#or midnight burger. its fun. the characters would get along i think

[wall-e-gorl]

Half a comic for day one: fave arc/ roll for au! i rolled podcast au, and when i went to spotify to look at my list, i actively had Midnight Burger open and thats perfect so i had to.

What podcast do i mash with the "train traveling dimensions as she gains sentience and godhood while the staff deals with resulting problems" crew other than the "time space universe traveling diner solves problems with the power of science and friendship and jesus (but in a good way)" podcast?

edit: part two here!

[jj-lynn21]

Cozy Cove: The end is not always an end

warnings:  smut, fluff, angst. I threw in a nice Henry Pearl nod. Cozy Cove could be where forms of other Bill characters wind up.

Saved by an Angel , A side of tits with your pancakes ,Fires Burn Hot , spending the nights , Learning and Loving ,The end id not always the end , Axel Grease, Big Decisions, Sex and Jet Skis, Late night fun , Old Wounds , Storms pass, Dangerous Waters

Breakfast with Susie's parents is nice. Axel has even charmed her Mother who was reluctant her daughter should even hang out with him in the first place. Much to Susie's surprise, Axel does ask if they want to rent a motorcycle to drive up the coast. Although her Father seemed excited about the prospect, her Mother politely declined.

Axel and Susie began their ride along the coast. She held him tight as they made their way along, the twists and turns. They came to a stop at the bottom of a cliff path. The sign said: NO CARS. BIKES & WALKERS ONLY. STEEP.

"You ready for some real fun Susie Q.?" Axel grinned.

"I don't think you are allowed to go up there on this machine, Axel." She looked up the narrow paved path rising to a bluff. "It is not very wide."

"It is wide enough," Axel revved his motorcycle. "I've done this before. Trust me."

"You're nuts," Susie screams as they head up the path. The motorcycle's front tire veers off the path sending pieces of rocks plummeting to the ocean below. He gains control continuing to the top. Susie's nails bury into his side as she screeches like his tire. He parks when they get to the top.

"We made it to the top, look." Axel turned to put his arm around Susie."It’s the best view around here."

Susie's face moves from being tucked into Axel. Her eyes go wide with delight. "Wow."

"Yeah, I would have taken you up her at sunset but I am not crazy enough to do that more than once." Axel shook his head. "best to do this when I can see everything."

She looks up at him, "How bad was the accident that you won't do it again?"

"Come on, let's cool down at Henry's snack shack and I'll tell you." Axel got off the cycle and helped Susie off.

They walked to the small restaurant at the tip-top of the bluff. A few walkers were sitting at the counter having milkshakes. Alison was politely chatting with them. She looked up as Axel and Susie as they walked in the place. Axel sat at his usual table with Susie by his side.

Alison came over with a smile, "Hey Axel, glad you made it here without hurting yourself today. How is your Harley?"

"She made it this time," Axel smirked. " This is my girlfriend Susie."

"Hey Susie," She smiled. "Nice to meet you.Try to keep him from doing anything that will put him in the hospital again."

"Will do," She fidgeted. "Or at least I'll try."

"What can I get you?" She pointed at the menus leaned up against the wall in case Susie wanted to look.

"Just two swirl shakes," Axel told her and then looked to Susie. "Is that fine, Babe? Its a twirl of chocolate and vanilla in one shake. They are the best here."   "Sounds good," Susie agreed. "Now tell me about this accident that put you in the hospital?"

"I'll get you those shakes," Alison knew when to stay out of a conversation.

"I was speeding up the hill the first and last time I came up here at night," Axel started. "Henry and Alison had just opened the place. I had met Henry when I was night surfing. He didn't think anyone was around so he was skinny dipping." Axel chuckled. "I almost ran him over with my board because I didn't think anyone was around. He and Alison are good people. Anyway, my tire slid way worse than today and I didn't get a handle on the situation. As I leaned the motorcycle skidded starting off the cliff. Henry was walking up the hill to his shift when he saw what was happening. Scared the fuck out of me really. The bike went over the cliff. Henry caught my hands before I went with it. Tore the fuck out of my right leg and broke it in a few places since it was pinned under the bike as it started to slide. I was laid up for months."

"Damn Axel," Susie shook her head. “And you brought me up here? Maybe we should walk your Harley down?"

"I've been up and down this bluff at least a hundred times since then," Axel assured her. “We will be fine. I never had an issue going down." He winked.

Susie blushed. "No, I guess there is no proof of that as far as I know."

Alison brought their shakes, " Enjoy."

The other customers wave bye leaving money on the counter. Alison snatches it up to go put it in the cash register.

"How is Henry doing?" Axel asked.

"He's great," Alison grinned as she wiped down the counter. "He will be in a bit after dusk. We are closing at midnight tonight. Then some swimming before bed."

"Keep your clothes on," Axel chuckled.

"Oh, we made the beach behind our home private property now." She retorts. “I'm getting used to night swimming with him. It's refreshing. You and Susie should try it."

"What do you think Susie?" Axel prodded. "You want to go skinny dipping later?"

She giggled," It would be safer than the motorcycle ride here.”

"Stop by our place anytime," The bell on the top of the door dings as a group of four comes in for a rest before going back down the bluff. "Henry asks if you are doing good every night, Axel. I can tell him I saw you tonight and you are as nuts as ever." She laughs as she walks over to the table of new customers.

"Henry Sounds like a good guy," Susie sips down her milkshake.

"Yeah, he had it bad when he was young," Axel finishes his shake. "has a condition where he can't be in the sun. Half of him is burned. But Alison and Him made it to Cozy Cove and decided to settle down. They opened this place up and I think it pays the rent for them. They compliment each other I would say. I think we do too Susie Q." He gazes in her eyes.

