#the logs really deepened my appreciation i think. really really good stuff this show has a big BRI APPROVED sticker on it

[brifdi-daily]

DAY 18: Charger Block & Michael !

Source: LOVE OF THE S*N [malues]

hang in there michael.

[d-pennants]

Through the Moon Instagram Live

Partial transcript of the Instagram Live with Justin Richmond and Aaron Ehasz. It was only posted for 24 hours and a lot of stuff was talked about. I tried to copy the answers as close to what was actually said, but I won’t guarantee I didn’t mishear or miss stuff. I just focused on the stuff about tDP.

No S4 announcement today.

Do you have a favorite character? Are you allowed to play favorites? JR: Yeah. I definitely have characters that I like more than other characters, but I’ll never admit who they are. [laughs]

Fine, how about hints about S5 then?

AE: Justin and I were working on a scene this morning, a scene in which someone makes a sacred promise to Bait. Hope that’s not to big a spoiler.

[Explaining about Through the Moon which is out today (Oct 6th) Shout out to Xanthe Bouma & Peter Wartman, who will be there for the AMA on Friday. And shout out to the team at Scholastic.]

[Technical issues made the audio break up while JR was relocating. I couldn’t catch what the actually questions were for this little bit, but I caught some of the answers.]

Question about Zuko’s VA Dante Basco

AE: He’s amazing to work with. I’d definitely be happy to work with him.

Question about Callum’s Mage Wings

AE: I’d just get mage wing out even just to go to the bathroom at night if I were Callum.

Question about Runaan

AE: I don’t know. That’s a mystery. Runaan is certainly in the magical cursed coin in some form. But I don’t know what he’ll do or if he can survive it. But that’s a story we’ll be certain to tell.

[JR relocated & AE had to log out and rejoin, which fixed the issue.]

Are there other graphic novels coming? Is Through the Moon part of a series with an over arching plot?

JR: Hopefully yes. Hopefully we get to do some more with Scholastic. This is a standalone. It is part of the core story of the Dragon Prince. It counts as canon. But there’s not a sequel to Though the Moon.

AE: We would love to do more graphic novels. We are actively talking about and planning it. Definitely in the cards. But not necessarily an over arching story.

Asking about Janai’s brother?

AE: We’re going to find out about Janai’s brother for sure. He’s a really cool character, a lot of fun.

What do Moonshadow elves do during a full moon? Do they just become invisible.

AE: It’s not just invisibility. It is a stealth mode. I think we talk about it as like they’re almost partially slipping into a “Moon dimension” that partially obscures how visible they are. But also their physically is maybe changed at bit so they can partially materialize for a split instant to do damage, then they’re phasing out. I think they’re phasing in and out of some kind of Moon dimension. So it’s partially invisibility, but there’s also some defense and fighting stuff that happens.

What does Moonberry juice taste like?

AE: In my mind the things that are conjured are some kind of juice blend. Mulberry juice, pomegranate. Justin talked about a bit of cran involved? But I always think mulberries.

JR: Try mulberry juice. Mulberries have like the weirdest, coolest taste. If you haven’t tried it you should do it.

AE: Not ignoring S4 questions, but we just don’t have a good answer. We are working on it. But we don’t have a S4 date. We getting things moving in a good way and we’re excited but we won’t have the information on a date for S4. We really appreciate you being patient for that. Don’t have any age criteria that we can reveal right now.

Will there be outfit changes for the dragon squad?

JR: There’s already some in the graphic novel. Rayla gets some pretty great pyjamas.

AE: They’re just going to rotate outfits. They’re just gonna trade clothes. You should see how great Soren gonna looks wearing Claudia’s clothes. How Callum’s going to look squeezed into some of Ezran’s outfits. Everybody’s just gonna try on each other’s stuff.

JR: I like it. Too bad that actually 3D doesn’t work like that, where you just trade outfits. Because it’d be hilarious. Yeah, of course, people are going to change outfits. There’s going to be some cool new stuff to see. Absolutely going forward.

Is Callum close to obtaining any other arcanum / going to learn any other arcanum in the future?

JR: No spoilers, but there’s little bit of a hint of some of the answer to this in this graphic novel, so you should check it out. I don’t want to spoil anything. I think Callum fascinated by all the arcanum. He’s not just limiting his interest to Sky.

AE: If you’re a betting person, isn’t Callum’s going to be the first human archmage. A little bit trolling, but yeah, he loves magic. He’s fascinated. But he’s groundbreaking. He’s doing things humans haven’t done before and his potential is limitless. May not be S4, may be S17 at that point.

Will there there be more Sarai? I really want Callum and Ezran to visit her memorial statue.

JR: That would be a beautiful moment. That’d be great, that’d be pretty cool to see. There will be some more Sarai, we’ll find out more about their family. I’m not sure how much we’re aware, but Sarai is certainly not gone from the series. You’ll see Sarai again.

Is the Key of Aaravos actually the key of where he was imprisoned?

AE & JR: We can’t tell you.

JR: We don’t even know. We haven’t even discovered the answer yet.

AE: We know! Actually, that was one of the first things we knew at the very beginning. We’ll get to it.

Is the Sun arcanum the only one that can heal? Or maybe the Ocean arcanum can heal as well/or to?

AE: Great question. Yes. I suspect there are healing abilities possible through different primals. Ocean is a perfect example. I think it’s likely different kinds of healers that call on different energy to restore life and health to those who are injured or sick.

Could original characters introduced in the graphic novels potentially make it into the show?

JR: Absolutely. It’s a huge universe, so we won’t hold back if we think somebody from a graphic novel or the game will fit into the show in the right way, of course we would do that. One of the cool things about working with all the same team is that stuff like that can happen, because we can control all of it. Which is amazing. It’s a great feeling.

AE: There’s a character we’ve talked about for a while from the video game and recently that character finally had their moment in the show. We wanna see different ways to access the world and characters.

JR: Also we’re working with Fandom on a tabletop RPG so that can go another way. You can see characters coming into the show.

Do we have to read the graphic novel before we watch S4?

AE: I don’t think we should say too much. You don’t have too, but everything that happened in the graphic novel happened before S4, it really happened. So can probably infer some of it, but best experience will be read the graphic novel. Get yourself up to date.

How will Zym progress throughout the seasons? Will he grow up and learn to talk and how to manage his powers?

