#very chad of me i must admit

[dogbunni]

one of these days I'll write a nensai fic and then you'll all be sorry (threat)

[haddonfieldwhore]

scary dog privilege - ethan landry

ethan landry x alt!reader

❤️🔪 spoilers for scream 6 🔪❤️

❤️🔪 spoilers for scream 6 🔪❤️

2.2k words // part 2

warnings: death mentioned, drinking, someone gets tasered, making out, language, i think that’s it

as the music at the party blared loudly, ethan’s eyes darted towards you as chad, as usual, tried to be his wingman and find him a potential hookup. chad followed ethan’s gaze and after one look at you, he laughed at his friend.

“them? no way dude, they would eat you alive.” he said, but ethan was busy admiring the dark tattoos covering your arms and your chunky black boots that must have made you at least a few inches taller. “they’re scary- trust me.” chad tried again to shift ethan’s attention to anyone else at the party.

you had gone to highschool with chad and his friends and had heard about the attacks that happened to them. to your surprise, all of you ended up at the same college in new york. you had talked to a few of them once or twice, and had econ with ethan, who you thought was cute. you also had film studies with mindy and a few of the others but you didn’t know them very well. you were someone who tended to keep to yourself, and sometimes was avoided by others for the way you dress. it led to you being a bit closed off, and you knew that to people you didn’t know, you could come across as mean. you were used to be judged for the way you looked, and had long ago decided you wouldn’t take shit from anyone for it, or any other reason, for that matter.

pushing through the crowd, you made your way into the kitchen to get another drink, passing by the two men as you did. you over heard chad trying to set ethan up with a pretty brunette girl, who politely shrugged off the idea and went back to her friends. after getting your drink, you turned to see that ethan now stood alone, no sign of chad anywhere. deciding to take advantage of the fact that he was alone, you walked over and stood next to ethan.

“ethan- right?” you asked, even though you knew his name from class. he seemed to choke on his drink a little, perhaps surprised that you had come over to talk to him, but smiled shyly.

“hi- yeah. we have econ together,” he replied.

“i know, i sit at the table next to yours.” you said, and realized it might’ve sounded a little too snarky. “what i mean is- i’ve seen you in class.”

“oh - duh.” he laughed, blushing. you had never noticed how tall he was, still taller than you in your platform boots. “are you here by yourself or…” he trailed off.

“yeah. i saw you with chad earlier- did he abandon you?” you asked.

“uh yeah.. apparently his services were needed elsewhere,” ethan laughed. you leaned against the wall next to him, and his shoulders tensed briefly before he relaxed again.

“lucky me; i get you all to myself then.” you smiled, and the brunette blushed again but smiled back.

“don’t take this the wrong way- but you don’t really seem the type to go to frat parties,” he said with a slight laugh.

“i’m not,” you admitted. “i thought since it’s for halloween i would. you don’t really seem the type either-“

“uhh you’re telling me i don’t give off the vibe that i’d fit in here?” he asked sarcastically. “i don’t give off the same aura of hyper masculinity as the rest of the guys here?” he laughed.

“not exactly no,” you smiled. “i’m glad you’re here though; even a slightly a familiar face is nice to see.” you eyes drifted to the empty cup he was holding. “do you want to get another drink?” you asked. ethan looked down and noticed that his cup was in fact empty, and nodded.

“yeah, uh -lead the way,” he said, and you took his hand, dragging him along in the direction of the kitchen. stopping in a near empty hallway, you stopped, pulling him close to you, and in turn positioning yourself between the wall and his body.

“i think the kitchen is that way…” he said, with a slightly confused look as he pointed in the other direction.

“do you want to get another drink or do you want to kiss me?” you asked, and his eyes grew wide.

“oh i mean..yeah i-“ he stuttered, a tinge of pink across his cheeks as you pulled him closer by his shirt, pressing your lips to his. the empty cup in has hand fell to the floor as his hands hesitantly landed on your hips, and you entwined your fingers in his curls, deepening the kiss. you were a little surprised by how good of a kisser he was, and you let out a small gasp as you felt his teeth tug at your bottom lip, and his pelvis press against yours, effectively pinning you against the wall. his one hand traveled up to rest on the side of your neck, and you tugged on his hair slightly, causing ethan to groan into the kiss. pulling away to catch your breath, you began to trail kisses down his neck, and he cursed under his breath as you left a hickey below his jawline.

you separated as you both heard a commotion in the other room, and went to see what was going on. the two of you rounded the corner to see a bunch of people gathered around as tara’s older sister sam, pulled out a taser and used it on a guy who you had seen talking to tara earlier. he fell to the ground in pain as chad checked on tara, who was laying on the stairs.

people started whispering (and speaking out loud) about sam, and tara yelled at her before storming out of the party. chad, sam, mindy, and anika all followed after her, and ethan looked at you before bravely grabbing your hand and dragging you after his friends.

as the group caught up to tara, her and sam began arguing, and you couldn’t help but feel incredibly out of place in the group of strangers. another group of drunk people passed by, one of them tossing a drink on sam and videotaping it, calling her a bunch of vile names like psycho and murderer. sam had to be held back from starting a fight with the girl, and you shot the girl a nasty look and a yelled a few choice words at her as she left with her friends.

tara had run off, followed by chad mindy and anika, leaving sam stood next to you end ethan, who you realized was still holding your hand. he let go of it to nervously offer the older carpenter sister a few tissues he had in his pocket, which she took and began to dry her shirt. she then gave ethan a look as if to say “why are you still standing there” before she noticed you.

“…thanks - i’ve never had a stranger stick up for me like that.” she said.

“prissy bitches like her piss me off,” you smiled, and she sighed before looking in the direction the others had gone. the three of you headed that way, sam slightly ahead of you inadvertently leading the way.

now in an unfamiliar apartment, you had never felt more out of place in your life. sam was pacing around the lobby downstairs, and tara had holed up in her bedroom when you got to their apartment. mindy and anika were sat together on the couch. after a few minutes, chad went to talk to tara, which left you and ethan alone, sitting at the dining table awkwardly.

“sorry- i didn’t mean to drag you along.” ethan said, fiddling with his hands on the table. “i’m sure this is not what you had in mind when you went to the party tonight.”

“it’s fine, although it seems like maybe it’s not the best time,” you laughed. “i think i should go.”

“i - maybe you’re right,” he admitted. you stood up from the table, taking your phone out of your pocket and handing it to him after unlocking it and opening a new contact.

“give me your number; we can study for econ together sometime.” he looked up at you and took your phone, typing his number in before handing it back to you. as his hand reached yours, you grabbed it and started to pull him towards you. “walk me out?”

“yeah, sure,” he said, getting up and leading you to the door. the two of you were almost downstairs when you hear chads voice calling after you to get back upstairs and saying to bring sam with you.

looking at ethan with a confused look, the two of you walked back up the many flights of stairs and into the living room to see everyone gathered around the tv, including a red haired girl you assumed was tara and sams roomate. sam was close behind you guys, along with a guy you had never seen, but the red head seemed to recognize, as she shot sam a surprised look at seeing them together. after you were all back in the apartment, everyone’s eyes were glued to a news broadcast where there was a man reporting the deaths of two students named jason and greg.

