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letsgetrowdy43 · 9 months

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In a sea of people—

Quinn Hughes x reader

Request: Can we get Quinn’s gf gets hurt ( bruised cheek, bloody nose, or getting pushed while watching a Canuck’s game by a crazy fan from the opposing team) resulting in Canuck’s fan knowing who she is… trying to defend her and it results in a brawl. And Quinn gets super worried trying to get to you. (I changed it a little bit, sorry for that)

!! In this we are going to pretend Canucks in the future are Playoff contenders (consider this me manifesting) !!

Canucks fans were pretty mild when it came to rowdy crowds but the moment the boys began their playoff push it was as if a switch was flipped. This was the game that decided their fate if they stopped Buffalo from receiving a single point in regulation then they would clinch a wild-card position, making their first playoff appearance since the bubble.

Quinn's long-term girlfriend sat in the crowd alongside her best friend, Anna, opting out of a reserved box, wanting to get the full experience, a few rows away from the glass.

It had all been calm, the crowd on the edge of their seats as the boys on the ice fought for their lives, the score was 1-0 in favour of the Canucks, and the crowd was anxiously waiting. There were five minutes remaining in regulation, and you could see the Sabre's beginning to grow agitated, as well as the Canucks starting to grow restless at the thought that they could possibly be in the playoffs, as long at they just held down the fort for just five more minutes.

One of Buffalo's power forwards took a slap shot right at Demko, resulting in Quinn throwing his entire body in front of the net and taking the shot right in the ribs causing the entire crowd to hop up and cheer.

Y/n on the other hand stood up hand over her mouth, "Did he get up, I can't see him?" she said slightly panicked unable to see him over the giant of a man standing in front of her, blocking the view of her possibly injured boyfriend. Anna who sat next to her grinned at the panic in her best friend's voice, "he's fine Y/n, he's already up and they're doing a faceoff," she mused, nudging the relived girl in the ribs as everyone around them began to sit back in their seats.

A minute was left on the clock and Demmer was on shut-out watch, Y/n had practically bitten all of her nails off as she watched the timer count down to ten seconds, the Canucks still in possession of the puck, passing it back and forth between each other and they waited out the buzzer. Finally, the final buzzer sounded, meaning that the boys had done it, they were in the playoffs.

Y/n and Anna jumped to their feet, holding each other and jumping as they squealed. "Oh my god, you know what this means?" Anna asked as she grinned. "What?" "You get one of those wag jacket thingys," Y/n's jaw dropped as her friend grinned.

That's when all hell broke loose, the crowd was up and in a frenzy, celebrating and screaming as the team made a circle on the ice to give a thank-you speech to the fans. Y/n had been trying to listen as her boyfriend took the mic and skated to middle ice to give the end-of-season speech.

The people surrounding the girls were very much hammered and very much rowdy, the guy next to Anna rammed right into her and knocked the much smaller girls onto the ground. The man behind them started arguing with the guy who pushed them over, "Watch what you're doing!" he yelled out catching the guy's attention, and the two of them got into a verbal fight that soon turned a little physical.

The two girls laughed as they stood up off the ground, "that's gonna leave a bruise," Anna joked as she ran over the tender spot on her hip, "oh fuck, Y/n," she said pulling her friend up off the floor to examine the cut that spread across her cheek, and a little too close to her eye. "I caught the arm of the chair with my eye," she said teary-eyed as she tried to blink away the tears, laughing at how stupid they both must've looked.

Her friend tried to get out of the aisle to get the cut cleaned up but they were stuck surrounded by drunk fans either cheering or fighting in the crowd.

Quinn was in the midst of his speech when he saw an uproar in the section where Y/n had been sitting, his face breaking out into a look of confusion and concern as he turned to the bench full of officials to get the attention of the staff, trying to direct it to the mob-like crowd that was unfolding. The words of his practised speech stopped as he got distracted, looking for his girlfriend in the crowd, "Is someone not dealing with that?" he asked the bench into the mic to get his point across. He received a stern look as he looked back at the rest of the crowd, "anyways, thank you for an amazing season full of support, It's an honour to play for you guys, and we will continue that honour into the playoff, thank you!" he smiled as he and the others skated towards the bench.

His smile fell as he was pulled aside by one of the officials, "Do you realize what you just did there?" "Tried to create a safe environment," he feigned innocence with a shrug as he walked to the dressing room in search of his phone to call his girlfriend.

The two girls sat calmly in the midst of the commotion, laughing as they watched Quinn on the jumbotron, a worried look on his face during the remainder of his speech. Security showed up the second Quinn pointed out what was taking place. And within the next following minutes, Y/n's phone was ringing in her pocket, a smile on her face.

"Are you okay?" his voice filled with concern. "I'm ecstatic, you're going to the playoffs baby!" she mused as the weight lifted off of his shoulders at the sound of her voice. He laughed at the use of the nickname, "I just gotta shower and do media I'll be out in like twenty minutes, Sound good?" "All good, love you, bye," she grinned at her friend as she walked to the bathroom.

She cleaned up the gash across her cheek and then bid her friend goodbye as she waited for Quinn to get out of doing media.

He left the changing rooms with a big grin on his face, he had finally done it, and after years of trying to help the team get to the playoffs all of the hard work had finally paid off. He whisked her up into a hug when she was talking to another wife on the team, unsuspecting as she laughed at the surprise contact, "Sorry, I'm stealing her for a second," he said as he pulled her away to have her all to himself.

She laughed as he spun her around and kissed her quickly, PDA wasn't a normal thing for Quinn but the high from adrenaline had him loving all over her. His thumb ran over her cheek as he kissed her again and again, a hiss leaving her mouth as he brushed over the cut. Quinn pulled away with furrowed brows, finally seeing the gash across her face, "I thought you said you were fine?" he inspected her face. "I'm fine, I promise!"

"What happened?" he said taking her by the hand and pulling her through the crowd of people to find one of the on-duty medics. She rolled her eyes at his dramatic antics, "Someone pushed Anna into me and I fell into the arm of the chair, I'm not concussed, it's not that big of a deal!" He handed her over to the care of one of the team medics who patched her up nicely, disinfecting the cut and putting a bandage on it for safe measures.

"All better?" he grinned. "I was fine before," she shrugged as he placed a kiss on the side of her head, a fake scowl on her face. "I get worried when shit like that happens, just be happy I didn't figure out a way to jump the glass to save you," he grinned.

"Can we please stop talking about it," she stopped in her tracks to look at him with a pleading look. "Let's talk about playoffs," she grinned, "Or the celebration I'm gonna give you when we get home," she teased making his face go red, taking her by the hand and pulling her in the direction of the exit.

I hate this :) but it'll do

#quinn hughes #quinn hughes fanfiction #quinn hughes x reader #quinn hughes blurb #vancouver canucks #luke hughes #jack hughes

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bomberqueen17 · 4 months

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sketchy grocery store shit: a very middle-aged rant

Man so. I went to college in Rochester and so I did my first I'm An Adult Shopping For My Own Groceries shopping in a Wegmans. I got used to the way the store works, how things were laid out. And of course, i got a Shopper's Club card.

I still have it somewhere, use it occasionally, but I had to get another one when I misplaced it because they asked what phone number it was tied to and like, man, it was a Rochester number with a 716 area code, that's how long ago it was. (It's 585 there now.)

I got conditioned to try the Wegmans brand generic for whatever brand name thing I was buying, because it was often the same, and was cheaper. (Though, RIP to the old Wegmans box mac n cheese, they enshittified that in 1999 once we were all good and hooked and we all mourned and switched to Annie's and never looked back. Maybe it's better now but I don't rely on that stuff the way I used to.) I got conditioned to always swipe the card because sure they were collecting data on you but in a $70 trip I'd save five bucks easy, it wasn't nothing! And I also learned to look for their Family Packs, which were larger containers of the same item for less per unit-- if it was something not that perishable, or something you could get through, it was worth spending a little more now to stretch it later!

Anyway. I went to Wegmans yesterday, I live in Buffalo now and we have them here too, and we have a rotation of grocery stores we patronize but when I do the shopping, I'm still the most used to Wegmans, I know where stuff is, and I knew some of the stuff I wanted, they'd be the ones to have. (The organic co-op doesn't carry Doritos and sometimes in the doldrums of winter a bitch needs some of that poison, y'know?)

I'd noticed before that the Shoppers Club isn't a savings thing anymore. I didn't have my own card for one visit and the cashier went to great lengths to get me a swipe from a manager, and at the end I'd spent $200 and saved.... fifty cents.

This time around I'd taken advantage of a buy one get one deal to get a second box of something I didn't really need a second box of, only to discover it was buy one get a dollar off the second, so I saved a whole dollar and actually spent three I hadn't needed to. Well, whatever. It's not perishable and I'll eventually go through it.

But the other thing I noticed was the wild price swings by different packaging of the same item. I should've taken pictures. But like-- ok, raw baby spinach. I fucking love spinach. They had a smaller bag and then next to it they had a Family Pack. I hesitated-- it is hard to use up leafy greens but I fucking love spinach and I could make the effort-- and then I looked. I can't do math but fortunately they are required by law to have the price per unit breakdown on every price sticker. Because the small bag of spinach was $1.99, and was $3.99/lb. (A pound of spinach is a lot.) The Family Pack next to it? It was $3.99, which seemed like a good price jump. But on the per-item breakdown, it came out to $7.99/lb. It didn't actually have any more spinach in it. It was just a different-shaped bag and cost more. For no reason. And there was a whole shelf of the larger bags, and only a small display of the smaller ones. They're just expecting people, conditioned like I am, to say "ah i can use more spinach i'll take the savings" and buy the more expensive bag. But I did just do the math (which is difficult for me so you know I'm mad about this) and that is literally the exact same amount of spinach for twice the price.

Similar for stew beef but they went too far with it, it wasn't even plausible. There was a large pack for forty-nine dollars and I didn't even look to see how much was in it because i do not have forty-nine dollars for stew beef, I found a one-pound bag for $8.99. But I had this same issue before, and was more persistent last time I went: you can buy a three-pound chuck roast for $7.99/lb, which is a chunk of change but it's a lot of meat, and cut it into stew beef yourself and save some money that way, but I just knew I did not have it in me this week to cut up yet another chuck roast when I got home. (Full disclosure: i wasn't even looking at the grass-fed organic shit this was just regular USDA whatever Meets Regulations And Is Legal To Sell shit.)

Stew beef is supposed to be the trimmings and it is supposed to be cheap. But they have realized people prefer it, more recipes call for it because it was historically cheaper, and so they have marked it up and it is more expensive than the whole roast. Because most cooks reading a recipe are not going to necessarily know why it calls for stew beef and that they could substitute a superior cut if the price wasn't good.

I am aware that buying the pre-marinated individual convenience cuts is historically where they make their profit and I don't begrudge them that; if that's what I was shopping for I would not be that mad about paying $7 for three cents worth of marinade ingredients, because it is much easier to cook something like that with the attached recipe and because a lot of the markup is the labor costs in putting all that shit together. I don't begrudge them that at all and when I'm paying for it I'm well aware that I am.

But I really do resent how much of the price-gouging is happening by abusing the patterns of behavior they conditioned us into. I learned, twenty years ago, to look for the deals and look for the bulk packs, and now I am being punished for having learned that. I don't mind paying a premium for something I know is a convenience fee, but being charged extra for my formerly-thrifty shopping habits really stings. I shouldn't have to exercise constant vigilance in the fucking grocery store, it's stressful enough to be the only masked person in there and now you have to compete with the huge carts they use for the online ordering peeps that take up a lot of the aisle.

Maybe it's easier to do the price comparisons on the website?

Oh and there are a number of products they now only carry the Wegmans generic for. (You can't get Snyder pretzel bites anymore, and the Wegmans version doesn't come in quite the same flavors, so I have to go to Dash's to get those now.) And still others where the Wegmans version is pricier. And, alas, some where the more expensive Wegmans version is better. (Polly-O string cheese, why are you so bland?? You're a snack baby. The Wegmans generic has salt in it and is a ton more pleasant to eat.)

