#at least john keller waited

[prettypixels22]

Headcanons for spending Christmas with call of duty characters

(feat. simon "ghost" riley, john "soap" mactavish, kyle "gaz" garrick, john price,

kate laswell, farah karim, alex keller, phillip graves)

a/n: for context, in each section you’re referenced to have kids with each character and, although not explicitly stated, the reader is implied to be a homebody but these headcanons are kept gender neutral. if you continue to read, i hope you enjoy.

Simon “Ghost” Riley

Christmas is the best time for him to show how much he appreciates you and the kids

He’s not a bad parent, he’s always been very good with the kids

He provides for you all and takes care of them the best he can but he knows he can be emotionally distant at times

He can handle most situations involving his kids but when they get upset or argue with each other, he struggles and has to rely on you to help them

It’s not that he doesn’t want to emotionally connect with them, he just isn’t sure how and he’s not used to talking about his feelings

So gift giving is a good way for him to express that he does care and love you all

He likes both receiving and gifting things that are homemade or sentimental, he enjoys those kinds of gifts because they are specific to your little family and that makes it so special to him

Skulls become like a trademark to your family and tiny skull symbols are hidden in most gifts, wether it be a carving on a wooden item, an engraving on a piece of jewelry, an embroidery on fabric or even woven into those little bracelets kids like to make

Speaking of skulls, your kids definitely have skull designed sky masks that they used to stay warm when they play in the snow

The kids sit on the same sled and have Ghost pull them around, it’s so heart warming seeing your partner and children play while wearing the same masks like they’re a little family of ghosts

When your children go to bed, you talk to Simon about something they’ve been telling you recently, “The kids want a dog.”

You bring it up during one of those intimate times when he’s not wearing his mask and you feel like you can read his mind

Instead of the blank stare you usually see when all of his features, save for his eyes, are covered, you can see the slight changes in his expression

His eyebrows twitch and his jaw clenches, you can’t tell he doesn’t think it’s a good idea

“We can name him Riley,” you joke, “He can be our guard dog and protect us when you’re not around.”

Although you weren’t being serious, he actually started warming up to the idea

It wouldn’t be a puppy though, he’d take you to look at retired military dogs

There was one you two took a particular liking to, a german shepherd, he was a nice dog and in need of a good home but he also had the proper training to be able to protect you and the kids if need be

The kids loved him, of course, and he was very gentle with them, wagging his tail while they hugged and pet him

You ended up falling asleep to a Christmas movie, your family cuddled up together on the couch with your new dog

John “Soap” MacTavish

Johnny loves Christmas and eagerly waits for it to come around every year

There’s always a mountain of gifts around the Christmas tree

Half of the presents he bought, he purchased all the way back in January

He just gets so giddy seeing you and the kids enjoy his gifts that he immediately wants buy more after Christmas is over

Then when it finally gets close to December, you two have your kids’ Christmas lists to deal with

You two have to start wrapping them, at least, a week in advance because there’s no way you’re getting them all done in one night

Especially when you have to wait for the kids, who are pumped full of sugar from eating too many Christmas cookies, to go to sleep

So they get double the gifts and on top of that they get even more when you visit the MacTavish family (which is huge by the way)

Speaking of, when you do visit his family, you get to sit inside by the fireplace and drink hot cocoa with his parents and sisters and watch from the window while Soap takes your kids outside to play with their cousins and uncles in the snow

You get a front row seat to the comical scene of Johnny being hit with a snowball and dramatically collapsing to the grown, a swarm of children climbing over him and playfully attacking

He will play outside with his kids for hours, having snowball fights, building snowmen, sledding

He’d love to take them snowboarding one day, if only the military would grant him enough leave time to take them to a ski resort

While your kids play with their nieces and nephews, Soap will definitely try to sneak you away for some “alone time”

If you object to this and tell him him that you two need to go back and watch your kids, he’ll pull you into an empty room, large hands cradling your face as he tries to bargain with you, “Just lemme give you a quick kiss, bonnie. Hmm?”

But it’s never just a “quick kiss” and you don’t know how you keep falling for that

He’s so sweet when he’s affectionate, he’ll slow dance with you by the fireplace or run you a nice relaxing bath with rose petals, it’s a romantic and intimate way of showing you how much he loves you

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Since joining task force 141, he’s had to spend more time away from you and the kids then he’s used to

He misses you all a lot when he’s away but it makes each Christmas that much more special because he has to cherish every second he spends with you and your children

You two usually plan for Christmas together but since he’s been away you do most of the planning and he helps as much as he can when he finally returns home

If you’re cooking something and he knows what ingredient you’ll need next, he’ll grab it for you and set it on the counter before you even have the chance to ask

He also keeps the kids distracted so you can focus on dinner by building gingerbread houses with them, which were a lot harder than he was anticipating and by the time they got the house to stand, there were globs of frosting everywhere with gumdrops and mints scattered across the kitchen table

He cleans it all up though along with any mess you might’ve made while cooking dinner, he cleans the dishes and pans that you’ve used so you don’t have to worry about it later and wipes down the counter

You’re more excited than usual to invite your in-laws to Christmas Dinner

You’ve grown super close to them since Gaz joined Task Force 141, they were your rock during his absence

If you ever needed help with the kids or were just lonely, they would welcome you into their home with open arms

You’d sit with them and talk about how you missed Gaz or how good of a father and partner he was

They’d reminisce about raising him and the childhood they worked so hard to provide for him, going through a photo album of baby Kyle and explaining the backstory behind each picture

Throughout the dinner Gaz sees how close you’ve gotten with his family and it’s not just you, his kids have also grown accustomed to seeing their grandparents regularly

That Christmas is so hard for him because he just wants to be able to be with you and kids again

He knew what he was getting into when he joined 141 and he still believes in the cause but seeing his family get along and be happy makes it a challenge for him not to go back to the SAS

“You know I love you, right?” He’ll ask after dinner. He start saying it a lot more often because if something does happen to him, he doesn’t want their to be a doubt in your mind about how much he loves you and the kids

As the end of his leave time approaches, he kisses you nonstop and holds you and the kids tight, knowing he’ll have to say goodbye soon

John Price

Every year there’s at least one gift that relates to the military

It all started when your son wrote that he wanted nerf guns on his Christmas list one year

That Christmas you and your husband watched your son and daughter go to war with one another, running around the house and hiding under tables, trying to shoot each other with foam bullets

Price thought it was hilarious and the kids clearly enjoyed it, so he started gifting them foam weapons and toy sets with fake knives, grenades and binoculars

He enjoys watching his kids play with each other and was particularly amused one day when your son was army crawling around in the grass trying to sneak up on his sister

That next Christmas he got your son a ghillie suit which he became absolutely infatuated with

You’d call the kids in for dinner and your son would walk in looking like a mountain of grass

That one gift was what started the tradition of gifting actual military gear

While your daughter just likes getting things she and her brother can play together with, your son becomes interested in actual military equipment

His Christmas lists will start to include things like a tact helmet or vest

One time, he got them both night vision goggles which sucked for you because when he had to leave the kids wanted to stay up all night and play in the dark

(Side note: His kids have definitely picked up on words that relate to the military and war but they don’t fully know what the words mean so they’ll say things like “homework is propaganda”)

Something oddly specific that Price is thankful for is the fact that the older his kids get, the longer they want to sleep in

He loves watching the kids get excited from seeing the present under the tree and all but he enjoys the few hours he has in the morning where he can just hold you close

You two already don’t get to have a lot of time together because of your husband’s line of work and having two children didn’t help since most of your attention revolves around them

He cherishes the mornings where everything’s calm and quite and you’re curled up in his arms without a care in the world

Kate Laswell

She’s very efficient went it comes to buying the kids Christmas presents

When your kids write their Christmas lists, you two split the responsibility, she buys half and you buy the rest

It minimizes the time you have to spend buying gifts and you two usually get it done early so there’s no last minute present hunting, it makes the process quick and painless

During the week of Christmas, you two would take your kids to a café so they could have sweet treats for breakfast and a nice hot chocolate with a small candy cane to stir the piping liquid

After that you’d walk down the street, checking out different gift and pop-up shops so the kids could get Christmas souvenirs

Kate loves taking pictures of you all during the holidays and would definitely take your kids to get their pictures taken with a mall Santa

All of the photos would go in a photo album she has of all the happy memories and milestones you’ve all had over the years

The night before she has to leave for work again, you two sit on the porch and watch the snow fall

Your ears pick up on the sound of a quite ‘flck’ and you turn to see your wife lighting a cigarette, “Kate.”

A small chuckle escapes her lips, she knows how much you hate when she smokes, “It’s Christmas. Humor me, just this once.”

You don’t want your last night together to be a fight so you don’t push the issue but you don’t hide your disapproval either, “Those things are bad for you.”

She takes your hand in hers, intertwining your fingers, “Believe me, I’ve been through worse.”

You know she has and it’s why you worry each time she’s away, you brush your fingers against her knuckles, “Do you have to go?”

“Unfortunately,” she exhales the smoke from her cigarette, giving your hand a gentle squeeze, “But I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.”

Farah Karim

Similar to Ghost, she’s a good parent but sometimes struggles to connect with them emotionally

Your kids would absolutely adore her though

I mean, she’s the most badass role model any kid could have

They always make sure she’s involved in activities, even if she’s too busy to actual partake

She’ll be talking to one of her soldiers on the phone when, all of a sudden, her kids run up to her to hand her Christmas treats and hot cocoa that they made with you

She tends to think of her brother a lot during the holidays, gifting her kids things that she and Hadir enjoyed as children

She doesn’t ever want them to go through what she went through with her brother, first losing her parent and the Hadir turning on her

She teaches them to respect each other and will immediately shut down any fights they have

She appreciates that you light three candles each Christmas for her brother and parents, it’s a subtle acknowledgment of the family she’s lost without crossing any boundaries or opening up old wounds

Although a big portion of her time is preoccupied by the work she’s does to protect her homeland as well as you and your children, she always makes sure that on the holidays there will be a few days where her focus is solely on you and the kids

The kids eat this up and immediately put her to work, they love having her undivided attention and all the Christmas activities she wasn’t able to do before they have her do now

They’ve already make Christmas cookies with you so they’ll make gingerbread houses with her

I also think that because her soldiers are like family, they’d hold a small ceremony where each each soldier brings their loved ones and they pass around little homemade gifts that they made with their family

On the night of Christmas, you and Farah sit in front of the three candles you had lit, in a few minutes it’ll be twelve am and Christmas will officially be over

”Do you want to have the honor of blowing them out?” you ask

She gives you a soft smile, “I’ll let them burn a little longer.”

She wonders if her parents and brother can see her, if they’re glad to see her living a happy life with you and the kids

You move closer, wrapping an arm around her, “I’m sure they’d be proud of you, Farah. So proud.”

Alex Keller

I feel like he’d be such a good girl dad

On Christmas Eve morning, he’d be laying on his stomach in the living room with his daughters sitting on either side of him

Christmas movies would be playing in the background, his youngest letting him pick the colors for his hundredth friendship bracelet while his oldest crochets a snowman with a red and green scarf

His daughters are very crafty so they’d enjoy decorating the house and Christmas tree

After Thanksgiving when all of the Christmas stuff is on display, you’d take the girls shopping for lights, ornaments, tinsels, etc.