JR: I don’t want to say too much. Zym is going to grow along with the other characters. He’s not static. He’s a puppy, he’s a little baby, and he’s growing up.

AE: We’ll see Zym growing up more for sure.

Will there be more Gren content?

AE & JR: Yeah! [Laughing] AE: Of course. JR: How could there not be? AE: Didn’t we announce already that season 5’s Book 5: Gren? JR: Books 5 through 14 is all Gren. Then we’ll come back around to the other arcanum.

Will we ever get to see Ellis and Ava again?

AE & JR: Maybe? Probably. JR: Not 100%

How did the idea of making the graphic novel come about?

JR: Couple of things. We were talking to Scholastic and they were saying “what if we did this thing together” and we were fascinated by that idea. We’ve always been interested in comics. It sorta came up very naturally with them. And then we started talking about the story, Aaron and I, that could fit in here with the writers and stuff. I felt like a natural thing. That’s how I remember it - Aaron may have other memories of it.

AE: I think that the whole dream of this partnership with Scholastic has been to serve the community by being able to continue tell stories in the wider world of Xadia, through graphic novels, and novels and other books. That part of why we’re so excited about this partnership. It’s so much more depth and insight into different characters parts of the world that we may not have time for in the 22 minutes on Netflix. So the partnership with Scholastic is perfect for deepening and expanding those stories. That’s what it comes down to.

JR: They introduced us to Xanthe and Peter, who just absolutely crushed it.

AE: Yes. [Name?] is still at Wonderstorm if someone asks. It’s still happening. JR: Yes, I talked to him yesterday. He absolutely still here. Xanthe and Peter, we got introduced to them through Scholastic and they just absolutely knocked this out the park. It was a joy to work with both of them and what an amazing job they both did on this. We’re super excited to have gotten to work with them on a graphic novel.

AE: More shout outs to Xanthe Bouma and Peter Wartman.

What did Aaravos say to Khessa?

JR: We can’t say. AE: We can’t, but Janai is wondering that too. And we’re excited about it. It’s weird - I’m not being helpful, but it’s a good question. I may not be giving a satisfying answer, but it’s a good question.

How does Janai know Aaravos spoke to Khessa?

AE: She might not have seen it, but she’s going to find out about it.

Someone asked about the Orphan Queen.

AE: We love the Orphan Queen and there are more references coming seasons 4 and onward. It’s a story I’ve always wanted to tell. We think it will be a great movie someday, maybe. The story of the Orphan Queen is certainly relevant to the story and the saga as it’s unfolding now. It’s a cool story we wanna tell.

We know only some Skywing elves have wings, and not all Sunfire have fire-mode, but what about Moonshadow elves. As they can only use their powers once a month, rather than at any given moment, is it an ability all (or at least most) of them have or is it just some of them?

AE: I think it’s one of those things where Moonshadow elves are in tune with the Moon primal, and one of the very powerful skills that a Moonshadow elf being in tune with that arcanum can master is moonshadow mode, that makes you an excellent assassin, so they evolved this culture that does some of this stealthy, assassin work. It’s certainly possible that there are other powers and abilities that come from connecting to that arcanum that can be directly realized - that a Moonshadow elf might be able to manifest. So you may see some of that in the future. Maybe you have some ideas for your fanfiction or your cool art to show some of those powers, but the powers and abilities really come from them being attuned to these primals and some of it comes naturally and some it comes with training and bringing out the ability to do the special thing. I don’t see why it’s limited. In learning, for example, that Sunfire elves have at least two abilities that can connect to the arcanum is part of what may help understand that.

Do we read fanfictions?

AE: Yes and no - not so much. We highly encourage it and we love people do it. Every once in a while we get someone saying “you gotta look at this, it’s so charming” or “oh, this is so cool.” Or someone will bring something to our attention. There is some really amazing work out there and there’s some writers who are terrific. But as a rule I don’t think we do it regularly when someone says “check this out”.

Will there be more dark mages?

JR: Yes. You will see more dark mages, 100%. But I don’t want to say any more than that. AE: It’s interesting too. This is one of the great things about Scholastic partnership again, that there’s this sort of interplay about things you find out in the show and I think at least one of the dark mages is very significant. The first time people will hear about that person will be in Book 2: Sky the core novel. That’s someone who plays him in the story, in the saga, once the series comes back. But yeah, there’s a very important dark mage who will come up in that book.

Did Aaravos create dark magic?

AE: No, it was discovered not created. Did Aaravos turn them onto it or help them discover it? That’s very possible. Whether Aaravos played a role in developing their ability to do dark magic. Exploring the possibilities of dark magic.

Will we meet other types of dragon and/or archdragons?

JR: 100% yes. Dragon’s in the name. We’re bound by oath! AE: There will be dragons.

Is it possible the dragon king will unfreeze?

AE: Should we not answer that? I feel like it’s possible, but I don’t want to encourage or get anyone too excited. I think being turned to stone is a pretty dismal fate.

Can elves do dark magic?

AE: Can we just say yes? JR: Absolutely. Elves can do dark magic. Totally possible.

How do you go about populating Xadia with cities and landmarks? Do you have the landmarks and find places that fit or did you have the shape and find things to fill it? Or mixture of both? JR: A bit of both. There were some places we’d talked about and generally knew where it is or what this place is going to be. But some of it, when we saw the first version of that map, and the details, we were like “oh my goodness,” there were some obvious things we wanted to put in there. Then there’s some easter eggy stuff that just fun.

Do we think Claudia deserves a redemption arc?

AE: Why does she need a redemption arc. Why are you judging her? What has see done that requires redemption? She’s pretty much in the clear. JR: I’m insulted for her. (laughs)

Is Corvus’ middle name Dennis?

AE: Do you want it to be Dennis? JR: It can absolutely be Dennis. No reason it can’t be. I think I know where this comes from. There was a running gag in the writers between Devon and myself where we call Corvus “Dennis Trackerman.” There was a whole thing. It went on way too long. AE: We hadn’t named him yet. JR: We were talking about if there were a whole family of Trackerman, cousins and it went on way too long. I think his middle name could absolutely be Dennis. AE: Seems right to me. JR: So it’s official - Corvus Dennis Trackerman.

Is there a certain reason Rayla is scared of water and if there is will we find out more about it in the show?

