#but before she leaves for good she goes thru hell to get to earn the freedom of another person trapped there. &then they take a nap

[lichensings]

happy one year birthday to my ocs wrenne and mockingbird. these bitches gay good for them

[ironmandeficiency]

pedro boys + spending habits

word count: fuck if i know, wrote it thru the app

characters: din, marcus m, dave, pero, marcus p, oberyn, max, frankie, whiskey, maxwell, javier, ezra

a/n: idk what caused this to happen but it works i guess. hope they make sense

✨support my ko-fi✨

trust him with your money, your drink, your social security number, everything:

din. this man is barely scraping by on his own when you first meet him. when he adds the kid to the mix, he gets even more frugal than he already is with an old as sin ship that many people are surprised to see fly. he will have a policy of “you earn it, you choose what to do with it” and since he goes after most of (if not all) the bounties to keep you all alive, he has the final say in how most of the credits are spent. he does want you to have nice things though, so he makes sure to configure the budget to where you don’t have to pour your credits into the group’s survival money very often. it’s the least he can do. he’s very big on taking care of his people and will show that in small ways.

marcus m. he’s a single dad for a significant amount of time, he has no choice but to be responsible with his money. he has to take care of missy, keep them both fed and housed and healthy, and that’s not even touching on how expensive all of high school graduation and college will be once she gets there. he teaches missy very early in life how important money is bc he doesn’t want her to ever know how it feels to not have enough. he makes a considerable amount of money w the heroics tho so he can afford to responsibly splurge on you both, but not constantly. is very cautious abt the splurging becoming a habit

dave. yeah he may be a murderer, but he’s scary great at managing his money (to continue being able to murder). he’s got his ex wife’s alimony (that still pisses him off but that’s another story) and two girls he takes care of, there’s no other choice for him either. there’s never a worry about dave having a midlife crisis and spending money on some stupid dad thing (like a motorcycle or assless chaps or a country club membership) because he murders to keep his mind off that sort of stuff. files his taxes diligently every year the day tax season starts and will pass this wisdom to the girls.

pero. he’s very good at judging if you need something or not. if it can’t feed you, keep you healthy, kill someone, or protect you, you don’t need to buy it. definitely not a man who indulges in trinkets and frivolous things that do nothing but weigh down his horse and his person. will encourage this way of thinking with whoever travels with him to whatever extent he can, but won’t be a dick about it if you have something sentimental on your person. if it’s a necessity, he will splurge on a bed and bath at an inn but not much else for a while. cheap because he has to be

marcus p. i don’t think i have to explain this one so i won’t. no i’m not being lazy who said that?

maybe you’ll be fine if he’s in charge. maybe:

oberyn. being a prince (and himself), there are different ways this could go. he spends his money frivolously at brothels & on his daughters + other loved ones (as well as other luxuries) and doesn’t really seem to be the type to keep tabs on it all as he goes. but... he’s a prince in a prosperous kingdom and so there isn’t really a worry for money. he’s known as the red viper for many reasons, including his clever nature and the ease with which he can get what he wants thru whatever means necessary. if you want for something that he can’t buy, you know he will find a way to get it for you (which can be a problem sometimes).

max. he’s good with money in the sense of perpetuating capitalism — that’s the red flag here. hell, he’s gonna be investing into bitcoin and who knows what stock market bs & bc it’s max, of course you trust him. max can’t control the stock market tho, so sometimes things are a little iffy. it always evens itself out though, and you make sure in the future that he invests his money instead of your joint money. he’s still gonna share anyways, it just helps you have a little more peace of mind.

frankie. he just wants to take care of you, okay? you can’t fault him for that 🥺 he maneuvers his budget around to make sure he can do all these nice things for you while leaving his own needs unchecked, which isn’t okay. he just wants to provide for the ppl he loves the best he can, but the problem begins when he starts to think he isn’t doing enough. his insecurity & lack of self-worth (fueled by his guilt for “not being everything you deserve”) is what makes him agree to the Trip™️ in the first place. once he comes back & sees you frantic, only wanting him home and not giving a flying fuck about the money, does he realize that you’re devoted to him and not what he can do for you.

whiskey. working for statesman made him forget what things really cost bc he suddenly never had to worry again about not having enough money. being with someone that isn’t practically made of money will snap him back into reality. he looks at his bank statements and his balance occasionally, but our big spender cowboy hasn’t really counted money as something he worries about for a while. when he constantly showers you in expensive gifts (only the best for his baby, that’s his motto) and you tell him that he has to not do that bc he’ll go broke, he plays it off because he doesn’t remember having to worry. separate bank accounts are only because you want to make sure your money is being spent smartly (even though jack has offered constantly to pay for literally anything you need).

don’t give him anything you want to see again:

maxwell. as much as i love this dork, he’s absolute shit with money. when his business is falling apart (bc he made the stupid ass decision to buy the oil rigs no one wanted bc they weren’t producing oil), he throws it all into saving face and trying to make investors buy into something that isn’t there. what a smart business man would’ve done was liquidate his assets and possibly try to get into a business that will yield at least some profit. he does learn his lesson tho and eventually can be trusted with money, but even he is hesitant to do anything with the household finances. he’s a dreamer, and dreams and money are the same as oil and water.

javier. i know you’re possibly surprised but hear me out. he’ll go all in to get info, whether he’s spending american taxpayer money or his own money or anyone else’s, if it’s valuable info that can be bought, it’s gonna be bought even if he goes without groceries for the next two weeks. before being with you, it was booze and prostitutes and cigarettes that ate away at his checks outside of buying information. the only thing that really changed once you got together was the prostitutes and slightly less cigarettes and booze. however, when he goes back to laredo permanently, he’s perfectly capable of keeping his shit in line. he’ll balance every checkbook in sight and run a tight af ship.

ezra. this man is a scavenger by necessity, a con man by choice. he has a silver tongue and a roguish charm and pretty questionable morals; he’s not gonna have any issue with getting his hands dirty. he’s probably gonna use your joint money to try and pull a fast one on some unsuspecting stranger (“it’ll double our money,” he says, “it’ll be fine,” he says), but then said stranger will end up turning the tables and leave you both absolutely broke. yeah he will feel guilty, no doubt. the only problem is that he won’t take it as a “hey don’t do it again” lesson, it’ll be a “this is how i can improve for next time.” eventually you have to put your foot down and take control of the money and when he realizes that you’re improving your lives much better than he is, he will thank you for it.

all pedro character taglists: @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @obirain @leias-left-hair-bun @themarcusmoreno @catsnkooks @captainrexstan @mackstrut @torradoza @simping-for-fives @stardustsunrisekisses @darthadeline @artemis61003 @majorshiraharu @getdookuedon @capricornrabies @max--phillips @darklingveracruz @book-of-anarchy @andysficrecs @purelypascal @whovianwar @lv7867 @hornystarwarsbisexual @kaermorons @princess76179 @pedropasscals @greeneyedblondie44 @seasonschange-butpeopledont @qhbr2013 if you don’t want to be tagged, lemme know!! the link to join is in my bio

[let-the-dream-begin]

In My Daughter’s Eyes Chapter 10: If Only My Dreams

Chapter 9

Read on AO3

December 22

Claire, Gillian, and Faith were on their way to the stables. Gillian had insisted on coming, wanting to “see Faith in action,” as she put it. She’d been spending quite a lot of time with her over the past week. Mrs. Lickett would come in the morning to give Faith her lessons and educational playtime, but then she’d leave around noon, so crafts, movies, and the like were all up to Gillian. Claire had left Faith in Gillian’s care all the time back in England, so she was quite confident they’d be just fine, and things had been going swimmingly all week. Faith was quite enjoying her time with her Auntie, and Claire dreaded the day she had to leave, and the meltdown that would probably follow.

But that was a problem for another day.

When they arrived at the stable, Faith insisted on holding both of their hands in the parking lot, giving Gillian the honor of holding Horsie.

“Don’t you let that thing out of your sight,” Claire warned. “If anything happens to it there’ll be hell to pay. And I don’t mean from me.” She eyed Faith, and Gillian nodded in understanding.

“He’s been left before, has he?”

“Indeed. Never making that mistake again.”

They shared a laugh, which intensified as Faith gave a strong yank on both of their hands to make them get inside faster.

“Eager, isn’t she?” Gillian said, smirking.

“She loves it here, you have no idea,” Claire said, her chest warming. “Just wait until you see her with the horse. It’ll make you cry.”

When they got inside, Faith was bouncing as usual, humming loudly.

“Really, I dinna think I’ve ever seen her this excited fer anything that isna Disney,” Gillian said.

“That’s exactly what I said,” Claire laughed.

“Beauchamp gals!” Toni called as they approached the desk. “And who’s this?”

“This is Faith’s godmother, my best friend from back home. Gillian Edgars.”

“Hi, I’m Toni. It’s great to meet you.” She gave Gillian her hand, then a firm shake. She was wearing an obscenely ugly Christmas sweater and a Santa hat. Erica was donning a Santa hat as well, but if she was wearing a sweater, it wasn’t visible under her coat.

“This is Erica,” Claire said. “One of the volunteers that helps Jamie with Faith.”

“Jamie’s the — ”

“Her main therapist, yes,” Claire interjected before Gillian could say anything bawdy. “Shall we?”

Erica nodded and led them outside, Faith holding dutifully onto both hands again.

“That one likes the lasses,” Gillian whispered to Claire once they were outside.

Claire gave her a confused look. “Erica?” she stammered, in shock that Gillian was speculating about a fifteen year old girl.

“No, ye numpty! Toni!”

“How on Earth can you tell?” Claire said.

“I’ve always had an eye fer those things, ye ken.” She winked. “Does this place only employ hot people?”

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ…” Claire rolled her eyes and swatted her arm.

When they arrived at the stable, Faith’s excitement went through the roof, as always, and Gillian started laughing.

“She’s just the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen,” she chuckled as Erica opened the doors.

Waiting inside with Pippi was the six foot Scot, wearing an equally ridiculous Christmas sweater as Toni’s, also donning a Santa hat.

“Ah, there she is! The wee princess!” Jamie exclaimed. Faith giggled at being addressed as such, and she tugged ever harder on their hands.

“And who’s this, then?” Jamie looked to Gillian.

“This is my best friend from across the Atlantic, Gillian Edgars.”

“A fellow Scot,” Gillian said, shaking his hand.

“Ah! That’s braw!” Jamie beamed, then turned to Claire. “This is the godmother then?”

“Yes, this is Auntie Gi.”

“It’s very fine to finally meet ye, lass. Jamie Fraser.” He finally released her hand. “Claire goes on and on about ye.”

“Didna realize ye talked so much,” Gillian said, throwing Claire side-eye. “About me,” she added quickly.

Had Jamie not been standing right there, Claire would have swatted at her arm again.

“Aye. Well, Faith, d’ye want to show yer Auntie yer horse?” He crouched down to her, and she nodded, letting go of their hands. Faith’s muscle memory took over, and she tended to the creature just the way she’d been taught. “This is Pippi,” Jamie said. “Princess Faith’s noble steed.”

“Princess Faith, he says,” Gillian whispered dreamily, and Claire inconspicuously pinched her thigh.

“Are ye excited to show Auntie Gi how ye ride, lass?” Jamie said, and Faith nodded enthusiastically. “Right then, off we go.”

Jamie hung back with Claire and Gillian while Erica led Faith and Pippi. He and Gillian conversed rapidly in Gaelic, leaving Claire feeling rather stupid as she looked in awe between the two of them.

When they arrived at the riding hall, Gillian and Claire leaned against the fence, Gillian amazed how Faith handled the helmet.

“Oh, that was quite a struggle,” Claire said. “Got bit for that one, remember?”

“Right, ye called me that day,” Gillian said, nodding. “She’s so gentle wi’ the horse. Back there in the stable, ye were right, I almost cried like a bairn.”

“Wait until she gets on,” Claire said warmly. “It’s just incredible.”

“And he…is so good wi’ her,” Gillian said in disbelief. “Could God have created a more perfect specimen?”

That earned her another swat on the arm.

“Hi, Claire,” Mrs. Beardsley’s voice had Claire turning around.

“Oh, hello,” Claire said. “Gi, this is Fanny Beardsley.”

They reached over Claire to shake hands.

“This is your wife?” Fanny said, smiling sweetly.

This immediately had them both sputtering, struggling to not disturb the therapy by howling with laughter.

“She wishes!” Gillian exclaimed, earning yet another swat.

“No, no,” Claire said, wiping tears of laughter away. “This is Faith’s godmother. She’s just visiting for Christmas. We’ve been best friends since college.”

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” Fanny’s face was bright red.

“No, it’s alright, really,” Claire said, though she was still wheezing.

“It actually happens a lot,” Gillian said. “Lots of rumors back in college. Sadly, this one is straight as a pin.” Gillian patted her shoulder, and Claire rolled her eyes.

They passed the rest of the time watching Faith, Gillian whispering in awe and squealing in delight, clapping along with Claire and Erica when Faith earned celebration.

“She’s braw, Claire,” Gillian said, teary-eyed as Faith dismounted. “I’m really proud of her.”

They embraced each other around the shoulders, Claire resting her head on Gillian.

“Watch this,” Claire whispered. “She doesn’t do high-fives like a lot of the other kids, so Jamie does this with her instead.”

They watched the weekly ritual of Jamie giving his enthusiastic thumbs-up, his lopsided grin warming the chill in the air. Faith returned the thumbs up, bouncing and grinning.

“That is the cutest feckin’ thing.” Gillian shook her head in awe, eyes watering again.

They returned to the welcome center, three of them hand in hand, and Jamie leading the way walking backwards. Toni was ready with three candy canes to hand them when they arrived.

“Merry Christmas Beauchamps, and Auntie Gi.” Toni winked.

“Ah, before ye go,” Jamie said, reaching around the counter and producing a little gift bag. “Merry Christmas, Sassenach.” He handed Claire the bag, his cheeks flushing red. “From the stables,” he added quickly.

Claire’s brow furrowed, but she couldn’t help the tiny smile that graced her face. “Thank you. Merry Christmas, Jamie.”