Alex will lift your youngest daughter so she can string up decorations while your oldest tells her if something needs to be moved to the right or left so everything’s perfectly even

They also like frosting Christmas cookies but instead of just slapping random colors on the cookie, they pick colors that look pretty together and try to be as neat as possible which contradicts their fathers hot mess of an icing job

You wouldn’t be surprised if they decided that they wanted to pick up cookie frosting as a hobby

There are things that Alex was able to do before, like run around with the kids in the snow, that he can’t do now because of his prosthetic leg

The girls don’t mind though, they actually go out of their way to make sure he’s comfortable, even treating him like he’s made out of glass at times despite the fact that he’s still actively fights in Urzikstan

But it’s sweet how much they care about their father and his well-being

While you’re cleaning up after dinner, Alex will wrap his arms around you from behind, his mustache tickling your skin as he presses soft kisses to your neck

He thanks you for dinner and tells you how good the food was

In turn, you tell him how much you and the girls miss him while he’s away, you jokingly add on, “I was hoping your leg would be enough to make you retire.”

He laughs at that and promising you that it won’t be long now, soon he’ll finally return to you and the kids for good

Phillip Graves

Considering he and Shadow Company work for whoever has the most money, you know he can afford anything on his kids Christmas list

He’ll send you a large sum of money while he’s away so you won’t have any trouble buying presents and the gifts he get you are usually quite expensive

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, you two message each other nonstop

You talk about what you got the kids, what you’ll be making for Christmas dinner, when he’s coming home, things like that

He’ll send you flirty text like “you know what I want for Christmas?” with a winky face or “Wear something pretty when I come home.”

The kids are always excited when their father comes home, they tell him what they wrote down on their Christmas list and which gifts they’re really hoping they get

He tells them that they better be good if they want all those presents, knowing damn well that you’ve already bought every single thing on those lists

I feel like he’d prefer a real tree over a fake tree for no other reason besides the fact that it looks better so each year he takes the kids to look at Christmas trees and, of course, the kids along with their father always want the biggest most badass looking tree

He’ll bring a tote bin up from the basement that’s full of last year’s Christmas decorations and you’ll all decorate the tree as a family

You cringe each time you watch pine needles fall as you wrap the tree in lights and tinsel, you know it’ll be a pain to clean up when Christmas is over but you let it happen every year anyway because you see how happy it makes your husband and children

When Graves puts the kids down for bed, you know exactly what he’s gonna do next

He exits the kids bedroom, closing the door behind him, and he’s on you in seconds

His lips capture yours in a heated kiss as he walks you towards your shared bedroom

“We need to wrap the kids’ presents-,” you try to remind him but he cuts you off with a kiss and tells you, “We can do that later, baby.”

photo creds (pinterest): goldeagleactual - ghost, soap/price, farah/alex | SimpsxCod - gaz | cavantine - kate | julikuli666 - graves

[afterhourwriting]

Warning - none, really I don’t think. All good here, partner 👍🏽]

[Additional warnings - Kyle is a little oblivious in this one, is not proofread to the full degree]

All posts like these are alphabetical order:

Call of Duty Characters reacting to you proposing to THEM.

Alejandro Vargas

Saw it coming a mile away, honestly

You both went out to a secluded hill that gave you a beautiful view of Las Almas, and although Alejandro had a ring of his own, he was both shocked but also predicted you would pull something like this.

When you got on your knees, so did he as you both proposed to each other.

He swears he proposed first to everyone but you recall the entire story to everyone and anyone

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

Alex Keller

Literally couldn’t comprehend what the fuck was happening

He was happy, don’t get him wrong, but he was planning to propose

Get off your knees! He already has a ring, you stole his moment!

He’d joke about it for second but would eventually cave and allow you to put the ring on his finger

Still his favorite story to tell people

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

John Price

Had it all planned out, then you went and did it yourself

John was obviously shocked as he hadn’t prepared for something like this

It was actually kind of endearing though

He was afraid he might fumble on his words since he had a whole speech planned about how you were his everything, but I guess it can wait until your wedding day

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

Johnny 'Soap' Mactavish

Wouldn’t stop making terrible jokes throughout your date so you decided to pull that on him

He immediately shut up when you got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and said “Johnny, shut the fuck up and marry me”

The silence was deadly after that before a smirk curled on his lips

Oh god.

“Didnae ken my jokes were so good ye were gonnae ask me to marry you!”

Never mind, Johnny, forget I even said anything.

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick

Say what now?

Probably oblivious for the first half of your proposal

Thought you were just tying your shoe when you got on your knee so he didn’t think much of it.

Then you called his name, pulled out a ring and asked him to marry you

Literally choked on whatever he was eating or drinking out of shock because it was so out of the blue. He just assumed it was a regular date you were taking him on.

Once he calmed down and caught his breath he immediately tackled you to the floor with a kiss and said, “I was afraid you didn’t know how to ask!”

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

König

You guys weren’t married already?

Seriously thought that after 2 years of being together, moving in and adopting a cat(or any animal of your choice), you guys were already at least engaged

But then you officially asked, and a look of confusion appeared on his face

“We aren’t married?”

His confusion made you laugh, and his face was red with embarrassment as he thought back to all your moments together and trying to determine when that mindset came to him

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

Mace

It’s funny you’re trying to propose

The second you get on your knee and pull out a ring he stands you back up, takes the ring from you and gets on his knee himself

You would have laughed if you weren't so confused, but Mace wanted to do this proper, he wanted to be the one to propose

Once he explained you did eventually allow yourself to let out a giggle before letting out a “Yes, I will marry you!” And allowing you to place the ring on him like you wanted

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

Simon 'Ghost' Riley

“What.. are you doing?”

Is very perplexed by the situation

He gives you a look that almost seems like he didn’t want to wed, but when you got up and apologized he stopped you and brought you back down.

“No. I want to get married, I just.. was planning on doin’ this myself.”

He slipped his left glove off and handed his hand to you, saying nothing but giving you a silent yes as you slipped the ring on him.

Either never wore that glove again, wore the ring over the glove, or put the ring on a necklace so you were close to his heart

◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

A/N: So proud of myself for learning how to make gradient text.

[janfraiser]

stay by your side every night

post-4x11, but in a fix-it 'verse where Elizabeth never got taken by the replicators. established john/elizabeth -- just a soft little hurt/comfort epilogue to that wonderfully whumpy episode. (assumes Elizabeth took Woolsey's place in the episode plot)

John finds Elizabeth in the makeshift control room as soon as he makes it off the Traveler ship. She’s leaning against the wall, listening to Zelenka’s account of the conditions aboard the cobbled together vessel. Even in the flickering emergency lighting, John can tell from the hand pressed to her forehead that she’s probably having a night even worse than his.

“Radek,” she sighs, “my czech is rusty on a good day, if you can’t get your point across in one language, can we switch to polish, maybe?”

“Tell her later, Radek,” John interrupts. “Elizabeth, Jen needs you in the infirmary.”

He takes her arm, but she goes willingly. “Are Rodney and Daniel okay?”

“They are, but you’re not,” John mutters. “I want you to get checked out.”

“We were never hurt, John,” she sighs, “only stunned. And besides, we both know I have the least to worry about in that regard.”

“Sure,” he agrees sarcastically, “so, you could walk in a straight line right now? If I let go of you?”

She shakes her head. “It’s just a headache. I guess a self-repairing system doesn’t make me immune to dehydration.”

John leans over and kisses her hair before guiding them down the hallway again. “Humor me, sweetheart. Let Jen stick you in a scanner real quick.”

“Only if Daniel and Rodney are out of the woods.”

“Deal.” He squeezes her hip where his hand has settled. 

Jen is on his side when he gets there. “Oh, Rodney’s fine, and with Doctor Jackson it’s just a waiting game,” she says. “Elizabeth, go ahead and lie down in the main scanner, will you? While that’s running I’d like to change your bandages, John.”

Elizabeth scowls as she turns to him. “Bandages?”

“Just a few shrapnel scrapes,” he mutters. “You get looked at, I get looked at, yeah?”

He takes off his jacket and shirt, wincing as the bandages and cuts pull with his movements. This is always the worst part of a mission, the coming down, when all of the pain and fear settles in and he has nothing to distract himself. And Keller isn’t super gentle un-taping the gauze, either.

She’s running a stinging rinse over his wounds when her tablet beeps. “Oh… well, no wonder you’re not feeling well, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth slips out of the scanner. “God. Do I even want to hear it?”

“It’s not a huge deal, all things considered,” Jen assures them. “Your nanites must’ve been affected by the wraith stunner-- makes sense, since they’re electric, even if you’re the source of their electricity. I’m sure when they do their thing and replenish themselves, you’ll feel much better. But I’m guessing that could take twelve to twenty-four hours.”

John reaches out to take Elizabeth’s hand. “I guess you’ll just have to sleep it off.” 

She nods, her eyes flicking over him in a distracted manner. “You’re one to talk… John, your back…” her fingers brush over his sensitive skin, but Jen clears her throat. 

“Doctor Weir, please don’t touch any of the area I’m disinfecting. None of his wounds are deep, but I’m worried about infection if I don’t clean them properly.”

“Sorry, Jen,” Elizabeth murmurs. John hisses as the doctor douses him again. Elizabeth’s frown deepens. “You got pretty roughed up, huh?”

Her worrying over him is exactly what he <i>doesn’t&lt;/i> want. “My ears are ringing a little and I won’t be sleeping on my back for a couple days. I got lucky, really.”

“Don’t forget the two broken ribs,” Jen interjects.

Elizabeth’s expression becomes vacant, but she comes back to herself enough to give him her ‘brave face’ smile. “Looks like we both need a little R&R.”

He leans forward to bury his face in her shoulder. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

Elizabeth’s fingers card through his hair, and just when the niceness of holding onto her is starting to overtake the pain from his back, Jennifer interrupts again. 

“Elizabeth, please,” the doctor sighs. “You two can hang on as tight as you want as soon as I get the clean bandages on.”

“Sorry, Jen.”

Before they escape the infirmary, John steals a few shelf-stable cold packs. In Elizabeth’s quarters, he finds his way through the dark in concession to her headache, looking for a washcloth or something in her bathroom. Returning to bed, he finds her in one of his old air force t-shirts, hugging a pillow with her eyes screwed shut. He leans down to press a kiss to her temple, laying the wrapped ice pack on her head when she whimpers slightly. “How’s that?”

She lets out a sigh of pleasure. “Really nice. Are you too sore for me to use you as a pillow?”

“Never,” he promises, slipping into her bed. “You scared me today, ‘Lizabeth.”

She pouts at him. “Me? You got blown up.”

He pets her hair absently. “You may be nearly invincible, but if the wraith had decided to feed on you, the nanites wouldn’t have done shit.”

“It was all just terrible timing,” Elizabeth sighs. “I’m just glad we’re back in our own bed.”

“Get some sleep, hon,” John mutters.

“You too.” She nuzzles into his neck. “I’ll still be here if the nightmares wake you up.”

He closes his eyes. “Which one of us d’you think will wake up screaming first?”

“Probably me,” she sighs, “but I’m expecting you to be restless tonight, with your back covered in bandages.”

He grimaces. “If I don’t move, it doesn’t hurt… just feels kinda hot and sore.”

“I’m jealous,” Elizabeth groans. “I swear my head is only getting worse, not better.”

“I can crack a fresh ice pack for you if you want,” he offers. They’re within reach on his nightstand.

“No, it’s cold enough.” She nestles against him even closer. “I just need to fall asleep. Should’ve asked for more sleeping pills.”

