#deserved for wearing flip flops in a river

[lostandbackagain]

thinking about when my brother got dragged under the water in the northern potomac and no one noticed he was being swept away except our boston terrier, who tried to save him and also got swept away

[pointreyesjournal]

The Amnesiac : ep28

The River Abides

Eureka!

“I can see them, but I can’t feel them.”

We’re in a cheap motel room in Eureka and River is laying on the bed flat on her back, splayed out like a starfish. She’s wearing jeans and one of those vintage looking Def Leppard t-shirts that they sell at Target. She has managed to get her boots and socks off, and she’s wiggling her toes in amazement as they’re physically attached but seemingly disconnected from her nervous system.

“How many miles today Floody?”

“385.”

“That’s too much.”

“Those are rookie numbers River. People do thousand mile days on motorcycles.”

“No way”

“Way. It’s called an Iron Butt.”

“And people do that voluntarily, or did it just happen once because people were fleeing an armed conflict?”

“Oh no. It’s a ‘thing’ with motorcycle guys. There’s a whole culture surrounding it. Guys will ride 500 miles to get a cheeseburger, then ride 500 miles to get home.”

River is looking at her feet in amazement. Her little toes are twinkling like they’re warming up for a piano recital. I’m sat in the surprisingly comfortable cloth covered chair, feet splayed out in front of me, but I haven’t mustered up the energy to take my boots or jacket off yet. 385 miles is actually a pretty reasonable day on a motorcycle, and that is from the perspective of riding in the front seat. I can’t imagine sitting on the tiny back seat for eight hours. You can never relax and let your guard down or you’ll fall off.

“Are you hungry?”

“It’s too early. Come lay next to me.” she says as she pats the empty side of the bed with her hand. She’s right. It’s only 2:30pm. Too late for lunch, too early for the early bird dinner. I gather up a little strength to stand, wriggle out of my jacket and boots, and melt into the empty side of the mattress next to River. She rolls over toward me and lays her arm across my chest. I can feel the warmth of her breath on my neck. In a darkened motel room on a moderately uncomfortable mattress, I find peace and comfort in the arms of a beautiful woman, and we both drift off for a well deserved afternoon nap.

I awake to the sound of the shower turning off. River waltzes in wrapped in a white hotel towel, water dripping down her beautiful toned legs. “Now I’m hungry” she tells me as she’s drying her hair in a second towel. I blink hard a couple of times to rouse myself from my sleep. Remembering that it was a nap I tell myself that there’s nothing worse than waking into the darkness of evening. So I’m thrilled when I pull back the blackout curtains to see the golden light of the afternoon. Even just a few minutes of light is enough.

This is not a secret, but a pretty widely adopted life hack for motorcyclists is to pack a pair of boots for riding and a pair of flip flops for walking around. So I fish the flip flops out of the pannier, slip them on with jeans and a sweater and head out the door. River chooses running shoes, since it’s Eureka and the air has a crisp bite of coolness.

We’re hoping to find a quaint downtown area filled with charming new Americana bars and restaurants with plush comfortable seating, but downtown Eureka is pretty dismal. Instead we find a row of shitty fast foot, and worse … an Applebees. Then something catches our eye. It’s an In-N-Out burger! God’s gift to the west coast of the United States. Yes, technically In-N-Out is fast foot, but it is divine. A treat every time you have it. Anthony Bourdain called it “his favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.” After 385 miles, we are carnally hungry and the smell of fried beef and grilled onions has our mouth watering.

“Better than gourmet” River exclaims as she dips a french fry into her “black & white” milkshake. She is smiling from ear to ear, even though were sitting on a cold hard bench with absolutely zero padding after an exceedingly tough day in the saddle. But I see real joy in her eyes.

“Did you just dip your fries in your shake?”

“A little trick I picked up in college! Lots of sweet, lots of salt. Great after a run.”

River is wonderful. The burgers have really made her mirthful, and we take our time enjoying the meal, laughing and talking, and planning out the day ahead. I step away from the table for a quick moment to refill my Coke and the ice machine unleashes a torrent of little rabbit shit sized ice into my cup, making the Coke more like a slushy. River giggles when she sees it happen, and cruelly takes a big sip when I return, essentially emptying the cup of soda in a single gulp, sending me right back for another refill. Schadenfreude! It’s a silly stupid little thing, but it’s just the sort of silliness I need right now and it is quite endearing. I dunk a french fry in her milkshake and we both have a silly laugh.

Two men walk by wearing bowling shirts that look like they’re straight out of the 1960s. One is canary yellow and looks exactly like something The Dude Lebowski would wear. The other is light blue with racing stripes, like a Gulf racing car from Le Mans. River is in a giggly mood and when she sees the bowling shirts she just bursts out laughing. I notice that the guys are actually wearing bowling shoes too and give a surreptitious nod to River to have a look.

“Oh wow. Do you think there’s actually a bowling alley nearby?” she asks me quietly.

“Either that, or the Lebowski fest is in town.” I reply sarcastically. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Fuck it dude, let’s go bowling!”

—

Turns out that the bowling alley is not even a two minute walk away, and just our luck, there is no league play tonight. So there are plenty of lanes open. Just a few locals and regulars “throwin’ rocks tonight” as the great Theodore Donald Kerabatsos once said. Turns out River is a huge Big Lebowski fan. She offers to get us a couple of beers and I can hear her asking the bartender for “a couple of oat sodas.” When she get back to our lane she tells me “If you see a man with a big mustache and a cowboy hat sit down at the bar, I’ll die right here and now.”

River is giddy, to the point of being beside herself. I remember hearing a comedian once say that there is no key to a woman’s heart. It’s actually a keypad in the middle of her back and you punch in an access code. Beep beep beep - tennis bracelet, Oysters Rockefeller, white zinfandel - access denied! Punch “motorcycle, cheeseburger and bowling” into River’s keypad and the light flashes “Access Granted. Welcome Aboard!”

Who knew?!

We bowl three games, taking our damn sweet time, and enjoying the time between frames as much as anything. Our scores are piss poor, we don’t care. River throws a strike and proclaims in a butt wiggling dance “Nobody fucks with the Jesus!!” loudly enough that the kids three lanes away are laughing at her. By the end of the night, our arms feel as though they’re barely attached to our bodies. “Throwin’ rocks tonight dude” indeed. The entire evening devolves into a River Lebowski love fest. We drunk stumble back to the motel with River singing the “La la la la la la” bit from Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me” over and over again. We hold hands and giggle the whole way. 

From the moment we stumble into the motel room River transforms into Maude Lebowski and starts needling me with movie quotes as she gets undressed for bed. “Does the female form make you uncomfortable, Mr. Lebowski? Do you like sex, Mr. Lebowski? Sex. The physical act of love. Coitus. Do you like it?”

We laugh to the point of breathlessness as we turn off the lights and climb into the bed, shivering and holding each other close to warm the cold sheets.

[footwearverse]

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Sandals for Every Occasion

As the sun becomes more radiant and the temperature climbs, it’s the perfect moment to indulge your feet with chic and comfortable sandals.

Sandals are the ideal footwear option for the summer, combining both style and practicality. Nevertheless, the plethora of styles and designs can make selecting the right sandals for various occasions a daunting task. But worry not! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you through five crucial sandal styles that cater to every event on your agenda.

Rest assured, you’ll be stepping out in both fashion and comfort all throughout the summer season.

Casual Comfort: Slide Sandals

- Effortless slip-on style for relaxed outings.

- Look for contoured footbeds and cushioned soles.

- Express your style with neutral tones or fun prints.

Dressy Chic: Strappy-Heeled Sandals

- Add sophistication to special summer occasions.

- Opt for ankle straps and pointed or open-toe designs.

- Elevate your look with suede or metallic finishes.

Outdoor Adventures: Sport Sandals

- Ideal for hiking, river rafting, and exploring nature trails.

- Look for adjustable straps and water-resistant materials.

- Closed-toe design provides extra protection.

Everyday Versatility: T-Strap Sandals

- Suitable for casual office days, brunch with friends, or errands.

- The t-strap design adds femininity, while the flat sole ensures comfort.

- Choose leather or woven styles for different vibes.

Poolside Perfection: Flip-Flops

- Lightweight and easy to wear for pool and beach days.

- Textured soles prevent slipping on wet surfaces.

- Embrace fun colors and patterns for a playful look.

With this ultimate guide, you’re now well-equipped to make informed decisions when choosing the right sandals for every occasion.

From casual comfort to dressy elegance and outdoor adventures to poolside fun, there’s a perfect pair of sandals for every event on your summer calendar.

Embrace the warm weather with confidence and style, knowing that your feet will be both fashionable and happy. Now go forth and step into a summer filled with fabulous footwear!

Ready to upgrade your summer footwear collection? Discover a wide selection of stylish and comfortable sandals at our online store.

From slide sandals for casual outings to strappy-heeled sandals for dressy occasions and everything in between, we have the perfect pair for you.

Step into summer with confidence and style, and let your feet experience the comfort they deserve.

[marvelsuperfangirl]

Peaceful Havok

Alex Summers x Reader

At this hour , the view was even more stunning than usual. The seeable patch of sea ressembled a river of diamonds due to the rays of the sun relecting on its urface. The said rays were plunging the world in an orangey light, bringing a certain peace to the atmosphere ; while a faint breeze pushedthe heat away, offering a well deserved moment of freshhness.

In the sky, colorful clouds were dancing with each other, creating a rainbow full of pink, purple, blue, orange and such. It felt heavenly to stand there , with the view spreading in front of you, for your pleasure.

Your hair were flying at the rythm of the wind and ou let-out a sigh of content.

Looking away from the dreamy landscape, you spotted the hammock, nearby, in the corner of the terrace and the idea sprang into your mind : that’s exactly what you missed to make it perfect.

You strudded happily toward the hammock and slowly lowered yourself down, careful not to make it swing and end up falling on the hard floor . When your safety was assured , you sprawled yourself like a starfish and enjoyed the feeling of being on a vacation. With a subtle movement of your trunk, the hammockpicked on the rythm and swayed from left to right, gently. Now you could admire the colorful sky even better.

The sky had clearly darken when the sound of flip flopped footsteps reached your ear. You slightly turned your head toward its source and saw Alex Casually walking toward you, wearing a basic shirt and shorts, his sunglasses pushed back on top of his head. His mid-neck length sandy hair had gloden reflects ;a wonderful view and a cute boy ; nothing could beat that.

The souynds stopped and Alex was now standing right beside the hammock, looking down at you.

« You look relaxed »

« You have no idea » you sighed

« Do you mind if I join you ? »

Behind your sunglasses, your eyes widen at his demand , that behaviour, coming from him was rather new.

« Ugh…yeah sure »

That was definitely what you wanted . Laying beside Alex on a hammock with a dreamy scenery around the two of you.

He flashed you a big smile and took his shoes off, before coming closer to the hammock.

« Can you move over a little bit, please »

After obeying to his request, he settled next to you carefully , trying to keep the hammock steady.

Now, he was right beside you, both o fyour sides pressed against each other.

You didn’t dare to move, overwhelmed by your feeling at the moment. Alex and you nver got that close before, so that was definitely new. Weither you like dit or not, the situation stressed you.

« Are you comfortable ? »

His voice came from just above your head  and without even lifting your head to meet his eyes , you blurted your answer.

« I’m okay »

« Hum… Are you sure, ‘cause I think we can find a better position for both of us »

Why did he have to say that ? Isn’t he aware of how you were feeling with him being so close ? He seemed to be completely dense to your own feelings, and started to move from his original position.

« If I just… »

Alex lifted his arm, that was previously against you, then he moved even closer , his side was now right against you.

« If you roll on your side, you can put your head right there » he said, patting his pectorals. « And we’ll both be more comfortable »

With his arm still up he gave you and angelic smile.

And it’s with a furious blush that youd id as he said. Rolling on your side and let your head fall on Alex, careful to stay very still after your movements.

A chuckled came from him and he let his arm lower down right around you, his hand settling on your side. The heat didn’t waste any second to rise to your cheeks and you clenched yourself even more, careful not to touch him in more ways than you already were, keeping your arms and hands against your front.

Apparently please with the new found position, Alew let his leg dangle from the hammock and pushed gently, to make the two of you swing.

The feeling of the air produced by the hammock’s movements felt nice on your skin.

As slowly as possible, you moved your head toward Alex’s face, with the idea of taking a glimpse at his face.

Except that you found him already looking down at you and immediately looked away. « Shit » you thought, feeling your face heat up from embarrassement.

He seemed to have no idea of what he was doig to you, your brain transform into a battlefield where the need of being close to him and the shyness fought against each other. How could he listlessly lay next to you like itw as nothing while your heart threatened to burst.

« I’m sorry to impose myself like that. I just wanted to spend some time with you in the quiet »

Another blow to your fragile heart !

« You’re not bothering me, don’t worry »

The less you said, the less the chance to embarrass yourself

With a chuckle, he lowered his head and his lips brushed against your hair and stayed there for a moment on a tender gesture but not that explicit.

[wyn-n-tonic]

Golden, Like Daylight -- Part VIII

Word Count: 1,304 Warnings: PTSD. I don't think anything else needs a warning? Message me if I'm wrong though, I'll fix it. Author's Note: Thanks for your patience in getting this chapter out! Last week was difficult and then I had friends come over for the weekend (FRIENDS! AMAZING!). I'm not super proud of this but I'm also proud of this. We're getting to the end of this series and I'm just really... in fucking awe at all the nice things that have been said to me about this. Like, I'm genuinely over the moon and losing my mind every time somebody says something nice to me. Thank you so much for reading!

MASTERLIST | PART: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX

He slaps the passport against Pope’s forehead, starting a long held tradition between the two and he knows this will be the last time as he slowly says, “Nos vemos.”

See you.

The flatness he gives the words lets Santiago Garcia know, as he takes his friend and brother in, if he sees this man again, it will be through exchanged nods at functions for the others.

Santiago steps forward and Frankie embraces him but it’s wrong. It’s all wrong for who they are to each other. Who they were. It’s wooden, the weight of this mission—this mess—adding a new kind of density to the pain he carries. Frankie’s out for the count. For good.

“Cuídate,” he whispers into his friend’s ear.

Take care of yourself.

And he walks away, heading home where he belongs. A place he shouldn’t have left in the first place. Out of all the regrets Santiago has, dragging that man to Colombia might just be one of his biggest.

Leah was right, Santiago is never the one picking up the pieces. —————

He has to knock.

She disabled the doorbell the day they moved in, placing a small sign where delivers and visitors could easily read:

A combat veteran lives here, please knock gently.

She didn’t want any loud, sudden noises to trigger panic attacks. Wanted him to be comfortable in his home.