IDK I don't have a thesis here it's just that being alive in the 2020s is way harder than being alive in the 2000s even though I was poorer then and didn't know shit. I don't miss my youth and I super don't miss George W Bush but I miss when I was figuring stuff out and it seemed to make sense. And I sorta miss when the Wegmans cashiers used to wear t-shirts bragging about how highly-ranked Wegmans was by whatever organization that was that ranked how good places are to work for.

Also, they try to steer you to use the self checkouts, but baby if you have more than two shopping bags' worth of stuff in your cart you had better wait in however long that line is to let a real human put it into bags for you because the self-checkout does not have any mechanism for you to remove and replace a full shopping bag from the bagging area. I told the cashier how much I appreciated him because he wasn't screaming at me, and he was like yah those self-checkouts yell at you a lot.

(Every Wegmans cashier for twenty years has been super nice. I doubt they're in a union, I wish they were.)

Yeah yeah this is the most middle-aged thing I've written yet but I'm in physical therapy and just bought a recliner for the ergonomics so I'm clearly grappling with my own mortality here, and I'm writing this partly out of concern for the kids who are where I was in 2000. What the hell are they being conditioned to do, by all this????? Shit, man.

#about the author #real life

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sassenach77yle · 2 months

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“You thought you were dying when we brought you up here, didn’t you?” I asked. My voice sounded more bewildered than accusing. It took him a moment to answer, though he didn’t look hesitant. It was more as though he was looking for the proper words. “Well, I didna ken for sure, no,” he said slowly. “Though I did feel verra ill.” His eyes closed, slowly, as though he were too tired to keep them open. “I still do,” he added, in a detached sort of voice.

“Ye needna worry, though—I’ve made my choice.”

“What on earth do you mean by that?” I groped beneath the covers, and found his wrist. He was warm; hot again, in fact, and with a pulse that was too fast, too shallow. Still, it was so different from the deathly chill I had felt in him the night before that my first reaction was relief. He took a couple of deep breaths, then turned his head and opened his eyes to look at me. “I mean I could have died last night.” He could, certainly—and yet that wasn’t what he meant. He made it sound like a conscious— “What do you mean you’ve made your choice? You’ve decided not to die, after all?” I tried to speak lightly, but it wasn’t working very well. I remembered all too well that odd sense of timeless stillness that had surrounded us. “It was verra strange,” he said. “And yet it wasna strange at all.” He sounded faintly surprised.

“I think,” I said carefully, keeping a thumb on his pulse, “you’d better tell me just what happened.” He actually smiled at that, though the smile was more in his eyes than his lips. Those were dry, and painfully cracked in the corners. I touched his lips with a finger, wanting to go and fetch some soothing ointment for him, some water, some tea—but I put aside the impulse, steeling myself to stay and hear. “I dinna really know, Sassenach—or rather, I do, but I canna think quite how to say it.” He still looked tired, but his eyes stayed open. They lingered on my face, a vivid blue in the morning light, with an expression almost of curiosity, as though he hadn’t seen me before.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, softly. “So verra beautiful, mo chridhe.”

My hands were covered with fading blue blotches and overlooked smears of buffalo blood, I could feel my hair clinging in unwashed tangles to my neck, and I could smell everything from the stale-urine odor of dye to the reek of fear-sweat on my body. And yet whatever he saw lit his face as though he were looking at the full moon on a summer night, pure and lovely. His eyes stayed fixed on my face as he talked, absorbed, moving slightly as they seemed to trace my features. “I felt verra badly indeed when Arch and Roger Mac brought me up,” he said. “Terribly sick, and my leg and my head both throbbing with each heartbeat, so much that I began to dread the next. And so I would listen to the spaces between. Ye wouldna think it,” he said, sounded vaguely surprised, “but there is a great deal of time between the beats of a heart.” He had, he said, begun to hope, in those spaces, that the next beat would not come. And slowly, he realized that his heart was indeed slowing—and that the pain was growing remote, something separate from himself. His skin had grown colder, the fever fading from both body and mind, leaving the latter oddly clear. “And this is where I canna really say, Sassenach.” He pulled his wrist from my grip in the intensity of his story, and curled his fingers over mine. “But I . . . saw.” “Saw what?” And yet I already knew that he couldn’t tell me. Like any doctor, I had seen sick people make up their minds to die—and I knew that look they sometimes had; eyes wide-fixed on something in the distance. He hesitated, struggling to find words. I thought of something, and jumped in to try to help. “There was an elderly woman,” I said. “She died in the hospital where I was on staff—all her grown children with her, it was very peaceful.” I looked down, my own eyes fixed on his fingers, still red and slightly swollen, interlaced with my own stained and bloody digits. “She died—she was dead, I could see her pulse had stopped, she wasn’t breathing. All her children were by her bedside, weeping. And then, quite suddenly, her eyes opened. She wasn’t looking at any of them, but she was seeing something. And she said, quite clearly, ‘Oooh!’ Just like that—thrilled, like a little girl who’s just seen something wonderful. And then she closed her eyes again.” I looked up at him, blinking back tears. “Was it—like that?” He nodded, speechless, and his hand tightened on mine. “Something like,” he said, very softly. He had felt oddly suspended, in a place he could by no means describe, feeling completely at peace—and seeing very clearly. “It was as if there was a—it wasna a door, exactly, but a passageway of some kind—before me. And I could go through it, if I wanted. And I did want to,” he said, giving me a sideways glance and a shy smile. He had known what lay behind him, too, and realized that for that moment, he could choose. Go forward—or turn back. “And that’s when you asked me to touch you?” “I knew ye were the only thing that could bring me back,” he said simply. “I didna have the strength, myself.” There was a huge lump in my throat; I couldn’t speak, but squeezed his hand very tight. “Why?” I asked at last. “Why did you . . . choose to stay?” My throat was still tight, and my voice was hoarse. He heard it, and his hand tightened on mine; a ghost of his usual firm grip, and yet with the memory of strength within it. “Because ye need me,” he said, very softly. “Not because you love me?” He looked up then, with a shadow of a smile.

“Sassenach . . . I love ye now, and I will love ye always. Whether I am dead—or you—whether we are together or apart. You know it is true,” he said quietly, and touched my face. “I know it of you, and ye know it of me as well.”

He bent his head then, the bright hair swinging down across his cheek. “I didna mean only you, Sassenach. I have work still to do. I thought—for a bit—that perhaps it wasna so; that ye all might manage, with Roger Mac and auld Arch, Joseph and the Beardsleys. But there is war coming, and—for my sins—” he grimaced slightly, “I am a chief.” He shook his head slightly, in resignation. “God has made me what I am. He has given me the duty—and I must do it, whatever the cost.”

“The cost,” I echoed uneasily, hearing something harsher than resignation in his voice. He looked at me, then glanced, almost off-handed, toward the foot of the bed. “My leg’s no much worse,” he said, matter-of-factly, “but it’s no better. I think ye’ll have to take it off.”

The fiery cross

#outlander #outlanderedit #the frasers #outlander starz #jamie fraser #outlander series #outlander fanart #samheughan #jamie&claire #jamie and claire #dr claire randall #claire beauchamp #claire fraser #caitrionabalfe #outlander season 5 #outlander books #outlander book #outlander 5x09

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tonguepiercedanyway75 · 2 months

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Tourbus cuddles // Ross Macdonald x Reader

Summery: A tourbus is small and it’s even smaller when your boyfriend is a giant. You both manage though.

warnings: none just fluff

Masterlist

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It’s a shit weather today. You still haven’t reached Buffalo and in the next few hours you won’t. It’s a thunderstorm out there, and you hate anything in relation to thunder and lightning. It’s quite good you’re in the tourbus with your boyfriend and friends.

With a blanket draped over you and Ross’ lap, you’re in the third round of UNO with Adam, Polly, John and Gabbriette.

“Do you think we have to cancel the show?” John asks while throwing a 4+ into the round. “Asshole,” Gabby says with a laugh, picking up 4 cards.

“I don’t know, it’s a possibility though if the weather gets even worse.” You sigh at Polly’s answer because you absolutely hate worse. It’s bad right now, but if it gets even worse, you’re staying under the blanket forever.

“Fucking wanker!” Matty screamed at the switch on the table. George breaks out in laughter, “you suck at this game.” Everyone watches them with a smile on their faces. This is home. Those people are your home.

Ross squeezes your thigh and gives you a quick kiss on your cheek before he stands up to go to the toilet. He won the round anyway.

“Hey, plug in my phone will you?” John hands you his phone and his charger. You turn around to the socket and stick the charger in but it doesn’t load. “Is your charger broken?” You ask and try twisting the side of the charger.

“Power is fucking out.” Matty yells from the very front of the bus. This night couldn’t get any better. “This sucks,” John says, “let’s hope when I wake up we’re at the destination.” He gets up and drapes his hoodie over his shoulder. “Good night.” Everyone says their good nights to John and continue to chat about tour.

When Ross gets back from the toilet you take his hand and kiss his knuckles. “I think I’m gonna head to bed as well.” You say and rub your eyes. Ross smiles, nods and takes your face into his hands to kiss you. “Gonna see you in the morning?” He asks and wraps himself up in the blanket. He’s the cutest man ever.

“Yeah, I love you.” You say and wave at everyone. You have the bunk bed above Gabbriette. It’s small and cozy but sleeping in it was terrifying at first. You left the curtain open all the time because you thought you couldn’t breathe in this tiny space. But now you’re laying under 2 blankets with the curtains closed to drown out the noise.

One more look at your phone and you’re in deep sleep. Not so deep actually because you awake at 2:30. You rub your eyes and jump at the loud rumbling of the thunder. You open the curtains and listen further. There is no talking which means everyone is in their bed by now.

Another unpleasant feeling is the sting in your lower stomach. You’ve been on your period for 2 days now, the third day is usually not so bad, but this only occurs to when you’re home and when you sleep in bed with your boyfriend. You have no choice though, the space is as tiny as it gets.

You try hard to fall asleep again but you can’t. You slowly get up to go to the kitchen area to grab a glass of water. When you get back you see Gabbriette on her phone in her bed and Matty’s face in her lap.“You up?” She asks and puts her phone down.

You nod and take a sip of the tap water, “this thunder is scaring me shitless, I’m on my period and I have to sleep in a tiny bed.” She chuckles at your frustrated sound.

“And Ross isn’t with you,” Matty adds which makes you sigh. Gabby gives you a smile. Matty and her usually fall asleep in the same bed but it looks uncomfortable and one awakes with back pain every time.

You definitely can’t take any more pain with what’s going on but you’re willing to handle it if it means cuddling with Ross. “ ‘M sure he wouldn’t mind having a cuddle, he’s whipped for you.” It feels like Matty is reading your mind. You nod and set the glass down onto a small table.

“I’m gonna do that, have a good night guys,” you wink at Gabby and she rolls her eyes at your indication. You walk away from the two of them, towards Ross’ bed, their chatting getting quieter.

Usually Ross also has the upper bed but this tour George really wanted it and Ross didn’t mind switching. His curtain is open and he’s laying on his stomach, hiding his hands under his pillow. It’s better to reach him, with him sleeping on the lower bed.

You can’t slip in because he’s taking up all the space right now. You crouch down and slowly nudge his shirt. “Ross?” You quietly say, “baby,” you try again. This time he stirs and opens his eyes slowly.

He mumbles your name in the dark and then he sees your face, your facial expression being uncomfortable. “Love, what’s wrong?” He says and uplifts himself onto his elbows. He rubs your cheek with his thumb and waits for an answer.

“It’s nothing serious it’s just-“ you pause and let the lightning light up the space. You see Ross’ tired eyes, you feel bad for waking him up. “It’s stupid, I’m sorry for waking you.” He shakes his head and doesn’t let you get up.

“Tell me darling,” his voice barely above a whisper. He lets his hand go through his hair, sleeking it back. You admire his face, and you absolutely adore his beard which he currently scratches.