AE: I think there may be. We may find out more about it. Part of it is because of the way she’s wired. I think she’s great at running through the trees and balancing and doing the things she does, is she senses the stability of the earth beneath her, the amount of stability or flexibility of a tree limb or side of a cliff. She’s very sensitive and in tuned. I think when you take someone like that and put them in the water, I think it - whoosh - overwhelms them. It alarming. Some of it’s a little physical, but I suspect there may have been something that happened. She certainly brings a sense of emotion around it, feels like it’s beyond discomfort. JR: I feel like there was a tra-

[There was a bit of a pause so they ending up talking over each other. AE starts asking the next question while JR gets cut off].

Someone asked if we can learn the backstory on Ethari?

AE: I know that there’s a beautiful story about Ethari’s birthday on our website that can give you a glimmer. But I think that’s something I would love to hear. I’m sure it’s something that Devon and Ian - perhaps Neil has thought about.

Do you think you’ll explore Callum’s dad or is he not important to the story?

AE: I think it’s possible we’ll learn more about Callum’s dad in the sense of the role he played in Sarai’s life and Callum’s own life. Hopefully in one of the books that comes out. JR: Yes, he is important. He’s foundational to how Callum became Callum.

Will the Dragon Queen in more involved in Season 4?

AE & JR: Yes. Dragons.

Is Rayla the main character of the story of Through the Moon?

JR: It’s Rayla focused, but it’s like the show, there’s various non-Rayla bits. But if I had to pick a main I’d say yeah, Rayla. AE: Probably ask Xanthe what she thought about that question.

Do we see more Crow Master?

JR: We can never get enough Crow Master as far as I’m concerned. If the show was just the Gren and Crow Master show I feel like we can make some stuff happen. We’ll definitely see more of him.

AE: Yesterday we were working on a Crow Master scene, and the writers were like, do we need it, and like, It’s a Crow Master scene!

Is it canon elves have 6 toes?

JR: I think they have 4 toes, right? AE: I’m not sure what happened there. I think that’s an oops someone made. I suspect they have 4 digits per hand or foot.

[Side note: I think Jack DeSena was talking about 6 toes on Zoom into Xadia]

“Gren” is that the main spinoff?

AE: We were gonna a have a spinoff that was just Gren, like the character’s life. Even if it was just mainly Gren enjoying the morning and getting ready for work and winding down at the end of the day and possibly waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about things and going back to sleep. Cause, things will be fine.

Will the history of Xadia’s splitting be important in the future?

JR: Yes, absolutely. That event is crazy important in terms of the history of the continent. You may not see more of the actually event of it, the getting split, but it’s a huge deal that matters a lot.

Soulfang serpents feed on the souls of their prey, does that make them a Moon primal creature?

AE & JR: I think that’s right. JR: And they’re terrifying.

Does Bait have a middle name or a glowtoad tribal name? They’d love to see how Ezran found or got Bait?

JR: I think we’ve said Ezran got Bait from Harrow. Harrow gave him Bait. Glowtoad tribal name is some sort of grunt noise that’s specific, it’s pretty funny to think about. Also, how would you know which is the tribal name and which is the middle? I guess they’d know. It’s only for glowtoads.

Will we see how people react to Rayllum or elf/human relationships in general?

JR: Yes. It could be a huge thing in the show. Human and elf relationships are a big deal, absolutely we will see that stuff going forward. Yes, you will definitely see that stuff.

How long did it take from conception to production for Through the Moon?

JR: I think it was about a year / nine months. To go from story idea all the way to finished. AE: If we’re talking story idea it’s almost a year and a half. It’s a lot of work. We worked with Peter on a number of drafts and outlines and scripts. Then with Xanthe for quite some time.

What is the time gap between the comic and season 3?

AE: Couple of weeks? JR: It’s pretty short. It’s almost immediately following season 3.

Is Opeli actually Soren and Claudia mom, but they  don’t remember her?

JR: No, she’s not. But that would be kinda funny. AE: Do you maybe ship Opeli & Viren a little bit. JR: That would be a pretty funny relationship.

The time gap between Through the Moon and Season 4?

AE: Can’t say. JR: You’ll find out in season 4. Lots of weeks.

How long does it usually take to animate a scene?

JR: That’s a pretty variable answer. The way it works is; we write a script, it gets recorded, there’s a bunch of 2D passes where we do storyboards and animatics and those are all hand drawn, and that takes weeks and weeks of time. At some point that’s approved and it gets handed off to the animators. In our show we do 3D animation with a sort of 2D sheet or look to it. So 3D animators would get that animatic, and they’d be handed a shot. Sometimes, depending on how complex the shot is, there’s sometime multiple animators will work on a single sequence. If there’s a lots of stuff going on with multiple characters you’ll get more than one person working on a shot. But it totally depends how much facial animation there is, how much action, how much running around, if they’re standing or talking. It totally depends. There’s a sort of variable number of seconds the animator can do a week. There’s not like a hard or fast answer here. Sometimes if it’s simple they can animate maybe 20 seconds a week, if it’s crazy complicated they may be doing half that. On average, it on the 20 seconds a week range. But wildly variable depending on the shot and what happening.

Is there a bigger world out there or is Xadia all there is?

AE: There’s some stuff on the periphery of the map that is part of a bigger world. But the main focus is this continent. It’s where the key action is. I think there are things on the periphery. We sometimes do jokes the Avatar world is on the other side. JR: If you flip the world over.

Are the elven face marking henna tattoo or are they permanent? JR: They’re more like henna tattoo. AE: Depends on the culture. There are probably some elven cultures where they more permanently tattoo some of the marking and they’re some where they’re more temporary makeup. But I think we’ve said for the Moonshadow elves it’s more like henna. Semi-permanent tattoos.

Will there be more Queen Aanya?

JR:  Yeah. AE: I hope so too. JR: I love Queen Aanya. She’s awesome and a very exciting character. Also she has the coolest bow ever and I want to see more of that not matter what.

Aanya/Ezran friendship?

AE: I want to see that. We talked about that. JR: We can’t talk about that yet, but yes.

Who is the best fighter in the show?

JR: I don’t know if there’s a best fighter. There’s a lot of awesome fighters in the show. AE: Rayla and Soren both have different fighting skills. Corvus has different set of fighting skill. They’re all great fighters. Amaya’s incredible. Actually, the answer might be Amaya. If I had to put an answer on it. Just fundamentals. That be my answer. JR: That makes sense. I agree. I bet Soren would disagree.