She peered up at him through her lashes, and her smile disappeared at the sight of the look he was giving her. It was that same look that she’d caught him sporting time and time again, yet she still hadn’t gotten used to it.

What is it?

And why does it take my breath away…?

“Ready to go?” Gillian snapped Claire out of her reverie.

“Yes, yes let’s go,” Claire stammered, smiling perhaps a bit too brightly. “Merry Christmas Toni, Erica.”

“Merry Christmas!” they called in unison.

“Say bye-bye, Faith! Say Merry Christmas!” Faith smiled and waved, then pulled on her hand.

“Onto McDonald’s,” Claire said to Gillian.

“Aye, another delicacy,” she teased.

As they sat in the drive-thru, Gillian’s phone went off, and a sly grin spread across her face.

“What?” Claire asked.

“She texted me already,” Gillian said.

“Who did?”

Gillian turned around the phone to show Claire the screen:

Hi there! It’s Toni!

Claire’s jaw dropped, scandalized. “When did you give her your number?”

“When ye were busy making heart eyes at the Scot,” Gillian smirked and then quickly composed a response.

“I was not making heart eyes,” Claire said vehemently, inching the car forward and rolling down the window.

“Keep telling yerself that.”

——

McDonald’s eaten and milkshakes empty, the three of them were sitting under a blanket again watching Lilo and Stitch. They all brushed their teeth together, and Faith insisted on being tucked in by Gillian. Once that was all settled, Claire and Gillian sat on the couch again together, knowing they could stay up a bit later since Claire didn’t work tomorrow.

“Well? Ye havena opened it yet.” Gillian nudged her head toward the coffee table, where the little bag that Jamie had given Claire was still sitting.

“Oh. I’d forgotten about it,” Claire said, which was a blatant lie. She hadn’t stopped thinking about it since the moment he held it out to her. Truth be told, she was scared to open it. She hesitantly took it in her hands and opened the bag, removing layers of tissue paper.

She couldn’t help the stupid grin that spread wide across her entire face as she pulled out the contents. A bag of Lindt truffles, and a large back of sour patch kids. There was a festive post-it-note stuck to the truffles that said:

To make up for the candy corn. Merry Christmas, Sassenach.

Claire felt her entire face flush red, and her pulse began to race.

“Candy corn? What does that mean?” Gillian prodded.

“He, uh…he made me try candy corn, Halloween week,” Claire stammered. “I hated it, and he asked what kind of candy I do like.”

“Oh my God.” Gillian shoved her shoulder roughly. “Oh my God, Claire! Holy shite!”

“What…? What? Stop it!” Claire shoved her back and put the candy on the coffee table. “It’s just a joke. Relax.”

Gillian gaped at her in disbelief, then shook her head. “I was joking — well, half-joking — when I texted ye back in October, but God!”

“What?”

“How’s the sex?”

Claire’s eyes widened, and she leaned back in shock. “What sex?”

“With Fraser!”

“Jesus bloody Christ! There is no sex!” Claire’s face was hot as hell again, her mouth dry. “There’s no anything! He’s Faith’s therapist!”

“He’s givin’ ye sweets and gifts and ye’re no’ even putting out?” Gillian leaned back into the couch, crossing her arms. “Christ, he must really like you.”

“For fuck’s sake…” Claire scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You’re mad.” 

Claire threw the bag on the coffee table, but it landed a little faster than an empty bag should have.

“Is there something still in there?” Gillian said, snatching it at once and plunging her hand inside.

“Gi, stop, stop it! Let me have it!”

Gillian pulled out a hair bow, and her eyes narrowed. “What the Devil?”

“Let me see.” Claire took it from her, and her jaw went slack with realization.

“What?”

“It’s tartan,” Claire said. “The tartan from the clan in Brave.”

“What would ye want wi’ that?” Gillian scoffed.

“It’s not for me…” Claire said, her voice breathy. “It’s for Faith.”

Realization hit Gillian like a bolt of lightning. “Halloween. He wore tartan, and she dressed up from…”

“From Brave,” Claire finished with her.

“Bloody hell…” Gillian said. “He really, really likes ye.”

Claire swallowed thickly against the dryness in her throat, vainly attempting to wet her lips. Her head was spinning, and she could hardly breathe.

“Claire?”

“Well,” Claire said, her voice sounding more strained than she would have liked it to. “As much as I love the Disney movies, how about you and I watch a big-girl movie, hm?” Claire smiled, getting off the couch and retrieving a bottle of wine from the kitchen. “With some big-girl juice?”

Gillian giggled, apparently deciding to not push the subject any further. “Alright. But I’m picking the movie.”

——

Their first Christmas in their new home was nothing short of perfect. Claire had only requested two specific days off for the entire year: Christmas Day, and Faith’s birthday.

Gillian’s present to Claire had already been opened the night before, after Claire had showered from her long shift at the hospital. It was a matching set of Christmas pajamas, with a card that said:

Take this as a promise that we’ll always be together for the holiday.

They cried on each other for a few minutes before donning the pajamas, taking several pictures together in Claire’s full length mirror in her bedroom.

They slept in them and kept them on for presents, just as festive as Faith in her Disney Christmas nightgown. Claire’s present to Gillian was a Long Island t-shirt. Gillian had made a hobby of collecting stupid tourist t-shirts wherever she visited, and Claire had spent plenty of time finding the most touristy Long Island shirt she could.

Faith was beyond thrilled with every single Christmas present she received: her first dollhouse (from Santa), little sets of furniture and little dolls for the dollhouse (from Mummy), and a Merida Barbie doll from Auntie Gi. Claire also decided to give Faith the tartan bow on Christmas morning, handing it to her, saying:

“Look, lovie, another Merida present. This one is from Mister Jamie.”

Never one to be patient, Faith demanded that Claire put the bow in her hair at once, as Auntie Gi was struggling to free the dollhouse from its packaging.

Once Faith was satisfied that every present had been opened and arranged to her heart’s content, they moved into the kitchen to devour the edible arrangement of fruit that Gillian had insisted on getting for Christmas breakfast. Back in the day, Frank made festive pancakes for Christmas morning, and Gillian was determined to start traditions of their own.

Fruit eaten, it was time to start on the Christmas cookies. Claire had purchased several Christmas themed cookie-cutters a few weeks ago, so the three of them made a wide assortment of characters across a wide spectrum of colors. Claire had also bought food dye to use in vanilla icing, so Faith was free to let her creativity run wild, as if she were making edible crafts. All the while, Christmas music played from Claire’s phone, and Faith was humming along and bouncing all day.

Gillian was a slightly better cook than Claire was, so they tag teamed getting the small ham cooked all the way through, along with the green bean casserole (which Faith would not touch with a ten foot pole; she was fine with just ham and applesauce, thank you very much).

Mrs. Lickett had the rest of the holiday week off until the day after New Year’s, and Faith was more than happy to spend the extra time with Gillian. Mary Hawkins had sent Claire a Facebook invitation for a New Year’s party a few weeks ago, and she’d only recently responded that she’d be going. She was uncertain of taking Faith somewhere so crowded, but Mary made it very clear in the description of the event that it would be sensory-friendly. Joe had asked her one day at work if she had any plans for the New Year, surely meaning to invite her over if she didn’t, and Claire felt a strange sense of teenage-like pride in informing him that she did.

Claire’s shift ended at eight, which was exactly when Mary’s party started, so they were only about thirty minutes late. Mary was delighted to have Gillian as well. Despite Mary’s emphasis on a sensory-friendly party, Claire brought Faith’s noise cancelling headphones just in case. Despite the lack of noisemakers, music, or loud television, the constant hum of several voices was making Faith a bit distraught, so Claire put the headphones on her, and after a few minutes of getting used to her silence, she was content again.

Claire was pleased to see a lot of moms she recognized, including Fanny, Kezzie and Josiah running about with Thomas. She was introduced to Mary’s husband, Alex, almost as young as she was. Apparently, Thomas had been a happy accident when they were both still teenagers, and they got married right then. They were quite a sweet couple. 

When midnight came, hats and silent paper party-blowers were passed around. The tellie was kept low, and the countdown was done in hushed whispers. The only sound to be heard as the ball dropped was the crinkling of the party-blowers, a few scattered “Yay!”s, and jovial “Happy New Year!”s all around. Faith was quite content watching the paper curl in and out as she blew, giggling every time.

It wasn’t long after that when Faith started falling asleep, along with most of the other kids, all except Thomas. He was still bouncing off the walls somehow. Mary had given Claire a heartfelt thank you for coming, as did Alex. Claire felt as giddy and fulfilled as she had when they’d left the Abernathy home after Thanksgiving.

“That’s a great bunch,” Gillian said as they buckled themselves in.

“Yes…it really is.”

——

The following day while Claire was at work, Gillian had started to pack, being that her flight was on January second, but she didn’t get very far. Evidently, Faith immediately registered that packing meant that Auntie Gi would be leaving soon, and she was quite irritable and weepy for most of the day. She was inconsolable for the most part, only content when she was hanging onto Gillian or sitting in front of the tellie for a few moments of respite with a movie. She hardly touched her food that night, and when Claire had tried to get her to eat, she’d roughly shoved her plate across the table. Claire had permitted Gillian to be the one to give her a stern talking to; eventually she ate enough to satisfy Claire, and Gillian sat with her until she fell asleep.

Gillian returned to the living room to find Claire trying to rearrange her suitcase so it would actually close. She spent a few minutes trying to help, before they both ended up sitting on it in order to zipper it shut.

Gillian sighed. "Puir wee thing thinks she's miserable. I dinna want to leave either."

Claire draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in until their heads were resting together, not wanting to speak how she felt, lest she burst into tears.

“Can I ask ye something, Claire? And can ye promise me ye’ll be honest?”

“Of course,” Claire said, releasing her so they could look at each other. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, or maybe there is. I don’t know.” She sighed. “Ye ken I’ve been seeing Toni, aye?”

Claire shook her head jerkily, blinking in shock. “Um, no, I don’t ken! When have you been doing that?”

“After you and Faith are asleep.” She shrugged, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. “I got an Uber and met her somewhere the first time, now she just picks me up and takes me right to her place. She’s actually quite — ”

“Please, spare me,” Claire interjected quickly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you, of course, but I have to see her interact with my child once a week for the rest of forever.”

“Alright, alright.” Gillian put her hands up in surrender, giggling. “That wasna the point anyway. We dinna just have sex, we talk as well.”

“Well, I should hope,” Claire said wryly. “Be rather awkward otherwise.”

“Och, enough, ye wee prude.” Gillian shoved her arm. “What I’m trying to get at is that you have come up in conversation.”

“Me? In what context?”

“In ‘the Scot has the hots’ context.”

“Oh, Christ, Gi, not this again…”

“I’m serious, Claire,” Gillian said, her eyes widening, no joking in her tone at all. “I brought it up as a joke, ye know me. But then she just rattled off all these things…I’m no’ the only one who sees it. That’s all.”

“Sees what?”

“Are ye daft, woman?” Gillian blinked in disbelief, and then sighed exasperatedly.

“You haven’t asked me a question yet, you know,” Claire said defensively, crossing her arms. “That’s how you opened this conversation.”

“Alright. Fine. Why did ye no’ tell me he was at yer bloody apartment?” Gillian said flatly.

Claire stammered for a moment. “It didn’t seem at all important! Toni told you about that as well?”

“Aye, she did. Didna mean anything by it, just came up in conversation.”

“Right, in conversation about me.”

“Dinna get all fiery on me, Claire. It wasna all about you. She talked as much about Jamie.”

Claire was about to fire back again, but she quickly realized that Gillian was right; she was getting overly defensive and angry, something Gillian was never shy about calling her out on.

“Really. Why didn’t ye tell me?” Gillian asked again, softly.

“It wasn’t conscious…it just didn’t come up.” Claire started picking at a cuticle, focusing her vision there instead of on Gillian.

“Because ye didna want it to come up. Right?”

“It seemed…private. I don’t know. It wasn’t…like you think. Or like she thinks.” Claire hissed in pain at what she was doing to her finger, and Gillian swatted at her hand to make her stop.

“Toni says he makes all these exceptions fer Faith, bendin’ over backwards to make her happy.”

Claire’s head started spinning. “He’s just…being kind.”

“Aye, Claire,” Gillian chuckled. “Because he likes you. A lot more than I even thought.”

“That’s…that’s ridiculous.” Claire shook her head. “My child is his client.”

“Toni says it’s no’ the same as a regular therapist — ”

“Gillian, please…” Claire interrupted, a bit more forcefully than she meant to. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Really, I do. You’re my best friend, I get it. And I love you for it. But this…” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs. “I don’t need this. I don’t need you to play matchmaker like we did in college.”

“Claire…”

“It’s alright, Gi. I’m not angry, I promise. I just…” She sighed. “I don’t need…I don’t need to be rescued anymore. Do you know what I mean? These past few months, just me and Faith…god, I’ve never felt so good about myself. I mean, hell, I’ve had doubt upon doubt creep into my mind, and not every day is good. But she is thriving here, and so am I. I don’t have to explain myself or my parenting to anyone anymore. And…fuck, Gi, I love it. I finally feel like…like I’m doing right by her.” She was surprised to feel the tears in her eyes, and she swallowed to keep them at bay. “For four years of her life, I was this…shell of myself. And god damn it, I pulled myself out of that. I know I had your help, always, and now I have Mrs. Lickett, and the Abernathy’s, and the whole community at the stables…but I did this. For her…and now I realize it was for me, too.”

Gillian put a hand on Claire’s knee. “I understand, hen.”

Claire nodded. “Jamie is incredibly kind, and thoughtful, and he’s done a lot for us. But it’s not what you think, and I don’t need…what you think it is. Faith doesn’t need that. She needs me. I need me. Am I…making any sense?”

“Ye are. Ye dinna have to explain yerself to me, Claire. I’m sorry,” Gillian said sheepishly. “Ye know me. Canna keep my neb out of anyone’s business. Least of all yers.”