“oh my god- that’s that chode from our film class; the one obsessed with argento!” mindy exclaimed, and you realized that must be why he look familiar. across the screen then flashed photos of the ghostface mask you knew to be the one the killers from the woodsboro murders had worn, and without realizing, you grabbed onto ethan’s hand in fear.

“pack a bag- we leave in 10.” sam said to tara, and the younger girl stared at her sister.

“what?” tara asked.

“we’re getting out of the city.”

“can we talk about this for a minute? i mean it could have nothing to do with us-“

“tara, this isn’t a coincidence. you knew him!”

“barely,” tara pleaded. “it’s a big city! and it’s halloween- everyone’s wearing masks.”

“chad, mindy, back me up here,” sam said, looking to the siblings who both looked a little unsure.

“i mean it is… a little-“ chad started.

“-close to home.” mindy admitted. tara looked to the ginger girl, a pleading look in her eyes.

“quinn, your dads a cop right? can you call him and find out what’s going on? before you make the unilateral decision to abandon my college education and make us flee the fucking state?” she said, turning to sam.

“i’ll call him right now,” quinn nodded, pulling out her phone. as quinn began to diall the number, sams phone began to ring on the dining room table. the whole room went silent, and everyone looked at sam as she went over to see who was calling. she declined the call, putting her phone in her pocket.

“why did everyone just freak out when her phone rang?” ethan asked, and anika rolled her eyes at him.

“you gotta keep up, my dude.” she sighed. mindy’s eyes landed on you, and it was like everyone finally noticed you were there.

“who’s this?” she asked, pointing in your direction and looking around the room at everyone as she waited for an answer. you tried to not take it personal, but couldn’t help but feel like you had overstayed your welcome.

“uh everyone, this is y/n,” ethan introduced you shyly, and you gave an awkward wave.

“no way dude-“ chad said, recognizing you from the frat party. “you actually grew a pair and talked to them? wait…. is that a hickey?”

“not now, chad,” tara sighed.

“uh… i’ll have you know they talked to me first.” ethan said, and you nudged ethan in the ribs playfully with your elbow as chad came over to high five him.

“well this was fun and all but it seems like you all have a lot going on so i think i’m gonna head out,” you said.

“not so fast,” mindy said. “until we know what’s going on you’re not going anywhere. same goes for you, new guy” she said pointing to the guy who sam had with her.

“do you mean i’m a suspect? i barely know any of you?” you questioned.

“uhhh someone adjacent to us gets killed and now suddenly 2 strangers show up- maybe you’ve found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time but after last year; i’m not taking any chances.” you looked at the man, who shrugged. you had to admit, mindy had a point.

“dude-“ ethan looked at chad, and you appreciated that he was trying to back you up.

“sorry man, i’m with my twin on this one.”

“thank you.” mindy replied. “actually- we’re all suspects. but especially you three.” she pointed to you, ethan, and sams friend, who introduced himself as danny.

“me? chad you know me,” ethan argued.

“everybody is a suspect.” mindy insisted. “we thought we knew amber and look how that turned out.”

“ok, i can understand being suspicious but are you not realizing that we all have alibis- we were all at the party except for quinn. it literally couldn’t have been any of us.”

“and quinn was here- with someone,” anika added.

“see? look i won’t pretend i understand what you all went through, but maybe you’re overreacting a little,” you said.

“maybe not.” sam said, entering the room again. “they said i have to go to the station for questioning. everyone stays here for now, there’s safety in numbers.” she said before leaving, danny and tara following after her, saying they had to stick together.

“even you newbie.” mindy said pointing at you, and you raised your hands in mock surrender. you grabbed ethan’s hand and pulled him to sit on one of the armchairs in the living room, before placing yourself in his lap. his eyes were wide in surprise before he relaxed against into the chair.

everyone awkwardly went back to minding their own business, mindy switching the channel off the broadcast to something more entertaining to take everyone’s mind off things. anika, chad, and mindy sat on the couch while quinn sat on another chair. you all sat in silence occasionally eyeing eachother nervously.

what had you gotten yourself wrapped up in?

[crmsnmth]

September Chapter Six, Part 2

"I'm scared," I said, almost in a whisper, "I'm afraid it's going to hurt."

"I know you are. Your going silent, like you did in our first few sessions. Do you remember that?"

I nodded. I did remember those sessions. They were awful. Dr. Fischer would try every possible way in the books to get me to talk, but our hour long sessions were usually filled mostly with silence. And I was seeing her twice a week at the start. I didn't like her at first. She was too forward, too demanding. But it's what I needed and after a month of silence, I finally broke and started talking.

"You barely spoke. You withdrew inside yourself for our entire sessions."

"I know. I didn't like you. I didn't trust you."

"And now?"

"I mean, I trust you enough. I'm not sure if I like you, but I know your doing your job and looking for what's best for my head."

"So we'll call this an understanding then. You're very right. I am looking out for you, and I want the best for you. You've been through a lot, and I think I'm seeing you step out of that shell and finally grow. And what is growing?"

"Healthy," I sighed.

"Correct. So now, you've met someone who seems to have taking quite the shining to you, and you to her," she wrote on her pad as she spoke. Long flowing letters, at least by the way her pen moved.

"Yeah," I admitted. I couldn't run from the truth, no matter how fast I ran. I'd learned that years ago.

"And she's cracking through that shell. Getting to meet the person you try so hard to keep barricaded away."

I nodded.

"You're letting her in, Chris."

I looked away.

"That's a really good thing. It's growth and it's wonderful to see. Of course you're afraid. Everyone's afraid of change. It's not easy. It's not meant to be. Growth isn't easy, but it's healthy. You've made a new friend, whom you are opening up to, without trying. You must admit, it might be nice to gain another close friend other than Chad."

I laughed. "What if I don't want her just to be my close friend?" Chad and I had been friends for many years, even before the Emily show. He'd earned his trust for being my best friend, never once breaking my trust and always being there when I needed help. He never held me down or pulled me back. The guy never failed me. I loved him.

I didn't just want a close friendship with Addison. I knew that from the moment I ran into her and found myself in awe. Even now, at the very beginning of whatever relationship we were going to have, I knew exactly what I wanted with her. And it was shredding the beliefs I'd build and nurtured for three years.

"It's still confusing and fucking scary," I finally said, breaking the short silence.

"I know it is. That's a good thing for you. You've had yourself locked up in this protective state for too long. You can't live you're life on your own."

"I would've called you a liar a month ago," I snapped.

She laughed and wrote. "I know you would have. But am I?"

I sat back in my uncomfortable chair and looked around the office. For anything that would steal my attention so I wouldn't have to tell her she was right. I didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.

"No," I said, almost whining the word. I hated the admission. So much.

"See, we are making progress. Well, you are. It's nice to see. It's nice to see the actual person in side getting out finally," she smiled at me, "how have you been sleeping lately?"

I signed in relief that she had changed the topic.

[daydreaming-in-letters]

In a week

Chapter 5

07/26/2022

Pairing: Andrew (Hozier) x Clara (OFC)

Word Count: 4,316

Warnings: rpf, au, language, poor try at using Irish slang words, angst, talk about infidelity, lots of feelings, fingering, unprotected sex, fluff

Summary: It's the last night at the beach house and both Clara and Andrew are very reluctant to let go of each other.

