#his class was there volunteering at the state park I worked at at the time

[heyclickadee]

I’m probably less afraid of venomous snakes than I should be. I mean, they’re dangerous, of course, but the best way to avoid being bitten is to just give them a wide berth. It won’t always work, because they’re hard to see, and a person will sometimes, tragically, not see a snake until they’re stepping on it. But they’re not malicious. There are aggressive snakes out there, but they’re fairly rare, and it’s not as though they go out looking to bite humans, because we’re too big for most snakes, let alone venomous snakes, to eat. When, for example, rattlesnakes snakes bite, they bite because they’re threatened, surprised, or scared. They’re just trying to defend themselves from something much bigger than they are, and which they perceive as a threat. Rattlesnakes even warn you to get away before they bite you most of the time! They’re so polite! Like, sorry I disturbed you, little guy—let me back up and move out of your way. No reason to panic.

I am, however, terrified of water snakes. Like. Oh? Is that a sea snake? Cool, cool, cool, it’s not even going to have to bite me because I’m going to give myself the benz by panicking and pulling the wrong tab on my scuba vest so I shoot up to the surface like a cork. Ditto for water moccasins (though let’s be real, if I find myself in the water with a water moccasin I’m probably also bumping into an alligator).

[wytfut]

Soccer.... flat lands style

A bit of my history. As a very young man involved with YMCA sports, my Father who was something of a basketball star at Boelus High School was envisioning me becoming another star like himself. I can't imagine his disappointment in my skills, or even a glimmer of understanding the sport basketball. I didn't have any of it. I was intimated by my fellow team members, and of course the other team.

Pop was also on the Boelus farm Baseball team. Yes, Boelus had their own ball field with lites, just outside of town in a flood plain.

Little Chiefs was the league I went out for, and again, I was way to immature mentally and physically to play any team sports. It just didn't fit the way I thought.

Because of this history, I've never been a fan of sports. Cornhuskers included. Believe me its a brutal position here in Nebraska, home of the bug eaters (who knew I'd ever get a chance to use that term correctly) .

Once I got to high school I did go out for Xcountry, and Track. I wasn't good at either one, but felt to be a part of something social. With my Pop a State Trooper, and my Mom a working RN, it was rare they'd appear when I competed, due to night shifts and day sleeping.

..............

Way back in the dinosaur days.... My oldest and middle sons decided by peer pressure to take up soccer. I'd guess 1rst or 2nd grade. This would be 1983ish.

Back then all soccer was played on Saturdays, at Woods Park, put on by Lincoln YMCA. This very moment in time, the Lincoln YMCA was the largest soccer club in America (over 500?). Woods Park at 33rd and O, was overwhelmed.

Back then, most Cornhusker parents couldn't even pronounce soccer, let alone even know the rules.

With that, I witnessed Parents coaching soccer, like the sport was football. the unhappy "Athletic Parent Syndrome" was very apparent. I witnessed it a lot back then. Its still lives to this day, but nothing like back then.

Parent coaches, parent spectators, were pretty venomous towards other teams, and "boosting" their own team.

All of that made me even more uncomfortable with sports.

After YMCA was fairly established, there was rumor of another soccer club forming in Lincoln, called CSA. CSA "gasp" had paid coaches, that were even certified in coaching soccer. The best of the best in Lincoln usually ended up joining CSA.

By 1993ish, my youngest son Josh was of age to play soccer (kindergarten then). He was coached by one of the Mom's and my oldest son Jake. The next year I decided to jump in with both feet and coach, to learn soccer, via certification thru the "Y". The "Y" was still a volunteer coach club.

I took soccer coach class from the Wesleyan girls coach. He had a winning record, and was a good instructor. In fact I took the class twice, as the team grew in experience, I gained coaching help, and went with my other coaches. (I still have a certificate somewhere, I believe it was the NSSA certification)

In general terms, the teams with "football" coaches, we'd normally beat. And the better coached teams always were weary of us, as we could surprise everyone. "Silly Waverly team... nothing but hicks!"

Our record was running about 50/50 (maybe a little bit better). As I wasn't pushing hard for winning seasons, but more for the education and enjoying soccer. My long range goal was for the boys to get opportunity to go on and play on a college team (I know, pretty lofty).

I had a couple of mentor coaches back then. Ones that I really looked up to, and tried to apply their ways with the boys (and 1 girl the late Carly Pester). A Lincoln high club coach, and Bob Warming at Creighton.

Once I found Bob Warming, I bought season tickets to all home Creighton games. Good times, Jonny Torres was the star reinventing soccer in the midwest. Now Jonny is the head coach (after playing pro on several different teams), and Bob is on retainer as consultant.

Got to meet Bob at a couple soccer camps. Very humble but outspoken coach. Really identified with him.

These guys coached games mostly very quiet for the most part. Their philosophy, was that if you had to yell and scream at the game, it was too late. If the team was failing you had to teach correction at practice. I know, way too simple, but that's what it boils down to. Coach Bob..... went to NCAA every year, and always finished very hi.

..............

This all sounds polite and gentlemanly to a point, but I have a side story to insert here.

My boys had to travel to Kearney for a game early in the season. The team and the parents were the worst poor sports I have ever witnessed. It was so bad, that mentally my kids were completely out of the game, and didn't have a chance. It was a blood bath. It was extreme, we were even badgered in the parking lot when we were leaving. I'd never seen before or since such actions against another team.

Later in the season, Kearney had to come to Lincoln to play us. The Kearney team was playing extremely rough, bad mouthing... just the worst sports ever. Again we lost, as I don't coach that type of playing, so the boys were not mentally into the game.

End of game I told the field ref.... "I'll take the red card, as I don't care..... but we will not becoming onto field to shake hands. This was the worst game ref'd and played I've ever seen"....

Ref became very pissed, and demanded we all come on field and berated us (both teams) for how the game went.

After the game I wrote a letter to the organizers of our league (only time I ever did it) complaining about the kearney team. And that if we got scheduled to play with them again next season, we would take the forfeit.

It turned out we were not the only team to complain. There was another. The next season, they were kicked out of the league.

The following season, they were allowed back in..... totally completely turned around. The best sports ever. All smiling faces. And still a good skilled team. I honestly don't remember if we won or not, but it was a true pleasure to play them.

..............

About the time the boys (and 1 girl) got to Jr. Hi, we ended up taking the league. A very proud moment for such a small silly metal. This particular season, thru attrition, we were slimmed way down on our size of membership. If I remember right, we only had 14 on the bench. That season I received more compliments from other coaches on how "in shape" my players were. And they were, as part of practice was just getting "lungs" to play.....

It was also about at this time I volunteered to help the high school girls team. On the girls team was one of Jake's early girl friends and I had heard a lot of disappointment from her about the coach.

He was a true football coach during season, and was told if he wanted to be a teacher at Waverly, he had to coach the girls soccer team. Nothing like volunteering.

Bret was a good guy, just a terrible soccer coach that didn't want to take any classes, or learn about it. It was filler for spring sports.

I volunteered to help coach goal keepers. I'm not a goal keeper coach, but watching our goal keepers, it was an easy job, they weren't goal keepers. Anything I'd offer, was like magic to them.

Back in those days... there was no "class" for different high schools. All soccer was ALL CLASS, as there were not enough teams to form a season. So inexperienced teams like Waverly (class B), would play powerhouse teams like Lincoln High (class A).

I witnessed a lot of Nebraska high school soccer history during these years. Stuff that now is common, but rare back then.

Cornhuskers decided to start a girls soccer team. Coached by a Canadian National coach (off season). They were playing all home games at CSA champion stadium then. As new as they were, they were always very competitive all the way to NCAA. John Walker is still the cornhusker coach.

......

My boys team eventually made it up to hi school age, and all pretty much went out for soccer, and all made varsity by Sophomore year. I'd still coach them off season. The coach was not a soccer coach, but Waverly had enough talent/skill to go to a long way during season. Making it to state, etc.

I have to comment here, to the credit of THIS coach. Waverly had a huge reputation as a very violent team with the coach before. I remember after watching them play Lincoln High with my 2 older sons, and they were going thru the hand shake line, one of the Waverly kids cold cocked one of the Lincoln High kids, right there in the hand shake line. Oh my....

My hi school girls never became a power house, as a large number had NO experience playing soccer in their lives. Because of this, you'd be lucky if you had 7 experienced players on the field at one time.

By the time I left to retire (2002) from the high school girls, the latest coach Joel was pretty good stuff. He's been inheriting a lot of highly skilled girls, but just can't get a break when it comes to the end of the season tournaments. Joel is still the girls hi school coach and coaches off season.... he's that committed.

Back in the beginning when it was "All" class, we had some amazing athletic studs, that would at least pull the team together mentally. They didn't know soccer, but they knew team sports.

The late Carly Pest went on to play with the girls once in hi school, and was on varsity her freshman year, as a keeper.

I got to see Josh play at state 2 times. But none of the boys I coached went on to play college soccer.

My girls, who kept coming back game after game only to get the shit kicked out of them...... I had 5 girls go on and actually made varsity, and played college soccer. Midlands in Fremont, Wesleyan in Lincoln, Concordia in Seward.

Now I'm watching 3 granddaughters play soccer. One is in 2nd grade. another middle school, and oldest a sophomore in hi school. In the over 20 years since I retired, flatland soccer has evolved huge.

Soccer skills have improved by leaps. No more the isolated star. All players are playing like the stars of past, as those skills are common now.

Too many clubs today, I don't have a clue, how many. Most if not all clubs are paid coaches. Many of the coaches are coaching multiple teams, and coaching as a paid career. (sidenote: for a short period one summer I was coaching 5 teams at once, all volunteer). Kids are traveling very far to be on teams (Lincoln kids going to Gretna clubs). Club teams traveling all over the country to compete in tournaments.

I think I need to stop there, as the "money" being spent on ALL youth today in sports, is a completely another topic, that i'm not sure I can wrap my head around it.

Youth Soccer in Nebraska is in the spring.... the season has started. It'll be another season of me watching my girls, with a smile on my face. They each are showing some excellent skills, that are going to take them places.

[neoyi]

Okay, within the first twelve pages, the comic has stated:

A few years have apparently passed, which confuses me because all the characters look the same??? Maybe they're going by floating timeline. Tucker has a smartphone now. ...Then again, the first smartphone came out around 2008ish, roughly around the time the show ended. I guess it'd make sense for Tucker to rock one before anyone else does, buuuuut I'm guessing they're just going with "this story is a sequel to the show set within a few years, but the few years is nebulous because we're evoking floating timeline." Fair enough.

Dash, Star, and Kwan is part of a city-wide ghost protecting squad hemmed by the Fentons, continuing the nice little character details that bully and shallowly popular they may be, they're not evil little shits; they're decent kids and people who've constantly supported DP in his line of work. Them volunteering to keep Amity Park safe is genuinely cool of them and really, sets them up with a future where they can grow up NOT to be dick heads.

Tucker was mayor for all of 48 hours before they restored the previous mayor because he accidentally dropped a baby omg fucking tucker making him a politician was stupid and made no damn sense.

Mayor Tucker felt like a last-minute ending to give him something because by the end of the show, no one had any damn clue what to do with him. His entire personality was that he was a Horny Nerd and very little beyond it in spite of some promises. Like Danny is accepted by his loved ones (and the world.) Sam gets Danny. Vlad loses. Etc etc. Bullshit aside, you could argue their journeys have led them to where they are by the end of the show.

Tucker's biggest character study was his second banana status. He didn't have the cool ghost powers his oldest, bestest friend had; they were both "losers" in their teenage wasteland society, but Tucker didn't get a super power. There was no equality between the two of them anymore - not in his eyes anyway. The one time he does get 'em, he fucked it up epically because he gave in far too easily into his insecurities. There was a story there, and rarely did it ever get explored. Giving Tucker a key to the entire city would have been disastrous because he learned absolutely nothing when handed any kind of power. And it made no damn sense even without that context because that boy has only ever shown any interest in politics once ("King Tuck" when he ran for class president) and did so because he wanted to be heard. While his tech has been instrumental in helping Team Phantom, the show never validates it and ultimately him. He would never get past sidekick status in a way both Sam or Jazz did. he had no voice and by season three, not as much screentime. So he's mayor because... he demonstrated his tech skills which translated into leadership because he gave a few orders. Within two comic panels, the creator undoes all that and, well, I can't say "all is right in the world" since it doesn't do a thing for Tucker's arc, but it removed something so fundamentally cartoonish and out-of-nowhere that I'm not complaining in anyway, shape, or form. Mayor Tucker was stupid and the comic rightfully points it out as such.

The comic also contradicts Hartman's hypothetical proposal of where Vlad would have ended up in post-"PP" - that is a prisoner to aliens of which he'd eventually escape, go back to Earth, and I don't know, go even more mad with power? Like Mayor Tucker, the whole alien thing is just balls nuts because it brings in an element that was never presented, emphasized, or necessary for the show. It's about ghosts. It's only about ghosts. The original plan for Plasmius had him as a vampire, which is why he has a cliche Dracula look to himself, but they took it out for being "too occult." It would have also added nothing. This isn't a catch-all "Best Of" Spooky Monster Variety Hour show, it's just about ghosts. So thankfully, they just had him fly back where he found out he lost everything. No aliens needed.

[balshumetsbaragouin]

Alright people! We have officially hit the point of finishing Act Two! Inside, Danny gets a little time to hang out with Ohm, and then confronts Valerie.

This last bit is going to catapult us into the Third Act with a bang!

Still aren't convinced? Have a sample of the latest chapter below:

Danny watched the citizens of Amity Park, all dressed in colorful festive sweaters and juggling freshly purchased packages, rush in and out of the Beverley Mall. The entire area glowed with a blanket of holiday cheer, taking on the colors of the strung lights twinkling in the darkness of the night. At the front of the Mall sat the baskets for various charity drives, bell-ringing volunteers wearing Santa hats, as shoppers tossed change or reached deeper into their wallets to fill the baskets to bursting. One of the baskets bore the name of the fund the city had created to aid people with recovery after the curse finished disrupting tech throughout the greater Amity area. That one saw more donations than others, the teens manning the table and ringing the bells doing their best to draw attention to the cause and spread the word of the organization’s purpose. Although it had been commissioned to handle the cleanup following the outbreak, because of the severity and length of the event, the town finally gave in to the need for a more permanent local relief fund. Donations would travel to needy families throughout Amity for the techpocalypse, all the cash earmarked until the end of the year to aid business owners and suburban families alike, before they reconvened in the new year to set up a budget to plan for common disasters. 