He didn’t tell her it would be today, wasn’t sure when he’d be able to get a flight out so he didn’t want to get her hopes up. But it had all worked out and he hadn’t had time to call and he doesn’t have his keys.

He didn’t take any identifying information with him. No phone. No keys. No wallet. Just the black tags that now sit heavy against his chest. He slipped them on mid-flight and walked back into the country with them to a quiet, welcome home, soldier from the customs agent. He didn’t even notice as he stamped the little blue book that the name stamped into the metal was completely different.

Frankie scratches his smooth face and stares down at the near bare feet standing firm on the wood of his front porch.

He made it.

He packed light back into the States, dumping his clothes and boots in the trash. All he has now is eight thousand in cash, a couple gifts for the girls and the fake passport he’ll be running through the shredder tonight. He picked up the flip flops at a vendor where he bought some of the shit to stuff with the cash.

Another steadying breath drags through his lungs and he looks around his silent neighborhood, the one Leah insisted on because of its proximity to the base. Illegal to set off fireworks this close to government property.

She shot down every house he found in any other part of the city and he didn’t even know why until the Fourth of July when his back bristled in anxiety waiting for the attacks to take his mind for the night.

Tears well up in his eyes as he finally brings his hand down on the sturdy wood.

She loves me so much more than I deserve. —————

“You stole my goddamn shirt, Francisco Morales,” she mumbles sleepily into his chest.

They haven’t left the couch all night, both his girls with their faces firmly planted into his chest. Their fitful sleep eased by the peace of his beating heart against their ears.

“I brought it back,” he laughs, smoothing her hair back, “but I won’t take it again, baby, I promise.”

And he means it. The only reason he took it to begin with is because she wears it as often as he does, her smell wrapped up in his and he brought it for comfort. But the rain and the saltwater of the sea wiped that scent away and he’s not doing this shit again.

“Because you’re not going anywhere again, right?” There’s a slight panic to the words, no matter how slowly they roll out.

He pulls her closer, “never, mi alma.”

“Good,” she looks up and he breaks all over again at her bloodshot, tired eyes, glassy and searching. Her pain meeting his but unspoken in favor of quiet reunion, his heart breaks because it wasn’t just him almost losing everything on a risky at best plan and he never even stopped to consider it was her everything too.

He saw it when she opened the door and instead of crumbling inwards with their daughter resting against her chest, she opened her arms and let him crumble instead. It was there when she excused herself to the bathroom and when she came back, falling apart in stolen moments of peace and quiet.

“I won’t do this again,” he says, the pad of this thumb sliding across the curve of her cheekbone; skin already raw with tear stains where they’ve run like rivers around her. She breaks into him then, arms tight around his still sore body as she buries her head into his broad chest. He instinctively moves to running his hand through her hair—his large hands turning her to jelly with each brush against her scalp—before he speaks again, adding reassurance to his words.

“And if I didn’t think you’d love it so much, I’d never even want to go back to St. John's.” He stresses that last bit, because it was the least stressful part of it all and still stabbed at him. Pulled at him. Reminded him that he was away. That he did this to his family.

“If you don’t want to be there,” she hiccups, “then I’ll never love it.”

And she means it. —————

Frankie cuts the last box open to begin sorting through the goods shipped home. The system follows that Frankie unloads the boxes, Benny separates the goods and Will counts the money. It’s worked flawlessly over the weekend as everything is accounted for, including the stacks that bought their way back into the country.

“How do we go about this shit anyway?” It's the question that’s been on Frankie’s mind from the jump, hoping he doesn’t find himself in another goddamn mess to maneuver away from.

“We can’t deposi—“

“No shit, William, so what do we do?”

He doesn’t need more crimes on top of all the ones he’s already committed. Money laundering on top of murder. Doesn’t even know where to start and a hundred thousand is hardly something to open a carwash about. He feels a stress settling in as he realizes he didn’t fully think this through.

“Just be smart about it,” comes the younger Miller’s voice, “keep it in the house, use it for groceries and other errands. Anything small that can be paid for cash, pay for it in cash. It adds up so your bank isn’t hit with constant fees, you can use that for the big shit. If you get in a pinch, deposit a couple hundred but never more than that. If you do need more, give cash to a friend and have them transfer it to your account.”

Benny looks up and finds the stunned faces of his brothers, “what? I dated a chick who was really into that Dave Ramsey guy.”

Frankie just continues to look at him in confusion, not expecting any of this information to come from Benny of all people and it seems Will wasn’t either because he follows it up with,

“Who the fuck is Dave Ramsey?”

“You know,” Benny continues to separate the goods into piles to be donated, “he’s that guy who talks about the money, I think that's the best way to go about it. We can’t exactly Breaking Bad this.”

“You're not smart enough to Breaking Bad this,” Frankie tells him.

“Nope,” he smiles, “I'm smarter.”

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[queenbirbs]

waiting for rain | Ethan x MC

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC

Warnings: language

Word count: 2,786

Summary: After the funeral, Sloane catches a ride. Post chapter 11. 

------

It’s a beautiful day. 

The last week has been nothing but blue skies and balmy temperatures, with autumn peeking its head around the corner. The city is lovely anytime of year, but Boston thrives in the fall. The Common and adjacent gardens come alive in a spray of colors as the leaves change, the canopy dipped in orange and yellow and red. 

It feels wrong, then, that the day is so nice and bright as they trudge along the rows of graves and back towards Bryce’s car. Glancing over her shoulder, Sloane frowns at the swath of black as Danny’s family gathers around the grave to watch the interment. Their labored breathing and soft cries carry over the open lawn and down to the road. 

“What a shitty fucking day.” Jackie kicks at a pile of loose gravel along the pavement with her heel.

“At least the rain held off,” Sienna pipes up from where she’s slumped against the car. Clenched in her shaking hand is a gladiolus that Danny’s sister gave her from the casket spray. Noticing Sloane’s attention on the flower, Sienna traces a finger along the white petals with a wobbly smile. “I’m going to press it in my copy of The Secret of Ninradell.”    

“Nerd,” Jackie mutters, coaxing a tremulous chuckle from Sienna. 

Beside them, the doors unlock with a droning whir. The three of them pile into the back; Elijah and Bryce’s voices drift down as they approach. 

“You know, all those parking tickets you keep getting are starting to make a lot more sense now.”

“These hands are for performing surgical miracles, not parallel parking on an incline.”

“A kid with a learner’s permit could parallel park this, dude. Your car is the Chevrolet equivalent of a sardine can.”

“We’re well aware of that,” Jackie chimes in from the center seat. “So can you two hurry it up?” 

As Bryce helps Elijah into the passenger seat, Sloane catches sight of Ethan’s car tucked in along the other side of the access road. She caught a brief glance of him at the graveside service, but he disappeared into the crowd of mourners soon after her impromptu eulogy. The sun’s reflection on his windshield prevents her from seeing if he’s even inside. But then, a few cars down, Harper gives a little goodbye wave towards his car as she and Aurora reach her own vehicle. 

Sloane throws open the door. Jackie frowns and reaches out for her as she slides out. 

“Hey, what are you--”

“I’m going to catch a ride with Dr. Ramsey.” At the wave of worried expressions she receives, Sloane sighs. “I’m okay. I promise. You guys shouldn’t… I’ll see you at home.” 

With that pithy attempt at reassurance, she shuts the door and crosses over to the S-Class. The driver’s side window rolls down before she reaches it, revealing Ethan in his customary black suit. His striking blue eyes are tinged red -- a sight Sloane has become accustomed to over the last week when catching herself in the bathroom mirror. 

“Hi,” she says.

“Hello,” he returns. He glances down her figure, as if cataloging something, and then back up to meet her eyes. “Come on, then.”

“Thanks.” 

She crosses to the passenger side and settles into the seat, avoiding his curious gaze by feigning a struggle with the seatbelt. Thankfully, he drops whatever question is plaguing him and starts the engine. Within a few minutes, they’re cruising south down the highway. The classical station finishes its latest piece and the suave-voiced host segways into a round of commercials. When the local news spot starts, both of them reach for the volume button, their fingers bumping clumsily. Ethan reaches it first and turns off the radio, then reaches down to capture Sloane’s hand with his. He links their fingers and squeezes, once, then again, before resting their clasped hands against the leather armrest. His thumb makes easy, gentle strokes along her skin. 

Sloane eases back into her seat. The dull roar of the road isn’t enough to fill the aching silence inside her head. It makes her think of being back in that tented room, all alone, waiting to die. 

“The service was lovely, as was your eulogy.” 

“Sienna should’ve gotten to speak. She -- those were her words, all she could bear to write, but she asked… well, begged me at the last minute to say them for her.” 

“That was kind of you to do.”

Her eyes clench tight at his praise. She focuses on the measured sweeps of his thumb, but all the bitterness in her chest keeps building and building until it bursts free. 

“It should’ve been raining. Why was it… why did it have to be so sunny today? It should’ve rained. He deserved that much, at least. He was one of the only staff on my side when Landry was trying to sabotage me. He didn’t need proof or need to hear my friends vouch for me. He just believed me, straight up. And he was so sweet, and so kind, and so funny and now he’s dead, and I know we took Lasagna’s oath to not play God, but if I could, I would bring back Travis just to kill him for all the hurt he caused, and I know that goes against every--”

“Hey.” Ethan glances up from the road and over to meet her watery gaze. “It’s all right. You’re allowed to feel angry, and hurt.”

“I know,” she says, but it still feels dirty, somehow, to agree. She survived, didn’t she? Why should she get the privilege to fall apart at the seams when two people are dead and buried six feet under? 

She keeps quiet for the rest of the drive. Unfortunately, it’s a rather short one, what with the cemetery being only twenty minutes north of the city. All too soon, they’re crossing the Tobin Bridge. The city skyline crowds the horizon, stacks of gray and glass forking up into the cloudless sky. Ethan takes the wide curve of an exit that crosses the Charles River and into the tunnel, down below the blue blood streets of Boston. As he prepares to merge over to take them towards her apartment, she squeezes his hand to grab his attention. 

“Can I…?” she trails off, regretting how weak the request sounds. She bites back a relieved sigh when he pulls his focus away from the side mirror and over to her. 

“Of course.” 

They make their way through the ever-present downtown congestion before he turns down a side street and into his building’s garage. Neither speak as they exit the car. His hand finds hers once more as they step into the elevator. Jenner greets them at the door with her favorite stuffed duck, insisting on meeting her quota of belly rubs before allowing them entrance. 

“Would you like a drink?” Ethan asks as he steps over the sprawled form of his dog with practiced ease. 

“Yes, please.” 

After a few more pats, Sloane wanders over into the kitchen. Ethan’s suit jacket lays slung across the island, a more telling sign of his mental state than anything visible on his face. His tie joins the pile as he pours them both several fingers of scotch. She takes the tumbler and knocks it back, ignoring the fierce burn at the back of her throat; she hands it back for a refill. 

“Fine,” he sighs, “but this isn’t a jello shot at some tiki bar in Panama City Beach.”

“I wouldn’t know, seeing as I spent my spring breaks waiting tables,” she mutters against the rim of her glass, taking a small sip at his behest. 

“I hated every second of it, if it’s any consolation.”

The murmured confession draws her up short.

“Wait -- you were a PCB spring-breaker? You? The man who can’t name a single artist on the top forty hits? The person whose idea of a good time is reading the green journal and annotating the margins with all the mistakes?”  

“I don’t see how knowledge of Harry Mars’s discography would increase my enjoyment in life.”

Sloane’s face breaks into a grin at the name faux pas, prompting a scowl from him. “What? You said it yourself that I don’t know--”

“No, no, ignore me. Go on.” She rests her hip against the counter. “Please tell me about how you wound up in Florida for spring break.”

“It was Tobias’s idea, actually. He told me we were going to a medical conference in Atlanta. It wasn’t until we passed through Atlanta and he showed no sign of stopping that he told me where we were actually going. By that point, it was far too late to request he turn around. I was, in effect, doomed.”

“Doomed to spend a week at the beach. Poor you.” Rolling her eyes, she knocks her elbow into his side. “Did you at least have some fun?”

“I did. Well, after I went into a store and bought some more... appropriate clothing. Everything in my bag was pressed khakis and polos.” 

Her mind immediately conjures up a younger Ethan, wearing board shorts and flip flops in whatever searing color the local beach shop sold. 

“There has to be pictures, right? I’ve met Tobias, he’s too much of a snake not to have snapped a photo or two.” 

“I’m sure he does,” Ethan agrees. “For blackmail purposes, of course.” 

“And here I was hoping that our time in Miami was your most memorable trip to the Sunshine State.”

“It was.” The weak little smirk she wears disappears, folding under the intense scrutiny of his gaze as it rakes across her. “Why did you ride back with me?” he asks. 

“Because Bryce’s car is ‘the Chevrolet equivalent to a sardine can,’ according to Elijah.” 

He doesn’t acknowledge her lame attempt at brushing aside the question. When the silence grows too long between them, Sloane drags in a shaky breath and caves. “Because being around them, having them dote on me and worry about me, it’s… suffocating. And not because I don’t love them, or appreciate them, but I don’t… I don’t see the point. They should be able to grieve without me burdening them.”

“Sloane.” The way he says her name with all the care in the world drives that guilt deeper. She wants to shrug away his hold on her as he wraps his arms around her shoulders, but she doesn’t. She sinks into his embrace, breathing in the scent of his cologne, feeling the thud of his heart against her cheek. “You are not a burden.”

“Hearing that and knowing that are two different things,” she points out. 

“Then I’ll repeat it a thousand more times until you get it through your thick head.” 

“I don’t know what to do. I’m sad, and hurt, and angry about Danny. He didn’t deserve what happened to him, and neither did Bobby. And Rafael, he almost died, and-- and I almost died. And I’m sad, and hurt, and angry about that. But what gives me the right to feel that way, when I got to live, and they didn’t? Danny, he… he begged Travis to let us go, and all I did was stand there. I fucking stood there and let him kill my friend.”

She doesn’t notice the tears on her face, not until Ethan catches them and wipes them away. “And even after you came in, even after I was wheeled out and got to see Kyra, even after I was discharged, there’s been this crushing weight on my chest. I even wrote goodbye letters on my phone, but I can’t bring myself to delete them. Because what if we’re wrong? It’s like… like what if my body suddenly rejects the antidote and I’m back in that bubble? Like I’m going to wake up and be back in that room, as if this is all a last-ditch effort my brain has conjured up to help me cope with dying.”

Ethan makes a pained noise in the back of his throat. Gathering her impossibly closer, he presses his lips to her hair. 

“This is real. You’re okay. You’re safe, Sloane. This is real.”