John knows she has to take a higher dosage thanks to the nanites processing the medicine out of her system. “I can rub your back until you fall asleep?”

It’s almost too dark to tell, but he thinks she smiles. “You’re too good to me.”

He begins tracing patterns up and down her spine. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

Her voice is already slow and sleepy. “I love you, too.”

[sga-owns-my-soul]

25, Ronon/Keller!

Spotify Song- Anything Like Me by Brad Paisley

--

Ronon was sitting in the cafeteria with his team when Jennifer approached them, a big grin on her face.

"Someone looks happy," John commented as Jennifer leaned down to kiss Ronon's cheek.

"You wanna tell them?" Jennifer asked, and Ronon's face lit up.

"Seriously? Are you sure? We don't have to yet if-"

"Tell us what?" Rodney asked.

"Tell them," Jennifer said softly, and Ronon jumped up.

"I'M GONNA BE A DAD!" Ronon shouted, grabbing Jennifer, and kissing her deeply in front of the entire mess hall, and suddenly the room erupted in cheers and applause.

"This is wonderful news, congratulations! How far along are you?" Teyla asked, beaming at them as everyone at the table shuffled around to give them both a hug.

"A little over two months, but we've only know for a few weeks. I was going to wait until at least three months before we told anyone, but he was just so excited and I couldn't ask him to keep it in anymore," Jennifer responded, staring lovingly at Ronon as she did. He beamed at her and kissed her again.

"That's really great guys, congrats. I'm happy for you both," John said. They all looked at Rodney, who seemed to be staring off into space. John nudged him, and Rodney startled.

"McKay? You good?" John asked, and Rodney smiled.

"I was just thinking about what a baby version of you two would look like. That's gonna be one damn cute kid, guys. Seriously, congratulations, both of you," Rodney said, in an uncharacteristically sweet way.

"Thanks, Rodney, that was really nice of you," Jennifer said, smiling at him.

"Yes, well, Jeannie made sure I knew how to respond correctly to a pregnancy announcement after her second one when I told her 'the second baby is usually harder'," Rodney responded, and everyone laughed.

[ragingpancake]

McShep prompt: no regrets?

Thank you so much for the prompt! @gingerpolyglot I really appreciate you sending this to me!

The pain in his shoulder radiates outward until his whole arm feels like it’s on fire. They need to operate, to clean up the mess of splintered bone, fragments of bullet, but he refuses to let them put him under, not yet. Not when Ronon, Teyla and Rodney have yet to come back through the Gate. It’s only because he’d lost consciousness at some point or another that he’s here, pacing the gate room despite the way each painful step threatens to bring to him to tears. No one is talking, refusing to give up whichever Marine it had actually been who had dragged him through the Gate, leaving the rest of John’s people on the other side. Likely because they knew the soldier wouldn’t escape unscathed for ignoring the single, most important rule: we don’t leave people behind. It was meant to be a routine mission. A quick return to M5-X385 to check in on the Zamains and make sure they were settling in okay to their new settlement. It’d been fine at first, a cake walk really, until some faction of the old Zamani militia, pissed at being removed from their previous plant (despite the fact that it was, you know, showing signs of the beginning of an actual ice age), showed up. Their weapons were primitive, but effective. A bullet had caught him in the shoulder and while bullets had never taken John down before, the damn rock that conked him on the head from the damn trebuchet definitely had. He never would have left them. Never.

Ronon and Teyla, they could take care of themselves, John knew that. But Rodney… Rodney, who was never meant to be a soldier, Rodney who, most days couldn’t even get a handle on his own P-90… Rodney, who John had sworn to protect at all costs and not because he was honor bound to do so, but because… well, because it was Rodney, was still out there. He trusted Teyla and Ronon with his own life, trusted them with every single person on this base, but… But. Rodney. “Dial the gate, Chuck,” he snarls up to the control room, yanking the sling that Keller had fitted him with temporarily from around his neck and he has to bite back a strangled cry at the way it jostles his arm. He somehow manages to keep up that stoic façade, despite the pain, despite the worry gnawing away at his stomach. “Disregard that command, Chuck,” another voice rings out and John turns, glaring daggers at Colonel Carter. “I said dial the gate!” Sam takes the steps down into the Gate room two at a time, closing the distance between them, her own jaw set. “I let you convince me to allow you to remain out here until they get back, John, but I’m not letting you do this. You’re in no condition—” “They’re my people!” He bellows, “and if you think for one second that I’m going to—” The gate sounds, loud and echoing in the Gate Room and Carter steps back, pulling John with her. “I’m reading Teyla’s IDC!” Chuck calls down and John whirls on him angrily. “Lower the damn shield!” The moment it’s down, the trio comes running through the event horizon, followed closely by the marines Carter had sent in as reinforcements. Once everyone is through, the shield reactivates a split second before the gate dies and John realizes he’s been holding his breath. It comes out in a whoosh as he pushes through the small crowd, good arm gripping Rodney’s shoulder and it hits him in this moment that he could have lost Rodney and he thinks his knees are maybe about to give out when the scientist turns to him, blue eyes wide as he pulls John in for a bone crushing hug. “Oh thank God! I thought you died!” And John can’t stifle the cry that tears from his mouth this time as his shoulder explodes with pain. When he goes to his knees, Rodney follows him, careful to ease him down as Keller weaves her way through the group, medical team right behind her with a gurney meant for John. “I—I shouldn’t have left you,” John rasps as hands grab at him, but he pushes them away, eyes never leaving Rodney’s. “You went down so fast and, and, and there was blood and—” It’s Rodney’s hand this time on either side of John’s face. “I thought you died,” he says again and it’s too much in this moment, with the way Rodney’s looking at him and John can’t breathe and--. “Colonel,” Keller says urgently. “This can’t wait any longer. We need to get that shoulder--.” He doesn’t hear anything else though because he leans forward, shoulder be damned, and crushes his lips against Rodney’s. He savors it for about a half a second before he feels a prick in his arm and everything starts to go sideways. “Sheppard—” Rodney says as Keller’s team manhandles him onto the gurney and John can only watch through hazy vision as Teyla and Ronon help Rodney to his feet, Ronon’s hand clamped firmly on Rodney’s shoulder as if to keep him from chasing after him. I’m gonna beat the shit out of him later for that, John thinks, but it’s the last thought he has before darkness claims him. --- He wakes up in the infirmary and unsurprisingly, he’s not alone. Ronon’s sitting in the chair next to his bed, legs propped up on the edge while Teyla is at his feet, hands rubbing his ankle through the blanket. Rodney’s up somewhere near his head and John can feel the weight of his hand on his good shoulder. “’Thought you were gonna sleep forever,” Ronon says, dropping his feet and letting his chair tip back on to all four legs. “You should not have delayed your surgery, John,” Teyla admonishes gently and he wishes that they would at least wait until he’s fully awake before the

lectures start. “Yeah, but if he hadn’t, the whole Gate Room wouldn’t have gotten that show.” John blinks at Ronon maybe a little dumbly as Rodney’s cheeks pinken slightly. “Wha’—” John clears his throat. “What show?” “Oh, you know, the one where you tried to make out with McKay in front of everyone.” “Ronon,” Teyla chastises, but he grins at John. “Clearly, it was some sort of mixed reaction to the adrenaline decrease and, and, and probably blood loss,” Rodney explains and John can read it all over his face, even slightly high, that he thinks there has to be some reasonable explanation other than the fact that John just wanted to kiss him. Plain and simple. That he’s wanted to for the longest damn time, maybe since the first time Rodney showed him the Puddle Jumpers. The problem was never Rodney, it was always John, too emotionally stunted and stupid to act on what he wanted until he thought he might never get it again. “We don’t need to keep harping on it and embarrassing the Colonel,” Rodney huffs but he slouches down in his chair a little miserably. “No regrets, McKay,” John says, and he would shrug like it was no big deal if he thought he could move his shoulder without puking all over his team. But it has its desired effect because Rodney sits up so quickly that he very nearly drops his tablet. “I—what?” “Well,” John amends, feeling his eyelids growing heavier by the moment, “maybe just one.” His head lulls to the side and he gives Rodney a lopsided smile. “Probably shoulda done that sooner.” And Ronon laughs out loud, clapping his hands together like this is the best thing he’s ever heard. “Told you!” He crows. “I told you! You owe me a beer!” Teyla rolls her eyes but she does so with a smile as she rises, swatting Ronon’s legs. “We should leave you to rest, John. I am very glad that you are alright.” Ronon is still grinning broadly, even as Teyla ushers him away, but not before he claps Rodney on his shoulder roughly. “Did you… do you mean that?” Rodney asks, oddly quiet and John doesn’t know when his eyes closed, but he has to open them again to squint up at Rodney. “S’it alright with you if I do?” “Oh, yes. Of course, I just, uh. It’s just that… which is to say um, you’re youand I’m me and I just uhh… can we perhaps try again? Sometime soon? For scientific reasons, of course.” “Rodney,” John murmurs. “Hmm?” “Shut up.” “Right. Yes. Shutting up now.” It lasts for all of two seconds. “Really though? Are you sure? You literally just outed yourself in front of the entire expedition and, and, and—” “I know,” John says and he’s so close to falling back asleep. “Still. No regrets.” “Huh,” is the last thing John hears before the darkness claims him once more.

[a-storm-of-roses]

October Fics Day 5: Baking

Pairing: Teyla Emmagen/Jennifer Keller

Rating: G

Words: 2015

Summary: Teyla is good at many things, but baking isn't one of them. Luckily, Jennifer knows a trick.

A/N: Saw this prompt and HAD to make it about the two women who are canonically bad cooks!

Read on AO3 or below!

Teyla choked back a cough, as a cloud of flour rose up from the bowl. She stirred vigorously, but the mixture simply would not come together. And she was certain it wasn’t intended to look so chunky. Or so oily.

“Whatcha up to?” Jennifer leaned comfortably against the entry to the kitchen, a Driffen apple in her hand, looking bemused and more than a little curious. She was dressed casually, in jeans and a loose shirt, and Teyla realized she must be taking advantage of a rare day off.

With a sigh, Teyla wiped a hand across her forehead. It was only as she felt the drag of flour and grit across her skin, that she realized her error.

“I am baking,” Teyla ground out. Fetching a rag to wipe her face. “Or, at least I am trying to.”

Jennifer wandered over to the large, industrial counter where Teyla had been working. She peered over into the bowl, took one look at the contents and scrunched up her nose. Teyla would have found it cute, if she hadn’t been distracted by the annoyance and frustration of an hour wasted in the kitchen. She was hot, her arm was sore, and she was no closer to having created anything remotely resembling a cake.

“Uh, what exactly are you trying to make here?” Jennifer asked. She could tell the doctor was schooling her tone, adopting that forced, cheery accent that sometimes drove Teyla up a wall. Rodney called it Midwest nice. John, in his weaker moments, called it fake.

“A birthday cake for John. He does not particularly enjoy celebrations, but a cake seemed like a pleasant and simple tradition.”

“And you didn’t just ask the kitchen staff?” Jennifer asked. She picked up the mixing spoon, abandoned in the bowl of batter. Slowly, she lifted it out, and made a face as the oily, chunky mix splattered back into the bowl.

“I was under the impression that the cake was more meaningful when baked by a loved one.”