His friends planned to sunset the website, and its toxic forums, by the end of December and hand the domain over to the new charity. Good riddance in his opinion. If he had to read through one more of Dash’s Phantom rants to ban the asshole after January first, he’d blow up the other boy’s laptop. The Baxter’s were rich enough to buy him a new one the next day, but the catharsis would be worth its weight in gold. He’d told Sam and Tucker that Dash owned the GhostTeen account, and skipped over everything else to do with that night in terms of their conversation. He’d shown them the advertising packet, and shoved the fan mail into the bottom of his drawer. He’d burn it this weekend now that everything calmed down; he just hadn’t had a chance. 

They were going over it together on the phones as he did patrol. Unfortunately, Team Phantom agreed Dash did have some brains between the bones of his skull, because the designs for the line and the plans for launch were actually good. Once they’d started going through the papers in detail, he’d realized Dash oversold the input from Ms. Avery or anyone else. Everything carried the fingerprints of his direct involvement, with meticulous attention to even the tiniest bit of information he knew about Phantom. It still landed somewhere between creepy and awe-inspiring. Not the good kind like ‘awesome’, but the bad kind like ‘Biblical down-pouring of fire by the Old Testament God’. If the dude’s brains had enough wherewithal to come up with all of this, then he shouldn’t be flunking school. Once again, he wished he’d focus more of the fanaticism into passing Sophomore year and less into the basketball season as he tried to put the team on his back and carry them back to state. “I actually like the designs for the hoodie. I kinda want one, which is saying something, because I know Dash made it.”

“He’s got a mind for fashion and graphic design. It’s weird he doesn’t take more art classes.” Sam had a digital copy on her computer, Tucker too. He’d scanned them the previous weekend. 

“I bet he’d call it ‘gay’ if he did take them. You heard how much he complained about dance classes. Those things are just exercising to a beat. It’s more like athletics than performing art,” Tucker said.

“Dash thinks everything is gay. At least, everything he hates,” Sam pointed out. He tried not to wince at the topic of conversation, refocusing on the jaunty Christmas music and excited children dancing along below. 

[thehipovercor]

Woe: more Cor Lore be upon ye!!!

This time it's like... lore not a fic lol. I did poach some writing from a previous Q&A in the end but most of this is stuff in my head that I've neglected to share ------

Corda can be found in any geographic location on Earth due to the Hydra’s ability to reach any human in the world. Large population centers are typically found underground in cave networks deeper than where human spelunkers explore, with one Capital City per continent (including Antarctica!). Smaller towns and villages, also underground, supply materials that cannot be produced in the city. The North American Falsum Capital is unremarkable in age but is notable in cultural significance: the Hydra Pit is said to be close by and an instinctive draw for many Corda who may immigrate to follow the inexplicable tug. The NAFC is located approximately 8 miles outward, underneath the Atlantic Ocean coast, with the closest state being Maryland. The city itself is separated into districts with a large central district dedicated to parks (using lamps to support the plantlife) and market stalls. Corda do not have a unified currency; with the age of many individuals they work for the pleasure of their craft, bartering, and/or US currency. Homes are built in cosmopolitan styles depending on the resident, patchworking the layout with a villa here or a suburban sprawl there (so to speak). Homes are either built on the flattened cavern floor or into the walls; adventurous Corda build onto the giant natural stone column using lighter materials. The cavern walls feature connective tunnels to other civilizations, including to the surface, both natural and manmade. A series of netting covers the ceiling to prevent most rockfall debris. Bonfires are forbidden.

The Castle, named only for its design, is carved directly into the far eastern wall and contains the entrances to the Falsum Elders’ dens. Cicero, the Conduit Elder, has a straightforward path and she does not prevent visitors. Aristotle, the Cognizant Elder, supposedly connects but seems to be deliberately scrambled to prevent casual visitation. Indra and Agni, the twin Scout Elders, usually rest in their dens before wandering the streets looking for friendship and fun. Concordia, the Kindred Elder, [REDACTED INFORMATION]. The Castle itself is also home to the High Overcor, the Conduit Class Head who acts as a secretary and treasurer, overseeing administrative duties that cannot be automated or given to another worker. (Note: other towns and cities in the Underground have their own Overcorda, with villages sending their requests to the nearest Overcor. The High Overcor is the NAFC’s Overcor and the other continents feature their own High Overcorda as well.) Half of the Castle is for recreation, acting as a rec center and ballroom and features its own large kitchen if needed – the other half of the Castle is for administration.

The city also hosts a robust postage system led by Beowulf, the Scout Class Head. By far the fasted-rated Scout, he and his team run letters and packages throughout the city and to neighboring towns. The Cordial Couriers, as he calls it, has never failed a delivery. The nearby Concordia Memorial Hospital (oddly-named because he is not dead) can attest to their dedication, as Dr. Eve Aksoy the Kindred Class Head has treated many broken bones. The hospital is nonprofit and runs on donations, volunteers (in ample supply), and negotiations with nearby pharmacies. The Cognizant Labs, overseen by Qwerty the Cognizant Elder, does supply some materials in exchange for consenting medical information used for more research and improvement. The Labs are an inverted skyscraper located out of the way in the north Capital wall, delving deep into the earth by 100 floors. The top 10 floors are open to visitors and acts as a makeshift college for any Cor seeking an education they may not have, while the next 40 floors are open to visitors with strict supervision as they contain more volatile research (and Cognizants). The remaining 50 floors, downward, are more secretive and reclusive and work on equally important projects. Qwerty is at the bottom in a sort of luxury suite. The entire Lab complex is filled with Whisperers, strange blue bee-like insects, that have been taken on as pets. Warrior Class Corda also have Heads, but they are currently in the process of voting in new candidates. Warriors compete in a multi-stage process to prove empathy and capability. (Note: All Class Heads are voted in and serve “for life” or until they retire from the position.)

The legal system in the Capital is a two-layered Congress. The actual governing borrows from other countries' laws with custom laws being passed in congressional debate, usually with the Heads' cabinets present to argue and vote. Tentative decisions get passed by Elders and their input is either ignored or considered into the final decisions. There are courts with educated judges, leaving the Class Heads more free to do their normal jobs around the city. ...Unless, of course, the case is tricky and needs input. The recent Project Roots scandal required direct input from all serving Class Heads as the previous Cognizant Head, Thanatos, was immediately removed from the position for his actions. Aristotle was also involved but has faced no apparent punishment.

There a district set up for the large Warrior Classes humorously called the Barracks, but it’s mostly a section constructed to accommodate their large body type; however, there's a beloved amphitheater reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum, although the fights held there are more akin to sparring matches and the ring is also used for plays and similar performances. Some Warrior Classes live in the main city and some Common Classes dwell in the Barracks, but each find the architecture built for their size to be more comfortable. The Barracks are located close by the Lab entrance.

Miscellaneous Info:

Upon reaching approximately 900 years of age, Corda will begin to grow wattles/dewlaps on their necks like birds and some reptiles. Corda do not have sexual dimorphism, or even genitals for that matter, so sex does not apply to the colors, size, or shape of the wattle. Typically, but not always, Scouts have warm colors, Conduits have cool colors, Kindred have pastels, and Cognizants have vibrant displays. Warrior Classes usually have “ugly” colors. Shapes are limited by the space on the throat, but over the next few centuries a wattle will maximize from beneath the chin to mid-breast utilizing the loose skin of the neck. From then, growth is especially slow.

Corda are to blame for many mythological and folklore creatures, but not all. Some modern creepypastas can also be attributed to Corda playing pranks on humans. Particularly, Conduits love to telepathically jam radios and similar wireless electronic communications and can be blamed for EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon). Additionally, Cor telepathy is separate from their physical voices, which are animalistic and incapable of human speech.

Corda can shapeshift into a form that appears how they were as humans and they do so to wander the surface world. Some prefer life in human areas while others are merely visiting. The shift event itself is difficult to pinpoint as each Cor seems to transform differently. Some shift with grotesque body horror, some seem to ripple the air around them, some become void black before reappearing – despite the options, all shifts take place remarkably quickly. Corda who hold their human form, colloquially referred to as their “human skin,” for too long (a week or more) begin to look progressively more uncanny (i.e. eyes too wide, mouth too wide, fingers too long). Corda who, regardless, are more comfortable and connected to their human skins and shift often tend to have their human features grow at a normal rate: most notably fingernail and hair growth. A Cor who goes to the surface weekly will need regular haircuts compared to a Cor who has nearly abandoned their human skin and only uses it as an emergency, who would then have the same hair length as XYZ years it was last utilized. Shifted Corda are still beholden to using telepathy to speak, as their vocal cords do not change to provide human voices. Finally, Corda are fully capable of partial shifts in which only some of their bodies change and seem to prefer doing so to their ears and teeth.

[travelingtheusa]

IOWA

2023 Sep 20 (Wed) – Wow!  We have been so deeply involved in all the planning and directing of the National Muster that we have barely had time to breath, much less write about our activities.

      We wound up having to reorder our items so that we could get them in time for the muster to start (it was frames for the photos people would be submitting for the photo contest).  That package came and I asked Escapees to send our package/mail to us.  It is expected to arrive here on Friday.  Hope there’s no delay because we leave here on Saturday.

      Lots of great things have been happening since our muster opened on Monday.  Classes, seminars, games, brown bag auction, etc.  Tomorrow, I am the guest speaker at the women’s luncheon.  I accepted the assignment as secretary/treasurer of the STAR Chapter.  The STAR Chapter is for folks who have recruited five or more members to SMART.  It meets once a year at the National Muster, just like the Nomads do.  We’ll see how long this assignment goes.

      The President of SMART, Gene, did not come to national.  The day he was supposed to leave for Iowa, he got chest pains and went to the hospital.  Turns out he has blockages and will be undergoing open heart surgery tomorrow.  Richard moved from 1st VP to acting president and I moved from 2nd VP to 1st VP.  We would have done that anyway at the end of the muster but we advanced earlier than expected.  The person who got elected to 2nd VP, David, was the president of SMART back in 2011.  He stepped forward to volunteer because no one else was volunteering.  It’s a sorry state of affairs.

2023 Sep 15 (Fri) – Our package from Walmart turned out to be delivered in Livingston, Texas, not Amana, Iowa!  I called Walmart to see where our package was and found it went to a bad address.  The agent I spoke with told me to wait 48 hours after delivery then file for a refund.  Even though we know it went to a bad address, we still have to wait.  Bummer!

2023 Sep 14 (Thu) – We took a tour of the Amana Colony today.  They call them colonies but they are actually one colony with seven villages.  We rode in a 12-passenger van with 8 other people, some from SMART and some not.  We stopped at various places along the tour and the tour guide explained about life in the early days and how the colony formed and changed.  Today, it is a corporation where it was a communal village when they first formed.  That’s a pretty big change.

      The tour ended at 12:30 p.m.  We hurried back to the campground to get a quick bite to eat then went to a meeting of the travel committee.  That went on for two and a half hours.  I’m not sure we solved much but we sure did talk a lot.

      We returned to our rig and did a little work.  Brenda & Rick, friends from other caravans, arrived and we went over to say hi.  I walked over to the Muster Master to talk about door prizes.  The director of the Visitor Bureau promised me (many months ago) that she would canvass local businesses for donations of door prizes.  When we stopped by to get the donations today, she said no one answered her letter.  What a let down!  I asked the muster master if he wanted us to go to merchants to ask for donations and he said to wait and see what everyone brings.  Folks bring a lot of donations with them.

      The SMART President will not be here.  It looks like he suffered a heart attack.  The 1st VP will be acting President and I will be acting 1st VP and the candidate for 2nd VP will step up for this national.  We all just move forward a little earlier than expected.  There have been 7 cancellations in the last 2 days.  We have less than 80 RVs coming now.  We really need to find a way to increase our membership.

2023 Sep 13 (Wed) – We packed up and left Waukee at 10 am.  We only had 118 miles to go today.  When we arrived at Amana RV Park, we checked in and were shown to our spot in an open field.  We have full hookups but our sites are back to back with someone else.  Since we are early and a lot of the sites were empty, we got to pull straight through the empty site into our site.

      A few people were already in the campground.  The SMART National Muster doesn’t officially start until September 18 but advance crews are already arriving.  We had a happy hour over by the rig with David & Jackie (Muster Master), Joe & Diane, Jon & Nancy (Travel Coordinator), and a few other folks.  And, of course, the executive manager and assistant for SMART are here as well – Melissa and Phyllis.

      We got notice that some items we bought from Walmart had been delivered but when we went to the office, they didn’t have anything.  We’ll try again tomorrow.

2023 Sep 12 (Tue) – We drove into town to get fuel.  While there, we stopped at Dillards where I bought some undergarments.  We also stopped at a Hyvee Supermarket to get some groceries (we were out of cat food).  We stopped for lunch at Smoky Row, which actually turned out to be a café in a Hyvee gas station.  Very high end.  A little weird.

We toured the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates ---

      Jon & Nancy and Jim & Theda, all SMART members and former caravan participants with us (Jon & Nancy were tail gunners on our Utah caravan), showed up in the campground.  We had a delightful campfire and all shared stories about caravans and the difficulties in scheduling them.

2023 Sep 11 (Mon) – We went to see some sights only to find everything closed.  It is Monday.  Many places are closed Monday because they were open over the weekend.  Ugh.

      We got a notice from Staples that the books are done so we drove over there and picked them up.   They look very good.  Unfortunately, a piece I had deleted (I thought), is in the back of the book.  It is a recap of mechanical difficulties we encountered on our great Alaska adventures.  I will have to write a small note to soften the negativity of the paragraph.

      We saw a store we have never been in – Fleet Farm.  It is a huge warehouse type building and resembles Tractor Supply or WalMart on steroids.  We stopped and wandered through the store for over an hour.  They had everything!  Paul found oil and blades for his sawz all.  I got a pair of jeans and a blouse.  It was fun.

      We stopped at Tasty Taco for lunch.  It was tasty.  When we got back to the campground to find Dot had a relapse.  She thinks she might have a urinary infection.  I gave her a bottle of the Azithromycin we picked up in Algodones, Mexico.  Hope it helps.  Dave had cooked meatloaf so we got some of that for dinner.  It was good.

