#anyway. just be glad i resisted the cooking section

[six-of-ravens]

okay, killing time in walmart was less practical than I thought bc if I wander around a store for long enough I will be conned into buying just about anything

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 8

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7

There’s one scene in there I had in mind ever since I started writing that small fic and HELL YEH I’m gonna draw something about it at some point because fsdfbbsfbsdhbfgsbgdfguidfg it just looks aesthetically pleasing in my head.

ENJOY.

(also reminder that I base Donnie’s place on this video. The only part I change is the “kids” area - which is horrendous imo :’D - and I make into a lab/small training area)

There was something different in the air when Vee got to work the next day. This feeling that wanted to explode out in the open, an incessant rush in her veins that made her heart beat faster whenever she’d spot the terrapin. Their tasks for the day didn’t give them much time to talk, but everytime they’d be exchanging words or documents, there was this longing sensation that slowed down time to a honey sweet pace. Fingers brushing against the other, light touches here and there. Professionalism remained king in the work place and they intended to keep it as such.

By the end of the day, she knew she couldn’t leave without at least wishing a good and proper evening to the mutant. She walked to his office, remaining at the doorframe as she watched him place various papers into a briefcase. Vee gently knocked, signaling her presence, to which Donnie responded by looking up to her and adorning the cutest smile.

“At least this time I didn’t scare you,” started the woman.

“As I said yesterday, I had a lot on my mind. At least today my thoughts are a little clearer, so I can’t be easily scared. Come in!” he added, gesturing for Vee to step inside.

“I won’t take much of your time, I just wanted to check up on you before leaving.”

The turtle placed some final documents in the case, snapping it closed afteward.

“I was actually about to leave as well. Want me to drive you back home?”

“Do you have something planned?” asked Vee, raising a brow with a small smile.

Donnie faked pondering, lightly drumming his fingers on his desk: “Hmm, I suspect I might be spending the evening with a pretty lady, if she agrees.”

“Lucky her, I’m sure she’ll say yes,” winked the woman.

Already on the move, Donnie offered a hand for Vee to hold, the duo then walking together in order to reach the indoor garage at some levels below.

“Is it okay, though? Did you have something to do after work?” asked the terrapin.

“I was planning on having a drink back home, but if I can share one with you, that’d be even better.”

“How about you have that drink at my place? I have a couple of bottles that might interest you.”

“You know that if I am to step foot into your place, I will be incredibly jealous, right? ... I’m sure you must be living in a luxurious place or something.”

“A little castle in the sky, but it sure is missing a beautiful presence inside of it.”

Vee blushed, definitely enjoying the compliments that were left here and there.

Once in the vehicle, the duo made their way to the streets, the conversation light and simply glad the week was finally over. Vee did notice that their path led them to streets that featured tall buildings in the Tribeca district. For a moment she felt out of place, definitely not the target audience for such a high-end environment, but her curiosity kept her on edge only to be able to get a view of Donnie’s place. They were first facing a tower with a blank stone facade, extending so high up in the sky. The entrance’s interior was as elegant and refined as the exterior, the place giving out this feeling of prestige from every corners. As they stepped inside an elevator, Vee’s eyes widened a little as she saw Donnie press the button for the 78th floor. Castle in the sky, indeed.

As they arrived at the desired level, they were soon facing the entry door, the turtle smirking to the woman as he held the doorknob and waited.

“Ready?”

“Open the damn thing already so I can cry a little inside,” answered Vee amusedly.

The door fully opened, she couldn’t retain her gasp as her eyes started to devour the interior of what was rightfully a penthouse.

The very first few rooms she saw around left her speechless, the single thought of ‘this is bigger than my whole damn apartment’ flooding her mind. She knew there would be more, her curiosity would lead her to visit every rooms anyway. She did notice french doors leading to an outdoor balcony, her instinct pushing her to get out and take in the view.

Stopping by the the rails, she could feel the refreshing gusts of wind go through her hair, accentuating the euphoria of being so high over the city.

“So, what do you think so far?”

She turned around to face Donnie, the terrapin leaning against the open doors’ frame, always this smile on his face - glad to see her reaction. Vee tried to play it cool, shrugging.

“Heh, I’ve seen better,” she joked.

“Ah damn, and I wanted to impress,” tsked the terrapin in a similar tone.

Vee couldn’t retain her smile any longer, happily trotting back inside.

“You still have your chances. Show me the rest!”

The lower level was also home to a small office and a formal living room, but the next area was what retained the woman’s attention the most.

The kitchen was a thing of beauty, Vee unable to resist the urge to feel the marbled island and counters, in awe of the space.

“Damn, I WISH I had such a kitchen. I'd be cooking all the time!”

“You fancy yourself as a chef?” questionned Donnie.

“I do like to experiment from times to times,” she winked back.

She clapsed her hands together, bringing another subject on a rather similar topic:

“SO! What should we eat? I could even prepare something if you want.”

The turtle waved that offer away.

“Nonsense, you're my guest, you shouldn't be doing anything of that sort. … I uh-” He opened some cupboards, then the fridge and its freezer. “Wow, I have almost nothing! Except one frozen pizza for dire situations,” he added, waving a box out in the open with an unpleased expression.

Vee was instantly on board: “You know what? Fuck yeah. It's Friday night, we deserve that.”

“Now that's a line of thought I can get behind.”

As Donnie was starting to preheat the oven, Vee got closer, some questions raising in her mind:

“Although, I'm kinda susprised you don't have much variety, judging by the size of this place.”

“Not gonna lie, I need to go grocery shopping,” shrugged the mutant. “Also that tends to happen at certain times of the month. Mikey has us go through our stock, fresh and canned, in order to donate to food banks and soup kitchens.”

“That's amazing and kind!” Vee was pleasantly surprised.

“He does have this city at heart, and he loves to give back to the people,” continued Donnie. “We all love the idea. Since we can afford pretty much anything we want, it's only fair that we help those in needs. … Heck, this city has done a lot for us in the past and we had to rely on what others were throwing away for us to survive. Now it's time to pay back.”

“I find that to be very admirable,” commented the woman gently. “… Not a lot of people would do the same.”

“Indeed. It’s not because we’re mutants that it means we’re savages. We do have some heart under our shells,” he playfully added.

The oven ready, the food was placed to cook and the tour then continued. As Vee was heading to the staircase in order to reach the upper level, Donnie stopped her, pressing a button nearby and opening a encased door in the wall to reveal a small elevator.

“Show off!” laughed Vee

“What?! It can be helpful!” he quipped back with a smile.

The second floor offered two sections, one part leading to the bedroom, but the other leading to entertainement and other things. They first got to the media room, the place cozy for a nice and quiet evening.

But Vee’s eyes brought her to the glass doors that led to a juliet balcony, not wasting any time to open them and take another good look at the city.

She sighed dreamily, barely hearing the faint clinking of glasses and a bottle opening back inside.

“You like the view, don’t you?” started Donnie as he next got near, offering her a glass of red wine.

“It looks and feels like a dream. Didn’t know such a place could be found in this city.”

As she took it, the terrapin next sled his free hand and forearm gently around her waist, unable to resist the need to feel her closer... Vee did not mind, actually leaning back a little against him, gladly taking a sip of her drink before answering:

“You’d be surprised, there are bigger places laying around.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t look as tasteful as yours.”

“Nonsense. It only looks good right now ‘cause you’re in here. ... Any places you’re in looks a thousand times better than before.”

Vee’s blush was more apparent as she could feel the other gently nuzzle the top of her head, slowly making his way to a temple and leaving a soft kiss there.

“You’re one heck of a charmer, did you know that?” added the woman with a smirk.

“I only aim to please, I can’t help it.”

She turned to face him, raising a brow in amusement.

“And so what now? You brought me to your place only so you could woo and please me?”

“That does sound like a good plan.”

The feel of his hand next cupping her cheek brought a shiver across the woman’s body, leaning slightly to his touch. His scales did feel foreign compared to human skin, but there was a certain softness to it as well that only made her crave for more...

“Each days I wake up and wonder if meeting you was ever a dream...,” softly said the mutant.

“I wouldn’t mind making it feel a bit more real to you.”

That brought a quiet chuck out of Donnie, but also gave him enough courage to lean in and place a sweet, slow kiss on Vee’s lips. Each instances would bring their bodies closer, the duo mindlessly making their way back inside and only breaking their kiss to leave their wine glasses on a nearby coffee table. It was that magnetism, a certain je ne sais quoi that sparked that fire in them whenever they’d get that close. Last evening’s passion was still lingering and right now it felt as if there had been no break at all since then. As Vee was starting to unbutton the mutant’s shirt, both heard a beeping sound, stopping them dead in their tracks. Their eyes fell on Donnie’s right wrist - his watch.

“Shit, the food,” said the terrapin. “I, uh, I’ll be right back,” he added, trying to gain back his senses. “I’ll get it out and let it cool for a bit on the counter.”

“Sure, go,” replied Vee with a small smile, slightly flustered as she replaced her crooked glasses and moved some strands of hair away from her face.

She took back her wine as she watched him go. A part of her was telling her to slow down, but on the other hand she couldn’t deny that the need was there - on both sides. What harm could there be? It was just about having a little bit of fun... She proceeded back to the hallway, sipping as her gaze scanned the decor. She heard hurried steps in the staircase, soon Donnie’s shape coming into view. He tried to play it cool as he noticed the woman looking at him, vaguely gesturing in the kitchen’s direction downstair.

“It’s ready whenever you want.”

Vee took another sip, then adding: “We still haven’t finished the tour yet. Let’s do that first!”

“There’s not much left, but alright.”

“‘Not much left’, says the guy who lives in a two-story penthouse WITH an elevator,” pointed Vee, amused.

The mutant chuckled, inviting the woman to follow him as he left a hand at the small of her back. The next part had been completely renovated in order to have one room be a small lab, and the other one be a private gym and training area.

“What kind of trainings do you do?” inquired Vee, looking around at the equipment.

“Mostly nin-uhm, martial arts,” Donnie quickly corrected himself.

“’Nin-uhm-martial-arts’, sounds interesting,” laughed the woman. “Any specialty?”

“Bōjutsu,“ he replied, grabbing a pole from a rack nearby.

Vee whistled in appreciation, her eyes scanning the weapon.

“I’ve heard that can pack quite a punch, surprisingly.”

“It’s good to whack some butts, not gonna lie,” added Donnie, rolling the staff in one hand. Then in one swift movement he brought the woman closer, the pole resting at her back. “It can also be helpful for some maneuvers,” he ended with a smirk.

“Such a tease,” said Vee, playfully tapping at his exposed plastron. “I wouldn’t say no to a demonstration.”

“Another day, perhaps.”

He let her free, putting the staff back to its resting place

“Aight, come on, one room left!”

“What about that lab part?” asked Vee, following the terrapin next.

“There’s nothing much to see, frankly. It’s pretty messy as well.”

“Or maybe you’re just a mad scientist and you don’t want me to see your evil inventions?”

Donnie faked a surprised gasp: “Alas, you’ve uncovered my secret!”

Both were laughing as they made their way to the last room; the master bedroom.

It was quite simple and charming, but the main feature remained the large windows that gave that same phenomenal view of the city. Vee took some time to appreciate the decor, sipping the last drops of wine from her glass.

“... I can’t imagine waking up every day with such a view,” she mused, her gaze drifting back to the windows. “You must feel on top of the world.”

“Wait, I can make it even better,” said the other as he moved to the light switch.

As soon as he turned the lights off, the room’s atmosphere changed, suddenly illuminated by a sea of stars below them.

Envelopped in darkness, yet glistening in colorful lights, Vee felt at peace - a hidden watcher over this tumultuous city. She next felt her glass gently get taken away from her hold, the mutant leaving it on a small table nearby. It didn’t take long for him to get back close to her, his arms surrounding Vee’s form as he stood behind her. The woman easily slipped into that feel good moment, closing her eyes and exposing a faint smile on her lips. He felt so strong, yet tender - the promise of a good man that would never do her wrong...

“... I’m so glad you’re here,” he murmured, his hands travelling along Vee’s arms in light touches.

Oh to hell with it. She decided to move out of Donnie’s hold, proceeding to remove her shirt. She turned around to face him, noticing his gaze studying her form and probably a bit surprised to suddenly see her in her bra. But she didn’t give a damn. That’s what she wanted.

“And I’m glad to be here,” she answered calmly.

She heard that deep churr rise again in the mutant’s chest, an expression of desire which would entice her so much in return... Vee couldn’t help bringing her hands to his exposed chest, feeling the faint vibration and appreciating the texture of his plastron. Her touch lowered, continuing her previous task of unbuttoning his shirt. The turtle helped a bit by detaching another button behind his neck and then at his lower back, allowing the clothing to be properly removed from around his shell’s attachment. Without a shirt, Vee could rightfully observe the terrapin’s muscles, her fingers lightly hovering his toned arms and appreciating every inches of what she saw. All it took was for their gazes to cross, her greens in his golds, to bring back that same need from earlier. Kiss me again and again, and never stop...

The feel of his lips was pure addiction at this point. A slow dance that lightened up all her senses. Soon enough he was sitting down on the bed, Vee inviting herself unto his lap only so she couldn’t break their kissing. To feel his three-fingered hands across her skin kept her in such an incessant need, feeling like she was drowning in-between her legs. The terrapin dared to unclasp and remove her bra, although the whole movement felt very natural. In return, the woman removed her glasses, as well as Donnie’s, taking a moment to admire his traits.

“... You have such beautiful eyes,” she cooed, next tenderly sliding his bandana away.

She couldn’t get over the feeling of his scales under her fingers, soon nuzzling his cheek and her lips trailing light kisses here and there.

“Fais-moi l’amour (make love to me),” she whispered.

Donnie answered with a stronger churr, his hands travelling lower on Vee’s body only to bring her closer into one delicious wave motion, her lower core meeting his hidden erection. The movements were repeated, getting a momentarily release for all that sudden need. It was when he started to hear quiet moans out of her that he decided ‘screw it‘ and proceeded to shift her position to have her lay on the bed, on her back. Bringing himself over her, he left some kisses on her lips before starting to trail along her features, his tone husky as he started:

“You smell nice...”

He went along her throat, his pace slow and delightful. His path led him lower and lower, from her breasts to her stomach.

“I’m sure you taste nice too,” he added.

Sitting on his knees, he brought Vee’s hips over his thighs, but he gave himself a pause, his palm caressing the front part of her jeans.

“You good? You still wanna go on with this?” asked the terrapin.

She nodded, biting her lip in delight.

“Absolutely, or else I wouldn’t be laying here, half naked. ... What about you?”

He smiled, already at the task of unbuttoning and unzipping Vee’s pants.

“I never want to stop.”

In one swift movement, he removed her panties as well, undressing her completely without issue. He took a moment to study her form softly illuminated by the lights outside. She was a work of art to his eyes and right now he felt like the luckiest man alive... He lovingly squeezed her hips and altered with languid caresses over the woman’s skin, only to next bring one of his hands closer to her core, his thumb starting in slow circles over her clit. He could feel the relief washing over Vee’s body, her waist lightly following his motion only so she could feel more. The greater her need, the more Donnie didn’t want to let go. He even got to slip one finger in her at some point, her moans an absolute delight as he took his time. After a moment, he dared get his finger out, his gaze plunged in Vee’s as he licked his digit with a low churr.

“... You do taste nice,” he commented lovingly. “Now I wonder how you’d feel around me.”

Vee was unable to speak, her heart beating so hard and throwing any reason out the window... As she saw Donnie about to unzip his pants, she got on the move and decided to take the matter in her own hands. They joined in a kiss as she got to the task, the mutant’s hands caressing her skin and sometimes getting lost in her hair, visibly as much in need as her for their imminent union. He was able to get out of his pants and underwear in a slight clumsy fashion, but he was quickly back on his knees, allowing Vee to observe him. Of a mixed pink and purple color, his penis did present some characteristics that were not human, such as a slightly flared tip. As it had been internal until now, the organ was coated in natural lubricant when out, most probably allowing for an easier penetration and accomodation to any partner. He was a bit longer than what Vee ever experienced with other partners, but right now her desire was surpassing any concerns. They didn’t need to speak, Vee bringing the mutant into another kiss, allowing herself to climb back into his lap only for their cores to meet and rub in a delicious manner. The world around them was a blur of shadows and lights, only their presence the most real and tangible aspect in the room. Their thoughts were a cloud of mixed emotions, but right now what mattered most was that they wanted this. They needed this. A demonstration of love they’ve been holding back for some time now... Donnie instinctively started to shift forward, getting Vee back on the mattress. He was careful enough to hold back some of his weight on her, having enough strength to sustain himself, even when the woman would cling to him. He felt her legs gently caress along his, finding the best position to hold close to his hips, his shell proving to be somewhat of a challenge. That slight shift in her position allowed for better friction, the turtle’s languid motions bringing delighted mewls out of Vee. At some points he could feel his tip trying to slip in, to which he thought ‘fuck it’ and decided to go all in. Vee’s gasp brought him to a pause, remaining inside of her only so she could adjust.

“You okay?” he murmured, encouraging her with some kisses here and there on her features.

She nodded, her fingers lovingly going across his scales at his neck and shoulders.

“I’ll go slow, I promise,” he added.

He’d never excuse himself if he ever were to hurt her, anyway. His churr rumbled again as he slowly moved his hips in a circular motion, Vee sticking to him like glue. Her toes were curling due to pleasure, her body soon following Donnie’s pattern only to better meet his thrusts. Some slurred “fuck” and “oh oui” would leave her at times, sometimes interrupted by kisses that translated all the desire in her. At some point Donnie shifted their position so they would lay on their sides, still facing eachother. He helped one of Vee’s leg to stay up, his palm resting behind her thigh, allowing her to feel his muscles at work.

“You feel so good,” he complimented, back into an amorous motion.

The friction created by this new proximity was bringing Vee on edge. She was unable to answer anything, her breathing making her lose her words. It was the only encouragement the mutant needed, nuzzling her as he kept going. Everything felt so natural. As if all the pieces of an intricate puzzle had finally been assembled. There was this sensation of completion between them, knowing that something in their bond would definitely shift - hopefully for the best.

“You like that, baby? I won’t stop. I wanna feel you cum around me...”

She moaned his name in return, her eyes remaining shut as she lost herself even more in the moment. Every touches and kisses heightened all sensations, bringing both of them to an edge they so very craved for. Feeling Vee’s body tensing up slightly, the terrapin knew she was close to an orgasm, lightly squeezing his hold on her and bringing her into a french kiss. His thrusts were a little more forceful, their bodies tingling in anticipation. It was when she gasped for air, her nails digging into his scales, that he knew she was high on a cloud. He could feel her walls deliciously clamp around him, the sensation bringing him to his own edge as well. His orgasm brought him to slow his pace to long and langorous pumps. Their moans intertwined, riding this wave together. Neither of them wanted to depart once the high died down, keeping close and slowly petting eachother. Vee did bring Donnie’s attention on her as she left small kisses along his jawline. His golden eyes seemed to shine in this surreal lighting, conveying many unspoken words. There was this feeling of peace he never experienced with anyone else before. An affirmation that this was where he belonged, in her arms, as well as she belonged in his. They were still connected and it felt so right...

“Well, now that really opened my appetite,” finally said Vee with a small smile.

He smiled in return, leaving a kiss on her forehead. His appetite was growing as well, and for many things too...

***

Only wearing their underwears and glasses, both were now cuddled up in blankets on the couch in the media room, the television on to a random channel as they were eating their pizza (which they had to reheat, to their amusement). As they finished their meal, Vee did not mind cuddling closer to the turtle, simply enjoying eachother’s presence. Her attention did drift from the television at some point, observing Donnie’s traits instead. She was used to seeing him with his purple bandana, but even with a bare face and only his glasses he still had a lot of charms. He had a kind face and the cutest snout, the mere sight of him a wonder when compared to humankind. The terrapin did notice her focus on him at some point, smirking.

“Yes? Can I help you, madame?”

“I have a question.”

“Outrageous,” he added playfully. “... Do tell.”

She shifted her position a bit, bringing an arm against his chest, softly petting the scales at his collarbone and base of his neck.

“Why do you and your brothers wear those bandanas? ... If it’s too personal, you don’t need to answer.”

His smile was renewed and sweet, his arm around her bringing his hand to pet her shoulder and skin in return.

“I don’t mind answering at all, although I’ll skip some details.... But long story short, it was a gift given to us by our father, years ago. It has a great significance for us and it’s still a great proof of all we had to learn and overcome in order to be who we are today.”