Claire offered a tiny smile, then laid her head onto her shoulder. “Will you be seeing your American lover for one final tryst before you depart?”

Gillian snorted. “Nae, we’ve already said our goodbyes. Keeping it casual, ye ken. She’s just out of a relationship and all that.”

“Right. Well I’m glad you had that, however brief. Been a while since you’ve been with a woman, hasn’t it?”

“Aye, ye’re right! I was feeling starved for female affection after years of male disappointment!”

Claire guffawed loudly, and they both dissolved into a fit of giggles that carried into the wee hours of the morning.

[gcldveins]

OK HERE IS .. headass number two, francine howards !! i rlly do love her doe <3 definitely above sully but maybe that’s partially because it’s crystal reed.. ALSO disclaimer before we get started .. these next two intros will not be as neat and extensive as sully’s because 1) they’re newer muses and also 2) i had sully’s bio ready from a roleplay a looong time ago so just a warning !! anyways, let’s get crackin’ !!!

overview

✎⌠crystal reed. cisfemale. she/her⌡❝ — well, look who’s just arrived ! if it isn’t the one and only francine howards. though, around here they’re known as the spitfire. don’t tell ‘em i said this but the thirty-five year old medical examiner kinda has a reputation of being critical and domineering. but y’know, they can be loyal and passionate too. typical leo. anyways, welcome home and stay safe frankie ! ❞ 

statistics

full name: francine marie howards

nickname(s): frankie, if you call her anything else prepare to get merked

date of birth: august 15th, 1985

hometown: mystic hollow, connecticut.

gender identity: cis gender

preferred pronouns: she/her

sexual orientation: pansexual

hogwarts house: slytherin

aesthetic: label makers, button-up shirts, the smell of freshly printed paper, blazers worn with jeans, fine jewellery, three cups of coffee before noon, colour-coded files, messy hair, black loafers, worn out books

distinguishable characteristics: almost always looks pissed dfnijsn

pinterest board: here

their song from the sigh no more album bc i love this album and it makes me Sad™: thistle and weeds

background: cancer tw

— born and raised in misty hollow, frankie grew up helping raise her two younger brothers while their mom worked long hours as a nurse at the local hospital. their dad had left them a few months after the birth of their youngest child, frankie was only seven years old but she remembers the day clearly.

— so because of this, frankie had to grow up a lot faster than she needed to, taking on household and familial responsibilities that most children shouldn’t need to. which is why she became known as a sort of stickler throughout her childhood.

— she became your typical over-achiever in high school, always wanting to make her mother proud as well as, deep down, wanting to make her dad regret ever leaving them — even though he was no longer in their lives. as a kid frankie would dream about the day he came back, begging for them to take him back. kinda .. fucked up, i know.

— anyways, frankie never took her eye off the prize. competitive and conscientious, she graduated high school as the class president, valedictorian, as well as the captain of their rugby team. she had left zero time for friends, whatever free time she had left was put towards volunteering at the hospital where her mom worked at.

— she got accepted into harvard for a bachelor’s in honours biology, she went into this program thinking she wanted to become a surgeon but changed her mind half-way through. frankie just didn’t enjoy the idea of working with .. live people all day. but she still really enjoyed the subject of biology and so she decided that becoming a medical examiner might be a better fit.

— so after her bachelor’s degree she went the whole nine yards, she stayed at harvard for their medical school and then went to john hopkins for he residency. after she earned her fellowship, she moved to new york for a job opening and has stayed there up until recently ( maybe a few months to a year ago )

— frankie’s mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer so she came back to take care of her. while frankie’s not ecstatic about it — she was the type in high school to have that mindset of “ i’m gonna get the hell out of here and never come back ” — she would do anything for her family. 

— on the bright side ! misty hollow’s own medical examiner just retired, so she’s still able to do what she loves, kind of. not as exciting as the stuff she sees in new york, but it’s better than nothing.

personality

— she is... a little bit on the freaky side, not gonna lie. she’s really passionate about her job and loves her work, a total workaholic, but seeing as her work involves hanging around dead bodies all day, that can come across a bit weird to some people.

— it doesn’t help that she’s also really into gory, horror films and sits there at the worst parts with a fascinated grin. and if you try to open up to her she’ll probably hit you with a Fun Science Fact.

— has a zero tolerance for bullshit, very frank ( ha.. h a... ) and tells things how it is. if you need an honest opinion, frankie’s definitely got your back. maybe a little too well.

— a little aggressive and rough around the edges. she grew up around brothers so she always had to fight for her spot at the dinner table. but frankie is also used to bossing them around too so .. that side of her shows up pretty often.

— kind of a control freak, always thinks she’s right.. and unfortunately she usually is so that just kind of reinforces that behaviour.. but yeah, she’s very opinionated and isn’t afraid to speak up for what she believes in

— anddd frankie’s still kind of a new muse, so this is all i really have so far rip

wanted connections

someday.. i will submit this to the main but ! atm, if anyone’s interested, frankie does have two younger brothers !!

enemies pls .. just someone she totally clashes with and whenever these two are in a room together, it’s like cats and dogs. 

people that she works with possibly ? either in the medical or law enforcement field !

close friends ! once you’ve wiggled your way past frankie’s walls, she’s a very loyal and protective friend. will definitely mother you — asking you if you’ve eaten yet, drank water, etc. 

messy exes !! like a high school sweetheart or whatever else. frankie’s not good with this sort of stuff so she could’ve been the one at fault.

a close friend that’s the complete opposite of her ! someone that’s just a lot softer and friendlier and overall nicer gknskdn and these two just click somehow. honestly like grace and frankie but in this scenario she’s grace ksdfsk

drinking buddies ! this could even be the type of friend that tries to get frankie out of her comfort zone to do more fun things, since she’s really more of a homebody.

casual relationships ! hateships ! these are always so fun as well. frankie is the type of woman that knows what she wants and goes after it. she knows she doesn’t do well in relationships so she would probably .. have a few of these

people from her past that are also from misty hollow ! we can discuss the details of this thru plotting <3

i’m honestly down for anything, so if you have any ideas feel free to send them my way. but again, if we can’t figure out a plot between the two of them, we can just do throw them at each other in a random thread and see what happens !!

[fuwafuwamedb]

A Cursed G Pt 14 (Gilgamesh, Hakuno, Emiya)

Previous Part: One - HakuPOV / GilPOV, 

Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten,

 Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen

_____

He’d been in a car before.

Multiple times, in fact; he’d been strapped in his backpack in the passenger seat and had ridden with her to and from school. He knew what the car was like.

So there was no reason why she needed to be dealing with this.

“WOMAN! YOU ARE GOING TO SEND THIS WAGON INTO THE ONE BEFORE IT! WERE YOU DROPPED AS A CHILD?!”

She scowled at him.

“WOMAN,” he hollered as they came to a red light. “WHY ARE YOU STOPPING?!”

“It’s red.”

“The sign was red before! As was the building! Are we stopping because of a color?!”

Yes. They were.

And she wasn’t going to listen to him gripe about her driving skills for the entire trip across the city to where the stores were. She turned at the first green logo for the coffee shop and pulled around to the drive thru.

“What are we doing? Is this how you find seamstresses?”

“We’re making a quick stop.”

Gilgamesh went to open the door.

“We’re supposed to stay in the car here,” she told him. “Don’t get out.”

The man just stared at her.

In fact, when she insisted, he shook his head and crossed his arms, waiting for when he could finally do something of value. When the voice came over the intercom, Hakuno found him leaning onto her lap, watching the screen light up and recite their order.

“How did they-“

“Gil, I need to drive.”

He moved back into his seat, frowning as they drove around.

In fact, that scowl seemed permanently in place as she handed him his own coffee and sucked happily on her own. This time, as they headed for the store, she was blessed to listening to the sound of the motor. The complaints had mellowed to the rogue comment being given here or there.

The coffees were completely gone from the two of them drinking on the way to the mall.

“Your seamstresses live in a palace?”

For once, it seemed he was fascinated. She couldn’t blame him either. Compared to the rather boring looking homes that were in her area, the large and columned mall area looked far more grandiose. It was far more impressive.

Hakuno tossed their empty cups into the trash nearby, shaking her head. “It’s just a collection of merchants that sell clothing. No one goes to seamstresses anymore.”

“Unfortunate.”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that your merchants have taken the noble work of seamstresses away is nothing less than disappointing, Hakuno. It’s the destruction of the hardwork and efforts of elders.”

“We put elders in retirement homes or have relatives take care of them. They don’t really make clothes for anyone.” Well, not as far as she knew. She wasn’t a great authority on that.

“So your elders rot and become useless?”

“They are old.”

The man shook his head, stalking ahead.

“Let us see these wares of theirs then, Hakuno. Although I doubt they can compare to the honest work of a citizen, we’ll see what they can manage.”

“Holdl on! There’s something I should warn you about!”

The man stopped.

Thank goodness he did. The man was much stronger and more able-bodied than her. She had to hold his arm and breathe a moment before continuing with her warning.

“About the mall, if there’s anything that you find that you like, you should let me know. I have some money saved and-“

“This way.”

She blinked, finding her hand taken into his hand and the man pulling her along.

Her sweatpants and tshirt clad companion, dressed more fitting for the gym than for meandering, dragged her through everything.

Everything.

“Hakuno! Look at this!”

She glanced at his first choice, preparing to warn him that his choice was a bit… gawdy, but the man moved closer.

“Look at how meager this is! You’ve brought me to a mockery of a fabric place.”

He’d walked her here.

The man didn’t even stop there. He continued looking around and bringing her more clothing to mock and ridicule.

“Hakuno, can you believe how poorly their beasts survive in this time? To make fur this poor.”

“Hakuno!” He said again, not even a half second later. “Is that from the beasts of the West? Look at the black and white stripes. To think your people slaughter them so eagerly. The sheer greed.”

Was this what hell felt like?

“Hakuno!”

The man stopped at a white jacket, holding it up and making her sigh loudly.

“Hmm? Speak up, woman.” He pulled the jacket on, adjusting the sleeves. “Is something amiss about this beast?”

Other than being fake fur…

She wisely shook her head, earning a shrug before the man was heading towards another corner of the store.

“Gilgamesh!”

Hakuno hurried after him before he could walk out of the place.

“Gil! I have to pay for that!”

“Hmm?” He raised a brow at her.

“The coat! And your other things. I have to pay for those.”

“Why?”

Why?

Gilgamesh motioned to the sales associates fixing displays or ringing up customers. “They have neither greeted us nor shown any interest in haggling, Hakuno. Why would we assume prices and payment when they show no pride nor interest in their own wares? I have deemed these mine since they have failed to do so for themselves.”

“There’s tags on it with prices.”

He laughed loudly, shaking his head. “Merchants have always placed their prices upon their wares as a means for beginning bartering. It is their own fault that they show no pride.”

“Gil, I really don’t want to be arrested. Give me the items for about five minutes and they’re yours. We’ll even get a bag for them.”

He eyed her a moment, but that smirk of his just grew.

“You want these?” He asked.

Frankly, she didn’t.

She’d have rather just gotten him some shirts and pants from somewhere and dragged his ass home, but since he was going to hold those shirts and sport that absurdly white fur coat…

“I would like them for a minute.”

He moved closer, looming over her.

“We are in a place of bartering. I’m in the mood to enjoy a good haggling.”

He was really going to make this whole process that much more difficult?

“What will you give me if I permit you to take and purchase these on my behalf with the negligent workers?”

Freedom from prison was a nice thought. Freedom from being possibly harassed and tortured for being a complete stranger to this land with no identification or knowledge of this time. Freedom from being incarcerated in an asylum for being absolutely delusional about his identity…

He just waited, smirking in that damn fluffy coat.

“What would you have me give?”

“That’s not how bartering works, Hakuno.”

He really wasn’t going to let her get away with this, was he?

Already though, she could see a couple security guards heading towards the store they were in. If she didn’t think of something soon, then they were going to look entirely suspicious. They would not handle the police well. She could already sense that the cops and Gilgamesh would be a bad combination.

She moved forward as that train of thought sped through her mind. Her hands grabbed Gilgamesh’s shirt, pulling him in close.

Her lips pressed against his, the surprise hitting both of them at the same time. The man’s choices dropped from his hands as she felt that magic from before between them. His hands delved into her hair and-

“That is a poor manner of haggling…”

The man pulled back, pulling the coat off and tossing it into her arms.

Was that victory?

It took a second to realize he was releasing her to complete the transaction. By the time she was done, he was already preparing to drag her to the next store.

She waited him out, stopping him near the exits when he was done.

Five more stores.

Five more collections of bags for her to carry as he walked them through the mall area. He took in the sights of the fountains and the domed ceiling over it, watching the skylights and the multitude of jets that came forth.

She followed closely behind him, watching the man look at a kingdom entirely foreign to his own.

The further they went, the more he seemed to be lost.

There was no other word for it. He walked to the fountains, growing quiet as he watched the various jets splashing forth. He watched families go to and fro from one store to another, studying how they spoke to one another… or perhaps what they spoke of. He paused to watch children playing in a kids’ play area, racing one another around.

“Gil-“

He blinked, pausing.

“It’s ah, not wise to go play with them.”

The man sniffed a bit, lifting his chin. “Are you concerned about them playing with someone who has blood on their hands?”

Her gaze flickered to his hands a moment before she shook her head. “Parents these days call for…” what was a good equivalent for police? “…Soldiers. They call for soldiers if anyone comes near their children. It’s not safe to have strangers near your children.”

The man wrinkled his nose, heading away.

It took a second to realize he was leaving her there.

“Your world is without morals, Hakuno,” the man complained.

It was.

Still, she found herself moving to his side and watching him carefully. “Did you used to play with the children in Uruk?”

“They’re my people. My citizens were more than happy to allow me the privilege of spending time with their children. It was humbling and it taught the children to respect my authority.” Those red eyes glanced her way. “To think that your land’s king lacks the sense to allow himself to intermingle with his own people, instead locking himself in the gods only know where-“

“We don’t have a king.”

