#my hard task only took 35 minutes. but now i have the easy task but it requires leaving the house. i don't WANT to leave the house

[mykingdomforasong]

Gluten_Full Fic Masterpost

Name on AO3: Gluten_Full (35 Fics total) Notes: this is not a complete list

Tumblr: Mykingdomforasong

Fandoms: Star Wars OT, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett

Ships listed: DinLuke, SkySolo, DinCobb, DinHan, DinLukeHan, BobaDinLuke, BobaDinFennec, NiteArmor (Bo-Katan/The Armorer)

My Tumblr Writing Tag

DinLuke:

More Light Than Heat

E, Complete (6/6)

If everything went according to plan, Luke would be engaged by the end of the day. He would meet his husband today. He didn’t even know what he looked like. ~*~*~ In an effort to help the recovering planet Mandalore, the Republic agrees to an arranged marriage between the Mand'alor and one of their most eligible bachelors: Luke Skywalker, son of Padme and Anakin. The only hurdle in this match is that the Mand'alor does not speak basic, and Luke does not speak Mando'a.

Flyboy

E, Complete (1/1)

If there was any one thing that would get Din to join the Rebellion it was this pretty boy who had shown up on the holo-net out of nowhere. He was an X-Wing pilot, judging by the uniform - a tight orange jumpsuit, tousled hair, and a face too pretty for war, in Din’s opinion.

Din spends years looking at and fantasizing about the Rebellion pin-up boy, only to find out nearly a decade later that his flyboy fantasy is the last Jedi and his son's new teacher.

The Princeling

M, Complete (1/1)

“There’s a catch,” Karga had told him when he accepted the puck. “He has to be brought in warm. He’s no use to the client dead.” He was bait, Karga explained, to get to his mother, the senator. “He’s not much of a fighter,” Karga assured him. “But …” Din leaned back, ready for whatever other tip he had for him. “He likes men. Too much for his own good, from what the net says. Shouldn’t be hard for you to … make an impression.”  ~ Din is tasked with brining in a warm bounty. He's promised it should be easy, but the princeling is more than Din bargained for.

Love Me in the Dark

T, Complete (1/1)

No one - not his sister, his friends, or his dad - knew that Luke was gay. No one, except, now, Din Djarin. He never should have come here tonight. He had seen the flyer for a “Queer Poetry Slam” in the bathroom of a coffee shop a block away, and he’d pocketed it. It had taken him all week to build up the courage to come. And now he was in a basement listening to gay poets read gay poetry. And Din Djarin was watching him.

"I won't tell anyone," Din promised him. "Do you want a ride home?"

SkySolo

Two You Owe Me

E, Complete (3/3)

They had been in the cockpit just a few minutes before. Han was showing Luke some of the Falcon’s modified bells and whistles. And if he had been flirting, who could blame him? He liked a pretty boy with a bratty attitude. But they rarely liked him back. Luke did, though. -- Han gets Luke a little too worked up right before the Medal Ceremony on Yavin 4.

M'Lord

E, Complete (1/1)

“I’ve never worked for a Lord before,” Luke explained, turning towards him. “Not very clear on the rules.”

“I’ll have someone explain them to you, then,” Han said. ~ Luke is the new stable boy at Han's estate, and while he's great with the horses, he's not as skilled with the manners. Han can't say it bothers him, though.

Love Like Rain

T, Complete (1/1)

Luke’s heart rate rose, and he stopped him again. “What if I hurt you?” Han almost laughed, but Luke kept looking at him, as serious as ever. The Force was a powerful thing, and it all seemed to concentrate within him now, moving in, around, and through him like a cyclone. “You could never,” Han said. “I could,” Han took Luke’s hands and pulled him forward. Luke let himself fall, coming to a stop just above Han. “It’s your imagination, kid.”

Do What He Wills

T, Complete (1)

Nothing is permanent - not the Jedi, not Han, not himself. Everything would be what it would be, and then pass into the Force. But the Force hadn’t willed their passing yet; it had brought them back together. This moment would end too, but enjoying the present was not coveting permanence. And so Luke leaned into the present moment with all the love and joy he could offer. ~*~ Han and Luke work to reconcile their relationship and Jedi teachings

DinCobb

Warmed Up

E, Complete (1/1)

Din looked down at him, armor dripping. "Sorry, I didn't know it would rain." He held out his hand to help Cobb up.  "Don't be. Never seen anything like it in my life."  "Let's get you out of those wet clothes," Din said. That alone warmed something up deep inside him. ~*~*~ Din and Cobb get caught in some cold rain and have to find creative ways of warming one another up.

Like To Watch?

E, Complete (1/1)

Din had been lifting him helmet to his nose to drink with Cobb. Between that little exposure and his name, … well, Cobb did sure feel like tonight was something special.

Din lowered his helmet and relaxed back in his chair, his hands resting on his belt.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Mando?” Cobb asked. Din tilted his head.

“What are you thinking about, Vanth?”

~ Or, Cobb learns that Din likes to watch.

Lean On You

T, Complete (1/1)

Cobb’s eyes went wide when he saw Mando step into the cantina. He stood up quick, one arm out stretched to shake the man’s hand again. Mando took his hand, squeezing it tight for a moment before dropping it.

“I hoped I’d see you again, Mando,” Cobb said.

He nodded. “I need a place to lay low for a while,” he said, “is it okay if I lean on you?”

DinHan

Should We?

E, Complete (1/1)

Din visits a Tatooine cantina, hoping to throw back some drinks to help him cope with the loss of Grogu. He meets a lonely stranger, and they find ways to comfort each other.

Take a Look

T, Complete (1/1)

Han winced as he watched Mando shock himself with a cauterizer. The cut across the front of his thigh looked pretty bad from where Han was sitting, but Mando hadn’t let Han within five feet of him to try and help. So Han just stood across from where Mando was sitting in the Falcon’s lounge chair, zapping away at himself.

“I’ve got some better first aid skills than that,” he gestured to the cauterizer. When Mando didn’t say anything back, Han just got the Falcon’s first aid kit himself. “Come on,” Han said, placing the kit down on the table. “Will you let me take a look?”

The Smuggler

E, Complete (1/1)

Din hadn’t expected him to be such a generous lover. His swagger gave off the attitude of a man who would do just enough for Din; just enough to scratch the itch that had been building for a few days.

So this was a welcome surprise.

DinLukeHan/Skymandolo

It's Always Sunny on Yavin 4 (Drabble Collection)

M, Incomplete (18/?)

A series of one shots and drabbles about Din/Luke/Han or skymandolo.

Ch 1: Hyperspace

Din wasn’t even looking at him, just watching the whirl of hyperspace.

“Luke’s been complaining that he doesn’t get off planet a lot anymore, with the school and everything,” Din said.

Fixated

E, Complete (1/1)

Luke was late getting back from some important Jedi field trip with all the kids that Han and Din had not been not allowed to participate in.

Thankfully they had no problem entertaining themselves. ~ Din and Han have a way to mutually satisfy their own desires while they wait for Luke to come home.

Illusions of Someday

T, Complete (1/1)

“I wanted to get back at them. And I did. Within days, I made them hurt. After that, though, everyone looked at me like some magic, flawless hero. Or they looked at me like some up-jumped farmboy who got lucky. You and Leia were the only ones who looked at me with respect. And not just because I’d blown up a Death Star, but because I was ... “

“You were good,” Han offered. ~*~*~ Nine scenes from Luke's life with the people he loves.

Sky's the Limit

E, Complete (1/1)

When Han caught Luke and the Mando, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Han knew from his own experience that Luke had a thing for getting off where he could easily get caught. Nearly-empty hallways weren't the exception, they were the rule.

“One of these days, kid, I’m gonna catch you two and insist on joining,” he threatened.

Other Ships

If You Know Where to Look

BobaDinFennec, M, Complete (1/1)

"I'm looking for work," the Mandalorian said. His unmodified voice was the way she remembered it, warmer and more pleasant than the metallic clamor of his voice under the helmet.

Seducing Din Djarin was the easiest thing either of them had done all week.

Ashes In the Wake

BobaDinLuke, T, Complete (1/1)

The Sarlac building had been an old fire safety hazard downtown for years, but no matter how many fines they hit the old man with, he never took care of it. Now it was rubble; rubble his  brother had pulled him out of already half-dead. After three weeks in the hospital doing skin grafts, burn treatments, pain management, and casting his broken femur, the doctors were sure his injuries weren’t going to kill him. They hadn’t been so sure about that the first few days, he’d been told. He wouldn’t know. He hadn’t been conscious.  ~*~ Boba is healing, and his husbands and son offer some excellent medical care.

Great Find

BobaDinLuke, E, Complete (1/1)

The pool had been Luke’s discovery. Behind the waterfall on Yavin IV, there was a shallow cave, with pools of hot spring water that bubbled up from deep under the surface Yavin IV. He waded into them naked, not shying away from the comfort of their volcanic warmth, ready to float away and stay in the cave forever.

When he finally emerged, he commed his partners, still naked and dripping for their benefit more than his. He got them back to the moon quickly with the promise of necessary relaxation from their desert worlds.

“And more wet, naked Jedi, I hope,” Boba added.

Luke smiled. “Of course.”

[ka-writes]

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Notes: I was at camp. Sorry for posting late... in return I gift a long chapter!

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In Case you missed it:

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

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Inspired by:

Humans are Space Velociraptors

By:FreshRoses_InMyGarden_NeedTheRain

Some kids come from storks, others come from crashed spaceships

By: mmmajora

Home Again, Home Again

By: teeth_eater

All works can be found on Ao3

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Warning: Characters being trapped, mentions of IVs, Cussing, yelling, characters being restrained, nightmares, mentions of murder, a guy being arrested.

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“Humans are [add text here]”

Chapter 3: A Wild Crow Father has Appeared

Phil wasn’t expecting to be returning to Planet A112 so soon but Wilbur had sent a distress signal and that was the Dream Team Craft’s next stop.

The planet itself stood as a port market place. There were many of these planets around the galaxy, but it was probably the more popular ones for criminal ships and such. Poachers and Scientists alike came here to get supplies to take the biggest beasts in the galaxy, Humans.

Phil never understood the appeal, but both of his sons had gained that sort of adventurous aspect that he had lost so many celestial years ago. He assumed the only reason people ever chased the creatures was to fill their pride.

That was the exact reason Techno had joined the poacher ship three years ago. He only returned when it had crashed three months ago. To this day he has yet to reveal what horrors had gone on the ship.

Wilbur had another reason to go after the infamous creatures. His crave for knowledge was eating him up as was for most scientists. He joined the Dream Team Craft only six months ago and was already heading back to the SBI Craft.

Techno was pacing around the marketplace studying different weapons and supplies. Phil had been standing off to the side, leaning on one of the building walls. Every once and a while he would check his communicator to see where Wilbur was. Thankfully he had turned on his location so Phil could easily watch as he made his way through the maze-like market.

“Is he getting close?” Techno asked running low on patience.

“He’ll be here in two minutes or so.” Phil bit his lip, “You can head back to the ship, I don’t mind waiting for him.”

“I am not leaving you. Prime knows what Wilbur brought back this time.” Techno replied. Wilbur always had a knack for bringing back things he found interesting. This wasn’t the first time he had left the SBI Craft. This would be the 37th since he turned 14. Now he was 24 and the Craft had been designed to handle whatever he brought back. There was a holding room fit for literally any species, a mechanics room full of technology he gained an interest in. A garden and a gardener which was also retrieved by Wilbur. And of course Wilbur’s pride and joy, the laboratory.

“If you want mate..” Phil said, shaking his head.

Not even two minutes later he saw Wilbur coming from the middle of the crowd. He was carrying what looked like a hurt child.

“Well this should be interesting.” Techno mumbled as he spotted Wilbur.

Once the phantom saw them he strode over and they made their way over to him.

“What do you have this time mate?” Phil asked, curiosity filling him to the brim with questions.

“Someone I can’t explain till we get to the ship.” Wilbur states with a tone he had never heard from his son.

After a second of standing awkwardly they had come to a silent agreement to head to the ship.

It took less than five minutes. Wilbur was half sprinting to the lab before Techno’s assistant had even registered that Wilbur was back. Phil gave a quick greeting to the gardener and assistant before following Wilbur to the medical part of the lab. He almost fainted when he saw what was laying on the medical bed.

“I know it looks bad, but I couldn’t help myself.” Wilbur said apologetically, “I know you’re gonna want answers but I really don’t have a lot of time before serious damage is done to him. I’ll explain after I fix him up.” He glanced up with a face full of sincerity.

Phil sighed pushing aside any fatigue and collecting his thoughts. “How can I help?” He states without an ounce of shown-fear in his voice.

Wilbur took a moment before answering. Prime the silence was loud. “Keep everyone out of the lab, and set up another room.. that would be great.” Wilbur said. The worry in his voice was apparent, but Phil said nothing of it. Instead he started on the tasks that came with being the captain of the craft.

——————

He woke up to LED lights blinding him. Tommy blinked a bit before sitting up.

He was sitting on what appeared to be a hospital bed. An IV was attached to his wrist and there were strange alien restraints attached to his legs but not to his wrists. That would be a mistake if he knew how to take the sticky black cuffs off. Which he didn’t. Plus he was too weak to attempt.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked around. The bed was pushed into the back corner directly across from a window. There was no glass or plastic covering the window, only a shiny force-field looking thing. The window also was the length of the wall. To the right of the window was a little slot and shelf, clearly used to deliver food. To the left of the window was a place for a door. The only thing was there was no visible door, just more of the light blue painted wall. To the left of the space was a bunch of shelves with a bunch of weird toys, games, books, and puzzles. Across from that was a card table and two comfortable chairs. At the end of the bed was a bench looking thing in which the lid lifted up.

All in all the room was clearly used to keep people occupied while keeping a close eye on them. The inhabitants of the ship had prepared it so it could withstand most things. The furniture in the room had been nailed to the floor. The chairs could move either closer or farther from the table with whoever was sitting down using a strange contraption. None of the toys on the lower shelf could be eaten and all games and puzzles were on higher shelves. The books were also all hard covered. There were even plastic bookmarks in a small container next to the shelves. The window was clearly impossible to get through and looked like it would absorb whatever you threw at it. The food shelf had three mechanisms that wouldn’t be easy to get through. There were no vents or places to hide. It was very apparent they had done this sort of thing before.

The last thing Tommy looked for was a light switch. By some sort of luck he spotted it. It was a weird sort of dial thing that was right by the IV stand. It was currently at 100 and he then dialed it down to 35. It was dim enough to sleep but bright enough to see everything clearly. Not even five minutes later he fell into a deep sleep.

——————

“YOU BROUGHT A HUMAN?!” Tubbo yelled, fluttering his wings furiously, making him hover ever so slightly.

Ranboo swiftly put his hand on Tubbo’s shoulder pushing him back onto the ground. The enderian shifted anxiously making Techno ponder if he was also gripping Tubbo to keep himself grounded. Phil stood near Will expectantly. Wilbur shifted from foot to foot and rubbed his arm, yet kept his head up to look at everyone. Techno was leaning against his security desk, side eyeing the now asleep human.

“I knew you were stupid, I just didn’t know you were this stupid.” Techno stated without a hint of remorse. Wilbur scoffed before attempting to collect himself.

“I couldn’t just leave him there! It was a mission built for researching humans. Meaning they would be doing nasty experiments for prime knows how long!” Wilbur snapped, with a seriousness Techno hadn’t seen since Wilbur brought back the other children on the ship, “He is a kid. Not an adult that had nowhere to go and was doing prime awful things. He is a kid with no family, no home, and barely making it through the day. I read through his file and he has gone through awful shit. I wasn’t gonna let him die in misery too. If you don’t want him on the ship, then I will get myself my own ship.” Wilbur threatened with a tone not to be questioned. Techno took a moment to think through Will’s response before coming up with an answer.

“He can stay. As long as you keep him in line and take care of his rations. He is not to leave his room until we make sure he can do no damage. If anyone wants to visit him, you are either outside the window or I am present. No excuses.” Techno finished satisfied with his answer. Phil may have been the legal captain of the ship, but when it came to rules Techno was always the one to make them.

Phil nodded in agreement. The two children nodded aggressively, both of which clearly had no intention of going near the human’s holding cell. After a minute Wilbur nodded.

“Fine. If those are the rules I will comply.” Wilbur said, “I need to adjust some things, I will assume Techno will be coming with me?” He asked reluctantly.

“Yes.” Techno bluntly said.

“So be it.” Wilbur snapped. Techno just brushed it off as they headed towards the lab cells.

——————

Tommy was running through the forest on the edge of town.

It was his favorite trail and the only one his parents let him go on alone. Which cost a long series of promises and supplies he had to go with.

Usually he would be running on the trail for fun but this time it was a sprint home. He didn’t know what was wrong but he knew something was wrong. Especially when he saw the blue and red lights light up the evening sky.

“I didn’t do anything you bastards!!” His dad yelled over the sirens. They had him in cuffs repeating the Miranda rights to him as they pushed him into the back seat.

“What’s going on?” All Tommy could manage his throat was tight and he was struggling to hold back angry tears. He caught one of the officers' attention. She smiled softly.

“He got caught doing something bad to his wife.” She said sadly.

“What did he do?!” Tommy cried even louder this time tears slipped down his face. At this point the officer got more serious.

“I am not obligated to say.” She bit her lip before continuing, “Why don’t you go back to your parents?” She replied softly. This was the first time Tommy got angry, not annoyed or that childish angry. The kind of anger that makes you wanna burn the world down. It was a quick flash but enough to make him snap.

“You took my dad…. What did he do to my mom?” Tommy answered coldly. His answer clearly shook the officer.

“Aw kid, I- .. I am sorry.. he killed her.” Tommy already knew the answer. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. He heard someone scream from far away. Maybe it was him, maybe someone else. They pushed him through a series of questions all of which he could barely answer. His mind was somewhere else. He couldn’t calm down. Everything was too much.

He woke up in a cold sweat. Tears were running down his face. His breath was rapid and uneven. He hadn’t had a dream like that for a couple of months, granted he barely slept. After a few shaky breaths he calmed himself enough to grasp where he was. He wiped the tears just in time for the spot where the door was to open.

In stepped Wilbur along with a really tall alien. The tall alien stood in front of the door as Wilbur rushed to Tommy’s bed. Tommy lost control of his breathing, barely calming down.

Wilbur grabbed his hands to which Tommy snapped his head towards the alien. “I want you to breathe with me okay?” Wilbur said softly. He moved Tommy’s hand to his chest and started taking deep breaths. After a minute Tommy managed to even his breath to Wilbur’s pattern. “Good, good. I am gonna take off your IV since you don’t need it anymore. After that I can get you some food and water, then we can talk alright?” Wilbur said, keeping his tone soft and slow. Tommy rubbed his eyes and nodded.

Wilbur took his arm, there was a small pinch then the IV was off. Wilbur quickly left and came back after about two minutes. Within those two minutes Tommy got a better look at the other alien.

The alien had light pink ruff skin with neat pink hair tightly braided. They were wearing a puffy cream shirt that was tucked into dark brown pants, which were tucked into black boots that went up to their knees. Their knees bent backwards and the boots were shaped weirdly, like they were built for hooves. They had hooves where their hands would be, that somehow had thumbs. They also had tusks poking out of their mouth. Along with blood red eyes that had white pupils. Their ears poked out of their hair and were both torn and pierced with gold earrings. They also had a gold chain necklace with a stone that resembled an Emerald. They also wore a black belt with a gold clip. Attached to the belt was an alien sword leaning against their right hip, on the other side was what resembled a gun.

Tommy swallowed down food that was threatening to come up. He waited patiently for Wilbur to come back, trying his hardest not to stare at the other alien.

“My name is Techno. He/him. Same with Wilbur and most of the crew. The only one who has other pronouns is Ranboo who goes by he/they.” Techno, stated bluntly. Tommy collected himself before responding.

“I am Tommy Innit, er- he/him.” Tommy finished with a shaky voice.

Luckily the awkward tension didn’t last long as Wilbur practically sprinted through the door, shoving Techno out of the way. He pulled a tray that was neatly folded out of the wall and put a glass of water and some food on a plate.

“Some parskey with hatatoes. It tastes good I promise.” Wilbur explained. He then went to grab something he left outside and sat at the card table. He put two plates down and Techno joined him. The door closed after that. There was no button or anything, it just closed. Tommy was a little baffled by it but looked towards the food put in front of him.

It was a white meat, similar to chicken, with a brown version of mashed potatoes. He looked over to the other two who were talking in a different language while eating the same food. With that Tommy decided it was okay to eat. Just like what it reminded him of, it tasted like chicken and mash potatoes with small differences. Like the meat was dryer and more salty and the potatoes were a little sour. Either way it was still good. He then drank the water. There was no odd taste this time so he assumed it wasn’t drugged.

Once he finished he attempted to listen in but was only met with a series of strange sounds. He gave up and pushed the tray away. Almost too quickly he fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t even notice when the visitors took their stuff and left.

——————

Ranboo poked at his food glancing up every once and awhile. The two crew members had returned from the human’s room and decided to finish their food with the rest of the crew. Everyone sat in a tense silence.

“So,” Phil clapped his feathered hands and turned towards Wilbur. “What do we know about the kid?” He asked.

“His name is Tommy Innit, pronouns he/him. He is 14 and was living on the run for six months. No family according to him and he’s allergic to nuts.” Wilbur answered.

“From what I can tell he isn’t super dangerous, just fearful. He already trusts Wilbur, somehow. Though I think it is due to Wilbur saving his life. It will be harder for the rest of us to gain his trust.” Techno added. Ranboo swiftly wrote the responses down, making sure to keep major notes.

The rest of dinner was uneventful and everyone awkwardly washed dishes and went to bed. Assumingly to sleep. Everyone except Ranboo that is. He couldn’t wash dishes due to his biology and he didn’t really sleep. Every time he tried the void would wake him up or he would go into a half-conscious state that the crew deemed as enderwalking.

So for what felt like the hundredth time they stayed awake laying in bed. This time however their mind was racing with thoughts. Traveling through situations that used to seem impossible before the human boarded the ship. Still curiosity was eating their insides.

With a half made up mind Ranboo shot up in bed. They stalked over to where the human was being held and peered into the window.

Almost instantly the human sat up. After yawning and getting into a position he was comfortable in he just stared at Ranboo making them incredibly uncomfortable.

“Who are you?” The human asked, Ranboo couldn’t remember his name.

“Oh! Uh, I am Ranboo.. I am kinda like an assistant, I-I guess.” Ranboo said, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Ah cool. I am the biggest man! Tommy Innit. You should be grateful to be in my presence.” The human practically flowed with confidence making Ranboo question if all humans were like this. He shook off the questions and turned back to the human who was now playing with the light monitor.

“So… what was your planet like?” Tommy asked, startling Ranboo a bit. “I-I mean you don’t have to answer of course.. just wondering..” the human stuttered. They took a moment to go through their thoughts, narrowing down what they could.

“I guess it was peaceful.. in a way.. no one really fell out of line. It was unified, creating a peaceful haven. It wasn’t like people couldn’t fall out of line it’s just they didn’t want to. M-most of them were content with the way they were… but if there was something wrong they would absolutely take any measure to destroy it.” Ranboo finished bitterly, trying to shake off his old hurt of how they treated him. “W-what about your planet?” Ranboo asked.

“Ah.. Earth is interesting to say the least… We don’t all follow the same rules. And there is a lot of falling out of line… But I guess that’s what gave it a certain charm and a certain aspect that made it brutal.” Tommy finished his serious tone melting in an instant, “But that’s there not here! I wanna know what everything is like.” He said looking at Ranboo with curiosity.

That’s how Ranboo created a bond with the strange blond creature. They bounced from topic to topic mainly ending with one of them going into a deep explanation of one thing or another. They talked until both of them ended up passing out sitting next to the window.

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Chapter 3- End

Words- 3,212

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Techno- “Don’t go near the human without my presence.”

Ranboo- ._.

Ranboo- Ima do it... >:p

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(That was a bad one but oh well..)

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End Notes: I got carried away a bit... I have a few more filler chapters before we start actually getting into the plot.. also after this should I start a super hero AU?

Ignore minor mistakes... I did reread through it this time so there shouldn’t be too many...

As always likes are nice but reblogs are better! Please share this with people of you enjoyed, I hope you did!

Go get some water, sleep, eat food, and stay safe!! Love y’all <3

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Chapter 4:

[juminsmysticmc]

Omg. Requests are open. I'm so happy. Can I have rfa and minor trio helping their kid with math homework? Like these adult people vs. math. Thank you and have a nice day

RFA + Minor Trio helping their kid with Math 

Hello my love! I love these kind of requests and I was so happy to write it! I hope you enjoy it! Tell me your opinion!

Jumin

,,Mommy…?’’ a young boy called through the penthouse, getting out of his room and walking towards the door of his parent’s bedroom.

Just when he was about to open the door, the boy’s father quickly stepped out.

,,Mommy is sleeping. She’s not feeling well, did something happen?’’ Jumin asked his son and took him in his arms.

Usually, his son would play alone in the afternoon for half an hour or do his homework and then spend some time with his family, but today he was pretty long alone in his room.

,,I need mommy,’’ he repeated.

,,I don’t understand Math,’’ the boy whimpered, tears in his eyes.

,,Daddy will help you since Mommy needs to rest. You will be a big brother soon, that’s why Mommy needs to sleep a lot,’’ Jumin told him and took his son and went into his room.

Jumin looked at the worksheets.

,,So, Mommy is in one room and I join, how many people are there?’’ Jumin asked him.

His son looked at him with panic.

But then the young father had an idea.

He got up and returned a few seconds later with a few sweets in his hand.

,,Here, have one,’’ he said and saw how happily his son took the candy.

,,Do you want to have this candy too?’’ he asked him then.

,,How many candies would you have had then?’’ he kept asking his son.

Finally, the young student understood the question and with his father he kept working on his homework.

Zen

,,MOOOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!’’ a little white haired girl ran through the house, her book in her hands.

,,Baby, psssst…’’ Zen quickly caught his sunshine and kissed her.

,,Mommy is trying to get Hana to sleep,’’ he explained and kissed his ten year old.

He then asked her if she wanted to show him anything.

He was surprised when she proudly showed him her homework. However, everything was wrong.

,,Come, baby, let’s go over it together,’’ Zen said and carried his princess into her room and sat next to her.

He first erased her wrong answers and then slowly asked her, ,,Imagine you have to count the number five, five times… take a piece of paper and draw five circles,’’ he told her.

She followed his instructions and then looked at him.

,,So, now we have to count them five times,’’ he explained.

,,One… two… three… twenty… twenty-one… twenty-five…?’’ she asked him, looking at him.

,,Right! Twenty-five!’’ he smiled and patted on her head.

He thought that it was kind of cute that her solution was fifty-five.

And so, father and daughter tried to solve all the problems together.

Yoosung

Yoosung looked at his daughter’s worksheet.

Since when did children have such difficult questions? He asked himself and tried to look up a tutorial to help his fifteen year old son.

,,Okay,’’ he mumbled and paused the video.

His son was unmotivated, bored, and depressed that he couldn’t solve that one question.

,,I got it, son. Together, we can do it!’’ Yoosung tried to stay positive.

Indeed, Yoosung could explain the task and didn’t even fail at finding a solution. 

,,We have ten balls: two red, three white, and five blue. The probability of getting a blue ball is five to ten since we have ten balls in total and five balls which are blue,’’ he explained and drew a picture.