“Something symbolic then, that’s nice,” added Vee. “As long as it brings something positive in your life, that sure can be as nice as anything. .... Also, not gonna lie, purple looks good on you.”

“It’s my favorite and it’s the best color, that’s why! What’s your favorite color?”

Vee was amused by this simple question, but that brought her to move once more. She was now straddling the terrapin, her eyes scanning him as she answered:

“It’s green.”.

“Oh,” added the other in amusement. “So I guess I must be quite the jackpot for you?”

"You're everything I want..."

There was no ounce of hesitation as she leaned forward to give him a sweet kiss. Donnie easily gave in, his hands resting at the small of the woman’s back This time there was no shyness in-between them, only comfort and peace. Soon enough the television was nothing but background noise as they kept going for a second round that night...

((Part 9))

[westershiresauce]

Headcanon: Deus Ex Scuba Gear

Note: Spoilers for Bly Manor. 

So, here is my Bly Manor/Supergirl crossover crackfic headcanon where Kara is Dani and her ex Mike gets killed by a truck when he walks into traffic after Kara comes out to him and breaks off their relationship.

“Mike, I think I’m gay,” the blonde whispers, too ashamed to speak any louder. The man next to her tenses slightly before a look of relief washes over him.

“Oh thank God,” he says, and smiles at a confused Kara.

“What? You’re okay with this?” Mike shrugs and shoots the woman his frustratingly disarming grin. 

“I mean, am I glad I’m being dumped? No. Am I relieved that the reason is you aren’t into guys? Kind of.” Kara wrinkles her brows in confusion and he continues. 

“I mean, I know I’m hot.” Mike grins again and winks at the blonde who purses her lips at his peacocking, “I thought maybe you were just frigid or something.”

“Mike!” Kara looks around to make sure no one is listening. Mike laughs and she shoots him a glare. 

“Hey, you’re the one that decided to break my heart at the corner of a major intersection.” 

He winks at her and she advances on the man, trying to shut him up. He skips away from her, ignoring the fact that he is now in the crosswalk of the intersection. 

“Mike! Stop fooling around!” the blonde pleads but the man ignores her. 

“Hey, were you checking out chicks while we were together?” He waggles his eyebrows and Kara balls her fists at her sides. She refuses to take the bait. The man just laughs at her silence. “Dude, you totally did. What’s your type?” 

He goes quiet suddenly and his face lights up. Kara shakes her head. It is seldom a good thing when the man gets a light bulb moment. 

“Hey Kara,” his face gets lecherous and Kara readies herself for some horrifying comment, “Would you let me watch?” 

Kara’s face blooms red with embarrassment and anger. She steps closer to jab her finger against the man’s face and get her point across. However, Mike anticipates this and he takes another step back, grin still in place even as a truck barrels into his body. Kara stares in shock, midstep and with her finger still in the air as Mike is flung at least twenty feet down the street. The smell of burning rubber as the truck attempts to stop and the blaring sound of a horn being pressed much too late fill her senses. 

Kara: “No, Mike, not gay as in happy. Good lord, dude!”

Kara is at the hospital when Mike is pronounced dead. Rhea never really liked her so she leaves for her apartment, still shaken but confused about how she feels about what happened. On the one hand she feels responsible for what happened, but on the other hand, she almost feels relieved. Until, that is, she goes to wash her hands in the bathroom and sees Mike standing behind her. She screams and when she turns around, he is gone. It isn’t until a few days later that she hears someone walking around her apartment that she realizes what happened. She grabs her trusty bat and walks out, expecting some coke addict rifling through her bookshelves but instead sees Mike, pawing at her bookcase. He grunts in frustration when his hand goes through a book but cheers when he manages to knock one onto the floor. Kara drops the bat in shock and Mike turns around, grins wide and puts a hand up in a peace sign, just like when he was alive.

Mike: “I’m still here, bro!”

Turns out Mike is tethered to Kara and it is a horrible, cruel curse. He is both the best and worst wingman and Kara is still not convinced he doesn’t try to peek when she is getting dressed or showering but he also helps her learn to be more confident. All his shameless arrogance makes him a great cheerleader, at least once they talk about some ground rules.

1. No creeping on Kara in the bathroom or when she is changing. Mike scoffs at this and mutters about being able to creep on hotter ladies. 

2. No unsolicited advice or comments about women that Kara is not interested in pursuing a relationship with. This is added after a week of Mike making comments about women that had Kara blushing constantly, even at work.

3. No watching when Kara has a lady over. She wasn’t sure where Mike disappeared off to when she did manage to have a date come back to her place but he would always leave after shooting Kara another peace sign and telling her to “do the circle thing I showed you.”

It all hits the fan when Rhea gets wind of Kara dating women and she packs up and leaves. She does not want to deal with that fallout and she would rather get a fresh start somewhere else. Where is that where else? London, Bly Manor, American au pair, you know the rest.

Kara: “Yeah, I’m gonna take a one way and gtfo of here.”

Who are our players at Bly?

Our cook Owen Sharma is good old Jack Spheer because sometimes these things write themselves. And who is our beloved Hannah Grose? Why, Lucy Lane. Because she was too good and I always want to see more of her. Plus she can be a stern little spitfire with the kids and ghosties (The kids refer to her to as Major). She takes her fine self and daydreams about the moment that charming Jack came over to get the job as a cook, not dead, just as a useless hetero (is that a thing? It is now...) that can’t fathom for some reason that Jack is totally in love with her.

As for Rebecca Jessel and Peter Quint? Kelly Olsen (the only character with any brain cells half the time) and Andrea Rojas, our muy caliente Scotsman. Is that racist? No, but her horrendous accent might be a crime. This version has none of the controlling assholeroy of Peter and no secretly killing Rebecca. Just good old bad luck in a horror series. Andrea gets drunk and tries to dive into the lake to find the chest of loot she is convinced is down there so her and Kelly can run away to America. 

Andrea: “This is a file on all the reasons you should run away from this haunted ass creepy mansion and come with me to America. Also, there is a map I drew of the lake with an X where the loot most definitely is.”

Kelly: “This is just a picture of you in lingerie and a sheet of paper you colored blue with a big red X in the middle.” 

Kelly dies trying to save her when Andrea starts to get hypothermia and they both drown in the freezing lake. Because why bury your gays when you can drown them? Amiright? Who finds their bodies the next day? This leads to the following section: Next slide, please!

Who is standing in for Miles and Flora Wingrave? Why, Ruby and a tiny Nia, of course. Nia is a sweet baby angel and I want to meet her as a little sister, totally doted on by her big sister, Ruby. Nia sees Andrea and Kelly arguing like lesbians (so much hand waving and crying and angry whispering) on the far end of the lake while their blue popsicle bodies float around. Ruby and Lucy drag little Nia away from the scene.

Nia: “My giant scarf is perfectly splendid! Also, I am baby.” 

Things get really spicy when Kara shows up, ghost!Mike and all. He complains about not being able to haunt the “hot chick from apartment 314” any more, but he perks up at the thought of “British broads.” Kara had hoped he was tethered to National City or something, but it appears he is linked to her. Mike is ecstatic when he finds out Bly is full of ghosts. He is always off somewhere exploring the mansion and only pops in to tell Kara snippets of Bly’s history and its many inhabitants. 

Meanwhile, we get to the real star of this indulgent charade. Lena as the wonderfully fit Irish (let her have the accent!) gardener, Jaime. She is convinced Kara is a corn-fed straighty from America until Kara throws herself at her in the greenhouse because flowers turn on lesbians (see Imagine You and Me and Georgia O'Keeffe’s many works. This is sapphic lore, kids.) She opens up about Mike and Lena smooches her so she doesn’t have to listen to the hot blonde’s delusions. 

Lena: “What do you mean it is too bright? What book? This is a watering can for my gardening activities. So is my fashionable, appropriately sized hat.”

Kara: *OMG she is so hot and cool, what do I do?* “Hey, do you guys do the circle thing in the UK?” 

Meanwhile, things are getting interesting with Mike and the ghosts: Kelly and Andrea, newly minted Bly ghosts, explain that they are stuck on the grounds. Mike, who believes in having the freedom of “you do you,” vows to break the curse. He strikes a heroic pose that makes Andrea roll her eyes but Kelly agrees they need to find out more about the origins of the Bly Manor curse. 

Flashback episode in a horrid b/w tone because I want to show this is old, okay. It’s not like we could figure it out by the clothes. Or the set dressing. Or the fact that the one of the characters died of “the lung.”

Anyway, we have our sisters, Viola and the other one. Their names don’t really matter because they are going to be the brunette one and the blonde one, played by the queen of period series: Katie McGrath.   

Anger-y brunette Katie, getting her smacking hand ready. 

And blonde, sad (but also evil? plot twist!) Katie, lusting after her brother in law. 

And they fight over none other than Daddy Cullen, Maxwell Lorde, because look at that hair, look at all those buttons, look at that big hand! Who could resist? 

The child is baby Lena being twirled by Anger-y Katie pre-“the lung” because let’s just have this turn into a black hole that destroys itself. 

Baby Lena: “Swing me, mummy. Swing me with your good lungs!”

Anger-y Smack-You-Every-Time Katie: “I swung too close to the sky and now this is happening to me.”

So while Kara and Lena are christening all sorts of places at Bly (yes, even the master wing because, of course, the master wing), Mike, Andrea, and Kelly are incepting themselves into all sorts of memories and whatnot. Cue that montage!

404 ERROR. MONTAGE NOT FOUND. 

Whoops, looks like we blew our budget on that black and white filter. Sorry about that.

Once the ghost trio realizes the chest in the lake doesn’t in fact hold some dragon’s hoard of gold, but the key to ending this madness, Mike pops in on Lena and Kara to bring them up to speed. Kara screams at him about the third rule while Lena tries to accept the fact that her girlfriend (yes, they are girlfriends by now, keep up) has a ghost for a best friend. 

Kara makes Mike look away while her and Lena get dressed and after quite a bit of exposition, they decide to pull the chest up from the lake. Lucy and Jack have been off playing hide the croissant or whatever the straights do during their leisure time, but they quickly hop on the “break the Bly manor curse” train.  

There is a fun B (C?) plot where Ruby and Nia steal Jack’s car and drive into town. No one in town cares because they are rich and all the adults at Bly are busy romancing each other and assume the girls are being odd rich kids playing somewhere in the manor. 

The adults are planning how to get down to the chest without suffering Andrea and Kelly’s fate, when they find some scuba gear the kids bought on their last trip to town. It is wholly impractical but the adults shrug and accept the plot hole so they can hurry this along. 

They draw straws and Kara has to dive down and tie some chains around the sunken chest. Lena jumps in front of limited edition Scuba Gear Kara to stop her but the American has to America so she dives into the freezing lake after a swoon inducing “I’ll be right back” kiss. Like, gifable on tumblr, twitter, and whatever new platform there is a hundred years from now.  

Scuba Gear Kara: “Guys, I can’t see anything through this helmet. Guys?“

After a few tense moments where Anger-y Olden Time™ Katie tries to stop Kara, Mike, Andrea, and Kelly step in and use their ghost powers to keep her away from Kara. Jack uses his car to pull up the haunted chest and they pry it open with a crowbar and plenty of moxie. The screams of slap happy Katie of the past ring out around the heroes as the curse is broken. The ghosts cheer, everyone laughs nervously (they know the end is never the end in a horror story) and Kara shivers from the cold until she is next to the fire, dry and cuddled up with Lena.

As her final act of revenge, Anger-y Katie gives Kara the Lung(!) but thanks to the power of Science, our spunky American pulls through after properly completing the full course of treatment and antibiotics. This includes Lena taking sexy care of her girlfriend. *wink*

***** westershiresauce is not a medical professional and their thoughts regarding the health benefits/healing powers of a sexy nurse!Lena are not verified. Don’t take srsly. ***** 

Cut to, one more garden and I can retire, Lena, sitting next to an immaculate shrub, waiting for her wife Kara to bring out the tea and biscuits. 

THE END!

Lena: “I swear to all that is holy, if that tea is shite, I am leaving her. It’s been like thirty years!”  

[soysaucevictim]

Week 2.

-

Jan. 9

I woke up after 1PM, today.

Spent some time updating some logs, before getting in today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30″ star plank with EC. This was pretty manageable - left quads spasmed a little bit near the end there, though. Kind of a fun plank variation - especially the sense of trying not to let the hand plants slide out of control though.

(After getting a bit distracted...)

Last, Chapter 7 of the AoP.Chapter started off with 35 travel points taken - Level 2 as high knees again. Split that into 12+12+11.

I did today’s WO proper at Level 3 (7sets; this was pretty cardio-heavy). Started with nearly max rest but wound up halving it roughly to 1′. I did hop into and out of plank for the climber transitions. Though going down into those after the side-to-side jumps and jump knee tucks were a little awkward, mostly because of redirecting/orienting momentum for a sec.

I spent the rest of the night on a lot of the usual noise.

I went to bed obscenely late again, but somewhat earlier than yesterday.

-

Jan. 10

I woke up after 1PM and one of the first things I got done was exercise.

First, today’s DD. 60 scissors with EC (supine). This was just about manageable work. Liked not needing to keep head raised, but these sometimes do feel a bit awkward in the hip joints.

Last, Chapter 8 of the AoP. Today was an endurance/balance day.

First part, I did at Level 3 (2′ holds of each exercise x 3 sets.) with max rest. I only fell on my butt the last set of splits - was trying to adjust the position of my feet and just lost my center in process. But I got back up, laughed, and did my 2 minutes of that shortly after. This section took a lot of focus to try not to lose balance in face of muscle fatigue - but I’m glad I could manage it otherwise!

Second part, more endurance since it was arm work. I knew I was capable of holding my arms up for upwards to 12′ from past program work.But it was no less brutal to string 5′ frontal arm raise hold with 5′ speed bag punches. Got the eyes watering and needed to move around room to distract from arm fatigue a bit, especially during the former. For the latter, managed 650 punches by the time was up (listening to music helped - just gotta say I’m loving the “No Straight Roads” OST a lot).

After that, I made today’s Hello Fresh. Hoisin beef and cabbage. Would’ve been a bit better if I cooked the rice a bit more thoroughly... but I put up with it.

Spent most of the day chatting and watching movies with a friend. We watched “Romeo + Juliet“ and the third “Naked Gun“. Interesting movies (I kinda loved the anachronistic feelings in R+J as an adaptation - even if I’m more of a fan of “Macbeth”).

I went to bed later than yesterday.

-

Jan. 11

I woke up barely before 2PM today.

After a bit of the usual and picking up an Iced coffee, I did today’s exercise (listening to some Bloc Party.)

First, today’s DD. 1′ squat hops with EC. I counted 76 reps by the end - which was a barely sustainable pace for me. These always kill the quads something fierce. :,D

Last, Chapter 9 of the AoP. First things for the chapter was traveling again. First stretch from Lighthouse to Resistance Camp was 33TP and from Camp to mines being 5TP. Did it all at Level 2 as high knees again, split into (3x11)+5.

For workout proper, I did it at Level 3 (7 sets + 2x10 push-ups per). I admit my push-ups got pretty sloppy again (did try to bring attention to my pecs more, though). But stacking those on overhead punches definitely had my arms feel it.

Spent much of the day on the usual, poking the fic a little bit nearer the end of it.

Went to bed obscenely late again.

-

Jan. 12

I woke up after 1PM, today.

I did a bit of the usual before today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 squat hold side bends with EC. Felt my left hamstrings a bit more - but it was very manageable.

Last, Chapter 10 of the AoP. This started off with more traveling, 10TP. Level 2, as high knees, and done in one go.

Workout proper had the gimmick of requiring one to keep the arms behind self - so in keeping to that spirit I basically rested for little to no time (because I wouldn’t be able to reset the timer in between sets.) Anyways, I managed Level 3 easily enough, today.

After some chatting and sharing writing, made today’s Hello Fresh Dinner. Moroccan-Style chickpea and tomato stew. I liked it well enough - an interesting and complicated flavor profile for me (what with the lemon, cilantro, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika). It was fairly accessible to pops and bro was just okay with it.

Did some dishes and mostly chatted the night away.

Went to bed earlier than yesterday, still in the red zone.

-

Jan. 13

I briefly woke up around 10AM, but determined I was too tired to say up on so little sleep.

I slept till a bit after 2PM. Did some more of the usual before exercise again.

First, today’s DD. 40 knee crunches with EC. Manageable.

Last, Chapter 11 of the AoP. More traveling, 34TP this time. Level 2 as high knees, split into 12+11+11.

Did workout proper at Level 3 with max rest (5 sets, 2x10 push-ups per). Kinda sloppy push-ups but been trying to check-in with my pecs more. Lawnmowers are a pretty satisfying action and I generallly like everything but the push-ups. Pffft.

After a bit of the usual, I hit the showers. Spent rest of night doing a bit of research and editing together that picture of the iZ!Creativitwins for the AU PL.

I went to bed just a little bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Jan. 14

I woke up after 2PM.

Usual, then exercise.

First, today’s DD. 3′ arm extensions with EC. I counted 183 reps by the end of it. A fairly fun and breezy exercise - especially at the  pace I went for. I think the only thing that puts a limit on pace is the ROM you need to achieve during each rep.

Last, Chapter 12 of the AoP. First task was traveling again. 15TP, Level 2 as high knees. Done in one go.

And then I was faced again with the first choice point of the program. I went for the heroic option of saving Alana again, too.

I’m happy to say I managed to get through Level 3, this time! Mind, I wasn’t doing extra jobs like my last one and I went for max rest. Nevertheless, I’m happy I could do it! Will probably have to squeeze in a few in-game jobs though soon - I know there’s going to be a few scraps gates in the program. Today isn’t going to be that day, :,D

Did some dishes, made dinner, chatted and did a bit of poking of fic tonight.

I basically pulled an all-nighter, only getting to bed after 9AM...

-

Jan. 15

I woke up after 1PM.

Today’s DD was the only exercise I had for exercise planned. 30 full bridges with a reach, done with EC. This was pretty doable.

Most of the day was spent on the usual + chatting, until a YouTube vid inspired me to write more on the fic. Got in about 1k on one of it’s Intermission chapters.

Despite how little shut-eye I had to work with, I still got to bed way too late to be sensible.

[mostlyjustwhump]

Super Bowl ad

My attempt at a short addition to the boxboy universe! Karen Renford belongs to @ashintheairlikesnow. Also, Sparrow is meant to be autistic, so let me know if I described anything badly there!

Tw for: abuse justifications, manipulation, modern slavery

(Image: The Whumpees-R-Us logo in the middle of a plain white screen.)

Speaker: Why is our logo orange?

(Image: An animation of an orange phoenix rising from flames.)

Speaker: The phoenix, which rises from ashes to greatness.

(Image: A dirty looking young man in rags sits in a fetal position on the side of the street, looking sad.)

Speaker: Just like we help people rise from poverty

(Image: A close up of the man’s face.)

Speaker: And squalor

(Image: Same young man, now clean and dressed nicely, happily cooks in a beautiful kitchen.)

Speaker: To a role where they can assist others

(Image: The young man sitting on a couch in a well-decorated room and watching tv, snuggled up against a somewhat older, protective man)

Speaker: While living in comfort.

(Image: Whumpees-R-Us headquarters) Speaker: Here at Whumpees-R-Us, we are proud to be

(Image: The founders of Whumpees-R-Us sitting at a table, talking seriously to each other)

Speaker: The innovators (Image: Director Renford directing a meeting)

Speaker: The designers

(Image: Three handlers on a lunch break, talking and laughing)

Speaker: And the builders

(Image: The Whumpees-R-Us logo in the middle of a plain white screen.)

Speaker: Of the phoenix.

(Image: Orange bold text on a plain white screen. Reads: Whumpees-R-Us: We box ‘em, you buy ‘em.)

Speaker: We box ‘em, you buy ‘em.

Ivy finished reading aloud and put her papers down on the coffee table. She looked at Sparrow, hazel eyes sparkling. “What do you think, my bird?”

Sparrow hesitated, rubbing his fingers together nervously. He thought the ad oversimplified a lot of things, but he supposed there was only so much his master could do with thirty seconds to a minute of airtime. And he was lucky to have this opportunity, after all. There couldn’t be many owners who would want someone like him. A question might be the safest reply. “Do you think Miss Renford will be available for filming? She is usually quite busy.”

Ivy smiled slightly. “I’m sure she’ll make time. This is a Super Bowl ad. And she is the Director of Client Success, after all. But did you think it was convincing? Creative?”

Sparrow nodded. “Oh, yes… I never could have thought of the phoenix comparison.”

Ivy’s grin widened. “I know, that was the best idea I’ve had for a while! I thought of it during our fantasy movie marathon last weekend.”

