev outside and you look as Paul sadly as he takes the queue to wipe his eyes. You look at the photo once more and a wave of ice fills your blood.

While his backs turned, you take the photo and stuff it in your pocket before standing in front of him and hugging him. He doesn’t respond at first but he then embraces you.

“My uncles here” you announce as you release Paul “I have to go”

“See you Monday kid” Paul says as he pats your back

You rush out the bookstore and see Paul waiting on his bike with a bored look. Thank god it was Paul, he couldn’t read your emotions for the life of him.

“You good?” He asks with a frown as he hears your elevated heart beat and looks at the store with a glare “your boss being a creep?”

“No just running around after a customer” you lie and you get in the bike and wrap you arms around his waist.

Paul just shrugs his shoulders and takes the two of you to the cave on his bike.

Thank god he couldn’t sense your fear.

———————————————————————

“Hey baby” Dwayne greets you at the entrance of the cave with a hug “I’ve made dinner for you so you have enough energy for tonight”

“Okay dad” you say without thinking

“Dad?” Dwayne says with a questioning look, that wasn’t your usual name for him

“Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind” you say almost impatiently

Dwayne nods suspiciously and you rush past him to the living area. He calls after you but you send a half thought of excuse over your shoulder at him.

You look to see if anyone was in the living room, when you saw the coast was clear you walked towards the wall of the cave quickly.

You look up at the only photo that was hung up. A picture of your fathers standing together with a young you in David’s arms as they adoringly look at you.

You almost smile at the photo before an icy reminder runs down your spine. You had to stay on task

You pull out the photo of Paul’s daughter and her child. You look at it one more time before holding it beside the photo of you and your fathers.

You looked identical to the girl in the picture.

The reveal almost makes you drop the photo but your fear compelled you to grip it tight. What the fuck?

You were Katie’s daughter, you were Paul’s granddaughter. You were not your fathers child, they stole you.

Why would they do this? What did they do to Katie? Why didn’t they tell you? Were you just a pet to them? Or even worse, were you a future meal?

“You okay kid?” You heard David question from behind you, you turn and stuff the picture in your back pocket

“I’m f-fine” you stutter out as you try to act naturally

David just sighs and puts his hand on your shoulder while the other goes to your cheek. He looks at you with a reassuring look

“If your worried about tonight, don’t be” he reassures as he rubs your cheek lovingly “Paul will be there to protect you if things get out of hand”

“I know dad” you say with a forced smile “I need to get ready”

You rush out of his arms and walk down the caves halls with a fast pace. You reach your room and one thing goes through your mind

You have to get the fuck out of here.

[she-karev]

The Night Before (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev’s Sister Imagine)

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Two of Two

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Andrew DeLuca x Amber Karev (Alex Karev Sister’s)

Canon Episode: Season 17 Episode 6

AN: Next story is gonna be painful so be prepared.

Summary: Amber leaves Andrew a voicemail about giving him another chance. The next morning, he sees someone from his past that he is determined to capture with Carina following him.

Words: 777

May 3rd, 2020

Amber paces the visitors lounge back and forth slapping her phone against her open palm trying to think of what to say. After her talk with April, Amber realized that she can’t keep living in the past of her family’s mistake just like Andrew. She realized that he’s doing the work to not end up like his father like she originally feared and has seen that over the past few weeks. She realized that while he hasn’t earn her trust and forgiveness yet he wants to try…and she wants to let him.

She tried finding him but Dr. Bailey told her that he left to get some sleep which made Amber sad but glad that he is taking care of himself like he said he would. It makes her more certain that she wants to give him another chance.

Amber exhales slowly before going to her favorite contacts and pressing Andrew’s name causing the phone to ring. She holds it up against her ear waiting for him to pick up anxiously as she has no idea how to even start her reply. She hears the call end and Andrew’s voicemail telling her to leave a message so she decides to do that feeling like a one on one call will make things awkward.

“Hey it’s Amber.” She starts her message, “Um…look I’ve been thinking about what you said and you were right. You did ruin everything, you did and I am not gonna pretend otherwise because I have spent months being mad at you and trying to undo the emotional damage you forced on me. You made me feel like I had unknowingly signed myself up for another mental spiral round and I was convinced you were just playing an act that would drop when I came back…but I was wrong. If you really wanted the act to drop this pandemic would have made you do that. But instead, you set boundaries, you got treatment, you’re doing the work and I see now that your gonna try not to make the same mistakes again like you told me today. I see that…so I really hope this chance I am giving you is not gonna be wasted. Because you have given me the worst time of my life this year so far, please give me the best from now on. I’ll see you tomorrow, good night.” Amber hangs up and exhales uneasily before putting her mask back on so she can finish her night shift.

Epilogue

Andrew DeLuca gets off his motorcycle in the parking lot, takes his helmet off and locks his bike in place. He walks down the gravel lot carrying his helmet in one hand and his other hand unzips his jacket pocket to pull out his phone. He goes through his notification, and something catches his eye, he sees a voicemail from Amber last night and is about to press it when something catches his eye across the lot.

He sees a redhead that looks familiar to him as she exits the tent five cars away from him. She is talking on the phone, and he blinks before he remembers the day he had a breakdown he remembers her as the woman he rightfully accused of child trafficking. He was manic and unstable at the time so they assumed the woman was innocent but then her victim from that day, Erin Banks, came back and confirmed he was right. He sees the vile woman walking to her car and he is shocked frozen in place. Carina spots him and approaches him.

Carina greets him, “Buon giorno.”

Andrew shushes her and calls her closer to speak to her in a low voice so as not to alarm Opal, “Carina.”

“What's wrong?”

“It's the woman who brought the girl. Cindy. E-Erin.” Andrew corrects himself, “Erin Banks. Do you remember her?”

Carina sees the woman and starts to worry about her brother’s mental state, “Andrea…”

“Carina, I swear it's her.” He speaks in Italian and tries to convince her it is not his mania talking, “Carina look at me. I’m fine and I’m right. Believe me it’s her.”

Carina responds back in their native tongue, “Okay, then call the police.”

“No, you call the police. I'm following her.” Andrew declares to his shocked sister, “I let her out of the hospital once. I'm not doing it again.”

Carina sees she’s not gonna convince him otherwise, so she decides to make sure he’s safe doing it, “Va bene. But I'm driving. Okay?”

“Okay. Come on. Hurry up.” He follows her to her car where Amber’s message is the farthest thing from his mind right now.

Don't worry there's more coming tomorrow so hang tight and get your tissues ready

[alx-magazine]

The sky is cotton candy🍦🍭

I lived by One Republic is playing as Sabrina is biking home for dinner.

It's a late 2012 afternoon, the sun is setting, and mom is about to call for dinner; I oughta get there before she starts to worry.

Peddling and peddling, trying to see how fast I can go down the neighborhood hill; I know, I know, there is a fair chance I might bust my face.

Busting through that door, wafting the aroma of sauteed onions and garlic from dinner, "Mom, I'm home !", I say as I'm going to my mom for a side hug, "It all looks lovely !"

"Well I appreciate it sweetie, come on, we're about to pray."

As a family we fold our arms, I volunteer to say the prayer today, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day-."

Dinner was splendid as usual, rice, feijoada, banana, farofa, barbecue ribs, and a salad on the side.

I ate my plate, and immediately went for another serving. Before running upstairs to go to my room, "Don't forget to do your homework !", my mom exclaims behind me.

I don't do my homework; for the life of me, I can't get myself to, I just want to watch YouTube videos and it's almost bedtime.

Scars to your beautiful by Alessia Cara starts playing as I'm in room picking out what to wear for school tomorrow.

Flipping through my closet, I am looking for what I should wear tomorrow; it's going to be Friday, one of my favorite days ! That means I must put together my best outfit of the week. I decided to go with my black, l love Yoshi shirt, my regular skinny jeans, and some white vans. I straighten my hair a bit more so it doesn't look puffy, I know I won't wake up before school to do it. I wear this outfit quite religiously I'll admit, I feel like I radiate in pretty girl energy when I do so.

My hair is a tangled up, curly mess, I feel like I look so much prettier with it straightened; It's a lot to keep up with but as mom says, "beauty hurts."

Now before bed, I must lastly wash my face so I don't break out, and I'm all good to go !

Lights by Ellie Goulding starts playing as the moon is up, goes down, and the sun comes back up.

It's 7th period science class, the day is almost over and I can't wait for the weekend. Walking down the halls, I see all the various social pools. Popular girls holding hands with delinquent, adolescent boys, then there are my friends and I, nerdy art kids with questionable style, being our loud, annoying selves; the highlight of my school day.

Now I'm on the school bus about to head home, and I know that the moment I drop my backpack off, I'll ask my mom if I can go play outside.

My mom gave me permission and with pure excitement, I hop on my teal Schwinn bicycle with brown leather accents and speed away to my friend April's house.

Castle on the hill by Ed Sheeran starts playing as I am approaching her house.

April is my best friend; we grew up together at church since primary, she's a year younger, we always play outside in her front yard. We loved to draw on the driveway with chalk, pretend we're a part of high school musical, jumping rope, hula hoops, and dancing around.

In the summers past, we'd barely get to play outside together, but some nights we'd have late night talks about silly, sappy things on the swings.

Sometimes her parents don't let her play outside, and I'd throw little pebbles at her window, hoping she'd open it and chat for a little without her parents seeing.

She's so my best friend even if she doesn't go to school with me; but hey, every summer we could always spend girls camp together, much like last summer. This year is going to be my third year and her second year at camp; I'm so looking forward to it !

I just approached her house and it looks like she can't play today, and I feel a bit bummed; sometimes it feels like we can barely hang out outside of church.

Little talks by of monsters and men starts playing as I'm throwing little pebbles at her window.

She opens up her window, looking a bit saddened, I wonder why so.

"Hey ! You okay ?"

She nods her head no and I say "come on out, wanna talk about it ?"

She gives me sorrowful eyes, saying, "I can't.."

"Well hey, we can just talk here then."

That's when she breaks the news to me, "I'm moving this summer, I don't think we'll be going to camp together, but you have my parents number if you ever want to talk, I'll make sure they send your parents our new address, maybe we can send each other letters.."

God this sucks. She's my best friend, I wanted so badly to go to girls camp with her this summer. Summer is so ruined.

I tell her, "Whyyyy ? You're my best friendddd ! Do you know where you're going ?"

She tells me, "I'm not too sure but it might be out of the city or state; you send me letters okay ?

In that moment we locked eyes, you can see that we were about to burst into tears. She starts tearing up some and I give her a hug through the window. Until sunset, we just chat like usual, laughing, and for a moment forgetting about the summer bummer.

Soon after, I hop on my bicycle and bike my way home before dinner starts.

Wake me up by Avicii is playing as I'm speeding down the neighborhood hill on my way to supper.

I felt really bummed all night and all weekend. I feel like there's a massive hole in my heart, and sinking feeling in my stomach, I barely wanted to eat dinner that night.

The weekend has passed and another school week has commenced; you can tell I was a walking bummer with my dreadful demeanor. Dreading class, dreading summer, dreading life...without my best friend.

I still went over to play after school as much as I could until the school year ended. Our parents planned an outing for us before the move in hopes of that cheering us up. Hey, at least I look forward to that.

Shower by Becky G is playing as I'm getting ready, singing in the shower with excitement.

I am wearing my soft blue Old Navy tee with skinny jeans and my white vans, my other best outfit.

We are going to hang out at Menchies to get frozen yogurt.

I see her coming in through that door with her parents, she looks beautiful. I swallow my thoughts, I mustn't look at her that way; she is a white rose , and I, troublesome with my rebellious ways.

Giving her a light hug as she walks in, I welcome her with glee. Our parents leave us be to be young teens, as they go walk around the strip mall, talking amongst themselves.

Us girls, we're just chatting away about our usual discourse, silly shows, silly thoughts, jokes, and feelings. The cotton candy sunset looks so pretty, and our frozen yogurt too sweet, not the best for our teeth, with vibrant flavors and candy toppings.

The table underneath, I felt her hand touch mine for a second, brief, and I felt all air lost; it was a foreign feeling to me. I wonder if she felt something too, I doubt it though , girls are only meant to be friends, nothing more of course.