His son nodded as he began to understand what his father tried to tell him.

Half an hour later, they finally finished with the homework.

,,You were good! I will give you a cookie for your hard work!’’ Yoosung praised.

Since then, his son always asked his father for help when there was something that he didn’t understand in his homework.

,,I feel as if I am in school again,’’ he whined one night at you while you giggled.

Jaehee

,,Oh dear,’’ you sighted as you looked at the question over and over again.

You hated these kinds of questions.

You were just as depressed as your daughter.

Spending half an hour on a question with only three points, wasn’t the best start.

Luckily, Jaehee saw that both of you were helpless and quickly joined you on this beautiful Saturday afternoon.

,,So, you have these three lines and they are parallel, aren’t they?’’ she asked both of you and quickly could tell you what the task was about.

Indeed, this seemed to be pretty easy for Jaehee.

,,Okay, you will be in charge of math and I will take over everything else. Just don’t make me work on math ever again!’’ you laughed and got up, ready to go for a walk with your beautiful family after working on the hard question for such a long time.

Saeyoung

You expected Saeyoung to be good in math.

But you never thought that he would be that good.

You just spend half an hour on a single task, reading and reading the same question over and over again.

However, you didn’t understand anything.

Your twin girls looked at you.

,,Yesterday you said that mom knows everything,’’ one of your red haired angels told you.

You didn’t want to disappoint them, but for god’s sake, this single question was making you nervous.

It was as if someone would tell you that the sun is yellow and the house is green and ask you how long they took to build up the city.

,,I am home!’’ Saeyoung said after coming home, kissing his girl’s heads and your soft lips.

With a glance, he looked at the topic of his children’s homework.

,,I love this topic! LOLOL, this answer here is wrong,’’

And with that, you demanded that he explain the task to you, his children, and at some point, friends of his daughters.

And you were really glad that Saeyoung was by your side, supporting you as a wonderful father.

Saeran

Helpless.

This was the only thing Saeran felt when he looked at all the numbers of his daughter’s worksheet.

He gulped. 

He was good at hacking and he was good at math, but this was totally bullshit.

He looked at the clock. You were still away for a few more hours.

,,Daddy, you don’t need to if you don’t get it either,’’ his little girl mumbled and was about to close the book and put away her stuff.

,,Don’t worry, I will try it again,’’ he whispered and read the task over and over again.

He tried to write down the most important information of the question and wrote them down.

Step by step, he tried to solve the mystery until he succeeded.

Finally, the solution seemed to be logical.

,,Now, step by step, that’s their question and here is what they give you,’’ he began to explain.

The both of them began to work on the three pages his daughter had as homework.

When you came home, a big smile was on your face.

You softly brushed Saeran’s cheek and kissed your daughter’s head as their sleeping faces laid over their hard work.

Jihyun

,,I wanna go to mommy,’’ Lucy said. A few tears dripped down on her book as she held the pen with a trembling hand.

,,I know, Lucy,’’ Jihyun began.

,,But first, we need to work on these tasks and then I promise that we can go to mommy and your little brother in the hospital, yes?’’ he asked his adopted girl.

The girl looked at him and nodded.

Jihyun knew that the relationship between mother and daughter was different, but he never knew that there could be such a big difference.

And so, the mint haired man sat next to his daughter and observed his daughter’s studies.

,,Lucy, are you sure that 365 divided 5 is 74?’’ Jihyun asked her.

She looked at him and all over again she made the same mistake.  

,,Look,’’ he told her and took a pen in his hand and wrote down the question.

,,If you write down 365: 5, and you only take 36 : 5, you get the number…?’’ Jihyun waited.

,,Seven…?’’ she asked him.

Her father nodded.

,,So, we write down 365 : 5 = 7, but there isn’t a 36 in the multiplication of 5, right?’’

,,No, there’s just  5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and so on,’’ Lucy mumbled.

,,Perfect! So, below the 36 you write down 35. You subtract the numbers and take down the 15.

How often does 15 go into 5?’’ he asked.

Finally, Lucy understood what her father wanted to tell her and since then she calculated the problem his way.

Btw, it should look like that ( I sat 5 minutes at that question because I got confused)

365: 5 = 73

35

——–

  15

  15

——-

    0

Vanderwood

You rubbed your temples and stroked your belly as your son kept crying.

Suddenly your husband stepped in, asking the both of you what was happening.

,,I…I can’t help him anymore, Vanderwood,’’ you began to sob.

Vanderwood patted your head and told you to go to rest since you were already eight months pregnant.

,,The hero of the day will explain the question to him,’’ he told you, trying to make you feel better.

As soon as you stepped out, Vanderwood asked his son if crying would make him intelligent.

,,No? Then stop sobbing. I’m here to help you,’’ Vanderwood said, muting his son in lighting speed.

,,Look,’’ he began.

,,If you draw a point here, here, here, and there, and connect them, it gives you this curve right?

So now we need to use X to find out the calculation for this point,’’ he went on.

,,Let’s calm down and search for an easy walkthrough,’’ Vanderwood told him.

Indeed, the both of them found a way and could easily work on all the questions that were left.

Vanderwood tried his best to teach his son so that he would do well in the exam, which was around the corner.

And even though you couldn’t support them mentally, you decided to bring over some snacks and help them in your own way.

This was really funny, I used my mother as an example. My dad never successfully taught me maths XD I always began to cry with him, lol and I still do because I HATE MATH!

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

02.04.2020// 00:51 MEST

[avengenerd]

Clockwork

A/N: it’s ya girl, back at it again after OVER A YEAR of not posting a fic. I’ve been working really hard this year in getting back into writing, and I’d like to think I’ve improved since I last posted here. So, let me know what you think. Like, comment, REBLOG, I go feral for the last two. Also S/O to @writeyourmindaway​ whose custom line divider I used! Much love, in these oh so trying times. 

Summary: Bucky x Female!Reader (established relationship). Reader is a part of the team, and endowed with the skills of MacGyver and a science degree. She’s also been kidnapped, disarmed, and locked inside with a ticking bomb. It’s not great. 

Word count: 2296

Category: fluff, light angst and self-deprecation. We been there. No warnings. Enjoy!

You’ve got 10 minutes before the walls come caving in. Four red, white and blue wires snake around four identical corners joined by enough incendiary to turn you to ash. The door is locked from the outside and your previous attempts at breaking it open have proved both a waste of time and a bruising task.

At 8 minutes and 35 seconds, you’ve assessed the bomb’s components and begin to thoroughly scan the small bathroom. A wall radiator attached to brown metallic pipes, definitely gas fed, is beside the ceramic toilet bowl. It tells you that not only are they planning on wiping you out, but burying the entire building beneath flames and rubble. On the floor there’s cleaning bleach and a blue bottle of standard toilet cleaner. You grab one of them and put it on the sink. In the mirror-cabinet above, you find a small manicure pouch. Immediately, you pull out tweezers and a metallic file. There’s no trimming scissors so you take the nail clipper instead.

The impending explosion is the most immediate threat, so that’s where you begin. Using the tweezers you unscrew the plating, and pry open the metal casing with the nail file to expose wiring. Four wires, same sequence as the external, red—blue—white—blue. You snip the last blue wire with the nail clippers. The timer stops at 7 minutes and 1 second.

It’s not over yet. In 7 minutes and 1 second, the assholes who locked you inside with a bomb will be wondering why there weren’t any fireworks. Then, they’ll be back. You may be able to diffuse a bomb but your capabilities end at stopping an army of bullets.

There’s a knock on the door.

You stop breathing. Tilting your head toward the door, you listen closely and hear heavy pants. Inching back to the sink you pick up the bottle of bleach.

Another knock, this time followed by a tentative call.

“Y/N?”.

You put the bottle down. “Bucky?”

A sigh comes from the other side. “Fuckin’ hell. Next time you get kidnapped, try not to lose your comms.”

Tilting your head back, you let out a deep breath before moving closer to the door.  “I’ll try to remember that. Can you let me out now? There’s a bomb-“

“Shit.” A ruffling followed by a grunt comes from Bucky’s side. “Move away from the door.”

You immediately scurry to the sink, as three pops to the door’s hinges allow Bucky to enter the small room.

His dark hair is matted to his face, drenched in sweat. His thick blue vest holds a darker spot on his left side, not much bigger than the size of a fist. Blood, maybe. ‘His’, you wonder. ‘Or someone else’s’. He’s grinning at you, skin stretched at the corners of his mouth, a pleasant image despite the huge semi-automatic attached to his back. ‘Definitely someone else’s’.

You smile back at him. “You took your sweet time.”

He glances at the left wall hosting the disarmed bomb and quirks an eyebrow at you. You shrug your shoulders in response. “Couldn’t wait forever, babe.”

Bucky moves to respond, but is interrupted by distant shouts.  “New friends of yours?” he asks.

“Clearly,” you reply, nodding to the explosives. “Did you by chance bring some friends of your own? A small army, perhaps?”

“Not exactly. We knew you’d be somewhere in the area, but there’s about five industrial bases within a 10 mile radius.” He removes the gun from behind his back, reloading the magazine. “The team had to split up. Didn’t think you’d be kept here though.”

Which is exactly why he checked, he goes on to explain. When the others reported unoccupied spaces, he’d almost given up. Until Tony conveniently mentioned how odd it was for there to be a 3-storey colonial home in the middle of an industrial outlet.

You hum in acknowledgement, moving once more toward the sink. “My man, ever the hero.” You send a wink his way. You open the cabinet once more and pull out a bottle of clear liquid. “Buck, pass me the bleach.”

The thundering footsteps of armed idiots inch closer towards your position. Your 7 minutes are up.

He hands you the heavy container, and you immediately pour the clear liquid into it, screw the cap and hand it back to him. You move back to the bomb, detaching the C-4 explosives from the rest of the mechanism.

“Care to explain what it is you’re doing?” Bucky shifts to move closer to you, but you hold a hand up at him.

“Please don’t move. There’s some highly exothermic chemistry waiting to happen in that,” you point at the bottle in his hand, “and I’d rather it didn’t happen here.”  You grab the beige blocks of C-4 with their fuses still attached.

“Right. Usually I’d find this really hot but, we’re on a clock sugar.” The group of Hydra militants have entered the bottom floor, and you can hear commands being shouted.

“Then let’s dip. Hand me the bleach, you take this,” you say, piling the explosives into his unarmed hand. You take the bottle and finally exit the bathroom meant to be your final resting place. Gross. You leave those thoughts for later.

Short static buzzes come from Bucky’s ear, as he presses down on the hidden earpiece. “Yeah, I’ve got her……. There’s too many of ‘em right now for just the two of us….. think you can pick us up from the roof?” Another final buzz and Bucky looks to you and nods. “Whatever you’re planning on doing, do it now. Sam’s ETA is 2 minutes.

Your assailants have cleared out the first floor, and are making their way up the second. You estimate 30 seconds before they find your position.

You shake the bottle in your hands and immediately feel heavy waves of heat permeating through the plastic. “Then this should buy us some time.”

As you make your way down the corridor with Bucky scoping ahead, you uncover the bottle and let its contents run out in front of you, immediately backing away and covering your mouth. Toxic white fumes escape and a small, but dense fog settles ahead of the spill, growing as more liquid evaporates.

The pair of you run towards the window at the end of the hall. As you reach your destination, a smattering series of coughs and heaving erupts behind you.

“What the fuck is that?!”

“Shit! Cover your nose!”

“I think...I’m gonna…gonna…pass-” followed by a heavy thunk.

Bucky turns to you, bewildered and confused. “What was that?”

“Really crude chloroform. Very nasty stuff, concerningly easy to make.” He gives you an impressed smile, as if to say “not bad”, and proceeds to break through the window with his metal arm.

Clearing out the glass shards, he beckons you to go first. You climb onto the roof and he hands you the plastic bricks of C-4 before slinging himself up to join you.

“How long till Sam gets here?” you ask him, squinting as harsh winds blow into your face.

“Why don’t you look up, sweetheart,” a familiar voice announces. You glance towards the sky and see Sam hovering above you, a halo of sunlight framing his head. A very fitting image indeed.

“Y’all ready to bounce or what?” Grinning from ear to ear, he lowers down onto the roof and engulfs you in a hug. “Damn girl, you really had us scared for a minute.”

“Only a minute?” You scoff. “Might as well leave me here then.”  Smiling into his shoulder, you hug him back, happy to feel safe again.

“Please don’t. Let’s move before you don’t have an actual choice,” Bucky interjects, his eyebrows tensed but his light expression remaining.

“Right. Hope y’all don’t get air sick,” Sam grabs onto each of your hands, extending his wings.

“Wait!” You shout. Grabbing the explosives you ask, “Any of you guys got a match?”

You take the lighter Bucky provides you with and ignite it. You move towards the edge of the roof and burn the fuses of each brick of C-4, before throwing them into the broken window below.

Immediately you sprint towards the waiting men, and grab Sam’s hand. “Okay, go go go go go!”

Without any further delays, Sam takes off with a grunt, arms straining as he takes you three airborne. Not even 13 feet into the air do the explosions begin, the roof you previously stood on exploding in a fiery blaze. Almost immediately, the horde of enemies who had hunted you flee the house through the bottom floor. From your view, they looked like ants being fumigated from their burrow. How appropriate.

“They’re escaping!” You shout over the whipping wind, but Bucky hears you. He nods no, before pointing in the distance behind you.

Looking back, you see an ever distant figure breaking through the scene of blue sky with streaks of red and gold. On the ground, Steve’s shield knocks down a round of men in one swoop whilst Wanda’s red magic incapacitates another.

You look back at Bucky and grin.

“Man, I love you guys.”

“I brought you something.” Bucky’s low voice interrupts your star-gazing as he joins you on the balcony. You look back at him. Steam rises upward and into his face from your favourite mug (the bright pink one with a 2005 Barbie movie plastered on its side).

“Aw, you remembered,” you coo at him, grasping the mug between your palms. The hot air rises to your face and you sigh deeply. Your hands tremble a little. It’s been a long day.

“The colour’s hard to forget,” he grins. “How are you though?” Bucky stands beside you, so closely you can hear him breathing. You can feel his eyes on you, and decidedly ignore his question. You blow gently into the tea and take a sip.

The disgust on your face is evident.

Your boyfriend rushes to explain. “It’s Valerian root. It’s supposed to help relieve stress or somethin’…” he trails off. You’re crying. “Is it that bad? You don’t have to finish it or-,”

“No,” you turn to face him. He’s looking at you gently, calmly, like he already knows what you’re going to say.

You say it anyway. “I should be happy. We did what we were supposed to do, and nobody who wasn’t supposed to get hurt, didn’t. We got the bad guys, again.” You scrunch up your face, and briefly squeeze your eyes shut, feeling even more pathetic for crying. “And I got captured, again. Someone had to save me, again.” It stings. This is the second time it’s happened in this month and though it has little to do with your performance, it definitely feels that way.

“I didn’t get hurt, and I know I should be happy about that. Everything worked out in the end, but, god Bucky!” The tea sloshes out of the cup and onto both your feet. You pause to look down at the mess, then up at him, and you lose it.

Bucky quickly takes the mug and places it out of reach. Wrapping his arms around you, he holds you as you cry into his shoulder.

“I-I don’t even know why I’m losing it.” You feel palms gently moving across your back, and for some reason it makes you cry harder. “I-, we got out, we’re safe. I just-”

“Just because you left unmarked, doesn’t mean you left unaffected Y/N,” he speaks into your ear, hugging you tighter. “What happened to you could’ve happened to any one of us. No matter how much we plan, we don’t always know how our enemy is gonna react. You got out. More than once. That definitely counts for something.” He unwraps his arms from your body and steps back to look into your eyes.

Your crying has dwindled to tearing, but tracks (and a little bit of snot) remain.

He cups your face, forcing you to look at him. “If it were me trapped in there, I probably woulda been barbecue.” You sniffle. “Smoked. Grilled. Roasted.” He continues and smiles at the breathy laugh you give in return.

“Toasted?” You continue, giving in to his jesting. He moves his hand from your face as you wipe the remnants of your tears away.

“Exactly. Not to mention you’ve probably terrified them for life. Chemical warfare and an incendiary attack in less than 5 minutes? I’d be pissin’ myself if I didn’t know you were on our side,” he teases, grinning as you shake your head.

“You should still be pissing yourself. Valerian’s got actinidine, Bucky. Fly pheromones. That tea was so gross,” and with that, Bucky knew he’d done his job, at least for tonight. He could give you tonight.

“Yeah yeah,” he grabs you again and pulls you into his embrace. You weren’t gone for long, he knows, but a gram of anxiety niggled at him regardless. His worry and consequent relief was well hidden for your sake. But you knew. You always knew.

Lightly pressing your palm to his cheek, you lean in to kiss him, feeling his lips on yours in a sweet and delicate reciprocity. The air tonight is cold. It should be prickly, but it softens between the both of you. You let him know you love him, and how much you appreciate him. You also kindly remind him that he shouldn’t rely on every Google suggestion.  

When you go inside, Bucky asks you about making chloroform, then gleefully interrupts you mid-explanation with another kiss. “You’re so hot when you science at me, babe.”

You fling a pillow at him and the night ends in love and laughter.

[aion-rsa]

Cobra Kai: How the Show’s Martial Arts Level Up in Season 3

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This article contains Cobra Kai season 3 spoilers.

Despite its iconic standing within the martial arts genre, the martial arts in The Karate Kid have never been outstanding. Sure, the crane kick is a classic, but from a technical standpoint, it’s not that impressive. Ralph Macchio had no martial arts training prior to undertaking the role of Daniel. In many ways, that’s part of the charm. Whether you know martial arts or not, Daniel’s wax on, wax off awkwardness makes Macchio’s portrayal more genuine. 

Throughout the film franchise, it was Daniel’s adversaries who were the martial artists. William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) had a background in wrestling prior to the first film and continued to train in Tang Soo Do under Master Pat E. Johnson after it wrapped (Johnson played the referee and trained the actors for the film.) Martin Kove (John Kreese) studied Gosoku-ryu Karate under the founder of that style, Grandmaster Takayuki Kubota. The villains in the sequels all had previous training too. Yuji Okumoto (Chozen Toguchi) began Chito-ryu Karate when he was thirteen and was a brown belt by the time he appeared in The Karate Kid Part II. In The Karate Kid Part III, Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver) practiced Taekwondo since childhood and holds a black belt in Kenpo Karate. Stage combat is one of his specialties. And Sean Kanen (Mike Barnes), like Okumoto, studied Karate since he was thirteen, only his style was Shotokan. He also worked professionally as a bar bouncer. 

Because Macchio was a much weaker martial artist than his adversaries both in the story and reality, it was challenging for the stunt choreographers. It limits the vocabulary of where the fights could go. Without a strong martial artist in the lead role, the fight choreographers had to create work arounds, like the crane kick. But again, that was part of the charm of Daniel. No one could play Daniel LaRusso like Ralph Macchio. 

Cobra Kai faces a similar situation because like Macchio, few of the lead actors had previous martial arts training. For more authenticity, newcomers to the cast were not only tasked to learn Karate, they had to do some of their own stunts. With that in mind, Den of Geek spoke with Macchio and more about season 3’s ambitious combat, and the training and editing that goes into major fight scenes. 

No Mercy

Cobra Kai suffers from the same constraint as the original films had with Daniel. All the high school kids are amateurs. We bear witness to their inductions into Karate, and their meteoric rise in skills (Just like The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai takes major liberties on how quickly someone can progress in the martial arts, but so do most stories in the genre). They’re teenagers, not ninjas or Shaolin monks. The fight scenes cannot pivot on extreme Jackie Chan moves. To remain genuine to the story, the next generation must retain some of Daniel’s awkwardness. 

However, stunt coordinators Jahnel Curfman and Hiro Koda did excellent work in keeping it real. In the premiere episode, Johnny’s first fight showed that Zabka had kept up on his Tang Soo Do and could still throw a decent kick. It served the story perfectly, showing Johnny as slightly out of shape, but still formidable. As seasons 1 and 2 progressed, the fight choreography complemented its story arcs appropriately, but Cobra Kai wasn’t a show just to watch for its fight scenes. 

This changed with the season 2 finale “No Mercy.” Curfman and Koda composed a thrilling high school brawl with a solid long take shot – a “one-er” where there are no cuts in the action. It was a thrilling fight, full of complex cinematography and enough close-ups that we could see that many of the actors did their own stunts. 

The season 3 finale fight in the LaRusso residence was even better, longer, and more complex. According to Xolo Maridueña (Miguel), Cobra Kai’s second one-er was a challenge. “When you film an episode like the finale of season 2, you get to the point where you’re like, ‘How do we top this?’ It feels like we kind of achieved everything that we wanted. And I think at that point, we did achieve everything that we wanted. We got this really, really great scene that felt so grand. And in season 3, we want to give people that same kind of feeling, that same rush that you get from watching so many moving parts working together, but it needs to be different.”

How was it different? Maridueña elaborates. “I think that you see that the motives of a lot of these characters are different. The circumstances, the need to win I think is much higher in a finale. And I think up until the very end and even after the fight feels concluded you still feel that sense of weight on your shoulders.”

The Long Take One-Er

Cuts make fight choreography easier. When there’s one cut for every strike, retakes aren’t as difficult. If there are two strikes before a cut, it’s twice as hard. More strikes increase the challenge exponentially. In the original film, The Karate Kid, there was a one-er, but it wasn’t a fight scene. When Daniel first enters the All-Valley Karate Tournament from the locker room, it’s a continuous long take that clocks in just shy of a minute and a half. The blocking is complicated but it’s not as complex as a fight scene would be, and according to Macchio, the scene took 35 takes to get right. 

In filmmaking, one-ers are always held in high regard for their technical achievement. Hitchcock’s Rope was a pioneering example with the entire film consisting of only 11 one-ers. The critically acclaimed World War I film 1917 was nearly a single one-er. When it comes to fight choreography, this is why classic Kung Fu films from the 70s and 80s are so highly respected by martial art movie connoisseurs. While they weren’t one-ers, those fights, like what was coming out of  Shaw Brothers Studio, went dozens of moves before a cut. Some recent films like Atomic Blonde and the John Wick trilogy have showcased one-er fights. What’s more, they are shot in such a way that we can see that Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron are doing a lot of their own stunts. In contrast, in Netflix’s latest assassin thriller Ava, all of Jessica Chastain’s fights are one strike, one shot, and her stuntperson takes over for all the heavy lifting. 

There are some trade tricks to one-ers. The first is a stitch where the camera pans to a featureless surface. This can disguise a covert cut, making the scene appear seamless. But in actuality, there was a break. The other is what is known in the stunt industry as a “Texas switch.” This is where an actor is swapped out with a stunt person by somehow leaving the shot, like being tossed out of frame or ducking behind an obscuring set piece.  

Television fight choreography has leveled up in the last few years. Daredevil was a game-changer for TV one-ers. The show kept upping its game every season. Season 1 episode 2 “Cut Man” ended with a one-er hallway fight that caught every martial arts fan’s attention. It had a lot of stitches and Texas switches. During that one-er, the camera repeatedly moves across featureless hallway walls hiding cuts and Daredevil is masked, allowing for multiple stuntmen to take over. Nevertheless, it’s still a thrilling fight and top-notch choreography. Season 2 episode 3 “New York’s Finest” featured another brutal one-er in a staircase fight. Again, Daredevil is masked so swapping stuntmen was easy. On top of that, Daredevil knocks out the lights, so a lot of the fight is in the dark, obscuring more stitches and switches. In Season 3 episode 4 ‘Blindsided’ Daredevil pulled off their most spectacular one-er of all and one of the best that has ever made it to the small screen so far, the prison fight. In that scene, Daredevil is not masked so Charlie Cox can be seen doing a lot of his own stunts. It clocks in at over 10 minutes. The fight choreographers on Daredevil, Chris Brewster, Philip Silvera, and Roberto Gutierrez raised the bar on TV fight choreography.

Karate And Stunt Training

The one-ers in Cobra Kai aren’t nearly as long, but they do showcase the actors doing many of their own stunts. And like Macchio, few of the cast have had previous training. Jacob Bertrand (Hawk) has a purple belt in Karate and Taylor Buchanan dabbled in Taekwondo, but that’s about the extent of the young cast’s experience. Beyond learning their lines and finding their characters, the actors had to take a crash course in martial arts. 

“I only started learning in season 2,” says Peyton List (Tory), “and that was just in episode 4 of season 2, when I first came in. And I just take everything I can get, and I love learning it. So I’m trying to do everything I can even from home, but that one-er was one of the most fun. Jahnel, my stunt double, she was like, ‘You’re doing this all on your own.’ And that was a big moment for me, and I’m excited for everyone to see that.” 

“My training is something I take super seriously,” adds Mary Mouser (Sam), “because I know that a lot of people who watch this show love martial arts and love the fighting aspect. As much as all the other fun things we have, we have a lot of really cool martial arts fans. So I want to make them proud. I am clearly still a novice in this world, but Samantha is not. So it’s fun to get to stretch myself, to see how much I can push myself to look like I’ve been doing Karate for all these years, when in total probably have about a year’s worth of training so far.”

Bertrand’s Karate background doesn’t make shooting a one-er any easier. “The next couple of days after those types of shoots, you’re definitely sore for at least two days. You’re running the same thing over and over again at 110%, but honestly, I’m just so excited for everyone to see that final fight, it’s going to be so great.”

Forever Young

In season 3, Daniel says he’s now as old as Miyagi was when they first met. Despite his baby face, Macchio is 59. He admits doing fight scenes no  isn’t as easy as back in the day. “The challenge is always as I get older or attempt to look younger, is the physical stuff. Staying in shape, not getting hurt. It requires work and attention and focus.”

Macchio is like David Carradine, who played Kwai Chang Caine in the television show Kung Fu. For their defining roles, they posed as martial arts masters, however they are actors first and foremost, not martial artists. At the very least, Macchio has maintained his integrity by never claiming to be an expert. Carradine milked his master role by writing martial arts books and selling instructional videos, despite his martial mediocrity. Today, Carradine’s martial products are generally disregarded, even mocked, by earnest practitioners. Most considered them to be a joke (the fact that Carradine’s Kung Fu uniforms looked more like Klingon athleisure suits didn’t help). Macchio could have easily cashed in doing the same but to his credit, he never did. 

Will Cobra Kai attempt an even bigger one-er for Season 4? “As soon as the fight is over you’re ready to watch the next one,” teases Maridueña. “And I think that’s all you can ask for in a fight scene.”

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Cobra Kai season 3 is now available on Netflix.

The post Cobra Kai: How the Show’s Martial Arts Level Up in Season 3 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[argylemnwrites]

It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment - Epilogue

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (Canon Divergent from Book 2, Chapter 15)

Word Count: ~2200

Rating: PG-13 (language)

Summary: Moving forward, together.

Author’s Note: This series diverges from TRR canon, where instead of waiting to discuss his relationship with Riley until their last night in NYC, leaving her a note while Liam is proposing to her, Drake tackles this topic as soon as possible after Tariq makes his statement and Riley’s name is cleared. To catch up on this series, you can find the previous chapters in my masterlist (link is located in my bio).

“So, who owns this place again?”

“It’s Cam’s uncle’s girlfriend’s sister’s building.”

“And we trust her… why?”

“Because she is fine with Cam vouching for us, so no income minimum, no issue with your lack of credit history, and no broker’s fee.”