She bites her lip and looks away, "How much are the shakes? I think I'm ready to hold tight as we go down together."

Axel pulls her face back towards him. "You don't need to pay for anything when you are with me and I will go slow so you are not so scared, alright?"

She nods yes. Her heart is heavy the closer she feels, the more she feels for him. Vacations like most love stories can never last forever.

Axel puts some money on the table as they get up to leave, "Catch you and Henry eventually Alison. "

"Take it easy Axel. It was nice to meet you, Susie." Alison said as he carried a tray full of burgers and milkshakes to her customers. "I hope you stick around a while."

Susie bottom lip quivered. Axel noticed before they got on his Harley. He wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, we can walk down if you want?"

"No let's ride, Axel," She gave him a half-smile.

"Are you sure?" Axel was sure she had some tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm sure, Axel," She got on the motorcycle, "Let's ride."

"Cool," He got on and start the machine up.

Axel did take it easier than normal down the bank. He didn't slide once towards the edge. The views were truly breathtaking as Susie looked around on their way down. It had been work going up there. A good memory she planned to cherish.

There is a chill in the air when they get back to Axel's place. The sun hangs low ready to retire for the evening. When Susie gets off Axel's cycle she shivers a little losing his body heat to warm her.

Axel got off his cycle, "Did you have a fun ride?" He draped his arms around Susie to stop her shivers.

Susie looked up at him with glossy love drunk eyes, "Yes, Axel."

"How about I get you one of my sweaters and we can watch the sunset on the beach?" He rubbed her back smiling wanting terribly to tell her he loves her.

She snuggles on his shoulder. His arm around her shoulders. Axel’s hand dangling right above her breast. They watch the sun start to glide into the water. Just before it disappears completely, Axel murmured in her hear," I love you Susie Q. Don't say anything, I just want you to know I love you. I have never said it before."

Tears well in her eyes as Axel kisses her. As soon as their connection is broken she stands walking away from him. Now, visible tears running down her face.

Axel takes a few large steps to catch up with her. "Hey, you don't have to feel the same but I want everyone to know." He screams, "I LOVE SUSIE QUINNBY!"

"Stop Axel," She cries. "It isn't fair. We can't say that."

He gets in front of her finally realizing how upset she is, "Why not? You feel it, you should say it. I don't understand. Help me understand. Whatever the reason I can handle it. Fuck, I can probably fix it."

"You can't fix it like a car or truck or bike at your garage Axel," She wails. When he holds her she just buries her face in his chest. "I'm still a vacationer and your a local." She babbles almost inaudible. "I have to leave the day after tomorrow. I never planned to fall for someone, to love someone I met on vacation. It isn't right I, we even admit it out loud. It only makes the fact I have to leave worse."

Axel rubs her back, "This is only our beginning, Babe. we can video chat every day. I'll come to see you because I don't want to be without you long. We will make it work."

"I live on the other side of the country, Axel." She looks up at him. "It is not like you can ride your motorcycle across town to find me. It would take you a week or longer."

"So, I drive a week to see you,"  He kissed her forehead. "Don't think about how little time we have left together here. Just embrace, the now. Can you say what you feel now and the fuck with whatever the future brings?"

"I love you, Axel." She sniffles as she looks up at him. "I love you with everything I am."

"That's my good girl," He leans down to kiss her so lustfully her legs get weak.  Heat travels over her body.

"Now I can take you to the cottage or I can take you to my bed,” He grins mischievously. "Your choice."

"I want to stay with you every minute I can, Axel."  She licks her lips. "Because I love you."

"It feels good to let it out," He takes her hand walking back towards his place. "I love you more though."

As soon as they get up to his place it is like a race of who gets their cloths off first as they attach each other with an ever-growing desire. As she crawls on to the bed Axel is right behind her. He grabs her hips. She feels his readiness slip between folds. She grabs the sleet letting out a small whine as he enters her.

"Your tight pussy is the best Susie Q, fuck." He was banging her hard, Going deep inside with every thrust. "Fuck..."

"You fill me so full Axel," She panted.

Axel had her on the threshold of the pleasure when he realized he didn't use a condom. " Cum for me, oh fuck I want to feel it before I have to pull out, fuck."

She moans, "Almost Axel...just..."

He reaches down to run his fingers over her clit and he could feel her pulsing. She gasped and cried out in her moment of release. Axel pulled out shooing his load on her back. "Oh. fffFuck..." his muscles relaxed. She fell to the bed on her stomach. Axel laid beside her on his back.

"I'll clean you up as soon as I catch my breath," He was breathing heavily practically drowning in the serotonin that filled his brain. "You feel good?"

She looked over to him with a lovesick gaze. "Glorious. I never tried that position before. But I'd do it again."

"Glad you enjoyed it like I did," He took a deep breath in letting it out slowly, "I always will teach you new things Susie Q." Axel got up and kissed her cheek. "Just relax and I'll take care of you."

Axel got a warm wet cloth to clean her back off. Then he got them some water to replenish. He made sure she drank the whole sixteen ounces before they cuddled into bed for the night.

Susie cried again when Axel helped her back up her stuff at the cottage. Her parents made them all cheeseburgers with macaroni salad before Axel had to go into work that afternoon. They spent Axel's break in the back room with a do not disturb sign on the door.

Axel did not tell her he didn't think he would be sleeping right without her. She held back her tears when they said goodbye. She still wasn't completely convinced she would ever see him again.

[kashmiresims]

Hart to Hart

First Post | Previous Post | Next Post

Nick was musing. He mused about the phrase ‘Nick of time’—the first reason being that his name was in it. The second reason was because he had accrued enough real simoleons to cover the tuition he owed if he were to stay a student at Sim State, on the last day he had left to pay it. ‘Nick of time’ indeed.  