“I just really wanna sleep in your bed, but it’s tiny and I get it. You’re really tall and I shouldn’t have woken you for this and-“ he cuts you off by scootching closer to the wall side. He lifts his blanket and intertwines your hands.

“Come here,” he whispers. You smile and close your eyes for a second. Then you slip in, not to be spooned but to face him and to nuzzle your face into his chest.

He puts the blanket around you and rests his head on yours. He gives you a couple of kisses and Ross in this state is causing you to become less focused on sleep and more focused on the way his breath sounds so close to your ear. “Thank you,” you say and kiss his shoulder blade.

“Mmhhmm,” he humms from deep in his throat with closed lips. You didn’t think you’d fit and you barely do with your side touching the bar, but you’re here now and that’s what matters.

There is basically no space between the two of you, but you manage to bring your hand up to Ross’ face and cup his jaw. You lean in and press a soft kiss to his lips. Ross doesn’t hesitate to kiss you back.

“Thought you were tired,” he says after pulling away from you, you both smile at each other and then you hide your face in his chest again. “I am,” you mumble.

“Sleep then, we have to get up early.” It should be about 3 now. You’re gonna be tired either way in the morning but it’s not a worry. You ignore his demand and keep on talking.

“I don’t like the weather, how is anyone supposed to sleep with noise like that.” You huff and roll your eyes. Ross snorts at you and rubs your back soothingly.

“Oh so you’re scared, ‘s why you came.” He partly speaks the truth but he doesn’t have to know it. You shake your head, “not scared, just uncomfortable.”

“Alright then,” he totally doesn’t believe you and you know it because you feel the smile on his face. “You good to sleep then?” Ross is on the verge of falling asleep again and you don’t want to keep him up any longer.

“Yes, thank you again baby. I love you so much.” Ross sleepily kisses you again. “I love you so much more,” he swoops his arm around your side and pulls you as close as he can, your bodies not having a centimeter between them.

Both of you close your eyes and another thunder causes you to jump a bit. Ross chuckles and shakes his head against you. “Don’t worry love,” his mouth comes closer down to your ear, “I’ll protect you.”

#ross macdonald #ross macdonald fluff #the 1975 #the 1975 fic #ross macdonald x reader #ross macdonald imagine #Ross Macdonald one shot #ross macdonald x you

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mama-qwerty · 7 days

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do you have any fun scu knuckles headcanons? maybe like what things are like when they get back to green hills??

Oh, well, first of all, Maddie is so angry she can't speak for a good five minutes when they return. Wade and Knux are both standing at the door, their heads hanging low, looking for all the world like dogs who had just peed on the antique, hand-woven rug that's been in her family for ten generations.

She opens the door, eyes going wide as she sees them. She opens her mouth, letting out a little squeak before closing it again. She tries again, and still just a squeak comes out. Then she slams the door in their faces. Opens it again. Another squeak. Another slam. Opens it again and hisses at them through gritted teeth "GET. IN. HERE."

They wisely obey.

They are both sat on the couch as she paces back and forth in front of them. Arms crossed, mouth pulled into a thin line. Every now and then she shoots them both a glare so hot they shrink under its weight.

Finally, she stops, bringing her clasped hands to her chin, and takes a long, deep breath. She lets it out slowly, before asking them just what in the ever-loving hell they thought they were doing.

They explain. They speak over each other, adding to the other's explanation, expanding on a point that hadn't been given very well. They laughed at some points, and quickly glossed over the bits they didn't think she'd take very well.

And as they talk, as they explain where they'd been for the past few days, Maddie notices something.

Knuckles, the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy, actually looked happy. His face was relaxed and he smiled more than she'd ever seen him since they'd taken him in. He and Wade seemed to have formed a bond on this trip, and even the deputy seemed more confident.

When they finish the tale of their adventure, Maddie feels her anger fade. She admits that she doesn't like how they simply disappeared--especially since Knuckles was supposed to be grounded--but it looks like their little road trip was good for them both. And she's so happy they're both okay.

But don't do it again.

After this, Knuckles has learned to have fun. He still trains, sure. He's gotten into the habit of jumping Sonic out of the blue under the guise of training--"Beware, surprise ambush!" he'll shout before pouncing on the hedgehog. Tails thinks it's hilarious, but Sonic's not too fond of it.

Wade and Knuckles have become best buds, and they go bowling at least once a week. Knuckles had a hard time in the early games, but Wade celebrated every pin the echidna knocked over without damaging anything as a glorious victory. Nachos are a favorite snack, followed closely by buffalo wings. Knuckles holds the record for the most wings eaten in 5 minutes.

When Wade goes back to visit his mother, he brings Knuckles with him--with Maddie's permission, of course. Wendy loves her little Knux, and they watch all sorts of movies together.

Tails had tried planting a tracker in Knux's shoe to keep tabs on him, because he didn't like carrying a phone. "It makes a strange humming sound, and makes my skin tingle," was his complaint, which no one really understood, but they didn't push it. The tracker didn't last more than two days, as it burnt out if Knux powered up and went sparky.

They came to an agreement that Knuckles would simply let someone know where he was when he was out. It took a few weeks to fully implant that into his head, but soon he got into the habit of either leaving a note or making sure he was seen around town.

And Wade always seemed to know where he was. "Bestie privileges," he'd said once when asked about it. "You know how it goes."

He's still a warrior . . . but he's thinking maybe he doesn't have to be right now. Maybe he doesn't have to train every day. Maybe it's okay to go fishing. Or bowling. Or watch movies. Or help people around town run errands or fix things or work in their gardens.

Maybe it's okay to just . . . be.

It's something he'd never done before. But he has to admit . . . he kinda likes it.

#ask me #elgatodeltren's stuff #knuckles the echidna #wade whipple

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fretarot · 1 year

Text

Pick a pile their feelings for you!

Please read energy first to see if this is the right pile for you and figure which person you are A or B based on the energy!🥰

Happy reading! Lmk which pile and which person you have picked😙

If you would like to book a personal reading please check my services on my pinned post.

Pile 1 - Apology

Person A - fire ant energy

You might feel in this connection the need to be “cool” and “chilled out” however there’s a fire inside you that’s slowly but surely spreading in your feelings for this person, there’s undeniable love that’s coming to the point you can’t ignore it anymore, you seem to have a sort of childlike personality when it comes to your person and can’t help but feel giggly around them, which at times finding yourself doing so you could be thinking “wth this isn’t me lemme stop” but there’s definitely a call for you to swoon this person, or open up your feelings towards them for once and for all, feeling the need to go all in without a strategic plan at hand, you could be told a lot of times that you do things impulsively and for some people this isn’t their cup of tea, you could’ve grown up being told often to settle down or to “think before you speak!”

A lot of fire energy in this pile , you could have Aries Leo or Sagittarius placements, definitely giving the vibes of “do it now think later”, along with this a little bit of water signs energy came up, person A you could have Fire and Water in your chart/big three.

Person B - Buffalo energy

You usually would like to describe yourself as someone that’s quite grounded, reliable, knowledgeable and i feel your family and friends can vouch this for you as well on this, however recently you could’ve hit a bump on the road where it’s quite hard for you to be as productive as once was, being scared of jumping head first into things and new challenges due to the anxiety of things splurging out of control or going through another tower moment unexpectedly, in turn found a routine, you’ve been sticking to it and even though it might seem quite too repetitive for you, it is your safe haven, it’s where you know what to expect, at times might even find yourself not as sociable either, feeling like you can’t give out to someone else right now when barely being able to give yourself the experience and fun you deserve, there’s the energy of exhaustion here.

A lot of Earth energy here Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn with a little bit of fire. These could be present in your placements.

Fire ants feelings towards person B

In your feelings currently and how you see your connection, you could be seeing them as someone that you want to rile up or start a conflict with them to at least get something out of them, to see what limits you could push until they open up more , person A I can tell you’re feeling left out by your person, feeling that you’re not being heard about certain things or that they’re way too nonchalant for you, feeling at times that they’re like a robot, just doing the bare minimum not only for this connection but in their life as well, doing just enough, being on a strict routine of a eat, sleep, work or school and repeat and this is something that could be out of your normal usually or you could be the type of person that’s more open but feeling the need to be restrictive in case you chase them away if you push too much.

How person B ( Buffalo) feels towards their person - you feel yourself drifting away from your person, and not only just them but to others too, and finding solitude in isolation, finding being at peace is being by yourself and learning how to love yourself, I do see you putting a lot of work into yourself which is progressing into the right direction, however when it comes to your person you feel that perhaps they don’t understand why you can’t just “snap” out of this rut, as it requires intensive inner work, but at the same time you understand you shouldn’t leave everyone in the dark making you feel more guilty, worried it’ll cause arguments or conflicts or being forced to be something you can’t be right now and neither are truly.

Overall for both -

I do see person B coming towards person A with some sort of explanation with why they drifted away and for some of you they even went ghost, Person A I promise you will get the apology that you’re eager for, Person A it’s time to let Person B know how you feel about them, I feel they do need that boost from you, try to let them know the struggles you have also previously gone through and try to let them know that there is a lending hand when they need it as they feel they’ll bother you by coming clean of their situation, ultimately I see you both coming to a understanding of how each of you can contribute towards each others needs but it will take some time, that’s a factor here, but working slowly will get everything on track.

Pile 2- self love

Person A- Nightingale energy

Person A you as the energy of nightingale, you usually are someone that usually can be upfront, not being afraid of speaking up, telling people what’s on your mind when it’s in the right times and even when it can be at the most wrongful times 😅, but there is something about your voice that makes people listen, either you can be someone that’s very convincing/ persuasive, you could even be one to sing and others love to hear it, you are giving the energy of someone that doesn’t usually stand out or you might feel it so, but people are attracted towards you either way, you could’ve been told before you have this alluring energy about yourself.

Person B - Energy of the stingray

Person B, coming up as the energy of the stingray you are someone that usually likes to take on a challenge, you can be eager around wanting to grow and very adaptable to your environment and schedules, however you’ve been stuck in your ego recently and I know , I know I don’t want to call you out but I have to, your using your ego to protect yourself, perhaps you feel that you have put in a lot of word in yourself prior and now you don’t feel the need to change all over again to make someone else happy, and that’s all within your rights, but there’s w need for you to escape from the mental trap you have put yourself in, the external is not as bad as your mind is playing it to be, and it’s okay to come back to reality.

Persons A feelings towards person B

You could’ve started off as friends with person B, starting things slowly and then all of a sudden coming to surprise that the both of you have been hiding feelings this whole time, there’s an unexpected energy here between the two of you, this could’ve come from you being shocked that the two of you even ended up together, but I’m also seeing a state of shock around some kind of ending when it comes to the two of you, for a big part of pile 2 and person A I would be surprised if you haven’t lost Person B and are currently going through a breakup or no contact, person A seems to feel a lot of regret and pain when it comes to their person , and they feel guilt around something here, Person A could’ve been the one that possibly walked away from Person B but that won’t be for everyone of this pile, reverse it as it resonates, but heavy energy around Person A walking away from something here and not being sure if that was the best decision to make, there’s a stagnant energy around Person A where they can’t move forwards from a person B but at the same time it doesn’t look like they want to, they would’ve rather work things out than have to come to that for some of you if you are person A I can definitely tell that you didn’t want to have it come to that.

How person B feels towards Person A

Person B is coming up as someone that’s very stuck mentally, emotionally quite unstable when it comes to their feelings for A, they currently don’t feel comfortable being around Person A due to not feeling like themselves unfortunately around Person A, they feel that the both of you have changed tremendously since the two of you have known each other and they’re not sure on how to fix things, they’re currently focusing on self care and loving on themselves, and it seems that as off right now they feel the need of taking a step back from this connection and bring distance into it.

Overall energy- it looks like the both of you will be prioritising your own selves at this time, and quite significantly unfortunately drifting away from each other, trying to build routines and growth separately.