“But I don’t want it to be. I want it to all be some sick dream. They wouldn’t’ve even been there if it weren’t for me. If I hadn’t stolen the senator from Mass Kenmore, Danny and Bobby would still be alive. I just… I want to go back. I want to order them all out of that room before Travis ever gets his hand on that canister. If I could trade places with them, we wouldn’t be burying our friends.”

“You’re wrong,” he tells her. “If you were the only one in that room, we’d be burying you. And after coming close to such a thing, it isn’t a reality I’m ever willing to face.” 

Sloane shakes her head as the tears come faster and faster, her body trembling against his. She feels as if she’s drowning, but her head’s above water. 

“The responsibility for what happened lies solely with Travis,” he tries to assure her. “He’s the one who pulled the trigger. He’s the one who was determined to get his revenge, no matter who got caught in the crossfire. He admitted as much to me in his last moments without an ounce of regret.”

“Ethan, I…” her throat closes around the rest of her plea, but somehow, he hears the words. 

His arms loop around her waist, holding her up as her knees buckle under the sudden weight of her grief. His words become nothing more than soft murmurings as he picks her up and carries her off down the hall. 

In his bedroom, he sets her down on the bed. Kneeling before her, he picks up one foot and then the next, unbuckling the strappy heels she wears. Sloane leans forward and strokes against the grain of his stubble; she drags in a steadying breath when he leans into her touch. She reaches down for the hem of her dress, but he beats her to it. Raising her arms instead, she lets him slide the dark fabric over her head. He adds his own clothing to the floor, then joins her in his bed, his naked skin warm against hers. 

Under the covers, Ethan tucks her there against his chest. Her eyes flutter closed at the sensation of his fingers tracing along her bare skin. It reminds her of that last morning they shared together, after the trial. The heartache now is different, vicious in that way only death can be. Sloane burrows closer, wishing she could bottle this feeling of safety and drink from it on the darker days ahead. 

“Yours was the longest,” she admits, her voice sounding small in the quiet room.

“Hmm?” he murmurs. 

“Your letter.” 

The line of him stiffens, his hand stilling its movement. 

“Hand me your phone.”

She rolls over and digs through the pile of their clothing, retrieving her phone from the pocket of her dress and handing it off to him. He holds it between them so she can watch as he navigates to her notepad app. The letters are all there, just as she said, in alphabetical order. She doesn’t miss how his thumb hovers above Naveen’s. 

“I asked him to look after you,” she explains, biting her lip against the rush of emotion at knowing the words hidden beneath the names. 

“When did you write these?”

Ethan’s eyes move from the screen and over to hers, tears collecting in the cradle of his lower lid. Her gaze never waves from his as she answers. 

“After you took Raf away. It… became real, after that. Not that it wasn’t real before, with Danny, but to see him fall into a coma right next to me was a wake-up call. I didn’t want that to happen to me. Not without being able to say goodbye to the people I loved.”   

Leaning across, he kisses her temple, and then her cheek, and then her lips. Then, with a few, quick taps, he deletes the letters and returns her phone. 

“Thank you,” he whispers. At her raised brow, he doubles down. “Not for-- that was for you. I’m saying thank you because you listened to me.” 

She snuggles close once more when he curls his arm around her and flashes him a curious smile. 

“Go on.”

“You didn’t give up,” he tells her, his voice gone thick with emotion. 

Between the sheets, her hand finds his.

“You didn’t give up, either,” she reminds him.

“On you?” he hums, pulling their linked hands towards himself to press a kiss to her fingers. “Never.”

------

Author notes and what-have-yous:

So, I learned that only eleven percent of medical schools still recite the Hippocratic oath verbatim, and about thirty-three percent use Lasagna’s modern oath (which is why I included it instead).This is coming from a few articles I read, all seemingly based in the U.S., so it may not pertain to every school. 

The ‘blue blood streets of Boston’ is pulled directly from a Bob Seger song, though there is a historical connotation behind it. 

The green journal is another name for the American Journal of Medicine. 

[theyanderespecialist]

Cheating 2 (One Shot) Bucky X OC Marie X Steve (1950's AU) (Yandere) (Marvel)

(no one's pov)

Marie was shocked, she didn't know what to say, what she could say..she felt like she was cheating on Bucky when Steve started to come around and make sure she was okay, she never touched him, but she felt an emotional connection. But now..to be held, she was desperate for that. She gripped his hands as she slowly kissed him back, but she didn't know what to think. God.. what if Bucky came home? ....he probably wouldn't even care actually. So there was nothing wrong with this. Steve stayed loyal all this time and never made a move for her sake. Now when he sees her wrong her makes a move and she needed it

(...steve... you're so dead)

(Beyond dead XD)

Marie wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer to her as she started to cry, not because she was sad, well sad because of the kiss, but because she finally has someone touching her,holding her, letting her know she's important.

(I mean she's like touch starved at this point)

(Yes she is)

(cause like touch starving can take a while but if you are in a relationship with someone, in the same house, and they aren't even paying attention, it can make it worse)

(Yes it can and it also happens in kids who are in abussive house holds they become touch starve for even simple things like hugs. IT is a sad and dangerous case. And we mean could touch like hugs and kisses on head touch starve is not just sexual)

(Yeah like all touch)

(Mmmmhmmm also can happen in infants when they are not skin to skin or neglected without being held as babies. I remember a old video in health class how babies reacted to not getting enough touch or attention. It is terrible of the psyche.)

He pulls away and wipes those tears away. "It is okay, you are the most important thing in my life." He says. "And I will show you just how much I love you and adore you and how important you are."

He picks her up and carried her up to the master bedroom.

(Oh shit you doing it in their bed XD Bucky wont be happy)

She held onto him as she looked up at him. "i-I ..I've only done this once.. I-I'm sorry if I'm not any good--"

"hey don't talk like that." He kisses her. "Actually you will be my first." He says blushing. "I just it did not feel right the idea of making love with someone I did not truly love."

(UGH!!!! Steve XD Why does your name have to be Steve if it was not I be all over that ass XD)

She looked at him for a moment as she smiled at him. "Steve..oh steve." She muttered as she gave a smile touching the side of his face. "How long?" She asked.

(Yeah how long you been thinking about stealing your best friends girl? I mean part of it because romance the other part she has literally no self love anymore and needs it)

"Since the day I met you, I know it is corny but I believe it was love at first sight, but I was not good enough for you, I was weak and wimpy and could not give you the life you deserved. It killed me to stand next to my best friend as his best man and watch the woman I love Marry him." He says kissing down her neck. "I won't make the same mistake twice. I am not loosing you again."

"steve.. when you came the first time, before the serum, I.. I still I had feelings for you..you were never wimpy, you fought even when you couldn't win them.." she muttered softly as she smiled.

He laid his head on her chest and smiled. "I wanted to give you the world..." He says. "But if I had been a man I could given you not the world but what you needed, love, adoration, loyalty and a family. I want to correct that mistake, only if you want me to."

She looked down at him, her hands now running through his hair. "I want you too..I need it Steve." She said softly

"I will give it all and more." He promises sealing it with a kiss and they began to make out heatedly.

He held her close as her hands untied her robe that she was wearing, pulling it off as she kicked it off the bed, not really caring if where it would land, and it end up landing right on the wedding photo of her and Bucky before he left. He kisses down her chest and takes a nipple in her mouth making her moan loudly and he moved one hand down to rub her clit.

She moaned as her hips moved to meet his hand as she gripped the sides of the bed. There was something so wrong about doing this in her and her husband's bed.. but she really didn't care as she arched into Steve.

(uh yeah lady, something super wrong.)

(Yeah I just cant put my finger on it. XD Is it the little red dot on steves head? Or the guy watching from the rooftop across the way or the fact that their is a microchip in your skin XD Something is wrong XD)

(Your husband, who was tortured and lost an arm, who was thought to be dead but was alive, comes back...and youre having sex..not with a stranger..but his best friend (and target))

(XD Oh that XD Yeah that too XD)

(I mean all of thkse are also valid just ...moan out how he's better than bucky why don't you)

(Yeah also do it near the microphone in the wall so he can really hear it XD Oh god Bucky is going to kill us XD)

(XD he's gonna kill you, not me xD but...death would be better)

\

(He is going to fuck you until you can never walk again then take you to a hydra base and never let you see the daylight again while he continues to fuck you until you are filled with his seed XD That is his next mission BABIES XD me I be dead in a ditch rotting while you live a life of making super soldier babies XD)

(Uh...I'll take death is death still on the table?)

(Maybe... if you egg him on enough XD)

Steve smiles in the kiss and slowly slips a finger in making her moan louder and start riding that one finger wanting more.

(I mean I'd have to find a time I WASN'T pregnant Which.. Is never in that scenario)

(Welp you are going be a baby making machine and Bucky will breed you three ways to sunday XD)

(do I at least get the weekends off?)

\

(Hmmmm I think that could be negotiated XD)

She kissed his again as she as waited for him to add the second, which he quickly did as she moaned, this went on for a while until she started whining.

"C-Come on Steve..p-please.." she asked softly as he looked at her and smiled as he kissed her once more as he started pushing in as she moaned.

"Oh god..it feels so good..you already feel so much better than bucky."

(And xD she did it mate. Like...ouch. steve hasn't even done anything and he already feels better than Bucky)

(XD She did he dead XD He deader than dead XD He drop dead burried eight feet XD)

"y-you know steve.. I-I don't want you to pull out. I-I want you and I to start a family"

(just to make it worse

(again....in her and her HUSBAND'S bed)

(XD You might be dead before baby making XD you keep that up XD)

(Hey I'm touch starved, I was vunrable Steve took advantage)

(Damn XD Selling Steve down the river XD)

They continue like this and Steve lined up no condom on and no plans to stop until she was pregnant.

(And another breeder -.- the army be giving these guys something fishy XD)

She smiled at him as he pushed into her as she let out a moan as her hands shoot out, wrapping around Steve.

"D-Do I feel good?" She asked

(praise her. She deserves it Steve. I don't know why she does, but she does)

(She waited over a year for it she deserves it XD)

"You feel so wonderful~" He purrs. "Better than I ever imagined."

She let out a small, happy moan as she smiled. "I-imagined huh? You think about it a lot?" She teased

(all must give at least 3 praises for praise kink Marie.)

(all hail praise Kink Marie! XD)

"Yes every day since I met you imagine how you feel milking me dry and filling you up with my seed how pretty you look all hot and sweaty under me." He says. "They can never compare to the real thing."

She blushed bit the smile on her face and the pure happiness in her eyes it was something Steve hadn't seen for over a year.

(Awwww)

(So damn sweet!)

He kisses her deeply. "There it is~" He says. "That perfect smile that makes my stomach do flip flops every time I see it."

(Oh god steve you sweetheart! Cinnamon roll)

She blushed darkly as she moaned when he thrust gently, it was..sweet. she covered her face at his words, yet even her ears were red, and she could try and hide it..but her smile was so big, he could see behind her hands. He grins kissing her face all over and then they started to fuck and oh did they fuck he kept praising her and she felt more love than any other time in her life. They both came together and then Steve smiles until he sees a red sniper light on the wall. He pulls Marie to the floor right when a bullet goes into the house.

[themockingpoint]

A million minutes late but here is my Sansa Appreciation Week day 5 submission. Takes place during the feast of 8x4. Shout out to @chryswatchesgot because I could not do that stupid cannon quote and their post from that episode gave me the perfect response.

  “It’s alright to be enjoying yourself.” Jon said, to Sansa shaking her out of her somewhat drunken thoughts. “If only for a little bit.”

 “Tell that to your queen.” Sansa said, before she could help herself. She showed off a grimace as she practically felt her brother’s annoyance bleed off him with a sigh.

 Sansa knew that the conflict between her and her brother’s… paramour was causing him undue tension, but she could not help it. Jon told Sansa that she is just refusing to see the Targaryen queen as she truly is and is letting what her family did to the Starks get in the way of that. However, Sansa would argue that it was her brother that was not seeing clearly ever since the two monarchs slept together. She sighed and downed another cup of wine.

 The way that she legitimized Gendry “Rivers” without thinking or consulting her advisors showed Sansa exactly what she needed to know. Putting aside the fact that she barely knew him enough to even know his actual name or the fact that he was her second cousin -and according to the great council of 101 AC that would probably make him, as a male, a stronger contender for the throne- his father was Robert Baratheon and her father was the Mad King.

 As bad of a king that Robert was, the smallfolk did not see it. His era signified an era of peace. Meanwhile her father was Mad King Aerys. He… well he got the name for a reason. Jon may have bent the knee to her, but their lords will always remember their Uncle Brandon and their grandfather. Let alone what the smallfolk will think. Joffrey most publicly was the smallfolks woes, yet Tyrion was the one blamed since he happened to be there once they started. No way would they forget what the mad king put them through. They were slaves waiting to be freed, they were people who just wished to go on with their lives with Highborn war.

  Another thing that Jon was forgetting but Sansa never would, was the fact that she spent years in King’s Landing, years. Joffrey, Cersei, Baelish, Ramsay, all of them taught her how to see a mask of benevolence. The Dragon queen may be projecting the air of the Good Queen Alysanne but Sansa likened her to the Young Dragon, Daeron I. The Dragon Queen may win the throne, but she would never be done conquering. She took over rulership in Meereen but was now looking to rule the Seven Kingdoms. The woman would never be done conquering, and Sansa did not plan on allowing the North and her people to be one of those Kingdoms to conquer that she will eventually become bored with.

 “I’m sorry.” Sansa slightly slurred from drink. “I am a little on edge… Feasts… I do not have the greatest history with celebrations…”

 “Here, here!” Tyrion said, walking behind them causing Sansa to roll her eyes.

 Sansa looked at the man that she used to think was the smartest man alive. When she knew him, he was the sharpest man in the room, taking people’s number without much of a challenge. He, Jon, and Varys -although he seemed to flip-flop worse than the Tyrells- all trusted her, is her own prejudices not allowing her to see the woman truly?

 Jon told her a little bit about the woman. The parallels between Sansa and Daenerys herself were strong, very strong. Sansa would not, could not, deny it and to be perfectly honest? It scared Sansa just how similar the two of them were. Abusive husbands, they were both raped on their wedding nights, both were used and passed around as bargaining chips, and both would do anything to get their countries back. Sansa almost crossed a line she never could have come back from.

 As similar as they were, Sansa knew that the dragon queen was not her friend, and definitely not Jon’s friend. She would only ever see them as subjects, never allies. They would be expected to fight whatever wars she would want to fight at the drop of a hat; ironically not unlike how Robert Baratheon was like with Sansa’s own father. As Sansa said, she would never be done conquering and -like during the Baratheon regime- the North would be dragged into it. She could not let her people be killed by the petty southern wars. She would not fail them; not again.

 “Why don’t you walk around?” Jon said, giving her a sympathetic smile. He knew how the last few feasts that she had turned out.