A/N: Obviously the poem Andrew recites is not my own. The rest is. Apart from a few hints and nods to Hozier's lyrics that I sneaked into every chapter of this story.

Picture by Klemen Vrankar via Unsplash (cropped and text added)

If you like my story, you are very welcome to like, comment or reblog. No permission is given to copy, repost or share my work on other platforms.

Hozier - Shrike

Bare feet silently ascended the stairs, growing heavier with every step she took. Clara had felt it all day, the bittersweet gloom of their nearing goodbye hanging above her like an inky cloud. He must have felt it too, at least that was the only way she could explain to herself what had happened in the pool earlier. Absentmindedly her fingers drifted over her lips, recalling the urgency in his kiss, the taste of his tongue as it had met hers, and she shivered. 

It was likely this would not happen again. Andrew didn’t want a relationship, he had made that very clear the other night. And yet he had refused to let go, his arm wrapped around her middle so tightly that she could still feel it, holding her safe, claiming her. Or probably just the usual reluctance of letting go of what he had gotten used to over the last week. Clara had simply become a regularity to him, a habit, nothing more. 

A tiny chuckle escaped her throat and echoed from the high walls of the staircase when she remembered the way he had looked in the pool this morning. Fully dressed, soaked to the bone, his wet hair sticking to his face like reaped kelp, he had resembled a freshly baptised Jesus more than she would ever admit to that fucker Chad. But it had been his eyes that had almost killed her, dark green pools filled with a terror she had never seen in anyone’s eyes before, at least not on her behalf. He had actually feared for her life, surely that had to mean something, didn’t it?

She pushed that thought aside as soon as his familiar form came into view. Sprawled out on the extravagant lounging area that could easily fit ten people, even someone as tall as him looked tiny. A book in hand, he lay on his back, facing the massive skylight that would have allowed him to gaze up at the myriads of sparkling stars above him, but whatever world the words on the darkened paper created seemed far more interesting than all the beauty that surrounded him. 

“Hey,” she greeted softly, afraid she might startle him.

“Hi, love.”

For a moment that seemed endless to her, he just kept on reading and Clara was already thinking about leaving him to his diversion, when he slowly set the book aside after all and granted her his full attention. Awkwardly she stood at the head of the stairs, her fingers fiddling with the light fabric of her summer dress. 

“Finished packing already?”

A nod was all she could muster as all the words she had wanted to say to him were bubbling up inside her at once, clogging her throat very effectively.

“Would you like to join me then?”

She felt herself nod again, still mute as a maggot, but at least her feet seemed to have decided to obey her and carried her over to him. With every step she took towards him, the sweetest of smiles grew on his lips as he rolled over onto his side, his head propped up on his hand. Clara mimicked his posture, her hands reaching for the volume cased in pink fabric that lay between them, eager to find out what he had been so absorbed in. She twisted and turned the book in her hand, but neither the cover nor the back held any information on the title or author.

“It’s the book that would have been yours for the week if we hadn’t—”

He stopped himself before he could finish that thought, his smile dying away instantly when he realised what he had done. 

“Will you read to me?”

He stared at the book she held out to him as if he had never seen one in his life, but as soon as he took it from her, his fingers grazing hers for a moment so short she might have just as well imagined it, the soft smile gradually returned to his pink lips.

“With pleasure.”

It took him a while to settle on a poem, time Clara used to get a little more comfortable. Resting her head on one of the many cushions, she watched him flicking through the pages, his long fingers working frantically until the veins on his forearms seemed to pop out even more than they usually did. Clara felt the strong urge to withdraw the book from his hands just so they would still and she could run her fingers along those tempting blood vessels, maybe even trace them with her lips and tongue for a while, or use her teeth to pull the obligatory hair tie he always carried from his delicate wrist. 

“Ah, here it is,” he cut the thread of her indecent thoughts, “It’s among his more popular ones, I guess, but I find it very fitting.

Blackberry-Picking Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots. Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full, Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard’s.”

There was something utterly magic about Andrew reading a poem. The way his lips moved, pointedly, ardent on accentuating the lush imagery, gently breathing life to the words as they sat amidst his beard that had grown so wonderfully thick in the time they had spent together. A sea of dark ginger, crowned with a hint of grey here and there. The warm light of the dimmed lamps overhead only added to the play of colours, in his beard, his hair, on his skin. She could be wrong, but it seemed his once pale skin now held a faint tan and one certainly couldn’t deny the powdery rose that had returned to his cheeks. 

She tried so hard not to stare, to focus on his words instead, but every time she thought she had finally managed to shift her focus, his fingers flew up to his face again, taking her attention with them. It seemed to be a habit of his, to touch his face constantly while he was reading, his digits mostly pressing to his temple. Sometimes his pinky would glide along the sensitive spot, his other fingers pointing awkwardly to the sky like gnarled twigs. Or he rubbed along his temple with his thumbnail, pulling it all the way down to his cheekbone, drawing her eyes to the groundless abyss of green that awaited close by and was so exquisitely lined by his impossibly long lashes. Every now and then, his fingers would find his hair instead, vanishing in between the messy brown curls to pull them away from his face or tug them behind his ear. A seemingly impossible task which Clara would have all too much liked to do for him. 

“We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre. But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache. The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.”

Along with his voice, the spell his words had cast died away, slowly giving way to the painful truth they held and that Andrew had so graciously veiled from her with this tender delivery.

He was watching her, the weight of the expectation his eyes held almost too much to bear. If only she knew what exactly he was waiting for. But that would mean she was able to figure out why he had decided to read this specific poem to her. He had said that he found it fitting. Fitting what, or whom? Had it reminded him of Chad and her, or Catherine and him? Or was he hinting at the way he felt about her? That he thought whatever it was that had grown between them was something to be enjoyed in the moment and would inevitably rot with time?

Her heart turning into lead, tears were rising inside of her, slowly but inevitably. Those salty traitors. And before they could flow and in turn ruin their last night together, she hurried to reach for the switch and kill the lights. 

“Thank you,” she whispered as she lay back down beside him, a little closer than before, her head now turned to the twinkling dots that covered the night sky. She feared he might protest and scold her for her rude behaviour, but he did nothing of the sort. Instead, he rolled onto his back as well so they could watch the stars in silence together. And although nobody moved, she could feel him next to her. The length of his arm against her own, radiating a comforting heat that seeped into her skin, the back of his hand resting against hers, careful fingers slowly drifting between her own, almost imperceptibly and Clara didn’t even realise what was happening until they were tightly woven together. 

“Can I tell you something?”

His question seemed pretty harmless in itself, but Clara was more than afraid what revelation her consent might lead to in the end. Nevertheless she heard herself answer in the affirmative.

“There is this one thing about that night in March that just keeps coming back to me over and over again.”

“And whatever might that be?”

The fact that he hesitated before elaborating on a topic that he himself had brought up didn’t exactly do anything for Clara’s nerves.