“Then I pity you more,” he complained. “Yet, it is all the more reason for you to return to Uruk with me. You will suit the kingdom better than being here.”

“I have responsibilities here.”

He wasn’t listening though. The moment she spoke, she could already see that his attention was going elsewhere.

Her eyes followed his gaze, her blood running cold at the sight of the place.

“Gil-“

“Come with me, Hakuno.”

Her feet dragged.

All the way into the store, her feet dragged.

“You have shown me that these places have sizes.” He told her. “What is yours?”

She groaned.

But that was nothing, he merely demanded his answer of her and meandered off, finding a sales associate and pointing at the things he wanted.

There would be an endless bill for this. By the time all of this was said and done, she would curse each and every second she had to wonder about how to pay this credit debt. But the man had his treasure trove of lingerie.

“I have no reason to wear that.”

The man just held his bags and smirked her way.

“This is far less exciting without the haggling. Come, Hakuno. Your so called coffee has run its course.”

“We still need shoes for you.”

She hated every second of the shoe store.

“Gil, those are not meant for this weather,” she complained as he eyed a pair of women’s boots.

“The leather is far better quality than those treated colorful mockeries over there,” he told her, running his hands over the leather of the women’s boots.

She needed a nap.

He settled on some shoes. She didn’t even look at the price as she handed her card to the cashier.

And then they were free.

The bags were tossed into the back of the car a moment before she found Gilgamesh trying to climb into the front of the vehicle.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’ll steer your mount.”

“We would both be taken in by the soldiers if we did that.”

He rolled his eyes, frowning at the small space as he tried to slip into her seat.

“It’s too small,” he noted.

“It’s meant for me.”

“That makes this far less entertaining.” He was back out though, walking around the car.

She would neglect to mention that the seats adjusted, since he was seeming to hold interest in driving without a license.

They moved through the city streets as the sun drifted over towards the horizon, her stomach growling as they pulled into her driveway.

“Hakuno,” Gilgamesh stared up towards her doorway. “Your pest is here again.”

Pest?

She didn’t even need to ask. The moment that the thought came, she saw the head of white hair. The red jacket and bag over his shoulder made it apparent who her guest was.

“What is he doing here?”

She couldn’t let him in. She was supposed to own a cat.

“Just wait her a moment,” Hakuno started to tell him, but Gilgamesh was already climbing out of the car.

“Well, look what we have here,” Gilgamesh observed, voice carrying like he had a damn echo. “What brings you to my woman’s doorstep?”

I’m not your woman, Gil!

Hakuno opened her door and climbed out, forgetting about the purchases in order to stop the madness that would no doubt ensue with Gilgamesh and Emiya.

[hilllsnholland]

Bucket List - (2)

Pairing: College!Tom x Deaf!Reader

W.c: 2.9k 

Warnings: swears, alcohol, slurs 

Summary: Ice cream really cures the soul 

Disclaimer: This is all written from my perspective as a Deaf/HoH person. If you have comments, questions, or concerns then you are welcome to message me :) 

The only thing Creekview had to offer was the sun. In London, the sun was a distant cousin that came around only when it benefited themselves. As much as Tom loathed the small college town, he loved the weather. He loved the sun beating down his neck while he sat outside Milky, serving ice cream to the somewhat pleasant residents of Creekview.

Milky was what Creekview was known for. It was a small drive-thru or walk up shop that served ice cream and other snacks. On the side of the building, there’s a beautiful mural of cows eating ice cream, looking out to the observer with blank expressions. Every day Tom patted each painted cow on the head on his way to his shift. A good luck sort of thing. It was needed though as the lines and customers got crazy as the temperature rose.

“Fuck this,” Brant spat as he wiped his forehead again. “They can’t even buy us an outdoor fan? Cheap ass white people.”

Tom tries to ignore him and enjoy the feeling of heat on his skin. The Brit tilts his sunglasses up on his face so that Brant can’t tell he’s in another headspace. The party still absorbed his mind. It had been three days since that night but he hadn’t stopped thinking of Y/N. When he got bored he fingerspelled his name like Y/N did. As soon as he got home that night he went online and practiced basic signs. Things like ‘hello’ ‘how are you’ ‘bathroom’ were now part of his vocabulary. It wasn’t much but it would be a gesture of willingness. All Tom wanted was to see her hands move again.  

“I heard you hooked up with that pink haired chick.” Brant smugly says as he leans against the walk-up counter.

“No-”

“I saw her too. Looked like a wild one huh? I bet she’s hella freaky with that pink hair and shit.”

“Nothing happened. We kissed. She left. End of story.”

“Left you blue balling and shit? Sorry man,” Brant slaps Tom on the shoulder and smacks his lips. “I thought your British accent would help you pull but you keep striking out.”

Tom doesn’t respond. He spells his name again and goes through the alphabet to keep his mind at peace. The only good quality thing about Brant was that he was a talker. He could keep a conversation going for hours, but he mostly talked to hear his own voice. Tom could never say a word and Brant wouldn’t even notice.

“Ty got fucked up though. Kevin laid him out flat.” Brant snickers and eyes a few girls walking across the street.

“You told him to say that though, right? You set him up for it.” Tom narrows his eyes on the ground while Brant shifts his weight towards him.

“Hell yeah I did. You got a problem with that?”

Brant adjusts himself to stand straight. He was trying to be an alpha male alright, he was half a foot taller than Tom. Brant puffs out his chest but Tom does not give him the time of day. He knew his dirty work. He knew that Brant was a manipulative asshole, and sadly he was drawn into that culture. Times like this he really misses London. The guys there were assholes too, but this was a new breed of fuckery.

It seems like the div had found something else to be interested in because Brant was now flirting with a girl standing at the counter to order something. Tom went back to his original position of leaning on the wall behind him, his sunglasses tilting off the top of his nose. His mind went back to its usual job of putting Y/N in the center stage of his thoughts. God, if he’s on autopilot then he’s probably thinking about her. It was one meeting and he was hooked on it. He even approached LJ to ask her more that night.

*

LJ was in the midst of refilling the keg, her eyes locked on Harrison as he talks to a group of girls in his Sociology class. Tom had come up behind her hoping for answers. It was her party after all. She seemed to know everyone in this godforsaken town. LJ jumps when she sees Tom but settles with a laugh, hitting him on the shoulder.

“Scared me lovey.” She sloppily says.

“Do you know a Y/N?” Tom is quick with words while Lauren takes a second to think.

“Maybe?”

“She’s Deaf.”

“Oh, Y/N. Yes, I do.” LJ laughs and turns the nozzle of the keg back on. “I met her a while back at another party. She used to go to that Deaf school a few hours away.”

LJ shrugs and gulps down another solo cup full of beer. Tom wondered if he should ask more about her, but would that come off creepy? They didn’t seem like friends, but LJ is the type to gossip a bit. Lauren turns to Tom and looks as if she had come to an epiphany. Her hand caresses Tom’s cheek softly and she flattens her lips.

“That look on your face,” She purrs and drags her nail across his mouth.

“LJ, you’re drunk.” Tom tries to break the tension but she keeps staring on.

“So are you, but you’re...you got that happy look Tommy,” She’s not very coherent as she sways back and forth. “That same look I get when I see Haz…”

Her face becomes more flushed than usual as she breaks out into a fit of giggles. Her hand leaves his face as she turns back around to refill her cup. LJ wipes her face lazily and clears her throat.

“Tommy, be careful baby,” Her voice is shallow in her throat. “Y/N, she’s a different kind of girl. The kind to break your heart.”

LJ spins the contents of her drink around in the cup as she sways. Tom watches her face drop, the look of knowing more but not saying it. Although he wanted to push, there was something eating at him to not do it. Maybe it was self-destruction, but her warning didn’t persuade him any different. He still wanted to talk to Y/N. Learn her story, more than the gossip LJ would have.

“How would you know?” Tom defensively says and grabs the cup from LJ’s hand. “Did you hear that from your dumb rumormongers?”

She doesn’t react right away. LJ hums as her hand squeezes the air the cup had once occupied. Her eyes are sad as she looks back at Tom, almost pitying him. Was this a sick joke?

“Behind every rumor is a little bit of truth. Even if it’s twisted, Tom,”

*

There’s a loud ringing and Tom snaps from his thoughts. It was the customer bell from the counter. Brant was nowhere to be seen, possibly in the back trying to get away from the heat. Tom shakes his head and walks up to the counter with his fake smile ready to greet whatever Creekview trash would walk up.

“Welcome to Milky-” Tom stops and gapes at the two girls standing in front of him.

It was Y/N, staring with huge eyes, and her friend from before who was blinking rapidly. The friend laughs awkwardly, elbowing Y/N, and signs something Tom has not yet learned. Y/N scatters to reply but keeps an eye on Tom while she’s responding. Tom raises his hand and tries to sign, ‘nice to meet you’ while mouthing his words. The friend cackles through her accent, signing something back.

“Sorry, I’m trying to learn,” Tom says while trying to sign.

“You’re alright. We’re just...surprised to see you.” Y/N says while simultaneously signing. “Tom right?”

His name on her hands looks just as beautiful as before. Tom nods and fingerspells Y/N’s name slowly. She smiles, nodding her head and motioning the sign, ‘right’. The friend coughs, pointing to the orange ice cream picture on the counter.

“Oh right sorry,” Tom shakes his head and nods. “Can I get you guys anything?”

“My friend here,” Y/N elbows her friend and fingerspells her name. “Tejas, she wants an orange swirl. I’ll take a Coke Diablo.”

Tom’s mouth feels dry and he can’t form a sign that would be correct in the situation. In his awkward mess of nerves, he stumbles away and into Milky to grab their order. He mumbled to himself as he makes their ice cream, his mind and mouth moving in two different speeds. What could he say to her? Maybe he needs to learn more sign before talking to her? It was a mess, all the little Toms in his head were setting things on fire. Next thing he knew he felt the cold, sticky mess of ICEE on his hand. He grabbed a towel and cleaned up the mess, setting himself straight before going back out there.

With an adjustment to his sunglasses and a mental pep talk, Tom walked back out to the girls. He handed them both their treats, earning a ‘thank you’ from Y/N and a condescending smile from Tejas. She was analyzing him, signing about him when he was right there. Although Tom wasn’t fluent, he could tell she was being snarky.

“$8.64,” Tom says and then watches Tejas sign something. “What is she saying?”

Y/N hands him a ten while signing back to her friend, contorting her face into a scrunched up expression.

“She keeps calling you ‘Hearing Boy’,” Y/N explains then fingerspells his name again. “She’s not very open to hearing people,”

“Why not?”

Y/N interprets the conversation which makes Tejas make a noise that was similar to honking. Her head shakes from side to side as her hands move rapidly, the ice cream swaying side to side and dripping down the cone.

“She says all you hearing people do is make fun of her.” Y/N slyly points behind Tom to where Brant has reappeared. “Your friend there has called her retarded since she moved here,”

Yet again Tom’s biggest weakness was who he allowed to be associated with. It wasn’t a surprise, Brant was a lowlife who would stoop to slurs like that. Tom felt a fire bubbling under his skin, god he wanted to knock him out but Brant was double his size and weight. He shakes his head and exhales.

“Brant is an idiot. A fucking div,” Tom hands Y/N back her money. “But we’re not all like that. Some of us want to understand Deaf people,”

Y/N watches his mouth move and smiles. Tejas looks lost and huffs against her ice cream. She could see what was forming and she was not happy about it. Tom met Y/N’s gaze and raised his hand to try to sign to her.

“Your hair...beautiful,” He signs slowly.

Y/N runs a hand through the dyed hair and giggles nervously.

“It’s fake...all for that party.” She responds. “Do you have time to talk right now?”

Tom immediately signs yes, not caring about if Brant would need his help or not with the impending rush. Y/N signs something to Tejas, who rolls her eyes and then watches her friend walk around the corner with car keys in hand. Tom leads Y/N to the other side of the building where the murals were.

“So, how Deaf are you?” Tom says while dragging his hand across one of the painted cows. “You seem to carry a conversation pretty well,”

Y/N feigns a smile, inhaling harshly as she leans against the wall and slides down. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she looks up to Tom.

“I was born hearing. I was in a car accident when I was a kid, lost the majority of my hearing.” She points to her ears and shrugs. “I can follow along because I know what sounds are. I can read lips alright.”

Her body tenses as she looks towards the beating sun. It was high in the sky, perks of the long summer days. She squinted and held a hand up to block the sun. Without a second thought, Tom hands her his sunglasses and steps into the sunlight. She motions a thank you and puts them on. Tom couldn’t help but smile, she looked better in his glasses than he did.

“So, what happened at the party, that kiss?” Her words are shaky which she masks with awkward laughing. “It was great. I just don’t think you know what you’re getting into-”

“Are you talking about the rumors?”

“Which ones?” Y/N pushes back the fading pink strands and sighs. “There’s so many now. I don’t even care anymore,”

“Someone said you’ll break my heart,” Tom watches her face fall slightly. “But I’m looking for someone to ruin my life anyways.”

Y/N laughs, but this time it's a real laugh though. It came from the bottom of her stomach as if this was the first funny thing she heard in years. Maybe not heard, but you know the specifics are hard. Tom laughs, switching her weight so he’s leaning towards her.

“I think you’re cool Tom, especially with that accent I can’t hear.” Y/N tries to wink behind the glasses but it doesn’t really work. “I just don’t want you to expect much because we don’t know each other,”

“Can I get to know you?”

Y/N looks to him in surprise. There’s a long pause though, she doesn’t speak but she reaches inside of her backpack to find something. Tom isn’t sure if she’s handing him her number or a restraining order but she pulls out a piece of torn out paper. It’s folded perfectly, doodles on the corners of little turtles with sunglasses. He opens it and at the top of the page it says in big letters, ‘Summer Bucket List’.

“What’s this?”

“You want to get to know me right?” She stands and pushes the sunglasses down the bridge of her nose so her eyes are seductively pooling into his. “Read this, then next time we meet I’ll tell you the plan.”