Do you guys ever play D&D after work?

JR: Yes, we have a whole D&D crew after work. We love Dungeons & Dragons. We love Tabletop RPG We play all kinds of board games, not just Dungeons & Dragons. We had a whole series of board game nights - when we can be at the office - that were really fun. Continue that when we can all get back together. Played some virtual version too since Covid.

Will we ever see Villads again? JR: I don’t know if we should answer that one? AE: I think so, yeah. JR: Also, Villads is the name of a person who worked on the show - he’s an amazing director. AE: Not just a person, the supervising director of the show. Wonderful leader. Inspirational. JR: And a big sailor.

Then they wrapped up. Thanks, shout outs, reminder of AMA etc.

[john-wickening]

A Treat

AN: So this little ditty is based off my head canon post. It’s more sappy stuff whoops. One day, I’ll write something that isn’t tooth rotting fluff lol. Hope y’all enjoy ^_^. 

You get busy at work, which prevents you from celebrating Halloween like you’d want to. John has a trick up his sleeve.

TW: mention of someone committing sexual assault (not shown, just mentioned) Some mild swearing

Word count: 1842

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the phone rang and the obnoxiously bubbly ringtone filled the room, you couldn’t help but groan.

It was your boss calling.

John looked up from the book he was working on and you stuck your lower lip out in a pout. The corner of his mouth twitched in response.

Work had been an absolute nightmare lately and you knew deep down in your gut that this wasn’t going to be a great phone call.

“Hey Rob,” you huffed as you picked up the phone. You couldn’t conceal the disappointment leaking into your voice.

Rob was a gruff man. He cut right to the chase.

“I have another assignment for you.” You heaved a sigh and bit your lip. Of course he did. You stood up and crossed the room to your desk. Your laptop whirred to life when you opened the lid.

“Sure Rob. Hit me with it,” your laptop was moving glacially slow, but eventually it booted up.

“I’ve emailed you the details. Your deadline is the 31st,” he stated and you felt a pang of annoyance shoot through you.

“Halloween, Rob? Really?” you groaned “You know that’s my favorite holiday,”

“You agreed to this, chickadee,” he bit out gruffly and you had to grit your teeth together to keep from snapping at him for the asinine pet name. “You’re freelance for a reason.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” you grumbled in reply. You could hear the click of the receiver as he hung up. You rolled your eyes and tossed your phone down onto the table.

Asshole.

You pulled up your email and logged in. His lengthy message was in the top of your inbox. You chewed the corner of your thumbnail as you scanned over the details of the case.

“What’s he got you doing this time?” You were engrossed so deeply and John’s voice was so sudden in the silent room that you actually jumped a little. When you looked up at him, you could see amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes.

“Investment banker,” You replied. “He’s got me checking up on this guy, making sure his personal life is tip top.” You kept it intentionally vague. John could be a little… overprotective when he knew all the details. Knowing that this guy was a convicted rapist and had served time for beating his child would definitely not fly so well with John. He’d insist on coming with you and that made everything ten times more complicated.

John nodded and turned back to his book.

You watched him for a moment, admiring the way his thick, scarred fingers worked at the binding. You couldn’t help the warmth that spread through your chest watching your fiancée skillfully thread the pages.

You turned back to your work with a smile on your face, which unfortunately faded fast.

The details on this man were troubling to say the least. Three convictions for sexual assault, 2 years in East Jersey State. His money bought him a slap on the wrist, basically. You frowned and shook your head in disgust. The justice system was a farce. You found yourself falling down the rabbit hole looking into this dickhead. You were so enthralled with the information that John yet again managed to scare you.

“Guess that means you finally have to leave the dog alone,” he muttered after a few minutes. You brought a hand to your chest to try to slow down your heart and shot him a glare.

“Meatball likes it,” you retorted indignantly. John snorted

“No he doesn’t,” he replied without looking up from his work. You rolled your eyes at him.

“Yes he does,” You replied. “He was dashing in his devil costume last year, thank you very much,” John chuckled quietly and you found yourself smiling.

“You’re obsessed,” he stated flatly and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“You love it,” you teased and he smirked but didn’t reply. A comfortable silence passed between you.

“I’ll find the time to dress Meatball up, don’t you worry” you said after a minute though your heart wasn’t in it. The case Rob had thrown at you was very involved. Halloween was in two weeks and this was a job that would normally take three weeks or more. You looked over at the spiderwebs wrapped up the banister and sighed. You were glad that you had at least been proactive on decorating the house.

It’s September 21st, why are you decorating already? This is earlier than last year, John grumbled as he watched you flit about the house. It already looked like the Halloween store had exploded in here.

Have you met me, John? You teased as you clipped a small plastic skeleton to the ceiling fan.

He just rolled his eyes but you didn’t miss the smirk creeping across his face as he turned away. He had always expressed his indifference for the holiday and frankly, he often teased you lightly for your minor obsession. But he never stopped you or outright discouraged your enthusiasm, and for that you were thankful

You just hoped you’d be able to get enough done on the case to at least have your annual movie night

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two weeks later, you slapped the file down on Rob’s desk with a triumphant smirk

“I really think you were trying to test me on this one, Rob,” you said cockily. “Here’s everything you need to know about the bastard,”

The older man flipped through the file with piercing eyes. After a moment, he set it down and grinned.

“Good work, kid.” You bit the inside of your cheek. You hated being called kid. To be honest, you hated every stupid pet name the man called you, but this job paid well so you held your tongue.

The man looked up at you and scratched his wiry gray beard in thought.

“To be honest, I didn’t think you were going to be able to do it in time,” he said and you felt a twinge of annoyance.

“Well then, you underestimated me,” the words leaked out before you could stop them.

The man let out a bark of laughter and you felt your stomach clench uneasily.

“I suppose I did,” he admitted amicably and the knot in your stomach uncoiled. From the drawer of his desk, he produced a thick envelope.

There it was.

“Here’s your pay, plus a little bonus for putting in the hard work at such a busy time,” he replied and passed the envelope to you. You took it but didn’t check the contents. The man had a peculiar affect and checking the amount would most likely upset him.