 “I… don’t think that is a good idea… I think I may be a little drunk.” She said, with a slight giggle.

 “Well I believe in you!” He said, slamming his hand down on the table in an ironic echo of her earlier statement.

 She walked away and a few minutes later saw the queen walk off in a huff of jealousy. She must admit, she was no Joffrey. He never would have abided by someone singing praises that were not directed at him, especially if he thought it was at his expense. She was not her father either, who would have just burned someone alive had he gotten annoyed with them.

 But it does not matter. The North was the North. They were not like the other seven kingdoms, even Dorne had more similarities to the southern kingdoms than the North did. The North just did things differently, they had different traditions, hell even their gods were different from the rest of the kingdoms. They were too detached from the rest of the Kingdoms to be part of such a kingdom that was practically united against them.

 She needed to clear her head as she was depressing herself. As she walked amongst the lower tables she saw where Tormund got to. She froze as she saw who he was sitting next to. Sansa knew he was here. Jon and Arya both mentioned the fact, he apparently had saved Arya’s life during the siege. Sansa has not been avoiding him, but she had not been seeking him out either.

 “Af’er all that he just comes North and takes ‘er from me.” Tormund said, weepily leaning on Sandor. “Just takes ‘er. Like that!”

 “Her?” Sansa thought to herself before she remembered who Tormund had been obsessed with since she had met him. “He can’t… He can’t mean Brienne, can he?”

 Thinking back to how her sworn shield starred at Jaime Lannister with starry eyes as they continued speaking, Sansa quickly realized what had happened when a quick look told her that she was not there. She felt happy for the woman despite her feelings about Jaime Lannister. She was more devoted to her duty than any other person than Sansa knew. She deserved this, she deserved to relax.

 “I’m not ‘fraid of Wildlings.” The serving girl (whore? She know Tyrion hired many to spread into the waiting staff) said, raising an eyebrow as Sansa finished another glass of wine. She doubts that she has even been this drunk and she must say she thinks that she is handling it very well.

 “Maybe you should be.” Tormund said, suggestively wagging his eyebrows.

 As Sansa realized what was happening, she felt a tightening in her own belly. One she had not really ever felt before, except maybe with Loras Tyrell. She shook out of her distraction as Sandor growled at the woman, terrifying her so that she would make her escape. Thinking of the feeling in her belly she walked over.

 “She could have made you happy…” She said, as she sat down. She wondered if his rejection of her was due to lack of interest or because of self-hatred and cynicism. Gods know that he has enough of that. Enough that he tried passing it onto her. “For a little while.”

 He looked up in surprise, whether he was shocked she was there or that she decided to speak to him she did not know. When they finally broke eye contact, he said, “There’s only one thing that’ll make me happy.”

 “And what’s that?” She said humoring him, trying to get him to lighten the hell up.

 “That’s my business!” He growled trying to scare her away. Once, it might have worked. She drunkenly cocked an eyebrow to show that she was unamused. “Used to be you couldn’t look at me.”

 “That was a long time ago…” She said sadly remembering the kiss from the Blackwater. One of the only two people she has ever kissed and the only one she somewhat wanted it from. Is that why he was not looking at her, trying to scare her away. “I’ve seen much worse that you.”

 “Yes I’ve heard… Heard you were broken in… Heard you were broken in rough…” He said, almost smugly and she clenched her teeth. Why was he being so hostile? She was trying to extend an olive branch.

 “Yes.” She said, she had already lost Theon today and her patience was quickly wearing thin. “He got what he deserved. I gave it to him.”

 “How?” He asked, genuinely curious.

 “Hounds…” She said, causing a moment of laughter from him.

 “You’ve changed, Little-Bird.” Sandor said, taking a drink. Once she had a sickening liking to the demeaning nickname. Now it just angered her. “None of it would have happened had you come with me.”

 “And there it is.” Sansa thought to herself. Most of the men in her life tried taking credit for what she was or could have been. To be frank, she was sick of it. Sansa was the woman she was today because of two men and a woman, all of which were named Stark. She may not have gotten everything she has due to her own merits but the men who spit poison and abuses at her no longer could claim credit for it. She would not allow it. No longer.

 “That’s the thing Sandor.” She said, grabbing his hand to his surprise. “I was never a little bird. I was a puppy. And Gods help those who think they can tame a Direwolf.”

 She stood up and grabbed Tormund’s nearly full goblet. If he wanted to stew in his cynicism, hatred, and self-loathing than he was more than welcome to it. She was not going to allow him to infect her with it as well. That is all he tried to do even since they first met at the Crossroad Inn all those years ago. She was done trying to save someone who did not want to save themselves but drag her down to their level instead.

 She would always be grateful for what he did for her sister, but she was done trying to save him. It was not her job. She looked down at her former would be protector and walked off, forgetting the reason that she came over in the first place.

[dizzying-faust]

3 Men 1 Beach House

So I decided to start writing fanfiction and this is my first story hope you enjoy it!

May contain some slight N/S/F/W

Also on Ao3

“Hurry up! Hurry up! The storm is getting crazier!”

Yelled a bearded man with short brown hair. He was running to the beach house with two other guys following him, a short man with a long, blonde beard wearing what appears to be something of royalty and the other who was older than the two, almost in his 80s, wearing a woolen hat and a heavy beige coat. The three managed to get to the beach house in the heavy rain all soaking wet.

“Note to self, never try to go out boating before a big storm happens.” says the brown-haired man.

“Oh come on Greg!” the blond, bearded man yelled. “It’s not that bad! Back on Mewni, we Johansen’s all love fishing in the rain!”

“Yeah to you River,” The man, named Greg, replied. “But not us. Look at Joseph! He looks like he's about to pass out!”

“Don’t worry...about me…” The old man, named Joseph, tiredly. “I’m just not used to running that fast...blame old age.” As he finished his words, he walked slowly to the couch to catch his breath. Greg looked at him with a look of guilt.

“I’m sorry for making you run in that rain, I wished I could have brought enough umbrellas for the two of you. And I hate that you have to stay over here away from your wife.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll let Suzi know where I am. Say, where are those three girls of yours?”

“Oh, you mean the gems? They are probably taking care of the other gems back in Little Homeworld.”

When Greg finished his reply, he started walking upstairs to his (well actually his son Steven’s) room. “I’m gonna go change my clothes, be back shortly.”

While Greg disappeared into his bedroom, River looked at Joseph with a miffed look on his face. Not hesitating to take off his coat in front of Joseph, revealing his naked body. “Pfft! That Greg, what does he know?”

River turned around to speak to Joseph, but before he could say something he noticed how the old man was awkwardly staring into him, almost like he was in amazement of something.

“Ummm...Joseph?” River questioned. “Are you okay?”

Joseph immediately snapped out of his daze when he heard River’s words. “Oh, um….sorry. I guess I was in a zone. That rain was getting to me.”

“...Okay, I’m just going to talk to Greg.”

River walked upstairs as Joseph was resting on the couch to continue catching his breath. What was that moment?

----

Upstairs, Greg was laying on the bed, shirtless, he still couldn’t get over what happened today. It was meant to be a nice day out to go boating with his River and Joseph on the new boat he brought with his money. Ever since his son left to travel the states, the latter two became comfort buddies to him. Sure there was Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, but they were busy with their own lives to hang out with him. Plus, it was nice to have male friends compared to the female friends he met. Though River almost ruined it by going diving into the ocean to go fishing his way. He almost started to drown until thankfully Greg was able to pull him out with a net that was installed with the boat. It also didn’t help that it was starting to rain which later turned into a big storm the moment they pulled him in. Still, despite this, he did admit it was nice while it lasted.

“Greg?”

Greg stopped with his thoughts when he heard someone calling his name. It was River who was also standing on the top of the stairs, shirtless. It didn’t take a while to notice how...kind hot he is with those abs. Come to think of it, he did notice during the boat trip when River was shirtless on the boat, he would always notice how hot he was. Wait, why was he thinking these kinds of things? It wasn’t like he was into guys was he? Before he could think more...unusual thoughts, he was interrupted by River calling his name again.

“Oh, sorry River! What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Is Joseph okay?

“Yeah, he’s just resting. Ya, mind if I join you?”

At first, Greg wanted to say no thanks, but for some reason, he just couldn’t say no.

“Sure I don’t….mind.”

River questioned Greg hesitance, but shrugged it off, walked over to the bed and layed down with Greg on the bed.

For the next few minutes, it was almost complete silence, like they didn’t know what else to say. They both just stared at the ceiling, along with their thoughts. Then, River suddenly broke the silence.

“Um...Greg.”

“Yes, River?”

“Do you think I’m a bad friend?” “What!?” Greg yelled out. “I don’t think you’re a bad friend at all! Sure you can be crazy at times, but not a bad friend!”

Despite Greg’s positive answer, it didn’t seem to uplift his mood.

“Is this about what happened on the boat?” Greg asked. “Because look as much as that nearly drowned, at least you’re okay.”

“Yeah,” River replied. “But I nearly ruined your boating trip. Maybe I don’t deserve to be your-”

Before River could finish, Greg picked him up from his shoulders to stare him in the face.

“Look River. I’ve met a lot of strange people, even my wife was just as strange as you. You may be crazy but you’re NOT a bad friend. You’re brave and strong. And that’s why I....”

Greg was almost tongue-tied at that last word.

“I….”

“I what?”

Greg couldn’t say anything. All he could do was move closer and kiss River on the lips. River was confused at this, but for some reason, he didn’t feel pushing Greg back and just let Greg finish the kiss. When Greg moved back, he was breathing heavily. Like, he can’t believe he just did that.

“Wha...what was that?” River questioned.

“I...I think I like you.” Greg answered.

“You what?”

“I mean I like, like you. I dunno when it came to be, but ever since you came to my life, I just have been having these feelings for you.”

As Greg finished his confession, he expected River to either react with disgust or scold him for the kiss. But instead, he reacted with a hearty laugh. And grabbed Greg on the shoulder.

“Oh, Greg.” River finally replied. “That is such a relief because I’ve been having feelings for you too!”

“Wait, what? You actually like...as in like like me?”

“Yep!”

“But don’t you have Moon, you’re wife?”

“Eh, she probably wouldn’t mind. After all, there is always room for one more.”

Greg was confused at how happily River was taking this. Especially this was a man who was already married and risking cheating on his wife. But on the other hand, he didn’t care. As long as River was happy, he was happy.

“So what do you want to do now?” Greg asked.

River grabbed the arms “Let’s make out.” And immediately kissed him, harder than Greg’s kiss. Greg didn’t hesitate and kissed back harder as well.

----

Downstairs, having woken up from his little nap, Joseph started taking off his hat, coat, and flip flops, leaving him in nothing but his shorts and a tank top. He still has his muscular figure, but he wasn’t as strong as he was in his younger years. He looked around wondering what was taking River so long, hoping he would be coming back downstairs after talking to Greg. Slowly, he walked upstairs, expecting that he and Greg were fast asleep.

But he could be no wrong.

What he saw instead was the two men, naked, making out. At first, he was about to shout his expected “OH MY GOD” line, but he didn’t have the urge to. In fact, he kinda liked seeing the two men making out.

As both Greg and River were tongue wrestling with each other, Greg spotted Joseph. The sight of him caused him to immediately push River off of him as he stumbled his words trying to explain himself.

“Oh Joseph, I...I didn’t see you there!”

“Were you two, making out?” he asked.

Greg was almost tempted to explain himself, but River stood up and interrupted him.

“Yes we were making out!” he answered the old man. “And what about it, we love each other and that’s final! What are you gonna do about it.”

When River said those last lines proudly, Joseph immediately walked over to him. Greg wasn’t sure what he was going to do to River. But what happened next was something that he didn’t expect. As Joseph went near River, he grabbed the blonde man by the shoulders, slowly moved near his face, and kissed him hard. Greg looked at this scene in complete shock, that the old man was suddenly kissing his new lover. And he wasn’t alone on this as River was just as shocked as Greg that Joseph was kissing him. He pushed Joseph away from him as he wiped his lip from that weird kiss.

“What the hell was that?!” River yelled in anger.

“That was a kiss,” Joseph replied. “I kissed you.”

“But, but why?! Aren’t you married?”

“Says you. Besides, Suzi is old news, was going to divorce me anyway, so why not get a new lover?”

River was in shock that he was cheating on his wife, though he wasn’t one to talk since he was doing the same to Greg.

“You know what!” Greg yelled out, “Who cares about our wives! My wife is gone and she probably would have been happy that I’m moving on. So honestly...”

As Greg said his last line, he crawled across the bed to Joseph, grabbed his head, and kissed him, hard and passionately. Joseph, despite the suddenness of this, kissed back and leaned over towards Greg. Greg started taking off his tank top, leaving him in nothing but his naked body, showing off his abs.

“Huh, didn’t know you still have muscle in you.”

“That’s what keeping healthy is for!”

“Hey!” River yelled out. “What about me?”

“Oh don’t worry,” said Joseph “You’re welcome as well!”

River squealed in delight as he joined back in with Greg, this time with Joseph around. What turned into a simple makeout turned into a three-man threesome. Greg was passionately kissing Joseph as River was kissing Greg’s back. All three men grinding each other with them moaning in passion, feeling themselves in the heat of this new love affair. As they were in the middle of this orgy, Joseph felt something in his shorts. Breaking from the kiss, he took off his shorts and sure enough, there was something sticking out of his underwear.

No….

“What’s wrong?” Greg asked.

“I think…” Joseph answered. “I think I got a boner.”

NO….

Greg crawled over to Joseph and noticed his erection. He starts pulling his underwear down and was met with his big, long…

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

----

“Aw come on I was just getting to the good part!” Peridot yelled.

“No!” Josuke yelled. “I don’t fucking care! I’m done! I’m fucking done! God, I can’t get the image of Mr. Joestar’s balls out of my head. UGH!”

Apparently, Peridot gathered everyone to the beach house to listen to the new story she’s been writing. Ever since she’s been binge-watching the new Camp Pining Hearts reboot, she’s been on a roll with making these stories, or fanfics as she heard. But lately, it has taken to writing fanfics about people she knew.

“Oh come on, my fanfic was getting good. Right guys?”

The crowd, composed of Steven (via video call), Connie, Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet, Jotaro, Josuke, and Star, were all in agreement of what the heck was going on with the story. Especially, how it would have continued if Josuke hadn’t interrupted.