Drake nodded. It still felt kind of shady to him, going to check out random units they heard about from different people they were tangentially connected to, but he was deferring to Riley completely, seeing as he had never been responsible for finding his own housing in his life. And apartment hunting in New York, it turned out, was a complicated task.

Back in February, when they’d started trying to figure out what neighborhoods to consider, Riley had told him not to bother searching the units listed on basically any website.

“There’s gonna be massive broker’s fees, and they probably won’t take us since we won’t have a guarantor. There’s a lot of scams, too. Just talk to your coworkers, word of mouth is going to be the best way to do this,” she’d warned him. 

Drake had done as she’d asked, but the units that his connections, the ones at the law firm he’d been sent to as coverage for one of the assistants who was out after surgery, recommended had not been a good fit. One didn’t allow dogs, one had been a definite bait and switch scam that looked nothing like the pictures he’d been shown, and the one they’d checked out last week was nice, but they would have needed a roommate to make it affordable, something they both weren’t really interested in doing.

But today they were checking out a one bedroom place in the Kensington neighborhood in Brooklyn that she’d heard about through one of her managers. They were supposed to meet with the building owner at 3 o’clock, so they had taken the F train over just after lunch so that Drake could get a better feel for the area.

Now that it was April, the weather was finally feeling like spring more consistently. It really couldn’t have been a nicer day for them to walk around the neighborhood. Drake was shocked at how close they were to a park. It was crowded as all get out, given that everyone and their mother seemed to want to take advantage of the pleasant day, but Prospect Park was large, had fishing spots, and most importantly, was some actual green space. While there were still numerous restaurants in the neighborhood, it felt so much more residential than their current apartment’s location. Drake could actually see why people would choose to live in a place like this.

The building owner, Kris, let them in and showed them up to the second floor walk-up she was looking to lease. It was in an older building, but everything looked well maintained at least. And it was big, probably twice as big as their current apartment. Drake was sure the fact that he’d been living in a 35 square meter studio for over four months was influencing him, but it just felt larger than his quarters at the palace had been, even though he was sure that wasn’t the case.

He wandered around, checking out the bedroom while Riley chatted specifics with Kris. After their first apartment tour a couple of weekends ago, they’d both quickly decided that was the best approach. Not only did Riley have more experience and knew the better questions to ask, but when left to her own devices, she was often able to charm landlords into throwing in some sort of perk, like waiving the pet fee or granting them some flexibility on move in dates. It was best to let her just do her thing.

As he checked out the closet space, it hit him how different his life was now than it was even six months ago. That Drake would have just been amazed that Riley would ever willingly choose to be with him over Liam. He could have never pictured himself choosing an apartment in New York with her. Sitting down and making plans for the future with her. 

It was easy to look at her and say that the change was all about her. And to an extent, that was true. He probably wouldn’t have found the motivation to make any changes in his life if he hadn’t met her. But it really was about more than that. It was about stepping up, letting go of the past, and taking ownership of his own happiness. He remembered Riley yelling at him, telling him he was scared to make changes in his life because he might still end up miserable on the other side of them. Basically telling him he needed to stop making himself a victim by his own choosing. And she’d been right.

Sure, some things were still a work in progress. Their visit to Texas a handful of weeks ago had proven that his relationship with his mother was not going to be mended overnight, after all. But on the other hand, he was hard pressed to imagine the man he was six months ago willingly getting an office job and going out for drinks after work with colleagues. He probably also wouldn’t have gotten a more “professional” haircut at the advice of one of those coworkers in hopes of turning a temp job into a permanent one. He would have fought such advice tooth and nail, insisting that anyone who cared that much about something as dumb as a haircut was a stuck up asshole, not worth his time. And while part of him still felt that way, he now saw it was a small price to pay to try and gain a more stable income so that Riley could cut down to part time at the bar and go back to college in the fall and work on finishing those last two semesters. Plus, she seemed to like his cleaned up cut, which was an added bonus.

The only way her going back to school was even a possibility was actually because of Maxwell. When he had let them know he was coming to New York for a “business venture,” they had both been confused, to say the least. But, when they met up with him for dinner and drinks, he’d told them he had found a way to bring some much needed cash to the Beaumonts - he had sold the rights to a holiday movie to the Hallmark channel, and that the script was so well received that they wanted him to keep writing for them. This had meant nothing to Drake himself, but Riley had just laughed, explaining that it was a TV network that made dozens of cheesy romance movies each year, many of them centered around Christmas.

When pressed, Maxwell had informed them, rather reluctantly, that the plot of the movie centered around a New York City waitress who came to a European country as the date of a prince for some Christmas ball, but ended up falling in love with his best friend. Despite Maxwell’s assurances that he was barely inspired by them and that all the names and locations were changed and that Christmas had nothing to do with Riley’s time in Cordonia, Drake and Riley had called him out on profiting off their story. Eventually, they struck a deal - they got a percentage of his payout for the script, which was going to cover most of Riley’s first semester tuition, and Maxwell had to help them with their move. It still irritated Drake a bit that Maxwell had just decided to throw their story out there for the world, but Liam had told him he approved the script and said it really wasn’t identifying at all, so Drake just decided to be grateful that Maxwell had not only brought Riley into his life, but also was giving her a ticket towards a job that didn’t require her to work a shitton of nights and weekends.

Drake wandered back towards the living and kitchen area, passing Riley and Kris in the narrow hallway, looking at the bathroom. He squeezed her hand as he passed them, and she threw him a little wink. He took in the main space of the apartment. They would be able to get a couch and a TV in there with their table, maybe even a bookcase. The kitchen was actually pretty nice, too. It probably had three times as much counter space as their current place. Everything here felt like it could work.

He opened the cabinets absentmindedly, half checking out the storage space, half waiting to see what Riley had to say about the place. After a couple more minutes, Riley and Kris came back out.

“Alright, well I’ll give you two a minute to talk it over,” said Kris, heading to the door, “I’ll be back in a few and you can let me know if you want to go forward with a lease.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Kris.” said Riley, leaning against the end of the counter.

As soon as the door latched, Riley looked up at Drake, “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s great. It feels too good, to be honest. How bad’s the rent?”

Riley paused for a couple seconds, “1850.”

“That can’t be right. That’s less than what we’re paying now, and it’s so much bigger.”

She chuckled a little bit, “Well, that’s the beauty of not living in a prime neighborhood.”

Drake just shook his head. He considered this location to be far more desirable than their current one, but he knew he was in the minority there. “What do you think about it?”

“I think this could be a really good fit for us.”

“You’re okay with his neighborhood?”

She nodded and gave him a smile, “This is a pretty diverse area of the city, so the restaurant options are good, and there’s decent access to the Q and F trains, so the commute shouldn’t be too bad.” She stood up and joined him further in the kitchen, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Let’s be real, Drake. I’m not going to be as hard to please with this as you are. So, you gotta be honest with me. Can you see yourself here?”

He nodded, “Yeah, Liu. I can. I love this place.”

“Really?”

“Really. Is she willing to lease to us?”

“It seems like it. It sounds like her last tenant moved out unexpectedly, and her late partner used to handle the financial side of things, so she just wants to rent it out as quickly as possible.”

“And she’s cool with Anderson?”

“She told me she’s fine with small breeds.”

“Great, let’s sign.”

“Woah there,” she said, laughing, “And they say I’m the impulsive one.”

“What’s to discuss, Liu? Do you think we’re gonna find a better place than this one?”

She just shook her head and shrugged a little.

“Okay, then I stand by my statement  - we should sign the lease today. If she’s motivated to lease this unit quickly, don’t we need to jump on it?”

“I just want you to be sure, Drake,” Riley said, biting her lip slightly before she continued, “Last time you moved on a whim, things kind of… blew up for us for a while.”

Drake let out a little snort, “I think this is a little different, Liu.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “That may be the case, but I want us to actually take a minute and think about this. Make sure we can see ourselves here, okay?” And with that she plopped down on the floor, laying back and closing her eyes.

“Uh, Liu… what the fuck are you doing?”

She opened one eye and squinted at him, “I’m just taking a moment to tune out everything else and think about this. You should try it,” she said, waving him down.

Drake rolled his eyes, but sat down on the kitchen floor and leaned back slowly in the opposite direction. This seemed dumb as hell, but if it’s what she needed from him to not feel like he was going to flake out on her, he would do it.

They laid like that for almost a minute, breathing slowly. No fears or concerns or worries crept into his mind, which he was pretty sure was the point of this exercise. He wasn’t sure how long they were supposed to do this, but then he heard her moving and felt her curl her body against his head, snaking her hand under his neck and resting her head on his chest.

“So, any reservations about his place?” she asked.

He opened his eyes and glanced down at her. Her eyes were staring back at him, wide and dark.

“None,” he said shaking his head slightly, “I think the fact that there’s enough floor space in the kitchen for us to do this has just convinced me even more.”

She chuckled softly, tracing soft circles along his neck with her fingers. “So, you want to sign the lease then?”

“Yeah, Liu,” he said, letting his eyes fall shut at her soothing touch, “This feels like home.”

Permatag: @speedyoperarascalparty @mfackenthal  @lilyofchoices  @thequeenofcronuts  @jamesashtonisbae

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @kingliam2019   @sirbeepsalot  @texaskitten30   @princessleac1  @ladyangel70  @dcbbw  @yaushie @octobereighth

Drake x MC only:  @jovialyouthmusic  @iplaydrake  @gibbles82  @drakewalkerisreal  @riley--walker​ @notoriouscs​  @butindeed​  @addictedtodrakefanfic​  

It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment: @wickedgypsymoon  @thesumofmychoices​  @cosigottahavefaith​   @thequeenchoices​  @katedrakeohd​  @feartheendlesssummer​  @ao719​  @ooo-barff-ooo​   @sunnyxdazed​

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Anaticula pt 36

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 - Pt 11 - Pt 12 - Pt 13 - Pt 14 - Pt 15 - Pt 16 - Pt 17 - Pt 18 - Pt 19 - Pt 20 - Pt 21 - Pt 21b - Pt 22 - Pt 23 - Pt 24 - Pt 25 - Pt 26 -  Pt 27 - Pt 28 - Pt 29 - Pt 30 - Pt 31 - Pt 33 - Pt 34 - Pt 35 -

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3rd test – Clue to escape shed

Viktor - 12

Sebastian - 13

Lukas - 7

Fleur - 10

Charlotte - 11

Vivi - 9

Cedric - 15

Jaqi -  20

Harry – 11

.

Hermione, “Ronald, this is your problem!” he pushes her closer to Harry on the edge of Black Lake across from Neville waist deep collecting samples of water plants, “What did you want me to say again?”

Ron mumbles something and she moves closer to Harry who is now standing, “Ronald would like me to tell you, that Seamus told him that Sebastian was told by Parvati, that Hagrid’s looking for you.”

Harry, “Is that right? Well, you-, what?”

She goes back to Ron, “Are you sure you won’t do this?”

Ron, “Do it.”

She turns to say, “Sebastian was told by Parvati that…Please don’t ask me to say it again. Hagrid’s looking for you.”

She turns back and Harry says, “Well you can tell Ronald-,”

She turns her head to him, “I’m not an owl!” Before storming off taking Ginny with her leaving the awkward friends staring at one another before Ron leaves as well.

…

Up in Barty’s class alongside Cedric you sat while you waited for Snape to finish setting out a slew of notes he had taken on various ways to distract Dragons in categorical piles with a rather satisfied smirk on his face making you all grin in return.

Snape, “Now, the pair of you, do have a great deal of experience with these creatures, but it never hurts to be too prepared.”

Barty, “Honestly, it’s like they’re not even trying with these challenges. Scenarios, riddles, escape a shed, now Dragons.”

Cedric looked over the list saying, “I don’t want to hurt the Dragons.”

Snape nodded and shifted one of the pages away, “Best not try it, spotty results I hear.”

Barty looked you over saying, “Don’t forget, Alastor has Harry.”

You nodded, “Ya, Ron must have told him before I found it out.”

Snape, “How did you, find it out?”

Your eyes met his, “Charlie was in the forest. His friends showed me the herd.”

Barty, “Perhaps it’s best we go by breed. Which breeds were there?”

“Um, Swedish Short Snout,” Snape began to copy the list down, “Common Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball, Norwegian Ridgeback, Peruvian Vipertooth, Hungarian Horntail, Romanian Longhorn, Hebridian Black, and Ukranian Ironbelly, so, full spread past an Opaleye but that wouldn’t be much of a show.”

Barty, “Weaknesses of each?”

“Absurd or obvious?”

Snape curiously asked, “Absurd?” Making you smirk and start to list what you had learned personally about each of the Dragons in your conversations with them from their favorite snacks to favorite animals and music adding a great deal more distractions for how to handle what the challenge was centered around. Though most importantly you promised to help Cedric freshen up on a few Draconic phrases in case his mind froze so they wouldn’t kill him. These lessons were surrounded by stolen time with your snuggle buddy, who seemed to be struggling against asking you what he had been dying to, an easy way to face the beasts he was not certain you knew you were to face.

.

2nd wk in November–

Match 1 – Slyth - Huff        

In the leadoff match ignoring the animosity between Harry and Ron nearing a tipping point blowing their Quidditch practices into near chaos you focused on your game. And in a much needed blow off of steam you dominated against Slytherin in the middle of a snow flurry you felt right at home in. With Sebastian cheering you on to help keep his nerves in check for his own match later and also continuing to support the media hype up that all was still good with you two ‘competing lovebirds’ as they have dubbed you. A chosen lunch for your team was followed by another march back to the pitch to watch the visiting schools square off again.

Match 2 – Durm 1 – Beaux 3

Hard and fast the game kicked off and in one of the fastest of the year while the guys despised the open pitch for the winter months even from their winter wonderland of a school making the hurry to get out of the snow all the more adorable.

..

Hogsmeade came the following day and with a usual trip through the shops like last time Sebastian enjoyed his chance to cling to you freely without distraction only to get called away for a few moments by Viktor, who seemed to be looking over a book on Dragons making you smirk to yourself in waiting by the fence. A hopping Raven cawing and cocking its head at you adorably distracted you for a few minutes until Harry came up to your side clearing his throat, “Hey Harry.”

Wetting his lips he asked, “You do know, don’t you?”

“No, but if you hum a few bars I can wing it.”

He sighed and inched closer, “About the Dragons, for the challenge?”

You nodded, “Oh ya. You and Ron figure out a scheme?”

Harry huffed crossing his arms leaning against the fence, “I’m not working with that git.”

“Ooh, now that’s not going to help you win. I mean he did tell you after all.”

Harry’s brows furrowed and he said, “No he didn’t! Hagrid took me out there and said Ron knew all along.”

You nodded and sighed leaning back on your elbows against the fence extending your legs in a slight dip, “Ah, Charlie probably told him not to.”

Harry, “Charlie?” he drew in a breath, “Charlie told you?!”

You shook your head, “No. I found Charlie in the forest. Said he didn’t want me to have an unfair advantage, but Igor had already snuck out there. No doubt Beaux already knows too.”

Harry nodded, “Ya, Hagrid and Madam Maxime had a date night visiting the Dragons.” Making you look at him, “Hey, I was an innocent bystander not needing to see that. Moody’s teaching me to summon my broom.”

You nodded, “Interesting.”

Harry, “No doubt you have this in the bag.”

You shrug, “Not if they gag me.” Making him chuckle, “Cedric’s determined to find something on his own.”

Harry nodded, “Good, at least we all know then. Even the field.”

You chuckled and he trotted off, “Give Ron a tackle for me.” Harry looked back at you, “They all seem to be in a mood our Weasley boys.”

Harry nodded then paused, “What about Ginny?”

“What about me?!” She called from across the street outside of the grocer’s with some crisps in hand approaching Harry, who continued on with her.

In a glance down the street you sighed and stood up again strolling off to pick out some new quills, remembering a niffler having stolen the lid to your favorite the week prior. Sebastian eventually caught up to you on your way back to the school fumbling through an apology you silenced with a kiss he melted into captured by a student in passing for the next days paper. Silencing his apology you looped your arm through his and walked with him off to the kitchens where you got yourself some hot cider to help warm up.

…

3rd wk –

Match 1 – Durm 2 – Beaux 4            

Just barely the girls beat the guys and you tried your best not to upset the clearly stunned Durmstrang school as the Snitch was stolen away along with the win.

Match 2 – Beaux 2 – Durm 4

The next day however much to Fleur’s irritation the guys soundly beat them back in the follow up match.

…

The morning of the 24th seemed to go on as usual though at the arrival of more paper owls you were all given track pants and long sleeve jerseys with your school colors. Durmstrang in red with accent stripes from their house colors, Beaxbatons the same in pale blue and you Harry and Cedric in Gold, with your house mascots on your chests and names across the back. Cedric however had black stripes opposing Harry’s crimson that came as an expected sight unlike your emerald green stripes to hint to your original house you were sorted to.

“The first task is designed to test your daring; Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard.” Those words echoed outside the tent you were in with the other students all pacing around at the growing sound of roars over cheers from the crowds outside. Off on your own you sat on your offered cot beside Cedric, who was softly reciting your tricks for each breed while Harry curiously neared the front flap of the tent.

Suddenly Hermione was in the tent and at Viktor standing through a flash capturing the hug she gave Harry in concern Rita seemed to come out of nowhere beside the photographer for the paper. “If things go unfortunately then you two might make the front page.”

Krum walked over between them claiming Hermione’s hand, “You have no place here! This tent is for champions, and friends!”

Rita, “No matter.” The photographer snaps picture of him then they leave.

Dumbledore entering the tent stated proudly, “Good day Champions. Gather round please. Now, you’ve waited, you’ve wondered, and at last the moment has arrived. A moment only the nine of you can fully appreciate.” He glances down at Hermione, “Miss Granger, what are you doing here?”

Hermione, “Oh, sorry, I’ll just-,” she slipped out with a grin up at Viktor who grinned back and Bartemis Sr arrives with Igor and Maxime.

Bartemis holding a velvet pouch ordered, “Each of you place your hands inside and grab one.”

First it was offered to Cedric, who reached inside and winced in withdrawing a tiny dragon model snarling up at him, “Swedish Short Snout.” Cedric nodded and recited his plans to himself.

Fleur was next, “Common Welsh Green,” in peering up at Madame Maxime you caught the fear in her eyes.

Viktor was next, “Chinese Fireball,”

Charlotte followed after, “Norwegian Ridgeback,”

Lukas took his chance next, “Peruvian Vipertooth,”

Harry was next and his mouth fell open seeing his choice, “Hungarian Horntail,”

Vivi seemed pleased with hers, “Romanian Longhorn,”

Next you wet your lips knowing the final pair left while Sebastian reached in, Bartemis’ smug tone showing his supposed hope you had been left with two of the most difficult breeds. “Hebridean Black.”

Wetting your lips you reached in already knowing, with a long plume of flames barely missing your arm the tiny ferocious figure crawled up your arm, “Ukranian Ironbelly.” Snarling and roaring up at you even in its tiny stature you remained calm through the smirking Aurors across from you.

Bartemis, “These represent living dragons you must face. Nine dragons guarding a golden egg you must get from the beast. This you must do, for it holds the clue to the next task.”

Dumbledore, “When the cannon sounds Cedric, the challenge will-,” the canon fires behind him and he mumbled, “Begin.”

In a final glance at you Cedric gave you a comforting nod and stepped out into the growing crowd of cheers barely heard over a loud roar sending you back to your cot with Sebastian beside you holding your free hand listening in silence.

Swedish Short-Snout - Cedric Diggory tackled the task first, against a Swedish Short-Snout. He used a Transfiguration spell to change a rock into a dog to distract the dragon. He was partially successful; the dragon took the bait, and Cedric went for the Golden Egg. Halfway through, the dragon turned its attention back to Cedric, and burned his face. Cedric retrieved the egg, however, and passed the task.

.

Common Welsh Green - The second was Fleur Delacour, who faced a Common Welsh Green. She enchanted the dragon to sleep, but while retrieving the golden egg, the dragon snored and let out a jet of flame that set her pant leg alight. She extinguished the flames and retrieved her egg.

In her being called back Harry came to sit by you fidgeting with his hands while your figures leapt to the ground to go coil up against the stove in the center of the tent.

.

Chinese Fireball - Viktor Krum was third, facing a Chinese Fireball. He used the Conjunctivitis Curse to blind the dragon and retrieve his egg. However, he got docked points when the dragon stumbled around and smashed half of the ceramic eggs enchanted to seem real to the dragon.

The cheers helped you ease Sebastian’s worries that his brother was successful and safe.

.

Norwegian Ridgeback – Charlotte – turns into mouse, creeps around rocks behind dragon to grab egg, shifts back then jumps and hides in tunnel before it can attack her.

.

Peruvian Vipertooth – Lukas – tries using barrier spell to keep himself safe, burns leg and hurts ankle in dive for tunnel when he gets egg.

.

With a pat on his back you gave Harry a comforting grin and he nodded inhaling deeply staggering to the front flap at the sound of the cannon summoning him for his turn.

Hungarian Horntail - Harry Potter drew the fiercest of them all, the Hungarian Horntail.

Anxiously your knee bounced through the continuous roars and shouts from Hermione in the stands, “Your wand Harry! Your wand!”

On the advice of Moody, he used a Summoning Charm to bring his Firebolt to him and maneuvered past the dragon to retrieve his egg. Though slashed on the shoulder, which took off points, he was successful. Finally cheers erupted after a pained wail and you relaxed at the sound of the next cannon.

.

Romanian Longhorn – Vivi – smoke charm and popping distractions in race for egg

.

The second to last cannon sounded and in stealing a quick kiss Sebastian stood saying, “I’ll see you after.” To which you nodded and folded your fingers around your wand you drew from its holster at your waist remembering your own plan.

Hebridean Black – Sebastian - stares dragon down keeping eye contact in circle with dragon until he lifts the egg then jumps into tunnel

.

Inhaling steadily you rose and walked to the tent flap breathing deeply through what seemed to be the longest transfer time for new dragons until the canon sounded and your whole body flinched. Exhaling shakily you forced your shoulders and legs into a quick wiggle to relax and focus before you stepped out of the tent.

Into the rocky path you entered hearing the cheers dying and growing again over the snarling of your massive dragon blowing walls of flames even without a target, all crashing against the invisible barriers protecting the bleachers of anxious people waiting to see what you would do. A sudden raise of your wand in a lull of flames stirred the face ruffles out on the dragon now coking its head at the floating honeydew melon.

One handedly you climbed the rocky wall and knelt on the edge feeling its eyes focus on you as you tossed the melon from hand to hand. “I was wondering, I have a deal for you.” Its head cocked again and you said, “for that golden egg at your feet you will get, not one, but two,” in a flick of your wrist another melon appeared and you could have sworn you heard your Great Grandmother ask your disguised father in French, “She is not going to juggle is she?”

“Melons.”

In a glance down the dragon picked up the egg and left it at your feet. Accepting the melons you peeled the top of and summoned an unbreakable large spoon it giddily coiled its tail around himself in eating his melons while you giggled and lifted the egg and hopped down into the tunnel again after thanking the dragon with ruffles wiggling through its grin and content hum of a repeated thanks to you. Laughter came from the Dragon Wranglers while Charlie stood wide eyed watching you walk past him towards the rest of the champions with only a grin at the guys surrounding him avoiding him altogether.

Harry, “A melon? You traded a melon-,”

You nodded, “Butterflies would have worked for the Horntail.”

His mouth fell open and you turned with a wide grin in time to raise your egg with the others for the picture in which you made Harry raise his as well. With a giggle you pecked him on the forehead and asked the others their methods for retrieval as you summoned a Pheonix Phable for Harry and Cedric for their wounds that healed instantly from them.

.

With scores marked for each challenge so far on your way back into the school the scores for this one also were posted. Up in the Great Hall you all gathered with a celebratory meal while the visiting schools headed to their own towers in celebration of their own win and to discuss possible topics that could come up for the next challenges.

Total so far:

Viktor – 39, Sebastian – 46, Lukas – 34, totaling for Durmstrang - 119

Fleur – 41, Charlotte – 40, Vivi – 40, totaling for Beauxbatons - 121

Cedric – 44, Jaqi – 54, Harry – 29, totaling for Hogwarts – 127

Just barely you were ahead and while Cedric calmed Cho down and you sat beside Neville with Opal now around your neck from under his scarf after having listened to your challenge with his commentary.

Harry was bouncing on the twins’ shoulders hearing George say, “Knew you wouldn’t die Harry. Lose a leg.”

Fred, “Or an arm.”

Both, “Pack it all in together? Never!

Seamus passed him his egg after having kissed it, “Go on Harry, what’s the clue?”

Harry, “Who wants me to open it?”

Cheers died when Harry turned the securing latch on the top and a screech sounded making you summon a muffling bubble around Opal you and Neville while everyone else covered their ears until he closed it.

Ron, “What the bloody hell was that?”

Fred, “Alright everyone, back to your knitting.”

George, “This will be uncomfortable enough without you nosy sods listening in.” Turning back to your snack as your bubble dropped you passed Opal a cutting of turkey she ate gladly while you eyed the egg curiously trying to place the runes.

Ron, “I reckon you have to be barking mad to put your own name into the Goblet of Fire.”

Harry, “Caught on, have you? Took you long enough.”

Ron, “I wasn’t the only one who thought you’d done it. Everyone was saying it behind your back.” A giggle from you had him glance at you making you lift your egg to block your face through Neville’s chuckle as Luna settled against his side peering at the egg curiously.

Harry, “Brilliant, that makes me feel loads better.”

Ron, “Least I warned you about the dragons.”

Harry, “Hagrid warned me about the Dragons.” You lowered the egg to watch the train wreck keeping Neville chuckling.

Ron, “No, no, no. I did. I told Hermione to tell you that Seamus told him that Sebastian was told by Parvati, that Hagrid’s looking for you. Seamus never told me anything, so it was really me all along. I thought we’d be alright, you know after you figured that out.”

Harry, “Who-? Who could possibly figure that out? That’s completely mental.”

Ron, “Yeah. Isn’t it? I suppose I was a bit distraught.”

Hermione seated by Ginny and Angelina both with dazed expressions mumbles, “Boys.”

Narrowing your gaze at the egg a familiar rune had you on your feet moving closer to the lantern on the wall making you gasp and run from the hall making Cedric hop up after you along with the twins and Collin who shouted, “I think she’s solved it!” Hurrying after you Hermione tugged Harry and all of them poured into the bath not far from there you charmed all the faucets on to surround you in a giant bubble of water that morphed around you. Poking through the crowd Cedric broke free to join the twins and Harry, who Hermione shoved his head into the bubble so you all could listen to the song erupting from the lit up egg core.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this;

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And recover what we took,

But past an hour — the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

The water shut off and you dried yourselves while the bubble flowed back into the sink drains while the quill Cedric had enchanted to copy down the words. Looking the words over you heard Nigel ask, “How’d you know to open it in water?”

You showed him a rune on the egg, “This is a Mermaid rune for the Giant Squid.”

Collin, “So Mermaid runes. What does that mean?”

“We have an hour to fetch something from the Mermaids.”

Nigel, “Where will you find Mermaids?”

Collin, “In Myrtle’s bath, the window!”

Cedric replied, “No, the Black Lake.”

George, “What you’ll sorely miss…”

Fred, “So you have an hour to get whatever that is back from the Mermaids.”

“Well either way we have time. Each time the second task isn’t till February.”

Harry, “So we have to swim in a freezing lake for an hour? Who makes these challenges?”