“Thank you, sir,” He nodded and turned his back on you, indicating that the conversation was over.

Not the most socially graceful dude, thought dryly to yourself as you stuffed the envelope into your bag.  Didn’t matter, though. Money was money. You left his office in a hurry.

By the time you got home to John, it was around 7 pm and it was just getting dark. You grinned when you noticed he had remembered to turn on the decorations on the lawn.

“John? I’m home,” you called as you walked through the front door. The house smelled strongly of pumpkin spice and you found yourself grinning.

From the other room came the skittering of paws on the floor and Meatball’s deep throaty bark of excitement. The noise almost entirely drowned out John’s response.

The skittering got closer and when Meatball eventually rounded the corner, you gasped.

“John you did not!” you cried out giddily as you laid eyes on the dog.

You don’t know what you loved more—the yellow and black jumper complete with a ‘stinger’ covering the dog’s tail, or the headband that wiggled wildly with every movement.

John had dressed Meatball up as a bee for Halloween and it was the cutest costume you’d ever seen in your entire life.

“Oh Meatball you look so good!” you cooed happily as you dropped to the floor to greet the dog. His little face lit up at your voice and the tail wag became a body wag. The puppy kisses were plentiful.

When John finally rounded the corner, you couldn’t help but grin up at him.

“Meatball hates it, huh?” you replied smugly from your spot on the floor. Meatball had crawled fully into your lap and was lapping at your chin.

John shot you a glare but his heart wasn’t in it. It was then that you noticed there was a white feather tangled in his hair.

“John… what’s in your hair?” you giggled. He stared blankly at you. You stood, crossed the room, and plucked it out and showed it to him.

He looked slightly sheepish.

“Ah… you’ll see,” he said. You grinned up at him and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Thanks for dressing Meatball up,” you mumbled as you broke away. His smile was soft. He pressed another kiss to your lips.

“Follow me,” he said, taking your hand and pulling you into your living room. When you saw what was waiting for you, you almost shrieked in delight.

It was absolutely perfect. He had set out your regular Halloween spread, complete with your favorite bottle of red wine and rice crispy treats shaped like pumpkins. The television was cued up for a movie marathon. After a second you noticed that resting on the couch was a small set of bird’s wings and a headband of feathers, both clearly homemade.

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“The birds and the bees, John?” the corner of his lips quirked up and he snaked a hand around your waist.

“I figured you’d appreciate it,” he replied simply and placed a kiss on your cheek.

For a second, you had to blink hard and steel yourself to keep your watery eyes from running over. He had clearly put a lot of effort into this despite his indifference about the holiday. The emotion that hit you was almost overwhelming.

“Thank you, John,” you breathed. You wrapped your arms around his neck and melted into him. His eyes were soft as he looked down on you.

“You’re welcome, love,” he replied.

The kiss he gave you was slow, passionate, and absolutely toe curling. It took your breath away. His stubbly beard scraped against your cheek as he deepened the kiss. You gripped his shoulders harder to keep your knees from giving out. Kissing him was like visiting the gates of heaven. You could have gotten lost in that kiss forever.

Eventually, he broke it. You sighed breathlessly and pressed your forehead to his.

“Which movie?” he asked quietly, his voice a little strained. You smiled, knowing it was a pointless question.

“Hocus Pocus, of course,” you replied, intertwining your fingers with his. “But first…”

You tugged at his hand and he started to follow you.

“There’s something we should take care of before the trick-or-treaters show up...” you cooed demurely as you pulled him past the couch and towards your shared room.

The smile on John’s face was intoxicating.

It was truly going to be a perfect night.

[captain-azoren]

Mothers

Soren sat on a log on the beach, looking out over the surf as it washed away the sands of Ember Island. The moon reflected on the water, and the stars lit up the sky. In the distance, small lanterns were lit and hung outside the beach side cabins. Soren breathed in the salty air, letting the sounds of the crashing waves soothe him as he tried to sort out his feelings.

The sound of sand crunching underfoot alerted Soren, and he turned to see Azula approaching him. She sat down on the log next to him and and stretched her legs out. “You left all of a sudden,” Azula stated. “Don’t want to join us at the campfire?”

Soren sighed and gazed back over the water. “Sorry, all this family stuff got me thinking about my own mom...” Soren seemed lost to thought. Azula frowned and reached over to gently prod his side with her sharp, manicured nail. Soren winced, then glared with annoyance at the princess.

“Everyone else said their piece,” Azula stated. “If you don’t want to share with them, you can share with me, if it will get you to stop moping...”

Soren studied Azula as she nonchalantly examined her nails. She was acting as though she did not really care, and that might have annoyed Soren, but he had come to appreciate it whenever the princess was open to conversation.

“Our mom left our family when Claudia and I were kids,” Soren began to say. “We loved her, but she and our dad fought a lot. Then she decided to leave...” Soren tightened his fists and furrowed his brow as he stared down at the sand, his blood growing hotter. “Our mom asked us to choose between her and dad, but if she really loved us, she would have stayed and tried to make things work. We weren’t that important to her. There’s no way I would’ve betrayed dad by leaving. How could she even ask that...”

As Azula listened to Soren speak, she could not help but feel a twinge of pain in her heart, as much as she tried to erase such feelings. The princess hated showing weakness, and a part of her wanted to chide Soren for getting emotional, but his words hit too close to home. Azula’s expression softened. She looked closely as Soren stared solemnly at the ground, looking so cold and alone. The princess reached out towards the warrior, her heart racing. Azula was afraid of what she was about to do, but some part of her kept pushing her. She needed to do this. Azula placed her hand on Soren’s shoulder, and the blond boy looked to her. For once, she seemed sympathetic, and not annoyed or impatient as he might have expected. 

“Our mother left us too,” Azula told him. Soren blinked at her, surprised. Until now he had thought that Azula and Zuko’s mother had died, like Queen Sarai had. He did not think the wife of a king, or a Fire Lord, could just leave.

“Why?” Soren asked. He placed his hand on Azula’s and rubbed it gently. Azula’s frown deepened, and her eyes dropped as she thought back to that fateful night.

“It’s...complicated...” Azula spoke softly. She remembered how she overheard her grandfather, Azulon, her namesake, order her father, then simply Prince Ozai, to kill Zuko as punishment for his insolence and disrespect towards her Uncle Iroh, the Dragon of the West, who gave up Ba Sing Se after his son Lu Ten died in battle. A real general would have honored his son by winning the siege and avenging him at the very least, but instead Lu Ten died in vain because Iroh was weak.