Steven and Connie just looked at each other silently in disgust. The former wished he could have stopped Peridot sooner, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Especially since she wrote stories about him and Connie before, minus the…weirder parts. Pearl’s reaction was also the same as Steven and Connie’s. Especially when she noticed how Greg was written, not himself in his story. Amethyst was different from the three as she looked like she was about to burst out laughing. Sure she was disgusted, but the way the story was written was so bad it was funny, but she held her composure to try and not hurt Peri’s feelings. Garnet didn’t show a reaction, but she also was not fond of Peri’s story. And with her future vision, she knew what happened next was not going to be even more pretty. Jotaro was also the same. He was thankfully glad his grandmother, Suzi Q, was not here to hear the story. Especially during the part where Joseph said he was going to cheat on her, considering their current issues. Josuke was the most expressive about his disgust with the story. To the point he wished Crazy Diamond to come and fix his eyes from imagining his dad privates and almost doing the do. Finally, Star sat there with a blank stare. Apparently, that story broke her that she couldn’t muster out the words. She just couldn’t believe she had to read about her dad cheating on her mom.

“So?” Peridot asked again, breaking the silence. “What do you think of my story so far?”

“Well…” Steven replied. “It could use a little work”

“Yeah, a lot of work.”

“Definitely, a lot of work.”

“Ditto.”

“Seconded.”

“Eh, it was okay.”

“Please…”

“...Uh, I mean yeah you do need a lot of work with your story.”

“Well,” Peridot looked at the paper. “There are a few errors, maybe I should go and fix them before I read the rest.”

“Few is saying something.” said Josuke before getting a hit in the head by an invisible fist (probably Star Platinum).

As Peridot is walking to the warp pad to go back to Little Homeworld and everyone is going back to normal business, they are all interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

“Hey everyone, we’re back!” yelled Greg as he busted in wearing his captain’s outfit. Alongside him were Joseph wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip flops holding baby Shizuka, and River, who had no shirt on and was just in his pants, apparently soaking wet.

“Hey, Dad!” Steven yelled over the phone.

“Hey, Steven! How’re your travels?”

“It’s been fine. Just taking a break. How are you doing?”

“Oh me, Joseph, and River just came back from a boating trip.”

“Yeah,” spoke Joseph. “It was a wacky adventure.”

“What do you mean whacky?” Steven asked.

The two men didn’t say anything, only pointing to a soaking wet River Butterfly.

“Dad,” Star questioned. “What did you do?”

“What? All I did was do fishing my way!” River angrily shouted out. “And in the end, we did survive. I even caught a big, long-”

River’s words were interrupted by the sound of Josuke screaming and running into the bathroom. They could hear the sound of him retching and throwing up. The three men stared at whatever the heck just happened.

“I was just going to say I caught a big, long mackerel. What’s wrong with him?”

“It’s a long story…” Steven meekly replied.

[legendofsim]

Can you do all the odds for Mason? Pretty please?

Ask and ye shall receive. All of this is in Mason’s POV. 

1.       You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, whatwould you say? 

Naked next to my son? I’d like to hear the story behind thatone.

 2.       If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would youcare?

Drugs can be very stimulating. It depends on the kind though.That recreational stuff isn’t omething I’m a huge fan of.

 5. Was your last kiss drunk orsober?

Mylast kiss was with my ex wife and I was definitely sober.

 7. What does your last received textsay?

“Pleasecome.” I’m not going to tell you where though.

 9. Where was your last kiss at?

Itwas a few days before Athena left me for good. We kissed on the porch of herbiological father’s house in Riverview.

 11. What do you drink in the morning?

Anice hot cup of ginger tea. Really mellows out the senses.

 13. Do you think relationships arehard?

Hah,whoever tells you’re they’re not is foolish. The best relationships are the hardestto obtain and maneuver through. I jumped through hoops to get to my son andwhile it’s still a work in progress, it’s one of the most rewarding relationshipsI’ve ever had.

 15. You’re locked in a room with thelast person you kissed, any problems?

Iwish this was the case. I’d tell her I was sorry for not being upfront withher, and pushing her away.

 17. Do you know anyone with the samemiddle name as you?

Ihave no middle name, thankfully. Can you imagine something dreadful messing upthe double M thing I’ve got going on?

 19. Do you think you will be in arelationship 3 years from now?

Highlyunlikely.

 21. Have you ever kissed someone witha name that starts with an S?

No.

 23. Is there a person you CANNOTstand?

Angelfrom the Guardians. That fairy pretends she wants what’s bet for the future,but all I hear is that she wants the fairies to rule over everyone. If thoseguardians think she has their best interest in mind, they’re dumber than anyoneI’ve ever met. And, I’ve met a lot of dumb people.

 25. In the past week have you cried?

…perhaps.But lets not worry about that.

 27. Do you dry off in the shower orout of the shower?

Outof the shower…how do you dry yourself in a wet moist shower?

 29. Do you think you’re old?

Icertainly feel old, but biologically my body isn’t aging at all.

 31. What type of day are you having?

Everyday is harder than the last.

 33. Do you prefer warm or coldweather?

Coldweather wakes me up, but warm weather is ideal.

 35. Would you prefer a relationship ora fling?

Idon’t waste my time on flings.

 37. What song are you listening to?

I listen to a lot of my son’s old music. He doesn’t know thatI do. I’m sure it’d bring up some old feelings about his past if he found out.

 39. Is there a girl that knowseverything or almost everything about you?

She’s long sincepassed on.

 41. When did you last receive atext message?

This morning.

 43. How well do you know the lastfemale you texted?

I don’t text anyonebut my son and it’s because he insisted I get a phone to keep in touch withhim. The only females I have in my phone are Briella and Graciela because theyinsisted, but I’ll admit I don’t know either exceptionally well.

 45. Would you date someone rightnow if they asked?

Unless it is Athena,no.

 47. Who was the last person youtalked to in person?I can’t tell you that.  

49. Has someonerecently told you something you didn’t want to hear?

Whenam I not hearing something I don’t want to hear?

 51. Do you hate the person you fellhardest for?

No,I could never hate her. I don’t blame her for anything she’s done to me in ourpast. I deserve it all.

53. Do you like rain?

No,it gets everything all mucked up.

55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?

No,I take what I want.

 57. Are you shy?

Mostcertainly not.  

 59. Have you dated the person you texted last?

No 

61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed hauntedhouse, would you?

  Nohouse is haunted, I dare you to tell me otherwise. I want real proof.

63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship?

No.65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week?

Myson showed me a video of a kitten smacking food out of a human’s hand. Youmight think that’s not so cute, but you didn’t see the little guy’s face.

 67. Would you rather pay to get yournails done or do them yourself?    

Idon’t get my nails done, though a manicure here and there probably wouldn’t hurt.I wouldn’t know where to start, so I’d just pay someone.

69. Do you have any stickers on your car?    

Idon’t have a car.

71. Blackberry, Anroid, or iPhone?    

Itis inconsequential to me. As long as I can text my son, I don’t care.

73. Do you like diet soda?   

It’sgross but sometimes I don’t want the empty calories so I drink it.

75. Are you 16 or older? 

Youcan’t tell, can you? 😉

77. Do you have a job?

Notofficially in the eyes of the government, but I am a time traveler and afather.

79. Did you ever have braces?    

Never

 81. What does your last status onfacebook say?    

Idon’t have any social media. Can’t exactly give my enemies a way to trace me.

83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad? 

Mymother. My dad was always a little bit more distant. He had high expectationsfor us. Besides that, he worked longer hours than my mother and I was with hermore.

85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters? 

Wouldyou believe the last time I was in a theater was when my Noah Gray was ateenager? It was so long ago. I don’t do much in public if I can avoid it.

87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops?

Flipflops would be easier for me to move in.

89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly? 

WhenI had longer hair it was straight.

 91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake,or pool?   

Ariver. Something about the tiny gentle waves crashing against your skin ismagical.

93. …Had sex in a car?    

Athenaand I had sex in a lot of unconventional places, but I can’t say that a car wasone of them.

95. What were you doing last night at midnight?    

I’dtell you but then I’d have to kill you, literally.

97. Do you like the camera on your phone?    

It’sa little blurry. I just can’t seem to get it into focus.

99. Have you ever passed out from drinking?  

No-you’ll never catch me in a vulnerable state like being passed out.

101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare?    

Calebwasn’t exactly planned but I wouldn’t call it a pregnancy scare. We were bothready and willing to take care of him and be parents.

103. Do you have any tan lines right now?    

Check, I have zero.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 80

"Oh fuck... I forgot to call Andy."

Liz rolled to sit on the side of the bed and grabbed her phone, swatting Dave's hand when he snaked it around her waist and between her thighs.

"Hey, it's me... yeah... yeah we're good. It's all yours tonight... we're on the same floor, other side... okay, goodnight, Andy."

Dave frowned, wondering why she even needed to make that call. "You got your own room?"

She looked back at him and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, I kinda ambushed you."

"Liz," he sat up and turned on the light so he could see her better. "Did you honestly think I would turn you away?"

"I don't know...," she muttered, looking down. It was almost 3 in the morning and she didn't have the energy for this discussion. "I just didn't want to assume. I didn't know what I was going to walk into."

He sighed and scratched his beard a little. "I guess I deserve that." He was a serial cheater. He wasn't proud of it, but he had to admit to it since it had been well documented in the press, much to his horror.

"No..." she crawled back up the bed and into his lap. "That's not... Dave, please look at me." He kept his head down, staring at the sheet next to them. "Dave," she tried again, this time more sternly and he sighed, putting distance between them by leaning on the headboard. "That's not what I meant. I'm not accusing you of anything..." the memory of his hand on hers on the icy rail flooded her mind again. "Unless you have something you'd like to confess."

"For once, I don't," he said truthfully. There had been several gorgeous women trying to get his attention on this tour and he had been tempted, he was human after all, but it never went past a fleeting glance in the VIP room. "That was kind of my thing back in the day, though."

"Oh, I'm well aware," she said quietly, a half smile pulled at her lips as she reached across him to the nightstand.

Dave panicked, watching her flip through her phone. Someone had obviously said something to make her think he had cheated, though he had no idea who it could have been. "Please don't go," he whispered when she tapped on Andy's name, knowing that his voice would break if he spoke any louder. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he had always braced himself for the karma that would eventually hit him from all the past indiscretions he had gotten away with before she came around. She answered his plea by moving off his lap to sit next to him and nestling her head into his shoulder. Finding the picture Andy had sent her, she handed him the phone.

He stared at the image of them standing in the freezing rain with a metal fence between them and his arm around her, trying to remember anything about that night. All those stadiums and arenas, they all looked the same to him anymore. He knew it was Seattle only because he remembered Andy's story and he knew it was post-2003 because of the wedding ring on his finger. They looked so young; her hair was a lighter red and much longer, and her own engagement ring gleamed in the camera's flash as she gripped the metal rail separating their bodies. He looked a little drunk, a little tired and the realization of why she was showing him this hit him all at once.

"Did I hit on you?"

Liz laughed softly and took the phone from him. "You absolutely did. You said it was a shame that I was wearing a ring."

His eyes went wide and he turned to see her face. "Did we-?"

She laughed and shook her head against the pillow. "No. I turned you down then I got blackout drunk and had Andy tattoo me."

"Liz...," he started. She was remarkably relaxed for a woman that knew her boyfriend was a habitual adulterer. He would expect her to be agitated, maybe angry that he was admitting to being weak when it came to a pretty face and a willing nature, but she was completely at ease next to him.

"Just...," her hand found his on top of the blankets. "Please don't do that to me. Don't let me sit at home wondering. Or at least be honest with me if you do."

He wanted to tell her that he would never cheat on her, but he knew it would sound patronizing. He had said the same to Jordyn and had done it anyway and he wanted to be better. "Okay."

*

Dave stared at the closed bedroom door, barely listening to the journalist sitting across from him and Taylor droning on in German to her assistant. He had always been an early riser, but at that moment all he wanted was to run back into that bedroom and sleep for another six hours wrapped up in Liz. They had fallen asleep just as the sky was turning a steel grey and Dave had only managed just a couple hours before Taylor was knocking on the suite's door. He had let Liz sleep, sneaking out of the room without her even stirring.

The journalist finally began her interview, speaking to them in a thick German accent about the tour. Dave shot Taylor a quick glance and their wordless conversation meant they both knew it would be the same interview flow with all the same questions. He would answer the first few, usually about the songwriting process or how much alcohol was digested backstage, then would pass the next few on once Taylor finally decided on whatever awkward position he would sit in. The occasional curveball was lobbed at them, asking what they thought of Belgium or a local band but Dave couldn't remember the last time he had actually had to think about an answer before giving it. He felt himself drift into automatic pilot, answering each question with his usual humor and passion for music when suddenly the journalist cleared her throat and angled her body away from Taylor to face Dave head on. Oh shit, he thought, Here it comes.

"Elizabeth Colbert has joined you on this part of the tour and we are all wondering, how is she? We have seen her out with you, but no word on her condition or..."

Dave's smile faded and his eyes darted to Gus, who had been busy going over customs paperwork at the small dining table between the sitting area and the bedroom. He looked up and shook out his papers, startling the journalist's assistant and giving the kid a harsh glare while Dave answered. "You'll have to ask her. I'm only commenting on the band today," he said bluntly.

"But she is your girlfriend, yes?" the woman was oblivious to the tidal shift in the room, or maybe she just didn't care.

Taylor flopped back against the couch in annoyance when he realized his part of the questioning was done, sending a surge of anxiety through Dave. "Yes, but again we aren't discussing that today."

"Things are quite serious between you two? She-"

Taylor shot forward and snatched a glass of water off the coffee table. "So do you need me here or are we just going to sit around gossiping like housewives?"

She sneered at Taylor, then immediately tried to hide it, but the damage was already done. Taylor threw the back of his hand into Dave's chest, a little reminder that while they were cool, the interview was over and he jumped up from the couch, storming through the bedroom door where Dave just hoped Liz was up and dressed. Gus lumbered over and reminded the woman about the parameters of the interview while Dave added that if Liz's name was brought up again, he would refuse any further interviews from whatever publication she was affiliated with.

"I'm freelance," she insisted with a smug smile.

"Then if you want anyone to publish you again, you'll stay within our required talking points," Gus said sternly and dropped onto the couch where Taylor had been.

The woman's face went pale at the thinly veiled threat and she awkwardly shuffled through her papers to find points that didn't include any actress girlfriend. With Taylor gone and Gus now taking his place, Dave began to repair the tone of the interview, lest the band be dubbed another rude American rock band in the morning papers, and quickly worked to get this journalist the fuck out of there all before Taylor said something to Liz that would make her think she was becoming a distraction. She would book the next flight home if she knew she had caused anyone in the band's immediate radius grief and Dave didn't think he could handle saying goodbye to her so soon.