Y/N places the sunglasses on Tom’s head, her other hand rests on the middle of his chest. She can feel the rhythm, fast and all for her. There’s a moment where everything is still, their lips so close from touching but uncertainty clouds the moment. It wasn’t right, Tom was sure of that. If he wanted to kiss her it had to be lead by her. Y/N puts her backpack back on and steps away.

“I’ll see you around,” She says then signs something new. “This is your name sign for now okay?”

She shows him, it’s the sign for ‘hearing’ but with a T hand shape. He smiles and repeats it. A name sign, something only given by Deaf people to their friends and family. Tom took this as a way of her promising to see him again. The list felt heavy in his hands as he watched her walk towards a beat up Cadillac on the corner driven by Tejas.

“How will I find you once I’m done reading this?” Tom yells down the street which causes a few Creekview residents to stop and stare.

“You can try to find me on social media or,” Tom can see her smirking playfully. “Or let fate decide. Your choice.”

Y/N enters the car and that’s the end of their meeting. Tejas whips the car from the space and drives away. The whole interaction felt like a dream. It did not feel real in a conceivable way. Tom looked to the list and back to the corner she was standing at before to make sure this was not a figment of his imagination. He unravels the list completely and was surprised to see only five.

Swim in Creek Lake

Easy enough. That was one of the most popular destinations during the summer. Creekview had a lake that was swarmed by people who were either swimming, tanning, or canoeing. Tom had yet to go into the water though, he usually did a hike around the hills behind the lake with Harrison.

    2. Watch a Drive-In movie

That was something he did not expect. Do Drive-Ins have captioned movies? Tom didn’t even know where they still had Drive-Ins. It had to be something he’d look up later.

   3. Go to DeckFest

Deckfest? The Deckfest? Also known as the Coachella for people who can not afford Coachella. A music festival between California and Nevada, held in a desert, with lesser-known names. It was a mix of Rolling Loud and Warp Tour.

   4. Win a fistfight

Y/N obviously had more layers that he was expecting. The fourth one made him laugh, folding the paper while smiling a little too much. Watching her fight? He’d pay money for that. Tom looks to the last one and drops a bit.

   5. Find my purpose

Tom’s heart panged as he read it over and over. He related to the last item, something he needed to figure out by August also. In the time where he needs to figure out his major, his future, he was more interested in reading this Bucket List and talking to Y/N. Maybe it was master procrastination, or maybe it would lead him to his final destination. Either way, Tom had his roadmap for the summer, all starting with Creek Lake.

///

///

Taglist: 

@screeching-student-unknown / @nyctophilicstyles /  @captainbuckyy / @vintage-moonlight / @breadbudzo / @h-natale / @originalpinkpowerranger/ @happywolves81 / @drunkgreek / @iamnida95 / @sydthekidsloth / @spiderboytotherescue / @laureharrier / @starksparker / @madon566 / @nophunleague / @itsbrittneynicole / @hereiamhereigo

[prorevenge]

Entitled aunt unknowingly ended her own financial support.

Warning: long post. This actually happened at Christmas last year but the effects are now being felt full force.

My older sister, let’s call her Ria, and our mom have always had a very difficult relationship ever since I could remember. Ria has always been headstrong and not afraid to ask questions. My mom was a very traditional devout Christian who put family above everything first. Bit of a background - my mom was the second eldest of 9 children and moved from the Philippines to the US. She grew up dirt poor in a small province and experienced first-hand the hardship that comes with taking care of a big family. She was the first of her family to graduate college and has always valued education as a means to get out of poverty. She has paid for 4 of her siblings to go to college (only 2 actually completed and went on to find jobs) and has also paid for several of her sibling’s children to go to good schools in the Philippines.

Ria had more exposure to the extended family than I did (she was born in the Philippines, I was born in US - 7 years apart). As she got older, she was very outspoken about how she did not agree with my mom financially supporting some of her family because Ria felt as though they were abusing my mom’s generosity, especially since mom was frugal with our expenditures here in the US.

When Ria was in her last year of high school, she had a bad falling out with my mom and moved out. They did not speak for 5 years (although my dad & I kept in touch with Ria). In that time, Ria worked full-time and paid her way thru college without any help from my parents at all. Fast forward a few years at my high school graduation, I invited Ria, she attended, and ended up reconciling with my mom. Things were still rocky but they had a much better relationship.

Two years ago, my mom passed away. Unknown to me at the time, Ria had quietly taken over the continued financial support for my mom’s youngest sister's (“Jana”) cost of living and maintaining the college fund for Jana’s daughter. She also took care of the funeral arrangements and handling the estate (dad was a mess at the time).

Last year, Ria and I decided to spend the holidays in the Philippines. One of our visits was to Jana’s place. Little did I know that shit was about to hit the fan when we sat down for dinner. After small talk, the topic of my mom came up and this was how that conversation went - details may be lost in translation so just writing the gist. (R: Ria, J: Jana)

J: “Such a shame <your mom> passed away. We will miss her.”

R: “Yes.”

J: “Ria, why did you stopped talking to her? Why did you leave her? You should be ashamed - that’s not how you treat family. Now, your mom could've raised you better - you always were too headstrong you know, that's not ladylike - you shouldn't be so aggressive. You need to be softer. How are you going to get a man otherwise? [... she goes on to say more shit along these lines]”

R: “. . .”

J: - turns to me - “Don’t be like your sister ok? Be a good daughter. Do you have a boyfriend yet? You don’t want to get too old like Ria and not have your own family. That’s not following God’s plan!”

Before I could speak, Ria asked her own questions.

R: “Why did you drop out and decide to get pregnant when mom was paying for your college? Did you really think that that businessman would leave his wife to take care of you? If you wanted to be a trophy wife, you should’ve just said so instead of wasting my mom’s hard-earned money.”

At this point, I just decided to watch because Jana was starting to piss me off and Ria has been known to do epic take-downs.

J: - enraged- “How dare you come into MY house, eat MY food, and disrespect ME!”

R: -calmly- “Technically it’s my mom’s house, you have food because my mom has been supporting you for the better part of 15 years and you disrespected her by wasting all the opportunities she worked hard to give to you”

J: “I don’t NEED your attitude, or your bullshit, I don’t NEED anything from you - you disrespectful bitch. Get the hell out of my house [...more rant]!”

R: -gets up and smiles- “You sure you don’t need ANYTHING from me. You don’t want ANYTHING from me. I want to confirm that I heard you correctly”

J: “I don’t need shit from you, I can take care of myself and MY family and how DARE you imply otherwise! Get the hell out of my house and your father will hear about this!!”

R: -looks at me- “You heard her, let’s go.”

Now, I was surprised by how calmly Ria was taking the diatribe because I’ve seen her and my mom get into massive shouting matches. More confused than anything, I followed her to the car.

R: “You heard her right, she doesn’t need ANYTHING from me”

Me: -it begins to dawn on me what my sister is about to do- “Yeaahhh…”

R: “Ok.”

We get back to the hotel and my sister promptly stops the auto-transfer of funds for Jana’s account. We then spend the rest of the week lounging by the beach and hanging out with other cousins.

Yesterday, I was talking to one of my cousins and heard that Jana is just now realizing what actually happens when you run out of money. I called up Ria shortly after to give her an update.

R: “What? She ran out of money that quick? There was enough in there to last her the year.”

Me: “Oh. Did you tell her that?”

R: “Eh, basic math.”

Me: “Will she lose the house?”

R: “Nah. It’s paid for. As long as she doesn’t do something stupid, she should have a roof over her head.”

Me: “Did you also close her kid’s college fund?”

R: “Nope. Not gonna punish the kid for her mom’s stupidity. But that’s all she gets so if she fucks it up, she fucks it up.”

So yeah, will definitely be interesting how this plays out in the next few months. I have a feeling my sister probably won’t give a damn one way or the other though.

(source) (story by wtf_Jana)

[pingou7]

A car, two cops and a stardust — a RebelCaptain road trip fic

by @pingou7 pingou  for @thestarbirdfromtheashes Starbird

(aka the Road trip fic Diego Luna’s filmography made me write)

Read and enjoy, and please consider leaving me a few words.

Summary:

As the dusty roads criss under Kes Dameron’s old car, Cassian Andor lets the wind mess with his hair through the open window. Dust, sunshine, laughter, its easy to recapture the taste of days long gone.

(…)

At a gas station near Corpus Chirsti, when they climb back after taking a piss, both jump out of their skins as a random brunette, eyes thunderous, hisses dangerously from the backseat:

“Just pretend I’m not here.”

UPDATE: Part 3 is up!

Note: I thank @ruby-red-inky-blue for letting me burrow the name of Cassian’s little brother from her story The World Through A Scope! Danke mein Freund.

Read on AO3 (or under the cut)

Part 3 — From Arizona to Gina’s House, San Diego, CA. Day 2

She’s whimpering incoherently, calling out to her Papa, raging about some Saw and Cassian nudges her awake before switching gears. Kes groans on the back seat, rubbing his eyes, but he holds his tongue, while, disoriented, she tries to control her breathing and toys with her necklace.

“Jyn, you’re okay?”

She nods and asks where they are — Arizona, they’re nearing Tacna, it’s close to 9AM — they’ll soon stop for breakfast. It’s Cassian’s treat, so no drive-thru this time, she could have something close to an English breakfast if she feels like it. She seems surprised by the offer, but she soon declares that’s she’s always up for a cuppa of oolong and scrambled eggs with sausage. Confirming his hypothesis about her being British, he figures that’s about as much comfort as he’s allowed to give her. Thankfully, it was the right thing to do since her shoulders aren’t so tense anymore, and she exhales.

That’s how the trio finds itself at the Ligurta Station Restaurant, in Wellton, which is precisely crowded because renowned for its breakfasts. It’s the reason why usually Cassian and the Damerons prefer to refuel before that, in Tacna. But the cops keep this to themselves as they dig in their own plates. There Kes calls home and chats a bit with a downhearted Poe — he’s sick, while Papa and Uncle Cass have fun without him… — and overall it’s nice to have good food, great company for all it’s unexpected, and to be relatively close to San Diego.

“I don’t know about you, guys, but I need the restroom.”

“Do you need us to accompany you?” Kes asks, seeing her scanning the crowd intently.

“Why, you don’t trust me to return to you?”

“Trust goes both ways,” Cassian retorts and she blinks at him.

“I’d be a fool to ditch you now, you’re the best cover I have, I’m just gonna pee.”

When she comes back and they’re ready to drive the last portion, perhaps out of defiance, she cheekily passes each arm under theirs as they exit, making Kes chuckle. Cassian remains stone-faced, but pulls himself a bit closer to her than strictly necessary, and all three walk to the car.

Eventually, after the third rotation and last three hours of driving, they arrive at lunch time in front of the house of Gina Consuelo Alvarez Cuarón. Jyn is not the only one letting out a relieved sigh, for hers was not the only countdown, though the guys — amongst endless chatter — have not evoked it, least they bring misfortune. Charolastras are superstitious creatures, perhaps, but the frailty of the happy woman welcoming them confirms they were right to hurry up.

Cassian and Jyn stand together as Kes greets the effusive lady and explains why neither Shara nor Poe are here, but things get awkward when he tries to introduce the unknown woman they came with.

“Is she your sweetheart, Cariño?” Gina asks Cassian with a serene smile.

“I’m not,” Jyn answers readily, “my name is Jyn and Cassian is… we’re friends.”

“He’s her white Knight,” Kes supplies with a shit eating grin his brother can certainly punch it right off his face.

But weirdly this explanation seems to placate the old woman — like Cassian is used to be chivalrous to every damsel that appears on the back seat of car… — and after patting his hand benevolently, she gives them their space with no further comment.

Jyn asks for the phone, of course, presumably to update her people, and both brothers turn a blind eye as they entertain their host the best they can. The woman they consider like an aunt seems mortified by the fact she did not cook them anything. They downplay it, as she is the one they went to see, not her recipes, but it’s clear that she’s worse than she’d let on, on the phone. As she asks about little Poe, Cassian sees the proud father setting his jaw remorsefully. Suddenly he’s very glad for driving as much as they did since they’ve left Corpus Christi, and not just for Jyn’s sake.

Speaking of her, through defiantly raised, her chin quivers just a little bit after her phone call. She’s quick to cover it, of course, saying a few banalities to Gina who all but beams at her, but he caught that, and Kes sent her a worried glance too. He beckons her over, and she sits besides Cassian, and while their fingers brush under the table for a few seconds, her palm is sweaty.

If only they knew what hails her, who are the people she’s hiding from, and why… the scraps of information they’ve gathered so far aren’t enough to draw any conclusions from. All through the frugal dinner, he can’t help but feel frustrated, about Jyn’s muteness, about Gina’s bad health, about Kes’ forced gaiety. He wishes Shara or even Kay were here, almost childishly, but there’s just an old woman, two cops and a fugitive.

Cassian lends the room that is supposedly his when he stays over to Jyn, and obviously has to bunk in with Kes, something they haven’t had to do — outside of work and service — since they were nineteen or so. It’s obvious neither are looking forward to that aspect of recapturing the good old days. Despite having the speaker on, Cassian feels like a third wheel as soon as Kes calls his wife:

“Hello Babe, we’ve just arrived at Gina’s, how are you both?”

“We’re fine, it’s nice to have our little man all to myself. Things went okay for you on the road?”

“Yep, don’t worry, everything’s fine, only we somewhat picked up a stray.”

Cassian mouths “whipped” to him, despite knowing Kes couldn’t have kept Jyn’s presence to himself if he valued his manhood, but his next answer made him throw is pillow at the married man anyway.

“Another dog? BB8 may be cute as hell, but the pup’s enough already.”

“No, it’s not a dog. From the looks of it, green eyes, claws, defensive attitude, it’s a wayward cat. Cassian have taken quite a fancy to her I’d say.”

“Screw you Dameron!”

The traitor is laughing so much Shara senses her husband is most likely bullshitting again and she groans:

“Guys, I told you I don’t want to play the referee between you. I’ll leave that to Kay when you’re at the precinct. Just, Cass, promise me you won’t get too scratched by this wayward cat, whoever she is.”