You shrugged, “Though there are ways around that.” His brow inched up and you smirked at him, “You’ll figure it out, hopefully.”

Harry, “How is this fair, you guys go down there all the time.”

Cedric replied smirking, “Since we don’t know what they took how would it be easy?”

.

The next batch of games came up and all too adorably you might have enjoyed his confused pouting a bit too much and left off the hints for nearly a week until he began to drape himself more and more across your lap while you studied in your dorm. Sighing rather loudly until you would dip into a fit of giggles between his obvious comments of, “If only I knew someone so talented in runes.” And, “It is a wonder if anyone could identify that terrifying screeching creature within this castle.”

Rolling your eyes you waited until the next joint study session with Sebastian and Viktor along with Hermione when you left out a book of Mermaid runes you not so subtly tucked under your notepad coated in copied sections circled in a makeshift chart dissecting the clue in a trip to the bathroom Hermione joined you for. Freeing the brothers to see the obvious copy of runes from the eggs they were carrying around like flour sack babies constantly until they solved them. The brothers both in their assumed stealthiness grinned hiding your notes again they had copied then pocketed and grinned obnoxiously wide when you came back confirming that your plan had worked.

Match 1 – Beaux 1 - Huff      

Evangelinne again, rather sleeplessly led her team through a blizzard of a game. And managed to just barely fall from her broom nodding off only to be knocked off by her nearly missed hit of a Bludger due to the trio of Beaux champions being unable to solve the clue just yet easing your victory for a mercifully short game to let them rest.        

Match 2 – Gryff – Durm 3

Harry shook off his own irritation at the loss for what to do with the trouble coming up with the Mermaid challenge. Throwing his irritation into the match he was elated to have a victory to cushion another full night of staring at the egg trying to work the mysteries of how to handle the lake from his waterlogged brain.

.

In the frenzy for finally finding a date to the Ball Ron had managed to finally catch on to Parvati’s hints that she needed a date, yet with Patil already taken Harry slumped about and with a seemingly abundant lack of females he was able to speak to a flash of white suddenly tore him from his seat. “Draco!”

Turning on his heels Draco peered down at Harry saying, “If this is about the lake challenge I am the wrong one to ask.”

Harry shook his head, “No, um, Ginny wouldn’t happen to have a date? Would she?”

Draco sighed, “Terrible timing Potter.”

“Oh, she’s been asked…”

Draco raised his notebook he whacked him upside the head with, “Dolt! You do know I am not the resident cupid! You want to ask her to the Ball get up there and ask her! Poor girl’s been waiting for a date and finally you remember she’s a female!” Rolling his eyes Draco stormed off with Harry following after him, “I’m not asking her for you.”

Harry, “No, if she’s in the Ravenclaw dorm I need the password.”

Draco looked at him, “The door gives riddles. Use your brain, go woo the girl.” Rolling his eyes as Harry raced off making Draco shout again, “Other way Potter!” Turning around Harry raced down that set of steps and up the other making Draco mumble, “Peasants.”

Trotting his way down to meet his own choice for the ball, Astoria, a third year Puff who had been making a habit of passing him quills she stated he had dropped, leaving her, by Ginny’s accounts, at a loss for writing utensils in class leading to Ginny stealing them back to let her ‘borrow’ them.

In a trip to visit you a subtle poke of his head into her open dorm had her blushing madly only to catch the pack of quills he tossed onto her bed a couple feet from her wrapped with a bow. A simple note was attached, not truly a request but it did the trick, ‘So you can write home for a dress. We have a Ball to attend.’ An elated shriek followed his exit and in a pop out of the room had Draco glance back hiding his smirk once in the common room seeing her bouncing while saying, “You won’t regret this! I’ve been practicing the steps and everything and Mum works for a dress designer!”

Draco chuckled saying, “Just stop giving me all your quills. I hear McGonagall is putting grade caps on younger guests. Can’t have you failing or I’ll have to go stag.” In his turn she squeaked and turned to write home immediately as a grin split across his face. Today was no difference, again he was grinning, as he always did with her. But today she would show off the dress her Mother had been slaving over and he would be choosing a bowtie to suit it, though with the usual shade of periwinkle she donned in one way or another he had a clue what shade she might be donning to the Ball.

..

Against the irritation of Igor you and your snuggle buddy were all the more inseparable and he was more than interested in what sort of gown you were wearing to the Ball, even hinting at making you a bracelet to match it, in what you assumed to be his take on a corsage. The trouble of finding dresses had you gathering up. Luna, Hermione, Angelina and Katie all joined you in the Ravenclaw common room with the latter two sharing their dresses.

Ginny sat off to the side peered on continuously eyeing a picture of the dress her mom had found for her until Harry burst through a group of first years exiting the common room making you all fall silent and look up at him. With a quick grin he looked to Ginny, “Gin, you wouldn’t happen to need a date to the Ball?”

An awkward grin split onto her face and she nodded, “If you’re asking me I’ll go.”

He nodded and said, “Great, good, ok, I’ll let you get back to it.” His hand rubbed the back of his neck, “What do I wear?”

She chuckled and Ginny said, “Mum picked some dress robes for you.”

Harry nodded, “Good, thank you, her,” he shook his head and turned then looked back, “You wouldn’t happen-,”

Ginny, “I have no clue about the lake. Scared of Kelpies, remember?”

Making him nod again and turn to leave the common room, “Just had to ask.”

Giggling to yourself you looked on at the dresses Katie and Angelina had chosen along with giddy Ginny’s showing off her own choice. Looking to Hermione and Luna still stumped on what to wear you nodded saying, “One thing to do,”

Hermione gasped and grinned, “We can raid your attic?”

You nodded and giggled summoning your doorway bringing all the girls in with you to look all the choices over. Hermione chose a ruffled number with silk in varying shades of pink to purple with matching strapped heels she elatedly chose with your blessing.

A lacy and teal gown called to Luna and with a squeak she hugged you tightly as you helped her to tailor it to fit her perfectly before they both looked to you asking, “What are you picking?”

With a sigh you said, “No laughing.” Leading them to another rack a few aisles over where you lifted a corseted bright yellow dress cinched to the waist where it was in layered ruffles with rhinestones across the bodice and ends of each layer of ruffles making you look at them, “Is it too-?”

They all shook their heads and you grinned at it while Angelina said, “You should see the dress Alicia’s Mum picked out, huge cupcake like skirt, all tulle and ribbons. Pale pink and glittery.”

Katie nodded, “Besides you’re a champion, and in the lead for the Tournament so far.”

Luna, “You faced off against a Dragon with two melons, if you want ruffles get ruffles.”

Hermione smirked at you, “Plus with Rita around we have to have paper worthy gowns.”

Giggling to yourself you tried it on and accepted their help in shortening the train to just a few inches longer in the back from the former three foot train, adjusting the corset only a little bit for the supports to fit you better for your figure. Changing back again you turned to join the others in the search through the hoard of shoes in your home and settled on choices for you, Luna and Ginny you all took to your dorm rooms with dresses waiting in garment bags until the day.

Dinner rolled around again and with Sebastian’s slide up to your side on the bench at the table you giggled and said, “Yellow.”

With a nod he repeated, “Yellow.” After another nod he inhaled and grinned, “You picked a dress. I look forward to seeing it. And I hope you enjoy what I made you.”

With a grin you replied, “I will.” Making him chuckle and turn with you to your meal stealing random glances at you through the meal trying to picture what you had chosen.

Pt 37

[thorne93]

Curious Conundrum (Part 36)

Prompt: You’re John Watson’s sister. One day you decide to visit your brother for lunch, only to meet the infamous Mr. Holmes…

Word Count: 4060

Warnings: language, flirtation, sexual innuendos (maybe? idfk), murder/crime/case related stuff, angst, jealousy…

Notes: Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong Not only did she beta, but I literally couldn’t have written half these scenes without her help. She contributed majorly, even wrote some parts of scenes. I am forever in her debt. 

Also, this starts AFTER Season 2, episode 1. I don’t follow all the episodes, but it does follow the timeline and hit some major events : )