Pile 3- Justice

Person A - golden egg energy

Person A is giving the energy of an old friend, someone that you have known for a very long time, and you find comfort in them, either this is you to and for person B or you have been told often that you give off a sense of familiarity to everyone you meet, you bring a sense of comfort and quietness, you could yourself person A be quite a timid person or someone that doesn’t usually budge into peoples business or you wait for others to talk to you first before you approach anyone, you are definitely someone that has a lot of layers to themselves and it takes a lot for you to “crack”😅 or open up to others, you can only be who you truly are around the ones you love most and that’s when you find it easiest to let loose.

Libra energy, water energy, you could have these in your placements.

Person B - Snake energy

Person B you are someone that could at times be described as someone that’s creative, ambitious perhaps you work in a creative role, such as art, landscape, architecture, design, etc, perhaps you are someone that finds themselves expressing themselves through actions rather than their words or perhaps writing it down, or poetry, you could be someone that has a lot of passion and love towards someone but when it comes to voicing it, you could be finding it hard and choose other ways to show them rather by talking, at times out of balance you might find yourself being quite a flighty person, showing up and going as you please, starting out new things but never finishing them before you start something new.

Earth energy for Person B, along with water.

How person A feels towards person b

Person A - there’s a lot of emotion from them when it comes to person B, almost like they see Person B the snake for who they truly are and not who they try to show the world, person A is definitely the one that notices all the small things about person B such as how they act when they are nervous or how they’ll perhaps blink Weirdly when uncomfortable, very little things that at times person B never even noticed, Person A is definitely giving provider type of vibes towards B and they look out for them alot, even though at times they don’t fully feel this being reciprocated, either way they feel balanced in this connection.

How person B feels towards person A

The snake person B is a charmerrr, they know how to work in ways to surprise person A, and they feel the need of wanting to try new things to come out with, there is definitely heavy feelings between the both of these energies, which are very equal and person B really feels in Union with person A at times, they even feel like they’re looking at a mirror when they see Person A, the snake energy wants to come through and show person A new opportunities, new adventures and they are also very logical they go about things, they feel the need to have everything ready and Perfect around them, the snake person sees the golden egg as someone that will always have a soft space in their heart and has plans on keeping it that way if they can.

Overall energy for both - you both feel like this is a match made in heaven, and both are mirroring each other in ways you thought could never be possible, this connection is very promising, you both balance each other amazingly.

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brevityisnotmywit · 4 months

Text

Waiting For The Worms

Rabid Pneumonia: Also known as Tar Lung, or Wet Lung. A respiratory disease that eventually attacks the brain of its host, driving them to violence.

The pandemic has been ravaging Equestria for five months...Twilight is running out of time.

(Content Warnings: Zombie AU, Gore, Major Character Death, Disease.)

Five months have passed since the initial outbreak.

One hundred and fifty three long days of fear and mourning.

Two hundred twenty thousand three hundred twenty minutes of desperate attempts to combat this sickness.

It took a few weeks before Twilight had identified the reason they had so much trouble containing the disease. It was something so universal, so basic…something no one could live without.

Water. This damned plague spread through fresh water. True, a bite from an infected creature would transfer it, but its main method of transmission was something every living thing required. It wasn’t even like the princess had meant to discover this. No, she had gone to refill the coolant tanks for her lab when she noticed it.

Some poor filly, lost in the pain of the sickness, had dragged her broken body to the banks of the river. This puzzled Twilight. By this point, it was clear that the little pony was in the final stages of Rabid Pneumonia. She would have been suffering from hydrophobia, surely. And yet here she was, gagging on the black bile flooding her lungs. After many long moments, the pathetic creature hurls herself into the stream, startling Twilight.

Of course she was aware of how often they had to fish bodies out of the reservoir. She’d just presumed that it was due to the rainy season washing them downhill…she had a new panel to run.

After that, they tasked the pegasi and dragons with getting the word out. All water had to be boiled and filtered before drinking. It helped, but not nearly enough.

Month two is when they had to accept that magic wouldn’t fix this. The four princesses had called upon Discord to work towards a spell to address this. Between the five of them, there was nothing they couldn’t do…or so they thought.

Tar Lung could bounce back from anything they cast.

Discord was particularly stunned by this. He certainly wasn’t used to putting in effort to get what he wanted. By the time it was clear that they would have to resort to modern medicine, the draconequus seemed to fall into a depressive episode. He’d blipped away, presumably to the fortified home he had built for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The latter had moved in after she’d lost her husband and their daughter…

Shortly after that, Cadence had heard of the illness reaching the Crystal Kingdom. She rushed home, only to report that she would be unable to leave her people. A week later, Twilight received the news that her brother had contracted it.

She scowled, and shook her head. If her magic didn’t help, that was fine. Twilight never let herself lose sight of the practical side of her studies. She was particularly skilled in chemistry. So she called upon anyone experienced in medicine. Earth ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, Kirin, Zebras, if you knew your way around a lab, you were invited.

Zecora had been a big help to their cause. She had convinced a few buffalo to join her, one of which was Little Strongheart’s daughter. The zebra made it clear that Twilight was to show the utmost respect to all who answered her summons. If the princess didn’t understand traditional methods, that didn’t mean they had no merit.

The implied accusation stung, but Twilight understood why Zecora made it. She’d definitely had moments of dismissing science she considered primitive.

As it would turn out, some of the biggest advances the team made began with the group helmed by the zebra. Their deep knowledge of the local ecosystem had resulted in significant breakthroughs. They hit a snag when the disease mutated again. The first documented jump was to the local population of timber wolves. They hadn’t anticipated it would be able to spread to plants…

Ink Rot meant a whole different threat.

Applejack wasted no time in assembling a crew to figure out why their crops had begun to die. Clearly it was related to the pandemic, but how? Tar Lung started as a respiratory disease, it shouldn’t impact this.

And yet, here they were.

Thankfully Ink Rot didn’t seem to be able to transmit to animals. At least, not like the virus could. It definitely could make you sick if you consumed too much contaminated matter. But it just resulted in something akin to food poisoning. The biggest danger was how it weakened the immune system.

Anyone recovering from Ink Toxicity was significantly more likely to contract Tar Lung. Even if they took every possible precaution. The sickness was getting stronger every passing moment.

Applejack was the one that suggested rain was no longer safe. After the outbreak, Cloudsdale had allowed the weather to self-regulate. They would do their best to prevent natural disasters, but their numbers had been falling to the virus at a significant rate.

As the storms rolled through, cases would skyrocket. Out of frustration, Applejack lamented that the petrichor smelled sour. Of course. Of course it was the rain. They couldn’t possibly boil every lake in the world.

The timber wolves had started to reach the final stages, so they would likely be drowning themselves like the previous carriers. Zecora had guessed that Ink Rot stemmed from their decaying branches.

Twilight issues a command to have Cloudsdale evacuated. She finds some comfort in the knowledge that Dash wasn’t around to see her home in this state…wherever she was. The princess tried not to dwell on her fallen friends. They both would just tell her to keep working on the cure.

A few days after the fall of the pegasi kingdom, Zecora caught it. The moment the acidic bile began to seep from her snout, she walked into a holding cell. She reassured Twilight from her glass cage that everything would make sense soon. The alicorn had everything she needed to save the world.

It was a rough few weeks, watching one of her most valuable teammates collapse under the strain of the sickness. Watching as it reached her brain, being forced to hear the zebra rip at her burning chest. The wet choking echoing off the walls…Twilight cried herself to sleep regularly.

She was failing her community. She was running out of time.

Which brings us to now.

Five months.

One hundred and fifty three days.

Two hundred twenty thousand three hundred twenty minutes.

A brilliant flash blinds the princess. She scrubs at her eyes, squinting against the light. She’s surprised at who stands before her. The lord of chaos himself. Discord had returned. He looks exhausted. His thin mane had grown out, forming mats that swung heavily as he offered a half-hearted bow. His mismatched eyes were haunted…something was wrong.

“Discord?” Twilight asks softly, not wanting to startle him. The lab had too many delicate items to risk him bolting on her. “...What happened?”

It was clear from his expression that he anticipated the question. The draconequus knew she was a clever one. She saw right through him. As per usual. His voice is rough, as though he’d been screaming for hours.

“Observant as always, princess .” He spits out her title like the word is rotten on his tongue. “I take it you’re not getting anywhere?”

The jab digs into her spirit like an arrow. Twilight’s wings lift subtly, making her appear bigger. “We’ve made significant progress towards a cure. We’ll have our vaccine by the end of the year.” She snorts, flicking her tail. “Not that you care.”

The air shifts. Discord’s form distorts, chaos magic leaking out. The princess catches a glimpse of his true appearance. A twisting fractal, branching out into impossible angles and planes. He snarls, teeth rotating and multiplying endlessly. After a very tense moment, he reels his power in. The window into his reality closes.

The venom in his voice remains. “I resent that accusation.”

Twilight forces herself to stand strong. She was the only one that could fight him if needed. “State your business.” She snaps. “But I’m only going to warn you once. If you do anything to jeopardize our work, I will not hesitate to stop you. Keep that in mind.”

“Oh I’m so frightened, I just might shake myself apart.”

“ Discord .” She takes a step towards him.

“Ugh, you’re still no fun.” He rolls his eyes. Literally. Before Twilight can respond, Discord’s tone becomes serious again. “I’m here to help you.”

“You know none of our magic works against it.” The princess reminds him.

“ Yes . I am distinctly aware of how useless I appear to you.” He folds his arms, his tail flicking with irritation. “This whole thing has gone too far. You need someone that can get you anything in a matter of seconds. I am your obedient servant .”

He punctuates this with another, more dramatic bow.

Something’s happened, Twilight realizes. “Not that I’m going to turn you down but…why are you offering this now? You could have shown up at any moment, you know.”

“They caught it.” Discord states bluntly.

Twilight doesn’t need clarification on who ‘they’ are.

“I couldn’t protect them…I poured everything I had into keeping my-” He pauses, glancing away. “Keeping them safe from this. You know me, I could care less if this world implodes…or at least I did. I’m a selfish creature, it’s in my nature. I’m sure you understand.”

The princess nods, motioning for him to continue.

“...I can’t let them die, Twilight. I might not be able to snap this disease out of existence, but if I can do even the smallest thing to help expedite your work?” Discord meets her eyes, and she can see a hint of his old resolve. “I’ll make it happen. Just say the word…and please, we may be desperate, but let’s not forget our manners, hm?”

A harsh laugh bubbles up from Twilight’s chest. She can’t believe this is what it took to snap Discord from his isolation…actually, yes she can. This was perfectly in character for him.

“Alright. We can discuss details later, right now I need-” She was interrupted by a panicked Spike bursting into the room.

“Hey! Twilight, I’ve got a message from the Castle!” The dragon holds it out, allowing his friend to grab it with her magic.

She unfurls it, expecting a long update. What she does find, however, are three sentences that chill her to the bone.

‘The disease has breached the barrier. The Sisters are no longer with us. Please hurry…”

#my little pony #mlp fim #discord mlp #twilight sparkle #zecora #spike mlp #infection au #zombie apocalypse #cw: gore

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specificallybruins · 1 month

Note

could you perhaps be persuaded into expanding on why and/or how your bouncers are protective of each other 👀?

I wasn't sure if you wanted it in bulletpoint form or nah, so imma just go bulletpoint first, cuz i need to do some thinking to articulate them into actual sentences

The Bruins have a code which is "We protect our own". So if you violate it you either pay it by exile or death

When Ully was in Buffalo he was working a similar job (private security). And he remembers watching his coworker Sobotka getting jumped from behind when he was off on his own.

Later on working a job at a shady house party he watched his friend/partner Carter Hutton get stabbed to death when he was down and injured. He felt helpless and guilty so he moved to Boston to get away from his past. (I'm sorry Hutts ILY i'm sorry u gotta go like this)

On his first mission Bergy was fiercely protective of everyone and he admired that. He ended up sort of asking Bergy how he does it and Bergy sort of explains how he lost Razor and now doesn't want to lose anyone else. He cannot change the past but he can focus on the present.