Girls like girls by Hayley Kiyoko starts playing as I am stunned by these brand new thoughts and feelings.

Underneath the table, I feel her fingers caress mine for a bit. I am shocked, completely. I must be overthinking it all.

Underneath the table once more, her fingers lock mine and stay.

And I feel, I feel something I can't put into words; my breath is lost, yet my pacing heart feels still, when she locks her hand in mine, and her hand stays.

I look at her, still for some reason trying to pretend we're just being friendly, and I ask her, "you think you won't have to write to me for too long ?"...."we'll hang out again, won't we ?"

"For sure, I mean, I'd hope to as soon as possible", she says with her eyes looking at her lap; you can tell, she's deeply saddened by this move, just as I am.

"Sabrina ?" , she says to me, "do you wanna have chat in the girl's room ?"

"-uh, sure !", I say, a bit confuzzled by that random request.

Standing by the soft pink stalls, she grabs my hand, you know I'm feeling it all rush down my body like rain on a car window.

I look at her and feel a bit tense, not knowing what's coming next.

"D-don't hate me okay ?", she says awkwardly before kissing me out of the blue; quite courageous of her.

I looked stunned, with my jaw slightly dropped, and my eyes widened, "A-April...", and before making her feel embarrassed, I grabbed her other hand and kissed her back, I wanted her to know that kissing me was okay. You can see in her face that she felt relieved, "I just wanted to make sure I had the chance to do this before I go.", she told me, trying to downplay as we both did, about how we felt.

I kissed a girl by Katy Perry is playing as we both just had our first kiss ever.

"We ought to get back out there before our parents start to worry.", I tell her as I am nervous about getting caught.

She agrees, we both know that this has to be kept between us; She's already moving far away, I don't want her to also be kept away.

Awkwardly walking out the restroom, we sat back down in hopes that our parents didn't see. I know they should be coming back anytime soon. You can tell just how badly we wanted to hold hands again, maybe even lean on each other's shoulders, and as much as I wanted to... I couldn't risk that.

And as much as we wanted to, I'm glad we didn't.

The store door bell jingles as we see both of our parents walk in not too soon after everything. We both try our best to act like we didn't just kiss each other a few minutes ago.

My mom says, "You girls had fun ?, come on, we have to go soon."

Ughhhh, I'm so not looking forward to being away from her. This has got to be the saddest way to start summer.

Summertime sadness starts by Lana del Rey playing as I am looking out the car window on the way home.

It's officially her last day here, I am outside her driveway, watching all the boxes load up into the truck, she's moving some hours away. "I'm glad we got to chat once more, I'll miss you April, don't forget about me okay ?"

With utmost sorrow, we hug for quite a long time, yet not too long, for we don't want to raise suspicion.

Summer passes, and so does a few years. Years of anguish, rebellion, and unrest within my home. I grew into myself, the shades of the girl I once was, the girl I tried so hard to be, had forfeitted over time.

We wrote to each other for sometime, eventually we started texting; although between my constant grounding and her not being allowed to be on social media, contact had faded, and my curiosity had grew.

Did she forget about me eventually ? Did our friendship just fizzle out from the distance ? Did she just outgrow me over time, had forgotten about that moment we shared at Menchies and grew into a person I no longer recognize ?

Glad you came by The wanted started playing as I am in my cap and gown, taking pictures outside after graduation.

I am taking pictures with family outside, and my high school friends soon after. All day I kept hearing something about this so-called "surprise". I know I am having a graduation party after this but I sure wondered what everyone had been talking about.

And to my surprise, "Sabrina !", I hear a familiar voice. As I am looking around I hear once more, "Sabrina, over here !", and oh my did she blossom.

I see her, I see her, it's her !, "April !", I yell out as we both run towards each other for a long awaited hug.

We both sobbed our eyes out, and to our embarrassment, our families are laughing, smiling as they are taking pictures of us.

"-N-no way !", I am on the floor sobbing, and the sky is cotton candy, just like that day we spent at Menchies.

"Come on, we have a graduation party to attend !", she says with excitement.

She IS the surprise.

Uma Thurman by Fall out boy is playing as we are both throwing down moves at my graduation party.

And underneath the starlit skies, somewhere outside, where only we knew, we kissed, and kissed, like our lips longed for this moment, to coexist.

As we grew older, eventually to branch out and away from our shame, many more late afternoons were spent, and as it was then, it is to this day; The sky is cotton candy 🍦🍭.

Forever stuck in our youth by Set it off is playing as the screen fades to only, soft pink, cotton candy skies.

*for Spotify premium users // you can queue the songs (bolded text) in order to follow along with the soundtrack*

[natsuyuki-w]

Serenitea Shop | Sparkling Berry Juice

Kaveh x gn!reader

Modern AU

Serenitea shop >

You took a quick glance at the entrance, and when you saw the boy you were waiting for, placed a trembling hand to your chest as if that gesture would help curb your racing heartbeats. - Argh, I can't believe I'm going to do this... Do I look decent?" asked to your friend as you checked your reflection in the nearby window.

Hair soft and combed, but with obvious messy clumps from the bike ride. Clothes, well chosen and polished, but with the other hand wrinkling them out of nervousness. And finally, an accompanying shy smile. "Gorgeous" he could only think, but he would've not allowed himself to make such embarrassing comments at that exact moment. To avoid stammering, the blond boy nodded with conviction, not taking his eyes off you. Nervousness, jealousy, and embarrassment poured into that strong grip around his cup. The incoming gossip about your weekend had been one stab after another for Kaveh.

- There it goes...- You sighed heavily, turned around and gave your friend one last big smile. He hugged you tightly, and when he saw that gray hair out of the corner of his eye, he knew it was time to remove himself from the scene.

—-

You held your breath for a moment and then took the courage to answer the call - Hello? - There was a clear break in your voice. - It's me, Kaveh. Are you home now? - Street noises soundtracked his somewhat labored voice. A whole day had passed without hearing from you; you should have expected that he would provide. - Ah... yes. Sorry you didn't say goodbye before you left, you were in a bit of a hurry. - You chuckled about it, the knot in your throat getting more and more annoying. - I’m on my way to see you. - stated conclusively. - Ah... really... and how come? Don't you have anything else to do? Surely better than wasting your time with me. - And hopped a little sob. - I want to see you. We're friends, right? And we are because I like spending time with you. - He answered firmly again. - W-well,... But are you sure? V-it's all right you know. And then s-s I'm a little tired I don't want to bore you… -

- And you? - interrupted you - Do you want me to come, or would you rather be alone? - he asked. This time the tone was much calmer and accommodating compared to the previous answers. - I don't want to ... be alone. - - I’m coming - *Ding dong

The call cut off, and you heard your father greeting someone and calling your name from downstairs. - Kaveh is here! - With great effort, you managed to tell him to let him in without sounding completely distressed. You had been sick to your stomach all day, but the tears didn't seem to want to come out.

Light footsteps approached, and you saw him standing still in front of the front door. - May I? - he asked to be sure, and you answered with a nod of assent. - Go ahead and close it, thank you. - - He stepped in, and as he approached, his curious eyes wandered involuntarily, his architect's eye ever watchful.

You curled in on yourself even more and motioned for him to sit on your bed, and too immersed in your thoughts, you missed the gradual increase of saturation on his cheeks with each step he took toward you.

Before he could open his mouth, you began a casual conversation, "How was school?" "What did you have for lunch?" "Such a nice weather today..." And he decided to humor you for a while.

A good 10 minutes passed, and he was the one who interrupted you this time by laying a hand on your crossed arms clasped to your body. - You choose when you want to talk about it, but I suggest you do it. If not with me, call someone who makes you comfortable, but let it out. - And like the violent return of water in a dried-up river, you burst into a cascade of tears. From curling like a ball, you soon found yourself clinging to Kaveh in a natural search for comfort that your friend was willing to offer.

Crying and silent support had succeeded in brightening your mind clouded by too many emotions. You were ready to vent your embarrassment and confront your love's disappointment.

With more awareness of what was happening around you, you were struck by a deep sense of guilt. You had shamelessly crumpled the poor blond between tears and hugs as if he were a handkerchief.

You dragged him to the ground floor of the building, where the family café, Serenitea, was located, and hurried to prepare a snack to offer him. You approached the table where he was seated, and instead of joining in, you proposed: - What do you say we head to your house? I want to tell you everything but it's a little crowded here. - You looked at the clock - ... and also getting late; you still have to go to school tomorrow, right? - He nodded and proposed to stop by Vanarana. 

The large greenhouse was one of the most beautiful places to visit in Teyvat. It was not easy to find. One had to walk down narrow side streets, but once they reached the heart of that suburban neighborhood, the small square had been completely transformed and made into a huge covered garden, full of lush plants and colorful flowers. - There seems to be no one there tonight. - You commented. - Come on, let's sit down. - and pulled him along by tugging lightly on his arm. - Enjoy. - he smiled at you, but with an undertone of impatience after setting one of the metal and glass tables with your dinner. - Thank you Kaveh. - you suddenly extended your hand to take his. The contact was electric, and his cheeks tinged pink. - P-for what? You're the one who prepared - - Hahaha I'm not talking about the dinner. Thank you for everything. - you told him sincerely, your eyes still flushed and shiny but revitalized after the short laugh.

He squeezed your fingers lightly and smiled in turn. - Look,... I've been holding back insults from all afternoon about that soulless oak log... - and you burst out laughing again; the disappointment of the morning was easing, and so you began to explain without letting go of his hold.

- Um… I don't seem to have updated you much on Saturday night.... - - No, but if Cyno gossiped the truth,... I don't want to know the details. - He commented putting an even flustered pout than before. - I guess he told the true, so... -

You tried to summarize by dribbling out the most intimate details as much as possible. - I thought he was into it in short, but today he slapped me without remorse, telling me how he did it just to please me or something. - -S0,... he used you and then JUST... - he was furious, to say the least, but when you moved your hand to his cheek, he immediately blanched the anger. - It’s okay, at least now I know it would not work out. - and your smile widened even more - And from this situation, I just confirmed how lucky I am to have you Kaveh, and many friends to support me on these shitty days. - You giggled. Before you could see how red he had turned, he squeezed you tightly and murmured in your ear - Well, remember that, because I'm not going anywhere. -

Something in your brain clicked, and soon your cheeks were dyed like his.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Finding you again- Zutara Month Day 20 Part 1

So in honor of day 20 of @zutaramonth​ prompt ‘College’ I’ve decided to bring back a fic I was working on for Zutara Week 2021, my Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo au, with fencer!Zuko and rhythmic gymnast!Katara. This one is based off the prompt Hair from that year, but it also fits since they’re all attending sports university. It’s an update from the last time I posted this and I’m hoping to actually do all the chapters this time. Anyway, enjoy!

College

“I hear you’re not even father’s son.”

“Disobedient child!”

“Never forget how much I love you my little duckling. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Zuko?” closed golden eyes opened and turned to see his coach standing in the doorway of the changing room. “Ready?”

“Yeah. I’m coming.” He tucked the hairpin in his hand into his bag and pulled it onto his shoulder, picking up his foil.

“Do you think it’ll happen again?” Piandao, his coach asked, taking the bag from Zuko after he made sure his student had his items first. “The panic attacks?”

“I don’t know. I still don’t know the cause.” Zuko reminded, fitting his gloves on.

Piandao sighed and stopped the young man, “And I take it you haven’t gone to the therapist I suggested to your uncle?” Zuko didn’t answer which made the bearded man sigh again, this time full of frustration. “Going to therapy is good for an athlete, especially if it helps your panic attacks. You do realise if you weren’t doing so well in training, the school would actually consider removing you. not to mention those who have connections.”

Zuko didn’t need to be reminded that the one person he wanted to avoid for the rest of his life was unfortunately still involved just because of where he went to school.

“I still get the best wins at practise. I beat Jett all the time.”

“But Jett is department captain and wins competitions. It’s been a year since you’ve been able to place in a competition, let alone not get disqualified. Zuko, if it happens again today, I’m pulling you from competitions until you start seeing the therapist.”

Piandao walked ahead, leaving him standing there. The threat was there and worrying. Thing was, as much as he wanted to do this, he knew he was going to end up having a panic attack again.