“You know, during that godawful dinner back at the convention, I just couldn’t make sense of it all, of who you were, to be precise. You seemed so different to me, so controlled, taking the humiliation as if it meant nothing to you. I almost convinced myself that you must be an entirely different person than the one I had met that night. It just didn’t add up and I couldn’t stop asking myself what had happened to the fierce amazon who had claimed me with her kiss in the street outside a pub and demanded I’d pleasure her right there and then.”

Clara thought about her answer for a moment.

“Oh, she was there all right. But I always kept her on a tight leash whenever Chad was around.”

There was no need to look at him to know her words had made him smile. 

“I’m honoured you allowed me a glimpse of her then.”

“It’s just…” She wasn’t sure whether to go on, but then his fingers moved within hers, giving her all the assurance she needed. “You make me feel so safe. Safe to think. Safe to feel. Safe to speak my mind and express my desires. Just safe.” 

Clara rolled over, covering half his body with her own, her head bedded on his chest. Andrew couldn’t help himself. Maybe it was the magic of the moment, or the overwhelming feeling of the silent reciprocity that connected them, whatever it was, he needed to secure her touch, the soothing weight of her body upon his, and so his fingers cupped her cheek, his lips pressing the softest of kisses to her fragrant hair.

“Did you know about the affair the night we met?” It wouldn’t really make a difference what her answer to that was because ultimately it had brought them here, and to him that was all that mattered.

“I did. In fact, I had just found out about it that day. But until the convention I had no idea it was Catherine he was sleeping with.”

Andrew hummed, his thumb tenderly gliding along her velvety skin. “Same here.”

“Why did you take her back?”

Clara could feel him shrug underneath her.

“Hope, I guess. And the fear that whatever was waiting for me at the end of that relationship would be even worse than forgiving her and staying. And you?”

She sighed, hugging him a little tighter and he felt guilty for asking.

“I think in all those years I had been with Chad, I became really good at pretending. Pretending he didn’t degrade me because it satisfied him but because he cared and wanted me to do better, pretending he didn’t act strange or that it was normal to work nightshift after nightshift at the hospital, pretending he truly loved me and not the advantages our relationship brought him with his career. And after a while, I became so good at it that the lines between my actual life and the life I imagined blurred completely. So thoroughly that I began to fool myself someday and believed that this was exactly the life I wanted. You know, sometimes I think I was like a bird that flew into its cage willingly. I was fine with it most of the time, glad for the false security it provided, but there were still moments I remembered what it was like to fly.”

“What held you back?”

“Fear, I think. After all this time, I had become afraid of the world that awaited outside the safety of my cage.”

He had feared as much, but now that the words had been uttered, his suspicion confirmed, rage bubbled up inside of him. He had to tighten his grip and pull her closer to keep it at bay. Chad, that bleedin’ shitehawk. Of all the things he had done, this was probably what Andrew hated him most for. 

“We really should have known better about the two of them from the very beginning,” he mumbled more to himself than to her.

“Huh?”

“I mean, Chad, that name already sounds like a villain and Catherine isn’t much better either.”

“What’s wrong with Catherine? I had a friend in preschool called Catherine and she was the sweetest thing.”

“Come on. Really?” Andrew cleared his throat before he croaked in flawless Vincent Price manner, “Catherine.”

Clara had never needed to force down a laugh so hard and it seemed like a miracle that she managed to stay serious as she propped herself up on one elbow to look down at him.

“Oh, you can do every name in a voice. Andrew,” she drew out his name, rolling it on her tongue like the most gruesome word her mouth had ever formed. “See, sounds pretty shady to me.”

“Who says I’m not?” 

His playful wink made her stomach flutter, but Clara remained serious. And as her hand rose to his cheek, her heart rose to her tongue in unison. 

“Darling, you are the sweetest and purest soul I’ve met in a very long time. Please don’t ever let this brutal world change you.” Slowly her head lowered towards his, drawn to him, and she wouldn’t stop until her lips found his for a butterfly’s kiss, fragile and fleeting, afraid of the chain of events it might ensue. But no matter how much she tried to fight her desire, she needed to feel and to be felt, the way only he could feel her, united in the beautiful depths they had created. She didn’t care any longer what tomorrow would bring, she had stayed in shallow waters for far too long and even if they were only granted one night at the deep end, she craved this moment of genuine intimacy more than she had ever craved anything in her life. “Look, I know we both want different things.” She heard him draw in a breath, but her fingers flew to his lips to silence him. “No, let me finish, please. It’s our last night together. And when the sun rises tomorrow morning, this will all be over. We will be forced to face the ruins of our lives that we escaped from for this blink of time. So why not stop time altogether? Only for a night. Why not, after pretending for so long, pretend one more night. Pretend that we both—“

Now it was him who stopped her. With the same urgency she had found in his touch this morning, he pulled her down against his lips again. His contented moan was maddening, and with a sigh she opened up to him, allowing him to taste her honeyed tongue while she melted in his arms. He was met with no resistance when he took control and rolled her onto her back, because what he didn’t know was that she ached to feel his weight on top of her, hungered for the sensation of his bare skin against hers. But she couldn’t hide her need when her fingers fisted the hem of his T-shirt and began to pull, and even though he loathed losing the touch of her lips if only for one single second, he allowed her to pull it over his head and toss it aside. Andrew reeled in the soft sounds of desire she breathed into his mouth as her fingers found his bared chest, running through his chest hair and sparking the same ardent wish deep inside of him to feel more of her. 

She shivered, her breath stuttering the moment his fingers found the supple flesh of her thigh. Another moan rolled over her tongue, and another with every inch he ventured farther underneath her dress, still she didn’t break away from his lips until he reached the thin line of lace that kept her smouldering heat hidden from him. 

“May I touch you, doll?”

It didn’t take longer than the blink of an eye before she nodded her consent and still it was almost impossible to bear. 

“Yes,” she moaned, her voice thick with desire, “please. Please touch—”

The expletive that fell from her mouth as his fingers slithered in between her folds made him chuckle. How anyone could be this adorable and at the same time so unbelievably enticing was completely beyond him. He wanted to protect her, satisfy her, be anything she needed him to be all at once until her hunger was thoroughly sated, her body spent and floating in perfect bliss. 

His free arm cradled her head, pulling her closer while he worked her, slowly, steadily, watching her tremble and writhe before him to ascertain what she enjoyed most and it didn’t take long until she needed to let go of his chest and grab his hand to cope with all the pleasure he made her feel. 

She was so beautiful, her cheeks flushed, plump lips parted, gasping for air, eye lids falling shut whenever passion threatened to overwhelm her. How ravishing would she be when he finally made her come? Eager to find out, two of his fingers followed the ever-growing slick heat south, filling her carefully, inch by inch. His name fell from her lips, sending a wave of desire through him that made him halt for a moment, and with the still of his fingers inside her, she stilled as well. 

The silent plea in her eyes was pure agony, but he needed a minute to compose himself. For now, this was solely about her, there would be plenty of time to give in to his yearning later, to have her, to devour her, to make her his. But now he wanted to feel her come apart on his fingers. And so he moved, slowly at first, falling into rhythm with her moans and whimpers that soon grew more rapid until he pumped into her deep and hard. 

Not long now, he thought, her sweet release already within reach. His head dipped down into the tiny space between his shoulder and her cheek, his beard scratching along her sensitive skin. 