At the club he sees Sway get harassed by some drunk girls and he doesnt like seeing Sway uncomfortable so he would interject and kindly escort the girls out

Meanwhile Sway when he first joined learned by watching Tuukka and Jaro. He likes this group of people. He likes being their last line of defence. He doesn't like them getting hurt.

When he first met Ully he sees a lot of anxiety and a little bit of wariness so he opened himself up to Ully. That caught Ully off-guard and he decided he was gonna protect the friendly guy so he doesn't end up like Hutts.

Something like this. I have not formulated the thoughts properly and I am very sorry it took me a while cuz I had a couple of appointments (doctors appt, job interview) so i couldnt focus on it.

But now that I got some of it written down I should be able to write you a fic to go along with it I'm sorry if it's not what you expected :(

#mob lawyer au #linus ullmark #the incident with sobotka is when nick ritchie tackled him blind-side after the whistle n ully went at him for that #before there was jeremy swayman there was carter hutton #carter hutton #jeremy swayman #mentions of tuuks jaro n razor #mob au #boston bruins #nhl bruins #nhl goalies #goalie love #bruins

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fatehbaz · 2 years

Text

Indigenous knowledge and food sovereignty on the prairies. Native plants and history of farming in the the northern Great Plains. Maskēko-sākahikanihk (Muskeg Lake Cree Nation), Wipazoka Wakpa Oyate (Sioux Valley Dakota Nation), and Piikani First Nation recent approaches to sustainable food production. Bison grazing and grassland health on Piikani land.

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Indigenous peoples had lived and farmed the area centuries before European contact. [...]

Melissa Arcand is a soil scientist and associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and she grew up on a modern grain farm at Maskēko-sākahikanihk, or Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, north of Saskatoon. [...] Saskatchewan has more farmland than any other Canadian province. [...]

The yard is full of trees, including poplars, spruce and Manitoba maples — the fast-growing hardy species that form a protective wind-break around farm yards across the Prairies. Patricia shows me her vast garden on the south side of the yard. She has corn, squash, sunflowers, carrots, peas, flowers and shrubs of haskap and saskatoon berries. [...]

First Nation grain farmers are rare everywhere. In most cases, farmable land on the dozens of First Nation reserves across the plains of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta is rented out to non-Indigenous farmers who live nearby. That came up as a concern during a forum Arcand organized on Indigenous farming in Saskatchewan in 2018. In forum discussions, attendees resolved to take greater control over farming activities on their lands. [...]

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Eugene Ross has a slow, soothing voice. [...] Ross is an Elder at Wipazoka Wakpa Oyate, literally “Saskatoon river people”, the Dakota name for Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. It lies at the forks of the Assiniboine and Oak Rivers, 50 kilometres west of Brandon, Manitoba [...].

Entering the plains from the rugged forest landscape of the Canadian Shield feels like dropping through a hatch in the back of a wardrobe. They are completely different worlds. West of the uber-flat Red River Valley, just beyond the town of Austin, the landscape begins to undulate, like a sloppily made bed. From there, the Prairies fold and flatten, roll and settle, in all directions, seemingly forever. Canada has 154 million acres of farmland, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census, and 126 million of those are in the Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. [...]

“Our Tylenol back in the day,” he says, pointing to Seneca root. From a ceiling hook, Ross takes down a string of white tubers, each about the size of a big toe: wild turnips. [...]

Production of another oilseed relative, Brassica napus, now the most common species on the Prairies, began in the 1940s. [...] In 1978, this improved crop got a new name: canola. Western Canadian farmers now grow canola on more than 20 million acres [...]. Canola is a cool-season crop that thrives in Western Canadian growing conditions. Ross knows a long list of native plants traditionally used for food and medicine that also thrive in the region. While highly unlikely that any will become the next canola, they could underpin a more diverse farming future. [...]

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You can see Piikani First Nation from the cliff’s edge at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta. [...] Today that great green sea, whipped by winds from a cascade of buffalo ghosts and bisected by the Old Man River, is Piikani territory. Noreen Plain Eagle is the land manager for Piikani First Nation and its 106,000 acres. [...]

Food sovereignty is a priority. Piikani’s reliance on outside food became acutely clear in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when food companies, overwhelmed by supply chain issues, could not deliver their usual supply. Piikani nearly ran out of fresh food. It was a call to action for Plain Eagle. “We don’t want to be at the mercy of someone else to provide food to our community,” she says. “We want food sovereignty.” [...]

The next phase is to build a greenhouse at the school to produce a wider variety of vegetables. “We will use it as a hands-on teaching tool for students,” Plain Eagle says. “Terminology will be in the Blackfoot language.” [...] Plain Eagle also has plans to grow corn and potatoes for the community, and to think more strategically about the nation’s small bison herd. “Bison have always been part of our history,” she says, “and we’re learning how they can contribute to our grassland health.” Grasslands need a keystone grazer, like bison or cattle, to keep the grass in check and maintain grassland biodiversity. [...]

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Text by: Jay Whetter. “The true history of farming on the Prairies.” The Narwhal. 8 October 2022. [Bolded emphasis and italicized first paragraph added by me.]

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ijuststareatstuffhereok89 · 28 days

Text

"What if Loki was Worthy?"- a book review

Finally got around to reading the corporate fanfic! For a mass-produced novel, it wasn't the worst I've read, but IDK it felt something to be desired as well.

The story: A prank Loki is encouraged to commit ends up sending Thor to NYC, where he is killed but not before killing Tony Stark's best friend, Happy Hogan. Odin banishes Loki (to Buffalo, NY for some reason), where he lives in a trailer park (a la Buffalo) until Runa (our Valkyrie) comes in with a reluctant quest to bring Mjolnir to it's natural heir, Jane Foster (or is it Jane??). Meanwhile, Iron Man goes dark as Stark vows revenge on the ones who killed his friend and becomes the villain.

I will give props to anyone who has the 'nards to make who is arguable the epicenter of the entire MCU (Nick Fury aside) into a villain. I believed Stark's arc, having lost friends myself in a kind-of-similar manner.

Also, it WAS well-written on it's own. I used my eagle-eye to spot inconsistencies and only found one that nagged me: Runa would not know Loki's Laufeyson last name, yet she calls him by it several times. Then again, this is a What If story, so canon doesn't really apply anyway.

None of the new characters were very interesting, but I have a thought on them under the spoiler cut.

BRIEF SPOILERS UNDER THE JUMP

I didn't like Quinn being Thor's biological daughter. That leaves so many questions unanswered...like how tf does that work? Asgardians and humans can interbreed? And now Loki is basically where Thor was at the end of Love and Thunder, only in New Mexico.

Also, weird little note: all of Loki's allies save for Brian the Gecko are female-presenting. Not sure if the author did that subconsciously (probably) but it kind of smelled less like good rep and more like vicarious living through the OCs (and no, none of them are romantic or even hinted to be so, but I didn't ever expect this to be a romance).

I think my favorite headcanon from the author to come out of this is Loki's fascination with NCIS and other crime-related shows. I think it fits the character well. I can see him asking a ton of questions. I also approve of Loki's connection with animals that develops while on Earth. Again, something that definitely checks out, but only after he softens a little.

I will admit, seeing Loki end up in a place with people who support him (even if it's basically an OC harem) is infinitely more satisfying and happy than the end of Loki S2. The whole book has The Watcher framing it, and right in the beginning he references Loki being Yggdrasil, and if nothing else it serves as a reminder that he got shafted so hard and that Sylvie should have gone in his fucking place. So whether or not you like the rest of the book, Loki being in a nice, simple place with allies and friends for the first time will probably make you smile like it did me.

Overall: maybe if fans have the time, give it a read, but I wouldn't lose my shit over it or expect anything new or groundbreaking.

Two-and-a-half out of five Mjolnirs.

#what if #loki #marvel loki

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seeminglyranch87 · 4 months

Text

Taylor & Travis Timeline

January 2024 - part 2

January 18 - Travis listed among Chiefs Playoff captains for 2024 (x)

January 20 - Travis arrives in Buffalo, NY ahead of the AFC divisional game (x)

January 21 - Chiefs v Bills, Highmark Stadium, Buffalo, AFC Divisional Playoff. Chiefs defeat Bills 27 - 24.

Taylor meets Jason & Kylie Kelce. Jason shows his "electric" support for his brother Travis and the Chiefs. Travis scored 2 touch downs.

Chiefs move on to the AFC Championship!

January 22 - Entertainment Tonight (x) publish article with a source revealing:

"Taylor and Travis are doing really well, they try to spend as much time as they can together. Travis also makes it a point to make sure Taylor feels as comfortable as possible at his home. They have discussed their future as a couple and are excited at the idea of it."

January 23 - Taylor out to dine at Nobu, NYC with Brittany Mahomes, Cara Delevingne and Ashleigh Avignone

January 24 - New Heights podcast Ep 75 (x 48.00) - Travis & Jason recount the game referencing Jason's lack of shirt, jumping out the window and being told to behave by his wife.

"(Kylie) was already telling me to be on my best behaviour cause we were meeting Taylor" says Jason

Travis tells Jason "Tay absolutely loved you".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SportsCenter (@sportscenter)

instagram

Travis comments on the Bills crowd - although being a passionate crowd some Bills fans were disrespectful to his family which we believe included Taylor.

Taylor likes the New Heights IG page promoting Ep 75 (x)

Drue Tranquill - Chiefs Linebacker talks about Travis and Taylor on the Zach Gelb Show (x 10:30)

Tranquill says "we enjoy poking fun at Travis, seems like maybe they are in love"

Gelb asks "Do you expect an invite to that wedding?" Tranquill answers "I think there are a lot of people who want to go to that." speculating that Travis and Taylor will get married.

January 26 - Kansas City Chiefs Press conference (x 17:45) Travis answers questions leading into the AFC championship:

Travis asserts when asked about is focus "you got to compartmentalize what you're hearing and and make sure that you're staying on task and giving everybody in the building the right perception"

A journalist asks "is it sort of thing you and Taylor have talked about how to deal with that? Travis replies "the only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise that's all that matters" you mentioned the outside noise a lot of

January 27 - Travis arrives in Baltimore ahead of the game

January 28 - AFC Championship Chiefs v Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD. (x)

Travis had a brilliant game - the stats don't lie (x)

Travis passes Jerry Rice for the most catches in NFL postseason history.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeats the Baltimore Ravens 17 - 10. The Chiefs are declared AFC Champions! They are off to the Super Bowl "baby!!!" (x)

Taylor joins Donna, Ed & Jason Kelce on the field to congratulate Travis and the team on their win and progress to the Super Bowl to defend the title! This is the first time Taylor has walked on the field.

Travis is overheard saying:

"Tay, I'm going in to enjoy with the guys, I love you," Kelce says in the clip. "So much it’s not even funny." "I love you, too," Taylor responds. "I've never been so proud. Ever."

Keleigh Teller posts videos of the celebrations inside the suite at Bank Stadium, Baltimore (x x)

January 29 - ET publish article (x)

A source tells ET, "Taylor and Travis are so excited that the Chiefs and Travis are heading to the Super Bowl. They’re very in love and Taylor is super proud of him. They’re both extremely dedicated and hardworking and understand each other. They are relishing in this moment."

January 30 - Andy Reid tells Tom Brady how he knew Taylor and her Dad before Travis did. Reid also address the rumours that Travis may be distracted by dating Taylor (x)

Andy Reid said "there has been no distraction" "Travis handled it right, [Taylor] handled it right, it hasn't been a problem at all.

January 31 - New Heights Podcast Ep 76 airs. Jason and Travis discuss the game that qualified the Chiefs for the Super Bowl. Jason mentions that Taylor joined them on the field after the game...

"Shout out to the newest members of the Chiefs Kingdom," said Jason. "Taylor Swift, who has officially reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year." Travis responds "Shout out to Tay. Thanks for joining the team."

Travis is interviewed on the Pat McAfee show and he answers questions about Taylor (x)

"We knew each other close to a month" tells Travis when asked if they knew each other prior to Taylor's first appearance at a game on Sept. 24, 2023.