Never forget how much I love you my little duckling

Those words felt like a lie every time he heard them in his head.

“No?”

He felt uncomfortable as he stared at the guy in front of him. Mako Choi was an up-and-coming fencer. His own brother was well known for his own skill in taekwondo. After his match – where like he predicted, he’d gotten disqualified after the whole room went double, his hearing got wonky and not to mention, his heart beating like it was trying to escape his chest – Mako approached with his coach, asking if Zuko would train him for his Olympic qualifying match in a few months.

“I just don’t see what you can learn from a guy who’s been disqualified from every match since the season started.”

“A lot from the guy I’ve admired since he’s entered the competitive scene.”

Fiddling with the strap to his bag, Zuko shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t think it’s a good idea. That’s my coach over there, Piandao. He could recommend someone better.” Skirting around the two, he darted to where he left his bike, trying not to feel guilty. If things had been normal, he would have agreed. Mako would have hated his teaching style, he was sure, but at least he could have tried. Right now, all he wanted was to go back to his dorm and sleep, even if it meant dealing with Jett later. He was sure it would be snide remarks and threatening to have him do the worst event for the school’s upcoming Sports Day.

He was all set to go, Piandao just coming out of the gym, still talking with Mako and his coach, when his phone rang.

“What Sokka?”

“So, Coach texted the results of the match. Jett wants to talk to you; says he’s got the prefect thing for you to do to make up for your loss. The rice lifting challenge.”

Zuko had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. Their school’s sports day was each Department against each other in different events. It also had the tradition of one member of the Department being a cheerleader. Each event and challenge gained them points to winning the whole Sports Day and usually ended with a bonus in their funding usually for food. The idea of the lifting challenge was like it sounded: to carry as many industrial size bags of rice, like the one the school cafeteria ordered, and hold it for as long as possible, adding more bags to hold every minute. Usually, the Karate Department would be the one to win, Fencing never even coming close.

“I’m not going.” Zuko said, making up his mind. He’d dealt with enough today and not to mention what he was going to have to deal with once his uncle heard he hadn’t gone to his therapist appointment. He hadn’t said it to Piandao, but Uncle Iroh had booked one, he just never went.

“What?”

“I’ll hang out at Lu Ten’s office or something, but I’m not going. Not to the crapshoot of a meeting or to Sports Day. I don’t care what he threatens me with. I’m only coming back to drop my kit off.”

“Um, well…” Sokka sounded hesitant still, instead of warning him to not piss off Jett. Zuko knew what was coming next wasn’t good. “I actually heard Mai was back. Didn’t make it past the preliminaries for the national team I hear.”

Clearly, this day could get worse.

“Screw it, I’m not coming back for the next few days. I’ll be with my uncle if you need me.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Normally I’d be begging you to come back so I don’t deal with a pissed off Jet, but ask Toph to do your event for you. it would put the Weightlifting Department in danger of losing but it would be big help to her. They’ve still been trying to mess with her and she’d love a chance to get back at them. Just come back to campus, drop off your things and ask her. then I’ll take you out for lunch at my dad’s restaurant. You love his marinated salmon.” Sokka enticed.

Zuko sighed. “I want two orders. And you’re paying.”

“Done! Get here soon.”

Zuko didn’t bother answering, stowing his phone away and pushing off, heading towards Republic City Sports University.

Multiple girls watched the blue ribbon flow like water as Katara did a back leg grab turn. As she brought her leg down, she twirled her ribbon to the side, ready for her coach’s next instruction.

“Good. Very good.” Yagoda said. “your turns have gotten much better. I see someone has been practising her stretches on both sides. Now, I want to see your fouettés. If you want to place in the upcoming competition and qualify for the national team eventually, your routine has to be perfect. Ty Lee, pay attention, because I want to see your fouettés after.”

Suki looked at the girl dressed in pink, who pouted at her matching hula hoop. She didn’t know why she was pouting. Ty Lee was already the most flexible out of the whole department, fouettés were easy for her.

Before the girl in blue could start her turns, the door to the practise studio slammed open, the door slamming into the wall. Standing with all the self-importance in the world, her gold eyes gleaming much like her smirk stood Azula Lung, daughter of the Prime Minister of the Fire Nation and ace of the Karate Department at the school. She had a massive amount of sway within the school just because her father. Not that she was a spoiled girl who would threaten her father on people. Oh no, she took care of giving threats herself and she took care of them well. Some people had assumed her father bought her admission, at least until she competed in her first competition with the rest of the department. She placed first, gained a record and left her opponents in bloody messes. Azula had skill and she knew it.

Seeing that she had everyone’s attention, she easily strolled inside, another girl following her. While Azula was dressed in reds and golds, this person was mainly in black. Her lightweight trench had long sleeves that mainly left her nails exposed, the red catching on the lights in the studio. She looked bored and sullen.

“Mai!” Ty Lee cried, running over and throwing herself at the girl. She looked uncomfortable with the hug but she didn’t push Ty Lee off of her.

“Mai has returned from her qualifying competition for the national team. We’ll be taking Ty Lee with us.” Azula announced, not even asked, announced to Yagoda.

Thankfully, while any other coach would bend easily, Yagoda did not. “You can get Ty Lee after practise is over. She still has her own hoop routine to show me, not to mention her routine for the Department cheerleader for Sports Day.”

Azula scoffed. “Sports Day, waste of time. She won’t be attending.”

“She will if she doesn’t want to be benched from the next competition.”

Azula’s smirk turned into a frown as she glared at Yagoda. “You really wanna do this?”

“This might work with your coach, but you’re not my student, and you don’t pay my salary.”

“We’ll see about that. Ty Lee, plan for us to go to Ember Island this weekend. I’ll take care of this.”

Azula turned and walked out, Ty Lee still holding onto Mai.

“I just can’t believe you’re back! I missed you soo much! Are you visiting before you head to the Olympic dorms?”

“Ty Lee. I’ll explain later.” That was all Mai said before peeling off her friend’s hands and walking out.

Katara watched Ty Lee pout, her whole-body slumping before Yagoda clapped, getting everyone’s attention.

“Let’s start again. Katara, fouettés please.”

While Katara was able to land her fouettés with little issue and do a perfect run of her ribbon routine, she kept thinking about what Azula had threatened. Everyone on campus knew that the Karate Department had gotten the old Weightlifting Department’s gym thanks to Azula. No one knew if the threats – because what else could it have been? – had come from Azula or her father. Just that before everyone knew it, the Karate Department was moving into gym that the Weightlifting Department had worked tirelessly to get hold of from the school, leaving the overworked Department to take residence in one of the older gyms. The last thing she wanted was for Yagoda to lose her job thanks to a spoiled girl.

“She won’t fire her. I mean, Ty Lee is her friend.” Suki said, spinning one of her clubs around her hand with ease.

“The same Ty Lee who didn’t seem that bothered her friend was threatening her coach.” Katara reminded, watching Ty Lee run through her routine with ease. She was Katara’s biggest competition, as Suki had no desire to aim for Olympics, instead using rhythmic gymnastics to better her tenssen jutsu skills for when she eventually took over her family’s dojo. Katara truly believed Suki would give Azula a good fight if she’d joined the Karate Department instead.

“Ok, fair. But come on, Yagoda was on the national team until her retirement age, both as a single competitor and as part of the group team. the school would be insane to fire her over something as small as ignoring a student’s demands, even if it was from Azula.”

Thankfully they weren’t going to fire Yagoda. Threaten her Department was a whole other matter.

“They’re threatening to cut our budget if Ty Lee isn’t excused? You can’t be serious!”

After practise was over, most of which had been with Yagoda on her phone arguing with someone – the Dean it would later be gossiped about – she’d called Ty Lee and Katara over and gave the news.

“You’re seriously going to accept this?”

“Katara, if it were up to me, I would ignore Azula’s demands but I can’t without it affecting the whole team.”

“Why are you letting her push people around like this?” Katara asked, turning to Ty Lee.

The girl shrugged, turning the hoop in her hand. “That’s just the way Azula is. She gets what she wants.”

“Yeah, and leaves a wave of destruction behind her.” Katara muttered loudly enough. Ty Lee flinched slightly but she can’t find it within herself to feel sorry. “So, she can’t be our Department cheerleader. Now what?”

“I want you to take her place. I know,” Yagoda interrupted, seeing Katara revving up to complain and protest, “It’s a lot of extra work, but think of it as planning your own routines. I’m usually helping you or giving them to you. if you come up with a good enough routine, I’ll let you perform it at the upcoming competition.”

“That’s not fair! What about me?” Ty Lee complained.

“Maybe don’t use your friends to back out of commitments. Make sure to pass the outfit you got to Katara, it was bought with our budget and I’d rather it didn’t go to waste. Katara, meet me here during open hours so we can go over the routine for Sports Day.”

Ty Lee huffed. “This is so unfair. I’ve been begging to do my own routine for a competition for ages.”

Rolling her eyes, Katara looked at Ty Lee. “And me being forced to take your place so the rest of us don’t suffer is fair? Grow up Ty Lee. You have all the chances to be amazing at this and you give it up to please your friend, who honestly, is nothing but a bully. And the fact that you seem blind to it says a lot about you.”

She didn’t let Ty Lee respond, putting her ribbon away before following Suki out the door.

“Wow.” Suki said, once they had fully exited the gym. “you let her have it.”

Katara dropped her bag on the ground and pulled on her jacket, the Southern Water Tribe symbol proudly displayed on the back. “I’m not gonna feel sorry for her. I mean, who does Azula think she is, just lording over everyone like that, like she’s some princess or something? So, her dad is Prime Minister; technically speaking, so is mine. You don’t see me using my name to do whatever I want.” She complained as she pulled her hair out of its bun.

“because you’ve got sugar in your veins.” A new voice said.

Coming up behind them, led by an oversized Bernese Mountain dog was Toph. If Azula was the Karate Department’s ace at only a sophomore, Toph was the Weightlifting Department’s as the youngest freshmen to be admitted into the school with the most amount of records ever gotten as an incoming freshman. However, many of her teammates didn’t believe she deserved to be there. For one, Toph was blind and another was she was the heir to one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom. They seemed to ignore Toph ran away from home to even apply and if anything, her blindness made her work even harder. She was sarcastic and sassy and on the worst of days grinded every one of Katara’s nerves, but she was a true friend and Katara felt lucky to have her.

The nicknames she could have done without.

“I heard Azula. What’s the thief up to now?” Toph asked, letting her guide dog lead her past the two rhythmic gymnasts, knowing they’d follow.

“Dragged Ty Lee away for the weekend, leaving Katara here to take her place as Department cheerleader. On the plus side, Katara was given permission to create her own routine for the next competition, which upset the poor Ty Lee.”

Toph burst into laughter. “Serves her right. If she didn’t like it, maybe she should find new friends.”

“I am happy, but it’s already another thing to add to my plate, not to mention practising, checking on dad and now doing what I think is one of the dumbest traditions in the school.”

Toph cackled in a way that told the others she knew something. Toph had this way of just knowing people and hearing things which she used it to her advantage all the time.

“You won’t be saying that when you hear who some of the Departments’ cheerleaders are. Wanna take a guess as to who’s the Fencing Department’s cheerleader?”

Katara looked over at Toph, who’s smile grew maniacal. Usually that meant someone was going to get embarrassed as hell. It usually tended to be Sokka.

“Wouldn’t it be one of the girls?”

“Nope.” Toph shook her head, popping her p.

“Is it-?”

“Katara, watch out!” Suki cried.

Turning the corner, a guy on his bike appeared and with a panicked look, veered off course at the sight of her. She still stumbled over her feet and fell to the ground, her hands pricking in pain as they were scratched. Thankfully though, her jacket took most of the damage. The guy on the other hand, tumbled onto the grass as he was thrown from his bike, the vehicle in question clattering loudly.

She took in the pale skin and dark hair surrounding his face, his gold eye grimacing in pain. It didn’t stop her from noticing the large burn surrounding his right eye. she noticed that his school jacket was the same one Sokka wore, meaning he was in the Fencing Department.