His mouth inched towards a smile at her enthusiasm. “Oh, really?”

“Yep! It reminds me of you. I know how much you like birds.”

Sparrow’s smile widened. He had developed quite the interest in them since she named him after one. They reminded him of himself, fragile, small creatures. The only difference was that they could fly away whenever they liked.

Each morning, he looked outside his window and watched the birds. When he had nothing better to do, he thought about all the kinds of birds he had seen so far. Whenever he was upset or frightened, he looked outside the nearest window, searching for birds.

He was sure that if he didn’t have a master to control him, he’d have filled the house with more birds than he could afford or care for. It was likely he had those kinds of habits before he signed himself over. Otherwise, why else wouldn’t he have been able to care for himself?

“Thanks… I’m glad you noticed.”

“Of course! And of course, you’ll act in this for me, right? As the young man?”

Sparrow’s smile faded. His mind raced with confusion. Why was she asking for his opinion? Wasn’t he not allowed to say no anyway? “Don’t I have to?”

Ivy’s face grew suddenly serious. She leaned forward. “Just say yes.”

Sparrow squeezed his arms. Why did he have to screw that up? Would she punish him for it? He hoped he was responding right this time. “Oh… okay. Yes.”

She beamed again. “Good!” Ivy put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. The pressure felt bruising to him, even though her touch was light. He tensed, barely keeping himself from wincing and pulling away.

“Will… I have to be on set at the same time as Director Renford?” He rubbed his fingers together more, desperately hoping for her to say no.

Ivy shrugged. “Possibly. Possibly not. Why does it matter?”

“Oh… it’s just… my training of what to do around her is deeply ingrained. It may be hard to act if she’s there.” He rambles, hoping his explanation makes sense. It’s technically true— when she’s there, he has no power to resist the urge to go still and look at the floor until specifically instructed otherwise. He imagined it would be quite the challenge to do anything happily with her there, even cook. And he loved cooking, just about as much as he loved birds.

“Good to know. Then, she won’t be there when we’re filming your section. I make no guarantees for if I’ll take you with me when we’re filming her section. And this is all assuming she approves this draft.”

He looked down and sighed quietly. He didn’t want to see her again at all. But at least there was no risk for him to be punished for poor acting. “Thank you, miss. I am extremely grateful.”

“No problem. Would you be a darling and start dinner?”

He stood up, the worries already starting to fade from his mind. Cooking was the perfect distraction. His fears barely existed when he was preparing a meal. “Of course. What would you like?”

“The completion of the Super Bowl ad draft deserves celebration, doesn’t it, bird?”

Sparrow nodded.

Ivy grinned. “A steak with garlic butter. And mashed potatoes with gravy. And cheesy garlic asparagus.” Sparrow started to leave for the kitchen. Ivy continued. “Oh! And you can make those amazing chocolate-filled beignets! I’ll bring the extras into work to celebrate!”

“Sure thing, miss.” He said as he mentally calculated the needed ingredients.

“Aw! Aren’t I the luckiest to have a boy as good at cooking as you?” She ruffled his hair. He resisted flinching away and forced a smile.

“As lucky as I am to be here, miss.”

He wasn’t sure if he was lucky. But he had to be. There was no other choice.

[thdorkmagnet]

Mother Knows Best (Star is Rapunzel AU)

A/N: Next up is Tangled!!

Summary: A series of one-shots and multi-chapters proving why Star Butterfly should be considered a Disney Princess, as Star and company take over the roles of all your favorite Disney Princess characters! (Starco inevitable)

Check out my other stuff on Fanfiction! 

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. Tangled belongs to Disney. All rights go to their respective owners.

This is the story of how I died.... oh wow, sorry, that was way more intense then I thought it was going to be. D-Don't stop reading! This is actually a really fun story, I swear!

Marrrrcoooo, hurry up!! Get to the part about me already!

Umm, right, sorry Star. Okay, let's see, where was I? *ahem* Once upon a time....

Ugh, boring! Do you want to put the readers to sleep? Start off by telling them something really cool, something that's gonna draw them in. Like a... a monster fight!

Hey, who's telling this story here?

Sorry.

Okay anyways, this is the story of a beautiful young princess with magic golden hair that had the power to heal the sick and wounded-

That's me!

Star, shhh! For years, she lived locked away in a tower, hidden deep in the woods, kept there by an evil and controlling woman, who wanted nothing more than to horde the girl's gift for herself.

Yeah, cause she's a meanie!!

That and so she could live forever. 

And also cause she's a meanie. 

And the name of this princess was Rapunzel... I mean, Starunzel! Ugh, I mean Star.

Geez, Marco. You really don't know what you're doing, do you?

No, I'm sorry.

Aw, that's okay. How about we just start by showing what happened the day we first met so we don't confuse the readers anymore than we already have.

Yeah okay, that sounds good.

Great!

Soooo, how do we do that exactly? 

Simple. We use the mystic and magical page break.

Page wha-

…

Star was excited, practically racing through her chores that morning, cleaning every inch of the well-kept tower she called home. What would normally take her fifteen minutes to complete, today only took her a mere ten, which was quite the accomplishment for her dragging around seventy feet of long, blond, and sometimes unruly hair wherever she went. Though the downside of this was of course, that she now had the rest of the day to herself with literally nothing to do forcing her to find some other way to fight off the horrible enemy she was in almost constant battle with...boredom, but today she didn't really mind too much, her excitement over the special day helping to keep her mind occupied.

Once she was finished with the last of the cleaning, she looked around at the neat and tidy room in satisfaction, grinning with pride as every last inch of the tower seemed to be sparkling. “There, perfect, if I do say so myself,” she said boastfully, adding, “which I do.” She giggled at her own joke, while putting away her broom.

“Hey Janna!” she called to the ceiling of the tower, which was dark and not very well-lit. “Jan! Come on Janna, wake up,” she tried again, with still no reply. She frowned, before grabbing a strand of blond hair, flinging it out like some sort of lasso, where it wrapped around a lever that was normally just out of reach for her. She gave her hair a yank, pulling the lever down and opening up one of the windows above, lighting up the scaffolding of the tower, as well as the small purple bat currently snoozing up there.

Janna flinched as her small, fluffy body was encased in the hideous light, keeping her eyes glued shut, as she wrapping her wings tightly around herself to shield her from the intense beams, before going back to sleep. Star blinked, before groaning as her only friend ignored her, her cheeks puffing up cutely in anger. She wasted no time as she grabbed a bigger strand of hair and threw it up toward the beam the small bat was sleeping under. It flew over the beam before wrapping around the beam next to it, Star now able to use her hair as a rope as she climbed her own blond locks up to where Janna slept.

Once she was next to her animal friend, she gently poked her with her finger over and over again waiting for a reaction, a wide smile spread across her face. “Come on, sleepyhead,” she said softly, as she tried to gently awaken her bat friend.. “Wakey-wakey.”

Finally, Janna sighed, unfolding her wings and giving her a blank and tired stare, clearly wanting to know why she was being woken up so early in the morning. “Now don't give me that look, Janna,” Star defended herself, seeing the intent behind her friend's piercing green eyes. “It's not my fault you stayed up all night.” She crossed one arm across her chest, while the other still had to be dedicated to holding onto her hair to keep from falling, turning away from the bat with a pout, closing her eyes and refusing to look at her.

But after a few seconds, she slowly peeked open an eye and could see out of the corner of her eye that the look on the bat's face persisted, a small scowl on her fuzzy features. Star groaned in exasperation, before angrily stating, “Okay fine! I know you sleep during the day and everything, but c'mon, tomorrow is my birthday and I don't want to spend it all alone.” She gave the bat a pouting look, her lip quivering cutely knowing Janna couldn't resist the stare she had spent the last fourteen years perfecting.

Janna gave a small huff, rolling her green eyes before flying off of her perch and to the floor with a look of annoyance.

“Yay!” Star cheered, pumping a fist into the air, as she slid down her hair to the ground, excited her friend would be with her on the very big day. Once she was on the ground, she asked her friend, “So what should we do first?” She didn't even bother to wait for a reply as she began listing off potential activities to fill time in a nearly sing-song voice. “Playing guitar, knitting, cooking, puzzles, darts, baking, oh I guess that's probably the same as cooking, huh? Haha, umm, well we could also try some pottery or ventriloquy or candle making, I could try painting if I could find a spot that I haven't already painted on. Hmm? Oh, oh, oh, or we could re-re-reread those books I have, what do you think?”

Once she was done, Janna just gave her a one of her bored looks that said, 'I-don't-really-care'.

“Huh, you're right,” Star said thoughtfully. “We'll do them all!” she declared at the top of her lungs, pointing a finger in the air, dramatically.

Janna just sighed again, thinking it was way too early to be doing anything right now.

…

Meanwhile, in the nearby kingdom of Corona, the whole town was teeming with excitement and lively chatter on that lovely morning. Townsfolk were already going about their daily work with more vigor than usual and the streets were filled with the sound of children's laughter and general merriment. Everyone was in high spirit, the air itself practically electrified with jubilant energy, as all were happily anticipating the festival that would be the following day. Preparations had been underway for weeks, streamers and decorations hung up all over the busy streets, fluttering freely in the breeze and proudly showing off the beautiful logo of the kingdom: a purple flag with a bright, golden sun. This served as a constant reminder to the townsfolk of what was to come and the anticipation many were feeling was close to bursting at this point.

But one such individual was free of any feelings of merriment that plagued the rest of the kingdom, as he looked down on the people below with an impassive look. He was more focused on the work that had to be done to care about some silly festival and besides he would be long gone by that point.

He stood high on the roof of the large castle in the center of town, keeping a close eye on the guards that patrolled the perimeter, none the wiser to the teen's presence and he smiled to himself. Idiots. He took a moment from his precarious position to stretch, mentally and physically preparing himself for what was about to happen, letting out a calming breath. The boy had tanned skin and brown, spiked hairs (which he kept styled at all times) brown eyes and a mole just under his left cheek. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a red vest over on top of it and a brown belt hugging his mid-section firmly. The sleeves were rolled up to above his elbows on his shirt and a satchel hung loosely over his shoulder. He had on light brown pants, which were tucked into black, hunting boots.

A gentle breeze blew up against him, causing a shiver to crawl up his spine which he ignored. It was bound to happen being this high up. All he had to say was thank goodness he didn't have a fear of heights. Behind him, he heard a strangled squeak and he turned to see his two accomplices behind him, one tall and thin and the other short and fat. The thin one was tightly hugging his partner in a death grip, shaking as he looked at the ground below. “Do we have to be this high up?” the teen asked in a nasally voice.

“Can't be helped, Alfonso,” the boy in red shrugged. “This is the easiest way in. The higher up we are the less the guards look.”

“Marco's right, Al,” the third boy, Ferguson, agreed, pushing his friend off of him, causing him to shriek in fear and Marco cringed, glad they were too high up to be heard by the passing guards. “The last thing we need is to get caught stealing from royalty,” the chubby one added.

“Yeah and with that in mind we better hurry, just in case someone does happen to look up and see us,” the thief in red, Marco Diaz, said, before he recklessly jumped off the side of the roof, sliding down its tiled side and landing on the side of one of the towers with a barely audible thud. Ferguson followed quickly after, with an anxious and fear stricken Alfonso following hesitantly after, trying to ignore the long, fatal fall beneath him.

The three boys began making their way slowly and carefully around the side of the tower, leaping from tower to tower, Marco in the lead of his friends, jumping and maneuvering his way around expertly. This wasn't his first time stealing from another person, but his was the biggest and most satisfying job of his criminal career. If he pulled this job off right he would be set for life, even after splitting it three ways with his cohorts.

He did question bringing these two along, their skills as thieves not anything too impressive, but he couldn't pull this job off on his own and they were the only ones he trusted enough to help him, knowing anyone else would stab him in the back and take off with the goods in a heartbeat. He was the one who had gotten them into this life after all, asking them to tag along with him on jobs when he had been just getting his start as a thief. He could tell that they weren't too interested in it in the same way he was, going along with his schemes more out of obligation from being his friends than actual want to engage in criminal acts. Still, they never turned down any of his offers and this job was no different, so he was fine with cutting the share with his two long-time partners.

The three finally reached their desired destination, Alfonso at this point panting and shuddering all over with fear. Marco and Ferguson quickly opened a small hatch in the roof, revealing the throne room, where about a dozen guards stood around a small pedestal. On it lay the object the three thieves had been seeking, the lost princess's crown, lying preserved and safe on a soft, purple pillow. It was made of pure gold, intricately crafted with white diamond's embedded into its top, as well as several rubies that made up the bottom half of the priceless prize.

Marco took a moment to marvel at the beautiful crown, while his two companions began tying a long, thick rope down beside him. He released a slow, breathy sigh, still unable to look away from the golden headpiece. But he was quickly pulled back into the moment as he felt Ferguson and Alfonso now tying the other end of the rope around his waist. He lifted up his arms allowing them to do their job much easier and waited patiently for them to finish. The two took their time making sure that the rope would be secure but also cause no discomfort to their friend, tying it as tight as they dared without hurting him.

Once the rope was properly in place, Ferguson and Alfonso began lowering Marco down into the throne room, making sure to keep a firm and steady hold on the rope as the thief was inched closer and closer to his prize. Marco took slow, even breaths, trying to stay as quiet as possible, not wanting to alert any of the guards to his presence. The large chamber was so unnervingly silent that if a pin were to suddenly drop Marco was sure it would startle every guard in the room. He honestly wondered how someone could tolerate being in the room all day, every day, as their source of earning. It seemed awfully boring. And to the adventurous, thrill-seeking Marco that was like a fate worse than death.

The young thief quickly pushed aside his racing thoughts, focusing instead on the guards themselves, his highly trained eye on alert for any notable or abnormal movements from the bunch that would indicate that they had been discovered. But the guards around him were none the wiser to his presence, their backs to the young thief as their eyes alertly scanned only directly in front of them.  

Finally, the boy in red came to a sudden and jerky stop, the pedestal and crown now only a few inches below him and easily within arms reach. He smiled to himself, but made sure to keep a weary eye on the guards as he quickly snatched up the crown, before tucking it safely away in his satchel. So far so good, he thought to himself, giving the rope a tug to let them know to pull him up. We might actually pull this off without a hitch.

But it seemed the boy had spoken (or rather 'thought') too soon, as he heard a small yell of none other than Alfonso, which sounded like a bombshell going off in the once deafening silence of the throne room, every guard jumping at the echoing noise. Before Marco could react, the boy felt the rope go slack and he was suddenly sent catapulting downward, as they boys above him, for whatever reason, lost their hold. Marco felt his stomach drop and he let out a small yell himself, as his body rushed toward the ground. He crashed into the pedestal on the way down, knocking to over, where it hit the floor with a loud bang.

Somehow, Marco was saved from the same happening to him, as Ferguson and Alfonso must have gotten a hold of the rope again, as he was yanked to a stop, his face near centimeters from the ground, the tips of his bangs touching the tiled floor. But all the commotion, of course, attracted a lot of attention, every guard swerving on their heels to see the young criminal suspended precariously from the rope, all of them in shock and disgust at the illegal action that was clearly taking place.

“Hey, stop thief!” one of them shouted angrily, as he and the others gritted their teeth and held out their spears, the sharp tips pointed directly at Marco.

“Pull me up!” Marco shouted above him in a panic, trying to somehow maneuver out of the way of the deadly weapons that now surrounded him on all sides. But the two thieves didn't have to be told twice as they began frantically pulling Marco back up, the dangling thief in just seconds out of the guards (and more importantly their spears) reach and he let a sigh of relief. The guards watched helpless as the intruder was hauled back onto the roof, their anger growing as they shouted up at him, while several ran to go get reinforcements.

Once Marco's was safely back on the roof with his two friends and his feet were once again planted on solid ground, he shot a glare at the two, demanding in a breathless and nerve-wracked tone, “What the heck was that?! Why'd you drop me, now the whole castle knows we're here?!” He began working on untying the thick and intricate knots, tugging relentlessly at the coarse rope in frustration.

“Sorry, Marco, something landed on my shoulder and it scared me,” Alfonso apologized sheepishly. “But it was totally a spider or something that was about to bite me,” he quickly added in his defense.

“It was a pigeon and no it wasn't,” Ferguson corrected, rolling his eyes at his friend.

Marco's eyes narrowed at the nasally teen. “So you just jeopardized one of the most important jobs of our career over a stupid bird,” Marco said irritably, the annoyance in his stony gaze unmistakable.

“Uh, apparently,” Alfonso muttered guiltily.

The boy in red face-palmed, letting out a infuriated growl as he dragged his hand slowly down his face. But he recovered quickly, as he said to the two in a much calmer tone, “Okay, then, time for 'Plan B'. We need to get out of here and fast. Let's go.”

He left no room for arguing as he began making his way down the castletop with no regard for his safety, more focused on getting away quickly than bothering to take things slow. He hopped from tower to tower and ran across perilous scaffolds without even looking to make sure his feet were in a good position to do so. Ferguson and Alfonso, to their credit, kept up with his quick and reckless pace, though the latter looked terrified the whole time, fighting off the panic attack that was slowly building up inside him.

Eventually the three were able to make it off of the castle, jumping from one of the balcony's onto the roof of one of the nearby houses, Alfonso stumbling slightly and looking paler than a ghost from the long drop. Marco wasted no time though, as he slid down the roof, landing on a nearby awning, doing a flip in the air, before tucking himself into a roll as he hit the stony sidewalk. Ferguson and Alfonso, on the other hand, carefully made their way over to the side of the building, dropping down onto the awning, before sliding down the poles using them to hold the thing up.

Marco rose to his feet, waiting until his companions were both down before leading them into a race through town, several guards already racing out of the gates of the castle and chasing after them, spears in hand. Marco dodged his way around the traffic on the streets, civilians screaming and frantically moving out of the way to avoid being knocked over, in total confusion and disarray over what was happening around them.

Soon the gates to the city were in sight, the bridge that would lead them into the forest and their freedom within reach. Marco smiled, before slowing his pace enough to allow Ferguson and Alfonso to run past him, knocking a cart of apples over, ignoring the shout of alarm from the seller, causing fruit to tumble into the road behind them. He hoped this would stall the guards long enough to give them enough time to escape.

He was rewarded with the sound of a scream and a crash behind him and the boy picked up his pace even more. As he and his companions ran out of the gates to town and across the long bridge, they all began laughing in victory, all quite overjoyed with their success.

“We did it, guys!” Marco shouted at the top of his lungs. He let out a loud chuckle, before adding, “Today is a very good day!”

…

“Today is a very good day, Janna!” Star stated to her bat friend, one musical montage and several dozen time-wasting activities later, still just as giddy and hyper as earlier. Nothing seemed to be able to deter Star's enthusiasm that day, not even the dreaded clutches of boredom, but unfortunately Star's peppiness was not shared as Janna just lay on the girl's shoulder looking utterly dissatisfied with life. But the young blond didn't notice this either, as she looked up at her newly constructed masterpiece with increased satisfaction. “I mean just look at that beautiful painting, I'm a true artist,” Star bragged proudly, puffing out her chest and striking a dramatic pose. “When mom sees this she'll be sure to let me go see the floating lights.”

Janna's gaze slowly shifted to the picture, not sure if she quite agreed. It was a terrible looking stick version of Star with goofily large eyes looking up at small white dots that Janna assumed were supposed to be the floating lights. And, because it was Star, she had also needlessly added in a lopsided skull and a smudged picture of a spider wearing a top hat floating in the air around her. All in all the pitiful excuse for art looked like it had been drawn by a four year old kid, not a soon to be fifteen year old teenager.

It was almost unbelievable that even after all these years living alone inside a tower with nothing but time to practice Star still hadn't gained even a speck of talent in painting whatsoever and the bat would have bet a fortune that the only thing Star's mother was sure to be when she saw it, was confused. Janna barely understood what she was looking at, there was no way her human friend's mother would know what it was supposed to be, as well.

“Well, what do you think?” Star asked, looking to her only friend in anticipation. This was when she finally took notice of her bat friend's clear difference of opinion, adding shamefacedly, “Uhh, sorry I didn't put you in the picture, too. But I kinda ran out of room.” The nocturnal mammal would have been offended she hadn't been added onto the picture (terrible as it was), if she actually cared. All she wanted was just to go back to sleep, unable to stop thinking of all the precious daylight that was being wasted. So Janna didn't say a word about how awful it looked and what a crime against true artists and art it was, instead she just shrugged and gave her a look that said, We-done-now?