Now Cassian is internally cringing — of course Shara Bey-Dameron would have picked the analogy right away… — but he still agrees because these two busy-bodies and their son are the only family he has left. They may be overbearing, but he’s glad to have them looking out for him. Wanting to give them privacy, he leaves the room, regretting the fact that he’s not smoking anymore, for it would have given him something to do.

Jyn stays just on the other side of the door to their adjoining rooms. He ponders about knocking and seeing what she was up to, but then decides against it, because it would be too stalker-ish. The urges he is feeling since she appeared in the car just yesterday afternoon confuse the hell out of him and there’s no need to add substance to Kes’ suspicion of a crush, but she swings the door open anyway.

She wears a bathrobe that covers the essential and she’s so petite it dwarfs her a little. She seems surprised to see him in the corridor and it’s obvious, from the way she’s (un)clothed to the towel she holds under her arm, that she plans to take a shower in the bathroom that is two doors down.

“Oh, Cassian.”

“Hi, Jyn. Kes is on the phone, so I… wanted to give them privacy.”

“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she replies, showing him the towel with her chin. “So, do you want to hang out a moment?”

“Really?”

He is surprised that she didn’t hesitate to offer, considering the amount of time they’ve spent together in a cramped space already. Her fingers come to touch his wrist as a welcoming gesture. Her nails are cropped short, so definitely no scratches on the horizon, then, Cassian muses, having a hard time repressing his smile. Jyn musts sense something because immediately as he enters, she says, a warning in her tone:

“It’s the least I can do, you would have this room for yourself if not for me, but I’m sure your brother is gonna barge in here soon anyway. He doesn’t like me very much.”

He doesn’t know how she got that impression. Kes didn’t sound too annoyed with Shara on the phone, then again after the cat comment, Cassian didn’t feel like sticking around. Maybe he would not have liked what his mocking brother has to say about Jyn — or about him, for that matter. Still, out of fairness, he replies:

“Kes likes everyone as a rule, you haven’t done anything to earn his distrust so far. I’m the circumspect one.”

“I don’t know about that. You don’t seem cold to me,” she says, surely referring to the uncharacteristic way he came to her rescue.

“Not to you, no,” he responds huskily, taking a step towards her.

“I’m glad.”

These words make him happy, for some reason and as she goes to wash, he is almost smiling again.

The room hasn’t changed since the first time he’d been there. He can’t help but snoop around a little, and to his delight she had left her clothes within reach.

In her vest he finds an handful of cash, not enough to pay a plane ticket or anything, a prepaid phone with a broken screen… and in an inner pocket, some ID: Passports, green cards… there are several of them, actually, all with her photo but different names. His blood turns cold and finding two more worrisome items, he replaces all his discoveries and tries to focus on something else for now, it’d be better once his brain had processed all this evidence, calmly.

In a corner of the nice but outdated room, his preteen self is stiffly standing besides Dameron — if his hair had been way too long, Kes on the other hand, sported a shorter haircut, heavily spiked with hair gel. They were fourteen, or perhaps fifteen for Kes, still wearing black from head to toes, because they bore the full mourning of Gina’s sister, Dolores. Cassian spoke English already, while his brother had not bothered until then. They look like babies but Cassian felt world weary already and it shows, because behind him, Jyn suddenly says:

“Even I would recognize you at once, with him grinning and you frowning.”

“Christ! How can you sneak up like that?!”

“You were distracted, obviously.”

Yes, he was, but still, he’s not easily taken by surprise and it takes some skills — perhaps of the professional kind? — to manage this for the second time in a row. He notes this in the corner of his mind as he considers the granny-like nightgown she wears — it goes to her ankles — and her hair, longer than he’d thought.

“I’m so tired,” she says, flopping back onto the bed, “and I’m not even the one driving.”

“Let’s just say you’re not the only one who’s in a rush. We’ll take our time once we leave San Diego. But Gina was expecting us, so we quickened the pace.”

“She seems like a nice lady. She offered me some of her granddaughter’s clothes for tomorrow, but I am fine with the clothes I got on my back. I’m not often in girlie clothing anyway… but she’s very kind.”

“Yes, she is really sweet. But she’s also old and a little sick, so…”

He leaves the rest hanging up in the air, but she understands and seeing him still standing, taps the bed next to her. He comes over and sits next to her, on the mattress, his back against the wall and his legs spread in front of him.

“So, she’s your aunt?”

“The same way Kes is my bro. She pulled us out of the gutter after her sister died, in Mexico. She didn’t have to, did it anyway. Her husband, Alfonso, he was Spanish. Brought us there a summer, in Pamplona, when we were barely twenty, and Kes met Shara.”

“Pretty romantic.”

“Yeah, I’m not one for romance, but these two are made for each other.”

Both stare at the ceiling but it’s not so bad. For all his qualities, his brother has never truly known the value of silence, of just staying besides someone and sharing the same air, for the beauty of it. He hears her breathing next to him and the sound lulls him a bit. He can’t hear anything else, but he has spent so much time in the car that the vibration of the motor is still present in his body, he feels it like a tidal wave. My, he’s getting older.

“You can sleep with me,“ she eventually whispers as he gapes at her. "Seriously Cassian, if I wanted to do the nasty, you think I’d use that line?”

“Kes would have, he probably did at some point, in fact. But I get what you mean. Thanks for the offer, but I really should get back to him. From what I recall, he likes to grab all the covers.”

“I don’t,” she replies as he sits up, preparing to go, “listen, the truth is… I could use some company.”

He reads in her eyes that she’s afraid of finding herself alone, in a strange place, far away from her brother and with people still on her heels for a reason she has not given yet. He has a really bad feeling about this, but he complies because it probably cost her to admit as much. He feels a rush that he really shouldn’t when smiles at him, a real blinding smile that shows teeth, and if he ever had some doubts before, he can’t deny he’s a total goner.

“Goodnight Cassian.”

“Sleep well, Jyn, tomorrow is another day.”

He feels stupid for telling such platitude, for a second. Only… it was what his parents used to say to him, he realizes, suddenly petrified on the mattress, while she rolls on her side. He doesn’t know what it means, but he’s sure it’s no coincidence: he’s worked too hard to suppress any unwanted reminder of his life before first grade.

There was a time when he knew Kes (his parents and the Damerons had been friends before they were even born) but he wasn’t his brother yet. He had another, a toddler who had learned to walk while gripping his legs, who had been all curls and smiles, a cherub, called back to heaven far too soon. Lord, I command you the soul of my brother Marco, so that he may be safe in your embrace, until the end of all days, Amen.

She must have sensed him crossing himself, or maybe he let out a sound, because Jyn comes unbearably closer and the clean scent of soap fills his nostrils and locks unwanted recollections — and reflexes — in the depths of his memory. He tries to put his hands somewhere, since usually he’s a pillow hugger, but he doesn’t know where to put them without touching hers. He pulls back hastily, force himself to sleep on his back. He’s counting her evening breaths until her fingers touch his, just barely, then he drifts away.

[kyohiba]

Xue Yang’s 420 Punishing Reincarnations AU. Final Modern Setting

but hmmmmmm I Wonder,

in that final one,

yeeting patriarch how did they all come to meet

in another one of his reincarnation he gets pimples every week

LMAO SORRY

mmMMMMM good question

we said they meet a-qing last

ssyifpfff🌙 do we wanna be cheesy lmao

8h 8 hours ago yes, since shes a lot younger than them

as long the Angst Lives On,

the beginning of their meeting needs some angst

yeeting patriarch either song lan or xue yang meeting xiao xingchen, the beginning of their relationships...

OH MAYBE XUE YANG NEEDS HELP FOR WHATEVER REASON N XXC FINDS HIM, LIKE MAYBE HE FALLS N HURTS HIMSELF N XXC PUTS A BAND AID ON OR SOME SHIT

ssyifpfff🌙 as an allusion to when they meet in yi city uwu

8h 8 hours ago ssyifpfff🌙 so tht its familiar n xue yang gets the de javus

8h 8 hours ago OMG. PARALLELS

yeeting patriarch HELL YEA PLEASE

n then he can meet song lan while going to buy groceries idk

ssyifpfff🌙 maybe they fite for the last bag of avocados

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch what about xxc and song lan were childhood friends and had a fight and suddenly young song lan had to move out and never got to apologize to xxc but then years later he moved back and found xxc again

ssyifpfff🌙 as long as no one loses any eyes

8h 8 hours ago NO LOSING EYES

yeeting patriarch EVERYONE HAS THEIR EYES AND EYESIGHT

ssyifpfff🌙 NO HEAVY ANGST IN THIS HOUSE FOR THIS LIFETIME

8h 8 hours ago like. first xxc meets xue yang

who got hurt... uhh... how he couldve gotten hurt...

yeeting patriarch lmao he was skating and while doing a Sick Move TM he mf fell down and got wrecked

YES PLS LMAO

A SICK MOVE

ssyifpfff🌙 he got an arm cramp while dabbing

8h 8 hours ago innocent xxc was passing by at the time, saw everything and went to help xue yang. because his golden pure heart lives on

yeeting patriarch HE DABBED WHILE DOING THOSE SKATE FLIPS AND FELL DOWN ON HIS FACE

ssyifpfff🌙 HE BROKE HIS NECK HITTING THT WHOA

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch as xxc helped him, xue yang experiences the Doki

xxc takes him to his apartment to take care of his wounds

and after this incident, xue yang shows up a lot around xxc's place

yeeting patriarch (hes got a bit of a bad situation at home, hes always outside like a stray cat)

ssyifpfff🌙 hes like "should i take u to a hospital?" n xue yang i slike NO GO AWAY "then let me at least bandage u, my apartment is close by" xue yangs gay ass: oh worm?

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch YES

N THEY SLOWLY BECOME CASUAL FREIDNS THEN ..... SOMETHIN ELSE

ssyifpfff🌙 WE GOTTA GET THT DOMESTIC BLISS

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch BUT IT'S SLOW BURN

mayb xue yang is a runaway n is in need of a roomie

ssyifpfff🌙 YES SLOW BURN OBV

8h 8 hours ago remember: this time he gotta earn for xxc's affections

yes! xue yang its ur turn to cook

yeeting patriarch xxc is a bit wary of him for some reason although he helped and helps him out. his good heart cannot ignore it

ssyifpfff🌙 them going to buy groceries n xue yang being a Pro at bargaining for lower prices

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch ever so slowly, xiao xingchen at first really starts feeling he got himself to take care of a stray cat

like............ this happened in yi city tbh, xue yang did manage to make xxc laugh like no one else :(

ssyifpfff🌙 im sad now

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch PARALLELS... KEEP THEM COMING

ssyifpfff🌙 XXC HAS TO SEE XUE YANG HAS A GOOD HEART EVEN IF HE LOOKS LIKE A DELINQUENT

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch at some point though,

xue yang gets 100% kicked out his home

he has nowhere else to go

truth to be told, boi got no close friends

it's a rainy night

and xiao xingchen is coming home after uni (what is he studying)

in front of his place, in the rain, is xue yang

yeeting patriarch when he realizes xingchen came, xue yang looks up and tries to grin at xxc but he only manages a half smile

BABEYYY

HE SAID NO ANGST FOR HIM IN THIS LIFETIME ASDFGRFGVS

ssyifpfff🌙 i WANT xxc to be studyin at cheff school but i think med school would fit him better

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch MED SCHOOL FOR SURE

ssyifpfff🌙 n it would make sense as to why he has bandages n is good at putting thm on

8h 8 hours ago Y E S

xue yang currently a drop out for financial problems due his situation at home

we really ain't giving it easy for xue yang even in the reincarnation it should be finally Ok for him

yeeting patriarch Understandable

ssyifpfff🌙 we had to do it to him

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch at the sight of xue yang in the rain looking Miserable TM, xingchen's heart aches

at this point they been getting close, xue yang casually COINDICENTALLY going to the same skating place over n over even tho its actually not tht big or tht good for skating

ssyifpfff🌙 god we rly made him a skater boi

8h 8 hours ago ssyifpfff🌙 see ya later boi

8h 8 hours ago i cannot see it now

skater boi xue yang confirmed

anyway

xingchen let's xue yang stay over as xue yang kinda explains the situation

he promises he will find himself a place and wont get in the way

yeeting patriarch but... yknow how it is when the Living Together situation happens

in reality xue yang is Super smart, like genious smart like ash lynx smart, n xxc prob notices n encourages him to pursue a studyin path

xxc is a nerd in all his lifetimes

ssyifpfff🌙 tht way xue yang could get a scholarship n help

8h 8 hours ago yeeting patriarch OH NOOOOO GOT SLAPPED BY A THOUGHT THAT ENDED ME kinda nicely

ssyifpfff🌙 SLAP M

8h 8 hours ago as xingchen let's xue yang stay over, he gets xue yang a place to sleep in his living room. it's the only available place, his apartment isn't big. and in the morning, when xingchen wakes up, he finds xue yang sleeping kinda curled up like a cat, sleeping occupying a small place

yeeting patriarch also xue yang being Genius 💯 xingchen noticing it and encouraging him 💯💯💯

OH BABEY SAIDFGDSKFJBGS

a tiny stray cat

ssyifpfff🌙 its such a cheesy metaphor in fics BUT I LOVE ITTT

7h 7 hours ago as time goes by,

they grow closer

yeeting patriarch xue yang starts even helping xingchen with his studies although this isnt an area he likes nor has much interest

yeeting patriarch they go on growing close

xingchen starts paying more attention to some things about xue yang. that he carries a sadness within him

masked by his delinquent attitude

xingchen starts lowering his walls

yeeting patriarch (at this point xue yang is already deep in love but yknow tsun boy)

tsun boy skater boy

asdfka, xue yang going to xxcs campus n waiting around for his classes to end

"no i just like the sandwiches from the cafeteria here" "but ur broke" "IM HERE TO SMELL THEM"

ssyifpfff🌙 n xxc buys him the dam sandwich n they sit to eat together T0T

7h 7 hours ago hoes trying to approach xue yang as he waits for xingchen, since xue yang is Good Looking. But he... hisses at other people

hes only... non feral around xingchen

what would xue yang study tho 🤔

yeeting patriarch before he had to drop out and then when he managed to go back

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm well he did do all tht w the sticks on wen ning and song lan, maybe... neuroscience

or maybe he goes feral n studies art idk

ssyifpfff🌙 he would be good at anything really

7h 7 hours ago he does look like an art hoe somehow

and Yup. boi could do Anything

let's settle this later

yeeting patriarch as for now...