“You should be more careful.” She meant for it to come out a bit nicer, but the anger from dealing the whole situation with Azula and Ty Lee slipped in.

clearly the guy didn’t enjoy being yelled at as he snapped back. “I didn’t see you.” he seemed to rethink his anger and continued in a calmer voice. “Are you ok?”

Katara sighed, trying not to keep hold of her anger. It was an accident and yelling at him wasn’t going to do anything. Though, his pale skin and gold eyes reminded her of Azula, but he hadn’t been the one to manipulate the whole school to get what he wanted. “I’m fine. here.” She got up, pulling his bike up while he grabbed his kit that had fallen off. Other than a few grass stains, he didn’t look too hurt.

“What’s up Sparky?” Toph called, Badger bringing her over and with surprising accuracy, punched the guy in the arm, hard.

“Ow! Stop calling me that.”

“This is Zuko. His dad owns that really cool tea place I keep telling you guys about.” She loosened her grip on Badger’s lead, his signal that he could greet people, as he nosed Zuko for pets. “This is Sugar Queen and Honey, aka Katara and Suki. They’re both Rhythmic Gymnast.”

“Nice to meet you.” Zuko said, wiping his hands from the slobbery kisses Badger gave him in return from the pets on his pants before fitting his bag on his bike again.

“So, have you seen it? what does it look like?” Toph asked, leaning in as Zuko took the bike from Katara.

The gymnast wondered how the two met. Zuko, from what she could tell, was quiet, seeing how he was answering most questions with a few words. Toph was wild and had no filter. Maybe he was different in front of others he knew better.

“How do you – you know what? Never mind. I haven’t seen it, and I don’t know if I can guilt him into showing me. He’s already holding Jett off for me.”

Toph’s face contorted hearing Jett’s name. while she hadn’t been there for Jett’s dating and cheating scheme, Toph didn’t like Jett on principal seeing how Sokka complained about him all the time, he didn’t seem to care that he cheated on Katara and that he was rude to anyone who wasn’t he close friends. While Toph could stand being around Pipsqueak on the weightlifting team, Katara would have to remind Toph that setting Badger on Jett wasn’t a good use of a guide dog.

“What’s his problem now?”

“I’ve been instructed to do the rice lifting challenge for the Fencing Department, but after the day I’ve had, not gonna happen. Any chance you wanna stand in for me?”

“Didn’t you have a competition today?”

“Why do you think I’m avoiding Jett?”

It wasn’t often Katara saw Toph look sorry and with pity. Getting Toph to apologize was near impossible and she’d cover her emotions with her snark most of the time. Clearly whatever relationship she had with Zuko was something deeper than she understood.

“Alright. I overheard the Weightlifting Department talk about switching the orientation of the gym to mess with me, so anything to piss them off.”

“Perfect. I gotta go before Jett finds me, but good luck. And sorry again about knocking you over.” He said to Katara, before he got on his bike and took off.

“So how do you know him?” Suki asked.

“I go to his old man’s tea house sometimes; he was working there and I got to know him and his family. He’s Sokka’s roommate apparently.”

“Oh, that’s Zuko! He’s a pretty good fencer from what I hear. Weird though, I haven’t seen his name in the announcement of students placing.” Suki said, speaking about the posting on their school’s website so they could show off their students and people could keep track.

She had a point. Katara never remembered seeing the name either. She also found it a bit strange Sokka never dragged his roommate to meet the rest of them but at the same time, never really said a bad word about him. There was something about Zuko though that seemed familiar. It wasn’t the burn around his eye, in fact it was his eyes. There was something about the gold that seemed different from other Fire Nation born. It was on the tip of her tongue but nothing came to mind.

“Hey, let’s go find Sokka. Maybe if we catch him off guard, we can get him to agree to let us wax his legs.” Toph said, taking Badger’s harness again.

“Ok, why?”

“Well, you’re cheering for your Department. Who do you think is cheering for the Fencing Department?”

“Oh!” Suki bursting into laughter, grabbing Katara’s arm, “We’ve got to go see this.”

At least there was a small positive for the day. Before they got far, Katara noticed something glinting in the sun. it was a gold hair clip, the design of the Fire Lily shimmering with the inlaid stones. It was exactly where Zuko had landed. She quickly scooped it up, letting Suki drag her along as she took a good look at it. it was beautiful, a bit old if the oxidation on it was anything to go by, but still pretty none the less. But why was Zuko carrying it? his hair was long, but not long enough to need a hair clip like the one she held, not to mention it seemed a bit feminine. So why did he have it?

“What do you mean she wants to get back together?”

Zuko looked up at his cousin, who stopped his job of placing stickers on the bottles. He knew his uncle was going to be coming in with another batch and if they didn’t move quickly, he was going to scold them.

“She moved back. She didn’t make it past the preliminary rounds. She and Azula found me as I got back on campus and she told me she wanted to get back together, that I was the only person she could date. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

Mai’s reappearance in his life was something he could have done without. While he gladly gave up any relationship between him and Azula, his relationship with Mai was nice. It was safe and they understood each other. At least until the day he had his first panic attack and it caused the first of many disqualifications and Mai wouldn’t answer his calls. In fact, with Azula smirking in the background, she dumped him like he was nothing, saying her career in archery was more important than him. He wanted to make it as a professional fencer, but never at the expense of the people he cared about. When she stood in front of him, after another disqualification, asking to get back together, he yelled at her. Told her to leave him alone and follow Azula’s orders like the good dog she was. He didn’t regret his words, even after seeing the look on her face.

“Wow. She’s got some nerve.”

“Lu Ten! Zuko! You two better not be talking and not finishing those bottles! That delivery is due in an hour!”

“We got it dad!” Lue Ten called before turning to his younger cousin. “What are you gonna do?”

“Ignore her. There’s nothing I want from her anymore, so it’ll be easy. You’re putting that on crooked.” He pointed out, looking at Lu Ten’s bottle.

“Shit. I could kill Aang. Who orders tea for 3 different Departments the day before they’re needed?”

Zuko didn’t bother mentioning that their younger cousin wasn’t the smartest person with some things. While he focused on putting the correct stickers on the types of bottled tea, all he could think of was where his mother’s hair clip disappeared to. He knew he had it in his bag, resting on the top of his gear. It wasn’t there when he emptied it and it was no where in his room at the house. He had no clue where it could have ended up. The campus was huge and he’d been around quite a bit before heading home so if it did fall out, it could be anywhere.

“Guess I’ll have to ask Sokka.”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing.” There was a lot involving his mother he didn’t want to tell his cousin or his uncle. “Hurry up before Uncle comes with the next batch. Everything starts at 1 pm and I don’t need Jett getting ideas of dragging me back in.”

Thankfully they finished on time and Lu Ten drove them to the school. While he directed Lu Ten to where the Fencing Department would have their tent, he stacked the coolers on top of each other and headed to where Aang said the Track and Field Department would be set up. The noise from Sports Day and people gearing up for events surrounded him. The year before he was ready to try and get his Department on the tiers, even with Jett being an ass. This year, he wanted to be as far away from this as possible.

“Watch it!”

Stopping, Zuko turned to see past the coolers, surprised when he realised, he nearly crashed into Katara again. The last time he saw her, her training clothes were blue, made even more aware with her Southern Water Tribe jacket she’d been in. this time, it looked like Ty Lee had gotten a hold of her and threw her into her own closet. Her cheerleading uniform was bright pink, the Department jacket somehow matching. He guessed Ty Lee had that made since all the Departments lettermen jackets where some shade of grey.

“It’s you.”

“Sorry. We’re creating a habit.”

“Hmm, more like you are, but that’s fine. what is this?”

“Tea, from the Jasmine Dragon. My cousin put in a massive order last night so it’s getting delivered now. It’s for the Track and Field and Weightlifting but I’m sure Toph wouldn’t mind you stealing a bottle.”

“Tempting, but if my coach sees us downing extra sugar before the day is over, she’ll kill me. I heard from my brother that Jett is trying to hunt you down and since I hate Jett, you should probably deliver that before he finds you.” Katara said, pointing over her shoulder, to where the main field was.

“Thanks. Sorry again.” He walked around her when she called for him. He looked over his shoulder, watching her walk up to him, tugging something from the bun she wore. It was a hair clip, a very familiar one. “That’s…”

“I found it the day we met. It was where you landed so I thought it might be yours?”

He dropped the coolers on the ground, taking the hair clip from her. It looked slightly shiny, as if it’d been cleaned. He was about to ask, looking up when he stopped. He really got a good look at Katara, her bright blue eyes, the braid that spilled onto her shoulder, with the minor kinks from being in a bun.

“You, you went to Ba Sing Se Preparatory.” he stated.

“Yes?”

“You screamed at those bullies.”

He couldn’t believe he forgot. Her blue eyes briming with anger, the conviction in her voice as she yelled at the bullies from down below, even Sokka trying to calm her down. her family saved his life.

Zuko crawled carefully on the ledge as he wiped down the windows, the rest of his class pushing desks out of the way to be swept and mopped. Most of his classmates didn’t want him anywhere near an open area, especially with his limited vision but he’d just gotten his bandages taken off and he wasn’t about to let it hinder him.

Without them on, he didn’t see Mom flinch at the sight of them, though the massive burn that he now had wasn’t any better, let alone the lack of hair that had been left too. The fights between his parents were getting worse and Azula’s teasing was starting to become more hurtful than playful. He wanted it all to stop. If he pretended that things were ok, maybe they would be eventually.

“Hey scarface!” Zuko looked over, 3 of his school bullies storming over. He tried not to flinch, already knowing what they were going to yell at him about. They’d been doing it all day. “We lost the race thanks to you!”

Zuko used to be more confident. But after the burns, a few harsh words and he’d start retreating back down into himself. These bullies took advantage of it. During their Sports Day, Zuko had dropped the baton in the relay race and ran in the opposite direction of everyone else, away from the bullies yelling at him.

“Mr. Reversal, can’t believe you’re so stupid.”

“You need a walking stick, scarface? Huh?”

Zuko felt one of them shove him and he expected to hit the window frame. Instead, he went flying out the open window. Zuko would mostly remember being caught by an older man with darker skin, most likely from one of the Water Tribes, with kind blue eyes, who held him as he burst into tears and two younger children. The boy patted his back, telling him not to worry because his sister would take care of it and the girl screaming up at the bullies from the ground floor. Her long braid swung back and forth as she shook her fists and threatened to do violent things to them. her eyes seemed bluer than her families, like the clearest ocean.

Katara blinked at him before she gasped. “Wait, Zuko Lung? You, you were in the River Class with Sokka. You disappeared not long after my dad caught you.”

“My uncle, he took custody and it was far from where he lived, so I had to…I can’t believe I forgot about you. Sokka’s my roommate.”

With a smile, Katara shrugged. “no one ever said he was smart. Are, are you happy? Before you left, you always seemed…”

For the first time since this whole list of messes started, Zuko felt like his smile was real. “I am. I mean, I’m dealing with different things, but for the most part, I’m happier than I have been in years.”

“Good. I should really let you go deliver those before Jett shows up. But, don’t be a stranger, ok?” Zuko had only just picker up the coolers again when Katara got his attention again. “How did you know it was me? You didn’t recognise me yesterday.”

“Your hair. I remembered your braid most of all from that day.”               

[tortan-saarbruccan]

Thrilling Chase in downtown Saarbrücken

On Saturday afternoon the police arrested a man in the town centre of Saarbrücken. The procedure of this arrest raises the question: Are our police forces actually competent?

October 16, 2023, 10:03 a.m. CET

Saarbrücken - Chaos broke out last Saturday when two police officers and an as of now unidentified individual sped through the market. According to some more or less reliable eyewitnesses they were chasing the suspect for at least 500 m when the man grabbed a bicycle - in theory gaining a significant advantage over his pursuers.

Unfortunately he rode his bike exactly like any self-respecting Tour de France contestant would never let themselves be seen doing it. Nevertheless the officers deemed it neccessary to obtain a vehicle. Luckily for them a group of tourists doing some sort of "Walk through Saarbrücken" without the annoying walking part were passing by and they could get their hands on two segway personal transporters (there is no way to tell exactly what happened, eyewitness accounts range from "borrowing" to "threatening with a gun and an arrest and physical violence and "genderkonforme Sprache" and also there were Aliens involved"). The ensuing race could probably not even be shown in a slapstick comedy for neither party had any competence in manoeuvering their vehicles but plenty of obstacles in their way.