“In that case, shouldn’t Rodney be making it?” Teyla shot Jennifer a look, and it seemed to serve her purpose, because she blushed and stammered out quickly, “Or Ronon, or maybe Major Lorne? You know,” she continued, regaining her equilibrium, “don’t let them convince you that you have to do the cooking, just because you’re a woman. It’s sexist and outdated.”

Teyla sighed, and picked up the recipe again, smudging brown batter on the white paper.

“Ronon was going to join me. He is actually quite a good cook and baker, and he received the recipe from Evan. But then he implied that I would not be capable of doing this on my own, when Evan specifically said this was an easy recipe, and so…”

"So you got a bit competitive.” Jennifer smiled, real and easy, and Teyla felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders. “But I still don’t understand why you didn’t just use an Athosian recipe. Surely that would have been more familiar.”

Teyla shook her head, and picked up the bowl again, futilely attempting to stir the batter into submission.

“I’m afraid I am not a terribly accomplished baker, regardless of the recipe’s origins. My tuun bread was always too flat, and a bit hard. And at least I have access to the ingredients for this recipe.”

Jennifer hummed in agreement, before leaning forward on the counter, careful to avoid the stray flour and batter, and watching Teyla stir vigorously a few moments longer.

“I don’t think that’s how it’s meant to look.”

“I am aware of that,” Teyla snapped. Jennifer straightened up, her lips tugged down in a frown. Teyla sighed and placed the bowl on the counter, rubbing firmly at her temples. “I apologize, Jennifer, cooking always brings out the worst in me. It is not my strong suit.”

Jennifer brightened a bit.

“I have an idea, let me just see…” Jennifer made her way to one of the pantries, and crouched down, digging on one of the lower back shelves. She moved boxes, shifted tins, until she reemerged, looking triumphant and holding a small, cardboard box.

“Here! I thought we might still have some left over.” She presented the box to Teyla as though it were a prize, and looked so pleased with herself, so eager for Teyla’s approval. Teyla took the box and examined it more closely. The front displayed an image of a cake, and the back was covered with simple, short instructions.

“What is this?” Teyla asked.

Jennifer’s smile never faltered. “Boxed cake mix. A culinarily-challenged Midwestern girl’s best friend.”

Moving to the cabinets and pulling down a fresh bowl, Jennifer then rifled through the shelved ingredients, placing a bottle of cooking oil and some eggs on the counter.

“All you do is pour the mix in the bowl, add some oil, water and eggs, and pop it into the oven! I suppose not-chicken eggs will work just as well.”

Teyla eyed the collection of items warily. She was not usually one to take a shortcut, especially when it came to her friends, but then again, she also wasn’t one to bake.

“I could help?” Jennifer offered, clearly misinterpreting her silence for trepidation. It had sounded simple enough, she didn’t think she particularly needed the other woman’s help, but then again, Evan’s recipe had also sounded simple.

“That would be very appreciated, thank you Jennifer,” Teyla offered warmly. Jennifer beamed.

“Great! Why don’t I measure the oil, and you crack the eggs. That’s the hardest part, anyhow.”

They worked silently and companionably, Jennifer pouring the mix into the bowl, adding the oil, before Teyla added the eggs and the water. Before Teyla could reach the bowl, Jennifer had it in her arms, stirring slowly and steadily.

“Figured your arms could use the break,” she said, looking pointedly over at the bowl where Teyla’s first attempt sat congealing.

“Thank you.”

For a moment the kitchen was silent, the only noise the quiet squelch of Jennifer stirring the batter.

Teyla would be the first to admit that she had spent little time with Jennifer, especially following their disastrous mission to New Athos. It wasn’t that Teyla disliked her - there were very few people out there that Teyla truly disliked - but the doctor tested her patience at times. She was too soft, too naive for life here, it seemed. Too earnest, and too kind. She worried that one day the lovely doctor would go off-world, and would not return.

But as she watched Jennifer pour the batter into the cake tins, and pop them into the oven, she wondered if perhaps a bit of softness was not always a bad thing.

“Think we can toss this, then?” Jennifer asked, holding the bowl of chunky batter.

“Yes,” Teyla laughed, “I believe we can.” They moved in tandem, cleaning the used dishes and wiping down the counters, before Teyla grabbed a broom to sweep the spilled flour from the floor.

Jennifer leaned back against the counter and watched her, her gaze direct and focussed. Teyla was certain the other woman had never looked at her like this before, but she found, surprisingly, it was not unwelcome. Teyla met her gaze in return, and smiled, laughing a bit, as Jennifer’s eyes widened and looked away.

“So,” Teyla began, “you have done this before?”

“I- um, what exactly-”

“Made cake from a box?” Teyla took mercy on her.

“Oh,” Jennifer blushed. “Right. Yeah, I used to be in a lot of activities when I was younger. Girl Scouts, debating. Swim team, for a bit. I was always ahead of the class, and my parents thought it would be a good way for me to meet other kids my own age, you know, acclimate socially.

“Anyways, these activities always had a lot of bake sales. Um, where you bake things and sell them to raise money for the club? We all had to bring something. My mom was a great baker - she used to make the best cupcakes. But after she died, I had to figure something out. I tried making a couple of her recipes, but they never really turned out right. That’s when Betty Crocker and I became BFFs.”

Teyla felt a sudden pang of her own grief.

“Your father did not bake?”

“No, I come from a pretty conservative area. It was enough that he took over making all of our meals, I couldn’t ask him to make me a devil’s food cake for my debate tournament too.”

Jennifer busied herself checking the cake, showing Teyla the clean toothpick and bringing it out of the oven to cool. The two round cakes were golden yellow, edging into a bit browned at the edges. They looked not unlike the cake the mess served on special occasions. Teyla was just relieved to see that they appeared edible.

“We’ll need to wait a bit before we can frost it.”

Teyla sat on one of the high stools, and regarded Jennifer closely. After a moment, she spoke.

“I lost my mother when I was quite young as well. No one ever quite made fried melo like her. I tried to get it right, for many years, but even the best cooks in our settlement never came close.”

“You miss her,” Jennifer stated, leaning over and placing her hand on Teyla’s. Her palm was warm, a bit damp, but soft. Teyla nodded. “I miss mine too. I don’t think it ever goes away.”

For a moment, Teyla considered leaning in. Brushing the hair that had fallen loose from Jennifer’s ponytail back, swiping her thumb across a smooth cheek.

But then, Jennifer pulled her hand away, cleared her throat and stood.

“I think we can frost it now.”

“Do we need to make the frosting, or does that also come in a box?”

“Even better,” Jennifer responded, placing two small containers on the counter. “It comes in a tub.”

They each took one cake, Jennifer showing her how to spread the frosting evenly, without causing the cake to crumble. Finally, carefully, Teyla lifted one layer on top of the other, smoothing down the frosting covering the sides.

“It looks great! I’m sure John will love it.”

“I just hope it tastes alright,” Teyla laughed.

Jennifer grinned at her, happy and relaxed. Even more hair had fallen out of her ponytail, and ridiculously, there was a smudge of frosting across her cheek. She looked messy, not at all like her normal, put-together self, and Teyla was surprised to find it endearing.

“Here, you have a bit of-” Teyla reached out, and wiped the frosting from her face. Almost instinctively, she popped her finger in her mouth, licking the sweetness from her own skin. Jennifer’s pupils dilated.

“How’s- um- how’s it taste?” She asked, voice just a touch breathy.

“Delicious,” Teyla answered, her eyes never breaking contact. “Perhaps you should try some.”

It was a challenge. Jennifer could take the risk, take what Teyla was offering. Or she could pretend she didn’t understand, pretend she wasn’t feeling this thing thrumming between the two of them.

Jennifer’s eyes dropped down to her lips, and her hand settled on Teyla’s arm, before she moved closer, leaning in to gently kiss her, barely a brush, before pulling away.

“Was that alright?” She asked, uncertain, her hand still gripping Teyla’s bicep with more force than she would have expected.

“Yes, but I don’t believe you got to sample the frosting.” Teyla swiped her finger across the base of the cake, before sucking it into her mouth, making a little show of licking the excess frosting off. It was ridiculous, she knew it, but it had the desired effect, Jennifer pulling her in close and kissing her again, this time with a confident heat, her tongue venturing out to pull the sweetness from Teyla’s own mouth.

They kissed for long minutes, before breathless, Teyla finally pulled away.

“I believe I have found something pleasurable about baking after all.”

Jennifer laughed. “Just wait til I show you what I can do with a roll of cookie dough.”

[gaiapaia]

Kermit And Friends: Jody Plauché

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”- Helen Keller

The above quote brought tears to Elisa Jordana's eyes as she read it at the conclusion of the book, “Why, Gary, Why?”: The Jody Plauché Story.

Jody Plauché is a survivor. He went through the most traumatic ordeal imaginable and not only survived, but used the unfortunate circumstance to try to help others who have been through similar situations. That is a true hero in my book.

When Jody was 11-years-old, he was kidnapped by his Karate instructor, Jeff Doucet, and taken to California, where Jeff sexually assaulted Jody. The young Jody was finally rescued by police a few weeks later when he was able to make a phone call to his mother.

Upon return, Jody was surrounded by news crews and reporters. The reunion between Jody and his parents was captured on camera. These same reporters would hang around the airport for the arrival of Jody’s abuser Jeff as well, but unbeknownst to anyone... so did Jody’s father, Gary Plauché .

Gary, in a baseball cap and sunglasses, waited at a payphone for Jeff Doucet to get close enough. When Jeff did, Gary took out a gun and shot Jeff in head, killing him. It was all recorded on video.

So not only did Jody go through the kidnapping and assault, but then he was at risk of losing his beloved father to prison. After a lengthy and stressful trial, Gary received no punishment thanks to his lawyers arguing that Gary was in a psychotic state of mind at the time of the shooting.

Of course, all of this was covered in Elisa’s incredible interview with Jody Plauché on yesterday’s Kermit and Friends. Jody was an open book as he answered every question Elisa and Kermit’s friends had for him without hesitation.

How is Jody able to relive such a horrible experience from his childhood? He shrugs off the notion saying it happened over 35 years ago... he’s over it. I admire that so much. Plus, Jody had an experience on Geraldo Rivera where a young kid reported his story to the police about a man in his life molesting him, and he told the cops that it was Jody who inspired him to do it. Again, Jody Plauché is a hero.

Jody is also a very funny, fun-loving guy. He doesn’t mope around all day looking feeling pity for himself. He enjoys life. He loves going to Hooters, he’s a big Howard Stern Show fan (he even attended a boxing match featuring anti-Kermitarian Stuttering John), he graduated from LSU, he once met Shaquille O'Neal at a restaurant when Shaq was coincidently enough having lunch with one of the cops who was on the scene where Jody’s father shot Jeff Doucet, he loves conspiracy theories, and so on and so forth.

I loved hearing other things about Jody outside of what you can read on Wikipedia. To me, that’s what separates Elisa/KAF from other interviews/podcasts... we don’t just learn about the story, but about the person telling the story. Who he or she is, what they enjoy in life... KAF’s goal is to make someone like Jody a friend to the people who watch and participate; it’s not just about having a sit-down interview regarding one aspect of a person’s life. This is why Kermit and Friends is so special.

Another thing that makes KAF so special is the drama... nothing brings drama like friendships after all. For instance, Kermit’s firefighter friend John Taylor was a bit peeved with Elisa this week, to say the least.

After Eric Riggs’ schizophrenic explosion last week, John was infuriated with Elisa for not filing a police report on Eric and for not blocking him from KAF. Because Elisa didn’t do exactly what John wanted her to do, she became a “twat” in his eyes as he sent incessant text messages to Elisa’s phone and said horrible things about her in the KAF fanclub Discord.