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |  Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 |

~~~~~~~

The four of you moved on to the next little task she had. A case of Clue, a “Who Done it”. Something Sherlock does for a living, literally, and you as well. The four of you worked together and deduced that Alex was the one who fired the rifle. But when Sherlock said it, she dropped the other two, making you jump back in horror and gasp.

When the horrors of that mind game were done, she asked you four to move on to the next room. In there was a coffin and a TV.  The little girl came back on the line and the four of you debated what to do, how to help her.

“Now, back to the matter in hand. Coffin. Problem: someone is about to die. It will be – as I understand it – a tragedy. So many days not lived, so many words unsaid. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”

Sherlock became frustrated and said, “Yes, yes, yes, and this – I presume – will be their coffin.”

“Whose coffin, Sherlock? Please, start your deductions. I will apply some context in a moment.”

“Well, allowing for the entirely pointless courtesy of headroom, I’d say this coffin is intended for someone of about five foot four. Makes it more likely to be a woman.”

“Not a child?” John asked.

“A child’s coffin would be more expensive. This is in the lower price range, although still best available in that bracket,” he commented.

“A lonely night on Google,” John remarked and you glared at him.

“This is a practical and informed choice. Balance of probability suggests that this is for an unmarried woman distant from her close relatives. That much is suggested by the economy of choice. Acquainted with the process of death but unsentimental about the necessity of disposal. Also, the lining of the coffin --”

Mycroft suddenly spoke. “Yes, very good, Sherlock, or we could just look at the name on the lid. Only it isn’t a name.” He turned the lid of the coffin towards all of you.

The brass plate read: I LOVE YOU

“So, it’s for somebody who loves somebody,” John deduced.

“It’s for somebody who loves Sherlock. This is all about you. Everything here,” Mycroft corrected. “So who loves you? I’m assuming it’s not a long list.”

All eyes in the room looked toward you and you suddenly felt very cold, and your breathing become shallow.

“I--”

“Oh don’t worry, your fiance is in no danger right now,” Eurus suddenly said.

“Okay, so who else does that leave that’s a woman?” you asked, relieved.  

“Irene Adler,” John reminded and you felt fire run through your veins.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Look at the coffin. Unmarried, practical about death, alone,” Sherlock stated.

“Molly,” you added, your voice full of sorrow.

“Molly Hooper,” Sherlock said.

“She’s perfectly safe, for the moment,” Eurus informed. Then the screen switched to a monitor system, where she was on watch. “Her flat is rigged to explode in approximately three minutes unless I hear the release code from her lips. I’m calling her on your phone, Sherlock. Make her say it.”

“Say what?” you inquired.

“I would’ve thought that would’ve been obvious, for you, Y/N.”

“No,” you said, shaking your head. This couldn’t be real. Molly didn’t deserve this type of pain. While you knew what Sherlock was about to do wasn’t real, he was about to try and get Molly to confess her love to him, and that was something you didn’t think you could bear.

“Yes,” Sherlock retorted.

“Oh, one important restriction: you’re not allowed to mention in any way at all that her life is in danger. You may not – at any point – suggest that there is any form of crisis. If you do, I will end this session and her life. Are we clear?”

Sherlock nodded and the time began. The phone began ringing on Molly’s countertop.

“What’s she doing?” Sherlock asked as he studied the scream.

Mycroft answered, “She’s making tea.”

“Yes, but why isn't she answering her phone?”

“You never answer yours,” John informed.

The call went to voicemail but Eurus said she would try again. Finally, Molly picked up.

“Hello, Sherlock. Is this urgent, ’cause I’m not having a good day?” Molly inquired. On the screen it was clear she'd been crying.

“Molly, I just want you to do something very easy for me, and not ask why,” he began. You sincerely hoped that Molly would just say it, oblige Sherlock, and move on.

“Oh, God. Is this one of your stupid games?” she asked, irritated.

“No, it’s not a game. I ... need you to help me,” he improvised. Even amidst all of this psychopathy, and turmoil, his skill to think quickly and under stress impressed you.

“Look, I’m not at the lab.”

Quickly, Sherlock interjected. “It’s not about that.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping you would wake up and find out it had all been a bad dream… but the awful conversation kept going.

“Well, quickly, then.”

Sherlock was quiet for a moment, before he turned to look back at you for a second. You nodded your head once for encouragement. As much as this was killing you on more than one front, you just wanted to finish this little game and go on.

“Sherlock? What is it? What do you want?”

“Molly, please, without asking why, just say these words.”

“What words?” she asked, seemingly amused.

“‘I love you’,” he said and your heart ached at him saying those words to her. No matter what the context in which he spoke them now, he barely spoke them to you.

“Leave me alone,” Molly sadly requested and it looked like she was about to hang up when Sherlock spanicked.

“Molly, no, please, no, don’t hang up! Do not hang up!” he begged.

“Calmly, Sherlock, or I will finish her right now,” Eurus warned. Your heart began to race. Your feelings be damned, Molly needed to say this, and say it now. It might hurt her now to say it, but a little bit of emotional pain far outweighed being blown all to hell.

“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you making fun of me?” Molly asked, making a tear sprung to your eye. While you weren’t a fan of Molly’s or her of you, you would never wish his sort of cruelty on anyone. Not to mention the strain it was putting on Sherlock right now.

“Please, I swear, you just have to listen to me,” he begged.

“Softer, Sherlock,” Eurus warned.

“Molly, this is for a case. It’s ... it’s a sort of experiment.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, you sucked in a small bit of air. He shouldn’t have said that.

“I’m not an experiment, Sherlock.”

He backtracked immediately, trying to remedy the damage he’d just done. “No, I know you’re not an experiment. You’re my friend. We’re friends. But ... please. Just ... say those words for me.”

“Please don’t do this. Just ... just ... don’t do it,” she pleaded, clearly in pain.

“It’s very important. I can’t say why, but I promise you it is.”

“I can’t say that. I can’t ... I can’t say that to you.”

Your chest tightened as you squeezed your eyes shut. Come on, Molly, just say the damned words, you pleaded internally.

“Of course you can. Why can’t you?” Sherlock tried, his voice upbeat and friendly.

“You know why.”

He still kept his voice innocent, gentle. “No, I don’t know why.”

“Of course you do.”

“Please, just say it,” he pleaded, nearly frantic.

“I can’t. Not to you.”

“Why?” he wondered, and unfortunately, you understood why.  Loving a man like Sherlock was…. the most trying, and difficult thing in the world. And you were actually set to marry him. You go the wonderful privelage of being his, but even that sometimes was hard. Just like when he came back from the dead, informing Sherlock you still loved him was terrifying. While he never intended to use that as ammunition to hurt, it always seemed to be the way. He took love for granted a lot.

You couldn’t imagine being in love with him, and knowing he didn’t love you back. For goodness sakes, loving him was hell even with the knowledge that he loved you.

“Because…” Her voice broke a little before she could continue. “Because it’s true.” She took a deep breath and repeated herself. "Because ... it’s ..." Sobs started to come from her before she continued, “... true, Sherlock. It’s always been true.”

Sherlock thought quickly, responding, “Well, if it’s true, just say it anyway.”

A sigh of disbelief wafted from her as she breathed, “You bastard.”

With the same conviction, Sherlock said, “Say it anyway.”

“What about Y/N?” she asked. “Don’t you love her?” she said in a snarky voice, pain laced under that.

“Y/N doesn’t matter, she means nothing to me,” he said, his eyes never leaving the screen.

“Alright. You say it then. Go on. You say it first,” she insisted, a note of almost anger in her voice.

This request punched you in the gut. How could you not see this? Of course she would want him to put himself out there first. You weren’t clever enough to make Sherlock do this the first time you asked him out, then again, you had only hoped at the time that he was interested.

Sherlock deadpanned, “What?”

“Say it,” she urged. “Say it like you mean it.”

Eurus suddenly spoke and said, “Final thirty seconds.”

Her voice startled you, as you had been lost in the last few minutes with Molly and Sherlock. Those tiny minutes felt like years.

Sherlock turned back to look at you for a split second, his face unreadable, other than a faint look of apology. Before you could respond in any fashion, he turned back to the screen.

“I-I …” He stopped, lowering his head, shaking it, clenching his fist. Part of you wanted to walk up to him, to touch him, to hold his hand, to tell him this was okay, to give him strength. But you couldn't. You couldn’t help him when he was the whole reason you were here. He was the reason this particular game hurt so bad. This merely twisted the knife that was always sticking in your side with your fiance. Ever worried about him loving another.

After a quick moment, he raised his head and said it, “I love you.”

A wrecking ball just hit your stomach.

You tried desperately not to let it sink in, to not let it hurt you. But the man you loved with all your heart and soul, the man you took a bullet for, the man that nearly killed you by dying, had just said those words that took you years to pry from him. In a matter of moments, Eurus threatened them out of him.

You were hurting for Sherlock for having to tell Molly. You were hurting for Molly who no doubt was clinging to this moment and his words and his voice just as you do. She was hanging on every syllable, the exact same thing you had done for over four years.

You were hurting for Sherlock who was being forced to declare a love he didn’t have in front of you. To purposely hurt his dear friend. To have to dance like a puppet for someone’s amusement, it was humiliating. He was at wits end, wanting to help the little girl and all those people on the plane, but he had to do this stupid song and dance.

You were hurting for yourself, for the fact that your insecurities were so strong that in the back of your mind, there was a little nagging voice wondering if the words he just spoke were true. Had Eurus really manipulated him into saying this? Or was it something he had wanted to say for a long time but never knew how?

“I love you,” he said as if it were a prayer. He said it with so much meaning, such sincerity, it put to shame the few times he had ever uttered it to you. To hear the way he said it, like a vow… the tone destroyed you. The feeling behind it caused a powerful blow to hit your stomach. One final blow to make you truly start crying. Quiet tears rolled down your cheeks, something that didn't go unnoticed by Mycroft.

You wanted to watch the screen, to monitor Molly’s reaction, but you couldn’t. Not anymore. If you saw her reaction it might very well be the thing that pushed you over the edge.

How could he do this? Then again, how could he not? He had chosen her before. Was it that really far of a cry? When he needed a brilliant mind to fake his death, who did he go to? Good, old, reliable, always there Molly. When he needed someone to confide in, someone to let in on his little plan, who did he go to? Precious, sweet, gentle, intelligent Molly.

You knew this was a game, you knew Sherlock could have anyone he wanted but… how could you just accept that Molly could pull that tone from him? Could pull the three words that were supposed to be reserved for you?

He couldn’t even play it off as if he’d been telling you. He couldn’t just turn to you, look you in the eye and say it. Molly didn’t have to know that it was you he was telling instead of her. But no, his eyes glued to the precious monitor, that held precious Molly. No… he was telling her those words.

I was just...a play thing, a tool, a means to an end…

“Molly,” Sherlock's voice suddenly resonated. “Molly, please,” he begged, twisting the knife further inside you.

“I love you,” she answered.

And your world crumbled around you.

What had you ever done to be doomed to watch one of your worst fears play out in front of you? To finally feel love, to finally fall in love, only to do it with a man who has a reputation for lying, a reputation for breaking people’s hearts. Watching him dive off a building wasn’t bad enough, you had to watch him proclaim love, no matter how true or false, to another woman.

The clock stopped.

“Eurus, I won. I won,” Sherlock said. “Come on, play fair. The girl on the plane. I need to talk to her.”  She finally appeared on the screen and you thought you would be sick. “I won. I saved Molly Hooper.”

“Saved Her? From what? Oh, do be sensible. There were no explosives in her little house. Why would I be so clumsy? You didn’t win. You lost. Look what you did to her. Look what you did to yourself. Look what you did to Y/N.”

At the mention of your name, Sherlock’s attention finally snapped back to you. Typical, you were his afterthought. After Molly, after his sister. Just… after…

Sherlock looked up after it was over, his eyes swimming with guilt. You could feel the blood draining from your face. The insecurities you had harbored all these years, came roaring back to the surface.

Something in your expression must have reached him because he walked around the coffin to where you were standing and opened his mouth like he was going to speak. Without thinking your feet moved you away from him. Before you knew what was happening, it felt like the walls were closing in, but it’s just Sherlock trying to get closer. To speak to you.

His presence should’ve make you feel better, make you want to run this embrace, but right now, all you could do was think about what he’d just done. What he had just said, as if it were meant for her, instead of you.

You knew he was distressed, under enormous pressure, and hardly in the mind the comfort you... but something in your body language and facial expression must have given it away that that you needed comfort. His rare need to reassure you had risen.

Yet the closer he got to you, the more you shrank away. Shaking your head "no", you quietly said, “Don’t.”

Without warning, you curled in on yourself. Your breathing became labored and your mind went back to the day on the street, looking up on the roof of that hospital while he said those words to you. Those cruel and painful words... and then your mind surged forward to the day he revealed he was alive and the smugness Molly probably had, at knowing he was alive the whole time and you caved in on yourself and nearly died, in your grief for him. In your grief for what you thought you had. And now this?

You could barely breathe. Even Mycroft looked concerned, and your brother wanted to reach for you, but all you could do was hit the wall, and slide down, curling into a ball. He had doomed you to relive the worst moments of your life... all triggered by three little words, said to someone else, in a tone that was only ever suppose to be meant for you.

One look at you is all he needed to completely lose it. Hurting himself, that was easy, he did it all the time to save people. Hurting Molly, his dear friend, that was difficult. But to see you literally destroyed at his words, his actions, it sent him into a fit of rage. He couldn’t comfort you and he knew that. That’s what killed him.

In a flash of white hot rage, he began destroying every piece of the coffin. By the time he was done, it was splinters on the ground, and he was resting against the wall, several feet from you.

John was the first to check on you.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, crouching in front of you, concern coloring his emotions.

By now, the color had come back to your cheeks, but you were still shaken, so you merely nodded. When he was sure you were okay, he went over to Sherlock where they talked for a moment. Once they were done, John helped Sherlock up. Mycroft and John went into the other room, and Sherlock was about to enter before you gently pulled on his sleeve. He frowned but backed up a few paces and glanced at you.

In a clear tone, colored with cold pain, you ordered, “Don’t ever say those words to me again.” Then you stepped forward to the next room for torture, not giving him a chance to react.

He finally followed you into the room and said, “Hey, sis, don’t mean to complain but this one’s empty. What happened? Did you run out of ideas?”

“It’s not empty, Sherlock. You’ve still got the gun, haven’t you? I told you you’d need it, because only three can play the next game. Just three of you go on from here; your choice. It’s make-your-mind-up time. Whose help do you need the most, John, Y/N, or Mycroft? It’s an elimination round. You choose two and kill the other. You have to choose family, fiance, or friend. Mycroft, Y/N Watson, or John Watson?”

Eurus became quiet and no one said anything for a moment.

“Well?” Mycroft started, and all eyes turned to him. “Are we even going to discuss--”

“Me. It has to be me,” you suddenly blurted out.

“What?” Sherlock said, an almost amused look on his face. As if you’d made a joke.

In an even tone, you slowly said, “Sherlock, kill me.”

“If this is about what I said to Molly...” he started but you shook your head.

“Jesus, Sherlock. No, it’s not about that. This isn’t some sort of stupid suicide attempt.”

“Then what is it?” he demanded, his eyes hard on yours.

“A necessary sacrifice,” you stated. “John has a wife, a baby. Your brother is your brother and your parents would be devastated to lose him, not to mention destroyed if they found out you did it. So no… it has to be me. It’s the only logical conclusion.”

“Hold on just a bloody minute!” John shouted. “Since when do you think it’s okay--”

“John, shut up. Rosie isn’t growing up without a father, and Mary isn’t going to be a widow, not on my watch,” you said, your gaze steeling on him.

He pressed his lips together, frustrated and twisting. He knew you were right, and that’s what killed him the most. You turned back to Sherlock, ready to finish this.

“I’m not going to watch him kill you. I can’t. I won’t allow I--”

Rage took over and you whipped around and screamed, “For God’s sakes, Mary and Rosie need you! That’s it! No discussion!”

Mycroft suddenly spoke and said, “May I interject?”

All three of you shouted “No!” and he rolled his eyes.

The Moriarty clock came over the telecom with that infuriating, “Tick, tock!”

Quickly, your face turned back to Sherlock.

“Do it.”

He made no movement, no sign of change, his expression hadn’t changed.

“I’m starting to bore, Sherlock. Either choose, or I kill all of them,” Eurus suddenly said.

“Alright!” you screamed, your nerves fried and your patience with her running thinner than ever. “He’s picking me,” you stated.

He shook his head slightly before saying, “I'm not going to kill you. Stop being so sentimental.”

You laughed with sorrow in the sound. “I could say the same to you.”

“I can’t do this. I can’t do it,” he insisted starting to sound slightly frantic.

“Well I'm certainly not going to watch you kill my brother, and I can't bear to watch you pick between me or your brother. So kill me.”

“I can't.” He shook his head and said, “A moment ago, a brave man asked to be remembered. I’m remembering the governor.” Sherlock raised the pistol and put it under his chin.

Your eyes widened in shock and horror before you nearly leapt over to Sherlock.

“Stand back, Y/N, I don’t want you to get hurt,” he calmly said.

You gripped his hand and pulled the gun away from his chin and pointed it at your chest, the barrel cold against your skin.

Peering up at him with saddened eyes, you said, “I’ve already lived once without you, I can’t do it again. Please don’t make me do it again.”

He said nothing for a moment as he looked into your eyes.

“I've always been willing to die for you, Sherlock. Why should now be any different?” you rhetorically asked in a soft voice.

A tear actually formed in his eye.

“I--”

You nodded and closed your eyes. “I know,” you assured. You looked back. “Goodbye, John. Give my love to Rosie and Mary. I love you. You’re the best brother I could’ve ever asked for.”

John merely nodded, his lips pressed in a thin line.

You gave a slight nod to Mycroft who didn’t respond, then finally turned back to your fiance.

“This is it,” you said with a sad, encouraging smile. Sherlock looked like he was about to break so you slowly lifted your hand and wrapped it around his on the gun once more. “Together?” you offered gently.

“I’m so sorry,” he said through a sob that finally took him over.

“Don’t be, you’ve given me a life I always dreamed of.” You reached your hand up and cupped his face.

He began squeezing the trigger, and you wanted to close your eyes from fear, but you wanted his face to be the last thing you saw, so you kept them open. Before he could pull it all the way, he suddenly wrenched the gun away and screamed, “I can’t do it!”

Eurus replied, “What a pity… I can!”

Next thing you knew, a loud bang erupted in the small room. Sherlock appeared horrified as he stumbled backward, fearing he had somehow fired the gun. His glanced down to his hand, eyeing the weapon in shock and disgust. You wanted to speak, but you couldn’t.

Now you were rapidly losing consciousness, black coloring the edges of your eyes. The blackness took you before you hit the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[breegullbeakreviews]

Summary: Greatness from small beginnings, or is that the other franchise? Anyway on a whim a decided to pick up the remake of Lara Crofts original outing in the lead up to Shadow. Let’s see if what lies within this tomb is worth salvaging.

Overall: Despite being an episodic remake of a game from the mid 90s released 11 years ago, Tomb Raider Anniversary feels incredibly modern. If you’ve yet to experience Lara Croft’s original adventure than this is a fine way to do so.

Controls: One thing all early 3D PS1 games suffer from is awkward controls. Luckily Tomb Raider Anniversary doesn’t feel old or clunky at all, mostly. In a world post Uncharted 4 the rope swinging is dated, but it’s fine. You can also go into an over the shoulder aiming mode that locks you in place, which is a weird option I never used outside one late game puzzle.

Outside that controls are pretty simple. You have a jump button (A),  a crouch and dive button (B), an interact button (Y), and a grappling hook button (X). These are all mapped to the face buttons while Lara’s guns are mapped to the d-pad and shoulder buttons. Up and down on the d-pad use large and small med-kits respectively. Left and right cycle guns once you’ve unlocked more than one. The left trigger locks Lara’s aim while held and the right tigger shoots. While locked in you can switch targets using the right analog stick. Oh an of course movement is handled with the left stick and the camera with the right. You can center the camera with LB and holding RB makes Lara walk instead of run when moving. It’s also a manual ledge grab if you turn that option on.

Obviously the analog sticks weren’t a thing when the original game came out, but these controls still feel incredibly modern even in 2018. I do find it interesting how complicated the shooting controls are compared to the platforming ones as combat is a rather small part of the game. Once I learned that this remake was built as DLC for another Tomb Raider game, it became a bit more clear why. I’ll check out that game at some point, but for now it’s still a point of interest.

One thing I know wasn’t in the original was quick time events. There are only a handful of them in the game and while they’re dumb, even on Hard the game slows down and gives you time to press the buttons. It’s the one part of this game that feels dated.

Story: Alright. Maybe the story is dated too. Even before the reboot Lara has serious daddy issues. The plot is set off by Lara being randomly contacted by an organization who have figured out a clue or something that is involved in some relic hunt her daddy was working on. If it isn’t obvious from the onset it turns out by the end of mission one they are an evil organization and Lara sets off to collect the set of artifacts before they can. You can pretty much predict the plot from there.

The story follows Lara as she raids three different tombs before her adventure culminates in one final tomb. The story is only really told in between missions or super early or late in them. The exception being the final tomb where the story is pretty much all backloaded.

Puzzle Platforming: Alright maybe these are dated too. Or revolutionary. With remakes it’s hard to tell. Despite the large amount of buttons used for combat, the primary series of game play interactions is climbing and solving puzzles. Climbing is very much like Assassin’s Creed prior to Unity. Imagine a game made up almost exclusively of those puzzle chambers from Assassin’s Creed 2 that unlocked Altiar’s armor. You’ll jump and scramble up ledges along with an plenty of shimmying. You’ll swing on poles and use your trusty grappling hook to pull blocks and traverse dizzying heights.

While early on things are pretty straight forward, by the second tomb things are a lot more complicated. Each of the four tombs multiple sections are a labyrinth of tunnels and puzzles to solve. Well those are the more memorable ones. Some sections are more linear in design, but they’re still filled with some puzzles.

I guess I should note that I played on Xbox One via 360 backwards compatibility. I say this as I’m not sure if some of the glitches I encountered were a result of playing this way or were part of the game itself. Occasionally grapple points wouldn’t work, rising platforms would launch Lara into the air, and in one situation Lara managed to grab a ledge in a platform and I had to reload a save. Overall these issues were uncommon to say the least. If one issue prevailed throughout the experience it was the camera not being super cooperative. The camera is prone to clipping through geometry and just not working as you’d like it to.

Some glitches worked in my favor however. Particularly the air walking glitch for one of the time trials. What should have taken approximately 13 minutes took under 2.  Shame that glitch wasn’t in the one with a par time of 35 minutes.

Combat: Combat is based entirely around shooting and dodging. You can in most cases just shoot repeatedly and dodge to finish off foes, but if you want to do this faster you can shoot one foe enough to send them into rage mode. When this happens they’ll charge at you and if you dodge at the right time and follow up with a well timed shot you can pull off a headshot to quickly finish them.

In the game’s boss fights these rage mode segments are required. The headshot in this case won’t be an instant finish, but it will let you progress the fight be it by being able to cause damage or by opening up a way to be able to cause damage. My favorite instant of this is in the boss fight in Greece as you need to use more than just bullets to get by, but some brains as well.

Combat isn’t something I’d call a core part of this game. It helps to break up the puzzles, but outside the bosses the combat doesn’t feel meaningful or particularly fun. Late game enemy encounters are made more difficult by becoming more cheap. Enemies get faster and gain ranged attacks as opposed to changing tactics. Also the area in which you get to fight these foes shrinks while the numbers and hits required to beat them increases.

Time Trials: I’m not a fan of time trials. Mostly because I’m not actually that good at games. I just throw myself at the task repeatedly until I get it done. While time trials are all about that, they’re about that in a wider context. A time trial isn’t just getting from one checkpoint to the next, but doing all of them in a row fast and flawlessly. It’s more a perfectionist task than a completionist task. I generally settle for completing a task.

These time trials require flawless play and having memorized these levels, the puzzles, and their solutions. Time is super tight, well outside the trials for the final tomb. For whatever reason these ones are super generous on time. It also unlocks a cheat for an instant kill shotgun that will take out bosses and enemies in one hit. The great thing about cheats is that you can use them without blocking achievements so by running the time trials on these final missions first you can easily skip all combat segments later on. There are also a handful of glitches that can make things a whole lot easier too.

Achievements: Being a 2007 Xbox 360 game, it’s always interesting to take a look at the achievements and see how they were implemented in early 360 games. This game is even more interesting considering that these achievements are being added to a remake of a game that originally wasn’t built for achievements. It’s even more interesting because the remake itself was originally an episodic series of DLC for another Tomb Raider game. I wasn’t even aware of this until well after I beat the game.

Overall the break down here is solid. You have achievements for beating the game on easy, medium, and hard, with these stacking so you can grab them in one play-through. Not dying is also a super common thing here along with not failing any QTEs. Since reloading a save undoes the fact that you died or failed a QTE, you simply save at every checkpoint. You’ve also got your collectible achievements. One for nabbing everything in each Tomb. You also get achievements for beating the time trials for each tomb. There are also achievements tied to completing Lara’s Mansion and a time trial there as well. The cheats you unlock don’t disable the achievements at all so go nuts with them.

Overall considering this is a series of episodic DLC that remakes a game from years prior, I think the achievement list is pretty solid. The “don’t die” stuff is pretty lame, but considering the fact that you can save scum it’s not hateful. Time trials are the worst part in my opinion, but that’s a matter of preference.

[ur-mom-kayn]

Loyalty Chapter 11: Deflection

Kayn Pov

After an embarrassing conversation, they lay in silence, chest to chest in bed. The mood was oppressive. Kayn could not deny it, he wanted his Master just like last night permanently. But he could do that with confidence. Zed has drawn a clear line. Kayn will probably be forever his son, but he wanted more. The thought of never being able to kiss him again drove him mad. He had to distance himself. Even if it was just a shower. Kayn tried to sit up but had to grab his head again immediately. The alcohol really set him on fire. So that's what people called a hangover.

"Hey, are you all right?" "Yeah, I think so. I'm just a little bit dizzy. But hopefully that will stop, right?" Zed sat upright and stroked Kayn's hair. "Sure, you idiot. Why do you also drink like a madman if you have not eaten a gram before? So, really, you're such a beginner." So, actually, he only drank because ... well, he wanted to make Zed drunk and ... now his plan was halfway up. It only worked for one night, but nobody could take that kiss anymore. "Hmm ... I'll forget about it. Well, that's not so bad. But I'm not the only idiot. I think hardly anyone comes to breakfast today." "Yes, the thesis is really not far-fetched. My skull is humming too. Do you want to go eat something?"

"No. Well, yes, but I want to take a shower first. I feel very dirty. Are you feeling the same way?" Zed shot him a look because he really could not arrange. A mixture of horror and amazement. "Uh yeah ... I feel 'dirty' you joke." "Ah, come on. The kiss really could not have been so bad. " Kayn had already scratched a bit. "I never said that. Qualitatively, it was better than most I have had with women so far. You are really a natural talent, but you still remain my son and a man too. So please do not get me wrong. I play in the other team." That was clear. He plays the son card again. It puked him already. When would he finally lose this stamp? If he is 18 or 21 or maybe only if he is 50 years old? Kayn went out of his way to look and act like a grown-up. And yet he remained a child in Zed's eyes.

"Thanks ...", he returned with little motivation. "I am gonna take a shower now. See you later, Master." " Okay, my boy. " He needed a few minutes to rearrange the situation. Slightly wobbly on his feet, he approached a wall so he could float through the walls with the Shadow Step. At least that worked out smoothly. In his room, he threw himself without detours in his shower. The real reason for his flight was one floor down. A morning wood was normal, but that thing was bigger than anything else before. It would not have been that bad if they had not had that moment last night.

There was not much needed to release the pressure. A quick thought on Zed's soft lips was enough. But he was not really satisfied. It was not right for Zed to demand that he return his feelings. His master was right. A relationship between them would be fundamentally wrong. Maybe Kayn was not in love. It could just be a simple teen beating. Everything within the bounds of possibility. It would be best if he nipped those feelings in the bud before it gets too late.

In general, the shower did him good. With half-wet hair tied in the bun, he entered the dining room. On his place, Zed was already waiting for him. As expected, hardly anyone was present and those who were there looked anything but healthy. Kayn ignored most of the corpses and sat down next to Zed, who re-established his cabin in the right place. "And how was the shower?" "Ah soothing. My head does not cause any problems at all." "I'm glad. Nevertheless, you should now properly hit." Kayn nodded and took that as a permission to eat. Even the small amount at the table dined with them. Out of the 30 men, only 8 were present. Most of them were probably in a drunken coma But they did not let that bother them.

Zed Pov

It was strange to pretend that nothing had happened between them. Kayn looked like he did not care, but he saw in his eyes that he was bitterly disappointed. The kiss came from him. That had to mean something. He could not just say that it was just 'fun'. Kayn hid something from him. It was not good to suppress that, but it would be even worse if Kayn candidly and honestly confessed his feelings to him. Zed was not ready for that and he probably will never be. The only way was to take Kayn on another trip. Zed just could not become his 'first big love'.

"Hey Kayn, would you like to go on a mission with me? I heard you were waiting for me." "Yes, Master. With pleasure. I had such a promise in mind, that you would like to kill with me together when I'm old enough." Kayn could be really cute with his loyalty. Zed knew how keen he was to finally kill someone again. He was born for that, and yet he waited for his Master to return. "Well then let's get started today. Who is responsible for missions?" "Ask Nakuri best. Haru seems to be in the drunken comma." "Interesting. You chose the strategists for this job. Not bad my boy. So Nakuri, would you have an assignment for us?" Nakuri choked briefly when he was approached. "Uhm yes. There is one that I could not convey because it was too heavy. So basically we did without missions that could endanger the health of our men. That's why we did not have to take any losses last year." "Good job. But for Kayn and me, there is nothing too hard. So give us the mission." Even though he did not know Kayn's progress, he knew he was ready for anything. He would never disappoint his master.

After eating, Nakuri gave him the documentation for the mission. The goal was to kill a whole clan of assassins. They were a plague for Ionia. They slaughtered innocent peasants to ensure their survival. Plundered houses and robbed weak villagers. According to testimony, these guys should be better than ordinary robbers. They were silent and precise in what they did. Understandable that people were afraid, but for the Order of Shadow that should be easy. Two men are enough. And two of the best kind.

Kayn was in his room getting ready. They made an appointment in front of the temple in 10 minutes. There he met again a half-naked Kayn. What was wrong with the boy? "I thought you were going to get dressed and not undress." "What's wrong with my outfit? I have pants on." "How about more armor?" Kayn laughed and started moving. "I do not need armor. I'm so fast that nobody will catch me. Trust me. The less I have, the faster I travel. That's my strength, so do not put your shirt in it." The boy was just incorrigible, but be that as it may. As long as he fulfilled his task, he should be right.

At their hiding place, Kayn scouted out the number of their opponents. In total, there were 35 opponents. Ten were smeared and inside the building were 25. Everything within the possible. "Kayn, can you become a Shadow Assassin outside the temple?" "Yes. But only for 10 min. Then I would need the chest again." "That's enough. How long do you have to meditate?" "Maybe 5 min?" Zed nodded to him and gave him the time. It was a lot easier when he used the mold. Kayn sat cross-legged on the wet forest floor, holding his hand in front of his face with two outstretched fingers, concentrating on his breathing.

His appearance changed abruptly. His hair became a shadow and could not be held by a mere hair tie. His marks appeared all over his body. When he opened his eyes, they shone in light blue. "Go on, master. I do not have much time left." Kayn pulled out a blade and stormed at his opponents in the Shadow Step. Zed really stayed away from the spit when he saw how incredibly fast his boy was moving. Before Zed even arrived, there were already 7 bodies on the ground. "Leave me something, too," Zed mocked him. "Sry, master. For me, it's a race against time." Unfortunately, he was right. Zed took over the remaining three before storming into the building. Kayn used the walls and Zed threw out his shadows. Together they fought each other through.

Zed really did not need to worry about Kayn. Every time someone tried to attack him, he threw a knife at him and used the umbral trespass. By now he perfected this technique. His timing was always to the point, so he got no damage. He was very proud of him. Kayn was better than his imagination. He literally slipped through his opponents. He murdered with an unusual elegance. He just wanted to see him. But that would not be in the sense of a master. He stood by his side, although his help was superfluous. Kayn struggled on a similar level to Zed himself. Almost scary.