As our probably most reliable eyewitness recounted: "It was crazy! In the movies they're always like - vroom vroom" - makes exaggerated hand motion driving invisible toy cars - "and then the bad guys chasing the god guys always explode - KABOOM" - the arms being thrown out to imitate an explosion nearly hit a nearby man in the stomach - " and the hero says something really cool and his car can fly. This wasn't like the movies. I don't think there were good guys here. They were all really really bad. But it was really funny. They just screamed and said all the bad words my mother says i'm not allowed to say. They looked just like my little sister learning to ride a bike. Only she didn't crash into a fruit stall. But the guy did. He just full on crashed into it. The woman who was with him was slightly better but i think she nearly fell off laughing then she saw this. Also she confiscated a smartphone from a teenager who filmed the whole thing."

This seems to be largely true as we could indeed identify a former market stand in the wreckage caused by the chase. The close resemblance to an elementary school slalom course could also be confirmed. After bringing 9-year-old Matty back to his father we then set out to investigate further. Questioning the fruit vendor didn't lead to any new information regarding the outcome of the arrest but they reported missing fruit - most notably a watermelon. While we are not entirely certain, the bump under the policeman's t-shirt was probably not the head of an enemy or a very sudden pregnancy...

In addition to the - very disturbed- fruit vendor other people unwillingly witnessed these events. One shitty fucking asshole bystander remarked: "This wouldn'ta happened if y'all had some guns". Roy from Texas - as he introduced himself to us - then continued to expand on his plans to start a militia to defend people against militant groups, at which point our correspondent decided to remove themselves from the situation lest they started throwing hands. Our next witness, Irmgard (96), gave a long-winded speech about the impudence of today's youth and her grandchildren's incompetence at baking, which our team of reporters, to this day, still have failed to connect to the occurrences this article is about. While our conversation was not very revealing the tremor in her hands gave us the distinct impression that a gun in her hand would at least solve one problem: overpopulation.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT POST UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! Alex, you were supposed to write a short article about the market and not a horrifyingly unprofessional and bloodcurdling story about incompetent cops and segway personal transporters. You are an intern and not a "correspondent". Also the use of majestic plural is at best confusing and at worst very f*cking annoying. Also swear words are a no-go.

PS: You were supposed to bring me coffee two hours ago.

[corndoggod]

Christmas Letter

For as long as I can remember, my Grandma has mailed a Christmas letter to friends and family far and wide with life updates. In recent years, I couldn’t help but notice my mentions have shrunk to a mere fragment. My brother Ethan still gets a whole paragraph devoted to his ventures as a wildland firefighter crisscrossing the country to snuff out history-making fires. Meanwhile, “Connor still lives in Brooklyn” to use my grandma’s parlance. 

It’s unclear if this sleight of hand from Grandma is passive-aggressive or ruthless editing. Years ago I had “Connor’s still in Brooklyn writing book reviews and riding his bike,” which was basically my author bio at the time. But maybe it’s that my life in the city has lockjaw and I don’t call Grandma enough. 

Anyway, I’ve spent today thinking about Christmas traditions and when I opened the mailbox I remembered Grandma’s faithful Christmas letter. Our holiday game as a family is weak, which is something I do and don’t like. I do not care for all the pomp and circumstance and excess of some families, but I do like making a day feel special through shared labor or chicanery. Grandma’s Christmas letter is special and so I’d like to carry on that torch with a new Christmas letter titled: Still in Brooklyn. 

I decided to stay in New York for Christmas this year. It wasn’t an easy decision, even if it was what I wanted. My Dad had a life-changing stroke in late spring and now lives in an assisted care facility. My Mom sold our childhood home and moved to the burbs with her boyfriend Neil. I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend Celina after living with the boys in Flatbush since 2016. 

Looking back, this was a year of massive change. Relationships evolved, just about everyone I knew moved, health and finance kneecapped me and loved ones, and life felt like it was narrowing for the first time. Which is to say the field of possibilities was shrinking, ambition was checked and life’s habits were fortified, for good and bad. 

The first half of 2023 sucked to be honest. Looking for an “affordable” apartment in New York derailed me and Celina’s life for months, stress-tested our relationship and bludgeoned any notion of living with comfort or longevity in the place I’ve called home for the last eight years. I finally landed a permanent role at my job after multiple contract extensions but was unhappy with where I landed and demoralized after struggling for so long to prove my worth. And then, when apartment hunting finally broke me and my workload reached a new frenzy thanks to blockbuster reporting, my Dad had a second stroke.  

I forgot he’d even had one before, it was so minor. I knew this one was serious when I heard his garbled speech in the background. I knew it was my Dad’s voice, but his speech was so slurred it didn’t sound like him or anyone really. I booked a ticket home the next morning and, for the next two weeks, commuted to Omaha every day to visit him at the medical center. 

Lifelong resentments and deep anxieties slithered around my neck and squeezed me into submission. My Dad’s precarious financial situation, his inability to care for himself and the general disarray of his life were now my problem. That’s how I took it at least. I had help of course. My Mom was there every step of the way, even though they divorced long ago, and my brother flew in a couple of days later. But there was something stubborn and proud in me that wanted to carry more of the burden. I thought about moving to Omaha for the summer. I thought New York long-term was untenable now and here was proof. I could retire to the Midwest where I could care for my Dad, write about it all and Celina could make clothes and art again without financial stress. 

Writing this, it’s crazy to think that last Christmas my brother finally confronted my Dad about being a poor father to us. After my brother’s bravery and my Dad’s obliviousness to any neglect, I was released from the intrusive thoughts and feelings of guilt and anger about my Dad that snared me late at night. Poor Dad must feel so alone. Dad did nothing at all to support me from thirteen onward. So much resentment, shame, anger and embarrassment pinballed around the nexus of my father…. I’ll spare you the details. I’m saving them for a personal essay I’ve been meaning to write for years but never had the courage to be so brutally honest. 

By May, between all the credit checks and gaining power of attorney over my father’s affairs, I fully felt my 30 years and everything a new decade of life brings.

While in the hospital at my Dad’s bedside, a broker called me to offer an apartment he wasn’t going to put on the market. We applied and won it and we couldn’t have been happier. It’s the best home I’ve ever lived in. I wrote about the new apartment here. 

I returned to Nebraska in July with Celina for a road trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. It was glorious and freeing once I stopped fretting and planning. We got lost in molten psychedelic rivers, fell in love with Big Horn Country, saw old friends. I wrote about that trip here. 

After that life is a bit of a blur. Things happened, but I’m not sure what merits mention in a year-in-review. I’ll be short since this has already run long. 

Late summer was kinder. I signed up for a marathon in October and began training in earnest in late July. This consumed my life for the next three months since I take myself quite seriously. Many thanks to Celina for dealing with my gripes, appetites and Strava obsessions. I didn’t do much else in this period. I watched a lot of movies, improved my kitchen skills and came around to baths, which was a larger recognition on my part that I need to be kind to my body and take rest and recovery as seriously as training. No longer can I run hungover or with burger belly. 

My hard work paid off in the end. I placed 25th in the marathon with a 3:15 time, won a medal in my age group (30-34) and gained the confidence I could qualify for Boston on a flatter course with less workouts missed. Maybe 2024. 

Maine treated us well. We made a trip out of the endeavor and spent a week roaming the coastline with stops in Bangor, where my Dad was born, Bar Harbor, where the marathon was, and Portland, where all ex-New York chefs go to die. Safe to say we fell for Maine. In mid-October, the leaves were primed for ogling. We brought our bikes and took advantage of Acadia’s glorious carriage trails and Portland’s crushed gravel. We ate like kings in Portland. I had two of the best meals of my life back to back (biscuit breakfast sandwich + pastry from Tandem Bakery and then khao soi + ramen from Honey Paw). It was a perfectly well-rounded trip blending physical exertion, nature excursions and culinary delights. We loved Portland so much -- the culinary caliber, the attention to history, the bitter wind and walkability. Unsurprisingly, they too face an affordable housing crisis. 

These are the things that puncture through in 365 days, but they are not the meat and potatoes of a year. Those lie with Celina and Chicken our cat. They live with my notebook and movies watched and reading history. They lie with the coffee I make every morning to NPR radio and the spliff that caps off most nights.

I have just returned from New Jersey, where I celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Celina’s family. I’d like to import two of their Christmas traditions. The first is that for Christmas Eve dinner everyone has an assigned seat and on top of everyone’s plate is a book wrapped in butcher paper handpicked by her mother. I would like to do this for the holidays and dinner parties. There are few things I love more than recommending books. 

The second is a breakfast feast on Christmas day. We had waffles and sausages, fruit salad and toad in a hole, bloody mary’s and coffee with cream. Breakfast is my favorite meal and what a way to start the day. 

Merry Christmas one and all. Perhaps next year I’ll type this out on my typewrite and xerox a copy to friends and family.

[stellarwaffles]

I am watching The Lego Ninjago Movie!!

- that’s not a lego :/

- oh the kid has a lego

- Lloyd!

- he’s missing an arm :(

- ok now they’re legos

- “who could the ninja be?” Bestie you can see Nya’s hair. Her mask is only covering her mouth. You can see the majority of her head

- ok now she’s got a proper mask

- Lloyd’s birthday! When is it? What’s the date? They didn’t say

- “I’m your son, Lloyd Garmadon.” “No, my son is bald and has no teeth”

- “How old are you, 7? You’re 7, right?” To be fair to Garmadon I still kinda think my brother is 6 (he’s not 6). To be not fair to Garmadon I think this is supposed to tell us he’s an absent father

- he is 16! First canon age ever

- aww Lloyd just wants someone to tell him happy birthday :(

- “hey mom.. just a thought.. what if I didn’t go to school today?” Me to my mom every day in every grade

- Lloyd’s mom is called Koko in the movieverse, right? I love her she’s amazing

- :(

- why does everyone hate Lloyd? What did he do? :(

- Zane!

- Kai!

- NYA!!

- and Cole + Jay!

- “hey, bro!” “Hey sis :)” “oh, hey actual bro”

- ooh Nya’s good at painting

- “it’s Garmadon!” “Thanks, Lloyd.” How is that Lloyd’s fault. What control does he have over his father’s actions

- miss teacher are you really bothered about grammar right now

- ZANE DOESNT EVEN WALK HES JUST GLIDING

- how does Nya fit her motercycle into her locker

- gee I wonder if Zane’s a robot- nevermind, he’s clearly just an average human teen

- “as long as we have these mechs, we’re unstoppable!” I feel like they’re gonna lose their mechs

- ..is Zane out as a robot?

- I thought the plural of ninja was ninja? Isn’t that what the skeletons said in the pilots? Bc in the movie everyone’s saying ninjas

- Lloyd deserves all the positive attention ever

- there are many benefits to being a marine biologist the water ninja

- I thought their identities were supposed to be secret? Lloyd just said all of their names

- ok about their voices

Kai still sounds like Kai, but Cole sounds odd. He doesn’t really sound like Cole.

Jay also sounds a little odd, but maybe I’m just not used to his voice yet.

Zane sounds like they wanted you to know from his very first line that he’s a robot

Nya + Lloyd sound fine I guess idk

- they took Jay’s anxiety and made it his main character trait (so far) /neutral

- why are there still students in the bus on the road? Before the attack started everyone was in class

- the green dragon mech looks cool

- “well if you can see me then why don’t you shoot me?” *gets shot*

- oh no

- he’s not talking about you Lloyd

- I knew it :(

- he’s still not talking about you Lloyd he’s talking about.. your mom?

- oh no not Lloyd’s mom either

- damn :(

- oh now he is talking about Lloyd

- damn :(

- to be fair I’d be pissed at Garmadon too

- skshsjs

- SKSHSJSHSJS HE THREW BACKWARDS,,

- I can’t believe Kai or Cole or Nya or just any of the others never taught him how to throw/catch

That seems like something they would do

- “funny you ask uh NO ONE. >:(“

- he’s being made fun of by his dad on his birthday

- Lloyd does not know how to:

Throw

Catch

Ride a bike

Shave

Difuse a bomb

- seriously I feel like Kai (or any of them) would see dadless Lloyd and decide to do father/son stuff with him like playing catch + teaching him how to shave + whatever

Also if Lloyd doesn’t know how to shave but there’s no hair on his face does that mean he hasn’t started growing facial hair yet or is he just really bad at shaving

- “y’know what’s funny? I know how to do all those things” yeah you’re also the person who’s supposed to teach him

- “when I die. If I die. I will never die.”