Fight nights kept growing, both in crowd and fighter roster size and now was collectively referred to as the Nest of Vipers on account of all the fighters taking on snake aliases. He’d even met high rolling gamblers interested in betting on winners and bringing in more money. They had yet to implement a process but it looked, for lack of a better adjective—hella promising. It all was going in the direction Cain had predicted, ever since the first night. Nick still had a worry though, that if it grew too big and too fast that the law would get involved and shut it down. More than that, shut him down. Then where would he be? Jail, most likely.

“Nicholas?”

He stopped musing and noticed his mother was crossing his path. How random?  

“Mom?”

She looked puzzled to see him but he was even more puzzled—what was she doing on campus? Why was she heading toward where he just came from?

“It’s good to see you, sweetheart,” she smiled and stepped forward to hug him but he evaded it and put on a frown. He was on guard—suddenly suspicious, because she usually took his father’s side in arguments and that meant that she had agreed to let Elm take away the means for Nick’s higher education.

Her resulting expression of hurt at him avoiding her embrace stung him more than he would have thought but he pushed past it, “What are you doing here?”

She sighed and pulled out a piece of paper from her purse; a check. “It’s payment for your tuition. I was going over some of our financial records the other night and saw—well it doesn’t matter what I saw—I’m fixing this.”

She moved forward, presumedly to go pay the university but Nick held out his arm to halt her and said quietly, “Don’t worry about it.”

“But—”

He took the check out of her hand and looked at it. Plumbobs, college was expensive. He found it ironic that one of his father’s campaign promises was to make college education more affordable when he tried using money to influence Nick’s choice about college—to either become a lawyer or don’t go at all.

Now, Nick could do what he wanted.

His mother gasped as he abruptly tore the check into shreds, leaving him with a fist full of paper bits.

“Nicholas!”

He threw them into a nearby trash bin along the walking path, “I appreciate what you tried to do Mom, but I can take care of myself.”

She seemed absolutely shocked and bewildered by her son’s behavior. He had torn up a check for no insignificant amount of money. She could only stare at him as though he were crazy and to both their surprise, tears began to leak into her eyes.

Of course, he wasn’t a complete monster—and made a move to comfort her immediately. Unlike him, she accepted a hug without question. He surmised she was sad because she believed he was throwing away his future and he didn’t know how he could tell her that he wasn’t, without the fact of how he had managed to come up with the money.

“It’s okay,” he heard himself say and hugged her tighter as she cried into his shoulder, her purse dropping from her hand as it dangled hopelessly, “It will be all right, Mom.”

He didn’t expect her to get so worked up over this. Harmony Calhoun, the Steel-faced woman—that’s what the media called her as they took pictures of her standing by Elm’s side—not with a fake smile of a politician’s wife but a sullen, strict look that cooled everyone around her.  She had been a public educator for many years, eventually securing a spot as the school’s principal, so had to develop that tough exterior. She was firm but she wasn’t unfeeling.

She shook her head, unconvinced of his words. It was unspoken but then he knew, he just knew his father had done something to wear down her resolve. How she could stand being married to such an asshole for so many years was something he often wondered about.  

“Let’s get something to eat?” Nick suggested, pulling away and looking her over. When did threads of silver start appearing in her hair? When did that crinkle around her golden eyes become so deep and prominent?        

He hadn’t visited home in a long while, he didn’t like going back there and always found an excuse to stay away. It’d be different if his grandparents were still alive—but they had passed in recent years, and he didn’t like going back, knowing they weren’t there to greet him with smiles and hugs.  

But then it struck him, that while his father didn’t care about Nick’s absence, other members of his family might miss him just as much as he missed Kimmy and Matthew Hart.

His mother nodded in agreement about getting food and wiped away any loose tears remaining, then reached down to collect her purse.

Nick lead the way down the sidewalk, keeping his silence measured for he didn’t want to say anything more to upset her. In fact, he wouldn’t know what to say anymore--he probably stopped confiding in her about the time he was in high school, when he kept getting grounded for stupid things by his father and she didn’t stand up for Nick—just went along with it to avoid more confrontation.

They entered Joe's Diner. It was one of those university establishments that had been around for a generation at least. The door jingled when a customer entered, greeted by a soda counter and a row of double seated booths against a bright red wall with silver paneling. Very retro with sense of nostalgia though many now had never experienced it before coming to college. Since it was open past midnight, many students could be found there studying in the early dark hours, cramming for an exam while cramming a burger down their mouth.  

Nick and his mother were seated, and Nick ordered two burgers. Hamburgers were Joe's s specialty. His mother didn't object. He didn't like the silence, not with her—had he been away so long they had forgotten how to talk to each other?

“Mom, I gotta say, I'm digging your hairstyle today. Buns are where it's at."

She looked mildly perplexed at his statement, as if no one had complimented her on her hair in years or rather, she had worn it that way for years and wondered why it earned her a compliment now. Despite her puzzlement she smiled and said, "Thank you, sweetheart.”

But then with a quick flip of his head, as if to present himself—it was made evident it was a compliment more to Nick himself as his long hair was bundled up in its usual hair tie.

He knew she didn’t prefer the look, but she smiled at his quip nonetheless and repeated a sentiment she had been saying since he was in high school, "Your hair is out of control, Nicholas."

"It is not," he disagreed and smoothed his hand over the top of his head to check, it was all pulled back tight, no strands popping out haphazardly. He had noticed though, as he grew it out, that he used more and more shampoo every time he showered. He bet that the next words out of her mouth were for him to go get a haircut. He could almost see the thought form in her head as her brow crinkled.

"You could do with a haircut," she suggested and he mentally patted himself on the back for correctly guessing, but thankful he didn't owe himself money for both simultaneously losing and winning the bet he made with himself.

He smirked with defiance, "Why? women really like my long hair.”