“Something...happened...Zuko got in trouble, and our mother found out,” Azula explained, her eyes narrowing. “She did something terrible, and she couldn’t stay with us anymore. All to protect Zuko...” Azula pursed her lips, trying not to let them tremble. “She didn’t even say goodbye to me. The last time I saw her, she scolded me, like I knew she would...”

“Azula...” Soren frowned sadly. The princess was always so strong and confident, but he could see she was wavering. There was a moment of silence before Azula shook herself out of her thoughts and scoffed.

“Mother never liked me anyway,” Azula declared haughtily. “And you know what? I’m glad she left. All she ever did was scold me when she wasn’t coddling Zuko, because I was just a little monster and he was her little angel.” Azula let out a bitter laugh. “She was afraid of me, afraid of my power, so she tried to hold me back, I might as well be a monster if even my own mother couldn’t love me, if I had been in danger, Mother would ha-”

The princess’s rambling was cut short as a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around her. Soren pulled Azula in close to his chest, tucking her head under his chin as he hugged her tightly. Azula was utterly shocked by the display of affection. How dare he presume to even touch her, much less hug her? Did he think she was weak, like Zuko? She was not some crying brat, she was Princess Azula. How dare he pity her. Even with these thought however, the spark of anger within Azula refused to light, as much as she told herself it should.

“It’s okay,” Soren whispered. His body was tense, trying his best to not breakdown, trying not to squeeze Azula too tightly. “We don’t need moms, we’re strong right?” Soren was a stupid boy, but even he could see Azula was in pain, the same kind of pain he felt when his own mother had abandoned him and Claudia. “I like you Azula. You’re not a monster, you’re cool and smart and tough and...pretty...and you’re my friend...”

Azula should have slapped Soren on principle. She should have pushed him to the ground, stepped on him, asserted herself as she always did, shown him that she did not need some boy to coddle her...but she didn’t. Azula could not dredge up any cold anger as her icy heart melted. All the princess could do was lean into Soren, closing her eyes as a few tears began to run down her cheeks.

“That’s right...” Azula whispered back, giving a hard sniffle. She would not allow herself to breakdown into a sobbing mess. Azula had to show some strength, but it felt so good. Soren was not smart enough to put on a performance, or even lie that well. If Mai or Ty Lee or Zuko had felt this kind of sympathy for her, they were too afraid to show it. Soren was too foolish to be afraid, and right now, that was what Azula needed, a trusting fool who did not know better. She didn’t want any shallow, empty praises or false loyalty born of fear, she wanted something real.

Soren pulled back and Azula looked up at him. Both their eyes were wet, and Soren blushed in embarrassment. He had wanted to be strong too, but it seemed neither of them could keep their pain secret. Soren wiped his eyes and coughed, trying to get his own emotions under control.

“I’m not crying,” Soren said. “It’s just all this salty air. Katolis isn’t this salty...” Azula nodded, leaning away from Soren as she fixed her hair back in place, having been mussed by hiss embrace earlier. She was thankful Soren was not not too sentimental.

“Neither am I,” Azula replied. “I’d never cry over Mother, but thanks anyway...” The two of them listened to the waves a moment longer. Soren then realized that Azula had not pulled her hand out of his. She was squeezing it gently. He squeezed back, and the princess showed no reaction save for a blush, almost indistinguishable in the moonlight.

“I guess we should get back,” Soren said. “Claudia’s gonna worry.” Azula nodded, and the two of them stood up from the log, hands still clasped as they walked back to the fire where the rest of their friends were still waiting.

“I know what will cheer us up,” Azula said with a mischievous smirk as she began to run, dragging Soren along with her. “We’ll show Chan exactly what we think of his disgusting party...”

[andyfrills]

Andy’s Fanfic Log 21/02/2017

So how that I've got this blog up and running I thought it might be a fun idea to regularly share the fanfics that I've recently read/am currently reading (since I tend to go through a lot of fics). The inspiration to do this actually came from @victuurificrec​ who, as the name suggests, runs a fic recommendation blog for yuri on ice. She is honestly a Godsend, the blog is so helpful and she gives amazing recommendations! So go check her out! Fair warning, I've been reading a heap of her recs so a fair amount of the yoi stuff you'll be able find on her blog.

I'm planning to do this once or twice a week, give or take~ I think I'll be organising the fics via fandom, with crossovers going under the fandom it displays most (e.g. a yoi Hogwarts au would go under yoi for its large interaction with yoi characters). If you have any tips or ideas surrounding this, then please don't hesitate to tell me!

Other posts in this little series will be able to be found under the read fanfiction tag on my page~

Fic Count: 23 Fandoms in this Log: Yuri!!! on Ice, Voltron, Harry Potter, One Piece, NCIS

On a cautionary note, I end up reading a lot of random shit. Until I’m a bit more comfortable I might censor a few things out, but there will be explicit fics, darker themes, crazy plots, and insane ships amongst all the sugar and fluff I find around the place. So the really important thing is to carefully read the warnings that I occasionally give & that are on the fic itself, and back away if it’s not for you.

Now, without further ado, let's get into this loong first log!

Yuri!!! on Ice

Enchanted by FlishFlash121 Words: 5.8k, Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri (Viktor Nikiforov/Yuuri Katsuki) Viktor Nikiforov is the eleven king of an enchanted forest. Mortal Katsuki Yuuri finds himself on a mission in said forest. - Cool concept for a fantasy au. Quite good so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it~!

of dusk and dawn and a love beyond by exile_wrath Words: 5.5k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri The King of Day, Victor, drops flowers to the Ruler of Night, Yuuri, to express his love for him; yet, they are always returned, as Yuuri thinks that they’re dropped by mistake. Victor cries and plucks wishes off the petals every time, remembering the time when once, they had been together. - Rather sweet imho <3

Stamina by Watermelonsmellinfellon Words: 1.1k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri “Can’t you go another round with me, Victor?” Yuuri purred, voicing teasing and deepening erotically. Victor’s eyes dilated once more and his breath hitched again. - Innuendos but no doing the do~ <3 Beautiful fic, go read it if you're into this sort of stuff!