the domestic bliss continues

before they realize, they're searching for a bit bigger apartment. with at the least two rooms

(No Homo phase)

two bedrooms*

they manage to find one, share the living costs

domestic bliss lives on

THEN, ONE DAY...

at xingchen's uni

yeeting patriarch a new student arrives

yeeting patriarch 😏

he moved back to the city

xingchen and song lan immediately recognized each other

yeeting patriarch with some tension

ssyifpfff🌙 (no homo phase) LMAO

7h 7 hours ago yeeting patriarch xue yang, the bastard cat, goes wait for xingchen at his uni. grinning showing his fangs and all. unaware

xue yang sees xingchen's silhouette and approaches

then he noticed song lan

hes hit by some unknown feeling. similar the one he had when he first meet xingchen

he, clever bastard, notices the tension in the sir between the two hotties

yeeting patriarch hides close by, as xxc and sl didnt notice when he was approaching

hes a bit far and cant hear well their convo but picks a few words here and there

yeeting patriarch "it's been so long", "wanted to see you again", "i am sorry"

and hes there like "uuuuh am i bein cucked" but deep down he gets a feeling too

he prob feels he wants to go meet thm but shouldnt

thru their rship he prob feels a lot of guilt, specially seein thm together, n the worst part is tht he cant understand Why he feels tht guilt

he might think he should be around xxc if he has finally found some1, like he doenst wanna be in the way

all the while bein a chaotic bastard w sl ofc

ssyifpfff🌙 n song lan actually finds him fun to be around heh

7h 7 hours ago THE CONFLICTED FEELINGS... the feelings the doesnt understand...

chaotic ass xy starts Bottling Up it all

hes been getting Messy

as he sees xxc and sl getting closer and closer, getting along better and better

he feels he should Leave them. that unsettling mysterious guilty feeling is there all the time

yeeting patriarch although he enjoys being with the two so much

yeeting patriarch one day xy reaches his limit. his mind, his heart are a mess. hes always been on the emotionally constipated side, but now it was different and overwhelming

he was growing a bit distant the past few weeks. both xxc and sl noticed although xy tried to mask it, grinning around, as always

yeeting patriarch but his gaze would give him in sometimes

one day, as xxc comes home, he is greeted by silence. a dark and cold apartment. by that hour, xy was already at home. worry grew in xxc's heart

he called for xy, but no answers came

yeeting patriarch ANNND it's almost 02:30 am i need sleep Badly

yeeting patriarch meme ya Later. dream of this au. hmu with new thoughts. nyeehaw

ssyifpfff🌙 ASSADK XUE YANG dam u u done it again.

7h 7 hours ago ssyifpfff🌙 he didint even leave a note, but xxc knows him too well n finds him fast n asks wtf is up (not like tht obv) n xue yang cant explain properly but he basically confesses tht hes grateful for xxc opening his home to basically a stranger but he understands him n song lan crealry missed each other n he shouldnt get in the way

7h 7 hours ago ssyifpfff🌙 n xxc is like "but song lan n i,,,, we both love u so much"

7h 7 hours ago n song lan comes by (xxc called him so he could help w finding the cat) n hes like "heh u ran away bc ur jealous?" "IM NOT u idiot im leaving the way open for ur dumb ass" "n what about ur way? is it open too?" (IDK WHY im imagining song lan as a suave guy whn in reality hes prob rly dense n awkwards too but let me dream)

ssyifpfff🌙 xue yang is pikachu stunned.jpg

7h 7 hours ago yeeting patriarch I HAD TO READ THOSE BEFORE DREAMLAND i will reply properly when i Rise

ssyifpfff🌙 have a good dream nyari may the xue chara dev visit u in ur sleep

7h 6 hours ago yeeting patriarch IVE RISEN

SUAVE GUY SONG LAN IS HONESTLY TO LIVE FOR xy is a tsun, xxc kinda slow so somebody in this house gotta do the work

BUT IMAGINE

after he says that and xue yang goes pikachu_agape.jpg

xingchen on the side blushes furiously

yeeting patriarch then after a "..." 3 secs, song lan becomes a blushy mess

yeeting patriarch xxc, tenderly, grabs one of xy hands and tells him "let's go home"

xy feels like a bit part of that heavy feeling has been lifted from him as xxc holds into his hand and sl gazes softly at him. THEN, A RARE MOMENT HAPPENS... chaotic disaster xy, doesnt give his fangy grin, but a small smile

yeeting patriarch the three of them go to their home

after this, as some time goes by, before they realize, song lan has moved in with them. they bought a bigger bed

(No Homo phase kicked into outer space)

Song lan n xy just constantly embarrassing themselves n each other fskdhdjd

3h 3 hours ago now we gotta reach the a-qing point of the au

xxc gets a thirdhand embarrassment with them sometimes

i really, really like to think xue yang's sleeping habits are a bit like a cats

even the "more docile and cuddly when sleeping" part

SINCE WE MADE HIM SHORTER ON THIS, and i think both xxc and sl are 185cm... oh the bliss

yeeting patriarch AND OF COURSE HIS SWEET TOTH REMAINS

HES THE TINY ONE

IN A 3 PPL RSHIP WHOSE THE LITTLE SPOON??? IDK HOW BUT ITS HIM

ssyifpfff🌙 he’s the lettuce of the sandwich

3h 3 hours ago yeeting patriarch "are u a big or little spoon, xue yang?" xy: im a KNIFE xxc & sl, at the same time: hes the little spoon

ssyifpfff🌙 ASFGJSHFIUFM

3h 3 hours ago yeeting patriarch OMGGHSJKSKSK HOL P

ssyifpfff🌙 “I am a dagger under ur pillow” “ok”

3h 3 hours ago yeeting patriarch xxc keeping candies with him to give xy :')

ssyifpfff🌙 OFC

3h 3 hours ago xy says fuck it in this au and becomes a Baker

yeeting patriarch sl... what is he

ssyifpfff🌙 OOOH SO HE CAN MAKE DESSERTS!!!! YAS

3h 3 hours ago yeeting patriarch architect would be cool

Or designer engineer

ssyifpfff🌙 Or a VET

3h 3 hours ago OMG A VET

yeeting patriarch YES

ssyifpfff🌙 N he constantly compares xy w the kittens he attends

3h 3 hours ago YESSSSSSSSS

yeeting patriarch WE GOT IT, WE GOT IT ALL

“Today there was a black cat tht wouldn’t let me pick it up, reminded me of u” the next day “today there was a kitten tht wouldn t stop licking my hand, reminded me of u”

ssyifpfff🌙 “Today the cat bit me, reminded me of u”

3h 3 hours ago xxc - doctor sl - vet

SUIT THEM SO WELL

and baker xy... a pleasant surprise

he makes the best sweet stuff but hes a disaster cooking savory food. sweets only man

also T0T in the future when they get a-qing,

xy uses his baker ways to approach her

yeeting patriarch yknow like he did back then with the candies but this time... not devilishly

[izzy-b-hands]

On mobile so I can't put a read more, but I'm going to try and tag well--I need to vent. ----------- So today has been the worst day dealing with my mom in awhile. Like we've been in an okay patch where she hasn't been giving so many mixed messages and orders, but that came roaring back today for some reason. It starts out crappy because we head to my tattoo appointment, but my artist was sick and had to reschedule (though please note I'm not mad at him in any way, I'm glad he was going home rather than suffering sick thru work, because I know how much that sucks no matter what your job is. It just made me sad that I wasn't getting tattooed today and those appointments are like spa days for me.) Before we left for the shop though, she was super pissy and generally making me not want her there at the appointment because I didn't want her bugging my artist or being fussy at having to wait for my appointment to be over (which she's done at past tattoo appointments that I did offer to go to alone by getting a cab or taking the bus.) Anyway, after the tattoo shop we decide to go run a quick shopping trip, and our interactions go down hill. We're both struggling financially right now, but I've been buying a lot for the both of us the past week. But she asks me to get this trip, so I say yes because it won't do any good to say no. Then we get there and she's grabbing extra stuff not on our list, half assedly asking if it's okay even when the thing is in the cart and we're eight aisles away already--like, I'm not gonna argue and say no at that point, cause she'd just get pissy. The store was busy too, so we were both starting to get upset in general. Now, I will note that my fragile emotional state today wasn't all due to her. The whole 'you're still stuck at a shitty job in ND and haven't totally gotten your writing off the ground' thing has been hitting hard for a couple weeks, but especially today. But I wasn't complaining or bugging her with it, I was just trying to ignore those feelings. At the end of it she's rude to the teen cashier, (she knows that behavior is something I don't tolerate), but we get to the car. I offer to buy lunch out from a place we both like because at that point I was more treating myself than her. Like, I'm on the verge of emotionally overwhelmed tears in the car from the day and stuff building up for weeks and she's just hopping cause she gets her fav food. I was literally crying (quietly though) as we left the parking lot and she keeps going on about what sandwich she's getting. At first I thought she didn't notice, but then she looks over and goes "Oh," and that's it. So she noticed, and normally would at least be like, "hey, you're crying, is everything okay?" Not at that moment. In the drive through I started crying more, because I honestly couldn't help it (that hasn't stopped either, I'm on like my tenth cry of the day right now) and then she finally showed concern. I couldn't tell her anything she had done to cause it (in the past that's earned me shouting and 'ungrateful brat' kind of comments that she swears later she didn't mean) but I did explain the wanting to move and earn my primary income from my art frustrations though, and she surprised me by being kind and supportive. I thought we were okay then and the day would be okay. Wrong. We eat, she decides to nap cause she was getting a headache, I decide to play GTA V for an hour or two. The cat wakes her up in about that time (I tried to get Nish to let my mom sleep, but she wanted both her humans awake and wouldn't take any food or toys I offered.) Mom's mood is wildly different then. She's angry. She complains about clothes being ready to hang in the washer (I didn't see or hear her put them in, or I would have taken care of them) and goes to do that. I follow, and try to fix things by taking the basket and offering to help. As soon as we get in to the room we hang the clothes in to dry, she's even angrier. First I'm taking the dry clothes down too slowly, then too quickly when I hang up wet ones in their place. Then I'm hanging the clothes wrong on the hanger. I tried for a bit to make it work, but she was ripping clothes out of my hand, tossing the laundry basket around, and pushing empty hangers to the floor in the same way an angry toddler would. So I get her the extra hangers from my room, hang up my dry clothes in my closet, and go back to my laptop in the living room, and turn it all off. That was the breaking point for me--I knew she'd be pissed at me next for playing a game (that's the usual cycle of these situations no matter what I'm doing--if I'm just sitting there doing nothing then I'm still doing something wrong) so I closed it down. Here comes the mixed messages. She asks when she goes back to the couch, suddenly really quietly, why I'm packing my stuff up. I tell her I have a headache and want to be in my room (partially true, though it isn't a bad enough headache that I'd go lie down) she acts sad, but let's me go and I leave trying to figure out her 360 emotional spin. Fast forward a few hours of me crying quietly in my room, panicking over how she might act for dinner and how even though my psychologist said to stand up for myself and call out her behavior and how she'd be totally pissed at me if I'd acted like she had all day I still can't bring myself to say anything because I'm afraid of my mom yelling when I do that. There's a quick, tense discussion on what to do for dinner a bit later, and dinner itself wasn't awful, just uncomfortable (in part because we had pizza and I had to eat all the pieces left, or she'd do her usual spiel about how I don't eat left overs fast enough so I shouldn't leave them, yet she can leave them because she's formally dieting and I'm not.) I try to go back to my room and she stops me. "Bye," she says in a voice equal parts sad and offended. Now, no matter what I'd done here would have been a problem. In past moments like this, there have been some where she guilted me to staying in the living room (but then acted nasty towards me if I fell asleep and didn't wake her up to help remind her to take out her contacts or get her to bed at a decent hour) and some where I've gone back to my room (and she'd pop in every couple of hours to ask if I still wasn't coming back out, glare at anything I might have on the floor, and sigh even when my room is clean--the issue I've found there is that it isn't clean in the way she'd clean it, so it pisses her off, no matter how much I try and clean 'her way' even when executive dysfunction makes it hard.) Tonight, I chose my room, which brings us to now. She already popped in once, as I was typing so I had to hide my iPad so she wouldn't see this post. I already know she'll have fallen asleep in the living room, so I can't fall asleep yet in case she doesn't wake up by ten or elevenish on her own to go into her bedroom. And I get her headache might be making her feel like shit, but here's the rub-- We've been having these moments and situations since I was four. I know everyone has days where they act shitty cause they don't feel well, but why does she expect me to just ignore her on those days when she never lets me have a day like that. If I acted how she did today, she'd have yelled and been angry with me (even tho she stresses now how we're just as much roommates as mom and kid since I'm an adult, so we should treat each other more like roommates.) I was the one who was gracious and asked my artist if he was okay to check out my healing before he left (which he happily did, and he said he was glad I let him check because it showed responsibility as a tattoo owner that he doesn't always see) while she whined that we shouldn't have to pay for the visit and embarrassed the hell out of me (they didn't charge because we didn't tattoo today, and none of the artists at the shop have ever said they'd charge for a literal 'roll up your sleeve for two minutes and let me look' thing, tho I think they probably could and should--I'm willing to hand over my money to people who care about me and the art on my body.) I was the one who kept us on track during shopping and got us home at a decent time, with lunch, even tho my anxiety was at an all time high and I was already an over emotional mess. And I was the one trying to find a way to make her happy, even after she'd made me cry a few times over. I just wonder how long I'm going to go thru this with her. My five year plan now is to save up to move to California, but it's killing me I can't go now. To be closer to other artists and collab and share my art with them (one book in the series I'm writing is nearly done with my editing, the second books first draft is written, and I started writing the third books first draft this week, and I didn't even plan on it becoming a series); to be away from my mom and my family's bullshit; to be in a state that will protect my orientation and gender identity (they can still fire u for that first one in ND)--it all feels so close yet so far away and days like today I just feel so tired of living the way I am, yet I don't have the money or options to change anything yet. This got way too long--if u read it all, thank u but also I'm sorry. U can tell it got too long cause I've given up typing as formally as I usually do. Anyway, I should take this moment to thank u all for still following me and reading my blog--writing and rants alike. It's a small comfort, but it makes me feel less alone. And on days like today, that's one of the few things I have. Here's to hoping for easier days with family, for me and any of u guys that might be struggling with similar issues right now. If any of u ever need to vent, my ear is ready to listen (and comfort if u want.)