“Oh really?” she arched a brow and he immediately regretted bringing up that subject because she followed up with, “And when are you going to bring any of these so called ‘women who like your long hair’ over so I can meet any of them?

He let out a nervous laugh, waving away her question, “They aren’t the type one takes home to meet one’s parents but I promise they exist!”

His mother pressed her lips in disapproval, which he knew she would do. She was at the age where she would like to see her sons to be on the path toward steady relationships. With Kit being only fifteen years old—he wasn’t ready for commitment. Shane was about as emotionally intelligent as the robots he built, so there was hardly a chance for him to catch anyone’s fancy. That left Nick being the only son to land a significant other and while he had plenty of fish in the sea to choose from, he wasn’t all thrilled at the idea of getting into a serious relationship; college was the time for fun and he had the rest of his life to live—to find that ‘special someone’ if they even existed.

He jolted forward suddenly reminded of something he was supposed to ask his mother about, “Hey, Mom—do you think you could ask Dad about something for me?”

She seemed surprised at the urgency of his request and asked, “Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine but I wanted to show some of my art at the Harvest Gala. Dad could probably make that happen...”

Their burgers arrived then and he had to put a hold on that thought while they ate. The burger was damn good—juicy and had a charbroil taste, smothered in ketchup, mustard, and topped with tomato. It was an early dinner for him but he had a light lunch and was feeling hungry anyway. He hoped food would make his mom feel better, it always made him feel better.

He glanced up and saw her eating eagerly as he was and nearly laughed. He'd never seen her eat like that before. She was usually careful about what she ate—he’d seen her with granola, salads, and other healthy foods that she chewed precisely after every bite. He realized, he probably hardly knew her real character, locked away behind that steel-faced persona she had maintained, even at home.

Why did she hide?

“You, uh...really like that burger, huh?” he swallowed a bite and said with amusement.

“Are you kidding? I love Joe's burgers,” she said and took another happy, sloppy, bite.

“Since when do you eat here?”

“I too, went to Sim State, once upon a time—” she swiveled her head from side to side, looking at the walls with her hamburger in hand, "and I'm amazed that this diner looks the same—it's like stepping back in time."  

"Really?"  

"Yes, your father and I came here often. We'd get dinner, drink a few beers and talk about everything from philosophy to politics—and I hung on every word," she smiled wistfully but it faded a moment later, "He was very charming back then."

Nick restrained his eyes from rolling, but ended up frowning slightly, "So, he's not anymore?"

"I didn't say that," she snapped, matching his frown until it wavered and dissolved into melancholy.

His expression lifted and turned to concern, "Something happened, didn't it? Something with Dad?"  

She didn't answer right away, seeming to weigh her words as she focused somewhere else than Nick. Finally, she answered, "We had a fight—and he thought it was best if I didn't accompany him to a fundraising function tonight."  

Nick had never seen his parents fight before, never even heard of it—thought it was pretty much impossible from the way they stood united all those years. To hear his mother admit that such a fight happened was as rare as seeing a unicorn. He honestly didn’t know what to say after such a truth.

“Sounds like...you could use a drink,” Nick waved over the waitress and promptly ordered two beers despite the shocked look on his mother’s face at that suggestion. He knew she drank, he’d seen the empty wine bottles as a kid—and the full ones stashed up in the cabinets out of his reach.

The beers were uncapped and set before them; Nick picked his up and held it out to her as if he were toasting. She hesitantly picked it up and did the same.

“To Joe’s,” he grinned and clinked his bottle against hers, which caused her to laugh, “May it exist another 30 years.”

“To Joe’s,” she repeated with a smile and took a swig at the same time he did. If he had somehow managed to time travel and told his eighteen-year-old self that one day he would be drinking beer with his mother, his teenage self would have called him crazy and a liar. But there he was, twenty-two years old and drinking beer with his mother.

“Oh wow, I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve had a beer,” she said immediately after tasting it and looked at the back of the label.

“Probably since you went here,” Nick joked, recalling her words from earlier.

She rolled her eyes and took another drink.  

As she drank, she became more and more forthcoming—talking about her college days, her job and all the snotty pre-teens she had to deal with, her annoyance at how the media portrayed her now that her husband was running for public office—and it amazed Nick to see his mother so candid about life for once.

They had been there so long, chatting and ordering beers that it was now evening.

“What did you and dad fight about?” Nick finally let his curiosity get the best of him and asked. He was done with his third drink, and had set the beer bottle on the table top. Funnily enough, he was barely feeling it, college had done wonders for his tolerance.

“Your tuition.”

It was a good thing Nick was done with his beer for if he would have had any in his mouth he would have spit it out in utter surprise. His mind was blown.  

While it was rare to see a unicorn, it was rarer yet to know of a fight between his parents that pertained to their eldest son. He thought they had always been on the same page concerning him—his hair was too long, his eyebrow piercing looked unprofessional, art was not a valid career path, he would make a better lawyer with his smartass mouth, and he deserved to be grounded for tricking his uncle into reading Marilyn Manson lyrics at his Grams’ funeral. Okay, but assessing that situation now, that he agreed he definitely deserved to be grounded for it. His eighteen-year-old self would have called him a traitor, that is, if he managed to go back in time somehow. He really liked musing on that hypothetical.  

Now he felt a little bad for assuming his mother had allowed his father take away that money for tuition without a fight—but to be fair she’d never give him reason to believe anything else. “Speaking of...“ her voice turned a bit harder, “how did you manage to get the money to pay it?”

Nick cringed inwardly, because he was dreading that question. He had thought of an answer though, “I sold all my art.”

Now it was her turned to look like her mind was blown, and honestly if someone really had bought his art for that amount, it would have blown his mind too.  