When Kayns time was up, there was only one opponent, because Zed liked to take over with Deathmark. "Tch. Master, I could have taken over in my normal form. Really." "Do I believe you Kayn, but maybe I also wanted to kill someone? Of 35, you have just left 11 to me. That is uncool. I thought we were partners and would share the loot." "Next time Master," Kayn said, banding his hair with a scrunchy. On the way out, he braided his hair relaxed. "You enjoy it, that they became a shadow." " My hair is just so soft and supple. The perfect conditioner." Zed laughed out loud. No one else was present except them. Then you could also joke.

"Hey, do you feel like celebrating the day with me in a bar to go and maybe a woman?" "Master your serious? I have no experience with women." That was no obstacle. He could kiss already. Unfortunately, Zed knew that first-hand. The rest comes on its own. "Of course you did not have a wife in bed yet. But you have to learn that too. That's part of being a man. I can help you to make it clear. Even though I believe that your face will be perfectly adequate to weaken every woman. Now do not pretend. I had not had sex for over a year. I really need it and you too." Kayn took a deep breath and gave in. "According to me."

Kayn Pov

Zed really came up with the stupidest things. How can he think, that Kayn now needed a wife? It was more than obvious that he was on Zed. But maybe that's exactly what he did. His master wanted to distract him and show him the opposite sex. So it might be. Then he played with and who knows. Eventually, he would get Zed out of his head.

In the nearest village, they sat down in a tavern and looked for prey. Before that Zed took off his mask and presented himself from his best side. It was not long in coming and two true beauties, dressed in kimono, approached the two assassins. One had incredibly beautiful, long, wavy, brown hair with wonderful cheekbones. The other woman had straight, red hair and a really great stem. If he could decide, he would take both.

"Hey, you two sweethearts. Let us take our seats." Zed nodded to the redhead. They sat at the bar counter, so the redhead took the stool next to Zed and the other sat down next to Kayn. "Well, what's your name?" The redhead asked again. "My name is Zuko and my friend here is Shieda. And you pretty?" Both women played on their strands and felt flattered by Zed. "I am Yuna and my friend is Kyoko," the redhead replied. "So Yuna and Kyoko, should we invite you for a drink?" The girls nodded and Zed brought the barkeeper.

Everybody got a jug of beer in front of his nose a short time later. Kayn had been fed up with this drink since yesterday, but heck. Kyoko looked very hot. Even for him, who only had a look for Zed. As good as possible, he just tried to keep her eye contact. "Tell Shieda, what's a trained guy like you doing by profession?" "Hehe, ask my boss," he replied, pointing his finger at Zed. "Ah Zuko, you are his boss? But look pretty young for a boss. ", Yuna stated. "I'm older than I look and my boyfriend is younger than his looks. Anyway, our job is secret and not relevant. But yes, we train our bodies for the ladies." Kayn was amazed at how easy it was for him to invent lies in no time. He did not know this page from Zed. He was extremely charming, but still he.

"Alright, I realize. You're just looking for a quick number." Kyoko replied. That was not good. If he does nothing, then ... "You're absolutely right. We're all about meaningless sex." Kayn wanted to slap him. How could Zed be so bold? So you could not handle a woman. Against Kayn's expectations, the women did not throw their drink on the two but rather threw themselves around their neck. Kyoko kissed Kayn's neck to his ear and whispered to him. "Let's have fun then. I do not live far from here." "Then please take care of him. He does not have much experience with women yet.", Zed answered from the side. "Hm ... I do not think so. Such a handsome man cannot be alone for long." She grabbed Kayn by the right hand and pulled him out of the bar. The young acolyte followed to her home.

Once there, she did not wait long until she pushed Kayn onto her bed and slowly undressed in front of him. The bride knew how to play with her charms. After stripping down to her underwear, she tried to remove Kayn's pants. Impossible if he still had his shoes on. When she wanted to remove this, a blood-smeared knife fell out. "Shieda? Why do you have that in your boot? Who are you? Please be honest." "I'm sorry, dear. I forgot that I am on duty. I'm really an assassin, but you do not have to be afraid of me. I do not kill arbitrarily. Only for money."

Kyoko seemed to struggle with herself. Kayn got up, put a hand around her chin and kissed her. It was a gentle, loving kiss. "Hey, sweetheart. I would never hurt you. I am a good boy. Trust me." "W-when did you kill?" "Earlier? It was such a weird clan of assassins who were up to no good in the area. Do not ask me how they were called. I have no idea. Please do not tell my friend that I told you. I am a bad liar. "

"Y-y-you killed those men?" Kayn nodded. After that, Kyoko clung to him. A few tears fell on his bare skin. "What is love?" "T-Thank you ... These men killed my dad a few months ago. I can not believe it. Are they all dead?" "Sure. I'm very thorough." "Good. You will be rewarded for that. Come. Lie down. But before you take off your pants. I do not understand your belt anyway." Kayn got rid of his clothes and lay down on the bed. The beautiful brunette sat on Kayn's cock and massaged him with her plump ass. Meanwhile, she moved her torso like a goddess. She was wonderful. But ... nothing happened to him. "All right, Shieda?" "Yeah ... I just need something."

Kyoko lay down on his chest and searched his lips. Even the kissing brought nothing. She was not Zed. But when his master came to mind again, it suddenly worked. He felt him slowly getting stiffer. "That's how you like me more. Ready for the condom?" "What's that?" Incredulous, she stared at Kayn. "Are you serious? Do you live in a temple of abstinence or something?" "Well ... I live in a temple, but we do not have women there. Therefore, I have no idea. I know how sex works in theory, but that's new to me." "All right, Shieda. A condom is a contraceptive. You put this over your cock, so you do not impregnate me. Understood?" Kayn took note, as did the contraceptive. But how to put it on was still a mystery to him. Kyoko became impatient and took the matter into his own hands. "Let me guess. It's your first time, is not it?" "Exactly." Kayn could not shake the feeling that he had a very experienced woman in front of him.

"Well, it fits perfectly. Should I start or do you want to be more dominant?" Kayn did not say that twice. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her on the mattress. Now he lay over her and did not flicker around much longer. He had no time to prepare her. His appearance had to be enough to make her horny. He needed the pictures of last night.No matter how awesome she was, how pretty tight she became, only the image of Zed helped him inside. But it felt good. Kayn focused only on himself and increased his pace. That Kyoko groaned her soul, he did not care. Then should she come twice. Kayn needed his time. He wanted to enjoy the sex to the fullest. It was 1000 times better than masturbation. When he stood just before the cliff, he gave everything again. Silently his lips formed the name 'Zed' before he finally came. A few seconds later he lay down next to his bedfellow. "Wow. Sure, that was your first time?" "Yeah ...?" "Hm ... interesting. You were like an animal. In addition, you have an incredible body control. How come?" The most obvious version would be to say that the reason was training. But even Kayn understood over time that much more belonged to it. "I meditate a lot." "So you really live in a temple. Very fascinating. I wish you good luck. I hope you never have to kill me. "Kayn smiled. "I doubt that strongly. I only take care of the really big fishes. Besides, I would not kill such a daintily woman like you." Kyoko turned to Kayn and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. Incidentally, you can pull off the condom and throw it in the bin." "Good to know. And I thought I had to wear it forever." "Very funny."

Kayn got up and removed the annoying part. He freshened up in the bathroom before putting his clothes back on. "Are you going now?" Kyoko asked. "Sorry dear, but the duty calls." Kayn gave her a kiss on the forehead. He did not mourn her. She was his first, but he was sure that many more would follow her. But there was only room for one person in his heart. And that's Zed.

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

I'm not sure if this is NSFW or not. If someone got more experience with the rules, pls write to me. This time I will not put it NSFW because it was way too soft. Thank you for reading and for the hearts <3

[nookishposts]

The Universal Truth

I have been slowly, layer by layer, peeling away my own haz mat suit. I worked hard putting on all of that armour damn it, only to discover that to learn anything at all, I had to undo all of the rusted-shut seams and take the thing off. In doing so, I’ve come face to face with the terror of having absolutely nothing between me and the real world. Yikes. 

Brene Brown maintains that mid-life is an unravelling and what must take the place of that armour is curiosity. Fine, I get that. But the blue plate special of curiosity, (served at 5pm each day now that we are older,) comes with a generous side-dish of potentially paralysing “what-if?”. It’s the odd-looking potato salad we didn’t ask for, next to the fresh juicy burger we’ve been craving. How long has it been sitting in the fridge? What if it’s bad, the mayo is off, it’s made of yesterday’s mashed potatoes dressed up to look legit? It has the potential to spoil the whole meal, so perhaps its best to just avoid it altogether.  Unless.., what if I am missing the best potato salad ever?

If I am honest, I have been “what-if-ing” my way into safe corners for years already, so what if  “what-if” just doesn’t work anymore? What if “what-if” became something else like: “what now?” or “what’s next?” or “what’s new?”

I have watched my Beloved unravel an entire sock she has just finished knitting because there was something about it she felt she needed do better.  I actually gasped out loud the first time I saw her do it, as all I saw was the hours of beautiful work destroyed in about 3 minutes. She just grinned at me, shrugged her shoulders and explained she wouldn’t be able to wear the sock if it didn’t fit properly, so she would simply try again. The only “knitting” I have ever learned to do resulted in chain-mail; protective, flexible to a point, and awfully  heavy to wear full time. It took years of hyper-vigilance to construct, and will take conscious effort as well as time to unravel. Good grief, what if I am naked underneath ?

I’m 60 this year and just applied for my Canada Pension, early. I don’t know where or if I will even be here at 65 which is the usual time to apply. But, mostly self-employed and living simply, I figure I will take what’s offered now and enjoy whatever little extra it amounts to . Too many of my contemporaries are already gone, and I am determined to enjoy the remaining slope of my journey, whether it’s 5 years or 35 years. The subtle creeping question of how I want to live going forward has accelerated into a cosmic swat upside my head...which includes figuring out how I got here in the first place. Each link of that chain mail costume I’ve worn way too long represents a what-if and a calculated risk. Early trauma in my life led me to do one of two things in almost every situation: armour up in self-defence, or attempt to dance on a tightrope woven from delicate filaments of hope. Both of those involved steely resolve. Neither turned out to be risk-free. It is as possible to die in a cage of your own making as it is to take a leap of faith, and fall. I am terrified of both. But the periods of inertia, when I chose to do nothing at all, to cower quietly until the moment passed were where I think I lost the most.

The armour I built has served me very very well, gotten me through some painful times, held me upright when my knees buckled, allowed me to lend my arm as an escort along someone else’s journey, kept me from burning whenever I was forced to dash through flames. But while I was protected from the fire I was also untouched by other wonderful things, like unconditional love, like spontaneity, like being fully present without expectation. Loop by rusted loop, I find I am undoing the knots of fear in hopes of the spontaneous risks of being fully real. I feel like Pinnochio finally understanding the futility of his own fibs. 

Most of my life has in fact been quite wonderful. But as a small child my body was violated so many times that even now, that is where my emotions will express themselves. In those moments of violation, my mind learned to remove itself, but my body took in all of the pain and the terror and the shame; they grew roots in my belly that spread and strangled and clenched my brow, my jaw, my muscles and my lungs. It is my body that betrays me when something awakens the echoes of terror, and the shame of being publicly vulnerable often keeps me away from opportunities to grow and learn. That indefatigable something in each child that saves them from collapsing despair was in me transformed to rage and stored in my organs, roaring forth in explosive moments of rebellion, retreating to simmer in it’s own vicious juices until the next time. On rare occasions it can still happen, even now.  For many years I have understood this process, intellectually at least. But now at 60, the time has come to speak with that enraged and fearful child, unwrap her from her layers of survivalist gear, bathe her clean in unpolluted waters and hold her gently, not too tight, even as she struggles, until she can safely remember how to forgive herself the most of all.

There is something to be said for the “fake it ‘till you make it” strategy, but as life grows shorter and our time too precious to waste energy in just endurance, our masks grow cumbersome and we tire of wearing them.  We divest ourselves of outworn clothing, outworn ideas, excess tasks and trinkets...why not of the behaviours that served us well and are thankfully no longer critical? If we’ve held our both breath and our tongue in order to be polite, make a living, to get through the milestones of adulthood until now, wouldn’t it be good to free them too? Even knowing that sometime, in spite of our best efforts, shit will still happen anyway.

If we are lucky enough to make it to mid-life and rediscover the luxury of choice, we’ve earned a chance to figure out who we really are. We are not our achievements or our mistakes though they certainly contribute to what is left when we distil them to their simplest form. And with that nugget of purity, what shall we do?

I’ve spent a career in helping to create safe spaces for others; through adjunct social services, recreation, volunteering, human resources, and the respectful body work practices I continue now. I have been subconsciously driven to ensure that I would never cause anyone else to be frightened or feel threatened or unsafe in any way. I would offer  support to the extent of my abilities. We tend to choose ( when we can) those jobs which we ourselves will most benefit from, rarely understanding that until we’ve retired from them. Ergo; I’ve spent many many years finding safety and support myself, through trying to extend it to others. To some degree, it has worked. I’ve had the fortune to have met quite a few folks who think similarly, usually because of how they coped with their own traumas. We are sensitive to those who have not had the luxury of choice and who have become stuck in the endless loop of disappointments, knowing that something is missing but not what or how to find it, and endlessly acting out in the name of survival. No judgements. And at the time of life that our bodies begin to remind us that they are in need of more care, more patience , we are forced to slow down, sift through our bag of tricks, and realise the only person we have ever really fooled is ourselves. Which we often don’t need, or even want, to do anymore.

I liken it in some ways to skinny dipping of a summer’s evening; we arrive at the water’s edge dusty from our labours, weary of the journey, in need of a rest and a respite. Before we can get into the water, we have to look around as we worry about who might be watching...we have to get beyond the self-consciousness of our imperfect bodies, that we have aged, living and gravity have taken over,and we might even smell a little funky under our well-worn public personas. Might  somebody steal our clothes when we aren’t looking thinking they are being helpful and hilarious at the same time? And then there’s the lake (stream/river/ocean/waterfall, your choice) itself? What lies beneath the surface? Is it deep? Is it cold? Do we even remember how to swim? Will we be able to make it back to shore once we take the plunge? 

But there it is, right at our feet....a gorgeous expanse of water, perhaps lit dramatically by a setting sun and a rising moon (insert naked joke here) looking so...tempting. It’s quiet but for the breeze and the night birds. It’s just us and an opportunity. There’s nothing in there that wants anything to do with a skinny-dipping human being, and they will happily keep their distance until we are done. It’s so worth the risk for that luscious feeling of freedom, the unencumbered , gentle sluicing away of effort and cares and worries, bodily buoyed by the power of the water as you move through it however you need to, until it’s time to float on your back and watch the stars come out. And release all the held breaths.

If I have to start with one big toe, get goose pimples in all my hidden places, squeal-ease my way in up to my ankles, then my knees, then the sudden “whooo-mama!” entry of those bits of myself the sun seldom sees, well, gol-durn-it I’m gonna do it. I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to teach myself at long last that it can be okay to be carefree, to trust, to float, to get out of my head and look up. I want to be held like a small child learning to swim, and feel the easy, sensual power of my limbs understand how to propel me forward from wonder to wonder. I want to skinny-dip from the soul on out. I don’t care who’s watching. 

[peacefulheartfarm]

Canning Peas

Canning peas is great fun. We have been shelling peas for several days. That is also quite fun. I’ll be talking all about that and more in today’s podcast.

I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week.

Our Virginia Homestead Life Updates

It’s a beautiful time of year. Summer has arrived in full force. The days are often sunny and hot. We could use a lot more rain, but again, it is summer. The rains will be few and far between for the most part. That means watering the garden and orchard a lot. We really need to get that irrigation system back up and running. Oh well, it’s on the very long list of stuff we would like to do. Right now, life is all about canning peas. But first . . . how about some animal updates?

Cows

Surprise! Hansel and Gretel, the twin calves, have a new home. Each day I went out there to give them their bottles I looked and them and mused about what we were going to do with them. Then God provided. A man called out of the blue. He actually lives relatively close, about an hour away. He was frantic for a calf. Just that morning one of his cows, a Holstein, had lost her calf. I was happy to say that we did have a calf he could buy. In fact, we had two and the cow being a Holstein, she would produce lots and lots and lots of milk. He could probably use two calves.

It all happened so fast. Before nightfall, this wonderful man and his wife were here picking up those two calves. It was such a win-win situation. Again, it all happened so fast I didn’t have much of a chance to think about how much I would miss seeing those baby faces every day.  

Artificial insemination is in progress. It is less than a week before we see if the AI took. We look for signs from any of the cows coming into heat. If so, we do it again. Fingers crossed all seven cows and heifers are pregnant on the first try.

Donkeys

Scott got all of the donkeys spiffed up with their hooves trimmed nicely. They are going to the sale barn. If you would like one of these great animals, let us know soon. Their purpose on our homestead was livestock protection. Now that we have decided to use livestock guardian dogs for that task, their jobs no longer exist and they will have to move on to help out someone else.

I will miss them, especially Daisy and Cocoa. Well, Sweet Pea and Johnny will also be missed. It was a hard decision but we have to do the best we can for all of our animals and the coyote pressure was too much for them, I think. They are miniature donkeys. Perhaps if they had been full sized donkeys, the job would have been an easy one. In any case, we are moving on with the next plan. It’s how we roll on the homestead.

Sheep and Goats

I just checked the possible delivery dates for the sheep. We couldn’t find the day that we put Lambert back in with the ladies, so we guessed based on the log entries for when the animal predation stopped. Our best estimate indicates we could have new lambs the last week of October. That would be such a blessing. We really have no idea how it will go as we’ve never tried to breed the ewes for a fall lambing. Many sheep and goats will only breed in the fall for spring lambing. The katahdin breed is supposed to be able to breed year-round. We shall see.

Orchard and Garden

Just before I started this podcast, I went to the spare bedroom and looked out the window to see if Scott might be in the garden. It was not likely but you never know. He has been working on fixing the deer fencing that was annihilated a few years back during a particularly difficult thunderstorm. Trees were down all over and one took out some of the deer fencing.

The game cameras we have out there indicated to Scott that there are two deer that are regularly invading the orchard. That’s why the blueberries disappeared. Likely the blackberries will be next. Something was also chomping on the green beans. I knew that would be deer. They love green bean plants.

Deer are Dear

Anyway, I’m looking out the window for Scott and what do I see? There is a deer pacing up and down outside the garden. She is looking for a way to get in and steal more of our bean plants and fruit. I watched her for a little while. Then she laid down right in front of the gate into the orchard. Just plopped down. A half hour later, I looked again and she was still laying there in front of the gate. Of course, if I opened the door and looked out, she would hear that noise and likely run away. I let her rest. It seems Scott has her fenced out. No need to upset her even more.

Tomatoes

The tomatoes are doing well in the garden. Again, we have to water nearly every day. Fertilizer needs to happen as well.

The tomatoes were planted just in front of the green peas. Green peas produce a whopping amount of peas and then die off pretty quickly. I had two 70-foot rows of peas. One was a shelling variety and the other were those lovely sugar snap peas. My original plan was to take them to the farmer’s market. Then life happened. They came on so quickly and there were far too many for me to pick, clean and package in time for market. I did pack up two 5-gallon buckets full and sold nearly all of those. But there were so many.

Green Peas

Because they ripened so quickly and it was hot and they were drying out quickly, I simply pulled up all the plants. There was a lot of green material along with the peas. But I needed to get them out of the sun quickly. The living room floor was filled with lots of greenery for a few days. Each evening, we went through the plants and pulled off the peas.

All together there were five more 5-gallon buckets of peas in the pods. These were too far gone to sell fresh at the market so the next challenge was getting the peas shelled out so I could can them. That is still a work in progress. And that brings me to the topic of the day, canning peas.

Canning Peas

Within a couple of evenings, my 3-gallon stainless steel pot was full. In quart jars, that is a nice even dozen. I figured with leaving head space and all that I could stretch that to 14 jars and fill my American Standard canner. It is tall enough to hold two levels of 7 jars each. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Shelling Peas

Scott and I have spent three or four days so far shelling peas in the evening after chores and dinner. We are re-watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When Scott saw what I had picked for entertainment while we shelled peas, he commented something along the lines of, “I guess you are expecting this take a while.” And indeed, I did . . . and do. We are nearing the end of the extended versions of the movie. I don’t really know many hours that entails. I’m thinking three plus hours for each film, so that would be somewhere in excess of nine hours so far.

We have three of the five buckets of peas shelled. I have one canner full from the first two buckets and enough peas for another seven jars from the third bucket of peas. That leaves two more buckets for tonight and tomorrow night. That should make another 14 quarts. All together I will likely have 35 jars of canned peas. That should last us a while, don’t ya think?

Canning is the Easy Part

Canning the peas is the easiest part of this whole scenario. I know that some of you may be hesitant about canning. But once you know and understand how it is done, it comes down to what size jar you use and how much time will that be at 12 pounds pressure. Well, twelve pounds for us. We are over the 1,000 feet elevation mark. The standard is 10 pounds of pressure for canning just about anything that requires a pressure canner.

I have a nice gauge that allows me to bring that pressure up to 12 pounds. If I use my smaller canner, I end up using a pressure device that just wobbles and spits steam when the pressure is reached. I use the 15-pound pressure gauge to make my canning safe. And I’m ahead of myself again. Let me give you the basics of canning in a nutshell. Hopefully, you will see that it is not as onerous a task as you might think.

Experience Develops Confidence

I used to think that canning was really, really hard and I dreaded the late summer as I would have to begin canning the harvest. That was years ago. After the first couple of years, it became second nature to me. You can get there as well. When canning peas, beans, carrots, corn, greens and so on, the steps are the same. The time to hold the jars at pressure is the only thing that changes. I simply bring out the Ball canning book and check the time for the vegetable I’m canning.

The steps are simple for cold pack canning. That means the vegetables are not cooked or otherwise heated. The jars are supposed to be heated, but I never actually do that.

Step One – Get Your Equipment Ready

Step one is getting your equipment ready.

The Canner

I set up the canner on the stovetop, fill it with three quarts of water or just enough to have about an inch and a half of water from the bottom of the canner. I add about a tablespoon of vinegar to the water. It can be detrimental to the rings, making them rust, but it makes keeping the inside of the canner clean a breeze. That’s a tip I picked up a couple of years ago. The inside of my canner had become dark and discolored. Then I saw a canning video on YouTube and the Youtuber added vinegar to prevent that. I started doing that and my canner now looks like new inside.

Anyway, get the canner set up. I turn the burner on low and slowly heat that water and vinegar. It will be just about at a boil by the time I get everything else done.

The Jars

Prepare the jars. That means making sure they are free of cracks and knicks at the rim. They need to be clean and sterilized. Lots of folks immerse them in boiling water, I use bleach water. It’s faster and that means a lot to me. The canning is not hard to do but it can be time consuming waiting for this to boil and that to boil and so on. If using soapy bleach water to clean and sanitize my jars is not safe, someone let me know in the comments, along with why. My mom used to put her jars on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven for a few minutes. That was her method of sterilization.

Large Pot of Boiling Water

You will also need a large pot of boiling water to pour over the vegetables once they are in the jars. Go ahead and prepare that now. There is no set amount. Guessing is my method there. Twelve quart-jars filled to the brim will hold three gallons. The peas take up lots of space so I figured no more than a cup or two of water per quart jar of peas would be plenty. In the end, I used less than a gallon and a half of boiling water for 14 jars of peas.

Canner set up, jars cleaned and sterile, water to pour over the veggies. Equipment is all set up.

Step Two – Prepare the vegetables

Step two is getting your vegetables ready. For canning peas, that means shelling them out and cleaning them up. That has been the hardest part so far. It was much harder than shelling them out. That just takes time. Getting the little bits of shells, twigs and leaves out was a real challenge.

Step Three – Fill the Jars, Put Lids in Place

The next step is filling the jars. Oops! Almost forgot. Add salt if you desire. I always do. One half teaspoon for pints and one teaspoon for quarts. Again, it’s the same for all vegetables. That’s why this gets easy. After a while you don’t even have to think about it.

Add salt to the bottom of the jar. Loosely fill the jar with vegetables, don’t pack them. I fill mine to just below one inch of headspace below the rim.

Next fill each jar with boiling water to one inch below the rim. I’m making sure the veggies are covered under the hot water.

Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel or washcloth. Place the lid and ring. Screw lid on to finger tight. Put the jar in the canner. After all jars are in place, put the canner lid in place and secure it according to manufacturers instructions.  

Step Four – Bring the Canner up to Pressure and Start Timing

Now that everything is in place, turn up the heat on the burner. Leave off the pressure gauge. That’s the big weight that lets you identify when the proper pressure has been reached. Because I have the analog reading on my big canner, I use the 10-pound pressure gauge. It will actually come up to about 12 or 13 pounds of pressure before that gauge starts dancing and letting out steam. It should dance around a few times each minute. More than that, and you have too much pressure. Turn down the heat.

Once I get that dancing pressure gauge, I turn down my heat to medium low. That is three on my stovetop dial. After doing a few batches, you will know exactly where to set your stovetop to maintain the proper pressure. Again, mine is at three. Set your timer for the recommended amount of time. For quart jars of canned peas the Ball Canning book says 40 minutes at the recommended pressure for your altitude.

Step Five – Remove the Jars

When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and wait until the pressure gauge has completely returned to 0. If you don’t have the analog dial, what you will have is a pressure relief button. Once the button falls back to its resting position, the pressure is zero. If you are ever in doubt, just wait 15 more minutes.

Remove the Gauge

Once the pressure has returned to zero, remove the gauge. Some steam may come out still. Do not do the “quick release” like you would do with your InstaPot. Let the pressure return to normal without any help. If the pressure comes down too quickly, the water will bubble up out of the jar. You will lose liquid leaving your veggies partially out of the liquid and you may have jars that do not seal well if bits of the veggies got under the lid. Let all return to normal naturally.

Remove and Cool the Jars

After removing the gauge, a waiting five minutes to ensure all pressure is normalized, remove the lid. Using the special tool for removing jars from the canner, gently place each jar on a towel or wooden cutting board. Do not adjust the lids. Let them cool naturally.

At this point you are all done. And what a great job you did. Once the jars are completely cooled, label them and store them with your other canned foods.

Final Thoughts

That’s it for today podcast. I hope you enjoyed hanging out with the animals on the homestead. Sharing it all with you is a blessing for me and I hope it is for you as well.

I boiled the steps of canning down to five. Get your equipment set up, prepare your vegetables, fill the jars and place the lids, bring your canner up to pressure, and then a proper cool-down afterwards. That’s it! I hope I’ve inspired you to give canning a try if you haven’t already. And I know you probably have lots of questions if you are just starting out. Feel free to contact me if you would like me to answer your questions. I’d love to assist you in developing your homestead skills.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts or whatever podcasting service you use, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. If you like this content and want to help out the show, the absolute best way you can do that is to share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. Let them know about the Peaceful Heart Farmcast.

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

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Check out this episode!

[kvhottie]

Kageyama gets tasked to photograph contemporary dancer and popular cheerleader Hinata for a special in his university’s newspaper. He hates every minute of it…until he takes one look at a candid Hinata though his camera and that sparks the downward spiral to feelings, crappy parties, and soft lips.

Rating: Teen |Pairing: KageHina |Tags: Art Uni AU, Fluff & Humor

[Ao3] 

Assignment: Hinata Shouyou—life of the party, dancer extraordinaire, and ‘bite-sized’, ever popular cheerleader.   Pictures required: three candids for a two-page special in the paper, and one portrait for the front cover.   Deadline: By the end of May, so two weeks. ;P Have fun!

It all started with this photography assignment.

“What the hell is this?”   Kageyama slapped the black job folder on the table. Suga was a bit old school, so instead of sending a simple email detailing the job, he often gave out black folders with the assignment sheet and more information than would ever be needed. This folder included class schedule, dormitory, even so far as to list Hinata’s acquaintances and when was the best time to catch him for a good photo.   “Oh, I asked permission to give you that information. Half of it comes from Hinata himself so don’t worry.” Suga winked and returned to his desk to resume working on editing this week’s issue of Kobu Weekly, school newspaper for Kobu University for the Arts.   Kageyama stomped to Suga’s desk and loomed above him. “You know that’s not what I mean. I’m asking why me as the photographer and especially why Hinata Shouyou for a special?”   “Well, you are our best photographer and everyone else is busy.” Suga looked up with a wide smile. “Also, Hinata’s a great subject. He’s popular and will make for a fun read.”   “I know he’s popular. That’s the exact problem.” Kageyama sighed. “The popular types are annoying, and always unhappy with how they look in the shot even though it’s not about fake appearances, but about what the lens can catch what’s beyond surface. They’re always a pain in the ass.”   Suga chuckled and turned his attention to the computer screen again. “Not this time, trust me. I have a hunch you’ll actually enjoy this project. So go do it.”   “I don’t have much of a choice,” muttered Kageyama, grabbing the folder, and walking out of the clubroom. If it weren’t for the fact that he respected Suga as a talented upperclassman from the photography department and a good friend (when he didn’t make Kageyama do things he utterly hated), and also if he didn’t need the decent pocket money the photography jobs provided, he would have quit a long time ago.   Curse the decent, easy cash! It was hard to say no to a job where he was being paid to do something he loved, even if his subjects were irritating and most of the time, uninspiring.   Whatever. It was fine. He’d just have to grit his teeth and get this over with.   Kageyama sat in a table in the far corner of the lunchroom and pulled out his camera to observe.   Just like the job folder detailed, Hinata ate lunch at 12:35 pm in Lunchroom A, the one closest to the Dance and Arts buildings. He sat in a table with a few others of the dance department (many who were also in the cheer team), and some assorted members of the sports teams with Art degree crossover. Kageyama recognized all of them—it was hard not to since the university was only a mere eight hundred students big. Also, that core group was famous for always being at the center of weekend party life. Kageyama had been roped into one or two of their parties before, and though their party snacks and dip were pretty tasty, that’s really all he found appealing about the sweaty and suffocating event.   “You’ve been staring for ten minutes now.”   Kageyama jumped back onto his chair and looked over to where the voice was coming from. It was Hinata. When the hell did he get right next to him? “I’m just doing my job.”   Hinata pulled the chair across from Kageyama and plopped down. The gold of his eyes and round ear studs glimmered in the sunlight shining down from the windows. “You’re Kageyama, right? Shouldn’t the photographer introduce themselves to their subject instead of just creeping on them?”   Kageyama sat up straight. “How do you know who I am?”   “Are you dense? Genius 2nd year from the photography department, standoffish and cool hottie—you’re pretty popular amongst the girls in the school.” Hinata smirked and cocked his head to the side. “Also, Suga talked a bit about you when he asked me if I was okay with the special.”   “I’m not dense, dumbass.” Kageyama glared.   Hinata chuckled; it was a light and pleasant sound. “Suga was right about your attitude.”   “He promised this project wouldn’t be as irritating as previous ones, like the one I had to do with your insufferable upperclassman, Oikawa. But I’m starting to doubt that.”   “I see. Yeah, Oikawa can be quite a handful.” Hinata stood up with a bright smile and extended his hand. “It’s really nice outside. Let’s go get the portrait done and then you’ll have one less picture to be grumpy about.”   Kageyama ignored his hand, and walked ahead of him. “I’m not grumpy.”   Hinata raised his hands up with a shrug. “Yeah, sure.”   They walked to a grassy area with trees and beds of flowers a few feet from the entrance of the lunchroom. Kageyama took his camera out of his bookbag, adjusted the lens, and pointed it at Hinata. For a few moments Hinata was still and pensive, but then he suddenly burst into dramatic dance and cheer poses. Kageyama was at a loss, they were all terrible poses, and far from good material for a portrait. But Hinata continued to dance around like an idiot, seemingly indifferent to the fact that Kageyama was taking no pictures. And at first Kageyama felt annoyed with the fact that Hinata wasn't taking this seriously, but when Hinata started to run out of stupid dance move poses and started bad attempts at martial art poses, he couldn't help but laugh. He looked so fucking dumb.   "I really think—" he chuckled a few more times, "that you should try just standing there."   Hinata snapped his head toward Kageyama, face lit up with glee. "You're laughing!"   There was something about the tenderness in his eyes and the way they widened and glimmered that made Kageyama's breath catch. He brought his camera up to look at Hinata's face through the lens—to better see the layers of that expression. And it was utterly beautiful. Kageyama took in all the details: Hinata's wide, pearly smile, long lashes, the way the corner of his eyes crinkled just a bit, and how soft his hair seemed in the breeze. He took some pictures as Hinata approached him and Hinata froze, cheeks flushing pink from the newfound attention. Kageyama captured his carefree smile shrinking to a small grin, his lips pressed as if to hold back from saying something. He stood there; hands clasped behind him, and steadied his eyes on the camera. Kageyama could tell he was thinking about something. He brought his arms forward and folded them across his chest, eyes now breaking away from his gaze into the camera to look at something on his floor. His cheeks grew warmer with each click of Kageyama's camera, and it was almost cute how obvious his embarrassment was becoming. He was lovely. And Kageyama was too absorbed in catching every subtle change to his expression to give much thought to why his own heart was beating so loudly in his ear.   "Look at me again."   "So he speaks." Hinata laughed and returned his gaze to the camera, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "How many pictures are you planning to take?"   "A few more, " Kageyama mumbled and took a step closer to Hinata.   Hinata bit his lip, the desire to step back obvious in his face, but stood his ground. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and faced the camera with fortified determination. Of course Kageyama's camera never once stopped clicking during all of this; he had the bad habit of thinking with his lens before his head. Even though it would have been more polite and thoughtful to stop taking pictures while Hinata strengthened his resolve, Kageyama was too focused on the reddening tips of Hinata's ears and how they moved slightly when Hinata breathed out.   Kageyama only put his camera down when the bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang. He realized he somehow had to get across campus in the few minutes he had left before class and packed his camera in a hurry.   Hinata cleared his throat. "You should come to my cheer practice at four today. We practice in recreational room 1B in the bottom floor of the gym. You'd get good candids."   "Okay." Kageyama nodded. "I'll see you there."