Star sighed dramatically. “Fine, you can go back to napping,” Star said rolling her eyes, unable to believe Janna's lack of enthusiasm in all of this. How could she even consider napping on such a monumental occasion? Didn't she realize how amazing and life-changing this was?

But apparently she didn't, as the purple bat just flew up to the ceiling, hanging upside down from one of the pillars that was still in shadow, tucking her wings around her as she drifted off to sleep. Star tried to contain her disappointment as she muttered more to herself than Janna, “Mom will be back soon anyway. Don't want her to know I've been hiding a pet from her all these years.”

As if on cue, Star heard a call from outside the window, a familiar voice that the blond instantly knew had to be her mother's. “Star! Are you there, dear? Let down your hair, please?”

“Coming mom!” Star yelled, as she raced over to the window, opening the shutters, before looking down at her mother, waiting patiently below. Lady Eclipsa as she was known to be, had poofy teal hair and a flowing purple dress with small black dress shoes.

“Star, you know I don't like being kept waiting,” her mother called up in a warning tone. Star tried not to let this get to her as she hung her hair on a small hook that hung down from the top of the windowsill, before gathering up the rest and quickly flinging it over the side. Her long, blond locks fell gracefully down the entire length of the tower, nearly touching the ground when she was done. Eclipsa moved out of the way to avoid getting hit by the make-shift rope made of her daughter's own incredibly long hair.  

Once in reach, Star's mother quickly grabbed the end of the blond locks that were now nearly glowing in the sunlight, and raising it up to be used it as a little foothold for herself. She stepped onto this, before waiting for her daughter to begin pulling her up. And Star wasted no time in doing this, heaving back on her hair and the heavy form that now weighed it down immensely. But Star had had plenty of practice at this and was able to slowly but surely began pulling Eclipsa up the side of the tower, with little to no problem whatsoever, her experience in pulling things up by her hair alone a much more accomplished skill than her artistic ability.

She grunted as she pulled the last bit of distance needed for her mother to step onto the window frame and then safely inside the tower. Star panted heavily as moved to hug her mother, saying in a tired but cheerful voice, “Welcome back, mom.”

Eclipsa though just handed her the basket she had brought back, before stepping past her, not even noticing her daughter's show of affection. “Excellent work, Star. Though I think you could have done that a bit faster, hmm?” her mother commented, as she began gazing at herself in the mirror, messing with her hair to make sure it was still the way she wanted it.

Star looked hurtfully down at the basket for a moment before setting it down on the nearest table, racing over to her mother, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet to try and contain her excitement. She quickly asked in a hinting tone, “So mom, do you know what tomorrow is?”

“I believe it's Saturday,” her mother replied flatly, still examining herself closely in the mirror. Star shook her head saying, “No, no that's not what I meant.”

But her mother once again wasn't really listening, her eyes widening as she spotted a gray hair hidden in with the mess of blue locks around it. “Star, dear, we can talk in a moment, first I would love it if you would sing for your mother,” Eclipsa said, turning to her daughter with a small smile.

“Oh right, of course,” Star said, quickly jumping at the task, rushing over to get everything ready, running and grabbing the chair and stepstool needed, setting them in front of each other. Eclipsa just watched all of this with a blank stare, following her daughter's movements as she sat herself down in the chair Star had brought her. The blond grabbed the hairbrush before running back over to her mom, handing her the brush and laying a thick portion of her hair on her lap, as she plopped down onto her own small seat.

She cleared her throat before singing as quickly as she could the song her mother had taught her. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine.”

As Star did this, her hair lit up golden, trailing all the way down the entire length of her mane. Eclipsa hummed along with the fast pace of the song, seemingly unaffected by how quickly her daughter was going, as she just ran the brush a few times through the glowing locks. The woman felt a deep powerful magic coursing through her veins, a wonderful feeling overcoming her as all at once all her ailments and aches were reversed and healed.

Once Star was done, she quickly jumped up from the chair, grabbing her mother's arm in a tight hug, as she quickly began talking a mile a minute, “So now that that's done, I was going to tell you that tomorrow is kind of a big day and since I know you won't be able to guess, I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you that's its my birthday!!”

She smiled widely at her mom as she finished, but her mother didn't seem to react much at all, as she merely said, “Really, so soon?”

“Well, it has been a whole year,” Star mumbled under her breath, to her it had felt like she had been waiting forever for this day to come.

“Star, you know what we talked about with the mumbling,” her mother scolded, giving her a look, and Star remembered immediately all the previous lectures she had been given about how it was undignified for a young lady to whisper things under her breath and not speak loudly and clearly enough to be heard.

“Sorry, mom,” Star hastily apologized, making sure her voice was now loud enough her mother could easily hear it.

“It's alright dear,” her mother said, giving her a small hug, before walking toward the kitchen and pawing through the bowl of fruit, looking for something to eat. “So is there anything you wanted for your birthday?” she casually mentioned.

Star sucked in a breath. This would be the hard part, convincing her mom, but she decided to just go for it. “Well, I was thinking,” Star said as casually and innocently as possible. “Since I'm turning fifteen tomorrow I thought that it would be a good idea... to maybe go outside.”

Star had a wide, awkward smile on her face as she waited for her mother's reaction. Eclipsa stilled, dropping the apple she had chosen back into the bowl, as she turned to her daughter in surprise. “What?” she asked, shocked.

“Not for forever, of course,” Star quickly added, seeing her mother's concern. She chuckled nervously saying, “I mean that would be... crazy. But just long enough for you to take me to go see the floating lights.”

Now Eclipsa looked even more startled, asking hesitantly, “Floating... lights?”

Star could tell her mom was starting to think she  had gone insane so she quickly clarified, “Yeah, y'know the big glowing lights that fill the sky, every year, on my birthday.”

“You mean... the stars?” Eclipsa said slowly and Star let out a sharp, frustrated sigh.

“No, not the stars, mom. These are different. Here, let me show you,” Star quickly used a length of her hair to pull open a lever on the wall, opening a hatch which sent a flood of light cascading on her drawing, highlighting against the rest of the musty tower. “See,” Star said, pointing at the painting. “These things. The big bright things that always appear out of nowhere on my birthday.”

Eclipsa looked at the painting in silence for a few moments, her face completely unreadable. “I... see,” was all she managed to reply, trying to keep her face calm. She turned to her daughter asking, “And your sure you didn't just dream them? “No, I didn't,” Star said defensively. “Have you seriously never noticed them before?” When she received no reply she quickly waved this off. “Whatever, it doesn't matter. I see them every year, mom, and I just... really want to know what they are. I want to see them, up close, in person.”

“Why do you care so much about these stars, darling?” Eclipsa asked, sounding amused at her daughter's bizarre interest in something seemingly ordinary.

Star's cheeks puffed up some in anger. “First of all, they're not stars. And second of all, I don't know. I just feel like they're meant for me somehow, y'know.” Star shrugged not sure how quite to put it into words.

Eclipsa grew very quiet after that, watching her daughter closely as her eyes glazed over in thought. This was very bad. Very, very bad and she knew it. She had to do something. She couldn't let her flower discover the truth. She had to find some way to get her to stay. But how.

“Now, now, darling you know the rules about going outside,” she began, stepping closer to her daughter.

Star began to fiddle with a strand of her hair, nervously. “Yes, I know but, I thought maybe we could break the rules, just this once.” She gave her mom a sheepish smile, hoping that this would somehow convince her to let her go, though her optimism was beginning to fade.

And to Star's dismay, Eclipsa shook her head, before saying, “The rules exist for a reason, Star. To keep you safe. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?”

“Well no,” Star admitted, but quickly tried to argue, saying, “But I-”

“Exactly, dear, you don't know,” Eclipsa continued, as she walked over to her, placing her hands softly on her shoulders. “But I do. The world outside if full of dangers you couldn't even begin to imagine and you are just not ready to face them yet. You're too naive and the people out there would take advantage of that.”

Star looked sadly at her bare feet. “Not to mention what they would do if they discovered the power your hair holds,” Eclipsa continued softly, running a hand through Star's hair once.

The blond felt her heart thumping a bit out of control, fear filling her being. Her mother had told her stories of what had happened when she was just a baby. How everyone had wanted to cut her hair and have the power all for themselves, even trying to take her away from her mom and she shuddered at the thought.

Eclipsa pulled Star close in a comforting embrace, as she said worriedly, “I couldn't bare to see you get hurt. It would hurt me if that happened, you know that right?”

“Yes,” Star said sadly, feeling all the fight and hope drain from her, leaving her feeling empty.

“Then you are going to listen to your mother and stay put?” Eclipsa asked, waiting to hear the answer.

Star hesitated, but finally sighing saying again, “Yes.”

“That's my girl,” Eclipsa said, pulling out of the hug to cup her daughter's face in her hands. She gave her gentle kiss on the forehead. But as she pulled away, she saw the pitiful look on her daughter's face and added, “Trust me, Star. I always knows what's best for you.”

Star just gave her a half-hearted smile, as her mom gave her cheek a soft pat. “Well I must be going again,” Eclipsa said, as she quickly retrieved her basket and then climbed back up onto the window, before taking hold of the still hanging hair. She turned back to her daughter one last time before saying, “I will see you in a bit, my dear. I love you.”

With that, Eclipsa quickly began descending her daughter's hair. Star stood perfectly still, waiting until she couldn't feel the tug against her scalp anymore, letting her know her mother was now on the ground and probably heading out of the clearing and into the big, bright world Star was forbidden to see. Once she was sure her mother was out of ear shot, she loudly huffed, flopping herself down on the ground and crossing her arms in front of her, childishly.

She just fumed angrily to herself for a few moments, muttering comments about being trapped there forever, bored out of her mind, and calling her mom a poophead. Finally, Janna flew down and landed on her shoulder, giving her a look with her wide, brown eyes.

Star sighed, rubbing at her eyes as she agreed, “Yeah, that definitely could have gone better.”

…

“Hurry their gaining!” Marco shouted over to his two comrades, looking back to make sure they were still with him. To his relief, they were, Ferguson and Alfonso just barely managing to keep up, both panting immensely. But none of them had time to stop as, not a short distance away, the roar of approaching horses could be heard, growing louder by the second.

Marco did his best to evade their pursuers, going between trees that would be too narrow for horses to follow, jumping over fallen trunks, and sliding down steep inclines, but nothing seemed to work. Nothing seemed to be slowing any of them down any and Marco was quickly running out of ideas. If something didn't change soon, they would definitely be captured.

Suddenly, the three thieves all came to an abrupt stop as they reached a dead end. Marco looked up at the rocky cliff in front of them, quickly judging the distance, before turning back to Ferguson and Alfonso. “Okay quick, boost me up!”

The two shared a look with one another, looking unsure. “What?” Marco asked, seeing their hesitation.

“You sure you'll remember to pull us up when you're done?” Ferguson asked, in a half-accusing manner.

Marco looked hurt at the comment. “What? Of course I will. You two are my best friends.” The two still looked hesitant and Marco sighed, adding, “Look we don't have time to argue about this, the whole royal army is right on our tail.”

As if on cue, they heard a shout followed by the thundering roar of horses racing at full-speed toward them as it grew steadily louder. This finally seemed to convince the two thieves as they quickly formed a human ladder for Marco to climb up, the young man taking care not to step on their hands or faces as he scaled the cliff off of his friends.

Once Marco reached the top and had hauled himself over the ledge, he quickly checked his satchel, before giving a quick glance below, making sure no guards were there yet.

But he heard more guards riding up from around the clifftops and knew they had no time to waste. “Come on, guys! Let's get going!” he shouted before running away at full speed, forgetting the predicament he had left his two friends in.

The two just stared up at the cliff blankly for a moment. “D-Did he just leave us behind... again?” Ferguson asked.

“Yep,” Alfonso replied.

They both sighed dejectedly, as they waited to be arrested... again.

…

Marco continued at full sprint though the forest looking back occasionally to check and see if his pursuers were gone or not. Unfortunately for him, they weren't.

There were about four horeses following him, all carrying armed guards dressed in Mewni's traditional golden armor, the lead guard being none other than the captain herself, Kelly, her recognizable blue hair tied up in a bun, most of it covered by her helmet. “Great not her, that's just what I needed,” Marco muttered to himself, focusing on the impossible task of outrunning the riders on foot. “Does the universe just hate me or something?” he pondered to himself, as his eyes scanned the area around him, trying to think of a plan.

Finally, an idea came to him, as he grabbed onto a nearby vine, using the momentum to swing himself around the tree before kicking the unsuspecting Kelly off of her horse and instead taking her place. He situated himself better into the fancy saddle, checking back once to make sure the girl was okay. He breathed a mental sigh of relief as he saw she had landed in some bushes, her usually well-kept hair now coated in leaves and sticks, rubbing at her head and glaring daggers of death at him but not looking too injured. Once he knew she was fine, he allowed himself a small laugh of victory as he rode triumphantly away from his honest-working rival.

Kelly gritted her teeth as she watched helplessly as the thief rode away on her own horse and she stood up with a huff. After a few moments the other guards caught up to her, stopping to see if she was hurt, one of them worriedly asking, “Are you okay, Kelly?”

“That's Captain Kelly! And yes I'm fine, Tad,” she angrily snapped at her ex-boyfriend. “Just follow after that guy before he gets away!” The others all obeyed, returning to their chase as they hunted after their target, one of them stopping long enough to lift the girl captain up into the saddle behind him before galloping after the criminal, as well.

While that was going on, Marco was putting more and more distance between himself and his pursuers, confident he would easily allude them at this speed. He still took a few seconds to double-check and make sure he really was in the clear, though, listening to the now near-silent trotting of horse hooves, and smiled with satisfaction. Perfect. They were nowhere near him and at this rate he would be long gone before they had time to track him down. He was pretty much in the clear now.

The young thief allowed himself to relax a bit in his seat, loosening his tight grip on the reins. He absentmindedly patted the horse, saying, “Good job, girl. I think we lost them.”

The horse he was riding, who was names Pony Head (Kelly wasn't very clever with the names, her mind on more important things like hunting down criminals), hadn't been paying attention to the whole thing, finding all these stupid chases boring. She would much rather be hanging back at the castle with the other horses, maybe even flirting with a few of the better looking stallions there, not going on some annoying chase through the dumb woods looking for some turd.

But the second the boy spoke, the horse snapped to attention, the unfamiliar voice from her current rider setting off red flags in Pony's mind. What the heck?! Pony thought, as she turned her head to see some dumb boy sitting comfortably on her back, looking behind him rather than even paying attention to what was in front of him. Oh no! Pony thought in anger. No boy is gonna sit on by back!

She dug her hooves into the ground, bringing them to an abrupt halt and Marco, who had been distracted checking behind them to make sure they were free and clear, was nearly sent flying. The thief screamed, squeezing the reign's clenched in his hands with a death grip, somehow managing to stay on Pony Head, much to her anger and dismay.

“Hey what's the big idea?!” Marco screamed down to the horse, his heart still in his throat, causing him to pant harshly. When he got no reply from the animal, he repositioned himself back in the saddle, taking slow, steady breaths to try and calm his frazzled nerves. He did a quick look around for anything that might have spooked the mare. “Did you see a snake or something?”

Only the one on my back, Pony quipped back in her head.

The boy sighed, letting the scare go for now. “Never mind, let's get going,” he said, snapping her reigns to try and get her moving again. But to his surprise the horse didn't move an inch. “Uh, hello?” Marco said with slight annoyance, flicking the reigns again, a little harder this time. “Move.”

Still nothing. The boy was starting to lose his patience, the longer they lingered there the greater the chance the guards would catch up to them, Captain Kelly surely not giving up the chase so easily. This was exactly what Pony Head was thinking, as well, mentally smirking to herself at the idea of getting the annoying boy caught. Yeah keep yellin', turd. I ain't movin' a muscle.

“Come on fleebag, forward!” he yelled, kicking the stubborn horse in the side.

Oh he did not just call me that!! Pony mentally screamed, letting out a loud huff through her nostrils. The red thief heard this and opened his mouth to comment, but it quickly turned to a scream as the horse's hind legs bucked up over and over again, trying to knock the annoying pest off her back. It was a quite to see, as the horse aggressively kicked and stomped her way around the clearing, the poor young man holding onto her back for dear life as he was flung around like a rag doll, shouting out his complaints at the top of his lungs, “Whoa! Wait, stop!!” The thief felt his stomach churn in protest and he quickly exclaimed in a panic, “I think I'm gonna be sick!”

Oh you better not puke on me, you little turd, Pony angrily thought, before giving the hardest buck yet, this time finally managing to throw the boy off of her, Marco releasing a high pitched scream as he was sent flying through the air and right toward a cliff. Luckily for him, he was able to grab onto a tree branch, now suspended over the steep incline, hanging on for dear life as his feet dangled helplessly. Marco swallowed down the panicked lump in his throat and tried to ignore the fact that he was currently hanging over a hundred foot cliff, focusing instead of pulling himself up onto the branch. He just prayed it would support his weight. He managed to wrap his legs around the thick back, meaning he didn't have to worry about his arms giving out just yet, but he still understandably held onto the limb with a death grip.

Just as he was about to begin trying to get back on solid ground, he heard the familiar clip-clop of horse hooves, followed by shifting from the branch, alerting him that he was not alone on the limb. The young thief craned his neck to see the same stupid horse that had gotten him into this situation now try to walk onto the unstable branch. He gasped in horror, terrified that the clearly brain-dead mare was about to get them both killed, Marco not sure if the limb could support their combined weight.

He wondered what on earth could be causing the four-legged creature to act so recklessly. That was until he noticed the satchel handing on the far end of the tree, hanging precariously on one of the small limbs that had luckily stopped its descent. And do despite his fear, he began inching his way across the trunk, trying to move as fast as possible, ignoring his safety instincts screaming at him to stop. Pony, though, quickly caught on to what Marco was trying to do and began trying to step on Marco's hands with her hooves, also seeming to completely disregard the dangerous drop directly below them.

Marco, now with a new motivation to beat the stupid horse and keeps his hands from being crushed, took the risk and jumped toward the branch. He just barely managed to grab the satchel, as well as grip the branch it had been loosely hanging off of, the bag nearly slipping off from all the jerky movements and sent plummeting off the cliff. Marco let out a victorious yell, as he turned to the stupid horse with a smug grin, showing off his claimed prize. “Ha, take that you stupid-”

But Marco didn't get a chance to finish his insult, as suddenly there was a loud snapping sound, Marco and Pony Head both looking over to see the large crack in the trunk, which had been made weak by the two's overwhelming weight and constant abuse on the fragile limb. The didn't have any time to react as it gave altogether breaking free of its hold in the cliff side with another loud snap, now sent falling to the unforgiving earth below.

Marco screamed at the top of his lungs, giving out a very undignified yell, while beside him Pony neighed loudly in terror. He felt his body go weightless, his stomach twisting uncomfortably, as he continued to cling to the plummeting branch. A wave of nausea rose up, both from his unbridled terror and his well-known case of motion sickness, which was choosing to come back at the worst possible time. But suddenly his lifeline was gone, snapping in half when it bumped against the cliff side, sending Marco and Pony spiraling away from one another on their fast track to becoming acquainted with the ground.  

Next, Marco reached the treetops, thick vines wrapping around his body and slowing his descent immensely. Finally, the vines went taunt stopping the young thief mere inches from hitting the hard ground. His body went limp, allowing the ropes to hold him there, swaying unevenly above the ground. Marco just stayed like that for a few moments, panting as the stress of the ordeal slowly wore off and his heart rate slowed to a more normal pulse.

Until finally he said in a remarkably calm voice, “Well that was scarring for life.”

The young thief managed to untangle himself from the thick, knotted vines and get himself settle back down on the soft ground, nearly tempted to get down on hands and knees and kiss it. He would have to, if it weren't for the fact that the ground would have been what would have ultimately caused his death and he really didn't want to go around praising his almost killer. So instead, he just put his satchel back over his shoulder and began walking deeper into the woods.

He wasn't sure where he was headed but literally anywhere was better than here at the moment, just in case that dumb horse had survived too and was now looking for him. Right on que, Marco heard an angry neigh in the distance, not that far away. Marco panicked, looking around for somewhere for somewhere to hide, slowly backing up toward a large hill covered in ivy. But as his back brushed against the vegetation, he found no resistance there, stumbling back and into the hidden entrance and cave within.

The red thief had no time to ponder this as he quickly hid behind a nearby rock, just as the distinct shadow of a horse appeared on the vegetated wall. Pony stopped, as if sensing his presence, looking around her, her ears twitching as they tried to pick up any sound from the boy. Marco pushed himself a little further behind the rock, making sure to make no noise whatsoever, holding his breath and trying to keep himself as still as possible.