“If you sold all your art...then what are you showing at the Harvest Gala?” she asked slowly while her amazement turned into a puzzled frown. Damn, nothing got past her even when she was buzzed.

“I...” he started but picked up his bottle and shook it to hear nothing but drops left, trying to stall as he thought of how to reply, “I'm working on new paintings that I’ll have done by the time the Gala rolls around. I figured it would be good exposure. That’s why I need you to ask dad.”

He’d finally gotten around to bringing that up again.

She put her finger to her lips thoughtfully, “How about you come home this weekend and ask him yourself?”

“Mom,” Nick groaned and placed his head into his hand, trying his best to give her pleading eyes, “You have to talk him into it, you know he won’t go for it otherwise. He likes to undermine me.”

“I’d say like father, like son in that respect,” she mumbled before taking another drink and it made Nick furious. He did not appreciate being likened to his father. He’d done so much to try and distance himself, and distinguish himself as the opposite of Elm Calhoun—even going so far as using her maiden name to hide the relation from anyone he introduced himself to.

She noticed his expression and explained, “You push his buttons every chance you get. You quit the Greek Society—and while taking away your tuition was a bit extreme—he pulled a bunch of strings to get you at the top of the waiting list for his legacy fraternity. You don’t show him any respect—”

Nick didn’t want to listen to this. The night was suddenly soured with this talk of his father. His father ruined everything, and now she was taking his side again. He jumped up and quickly paid the dining bill at the front, leaving his mother behind—too angry to offer to walk her back to her car.

He heard the quick clicking of her heels behind him, and then a shrill shout of “Nicholas Alexander Calhoun, stop walking away from me this instant!”

If anyone was out and about, they heard it. He’d bet everyone inside Joe’s could hear it as well. He did stop but he didn’t face her.

“I didn’t quit the frat to annoy him,” Nick sighed, trying to control his growing rage just remembering that last phone conversation with the man. He knew his mother was just behind him as there were no more clicking sounds. “I bet he didn’t tell you the reason.”

“Enlighten me,” he heard her demand in that same hard tone.

He turned around to face her with a scowl, “The frat's president was drugging the drinks at parties, women’s drinks, and when I called him out on it, he gave no indication he was going to stop. He still does it, I've seen him do it out at the bars—”

Nick had to swallow another bout of rage, remembering how Illyana was affected and how scared he had been for her. It wasn’t right at all, “So I could not, in good conscious, stay in the Geek Society, especially after I explained this to Dad and he told me to accept it and get over it.”

Nick had to grit his teeth as he quoted his father, forcing those skeevy words out between his lips. He noticed his mother was matching his scowl, coming to the same realization.  

Now could she understand why Nick couldn’t respect his father? How could he when his father thought something like that was acceptable behavior? His mother didn’t say anything in response, but she looked angry...and now very tired as well as she mulled over his words.

“I’ll have a word with him. I’ll tell him about your art and the Harvest Gala but in return for that favor, I want you to come home—we’re having an election party this weekend. It would be nice if we could all be together again.”

“Mom...please—”

“Kit misses you, I miss you. So, don’t come for him—do it for us. Please, sweetheart?”

A tight ball of some kind of anxiety formed in his chest as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think. It wasn’t often his mother begged anything of him and he did owe her if she was to put in a word for him to show his art at the Gala. It was fair, but he didn’t look forward to it at all.

“Fine,” he sighed with an air of defeat, “I’ll come home this weekend.”

[stephanericherthanyou]

happy end of the year! i’m barely on here but if you’re still following, thanks for sticking it out & here’s some fic recs

STAR WARS (all bodhi/galen)

Accident on Eadu by Munnin & yakalskovich: this is part of a wonderful verse but reads very well on its own, too. I’m a sucker for hurt/comfort and this has that in spades, and it doesn’t seem contrived. It plays with the dynamic the two of them have in the verse a little bit and it’s completely natural and sweet. The plot moves along but there are so many moments that remind me why I love this ship so much.

A Little Thing, and Light by sheffiesharpe: this is so well-written...”So when he is summoned further into the base at Eadu, when he is told the chief engineer wishes to meet him, he wants for this to be a mistake: another cargo pilot, another Bodhi Rook, another small brown man from a broken place.” All of it is such a fitting extension to the way the characters are portrayed in r1, and an answer to the “I want more of them” I felt while watching

That Would Be Enough by icandrawamoth: i love this writer’s ambient bodhi/galen, and this one is the kind of short and sweet moment these two deserve. brief happiness together that’s bittersweet keeping canon events in mind (bodhi calling galen ‘old man’ makes me so!)

ZNT (129)

heartbeat for sale by itskonoe: i will never be free from 129. never. reading this just pulled me back into 2014 and the hot summer days and my mindset and the world back then, of waiting for a new episode every week and these two kids doing their best to make their lives not a complete waste. the mutual longing is so palpable and real, and the writing is so gorgeous. “It’s needs over wants this close to the finish line, and he can’t let desire dictate his next steps.” /lays my head down and cries all over again

KNB

Thousands of feathery kisses by Plume_Sombre: kagahimu that deals with the past and present is probably my number one weakness like...man....this is why they’re so amazing they love each other so much LOOK and yknow this fic really shows it, the warmth and familiarity between the two of them and how much their relationship grows with them.

exception to the rule by justlikeswitchblades: kagahimu hockey au i love...the way the two of them play basketball transposed so well and carefully to hockey, how easy and smooth it feels, how well i can picture the two of them skating across the ice after each other...(also that she hadn’t written much tatsuya but captured his i-do-what-i-want attitude so well and so clearly!)

jersey shore kagahimu by ellipsometry: ““But you like me,” Tatsuya teases, running a foot up Taiga’s leg under the table, “And I'm plenty salty.”” THE DIALOGUE HERE ITS FCKN SUPERB this is a small moment but a big mood and an atmosphere i wanna sink my teeth in and scrape them against the salt.