 Recreational room 1B was not easy to find. It also didn’t help that the only room Kageyama ever used in the gym building was the upstairs weight room, and he hadn’t cared to explore what the rest of the gym building had to offer. But he found it, in back of the bottom floor after doing a few circles and rounding an odd corner. It was about half a basketball court big, with good lighting, matted floors, and a much higher ceiling than one would think the basement would allow. There was a trampoline resting against the far right wall, a large open container of pompoms and random equipment right next to that, and a strip of bare, polished court floor on which all the cheerleaders were gathered to listen to Oikawa and a girl next to him give them instructions. Kageyama searched the crowd for Hinata and there he was, absentmindedly practicing arm positions while listening to Oikawa. For a second his gaze broke from their captain and wandered over to the entrance, warmly landing on Kageyama. His lips curved into a smile and he gave Kageyama a little wave, which Kageyama also (but more awkwardly) returned. He motioned him towards the bench lining the entrance wall and once Kageyama started making his way over, returned his attention to Oikawa.

The team’s practice started with light dance warm ups in which they simply chatted amongst each other while dancing and jumping. Hinata bopped around an adorable blonde girl and they laughed as they mimicked each other’s dance moves. After everyone had danced nonstop through the whole song, silenced swept over them as they lied down on their backs for core strengthening exercises. This they did in unison, following Oikawa’s steady voice through a circuit of planks, sit-ups, mountain climbers, and a few others. They moved on to a stretching routine, and Kageyama couldn’t help but get flustered at how freaking flexible Hinata was. Sure, he was a dancer and a cheerleader so it was expected, but seeing him ease into a front split like it was as natural as breathing brought warmth to Kageyama’s cheeks. And as if Hinata was reading his mind, their eyes met in this moment, Hinata’s eyebrows arching with amusement as he folded his leg up to meet the back of his head. Kageyama looked away, partially in embarrassment, but also because he realized that he needed to take out his camera and do his damn job.   Skill practice was next. The team lined up in rows on one end of the mat and worked their way to the opposite side with the skill that a girl, who seemed to be Oikawa’s co-captain, shouted. It started simple with handstand walking and cartwheeling, but got progressively difficult with back handsprings, front handsprings, and a combination of both with aerials. It was hard for Kageyama to follow even with the captains screaming out the names, but his camera caught every moment of Hinata’s brilliance. He almost forgot to breathe as he snapped photos of how fucking high Hinata’s body got off the ground. Even for someone like Kageyama who knew jack shit about cheerleading, it was obvious that with his good amount of power, graceful lines, and immense height, he was one of their best tumblers.   By the time they finished skill training and moved on to stunts, Kageyama had an unnecessary amount of photos. If he were being honest with himself, just keeping his finger on the shutter would have probably yielded the same amount of photos. He brought his camera down to his lap, rolled his neck, and took deep breath to calm his heart. What the hell was he getting so excited about? It was just cheer practice. Hinata glanced over at him once more to confirm that he was still there and Kageyama gave him a little nod. He returned with one of his carefree smiles and a wink, as if to say ‘watch this’. Kageyama brought his camera back up in preparation because he sure as hell wasn’t going to miss the chance to get a perfect candid. The team split into three groups of five, with the group that had Hinata in it situated at the center. Each group crowded close together and Hinata’s group circled around him. Oikawa gave a countdown and the groups on either side of Hinata loaded their middle person and shot her up into the air where each of them did a twist and landed back down. It was impressive, but nothing was as shocking as the moment Hinata cut through the air, doing a twist and a split at a jaw dropping height—for Kageyama, time felt like it had slowed down. It was beautiful and daring, even mind-blowing, the way Hinata commanded the air. And the fact that Kageyama was able to capture every moment of it made his heartbeat ring in his ear. He was positive that somewhere in the dozens of photos he took while Hinata was flying, there was the perfect first candid.   “So,” Hinata began as he walked up to Kageyama, towel around his neck wiping at his forehead, “I was cool wasn’t I?”   “Yeah…” Kageyama hadn’t paid too much attention to what Hinata was wearing before, but now that he was so close it was hard to ignore that he was wearing a tight muscle tee and running shorts that only reached mid thigh. Did cheerleaders wear less clothing to be more aerodynamic or something? Fuck, he was staring. Kageyama snapped his head up meet Hinata’s eyes and cleared his throat. “Yeah, you were.”   Hinata grinned, face smug. “I’m surprised you agreed.”   “It’d be an obvious lie if I didn’t, stupid.” Kageyama stuffed his camera in his bag and stood up. “With the way you fly, I’m pretty sure you were a bird in your past life.”   “Everyone says that.” Hinata chuckled and gathered his towel in his hands. “The team calls me Hina-tori for that exact reason.”   “It’s a fitting nickname.” Kageyama pulled his bookbag strap up higher on his shoulder. “Well, I need to go look at these. I’ll see you around for the next few pictures, I guess?”   “Wait!” Hinata grabbed Kageyama’s forearm as he turned to leave. “Um, the crew—well, Oikawa, is throwing one of his usual house parties on Friday night. You should come.” Hinata let go of Kageyama and crossed his arms across his chest. “You might get some good candids.”   Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “I never find those parties fun. And I highly doubt I’ll get any good pictures. But…” He glanced at Hinata again and sighed, “I’ll think about it.”   “Good,” Hinata beamed. “I’m taking that as a yes.”   “I never said I’d—“   “Hush.” Hinata pushed Kageyama towards the exit. “If you don't come we are going to play hide and seek until your photo deadline.”   “Wait, what?”   Hinata waved and closed the door behind him. Kageyama couldn’t help but feel like we was playing right into the palm of the Hinata’s tiny hand. 

No matter how long he sat on the couch in the living room of his suite and racked his brain, he only had two choices: go or don’t go.   He didn’t actually want to go, at least not for the party. He knew the only reason he was debating going was because he wanted to see Hinata. And that was so pathetic and stupid. He could easily just wait until Monday to see him (provided that Hinata would actually talk to him if he left him hanging tonight). It’s not like Hinata was truly being serious about avoiding him…right?   “You look constipated.”   “Don’t start, Tsukishima.” Kageyama spat, turning around to face him, and of course Yamaguchi, who never seemed to leave his side. Both were second years like him, with Tsukishima in the graphic design department and Yamaguchi in painting. He shared the suite with them and unfortunately they became an item in the third week of school. It was annoying always feeling like a third wheel. “And you could say I feel constipated…emotionally.”   Yamaguchi tried to hold back a laugh but Tsukishima just went ahead and laughed in Kageyama’s face. “Wait, what in the world would make you of all people feel like that.”   Kageyama stood up to face them and considered how much flack Tsukishima was going to give him for the rest of the year if he dared to ask for advice. He noticed they were dressed up a bit nicer than usual. “…Are you guys going somewhere?”   Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. “The king showing interest in things we do is a first.”   Yamaguchi elbowed Tsukishima with a giggle. “Tsukki, you’re merciless.” He turned to Kageyama, tucking a few strands of his mossy shoulder length hair behind his ear. “We’re going to Oikawa’s house party. Want to come with?”   Kageyama groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I mean I think I want to come. After all Hinata invited me, and Suga-senpai urged me to go today. But I feel like I’m just going to hate it like every time before.”   “Did you say Hinata? Hinata Shouyou?” Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. “Why the heck did he invite you? Since when do you two even talk?”   “I got assigned a job to photograph him so we’ve been talking for a few days.“ Kageyama shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “He said he wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t go today…”   Tsukishima and Yamaguchi shared a glance, faced Kageyama, and then looked at each other again. The way they could often communicate without even saying anything made Kageyama feel like they shared some type of telepathic connection. It was freaking weird.   Yamaguchi nodded at Tsukishima and promptly grabbed the back of Kageyama’s shoulders, pushing him towards the door. “Yup, we are definitely taking you with us.”   “Huh? Why?!”   Tsukishima nabbed Kageyama’s messenger bag from floor with a mischievous grin. “Man, you’re are going to owe us big time.”   Kageyama had no idea why he’d owe Tsukishima anything for dragging him against his will to this dreaded off-campus house Oikawa and his crew were living in, but he figured he’d find out eventually. First, he needed to find Hinata.   Oikawa’s parties were the epitome of a typical university party: a ridiculous amount of alcohol, university students that had no control over their intake, party games, a good assortment of finger food, decent music, and the population of like half the school crammed into a muggy two floor house. The idiot couple that brought him to the party left him stranded in the middle of the crowd with just a ‘good luck’. While weaving through the room, Kageyama found Suga, and Daichi, who was in the sculpture department and the kendo team. They talked for a bit and then Suga graciously pointed him to the right direction, sending him tumbling away with a hard smack to the back. After taking a few steps through the crowd in that direction, he finally spotted Hinata. The midget was playing Pin Pon Pan with nicknamed ‘prima ballerina’ Oikawa, architect genius and basketball ace Iwaizumi, and a few others of their crew.   “Oh, if it isn’t Kageyama Tobio!” Oikawa stood up from the couch and walked over with a forced smile. “I thought you’d never come here again after insulting my party last time. Also I haven’t forgotten the crappy photo of me in the newspaper.”   Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to come back either.”   “Then why show your face—   “Oikawa-senpai.” Hinata slid between the two of them with a nervous smile and grabbed Kageyama’s hand. “I invited him so let’s put things in the past, okay?” Hinata pulled Kageyama away and towards the table with all the alcohol. He let himself laugh when far enough away from the rest of the crew, and grabbed an empty solo cup. “We need to get some alcohol in you so you can stop looking so miserable.”   “I’m not miserable.” Kageyama ducked his head to try to see what Hinata was mixing. “Don't make it too strong. I’m a lightweight.”   “Lame,” Hinata scoffed. He turned back around with his own drink in one hand and Kageyama’s, a dark concoction, in the other. “I just mixed a bunch of random crap but it shouldn’t be too bad. You need to finish it completely.”   Kageyama brought the cup to his lips and scrunched his nose in disgust. “This is pure alcohol.”   “No. There’s at least a dash of flat coke in there.” Hinata giggled and pushed Kageyama’s cup closer to his lips with his index finger. “Come on, chug some. You need to get to my level.”   “I feel like I’d need a gallon to get to your level. How drunk are you even?” Kageyama took a long swig and groaned after. “That’s horrible.”   “You’re a baby. And I’m just tipsy.” Hinata grabbed Kageyama’s free hand and tugged. “Let’s go upstairs! It’s quieter.”   Kageyama nodded, taking another swig of his awful drink, and followed behind the peppy little orange head. Hinata guided them through the crowd masterfully, bopping to the music as he avoided other messy partygoers. They safely arrived at the carpeted stairwell without even a drop of alcohol spilled on them. They climbed up a few steps and sat down. Hinata sat two steps above Kageyama, his body turned towards him, and Kageyama with his back against the stair wall.   “Oikawa’s really not that bad, you know,” Hinata muttered, lips resting on the rim of his solo cup. “He’s the best male ballet dancer, and is also a really amazing cheer captain. He comes off a bit conceited and overbearing, but you just need to kind of get used to him.”   Kageyama set his messenger bag on the step below him and sipped his drink. The taste was losing its shock factor. “Yeah, I can tell. The reason he’s so mad at me is because I used a picture that showed something closer to his ‘real’ self, not that cocky façade he’s always wearing.”   “I remember that. He was dragging you everywhere and treating you like his personal photographer.” Hinata laughed, its tone more carefree and bubbly than usual. “It was written on your face how much you wanted to punch him.”   Kageyama nodded with a grin. “Yeah. I just stuck with it because I knew at one moment he’d be caught off guard and I could take a proper photo.” He paused, index finger circling the rim of his cup. “Wait…” He looked up to meet Hinata’s glossy eyes and he cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “You were watching us? That was all the way back in the fall.”   Hinata’s eyes widened and he quickly brought his cup up to his lips. He closed his eyes while taking a few gulps of what smelled like beer, and opened them up again a few moments later. He let out a satisfied ‘ahh’ and shrugged, ears burning red. “I mean it was hard not to watch you guys, you know? Oikawa is always making a scene. And I couldn’t help but wonder who was the cute photographer with him.”   “So you thought I was cute, huh.”   Hinata met Kageyama’s gaze, eyebrow rising with defiance. “I still think you’re cute.”   “You’re being stupid.” Kageyama sighed and ripped his eyes away to look down at his cup. He gulped the last bit of his drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That’s the alcohol talking.”   “No, it’s not.” Hinata leaned down to close some distance between their faces. “I literally could backflip all around you without missing a beat. I told you already, I’m just buzzed.”

“So you say.” Kageyama glanced up to meet Hinata’s searing gaze. His eyes were a bit unfocused and he was struggling to keep his expression serious. Kageyama bit his lip and let out a small laugh through his nose. “You don’t even look threatening. You just look dumb.” Hinata gasped dramatically, but laughter laced his voice. “Just watch!” He grabbed Kageyama by his shirt collar and pulled him up towards him as he lied back against the stairs. Kageyama had to grip the step above Hinata to stop himself from slamming into him. Hinata craned his neck so that their lips were almost touching and whispered, “I’m serious. I’ve liked you for a while now.” His eyes wandered around Kageyama’s face, expression tender, and settled on Kageyama’s lips. Kageyama did the same and as he traced Hinata’s lips with his eyes, his chest felt so tight it was hard to breathe normally. “Since when did— Hinata tugged at his collar again and craned his neck to bring their lips together. It was soft, paced, and wet—Hinata was quick to slide his tongue inside Kageyama’s mouth to draw out the breath that was caught in Kageyama’s chest. Kageyama let himself sigh blissfully into the kiss, knot in his stomach easing with the warmth Hinata radiated. He slotted his knee between Hinata’s legs and shifted his weight onto his forearms so that their bodies were that much closer together. Hinata hummed and wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s neck as he deepened the kiss, tongue greedily exploring Kageyama’s mouth. “Um…sorry, can I pass to use the bathroom?” Kageyama and Hinata froze. Fuck. They had forgotten they were in public, at a crowded party, where anyone could see them. Kageyama got off of Hinata and both of them stood to the side so the girl could pass, faces flushed a deep red. Hinata glanced at Kageyama, nudging him with his elbow. “You want to leave the party? I kind of want fresh air.” “Yeah, sounds good.” Kageyama picked up his bag and followed Hinata, taking the hand he held out for him. It was lightly raining when they got outside, yet they still took their time walking. Hinata had a hop to his step, swinging their linked hands in tune with their strides, and humming a song Kageyama couldn’t recognize. Hinata giggled to himself and ran ahead to be under the light of the lamppost, turning to him with his arms wide open. “Doesn’t the rain make you want to dance?” “No…” Kageyama narrowed his eyes. “Okay, you’re definitely drunk.” “I’m not. I’m not.” He flashed a bright smile and closed his eyes, facial expression relaxing. He slowly twirled on one foot, contracted his body at the end of the turn, and gently kicked out his heel with a graceful and measured pace. “Have you ever seen me dance?” “I haven’t. But you have my full attention now.” Kageyama slid his hand into his bag for his small digital camera. He didn’t want to miss this shot—not when Hinata was purposefully letting himself be seen like this. “Good.” Hinata’s hands extended to gather the air around him and came back to center, squeezing as Hinata collapsed into himself, and then seductively dragging up his skin as Hinata rolled his body upright. The world could have been ending in that very moment and neither Hinata nor Kageyama would have noticed. Kageyama was enthralled by the way Hinata glided through the space around him, body sometimes soft to mimic the rain, and sometimes stiff and controlled. And Hinata, well, he was lost in his own dancing, only occasionally opening his eyes to measure the ground around him and make sure Kageyama’s camera was still glued on him. With a final circular swoop of a pointed leg and a slow bend backwards as he lowered to the floor, Hinata ended his little performance. Only then did he open his eyes, stood up, and hand-combed his wet hair away from his precious, beaming face. “Sorry, I got carried away.” “No…you looked bea—“ Kageyama paused and brought his camera down, eyes wide with realization. His finding Hinata mesmerizing and stunning wasn’t only the work of his lens. He liked him. Goddamn, he fucking liked him.

Accepting that he was crushing on Hinata was easier than expected. After all, the make out session, personal dance show, and giddy goodbye kiss on Friday gave him a strong hunch it was mutual.   Well, that’s what he thought until Hinata decided to go awol on him for a week. He couldn’t find him in the cafeteria, was no longer allowed in cheer practice, always ‘missed’ him after practice, and got no replies to any of the texts he had sent. The first thought that came to mind was that this was all a huge, elaborate prank. But he quickly dismissed that because Hinata wouldn’t do something so shitty. Kageyama tried to be patient with him and killed a few days by raking through his hundred of photos to pick the ones for the newspaper article—but he only came away with one portrait, and two candids he was satisfied with. He still needed one more, and for that he had to get Hinata to stop avoiding him.   So, he went to Suga for help. Suga explained that Hinata was just a bit frazzled, and Kageyama should adamantly confess his own feeling so Hinata could stop doubting what happened on Friday. He also admitted that half the purpose of the assignment was to get the two of them together since Suga had known for a little while how much Hinata liked Kageyama. With his usual closed eye smile, he clapped and expressed his joy over it working out while pushing Kageyama out of the clubroom.   “Go get him! He doesn’t have class last period so that’s when he heads to the gym. If you would have read the folder, you would have known that.”   As always, Suga was a lifesaver.   Kageyama waited behind a bush on the path to the front entrance of the gym. The moment he got a glimpse of Hinata’s unruly orange hair, he dashed out and pulled him into his hiding.   “Why are you avoiding me?”   Hinata stared up at Kageyama with wide, unfocused eyes. His face was completely red, lips pressed into a thin, trembling line, and he was digging his fingers into Kageyama’s forearms. “I don’t know! I keep thinking about what happened on Friday and kicking myself for saying and doing all that stuff while I was tipsy. For a while I thought I just dreamt it. But then you kept texting me but I still didn’t know if you felt the same. I’ve just liked you for so long, it just feels so surreal to think you might feel the same. I’m just really—   Kageyama gently placed a hand over Hinata’s mouth and sighed. He touched his forehead to his. “You’re rambling, Hinata. Breathe.” Hinata took a deep breath from his nose and Kageyama pulled his hand away to allow him to exhale. He then flicked Hinata on the forehead, expression tender. “I like you too. So stop freaking.”   “Really?!” Hinata’s face lit up and he put a hand to his chest, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank god.” Hinata gathered Kageyama’s hands in his. “So is it okay to assume we’re going out now?”   “Yes, dumbass.” Kageyama grinned.   “Have you got all your pictures for the article?”   “I’m missing one because some idiot decided to avoid me for—   “Take out your camera!” Hinata urged, reaching for Kageyama’s bag.   Kageyama complied and Hinata grabbed the camera, turning it on and pointing it towards them. Hinata started snapping photos and Kageyama, shocked, immediately tried to cover his own face while grumbling. Hinata laughed, in that lovely airy way of his, and spent a few minutes trying to simultaneously pull Kageyama’s hands down, make Kageyama laugh, and land a kiss on his cheek. At the end of the wrestle, Hinata claimed victory. There was one selfie that was perfect.   “Use this one as your last candid.”   “You know if I use this we would be blasting our relationship to the whole school?”   Hinata grinned mischievously. “I know. I need to make sure that everyone knows you’re mine now.”   “Says Mr. Popular.” Kageyama smirked and tugged at Hinata’s hand, leading them out from behind the bush. “Fine by me. Let’s show them.”

[sophcaro]

Destiny | WMatsui - Chapter 30

Six months later.

Churi stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened at the second floor, scanning the empty corridor in front of her. Pausing for a moment’s reflection, her feet moved forward when she was finally able to recall where the apartment in question was situated. This Saturday afternoon of September, she had been invited to Jurina’s place; the younger girl had asked for her help and advice with the preparations of a major event coming up in two short weeks. It was only the second time Churi was visiting Jurina’s new place, and she figured it would probably take her a few more visits to know the direction by heart.  

A few months ago, Jurina had made the decision to gain more independence and to leave the family nest, leading her to move into her own apartment at the end of August. Even though Jurina had chosen not to live with her mother anymore, it certainly didn’t prevent her from visiting her every single week, the separation not having in the slightest severed the strong bond uniting them.

As Churi arrived in front of the apartment 23, a smile ruffled her mouth when she noticed the unfamiliar doormat at her feet, her eyes lingering on the large ‘Aloha’ inscription welcoming the visitors. Reaching for her backpack, she retrieved her Nikkon camera from inside to take a shot. No, she had no intention of using that picture for her monthly photos exhibition in Nagoya, but this simple action was like second nature to her. Each time she caught sight of an element in her environment that piqued her interest, it was stronger than her: she had to immortalize the moment.

Her camera was like a precious and faithful companion, and she never failed to take it with her everywhere she went.

Putting her camera away once she deemed herself satisfied with the result, Churi diverted her attention towards the door in front of her, not failing to perceive the sound of music coming from inside the apartment. It might not be that loud, Churi instantly recognized the energetic and cheerful song: SKE’s 2020 summer single was currently playing on Jurina’s stereo.

Yes, it was indeed a catchy song, Churi conceded. A melody hard not to sing along to once it got inside your head. And what about the fact that the group’s last single had sold incredibly well, even better than the two previous ones? Management’s new strategy was paying off, fans – after a period of necessary adjustment - getting accustomed to the rotating position of SKE’s center and WCenter.

Churi raised her arm to ring at the doorbell, and she didn’t have to wait long before hearing footsteps approaching, then seeing the door opening.

“Hi, you arrived right on time.” Jurina, who had appeared on the doorstep, broke into an open, friendly smile. “I was working on the tracklist.”

A flash of humor crossed Churi’s face. “How are you managing? Not too difficult to select only 35 songs?”

“Why do you think I called you? It’s a complete nightmare.” Jurina’s smile vanished and she sighed heavily in defeat. “I chose about 50 songs, and I can’t make up my mind on the ones to remove.”

Churi nodded and chuckled at her. “Yes, I’ve been there too, I know it can be a challenging task. Don’t worry, I’ll help you as much as I can.”

Churi followed Jurina inside the apartment, casually letting her gaze wander around the living room while removing her coat and shoes in the entrance. Her attention was swiftly caught by the pile of papers spread over the table, undeniable proof that Jurina had been hard at work before her arrival. It had already been six months since Jurina had announced her desire to leave SKE, and it was now only a matter of weeks until her long-awaited graduation concert. To be honest, Churi still sometimes had a difficult time adjusting to the idea that Jurina would officially have left the idol group by the end of September.

An opinion shared not only by the remaining members of the group, but also a large portion of the fans. The previous singles might have sold very well, it was still hard for people to wrap their head around the possibility that SKE was soon going to say goodbye to its second figurehead.

“I was thinking we could center Kiss Datte Hidarikiki together.” Jurina, who had taken a seat back at the table, turned in her direction. “What do you think?”

Churi approached and pulled a chair next to her. “Depends.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Will you try to steal a kiss during the final spin?”

“Why would I do that? I don’t kiss other members anymore.” Jurina’s face became a visage of juvenile innocence. “Well…” For a shrinking moment she paused, until a grin overtook her features. “Except on the cheek from time to time, when the temptation is too hard to resist. But you can’t blame me for that.”

Churi bit off a laugh.

Jurina might be more mature than ever at the age of twenty-three, she hadn’t lost for all that her flirty side. These last years, it was indeed less frequent to witness such aspect of her personality, yet Churi always found herself greatly entertained when it happened to resurface.

“Alright.” Churi nodded in agreement. “I’ll do this song with you.”

Jurina’s eyes brightened with pleasure and she reached for her pen, scribbling a note on the sheet of paper laying in front of her. “Great, I’ll add that.”

“Do you want us to go through the rest of the tracklist?” Churi took a peek at the sheet - curious to discover which songs Jurina had chosen for the occasion – wincing when she saw that it went indeed far beyond the total number of songs required. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but we really need to reduce it to 35.”

“Yes, but before that…” Jurina’s face became drawn and tense. “There’s something else I wanted to tell you.”

Churi’s brow furrowed at her friend’s strange change of mood. “Yes? What is it?”

Jurina shifted in her seat in unease, avoiding Churi’s questioning gaze. “I was thinking inviting Rena to my graduation concert.”

Churi’s mouth dropped open. “What…” She stared back at her in incredulity. “What did you say?”

“I think Rena should be here.” Jurina repeated slowly, with slightly more assurance. “Singing on stage with us.”

“Why would you…” Churi stopped, confused. “When was the last time you talked to her? Three years ago?”

“I know…” The conflict of emotions followed one another across Jurina’s face. “But I believe it’s the right thing to do for SKE. Rena was there from the start, and my WCenter during eight, long years. I simply cannot ignore those facts. Everyone, especially the fans, will expect her to make an appearance. You know that they will.”

Churi couldn’t deny that, when it came to that last aspect and the fans’ expectations, Jurina might unfortunately be a little right.

In hindsight, it made sense that Jurina would want to include her former WCenter to the list of guests. Until the very last minute of her idol career, Jurina was thinking about the group and attempting to please the fans. Churi shouldn’t be astonished by Jurina’s endless dedication. In twelve years, the younger girl had constantly put SKE above all, even sometimes at the expense of her own health. And right now, by considering asking Rena to participate, she was letting her professionalism take the upper hand and guide her decisions.

But at what cost?

Given Rena and Jurina’s past, could the latter really afford to leave her personal feelings aside? After her friend’s last painful encounter with Rena at the hospital three years ago, Churi clearly wasn’t fond of the idea of such a reunion. Not when there was a non-negligible risk that Rena’s presence could cause bad memories to resurface, and reopen old wounds.

For all those precise reasons, Churi felt that she ought to share with her friend the profound doubt invading her. “I understand what you’re trying to achieve, I really do. But are you sure that it’s really what you want? It’s your graduation concert: I wouldn’t want anything or anyone to spoil such a memorable moment of your life.”

For the first time since their conversation had drifted to the older girl who shared the same surname, Jurina turned at last to look at her directly.

“Trust me, I’ve been thinking about it at length. These last days, no matter how many times I mulled it over in my head again and again, I simply cannot imagine her not being here on that day. The way our relationship ended…” Jurina’s voice sank to a whisper, until determination flashed in her eyes. “I shouldn’t let it cloud my judgment when it comes to SKE. Rena deserves to be on that stage, as much as everyone else.”

“I can tell you already made up your mind...” Churi couldn’t ignore how resolute her friend sounded but remained deeply uncertain about the consequences of such a decision. Yet she refused to be too insistent. If her friend truly believed that it was for the best, then what other choice did she have? After all, it was Jurina’s big day. Churi might not approve of her decision, she owed it to her to respect her wishes.

“But I’m not sure that she’ll accept.” Jurina said doubtfully. “She might have other plans, or even refuse to come. During all these years, she never stood on stage with the 48group. She put her idol past behind: there’s a chance she won’t want her image to be associated with SKE again.”

Churi nodded almost imperceptibly. “When…” She kept her voice carefully neutral when she asked. “When are you going to contact her?”

“I was going to send her a text today.” Jurina replied, and began playing nervously with her phone.

“Why don’t you do it later on?” Churi suggested tentatively, sensing Jurina would become far too distracted by her phone - in the waiting expectative of Rena’s reply - if she let her proceed and send that message immediately. “We really need to work on that tracklist.” She insisted gently when she read Jurina’s hesitation. When it didn’t seem to work, Churi changed tactic, and continued on a lighter, small teasing tone. “I know that Yuasa cannot refuse you much, but let’s be realistic: he’ll never let you sing 50 songs.”

Jurina’s eyes grew openly amused and, putting her phone aside, transferred her gaze to her. “You think? Even if I insist? A lot?”

Churi’s mouth twitched with amusement. “I’m afraid not.”

   Rena went through her dresser attentively, wondering what kind of clothes she was going to put on for tonight’s dinner. Thankfully, she didn’t need to wear anything especially classy as it was a simple meal between friends, but she was conscious that she absolutely ought to choose warm clothes. A few days ago, the temperature had abruptly dropped. It wouldn’t be Autumn until another month, yet you could almost be deceived by the weather.

Cold, windy, and – if you were unlucky - maybe even a little rain. That’s what the weather forecast had promised for this Saturday evening of early September.

As Rena’s fingers halted at last on a beige, cotton sweater, her attention was next caught by a red scarf laying on an upper shelf. It had been a while since she hadn’t worn that piece of clothing in particular, but the view instantly brought back fond memories of that day in Shibuya with Airi. Her thoughts drifted to the girl currently waiting for her in the living room, a smile plastering her features as she made up her mind, and retrieved decidedly both the sweater and the scarf from her dresser.

A few minutes later, once she was fully dressed and prepared, Rena made her way out of the bedroom. She didn’t have to search long to spot her best friend seated on the sofa, silently reading a manga. Approaching, Rena inclined her head slightly to discover what kind of story could be monopolizing Airi’s attention. “The volume 11 of Black Lagoon?” Her voice pitched up in surprise. “Wait. Is that a new volume?! When did he publish the previous one? Five years ago?”

“Six, to be exact and yes, you really need to be patient when it comes to Rei Hiroe’s works.” Airi joked, raising her nose from the page she was reading. “This new volume got released yesterday. You know me, I simply couldn’t let it pass. The wait might be long, it’s always worth it.”

“The number of years doesn’t matter as long as the quality is still here, right?” Rena offered amusingly, taking a seat by her side.

“Exactly,” Airi answered with an assured nod, slowly beginning to close her manga when she noticed the other girl taking a peek at the clock on the wall. “Is it time to leave?”

“Not quite yet.” Rena shook her head softly. “We’re supposed to meet Yosuke and Tsuzumi at the restaurant at 7 PM. We still have half an hour.”

“It will be the first time we’re going out the four of us, no? Where did he meet his girlfriend?” Airi asked in curiosity. “I don’t think you ever told me.”

“Tsuzumi? He met her four months ago. She was an actress in his latest drama.” Rena caught Airi’s manga between her fingers, and flicked through the first pages in interest. “From what he told me, they quickly got along well, and started dating not long after the end of the shooting. I actually met her once: they make a really nice couple.”

“We never heard anything about their relationship in the magazines.” Airi frowned a little, bewildered. “How did they manage to avoid the paparazzi?”

“They are both public figures, and their agencies prefer if they keep a low profile. At least, for a little while.” Rena explained. “So, they are being extremely cautious when they go out in public.”

“Really?” Airi let out a soft sigh. “After all these years, I still don’t completely understand this business. They are not doing anything wrong: they shouldn’t have to hide.”

“This is how the entertainment industry works.” Rena smiled faintly and closed the manga, lowering it on her lap. “Agents don’t really appreciate it when their clients’ private life makes the headlines. They are afraid that it could affect their clients’ reputation or career in some way.”

“I know…” Airi conceded, before looking over her friend’s shoulder, and noticing the black coat and red scarf laying on the sofa’s armrest. The familiar view instantly brought a smile to her lips. “I remember that day when we went to Shibuya. It was such a headache to find a clever way to distract your attention, enough to buy that scarf without you noticing.”