For a few tense seconds, Marco watched the silhouette of the mare, unmoving and stock still. Then, at last, the annoying pony seemed to give up on the chase, trotting away from the area and allowing Marco to finally release his held breath. But he kept an eye on the entrance as he backed slowly into the cave, taking slow, cautious steps just in case she was still within hearing distance. Once he could no longer see the entrance, he allowed himself to drop his guard and turn.

The boy's mouth dropped open at the unexpected sight before him. Instead of a dingy, dirty cave like he had been suspecting he had found himself in some sort of secluded clearing, though it was hardly empty. For in the middle of the green and vibrant clearing was an abandoned tower, standing tall and majestic as the sunlight gleamed off of it. Its color was faded from years of neglect and thick, green vines clung around its base and crawled up its sides. But despite this, it still looked remarkable, seeming like it had just been ripped from the side of a castle before being dropped into the hidden clearing. That or it had been taken right out of a fairytale book, but that one was just silly, this was real life, not some fairytale... right? Behind it was a rushing waterfall, which also gleamed brightly in the sunshine, running into a gentle stream.

“Huh, a tower? How'd it end up here?” Marco wondered aloud. But he quickly dismissed his wonderment with a shrug. “Oh well, better not look a gift horse in the mouth.”

The young thief cringed at the phrase, before releasing a violent shudder as he was reminded of his brief encounter with that stupid horse. “Okay note to self, never use that phrase again,” he told himself.

“Still this is a good place to lay low for awhile,” he muttered, his eyes scanning the tower carefully, searching for any form of entrance along its crumbling exterior. “Now if I could just find a way inside...”

Marco's gaze froze on a small window near the top and luckily for him, it was open.

“Bingo!” the boy said with a satisfied smile. He made his way over to the tower, looking up its side, trying to plan out a way up. He pulled out two arrows using those to climb slowly up. He got into a stead rhythm, sticking an arrow in the wall with a loud thunk, before pulling out the next one and sticking it into the wall a bit higher than the last, careful to make sure his feet had a proper resting place as he did. Clop. Thunk. Clop. Thunk. The sound repeated itself over and over again, until at last Marco reached the window, grabbing onto its frame and lifting himself inside. He tucked the arrows into his satchel along with the crown, as he looked around the dark room.

It was impossible to tell what anything looked like inside until his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, but he didn't really care of the condition of his temporary hiding place at the moment. He was more interested in checking on his valued prize. He looked into the open satchel with a content grin, staring pleasingly at the golden crown shimmering inside.

So distracted, in fact, that he didn't see a small form making its way over to him in the darkness. He let out a satisfied sigh, saying softly to himself, “Looks like I'm finally out of danger.”

A loud bong sounded, echoing around the dark enclosure, as the young thief fell over unconscious, his body going limp as a heavy frying pan smacked him hard in the back of the head. Star, for a moment, just stood over the sleeping man on the floor in front of her, her eyes wide in shock of what she had just done. She continued to hold the frying pan up, ready to strike once again, just in case he did manage to remain conscious after the hit.

“Um, hello?” Star hesitantly called down to him. “A-Are you awake?”

She poked him a couple of times with the pan, but when he didn't react she relaxed some, letting her guard drop a little. Though she was anything but calm, as she began pacing around the room, saying to herself. “Okay so I just knocked out some guy and now he's unconscious in my living room. What do I do? What should I tell mom? No, I cannot tell mom about this. Then again,” Star stopped pacing, putting a finger to her chin as she looked thoughtfully over at the boy. “If she saw that I was capable of taking out this intruder then maybe she would see that I'm strong enough to be able to go outside! I'm a genius!”

Star patted herself on the back for the idea, a wide, hopeful grin on her face, as she approached the boy again. She looked down at him smugly, saying with a laugh, “Ha, thought you could just sneak in and try and steal my hair, didn't you? Well you are no match for my incredible talents, mister.”

Once, she finished bragging, she just grinned proudly down at the unconscious boy. But her smile vanished as she finally got a good look at the intruder. He was actually quite handsome, his soft brown locks laying across his face, which looked so peaceful and warm as he slept. She could see the slightest hint of toned muscles though his shirt, which caused a lump to form in her throat for some reason. And to top it all off, he had the absolute cutest mole on his left cheek.

For a moment, all Star could do was just stare, love-struck at the handsome boy laying on the floor in front of her, a blush beginning to light up her cheeks. That was until she felt a small tug on her hair and she jumped turning to see Janna flapping her wings behind her, a frown clearly discernible on her fuzzy features. “W-What?” Star said, quickly hiding her blushing cheeks from the bat. “I've just never seen another human before is all,” she said defensively.

Star didn't have to be looking at her bat friend to know that she was raising a skeptical eyebrow right now. “L-Let's just find a place to put this guy, before mom gets back,” Star said, trying way too hard to change the subject.

She scanned the room in search of a good hiding spot, finally landing on the large closest. “Ah ha! Perfect!” She looked to Janna for agreement, but the bat was still just giving her a skeptical look, not convinced the boy could fit in there. Star frowned, before demanding, “Just help me get him in there.”

[seriouslyhooked]

The Same Soul (Part 3)

Available on FF Here and AO3 Here. Chapter 1, Chapter 2.

Our world AU where Emma and Killian knew each other as teenagers. Killian was sent to spend a summer with family in America. He met foster kid Emma while there. They fell in love but then he was forced back home and she couldn’t take the memories so she ran away, trying her best to move on from the dreams they’d always hoped for. A chance meeting brings them back together years later, and this time nothing and no one will keep them apart. Rated M.

A/N: Hey everyone! So I am back again with another chapter of this new story, and I am happy to say that I like this rewritten version even better than the one I lost a few weeks back. Not only that, but I have also better developed the story idea and come up with a unique (but still typically me) CS tale of love and cuteness. It’s looking like it’ll be ten separate chapters and an epilogue at the moment, and they’ll all be bouncing around from Emma and Killian’s POVs in the past and the present. This particular chapter is one I am really excited for. It also takes place in the past (notice the italics), and it picks up where our last chapter left off but from Killian’s perspective. He and Emma are going to the fair for their date! Of course I had to lay down some basic facts of Killian’s life in the beginning section, and just a heads up for people, part of it is a little sad. Like Emma, Killian hasn’t had an easy life in this fic, but no worries – they’ll make each other happy and there will be lots of fluff ahead. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and I would love to hear what you all think!

(Past)

“Damn it, why did I say seven? I should have said earlier. What the bloody hell was I thinking?”

Killian muttered the words aloud as he stared at the gilded antique clock on the mantel of his Uncle Benjen’s study. If he were less fixated on his desire for time to speed up, Killian would probably marvel again at how that one item alone easily cost more than two months of his brother Liam’s salary. His Uncle Benjen spared no expense on the furnishings in this house, and Killian got the feeling it didn’t even make a dent in the massive fortune of his father’s younger brother. Besides, this house was one of the largest in the county, and this county was apparently one of the richest in America. It seemed only right that the decor should be as over the top and astronomically pricy as the real estate itself.

Unlike Killian’s father, who had been a degenerate and a drunk nearly all his adult life, Benjen Jones was a man of status and steady purpose. Killian had only recently met him in person. Prior to this summer, their relationship had strictly consisted of a card and a check at his birthday and Christmas, but Uncle Benjen seemed to be the opposite of Killian’s father, Brennan, in many ways. Luckily, Killian didn’t have many personal memories of the rat bastard who once terrorized them, but he remembered enough. Where Brennan had never been interested in holding down a job for more than a chance to buy more cheap booze and neglect the needs of his family, Benjen was a work horse. In twenty years, he went from a nobody in London to a household name in America. He’d represented clients in dozens of high-profile cases and had used that star power to leverage himself into ownership of more than a dozen high-end firms around the country.

Now Benjen was a certifiable legal powerhouse here in the States, and he could clearly afford to retire several times over. It became clear to Killian the moment he walked through the doors that Benjen must be the source of the money they’d had these last few years. With his mother out of work, Killian always wondered how they could get by on just Liam’s military salary, but that query was put to rest upon arrival. His Uncle had millions, but having that money hadn’t impacted his drive. One thing that was very apparent about his uncle to Killian was the man’s tendency towards competitiveness. Benjen hated to lose, and he hated to be idle. He talked of little except for work, and Killian assumed he thought of little else as well. There was always some other goal to chase and some other case to win. For that reason, he’d never settled down or had children of his own, and so when Killian had showed up here a few weeks before, it was immediately apparent that Benjen was at a loss of what to do or how to act.

Not that anyone was particularly good at addressing a wayward seventeen-year-old kid whose mother had recently passed away and whose brother had been shipped off to another war zone as part of his job. There were probably how-to books on this kind of stuff, like Teenage Trauma for Dummies or some shit, but Killian assumed they were all full of crap. There was no way to write out a reasoned plan for how to deal with loss of this kind, and Killian understood that because he’d come to learn over the past few months that grief was unknowable. It was different for everyone and handled in a million varying ways depending on the person. Killian’s own grief was still undefined, and each day his hurt felt just as new and fresh as the day he lost his mother. For that reason, Killian was glad that Uncle Benjen never tried to coddle him or confront the elephant in the room. It was the last thing he wanted, and clearly his Uncle, for whatever shortcomings he may have on a guardianship front, could understand that at least in part.

“You know the clock never hastens for those who watch it, my dear.”

The unexpected words made Killian jump, his sudden motion jostling the chair in which he sat. He hadn’t realized anyone else was in this wing of the house, and he imagined he was quite alone. When he looked up though, he realized it was only Mrs. Potts, the older woman who took care of things around here for his Uncle. She was a kind soul, and though she had decades of life on him, he noticed the woman never lacked for energy. She could put him to shame with the way she ran about this house organizing, cooking, and keeping things afloat. It took a small army to keep up with a place like this, but Mrs. Potts never broke a sweat, and though Killian had tried to resist her nurturing ways, it was fruitless. The woman’s calling was taking care of people, and in a moment like this, that kind of care was welcome to Killian.

“I know it doesn’t, but still I can’t help trying,” he confessed and Mrs. Potts smiled warmly before patting his arm.

“It’s a terrible trait of time. When we want it to slow it quickens, and when we want it to fly it drags. Dreadfully annoying. But you know what would kill some time? Telling me what has you so tied in knots.”

Oh damnit, there it was. Killian had foolishly hoped that maybe he could get through the day unnoticed, but how could he? Mrs. Potts was only commenting at all because he’d been so different the past twenty-four hours. He could only imagine the changes she witnessed. One day he was just going through the motions, not angry per se, but definitely withdrawn. The only being he let near him for prolonged periods of time was Missy, and though he took care to never be downright rude, he tried to make it clear that he wanted nothing extensive to do with any person he had met here. But after last night and all through today, he had been buzzing with energy and excitement. He’d been smiling, something that he hadn’t done in ages before yesterday, and that feeling of happiness was so strong it even outweighed the worry that he’d somehow fuck this up that currently turned his stomach. He couldn’t help but feel hope for the first time in a long time, and the reason for that was wrapped up in one beautiful, transcendent girl named Emma Swan.

Finding her in the forest yesterday had felt like a trick of the light. It was as if he’d been craving goodness for so long that his mind created a figment of miraculous imagination. It took more than a moment to believe his luck could change so drastically. After everything, he didn’t even feel worthy of standing in the presence of this girl. She was perfect, doting on his dog with kind, easy affection, and then standing and facing him, stealing his breath all at once. Her golden hair, her piercing jade eyes, and her curious and cautious expression had all done him in. But more than that it was the aura around her that called to him. The sun shone through the trees, flittering in with a warming light, but it was Emma that seemed to radiate brightest. It almost hurt to look at her, but he never wanted to stop. He could have stayed in that first moment forever.

“Silly me,” Mrs. Potts said with a chuckle, pulling Killian from his runaway thoughts. “Here I am asking a question I know half the answer to already. After all, the only thing that puts a look like that on a young man’s face is a beautiful girl.”

“How could you know that?” Killian asked, and the older woman smiled.

“My dear, I hate to tell you that it’s obvious, but you’re not exactly hiding anything. It’s clear as day you’ve found a little dose of happiness, and after the year you’ve had I think it’s well deserved.”

Mention of the trying nature of this past year should have hurt him, but Killian felt immune to the pain of remembrance for once. To say that Emma was unexpected didn’t do the situation justice. For almost a year Killian had felt lost and unmoored. The passing of his mother was more painful than words could ever articulate, and it didn’t matter that he’d had months to say goodbye to her. If anything it was worse to see her suffer and to incrementally lose more hope each and every day. By the end, her leaving him had been a given, and when she was finally gone Killian thought he would feel relief. Instead he felt paralyzed and completely unsure of what to do and where to go from there. Life had become about helping his Mum and getting her through the worst demon any of them had ever faced, and when it was just him and Liam left, Killian didn’t know how to act or who to be. How did you live in a world where one of the most important parts of your universe just disappeared? It left an aching sense of emptiness, something physically painful, and nothing and no one had helped to dull that pain until Emma.

“Her name is Emma,” Killian admitted, and for once Mrs. Potts clammed up, no doubt hoping he’d say more. “I met her yesterday. She goes to the camp in town and we got to talking. I asked her to the fair tonight.”

“Oh the fair! Well how marvelous, or as the kids would say, that’s like ‘totally far out!’” Mrs. Potts said, attempting a horrendous show at an American accent, and after a moment of trying to contain his reaction, Killian gave in, laughing at the words she’d chosen. She was no doubt impersonating some kind of American TV reference, but her delivery was shoddy at best . “Oh bother, you know I try to assimilate to these American ways, but it just won’t do. It’s the tea and biscuits I think. My devotion to them simply makes it impossible for me to embrace that American twang.”

With the mention of tea, Mrs. Potts then got it into her mind that tea was the exact remedy they needed in this moment, and the entertainment of watching his Uncle’s housekeeper keep up with the most British of traditions kept Killian smiling. It was nice to feel the sense of home before heading out on something new and foreign tonight. His Mum had always enjoyed any excuse for tea, and as he sipped on the piping hot English grey that Mrs. Potts provided, Killian swore he could feel his mother’s own steadying presence. It was almost like she was with him, even though Mrs. Potts was asking the questions, and though he couldn’t rationally explain it, Killian felt like, wherever she was, his mother was just as excited for Killian as Mrs. Potts.

Though time still dragged more than a bit, the moment did finally come for Killian to get ready and depart. He did so with shaky hands but nothing like real apprehension. He was nervous, of course, because he wanted things to be just so to ensure that Emma had a good time, but the chance to see Emma again and to take her out so that they might see where things could go was a blessing in all ways. In fact, he was so desirous of the chance to do just that, that Killian actually walked the distance from his home to hers in a fraction of the time that he thought he would. He was early, but that earliness allowed for him to pause, and to look down a wooded country lane not far from Emma’s home. It was an ordinary looking place, nothing out of the common way, except for one thing. There, in the abandoned hedgerow were flowers. Wild roses, to be precise, and with a careful and mindful hand, Killian plucked one from the winding leaves. It was glorious, fully open for the season, fragrant, and lush, and Killian was thrilled at his luck.

With his small but precious gift in hand for Emma, Killian closed the distance between him and Emma’s home, eager to be reunited with her again. But where he expected to come knocking on her door, he was shocked and elated to find instead that Emma was already waiting for him at the gate. She didn’t see him at first, and that was probably for the best, for he was too stunned to speak, or move, or think of anything beyond her. Taking her in was a rush, and seeing her tonight, with her hair hanging in loose golden curls and her jean shorts and t-shirt traded in for a pretty pink sundress, made Killian feel like his heart might actually give out. What he felt for her was so gigantic and boundless. He was in awe of her, and halfway in love with her all ready. And then she turned to look at him, smiling shyly as she did, and he was gone for her.

This was the moment, right here, where he gave someone his heart for the first time. It was emblazoned with her name, beating just for Emma, and though many may call him crazy, Killian didn’t give a damn. It didn’t matter that they were young, or that this was only supposed to be his home for the summer. There could be a million things set against them, and for Killian none of them would matter. He’d conquer whatever he could to feel this way forever, and he knew having Emma in his world would be critical to that. In just one day Emma Swan had walked into his life and rewritten his story, and Killian for one had never been so happy about anything in his whole entire life.

“You’re early,” Emma teased, a smirk playing at her lips as he started walking towards her again.  

“I could say the same about you, Swan.” Suddenly Emma looked uncomfortable, as if she wanted to explain why she was waiting for him outside but didn’t know how. This wasn’t the first time Emma had grown agitated about where she lived, and he wondered if she was embarrassed because this was the staff quarters of a larger estate, but while he wanted to ask what was the matter, Killian knew it would be best to wait for now. In the hopes of diffusing her apprehension, Killian produced the blossom he’d found for her, and drew her attention to the flower instead of whatever worried her. “For you, love.”

“Thank you. No one’s ever given me flowers before,” Emma whispered before bringing the rose up to smell its sweet scent. She appeared thrilled at his tiny gesture, and immediately Killian knew he’d bring her flowers every day. She deserved so much more than that, but this was a small thing he could accomplish that would hopefully bring her even a little bit of joy on a regular basis.

“I’m honored to be the first,” Killian replied, and though he’d meant the comment innocently, he watched as a blush crossed Emma’s cheeks. That show of shyness prompted Killian to wonder if there other first they could share together, and then his mind started to run away with him, moving in a far racier direction than either he or Emma was ready for. He had to curtail those thoughts, at least for now, and he did so by pivoting to the night ahead. “So, are you ready to head out? The fair waits for no man, at least that’s what they tell me.”

Emma laughed at the corny joke, and Killian was glad that they’d come so far from their first meeting even though they’d still spent precious little time together. He offered her his hand, and at first he was unsure if she’d accept it, but without any form of hesitation she slipped her hand in his. Having that connection seemed to flip the switch for time. Where before it had been moving ever so slowly, now it was flying by. It felt like one moment they were at Emma’s place and the next they were in the center of town and in the thick of the festivities. In that time they talked and laughed, and most people might think their discussion was on things of little importance, but Killian knew he’d remember every moment, especially the one where Emma first saw the fair in all its glory.

“Wow,” she uttered, her eyes flitting from sight to sight, tracking the lights and the people and the numerous games and rides.

“So? What do you think?”

“It’s even better than I always imagined,” Emma admitted with a grin and Killian felt his heart leap at the praise. “Where do we go first?”

“Ah, now that is a conundrum each fair-goer must face. On the one hand there’s food and all of it is fried. It’s delicious, obviously -,”

“But probably not great to eat before getting on some of those,” Emma said, motioning towards the rides that spun and shot into the air or twisted round and round.

“Precisely, but we can pace ourselves however you like. All I want to do is whatever makes you happy.”

Emma squeezed his hand a little tighter at his honest confession, and she continued to look around before deciding that a ride may be in order. He went and bought the tickets, and they tackled three of the most daring amusements at the fair. Initially, Killian worried that Emma might be scared, but she proved him so wrong. It turned out she loved the thrill and adrenaline, and her enjoyment made him desirous of the adventure as well. After that, they ate their fill of fair food, and then settled on a few games, nearly all of which Emma won. She was a natural at every single feat, and after seeing the light in her eyes that appeared when she found she was truly good at something, Killian wanted nothing more than for her to take the whole place. Some guys might have been turned off by a girl kicking their ass so decidedly, but not Killian. He was just as happy as Emma, for her excitement was infectious, as was her childlike joy every time she got her prize.

“I feel like I should have brought a bag or something,” Emma joked as they walked around with her many winnings, and then Killian produced a tote bag that he’d bought while she was busy at the water gun station. She appeared shocked, but it softened quickly into appreciation. “You’re really on top of this, aren’t you?”

“Have to be to keep up with you, love,” Killian replied and Emma laughed before heading to another tent to dominate yet again. This time though she was strategic, going for a bigger win so she could have a specific prize. The only problem was, she wouldn’t tell Killian what her objective was until it had already been won.

“For you,” Emma said, holding out her biggest catch of the day. It was a stuffed bear, but for some unbeknownst reason it was dressed in pirate garb. It had a hat and a sword, and even a little hook for a hand, and it was impossible not to look at the thing and smile, especially when Emma had thought to give it to him.  

“Thank you, Emma, I’ll cherish it.”

A beat of silence passed between them, but there was no awkwardness. Instead, he and Emma looked at each other, sharing an understanding that this night was one that mattered. They both had enjoyed themselves tremendously, and though neither of them said the words aloud, Killian knew that this was just the start. Things between him and Emma were just right, and there was no denying that. It was like they’d been meant to find each other, and to come together in this summer where he’d needed someone more than ever. Emma seemed to understand that, and though he didn’t know the details, Killian gathered that she was searching for some kind of goodness just as much as he had been.