Twenty minutes later, Gus gave him the nod to escape the interview and he slipped into the silent, empty bedroom. Liz and Taylor's muffled voices drifted through the closed balcony door where they sat drinking coffee and watching the barges move up and down the river. Liz seemed relaxed, still in her white bathrobe with her bare feet propped on a little table next to Taylor's. Dave could tell Taylor was still agitated by the way his shoulders were hunched and he watched them for a moment, trying to gauge their moods. Then, Taylor suddenly burst out laughing. His shoulders dropped to their normal position and he casually pointed at Liz while he replied with something that made her laugh as well. She stood and stretched, taking her empty cup and Taylor's before coming back into the bedroom.

"Lurker," she laughed softly when she saw Dave watching them and crossed the room to the little breakfast bar. "Taylor told me what happened in there. I'm so sorry."

Dave sat on the edge of the bed and scrubbed a hand down his face, working on such little sleep and one terrible cup of coffee wasn't his favorite. "It's not your fault."

"Here," Liz held two fresh cups of coffee, shoving one under his nose for him to take. He assumed the other was for her, but she turned on her heel and opened the glass balcony door again, handing the cup to Taylor with a smile. They spoke for a moment, too quietly for Dave to hear when she gently put her hand on his shoulder on her way back into the room. Flashing Dave a sympathetic smile, she headed into the closet where she called out to him. "I had Sophie release a statement so the real pressing questions should stop."

He resisted the urge to join her when her robe flew out the closet door and landed in a heap on the carpet. "What did it say?"

"Check my phone."

Dave looked over at her phone laying on the nightstand and let his finger hover over the screen before swiping. Looking at her phone without her next to him felt strange, especially after their conversation the night before. She wanted him to be honest and transparent with her, but he felt like he was intruding or spying when the screen illuminated and displayed her email including a typical press release document.

For Immediate Release

London - Ms. Elizabeth Colbert is currently under physician ordered respite care while in Europe. She would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the facilities where she was so well cared for, the cast and crew of the film she had been working on as well as her close friends and family that have been by her side throughout this ordeal. Ms. Colbert would especially like to thank her fans that have expressed their concern, love and well wishes in these past several weeks.

Ms. Colbert is not granting interview or appearance requests and asks that any print publication, television programme, etc. please utilize the proper channels when information is deemed necessary. She is asking that her privacy and the privacy of her friends and family be respected at this time.

Ms. Colbert is looking forward to an eventual return to Los Angeles and to work.

Before he even had a chance to reply to her, his phone chimed in his pocket. It was the Google alert chime he had set to her name and he didn't even need to check it to know that the international news had already picked up the statement and was publishing articles like rapid fire.

Liz wandered out of the closet and Dave looked up at her as she pulled a loose sweatshirt over her leggings. "You put out an international press release just to save me the grief of dealing with Taylor's attitude?" he asked.

"Honestly, I'm a little pissed at myself for not thinking to do it sooner. I don't know if it'll work, but it was worth a shot," she said. "Is she still out there? Cause I can-"

She was interrupted by Gus flinging the bedroom door open and leaning against the frame. "Pack your shit, guys. The train to Paris leaves in two hours," he muttered, staring down at the paperwork in his hands. "You need a ticket, Elizabeth?"

"Yes. She's staying with us until we go home," Taylor answered as he stepped in from the balcony.

Liz jumped into action, hurrying over to Dave and taking her phone from his hand. "Wait, let me call my manager really quick so she can pay you guys-"

"Oh fuck off with your Hollywood blood money," Gus laughed loudly and shook his head. "I'm not sure if these two jokers told you, but the band is doing okay financially. See you three in the lobby in an hour." He slammed the door behind him, leaving Dave and Taylor to deal with her reaction.

Liz let out a shaky breath and carefully sat on the bed next to Dave. "Holy shit, he's scary."

Dave and Taylor looked at each other and burst out laughing.

[fandom-madnessess]

Could you write Stiles turns into a girl every time he uses magic and only getting soaked turns him back. Derek enjoys helping

(this was probably not the kind of soaked you meant)

Derek Hale/Stiles StilinskiRating: G, Word Count: 1246Emissary Stiles, Non-Binary Stiles, Established Relationship, Water Balloon Fight, Water Guns, Temporary Sex Swap, POV Stiles♥Read on AO3

For Teen Wolf Bingo prompt: Sparks

Because of that thunderstorm that’ll hit tomorrow and theearthquake in LA earlier today, Stiles needs more magic than anticipated torecharge the wards around the Beacon Hills territory. They sigh in vexation whenthey feel their magic rushing out of them faster, eager to help. The wardsdon’t need that much magic, andwhat’s left rushes back into the Emissary.

As they gather up their things, Stiles can feel the magicworking on their body. When it’s done, they change their shoes for flip flopsfor the walk back to the car. They don't really mind the sudden boobs and disappearanceof their penis. It’s really fucking weird, but in a way that they can set asideto deal with later. Their feet going down a size, however, is really annoying;walking through the woods in flip flops is no fun. Although, it’s better thanwalking in shoes that feel like they’re about to fly off their feet with everystep.

The first time this happened they, very justly, freakedout, and called Deaton in a panic. The vet calmly explained that things likethat happened sometimes. Magic wantsto be used, and sometimes it gets a little overexcited, like a puppy, anddoesn’t know when to stop. It’ll turn inward, and try to help the user. But,like a puppy, magic isn't very good at understanding humans, and that help canbe an inconvenience. Deaton told them his magic used to let him talk toanimals, but stopped him from being able to talk to humans. As the user getsbetter at control and the magic understands them better, it usually stops,though that could take several years. If it doesn't stop, with some focus andeffort, it can be redirected into something the user does actually want. Thebest news Deaton told them was that it’s easily reversible. Running water,preferably from a natural source but a shower will do, washes the magic off.

Stiles trudges through the woods in their flip flops towhere they parked their car, picking leaves, twigs and little rocks frombetween their toes. One day their magic will finally understand the finerpoints of gender identity and that genitals don’t have anything to do withgender. Well, that or they’ll be able to focus enough to redirect the magic andget themself a set of wings. Either would work, but they prefer the wings.

They’re on the path to the parking lot when their eyecatches a water gun in the middle of the path. There’s a note on it that says“pick me up”. Stiles grins. So that’s how Derek wants to play it.

This is another benefit from outside magic in summer:water fights with their boyfriend. No quick dips in the river a mile over, or along shower at home, continually checking if the magic’s all gone. In summerit’s water balloons, water guns, and a bucket or two, all filled with waterfrom the river.

Stiles drops their sneakers, kicks off the flip flops,then darts forward to grab the water gun, rolling behind a bush in onemovements. It’s not as graceful as they’d planned, but it does the trick; awater balloon hits the ground where they were standing a second ago. Okay,avoiding the water might seem to defeat the purpose. But what’s the fun in juststanding still and letting Derek throw a bucket over their head?

Stiles peeks through the leaves of the bush. Derek’sprobably hiding behind the Jeep, a stack of water balloons within reach. Stileschecks their gun. It’s a big one, with a pump and two reservoirs, but they’restill at a big disadvantage from Derek. They’re gonna have to be careful andtry not to waste too much water.

Stiles sneaks from tree, to tree, trying their hardestnot to make a sound. It’s almost impossible. That ridiculous moment in moviesand shows when one little twig gives away someone’s position is completebullshit. There are twigs everywhere, all happy to snap the moment Stiles’ footnudges it. They manage to circumvent the parking lot without another attackfrom their boyfriend, but now Stiles is wondering where their boyfriend actuallyis. They’d assumed Derek was on theother side of the Jeep, but there’s no one there, nothing, not even a stray waterballoon.

‘Hey, babe.’

Stiles whirls around. Their eyes travel up the tree he’shiding behind. Fuck. They don’t escape the water balloon this time. Thewater hits their skin, and they can feel the magic retreating, just a little.That first moment of the magic moving back is strange, almost ticklish, andthey need a moment to get used to it. Which gives Derek a chance to hit themwith another water balloon.

‘You fucker!’ Stiles shouts. They run from the tree andhide behind the Jeep. They glance over the hood. They don’t have a clear shotat Derek from here. In fact, the only place that has a clear shot is rightunder the tree, which gives Derek just as clear a shot at them.

Nothing for it.

They pump the water gun, increasing the pressure.Screaming, they run for the tree, working really hard to ignore the way theirbreasts tug on their chest. They’re not big, but it’s annoying enough thatStiles wishes they were wearing a bra, or just a tighter shirt. They pointtheir gun up without really aiming, and pull the trigger. There’s a yelp,telling them they hit their target, but before they can run away again andcelebrate the hit, they’re drenched in freezing water. Stiles gasps. Fuck, that’s cold. The magic scramblesto keep its hold on them, but it’s not match for the second bucket of water.

‘I hate you!’ they splutter.

There’s a soft thud behind them, then warm lips pressagainst the back of their neck.

‘No you don’t,’ Derek whispers.

Stiles turns to shoot Derek in the face, but Derek isalready gone. With the magic still flowing off their body, Stiles chases Derekaround the parking lot. Their gun is soon empty, and it now becomes essentialto catch every water balloon Derek throws at them, and throw them right back.

When the water balloons are gone, and they’re bothsoaked, Stiles a little more than Derek, they both collapse against the side ofthe Jeep.

‘I won,’ Stiles says.

‘No you didn’t.’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘How, exactly did you win?’ Derek asks, gesturing atStiles’ dripping form.

‘Because I forgot a spare shirt, which means I need toborrow yours,’ Stiles grins. The magic is mostly washed off, and it’ll mostlikely be gone before they get home, but they’ve been wrong about that before. ‘Whichmeans you get to be shirtless the entire ride home.’

‘You “forgot”, did you?’ Derek snorts, shaking his head.

After towelling off, putting on dry clothes, and clearingup their mess, they slide into the Jeep. Stiles leans back in the passengerseat and closes their eyes. Being an Emissary is tiring work. Derek squeezestheir leg, and Stiles hums, letting Derek know they’re still more or lessawake.

‘You wanna stop for milkshakes or go straight home?’Derek asks.

‘Milkshakes,’ Stiles sighs. ‘We deserve milkshakes.’

Derek starts the car. Stiles opens their eyes, not towatch the trees pass by as they drive out of the reserve, but to watch theirboyfriend. Yeah, they totally won.

[j0sgomez-blog]

By Michael Lanza

I deserve to be plagued by blisters. I field test upwards of a dozen models of hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, and trail-running shoes and boots every year. I’m constantly wearing new footwear right out of the box, often hiking 15 to 30 miles a day—usually without doing anything more than trying them on, almost never allowing for any break-in time. And I almost never get a blister. Best of all, the tricks I use to avoid them are simple enough for anyone to practice.

First of all, remember that blisters require three conditions to occur: heat, moisture, and friction. Eliminate any one of those factors and you prevent blisters.

More specifically, I’ve listed below the strategies I follow, and updated and expanded them with fresh tips. Be sure to read the comments at the bottom of this story, where readers have offered their own excellent suggestions. Please comment on what you think of this article or add your own suggestions, too.

  Mark Fenton on a dayhike of the 32-mile Pemi Loop, White Mountains, N.H.

1. Buy Boots That Fit

Friction happens when your shoes or boots don’t fit your feet well. Eliminate friction through perfect fit, and you eliminate blisters. Buy footwear in a store where the staff knows how to measure your foot size. Try on a variety of brands because they all fit slightly differently; find the brand that fits your feet best. Until you’ve tried on several models, it’s difficult to even recognize the subtle differences between a pretty good fit and an ideal fit.

If the best boots you find still don’t fit perfectly, try after-market insoles to customize the fit. But in reality, almost anyone should be able to find shoes or boots that fit well; you just have to look hard enough. If your feet are unusually large or wide or narrow or have a high or low arch, find the brands that offer a size range and fit that matches your feet. Don’t settle for less than very good fit.

  Find the best hiking footwear. See all of my reviews of hiking shoes and backpacking boots.

  Click the photo to see my 10-day, ultralight plan for thru-hiking the John Muir Trail.

2. Keep Your Feet Dry

This may be the easiest and most effective strategy I employ: Whenever I stop for a break of five minutes or more, I take off my boots and socks and let them and my feet dry out—eliminating or at least minimizing heat and moisture. As simple as that. Bonus benefit: It feels good, especially if I have an opportunity to cool my feet in a stream or lake (and then thoroughly dry them before putting my socks and shoes back on).

Another strategy for keeping feet cooler and drier is employing what pros in the footwear industry call the “chimney effect:” Roll the tops of your socks down over the collar of your boots, which channels air down into your boot and helps release heat and moisture from your feet.

  Want more? See “The 20 Best National Park Dayhikes” and “Extreme Hiking: America’s Best Hard Dayhikes.”

  David Ports on a 50-mile dayhike across Zion National Park.

3. Carry Extra Socks

If your feet get chronically sweaty, change into clean, dry socks midway through a day of hiking. Wear wool or wool-blend socks that wick moisture and dry quickly. (Cottons socks hold moisture and virtually guarantee you blisters.) Try to wash any dirt and sweat from your feet in a creek and dry them completely before putting on the clean socks.

Tuck the damp socks under a pack strap or inside a mesh exterior pocket on your pack to dry them out (not balled up, or they won’t dry), in case you need to swap to them again.

  Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

  Click on this photo to read my “Pro Tips for Buying the Right Hiking Boots.”

4. Wear Lightweight, Non-Waterproof Footwear

Any footwear with a waterproof-breathable membrane is not as breathable as shoes or boots with mesh uppers and no membrane—which also dry much faster if they do get wet. If you’re generally dayhiking in dry weather, why do you need waterproof boots? It may seem counterintuitive, but non-waterproof shoes or boots may keep your feet drier by not causing them to sweat as much.

That’s especially important when dayhiking or backpacking longer days: Double or triple the distance and you also double or triple the number of steps you take and the amount of friction on your feet. Keeping them dry becomes critical on big days, and may be your last line of defense against blisters.

  Want to read any story linked here? Get full access to ALL stories at The Big Outside, plus a FREE e-guide. Subscribe now!

My son, Nate, at 14, on a 17-mile dayhike in the Presidential Range, N.H.

5. Adjust Laces on the Trail

Shoe and boot laces often loosen up while hiking. Your feet and ankles move differently and endure different pressure points depending on the terrain and whether you’re walking uphill or downhill. Feet can also swell slightly during a hike. Lacing footwear properly at the outset of a hike and retying during the day can alleviate the slippage and pressure points that cause friction.

First of all, shoes or boots should always be laced up snugly enough for comfort and to prevent slippage: For example, your ankle and toes should not rub, and your foot should not slip forward or backward (potentially jamming your toes). If you feel any rubbing or hot spot, adjust the lacing to achieve a closer fit.

Before starting a long descent, lace up snugly to prevent your toes banging against the front of the boots. With mid-cut or high boots, it can sometimes increase comfort (and help cool your feet) to loosen upper laces for a long uphill climb; but if you do that, make sure the laces are snug below your ankle, to avoid rubbing and slippage.