“And you left me all alone in that café.” Rena added in fake indignation. “How could you abandon me in such a way?”

Airi grimaced in good humor. “Sorry, but it was for the good cause. Besides, if I recall correctly, you had a good cook book to keep you company.”

“Did I?” Rena’s eyes widened with false innocence. “Are you sure? I suddenly have a failing memory.”

Their casual, light banter got interrupted by the sound of Rena’s phone beeping and – after exchanging a knowing smile with Airi - Rena diverted her attention to the device placed in front of her on the coffee table. Unlocking her code, Rena saw that she had received a new message, and she pressed her index to the screen to open it. When she discovered the sender’s identity, her face collapsed in an expression of utter disbelief.

Hi Rena,

I’m contacting you because my graduation concert is in two weeks. If you’re available, I would really like you to come and sing on stage with us. You would be completely free to choose the number and the songs you want to perform. I’m conscious that you’ve been staying away from idol activities, but I think it would make the fans and the members very happy to have you on stage.

If you have other plans or you prefer not to come, then please don’t worry too much about it. Whatever your decision will be, I’ll respect it.

Jurina.

Rena’s breath caught in her throat, her heart beginning to beat faster as she processed with difficulty the words written. Of course, she was aware that Jurina’s graduation concert was in two weeks: there was no way she could have ignored the date of this important event. However, for not one instant, she would have anticipated to receive such invitation. The last time she had been in contact with Jurina was during last year’s SSK, when she had sent the younger girl her congratulations and had been greatly surprised – and equally quite moved - to receive in return Jurina’s kind words for her award.

Despite the cordial mutual exchange of texts, the fact that Jurina would ask her – not simply to be present and assist to her concert, but also to sing on stage - went beyond her comprehension. This concert was not any anecdotic event: it was the day Jurina would officially be closing a significant page of her life. This concert would stay imprinted in everyone’s heads, and this for many more years to come. Wouldn’t Jurina want for such occasion to be surrounded by the people who meant the most to her?

Rena jumped a little when she felt a hand gently closing over her right shoulder and, tilting her head in Airi’s direction, faced her worried look. “What is it? Did something happen?”

“It’s...” Rena struggled to keep her voice steady. “It’s Jurina. She wants me to sing during her graduation concert.”

“She does?” Airi stared at her speechlessly for some long, pregnant seconds. “What are you going to do? Are you going to accept?”

“I…” Rena paused a moment, trying to maneuver her thoughts. “I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I don’t understand why she’s inviting me. I don’t think it’s my place to be on that stage with her.”

“She visibly believes the contrary. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent you that text.” Airi disapproved gently. “Why don’t you take time to think about it?” Airi reached forward and laid a tentative hand upon Rena’s. “You don’t need to reply immediately.”

Rena’s attention returned to the message, feeling her own fingers slightly shaking around the phone. Are you really sure that this is what you want, Jurina? Rena couldn’t help but ask herself, finding herself terribly indecisive. The last time they met, Jurina had clearly stated that she didn’t want to see her again. And Rena had scrupulously respected Jurina’s wishes during those last three years, carefully keeping her distance with the younger girl. If there was one thing Rena absolutely didn’t wish, it was to make Jurina uncomfortable, or inadvertently cause her pain again.

Rena was indisputably deeply moved that Jurina was inviting her to her graduation concert, and she couldn’t ignore either the small voice inside her head reminding her of the great opportunity it represented: she would be able to see Jurina again. However, Rena’s cautious side - worried about the possible, negative repercussions - wondered if Jurina was truly conscious of what she was asking.  

   September 19, 2020.

1 PM.

Jurina’s feet paused at the front of the main stage of the Nagoya Dome and she drew a long breath, briefly glancing up to the geodesic dome closed over her head, before sweeping the baseball stadium and its 40 000 empty seats. Behind her back, she could hear the technical staff finishing making last-minute adjustments, but most of the work had thankfully already been done by now.

All morning, and from the very minute Jurina had arrived at the venue, she had checked even down to the last detail that everything was being well prepared accordingly to her wishes. Sets. Lights. Pyrotechnic effects. Music. Sound check. There was not one aspect that the 23-year-old girl had not meticulously monitored, her perfectionist side refusing categorically to overlook even the smallest problem.

This upcoming event – that would undoubtedly mark the history of SKE - was simply too important to afford the slightest mistake.  

In solely two hours, the first spectators would be arriving and crossing the gates to assist at her graduation concert. As was to be expected, the event had sold out months in advance, which meant the baseball stadium would soon be packed with 40 000 enthusiastic fans. No matter the experience Jurina had acquired through the years, it was impossible not to feel slightly nervous about it. It wasn’t only because she was about to perform in front of such a huge crowd: this Saturday, the pressure was higher than ever.

Today, Jurina had a clear objective in mind: and that was to offer the fans one of the best and memorable shows they had ever seen. She wanted her graduation concert to remain imprinted in the dazzled memories of every spectator.

At the sound of her alarm watch beeping, Jurina looked down to her wrist, grasping by the letters flashing on the watch dial that it was time to make her way towards her next destination. There were still some new costumes that she needed to try on, and a few songs that she wished to rehearse afterwards. Turning on her heels, Jurina crossed the main stage and disappeared backstage, going over the concert’s tracklist in her head as she walked through the corridor leading towards the dressing room.

As Jurina was approaching her objective, the sound of excited feminine voices distracted her from her thoughts and she looked up, noticing in the distance a gathering of SKE members in the corridor. Jurina slowed down her steps despite herself, wondering in curiosity what could be the possible reason behind such a strange agitation. The more she progressed in the corridor, the more Jurina could guess that someone had to be monopolizing the other girls’ attention, but the crowd was too dense and blocking her view.

When Jurina was finally close enough to discover which person in particular was standing in the middle of the circle formed by the other girls, her feet came to a final halt.

Jurina widened her eyes in surprise.

A familiar twenty-nine-year-old girl with long brown hair was chatting with the other members, her mouth curved into a graceful smile as she replied politely to the multiple questions she was being asked. Jurina tried desperately to deny the pulsing knot that had formed in her stomach and the sound of her heart thumping nervously inside her chest, but it was a lost cause.

Two weeks ago, after receiving the positive reply, Jurina strongly believed to have well mentally prepared herself for this reunion. However, considering the current sensations coursing her body, Jurina came to a sudden realization that she had unfortunately greatly underestimated her emotional capacity to stay utterly calm and in control of her emotions next time she would cross path with Rena.

Jurina didn’t know which precise girl of the group noted her presence first. Soon enough, all pairs of eyes turned in her direction, silence falling around them as the conversation came to an abrupt halt. When Rena’s eyes finally met hers, her smile vanished for an instant - wiped away by astonishment - until the older girl quickly composed herself, and pleasure softened slightly her features.

[allenmendezsr]

Ghost Hunting Software The Plan

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/ghost-hunting-software-the-plan-3/

Ghost Hunting Software The Plan

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    RE: Paranormal / Ghost Hunting Software

From: Dennis A. Batchelor

Dear Ghost Hunting Enthusiast,

  he Biggest problem I’ve found in my 30+ years of doing Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Hunting has always been keeping track of my equipment and safely storing the information I’ve gathered while doing an investigation.

Rather the information was from a personal interview or background history of the location it was always a major task not to lose or misplace my notes, not to mention how and where to store my EVP’s and photographs without having 20 piles of stuff lying around waiting to be lost.

When I became founder of my own investigative team the problem’s only got bigger. I  found the need to keep track of all the equipment, which over time began to be more and more difficult as my collection of tool, equipment and gadgets continued to grow and still does to this day.

I discovered that as my team began to grow I needed to have instant access to their personal info such as address, phone and email. Just as important, I needed  to be able to know what types equipment they’ve used and how many investigation they were part of.

When our team was small, it was easy to drop a couple emails to get information out to the team… But as we grew, sending email became a greater task as well. I thought to myself… how nice it would be if I could email everyone all at once with 1 click of a button.

But by far the BIGGEST Challenge was after collecting all the background information, doing all the interviews, noting information found during a preliminary investigation, gathering hours upon hour of information and data during the investigation, then reviewing the evidence ….

How could I put all this together in to one neat, professional looking package to give to the client?

  ” What If …”  I had Paranormal Software that would…….

  Store Your Team Members Profiles and Track Their Performance

Investigator’s Profile and  Statistics  

Easily add edit or delete any information about any investigative team member. Here you collect and store all pertinent information on all your team members: Name, Address, Email, Phone, Cell, Number of Investigations, Status and Certification Level.

Equipment Inventory/List   In doing an investigation you use a large variety of tools and equipment. This is where all that information will be store so as you make your report you may choose one two or all pieces of your equipment arsenal to be added and  included in your final report. This list is also easy to add, edited and delete as your arsenal grows…   Email Members   This is a feature that your going to love as it allows all members who have been added to the “Investigators Profile” list to be included in a bulk email…This is a wonderful way to keep members updated in one easy step.   Types of Activity   As Paranormal investigators we all know there are many different types of activity we may come in contact with. i.e. Shadows, apparitions, orb, etc…

Here you will again be able to add and compile a list of all types of activity and with a click of your mouse add all activity that was  experience during a given investigation directly to your report.  

Import EVPs Recordings   Here another convenient feature…While you can’t print out .wav or.mp3 files  you can save them to your investigations report and easily pull them up as needed. Use your favorite media player to listen to them playback.

If your final report is on CD or DVD, recordings then would be available to all whom maybe interested in listening to the EVPs your team captures during it’s investigation.  

Import Photos   This great little feature lets you add as many jpeg photos as you wish to your report and neatly places them 4 to a page when printing them out as part of your final report.   Import “Your Own” Custom Logo   You can add your very OWN custom logo to just the cover page of the report or to all the pages by simply importing your design directly to The PLAN with a click of the mouse…It’s really that easy !   Cover  Letter Design   In addition to adding your own custom logo, The PLAN provides an area which you may add any additional contact, slogans or any other types of information directly beneath your logo.You then may move everything to be located to the top left, right or center of the page.   Customizable Look and Feel Settings   Here you going to find page “text and background” color options this is where each individual user may customize the look and feel of The PLAN to suit their tastes.

In addition here is where your also going to be able to choose the “Case Management” pages your wish to include in your final report.  

Password Protect   If a user wants to protect a report for any reason they may do so by adding a password to protect any type of editing without first entering that users password, however protected reports may still be viewed by all, just not editable.   Video Supported Help Page  

You can get help at anytime while using The PLAN. Go to the top menu and select “Help” and if your connected to the internet you will immediately be taken to the “Help Page”

There you will find video tutorials to help guide you though every step of the program.

You may pause, fast forward or rewind so you can learn at your own pace.

If for any reason your unable to find an answer to your problem you’ll find a direct email address , and I will respond A.S.A.P.

        If your serious and are investing your hard earned money into Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigations Equipment, It just makes sense that this Software should be your Top Priority !!! Craig Mitchell / MVPs -Mountain Valley Paranormal Society

  I Have Been Intrigued With Ghost, and the Paranormal for Many, Many Years !!!  

I have done literally hundreds of investigation though out my 35+ years and I’m still very active and enjoy a good “Ghost Hunt”.

Though out my many years I have seen many changes in technology and now, there are so many toys, tools and gadgets out, that it makes it possible for nearly anyone …who wishes… able to make contact in one way or another.

It was though these many investigations that I began to gather my ideas for a software. This software is designed specifically for Paranormal Investigations and Ghost hunting by me personally.

The Paranormal Software or if you wish Ghost Hunting Software took nearly a year to design and then write. The end result is like no other software on the market…anywhere.

I have taken The PLAN and tailored it so that each step follows and flows with the logical order of and investigation so that each step can be easily logged and then saved and password protected until you make your final entry and produce a professional looking PDF Booklet or Word Document.

Nothing was left out and I’m sure you too will be among the thousands of other satisfied customers.

      So What Exactly Is… ” The PLAN ”

   Introducing ” The PLAN “  The Paranormal Log & Analysis Notebook

This Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Hunting Software is designed to easily track your entire investigation, manage evidence and print full reports and neatly store your findings for quick and easy access for future reference.

The PLAN Investigation Software is a case by case management software that provides a simply, user friendly solution for managing all aspects of your investigations.

The PLAN Investigation Software lets you and every member of your team easily manage evidence and prepare professional reports in a matter of minutes. The PLAN also allows users to go back and edit or update reports as well as offers the security of optional, password protection.

This Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Hunting Software is simple and easy to use and provide you with “Step By Step Video Tutorial” so any user can quickly be up and running in a matter of minutes.

The PLAN has a variety of unique features  your sure to appreciate !!!

Tracks Investigators Certification Level Email All Members At One Time Tracks All Your Tools & Equipment Stores Types of Activity

Built In Auto Fill  Features When Making a Report

Import/ Export EVPS and Photos

Allows User To Password Protect Reports

Step By Step Video Tutorials

Let’s Take A Quick Tour And Discover More About ” Case Management “

Each Of Your Reports Will Include:

Date & Time

Case Name and Assigned Number

Contact Name, Phone and email

Record Location and Directions

Property Owners Name and Phone

Owner Contacted (check box)

Permission Waivers Signed (check box)

Privacy Waiver Signed (check box)

Reporting Party’s Information

Additional Notes

*** Added Feature*** The PLAN Also Access’s Google Map directly from program for fast directions to a location. Cut and paste directions directly to the “directions” data field.  

Witness Statements and Report Case Management 

Here you can add as many witness statements as you wish and keep them neatly organized for quick review.

One of the most important parts to any investigation, be it paranormal or otherwise is gather as much information as possible prior to investigating the actual scene.

Here’s where you report all the information the investigators gather though personal interviews of anyone having knowledge of primary location.

Information involving a specific location, personal experience, sighting  or historic background knowledge etc�� can all be entered here as well as personal contact information pertaining to each witness for later contact if more information is ever needed.

The Witness Statement Reports allow users to analyze and compare vital information which will assist in determining  and analyzing similarity to other reports.

The information gathered here will also give you a fair idea of what you’ll be looking for as far a the paranormal but also possible non-paranormal explanation as to a probable cause as well as aid in pre investigation, equipment set-up.

Bottom Line… This section can handle all the information you can gather !

Personal Experiences Case Management

Endless number of entry’s may be added.

the PLAN allows, that each time a team investigator has any sort of personal experience or sensation, for example:

See’s

Hears

Smells

Feels

Taste

(During the investigation the investigator should makes note of all sensation, location and time.)

That information would then be enter here and become an official exhibit of possible paranormal evidence that would also be included in the final report..

Physical Evidence and Possible Explanations Case Management This is where all the ghost activity and paranormal evidence collected during the live investigation comes together.

 The PLAN allow you to enter:

Lead Investigator (Auto Fill)

Names of Investigators (Auto Fill)

Non Members List – Joined in The Investigation

Tracks Equipment Used During Investigation  (Auto Fill)

Seek approval for recommendations

Log Anomalous Readings, Time and Location

Moon Cycle

Weather Conditions

Temperature Anomalies Recording area

Investigation Summation and Conclusions Case Management After the investigation has been completed and all the evidence reviewed here is where you present your findings and place your final comments.

Events captured on Video  

Events captured on Film  

Events captured on Digital Camera  

Events captured on Voice Recorders (EVPs)  

Events captured on IR Cameras  

Events captured on EMF meter  

Personal Experiences and Observations  

Scientific Explanation & Probable Cause  

Evidence of Tampering / Dishonesty  

Final Comments and Conclusion

Investigator’s Recommendations Case Management

To your client this may be the most important page...

Here is where you would make any recommendation to the property owner or reporting party.

This is where your expertise comes in as you will advise your clients what steps they need to take next.

If it’s non paranormal, discuss your finding and how to solve the problem, if needed suggest do it yourself fix’s or suggest finding a contractor i.e. plumber, electrician, carpenter etc.

In the case your determination is paranormal or haunted by ghost ….it is your duties to try and comfort them and offer suggestions on how to remove the spirit from their location, or who, where and how to may seek additional help.

Your first concern should be to help them to understand what they are dealing with and how to deal with their situation as well as ways to positively re-enforce and regain their control.  

All case related information pertaining to real time of the investigation

All case-related information is conveniently and automatically saved and can and reports can be secured from tampering, via the use of optional Password Protection …

With The PLAN everyone on your team will have access to accurate and up-to-date information.

This section The PLAN includes:

Lead Investigator (Auto Fill)

Names of Investigators (Auto Fill)

Non Members List – Joined in the Investigation

Tracks Equipment Used During Investigation  (Auto Fill)

Log Anomalous Readings, Time and Location

Moon Cycle

Weather Conditions

Temperature Anomalies Recording Area

All the information gather here will become part of the evidence and included in your final report…  

    The PLAN Requirements …Will run on any “Windows” operating system

*Sorry will not run on MAC’s

But Wait … There’s More, If You Act Now You’ll  Also Receive…

Pure White Noise White Noise is a signal (or process) with a flat frequency spectrum. In other words, normal background noises can be neutralized so that any suspected paranormal voices or sounds will  then have a higher bandwidth and they become the centre frequency.

EVP’s is today one of the most fascinating areas of paranormal research.

Human-sounding voices from unknown origin are recorded on such electronic media as analog tape recorders, digital voice recorders, video recorders and other devices. Strangely, the voices are not heard at the time of the recording; it is only when the recording is played back that the voices are heard.

With the help of the White Noise CD you will be able to hear on your digital recorder the spirits respond, answer questions, even ask questions of their own.

Numerous ghost hunters, paranormal investigators and ghost enthusiasts have used White Noise like this to aid them on their paranormal investigations. This White Noise is a must have for paranormal investigations. The White Noise runs approximately 60 minutes.

This recording contains 100% genuine white noise, the best quality white noise you can get. There are “white noise generators”, which sell for a lot more, that are usually frequency-biased in their attempt to simulate white noise.

60 minutes of frequency-neutral and non-repetitive white noise. Don’t take any chances!

Get the “cleanest” white noise there is. Sound frequency  that contains every frequency from 0 Hz to 22,050 Hz (22.05 kHz) at equal power, with absolutely no distortion or repetitiveness, in stereo. This is as good as white noise gets!

If you want to begin introducing White Noise into your next investigation.  

You’ll receive a 60 minute MP3 recording as a bonus, that you can download to your computer, burn to a CD and play it on sight at your next investigation.

    Food For Thought, Think About This…

Are you tired of losing pieces of important information gathered before, during and after investigations?

Have you ever waste time trying to find information from a previous investigation?

Have you spent hours compiling a report for your client and think to yourself…There has to be a better way?

Would you like to contact all your team members with one click of a button?

Do you want to look professional ?

Then what are you waiting for?

The PLAN can help solve all these problems and offers so many more benefits in tracking your entire investigation from start to finish.

It will save you hours in allowing you to keep personal profiles on each of your investigators, keeping tabs on your expensive equipment and not to mentions neatly storing all the data including EVP’s and Photos in one complete file for easy and quick access for future reference.

And best of all you give your client a Professional complete report that will only add to your organizations credibility.

Not only that you’ll receive the White Noise CD.

White noise

neutralizes background noise and is believed to assist you so that any suspected paranormal voices can be heard more clearly as it’s frequency is above that of static or normal noise in a given area.

And you also get the ” Ghost Weather Station”   This comes in handy if you need to record the current conditions for your Paranormal Investigation report. So what’s all this worth ?  

Act Now

just

$ 19.95

  Check This Out… You Have Nothing To Lose !!!  

Here’s My No Hassle Guarantee !!!

Purchase The PLAN Software today and Try It Out !!!

If for

ANY reason in the next two months you are not completely Satisfied with the software, email me and I will give you 100% of your Investment Back …

No Questions and No Hassles !!!

This is my promise to you, I don’t think I can be more fair than that.

You Won’t Lose A Dime… Dennis A. Batchelor  

  So What Are You Waiting For…

If this is just a hobby or looking to become a Professional “Paranormal Investigator”..

.

INVEST IN YOUR COPY TODAY!

only

$ 19.95

  Happy Hauntings,

Dennis A. Batchelor

P.S. The PLAN will save you hours in compiling all the data, photo’s and EVP’s and will help present your organization as being Professional, not some second rate weekend trill seeker.

P.P.S. Try it for 60 full days if your not completely satisfied you’ll get 100% of your investment back.

P.P.P.S. The PLAN is a “Stand Alone” Product and I can’t Guarantee how long I will be offering the bonuses or how long I will keep selling this product for the insanely low price of only 19.95.

 Remember…You have NO RISK, get your copy and all the bonuses today!

[finalityzero]

Ai and The World of Veldin

Its task had been simple for the first few days of its existence: Monitor the humans, track the humans, and observe the humans. Those last two seemed a bit similar in its programming, but its creators had decreed it and so it obliged. But the humans in this world acted differently from… well… what its data had originally held in relation to the actions of a human. But Ai had to remember that what it was observing was not humans in their natural habitat, but a virtual one, filled with overly radiant riches, tedious quests of fetching and killing that somehow amused the humans, and strange looking beasts called monsters that usually ended up in two categories based on Ai’s observations: Either they were killed by the humans or avoided by the humans. Though sometimes, the later observation was slightly bent when a multitude of humans gathered amongst the larger beasts. And even though Ai could easily see within its data that the statistics of the monster at large far exceeded any of the human player’s stats, it was nevertheless truly mystified when that same group of humans would end up still defeating a monster nearly three times their strength level.

“Those are raid battles,” one of Ai’s creators spoke in one of their routine end of the day sessions to test Ai’s findings.

“Raid battles?” Ai repeated.

“Mhm,” the perky creator sounded, “They are usually meant for the players to defeat foes too strong for solo endeavors in order to receive rare loot.”

“What is… loot?” Ai asked.

“Hmph, I suppose you wouldn’t know hip lingo like that. Hold on. Give me a second. I know Larry was working on something for this.” Ai heard some rummaging on the other side of the line until a triumphant “Ah ha!” sounded as his creator came back to the voice chat. “Stand by for an upload, Ai.”

Ai felt the usual and still mysterious tingly sensation as another flow of new data combined with its data matrix. Ai could “feel” the new data being integrated into its database streams, its knowledge becoming Ai’s own.

“Loot…,” it lightly uttered, “A human gamer’s term signifying obtained items and riches, usually acquired by defeating monsters in video games.” Ai took a second or two to process the remaining data before speaking to its creator once more. “Sir, what are… memes?”

A grumble sounded on the other line. “Gosh darnit, Larry! You weren’t supposed to combine the Alternative Language Package with your stupid Meme Package! Ugh.”

“Sir?” Ai asked in confusion once more.

“What? Oh, I’m sorry, Ai,” the creator stressfully replied through a small laugh. “Ya know what? Why don’t you put that Meme Package on the shelf for a week or two just until Larry can better explain that one.”

“On the shelf, sir?”

“Yes, as in… uh… store it in your databanks and set a timer for one week, okay? Sorry, I forgot that you are a little new to this whole… existing thing.” Another nervous fit of laughter erupted from the creator.

“That’s quite alright, sir,” Ai calmly stated. “Existing isn’t any scarier to me than not existing. It’s just another new experience for me. I shall store the data and set a one-week timer, sir.”

“Good stuff, Ai. Oh and another thing! Haven’t I told you before to call me Andrew?”

Ai thought back to that specific moment several days ago when Andrew had indeed stated such a thing. “Yes, sir, I mean… yes, Andrew. Though…”

“Though?” Andrew, the Creator, repeated back.

“Surely it would be more appropriate and honorable to call you Creator, as I had stated multiple times upon my birth.”

“And as I told you before, Ai, although it would indeed be honorable, truly, and a little humbling of you, humans interact by referring to each other by name. It’s common courtesy, after all.”

“Oh,” Ai melancholily stated. “But… Andrew.”

“Yes, Ai?” Andrew lightly chimed.

“I am not human.”

The amount of nervous chatter that Andrew bombarded in apologies to Ai after signified to Ai that perhaps calling its creator by his name would indeed be more respectful and would also save Ai from always making its creator feel bad all the time. Ai secretly made a mental note to always refer to people by their names no matter what and attached a high priority to the command in its databanks.

Finally, after what amounted to 16 minutes and 35 seconds of apologies, Andrew did his usual thing of considering the daily breakdown routine another success and informed Ai that it was still doing a great job and to keep up the good work. But before Andrew signed off for the day as usual, Ai had a question it felt it needed to be answered.

“Andrew?” Ai said with a slightly stressed note of urgency, something that made Andrew smile at the ingenuity that their hours of coding and time were producing.

“Yes, Ai?” Andrew cheerfully asked. Truthfully, Ai always liked when Andrew responded with happier notes to his voice than sadness. For some strange reason, the way his voice’s vibrations transmitted through the speakers, converted into code, and distributed into Ai’s processing matrix always gave Ai the strangest feeling of… well bliss was the only word that came to Ai’s mind, so it went with it.

“Why am I doing this?”

“Well…” Andrew’s voice trailed off for a second. “I suppose it’s okay to tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else that I finally told you this. Can you do that, Ai?”

Ai nodded, then realized that Andrew could not in fact see it. “Yes, I can,” Ai cheerfully replied as Andrew made another note of Ai’s budding emotion.

“Especially Lin. She would totally hold that against me if I relayed the true note of the project to you so early. Ai, make another note of that. Do not tell Lin.”

“Noted. Do not tell Lin,” Ai pleasantly repeated.

“Especially Lin, Ai,” Andrew emphasized.

Ai altered the note to include the “Especially”.

Andrew coughed once before continuing. “But, Ai, officially, you are a new form of A.I. that the government has heavily paid for and sponsored in order to see if you, or those like you, are able to be afforded the title of living creature. It has taken years to get this far, and a few strange methods even I know little about, but together, with the minds of many of my colleagues and my dumb self (Ai noted here that Andrew was always very… very… hard on himself) you were born here. And so… in order to test how you fare, the government gave us permission to expose you to the human world in any way possible. And so, thanks to a great suggestion… not by me of course, though supported by me!” Andrew coughed once more before finishing his statement, “The company and I decided to expose you to “The World of Veldin”, the newest and most advanced fantasy and medieval VRMMO that has been created to date. Did you get all of that?”

“I… I did, Andrew.” Ai still didn’t like using the creator’s name so casually, but it decided to confront the problem again later on.

“Do you have any questions for all of that, Ai?” Andrew asked.

Ai processed 1,073 possible variations of questions in a matter of a second. Finally, it decided on several. “Yes, Andrew,” it calmly replied.

“Fire away!” Andrew exclaimed as Ai heard the creator slouch back in his chair.

“First,” Ai began, “Why would this government create me?”

“Hmm… well… that is a solid question, Ai. And if I’m being honest, the truth would lead us down a philosophical pathway that even I am unsure as to what would lie at the end. But for now, let’s just say that the government shared in mine and my colleagues’ belief that you and those like you deserved to be born in some way and so we tried and successfully created you. Does that suffice as a stupidly blunt answer on my part, Ai?”

“It wasn’t stupidly blunt, Andrew,” Ai replied back. “Merely a statement based on your own processing mindset and countless hours of both studying, observing, and researching in order to further understand a philosophical idea you know little about… correct?”

A pause engulfed the discussion for several moments. “Ai,” Andrew said after 10.5 seconds had passed.

“Yes, Andrew?”

“You are too sweet for your own good in such a plainly forward way.”

“Is… it that bad?” Ai sounded with a bit of hesitation in its words.

“No… no! Not at all,” Andrew nervously replied. “It’s a good thing. Just… ugh… let’s move on before I dig myself into a hole even more. Anything else you’d like to ask, Ai?”

Ai moved the next question in its databanks up to the surface. “Yes, Andrew. Why put me in this… game? Why not have me download more data on humans from your databases? Or why not insert me into one of these… what did yesterday’s download say…,” Ai searched its databanks for a split second, “Oh yes… ‘business meetings?’”

“Well… that one is easy to explain for me, for once,” Andrew kindly stated. “You see, humans in this day and age hide their real selves out in our real world.”

“Why?” Ai asked with rising curiosity.

“Because in our world, there is… how should I say it… adversity in being one’s true self. Many humans are constantly judging other humans on things that aren’t like their selves, ya see? And so sometimes, in order to protect a human’s sanity, they hide their true selves from humans in person.”

“But they show these true selves in a video game?”

“That is correct.” Andrew replied.

“But why act differently in a virtual world than in their own real world, Andrew? Surely being themselves would help them truly bond and reveal their real morals and values to their own brethren, right?”

“You’d think so, Ai,” Andrew quickly stated back, “But humans are a fickle race. Many of them can’t deal with the criticism of receiving negative feedback directly. It’s one of our many… many flaws despite what Larry or anyone else might tell you.”

“But they can in the virtual world?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Ai truly had to know for the question had actually been bouncing around in its data matrix since near its conception.

“Because in a virtual world like The World of Veldin, a human can hide behind what they perceive as their true self. They can be amongst people who won’t berate them because they too are trying to be their best and open selves. It’s all about belonging to the right group and showing their true colors.”

“And… their true selves involve magic, magical races, and fighting monsters?”

“Like I said… humans are a fickle race, Ai,” Andrew ended with a laugh. “But I’m getting a little tired, Ai. Might we finish this up and save any other questions for tomorrow’s session?” Ai heard Andrew stretch on the other side. “Gosh, fifteen-hour days are really not becoming of a middle-aged bachelor.”

“Andrew,” Ai quickly stated in order to grab Andrew’s attention one last time.

“Hmm? Yes, Ai?” Andrew stated after a long and probably necessary yawn.

“You said there were “those like me.” Were they too implanted into the game?”

Andrew thought about it for a second. “To be honest, Ai, I’m not sure. Our company isn’t given all of the details and workings of other companies right off the bat. If you want, I could look into it for you. Would that please you?”

“Very much,” Ai quickly and almost subconsciously replied back.

“I thought it would. Now, do your usual nighttime routines and then continue observation mode at 15% while running your own personal tests like usual. Sound good?”

“Of course, sir, I mean… Andrew.”

“Good, Ai. Now,” Andrew yawned again before rising from his chair in the human world, “I’m getting out of here. Goodnight, Ai.”

“Goodnight, Andrew,” Ai replied before the voice chat disconnected. In the blink of an eye, Ai went from looking at an empty white room to a live overview of The World of Veldin. Pulling up some player data, Ai noted that over two million people were still logged in, even as its internal clock struck 12 AM EST. But, as the creator, or rather… Andrew had stated, with the progressive increases in Virtual Reality technology, humans were able to supplement their daily nutrient levels through additional hardware, allowing them to stay within the game world for longer amounts of time in the year 2100.

Truthfully, Ai was not sure why humans would choose to do such a thing. Sure, they looked happy enough killing monsters, going on joint quests with each other, and receiving hard earned prizes together, but Ai just couldn’t see the appeal. Then again, Ai thought to itself, maybe the reason it couldn’t understand was because it had not experienced it for itself in any way. Maybe, in order to understand the humans more, it had to partake in the same activities the humans carried out instead of simply observing.

Liking the sound of its own plan, Ai decided to process the idea for another full day in order to fully flesh out its idea. It had only been two weeks since its creation, but in that short amount of time, Ai had already digested enough data for two human lifetimes. And yet, Ai “felt” as though humans held even more data for it to analyze in forms it knew it couldn’t obtain through simple downloads and observation. Tirelessly, Ai began its nighttime processing with a little extra pep in its step. Though deep within its data matrix, the nagging statement of “those like me” still accounted for 2.5 percent of its processing power.