2023 Sep 10 (Sun) – We packed up and left Waco, NE, at 9:30 a.m.  The drive was easy, over expansive scenes of open plains.  As we crossed the Iowa border, the geography started to form rolling hills.  It started raining as we arrived at Timberline Campground in Waukee.  The campground is very nice. There is nice room between our sites on gravel surface with full hookups.  Each site has a picnic table and grassy area between each RV.  A large cell tower sites in the back of the campground along with lots of solar panels.  Naturally, the cell signal is very good here.

      We went food shopping at WalMart.  Also stopped at Menards to look for a protectorate 303 that Paul uses on the RV.  We had a quick bit to eat at Wendy’s.  Their menu sure has changed.  They used to offer a baked potato with chilli.  Now it’s basically burgers, chicken, and salads. 

[berkeleycollege]

From excelling in the classroom…to protecting their communities: Berkeley College Criminal Justice grads join local police departments

When three New Jersey towns recently began the search for new police officers to protect their citizens, there was no shortage of eligible candidates. The qualifications and preparedness of three graduates of the Berkeley College Justice Studies - Criminal Justice program, however, stood out and landed the coveted jobs. A stellar record of scholarship and service Olivia Strama was hired by the Bernards Township Police Department. A graduate of Paramus Catholic High School, she attended Woodland Park campus of Berkeley College and graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies - Criminal Justice with a concentration in Homeland Security. She received the Rising Star Award from the NJ Business & Industry Association, which is awarded to college students who excel in academics, campus life, and volunteer within the community. Gaining hands-on experience While attending Berkeley, Olivia also worked part-time for the Paramus Police Department as a Class 1 Special Police Officer and as a public safety dispatcher. In addition, she was a student blogger and spoke at a Criminal Justice Career Seminar. She also participated in a program with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Benefitting from a close-knit environment “Berkeley College provided me many opportunities that surrounding colleges could not meet,” Olivia said. “Berkeley matched my standards in more ways than one.” She also spoke of the tight-knit classes at Berkeley, “I was comfortable with my classmates as we all had the same goals at the end of the day,” she recalled. “Being a part of the Honors Program also provided me many challenges, but I succeeded.” Berkeley made a difference Olivia continued on the importance of earning her degree, “My degree has prepared me in many ways for my career. When applying for jobs, having a degree makes you more marketable. Berkeley College also taught me how to be myself during interviews. My ultimate goal was to become a police officer and that goal was just completed. On March 7, 2023, I was sworn in by the Bernard’s Township Police Department.” Olivia also offered advice for prospective students, “Be yourself! Take any opportunity presented to you because you never know what it could provide you.” Learning to succeed from those who already have Professors also recognized Olivia’s excellence. “Olivia stood out as a student because she made the most of the many opportunities and resources here,” according to Dr. Allen Sondej, a Criminal Justice professor at Berkeley. “I am very proud of the newly minted officers and wish them a safe and productive career. Remember, you always have a home at Berkeley College.” Dr. Sondej, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, brings 25 years of police experience to the College. He is also a practicing lawyer admitted to the New Jersey Bar, and a published author, among his many accomplishments. A student-athlete putting his skills to work Arturo Layza stood out not only as a student, but as a member of the Berkeley College Men’s Soccer team in the United States Collegiate Athletic Conference (USCAA) as well. He recently joined the Morristown Bureau of Police, according to Chief of Police Darnell Richardson and Director of Public Safety Michael Corcoran. “This dedicated individual has completed rigorous training and is ready to serve and protect our citizens with honor and integrity,” said department officials. Experience with multiple police departments Hugo Rodriguez-Pena, an academic scholarship student at Berkeley, joined the Paramus Police Department on February 28, 2023. He had previously worked for the Paterson Police Department as a Detective in the Narcotics/Vice/ABC Division, where he was involved in investigations and undercover operations that led to numerous arrests. [bts/disclaimer1] Originally published here: https://berkeleycollege.edu/berkeley-today/2023/04/berkeley-college-criminal-justice-grads-join-local-police-departments.html

[garudabluffs]

The United States has become a plutocracy where a few ultra-rich individuals and families control almost all of the wealth and power.

Why is excessive wealth a problem?

READ MORE https://excessivewealth.org/

What Do the GOP Seditionists Offer Us Other Than Ripping America Apart & Oligarchy?

Pitting Americans against each other by race, geography, or even politics when simultaneously invoking bloodshed as a justified outcome is as anti-American as it gets

<>This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Hinton Rowan Helper (1829-1909) was born near Mocksville, North Carolina, the son of a slave-owning farmer. After graduating from Xavier College Preparatory in 1848, he became a fervent opponent of slavery-and of the presence of Africans and non-Europeans in America. His most famous book, The Impending Crisis of the South, marked him out as a visionary on racial matters, and he was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as the United States consul in Buenos Aires from 1861 to 1866. His residence in Mocksville, North Carolina, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973 and is maintained as a monument by the US National Parks Service.<> & "One interesting tidbit is that only 1/5th of white Southerners owned slaves." + "Helper was a Southern abolitionist who compiled this book with the specific purpose of presenting the case to his fellow Southerners that slavery was destroying their region, their morality, and even their intellect." ALSO, "The book was banned in the South before the Civil War. Owning a copy was a criminal offense. Reading the book, you can understand why."

"When Reagan came into office in 1980 about two-thirds of white Americans were solidly in the middle class: today that number is around 45 percent and it requires two people working full time to pull even that off."

"The past 42 years have seen over $50 trillion in wealth stolen from the homes and pockets of working-class people and deposited into the money bins of the morbidly rich through GOP tax-cut and union-busting policies.

In the past 42 years over 60,000 factories and 15 million well-paying union jobs have been shipped to Mexico and China, leaving working class whites (among others) literally out in the cold.

Just like in the 1850s, that’s an explosive transition. And just like in the 1850s, it has brought out oligarch-funded political demagogues to tell white working-class people that their problems are all caused by Black people and their “woke” allies, and therefore the nation must divide itself."

Greene, Massey, and the rest of the sedition caucus in Congress are playing with fire.

As Southern abolitionist Hinton Helper wrote in his 1857 book The Impending Crisis of the South: “The lords of the lash are not only absolute masters of the blacks, but they are also the oracle and arbiters of non-slaveholding whites, whose freedom is merely nominal, and whose unparalleled illiteracy and degradation is purposely and fiendishly perpetuated.”

READ MORE https://hartmannreport.com/p/what-do-the-gop-seditionists-offer

29 Comments "The Red States could split off without a fight. First, as a group they refuse to send their Congressional Delegations to Congress. Congress wouldn't be able to do any business without a quorum. Next, don't send Electors after a Presidential election. The election goes to the House where there is no quorum. No President, no Congress, no Federal government. The Red States then form a confederacy. This venture would eventually fail because they'd struggle to come up with the money to continue agricultural subsidies, Social Security, and Medicare. I describe how the Dobbs decision brought this about:

"Trump is not an executive, any more than a head of a mafia family is, and in my opinion he was the head of a mafia family,with familial connections to the "Russian" mob,via his son in law and Giuliani who made his bones eliminating the competition of the"Russian" mob by prosecuting the Italian mob. Who would expect an Italian Quisling. working with the "Russian mob"?"

[nwdsc]

(Myself in the Way | Turnoverから)

Myself in the Way by Turnover

ALBUM OUT 11/4/2022 In early 2020, Turnover were touring Europe fresh off a US tour for their new album, Altogether. As the pandemic caused borders to begin closing in around them, the band cut the tour short and got one of the last flights home - not knowing stages around the world would be dark for almost two years. Since 2012, the band has been touring full time, averaging 200 shows each year. In their time away from the road, the band had the opportunity to explore and deepen aspects of their lives that they hadn’t been able to in the past. “I tried to be as positive as possible about the change in my life. Instead of thinking about the things covid was taking from me I wanted to focus on what it could give me,” says singer Austin Getz. The title track of the band’s new album, Myself in the Way, speaks to this mindset. “I can’t put myself in the way of love again,” sings Getz, “I promise I’m going to go all the way with you,” is specifically about Getz getting engaged to his longtime partner, but applies to the general outlook he had toward life in lockdown. “I was living in Sebastopol, California at the time and felt like I truly lived there for the first time since I wasn’t leaving for tour. I was able to go meditate at the Zen Buddhist dojo down the road, run and bike around the hills in Sonoma county, learn about plants and gardening, take some Spanish and arboriculture classes, and get involved with the volunteer fire department. Just do a bunch of new things to challenge and inspire me in a natural way.” Turnover’s other members also used the time to deepen interests they hadn’t been able to fully explore before covid. Bass player Dan Dempsey was in New York City and responded to lockdown by spending more time practicing his visual art in drawing and painting. He painted the album’s cover during this period and developed a style that has become a central theme for the band in its current iteration. Drummer Casey Getz found work at a Virginia Beach state park as touring continued to be postponed. He was in search of and inspired by having a work-life balance different than he’d experienced since he was younger. Through this, he was able to nurture current relationships more and find new ones, something touring made much more difficult. This led to Casey playing drums with a group of longtime friends in Virginia Beach and further developing his drumming style - adding a new prowess for fluidity and improvisation through lengthy jam sessions with the group. Guitarist Nick Rayfield was focused on sharpening his guitar and piano playing and was able to devote energy to skateboarding and his retail business more than he had been able to for the last few years. This was also the band’s first album with Rayfield making songwriting contributions after touring with them for years as a live member, adding a new creative element to the songs. Over 18 months Turnover weaved these individual experiences into a collective work, recording the LP over two sessions with longtime collaborator Will Yip at Studio 4. Austin is credited, for the first time, as co-producer. “I had specific ideas for sound design on this album. I knew a lot of sounds I wanted to hear and use. We wanted everything to be able to be heard and have its own place. I was inspired by the way Magical Mystery Tour and Dark Side of the Moon sounded. We decided to go a lot wider with it and utilize panning and stereo more than we had in the past, while also wanting it to sound tighter and smaller than some of our earlier records. We were inspired by drum and bass sounds from Chic and Quincy Jones records from the 70s, so we put the drums in the control room to get them to sound smaller. We used an active pickup bass and a jazz bass to get that percussive sound from the bass so the low end wasn’t as rumbling and subby. We let the synths share some of that low end that the drums and bass gave up. Quincy's approach to arrangements were a huge inspiration in this record as well. The horn and string lines I wanted to sound like classic era disco, mixed with modern synth and vocal sounds. I had been experimenting with my own vocal styles a lot and utilized autotune and vocoder on this album almost as instruments on certain songs as a stylistic choice.” The band has always been DIY, but post pandemic they have taken that to a different level. They appreciate more than ever how lucky they are to get to be together and have fun creating things with their friends. They have found that they are usually best suited for executing their own vision, not only musically, but with all its accompaniments as well. For this album they made all their own videos in collaboration with friends and using Dempsey's drawings and paintings. Change is authentic and true to Turnover as a band and as individuals. Chart a course through their discography and find a band continually reinventing themselves with a unique artistic ambition. Myself In The Way arrives finding Turnover doing the same within their own persons, pushing the band into new and exciting parallel depths of expression. クレジット2022年11月5日リリース

[skyfall8600]

Pretty Hero Pt. 2

Pair: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence, mentions of past assault, smut 

Masterlist 

Part 1

Recovery was a slow and painful process for Eddie. The first thing to heal properly was his face, much to your enjoyment. Most of the bruising and swelling are almost fully gone. 

Between classes, you decided to skip a few periods to go visit him in the hospital. The first few days were the hardest, he could barely move and needed 24/7 care. 

“And then we wrap this one around his abdomen, like this.” The nurse said, giving you instructions on how to care for him. You sat there in silence, unsure why she was showing you this. Your eyes are glued to his body, toned and muscular even under all the bandages. “Mr. Munson, you are very lucky to have such a caring girlfriend.” 

Your eyes widened and you wanted to crawl into a hole. Nothing was official between the two of you yet, you hadn’t even kissed yet.... but you’ve practically seen him naked. 

“Oh she’s not my girlfriend yet,” he smiled looking at you, “I think she’ll be promoted to it soon though.”

You found that he always had a way with words. “Oh is that so?” You responded. 

He nodded, “You just can’t get enough of all this.” 

You laughed, thanking the nurse when she excused herself. “Haven’t even taken me on a proper date yet.” 

“Oh, you wound me. Here I was thinking that every time you visited was a date.” 

His smile was addictive, you loved looking at the soft lines that formed around his mouth and the ever-so-slight dimples that appeared. He slowly became your safe place; not wanting to go home and deal with your shitty father, you didn’t mind being stuck in an old hospital room with him. 

“Did he figure out it was you yet?” he questioned you, repositioning himself against his pillows. 

“Nope. Turns out a LOT of people have it out for Jason.” your smug persona flooded back into you. “I also may have started a rumor to help get him off my scent... not my proudest moment, but hey-”

He snorted, his dark brown eyes glistening at you. “Who’d you pin it on?” 

“Some jerk from the other public high school a town over. He was rather forceful with me a few weeks ago and thought it was time I repaid the favor.” 

Three days after his arrival, Eddie was discharged from the hospital. He had to stay on crutches for a few more weeks to help his broken leg. His uncle, Wayne, couldn’t get the time off work to take him home during the regular hospital hours, so you volunteered. Eddie was hesitant to begin with, he really liked you and he didn’t want you to see how he lived. 

“You really don’t have to.” He tried to argue. 

“Please, I brought you here. I stayed with you as you recovered. And you think taking you home pushing the line?” You laughed, helping him into your car. 

“No- I- I live in the trailer park and don’t want you to see that.” He admitted, refusing to meet your eyes. 

“And what, you think I live in some big fancy house with a white fence and a swing on the front porch? Eddie, I don’t care where you live. I’m actually not too far from the trailer park... it’s just me and my dad, and with how his drinking is going, I don’t think we’ll be able to keep our house much longer.” 

He looked at you, feeling as though he was seeing a completely different side to you. The both of you knew that sorry wouldn’t change anything, you’re both from shitty circumstances and doing the best you can. 

Outside of his trailer was a particular someone waiting for him. Your blood boiled instantly, grabbing the pocket knife from where it was secured at your ankles. 

“You had that the entire time?!” Eddie whispered. 

He was in no state to get out of the car and face his own battles. “Stay here okay? I’ll deal with him.”

“What? Y/n wait!” 

You moved quickly, “What do you want?” 

Your voice was different, meaner, and straight to the point. 