After Banquet Special by Watermelonsmellinfellon Words: 1.1k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri What would happen if Victor had escorted Yuuri back to his hotel room after the banquet? - ;)

we're like two halves of one heart by grandeur Words: 2.9k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri The man smiles at this, looking both unfairly beautiful and amused. “Very cute.” “She is,” Yuuri agrees. “I wasn’t talking about the dog.” - Dogs and fluff. All things seem right in the world with this fic~~

shape of you by grandeur Words: 8.5k, Rating: Teen, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri From: Viktor [06:59:20 A.M.] I checked over my schedule and I’m free on Friday night if you’re still up for a date~ ))) Yuuri almost throws his phone across the room. - Sequel to the previous fic in this list <3 The perfect addition if you ask me!

in need of melted marshmallow cuddles by Hitsugi_Zirkus Words: 1.7k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri “Viktor. You’re Russian.” “I’m so glad you noticed, lyubov moya,” Viktor said, overly sweet as he kissed into Yuuri’s hair. “You’re a figure skater who spends most of his life on the ice.” “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.” “I mean how is it that you’re always so easily cold and-- Wait,” Yuuri’s eyes fell onto Viktor’s bundled up form under the comforter, “are you wearing my jackets? How many layers have you got on?” - Fluff and cuddles galore!

Maelstrom by feelslikefire Words: 43k, Rating: Explicit, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport--right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everything changes. - This is a time loop au and I think it's amazing! I really enjoyed reading it~!

I Want to Skate like Him by IdunAurora Words: 27k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri At age 27, five time consecutive world figure skating champion Yuuri Katsuki decides to retire. He has barely made it home to Hasetsu before he finds an eager and all too enthusiastic silver-haired Russian on the doorstep of Yu-Topia Akatsuki, demanding Yuuri to coach him. Well, it's not as if the Japanese legend has been able to get 23-year-old Viktor Nikiforov out of his mind since the young man enchanted him at the GPF banquet in Sochi months earlier, anyway. Also, Yuuri's smirks should be illegal. Viktor is certain he has spent more time imitating a tomato than he has been skating. - A really good role swap au!

our doubts are traitors by astoryaboutwar Words: 11k, Rating: Explicit, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri “Back then,” Yuuri asks. “Did you love me?” The cigarette hangs low, tucked between Victor’s lips. The end glows steadily orange, devil eyes on a coal-black night. (Some ghosts of your past you leave well alone.) (Or: the powered assassins AU in which betrayal comes first, forgiveness second, and love was always somewhere in the equation.) - A really interesting au! Waiting eagerly for more~

That's the trouble with us by heygorgeous Words: 6.3k, Rating: G, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri [AU - Elemental Magic] Viktor Nikiforov is a legend. That, anyone within a five mile radius of the porcelain demigod can tell; the fact that there’s a statue of the man smack in the middle of the institution’s courtyard goes to show exactly how deeply regarded he is. It’s just a little awkward, seeing as Viktor’s still, well, alive; his many achievements and breakthroughs in ice dancing, secondary Elements, and magical therapy may seem superfluous to the common man, but it’s what’s inspired the fusion of scientific, practical magic with the traditional aesthetical appreciation of wizardry. The man is a living legend, an urban myth, a collector of headlines and trophies and tokens of appreciation. This statue is nothing less. Enter Katsuki Yuuri, back as straight as a broom, fingers tightly anchored to the strap of his messenger bag. He’s sure there’s been some sort of mistake that his application got through, but the paper of acceptance is strangely durable and far too ancient to be some sort of joke. - Arrrrgh, this fic is so good! I feel like I need to read more T^T

Re: Yuri Katsuki by Ishxallxgood Words: 33k, Rating: G, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri, ChulaCometti (Phichit/Christophe - is that what we're calling this ship? If so I’m jumping aboard! Just hints in recent chaps btw) Phichit Chulanont is fiercely loyal to his best friend Yuri Katsuki. So when he randomly gets a direct message on Instagram from one v_nikiforov, it's only natural for Phichit to assume it's a prank. That is until he comes to realize it's not a prank. A story about how Phichit and Viktor bonded over their most favorite topic; Yuri Katsuki. Phichit knows all the things. - Phichit is a devious gift to the fandom, just like this fic. <33 It's beautiful, I love it, go read it.

Amateur Night by Ishxallxgood Words: 3.3k, Rating: Not Rated (I’d say around Teen), Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri, ChulaCometti (Hints) It all started with a Groupon for a pole dancing class... Phichit convinces Yuuri to actually dance for Amateur night and is pleasantly surprised when he recognizes two faces in the crowd. - Fic about a night mentioned in chap 27 of the previous fic in this list. Phichit strikes again! <3

Warmth by SuggestiveScribe Words: 1.4k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri "I love nights like tonight," Viktor commented as he allowed a momentary pause in his gait. He lifted his chin to the sky, gloved fingers still securely fastened over Yuuri's hand. "It feels dream-like, doesn't it? It's so..." He didn't pull his eyes away from the sky as he thought, and in the light his lashes were pale threads of golden silk. "Euphoric," he decided. - So cute~ So pure~ <3

Voltron

Marital Mayhem by genello Words: 21k, Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Klance (Keith/Lance) Cornered by the Galra, Lance and Keith find shelter in a local temple. There's just one problem—the natives seem to think the two of them are engaged. - I live for this type of fluff <3 Can't wait for more!

Quiznak Actually by fairy_laughing Words: 10k (expected to be around 30k), Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Klance, Shallura (Shiro/Allura) Hunk ships Klance so hard. Too bad those two idiots are blind as to how crazy in love they are with each other. Hunk decides he’s going to get them together by any means possible. There will be misunderstandings, awful dad-jokes, 60s cable, and space flu for all. This was written for the Primary Paladin Big Bang 2017 and there is artwork inside! - What it says on the box~ Very cute so far!

Harry Potter

Victory Day by WhiteWave14 Words: 301k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Harry Potter/Voldemort (I know, I was a bit surprised at first too) Harry grew up in a Rebel camp with Sirius after Voldemort's triumph over Wizarding Britain. Burdened by the Prophecy, he begins to doubt the Rebels' morals and slowly gets caught in his fascination for a certain Dark Lord. - I actually quite enjoyed this one. I found the plot interesting and well thought out, and the character development quite good. It has been a little while since I read this, and I don't remember if it gets explicit anywhere or not, so please tread carefully on this one.