shake shack kagahimu by ellipsometry: the penn station shake shack and its 9am burgers holds a very special place in my heart, and i love how well kagahimu inhabit it here. it’s not thrown in for the obligation of the prompt, or conspicuously built around; it’s just part of the story which in and of itself clearly rolls up to a larger kagahimu x nba world that feels so comfortably lived in.

garciraki succubus au by garciraki: it’s the details that make this fic, from masako using a string of tea lights to the pieces of dialogue hinting at more...and Masako’s POV (”She wishes she had her sword on her. The demon would probably like that, though. Damn.”) right on the money

fluff garciraki by lemontongues: a sweet fic that, while mostly preoccupied with garciraki in the middle of the moment, also pushed a plot and direction forward like a gentle wave and thinking about the best parts of summer. the last line was built up to so naturally but still hit me by itself. it’s so warm.

bra hook by justlikeswitchblades: comfy garciraki with a well-oiled routine, steady and sexy and lush, the bookend image of a beer bottle. it makes me long for gross humidity tbh and it did when i first read it, in the beginning of summer. and basketball threaded through the foreground even though they don’t actually play any within the fic my god

ocean breeze by sannlykke: do any of you know how long i’d waited for a full-length liuhimu in english? close to 4 years. since the teikou arc. WORTH EVERY HOUR FOR THIS please read this. it will answer every question you didn’t have about why you should ship liuhimu. their dynamic is so gentle; the gradual way they pull towards each other and the way they’re both cagey enough to drag this thing out (and there’s so much to this fic!) i love these stupid kids

pro ball liuhimu by sannlykke: established liuhimu who went back home to pursue their dreams makes me want to melt (and somehow someday that they play in a league together again...) and even from a distance tatsuya being a dick about everything. and the two of them watching each other’s games, calling at odd hours (” The damned curve of his lips, even with the lag, is just too much.“)...i’m so fond

in you, everything sank by thimble: “The switch was less like walking onto a highway—an instant collision—and more like a jumping out of a helicopter—a slow freefall, an endless wait for the parachute to kick in.“ I did not expect an aohimu infidelity fic to get me as good as it did, knowing that there was no good or even not devastating end, one way or the other. every moment of this fic is inevitable; it’s a special kind of dragged-out slow burn except everything is burning down to the ground oh my god.

day/dusk/night/dawn by thimble: i feel like saying a lot about this fic ruins the fun of reading it, but...especially after the last one, taking them as an aohimu set is actually kind of nice. this one is completely different (i wouldn’t necessarily say opposite) but it, too, hits deep places in both characters that just makes me wanna yell.

time and place, here and now by justlikeswitchblades: i don’t tend to seek out first person, or pov alternating, but they’re the kinds of things that when done well make me sit up and pay attention. i’ve read this over again, sifting through the tiniest of details popping against my screen--tatsuya’s voice in the opening, his teammates, the way alex carries herself, taiga’s emotions--it can be so difficult to balance all sides of a polyship but this fic nailed it...i want More of all 3 of them but i can picture it so easily in my head, this pivotal moment in their relationship and its weight only as important as it is because of what comes before and after (if that makes sense lmao--just read the fic if it doesn’t.

heart of ice cream by justlikeswitchblades: PEAK BODY HORROR YO but forreal...this is probably niche appeal but hey, if you’re into vore and people made out of candy written out in alluring detail, this is the perfect fic for you (even if you’re not that crazy about murahimu)

kisehimu models by Plume_Sombre: it’s all about the details (”They talk about today’s events, how annoying that one manager is (always trying to arrange a photoshoot with the model he’s working for), how blinding the new spotlights in the C room are, how Koizumi-san’s curry almost killed everyone with spiciness“) and the slow build up to what is and what isn’t, the aching angst in less than 500 words. The loneliness is tangible and poignant and real.

addison and sheffield by justlikeswitchblades: speaking of ‘things i’m a sucker for’ but....happy ldr angst, aomido baseball au, reading all this especially now my heart is decaying.like...it’s a scenario we’d talked about before val wrote it, but there are so many details that made me so surprised and excited...i loved the way their age/experience difference is underscored without being too focused on, and all the things that make this au good & different

After Midnight by justlikeswitchblades: haikaga’s one of those ships i lowkey liked but never really thought about on my own and this fic changed that. i went zero to sound barrier in the time it take to read this fic and let me tell you. i didn’t know how much i needed raptors!zaki until i read this fic, and the whole thing is like. the perfect amount of tender for haikaga who are still trying to feel their way around each other, keeping things casual but less than they need to be (”His teeth are scraping over Kagami’s jaw and neck in a way Kagami's tempted to call gentle, and there isn't enough dissonance to call this person someone entirely different. Kagami is content with that.” mmm)

[storyteller-things]

Welcome, Mark!

Tell us a bit about you where are you from and other than writing what else do you enjoy? 

My name is Mark, I am 43 years old, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, and now living in Würzburg, Germany, with my wife and dog. Other than writing, I am a huge reader, book collector, and technology enthusiast.

How did you start writing? What was your inspiration to create? 

I’ve been writing since the age of 10, lost in my own world and imagination. I’ve always been very introverted, and for some unknown reason an unhappy child. So making up my own worlds made me feel better, that I was somehow in control of my life.

Who is your favorite author, is there anyone out there that inspires you? 

As someone who reads a lot, that is an extremely difficult question. Of all time, it has to be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I re-read the Sherlock Holmes stories once a year). Someone more up to date and in my genre would be Daniel Silva, who writes Israeli spy thrillers. I also love Lee Child’s work.

What genre do you enjoy reading? What’s your favourite book and why?