[attendantdesign-blog]

New Post has been published on Attendantdesign

New Post has been published on http://attendantdesign.com/new-video-gaming-arena-looks-to-energise-neonopolis-consumers/

New video gaming arena looks to energise Neonopolis consumers

LAS VEGAS

From bars to eating places to a new film theater, metropolis leaders say Downtown Las Vegas is in the middle of a rebirth. Even Neonopolis – which has struggled at some stage in its 15-yr lifestyles – would possibly have struck upon a triumphing formulation. A fifteen,000-rectangular foot facility for competitive video gaming has opened Neonopolis. “The entirety goes to be streamed on the Internet, full manufacturing capability up at the mezzanine,” said Alex Igelman, CEO of Millennial Esports. Edelman says his new buddies were obsessed on the gaming arena.

“We had a sneak peek in November, and the food and beverage tenants on this vicinity had their nice weekend ever,” he stated. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman also has praise for the power – even though she’s not probable to take part. “It’s beyond my era, but a wonderful boon for downtown, and we see it taking maintain,” she stated. For capacity clients like German country wide Johannes Vogl, it’s any other purpose to visit downtown on his subsequent experience to Las Vegas. “While you walk thru the road, It is incredible,” he said.

  The primary Outstanding Console Battle

Given that guy first discovered how to style undergarments from fig leaves, humanity has scarcely lasted five minutes without beginning a Battle. Whether it is for land, for religion, or to take down a rotten egg like Hitler and his cronies, we as humans are susceptible to letting our fists do the talking a bit too often. Commonly, resources are the motive that we visit Battle, Whether the ones in electricity care to confess it or no longer.President Bush would possibly like to inform you that he invaded the Middle East for the best of the humans,

President Bush would possibly like to inform you that he invaded the Middle East for the best of the humans, however it in order that happens there may be additionally a hell of a lot of oil over there. When there is not enough to head around, absolutely everyone wants to make sure they get their proportion. As Tears For Fears as soon as sang, ‘All and sundry wants to The guideline The world’.

  The online game industry isn’t always pretty as risky as the Normandy landings, however with a finite range of capacity consumers wielding a finite amount of money to spend, console producers will do what they want to do to promote their product to the hundreds. While Pong was first launched in a home version it had to duke it out with a slew of knock offs for marketplace supremacy. Later came the Atari 2600 which ruled sales towards in large part forgotten structures like ColecoVision. After the North American video game crash of ‘

Later came the Atari 2600 which ruled sales towards in large part forgotten structures like ColecoVision. After the North American video game crash of ‘eighty three it gave the impression of console gaming become achieved for within the States, however Nintendo and SEGA had been about to go into the fray, and console gaming might be changed forever.

Nintendo were a card game company that had visible the hobby in board games and card video games decline On the grounds that the advent of arcades, and like any properly organization that sees the marketplace they may be in shift, they adapted. Moving into arcade gaming and toys, Nintendo located some measure of success with their new ventures, and the next logical step turned into to move in on the home online game market. Atari

Atari were the big name in gaming but the crash of ’83 had decimated the organisation, leaving the industry huge open for a brand new challenger to take over. In 1983 Nintendo launched the Family Pc in Japan, and after a a hit run in their domestic united states of america, made plans to move worldwide. In ‘eighty five, the Famicom (as it had grow to be recognized) changed into rebranded as the Nintendo Leisure System and launched globally.

Meanwhile, SEGA had been in general acknowledged for making coin operated arcade machines, however they made an strive at benefiting from the home console marketplace too. Their SG-one thousand console truely launched on the same time because the NES, however due in part to the aforementioned enterprise crash in North The usa, the shortage of video games to be had for the Device, and the truth that their device become underpowered in comparison to the Nintendo console, the SG-1000 in no way really discovered any footing. Nowadays, the SG-a thousand is essentially forgotten approximately, remaining

and the truth that their device become underpowered in comparison to the Nintendo console, the SG-1000 in no way really discovered any footing. Nowadays, the SG-a thousand is essentially forgotten approximately, remaining little however a footnote in the pages of online game history.

Las Vegas Vacation Outside the Casinos

Tens of millions of humans flock to Vegas for the express purpose of sitting in the front of slot machines or pulling up stools to the poker tables, and yet there are such a lot of different services inside the metropolis. A Las Vegas Excursion does no longer have to middle on playing, even though many humans are blind to the Vegas beyond the Strip.

First and important, there are the indicates. Leisure that doesn’t require you to gamble away your difficult earned cash is straightforward to discover in Vegas, for there are multiple unique indicates on your viewing satisfaction. From magicians to concert events to illumination spectaculars, there are a number of applications as a way to amaze and pride even the most discerning

There are also artwork museums, the neon museum, and kid’s museums, simply to call some. Take a meander through the Atomic Testing Museum, which chronicles Nevada’s area inside the history of nuclear Testing and bombing, or dance on into the Liberace Museum. Surely, there are many locations to go to as you propose your Las Vegas Vacation.

If museums aren’t exactly your factor, and also you had been hoping for a bit more exhilaration, take a look at out the Mario Andretti race rides, or the Richard Petty Using Enjoy. These sights are an important a part of Nevada and NASCAR records, so for the racing lovers, they’re sure bets for Leisure and remarkable reviews. additionally in Vegas, you’ll discover the yankee Racing Academy, where Using guides, geared towards those people inclined and capable of spend near one thousand bucks and numerous days getting to know all about avenue racing, Formulation One, and so on.

other options are nonetheless available, just like the Ethel M Chocolate Manufacturing facility, Neonopolis, the Fremont road Revel in, and the Zoological-Botanical Park. There are also the Vintage Mormon Citadel for records buffs and the Planetarium and Observatory for budding astronomers. A Las Vegas Excursion can consist of any blend of those options, all Positioned off the Strip but nonetheless inside the coronary heart of Las Vegas. So if you need to go but don’t need to gamble away some time, do not melancholy, a Las Vegas Excursion unfastened from casinos awaits.

How Tons Does A Video Biography Fee?

I am going to can help you in on a few pricing secrets in relation to video biographies or “Own family records documentaries”, as they are occasionally recognised. How A lot should you anticipate to pay and what are you able to desire to get for your difficult-earned video biography money?

Video biographies are gaining in prominence as a characteristic item for an anniversary, reunion or a sizeable birthday. frequently there may be no such occasion, just a preference to capture Mom or Dad’s testimonies, or some Own family genealogy, before it’s too late. As a latest survey with the aid of Allianz Insurance located:

“Eighty-six percent of boomers (age 47-66) and seventy four percent of elders (age seventy two+) agree that Family stories are the maximum vital element in their legacy, in advance of private possessions (sixty four percentage for boomers, 58 percentage for elders) and the expectancy of inheritance for economic nicely-being.”

So, in case you are analyzing this, you likely need no convincing approximately the importance of a video biography (or “Circle of relatives documentary video” if you prefer that terminology) and you are beginning to get severe. however how An awful lot does a video biography Price? No factor requesting something you cannot have enough money, right?

The fee of a video biography? Quite A good deal anything you need. (Wait! do not run away. I am going to blow up video biography “omertà” and provide you with real market expenses, simply grasp in there). however I do have to mention that the fee or Cost of a video biography will depend on the features you’ll hope to encompass. Makes sense, proper? however even higher than that, it need not Cost a penny.

The Zero Dollar Video Biography Pricing alternative The most vital part of any Own family records mission is to just get commenced. and also you have to by no means allow price range stop you from starting – Those are projects of passion, no longer cashion (in case you get my flow). and also you genuinely can do quite an amazing job for your personal.

You may want a decent video digicam (promise me you won’t use your telephone or your computer – except you honestly, definitely haven’t any different options); also the owner’s guide; a lavalier mic.; and a tripod. Oh, and a bright room with out a direct daylight to your difficulty. there is sufficient steering on the web, simply try Binging “DIY Own family records video” to look a number of the suggestions I have given someplace else after which attempt “video biography questions”. Your are for your manner!

You may no longer have a Own family records documentary with this no-Value alternative, however you have stored a life through video.

The actual Dollar Video Biography Price alternatives Adequate, I suspect if you are nevertheless studying then your have in mind to touch a professional video manufacturer. How Tons will that set you again?

First, permit’s distinguish between an novice or pal; a wedding videographer and a Own family records expert.

[prorevenge]

Entitled aunt unknowingly ended her own financial support.

Warning: long post. This actually happened at Christmas last year but the effects are now being felt full force.

My older sister, let’s call her Ria, and our mom have always had a very difficult relationship ever since I could remember. Ria has always been headstrong and not afraid to ask questions. My mom was a very traditional devout Christian who put family above everything first. Bit of a background - my mom was the second eldest of 9 children and moved from the Philippines to the US. She grew up dirt poor in a small province and experienced first-hand the hardship that comes with taking care of a big family. She was the first of her family to graduate college and has always valued education as a means to get out of poverty. She has paid for 4 of her siblings to go to college (only 2 actually completed and went on to find jobs) and has also paid for several of her sibling’s children to go to good schools in the Philippines.

Ria had more exposure to the extended family than I did (she was born in the Philippines, I was born in US - 7 years apart). As she got older, she was very outspoken about how she did not agree with my mom financially supporting some of her family because Ria felt as though they were abusing my mom’s generosity, especially since mom was frugal with our expenditures here in the US.

When Ria was in her last year of high school, she had a bad falling out with my mom and moved out. They did not speak for 5 years (although my dad & I kept in touch with Ria). In that time, Ria worked full-time and paid her way thru college without any help from my parents at all. Fast forward a few years at my high school graduation, I invited Ria, she attended, and ended up reconciling with my mom. Things were still rocky but they had a much better relationship.

Two years ago, my mom passed away. Unknown to me, Ria had quietly taken over the continued financial support for my mom’s youngest sister's (“Jana”) cost of living and maintaining the college fund for Jana’s daughter. She also took care of the funeral arrangements and handling the estate (dad was a mess at the time).

Last year, Ria and I decided to spend the holidays in the Philippines. One of our visits was to Jana’s place. Little did I know that shit was about to hit the fan when we sat down for dinner. After small talk, the topic of my mom came up and this was how that conversation went - details may be lost in translation so just writing the gist. (R: Ria, J: Jana)

J: “Such a shame <your mom> passed away. We will miss her.”

R: “Yes.”

J: “Ria, why did you stopped talking to her? Why did you leave her? You should be ashamed - that’s not how you treat family. Now, your mom could've raised you better - you always were too headstrong you know, that's not ladylike - you shouldn't be so aggressive. You need to be softer. How are you going to get a man otherwise? [... she goes on to say more shit along these lines]”

R: “. . .”

J: - turns to me - “Don’t be like your sister ok? Be a good daughter. Do you have a boyfriend yet? You don’t want to get too old like Ria and not have your own family. That’s not following God’s plan!”

Before I could speak, Ria asked her own questions.

R: “Why did you drop out and decide to get pregnant when mom was paying for your college? Did you really think that that businessman would leave his wife to take care of you? If you wanted to be a trophy wife, you should’ve just said so instead of wasting my mom’s hard-earned money.”

At this point, I just decided to watch because Jana was starting to piss me off and Ria has been known to do epic take-downs.

J: - enraged- “How dare you come into MY house, eat MY food, and disrespect ME!”

R: -calmly- “Technically it’s my mom’s house, you have food because my mom has been supporting you for the better part of 15 years and you disrespected her by wasting all the opportunities she worked hard to give to you”

J: “I don’t NEED your attitude, or your bullshit, I don’t NEED anything from you - you disrespectful bitch. Get the hell out of my house [...more rant]!”

R: -gets up and smiles- “You sure you don’t need ANYTHING from me. You don’t want ANYTHING from me. I want to confirm that I heard you correctly”

J: “I don’t need shit from you, I can take care of myself and MY family and how DARE you imply otherwise! Get the hell out of my house and your father will hear about this!!”

R: -looks at me- “You heard her, let’s go.”

Now, I was surprised by how calmly Ria was taking the diatribe because I’ve seen her and my mom get into massive shouting matches. More confused than anything, I followed her to the car.

R: “You heard her right, she doesn’t need ANYTHING from me”

Me: -it begins to dawn on me what my sister is about to do- “Yeaahhh…”

R: “Ok.”

We get back to the hotel and my sister promptly stops the auto-transfer of funds for Jana’s account. We then spend the rest of the week lounging by the beach and hanging out with other cousins.

Yesterday, I was talking to one of my cousins and heard that Jana is just now realizing what actually happens when you run out of money. I called up Ria shortly after to give her an update.

R: “What? She ran out of money that quick? There was enough in there to last her the year.”

Me: “Oh. Did you tell her that?”

R: “Eh, basic math.”

Me: “Will she lose the house?”

R: “Nah. It’s paid for. As long as she doesn’t do something stupid, she should have a roof over her head.”

Me: “Did you also close her kid’s college fund?”

R: “Nope. Not gonna punish the kid for her mom’s stupidity. But that’s all she gets so if she fucks it up, she fucks it up.”

So yeah, will definitely be interesting how this plays out in the next few months. I have a feeling my sister probably won’t give a damn one way or the other though.

(source) (story by wtf_Jana)