“I think there’s one more thing that needs doing,” Emma finally said, pulling her gaze from him and looking up to the tallest ride at the fair – the Ferris Wheel. They’d thought of going before, but the line was so long, but as the night went on more people went home. Little kids were all fast asleep by now, and there was only a little while left for the festivities this evening. As such, it was now or never to take one last ride together.

“As you wish,” Killian said, before taking her hand again leading them to the giant wheel. They got on it quickly, and soon enough they had a revolving view of everything.

“This is amazing,” Emma remarked as the ride slowly took its course, moving in a great big circle from high to low and back again.

“Is it the best part of the night?” he asked and Emma shook her head.

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s all been so wonderful. I couldn’t begin to choose a favorite part.”

Her words filled Killian with pride, and he couldn’t contain his smile when she spoke so highly of this date. Knowing that he’d created a happy memory for him and for Emma was an awesome feeling, but it didn’t compare to the ones that came next. In a moment, Emma’s eyes darkened even as they twinkled with the light of the wheel around them. She moved in closer, her hands coming up to his chest, and running down slightly, leaving sparks of spectacular sensation in their wake. Killian wondered if she could feel his heart pounding out an accelerated beat, but her face gave nothing away except that she wanted him. For his part, Killian had never wanted anything as much as Emma, but he waited, impossible as it was. He’d promised her tonight would be on her terms, and though it was torture for the few seconds that she paused in this moment, the sweet relief of her lips on his when she pulled him down for their first kiss was euphoric.

The kiss started soft and slow and more than a little unsure. Emma’s move had been bold, but her embrace was less so, at least for the first few moments. He wondered if this was her first kiss, but then the thought flew away as she arched into him more. They were testing the waters, seeing if a kiss could live up to the promise between them, and it did. Honestly, it delivered so much more, and the feeling in Killian’s heart that was sparked by the kiss only solidified to him that Emma and he belonged together.

“I lied,” Emma whispered when they broke apart for a moment. Killian tried to recall what they’d even been talking about, since he was so moved from that life-altering kiss, but then she clarified. “This was my favorite part. Hands down.”

“Agreed, love, but I think we can do better. Don’t you?”

He didn’t wait for her answer, stealing another kiss from her and chasing that same feeling of bliss all over again. Soon the two of them got lost in each other. There was a need that had long ago sparked between them, one they’d been dancing around all night. The chemistry they shared raged to an all-consuming degree, and Killian never wanted to stop. Her taste incited something primal in him. He never wanted to be without it, or without the feel of her pressed up against him. His fingers ran through her silky hair, then his hands came to hold her close, loving the way she felt beneath him and how open to this that she was. Emma was just as needy as he was, and ultimately the only thing that could break them apart was a loud yelling from the riding car below them.

“Hey buddy, are we gonna move at some point? This thing has been stuck for like ten minutes. I got places to be!” The man who asked was clearly annoyed, and it was immediately apparent his ride around the wheel wasn’t going anywhere near as perfectly as Killian and Emma’s.

“Oh my God,” Emma said, her eyes filled with laughter and residual lust from their shared kisses. “We’ve been stopped? I didn’t even notice.”

“It’s news to me too,” Killian admitted, but just as he was about to kiss her again, the ride came to life, and it appeared this was last call at the fair. They took one last loop around before they needed to get off, and by that time everything else was closing up. The festival of fun was winding down, and now there was nowhere to go but home.

It was tough to bid farewell to this night, the first of what Killian hoped would be many to come, but he refused to let himself dwell on bad emotions. He knew without a doubt that this was just the beginning, and so he chose to be grateful and fulfilled at all that he and Emma had shared. Tonight had been magical, and it was only made more so by the fireflies lighting up their whole journey home. These lightening bugs seemed to follow them, illuminating the way where the moon and stars could not, and each time one flashed its yellow light, Emma looked more and more entranced. This, it seemed, was another first for Emma, and even Killian had to admit that the way they lit up the shadowed streets was picturesque. Still, when the moment came to say goodbye to Emma, Killian couldn’t bring himself to say the words. It felt wrong to leave her, and Killian didn’t know how he’d ever manage it. As for saying goodbye, it felt too final, and the weight of that word weighed heavily on his shoulders.

“I had a great time tonight,” Emma said, the tone in her delicate voice telling him that she was being nothing but totally honest. “I don’t want to sound lame, but…”

Killian moved to cup her cheek when she cast her eyes away, seemingly embarrassed. He ran his thumb across her skin, feeling its gentle softness again, and noticing how it felt just as wonderful as the first time earlier tonight. God, the craziest part about all of this was that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but she didn’t seem to notice it. Emma was blind to all the things that made her remarkable. She didn’t seem to understand that she was gorgeous or brilliant or extraordinary. She thought herself plain, when there was no one more wonderful the world over.

“Emma, whatever you meant to say, I want to hear it. I want to know everything you’re thinking, and I promise that ‘lame’ is the very last thing I’d ever call a thought of yours.”

Emma melted into his embrace a little more, releasing a pent-up breath and relaxing into him. “It’s just… well if I’m really honest, tonight was one of the best nights of my life.”

It soothed him to hear her be so candid, and it invigorated him in a way he’d never been before. He felt like he could fly – hell, forget flying this was so much better! Having Emma care so much for him and open herself to what was growing between them was miraculous. He knew this was hard for her, and though again she’d shied away from speaking of anything too deep tonight, the little things she gave away had told Killian that normally Emma was cautious. Like him, she’d built up walls around herself, but her trust in the feelings between them had inspired her to try. She was taking a risk with him, and no matter what it took, Killian silently swore that he’d make that risk worth it for her, no matter what it took.

Instinctively, he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her, and feeling the slender lines of her body mold against his. Having her close was of great comfort, but then she nestled in even closer and his heart lifted. She fit so perfectly with him, and when she was here, in his arms, it felt like a missing piece of who he was had returned. It might not be the part he lost when his mother passed, but it was another similarly important piece, one he’d never really had before. People might call him crazy, but he couldn’t help thinking, as he looked into Emma’s emerald eyes, that he was staring into the face of his future. He could see a whole life with Emma. Every milestone they were yet to face, he found he wanted to embark on with Emma at his side, and though he didn’t know how that could be yet, given that they lived a world apart most of the time, he knew he’d find a way.

“Mine too. I don’t want to rush you, love, but I feel it’s only right to tell you that I’m in this. I’m all in, Emma. It’s you and me, as long as you’ll have me.”

“So it’s not just a one-time thing?” Emma asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly with the last of her fear.

“No, love. It’s as far from a one-time thing as it can get. I want tomorrow and the next day. I want next week and next month. I want the whole summer and then thereafter. I want it all, and I know it’s ridiculously fast, but sometimes when you know, you know, and -,”

Whatever other words he had flew away the moment Emma pulled him down to kiss. They came together, just as hungry for each other as they were before, if not more, but now there was so much promise fused in with the embrace. In this kiss, Emma was telling him that she was on board with all his thinking. Even if he was crazy, it seemed she was just the same, and whatever this was, they were in it together.

They stayed that way, tied together with heat and lust and the beginnings of what he had to see as love. This was too strong an emotion to be anything else, and when they broke apart, both trying to catch their breath, he could tell from Emma’s expression that she felt it too. He wouldn’t speak the words tonight, not when they’d already been moving so quickly, but Killian knew it was just a matter of time before he said them. And as Emma took her leave, heading back through the wrought iron gate, after promising to see him tomorrow, he felt a growing sense of certainty that she was the one. Now all he had to do was show her that, and make a plan to keep them together, no matter what may come.

Post-Note: So there we have it! I can’t wait to see what you guys thought of the chapter and Killian and Emma’s first date. Hopefully you enjoyed it, and if you did then I have good news for you: the next chapter is another date also from Killian’s view, but this time it’s in the present where we started the story. I think a lot more will be answered then, but there’s still a long way to go in unraveling the past and building their future. Anyway, thanks so much to all of you for reading and for your continued support. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

[mrswhozeewhatsis]

A Woman of Letters (Getting a Feel for Sam Winchester) - Chapter 40

Summary:  You’ve just opened an occult bookstore in Lebanon, Kansas, when you fall for a tall, handsome customer…literally. You soon find out that there’s more to the world than you ever suspected, including you. Discovering your heritage puts you directly in a witch’s crosshairs, though, so the Winchesters offer to take you in and teach you how to protect yourself. As you discover your own family history with the supernatural and your own hidden talents, you can’t help but wish a certain brother was as excited about your interest as you are.

Total length: 43 chapters, 70,247 words - Read on AO3 - Series masterlist

Chapter word count: 2143 words

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Warnings: Canon-level angst and violence

Sam

As soon as Dean mentioned Plan B, Sam’s heart sank. Giving Y/N the cook’s tour of Hell was something he had really hoped they could avoid. Godfrey’s map had only gone so far, and after that, they would be going on where Godfrey had heard things were, but he’d never been there. Matching up what Dean, Sam, and Cas knew of Hell with what Godfrey knew had been impossible. All Sam knew was there was a portal to Purgatory, and in Purgatory, there was a portal to Maine. The only good part of Plan B was that the demons most likely to give them resistance were all too busy trying to escape Hell through the windows they’d smashed in the throne room. They’d be lost, but at least they wouldn’t be lost and fighting.

Sam and Dean led the way, with Cas trailing behind Y/N, since Sam had been the most recent visitor to Hell, and knew what the portal to Purgatory looked like. As they walked down hallways, the air smelled steadily worse, the lighting grew dimmer and more eerie, and Sam felt the temperature rise. Dean fell behind Sam for a moment, and Sam heard Dean give Y/N a machete in place of the kitchen knife she had grabbed.

“It won’t kill a demon, but they move a lot slower without their heads,” Dean joked. Sam huffed while he searched for the next turn. He listened while Dean talked Y/N through beheading a demon. From what he could gather, Y/N had been doing well with the machete, which is why Dean had brought it with him for her. Short of a gun, which Sam also heard Dean hand over, a machete was what Y/N had come closest to mastering. Knowing that Y/N was now fully armed to protect herself, Sam took a calming breath and focused on the task at hand.

A few turns later, and they were beyond Godfrey’s map, into what he’d heard about, but never seen. The only thing Godfrey had mentioned that was giving Sam hope was that the section of Hell Sam had been in before would feel different. Godfrey hadn’t been able to describe what he’d heard exactly, but he’d said that innocent souls felt and smelled different than damned souls. They were brighter, there was less of a brimstone smell about them, and they were cooler, so the section of Hell that housed them tended to also be brighter, cooler, and smell better. At each junction, Sam would stop and sniff. After doing this a few times, he started to feel like a bloodhound, but he thought he was truly feeling a difference. Dean was grumbling that everything looked and smelled the same to him, but Cas was smiling. Dean fell behind Y/N and Cas moved up with Sam.

“I don’t smell the difference, or feel a difference in the air, but I feel a difference in the emotions, Sam,” Y/N said. Cas tilted his head and peered at her while Sam stopped sniffing to look at her. “The damned souls are all saying that they don’t deserve to be here, but underneath, they don’t believe it. They’re lying. Each time you make a correct turn, I feel fewer lies. We’re on the right path, Sam, I can feel it.” Y/N gave him a small smile, and Sam suddenly realized what she must be feeling with all of these tortured souls around her. She would be feeling all of their pain.

“Can you feel everything these souls are feeling, Y/N?” Sam thought his heart might break at the answer.

“It’s like swimming in the ocean. It’s everywhere, but I can deal with it. I’ll be okay.” Y/N smiled up at him, and he desperately wanted to kiss her, wrap his arms around her, and protect her from the energy all around them. Y/N took his hand, and indicated which turn they should make next.

With Cas looking at the souls they passed, Sam sniffing the air, and Y/N sensing the emotions around them, it didn’t take long for them to get to the section of Hell they were looking for. Finding the portal took longer, since it was so well hidden, but Sam remembered what it looked like, so when they approached it, he saw it right away. Sam pushed through it, first, then pulled everyone else through. Once everyone was through, Cas pushed the rocks up against the portal again to cover their tracks, and Sam took Y/N into his arms.

“I was beginning to think I’d never feel you again,” Sam whispered into Y/N’s ear.

“I was beginning to think I’d never see you again,” Y/N whispered back. Y/N’s hands snaked around his neck and she pulled him down to her for a long kiss. Sam wanted to do nothing more than just stand there and kiss her, but he knew they weren’t out of danger, yet. He pulled away and looked down at her with his hands on her shoulders.

“We’re not safe, yet, sorry to say. Welcome to Purgatory.” Sam gave Y/N a wry smile and tried not to chuckle when her eyes widened.

“Purgatory? Like where….” Y/N’s voice trailed off as she turned to look at Dean and Cas, who had taken on defensive stances and were on guard against attack. She let her eyes roam the woods around them and sighed. “Monster Heaven. Okay. What’s next?”

Dean interrupted. “We keep an eye out for a bearded Cajun vampire on our way to the portal back topside. On the way, we kill anything that attacks. Keep moving and make heads roll, sister.” With that, Dean and Cas started walking, so Sam and Y/N followed.

While they walked, Y/N asked, so Dean told her about Benny. “I know, he told Sam he doesn’t fit topside, anymore, but if we see him, I want to try and convince him to come back, anyway. Things are different, now. Sam said he could accept him living with us at the bunker and even hunting with us, as long as he stays clean. He’d have a place in the world, if he wants it.” Sam watched Y/N smile at Dean and take his hand for a moment.

“Then we’ll just have to convince him,” she said with a smile. Sam watched Dean beam at Y/N right as a group of werewolves appeared in his peripheral vision. The skirmish was quick, with the men taking out all but one of the werewolves. Dean kept one alive long enough to ask about Benny, and after he got the answers he was looking for, he removed the wolf’s head. Dean and Cas chatted for a moment, Sam thought he heard something about Cas being able to fly here, then Cas disappeared. A few minutes later, Cas came back and nodded.

“He was there. He was surprised to see me, but said he’d make his way to the portal to meet us. I’m going to join him so I don’t attract Leviathan to us with Y/N here. I’ll make sure he gets there, Dean.” Cas patted Dean’s shoulder, and Dean gave Cas a tense smile.

“Thanks, man. See you there.” Cas disappeared, and the three of them started hiking.

There were a few more skirmishes, one with a small tribe of Amazons, which caused an interesting conversation after Dean spent a moment too long searching their faces before he swung at the first one attacking him. Sam didn’t see the face Dean was looking for, and neither did Dean, for which Sam was truly grateful. Benny could survive without killing, had done so before, and had a body to return to topside. After Sam had killed Emma, though, they had burned her body. Even if they hadn’t, Sam wasn’t sure an Amazon could survive without killing. In Sam’s mind, it was a question best left unasked.

Sam spent the rest of the hike through Purgatory telling Y/N about what Crowley had had them doing while she was locked up. Y/N didn’t say much, but the look on her face was thunderous.

As they approached the hill below the portal, Sam saw the portal’s light flashing above them. Part of him wanted to run towards it with Y/N, but part of him didn’t want to leave Dean behind, even for a moment. So, they stayed at the bottom of the hill and waited until Cas and Benny showed up.

Sam knew immediately when Dean saw Benny, because his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Sam turned around and saw the vampire and the angel approaching, and gave them both a smile. Benny and Dean embraced, and then Benny turned to Sam with his hand outstretched. Sam shook it, gladly, with a smile.

Dean patted Benny’s shoulder and turned him toward Y/N. “Benny, meet the girl that stole Sam’s heart, Y/N. Y/N, this is the buddy I was telling you about, Benny.”

Benny gave Y/N a very charming smile, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. “I can see why Sam fell so hard. It’s always a pleasure to meet a beautiful woman such as yourself, Y/N.” Sam watched Y/N smile and blush, and was glad when she decided to move back to his side where he could put his arm around her. Not that he was jealous of how the vampire so easily charmed his girlfriend or anything. It was for protection. Yeah, protection.

Sam, Cas, and Y/N stayed quiet while Dean set his offer in front of Benny. In the middle of his speech, they were interrupted by a trio of Leviathan, which Dean, Cas, and Benny took out with ease, almost without interrupting their conversation. Sam wondered exactly how long Dean had spent fighting beside Benny before they had found Cas and then the portal. Obviously long enough to work well together. Sam came out of his reverie when he realized Benny was arguing.

“Dean, I told ya, brother, I’m better here. There’s no hunger here. I don’t have to belong to survive, but I can if I need to. Are you honestly telling me none of your hunter friends are going to have a problem with you hunting with a vampire? I seem to remember a certain friend of yours had a big problem with it, Dean. So big, he damn near killed my granddaughter just to get at me.”

“It’s different, now, Benny. We have a bunker. You’d have your own space. Sammy’s even on board with it, aren’t you, Sammy?”

Sam nodded and smiled at Benny. “Seriously, Benny, we’ll make it work. I didn’t understand before, but I do now, and I’m okay with it.”

Cas interrupted. “We need to go. There’s more coming.”

Dean sighed and then turned to Y/N. “Convince him, Y/N. Please.” Sam turned to Y/N to see what she’d do.

Y/N shook her head. “I’ll talk Dean, but I won’t push him. This is too big a deal for me to force him to do it, and you know that.” Sam almost chuckled at the look on Benny’s face when he considered Y/N “forcing” him to do anything. “Benny, I don’t know you, but I know these guys, and if they say they can make it work, they can make it work. They just rescued me from the King of Freaking Hell, who was holding me in Hell, and now I’m in freaking Purgatory, so you can’t tell me they can’t make a little social anxiety work itself out.” Y/N cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at Benny while putting her free hand on her hip.

Benny barked a laugh while Sam, Dean, and Cas all chuckled. “A little social anxiety, you say, darlin’?” Benny laughed again, but was interrupted by Cas again.

“They’re almost here. We move now, or fight, and I can’t tell how many of them there are.”

Y/N was about to put her hand on Benny’s arm, but Sam saw her stop herself. “Come back with us. If it doesn’t work out, we can always kill you again, right?”

Benny shook his head and smiled. “I guess you’re right. All right. I’m comin’, brother.” Dean clapped a hand on Benny’s back, and all five of them turned towards the portal. Cas watched the approaching band of vampires get closer, while Dean cut open his arm and began the spell to trap Benny’s soul. Sam pushed Y/N towards the portal before going to help Cas.

“Go through the portal. Hank should be waiting somewhere on the other side! We’ll be right behind you!” Sam turned around and started to defend Dean while he was finishing the spell. After cutting off two vamp heads, he looked back and saw Y/N slip through the portal. With a sigh of relief, he returned to the task at hand, and so did Dean.

[bnha-hcs]

Midoriya x Reader - Grocery Shopping

So I decided to resurrect an old story idea I wrote like 7 years ago when I was in middle school because honestly it was a pretty decent idea and I laughed a bit thinking back to it. Anyways I hope you all enjoy!

Waking up on a Saturday morning was hard. After a long week of work you were tired and your body begged you to stay in bed and just take the day off for once. You had shit to do, however, and the nagging guilt in your mind and the glaring fact that your fridge was practically empty forced you to sit up. Or rather, attempt to sit up in your plush bed. The strong arms of your boyfriend were securely situated around you so the action to get up was just another fight for you.

“(Y/n)... Five more minutes…” Izuku begged you, his voice laced with the same exhaustion you felt in your chest.

“Babe you know I have to go shopping before everyone gets to the store and gets the good shit.” You reasoned in your own tired voice.

Izuku mumbled something in his adorably sleepy state before rising and letting go of your form. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as you got up and stretched. The action was a mistake and you actually debated just flopping back onto the bed. It wasn’t long before your boyfriend was beside you and giving you a tired hug with his head resting down on your shoulder. You chuckled lightly understanding the reluctance to get out of bed.

“Are you coming with me to the store?” You asked trying to force down a yawn.

You heard him hum something akin to a ‘yes’ so you departed to go stroll into the kitchen and make both of you something to eat. It wasn’t anything too extravagant but enough to get the two of you through the shopping madness for the morning. You’d easily spend a few hours in the store to stock on things you needed. Today would be a big haul so you appreciated the fact that Izuku was coming with you.

It took the both of you a while to get through breakfast and then getting ready. It didn’t help that the both of you were tired as hell but the sleepy kisses while you were getting ready were definitely pleasant. Before leaving you sighed and he hugged you from behind, you acknowledging the sudden clingy behavior that the lack of rest was causing. You so wished that you could just relax and watch movies all day but you also needed the taste of fresh produce from the store to keep your sanity. The key to feeling less gross during the day was to at least eat one sort of veggie or fruit. It saved you from getting the stale feeling of the daily grind.