Spy thrillers and crime books. As I said in the last question, my favourite book is the Sherlock Holmes stories (which are actually a series of books). Crime books-wise, I am really into John Connolly and Lars Kepler. I used to like Michael Connelly but his recent work has been pretty dismal.

If you’ve published a series, what is the series about? 

About a fictional German Intelligence Unit (or maybe it is not fictional? Who knows?) called Department 89. They are the elite of the elite, tasked with eliminating nuisance problems that regular law enforcement can’t deal with, due to lack of evidence. They have full authority to do what is necessary. Its chief is a woman, Sophie Decker, who was compared by a book reviewer to John McClain in the Die Hard movies. That was an extremely nice compliment.

What was it like creating back to back stories that link? 

Exhausting! You have to maintain the various strands of the stories and the characters, make sure you don’t contradict yourself in later books (readers can be merciless with continuity mistakes), and also have the stamina to keep the series going. I am on book 8 now and going through some burnout.

Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre? If you could, what genre would you like to dabble in? 

I have thought about it and I will, to avoid the inevitable burnout that’s coming. Probably a crime series. It is still in the planning stages.

What has been your most proud moment as an author?

Getting the first book published in print. Holding it in my hands was an emotional moment.

Was there ever a time you wanted to pick up your laptop, and then launch it out the window with frustration?

Every day. If an author says they never have those moments, they’re lying through their teeth.

Are you a “plotter” or a fly by the seat of your pants “pantser” as a writer? 

A total unapologetic pantser. Plotting takes the pleasure out of writing. The whole fun of writing is not knowing where the story is going to go next.

Am I the only one who gets hung up on commas? Do they make you go blah! when you’re writing? 

No, I am madly in love with the Oxford comma. Or, the, William, Shatner, comma.

What three tips would you give any aspiring writer? 

Write drunk

Edit sober

Don’t give up. Writing is still better than flipping burgers.

What are you working on now? What will you release next? 

Book 8 of Department 89. The title is “Operation Eternal Vengeance”. Due out July 1st.

So where can we get your books? 

If you go to https://www.markoneill.org/books/, there is a list there, along with buttons to the online stores.

How would you define what being a successful writer means?

When you can bang out 3,000 words a day before thinking about your first double vodka.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers? 

You MUST have an enormous ego. So many people like to put you down and tell you your books are terrible. You need a huge ego to ignore all of that.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I don’t do too much research. I mean, when you watch an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and you see him jump on a jet fighter in mid-air, rip off the cockpit, throw the pilot out, jump in himself, and fly off, how much research do you think the scriptwriter did beforehand? Exactly. None. It’s called “suspending disbelief”.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones? 

I read them then ignore them. They used to bother me, but I have better things to do now than get worked up about online trolls.

What’s your writing schedule like?

I write full-time for professional clients (blog posts, copywriting, etc), so that comes first. My fiction writing normally comes at night (around midnight) and lasts until I eventually fall asleep.

How do you go from an idea for a book to the birth of the story? Is the process the same for every book you write? How long does it take you to write a book?

Being a pantser, I don’t plan the start of the story so it does tend to be a long drawn-out agonizing birth where I am screaming for drugs. Once I have the germ of an idea, I will just start and see how I get on. Inevitably I will hit a brick wall eventually and I will spend days despairing about getting over the tall wall I have built myself.

But when I “get it”, I REALLY get it. When I finally had the last book all figured out (after months of writer’s block), I did almost 11,000 words in one day and finished the book with about a week to spare before the deadline.

How have your family and friends accepted your career as a writer? Are they supportive?

My family were…shall we say….initially skeptical when I told them. My mother asked me if there was any money to be made doing eBooks. But eventually, she was won over I think when she saw my work being published. My wife is overwhelmingly supportive as always.

Everyone else….well, the only two people in my family who reads my work are my dad and my uncle. And my uncle readily admits he is more of a science-fiction and fantasy kind of guy!

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

My imagination. Unfortunately, I have no connections in the real German Intelligence community (maybe one day….)

Which one of your characters is your favorite and why?

Everyone thinks it is Decker (the chief) and I admit I do have a fondness for her. I would never kill her off. But my favourite is actually her deputy, Wolfgang Schmitz. He wears nice suits (which get wrecked in every book!), he tells bad jokes, and he reads Asterix books in his downtime. So people tend to underestimate him. But when the crap hits the fan, he is there by your side, ruthless as hell. He’s kind of like the good cop to Decker’s bad cop but he can flip to the dark side in a micro-second.

What would you like readers to know?

The box-set of the first four full-length books is now available, which is cheaper to buy than each one individually. The link is here.

https://www.markoneill.org/books/dept89-boxset1/

I will shortly be bringing out the short story “case files” as a box-set on their own soon. You can sign up for the mailing list – and get three books free of charge – by going to https://www.markoneill.org.

  Contact Info.:

Mark O’Neill

Website: https://www.markoneill.org

Books: https://www.markoneill.org/books

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-ONeill/e/B074LCQN1D

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markoneillonline

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/markoneill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markoneill_author

    Spy thriller & crime book Author Mark O’Neill Welcome, Mark! Tell us a bit about you where are you from and other than writing what else do you enjoy? 

[wendysloane]

Finnish Fancy

Swimming in lakes, tasting reindeer and meeting the Moomins were all part of this delightful holiday in Tampere and Turku

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer isn’t just for Christmas anymore. 

Sauteed with onions or fried in a delicate creamy sauce, Rudolph tastes great all year round, as my daughter Tilly and I discovered during a recent trip to Finland. 

Actually, Tilly, who just turned five, was reluctant to try my plate of reindeer, preferring to hear about him romping in the snow with Father Christmas than to see him cut up into tiny pieces on her dinner plate. She also preferred to forego the blood sausage, a well-cooked breakfast staple at our hotel in Tampere, where it is considered a local delicacy served with fresh lingonberries. 