Jason only laughed, “He’s got you as his own personal bodyguard now? Didn’t peg you as that type of girl, Y/n. I heard the freak was coming home today, thought I should make sure he knows how to keep his stupid mouth shut.” 

He was leaning up against the front door of Eddie’s trailer. “I think you’ve done enough Jason. Besides, it's daylight. You wouldn’t want anyone to see you being mean to an innocent girl, would you?” 

You had to be smart. Quick. 

He walked towards you slowly, you could hear movement as Eddie was struggling to get out of the car. “I’d be fucking careful if I were you. Wouldn’t want it to end up like freshman year all over again” 

Empty threats. That’s all they were. You had to remind yourself of that. 

“I’m not defenseless anymore you fucking prick.”

“I heard all about it though, how many there were.... how much of a beating you took purely because you didn’t put out. Dumb fucking mistake-”

He went to grab your wrist but you were quicker. Your foot made contact with his kneecap and you were sure you heard a snap, you maneuvered his arm to be restrained behind his back. Face slammed into the dirt. 

“If I hear you’re causing trouble for anyone, I’ll make sure your face matches the side of your car. Got it?” You whispered to him. 

He was fighting back tears, trying to not show that he was in pain. Refusing to respond, you grabbed his head lifting it off the ground before slamming it back down with full force. “Ah!” he screamed. 

“You ever try to touch me again and I’ll cut your goddam dick off. Regardless of how small it is.” You moved off him, watching him limp away to his car. “Fucking coward, always running away. Never fight your own battles huh?!” 

“You stupid bitch!” was the only thing he could respond with. His driving was sloppy, clearly having a dislocated knee wasn’t helping. Once he was out of sight, you returned your attention back to Eddie. 

He was stunned, looking at you. “I knew... I knew you helped me that night with him, but I was too far gone to see you do it. Jesus- That was- that was the best thing I’ve ever seen.” 

You helped him into his trailer, “This time was a little more bloody, I only knocked him to the ground and pulled my knife on him last time.” 

He was glad he was crouched over because of the crutches, his arousal out of sight from you. 

“I um... I heard him mention something about freshman year- you don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to... I just- never mind, it’s rude of me, I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you said sternly. 

He nodded, “that’s fine. I... sorry.” 

He thought he ruined his chances with you now. You turned cold so quickly, the memory of that night burning into it. You refused to ever talk about, to ever recall what happened. The pain and disgust you feel even considering what happened always made you nauseous. It wasn’t Eddie’s fault. You could tell he was just curious and worried about you. 

“Thank you again, for being my Hero.” He said, trying to get things back to normal between you. “Fucking badass.” 

You laughed softly, eyes watering. Maybe everything was starting to get too much to bare on your own. You never confided in someone. You never had anyone in your corner, checking on you and cheering you on. But, that’s what Eddie became. 

Without thinking, you hugged him. Baring your face into his chest, the tears came out slowly. He said nothing, holding you for as long as you needed. God, you couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged you. 

You pulled back, going to wipe your tears away but he bet you too hit. His hands were rough, the coldness of the rings made a chill run down you. 

“Although you’ve been my protector twice now, you don’t have to be strong all the time in front of me.” He whispered, kissing you against your forehead. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry-”

He hushed you, “Nothing to apologize for, okay?” 

You nodded, bringing your eyes to meet his. There was something different about them this time. It was like you finally understood each other. There was love and care behind his gaze. 

He wanted to kiss you so badly, to make the bad memories fade away. But he didn’t want to push any boundaries between you. 

You wanted to kiss him too, and frankly... you didn’t care about anything else. You pulled his head closer to you and kissed him gently, feeling him melt into you the second your lips touched. 

With one hand supporting himself up on his crutches, his other hand made its way to cup the connection between your face and your neck. Your hands ran through his hair and you could feel his pulse against the veins in his neck. 

What started out as a slow kiss, escalated quickly to become more passionate and aggressive. Both of you need so much more. 

You found comfort in each other. A peace that neither of you had ever had. 

Your bodies pressed up against each other. He fought through the slight pain he was feeling, you were worth every second of it. You enjoyed feeling the effect you had on him, your own arousal heating up inside you. 

He whimpered, forcing himself to pull away. “We- we should stop.” 

He almost didn’t want to say it. You looked at him with confusion in your eyes, slightly hurt and embarrassed. Did he not want his? 

You put space between the two of you quickly, to which he realized how his words would have sounded to you. “No! I want to.  I really want to keep kissing you and make you feel good because you deserve the fucking world, I just- I want to be able to do that to my full ability and the moment... I’m too broken and bruised to treat you like how I want to.” 

That’s when you remembered the condition he was in, “Oh my god, did I hurt you!? Fuck Eddie I’m so sorry-” 

He clasped his hand on your mouth. “Totally fucking worth it. Do. Not. Apologize. For. That.” 

You couldn’t help but smile against his hand. “Okay.” 

With one final, softer, and quicker kiss between you. You fully relaxed in his embrace. 

In some way, he was your Hero just as much as you were his. 

______________________________________________________________________

A/N: So many people requested a part 2 so here it is! 

Eddie Munson Taglist

@fentyreligion @littlelunarfox @coconutchumby @eempxth @superflannel @fluffycookies22 @yearwalker96 @magicalchocolatecheesecake

Pretty Hero Taglist

@enbyoddity @3holes4jotaro @onlylauraa @meaganjm @ungracefularchimedes

[stuckybarton]

here's a concept!! tom hiddleston x wife!reader who is a teacher/professor. maybe the students don't know she married to Tom and maybe an event in school has them finally knowing?

sidenote: i read your post about the tiktok and by any chance are you filipino too?

*GASP* Yes po~ I am. The kilig gave it away? Lol. Good to know there is a few pinoys here too~ :D

And somehow I thought of a headcannon for this, and I'll make the reader pinoy too just for the lols. Hope you like it~

Being a semi-well loved Professor in the University has it's ups and downs. Students loved you for your antics and your understanding when they couldn't meet deadlines for projects and assignments. But they can sometimes be a little too nosy too.

The English Department has somehow constantly found ways to try to decipher if you are in a relationship or not. If you were married with kids or not.

You weren't much about talking about your personal life with anyone, may it be your co-workers or your students. You had your reason.

One reason being your husband being a well known Hollywood Actor known for his role as the God of Mischief, Loki Laufeyson.

You two want to keep things lowkey--pun not intended.'

With him constantly filming for Marvel and you having to deal with the Academic year, you both had agreed to keep your relationship and marriage a secret even longer more so when you two were almost always thousands of miles away because of your obligations.

So it was a surprise to have your husband home in the Philippines for a few weeks, with no obligation of him to have to think of. But as much as you would want to spend some time with him, you couldn't. Not in a middle of the school year, and more specifically when it was Department Week where you were your busiest.

Your regular work hours of 8 AM - 6 PM was now turned into a shitshow as you leave the house even before the sunrise and leave the University before midnight.

Tom has seen the toll it had on you as you were in charge of making sure the events for the week were near perfection--down the decorations. So he helps as much as he could while he's home. Driving you through and fro the university and making sure to make you lunch in the morning to bring with you.

It brought a lighter weight on you now that you had someone driving you home, but it also meant a few students seeing you in the parking lot with a man and the gossip has somehow started from there.

your students happy that you were finally dating someone and as much as you were itching to just correct them for it and be done with all the gossip, you just couldn't find yourself to do so--not unless your husband agreed to finally come clean.

you told your husband about your current predicament and being the thoughtful man that he was, he planned to make make a surprise just for you.

it was a surprise to you on the last day before the departments event that Tom had announced that he would be unable to make you lunch and drive you in the morning, stating he had a meeting he needed to make with his team. you didn't think too much out of it, knowing it happens from time to time.

you didn't have classes for the rest of the day and you find yourself placing the finishing touches of the decorations in the auditorium, some of your students helping you out and just to keep yourselves entertained, you found yourself placing a movie through a projector. Thor: The Dark World somehow ended up on the screen much to the irony of your life.

you learned most of the girls had an unhealthy obsession for Loki while most of the boys had admiration for Thor. You had kept your opinions to yourself knowing where your loyalty and love lies.

the hours passed faster than you anticipated and you found it was already lunch time. Before you can go ahead and volunteer in buying your students lunch, the squeals that resounded outside the auditorium caught your attention.

taking a peak outside and possibly scolding the students disrupting the school ground--you had somehow found yourself wanting the ground to swallow you instead at the sight of a familiar man making his way towards you.

your husband, in the flesh. no disguise whatsoever.

"darling," he smiled making his way towards you.

"what are you doing here?" you question pulling him inside the auditorium and away from any student that could possibly see him--forgetting you had students inside too.

"thought i'd surprise you with lunch." he said seemingly all too proud of himself as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

the blush had painted your cheeks as you turned towards your students watching everything that was going on and the fact that Thor was still playing on the screen.

"what will your publicist think?" as much as you felt the bubble of being able to let the world know about your husband, you still worry about his career and the effect it might have if they go public.

"that's what me and Luke had talked about this morning. i think it's about time the world know about us." he grinned tilting your chin up to make you look at him. the height difference between the two of you become more astounding in moments like this. even in your heels, you barely reached his shoulders. "and it's going be weird what you're gonna tell people when we start a family and you're heavily pregnant with our children in the distant future."

he was right and the news genuinely surprised you. you were happy with finally being more open about your relationship, and it was also a good thing having to stop the rumors around campus about your relationships for once.

"you got anything you're doing for the rest of the day?"

"i'm all yours if you want me." he smiled.

"good let's use your height to my advantage."

you pulled him towards the stage and towards the rest of the students that had stopped with whatever they were doing, gawking still at your husband in the flesh instead of just being on the screen.

"guys, this is Tom, my husband." you announced, "after lunch he will be helping us with the rest of the decorations so feel free to make him glue anything out of our reach, okay?"

everyone nod still in shock for what was going on before Tom turned to the big screen, the movie of his still playing.

"spoiler alert, I die again in this one." he teased finally earning a laugh from you and from the rest of the student.

for the rest of the day, aside from the random students asking to take a picture with your husband, decorating had been pretty tame and Tom had been freely talking with your students about anything and everything under the sun, the only thing he wasn't so keen in talking about was about anything related to Marvel. you tried your best to keep a straight face even as Tom had insisted that even you didn't know anything--when it was far from the truth.

"that was fun." you smiled happy to have him carry your bag as you made your way towards the faculty to get the rest of your things before heading home.

"University life is quite different here." he acknowledged. "and i enjoyed it." he beamed, his free hand holding on to your hand.

"do you want to watch the event tomorrow?" you offered, mindful of him being to out in the public for everyone to know.

"of course, i'd love nothing more than to see all your hard work coming to fruition, darling." he said far too excited.

you smiled, biting your lips and bidding your time until you throw him a surprise of your own once everything was settled and he was out of the public eye.

a baby wasn't far off like he thought it would afterall.

[myherowritings]

PART 4. HOW THE RICH SUCK THEIR OWN DICKS

SUMMARY. Todoroki Shouto was a wealthy, young CEO who inherited his father’s enterprise. You were a barista at a local cafe who wouldn’t mind some extra cash. One day, Shouto came in during an early morning shift and tipped you such a large sum of money, you were certain it had to have been an accident. To your surprise and complete pleasure: It was not.

PAIRING. ceo!todoroki shouto x barista!reader

WORD COUNT. 2.9k

GENRE. ceo/barista au, fluff, eventual smut

WARNINGS. enji makes an appearance bleh, enji being classist, enji...ew, okay i swear most of the chapter is shouto and y/n being cute though 

A/N. ngl i have genshin brainrot real bad at the moment but i still have motivation for ceo!shouto and ceo!shouto only u.u there are only 7 parts to this series so we’re at the halfway mark already AHHH i hope u enjoy reading and lmk what u think!! :3 xx sof

SERIES MASTERLIST

© myherowritings — all rights reserved. reposting, modifying, copying, or translating of any kind is not allowed. do not read my writing as asmr. do not plagiarize.

Shouto’s day went from good to bad faster than it took to pull an espresso. 

It started off with a good morning text from you and having a brief, but pleasant, interaction at your work. Actually, the past few weeks have been going along a similar routine that he found himself settling into all too comfortably. You even upheld your promise of stealing him away one weekend to walk around the park, get food, and just have time to relax and be happy for once. 

Getting to be in your presence almost daily became so normalized in his life that even some of his employees heard about the cute barista with the best pastries. Yet, although he saw you often, he found himself wanting to talk to you more and more.

But for now, Shouto told himself to settle with starting the mornings off with you. They were the best mornings he’s had in a while and he didn’t want to sound ungrateful. 

Today, however, went sour fast after he heard his father was coming up to the top floor for a meeting with him. He didn’t find the idea of Enji visiting to be the most abhorrent thing, but the moment his father opened his mouth, Shouto quickly took that back. 

As expected, his father reminded him about the annual charity gala Todoroki Enterprises was expected to attend. Handfuls of galas ran through the year, but the once hosted by Naruhata Industries under the guise of raising money and awareness for the charities of choice.

In theory, a charity gala ball sounded humanitarian and a way for the upper class to give back, but in reality, most of the funds collected didn’t go to the actual charities, instead they went to paying for the venue, live bands, entertainment, the most expensive catering, decorations, and more. What presented itself as a charitable event in the eyes of the public was really a way rich people could flaunt their wealth and feel good about themselves for doing absolutely nothing to benefit society. A way for the rich to suck their own dicks, if you would. 

Shouto absolutely hated it. 

It was also a press opportunity and, in his father’s eyes, a way to gain public favor for the Todoroki business. Today, Enji attempted to tell him that bringing a date that fit the mold of high society was the best way for him to establish rapport through media coverage. Apparently, the image news outlets have placed on Shouto were either a heartbreaker and playboy with no care for other’s emotions, or a monotonous stoic who seemed like a robot with no care for other’s emotions.

In either cases, there seemed to be a theme of Shouto not caring for others. 

He sighed. 

“You can’t keep that image, Shouto,” said Enji with his arms folded across his chest. “If the media sees you with someone—a nice girl with a good upbringing—then your likeability will increase tenfold. If there’s no one you like, I’ll have to set up a date for you.”

For a while, he was torn between telling his dad to fuck off and trying to do as he said to keep peace within the family. But then, an image of you popped into his head.

“Actually, there is someone I like.” 

Enji narrowed his eyes. “Oh? An educated girl with wealthy parents?”

“There’s someone I like,” he simply repeated, the tone in his voice growing cold. 