Elisa, to her credit, found a good quality in John’s ridiculous melodramatic stance - she liked his passion for the show and for the people in the community. Elisa wants everyone to be as passionate John is about the ongoings on Kermit and Friends, even if it results in psychotic behavior from them.

Speaking of psychos, another covered topic on yesterday’s show was the restraining order Mark Connors received in court this week from Kermitarian Harry Brogan. Elisa was happy that Harry was able to feel the same victory she felt when she also won her restraining order case a month or so ago. Congrats, Harry!

Unfortunately, one person who wasn’t happy about Harry’s victory was Trumpster Bob, who quit KAF yet again because Elisa refused to cave to Bob’s demands of keeping Harry off the show. Bye bye Bob, hello democrats!

Future Democratic President Sharmin Smith deserves a special shout out for her contributions to Elisa’s interview with Jody. Sharmin read Jody’s book and had 5 pages of notes! How awesome is that? Co-host Weezy also heavily contributed as well and even helped Elisa out during her confrontation with John Taylor, so he deserves a lot of love too. And of course there’s always the amazing Wappy, who ended the show with a beautiful cover of Led Zepplin’s No Quarter.

Perfect show this week. The first half with the interview between Elisa and Jody couldn’t have been more compelling, and the second half with the bickering was so spicy and funny. Just a perfect balance of drama and fun. There’s absolutely no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with Kermit’s wonderful friends.

[peridotbelle]

More S5 AU: Liz gets to meet Torren

The door chimed. Surprised, Elizabeth set the box down and went to answer it, revealing two visitors: one familiar and one not-so-familiar. “Teyla! Come in!” The Athosian woman entered with a smile. “Forgive me for interrupting. I know you are busy unpacking. But if you have a moment to spare, there is someone–“ She grinned at the baby in her arms. “-who I would like you to meet.” Elizabeth sent her a questioning glance. Was she sure about this? Even though Elizabeth had been cleared by the joint verdicts of both Doctor Keller and Carson, even though she wasn’t considered an active threat, she wouldn’t have blamed Teyla for being wary with her son.   “Elizabeth, this is Torren.” Elizabeth laughed through a throat tight with emotion as the baby waved his arm in her direction, almost as if he knew he were being introduced. Reflexively, she reached out and took hold of the tiny fist. “Hello, Torren. It’s nice to finally get to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

Torren wiggled his arm away and shook it at her, his large dark eyes intent yet absent with that baby look of perpetual confusion. “He’s beautiful, Teyla.” Teyla smoothed back a few wispy strands of dark hair from her son’s forehead. “I certainly think so,” she said, her voice warm with affection that bordered on adoration. Elizabeth watched her friend and her child with something like awe. Elizabeth had never seen her like this. Teyla had always been kind and considerate, always vocal about her affection for her people and, in a more subtle way, her teammates. But now sheer love radiated from Teyla’s eyes, rang through her voice, lending her face a sort of glow. It had always been there, Elizabeth realized, but now her friend’s innate tendency to nurture and protect was magnified and unleashed for the whole world to see. “Would you like to hold him?” The offer startled Elizabeth out of her reverie with a jolt of panic. “What?” She liked babies as a general rule, in a distant sort of way, but for the most part had had very little to do with them and thus no idea how to handle them. What if he started to cry? “Oh, no, that’s alright, I wouldn’t want to…” “I have let Rodney hold him without mishap, Elizabeth. I think you will be fine.” Another weak, stuttering protest and then there was no more time to argue because the baby was in her arms and every muscle grew tense in terror of dropping him. The weight was unexpected – he was a solid little thing – and it took her a moment – and a gentle guiding from Teyla – to figure out how to distribute his bulk while holding him upright. At least he was old enough to hold up his head, so she didn’t have to worry about that. She braced herself for the tears, waiting for him to protest being handed off to this strange woman, certain that she was doing something wrong. But a moment passed and the only noises that issued from the baby were a grunt and a little squeal, both oddly charming. “Hey, Torren,” she said, her voice rising automatically into a sort of coo. He craned his downy head up and down, as if taking her in. Suddenly, he rocked, pitching himself backwards, and Elizabeth clung to him frantically. Yet Teyla didn’t seem concerned by this near-disaster, instead smiling as she watched her son wiggle like a hooked fish. The baby gave another little grunt, his tiny hand tapping her on the shoulder, and stilled, settling into Elizabeth’s arms. “You’re quite the active one, I see,” she said with a flustered laugh. “Your mom will have a pair of bantos rods in your hands before you know it.” Teyla’s smile of pride was all the confirmation she needed that this would indeed be the case. Elizabeth studied the round little face, the big brown eyes the image of his mother’s, the stout little body in its patchwork Athosian gown, already so strong. She had no trouble imagining the future warrior he could become, a leader like his parents before him. But there were so many other things too. So much potential, in such a small package. Gradually, the excess tension left her muscles, and the weight and warmth of the little body pressed against hers became less and less frightening. Her nose grazed the top of his head, breathing in that baby smell and feeling the feathery softness of his hair. In fact, the experience was almost soothing. Something elusive, yet warm and calm seemed to grow in the center of her chest, like she’d just downed a shot of whiskey. She began to walk around the room with him, muttering sing-song nonsense phrases. “How are you getting settled?” asked Teyla. “I’m almost done,” said Elizabeth, with a nod towards the small stack of boxes. She gave a feathery laugh, hefting the baby up when he started to slip from her grasp. “There wasn’t exactly a lot to unpack.” The bulk of her belongings had been sent back to Earth months ago, unable to be retrieved without a lot of awkward questions with classified answers. Only those possessions which had been deemed too classified – too alien – for civilian eyes had been left in Atlantis. As she had emptied the few boxes, she had tried not to think of all that was missing – her father’s watch, family photos, mementos from her youth, the majority of her clothes – and forced herself to focus on what was still there: most of her pottery – including the bronze pot that John had given her for her first birthday in Atlantis – the Athosian throw pillows, pictures taken in Atlantis, her journals… Maybe the other items could be retrieved one day, whenever the IOA and the Air Force deemed it safe to declare her “alive” again. But until then, at least she had something, some small pieces of her old life. She had to be grateful for that. The ache in her arms drew Elizabeth’s attention back to the child and she shook the potentially melancholy thoughts away. “I wish I had something to give him,” she said, surveying her belongings with a newly critical eye. Nothing that would make a remotely appropriate gift for a baby. She gave a rueful smile. “Maybe I can take up knitting while I’m under house arrest.” All of the city’s common areas was hardly a limited area to be confined to, but Teyla seemed to know what she meant. “The thought is very kind,” said Teyla, reaching out her arms to take back her son. “But no gift is necessary. Athosians do not have-“ She thought for a moment, as if searching for the right phrase. “-baby… showers.” At the look on Teyla’s face, Elizabeth laughed. Yes, Earth customs – and their accompanying phrases – were weird. “In any case, Torren has already received an ample number of gifts from members of the expedition. Doctor Keller, Amelia Banks and several others were most generous.” Torren yelped and Teyla cooed at him. “Yes, they were, were they not?” A thought crossed Elizabeth’s mind. She folded her arms, mouth lifting in a smile. “John gave him a football, didn’t he?” Teyla rolled her eyes and the two women shared a fond, exasperated look. “Yes. Yes, he did.” She shifted the baby to her other hip. “Still, he meant to share something of importance to him with my son and that intention has great value. Rodney did the same.” That was unexpected, and oddly sweet. “Rodney? What did he give?” “He most kindly recorded a series of scientific lectures for me to play for Torren while I was pregnant." Elizabeth smiled, touched and amused at the same time. That had to be the most Rodney McKay gift to ever exist. But then again, she thought, she shouldn’t have been surprised at the scientist’s generosity. After all, when high on Ancient DNA therapy, he had written her a 400 page book about… herself. “That is… very thoughtful,” said Elizabeth. “Indeed it was.” They exchanged another look of shared mutual affection for the men they worked with, with all their eccentricities and flaws and good, generous hearts. Teyla and Torren left after another few minutes, Elizabeth returning the boy’s mother-assisted wave farewell. She turned back to her boxes, feeling better for the company. Raising the lid on the penultimate box, she lifted out an embroidered blanket and paused at what she saw underneath. There, tucked safely between a paperweight and a notebook, was a flashdrive. She smiled. A flashdrive containing a 400-page book by Rodney McKay.

[bookreadingtips]

Self-Improvement: Explanation and Reading

No one is born philosopher! The Apostles were also human beings: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Goethe, Allama Iqbal, John Keats, Helen Keller, Sir Winston Churchill, or in theological terminology. They became great heroes of the earth as they sharpened themselves either to collect-n-analyze their own insights and profound sight of learning or other mystery of God's conferred qualities for prophets. Remarkably, "I want to die knowing one more thing"* accelerated these people's mottos and eventually praised our past as a mile of stones. There are definitely many ways of learning and expanding one's intelligence horizons. A vast kingdom of perception and intelligence includes the insertion of new insights and discoveries into the library of intelligence in one's brain to be continuous and "a drop by drop" As a result, the person's attitude gets strengthened and he gets updated. A positive and ongoing method is progress. One should then assume that no one is flawless, but previous experiences and personal knowledge can attain perfection. Visit here books.8mmideas for more info about scientific benefits Of reading books.

Book reading is an important and simple means of civilizing one's identity, apart from many other variables that expand one's point of view. Books, like I said, are everybody's best friend. The reasoning can be based on the fact that we can keep them with us no matter if we are driving, sitting free in a park, waiting for the green traffic light, riding horses, etc. Of course, when you cook, you should use some of your time to extend your wisdom.

It brings you to another world when you read a fascinating novel - one that explains the circumstances somehow. Then he should mirror himself and have a clear chance in his personality to pinpoint the negative points. Similarly one should sharpen the positives to become proactive one in everyday life. In reality, this method is the same - learning by doing. We may also assume that by learning the perspectives of others, one can learn. So clear! That isn't it?

Reading a book keeps a man occupied doing tough things, which is generally much easier. One saves futile imaginations from his energies and feelings. Like I said, "An idle brain is devils workshop" so it's worth keeping our brain cells going. In other words, by keeping they occupied reading through an entertaining book; one can energize the brain battery. Actually, just some piece of paper written with any posts, essays, facts, technical analysis, even the back sides of the packaging would be interesting to send you wonderful pieces of information, not just the books that can meet those requirements. Interaction, ability to evaluate, points of view, ability to listen and consider, evaluating and rating the subject written in the book under review are some of the tokens for a good personality development that can be quickly learned by anybody.

New technologies can also be used for self-enhancement. In stacking up instructional piles, for example, sitting in front of the screen might be really effective. The primary theme is to incorporate data and then view it in such a manner that it is part of one's personality. There are a million posts, essays, and instructive materials. There is not only written content available, but even huge audible lectures and video on demand are shared.

At the outset of the trip on the path to self-improvement, the noteworthy thing is to take a book of general knowledge and keep it next to the side table of your room. Dim the key bulb at night before you go to bed, shake the pillow up and rest back against the head rest, take the piece of "information" assign just 15-20 minutes. Read just a page or two, and leave something to do as a goal for the next night. Often, if the article concerns you most, you can get suspense to read more. You can sometimes see that you have your allowance and have already collected a lot of books and stored valuable knowledge in your memory. Last but not least, if the processed data is used in one's everyday life, the light of daily life can be seen and felt! Through your acts, a friendly atmosphere, jolly mode, behavior and excitement can somehow be noticeable and one will get a lot for which one strives!