- “you got a lot of issues Green Ninja, I hope you get a chance to work ‘em out by the time I’m back” Garmadon says go to therapy

- wow General #1 was promoted for like 30 seconds before being fired, rip

- “intimidation. We paint angry eyebrows on the troops’ faces.”

- “what if you just ran for mayor?”

- “for me it’s easy to fight him cause he’s. not my father.” Thanks Jay, that’s helpful

- “there’s nothing ‘ninja’ about you ninja” that is true

- “greeeen.”

- “so.. water, fire, lightning, earth, ice and..” “greeeen” “..but that’s not an element?”

- “can I be wind? Wind isn’t taken” it is actually, by your dead cousin

- “practice spinjitzu” *everyone starts slowly spinning*

- the ultimate weapon.. a laser pointer

- “I’m super, super… old.”

- someone give Lloyd a hug

- OH WAIT HEY THATS ED + EDNA IN THE BACKGROUND!! :D

- S7 LLOYD!! ALSO IN THE BACKGROUND on a billboard

- he has a hoodie

- she’s an amazing mother I love Koko with all my heart

- “yeah I was there” “what?” “W atching. with all the other regular kids.”

- he has a goldfish

- man she made him a cake and everything and he’s just going to bed :/

I mean I get it, I’d just wanna go to bed to, but man :/

- “we got a message from your brother” “oh yeah? What did he say?” “*dumb childish insults*” “that sounds like my brother.”

- for secret ninja they sure do use their real names

- “it’s time for you to ninja-go-away-for-good”

- why does his mech have so many missiles

- oh no not his dragon :(

- so why does being on top of a tower make one ruler of Ninjago? They showed the mayor being on top of the tower earlier. Why does it work that way?

- how did Wu not see Lloyd take the laser pointer?

- “are you crossing your fingers?” “That’s physically impossible I don’t have fingers”

- yeah I saw that coming

- :O!! Cat!!

- oh no

- oh this is sad actually

- identity reveal!

- LUHLOYD

- wait do laser pointers break that easily?

- Lloyd “daddy issues” Garmadon

- oh she’s fired. That’s what you get for slurping your drink annoyingly

- yeah! You tell him Koko!

- oh this scene hurts more with context. Don’t be mean to Lloyd :(

- “if I was gonna die, it would be to teach you a lesson”

- they’re running around without their masks on they’re not very good at being secret

- they’re mad at Lloyd but realistically any of them could’ve done the same thing while staying 100% in character

- SKSHSJSHS

- they’re doing a pretty good job at making Wu + Garmadon seem like brothers in my opinion

- “gasp.”

- well. It is called the bridge of fallen mentors.

- “one.. two.. three..

“Huh. I thought that was supposed to work with kids.”

- ok so 16 years ago Garmadon was 158 which means he’s 174. Second canon age!

- Master Wu is 167! Third canon age!

That means Garmadon is 7 years older (that’s how old he thought Lloyd was..)

- “Lloyd’s never asked me about my arms, have you Lloyd?” “Don’t talk to me”

- man Lloyd can’t catch a break can he. First he’s made fun of by his dad, now he’s made fun of by his dad and his friends

- noooooo listen to Master Wu + go on the right path

It’s literally called the right path

- gee who would’ve thought this was a bad idea

- “you gotta get yourself a volcano, kid.” Life advice

- “I got you, dude! I got you!” “I really could’a walked out by myself, but thank you.” Lava real??

- “oh no.. I can’t believe we ran off and just left him back there” well it’s not like he hasn’t been abandoned before

- ok so Zane is out as a robot

- “guys, no swimming. We just ate!”

- I know I said it at least twice but why did none of the others take it upon themselves to teach Lloyd how to throw/catch? I really feel like Kai would’ve done that within a week of becoming friends with Lloyd

- OH NO HE HIT A CAT

- “throw like no one is watching except your judging father”

- SJSHSKSHSJS HE HIT COLE IN THE FACE

- Garmadon taught Lloyd to throw and Lloyd taught Garmadon what a smile is :)

- oh ok they just got rid of his arm no build up ok

- where did his arm go?

- “what does it look like?” “It looks like my left arm except it’s the right one”

- his arm was right in front of him. None of them saw it?

- reattaching your son’s arm 101

- “you.. you called me dad.” No, he said you put his arm back on like a dad

- well Lloyd is 16 now that is the age one starts driving in America even if he does already know how to drive

- :O

- why. is there fresh fruit out

- oh it’s plastic

- Lady Iron Dragon doesn’t look like a ninja? She looks like a warrior where did Lloyd get ninja from and how was he right

- awwww I love a good love at first fight

- skshsjshs LLOYDS LITTLE BABY EVIL LAUGH,,,,,,

- Garmadon looks weird with hair

- Koko my beloved

- “this is the ultimate ultimate disappointment.”

- *really cool shots of the ninja with their elements* “and I’m.. green. :(”

- oh no. I can feel a betrayal coming.

- oh nooooo

- :(

- just be his dad

- oh so he knows he forgot Lloyd’s birthday

- oh no he wasn’t taught to catch yet :(

- LIGHTNING

- EARTH

- WATER! ICE

- FIRE

- no green? :(

- “I thought being dead would make you listen to me more”

- “he also decoded your needlessly cryptic metaphors :D”

- :O

- I love to see them use their elements :)

- yeah!!

- oh the cat just ate him

- Kai just offered to burn a giant cat alive

- ..so Lloyd’s identity isn’t secret anymore

- cat :)

- actually I think the cat is just a giant cat. I know this is an emotional moment* but I think from the cat’s pov it’s just a cat I don’t think it’s listening to the little lego guys calling it a monster

* and also he’s talking to Garmadon and not the cat

- are people gonna stop being needlessly mean to him now?

- he did mean it when he said he wished Garmadon wasn’t his dad. He might not mean it anymore but he meant it when he said it

- “ok you still don’t have fingers and toes! Good!” how do any of them know what fingers or toes are if none of them have fingers or toes

- yes! Appreciate your mother!

- there has been no use of green powers :/

- KOKO AND NYA OPENED A SCHOOL?! I love them

- Lloyd learned how to catch!

- oh we’re back to the real people :/

- FOUND MY PLACE!!

- ok back to their voices real quick Jay’s voice was fine actually I got used to it, but I didn’t? Really like Lloyd’s voice? Idk I feel like it didn’t really fit

[numerowah]

So, in your AU, Wario and Waluigi are not antagonists, while Shokora and Rosalina are? Is Waluigi some sort of father figure who wears a pretty blue dress?

Correct! Both Wario and Waluigi spent quite a while isolated in some form, so I have them a bit more mild-mannered than their canon selves.

This shouldn't be too long so real quick, Shokora is rivalling with Peach, and Rosalina and Daisy are quick to be at each other's throats. Rosalina, as a nod to her cosmic canon self, is very spacey and kinda forgetful, though one look at Daisy and she switches to Kill Mode pretty much lol

Okay, so I ended up rambling again so I put the read more thing, and I REALLY ended up rambling again so I'm gonna reblog this with Waluigi's part of the story because oh my god I have more thoughts than I thought I did. ^-^

Wario, in taking over Shokora's role, actively ruled over his kingdom a few thousand years ago. I feel it's overall a fair amount of time, due to the language in the game ["...the ruins appear to be the pyramid of the sleeping princess of the king who reigned over the area long ago..." from one of the game guides.], and the fact that the kingdom isn't described in the present day. I take that last point to mean the kingdom doesn't exist anymore, and since the ruins were recently discovered, it HAD to have been absent for enough time that people forgot about it. SO! Princess Wario gets cursed a few thousand years from the present day into an amorphous but usually feline black blob, which while strips him of being able to reign his kingdom also keeps him alive that long so, eh, tradeoff. As I said, he IS more mild-mannered [after all, I don't think royalty, much less royalty that could afford having a golden pyramid and all the treasure you find in-game, can be made to be AS greedy as Canon-Wario is. Definitely still greedy, but he doesn't have to go treasure hunting or stealing anything, he can be civil X)], but it is still Wario, and he doesn't take that lying down. So although his efforts are fruitless, he spends that time trying to get into the Pyramid and take his kingdom back from the Golden Diva. When Shokora finds him, she finds a big black cat with ruffled whiskers that is very injured. Being the money-focused treasure hunter in this world, she wouldn't normally go out of her way to help anyone, but that cat was pretty hurt, and it's gonna be distracting her the whole time she's looting the ruins. And stars, if she ignores the cat and it dies?? She might have to hang up her treasure hunting hat!

So Shokora, somewhat begrudgingly, takes the cat into the city, gets it proper help [which proves very difficult. This cat has a temper, and seems to really want to be somewhere else.] and leaves it in a nice alley in Diamond City. [also sidenote, while Wario Land 4 begins with Wario almost running the cat over, cmon man thats your wife be careful, I think Princess Wario has never been there due to being so persistent at trying to regain his kingdom.] But when she gets back to the ruins, she finds out the cat had stowed away on her bike, and she watches it run up to the Pyramid and resume its previous attempted invasion. After some thinking, Shokora decides that there's something wrong with this cat in a good way, and with its knowledge of the ruins and Shokora's abilities+opposable thumbs, Wario Land 4 continues as normal, just with the roles swapped. At the end, Princess Wario gets his curse lifted, celebratory 'you saved me so you get a kiss', and bam he is now a part of the crew >:]

Waluigi is both chronologically and mentally much, much older. His kingdom, which used to stand where the Mushroom Kingdom is today, is long forgotten from the memory of modern people...

Aaaand that's where I'll leave this one off. I'll reblog right away with Waluigi's stuff and just go ahead and apologize in advance for that LMAO

[radikalandfriedrich]

The one about a bike, a beer and a skinny-ass sparrow

Fandom: 9-1-1: Lone Star

Pairing: Owen Strand/Ty O'Brien

Rating: PG-13

Tags: Humor

***

From the first day they meet, Ty realizes that Owen is a huge pain in the ass. This is evidenced not only by the fire captain's constant brandishing of his skills (and, as his broken nose suggests, his fists), but also by his senseless, almost childlike willingness to go into the epicenter of any disaster as if he were the only rescuer for miles around. His instinct for self-preservation must have burned up somewhere in the ruins of one of the Twin Towers that damn September morning, along with his belief in his own value to this world. It just lays in a flat layer of ash on the ruins of the business center, and now Ty has to drag his skinny ass out of every trouble Owen gets into.

“My ass is not skinny!” Owen gasps for air indignantly when Ty has the temerity to speak his mind out loud.

He is standing in the middle of the firehouse, and he looks quite funny to Ty: a wet T-shirt with sweat streaks under his throat and armpits, tousled hair standing up in all directions, gasoline-stained boots and hands black with grease. It seems that Owen's new friend has decided to show some character.

“I didn't say that,” Ty shrugs, “I just suggested replacing the seat with a more anatomically correct one”.

Owen grimaces, as if Ty's words hurt him physically, and deliberately turns the radio up to full blast, which is met with a grudging curse from someone from the 126th crew on the floor above. Judging by the female, albeit low-pitched voice, Ty concludes that Owen has even freaked out Captain Vega with his disco.

He squats down next to him, critically examines the muddy wheels and sighs. His father used to say that a motorcycle is better than a mistress and twice as good as a wife. What he sees in front of him makes him realize why Owen never got lucky with women.

“Actually, I came by to remind you about the beer.”

Owen sighs and leans his head back. For a moment, Ty even feels sorry for him, but he's a big boy and old enough to learn how to fix his own toys.

“If you want, you can come over to my place today, but don’t ride this. I don't want to have a three-meter distance between my house and a potential accident site.

Owen snorts and reaches for the radio with a dirty hand, but a second later he curses and kicks the bike's stand as I want to ride my bicycle starts to play ironically throughout the firehouse.