“We have to go eventually.” You hummed slowly swaying back and forth. He swayed with you making you laugh a bit.

“Let’s go then.” He said with a small sigh.

Despite the fact that he looked just as tired as you, Izuku wore a gentle smile while the two of you walked to the car. You’d need to take the car since the amount of groceries would be too much for even the both of you to carry. You took the driver's side out of habit, you being the one who usually does all the shopping since you were mostly less busy than your boyfriend. The store was just down the road so you didn’t take the time to plug in your tunes. Instead you let the radio play one of the songs that were popular and almost always played to death within the week it was released. You sighed at the calm feeling a short drive gave you.

You parked the car and got out while grabbing your bag that held your wallet and among other things before the two of you sauntered across the parking lot in your sleepy states. The market was relatively calm for a saturday morning and you were glad you chose this time to go shopping while people were… at least a little more civil. Izuku grabbed a cart and you set your bag inside while he pushed the cart along the two of you.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” You mused looking over the assortment of veggies. You resisted the urge to try and sneak a bite of something while you were in the produce section.

“You pick, since you’re cooking.” He smiled.

“Okay, stir fry it is!” You chirped.

Puffing out your cheeks you pondered the choices of veggies to go with the stir fry. While you were debating over the large variety of reasonably priced veggies, Izuku called to you saying that he was going to get the meat for the stir fry. You hummed a thank you before you gave him a small kiss on the cheek and sent him on his way. It took you a few moments to decide on anything and by that time some middle aged guy had come over to browse the produce as well. You turned around too quick and bumped into him.

“Ah, sorry excuse me.” You apologized quickly and went to move out of the way.

He let out a grunt and moved on rather quickly out of the area. You tilted your head and wondered if it was your fault he left in a hurry. Shrugging you went back to what you were doing until you heard Izuku come back with the meat for dinner. You were too wrapped up in putting broccoli in a bag that you hadn’t turn around to greet him. But you did here him let out an unsure hum.

“Uh, babe, where’s your bag?” Izuku asked in a slightly worried tone. You swear he was on the verge of panic with that voice.

“What do you mean it’s right there…” You turned around and nearly dropped your precious food, your jaw going slack as you gazed upon an empty cart.

“(Y/n)... “ He said watching realization wash over you. 

“Th-The middle age guy!!” You shrieked and took off without explanation.

Izuku followed you in a panic as you sprinted out the store and into the parking lot. You came to a harsh stop and he almost crashed into you. You squinted and whipped your head from side to side to try and find the man who had stolen your bag. That fucker was gonna get it no matter what. Needless to say you were wide awake by now and were lucky you still had your keys in your pocket. You bolted to the car and got in with haste thinking that if you drove around the block you’d spot the thief.

“W-Wait where are we going??” Izuku asked getting into the passenger’s side.

You almost peeled out of the parking lot and took off down the block before you slowed down a bit to keep an eye out for the man. All the while Izuku was completely clueless as to what you were ever doing.

“There was some rude guy who bumped into me earlier while you were gone and I know he’s the one who stole my bag!” You huffed gripping the steering wheel tightly.

You let out a what only could be described as inhuman noise as you spotted the guy with your bag walking shadily down the street. You slammed on the gas peddle and heard Izuku slam his hands to brace himself on the car door and the middle console.

“I know what you’re thinking and don’t hit-” He was cut off as you slowed down and bit and aimed the car directly at the man who was had tried to pick up his pace down the street. As the car collided with the man you pumped a fist in the air and laughed. The man struggled to get up.

“I got you, fucker!” You yelled. “That’s what you get for stealing my bag!”

At that exact time of your victory you heard the siren of a police car and saw the lights from your rearview mirror. Your smiled faded and you looked over to your boyfriend who looked like he was about to have an anxiety attack. The poor boy hid his face in his hands as the police officer approached the window and bid you to roll it down.

As soon as you did he gave you The Look™ and you felt your soul leave your body.

“So, officer, you wanna hear a funny story?” You laughed sheepishly.

“Not really.”

“A-Ah.”

You were so fucked.

[darlingsteps]

Things to do with kids in any part of the world

Things to do with your kids in any part of the world: USA, Europe & Beyond

No matter where you are in the world, you don’t need a lot of money or extravagant things to make children happy and have fun. I’m a pure example of this. Here are some ideas to get your juices flowing:

Build a tent

Seriously, who buys those pop-up store tents anymore? (I’m not judging, I used to own them lol) When you have a small living space or live out of a suitcase like us, you have the luxury of having All. The. Things. amiright?

So, trust me, kids will much rather build their own tent with extra bedsheets, pillowcases, fabrics and chairs of all sorts.

Have bunk beds? Ohhh those are the best and bring back so many memories! #hello

Make cookies

(at least in my household) kids want IN on whatever you’re doing. Haha, My youngest child will harass my life to ‘help cook’ until I say yes. Obviously, I should be sterner and not give in (what the heck am I teaching her by giving in right? I know. moving on) but in this case, I adore the cuteness of a teeny tiny human with a cupcake for a face, trouting along to beg me to cook. How can I resist? So I now schedule time for the girls to cook. And what’s more fun than mixing, tasting and squishing!

Arts and crafts

This is my inner creative alter ego wanting to pry itself out. I LOVE arts and crafts (don’t be fooled, I’m by no means crafty or good haha) I enjoy it, and I promise if you let go of perfectionism you will too. Honestly, you don’t even need ‘a plan.’ Go to your craft store, i.e., any dollar store, and stock up on anything even remotely crafty, even if you think you won’t use it. Head straight to the stationary section, then head to the home/garden isle, after the tool and auto isle (you need something reasonable to hold all this crap, food aisle (for cheap dry goods. think beans, rice, and oats) and finally the kitchen isle for plastic cups, foil, etc. and those paper plates you’ll need for those maracas.

Make playdough

Why on Gods green earth is playdough SO DAMN EXPENSIVE???!!! Okay, I’m sorry for yelling. #Imdone. I’ve never purchased playdough for the girls because we afford it and when we could, why the heck would I pay that much anyway? And for the bargain shopper mamas reading this before you go on to tell me I can buy them in bulk, on sale, from said dollar store…I wrote above- here are my thoughts: my kids must be one a kind because these boogers go on to ‘make’ me food creations of all types and mix the playdough in all kinds of ways to make colors I didn’t even know existed. (and I’ve tried those cheaper ones and my goodness- NO THANKS) Kids enjoy cooking (see note above) and making messes, it’s a win-win. Plus it’s super easy, all types of recipes available online. So no excuses. (and no it doesn’t take that long. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Have a Treasure Hunt

This is sooo fun. Honestly, it doesn’t need to be, and it gives you time to just sit down. Ah. You can hide anything from candy, new pencils, notes, etc. (Think the birthday section at a said dollar store) Play dress up we only have girls, and it goes without saying that they enjoy dressing up. (see toy section of any dollar store. do you see a pattern here lol) But I can only guess that boys would enjoy dressing up as well as it is a great pretend/imaginative play. Make pizza Let me start off by saying that if you don’t like pizza, I don’t know we can be friends. Ok just kidding maybe lol I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid but doesn’t like pizza and this is indeed such a versatile and cheap thing to make that there isn’t any excuse for you not to make it and it’s a lot of fun. I grew up pretty poor, and pizza for us consisted of a slice of white wonder bread cheap no-frills pasta sauce and a slice of what was supposed to be cheese. Then we popped it in the oven for a few minutes watching it until the cheese got ever so slightly burned and dug in. Do everyone in your family a favor and make the dough from scratch is pretty simple or you can just buy it one from the store it’s still a lot of fun!

Fly a kite (create a kite)

So self-explanatory and kids love it so go get one and get to your local park already if you don’t have a kite , crafts to the rescue! It is super easy to make, and they work!

Stargaze

This is one of my favorite pastimes, so I feel kind of selfish writing it but our kids loved it, and I think it’s because we are both from big cities in you don’t see stars are often and when you think it’s the one you realize that it’s just a helicopter. Enjoy the little things

Listen to books

Another guilty pleasure here but I’ve posted this love answer my children, and it’s always a good time. There are a few ways you can do this if you’re looking for free options the best way is to download the Overdrive or Libby app and entering your details and library card details, and you get to listen to audiobooks for free. If finances are no burden for you then audible is such an excellent option, and they have pretty much anything you could look for. Except The gruffalo…they don’t have that anymore because Julia Donaldson wants to do stick to print books…ok I digress. Haha. Another more affordable option is the Scribd app. it’s pretty amazing because you pay a small fee of about 5 to 8 books of month, and you get to listen to an unlimited amount books the downside is that you don’t keep it, so it’s kind of like a music subscription you get all the music you want while you’re paying subscriber otherwise you lose all your stuff.

  Read books

Same advice as above^

Make a play

Piggybacking off of the dress up here….our girls could do this all day long. Like seriously. They have. They do.

Keep all and any extra boxes you can get your hands on… The bigger, the better. (Invest in a good x-acto knife) < you’ll need this for the never-ending requests to make doors, windows and “secret exits.”

Build a snowman

If you’re in a climate where it permits this, don’t let the beauty of snow pass by because it’s bitterly cold. Trust me. I understand the struggle. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t last and the memories will.

Park

Does this really need a caption?

Train or bus ride

So, it doesn’t matter if you’re in NYC, London, Paris, or your tiny small town that’s barely making Google maps…if there are buses or trains, use em. Kids love this stuff.

Free workshops

Don’t underestimate your local library. They always have fantastic free workshops going on where all the is required is a simple registration.

Farmers market

This is such a great way to immerse yourself where you are. If you’re traveling like us, this allows you to see and meet new people. Engage in the culture and get fresh produce, food, and knick-knacks.

Make musical instruments

Here I am with the craft stuff again! If you’re like us and travel like it’s your second job, then this is a good one. Music is good for the spirit, and you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to use common household things to make instruments out of.

Have a parade

When you’re done making said instruments^ Be super silly and have a parade! Storm and stomp around the house and have fun. (Be mindful of the hour of course if you live above anyone)

Bubble bath

I can’t quite remember, but there was a time/age where our girls didn’t always get along so well. And the only time where there was a sense of peace was when they were taking baths. Seriously, don’t underestimate the power of simple water, soap and “toys” (I wrote that in quotes because I despise bath toys and much prefer temporary toys like plastic water bottles, used up lemon juice containers, etc)

Birdwatch

Children do mimic what they see. Obviously, this can be a good and bad thing. In this case, it’s alright. Many times throughout the day you can find me lost in thought #heyfellowinfj and wait for it: bird or human watching

The girls love seeing birds up close and analyzing their attributes. Have your kiddos try this!

Make confetti

Kids love to make messes so let them! Grab any old magazines, newspapers, leaflets, flyers, and pieces of scrap paper you no longer need and cut them up. You can simply put them through the shredder (this adds to the fun, but obviously watch out for those little fingers and blades) or cut shapes snowflakes, etc. Then toss them in the air and roll around in it and have a confetti party!

Outdoor sport

One of the joys of many sports is that you can travel with said instruments. Any game that involves a ball can fit in your luggage once deflated. Cricket is super lightweight, and the ball is small. Frisbee is a fantastic choice. It can get tricky with tennis as rackets tend to be heavy and bulky. (But relatively cheap to purchase)

Sidewalk drawing

Chalk is typically cheap anywhere you go and works on almost any sidewalk/balcony! If you have a private area you’re using, bring out the hose, a bucket or a bowl of water to wash away the drawings and begin fresh the next day.

Garden

Nature freedom!

Go to a museum, café, library or bookstore.

To find free museums, type “free museum, city” into your browser of choice….Same with the others.

Fire station

This may differ wherever you go, but in the US, most firefighters are happy to speak to children when they drop by to have a look but do call first to verify! (To avoid disappointment) We’ve never had an issue, but you never know.

Sing & dance

So I almost felt a bit hypocritical writing this one because I loathe doing both in public. Yes, even in front of my own family haha! But, I assure you, if you’re the same way, take it slow and do it scared! You’ll be glad you did. The easiest thing to do is go to YouTube and find some kid dance channels (maybe search for kid choreography) and let the magic happen. We also use a Toca Boca dance app!

Learn a language

After a certain amount of time traveling (it’s been years for us) your kiddos will grow to love languages. Naturally, as humans, especially little humans, we love communicating. And there’s no better way than completely immersing yourself into another one’s culture: language and all.

I realize this specifies toddlers in the heading. However, these activities can be easily adapted and enjoyed by older children as well. My kiddos are in the 10 and under range (as an example.)

What do you do for family fun? Tell me below!

The post Things to do with kids in any part of the world appeared first on Darling Steps.

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[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 55, June 2017

On Monday morning, I had my Healthy Cooking on a Budget class at Balla Balla Community Centre in Cranbourne East. Today we made a pumpkin soup, veggie pasties and butterscotch pinwheels. Again it seems like a lot of food to cook in two hours but working as a group, it makes the tasks a lot easier to manage. We started by cutting up and roasting some vegetables including onions, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, celery and a zucchini.

I was given the task to dice up one of the zucchinis. Honestly it was quite challenging only because I was using a small pairing knife and it was a large zucchini that I was chopping up. I was also overthinking it a bit too much (Are the pieces small enough? Am I doing this correctly?) but I got there eventually. I reminded myself that nobody in this kitchen is a “Masterchef”. We’re all in the same boat together. We’re all learning and it’s okay to make mistakes. You just gotta do the best you can.

Next we made some pastry dough for the pasties and the pinwheels by combining 2 cups of self raising flour, 30g of cold butter diced and 3/4 cup of milk. Our teacher Jodie recommends the “fairy fingers” method of rubbing the butter in with the dried ingredients to make sure that it’s all incorporated. The dough is then refrigerated and rolled out on the bench. For the pasties, we used a circular lid to cut out some circles. For the pinwheels, we added a layer of brown sugar mixed with 80g of softened butter before rolling it up and slicing it into sections.

For the pastie filling, we combined the diced potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, sweet potato and zucchini into a large bowl and souped a couple of tablespoons into each circular pastry. Then we squeezed them in half and sealed the tops before placing them onto the baking trays. http://www.ballaballa.com.au/progra...

On Monday night, I had my Strength Training session with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. I was wide awake last night overthinking about whether Luke is proud of me or not. I think it stems from my own inadequacies such as wanting to be liked by everyone, chasing people for validation and needing verbal encouragement. That’s just how my brain functions. But tonight I really had to let it go and stop worrying about things I can’t control. I’m not a mind reader and honestly I’m sure that he is proud of me.

One of Nick’s clients from Tri Force Training who I used to train with in group sessions last year walked over to see me. It was a really pleasant surprise to know that Jessica Mesa and the other clients from TFT don’t have a problem with me after I fell out with Nick. The truth is that I’ve moved on and I’m okay with Nick being in the same facility as me. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m not expecting us to be best friends. I just want to keep the peace between us. Anyway, it was really good to chat with Jess again and know that she still likes me and is happy that I’ve got a personal trainer that works for me.

I honestly don’t think I’d be doing half of the stuff in my workouts without Luke there encouraging me and guiding me. He truly does believe in me when it comes to how much weight I am capable of lifting. I still struggle but that only means I’m working really hard and that’s something worth celebrating. https://www.facebook.com/breakawayf...

WARM-UP...I started the session by doing some stretches into the arms, shoulders and wrists using the resistance bands on each side of my body.

DEVELOPMENT...So tonight I did my maximum weight of 45kg on the bench press, doing 5 single reps. My technique was still a little shaky at times but it’s all practice. I just need to remember to keep my feet firmly planted on the floor, activate my chest and back muscles and aim the bar just above the nipple line. Otherwise, I was really happy with my performance. Just being able to lift that bar up and back into the racking was a big achievement for me.

COOL-DOWN...To finish up with, I did a strong stretch through my arms and shoulders by holding weights in my hands and laying back on the bench. Then I did 3 round of 10 single arm rows and 20 reps of stretches into the forearms and mid-back.

On Tuesday night, I had my Body Combat class with Cinamon Guerin at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. Tonight, the group fitness room was decorated with colourful streamers and balloons to promote the new releases which will be out next week. There was also quite a few newcomers in tonight’s class and the best advice I could give them was to just do the best you can. I still remember how daunted I was before my first class but I’ve slowly improved my technique and pace over the last few months.

I was actually feeling pretty good about my performance tonight and not worrying too much about missing reps or stuffing up my combos. We did a series of jab boxes, uppercuts, hooks, high knees, roundhouse kicks, side and front kicks, crab walks, pulses, jack jumps and scissor jumps. I was sweating heaps as usual but tonight I reminded myself to take a moment and focus on my breathing. It actually helped a lot and I’m glad we had to opportunity to catch our breath during the active recovery sections where we’re jogging on the spot. https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/f...

On Thursday morning, I went to my Body Balance class for the first time in weeks at YMCA Casey ARC. Today marked the official day of release 77 and they had somebody taking photos of us doing the workout in the group fitness room. Our usual instructor Wendy Lynne Perrow was joined by Mel who took over for part of the class. I felt a bit rusty today at times particularly with the pilates section. I just don’t have the core strength or flexibility to keep up. But I told myself that it’s okay to miss a few reps if I need to rest and just take my time with the movements.

Today’s workout consisted of the following exercises: Tai-Chi Warmup (Overhead arm swings, flowing chi and overhead circles), Vinyasa Flow Yoga (Downward facing dog, plank, baby cobra, low lunge, extended mountain pose), Balances (Tree pose, Warrior III, chair pose), Warrior Sequence (Warrior II, Sun Warrior, Triangle pose), Pilates (Arm and Leg Extensions, Rocking Chair, Scorpion), Twists (Prayer twist) and Relaxation.  https://www.lesmills.com/us/workout...  

On Thursday night, I had my second Strength Training session for the week with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. The gym was pretty quiet tonight compared to last week but that was actually a good thing. I actually felt relaxed for the most part. I’m slowly letting go of my worries and anxieties around what other people are thinking about me and feeling self-conscious. These thoughts are far from helpful. There are many more positive things to focus on such as the progress I’m making with my training and how positive and supportive the trainers and coaches are.

WARM-UP...I started by elevating my lower leg onto a box and folding over it to stretch into the hips and thighs. Thankfully my yoga classes have been helping a lot in terms of improving my flexibility so it makes stretches like these much easier. I also did some weighted squat holds, butterfly pose and glute bridges.

DEVELOPMENT...It was time to hit my maximum weight for back squats. Honestly, it was really intimidating seeing those 25kg red plates on either side of the bar but I wasn’t going to let my mind stop me from smashing these reps. I was a little shaky at times, either squatting too low or forgetting to keep my chest lifted and eyes forward. But for the most part, the form was pretty solid and I surprised myself again that I could lift 75kg on my shoulders.

On Friday morning, I had my appointment with support worker Ally at Colourfield Cafe Casey Central. We were there for nearly two hours so clearly I had a lot to discuss. I started by talking about my feelings around my strength training at UFT and why I want validation from people do badly. I’m starting to recognise that it’s more in other people’s actions that really demonstrate whether they’re proud of me or they don’t give a rat’s ass about me.

I also started talking about the possibility of moving out of home and living in shared accommodation with somebody else. It’s a sensitive subject for me. It brings up a lot of fear and insecurity within me as I’ve been living with my parents most of my life. But I think that if I can come up with a structured plan with small achievable steps and a safety net, I should be okay. It would further increase my independence as a young adult and help to gain some critical life skills. But I just need to get out of my comfort zone. Baby steps.

[wander-lustier]

13.03.17

Saying goodbye to the girls was a hard thing to do.  At the same time, I’ve been so excited to hit the road with Jake that I don’t think the reality of it all will hit me until later on.  The few days leading up to my big departure, both Julianne and Madison were constantly telling me “I’m gonna miss you so much when you’re gone”.  I was given hoards of snuggles and kisses!  When saying my final goodbye I could tell both girls fully understood what was going on.  Juju went very quiet and hid away for a few minutes, too shy to come out and actually say goodbye.  When I told her it would be her last chance, she eventually creeped out and gave me a big long cuddle and many kisses all over my face.  Madison jumped up in my arms right away.  She held my face in her hands and put her nose on my nose.  I very nearly cried.  Both those girls have been my solace (not literally - they’re a crazy noisy pair!) for the longest time.  Two whole years!  Even though they had no choice and didn’t really know it, those girls were there for me throughout some very difficult times and were always there for a snuggle and chat.  BUT as much as I’ll miss my Weir family memories… I’m beyond glad that I am now able to travel the world with my husband and create some more unforgettable memories... together.