[fart-gate]

SGA

Season 4 episode 13

Notes by me

- this ep is called quarantine INTERESTING

- john and Rodney play video games together so cute

- woa wait marriage???? Bro youve known her for like a year also we have only seen her in like 1 ep

- johns face lol

- everything is so domestic?? This so adorable

- doors slamming whats happening

- trapped like rats!

- wait ronon is with keller???👀👀👀 my potential relationship radar is going off

- john is with teyla......sam is with radek lol

- they are all trying to reach Rodney

- ANOTHER outbreak???

- john scared teyla is gonna go into labor like buddy u dont think a 5 month old fetus is gonna jump out at you do u

- radeks pigeons!

- uh John offering to raise teylas son if something ever happens to her???

- they are all literally waiting for EACH OTHER to save them lol

- ronon and keller acting real cute right now I dont know if I can deal

- when john finds out where Rodney is his first thought is Rodneys mental health. We love to see it

- rodneys password???? John knowing it?????? 42??!!!!! HELLO???

- the way katie says "bigger and bigger" while caressing a cock looking plant that she named after Rodney

- is Rodney really sick or is he just panicking

- im sorry literally what is this romantic chemistry between ronon and keller???? Like????????? My brain is imploding

- the baby kicked! Johns smile!!💖💖

- "Batman did it all the time!" Hes not wrong

- yo hes really scaling this building isnt he

- I am VERY much enjoying john climbing the control tower

- self destruct!! Oh shit!!

- Ronon x Jaws

- "the city thinks theres a disease" the city thinks???

- obsessed with how lorne just carries C4 on him at all times

- I am losing my mind over ronon and keller. If there was anything I couldnt have predicted it was that these two would get together

- teyla dont go on that ledge your huge stomach is gonna over balance you

- ok good

- Sam and radek are saved!

- Rodney is really BLOWING it with katie I guess

- *swearing in czech*

- ronon and keller??? The romance???? The chemistry???? The alMOST KISS????

- radek did it!!!

- sweet ronon making space for keller at the table. The eyes he gets from teyla and john LMFAO they be knowin

- at least BOTH Rodney and katie agree that they should wait before getting married. Def dont rush into things if you arent 100% sure!

[douxreviews]

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - ‘Code Yellow’ Review

Keller: "Heard a body came in. We know the cause of death?" Yo-Yo: "No, but if they called us, it means it's not old age."

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to experiment with format and delivers another atypical episode. Like the previous one, "Code Yellow" places the characters on a brand new set where they are allowed to have some fun, is more or less structured as a standalone episode and heavily relies on humor. It's not as successful as "Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson," though, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't entertained for the most of it. Was it flawed? Yes, but it was also fun.

Let's start with the flaws. The events happening in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ were the heavier part of the episode, but to have those events unfold the way they did the writers relied on plot holes and characters behaving inconsistently. First of all, why wasn't John Doe's body isolated as soon as it got to the HQ? Dr. Benson states during the autopsy that the body is flooded with an inert neurotoxin, but what if it wasn't inert? Benson, Mack, Yo-Yo and Keller would've been exposed and doomed already. Then, regarding the bird found inside the corpse, Benson presumes that the knife stabbed on it gave birth to it. Wouldn't it be much more logical to presume that the knife killed the bird instead of concluding that the knife was some sort of bio-weapon? I'm not a scientist and my first thought was that the knife was keeping the bird dead, contained or whatever.

As soon as Benson takes the knife out of the bird and it awakens, Yo-Yo, a speedster, doesn't stab it back in two milliseconds. The bird flies around inside the lab, sometimes low enough so that Yo-Yo can catch it, only she doesn't. Later when the bird starts going inside Keller through his mouth, Yo-Yo has more than enough time to take the bird off of him, and again she doesn't. One could argue that in that moment she was paralyzed with fear, but that's not Yo-Yo at all. Here we have one of the plot holes I dislike the most: a superpowered person not using their superpower because the plot demands so. That could have been easily avoided by keeping Yo-Yo out of those scenes altogether. So simple: have her arrive on the lab's floor when Keller is already doomed.

I might be evil, but I thought this was a gorgeous shot.

As of now, I'm not sure what the writers have prepared for Mack and Yo-Yo, or what was the point of introducing Keller into the mix and taking him out so fast. We barely saw Yo-Yo and Keller as a couple, so it's unclear just how much this is supposed to damage her, but at the very least I liked that, after being so inert for most of the episode, she was the one who killed zombie Keller. It's consistent with the fact that she has the guts to do what must be done, even at great personal cost. So I can appreciate the conclusion, even if the path to get there was rocky. Where the writing failed, the actors more than delivered and I found myself caring about Keller for a few seconds.

Over at Deke's company, the writers stretch their comedy muscles, and not just in the script but in front of the camera as well. Maurissa Tancharoen debuts as Sequoia and, boy, did she make a good job. She might consider acting on a sitcom because she's got the chops. Sequoia was a hit.

I understand, however, why some fans thought the comedy in this episode was totally out of place. Or that the first four episodes haven't felt like "real S.H.I.E.L.D." It made me think of how Alias's fans (myself included) reacted to the fourth season of that show, which ditched its trademark complicated arcs for standalone stories. Even when the standalone episodes were good (and some of them were really good), it felt as if the "real story" hadn't begun. The "real story" has begun on S.H.I.E.L.D., though, it's just being delivered with a different style. That's not a bad thing, and I believe that the entertainment value of the past two episodes will be more appreciated later, but the show will get some criticism if it tries something new and it misses the mark. Having Deke break the fourth wall for no good reason is an example of missing the mark, but I'm forgiving of any episode that gives us stuff like this:

That whole bit with Sequoia thinking that Sarge and his team were mo-cap actors cracked me up, and I respect a show that doesn't take itself too seriously and allows its villains to be part of the comedy too. Hey, I grew up watching Buffy. To be honest, the humor in "Code Yellow" is a mixed bag, but all in all, it entertains more than fails. When fake, seductive Daisy first appears, it's a fail. When she reappears as part of Deke's ploy to defeat Jaco, it's clever and funny, especially after Mack's horrified reaction and Deke's proposal to keep his mouth shut. Rocky buildup, good punchline.

And in the midst of all that comedy and drama, the arc story moved forward nicely, even if the writers wanted to keep us from concluding the obvious. We now know that Sarge and his team are after specific people that don't belong to this reality, which is why Deke accidentally became a target, and they might not be so evil after all. Sarge kept May alive and seemed somehow attracted to her, intrigued at least, which makes me wonder if Sarge is indeed a version of Coulson from another dimension, a brainwashed one that couldn't help but feel a connection with May. Now that May has been kidnapped (again!), we will have a chance to find out.

Intel and Assets

- May going into battle without guns is another writing flaw. We've seen May with guns before and the situation clearly demanded the use of one.

- What's with Dr. Benson? He told Yo-Yo to run, but barely moved. Does he have suicidal tendencies?

- Since Deke is now super rich, can't he fund S.H.I.E.L.D.?

- I liked Trevor Khan, both the character and the name. That's a sexy name, isn't it? Or at least the actor made it sound sexy.

- I loved the bit with the programmer so lost inside his own world that shit was going down in the company and he didn't even notice.

- This is the first episode of the series without Elizabeth Henstridge, which means that only Chloe Bennet and Clark Gregg have appeared in all episodes of the series. However, with Henstridge gone for the hour, Bennet playing a fake version of Daisy, and Coulson dead, none of the main characters have appeared in all episodes.

- Alien parasite bird is very The X-Files. Metallic stalactites coming out of a person's body, very The Expanse.

Quotes

Jaco: "If you consider the infinite complexity of nature, maybe 'strange' is the norm."

Dr. Benson: "Well, this is the strangest autopsy I've performed since... the last one."

Mack: "If this guy wants to take out Deke Shaw, he's gonna have to wait in line." Hee.

Deke: "This is Mack. He's..." Sequoia: "He's large and muscular." Deke: "...an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

A fun episode, hurt by some plot holes. Let's go with two and a half out of four knifes.

---

Lamounier

[theragnarokd]

[poi ficlet, reese & finch, for the prompt: Any fandom, any character, a hot shower and a change of clothes ]

He doesn't shoot Keller, but it's a close thing. There's no real reason to shoot Keller, to be honest, except that he dragged John on a chase through miles of slush and John is wet and freezing.

Also, there's the bit where Keller is a hit man, but honestly John is more inclined to shoot because of the other thing. He settles for the satisfying click of his handcuffs over Keller's wrists.

Once the police has arrived, John vanishes into a convenient alley and starts making his way back to the library. Almost as soon as he does, however, his earpiece crackles.

"Mr. Reese? You may want to come here, instead." Harold gives him an address, fairly close by.

Inside the safehouse, the warm air hits John like a pillow to the face. He blinks.

"There are clean clothes waiting for you." Harold is seated on the couch. He doesn't look up from the laptop. "And there is enough hot water for as long a shower as you want."

John stumbles towards the shower. He pauses at the door long enough to say, "Thank you," heartfelt.

Harold does look at him then, over the tops of his glasses. "I suppose it's the least I could do since you refrained from shooting Mr. Keller."

[southsidewrites]

Seven Years Later || Part Three || Sweet Pea

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

summary: The reader finally finds closure to seven years of heartbreak and longing.

words: 1774

Masterlist || Requests Open

~~~

After a short, distracted lunch, I went to the one place I knew I’d be able to clear my head.

“Hey, Dad, can I borrow your bike?”

He gave me a skeptical look. “Do you even remember how?”

“Yes, I remember.” I held his gaze.

“Fine, don’t hurt her.  She’s like my second daughter, you know.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the keys, and headed for the door.  On autopilot, I put on the helmet, swung my leg over the bike, and got it started.  A nervous bolt of adrenaline shot through me as I pulled out of the driveway and into the road, and once my nerves subsided, it was exhilarating.  Driving through the familiar streets, I found myself drifting back in time, missing the slow, sleepy pace of Riverdale.  After living in New York, Boston, and Chicago, the empty streets along the Sweetwater River seemed to go on forever.

I forced myself to stay in the moment as I pulled into the small parking lot.  It was empty, and the Sweetwater River trail marker was as dilapidated as I remembered.  I couldn’t let the memories overtake me, especially not here of all places.  Parking the bike, I took off my helmet and started walking.  

It was fall, just like the first time I’d been there.  Dead leaves blanketed the gravel path, and I could hear the crunch with every step.  The trees were bare.  Drifting in the heavy wind, they looked almost like skeletons.

Symbolic, I thought to myself.  

When I reached the bridge over the river, I came to a stop.  My feet seemed frozen to the ground.  Exhaling slowly, I forced one foot in front of the other until I came to the grassy clearing under the bridge.  Like the rest of my surroundings, the grass was brown and dead.  With a painful, heaving breath, I folded my legs under me, dropping to the ground with a soft thump.

Staring into the rushing grey-ish brown water, I gave in to the memories.

~~~

“C'mon, princess, one more kiss.”

“Shut up, Pea, I laugh, holding him at arm’s length. “You’re soaked.”

He reaches for me, his long arms easily moving past mine. “Yeah, because you pushed me into the river.”

“You deserved it, asshole.”