“Andrew.”

“I’m here, sweet one. Right here,” he whispered softly. “Just let go. Don’t hold back.”

He hadn’t even finished his words when his thumb pushed down on the tiny bundle of nerves and she cried out in ecstasy. Her back arching off the mattress, her silky walls tightening around his fingers, her grip on his hand painfully tight, she did as he had asked of her and let go. And he had been right. She was a sight to behold at the peak of her rapture. He had never witnessed innocence this pure, a scene so utterly divine and yet so deeply human that it made him freeze in awe of the revelation that unfolded right here in his arms.

A confession burning on his tongue, he swallowed hard to push it back. This wasn’t the moment to tell her. There would come better ones, calmer ones, when the fevered frenzy had settled and her mind was able to grasp the sincerity of his declaration. So instead, his lips pressed to her forehead in an affectionate kiss and he let them remain there until her breathing had evened out and he felt her body relax against his own. 

Despite the dim starlight that illuminated their passion play, a shadow that covered her face made her eyes fall open at last and the breathtaking sight that awaited made her still pulsing walls flutter with resurfacing desire. He stood in front of the glistening night sky, every last inch of his body disclosed to her view, unashamed of her gaze. God, she wanted him, so much, more than she had ever thought it possible to want someone. 

“Come here.” 

He took the hand that was reaching out for him, lying down behind her and she was about to protest when his hands set to work and freed her from the fabric that still shielded her from him. She couldn’t help but gasp helplessly the second he pulled her back against his chest and she could finally feel him. All of him. 

Gladly she sank down on the arm he offered as a pillow, her hand snaking around his neck to pull him down with her. She could taste his growing desire on his tongue, feel it twitch in anticipation against her behind, and when she lifted her leg in a silent invitation, he yielded. 

His head flew back as he slowly pushed in, throwing him right into the battle between urge and reason, voiced by a groan so sinful it shook her to the very core. But instead of moving, he allowed himself a moment to enjoy her body. Languidly his fingers glided along her smooth skin, trailing up her stomach, squeezing her ample breasts where they remained until he had tended to the two lush globes to both his and her satisfaction. Briefly his hand found her throat on its way to her cheek and Clara couldn’t hold back the moan it coaxed from her lungs. 

“Oh, you would like me to take your breath away, little amazon?” He still chuckled when his lips met hers again for a passionate kiss. “I think there are better ways to draw the air from your lungs than choking you.”

And before her brain had even managed to make sense of his words, he withdrew and drove home again, sheathing himself to the hilt inside of her. Clara’s mouth flew open in a silent cry from feeling him so deep, her nails leaving little crescent dents at the nape of his neck. 

“Told you,” he mumbled against her shoulder, his breath heavy on her skin, teasing her even more than his words did. She was tempted to sass him back, but she didn’t even have the time to stitch together a saucy reply when his hips rolled against her behind again, erasing the will to get back at him immediately. 

Andrew wasn’t set on teasing her any longer, however much he enjoyed it. He was making love to her now, driving into her in drawn out, deep strokes, a hand on her hip gently pulling her back to meet his thrusts. Their bodies rocking against each other in perfect harmony, the world slowly became insignificant, shrinking down to the tiny space that contained only the two of them, skin to skin, mouth to mouth, their hearts beating in the same sweet rhythm. 

Carefully his hand let go of her hip to find the juncture of their bodies and Clara broke their kiss with a gasp. He missed her lips instantly, but before he could regret his decision, she moaned his name again, her voice lower, darker, needier than ever before, a sound he could never get enough of, and so he satisfied his desire to taste her elsewhere. The exquisite aroma of salted honey rolled over his tongue as he licked her neck, swirling the skilful muscle along her skin until she moaned his name again, and then again, her walls fluttering and clenching suspiciously around his length. 

“I think I…I’m gonna come again.”

But her warning came too late to brace himself against the vigorous approach of her second high. 

“Oh god,” he groaned, caught in her tight grip, “please do. Come as much as you like.”

He could never get enough of seeing her lose herself in complete ecstasy. And when the wave broke, it took him away as well. They held on to each other for dear life, their bodies quivering, shaking, writhing as the sheer power of their shared rhapsody surged through them. It was all-consuming, filling every last bit of them with the sensation of the other until they were one beyond recall.

Chapter 6

[tuliharja]

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Separation episode 1 review

And we're back!

I must admit I didn't even realize how soon Bleach: TYBW would return back, but it's back. Man, I've been waiting for this and I bet many other people have also waited for its return.

I'm happy that the second course (season?) started so strongly when it opened with Yhwach's birth. The moment I saw those 'glowing lights' I knew what they were and I knew where it would lead. But the fact we saw a little bit of how the system works with Yhwach? That was a bit surprising. Those who have read the manga will get the reference right away, but it'll be kind of a bit surprise to anime-only watchers. ;)

That new opening was truly a banger! I've missed openings like that where the vibe seems so relaxed, but in reality lot of things are going on. The fashion, the way characters are represented, etc. everything looked very neat and the lyrics supported nicely everything. So many little details that hint at the future, but done in such a way one might not get it right to way. I hope some fic writers will get inspiration from the opening and write some AUs based on the world we saw at the opening before it shifted back to the universe we're familiar with.

I'm glad the anime picked up right away where it was left because while recaps can be handy, in this case, it would have felt a bit unnecessary.

The animation is still top-notch, and so are the soundscape, music, and voice acting. Glad to see the animators and the rest of the staff got the needed time to keep up with the quality we got at the first part.

I loved how Ichigo walked all the way up to Ichibe's palace, then thanked and bowed and was all 'bye'. Like bruh. I would have probably been too exhausted to go right back, not to mention...if Ichibe would have just wanted Ichigo's thank you, I doubt they would have needed to climb aaall the way to his palace that is on the mountain.

The transitions between the scenes were quite smooth.

Even though I knew why Bambietta called that guy, it still made me chuckle a bit. The poor guy thought tonight would be his lucky night, but unfortunately...Bambietta has a bit different preferences. xP

Hehe, the Yhwach announcement really caused havoc among the Sternritten ranks, eh? But it was a good way to showcase some of the main Sternrittens' personalities.

I must admit Liltotto's voice surprised me a bit. I don't know, but I didn't imagine it to be so low and so mature sounding? I'm not sure what I was expecting, but not that. That doesn't mean, though, I wasn't positively surprised by it.

Also, Giselle casually calling out Candice. Lol. Goes to show the girl group's internal dynamics. A further point of that was just moments ago Candice calling out to Bambietta.

Man, I couldn't help but swoon over that successor ritual scene. The animatics during that scene were just fantastic. I loved the contrast between turquoise, white, and black. The little red? (Though blood rituals are a bit cliché in my mind) It was a nice addition to that all. It just drew the viewer to look at the scene where Uryuu severed his ties with his friends and embraced his Quincy origins.

Man, I still wish I could read Japanese just so I could understand those middle dividers in the episode. Even though I bet those are merely just telling further about the things we already know or will learn, I still kind of hope that.

Also, it's nice how at the first course (season?) the theme color was magenta, but now it's turquoise. Small neat detail that goes to show now it's time to hear more of the Quincies' side of things.