Ty decides to walk away. The last thing they need is for Owen to completely destroy his two-wheeled friend.

***

At the last minute, their plans change. Owen says into the phone that he hasn't been able to figure out how to fix the bike, and he's not going to cheat on him with a car or, God forbid, a taxi. So Ty has to get dressed in a hurry and go to his place.

Although the homey atmosphere, linen T-shirt, and plain gray sweatpants make him seem softer, Owen is still the damned Owen he was born to be. He's probably had a glass or more while waiting for a drinking buddy, so when he bends down in front of the bottom shelf of the fridge and wobbles a little, Ty decides that coffee will be enough.

“I understand that living alone does its own thing, but wouldn't you like to have a little privacy in this matter?” Ty asks, looking at the cover of a men's magazine with a gorgeous blonde woman clutching her arms to her chest and squeezing saltwater from a blue swimsuit.

Owen turns around and rolls his eyes.

“It's TK’s.”

And Ty, of course, sees that here, on page seventeen, is an article with tips from a fashion expert on how to dress for a wedding, but Owen is so drunkenly clumsy and a little confused in his own kitchen that he just wants to pelt him with jokes, because it feels like touching mimosa leaves.

“That's a very lame excuse, considering that your son is about to marry a man,” Tai drawls and starts flipping through the magazine out of boredom. He's not too impressed with the content, but the articles are really good. At least the part that isn't covered with photos of half-naked girls.

“It is,” Owen turns and raises index finger, “a legitimate one, since I've been experimenting with my preferences lately.

Ty just raises his eyebrows in response. The coffee machine hisses loudly, blowing steam over the cup with the 126th emblem, and suddenly stops. Owen glares at it, and something in his eyes tells Ty that in a few more minutes, the notoriously difficult nature of firefighter-rescuer-captain-and most importantly-mechanic Strand will force him to go deal with the coffee machine the same way he dealt with the bike, which is to break it the hell up. So Ty rests his elbow on the table and props his chin with his fist, distracting Owen from the tempting idea of going without coffee for at least a week.

“Have been experimenting?”

Owen looks away, smiles briefly and shyly, and lowers his unmanly long eyelashes.

“A midlife crisis? Being around young people? Being around TK? I don't know. I guess now it's more about the search than the final stop, you know.

Not that Ty is surprised by such frankness from a not-so-sober man, but Owen Strand's main trait is still with him even when he's drunk - he knows how to surprise.

Ty nods and reaches for his cup. Obviously, the coffee machine doesn't take kindly to nighttime guests, because the amount of invigorating drink can only get a sleepy mouse drunk. But, considering that the only reason he agrees to drink coffee at midnight is because Owen is too drunk for this time of day, so the stronger the better.

“I understand. And I really hope that one of the Honor Dogs hasn't been the object of your experiments.”

Owen grimaces, tiny wrinkles appear on his nose. He places his cup under the trickle of aromatic coffee and stretches, closing his eyes.

“A man should separate hobbies, work, and spiritual passions.”

“And in which of these categories do you put sex with strangers?”

Owen laughs, flashing a straight row of perfect white teeth (or maybe veneers) and shakes his head, still not opening his eyes. He looks like a sparrow in his roomy pants and unusually large T-shirt, but it's best not to say it aloud.

“He was not a stranger. We had been drinking beer every Friday for three weeks in a row. We're almost old friends now.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ty takes a sip of coffee, keeping his eyes on Owen. “You said the same thing about the Honor Dogs.

Owen turns to him, one eye open, as if to say, “Let's not bring that up.”

“But we weren't bored.”

Ty isn't quite sure who Owen means by this vague “we”: either the two of them against a gang of crazy bikers or himself and his Friday night lover, but he doesn't argue. Anything involving Captain Strand can't be boring. Owen smiles at him again, rests his palms on the tabletop and pulls himself up so that his T-shirt rises slightly, and his pants slide down below his waist, revealing deep pits in his lower back.

Ty squints his eyes, dazzled by the crystal glow of the kitchen, though perhaps it's Owen's teeth. He chooses the most inappropriate moment for this, because at this very second there is a creak of leather on marble, followed by a dull sound of falling and a faint “damn” coming from somewhere on the floor.

“Owen?”

Ty leaps to his feet and rounds the table only to see Owen stretched out on the tile, rubbing his hand over the spot that had obviously cushioned his landing. He grimaces and looks at Ty from under his brows as if he is waiting for another joke, but it's hard to comment on this because it already looks like a mockery of the universe. The secondary flash of fear for Owen's life and health passes, giving way to a kind of almost parental irritation and fatigue.

“When I said I was constantly having to rescue your skinny ass, which is a magnet for adventure, I meant it,” Ty sighs and holds out his hand to Owen, but he seems to be clinging to the only two words that matter to him.

“Skinny?” Owen asks again and shakes his head as if he doesn't believe what he's hearing. “Neat? Maybe. Round? That's closer. Fit? It can't be otherwise when you carry equipment every day and use the stairs instead of the elevator. I would have gone with “worked out,” but I'm afraid Texas men don't compliment other men's asses like that.

“Do all the men in New York call their asses 'worked out'?” Ty asks, tilting his chin up a bit, trying his best not to smile.

Owen doesn't seem to understand the context and synonymic difficulties.

“Want to check it out?”

And yes, it's not a grown man talking again, but a disheveled boy who for some reason is always trying to prove to everyone that he's the best of the best, except that Ty doesn't really care that this is, in fact, another boastful “Look what I can do” and not an invitation. But who is he to say no to Captain Owen Strand himself, who seems serious about showing off his ass in the middle of the night just because someone doubted his, God forbid, elasticity.

“Well, if you're offering...”

Ty throws up his hands, looks directly into the blue eyes, which seem to be only now beginning to understand what he said, and feels something very similar to excitement. His stomach is in knots waiting for Owen's answer, and his skin feels like it's being doused with ice water. Yes, that's it, that's excitement. Ty has time to wonder why every conversation with Owen turns into a tense card game, if not a competition, when Owen throws his head back, twitching the corners of his lips. His gaze warms, but in a moment, where the fireplace's quiet, gentle flame had been, a raging flame erupts. Owen leans back on his elbows, looks intently into his eyes, and, squinting a little, says:

“Take off your jacket.”

Ty raises his eyebrows, thinking that Owen's challenge to him will come back to haunt them both in the near future, but he says out loud:

“Okay”

And throws his jacket on the floor.

***

Ty goes out into the yard in the early morning, sits on the stairs and lights up. The sun is shining thinly on the horizon, and the treetops are slowly swaying in the light wind. The door behind him opens almost inaudibly - Owen is more sensitive to smoke than any detector.

He sits down next to Ty on the top step without giving a word, purses his lips when he sees the cigarette clutched between Ty’s fingers and wraps himself tighter in his robe. Whether it's velvet or satin, Ty isn't sure, but it's definitely burgundy. Like the wine they uncorked around 2 am.

“What?” Owen asks, his voice raspy with sleep and alcohol, and coughs into his fist, frowning at his cigarette. “It was from my ex-girlfriend.”

“From her or her?” Ty asks again and takes another drag, feeling the smoke and laughter tickle his throat.

Owen shakes his head but smiles. He looks up to where the early birds are starting to chirp happily, letting everyone know that a beautiful new day has begun, and Ty can't even tell which is bluer: Owen's eyes or the sky.

“By the way, it's time to tell you that you were wrong,” Owen says without looking away.

“I was right,” Ty shrugs and shakes off the ashes on the rose bushes nearby, “You do have a skinny ass. But it's worked out, so you weren't lying.”

Owen presses his lips together, grimaces, and slaps him on the knee.

“I'm afraid I'll have to refrain from riding the bike for another week after this.”

Ty stubs out his cigarette and throws it into an empty seedling pot.

“Because a man should separate hobbies, work, and spiritual passions? ”

Owen presses his lips together thoughtfully and then nods.

“Exactly.” He leans over to Ty, kisses him briefly on the chin, scratching his skin with his fresh stubble, and adds, “But you could use some fresh air.”

Owen gets to his feet, rubs his long-suffering ass, and walks to the door, leaving Ty sitting on the stairs. The hem of his robe almost disappears behind the door when Owen turns around, points at him with an open palm, and explains:

“Beer. I'm still craving for beer. We tried everything last night except beer.”

Ty also stands up. He pulls up his jacket collar, turns to Owen, and sighs.

“This is where I admit defeat. You've definitely tried everything tonight more than I have.

Ty turns around, walks down the stairs, and crosses the cozy courtyard, thinking about what they will do and talk about when he comes back and rescues them both from a hangover.

Owen's motorcycle, parked next to his car and covered with a thick tarp, makes him smile and roll his eyes. He doesn't seem to have fully realized that this skinny-ass sparrow is now his problem.

But Ty doesn't mind.

(My original work is in Ukrainian and this is a translation. If you find any mistakes, feel free to correct me in comments or DM me on Twitter.)

[yottakitsune]

Sleep was fitful and full of dreams. Some were mine, some were 2B's, but all were memories. I awoke to a girl poking at me with a stick. "Is she dead?" someone behind her asked.

"Doubtful," said another voice. "She's starting to move."

I didn't wait for them to say much else before I batted the stick away with a hand and sat up. "Yes, she's alive." I looked around at the people I found myself surrounded by. An older man and woman, probably middle-aged, and a daughter. "Sorry if I broke into your house."

"We just got here," said the daughter honestly before either of her parents could interject.

"We used to live in the area," explained the father. "Why are you here?" He folded his arms over his chest and tried to look intimidating, but he was scrawny and flabby. Not to mention, he's just a regular human. Nothing I couldn't handle.

"Resting. The house looked abandoned, and I figured I could get some rest and not get harassed by the soldiers here." The Pod had made itself scarce, probably hiding in the same place my inventory was kept. "I should go." If that had been a nuke, these people were already dead. If it wasn't, I would kill them by being around them.

"Are you sure?" asked the mother. "Aren't you blind?" She pointed at my blindfold.

"Positive. And I can manage better than most." I pushed my body back to its feet and walked past them. They said something, but I ignored them. I didn't feel right being around them, and I didn't want to get attached to anybody else. The next few years were going to be rough.

I continued my run along the abandoned freeway through into the day and back to night, though the further I got from Jericho, the more numerous people became. More than five hundred miles away, I finally stopped at a motel that looked as abandoned as the house. A few cars were parked out front, but they all looked like they had been there for years with multiple flat tires and the windows busted out.

Once my Pod had confirmed that nobody was around, I crawled into the back of a delivery van and curled up on a pile of musty packing blankets and pulled a few over me to keep myself hidden. "Pod, keep an eye out for any humans or Legion that approach. Hell, if an animal decides to climb in, wake me up for that, too."

"Confirmed. Engaging sentry mode with desired targets." It hovered over me and slowly spun in circles. I pulled the dusty blankets over my head and went idle. There was no telling when I would be forced to move on. Maybe Pod could help me get one of the cars operational...

I was idle for a good twelve hours while my body restored its power and energy levels. In that time, nothing disturbed my hiding spot, and for that, I was grateful. I climbed back out and popped the hood to the van. If nothing else, I could make use of it as a mobile home. "Pod, I could use a diagnostic on this thing. I need to know what's wrong."

The Pod scanned the moving van and circled it a few times. "Report: vehicle is inoperable due to no fuel, insufficient charge in its power supply, and three tires well below recommended inflation. Marking suitable replacements on the map."

Having Pod was handy. Having way beyond a human strength was also handy since I was able to tear the hood off the car I needed the battery out of. Grabbing a hose and a 5 gallon gascan, I siphoned as much gas as I could from everything else in the parking lot, and after four or five trips, I had almost a full tank of gas. Everything was going quickly and smoothly until I made my way to the last quest marker. It wasn't new tires. It was a bicycle tire pump. "God damn it all..." Today just got longer.

Thirty minutes of using a bike pump on six oversized wheels later, the van was back on the road and putting more distance than ever before between me and Jericho. My Pod hovered beside me and, without directives from The Bunker, would occasionally ask what my objective was. I really didn't know. Until now, it had been 'survive,' but I didn't know what to do beyond that. I only made brief stops so I didn't burn out the old engine and did my best to keep fuel topped off, and the old beast managed to keep going for a week at max speed.