Smirking, he grabs me, holding me tight to his shirt and kissing me deeply. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Pea.”

~~~

“Oh my god, Fangs, shut up!” Toni laughs. “We get it—you like Keller.  You’re a raging gay disaster.”

“Okay, Miss In-Love-With-a-Blossom,” he jokes, passing her a joint.

“You guys all suck,” I groan, leaning back into Sweet Pea’s arms. “Just fucking date each other and be happy already.”

“Hey, not all of us are madly in love with the perfect person,” Toni replies. “Some of us don’t have it that easy.”

“Do we have it that easy, babe?” Sweet Pea asks, his lips curving into a grin.

I grin back. “I guess so.”

~~~

“I don’t know what to do, Pea,” I cry, tears running down my face. “I can’t leave you.”

“You have to princess,” he murmurs into the top of my head. “You have to.”

I cling tighter to his waist, never wanting to let go. “What if I–”

“Stop.  Please, babe, just stop.” His dark eyes glaze over with tears. “We’ve been over this a million times—you’ll never be happy here in Riverdale.”

“I’m happy now, Pea.”

“Are you?  You’re killing yourself over this, and you know it.  Go to Columbia.”

“I can’t make you wait for me.”

“I know.” He kisses my forehead. “And I wouldn’t want you to wait for me.  We always knew this might happen.”

“I didn’t know it would hurt so damn bad.”

“I guess I always kind of hoped it wouldn’t.” His voice breaks, and he starts to cry too. “God, I’m going to miss you.”

“I love you, Sweet Pea.”

“I love you too.”

~~~

“I should’ve known you’d steal my spot.”

My head snapped up.  The voice was lower, older.  Slowly, I turned. “Sweet Pea?  What the hell are you doing here?”

His face furrowed in concern, and he walked over to drop into the grass next to me. “Why are you crying?”

“Man, this is not how I wanted to do this.” I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, praying that I didn’t look too terrible. “I’m amazed it took me this long.”

Cautiously, he moved closer, wrapping his arm around me. “You beat me—I was a fucking wreck as soon as Ron John told me.”

His arm around me felt so good that it hurt. “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea.”

“Hey, what did I say about apologizing?”

“I’m not apologizing for leaving.  I’m apologizing for avoiding you for seven years, for pushing the pain aside for so long that it nearly ate me alive.”  I took a deep breath. “I’m not okay, Pea, and I haven’t been for years.  It’s fucking pathetic, but leaving you ruined me.  It’s like part of me is still stuck back here in Riverdale, and no matter how hard I try, how expensive of a therapist a hire, or how many guys I try to date, I can’t move on.  It’s like I left a part of me with you that I can’t live without.”

He sat in silence for a moment, and the only sound was the rushing of the river.  The silence felt like ice seeping through my veins. With every second he didn’t say anything, I felt my body tense with fear.

“This can’t be real,” he finally said. “It’s not possible.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “I mean, Laura always told me that you were as fucked up as I was, but I thought she was just lying to make me feel better.  There’s no way you hadn’t moved on the second you left.  C'mon, a girl like you with a guy like me, it was doomed to failure.  I didn’t stand a chance.” He paused. “But hearing that, fuck, it makes me feel like I’m not a complete wreck after all.”

I chuckled tearfully. “No, we’re definitely both complete wrecks.  For real, now, who’s still pining over their high school sweetheart seven years later?”

He turned to look at me, his brown eyes warm. “People who never should have broken up in the first place.”

My heart raced. “Sweet Pea, we—I—how?

"I don’t care how.  I just know that we need to fucking try.  We didn’t try hard enough seven years ago, and we’ve both been living half-lives ever since.  Why the fuck would we do that again?  Neither of us are okay.”

“I live in Chicago.”

He scoffed. “Lame excuse.  You know any firm in New York would hire you.” He paused. “And I would drop fucking everything, the Wyrm, the Serpents, Toni, Fangs, even fucking Jughead, who’s grown on me more than I care to admit.  I would give it all up to be with you.”

“Pea, we’re adults.  You can’t say things like that anymore.”

“I can say whatever I damn well please, princess.” His voice rose in exasperation. “When I was eighteen, I was afraid to make those promises, afraid of leaving everything I knew behind.  I couldn’t do it, and I lost you because of it.  And you know what I’ve been thinking since?  I’ve been thinking that I’m too damn close to giving up, to blowing everything I have on alcohol and drinking until I hurt less.  All this time, I thought I was ruining myself over a girl who had moved on years earlier.  Do you know how goddamn pathetic that made me feel?  Now, you’re telling me that you’re doing just as bad, and you’re still making goddamn excuses.  Don’t you remember Thanksgiving?”

I was crying again, resting my head on my knees as my shoulders heaved gently.  I shook my head. “Of course I do.  How could I forget?”

“You were full of excuses then too.”

“And they were all shitty.” I swallowed hard. “I was just so afraid of trying.”

“And you still are.”

The silence was broken only by me trying to catch my breath. “I hate it when you do that, you know.”

“You’ve mentioned.”

“It’s not fair that you’re still so good at reading me.”

“It’s less fair that you’re still hot, like possibly more hot.  Don’t most people get less attractive in college?  Freshman fifteen or something like that?”

I burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Sweet Pea.” I wiped my eyes as I shook with laughter.  

“Just saying, the rich and powerful look looks good on you.” He nudged me playfully. “When I first saw you in the Wyrm, I could barely believe my eyes.  I knew it had to be you, though.  Who else shows up at the Whyte Wyrm in a lavender sweater?”

My shoulders were still shaking with laughter. “Hey, purple’s my favorite color.”

“And you still look good in it.” He smiled. “I’ve missed your smile.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“No shit.” Slowly, he took hand in his, flipping it so my palm was facing upwards.  Then, he pushed up the sleeve to reveal the dark ink hiding underneath. “You always were the least likely Serpent.” He ran his thumb gently over the sensitive skin, covering my arm in goosebumps.

“I probably should’ve gotten that removed,” I whispered. “Seeing as I haven’t been a Serpent in years.”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “Once a Serpent, always a Serpent.  You’d have to fuck up pretty bad to lose that.”

“And I suppose you get the final call now, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “I mean, kind of.” Biting his lip, he lifted my arm to his lips, kissing the tattoo softly.  His lips felt like fire on my skin, filling my icy veins with pure heat.

“Sweet Pea.”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate to press his lips into mine, cupping my cheek and pulling me impossibly close to him.  The familiar feeling was intoxicating, and my heart raced like I was a teenager being kissed for the first time all over again.  I parted my lips, drawing him closer.  He groaned into my lips, the sound a desperate mixture of pain and longing.  It could have been hours or seconds before we finally parted, our cheeks flushed and our hearts pounding.

“We have to try.” His voice was desperate. “Because this is not an end.  This can’t be an end.”

I smiled softly, brushing a dark lock of hair from his forehead. “How about a new beginning?”

~~~

I hope you enjoyed!  Please let me know what you thought!

Also let me know if you’re interested in being on my Sweet Pea taglist for all of my imagines & drabbles.

Masterlist

~~~

Seven Years Later Taglist 

@yaboisweetpea @swordsandserpents @brittanyvengeance @cupcaitlyn96 @inspiredbynewt @thewaythingsaretoday @glow-harrington @brighterthanevil @my-nonexistant-romance @youbuildmeupbeliever @pumpkinqueenb @avery1234 @iconicblond @drowning-in-fantasy @invitameuntrago 

~~~

Sweet Pea Taglist

@trashsiara​ @djdre92​ @dream-catcheer​ @xdontxcare​ @avengersbabe13​ @kikii-stfu @naughtybaaabe​ @riverdale-enthusiastt​ @inlovewsweetpea​ @cece-lives-here @haydieenzzibug @pignolithecookie​ @thosefreckledeyes @im5-tw @pea-and-parker @moonchildcorbin @akkurates @cassidy-the-crazy-mofo @miathestrup

[reioka-reads]

Back to humanity’s temporal range, whatever that means. I don’t feel inclined to look it up and his review hasn’t explained yet.

The end of the world? The apocalypse? I hope that’s what it means because that’s what he’s talking about. Again, I could just look it up, but I’ve never been one to shy away from using context clues first. Oh, length of time we’ve been a species. Well then. Okay I’m interested to see what he rates it because quite honestly it sounds horrible. Four stars? I feel like that four stars is definitely resting on ideals but I can’t fault you for it, John.

Halley’s Comet?! I already give it five stars. 😙🤌 Oh I had no idea he was such a prolific scientist. Oop. OH WAIT HE WAS SECOND EARTH GUY. For and a half stars??? Well, I suppose that’s acceptable. I guess.

Our Capacity for Wonder?! If it isn’t five stars I will riot. Oh The Great Gatsby 🤢 Ugh. Actually you know what? 🤔 He makes some good points. I think I hate Gatsby because it was taught as a celebration of the American Dream rather than condemnation. Oh and also Robert Redford was an asshole. Only three and a half stars? I think you’re lowballing it pal. Still, this is his opinion and I am allowed to have a different one. He could have at least said three point seven five.

I think I’ll read on because I didn’t finish yesterday’s chunk last night 🤔 at least a couple more, I think.

Lascaux cave paintings! I am always overwhelmed with love for them I hope John is nice about them. Oh Pablo Picasso, I understand your statement to my bones, but I would still murder you on sight. Four and a half stars! I accept this.

Oh I actually don’t like scratch and sniff stickers so I wonder what rating he’ll give them. 👀 Helen Keller! Kids today don’t think you’re real. I know you were tho. Oh he makes them sound so nostalgic 🥺 I wish they didn’t make me want to throw up. Huh for how he rhapsodized about them I thought it would be more than three and a half stars. Then again, he’s clearly much better at rating things than me (I liked it: 5 stars and I couldn’t stand it: 1 star).

Now personally I’m not a fan of diet Dr. Pepper, but I do like the regular stuff. I assume he’s going to give it a relatively high score. Aw that’s kind of sweet, that the creator who developed the flavor wanted to create a flavor like how his soda fountain smelled. I bet it smelled really good. Only four stars? Well, he did have good points against I guess.

VELOCIRAPTORS!! Five stars. Hank would swear because of the velociraptors in Jurassic park 😂 I love how this section is just dragging Jurassic park’s velociraptors lmao. Three stars actually sounds about right to me.

Canada Geese, my nemeses. 😠 I still can’t believe my older sister almost set one upon me. I absolutely love that he added the anecdote where Katherine asked what his greatest fear was and he said abandonment, and when he asked her for hers she said geese. I especially love that he added “And who can blame her?” Absolutely no one, John, Canada geese are heinous. “You can do something about abandonment….But you, as an individual, can’t do much about the Canada goose.” Fuckin right. Two stars? I would have given it zero but hey, that part about their endangered status was neat.

[ragingpancake]

Happy Birthday, Rodney McKay

A/N: Takes place after my prompt fic, Piano Man.