When asked about his relationship with Taylor,

"Hopefully everybody realizes that we're just two people in a relationship, supporting each other and having fun with it, man, it's nothing more than that," Kelce said of Swift's support. "[No matter] how much the world wants to paint the picture and make us the enemy, we just have fun with it. And we enjoy every single bit of it."

"I love it when Taylor comes and supports me and enjoys the game with the family and friends. It's been nothing but a wonderful year, man," he added.

Travis also confirmed that he is unable to attend the Grammys with Taylor

"I wish I could go support Taylor at the GRAMMYs and watch her win every single award that she's nominated for but... unfortunately, I gotta get ready for this big old Super Bowl and we got a week," he shared.

Go to previous update -> January 2024 part 1

Go to next update -> February 2024 Part 1

Return to the timeline

#traylor #taylor swift and travis kelce #87 and 89 #seemingly ranch #killatrav #travis kelce #taylor and travis #taylor swift #timeline #87 + 13 = 100 #Instagram #tayvis #tnt #t&t #travis and Taylor timeline #super bowl #nfl #nfl football #chiefs

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stagkingswife · 10 months

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Hello!!!! So... I'm really really scared of spirit work/deity work, idk I just am so scared of appearing to be disrespectful or something. So theres been some time that I'm just like worshipping and stuff, but I wanna take to the next level. 😅 and you seem really friendly lol so that's why i really wanted to ask you how do you invoke deities/spirits/etc..?? Or even a book or an article about it! I have already read Jason Millers book on spirit work, but every conjuring just feels so weirdly formal and so not me??? If it's really the same way you do, could you give me an advice of how to proceed during it and overcome this fear??

Thank you very much in advance! 💗🌷

If you're afraid of being disrespectful, just try your best to be respectful. I know that sounds kind of flippant, but hear me out here. In my experience, more often than not entity understands what you're trying to and appreciates and appreciates your efforts. They will see you trying to be respectful, and take your actions as the sign of respect you mean it to be. There are of course entities like the Fair Folk who do have their own very specific culture and deviating from that culture would be seen as disrespectful, but in my experience that's not case of every spirit or even most spirits. That being said, I can't help with invocation, conjuration, or summoning. I don't do anything like that because I personally find it a bit rude and demanding of the spirits I am close with. I treat the spirits I have relationships with like family, beloved friends, close neighbors or colleagues, and I find it rude, and presumptive of myself, to make demands of their presence and attention and I am not comfortable doing. I'm sure it works wonderfully for other people with other paradigms, but it's just not how I was taught or how I operate. I prefer to go to my spirits instead of trying to bring them to me, particularly if I want to ask them for a favor or for assistance with something. So I use a lot of Otherworldly travel to visit my spirits that aren't connected with physical places, or are connected with physical places I can't easily get to. And I will physically go to places where I strongly feel the presence of other spirits. I bring them gifts and offerings either way. For instance I met the clan of Fair Folk that I associate with for the first time in my parent's back yard as a little girl, so whenever I'm over at my parent's I go out back to that spot to drop off some gifts. On the other hand the only physical place that I've ever really felt connected to Drove was at a buffalo jump archeological site in Montana, but I live in NY - that's not easy for me to get back to so I visit her in the Otherworlds.

I'm happy to talk about how to Travel and set up rounds of visits and such if you're interested, or other ways to do spirit work without summoning, but if you have you're heart set on summoning I'm afraid I can't help.

#spirit work #deity work

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hopetorun · 1 year

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“it’s almost just like how it was before” for the made-up fic title meme!

my first thought for this was actually leon goes to tampa futurefic but the @msmargaretmurry did this in a response for the same meme so i'm going to take this in a different direction.

our story starts in buffalo, new york, on june 24, 2016. draft day. auston matthew goes first overall to toronto, and patrik laine goes second overall to winnipeg. and then, instead of what actually happened that day, it goes the way people thought it would: jesse puljujarvi goes third, to columbus. and edmonton, picking fourth, takes the guy whose nameplate they already have velcroed to an oilers jersey: matthew tkachuk.

so matthew trucks his way up to edmonton, with aspirations of adding "winger for connor mcdavid" to his resume. now i'm gonna level with y'all: the oilers made me very, very mad in the summer of 2016 and hockey in general made me very, very made in the fall of 2016, so i've memory holed a lot of the details of the next couple of years. but luckily i'm not writing this story for real, so i can fudge and slur my way through that part!

matthew's career trajectory in edmonton isn't all that different from in calgary -- he's good pretty much from the jump, and with some ups and downs improves as he gets older (and a little calmer). he does get to add winger for connor mcdavid to his resume, but he ends up sticking mostly on the second line, as one of leon's wingers. there's a lot of reasons for it, but in part it's because it just drives the other teams bananas. annoyingness/60 off the charts. and matthew and leon are both having a blast the whole time.

i don't think they click instantly when matthew shows up in edmonton in 2016, because matthew's a hotshot, high draft pick, legacy, the whole nine yards, and leon's still feeling a little insecure about his place with the oilers. at least matthew's not a center.

so they don't click instantly, but it comes pretty quickly. matthew's a friendly guy, when he's not antagonizing every flames player on the ice (which frankly leon thinks is very funny), and he's smart about hockey, and a fun guy to hang out with.

and so we get a few years of the mcdavid-draisaitl-tkachuk era in edmonton. a lot of goals, and maybe not as much defensive responsibility as everyone wishes, a lot of people on twitter and capfriendly's gm tool getting stressed about the contract math. and they're right to be stressed about the contract math -- that's a lot of high-end offensive talent to have stored up, and it's gonna get pricey.

and then it's the 2021 offseason. matthew's already been a holdout, and he got his deal but everyone knows the next one won't be any easier, and mcdavid and draisaitl have their long-term deals but they're only going to get more expensive. they've been swept two years in a row in the playoffs. the front office wants results, and cap flexibility (that flat cap is already hurting). so matthew gets traded.

now, i don't think he and leon ever dated or anything at this point, but they were kind of dancing around the possibility for a while. another few years, or maybe one good solid playoff run, and it would've happened. (and by it i do mean falling into bed without actually talking about anything, but they would've talked eventually. both of them are too soft and serious about important things.) so for leon, matthew is this possibility. someone he almost got to have. it haunts him a little, when he lets it. and he misses the camaraderie he had with matthew, and how well they clicked on the ice. but that's just the business. he makes new friends and finds new guys to click with on the ice, and sure none of them make his heart beat too fast in the same way but he shouldn't be looking for boyfriends amongst his teammates anyway.

they keep in touch, a bit. it's hard with the grind of the season, and the time difference (matthew's on the east coast now) that doesn't even get any easier in the summers. leon fills up the space matthew took up in his life with other friends. more time with connor. other teammates. a dog. (it's a hassle, without someone living with him, but he's got a very generous neighbor and a big backyard and money to burn on fancy kennels if he wants.)

leon dates someone else, eventually. pretty seriously, living together kind of stuff. it is easier to deal with the dog this way. he learns just how annoying it is to play against matthew, and he tries not to laugh when matthew stares him down. the two of them get dinner with connor when the oilers are in raleigh (hey, we're playing the it almost happened game here anyway) and talk about the oilers circa 2017 experience. none of them win cups, but matthew gets the closest. leon determinedly isn't jealous, and sends him a nice text when the canes wash out in the conference final. again. but you know, it's not like leon misses him daily or anything. just at odd moments, when a play breaks down and he ends up with the puck, and he spins to find matthew on the ice, because matthew would've seen the same thing he did. and matthew's not there. matthew hasn't been there for years.

he doesn't ever ask if matthew's dating anyone, and matthew doesn't volunteer the information. he thinks it'll sting too much to find out, even though he is dating someone, and he hasn't told matthew about it.

matthew finds out, though, at an all-star game down the road. they're both there, and leon's boyfriend is too, and leon doesn't even introduce them. matthew's just saying hi to everyone, the way he does, and leon's boyfriend says leon invited him, and from the look on matthew's face, he doesn't even have to say boyfriend because matthew's got it all figured out. that shouldn't bother leon, and it bothers him a hell of a lot. (matthew's dated people too, but no one seriously enough to do something like this, and leon is right that he'd be hurt if he found out.)

leon signs a contract extension in edmonton. thinks about the possibility of retiring as an oiler. gets dumped, because his boyfriend gets tired of the late nights at home alone. the core of players he was striving for a cup with in edmonton is slowly breaking up. early-ish retirements. trades. the usual stuff. and leon wants to win, and he's starting to think that isn't going to happen in edmonton.

there's two years left on his contract and, well. he's looking, a bit. eyeballing other teams, looking at where he thinks he might be able to help the most. he has a full NTC, now, and the oilers won't be happy if he asks to be moved, but he thinks they'll make it happen. he can be flexible, a bit. he's good enough to command a decent return. connor will forgive him. he'll resent it, the freedom that his presence has given leon to do things like bail on the oilers when the going starts getting tough again, but he'll get over it. the deadline is creeping up now, and the oilers could still make the playoffs but it's looking more and more like they won't, and on the other side of the continent matthew's still -- well, he's not tearing it up like he used to, but he's putting together a decent season on a competitive team. and leon's jealous.

so he finally puts in the request. feels a little guilty but not enough to not do it. this is a business. he wants to win. he's won everything else, individually. maybe they've even won the president's trophy once or twice. but he wants a cup. the cup isn't the first thing he thinks about when all the chips are down and he's going to be matthew's teammate again.

it takes some getting used to, when it actually happens. matthew doesn't just plop back onto leon's wing and learn to read his mind all over again. matthew's an established guy on the team, he's already got a line. leon's playing a bit of wing, a bit of center. leon knows better than to have expected everything to just slot back into place but there was a stupid part of him that kind of wanted it anyway. it was so easy before! and now matthew's got a whole life here and leon's the interloper.

i think from here leon spends a while being in his feelings about it. not wanting to push too hard and upset the balance of this team, because they're winning. they're playing well. it feels good. but then the team's 2c gets hurt and he ends up slotting in, matthew on his wing again and oh, oh, that's the thing they used to have. leon is totally swept up in it, and along with it the crush he used to have on matthew. the thing that always felt like it could happen is still there, simmering under the surface. leon feels it when matthew slams him into the boards in a hug, and he feels it when matthew compliments him in a scrum and he feels it at the bar after the game, drink in hand and matthew leaning in close and grinning too wide.

it's not the same, exactly. they're both comfortably into their thirties now. older. more settled. matthew has a house in raleigh, which he never did in edmonton. even leon, uprooted midseason and in a new area, feels older and more stable than he ever did at 22.

they still don't act on it. matthew thinks leon got over it. leon doesn't want to rock the boat. but leon can't stop himself from pushing a little. touching when they don't need to. knees pressed together on the plane.

matthew does realize leon isn't over it somewhere in here. he's not an idiot. he knew what the vibes were back in edmonton, and he knows that leon's hand on his back at the bar isn't platonic. but leon doesn't push, and matthew's careful about these things. and they're winning, winning so much. winning in a way they weren't when they played together before, and it feels incredible.

gonna go big romance here and say this one ends when they win the cup. neither of them's on the ice but they pile off the bench together when the buzzer sounds, and after they've had their turns with the cup -- it feels even better than leon thought it would -- and after the night has finally wound down, leon grabs matthew by the wrist the way he's wanted to since matthew was 20 years old and so transparently trying to make everyone like him.

matthew comes toward him easily, until they're nearly touching, and leon finally, finally kisses him.

#i'm SO sorry this took so long #i think there's a lot to flesh out in here and it really feels like one of those stories where i'd have to write it to learn the story #which isn't bad necessarily but it is stressful; home by now was one of those and i was SO unsure of the character arcs #and to the person whose prompt i still haven't gotten to: i'm working on it #my fic #fic by daisysusan

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dumdumsun · 1 year

Text

To Nightfall

A/N: Enjoy!