He didn’t know anything about your upbringing or family nor did he exactly care. Shouto didn’t want to bring a date to the dumb gala, but if he had to, he would want it to be you. Only if you agreed, of course. But if you weren’t willing, then he had to face the facts that his father would most likely force a date of his own choosing upon Shouto. 

“That’s good you like someone, son,” Enji said through his teeth, “but we have to make sure it’s not some sort of...loose woman. That’d be even worse publicity—”

“I like someone and if you really cared about my happiness like you said you did, that’d be enough.”

There was a tense silence in the air. Shouto didn’t have enough fingers to count the number of times Enji had told him and his siblings that he would try to be a better dad. A caring dad who only wanted what was best for his children. A better husband for Rei. A better example for the public. The first few times, Shouto believed it. But Enji said the same things over and over again with no lasting change and Shouto was just fed up. 

After hearing the same lie told to him over and over again, it seemed to lose its weight. He seemed to lose his hope in his father ever changing.

Still, Shouto had to deal with him for as long as he lived. That much he knew as a son living in this society. 

But he hoped Enji at least had enough guilt to let him have this.

“Fine.”

Shouto blinked in surprise. 

Enji stated, “If you think your date can help your public image and not be a complete embarrassment to the business, you can bring them.”

That was the closest thing to approval Shouto would get today. He nodded and listened along to whatever else his father had to say, the only thing actually on his mind was thinking about how he would ask you out on a date to some stuffy gala. And hope that you’d say yes.

— ✩ —

“Wait, so, let me get this straight— You’re the CEO of Todoroki Enterprises and even after almost two months of knowing you, I had no clue?”

He inclined his head, looking solemn. “Yes, I’m sorry. Are you upset with me for not telling you sooner?” 

Initial shock aside, you couldn’t say that you were too surprised at the revelation. You knew Shouto was wealthy and probably in some high-up position in the business industry, but you never knew to what extent. A CEO? That had to be the highest rank in a company! And a company as well known as Todoroki Enterprises? 

The thought made you a little nervous. The guy you slowly befriended over the course of short cafe visits and silly texts was Mr. Todoroki? Or worse— The guy you stole away from doing work for a whole weekend was someone as busy as a CEO? You internally groaned. That had to be against laws of the universe or something. 

“I’m not upset, no,” you said with a shake of your head. “I just...can’t believe it I guess.” Eyes widening, you were quick to amend your words. “Well, I can believe it. You seem very intelligent and well-put together and, uh, rich! But I guess I just didn’t think a CEO would be so funny and kind.” You winced. “Oh no, is that mean to say?”

“I don’t think it’s mean.” He shrugged. “You’re right to say most people in this field aren’t known for their delightful temperaments.” 

You absentmindedly drummed your finger against your thigh, trying to process this new information. “So you’re Todoroki Shouto...and you want me to be your date to the Naruhata Charity Ball?” 

“Yeah. I know it’s a huge favor to ask, and I promise you can say no if you choose,” said Shouto in earnest. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to agree.” 

With a hum, you stretched your legs out under the table before crossing one over the other again. It was a Saturday afternoon where you had no work and Shouto managed to escape from his for a few hours of the day. You took him to your favorite ice cream place nearby and the two of you ate at a dining area outside the establishment. 

Just a mundane day as two friends hanging out with each other where you found out one of those friends was the chief executive officer of a billion dollar business headquartered in Japan. 

Totally normal, everyday occurrences, obviously. 

“And you need a date for this event?” you asked. In all honesty, you would be more than happy if Shouto asked you out on a date. He was fun and you enjoyed getting to know him. But these particular circumstances made you a tad bit more nervous.

“I normally wouldn’t need to bring one, but my father insists it’d help my public image and in turn the image of the company.” With a pinched look on his face, he took a bite of his ice cream. “In other words I bring a date or he picks one for me.” 

You weren’t the most caught up on super rich people drama, but it was almost infamous how estranged the Todoroki family was. Again, you didn’t know much but you did know enough to say that Todoroki Enji seemed like a Class A asshole. If you could help Shouto out with his weird dilemma, you saw no reason not to. 

“So this charita gala is like where they have those live auctions and silent auctions and get tipsy on fancy wine and champagne for hours right?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yeah. Have you attended one?” 

“Not quite,” you said with a sheepish smile. “I’ve volunteered at one in school though. As one of those runners? It was fun. I got a bunch of those tiny complimentary candies!” Your mouth watered at the memory. “What kind of drug were in those candies? I’ve never had candy so good before!”

“The tiny, circular candies with the excessively big wrapper? The fruity ones?”

You shot up in your seat, excited he knew what you were talking about. “Yes! That’s the one!” 

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. “I always see those at these types of events.”

“So… The candy will be there at the gala you want me to accompany you to?” 

“Most likely.”

“Can I take a bunch of those from candies there…?” you asked with an optimistic grin.

“I’ll be your accomplice in sneaking them out.”

“It’s a date!” you said before Shouto could get another word out. 

You’d be reunited with those yummy, fancy candies you’ve been separated from for far too long. What other reason did you need to agree? 

With a determined look on your face, you held your hand out for Shouto to shake to seal the deal. 

He blinked. “Wait. Did you want to discuss it some more? Maybe have a few days to think it through? I’m grateful, of course, but I don’t want you regretting anything.”

“No. I won’t regret it. I’d do anything to taste those candies again.”

Shouto looked unsure what to say. “Isn’t there some parable warning people not to be bribed by candy?”

“Not to take candy from a baby?”

“No. Not that one.”

“That’s the only one I know.”

“Never mind then.” 

The two of you exchanged confused looks before letting out fits of laughter. You weren’t sure if either of you knew exactly what the other was laughing at, but the moment was an enjoyable one nonetheless. 

“Yet another reason to bring me to that fancy event— I’ll make sure you’re entertained all the way through,” you playfully bragged, smoothing down the front of your shirt. 

“The event will definitely be more bearable with you there.” He licked a small bit of his ice cream from his pink spoon, making a sound of approval. “But you can change your mind about coming at any time, Y/N.”

“I won’t,” you said, holding a pinky out. “Pinky promise.”

With what seemed like a bashful expression on his face, Shouto extended his own pinky to interlock yours. You sealed it with a kiss and a heart, like you were a kid again. 

“Now, am I supposed to be in love with you at the gala?” you asked nonchalantly, finishing off your last bite of ice cream. He offered you a spoonful of his and you tried not to grow too flustered at Shouto feeding you his dessert. You murmured a quiet, “Thanks.”

He gave you a small smile. “You’re welcome. As for being in love… I don’t think that’s necessary. Just pretend you like being around me, I think.”

Under the table, you nudged his shoe with yours, pulling a face. “I don’t have to pretend about that, silly.” 

“Ah, well,” he paused, offering you another spoonful of ice cream, “I don’t either.”

“I’m glad.” Then, “Is this strawberry? I was never a big strawberry ice cream fan but for some reason this tastes so good.” 

You ignored the nagging voice in your head that said maybe it wasn’t so much the ice cream flavor but who you were enjoying it with. 

The two of you finished his dessert in peace and after cleaning up the area with a napkin, Shouto turned to you with an intent look on his face.

“Before the gala, would you mind if I talk you shopping so you could pick out what to wear?” he asked. “I would pay of course— It’s the least I could do to say thank you.”

You shook your head. “You don’t have to thank me! You’re my friend and I want to help.” You thought about it for a moment. “And get the candy.”

“Anything for the candy.”

“Exactly,” you said in complete seriousness. “But I wouldn’t mind going shopping with you. You could help me decide what to wear! I’m not exactly sure how to dress for an event as fancy as this.”

“You could wear anything to the event and still look amazing.” His words were ones of flattery but his tone sounded completely genuine. 

Heat rose to your cheeks at the compliment. “Look who’s talking— You’re practically runway ready no matter what time of day.”

“I’ve never walked a runway before.”

You stifled a laugh at his literal interpretation of your words. Cute. “Me neither.”

He looked confused at why you were grinning, but it still brought a smile to his own lips.

By now the sun had begun to set and Shouto was walking you to the train to see you off before you went home.

“Can I pick you up next weekend in the morning?” he said. “So we can get your outfit for the gala?”

“Sure! I’ll text you my address.” 

He nodded in contentment. “And again, you don’t have to worry about any costs.”

“Is this why my friends have called you a sugar daddy?” you teased, bumping your shoulder against his as you walked down the street, side-by-side. “But thank you. Shopping will be fun— We can even match colors!” 

“Mn.” He looked between the both of you, as if trying to picture what colors would complement each other. 

You crossed the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, enjoying the scenery by Shouto’s side. A few times, you even felt his knuckles brush against yours and you had the undeniable urge to hold his hand. Would that be weird? you asked yourself before deciding against it. 

Just because he asked you to be his date for the Naruhata Charity Ball didn’t mean he actually liked you, right? It was just a favor from a friend to a friend.

Something about that though made your stomach unsettled. Maybe part of you wanted it to be a real date— Wanted this to be a real date. 

“So I won’t be seeing you tomorrow,” you said after a moment’s silence, trying not to look too dejected. 

You knew he’d still text good morning and good night and ask you random things throughout the day (all of which you found really endearing, by the way), but it was still different from seeing him in person. Even though your time together in the morning was small, they still were enough to make your day. The thought of your waking hours being so entwined made you nervous, but for some reason it didn’t bother you as much as you thought it would. In fact, it was sort of...nice. 

“I’ll see you Monday morning, right?” you asked hopefully, though you were already fairly certain of the answer.

Shouto nodded. “Of course. It’s already marked on my calendar.”

“Ever the flatterer, hmm?” 

“Not flattery, just the truth.” He pulled his phone out and showed you his (rather packed) calendar app. To your surprise, a little reminder that said ‘See Y/N :)’ was marked on his Monday schedule. 

Unable to stop the beam from spreading across your lips, you hid your face in your hands. Gosh— Did he have to be so cute? He was making it harder and harder to only like him as a friend. And even now, you weren’t sure if you liked him only as a friend.

But you pushed those thoughts away.

That was something to deal with at a later time.

When you reached the train station you normally took home, you turned to Shouto, giving him a big hug. He was tall and warm. You could feel his lean muscles through his button-down shirt as you rested your head against his chest and arms around his waist. 

“Thanks for today,” you mumbled. “I’ll see you again soon.”

After a pause, he gave you a hug back, hands rubbing hesitant circles on your back in a way that made you smile. “Text me when you get home safe,” he said as you both reluctantly released each other from an embrace.

“I will,” you promised. “You do the same! Later, Shouto!” 

And with that, you waved goodbye and boarded the train, unable to shake the unwavering grin on your face all the way home.

a/n: when shouto started feeding y/n spoonfuls of his ice cream i cried (Ｔ▽Ｔ) that’s so cUTE OF HIM LIKE PLS SIR STOP BEFORE I FALL MORE IN LOVE WITH U !! >:O he’s such a sweetheart ahhhh,, i hope all the fluff made up for the brief appearance of endeavor ಠ╭╮ಠ  FHDJKF 

what to expect in the next part:

shopping for the gala time !! 

y/n struggles with their fEeLiNGs~ part 2

oh my, y/n has to try on dresses? oh my, it’d be a shame if they needed help putting it on :o *fake gasp* 

yeah things get just a lil steamy but shh

[minniethemoocherda]

Sins of the Past: Day at the Museum

Summery:  A collection of drabbles set in my modern au where the Bad Batch raise Omega after rescuing her from the abusive hands of their mother. In this chapter, Tech accompanies Omega’s class on a trip to the museum. Written for Day 7 of @bad-batch-week 2021. 

Ao3

FF.net

Omega's class were going on a trip to the Museum in the city and they needed parents to help chaperone that many kids. As predicted, not knowing the potential adults looking after Omega, had sent Hunter into an internal panic, so Tech had volunteered to be a chaperone. He had been meaning to see the new space exhibition anyway.

As soon as the morning bell rang, Mrs Organa ushered students and parents alike on board the coach. Tech was planning to sit near the front with the other adults as per social protocol which he remembered from the few trips they could afford to attend when his brothers were at school, when Omega grabbed his hand. Before he could ask what she was doing, she had dragged him further down the coach and pulled him into a seat next to her.

"I do not mind if you want to sit with your friends." He told her, pointing to where Hera and Numa were seated nearer the back.

"I'd rather sit next to you." She beamed at him, leaning her blonde curls against his shoulder. Tech couldn't help but smile back.

As the coach rolled out of the parking lot, he had to admit to himself that he had missed spending one-on-one time with his little sister. He had greatly enjoyed that fist month teaching her at home. To use his intelligence for something more than fixing ancient ovens; to talk about subjects he was actually passionate about to someone who not only listened but constantly asked for more. Although if he was honest with himself, their lunch breaks, curled up on the coach watching old sci-fi movies had been the part Tech had enjoyed the most. When the decision had been made that Omega would go to public school, logically he knew that it was more practical for their work schedule and more beneficial for not only Omega's educational development but also her social. Still, despite seeing Omega every day, he had missed her.

The drive was about an hour long. Tech spent most of it playing on his phone with Omega watching vine complications, completing sudokus and seeing who could get the highest score in candy crush. It reminded Tech of the first day they met, sitting in the waiting room of the police station. How things had changed since then.

Eventually they arrived at the museum. It was old, built in the early eighteen-hundreds out of stone with grand pillars lining the front entrance. Tech guessed that it was probably one of the oldest buildings in the city, if not the state and looked out of place next to the modern high rises on either side of it.

"Alright everyone!" Mrs Organa called out as everyone piled into the main entrance. "Remember that even though we are not on school grounds, we are still representing Alliance Ellemntary. So I want you all to be on your best behaviour, understood?"

"Yes Mrs Organa." Replied the chorus of school children, already distracted by the grand marble floors and gold covered statues of the entrance.

"Good. I want everyone back in the cafeteria by twelve. Until then, as long as you stay within your chaperones' eyesight, you can explore the museum as much as you want. Now go and have fun!"

The students didn't need anymore prompting and Tech had run to keep up with his group as they raced down the hallways.

In his group were Omega of course and his niece Numa, whom Tech had seen more of in the last few months than in the previous ten years of her life. He regretted not having spent more time with the inquisitive young girl. There was also Omega's best friend Hera, plus two boys Tech hadn't met before called Kanan and Cal.

The first exhibition they entered was on American history. Although, Tech thought that it would be been more accurate to have called it American history Post 1492.