Well, we’re on the road right now and I’m reeling in the freedom!  Thursday night we drove out to Charlottesville, which is in Virginia state.  Only an hour and a half from DC.  It took us slightly longer than expected to pack the car and say our goodbyes to friends and family.  

WELCOME TO VIRGINIA!

By the time we arrived at our Air BnB in Charlottesville there wasn’t enough time for a wander through Shenandoah National Park, which is what we’d originally planned to do.  When I say “we” I really mean “me”.  Jake lets me go off into my own little world when planning our trips and only wants to play a part if there’s special things in particular that he wants to see or do.  Which suits me perfectly!  On our way to Charlottesville, we feasted on Wendy’s Baconator burgers and fries covered in ranch, cheese and bacon.  Nom nom nom.  We have a chilly bin full of food in the back seat of our car but we’re treating ourselves to dinner out each night, either on the road or in a restaurant we find that’s recommended in our array of travel books!  The Air BnB in Charlottesville was more than perfect for what we needed.  It was nothing fancy but we knew that, from the description.  The man who owned the house lived downstairs and we had a private entrance to his attic.  It was more like a mini apartment.  There was a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, a living area and a bathroom.  Much more than we expected from an attic!  Since we would only be there from 9:30pm until 3am we only made use of the bathroom and bedroom, with the exception of the fridge which we used to chill our 2:30am iced coffees!

3am Friday morning we began the longest straight drive of our entire trip.  12 hours!  We were driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway which is one of the two long scenic drives we’ll be taking.  I started with 6 hours of driving, Jake is not a morning person - especially at that hour!  He slept pretty much all of those 6 hours while I belted out the lyrics to Walking On Sunshine, filled with a cocktail of energy and excitement.  One time I woke him up by slamming on the brakes to protect a skunk who was about to be roadkill.  He laughs at me because I slow down for a lot of small animals.   Don’t worry, there was literally no one else on the road, us and the animals had the whole parkway to ourselves.  It was a very exciting drive and I saw a wide variety of wildlife!  Birds, skunks, raccoons, deer and even a fox!  It was super cool because he ran into a big open field and I was able to watch him for a good few seconds as I drove by.  There was a crazy amount of deer and it was lucky we didn’t have any accidents while driving the parkway during the dark hours of the morning!  Jake took over a few hours after our breakfast break and I stayed awake to entertain him with reading, singing and banter.  I made yummy chicken and beef sandwiches at a rest stop around lunch time, which we quickly ate and then continued on.  

WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA!

Unfortunately we weren’t able to complete the entire parkway as the very last section had been closed down.  I’m guessing they’re doing some road work on it.  We detoured and made our way to the Biltmore Estate, which is where Ben and Becca had paid for us to stay as a part of my Christmas present!  It was such a beautiful place which so much land all around!  The Biltmore house was owned by the Vanderbilt family many years ago but we’re not sure whether they still own it or not.

After checking into the Village Hotel at Biltmore, I pre-made our egg salad sandwiches for the following day, then we showered and got ready to head to the Biltmore winery for a complimentary tasting!  We stood at the bar and tasted 7 different wines in a variety of whites, rosés and reds, then purchased our 3 favourites - 1 white and 2 reds.  Afterwards we ate at the hotel’s restaurant which was pricey but delicious!  Jacob had a dish called Frogmore which was basically a stew with lobster, clams, shrimp, sausage and a few vegetables.  I had a burger (of course) that was cooked to PERFECTION.  I asked for medium rare.  When I bit into the burger the juices basically burst out all over my plate.  It was such goodness and Jake was jealous!  We then decided we wanted to buy another bottle of wine to take back to the room and open that night.  I was exhausted and headed back up while Jake went to make the purchase.  By the time he got back and we started to drink a glass each I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open!  I got halfway through the glass and decided to tap out around 7:30pm - it had been a long 17 hour day for me!

Saturday morning we made an early start before 7:30am, I’d had an amazing sleep in the comfy king size bed and even slept in longer than Jake who had woken up a good hour before me!  That NEVER happens!  It took us a long time to pack the car back up.  We had taken most of our belongings from the back seat upstairs with us on one of the hotel trolleys.  After panicking about possibly having lost my wallet (!!!!) and ordering a couple of coffees to go, we checked out (thankfully with said wallet being found down the side of the drivers seat!) and drove 2 miles over to the Biltmore house and gardens.  Yes, they had so much land that it took us 2 miles of driving across it to reach another of their buildings!  Tickets to walk through the Biltmore house were just shy of US$50 which we thought was ridiculous!  Although we did get some beautiful pictures at the top of the stairs which led down to the house.  It was an amazing building up close, with a lot of detail!  The gardens were free to explore so we wandered off to have a look.  Obviously we haven’t quite made it to spring yet so there wasn’t much in bloom… but it was still a relaxing walk and we did find a greenhouse at the end.  The greenhouse had many things in bloom and a lot of big huge plants, all in pots.  It inspired me and by the end of our gardens adventure I had made the decision that I would develop green fingers once we settled down in Washington state.  We took a toilet break before heading to the car for breakfast and couldn’t resist taking a peek inside one of the many stores they had, which were located in the ‘stable’ where the Vanderbilt’s used to keep their horses.  Inside the store we found various little tables with taste testers of drinks and dips to try.  We tried a few different salad dressings, drink mixers and cheese balls.  Before leaving we bought a delicious salad dressing which I think, from memory, was a mix of poppyseed and strawberry!

After a quick breakfast in the car from our chilly bin, Jake began our 5 hour drive to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina - which is when I wrote half this post!  I kept forgetting that a lot of places we stay won’t give me access to the internet from my laptop.  I’ll be writing bits and pieces as I go and post them in chapters so that you’re not overloaded with pages of blabber!

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA!

After checking into our little cabin, we were supposed to begin our fun in Myrtle Beach with a musical at the Palace Theatre.  I hadn’t bought tickets in advance because I couldn’t figure out how to do that online.  It turned out that the reason I couldn’t figure it out was because Palace Theatre had been hit pretty badly by Hurricane Matthew and wouldn’t be open again until February NEXT year!  We were bummed out about it because the building looked awesome from the outside.  We decided to park the car in the Broadway at the Beach car park.  This is a beachy style area with a boardwalk lined with stores and attractions that surround a lake filled with catfish and ducks.  We went for a wander around, took a look in a retro store and saw the Big D IMAX movie theatre.  They only play one movie a day at various times and that day it would be Logan (one of the X-Men/Wolverine movies).  I’ve only seen bits and pieces of these movies so it seemed odd for me to go and see it, but we planned to do that anyway - since it was IMAX.  The movie didn’t begin until 10:15pm, so we played a couple rounds of mini golf.  There are a tonne of mini golf courses in Myrtle Beach!  If I had known this earlier I would have planned a whole day of mini golf touring for Jake and I, because we had so much fun during those two games!  Of course I lost both times… But did better my score the second time around!  We ate dinner in between the two rounds of golf at Joe’s Crab Shack, a cool place on the water that serves seafood.  We snagged two seats at the bar, ordered a couple of beers and took a look at the menu.  I’ve never been a huge fan of seafood, but I guess our tastebuds change as we get older, plus, eating seafood is FUN!  We ordered a big bowl which had 1/2 lb of crab, 1/2 lb of shrimp and 1 lb of crawfish.  I had such a great time learning how to crack them all open and collect the meat.  Our final round of golf was followed by a walk back to the car and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on the way.  Turns out we were too tired to stay up late for the Logan movie and ended the evening in our cabin watching American Horror Story on Netflix!

Sunday morning we went to Waffle House for breakfast.  We both ordered a big hash bowl.  Essentially it’s a bowl of shredded hashbrowns with melted cheese, scrambled egg and breakfast sausage on top.  We also had a waffle each - Jake had pecan… chocolate peanut butter for me.  Of course an American breakfast is never complete without cheap bottomless coffee!  With today’s agenda I was about to face a big fear of mine - heights!  I was feeling confident!  

Wonderworks is an interactive museum in Myrtle Beach, it’s made for kids but we had a lot of fun too!  We found lots of different things like a machine that tests how hard your grip is and a bicycle swing that can spin you all the way around if you pedal hard enough - we didn’t do that!  I felt a little silly considering a bunch of young girls were doing it and after watching for a few minutes I left the line!  Although, I did wait in line for a little roller coaster simulator.  You jump inside an enclosed booth that’s attached to a mechanized arm which moves you up, down and upside down.  I screamed so much that the ride operator laughed afterwards when mentioning how she’d heard me!  We played a game of free for all laser tag too!  Jake’s strategy was for us to hide in the corner behind a wall and shoot at everyone from there.  We were versing two adults and 8 children so it wasn’t very difficult to get the top two scores!   I can’t believe I did, but I went on a ropes course at the very end of the visit.  It took all the courage I had to get all the way up there.  All the kids were breezing through it and I was the sweaty palmed, near crying woman who’s legs were wobbly and couldn’t do the super unsteady ropes because of my lack of confidence.  We did a second ropes course outdoors which was above water.  For some reason I had a lot of confidence when completing this one and completed every challenge they had!  We decided it was because of the environment.  The indoor ropes course was above the crowds of people, it was dark with neon lights all around and VERY noisy.  I couldn’t concentrate.  On the outdoors course I was above the water.  There was noise but not as much and the environment was much more peaceful.  I was very proud of myself for completing all the challenges and it gave me a huge confidence boost for the zip line that we did next.  Pre-boarding the zip we had to wait with a group of 10 others for what seemed like hooouuurss.  It did make for some entertaining conversations with the other dudes getting ready to zip.  One black guy decked out in his Chicago Bulls attire had us in fits of laughter.  He was even more nervous than me and was making sure that was clear to all of us!  He did not like heights and did not like the thought of being over the water.  Jake kept making jokes about Final Destination and the zip getting stuck in the middle mid-flight.  Surprisingly I wasn’t super nervous and was actually more excited to do this!  I had been watching many others zipping across while we were completing the nearby ropes course and I guess that had put my mind at ease and made it look super fun!  We’ll be ziplining again in Vegas and I can’t wait!  Generally when you take a zip line you go one way and return back on another zip, which is what we did.  People kept stopping just before the end of the first zip - hence all the jokes about stopping in the middle!  Our Chicago Bulls buddy was one of the many who got stuck, Jake and I were right after him so we were back over the side laughing our asses off.  Thankfully I JUST made it far enough.  The dude at the other side threw me a rope which I was able to catch.  He then pulled me in further and I had made it!  Jake didn’t get quite close enough to catch the rope so he had to have one zipped out to him!  Chicago Bulls buddy thought that was hilarious, especially when I told him how hard Jake had been laughing when it happened to him only minutes before!  The return zip was extra fun as it went a lot faster than the first!  I was going so fast that I thought he wouldn’t be able to stop me!  All-in-all, a successful first-time zip lining experience which I’m sure there will be many more of!  We saw signs all over for a $20 helicopter ride.  I had never been on a helicopter and Jake hadn’t been on a civilian helicopter (only osprey, the military ones).  We decided since it was super cheap we’d give it a go!  They drove us 50 meters out to the little red helicopter and we jumped in, put on our headsets and took off!  It was a very short ride, only about 5 minutes, but totally worth the experience.  We had awesome views of the area we had just spent our day.  The pilot asked if we liked rollercoasters and when I said I like them a little but I’m not super fond of them he sped up just a little and banked the helicopter so that we turned sideways and had an even better view of below!  Deciding to finish off our big day with some more seafood, we went to the Duffy Street Seafood Shack which was just a block away from the beach.  It was a “throw-your-peanut-shells-on-the-floor” type of place, basically meaning it was messy dive bar which is the type of place Jake and I love!  We ate peanuts from the shell while waiting for our pitcher of beer, 39c shrimps, nachos and chicken wings… delish!  Just before calling it a night we drove to the sky wheel, which was located on the beach which gave us the opportunity for some epic late night beach views.

We’re currently in Dallas catching up with our buddy Critta (Austin) and soooo much has happened since all of this!  I’ve got more stories coming so stay posted.  We are having the most incredible adventure and LOVING life.

With love from TEXAS! xx

P.S. “When the cabin’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’!” - JTB

[darlingsteps]

Things to do with kids in any part of the world

Things to do with your kids in any part of the world: USA, Europe & Beyond

No matter where you are in the world, you don’t need a lot of money or extravagant things to make children happy and have fun. I’m a pure example of this. Here are some ideas to get your juices flowing:

Build a tent

Seriously, who buys those pop-up store tents anymore? (I’m not judging, I used to own them lol) When you have a small living space or live out of a suitcase like us, you have the luxury of having All. The. Things. amiright?

So, trust me, kids will much rather build their own tent with extra bedsheets, pillowcases, fabrics and chairs of all sorts.

Have bunk beds? Ohhh those are the best and bring back so many memories! #hello

Make cookies

(at least in my household) kids want IN on whatever you’re doing. Haha, My youngest child will harass my life to ‘help cook’ until I say yes. Obviously, I should be sterner and not give in (what the heck am I teaching her by giving in right? I know. moving on) but in this case, I adore the cuteness of a teeny tiny human with a cupcake for a face, trouting along to beg me to cook. How can I resist? So I now schedule time for the girls to cook. And what’s more fun than mixing, tasting and squishing!

Arts and crafts

This is my inner creative alter ego wanting to pry itself out. I LOVE arts and crafts (don’t be fooled, I’m by no means crafty or good haha) I enjoy it, and I promise if you let go of perfectionism you will too. Honestly, you don’t even need ‘a plan.’ Go to your craft store, i.e., any dollar store, and stock up on anything even remotely crafty, even if you think you won’t use it. Head straight to the stationary section, then head to the home/garden isle, after the tool and auto isle (you need something reasonable to hold all this crap, food aisle (for cheap dry goods. think beans, rice, and oats) and finally the kitchen isle for plastic cups, foil, etc. and those paper plates you’ll need for those maracas.

Make playdough

Why on Gods green earth is playdough SO DAMN EXPENSIVE???!!! Okay, I’m sorry for yelling. #Imdone. I’ve never purchased playdough for the girls because we afford it and when we could, why the heck would I pay that much anyway? And for the bargain shopper mamas reading this before you go on to tell me I can buy them in bulk, on sale, from said dollar store…I wrote above- here are my thoughts: my kids must be one a kind because these boogers go on to ‘make’ me food creations of all types and mix the playdough in all kinds of ways to make colors I didn’t even know existed. (and I’ve tried those cheaper ones and my goodness- NO THANKS) Kids enjoy cooking (see note above) and making messes, it’s a win-win. Plus it’s super easy, all types of recipes available online. So no excuses. (and no it doesn’t take that long. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Have a Treasure Hunt

This is sooo fun. Honestly, it doesn’t need to be, and it gives you time to just sit down. Ah. You can hide anything from candy, new pencils, notes, etc. (Think the birthday section at a said dollar store) Play dress up we only have girls, and it goes without saying that they enjoy dressing up. (see toy section of any dollar store. do you see a pattern here lol) But I can only guess that boys would enjoy dressing up as well as it is a great pretend/imaginative play. Make pizza Let me start off by saying that if you don’t like pizza, I don’t know we can be friends. Ok just kidding maybe lol I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid but doesn’t like pizza and this is indeed such a versatile and cheap thing to make that there isn’t any excuse for you not to make it and it’s a lot of fun. I grew up pretty poor, and pizza for us consisted of a slice of white wonder bread cheap no-frills pasta sauce and a slice of what was supposed to be cheese. Then we popped it in the oven for a few minutes watching it until the cheese got ever so slightly burned and dug in. Do everyone in your family a favor and make the dough from scratch is pretty simple or you can just buy it one from the store it’s still a lot of fun!

Fly a kite (create a kite)

So self-explanatory and kids love it so go get one and get to your local park already if you don’t have a kite , crafts to the rescue! It is super easy to make, and they work!

Stargaze

This is one of my favorite pastimes, so I feel kind of selfish writing it but our kids loved it, and I think it’s because we are both from big cities in you don’t see stars are often and when you think it’s the one you realize that it’s just a helicopter. Enjoy the little things

Listen to books

Another guilty pleasure here but I’ve posted this love answer my children, and it’s always a good time. There are a few ways you can do this if you’re looking for free options the best way is to download the Overdrive or Libby app and entering your details and library card details, and you get to listen to audiobooks for free. If finances are no burden for you then audible is such an excellent option, and they have pretty much anything you could look for. Except The gruffalo…they don’t have that anymore because Julia Donaldson wants to do stick to print books…ok I digress. Haha. Another more affordable option is the Scribd app. it’s pretty amazing because you pay a small fee of about 5 to 8 books of month, and you get to listen to an unlimited amount books the downside is that you don’t keep it, so it’s kind of like a music subscription you get all the music you want while you’re paying subscriber otherwise you lose all your stuff.

  Read books

Same advice as above^

Make a play

Piggybacking off of the dress up here….our girls could do this all day long. Like seriously. They have. They do.

Keep all and any extra boxes you can get your hands on… The bigger, the better. (Invest in a good x-acto knife) < you’ll need this for the never-ending requests to make doors, windows and “secret exits.”

Build a snowman

If you’re in a climate where it permits this, don’t let the beauty of snow pass by because it’s bitterly cold. Trust me. I understand the struggle. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t last and the memories will.

Park

Does this really need a caption?

Train or bus ride

So, it doesn’t matter if you’re in NYC, London, Paris, or your tiny small town that’s barely making Google maps…if there are buses or trains, use em. Kids love this stuff.

Free workshops

Don’t underestimate your local library. They always have fantastic free workshops going on where all the is required is a simple registration.

Farmers market

This is such a great way to immerse yourself where you are. If you’re traveling like us, this allows you to see and meet new people. Engage in the culture and get fresh produce, food, and knick-knacks.

Make musical instruments

Here I am with the craft stuff again! If you’re like us and travel like it’s your second job, then this is a good one. Music is good for the spirit, and you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to use common household things to make instruments out of.

Have a parade

When you’re done making said instruments^ Be super silly and have a parade! Storm and stomp around the house and have fun. (Be mindful of the hour of course if you live above anyone)

Bubble bath

I can’t quite remember, but there was a time/age where our girls didn’t always get along so well. And the only time where there was a sense of peace was when they were taking baths. Seriously, don’t underestimate the power of simple water, soap and “toys” (I wrote that in quotes because I despise bath toys and much prefer temporary toys like plastic water bottles, used up lemon juice containers, etc)

Birdwatch

Children do mimic what they see. Obviously, this can be a good and bad thing. In this case, it’s alright. Many times throughout the day you can find me lost in thought #heyfellowinfj and wait for it: bird or human watching

The girls love seeing birds up close and analyzing their attributes. Have your kiddos try this!

Make confetti

Kids love to make messes so let them! Grab any old magazines, newspapers, leaflets, flyers, and pieces of scrap paper you no longer need and cut them up. You can simply put them through the shredder (this adds to the fun, but obviously watch out for those little fingers and blades) or cut shapes snowflakes, etc. Then toss them in the air and roll around in it and have a confetti party!

Outdoor sport

One of the joys of many sports is that you can travel with said instruments. Any game that involves a ball can fit in your luggage once deflated. Cricket is super lightweight, and the ball is small. Frisbee is a fantastic choice. It can get tricky with tennis as rackets tend to be heavy and bulky. (But relatively cheap to purchase)

Sidewalk drawing

Chalk is typically cheap anywhere you go and works on almost any sidewalk/balcony! If you have a private area you’re using, bring out the hose, a bucket or a bowl of water to wash away the drawings and begin fresh the next day.

Garden

Nature freedom!

Go to a museum, café, library or bookstore.

To find free museums, type “free museum, city” into your browser of choice….Same with the others.

Fire station

This may differ wherever you go, but in the US, most firefighters are happy to speak to children when they drop by to have a look but do call first to verify! (To avoid disappointment) We’ve never had an issue, but you never know.

Sing & dance

So I almost felt a bit hypocritical writing this one because I loathe doing both in public. Yes, even in front of my own family haha! But, I assure you, if you’re the same way, take it slow and do it scared! You’ll be glad you did. The easiest thing to do is go to YouTube and find some kid dance channels (maybe search for kid choreography) and let the magic happen. We also use a Toca Boca dance app!

Learn a language

After a certain amount of time traveling (it’s been years for us) your kiddos will grow to love languages. Naturally, as humans, especially little humans, we love communicating. And there’s no better way than completely immersing yourself into another one’s culture: language and all.

I realize this specifies toddlers in the heading. However, these activities can be easily adapted and enjoyed by older children as well. My kiddos are in the 10 and under range (as an example.)

What do you do for family fun? Tell me below!

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