Once I started seeing other cars with people inside them, I slowed down and went someplace else. At this point, the fate of the world was sealed. If there was a Red Eye now, everything was going to progress rapidly until humanity was extinct, with me technically being the only survivor. At least I had no intentions of dying quickly. "Son of a bitch," I spat as the van sputtered and died on the side of the road. After pounding my fist on the steering column a few times in frustration to let the van know exactly what it had done to disappoint me, I got out and continued on foot. The whole country had descended into chaos as the infected and clean alike panicked over their situation.

And then there was me plodding along as though it wasn't my fault in the slightest. Just me and a hovering book that shouldn't exist. I kept Pod hidden most days since that would only draw even more unwanted attention to myself, and even then, rumors of my activities still cropped up from time to time. I heard about a silver-haired angel that could tear through Legion like butter who weilded weapons no human could. I grimaced but said nothing about those rumors. It would just make a fuss if I did.

One night, as I made my way out of the current town I had passed through, I got a small blip on my radar from the guy a split second before I was struck. It was a simple tazer, but for an Android like myself, it was terribly effective. I locked up, and my HUD and vision filled with static for several seconds until he felt I had been subdued. "Target apprehended," I heard him say into his comms. There was a pause while he listened to the other end through his earpiece. "Affirmative. I'll get the Angel loaded up and taken to base. It shouldn't be too hard." I was suddenly reminded about how I weighed in the neighborhood of 400 pounds, and if I could have smiled, I would have.

"Got it. I'll submit my report in the morning. Fen Dweller out." He cut the channel and grabbed me by the waist before he almost threw out his back trying to pick up the dead weight that was my body. The next ten minutes were of him trying to figure out how somebody so scrawny could weigh so much. My systems were still repairing and resetting, so I could only sit tight. He put me into some bindings and closed the back of his truck as I laid there in the dark. The last thing I could hear before Pod shut me off to complete the repairs was that the truck turned on and drove down the desert roads.

[zacharyja]

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Exploring Kyoto and Teramachi Street

Today began as per usual, around 11 where I then showered and got ready for the day. After getting up and about I wanted to go to a doughnut shop to get some breakfast but all the ones near me were closed for whatever reason, I guess business is slow on tuesday’s. Alternatively, I opted for a local bakery called “Flip Up” which seemed to have lots of good options for baked goods. It was sort of funny to see lots of signs everywhere displaying the initials of “FU”, felt a bit intimidating to say the least.

I ended up getting a few things including a bagel, a sort of breadstick with bacon inside, and some other bread which tasted sort of like rye bread and had some type of cream cheese-esque filling. All of the different types of bread were really good and I’m considering getting another bagel tomorrow if the doughnut shops are still closed. While at the bakery, a father came in with his child in a stroller, and I was pretty shocked to see that he just left his child outside the store while he bought his baked goods. I guess it’s just a different culture here and this definitely would not happen in the United States, as people would never leave their child unattended outside.

Once I had purchased all of my breakfast foods, I found a nearby park where I could sit down and enjoy my breads outdoors. I rode my bike about 7 minutes to the park, which was also conveniently nearby to Teramachi street, which is a popular shopping area and is usually bustling with people. The park itself was decent enough for what I wanted to use it for, and it was nice to just chill out and sit down doing some people watching as I enjoyed my breakfast.

Once I was full and feeling energized I rode my bike over a bit and parked it at a Family Mart along Teramachi street. I then decided to stroll around and do some shopping through the street as I have yet to get to shop around alone since being here and wanted to be able to take my time looking at whatever I wanted to see. I found myself in a lot of cool stores and was tempted by many things but I remained vigilant and didn’t really buy much as I tend to be very picky with buying things. I ended up going to a few vintage clothing stores, including another second street, and found a few pairs of pants that I liked but none of them fit how I had hoped so I left empty handed. One thing about Japan vintage/thrift stores that bother me is that most of the selection is filled with American/European clothing, and I don’t exactly want to buy random University of Michigan sweaters when I can get that at goodwill for half the price in the states. I want to buy Japanese clothing that I won’t be able to find anywhere else but it is seemingly very hard to come by. I did however keep walking and passed by a store with a shirt hanging up which said “Cats and Beer” and had a pretty fun design on it, and I decided to buy this as I really liked the shirt in general. Nearby I ended up passing shrine, which was odd to see in such a busy shopping area. The shrine is called “Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine” and is dedicated to the Shinto Deity Tenjin, who is the the patron kami of academics and learning. The shrine also includes stone cows which are said to represent the divine messengers of the deity.

After this I walked around some more and grabbed a few snacks from the 7/11 nearby. I then headed back to my hotel to shower and have a snack before heading to dinner. Yesterday I got some fruit from the local grocery store, kiwi, pineapple, and grapes, and I demolished all of it in about 5 minutes flat. I feel that the Japanese diet does not include many vegetables or fruits, which is a shame as all the fruit and vegetables that I’ve had here have been super fresh and tasty. Maybe i’m just ordering wrong but the only time i’ve seen vegetables they have been an odd variety and are always pickled for some reason. I also am a big fan of these types of small alleyways that feel like just a hallway with shops and stores in either side, very fun to meander along!

After a bit I met up with my friend at a nice steakhouse called “Pound” which I was pretty excited for as some nice Japanese beef sounded amazing for today. The restaurant was pretty nice inside and the menu was unique in that it showed a picture of a cow including all the cuts of meat and you got to choose which cut of beef you wanted as well as the weight. This was fun getting to see the descriptions of the cuts of meat and choosing what I wanted. I ended up choosing the Top Round cut, as it seemed like a lean and tender piece of beef. I also ended up ordering rice and the meal came with bread so I was looking at a pretty solid meal in front of me. My friend ordered the short rib which looked pretty good but was a bit more fatty.

I ended up destroying this meal in its entirety and was extremely full after, definitely either my first or second favorite meal i’ve had since coming to Japan and it cost half of what it would in the United States, so I am sitting pretty happy at this point. That pretty much concludes my day as I am not really doing anything else noteworthy, Hope you all have a nice day!

[nikkireedsource]

Nikki Reed Doesn't Believe in "Good" or "Bad" Dieting Days

Everyone thinks actresses deprive themselves and have ninja-level discipline. I'm here to tell you that healthful habits needn't be synonymous with Hollywood thinness.

Welcome to Take Five, my new recurring beauty and nutrition column on ELLE.com culled from a lifelong passion for animals, the outdoors, and feeling good. For me, the notion of taking five—whether the number pertains to ingredients in a food or just a moment to ask your body how it's feeling—can make all the difference. Consider this your 300-second-long wellness retreat.

Last post I sort of introduced my ethos as well as ideas and beliefs that govern my own relationship with health and wellness. I want to say one thing before I dive into today's topic: Please know that everything I do in my life (and explore here on ELLE.com) is based on what makes me feel good, what I have read, and what I have learned from the people with whom I surround myself. In fact, I am still finding what works for me and discovering the balance through trial and error. If you are fueled by what fuels me, please read on!

Just over six years ago, I quit smoking. This decision was, to say the least, a major turning point in my life. It was one of the greatest challenges I've ever faced and I had little to no guidance nor a strong example leading me. I remember calling my dad during a very delicate time in our adult relationship and saying, 'I don't know if I can do it.' At the age of 21, I had never even stepped on a treadmill. I smoked and I drank Diet Coke; that was my life. Somehow I knew it had to change, and this was the first step.

While most people turn 21 and decide to go out and party, I turned 21 and decided that I was going to become somebody that I never thought I could be: somebody who cares about herself and her body, her future, and her health. I remember crying on the phone on day one of quitting, and my dad (even though he didn't smoke) just saying, 'Hey, we'll do it together. No big deal. We'll get healthy together.' It was that simple to him, and it unknowingly created a bond between us that has evolved into one of, if not the, most important relationships in my life. We rely on each other for motivation, we share articles about health and food, and we inspire each other in ways I could never imagine. He and I began talking on the phone while holding onto the counter and doing squats (I'm not kidding). As a result of creating a more thoughtful regimen for himself, my dad lost weight, lowered his cholesterol—which was the main objective—and felt better about life, his career, the way he looked, and the way he felt. He essentially became the life example I needed. It's worth noting that, if you look at my father now, he looks younger than he did 20 years ago.

The reason I am telling you this story is because there is no right time to decide to get healthy. You can be 21 and starting over, which can have its downsides—let's just say I wasn't the "coolest" kid on the block because my lifestyle shifted in a way that made me a bit of an outcast. (Not drinking or smoking wasn't really on-trend back then.) You can also be 50 and decide that you need to make a change. It works at any age, so long as you're committed to seeing it through.

Honestly, it's the little changes that make the difference. I've embraced the mentality that while I work I can also be working out. For example, for my birthday this year, my brother and father decided to make me a standup desk; now, while I'm on a business call, I'm also going to be moving my feet a little bit or walking around. You can also sit on a ball at your desk so you are forced to work on posture. I ride my bike when I can so that I don't have to drive, and this leads me to my next thought: being mindful when it comes to our environment. In California we're currently in a drought. In the last two weeks since I've been back from Europe, I've seen a drastic shift in our water supply. When your home relies on a well as ours does, you are extremely aware of what is actually happening amidst a water crisis. Ian and I have spent a lot of time figuring out ways to avoid water overconsumption. We no longer wash our dishes with the water running, instead we soap them up and do a quick, one-time rinse. When we brush our teeth, we don't let the water run. I've also taken to shampooing my hair and then turning the water on to rinse. It's the little things we can all do, we just have to make it a point to actually do them. We have to hold ourselves accountable, not for validation, but simply because we understand what it means if we don't. Okay, PSA over.

Now, just because I love writing and talking about this stuff doesn't mean that I'm always strict with my intake. For the most part I try to stay away from high fructose corn syrup and citric acid. I try to eat things, as I wrote before, with less than five ingredients. Other than that, moderation is pretty hard for me. I wish I could be the woman that was like, 'Yeah, I can have cookies in my regular diet because I can just have one bite of a cookie and walk away.' Nope! When I see a tray of cookies I want the whole fucking tray. That's just how it is. I believe in the cheat day. Instead of saying, 'I'm going to have one pancake for breakfast and then one bite of a dessert at dinner,' I try to eat clean six days a week and then on Sundays, I have a free-for-all. Now, I definitely don't eat seven pizzas and 20 donuts, but I have days when I'm not constantly monitoring what I'm doing. It really is all about the majority. (See some of my must-have healthstore items, below.)

Clockwise from left-to-right: Numi tea; goji berries; Ezekiel bread; Go Raw protein powder; Manna bread; Brain Octane; Two Moms in the Raw granola; Kale crunch snacks; Raw-revolution snack bars; local honey.

I try to think of food like fuel. I don't look at calories; I just look at ingredients. If my body were an engine, what would make it run? What would make it perform at its highest level? If I want to be able to go for a three mile run in the morning and I wake up and eat a plate of waffles, I know that I'll feel less motivated and more sedated due to all that wheat and sugar. I try to think, 'What makes me feel strong?' But that doesn't mean that the things I put in my body have less calories. They could even have more calories, but I wouldn't know because I don't count them! Sometimes I make smoothies that are at least 800 calories per smoothie; I eat an entire avocado with a spoon as a snack; I consume more than most men I know. This lifestyle is not about being skinny.

Also, can I just say it? I hate the word "good" when its used with regard to food, and I really hate the word "dieting." Dieting, to me, refers to some temporary solution to feeling insecure. I like to look at my last six years as a lifestyle shift, not some temporary fix so that I can look better in tighter clothing. I wanted to feel better, stronger, and more confident. If I sent you a picture of my body right now—which, of course, I am reluctant to do because inevitably people will go, 'Oh, she's so full of shit'—you would see that I don't have a perfect, "fat-free body." In fact, I don't even know what that means. I have all kinds of "flaws" that, by industry standards, make me "imperfect." Here's what I do know: I'm healthy and I exercise. I also know that that is all I care about. I have a beautiful body, but it doesn't include a six pack. And, at some point, I will show you photos of what a normal-bodied, actress/writer, animal loving chick who's not super skinny looks like. Until then, take five.

Original article