  Hike stronger and smarter. See my stories “Training For a Big Hike or Mountain Climb” and “10 Tricks For Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier.”

  My 25 favorite backcountry campsites include Sahale Glacier Camp in North Cascades National Park.

6. Tape Hot Spots

I rarely carry (or need) blister-treatment products like Moleskin—but I always carry athletic tape, which sticks well even on damp skin, or Leukotape, which sticks even better than athletic tape (see comments section, below).

If I feel a hot spot developing, I stop immediately and apply two or three strips of athletic tape to the spot, overlapping the strips. And I check it periodically to make sure they’re still in place.

  Get my help planning your backpacking, hiking, or family trip and 25% off a one-year subscription. Click here.

  Mark Fenton on a 44-mile, rim-to-rim-to-rim dayhike in the Grand Canyon.

7. Tape Preemptively

When I’m taking a really long dayhike or trail run—where I’m exponentially increasing the number of steps I’m taking, and thus the amount of friction that occurs—I tape my heels before starting out, because I have developed blisters on them on dayhikes longer than 20 miles in the past. The slightest imperfect fit in footwear may go unnoticed on hikes of short to middle distances—and the definition of “short,” “middle,” and “long” is however you define them, because you’re going farther—but any imperfect fit in footwear gets greatly magnified on long hikes and runs. If you routinely get blisters in the same spots, tape those spots before your hike.

  Plan your next great backpacking adventure in Yosemite and other flagship parks using my expert e-guides.

  Click the photo to see all of my e-guides, including “The Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite.”

8. Use a Skin Lubricant

Distance runners have employed this trick for ages: Apply a lubricant to areas that tend to chafe or blister, like heels, toes, or even the inside of thighs, to eliminate the friction that causes that discomfort. Numerous products do the job, from the traditional Vaseline to easy-to-apply (and less messy) roll-on sticks like Get the right pack for you. See my picks for “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and the 7 best hiking daypacks.

  Todd Arndt in the Cirque of the Towers on a 27-mile dayhike across the Wind River Range.

Bonus Tip: Use That Blister to Your Advantage

If you develop a blister on the trail, use Moleskin or a similar product to cover and protect it while hiking, so that it doesn’t expand and worsen; even athletic tape, while it could be a bit painful to remove later, will shield it from additional friction.

But once in camp or at home, when you don’t need to be on your feet much or to wear shoes (change to sandals or flip flops that won’t rub on the blister), uncover it. Clean it, use a sterile needle or blade to drain the blister (if it hasn’t already popped on its own), and then leave it uncovered (but be careful to keep it clean); covering it will just help trap moisture, keeping the skin soft and vulnerable.

Once you have a blister, the best strategy is to leave it exposed to the air as much as possible, to accelerate the healing and regrowth of calloused skin—which is your body’s best protection against blisters.

  Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

  See also my “Pro Tips For Buying the Right Hiking Boots,” all of my reviews of hiking shoes and backpacking boots, a menu of all of my Ask Me: How Do I Stop Getting Battered Toes When Hiking?”

  You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Subscribe now and a get free e-guide!

[galacticbugman]

My Coastal Trip Part 2.

The next day we only spent the morning at Padre Island National Seashore my goodness it was amazing. One of the first creatures we met was this Gray Sea-star. You might think that old “stubby” (here what we named him for he was missing part of the top arm) was dead. I had a shovel with me in the back pocket of my pants and I scooped him up being careful not to touch him just in case I had something that might make him sick if he was alive; and sure enough by the time I got him on to my shovel he began to squirm around. I was able to take him back where he belonged and put him back in the water. My guess was that there was a feeding group the night before and he got stranded. That was my first oceanic animal rescue. I have saved baby turtles at Lake Arlington in Arlington Texas a couple of time but to be honest I don’t make that many animal rescues. I do a couple but not as many as you can think. Some time it is best to leave nature be. However I knew that more beach goers would possibly find this guy and I didn’t want him hurt anymore than he had been. It was just a judgement call I had to make on my own. I could have left him out there but I didn’t and put him back where he needed to be to feed another day. 

As we walked along the beach I spotted out in the distance; some Sanderlings that were out on the beach feeding in groups of around six or seven individuals. there were a bunch out there and they were all in tight bunches. I watched them as they were feeding this one deiced to feed all on his own and was moving as fast as his little legs could carry him to the next best feeding area. These guys are just a touch bigger than the Least Sandpipers that we get all the time at Lake Arlington during the winter months. That is still pretty darn tiny. These guys are totally dwarfed by humans. If you are right on them they look even smaller compared to you. They are just so cute as they scurry about the sand looking for tasty morsels in the sand. They mainly feed on Periwinkles, bugs, and some other forms of mollusk. 

  Some Royal Terns were out on the beach resting but one decided it would be best to take to the sky. Some of the in-flight shots were hard to get back when I had that Nikon Coolpix L830. I still have it and it still works but with the Canon EOS Rebel T6 it is much easier to get some of the better in-flight shots now that I have a camera with a viewfinder or what I like to call the Eye-piece. I can now lead a bird and get some of the shots that I have never been able to with just the screen. The screen was hard to use; I often lost the bird and it would hardly get into focus but with a much faster camera it gets those hard to get in-flight shots perfectly. I have only had it a couple of months now so I am still getting used to it. I had my other camera since 2015 and it took me a while to master that one. So there is a lot of stuff that I am still learning to do with this camera. Just after these shots were taken early in January at River Legacy I went and took their free camera course on how to use DSLR cameras. I really like the idea that River Legacy has that kind of class for people that have advanced cameras or who are thinking about getting an advanced camera. Some of the best things are free and that class was amazing. 

I know I am going on another off track topic but still it helps to talk about other things too. So on the beach there were a few things out and about but not much. Soon the time was up on us to head back so we went to the car and went off to a souvenir shop. We love to go to shops down there and help out local businesses. 

I bought this cool fridge magnet that is in the shape of a Great White Shark Tooth. I am just gaga over sharks. Ever since I saw the movie Jaws for the first time back in High School I have been totally into sharks and want to learn all I can about them. I have become quite the fan of the annual Discovery Channel Shark Week that happens every summer. I just bought a new Shark bedding set that is cool. My aunt bought me a shark bank not too long ago to spruce up my new room, I also have shark figures and toys on top of my dresser. So you can say I am a shark junkie. I also have a shark tooth necklace took. I also have a few shark shirts as well. I have the one Jaws shirt and then I have two gray button downs with hammerheads on them. My grandmother used to say to me that I dress like an old man. I do wear a lot of button downs with print on them I just like the beach style. The button down open, a tee shirt under that, the shark tooth necklace, bucket hat, and sneakers and on occasional flip flops. Normally on my adventures I wear jeans and hiking boots but sometimes it is okay just to think of waves and the island style. Still I think sharks are amazing creatures. I have always liked sticking up for the misunderstood creatures because they get such a bad reputation for being labeled as evil mindless monsters. I think that shark deserve respect and don’t deserve to be feared. People need to understand that when you go into the water you are on their territory. Human ego say this land is my land and I can go into it and everything goes my way; but in the real scheme of things humans need to learn that the water or that forest is their land and I am in their world and need to be aware that there are things that might be potentially dangerous so I need to be alert and be aware of my surroundings. Wish that is the way it is but some people just don’t understand.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway on the way back home we decided to stop off at innerspace Caverns to see if they had another tour but their last tour had just ended. My brother is not totally into what I am into. He is into more complex things like extinct ice age animals which I do admire a lot; he is also into video games. So there is still much work to be done with him. he doesn’t really like fossil collecting, birding, or photography like I do. No he is only into certain things. He also spends a lot of his time watching espionage films and he does like Star Wars but he is not totally into what I am in which is fine so we try our hardest to find things on trips that would appeal to him. So we decided to go back down the next day to George Town Texas and go on a tour through the cave. We also made plans to go to a place I have always wanted to go called Waco Mammoth National Monument. So we went on home but the next day we were ready for more adventure.  

A shot of me about to embark on the cave tour. My goodness was this cave cool! there was a lot of neat things to see. I have not been in a cave in a long time. The last time I went to a cave was at the Cave Without a Name in Boerne Texas and that was a really long time ago. I have only been too a limited amount of caves but I am really looking forward to going to more when we have the time and the means of getting to them. The things you can see in a cave are just phenomenal. I may not be much of a geology nerd but I do find fossils, minerals, and rocks to be very cool. My family have always been Rock-hounds. We collect all kinds of rocks and things to make edging for flowerbeds, rock gardens and who knows what else. I am still trying to get a display case for all of my fossils in my collection. Right now most of my rocks and fossils are in collectors Whitman’s Chocolate Tins with some drawer liner. Hey I go for the cheap end of the deal when it comes to things. I make do with what I have and make it work. Sometimes I wish I had a tool cabinet to put them in but I have a long way to go before I can get one of those. I have to make priorities. So yeah more of my rock nerd is coming out with that last bit. I am always wanting new equipment and stuff for my nerd hobbies. Being a naturalist can be very inexpensive but when your in a little deeper you start dreaming of some bigger major league toys. 

In this cave there are many interesting an beautiful rock formations to observe and to gawk at. Here are a few of my personal favorites that I was able to get good shots of. The light was very dim and it was hard to get everything in the gloomy lighting situation in that cave which was okay I still got what I wanted for the most part. 

 Here is one that our tour guide called the Cave Shark at a place called the imagination station. It was pretty neat how the rocks all looked like a sea theme. This Cave Shark looked as if it was coming straight out of the wall. It looks just like a shark which made me very happy as you can tell from the earlier part about the magnet. This was my personal favorite from this part of the tour. 

What is a cave shark without a Cave Squid? This Stalactite looks just like a Squid wouldn’t you agree? I think it does and so did our tour guide. Some of these caving guides get really creative when engaging with people about the caves while having fun along the way. Some of the people I know are not into nature one bit but my goodness they don’t know what they are missing. They totally miss out on all the cool things they could be seeing that they don’t often get to see. Traveling under ground is fun you find all kinds of funny things under there in the caves. One thing about it there is a funky smell that goes with it and the humidity too! You think caves are cool try this cave on for size you will be one sweaty hiker by the time they are done with you. I am not complaining but there is a strange aroma that comes from all the minerals and water and bat guano that really is one funky smell but we’re naturalists and we don’t mind it one bit. 

This little scene which is just off of one of the paths to the right that is really cool. It reminds me of two things the desert southwest from the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons or a scene straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom like where they are first entering the Thuggee temple just after escaping the spike room which was connected to my personal favorite Indy phobia scene which was of course the bug tunnel. That scene was crazy; I find it funny how nature always bring back flashbacks of Star Trek, Star Wars, Men In Black, Jurassic Park, Pokemon, Battlestar Galactica and many other different show and movies. I am sorry I can’t go a day without making some crazy reference to something. I guess when you are a nerd it is what you do. I don’t just think of science fiction and nature for nothing. Their is a reason why I call myself Galactic Bugman on some things and then Galactic_Naturalist on others for nothing. Those my are my prominent two obsessions nature and science fiction and cartoons. So there a big reason why I make that my screen name for many things. It is just who I am and that is my story and I am sticking to it. 

Checkout this beautiful room right here! Ah the glorious Lake of the Moon. Okay that sounds a lot like a Pokemon Sun and Moon reference to me. The place where you get Lunala. I know again with the crazy references. Anyway this room really had me at first sight. It is amazing and so beautiful. The water is so clear and the formations are just so wonderful to see. If you go you have to take the easy tour in order to see this thing of beauty. This was the highlight of that tour. The shark totally got blown out of the water with this one (Hint: that was a Jaws Reference) the shark was pretty Jawsome! (Okay everyone hates puns I get it) but this was even more astounding. This was a really nice room of the cave. I am so glad I got to see this natural wonder and get it all on camera. Just look at some of those reflections that is how clear the water was! My golly it was amazing. 

Another shot of just the water at the Lake of the Moon before we all turned around and headed back to the mouth of the cave. It this trek was pretty fantastic. I will have to make another trip out there and do one of the more advanced hikes which would require more squeezing into tight spaces and other things but heck I have always wanted to do some spelunking just too see what I could find and gain some more new memories and put some more experience points under my belt. 

We eventually made it back to the gift shop and I bought two things at this stop and boy where they neat. 

I got this neat patch for my vest that I was wearing that day in fact. 

And my new favorite fossil to my collection which is the partial tooth fragment of a Megalodon.  These things can go for so much more other places but this fragment only cost me twenty bucks which was not a bad price for one of these suckers. It is a pretty good sized piece of a tooth. It is also in really good condition even if it is just half of a fossilized tooth. I am not complaining I saw this and I was like yep that would make a good conversation piece to have in my collection. So again with the shark stuff. I am just bonkers about such things but heck that is what makes me, me. You can either take it or leave it. 

So the next thing on our Whirlwind tour around Texas we went to the Waco Mammoth National Monument. This was a great place to go for my brother. Both the cave and the Waco Mammoth site were good places for my brother for he really liked them a lot. As for me I was totally in science la la land. It had felt like I had stepped into the TARDIS and went back in time to a time when everything was different than today’s world. 

When you go inside the building that protects the site you don’t quite know what you are going to expect when you walk in. This was the first thing I saw just before I saw the massive bone pile that was in this building. This mural shows what may have transpired on this site thousands of years ago. The story this site tells is of a flood that came through the land trapping a nursery heard of Columbian Mammoths, and a few other creatures like a Prehistoric Camel (Yes we did get a species of extinct camel in Texas at one point. It sounds a little far fetched but heck there was even Giant Ground Sloths at one point) and a few Saber Cat. Notice how some paleontologist say Saber Cat that is because calling them Saber Toothed Tiger is wrong because they are not anywhere nearly related to the Tigers of today. Not trying to be critical I am just saying you will hear this a lot from people like them. 

Okay so the bones shown here are from the only male found on the site. His official name is Mammoth Q or as a term of endearment they call this big fellow Quincy. This guy has quite the story to tell. Look how big and massive his tusks are. They are amazing to look at but you notice that his skull has been totally smashed and crushed in the bottom picture. This is really dramatic and this must have been one heck of a bad way to go down. They say that he must have gotten stuck in the raising waters and fell and in the panic of all the other animals trying to get to safety that his head got trampled on and crushed. You can kind of make out somewhat of a footprint shape. Notice that I circled something rather interesting in the rib cage of this animal. There is a knot in his bone. They said that he might of got that while fighting and may have been a cause of illness for it not healing right and that weakened him but we don’t really know for sure. That is all paleontology is the science of prehistoric forensics and speculation! Still a very neat set of fossils if I do say so myself. This guy was quite massive. 