Warnings: alcohol, mentions of alcohol and death

Word Count: 5119

—————————————

Chapter 17: Seven Bells

In mid-September of 1963, Sir Reginald Hargreeves found himself sending his daughter off to her very first outing with one of his colleague’s sons. He seemed to be a reasonable match for (Y/N). It was difficult to come by gentlemen her age with an intelligence like hers. Preston Hildebrand was in no way or degree of being smarter than (Y/N), but he would do.

“Reggie, she’ll be fine.” Grace reassured him from the lounge room. Reginald peeled himself away from the door, where he had been watching the two teens walking off down the street. “Come have a seat. Relax.”

Reginald sighed and sat himself in his usual armchair, gently taking his book from Grace that she held out for him. She sat herself down on the sofa and began looking through documents. “You don’t have to be afraid, Reggie. You know how your daughter is.”

“Yes, I do. Stubborn, relentless, emotional, sarcastic.” He turned a page. “She is also diligent… compassionate… sharp.”

“An absolute angel.” Grace grinned. Reginald hummed thoughtfully.

“May I repeat myself so confidently when I say that I truly believe (Y/N) is my greatest accomplishment?”

Grace chuckled. “You may.” Her laugh earned a small smile from him. “It’s crazy to think that she wouldn’t be in our lives today had I not been walkin’ down that sidewalk… She probably wouldn’t be breathin’ if we hadn’t met.”

Reginald lifted his head to watch her smile soften with affection.

“Makes ya think about how impressively the world works. How some of the best people show up in our lives when we least expect it… Like they’re meant to be here with us.”

“Yes,” He mused with a smile of his own. “Like they are meant to be here…”

-------------------------------------------------

A dull ache settled into Five’s temples as he opened his eyes. The orange light from outside casted into the bedroom, which gave it a soft glow. It was nice, he thought. The Kugelblitz could hardly be seen in a positive light, but it did give off a nice view. With a groan, he sat up in bed, the duvet sliding off his bare chest and landing in his lap. Five massaged his temples in silence, save for (Y/N)’s soft breaths beside him.

“What did I get up to last night?” He whispered, staring around at the empty bottles and mannequin legs littered about the room. Blurry images flashed through his mind. Images of him drunkenly giving some speech at the wedding, chasing (Y/N) through the halls with plastic mannequin parts in his arms, taking many breaks to copulate in nearly every hall of the hotel. But the last thing he very vaguely remembered was what happened in the White Buffalo Suite.

“There is no time.”

Reginald was talking to someone the slightly ajar door obscured.

“I can’t do this without you.”

He made a deal.

Five furrowed his brows, his fuzzy brain trying to recollect any clues as to who the mystery second party was, but all he could remember was (Y/N) pulling him away. He tried not to dwell on it too much, for the frustration was only adding to his throbbing headache. “What was the old man up to?”

Beside him, he heard the sheets rustle and he turned to see (Y/N), creaking her eyes open just the slightest in order to see him. She only needed to glance at their bare bodies to remember exactly what they were up to the night before, the two sharing a smile in recognition. With a tired sigh, she stretched her arms.

“I feel like I wanna take a bath.”

In his room, Viktor stirred awake. It had been odd, not seeing Allison in the bed across from his. He figured she had found a new room, any empty ones open to her now that the other guests were no longer in the hotel. Part of him was relieved that the tension didn’t have to follow them in the room, but another part of him was hurt that she couldn’t stand to share one with him.

He jumped in alarm at the sound of a throat being cleared. He turned his head to see Reginald standing next to Allison’s old bed, a tray of food in his hands. “Bad dream?”

Viktor fought off a wince at his headache as he propped himself up on his elbows. “Why are you here?”

“What does it look like? To feed you, child. I’m sure after last night’s festivities, a hearty breakfast should bring you a bright start to your day.”

“It’s all such a blur.” He groaned as Reginald set the tray down on the bed and took a seat at the foot.

“Ah.”

Viktor gratefully picked up the glass of water on the tray and raised it to his lips. He halted when Reginald continued to stare at him. “Is there anything else?”

“To be honest, I have some concern.”

“Since when do you care?”

“May I remind you, I am not the Hargreeves you grew up with. Yes, we share the same DNA, impeccable style, and mannerisms, but I can assure you our life circumstances are very different.” He opened the tray cover to reveal two berry scones and two boiled eggs. “And being the only sober person at the wedding, I had the unique opportunity to witness your argument with Allison. Such a shame to see a family struggle so.”

Viktor scoffed as Reginald popped the food into his mouth. “Family… What does that even mean?”

“Family are the only people who know us whilst we endure our most epic trials. I think that should count for something.”

“Why don’t you tell Allison that?” He removed the blanket from his body and stood from the bed. Just outside his window, the Kugelblitz seemed to have moved even closer overnight, its orange clouds consuming what was once a bright blue sky. “Jesus…”

“He’s due any minute now.”

Viktor’s head snapped to Reginald, eyes wide.

“That was a joke.”

He chuckled with a raised brow, earning a smile from his father. “You do jokes now.”

“Actually, what I’m here to discuss… is deadly serious.”

-------------------------------------------------

The drip of the water from the faucet into the tub every few seconds was the only sound within the spa. Five sat in the hot water that rose to his chest, absently staring at his wife, who sat across from him in the tub, eyes shut and brows raised. She seemed to still be waking up since they had gotten out of bed. She hadn’t made a single sound since they sat down.

“Feeling better?” He whispered, receiving a quiet hum.

“I needed last night.”

“See? Told you so.”

She didn’t open her eyes, but she still frowned at him playfully. Moving her brows so suddenly slightly worsened her headache, so she released the expression to continue riding out her pain. “It was the first time in awhile where I celebrated something… and then something horrible didn’t happen right afterwards.” She gently opened her eyes and smiled sadly. “I don’t think I’ll get another night like that…”

Five reached out and caressed her scarred cheek in his palm with a soft look. “I’ll try my best to keep you happy, Starlight.”

“You already do… I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He whispered, leaning forward to sweetly kiss her lips.

Within Luther and Sloane’s room, the couple looked up from where they were sitting on their floor, in hardly any clothing, to see Allison standing in their open doorway. “Sorry.” She rapped her knuckles against the wood. “Door was open.”

“No, don’t worry. Come in.” Sloane scrambled to stand, Luther doing the same. “Sorry for the mess.”

“Oh, don’t be.” She smiled and stepped into the room. Sloane grabbed a cup of yogurt and sat in a chair on the side, Luther straightening to look at his sister. “Uh, look, I just wanted to come by and say I’m sorry. Okay, I’ve… I’ve been a really shitty sister lately.”

Luther widened his eyes at the unexpected apology, assuming Allison would never come to her senses. “You know, if you’re handing out apologies, Viktor should be top of the list.”

“No, I know. I’m…” She nervously stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I’m gonna get to him. I just, um… Working my way up.” She chuckled.

“Okay.” He whispered. “Well, I forgive you.”

Her smile widened, a gentle look in her eye. “‘Kay.” She smiled at Sloane, who smiled back, before heading towards the door. She stopped abruptly as if she remembered something and turned back around. “Oh, uh, Dad called a meeting at noon today. Are you both gonna come?”

His look of confusion melted into a sarcastic smile. “Oh, I see.” He pointed at his sister with narrowed eyes. “I see what this is.”

“Luther, he has a plan.”

“Mmhm?”

“No, a plan he thinks can save the universe.”

“Really?”

She sighed at his feigned interest in what she had to say. “So, please, come. Both of you.”

“No.”

“We’ll be there.” Sloane stood.

Allison grinned at her, then at Luther. “Great! Okay.” She nodded before leaving, Luther sighing as she shut the door behind her.

Back in Five and (Y/N)’s room, the former had just gotten dressed, the latter looking through the drawers for an outfit. He adjusted his tie and walked up to her, snaking an arm around her waist from behind. “I’m gonna have a drink outside. Feel free to join me when you’re ready.”

“You just got over a hangover, baby.” She looked over her shoulder to press the side of her forehead to his. Five smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Can’t let all those bottles go to waste.”

“No, I guess you can’t.” She chuckled. “Alright, go ahead. Love you.”

“Love you.” He pecked her lips and walked out of the room. Within time, (Y/N) shed her robe and put on her undergarments along with a pair of black slacks before a knock could be heard at the door. Thinking it was Five, she called for the person to come in.

She was taken aback when Allison opened the door and walked in. A long silence passed through as they stared at each other. Averting her gaze, (Y/N) went back to looking for a shirt. With her inebriation slept away, she no longer had much patience for Allison’s recent behavior. If she came in to argue once again, then (Y/N) was prepared to tell her off.

“Um… so…” Allison sat down on a small sofa near the bed. “I wanted to talk about… everything that’s happened between us. I’m… I’m not proud of it. I just wanted you to know why it went down the way it did.”

“I know why it did.” (Y/N) pulled on a light grey long-sleeve that stopped just above her navel. “You lost your daughter and your husband in our last jump and no one seemed to care. Barely even mentioned it, which just made it look like it didn’t matter. You were told to just accept it and move on. You were angry… angry that I appeared to be doing exactly what you weren’t. I get it. But I wasn’t.”

Allison stared as (Y/N) buckled harness straps to her waist and her shoulders. Her sister’s new style wasn’t one she particularly understood, but it did look very flattering on her. “You just… You looked so happy and I… didn’t know what to do with that.”

(Y/N) sighed and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’m sorry about Claire. Really, I am. I miss her, too, you know. She was my favorite niece.”

The two chuckled, Allison wiping away a tear. “She was your only niece, (Y/N).”

“That’s why it hurts so much more,” She pushed off the wall and strode up to Allison, sitting beside her on the sofa. She shook her head as her throat became restricted with unreleased sobs. “I lost my babies, too, Allison. I feel like… like I’m dying every second I’m not with them.”

Allison sniffled and pushed her sister’s hair back. “I know… I know. I’m sorry.”

(Y/N) sniffled and deeply inhaled, tears falling as she gently gripped her sister’s hands. “This family is all I have… And I’m holding on tight with everything I have. I need you to hold on, too, Allison. Because if you let go… you’re gonna slip, and you’re gonna fall.” She let out a choked sob. “And I don’t want you to fall, Allison. I wanna be in your corner, and I want you in mine.”

Sniffling, Allison pulled (Y/N) into a tight hug, letting out her own cries. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, (Y/N). No matter what, all I’ve wanted for you was for you to be happy. But I couldn’t understand how you managed to do that when I couldn’t. Then I realized that… you weren’t telling anyone how you felt. You were just keeping it all bottled up. And I hated that.”

She pulled away to hold (Y/N)’s face in her hands. “Just… no matter what happens… I want you to remember that. No matter what I’ve done or said, or what I haven’t done or said yet, I just want you to be happy. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Allison nodded and hugged her sister again before they released each other and sat back. “Also… I’m sorry about the Sparrow (Y/N). You guys seemed close.”

(Y/N) sniffled and nodded, twisting the white bracelet on her wrist. “She deserved happiness, too… But it’s very clear that the children of Sir Reginald Hargreeves will always live in misery…”

“You’re still pissed at him?”

“Pissed? I-I’m fucking infuriated with him. A-And then he calls everything he’s done a fucking ‘rough patch on a verdant lawn’? What the fuck?”

“(Y/N), you have every right to feel that way. You do. But Dad has a plan that can fix all of this. And he called a meeting-”

“No-”

“-at noon. It’s at noon, and I really think you should come to at least hear him out.”

“I’m not hearing shit out, Allison. You expect me, after I nearly killed him with a promise in my actions, to sit there and listen to anything that man has to say? No. Hell fucking no.”

Allison sighed and stood. ��Do what you want. And I know I’m not anyone to ask you to listen to me, either, but you said it before. We can’t think about ourselves when it comes to the end of the world. So, maybe, you can put aside some of that hatred to hear what he has to say.”

(Y/N) looked away with a clenched jaw.

“Okay… If you don’t, me or Five can just relay it to you. Think about it, though.”