Lol, what were Nel's fraccions doing? Playing once again tag or what? And yeah, I know the scene was supposed to be foreboding and serious, but my focus slipped upon them...instead of Orihime's conversation with Chad.

Luckily that scene quickly switched to Ichigo's training and then to Kyoraku and Nanao. And yeah, like Kyoraku let that slip on purpose. Of course not. He isn't such a man. (Oh, but he is.) And generally showcasing what others were up to.

Wait, Kirinji called Rukia? I kind of get people at Seireitei having cellphones, but even at Royal Palace? Who is their dealer? Or, who makes those? Not to mention it made me think about how the whole service system works...

And omg! We actually get the naked Byakuya scene! I was quite sure we wouldn't get it, but we did. I bet all Byakuya fangirls cheered when they saw that scene. ^^

I think the whole Soul Ticket's reason was explained much better in this than in the manga. I don't know why, but back then when I read the manga, it didn't make so much sense to me. In this, it felt like it made more sense. Not to mention, it portrayed Kyoraku in a very sweet light for considering Ichigo's human friends, should the worst-case scenario happen.

I know they probably added that adult shinigami giving a child that toy just to showcase how peaceful everything was in one moment and then nothing wasn't anymore, but even so...It's kind of hard to believe considering everything, everything would return like that when the upcoming war was looming over. Then again, even in the real-world humans tend to try to forget all bad, upcoming things and just enjoy peace and little happiness there is...in that way, it was a good shift between 'everything is alright' and in the next moment, nothing will be. Even so...it felt a bit...awkward -at least in my mind. But if not anything else, at least the animation of that tone shift was very neat.

Not much to write about the ending. I felt like it was on purpose done in a more muted way, as a contrast to the beginning which was all bubbly and colorful. (Which merely covered the bubbling problems underneath everything.) The ending was truly from Quincies' POV and showcased how they've lived in the shadows...just like Soul King.

Foreshadowing much, eh?

I'm not sure if the one at the ending was Rangiku who spoke that poem, but it sounded like her? But the poem itself didn't exactly fit her, so I'm unsure who it was this time around...

[aizensamasuggestions]

Hello there, Aizen-Sama. I had a question that has been nawing at my brain for a while now. Would you have allowed the likes of Orihime Inoue, Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and or Yasutora ‘Chad’ Sado to join your ranks should they have realized soul society’s corruption and chosen to do something about it?

Without hesitation.

I will admit that my recruitment may have needed a bit more polish, what, with it being basically kidnapping, but I did attempt to sway Inuoe Orihime into action regarding the hogyoku. To be fair, I was a bit... shall we say, underhanded, since when I showed the hogyoku to her I was hoping to inspire her to attempt to reject its phenomenon, mostly to test whether or not she was able to reject it from me, should the hogyoku ever accept me as its master. (Which, as we know, it eventually did.)

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned, despite my decades of studying psychology, people's motivations often baffle me. Inoue proved far too timid. She never attempted such an act of daring and bravery (which once again underscores the truly impressive nature of my Momo when faced with adversity.) Thus, I was forced to discredit Inoue and claim that I was never interested in her powers and that she was a "useless" person, in general.

Which of course, was entirely false.

Inoue, who never tested her ability to reject the hogyoku despite my year and a half of imprisonment, is still one of the few people I truly fear. If her powers are as I imagine they are, she is frighteningly powerful. (If you are sneering to yourself right now, Anonymous, you're a fool. I am certain the reason Inoue could not reject the Soul King's death has to do with the fact that she was suddenly "gifted" a new--very crudely revealing, I might add--outfit from a very untrustworthy shopkeeper. Now, why Urahara Kisuke would conspire to let the Soul King die, with the aid of Shutara's nullifying fabrics, is a question I can only speculate on.... however, my guess is that Urahara hoped his loyal student, Kurosaki Ichigo, might ascend to that role, after being compelled , as Urahara surely must have known he would be, due to his Blut Vene to kill the sitting king.)

So, of the offered candidates, Inoue would be my first choice of allies. Next, I would take, if he could be convinced, Ishida Uryuu. Sternritter 'A' is always welcome at my table, especially now, as I find myself in need of point of transfer in Fate.

Besides, Ishida has a personality I can respect. There is a very off-chance, dear Anonymous, that Ishida Uryuu and I could bond over favorite books and, in time, become something passing as "friends."

Yasutora Sado and Kurosaki Ichigo are a matched set, one always following the other, so they would be my third choice. I enjoyed fighting on the battlefield with Kurosaki when we combined our forces to engage the upstart, Juha Bach, but... Kurosaki Ichigo comes with a lot of entanglements, most of whom are devoted to my destruction and elimination. Asking Kurosaki to chose between my agenda and his friends would not go well for my agenda. To be clear, Kurosaki simply has too many friends who dislike me and it is clear that Kurosaki is a man who values his friends over his own life. There is hardly a scenario I can imagine that could capture Kurosaki's trust so completely that he would abandon his friendships for me.

However, if one presented itself, I would take it.

Despite what you might imagine of me, Anonymous, I get along with a wide variety of people--you need only look to my former Arrancar and Espada army to see that. And, yes, many of them followed me out of fear of my massive reiatsu, but I was also once a very popular captain. I can play nice, if I must.

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

John Wick: Chapter 4

I’m not going to be giving out any spoilers or make this very detailed. But I want to say something before I talk about the film itself.

I have never played Ghost of Tsushima. But considering Chad Stahelski is going to direct and produce that film, and what I’ve seen with all four John Wick films in terms of certain things. I think that film is possibly in the right hands.

Now I must say...and if this is truly the finale (I mean, I’m not saying anything, but it has to be) in the main John Wick series...this is such a brilliant send-off to the character. It’s strangely perfect.

The action and stunts, the camera work, and many other things. It is absolutely excellent, and...I don’t feel like saying more. But the writing and other things, I really dug this film. I’m glad I got to experience it in a theater.

But I’ll admit, I preferred chapter 3. Yet I really loved chapter 3 because of how developed that film’s story went on, and particularly the action and just...what else is to say? It amuses me that the reason I discovered this franchise was when I got distracted watching the last act of John Wick: Chapter 2 in the living room. I was so captivated by how that film was made. And this series is maybe my favorite action movie franchise.

And after a stressful and busy week, having time for myself to go to the movies by myself was truly great. Also, a shoutout to the film’s score. Even the songs in the credits, perfect, beautiful. And damn, if I recall right, that ending was getting me. Because they actually did that, and I applaud them for doing that.

[xaviernottheprofessor]

Final Confessional Mentions of: Literally everyone. lmao

“Alright, listen mates. There’s a Tres Leches cake with my name on it. I might have to fight Luna and she’s feisty as hell for a little thing so you already know that if I go in there and there’s one piece left, I’ll have to challenge you lot in finding a way to getting another one. Is this like the Nike store where there’s more in the back?” 

“There’s never more in the back at the Nike store, Xavier. That’s the rule of retail.” The producers chimed in with a smirk. 

“That’s what they want you to think. There’s always more in the back. Always. Target, Walmart, Nike store, Michael Khors. You name it. I know. I’m a professional back room shopper.” 