It’s not easy, honestly. It takes paperwork, which everyone knows John hates and an actual legitimate doctor’s note from Keller, outlining the benefits in regards to mental health, but once he explains why he needs it, she seems to get on board pretty quickly and by the time the Daedalus is back enroute from the Milky Way, he’s got the approval notice on his desk, which means it’s only a matter of waiting now. And so life goes on. They go off-world. Ronon shoots things while Teyla tries to use a bit of diplomacy to keep them from getting their asses kicked too much by everyone that Rodney manages to offend the people of the Pegasus Galaxy by accidentally touching something he’s not supposed to in search of more ZPMs. It’s almost easy to forget that less than a month ago, they buried Carson Beckett, except he knows they all still feel it. He sees it in the way that Ronon is still skittish around Keller in a way he’d never been around Carson. In the way that Teyla still lights a candle for him at night. But he sees it most of all in Rodney, who’s nowhere near as abrasive as he usually is, who is quietin a way that he never was before. John, for his part, does his best to keep things as normal as possible which is why, despite his previous revelation in regards to McKay (or rather, his feelings for McKay), he’s yet to say anything. He doesn’t want to make things difficult or strained in the event that he’s so far off base because he doesn’t want to deprive Rodney of another friendship if he manages to completely fuck this all up. But as the eighteenth slowly comes upon them, John hopes that he can say what he needs to say without ever actually saying it at all. He just hopes the Daedalus shows up on time. ---

For once, things actually go his way. Colonel Caldwell arrives on that he never actually celebrates (which almost has John second guessing this whole damn thing), but they did at least manage to get a cake from the kitchens and Teyla has managed to guilt Rodney into leaving the labs earlier than usual for a small gathering in the mess. John knows, as soon as Rodney steps inside, that he’s not expecting anyof this. The majority of the science department is there and a couple of marines whose asses Rodney has saved more than once. Elizabeth is there too and Teyla and Ronon are waiting near a badly decorated table. There’s a less than stellar rendition of Happy Birthday before there’s cake and for the first time since before they buried Carson, John sees a genuine, happy smile on Rodney’s face. God, he’s missed that. He stands on the outskirts of the party, watching the festivities, but it’s not long after cake that the group begins to dwindle down, leaving only the team and Elizabeth, who soon after takes her leave. “I hope you are not too upset with us, Rodney, but we simply could not let another year pass without celebrating your birthday,” Teyla says kindly and for the first time, maybe ever, Rodney’s a little speechless. “Honestly,” he says, finally, “with everything that’s… well. I suppose I didn’t really expect anyone to remember,” but John can see just how pleased he is that they did. Of course they would. Teyla rises then and she grips Rodney’s forearms gently, pressing her forehead to his. “Happiest of birthdays to you,” she says, giving him a smile as Ronon claps him roughly on the back and with a single glance over at John, Teyla withdraws. “It is getting late,” she says, and she grabs for Ronon’s arm as if anticipating having to drag him off, but it seems like he hasn’t quite forgotten what John’s planned because for once, he doesn’t argue, only smirks at John as they pass. And finally, they’re alone. “You tired?” John asks, and it’s normal enough that Rodney doesn’t even question it. “Nah. I figured I’d head back down to the labs, get a head start on tomorrow’s simulations and—” “C’mon Rodney,” John wheedles. “It’s your birthday.” “Annnnd,” Rodney glances down at his watch, “it’s almost over, so there’s that!” And John rolls his eyes, but he comes over and nudges Rodney with his shoulder. “C’mon. It’s a nice night out. Let’s at least go out onto the East Pier and have a couple beers.” And this is it, John thinks. His entire plan hinges on this one moment, and he doesn’t realize that he’s actually holding his breath until Rodney finally shrugs. “Yeah, alright. One beer won’t hurt.” --- The walk to the pier is quiet. Most of Atlantis has retired to their quarters, the night shift in the control tower for their nightly briefing before they head out on patrols. For a minute, it’s easy to pretend that there’s no one else on the planet other than him or Rodney. His stomach is in knots the closer they get to the pier and by the time they approach the doorway leading outside, John is sure he’s actually going to puke. This was a bad idea. This was a horrible, awful idea and Rodney’s going to hate him and he’s going to ruin everything between them. This is the moment that he’s going to lose Rodney and--. The doors open on their approach and John knows the exact moment that Rodney sees it, because he hears the quiet gasp. Sitting just outside the door is an upright piano. “What—where did you--?” “I heard you play,” John says, clearing his throat. “When we were home for Carson. The night at the bar—.” “Oh God,” Rodney groans, “I was really hoping you’d forgotten about that.” “You were really good,” John says offhandedly and he gestures weakly to the piano. “And you, you know, looked happy for a minute while you were playing, which was um. Nice to see, you know? Especially considering why we were there. So I just thought… well. I thought maybe it would help if you had something here. To uh, you know… to have here. So. Yeah.” He reaches up and rubs a hand

against the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable, as Rodney moves over to the piano, stroking his fingers against the ivory keys. “This is… I don’t know how I can ever thank you for this,” and John just shrugs, tips of his ears turning red. “You don’t, you know, have to. Thank me, I mean. I just… wanted to do something nice for you,” he says and when Rodney reaches out, grabbing John’s wrist to catch his attention, his breath catches in his throat, hazel eyes meeting blue. For a moment, neither of them speak aloud, but John thinks that maybe Rodney understands everything he’s not saying. Everything he can’t quite say. You mean everything to me. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I love you. What he says instead is quiet, barely above a whisper, “Happy birthday, Rodney.”

[davidjjohnston3]

- [leaving afghanistan / babylon / republiqua americana / my brother's former kind or X-type / michael byungju kim] 

All I have are novel-ideas.  I don't finish anything anymore.  I only ever finished "Hot Pursuit" but the ending was like "All That Is."  A new faith.  They decided to stay married to their spouses like in "South of the Border West of the Sun."  I remember Professor Coiro at Rutgers whose friend had a wedding ceremony where they quoted "Paradise Lost" - "with wandering steps."  Like getting married is the same as being exiled from Eden?  The first marriage occurred within Eden.  We read "Rain" by Billy Collins which I can't even find on the internet anymore.  When you start saying you're a Christian or you care about young people they want to run you to death.  Teachers burn out all the time.  The point is that the selfless will discover God's plan for themselves but I never had thought problem; I understand that being generous is selfish.  Other people have a slave-mentality - in past I thought... I understood women... Executing understandings is tiring... I feel like the Grand Inquisitor... Can you go to Heaven if you have ideas of Heaven on Earth?  

- What is the poor in spirit?- I don't know.  I thought it was people who talked with their hands.  People who would give up authority - no.  But people who looked forward to things.  Have you seen "A Millionaire's First Love?"  People to whom 5 dollars... It is technically people who realize their dependency on God.  I reflected that in this age Christianity attracts people as it's intellectually satisfying whereas in the past people wanted emotional or physical comfort or consolation; many Christians still think people need to be soothed but if anything the problem with America today is everything is soothing from fentanyl to comfort-animals to videogames to Jordan B. Peterson's tone of voice.  But only Christianity can put it all together and only a few people have, Tim Keller, John Piper.  "Blue" - intelligent relation.  I got taken to task on 4chan for comparing Minju from IZ*ONE to the planet Solaris a super-sentient being that evolved towards generalization or what I would call "neo-foundation" or "distality."  Some lesbians think they're telepathic but the manifestation of language-invention / -neogenesis as well as actual awareness shared across super-vast distances is undeniable.  Houellebecq wrote about this but I cannot recommend you read him either unless you want to learn how to contemn women and smash them and see how stupid and weak and needy and desperate they are.  I waged a private war against everyone.  Even if I limited my means or freedom of action.

It seemed as though at Cafe Centraal they were always talking about blockchain / cybersecurity but it was pozzed to be in Milwaukee at all.  There were always real and unreal objects in a certain kind of human mind but when the real objects were meals or drinks they always disappeared.   When the present always became the past - when action became history or record only - then the future could tend to subside as well.  

- This was why I wanted to be pure as well.  Those who are pure... but I reflected that the ones who want to have something or be something are those who live in the future, or those who dream something at least.  

Thinking about cultivating a woman - “nurturing” - as though and all along his whole and main and only problem had been that he’d imagined his future wife to be “established, super-girl-woman” and as though he’d only have to dote on his daughter and carefully train his son, while she was doing yoga in the home-office or training her upper shoulder-muscles and neck-line(?).

Maybe he had seen a movie when he was extremely young, or it was in the air, this “heroine spirit” or it might have been the Protestant - Methodist, Episcopalian - churches.

He remembered writing a letter to _ _ _ at UWM with the hips, the flats.  She was not his type but he was her type.  They approached him at BN, “What are you reading, what’s it about.”  Vulgarly he was like “Slick” from Sinfest; precisely, as tohugh to say, “He looked on her with the Robin Williams-esque love of a man who is not quite 6′0 looking on a woman who wants for a man to be 6′0 and is sometimes sad she is 5′7 and sometimes not.”  It was the last time that he had felt any kind of spiritual(?) lust and after that he only wanted satisfaction or to get married someday, say, after cherishing a woman for a long time or if and/or only if corrollary to establishing a career.  

Clear water by a grassy precipice.  Ducks gather, rabbits.  Sometimes people would sit.

A mistake not to bear his Cross of Lorraine to the end - because he was dealing with dangerous idiots.  

“What should I write, what should I do, la la la fuck me, why am I asking you.  Aye elbereth gilthoniel, aniron, don’t cross that bridge, don’t answer that question, intent insidious.”

“What would you do if you caught a fish today?”

“Teach it to fish,”

“Should I laugh at that?”

“For years I grew my hair really long because it is shameful for a man to have long hair,”

The problem with Milwaukee Babylon was everything was policed, and privacy itself was a spectacle.  

In America once you began to talk of “soul” or “inner life.”  “Fuck me or praise God, in actual fact fuck God and praise me, they should make a TV series!”

Everyone in the mental hospital was talking about Seinfeld; they were talking about “cunts unite poetry.”  

The water glistened and glistered.  He remembered reading “Butterfield” or was it “Appointment in Gomorra” and Jessica Jung in black silk, inner thigh where the girl stabbed herself, that muscle that hurt when you skated, Eternity, also Meaning, or more like Gravity / cathexis / destiny.

It was all imprecise.  The point was people were linked but not always nailed together or handcuffed; nor did they know everything about each other.

“I was driving around Madison and listening to ‘Waiting for the Siren’s Call.’  I don’t know why in retrospect I tried to cheer myself up about the whole world when I could’ve kept in hot pursuit of one white home, so to speak.  Then I read ‘Sentimental Education’ as a challenge to myself and after that I didn’t care about challenging literature because blessed are the poor in spirit even when they spy on all reality in spring trenchies and silver dresses.  I didn’t see the point in being epic when I felt that little people, other than Obama, would rule the world.  I should’ve borne in mind that Biden’s Irish-French, is he not?  I should’ve realized that when I set out to amuse myself like ‘get Asian girlfriend ignore frat-party’ or ‘studying sub-Arctic country on tropical island paradise’ it’s not really self-mockery and God is also a comedian to an extent though Man’s existence tragic.  Have you ever seen ‘The Place Promised in our Early Days?’  In past the Midwest fielded Heaven summers and lunular autumns.  The teenagers would all unite around braziers - seniors I imagined.  But when Sayuri is just soaking up love I guess - it’s not the same as old people in sun, a memory of warmth or blessing like an Ozu film with old people on park benches, ‘ii-no.’  Young people dream on beaches.  In Ocean Grove I dreamed of Russia, St. Basel’s.  The rest is between me and God but I reflect now that my first love in a way was ‘not even Stegner’ but Herriott, things bright and beautiful, Creation, or the healing of sick Creatino which is Redemption but rather pre-Redemption which is the physician, but why be the physician when you can be the Lion of Judah or the Paraclete, and in a world so desperate for any kind of grandeur?”