Lonely Moon by eleventy7 Words: 65k, Rating: Teen, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Draco/Harry More than a decade after the Battle, Harry returns to Hogwarts as a professor and discovers a student with a familiar face and an unexpected past. - Sweet with a bit of angst ft. Papa Draco and his Cutie Son

Between Ruin and Salvation by ms. commas and ampersands Words: 44k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Draco/Luna - Actually a hetro pairing for once ww It was only one second. One second when Remus stared at the rigid body of his last best friend falling through the veil. One second when he heard James's son too late, when he wasn't fast enough to catch him. Then Harry ran through the veil. - I somehow found this old fic a while ago, it's an interesting read. The pairings listed on the summary aren't right btw.

Full Circle by tetsurashian Words: 14k, Rating: Mature, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Harry P./Tom R. Jr. Harry and Tom's souls are tied together. Which is why they're in this endless loop of rebirth. At some point, they stopped caring and just started f**king with people. - The humor is on point in this fic. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it.

Recreated Fire A Harry Potter/One Piece X-over by Mai Kusakabe Words: 117k, Rating: Mature, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Ace!Harry/Marco Harry Potter has always dreamed about a dark haired boy, his thrilling life and adventures. When his Hogwarts letter arrives, he discovers a new, magical world, and that not everything is what it seems to be, all in the form of a mythical bird that insists on befriending him. - This is seriously one of my favourite fics around, I absolutely love it. I'm constantly rereading it, I've lost count of the number of times, and I still enjoy it just as much the tenth time round as I did the first. I'd say that this is one of the best reincarnation fics in the HP/OP x-over verse.

One Piece

Azure and Ash by Mithril Lace Words: 86k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Marco/Ace For years Ace has dedicated himself to supporting his brothers. When the kingdom falls on hard times, Ace is forced to take drastic measures to care for his ailing little brother. Against Sabo and Luffy's wishes, he volunteers for a dangerous mission from the king: to kill  the creature responsible for the kingdom's distress and bring back proof - a single feather from the phoenix. - I love this fic~ I've re-read it a number of times now and it's one of my favourite Marco/Ace fics <33

NCIS

Burning Rubber an NCIS/One Piece X-over by Kitsune Foxfire Words: 217k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): None - That I can remember... It's never just another case, particularly not when conspiracies are involved. The corpse of a modern pirate shows up on a naval base, a continent away from where he was last seen. Signs show he had unusual abilities; so did the UNSUB. What role do two black haired brothers play in all this? Can the team figure out just what is going on here before it's too late? - A brilliant, brilliant fic. Well thought out and executed. I've only read it twice since finding it, but it's definitely a fic I'd be more than happy to read over and over.

[thedavishoffman]

rocks and movies.

of course it’s been a minute. I write little blerbs and stuff on my phone about things that I think God is showing me. But it takes a lot of effort to log back into this old thing and really dig into the “new teachings”. I’ve had this for like 5 years now and it seems like the distance between each post grows like a weed.

Anyways, an update: life is transitional right now. it feels like, as best I can tell, senior year is the first year I feel on top of all the things I need to do but right as I get into the swing of it all, someone walks up and says: “five weeks until graduation, Davis”. What a sucker punch. my instant thought is of my internship, quite honestly. I can’t imagine leaving those kids I’ve learned so much from. That’s going to be a truly difficult day. Most of them I’ve been seeing for a few months, but three of them I’ve seen for almost a year. I can only hope they’ve learned as much as I have. Not only is my internship ending, but I’ll say goodbye to the friends and fraternity life that I’ve cultivated here. As well as the idea of living independently and making my own decisions of what I’ll do for the day. All of those aspects are gone. Senior year has been truly one of the most difficult times of my life, but as each year progress, I can only hope to cling to the stones that stay stagnant.

I once read that Christianity is one of the only religions that calls us to look back onto our lives and reflect on where God has shown up. To say it differently, we are shown of God’s future provision only by the way He has shown up before. But I think it’s stronger than that. I think God never tells us the future because He wants us to be there with Him. And to be with Him in the present.

It’s kinda like re-watching a movie with someone who hasn’t seen it. You know the theme, you know the scary or dramatic points, you know the character development, and you even know the ending. However, unlike the person you are watching it with, you might notice the things around the theater more. You might notice the way the person you are with watches things so intently. You know which parts will affect the viewer and the range of emotions they will experience. For the person that is seeing the movie for the second time, it becomes less about the movie and more about the person sitting next to you.

I think God is like that. God is more involved with who we are then what we experience. He cares less about the fear we feel and more about being there with us. Instead of ruining the ending, He wants to sit next to us and laugh with us, or cry with us, or simply share the silence as the scene deepens. But we, the silly people we are, are so intently focused on the movie that we don’t care to look at the person that’s already experienced it.

This story kind of relates to a recent car accident I should have had. On my way back from spring break, I was driving with Lucas next to me and one of my other best friends in the back seat, sleeping. As we drove through Atlanta and almost made it to Chattanooga, Lucas was asking my opinion on a new life experience he could engage upon. He was laying out all the plans and giving me the hypothetical ins-and-outs of the situation, as we both do to each other all the time. After about 15 minutes, he simply asked: “You’re being quiet, so what do you think?” I truly believe Jesus filled me with the words to say: “I really appreciate every aspect of the scenario you told me about. But dude, lets just be thankful you even have this opportunity. You are looking at two potentially incredible chances to really do something amazing with the next few years of your life. I think the best thing we can do now is to be thankful for His daily manna” and as I said those words, an 18-wheeler truck’s tire blew out 50 feet in front of us. The thick remnants of the tire bounced into the middle of our lane. I instantly froze and based on the size of the object, I knew it would have wrecked my car. I stayed straight and compressed my back to the seat of the car, bracing for impact. But, at the last possible second, the bouncing tire flipped back onto its’ opposite side and into the other lane. 

The next minutes were silent.

As I told my mom this story the next day, I was dumbstruck that this is exactly where God has me right now. This is my “theme”, if you will, of this season. Instead of thinking about so many different things, I can sit here and be thankful that I am where I am. I can look back and see where God has shown up. I can count my blessings and know that God will continue to provide. God is still good.