   Here is a mural to give a rough estimate of what Quincy could have looked like. It is not to full scale the mural should be a few inches taller but the lights got in the artist’s way. Notice that he hair on his body looks much like the hair of an American Bison. It could have very much been the same for of the moderate temps of that time period to keep him warm at night but to not be too hot in the summer time. Remember these are not Woolly Mammoths so they didn’t need a lot of hair on their bodies since we did have a lot of moderate temps. And just look at that size. I am so glad this is just a painting and not the real McCoy or I could run the risk of getting flattened like a pancake standing this close to this guy. I knew elephants are big but my gosh they make me look tiny. Still a pretty good size comparison if you ask me. I like that the artist had some sense of humor and gave him a Three Stooges Moe hairdo or just a Chili bowl hair cut. It think that is kind of funny even though he probably didn’t look a think like one of the Three Stooges but heck I think that artists need to have a little fun while doing their job. I love added flair to artist representation. 

 Here is another Mammoth that they have on site. This one is called Mammoth W or Wanda. She is one of the oldest females that was part of this heard. One of her tusks was removed to keep it from getting damaged further. Some of these bones are very fragile and had to be treated with kid-gloves. Still another fascinating animal to look at as the guide showed her to us. When I am dealing with a fossil site if it is one I am allowed to dig on or like this it doesn't really matter which; I always try to imagine myself at the exact same time period as these creatures were. My representations may not be as accurate as how they sound in my mind but I always try to picture how life must have been for the creatures by visualizing the animals of today and then thinking back further to these guys and try to visualize them doing what they did to survive like how they may have hunted or how they did other things. As  Captain Jean Luc Picard said on Star Trek First Contact “Sometimes touch came make something more real.” I believe that a lot. Now I was not able to touch these fossils but I went out to Mineral wells Fossil park a few years back and was able to touch the fossils and feel of them and that gave me more a visual aid and a better understanding. Sometimes it is hard but study the landscape and the topography and listen even you can hear faint echos of the past like a distant cry from earth’s past. You can almost feel what they must have been going through. When I first walked into this place I was blown away. It was almost like the reaction Ellie Sattler, and Alan Grant gave when they saw their first live Brachiasaurus. It was almost like that except they were just the skeletons of what was once living. It took me back to a place that I could only dream of touching. I is very moving to be in a place like this and to feel how life was then. Sometimes if you let your imagination work with you when experiencing places like this you will get a better understand of how life was back when things were a little bit different. 

   This was the only known Camel on site that they found. Poor Flood which is what they named her was all broken up and scattered. Her bones were not intact and were just in a pile. Her skull had to be moved back with the rest of her. It may seem kind of funny (not ha ha funny) but just kind of odd that they would do that. This site is still being excavated for more fossils and they have a lot more to do once they get a paleontologist on board. So who knows what they will uncover next. This concludes my winter vacation posts. I hope you enjoyed my photos I took and I hope you had fun reading about my experiences and I hope that you will start you own nature adventure and explore the world of nature like I am currently doing. It is amazing to see new things and travel to wonderful places. I think that nature is very important and I will continue to write more about my life’s experiences on this blog site to help inspire and give you a little window of my life and how crazy cool it can be. I may not be an expert but I don’t have a problem writing myself field notes and sharing them with you. I hope you will continue reading my blogs and following my material. I am opening this Blog up to not just insects but to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fossils, and everything that is nature. Until then take care of yourself and I will see you on the trail. 

[prague-lematic]

Things I learned

1. don’t be a loud american on the metro

2. czechs are nice, just give them some time to warm up

3. wear your clothes multiple times before washing because Europeans don’t have driers

4. beer is acceptable for breakfast and any time of the day

5. in may, you will want to avoid the charles bridge ten times over because #tourists

6. make friends with people who work at souvenir shops, you’ll thank yourself later

7. you will hate the night trams, it’s okay to pay for an uber every once in awhile

8. when in doubt, say you’re from Canada to avoid talking about trump

9. you will meet so many amazing people and fall in love a few times

10. it’s okay to not wear a jacket in below freezing weather to avoid paying for coat check

11. your hair will without a doubt reek of cigs after going out

12. you will start to recognize people with a similar commute to you on the metro and share smiles (if they’re friendly)

13. late night metro rides are the best time to meet people

14. dance on the metro seats (just once)

15. boys treat you like royalty here

16. goulash is magical

17. old town square will always feel like home

18. let the pub crawl people bother you, it is so worth it. they aren’t lying- it is actually fun

19. you will get jipped on a couple taxis, whatever

20. you will meet other Americans and all freak out together

21. you will get glared at until you tone down your American and even then, you’ll still get some glares

22. you’ll learn to wear headphones on the metro to avoid getting your metro pass checked

23. you will get into clubs and realize your guy friends couldn’t get in, you’ll yell at the bouncer and end up going in anyway

24. you’ll make friends with the guy who works at the exchange place in the flora mall and luck out

25. you’ll walk up to the castle every so often and realize how casual it’s become but how not casual it actually is

26. you’ll literally wander into gardens by accident

27. you’ll give have your life savings to street musicians and wonder why you don’t have enough for a beer

28. you’ll cry on the charles bridge basically every day because you love it so much and it really feels like home now

29. you’ll pay to use a bathroom once or two and swear you’ll never do it again… you’ll do it again

30. you’ll have the best hot chocolate of your life

31. you’ll almost get frostbite in the winter but it’s worth walking around

32. you’ll see the Vltava river frozen and swear there is nothing like it in the whole world

33. you’ll get kissed on the cheeks as a greeting for the first time and almost jump

34. you’ll go on the paddle boats and almost get run over by a big ferry boat oops… just me?

35. you’ll buy endless amounts of prague postcards and realize you have the same stuff in your own camera roll

36. you’ll glare at tour guides who stop in the middle of the bridge of side walk nah

37. you’ll miss goldfish

38. you’ll see the cutest czech babies and resist holding them every day

39. you’ll quickly realize the metro is a love shack and it’ll hurt your heart at times

40. you’ll eat at hard rock once and realize you have no money left

41. you’ll meet boys with British accents and decide you can never marry an american

42. you’ll feel like an idiot for wearing normal flip flops… not a thing

43. you’ll get tired of dodging selfie sticks under the clock tower

44. you’ll get a pilsner at mcdonalds and feel like a queen

45. you’ll call a trdelnik a turtleneck for the first few weeks… it’s ok buddy

46. you’ll realize czech traditional dumplings are not like chinese food dumplings but better

47. you’ll see peacocks casually

48. you’ll work out once and swear you deserve that beer

49. you’ll see the same guy playing at the john lennon wall once in awhile and hopes he remembers you and doesn’t think you’re just another tourist

50. you’ll be almost killed for trying to split a check

51. paying with a card is inconvenient, just don’t do it

52. you’ll go into so many churches and each one will be different and take up half your camera roll

53. your phone storage will get full and you’ll delete every screen shot of directions

54. you’ll wish you learned some czech

55. you’ll drink beer because it’s genuinely cheaper than water

56. you’ll learn to sneak a huge water bottle in with you to restaurants because it is not 50 czech for warm water

57. you’ll miss ice

58. you’ll travel for the weekend and be reminded of how awesome prague is and how glad you are that was your home base

59. you will buy 15 trdelniks your last week here and the calories absolutely do not count

60. you will visit too many cafes and spend too much money but it’s all worth it

61. you will eat in old town your last few days because you just don’t care about money anymore and treat yo self

62. you will feel like a beast giving tourists directions to the John Lennon wall every day

63. you will tell everyone how much you love Prague… while in prague and while at home

64. you will cry at every single one of your lasts

65. you will say goodbye to your favorite shop owners and think your world is ending

66. you will sit out by Charles bridge and reminisce on the first time you saw it

67. you already know you’ll be back because you left your heart here and Prague is home to the fullest. It’s okay if your heart hurts. Until then, Prague. I love you.

[senpai-hawaiian-roll]

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say? -Yer a make out drunk. lol

2. What’s going on between you and the last person you kissed? -idk about her but I caught feelings for drunk her…

3. If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would you care? -No as long as they had it under control and was sharing.

4. Is your last name longer than six letters? -4, kesi lol

5. Was your last kiss drunk or sober? -she was drunk I was drunk and doing drugs

6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up? -every single fucking time

7. What does your last received text say? -why are you upset

8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed? -we were drunk we kissed a bunch

9. Where was your last kiss at? -my bed

10. When is the last time you saw your sister? -yesterday night (may 13th 2017)

11. What do you drink in the morning? -anything from almond milk to root beer or water

12. Where did you sleep last night? -my bed in my bedroom

13. Do you think relationships are hard? -they are harder to get into then they are harder to keep, if I could do either or :/

14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you? -I would like to go back further, I need to stop dwelling in the past …

15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems? -she was drunk and i was drunk to but cocaine brought me conscious and she said things that made me like her … She doesn’t remember any of it so she wouldn’t understand but I would just sit there quietly I hope she wouldn’t notice

16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy? -rainy, I miss the rain

17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? - other then my grandfather and father no.

18. Are you wearing jeans,sweatpants,or pajama pants? -I’m in my Calvin Klein

19. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now? -I honestly do not know I would like to be but honestly I do not know

20. Does anyone like you? -haha I like myself, there are and it’s annoying I want someone else but I just can’t be grateful for what I have huh …

21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S? -the last person I kissed

22. Is the last person you kissed gay? -no but it’s pretty gay that I caught some type of feelings for them

23. Is there a person you CANNOT stand? -myself.

24. Have you ever considered getting a tattoo? -i want a bunch of them rn

25. In the past week have you cried? -no i haven’t cried in a while. Which is a good thing cause I use to cry over her. And no she doesn’t deserve my tears.

26. What breed was the last dog you saw? -pit bull. Love'em

27. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower? -out the shower, in front of the mirror, jamming music.

28. Have you ever kissed a football player? -no but the last person I kissed did

29. Do you think you’re old? -a little to young to be feeling this old

30. Do you like text messaging? -hate that’s how I ruin everything.

31. What type of day are you having? -it’s night. It the day was a solid wtf “I guess okay”

32. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced? -no everyone around me has them a normal looking noise is now more lit lmao.

33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather? -cold as hell bundled up with a few people that come to mind

34. Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you? - she means a little more then she should and I hate it. But then there’s her and I don’t know why she means so much.

35. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling? -solid has a tooth brush at my crib, relationship

36. Are you a simple or complicated person? - I’m simply complicated

37. What song are you listening to? -The Weeknd I’m listening to everything The Weeknd made

38. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it? -I always try to.

39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you? - yeah and I believe she doesn’t deserve to.

40. What made you start liking the person you like now? -her attitude, intellect, her drunk clingyness, she’s wildly out going haha her laugh the way she just took over me and I didn’t care, shes oblivious to how hard I’m trying. She’s beautiful. It’s her energy. I’m probably outrageous rn but it’s her energy it’s like our energy produces a ora around us and her energy loves to grab mine by the neck and force it to bend to its will but mine is stronger then hers but allows it too till it has to step up.

41. When did you last receive a text message? -a few hours ago, it’s 3am idk why I woke up this early.

42. What is wrong with you right now? -fell in love off of a pretty much night of perfectness but she was drunk, also gave the wrong person the right parts of me. I care to much.

43. How well do you know the last female you texted? -I know her all to well and she can’t remember a damn thing

44. Does anyone disgust you? -people who hate

45. Would you date someone right now if they asked? -I would. I really would.

46. Are you in a good mood right now? - I’ve been in better moods this one isn’t bad honestly.

47. Who was the last person you talked to in person? -Melanie

48. What color shirt are you wearing? - I’m not wearing a shirt lol

49. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear? -“I don’t remember”

50. Anyone you’re giving up on? - like every person I come across. There are so many people that still believe in me. But shit happens ya know.

51. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? -idk, because I say I hate her. But if she was to turn around and say nothing but “I want you” I’d crawl back to her. Every single time.

52. Have you ever thought about giving up on someone but couldn’t? -yeah

53. Do you like rain? - i need it rn.

54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks? -no as long as it never consumed them like it did me. Oh and they better share.

55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them? -I think that’s what I’m doing rn. But I think I should get to know her more. You know when she remembers that I know her lol

56. Do you like to cuddle? -I love it better then sex,

57. Are you shy? -prolly be better if I was

58. Do you get along with girls? -a little to well?

59. Have you dated the person you texted last? -no, but I’d like to work on that.

60. What do you carry with you at all times? -doubt

61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you? -yes, I believe my will is stronger then negative spirits or energy

62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months? -yes I just hope I would be able to show that.

63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship? -it was complicated

64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute? -yeah but I prefer. To do it to her since I am the guy.

65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week? -other then the fact this beautiful girl came into my life, I don’t remember.

66. How old are the last three people you kissed? 17/18/19

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself? - don’t do my nails considering I’m a dude but if def love to learn them myself but rather end up paying.

68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print? -leopard, lol

69. Do you have any stickers on your car? -no I want a transformer thing tho

70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne? - Lil Wayne he’s the goat

71. Blackberry, Anroid, or iPhone? -iPhone duh.

72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut? -ages ago Pizza Hut is bad news.

73. Do you like diet soda? - I like the way they taste but do prefer original over diet.

74. What color are the walls in your room? -Off white.

75. Are you 16 or older? -What’s 9 + 10 lol

76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? - I have seen some episodes. But I do not follow.

77. Do you have a job? -2 bartending jobs.

78. What are your initials? -AVKPPK But I just use AK

79. Did you ever have braces? -no lucky my teeth are purttttty straight

80. Are you from the south? -west coast MF!!!!

81. What does your last status on facebook say? -I can’t remember, I’m sorry

82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed? -no …

83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad? -mi madre. She’s. Number one.

84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics? -Neither I’m built like a square lol

85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters? -beauty and the beast.

86. Do you smoke? - yeah when I’m drunk and on drugs

87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops? -slips

88. Is your phone touch screen? -everyone’s phone is lol

89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly? -bed head for life

90. Have you ever snuck out of your house? -never mom was always understanding lol.

91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool? - a nice beautiful vast lake

92. Have you ever made out in a car? - 1 too many times lol

93. …Had sex in a car? - 1too many times lol

94. Are you single or in a relationship? -single :/

95. What were you doing last night at midnight? -making out naked in my bed

96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks? -4th of July

97. Do you like the camera on your phone? -whenever I’m able to take a decent photo

98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits? -I think so.

99. Have you ever passed out from drinking? -blacked out the same?

100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate? -no I hate no one.

101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? -kind of like 7 but I wasn’t scared. I take responsibility for my actions.

102. Name your favorite Kesha song: -love is our drug/ your love is my drug? Idk it’s one of those.

103. Do you have any tan lines right now? -not really.

104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts? -haha my little brother when we both were young would would I now not really.