Allison sighed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

-------------------------------------------------

At the edge of the world sat Five, tipping back a bottle and gulping down its contents. Behind him, on the other edge of the world, was the Kugelblitz. Everything on the other side was being sucked into the radiated black hole and he wasn’t trying to stop it. It was a jarring thing to think about.

He turned his head slightly when he heard footsteps approach him. For a second, he was about to call out to (Y/N), but those weren’t her footsteps. He’d recognize hers anywhere. Trailing his eyes up, he was met with-

“Reginald.” He greeted with a disregard to the man who stood beside him.

“I take it you know why I’m here.”

“How ‘bout I save you some time? Give you the ‘no’ upfront. I’m not the least bit interested in this bullshit plan you’ve been cooking.”

“It’s not, as you so colorfully called it, bullshit.”

Five only took another drink.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Actually, appreciate some…” His nerves were irked when Reginald sat down beside him. “...solitude.”

“Mmhm.”

“It seems I won’t get any.”

He handed the bottle over to his father. Reginald took a drink of it and winced. “Dear god!”

“Mmhm. Louis XIII, it ain’t.”

“I’ve had worse.” He set the bottle down and looked up at the new sky. “It is impressive, isn’t it?”

Five followed his gaze. “All the ways we could have screwed the pooch, this way is the most complete. I’m relieved, actually. This time, everything goes. There’s no Commission, no leaping away. No life spent going mad… with the desperation to see a familiar face.”

Reginald took another swig. “I’ve seen worlds end in ways that would knock your socks off, old man.”

“Wow! Reginald Hargreeves, you never cease to surprise me.”

“That is some comfort.” He smiled a bit. “You know, they all run together after awhile. But you never forget your first. Your home. Your original sin. You never stop wondering, ‘Did I do enough to save the people I loved?’.”

“Did you?”

“No… but I was hoping you children could help me out with that.”

Five raised his brows. “There it is.” He tossed back some more alcohol. “You can go ahead and scratch (Y/N) off your list of recruits. I think you’re the first person to ever land on her blacklist.”

With a genuine sigh of disappointment, Reginald glanced down at the nothingness below them. “One of my deepest regrets was hurting her so.” He looked up to meet Five’s curious gaze. “It seems I have underestimated the relationship you have with her. I see much of your influence in her, and I can’t say it is necessarily unhealthy.”

“What, is this your blessing or something?”

“You wouldn’t have accepted a blessing of mine.” He chuckled. “(Y/N) would have none of that. She has gained more nerve than she had when I last saw her. Though, it was only days for her. It was a change she needed, and perhaps a change that would not have occurred had you not been with her. That is the difference between her and my second-selected version of her.”

Five shook his head at that. “There were many differences between the two of them.” He gulped down another swig. “Sorry, Reg, but you can cross me off, as well. I got a message from the future.”

“What future?”

“My future self told me very explicitly not to save this world.”

Reginald quietly laughed in disbelief. “You are an arrogant son of a bitch, aren’t you? ‘Future you’. ‘Present you’. The past is as much a mystery as the future.” When Five only continued to drink, his amusement washed away. “You ruined your life once before by not listening to me. Are you prepared to do that again?”

Five stared him down with a clenched jaw, his teeth grit behind his closed lips. With a sigh, he relented. “Fine, I’ll attend your stupid meeting.”

“Excellent!” He smiled, standing to his feet.

“If…” Five gained his attention. “...you tell me what happened with you in the Buffalo Suite last night. Who were you talking to? Was it Klaus? Was it Ben?”

“No one. I was alone.” He shook his head. “Though, I doubt you were in any condition to remember. We should go. Don’t want to be late for the meeting.”

Five remained seated.

“I would move if I were you.”

He furrowed his brows. “What, are you threatening me?”

A sudden rumbling shook him, prompting him to hurriedly get to his feet and step back, the part of the ground he was just sitting on breaking apart and falling into the endless pit below.

“Shall we?” Reginald smiled and walked back to the hotel. With a scoff, Five set the bottle down and followed him.

Upon entering, an outburst of claps and cheers for the boy sounded from where the family sat. Five sighed and approached them as they all applauded for his drunken speech at the wedding, where, apparently, he had said some very heart-warming words. To the side, though, Reginald caught sight of (Y/N) walking to the lobby from the elevator she had just exited. With a deep breath, he approached her.

“My child.” He greeted, the girl flinching with a glare. “Before I commence the meeting, I wanted to deeply apologize for (Y/N)’s death. I can see that it has wounded you, and I regret my actions in the entire ordeal.”

(Y/N) sighed and crossed her arms, looking anywhere but at him. “You know, out of anyone, you should be apologizing to her. But she isn’t here for you to do that… Not even her clone.”

He sighed, scrambling to find the right words to say. Reginald Hargreeves wasn’t usually someone to be caught speechless, but (Y/N) never failed to bring out the unexpected. At his silence, she shook her head. “Why did you even do it? What was the point of it all?”

“My child… the day you and your mother left in 1963, it formed an unforeseeable hole in my life. Even your mutt left.”

“Mr Pennycrumb…?”

“Taken by Grace. All I ever wanted was a family like ours once again. So, in order to have even a bit of the past, I adopted you again in 1989. However, I never took into account that a different environment would cause such a drastic change in her character. She was nothing like you, (Y/N). In hopes of repairing what I had already damaged, I coddled her. I made sure to be more attentive with her than my other children. In my attempts, it only resulted in her nature to become cocky and entitled.”

(Y/N) frowned in confusion, but let him continue.

“My Sparrow (Y/N) suffered from underlying issues. She was a very disturbed and… sadistic individual. I first realized it when she was only thirteen, in a time when she was my Number One. She could not lead a unit to success, for her wickedness held her back. It held her siblings back. I was afraid… I was afraid that if she continued the way she did, she would shape the Sparrows into a team of endangerment.

“I demoted her and isolated her from the rest. She was unreasonable, ridiculously headstrong. There was no need for the Sparrows to know the truth, as it would only cause fear and rebellion. With a clone, it was a means to start once again. A blank slate. I instilled an entirely different personality within her clone. One where she was subservient and constantly seeking validation from me. From everyone.

“You have to believe me, it wasn’t what I wanted for her. It was a finer alternative than the person she truly was. I was keeping the children safe… I believed I was keeping her safe. I see now that my intentions blinded me from what I was truly doing to her. I would have ceased my wrongdoings if I had known I was corrupting her mind.”

(Y/N) stayed silent for a second, taking in everything told to her. The entire situation seemed so superfluous. All he had to do was talk to her. Her whole life, it seemed Sparrow (Y/N) just needed someone to talk to her, not isolate her. It didn’t make sense. “You were such a good father in ‘63…” She shook her head. “I wonder what happened in between.”

Reginald gave a small smile. “You were not there.”

“Don’t put this on me. If I had such an impact on your life, then how did I not teach you to be a good father to any other child of yours?”

“In every timeline, (Y/N), you are my daughter. I suppose you are the only one I planned to truly raise, for there is no other child to raise like you.” His smile widened a bit. “I love you very much, my child.”

She scoffed and walked past him, walking in the seating area. All irritation she had just felt washed away when she came face-to-face with her family, who greeted her warmly.

“Hey, there, Miss Maid of Honor.”

“Quite the entertainer last night.”

“Oh, yeah, the life of the party.”

“We need to book you more for events.”

(Y/N) chuckled and jokingly curtsied before walking over to the armchair Five sat in, sitting herself on one of the arms. Reginald returned to the room to stand before everyone. Without any context, he began to explain.

“The Norse had seven sleepers. The Blackfoot, seven stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the seven bells. All these stories are the same. The village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the seven magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was.”

Lila raised her hand. “Reggie? Can we get a little less Brothers Grimm and a little more ‘What the hell does this have to do with us’?”

“There is a truth to these myths. None of you can deny what’s going on around us. All of existence will be gone by the end of the day, but whoever or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together if the universe ever faced total annihilation. There is a portal in the universe. I built this hotel around it… and on the other side… is the answer.”

Luther shrugged. “And… we’re supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells, and fix this shit?”

“Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right. Except for the guardian.”

“What kind of guardian?” Viktor asked.

“Kinda guardian that does this.” Diego lifted his hand, where two makeshift prosthetics took the place of where his fingers used to be. “He had a sword.”

“It is a force to be reckoned with.”

Luther shook his head. “See? Yeah. This is where you lose me.”

“This is where he loses you?” Lila raised her brows. “I checked out at the sacred cave.”

“Why would the builders of this ‘back door’ need to have a guardian?” Viktor asked.

“Ah!” Sloane pointed. “To protect it from people who want to use it for nefarious means.”

Reginald nodded. “That is correct, Sloane.”

“So, I guess it’s gonna take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells.”

Five glanced over at Allison from where she sat in an empty luggage cart. “You’re actually buying his crap?”

“How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-traveling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?”

“Actually, she’s got you there.” Luther agreed.

When no one else spoke, Ben stood and walked up to his father’s side. “I’m in.”

Five thought back to last night.

“I can’t do this without you.”

Could it be Ben?

“Me, too.” Diego stood, causing Lila to gently fall back on the couch. Five looked over at him.

“Do we have a deal?”

Diego? Did Diego make the deal?

“But I think some of us should stay back. Like Lila.”

Five immediately scrapped the idea. Diego only wanted to protect his girlfriend. It was the kind of person he was. He wouldn’t team with Reginald. Lila raised her brows at Diego and stood.

“Uh… or you can stay, and I can go.”

“No.” Allison spoke. “This is much bigger than all of us. Nobody can stay back.”

“You, my children, are all that stands between us and oblivion.” Reginald tried to convince them further. “Are we ready to go?”

Viktor looked around. “Well, I say we vote.”

“This isn’t a democracy.” Ben hissed. “Dad’s calling the shots.”

(Y/N) scoffed. “No the hell he isn’t. If there’s a chance we can avoid ending up like Diego or worse, I’d like to know it was because we actually thought on it first.”

“I agree.” Five grabbed her hand. “We vote.”

Reginald frowned at them. “The world is ending, and you want to count hands?”

“You’re asking us to risk our lives,” Luther reasoned. “I think it’s only fair you give us time to discuss it. Privately.”

With a disappointed scoff, Reginald left the lobby with a pat to Ben’s shoulder. Luther looked around and nodded. “Why don’t we meet back here in an hour?”

“Agreed.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Whatever.”

“Sounds good.”

Allison tried to hold back her anxiety as she clenched her hand into a fist. After the family dispersed, she quickly went after Viktor, who had known she was following him the whole time. When she called out for him to wait, he sighed and turned to her.

“For what? So you can hand me my ass again?”

“Look, I was really drunk last night-”

“Okay, you don’t have to make excuses. I get it. I am your least favorite sibling. I ruined your life-”

“Okay, no, that’s not-” She sighed. “Will you just stop and listen, please?”

Viktor motioned for her to speak.

“Last night, you were right. Claire and Ray are gone. But… hating you won’t bring them back. And my pain… doesn’t give me permission to hurt you.” She turned to lean against the railing, her next words choked on her welling tears. “But it’s real. And it’s something that I have to carry. Which is why if I don’t… If I don’t do something, if I don’t- if I don’t act now… it’s just another thing that slips into nothingness.

“If we stay here, we die. But if we go through the portal, we could… we could save the universe. We could save… everybody. So, can we just put our past behind us and move forward together? Can you give me that?”

At a loss for words, Viktor nodded, which caused Allison to smile.

“I love you.”

The words he had wanted to hear from her, the ones that he thought he lost, were finally spoken once again, pulling him into the routine to immediately repeat them back. “I love you, too.”

Allison moved forward and pulled her brother into a hug, Viktor reciprocating it. This was everything he wanted. All he wanted was for he and Allison to apologize to each other and make amends. To hug and become siblings again. However, something didn’t feel right. He tried to push the feeling down as deep as he could, but he couldn’t dismiss the suspicion he felt. He just hoped her intentions were pure from here on out.

On the other end of the hug, Allison blankly stared forward, all her sadness and guilt wiped away. Her mask had fallen. She was an actress, after all. She had to improvise.

—————————————

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