Food aside, Tilly had a fantastic time in Finland, where we spent five days in kiddie heaven. I had spent a year in Tampere, an industrial town in central Finland, when I was 16-year-old schoolgirl on an exchange programme. Most of my time I sulked in my bedroom desperately missing my friends at home, whom I later learned had promptly forgotten all about me three days after my departure. 

I soon found that returning as an adult was a lot different – and a lot more fun. 

Tilly and I began our trip visiting old friends who live just a five-minute walk from a lake with a sandy beach – not so unusual when you consider that Tampere is located on a patch of land between two big lakes. 

Promptly stripping down to her pants, Tilly spent an hour splashing in the clear water, building sand castles and chasing ducks. She reluctantly got dressed only when I bribed her with the prospect of walking my friend’s dog in the surrounding forest, which she adored. 

The next morning we drove to the coastal town of Turku, Finland’s fifth largest city. While the sea is lovely, it’s absolutely freezing for most of the year – so we went to Caribia Spa, a Jamaican-style waterpark replete with waterslides, whirpools, indoor waterfalls and the obligatory sauna.

“I don’t ever want to leave,” said Tilly, although the sauna wasn’t quite to her taste. I tempted her out with a plate of chicken nuggets from Hesburger, a local chain that gives McDonald’s a run for its money (fresh salmon burgers and prawn salads a speciality). 

Turku is not the most beautiful of cities, but it does have a lot to do. After visiting the market (great for buying summer strawberries and peas) in the Central Square and the Luostarimäki Handicraft Museum (Tilly loved the dusty wigs and antiquated fire engine), we dropped by Turku Castle, where a medieval fair was taking place. 

Tilly got to do some pretend jousting and sword fighting, and for a few brief minutes she was allowed to wear a silver helmet and pretend to be a real knight. 

But the highlight of the entire trip was Moominworld, the theme park devoted to the sweet-faced Moomin characters devised by Finnish writer Tove Janssen. Nestled in the gorgeous island town of Naantali, a 20-minute bus ride from Turku, the park lies on coastal banks and the views are incredible. 

I had been priming Tilly with Moomintroll stories at home, and she loved the Moomins before we even got to the park. I think, however, that Moominworld was a bit too tame for her taste – although she loved seeing the life-sized Moomins dancing and enjoyed going through a very complicated Alice-in-Wonderland maze, the lack of rides was disappointing. 

Back in Tampere, we went on a delightful Silverline lunch cruise before spending an afternoon at the Särkänniemi Amusement Park – which I must admit I enjoyed more than Moominworld myself Along with the usual rides for both older and younger children, it has a 120-metre high observation tower, Nasineula, perched on the rocks adjacent to the Nasijärvi lake, and a dolphinarium, where trained dolphins perform all sorts of tricks for treats. 

Tilly was enchanted, I found it a bit sad. Sadder, still, was when we left green, clean Finland to return to dirty old London. The air seemed filthy and everything appeared crowded and congested after almost a week up North in Nordic heaven. There’s always next time… 

What is it? A summer trip to Finland

Where? Tampere, Turku and Naantali, Finland, three towns that physically are only a short flight away from the UK – but feel light years away.

Local activities: Learn more about Tampere at www.tampere.fi/matkailu. Make sure you see Särkänniemi Amusement Park, www.sarkanniemi.fi, while you’re there.Turku’s Luostarimäki Handicraft Museum is a must-see, as is the Little Knights’ Tour in Turku Castle, maakuntamuseo@turku.fi. Naantali , just 20 minutes away, is breath-taking. Visit www.naantalinmatkailu.fi. Moominworld is great for younger children – visit www.muumumaailma.fi. To purchase tickets in advance see www.lippupalvelu.fi. To learn more about Turku see www.turku.fi and for more information about holidays to Finland in general, visit www.visitfinland.com/uk

Finland is well-known for its nightlife, especially in summer, when the sun often doesn’t set until after midnight. Tilly and I went to a restaurant in central Turku that was packed with kids even after 11pm. And many eateries have kids’ play-areas, not to mention kid’s menus and very child-friendly staff.

Childcare: Most hotels can help with childcare provisions.

Wish we had known: That Tilly would get spectacularly car-sick on the coach, the plane, and in my friend’s brand new car (it was just three days old with that nauseating new-car smell – thank God I had a plastic carrier bag with me). Next time I’ll ply her with car-sickness medicine!

Our top tip: Sauna culture is alive and well in Finland, where you can swim in an ice-cold lake or have a roll in the snow in between ten-minute sauna sessions to get your circulation going. Check with your hotel – almost all have saunas. Don’t be afraid to strip down and bare all in the sauna. The enormous one at the Caribia waterpark supplies square pieces of paper to sit on so you can protect your bits from the communal benches. Finns aren’t shy, and if you are you’ll miss out as swimming costumes are absolutely forbidden in saunas. And be adventurous with the food!

Kids say: “The raft ride at the waterpark was the best!” says Tilly.

Getting There: Ryanair fares to Tampere start from L10 one way plus taxes and service charge. Surf the Ryanair site www.ryanair.co.uk and book well in advance or when offers are on. There is a connecting coach to Helsinki from every Tampere flight. The journey time is approx. two hours and a one-way fare is 25 Euros. Departure from Helsinki to Tampere is from the railway station, and a shuttle bus service from Tampere airport to the city centre costs six euros. You can hire a car through Ryanair in cooperation with Hertz. Weekend packages Thu-Sun from L103.79– Nissan Micra 1.0 or similar.

* Wendy Sloane is the Travel Editor of entertainthekids.com, has three children and lives in London with her husband, Duncan. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2007