The producers laughed, shaking their heads a not only the humor but the over confidence. It’s why they had set their eyes on Xavier to begin with. “We’re going to miss you, Xavier. But to answer your question, we do have a slice for you.” 

Chad walked into the bungalow with a slice of cake just for the comedian and they both elbowed each other a “High 5″. 

“Brilliant. You’re all brilliant.” Xavier laughed and sliced the cake with his fork before taking a bite. “So what do you have for me?” 

“Oh. We already provided. You have to tell us something now. How are you feeling now knowing you’ll be leaving as soon as the ball is over?” 

“Mmm..” Xavier nodded as he chewed. “Ah, well if I’m being honest? Like I have unfinished business but that’s an odd sensation every time I finish a project and move on. Nothing ever feels complete for me because I always feel like I could do more. That’s a me problem though.” He chuckled. “I just want to believe I will see everyone again. I’ve learned something from all of those people out there. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. Very humbling, very important. I needed it. I know some people will say differently but for me, it was necessary.” 

The producers nodded with a smile, glad to hear those words. “Well, when we think about growth, we do often think about you. You came on here thinking this would be a joke. Source for material. Didn’t even have love on the radar at all and then you ended up in a love triangle for God sakes! Before you did find love after all. How does that feel?” 

Xavier smiled thinking on how he had started this journey. “Like a rollercoaster for sure. Every person I showed interest in...well, it was for a reason. Astrid will be unforgettable in my book. She’s unique and funny and what a brain she’s got on her, right? She’s a great girl and I’m glad she’s found someone as amazing in Cisco. Same goes for Thomas. I could neve say enough good things about him. I always had my eyes on him and I guess I know why.” He chuckled. “He’s the best person, truly. And Cel. Well, Cel is just a league of her own. All three extraordinary people that I feel privileged  to have been on their radar at all.” 

The producers nodded. “We must admit, we expected some tension out of that but were pleasantly surprised at how you al handled it. I think we preferred that in the end.” 

 “Who are you kidding?” Laughter filled the room again. “I definitley prefer the amicable turn. It wasn’t easy and I struggled with my feelings but it ended up working out for everyone in the end. Dr. McCarthy was a God send. I hope he knows I’ll be blowing up his tele visit schedule when we’re all back home and settled.” 

“He’s very fond of you.” 

“And I of him. Without him and Khamani, I probably would have spiraled at some point. All because I didn’t know who I was an what I was capable of doing. There’s still a lot for me to learn. I still love too hard or too much and while he’s taught me that’s okay, I have to learn when to loosen the reigns a bit if you will.” 

“And Raj? He’s the other side of the coin. How does that work?” 

The mere mention of Raj brought him to joy and boy did it show. 

“Look, it’s easy to make assumptions on the quiet ones, right? Us loud folks, we hardly hide who we are unless we’re purposely trying to mask. The quiet ones are even harder to decipher. They’re all mysterious and shite.” He took a deep breath and turned the spinner ring on his thumb. “Raj is a lovely person and I’m lucky I’ve gotten the chance to get to know him as such. He’s giving and funny. That boy’s got jokes, I promise you. He’s loving and real. And speaking of real, I know that in the real world, we would probably have never met. I say that about everyone except for Thomas since we already knew one another. But I would haven’t had the opportunity. Always traveling and never really settled anywhere. I spent a lot of time focusing on what was in my echo chamber. Here, I got the chance to meet someone as amazing as Raj and once the basics were out of the way, it was hard not to fall in love with someone like him. We work because we’re different. We’ve taught one another a lot about well, a lot and I know there’s room to learn more and improve so much. This is just the beginning such an important journey. I can’t wait to meet his daughter and get to know her. I can’t wait to introduce him to my family and my life and for him to introduce me to his. I want him to feel the joy he’s always felt from giving in the rational sense. No one to pick him apart or deny him the opportunity because they’ve already defined him as a person based on his past.” 

The producers all went silent, truly taking in Xavier’s words. “You have a lot of love for him.”

“I do. It is simultaneously the most precious and terrifying feeling I’ve ever had. SO obviously that’s how I know it’s real. And I have all of you to thank for that. So, from the bottom of my heart, thanks.” 

“Oh boy, Xavier. You have us all sentimental here. One last question, when it comes to friendship, we know you’ve made plenty here. You’ve already said how you hope that doesn’t change once you’re out of here. Would you like to elaborate on your expectations.” 

Another smile pulled at his lips. “Well, I want to be ever present in Juniper’s and Chris’ baby’s life. And in theirs of course but definitely want to be another uncle they can count on. I want to see Khamani as often as possible. Emmie will never rid herself of me. I can’t imagine never seeing any of these people again so I hope that I do and enough to call them my family as that’s how I consider them now. Cel, Thomas, Seb, Little Luna, Franks, Emmie, Emma, Aldrich, Riley...all of em.” He took another sliver of his cake and finished it off, tears rolling down his cheek. He took a moment to finish the dessert, dried his face with the sleeve of his jacket and chuckled. “I think I’ve given you enough, good sirs!” He smirked and stood up. 

They nodded and stood up when Xavier did, moving in to shake his hand. “Safe ventures, Xavier.” 

“Cheers. Same to you.” 

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Tuesday,  31   January,  2023. Warmup...Squats...15  Minute  AMRAP.....Ring Dips.

Sue, Dana, and Alicia all called in with various excuses, so I considered cancelling this workout.  Also, the Weather-Lady had a threatening forecast with rain and sleet beginning before the workout hour was over.  But several of you hardier folks begged to come workout, so here we are.  Even Robert rearranged his busy schedule so he could come.

Warmup:

3  Rounds

15  Back Raises

15  Squats

Strength WOD:

Back Squats:     5 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3

The Triples all 80-85%

Timmy/Robert/Armando=225     Nathan=205      Herb=195     Dyer=185     Coach/Tom=175     Chad=170      Joe=115     Linda=100     Shannon=85     Howard=45

Metabolic Conditioner

15  Minute AMRAP

12 / 12  Dumb Bell Snatch     ( E=50 / 35 / 20 )

6  Push-Ups

6  Dumb Bell Goblet Squats

12  Calories Any ERG

SCORE:     Rounds & Fractions

Elites:

Armando=5    

RXers:

Robert=6     Timmy=5 1/4      Chad/Herb=5     Dyer=4 1/4      Nathan=4

The Rest:

Tom/Joe/Shannon=4 1/4     Coach=4      Linda=3 3/4     Howard=PJ / DNF

Cool-Down:

6  Ring Dips  X  5    

Use Bands If Necessary

Notes:

Shane ( Of the eponymous “SHANE RULE ) has apparently recovered sufficiently from his Saturday Stroke to be discharged home to the considerate care of his lovely wife Ruth Anne.  As soon as he settled in his Lazy Boy he sent a heart rending love note to anyone who is privy to What’s-APP.  Robert, of course, is already high-jacking Shane’s love and claiming it is all meant for him.  Anyway, I hope LHCF readers can somehow get to read Shane’s note.  In an ideal world there should be a lot more Shane’s.