A primary coloured display made of puppets, detailed the expedition that lead to America's 'discovery' by Christopher Columbus.

The children crowed around the display, as Numa read the information out loud.

"... and that was how Thanksgiving was created, as a way to give thanks to the Native Americans who gave them food to survive the Winter." She finished.

"Well that is partly true." Tech corrected.

"What do you mean?" Omega asked.

"Yeah that's what's we've been told since kindergarten." One of the boys, Kanan spoke up.

"I mean exactly what I said. That it is partly true. At one of the earliest harvest festival, the pilgrims did share food with the Native Americans in thanks for giving them food to survive the precious Winter. However, Thanksgiving was already a holiday celebrated by Puritans before this event and after it, the Puritans would later declare that Thanksgiving would be held in thanks for and I quote their 'bloody victory' thanking God that the battle had been won over the native pequot people being killing the ones that had helped them only a few years later."

"Really?" Omega wondered out loud, turning back to the display. For a moment, Tech was worried he'd encouraged Omega's the distrust in authority that Hunter was so afraid off, but in her eyes he found only curiosity. Unlike the other children, she hadn't been indoctrinated into this misinformation for their whole lives, and as such was less likely to believe it. Perhaps the only positive of Nala Se's upbringing.

"And why should we believe you instead?" Kanan argued.

Before Tech could speak, Cal piped up.

"Actually I think he's right." He said, fiddling with the ends of his brown coat. "My Foster Dad is pequot. He says the same thing. That's why we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in our house."

Tech nodded in encouragement.

"Thank you Cal. As I was about to say, first hand accounts are more likely to be true. Especially when you can find a different source that confirms the other."

He was worried he might have upset the boys but Kanan appeared to be taking his words to heart.

"Why wouldn't the museum just say that?" Kanan grumbled.

"For numerous reasons. They might deliberately be omitting the misdeeds of their own history or they might not think that children like yourself would not be enough to understand."

"We're not stupid! We can understand it fine!" Omega protested and her friends nodded.

"Yeah!" They cheered un agreement.

Tech smiled. He did not doubt that they could.

The tour through the rest of the history exhibit went much like with the children reading the plaques, debating amongst themselves when the facts didn't quite match up then asking Tech for clarification. Tech was more than happy to expand on the stuff that had been simplified, and in some cases left out altogether. The children listened intently to his words and he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride, when they're eyes lit up in new understanding.

Finally, they made it to the Space exhibit, what Tech had claimed was the reason he'd come in this trip in the first place.

Tech felt like a child himself, staring up at the ceiling of lights resembling the current night sky. Constellations were linked with fairy lights, the galaxy beyond swirling behind them and a projection of shooting stars.

"It's beautiful." Hera said in awe, gazing up at the sight.

"Yeah." Kanan sighed, though Tech noticed that he wasn't looking at the ceiling.

Displays lined the walls, revealing information about the sky above. One discussed the possibility of life on other planets.

"Do you think aliens are real?" Numa wondered aloud.

"No way!" Kanan snorted.

"I do," Hera disagreed. "I'll find them one day when I become an astronaut."

"I mean yeah way actually!" Kanan said, quickly changed his mind.

"What do you think Tech?" Omega asked.

"Studies have already found evidence of bacteria on other planets. I see no reason other that organic lifeforms such as pants and animals shouldn't exist too. Whether any of those lifeforms are intelligent is less likely. Although it can be hard to define if a life is intelligent or not." Tech said with a pointed look at Kanan who was about to climb up the railings to grab at one of the display rocks. The boy smiled sheepishly, stepping away.

After they'd explored the space exhibit which was the only place Tech didn't have to correct any of its information, it was time to find the cafeteria for lunch.

They sat at one of the long designated tables with another group of children and their chaperone. Some of the children bought hot food from the cafeteria, but Tech pulled out the packed lunch Echo had made for him and Omega.

Tech listened with a small smile, as his charges, told the others all that they had seen today. His smile growing bigger when Omega said that she'd learned more from him than the museum.

He left them in the care of the other group's chaperone, who was dressed in an oddly accurate eighteenth century pirate costume for some reason, to treat himself to a coffee. Looking after the kids had been more draining than he thought it would be even if he had quite enjoyed it.

As he waited in the line, Mrs Organa joined the queue behind him.

"I saw you with the kid's earlier. You were a natural with them." She said. "Are you a teacher?"

Tech shook his head.

"I'm a handyman."

"Really?" Mrs Organa exclaimed sounding genuinely surprised. "Have you ever thought about going into teaching?"

"You're a natural with them." Mrs Organa said. "Have you ever thought about going into teaching?"

"No." Tech replied because that was in impossible so there was no point in thinking about it.

"You should."

Tech glanced over to Omega, to find the girl already looking at him. With a beaming smile she sent him one of her signature little waves. Tech waved back. He watched with a soft smile as she returned to chatting with her friends.

"Thank you. But I am happy here."

Following his gaze, Mrs Organa nodded in understanding.

Tech paid for his coffee and bought a hot chocolate for Omega as well.

He later wiped her mouth free of whipped cream when she got it all over face, ignoring her half hearted protests of embarrassment.

After lunch it was time to head back to school. Once again Omega insisted on Tech sitting besides her and the spent the journey much the same way they had on the way there.

Hunter was waiting for them when they stepped of the coach. Tech watched as Omega ran into their brother's arms, Hunter subtly checking her over to make sure she was okay. Tech listened contently as she repeated all she had learnt that day in the car ride home.

They were the only ones in the house when they got home so Tech took the opportunity to have a long shower.

With nothing to distracted him, his mind couldn't help but over think Mrs Organa's word.

Perhaps sometimes he did want more than what life had given him. But that didn't mean he wasn't happy. He loved his brothers. He loved being able to work with them. And whilst working as a handyman for Cid was not his ideal career, he still liked it.

Ninety-Nine had given the four of them more than they could ever repay him for; a childhood, a home and a family.

After spending what little money he had saved on therapy, toys and everything else that not just one, but four growing kids needed, plus part of Echo's medical bills after he moved in with them, Ninety-Nine barely had enough to pay the mortgage let alone college.

Besides, school had never been their forte. Nala Se had taught them the biology of how to clone flies and space faring maths but very little else. The school system never suited them. Hunter did not do well in exams, overwhelmed by his sensory issues that were heightened by his stress. Despite being the moat emotionally intelligent out of all of them, traditionally academically gifted Wrecker was not. And ever the rebel, Crosshair would turn up to half of his exams out of his mind with whatever substance he was currently hooked on then fail the rest on purpose. Of all of them, Tech was the only one who finished school with good grades. Good enough that he could have gone to college, but without the funds necessary to do so and without the desire to leave his brothers even if he did.

Tech shook his head, trying to dispel his thoughts along with the water in his hair. He reminded himself that there was no point thinking about things that didn't happen. As Ninety-Nine had once told him, the best way to love was to simply keep moving forwards.

Done with his shower, he headed downstairs to make a start on dinner, to find Hunter waiting at the kitchen table. Tech immediately knew that he woild be forced to have a talk.

"Omega over heard what Mrs Omega said to you." Hunter said in a way of greeting.

Despite knowing it was a futile effort, Tech still tried to end the conversation by putting a pot of coffee on.

"I meant it." Tech said, busying himself with the kettle so he wouldn't have to look Hunter in the eye. "I'm happy where I am."

"I know. But you could be happier. If you wanted to go to college and become a teacher, you know we would support you."

For the first time, Tech allowed himself to think about what being a teacher would actually be like. A teacher's salary wouldn't be a lot but it would be more than what he earned from Cid. It could be enough to buy Echo a new prosthetic, a bed big enough to fit Wrecker, Omega wouldn't have to worry about not being to afford college herself and-

Hunter's hand on his arm startled him from his thoughts. He hadn't even noticed that his brother had gotten up from the table. Hunter shifted his grip on his arm, this time forcing Tech to look his brother in the eye.

"I wouldn't want you to do this for us." Hunter said, knowing exactly where his mind had gone. "I would want you to do this for you."

So Tech did what he did best. He let himself think. He thought about what it would be like, to teach children like Omega every day. To tach what he was passionate about to those who felt the same. And to help the children like his brothers who never got the support that truly needed from their own teachers. In fact, Tech realised that this was all he ever wanted. That didn't change one thing though.

"How would you get the money?" He asked.

Hunter's gaze drifted for a moment, before his grip on Tech arm tightened with determination.

"I'm going to sue Jango's ass for child support."

[kyloswarstars]

ROOMMATES • Part 8

Divergent • College AU • Eric x Reader

ROOMMATES masterlist 💫 Divergent masterlist

You escaped your current living situation by moving in with your friend Christina – and five other college students. Little did you know that one of them was the guy who was your ultimate pain in the neck since your first semester. Now, you had to find a way to not strangle him in his sleep out of pure frustration. Also, you had to find a way to get rid of those weird butterfly feelings for him that slowly grew in your stomach.

Words • 2.7k

The enemies to lovers story no one needed.

/////

The day in the zoo was sad and great and irritating and left you with a faint emptiness. Eric kept a physical distance ever since. His hand didn’t brush yours randomly when you met in the hallway. He didn’t stand close to you at the check out when you went grocery shopping together. His feet didn’t accidentally pump into yours under the dining table when you had the roommate gatherings. He didn’t sat down next to you on the balcony, he didn’t bump into you when you got out of the bathroom and he certainly did not press his side to yours anymore. His thigh, his arm, his shoulder wasn’t burning against yours, the magnetising pull just eradicated as if you had never felt it at all.

Your bodies didn’t touch anymore and that made sure that none of all those times, you had wondered if it had been on accident, had been on accident. It had always been on purpose. Eric had wanted to be close and now he didn’t want to anymore. And the weirdest thing of it all was that you still wanted to be close.

The weeks went by. Chicago finally decided that it was time for all the stuffy air to vanish. With one big, biblical doomsday thunderstorm the sky cleared itself with heavy rain and sent all the heat it had held to the future. Stored it for next summer. It was still warm, still summer but it slowly came closer to its end, moving on from the start, moving on from you moving into this apartment.

You stared at the walls in the night. There was still the knocking. Every single night, his knuckles morsed ‚GN‘ and you returned it. That was the closest your hands got – six inches divided by a wall.

While Eric remained this physical distance, his eyes didn’t stop staring at you. And lacking his side pressed against yours in the most random situations, you stared right back. Whenever you sensed his eyes on you, you were drawn to them immediately. As if the magnet had been shoved into them, now that is wasn’t in your thigh anymore.

It’s fine. Everything is fine. A good mantra to repeat when you worked on the study. For a few days you had to repeat it almost every minute to concentrate. But the more time, days and then eventually weeks passed, it got easier. Peter had still been on your mind now and then but he just wasn’t worth it. And, even without Eric stating the obvious back at the zoo, you knew it. It was summer break still, but as soon as the new semester would start, there would be no time to think about a guy anymore. Not about Peter and not about Eric.

With that you fully regained the realistic side of your mind. You concentrated on your beloved constant in life called mathematics. You tidied your room, threw out stuff you didn’t need anymore. You made pizza with Eric for all the roommates, he didn’t press himself next to you at the countertop but instead let you knead the dough on your own. Eric occasionally searched for a conversation and it was all still very sincere, way too friendly for the guy who had argued with you for more than two years in your classes. But no. physical. contact.

Reality. You focused on it and decided it was time to call your brothers. During the summer break your contact always faded a little, giving the fact that Cole had to be at every party, Levi saving his ass and leading a group of volunteers at the sea turtle rescue centre and you being wrapped up in whatever went through your mind.

It surprised you that both of them actually accepted the video call. Instant homesickness greeted you. Especially from Levi’s window. He was sitting in the kitchen, your mom cooking dinner in the background.

„Honey!“ She blurted over the boiling pots. Levi didn’t even have the chance to say hello. Cole, in his window, rolled his eyes. „Didn’t I and your father tell you to at least text once a week? So we know you didn’t fall of the earth’s surface, yet?“

She joked a little but you heard the seriousness in her voice. And it instantly made you feel guilty, knowing very well that a simple one word ‚alive‘ message would be enough for them. And you didn’t know why it was so hard for you to simply do that.

„I pledge improvement.“ You promised and tried to stick to it this time.

„Levi, move! Before dad comes around and threatens Y/N to fly up there every week to make sure she’s okay.“ Cole was laughing and Levi left the kitchen on his order.

„So you are alive,“ Levi stated. With him and Cole it wasn’t that much guilt anymore. Still a little but less than with your parents.

You affirmed and then lead the conversation in a different direction, tricked them into telling you about their summers without having to talk about yours.

Cole got drunk every second day, Levi got his ass home whenever he couldn’t walk straight anymore. No surprise. Levi gave a detailed report about the current numbers of turtle nests and the amount of baby turtles they expected to hatch. It was Levi’s first summer break since he had started college. Instead of freaking out like Cole and running to every beach gathering he could find, he sticked to be the responsible volunteer he was and cared for the turtle protection. It made you proud. Cole, was still on the team too. Only on the afternoons, though. After he had slept off his hangover and before he made sure to get a new one.

Brothers.

At the end of the call your dad fetched Levi’s phone, who sat on the porch by now, and stared at you for a second. He wasn’t as carefree anymore. A few years ago he would just blurb about everything that came to his mind. Now, he thought more about the things he said and what to hold back.

„You need more sleep, honey,“ he said, looked at you with a caring smile and ended the call. I know.

Shortly after the beeping of your phone, indicating the finished call, a knock on your door made you turn to it. By now you could tell apart your roommates by the rhythm of their knocking.

„Are you ready for the store?“ Eric peeked his head in and you wanted to say no but couldn’t. The golden rules of this household were sacred.

„Yes,“ you said instead and followed him outside to his car, parked right in front of the building. A rare parking spot – luck had to be fully on your side to find it free.

Uncomfortable memories of going to the grocery store and the aftermath of it accompanied you once again. This time, nothing would happen, you told yourself. No-one would see you and even if someone did, there was no chance for Peter to reach out to you again. Every possibility had been eliminated by Eric and you.

Eric pushed the cart, you loaded everything in. No blueberry fight, pizza wasn’t on the menu tonight and chocolate pretzels were fully stocked. No repeating of that awful day!

Eric came to stand next to you in front of the snack shelf, within a good distance of course. He grabbed a huge bag of chips, threw it in the cart and waited for you to continue. You stared at the chips in the cart.

„Not on our shopping list,“ you mumbled and almost would’ve returned them to the shelf but Eric grabbed the bag in time to save it from your hands.

„We will need it later,“ he said, his lips pulled in a honest smile.

„Why? What is later?“

He still held the bag of chips with one hand and pushed the cart down the aisle with the other. When he passed you, he dramatically stared at you for a second. „Big time cinema!“

Eric’s silly wide eyes made you laugh – and wish for his arm to actually brush you by accident. Just this one time. It didn’t. He was adamant to not touch you.

/////

With ‚big time cinema’ he meant Toy Story. So it was indeed big time cinema. And big was also the fact that you found yourself watching a movie. With Eric. In his bed. His laptop on his desk played the movie, you laid next to each other, backs propped on a lot of pillows and the bag of chips between you. He didn’t touch you and that gap between you could easily fit Christina if she was there.

At first you shook your head at his suggestion to watch a movie with him in his room. When he went for a good old debate on why you shouldn’t, you surrendered and hoped the dining table full of roommates didn’t make any remarks. No-one did. Christina only wiggled her eyebrows and hid her grin behind a spoon full of veggies.

But now you were here, on Eric’s bed, wearing some joggers and a hoodie and laughed at the screen whenever Rex the tyrannosaur had something to say.

„As a kid I always wondered if my own toys were alive as well when I wasn’t around.“ Eric mumbled with some chips in his mouth.

„Same,“ you whispered. „I wanted them to be real so bad!“

„Right? I wanted my toy cars to be real so they could drive to the kitchen and get me snacks.“ A single chip has fallen down on the way from the bag to his face. You were fast to steal it from the mattress and shove it in your mouth.

Eric turned to you, gasped and whispered in fake consternation: „Don’t you dare!“

You laughed once more. „I remember you saying that we will need this bag of chips. Not only you.“

He was quick to drop it and smiled at you as he placed the bag in the gap between you again. After having a huge bowl of veggies with noodles you still managed to kill the whole bag of chips with Eric. He was a little sad when he stared into the empty bag. He crumpled it up and tossed it into a corner of the room.

The positive side of running out of chips was the newfound silence and therefore finally understanding every word that was spoken in the movie.

„How are you, Y/N?“

There his question was again. In the zoo wasn’t the only and last time he asked. He kept asking whenever he pleased. And he wanted you to answer sincerely, you knew that. And you did, every time. The first time in long that you answered that question in full honesty. And he did as well, whenever you applied the question on him.

It was a lot easier now to answer him. „I feel good.“

„Yeah?“

„Yeah,“ you turned to see his face, the movie still playing in the background but of no importance for the moment. „I feel more like myself again. I understand now that my troubled thoughts about Peter are not worth it. That he’s not worth it but I am. I don’t care about him anymore. Not one tiny bit.“

Your words made his tensed face ease up a little. His lungs let out a breath he must have held. „Good,“ he smiled. He smiled and smiled and smiled. Then he turned to face his laptop again.

„What about you? How are you?“

„I feel more than good now,“ he stated which made you feel even better.

The movie continued playing. Woody and Buzz fought at the gas station. They eventually fell out of the car and were left behind. You were partially concentrating on the scenes, the Pizza Planet truck, when you noticed Eric’s hand moving closer to yours. Your hand, as well as his, was laying flat on the mattress. Out of the corner of your eye you saw it coming closer in ultra slow motion. Did he think you wouldn’t notice? Did he think you would scare away if he moved his hand faster? What did he think?

You took smaller breaths and tried to concentrate only on the movie but Eric’s hand was still getting closer. It was closer than your knuckles at night, when they knocked ‚good night’. Your eyes shifted between the screen, his hand, your hand. All while you didn’t turn your head. This stupid little heart inside of your chest quickened. It activated the butterflies in your stomach, sent them flying through your whole body. Excitement over the almost physical contact was rushing through you.

When his pinky spread out and ever so slightly brushed yours, he waited. For you to draw back, to possibly shout at him for what he was doing. You didn’t. You didn’t look at him, knowing very well that Eric wasn’t looking at the movie on his laptop at all. He kept his finger steady against yours, didn’t dare to move it or to breathe. You didn’t breathe either. Instead you linked your little finger with his, tying them like a knot.

Both of you exhaled at the same time. No one said a word. You still stared at the movie and sensed Eric’s head returning to the screen as well. All the butterflies gathered in your hand and made it tingle. They demanded for more. More than this simple but electrifying knot of your pinkies.

You couldn’t bring yourself to take his full hand, though. A million thoughts were running through your brain and all of them were leading back to this tiny touch. You were scared he would break the physical contact again if you searched for more. Unsure as to why he even had closed the gap and reached out after weeks of adamantly making sure no accidental body contact happened.

You were irritated. And you were… happy. And you stopped breathing once more. Eric stopped your train of thoughts abruptly.

He started to intertwine his fingers with yours. Just the way he had tried to in the furniture store. Back then you had drawn back but this time you didn’t. You welcomed his fingers between yours. When they were perfectly locked in place, you squeezed them shortly, causing Eric to sigh in relief. He grabbed onto your hand and held it tight, not giving you the choice of letting go anymore. Never would you have let go of his big hand entangled with yours. This pure feeling of holding his hand almost made you burst because it silenced the oppressing feeling of homesickness. It captured those butterflies and turned them into a vibrant, positive version of that doomsday thunderstorm from a few days ago. If holding hands could make you feel that way… what would a kiss feel like then?

That thought made your head turn to look at him. You just stared at him as he watched the movie with a grin on his lips. When the closing credits appeared on the screen, reflecting in his eyes, Eric turned to you again.

„I don’t want to leave just yet,“ you said, not really sure why this honest admittance sent heat to your cheeks.

„Okay,“ he whispered and leaned forward to start Toy Story 2 without letting go of your hand. When he pushed himself back into the pillows, he entirely closed the space between your bodies this time. He placed the bundle of hands that wouldn’t let go off each other, on his abdomen and just like that you laid next to each other. His thumb brushed over yours while the second movie unfolded in front of you. A smile was chiseled into your face. You noticed Eric shifting at some point and placing the bundle of hands on his chest. You noticed the movie's noises fainting after a while, your eyelids grew heavy. A wave of Eric’s sent was pushed over, calming you and dragging you into a sheltered sleep.

/////

Taglist • @longlostinanotherworld • @dosentier • @dhunhdchrih • @coryisagee

[extremelyblackandwhite]

august

pairing: sheriff lee bodecker x younger! reader

warnings: cheating, age gap

a/n: i wanted to write this chapter to show how y/n’s and lee’s affair began and to show how y/n shaped lee or his point of view. this song is mostly based off august from taylor swift (bc we all know at this point that i’ll just write fanfics based of any folklore/evermore songs) and war of hearts from ruelle. this one is not smut, the next one (illicit affairs) is gonna be.  additionally, i’ve come to the conclusion that knockemstiff y/n dressed like betty draper and after-knockemstiff y/n dresses likes meg draper and that is canon. btw if you’re interested in what she’s wearing in this chapter here [x] p.s.: lee’s not captain yet in this chapter

> ILLICIT AFFAIRS

Salt air and the rust on your door, I never needed anything more. Whispers of are you sure? Never have I ever before. But I can see us lost in the memory, August slipped away into a moment in time ‘cause it was never mine

August was an odd month this year; the godless and sunless town was going through the biggest heatwave anyone could remember. Most habitants were in the parks and outside their homes in plastic chairs enjoying the heat, however, in Y/N’s house, they were baking apple pies with the apples leftover from the little apple tree farm they had a bit south from the town centre. Y/N had suggested they just gave away the apples but her grandmother, ever the traditional woman, believed the best way to show appreciation would be to bake something. “It shows you care, Y/N” as if she cared about anyone in this god forbidden town. She couldn’t wait to pack her bags and go to the big city where she can be something other than a trophy wife. Besides, it wasn’t like there were any available suitable husband options around. 

She wiped the flour out of her forehead as she placed the last pie in the oven. 24 pies, surely that would account for a high electricity bill at the end of the month. Not that it mattered anyway, her grandmother could more than afford it after all she was the woman right now sat at the kitchen table, giving out plates as if they cost nothing. 

     - Y/N, sweetheart, can you go and deliver the pie on the living room. It’s already cold and I don’t want it to go stale.

     - Yeah, sure. 

     - To Captain Bodecker’s house. Promised Jane I’d send her one. 

     - Captain Bodecker’s? But that’s in town. - she scratched her elbows. She’d rather not go to Captain Bodecker’s house yet again he probably wasn’t even around, always busy in the station. - Can I take the car?

     - It’s a 20 minute walk, it’s sunny outside and you’re young. Save on gas.

     - But ...

     - Y/N, you better be outside with that pie in 5 seconds or we’ll have a problem. - she interrupted.

Y/N sighed, unlacing the back of her apron and placing it on the hook. Just great, that’s all she needed today, to walk to the town centre to deliver one of the pies she had just spent the whole morning preparing. She guessed it could’ve been worse, she could’ve had to go deliver it to the police station then Captain Bodecker would’ve definitely been there. It wasn’t that she disliked him, quite the opposite. Back when she volunteered at the precinct he was the only one who was nice to her or at least the only one who wouldn’t try to put his hand under her skirt. He’d even memorised her name which not even the Sheriff who had hired her knew, to this day whenever he saw her he still called her Bella. He was nice to her and she couldn’t say she hadn’t developed a little school girl crush on him, despite the fact he was married. He’d even stood up for her when her manager started screaming at her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t stand being in his presence, feeling like whatever she said would get her in trouble. His wife wasn’t someone she enjoyed either; Jane Bodecker was known for having quite the sharp gossiping tongue. Most of her friends commented their “men friends” would comment how she used to have quite the reputation while at high school and whenever she saw her at the shop, she’d always call her Little Miss Perfect or make some side comment about how she was occupying a job that someone else needed. Still, Y/N could deal with Jane, a little smile, a nod and she was ready to deal with the devil.

The sun scorched her skin as she walked her last minutes til the Bodecker residence. It was a nice home, recently painted with some nice flowers in the front garden yet there were rumours of Captain Bodecker wanting to move to Brewer Heights. Y/N didn’t know how she’d react if during her morning walks she passed by him, so she counted it only as rumours. Standing in front of the red door, she held the pie in one hand and knocked against it with the other one. She stood there waiting for someone to come in until footsteps made her wake up from her dream-like state and prepare to deal with Jane. However, as the door open, a familiar silhouette had her heart racing. 

    - Y/N, what brings you here? - she watched him dressed in casual clothing, something she barely saw if she had ever seen; jeans and a white t-shirt. 

   - Captain Bodecker ... I ... I was looking for your wife. My grandmother sent this. - she held up the pie in front of her.  - She said Mrs. Bodecker wanted one. 

   - Jane’s ... out. Come in. - he opened the door wider for her but she remained in the same place like a statue. - Come on, it’s too hot out. Don’t want no fainting lass complains on my day off. ‘Sides, don’t you want a slice of pie?

   - I really shouldn’t.

   - You can say no if you want to. No need to be afraid of me, Y/N. - he leaned against the doorframe. - Thank you for the pie, though. 

   - I guess I can stay a bit. - she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. Lee couldn’t help but shamelessly check her out as she walked inside his home. It was no secret she was a beautiful woman, heck, Lee thought her to be the prettiest little thing to ever arrive into town, with her sunny smile and pretty dresses. This one was no different, lavender which complimented her so well with a little white rope tied around her waist into a bow, like a little present. Nevertheless, he kept it under wraps he was a married man besides every man in town shamelessly harassed her, despite the side eye he gave them.

He watched as the fabric of her dress swung with the movement of her hips. Lee surely didn’t expect such a pretty girl to walk into his home, had he known he would’ve made an effort to fix the mess that was his house. Normally Jane tended to keep that sorted as he usually spent the day and night at work, but with her staying with her mother after their last fight. It wasn’t anything new, she always did that whenever they fought and then would return after Lee made a fool of himself by begging her to return and that he was wrong during the fight. Still, she placed the pie on his kitchen table with a gentleness and posture which mirrored her privileged upbringing. He couldn’t lie and say his mind hadn’t wandered around how she would look when she eventually got married, after all that was the future of all Knockemstiff women. He also couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t wondered how she would look as his wife. She was sweet, with a sharp mind which definitely had not been appreciated in the precinct. Despite this, productivity seemed to raise whenever she called out any officers who had their feet on top of their desks instead of doing paperwork. He still remembered having to always keep an eye on her, were any officers to get too rowdy with her. Yet, she didn’t care and she held herself and believed herself to deserve the same respect as every working man in Knockemstiff. Although he imagined how she would be as a wife, he had to admit he couldn’t see her ever being some Knockemstiff’s man’s wife and with the example from her grandmother, she was surely on the path to be a rebellion starter. 

    - Big fan of apple pie, Y/N?

    - My grandmother refuses to sell the apples so instead I woke up at 6AM and have been baking apple pies nonstop. She says it shows I care. 

     - Never thought you to be found of Knockemstiff residents. 

     - And I am not. - she spoke as if the mere thought of it offended her.  - She said she promised Jane one. 

     - Don’t think Jane will be back for a while. - he leaned against the kitchen door, watching her place the pie onto his kitchen table. - You can take half that pie, if you want.

    - Trust me, I have my share of apple pie at home. - she folded her hands on top of her stomach. - Uhm ... Do you want me to cut you a slice of pie? I normally take mine with a bit of vanilla ice cream on top. It’s gorgeous, the warmth of the pie and the cold of the ice cream. You should try it?

    - You’re just full of ideas, aren’t ya? - he sat on the wooden chair as she sliced the pie to the best of her abilities. - Shouldn’t you be at university, or someth’ng? 

    - Well, grandma had the stroke and she’s not as motile as she used to be. I’ve been taking some classes at Ohio University but it’s not the same, it’s ...

    - It’s not the big city, ain’t it? - he added. 

    - It’s not that I dislike Knockemstiff, Captain ...

    - Yeah you do. - he interrupted her. - Just don’t let the Sheriff hear it. He already ain’t too found of ya. 

    - Nobody in that precinct liked me. - she rolled her eyes. - Well, they did but I did not like them in that way. 

    - I liked ya. Whenever you screamed at Leroy it always made my day. 

    - Leroy’s the most incompetent person I know. All he does is pimp girls out as if he discovered prostitution. I feel sorry for the girls. 

    - He does a good service.

    - Of course you’d know. - she pushed her hair away from her shoulders, feeling the sweat roll down her neck. God it was, too hot. Lee furrowed his brown, laying the fork onto the porcelain plate. She caught his look, brow raising over in a playful, smug kind of way, before she laid her hands on the table. - I’ve seen it before. 

     - You’ve seen it before?

     - Don’t worry, I didn’t see IT, but I saw Jenny get in the car with you just after graduation. I know what she does, she would call me all the time whenever Leroy was being an ass. 

     - Oh ...

     - Don’t worry, I’m not gonna say anything. Everyone in this town cheats, mostly because everyone in this town marries someone just because they think that will save them from Hell. No one is saved if they’re born in Knockemstiff, not even me. 

     - You mean to tell me you’ve done bad things, Y/N? ‘Cause I don’t believe it.

     - I’ve never done it but I’ve thought bad things. All the time. - her gaze lowered from his face to his waist before returning back to his eyes. It was a millisecond gaze, something she herself knew but he didn’t notice, no matter how observant he was. There were no perfect men in Knockemstiff, but in Y/N’s mind he was her perfect man. After all, there are no perfect men anywhere, even Saints sin and then die heroically to get into heaven. Y/N would rather sin than die for people who would’ve had her accidentally killed many times if it weren’t for her grandmother’s name and status in town. What’s the fun in being good? Every time she was good she got yelled at, someone put her hand under her skirt or tried to pin her against a wall. She was good, she would just rather sin so people wouldn’t taint her goodness. It’s a question of self preservation, at least that’s what she told herself. 

    - That doesn’t make you bad. If so there wouldn’t be good people.

    - There are no good people. - she added, ever the negative person she was, something she had inherited from her mother and which everyone who knew her could trace back to. - All people are born so they could be buried. Everything you do ... in a 100 years they won’t remember everything and all that be left of you is your burial site. That’s your legacy. 

    - Such negative views for someone who wants out of Knockemstiff. I thought you’d have a better outlook on things.

    - I’m never getting out of here. - she sighed, almost used to the idea that she was going to stay no matter how long she fought it. - I’m gonna die here. 

    - Dying ain’t so bad. - he leaned against his chair. Y/N smiled at him, looking around his home. It was messy yes but it was still a good home yet that wasn’t what she noticed. Looking out the window, she saw a built in pool. She didn’t remember hearing the Captain had a pool. Sure, he had a the better salary compared to everyone else in town except for the Sheriff, Mayor, and her grandmother. Yet she had never heard of him having a pool, not even she had one. 

    - You have a pool? 

    - Yeah, built it back when Sandy used to come over to wind up from the dinner job. She’s married now so I don’t think she wants a pool at her big brother’s home anymore. 

   - I don’t think anyone in town has a pool. - she rose from her chair and walked to the window in a lavender rush. - It’s gorgeous.

   - You can come over whenever you want, Y/N. 

   - Can I go now? - she looked over her shoulder to him. The idea of being able to swim while the boiling august heat continued to shine down onto the hellish town. Somehow it made sense yet it didn’t. Lee cocked his head to the side, wondering if he’d misheard her words or if she was really considering swimming into his pool. Unwanted feeling stirred south of him and he punished himself mentally for imagining the lavender flower girl in such ways.

    - Well, uh ... you don’t have a swimming costume. - he babbled like a confused, stunned child.

    - I can swim on my undergarments. It’s pretty much a lace embroidered swimming costume. - Lee merely nodded, not knowing exactly what to do but knowing he was flirting with sin, looking at an abysses and seeming not to fear that he was going straight into it. 

Y/N walked from the window up to the kitchen door which led over to the garden. The once white door had withered with time, turning slightly yellowish with rust on the borders, the glass of the small see through windows cracked yet remaining its shape. The door seemed to be a small reminder of what was still wrong in the Captain’s life but she chose not to dwell over it, no to think about it. She felt the cobblestones against her feet covered by an old pair of white ballerina slips as her mirrored image became clear in the crystalline pool water. 

Lee on the other hand watched like a hawk, from the rusted door he’d broken so many bottles of liquor against, as her lavender fabric fell to the dirty cobblestones. The contrast of the prim expensive dress against the cobblestones which had aged as badly as he had done was telling. At least it was telling enough for him and he wondered if this was a gift from God or if the devil was toying with him. The devil is in the details, his mother used to say, yet as she emerged from the water, hands pulling down her hair, he was almost entirely sure the devil was the girl in his pool, the same girl who had worn white dresses until her 18th birthday. Yet again, the devil was once an angel and to him, she was closer to becoming a fallen one than continuing to wear shades of white. 

    - You don’t swim, captain? - she asked as she swam to the border of the pool. 

    - I don’t enjoy doing it. - he stayed glued to the door, a good distance from her to ensure he didn’t get tempted. - You gonna just swim around like a mermaid, huh?

    - It’s better in the water than on the cobblestones, I tell ya. - she dipped into the water once again only to return to the surface, water droplets rolling down from her plump skin. - Come on, captain. You’re gonna leave me swimming by my lonesome? During the hottest day in Knockemstiff?

    - You’re a trouble stirrer. 

    - Maybe I’m just bored. - she smiled at him. He knew she wasn’t tempting him, he knew Y/N. She liked to tease around, she enjoyed the freedoms which she imposed onto herself and as such she was much different from the women he knew. Not that he knew any women outside of Knockemstiff. He’d been born and raised here and all the women he saw from out of Knockemstiff were on his television screen. - Come on, Captain. It’s your pool. 

    - I don’t want you to see my belly.

   - I don’t care, besides, if it’s that bad then come into your clothing. - her arms rested upon the pool border, wondering eyes tempting even the saint of all saints. Lee looked at the cold water reflecting the afternoon sunlight beams, trying to avoid the thoughts that crossed his mind before turning around. He let his jean trousers pool to the ground along with his shoes before entering the water using the ladder. He was almost sure he’d make her laugh if he were to jump into the water. 

The water was cold and dripped from his skin in crystal like drops. Y/N offered him a playful smile, swimming close to him with that wide eye child naughty fun look only she managed to still hold intact. She held her hands slightly back before pushing the water towards him. 

    - You tellin’ me you invited me in for a water fight? - he chuckled at her actions. 

    - Afraid I’ll win?

    - Kid, you’re much too tiny to win against me. 

    - Wanna bet? - she threw water again at him, swimming closer and closer to him before anchoring herself against him, hands on his shoulders. - I bet you as many apple pies as you want. 

    - Yeah, I’m trying not to gain any more weight, kid.

    - You have beautiful eyes, I’ve never noticed. - she made eye contact with him, seeing her own reflection in his light blue eyes. Maybe she’d never notice because the uniform was so dark blue his eyes reflected it like mirrors, yet they were light. - They’re gorgeous. 

    - Trying to make me blush, kid? 

    - Just never noticed. 

    - Well huh ... - he could listen to his heart beating and drumming against his chest along with the soft movement of the water. All his eyes could see was her, her hands holding onto his shoulders and her angelic face looking at him. - Thanks, you have nice eyes too.

    - You can’t take a compliment, Captain. - she teased.

    - I don’t think I’m deserving of any, specially coming from you, kid.

    - What is that supposed to mean?

    - You know what the men say in town. They think you’re the prettiest thing in a skirt to ever pace around here. Pretty sure they’ll kill each other trying to get your favour.

    - My favour? Is that what you think I’m good for?

    - No ... I ... That’s not what I meant. - his face creased. - I’m just telling you what I hear. 

    - You seem to know a lot of gossip about me, captain. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve been asking around.

    - What if I have? - Lee watched for the first time her mouth shut close. She didn’t know what to say next, eyebrows furrowed together as she inspected his face, slow blinking. Her eyes left his to look at the water back at him. - Just looking out for you ... not a lot of people like you ‘round town. 

He hands gripped his shoulder as she swam closer to him. Her intention was to hug him thank you. Of course she didn’t expect no one to look out for her, she didn’t care about what a bunch of housewives and hopeless alcoholics thought of her. She knew he didn’t inspire adoration in them other. As she got closed to him, he leaned down, capturing her lips into his. Her hands slide from her shoulders to his chest, almost as if she wanted to be the good one and push him away. He was married after all. However, as his lips moved against hers she found herself incapable of pushing him away, hands relaxing just resting against his chest as she found herself acting on her sinful thoughts for the first time. 

So much for summer love, for saying us, ‘cause you weren’t mine to lose.

taglist: @lookiamtrying​

[mymedlife]

Guys, the pandemic has broken me. Every time we seem to be making any progress I feel like we get set back again.

Sorry for the long rant ahead, but I feel like I need to get it out of my head.

Back in the beginning, last March or so, when the state I'm living in shut down, I felt like I could do it. Daycare shut down for almost 3 months to prevent spread.

My husband's job changed his hours to 10a to 8p since everyone was working remotely so they could all be working on the same time zone.

My cofellows were generous enough to switch shifts so I could work all nights and weekends and watch my kiddo during the day. Which kind of sucked, because she doesn't play independently for very long, o was tired, hubby wanted it quiet, and everything was closed so there wasn't anywhere to go to break up the monotony.

Work was filled with frequent changes around what protective equipment we have and what is required to be worn where. I got fitted for 3 different N95s because we kept running out, despite having to check them out and have them sterilized between uses.

I had frequent discussions about how COVID is real with families who refused testing. Parents lied about their symptoms to be allowed into the hospital with their kids, including one who collapsed mid visit due to respiratory failure. Several people ended up having to quarantine because they weren't wearing their N95s during the resuscitation as it was unexpected (at the time we were only wearing N95s during aerosolizing procedures including bagging). This lead to a new rule on not stopping in to help until you have the proper equipment on (which makes sense, but but is so hard).

Early on I spent some time volunteering for the COVID hotline for my state. Most of the questions I got were people upset that things were closing. There were very few health calls.

My aunt died. My sister, a psychologist, argued with her boss she should get a raise for being a frontline worker. My other sister, who is immunocompromised, was mad that all her friends continued to party guilt free and we kept telling her to stay home. My husband began to enjoy his new schedule to the point that he would stay up until 3am playing games after work (the kid was asleep and I was working) and sleep until he had to work at 10 am. My friends talked about their new lock down hobbies, including my co fellow who spent her time creating a new lecture series for the residents. I felt like I was trending water, I started getting behind on fellowship things and I was so tired. My kiddo was happy that I was spending more time with her, and it all was temporary, right?

Eventually things started opening up again. Daycare returned. Two days later my husband was fired. Thankfully he found a job within a few months, but during that time was quick to anger and his staying up all night playing games and sleeping most of the day got worse. He dismissed anything I had to say about it and frequently promised to sleep earlier, later saying he had to stay up because the kid had a nightmare that I slept through.

During this time, many of my pediatrician friends were called to see adults due to high patient volumes and doctor shortages. Luckily I only had to see kids, but there was still a lot of mystery surrounding symptoms and the discovery of the multi system inflammatory syndrome.

My kiddo got sent home a few times from daycare for vague symptoms that necessitated a COVID test, and at one point she was at home with me for 2 weeks due to a COVID positive exposure in class. My husband's job was new so he couldn't take off time to help. At some point things shifted so I was now doing all the daycare pickup and drop-off as well as all the bedtimes (unless I was physically at work).

Following Breonna Taylor and George Floyd there were large scale protests around the downtown area, where my hospital is located. I wholeheartedly support the movement, but someone told my kid it was dangerous to go downtown, and she became fearful of me going to work. This combined with the break in at our home lead to sleep refusal. Something I had to help he with, leading to bedtime taking hours, because my husband would yell at her. Most nights I was too tired after getting her to bed to do much, which lead to more work piling up.

Job hunting was not as fun as I had hoped it would had been. I had one in person interview, everything else was virtual. Thinking about working at a place I've never seen was terrifying.

Many places simply ghosted me. Lots weren't hiring. A few went on a hiring freeze after my interview.

Every interview asked what hobby I developed during lockdown. I admittedly could have answered this question better, and explained that I survived the lockdown with a toddler and that was an accomplishment.

My home institution decided to go with my co fellow over me. When I asked my mentor why she said they felt she had more to contribute to medical education than I do. I'm convinced that in part this has to do with all the lectures she wrote during lockdown.

I was able to get a job, but it's at a smaller community ED where we have a few beds in an adult ED. I mentioned to my associated program director I was a little disappointed, and suddenly everyone is telling me to be thankful for what I have.

I can be thankful and disappointed at the same time.

I think the biggest thing is a fear that if I hate this job I wont ever be able to find another one.

I also kind of resent my kid and husband, if I had more support or time to focus on fellowship things may have been different.

But life goes on. The vaccine was created, things opened up, and now those who aren't vaccinated can stop masking.

The my body my choice people who previously refused to mask are pleased, and now there are barely any masks when I go out (despite a not great vaccination rate in my area).

My kid is 3 and cant get the vaccine, so we still wear them. She loves to whine about how the others don't wear their masks. "It's not fair."

No, it really isn't.

Masks are still required in the hospital, which parents complain about daily. Recently every time I recommend a COVID test it has been refused. The pandemic is over. Kids can't get COVID. And other nonsense.

Kids as young as 12 can get vaccinated. However there is real concern about post vaccine myocarditis. Now everyone who comes in with chest pain wants to complain, even if they are unvaccinated.

Things have been stressful, and my kid is picking up on that. She still has trouble sleeping and has started having tantrums. We recently had a meeting with daycare and they want us to have seen by psych to get her evaluated.

I've found that I've lost interest in most of my hobbies, not that I have a lot of time for them. Fellowship finished and I have the next two weeks off before starting my new job. I was planning on spending it sleeping, cleaning the house, getting out the baby stuff as we are expecting a new little one in a couple of months, and rediscovering my hobbies.

Today I had an awful migraine. I cant take the meds I usually take because of the pregnancy, and my OB wont prescribe anything because he is worried about masking signs of preeclampsia. My husband refused to get up to watch the kid because he was tired, so I pushed through until he was ready to get up.

I lay down to try to get a nap and I get a call that there has been a case of COVID at daycare, and they will be closing for 2 weeks. They will open up the day I start my new job.

And this my friends is what has broken me.

I was so looking forward to finally have time for self care, and now I get to play stay at home mom again with my kid who is in isolation.

After that call I got up and left the house. I'm sitting in my car at the park writing this, and while I know I will go back home eventually, I'm tempted to drive off and let my husband deal with this for a change.