Shane’s Medical saga is still evolving, as far as the Doc’s figuring out what happened.  But it suffices to know that he is home and apparently mentally intact.  The details I will leave for him to reveal.    

Many of you have been fantastic making certain that Shane has enough food to eat for the next month.  Keep it up. 

Howard (The F-I-L that Back Pack Larry abandoned at the Barn) returned again for a 3rd time.  Historically, the 3rd time is the charm.  That means he likes us and our methods.  He got a ton of individual coaching from Herb/Tom/Linda/and even me today.  He is very coachable.  Actually a sweet guy you will like if you can draw him out of his shell.  He is a shy dude.  I must be considerate since he has admitted to enjoying reading this blog.  Howard knows his limits and he won’t let you push him too far.  He’s not testosterone stupid like most of you guys.

There is no Wednesday (MOM’s) workout.  It is our impression that Williamson County Schools will be again closed tomorrow, making it difficult for our Mom’s to workout at 0800.  Also, the weather is going to be NASTY for outdoor CrossFit.

Thursday at 4 PM.  The Maples are flowering.  The Japanese Honeysuckles are leafing out.  Winter is on the wane.  

Wine and snacks and fun.  Thursday at 4 PM.

[ichinoue]

Been seeing a lot of people saying Ichigo and Orihime have no 'chemistry' lately; don't know of you've debunked that already, but I always like seeing your analysis! Even if the issue is completely subjective lol

Yeah, it is pretty subjective because it kind of comes down to preference or what 'type' of ships people like. For example, some people are really into the bickering couples trope, or enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, etc. and tropes like that don't apply to ichihime, so for people who typically like those kinds of pairings, ichihime would probably seem boring or just not their cup of tea, and therefore appear to have no chemistry, in their opinion, according to their preference.

But to me, chemistry is something that happens between two characters that is special and unique to them and their dynamic together. They can be in a room full of the rest of their other 'just friends,' but the way they treat each other stands out as something different, as special. What really draws me to Ichigo and Orihime is how gentle he is with her compared to his other friends. Particularly in the beginning of Bleach, he gave off this rough, tough guy "I don't give a fuck," exterior, but yet we see his attentive, protective side come out when he fusses over Orihime and her injuries (x) (x), and admits that he wears himself out worrying about her (x)

And the moments when he offers to walk her home, while she cutely stammers and blushes. You don't get interactions like this between Ichigo and anyone else.

Once again, Orihime cutely blushing and stammering while Ichigo is oblivious as to why, but yet still gentle with her. I've seen people argue that moments like this only seem shoujo-esque because of Orihime's feelings/blushing and that there's nothing coming from Ichigo's side, but I disagree. The usual scowl on his face is gone when he speaks to her. That furrow between his brows is gone. He's not sarcastic or scowling, he doesn't seem impatient or annoyed or "prickly" as Ichigo can sometimes come across--instead, he's gentle with her, even reassures her when she gets insecure about something. "Don't worry," he tells her. It's just sweet. I can't imagine Ichigo acting like this with Ishida, or Tatsuki, or Keigo, etc. Not to mention...the way Kubo drew Ichigo’s hands wrapping around her waist here is a very intimate touch, especially given that it sends Orihime’s already present blushing/nerves into overdrive. And also....WHY exactly had Ichigo already given thought to how ‘heavy’ Orihime might be if he were to pick her up? As if he’s already put some thought into what it would be like for him to lift her up, or hold her in his arms like this before? Interesting... Moving on, (apparently tumblr only lets you add 10 images per post now, so I'm going to have to link to some of these in reference, but):

This (x) and this (x) has always been so adorable to me, the fact that these two things happened only six chapters apart. Ichigo is the one to check on Orihime while she's healing Jidanbo, not Chad or Ishida, but Ichigo. As if he was watching her, knew she must be getting tired, and so he brought her a drink. He's caring, thoughtful and attentive with her. And then what does Orihime do just six chapters later? Even though her stomach is literally still growling, she still sets some of her own portion of food aside to save for Ichigo because she knows he hasn't eaten yet and must be getting hungry.

This is what couples do! They're so thoughtful and considerate of each other, they take care of each other, naturally, without having to be told to do so, and without expecting anything in return. Did the other 'just friends' bring Orihime a drink? Did the other 'just friends' save their food for Ichigo? You see what I mean? It's just all so tender and sweet and "coupley" to me.

And god, the angst. The kneeling at her bedside, the intensity in his eyes. That was Ichigo’s flashback of the scene---not Orihime’s, but Ichigo’s. He’s the one angsting this hard about Orihime in particular. So much focus being put on Orihime. And so, the question is...why? Seriously though, why? Considering that Ichigo mentions how both Chad and Tatsuki were hurt, too, (especially considering Tatsuki and Chad are the people Ichigo is closer friends with/has known longer than he’s known Orihime....Orihime should really be less important at this point if we’re going by pure platonic friendship alone, right??...and so...WHY is the most focus put on Orihime? What sets her apart from the other ‘just friends,’ yet again? What chemistry that Ichigo has with Orihime is being presented here, that he apparently doesn’t have with Tatsuki or Chad? And here's some more intense looks:

"Inoue...please." "Sorry I'm late, Inoue."

The vow of protection.

"Their gazes cross paths."

"Inoue....you're okay?" (Ichigo 'I had a gaping hole in my chest two seconds ago, but I'm still gonna make sure Orihime is okay 🤷‍♂️' Kurosaki).

"Stop, Inoue...Don't heal his arm, he's..."

The painful eye contact!!! The looks he gives her, the looks she gives him right back!! It's emotionally charged, it's intense, it's chemistry.

He stops in the middle of a fight to reassure her, because he knows she's scared and confused. "sorry...are you scared? Since I look like this, you'd probably have a hard time listening if I told you to relax, but let me say it anyway."

He's in the middle of battling the guy that killed his mother, and yet he still takes the time to stop and reassure Orihime because he knows she has past trauma with hollows, and seeing him like that in the lust arc. "Relax, Inoue...This time, I'm still me."

Like he's just so??? Gentle?? So considerate of her feelings and sweet with her and this is a side of Ichigo you don't always get to see. But it's not rare in the slightest when it comes to Orihime. It's the norm with her.

That gentle dynamic he has with her stands out, it's different, it's special.

And this?? He looks like he melted into a puddle at the sight of her crying and worrying over him! Even Rukia cuts herself off in the middle of a sentence when she realizes how emotional Orihime is, and Rukia sighs, her face softening as she admires such a sweet moment between Ichigo and Orihime. Clearly, she can feel the chemistry in the air between them. All of the nakama are standing around together, but only Orihime gets this soft, cute moment with Ichigo. And once again, he doesn't scowl or look annoyed or recoil in disgust at such a strong display of her emotions and feelings, it touches his heart!!! It makes him smile, makes him happy! He turns into such a boyfriend when it comes to her!!! He does not act like this with the other 'just friends.'

They have so many cute and funny moments together, too, like:

Spying on Ishida together. "Sew...?" "...ing!!!"

"Are you sure?" "Of course! Because I made the decision myself!" "I see," Ichigo says, smiling. He's so endeared by her.

That time he lost his concentration because Orihime was cheering him on. God, they're so cute.

The headbump.

And the other headbump from the final arc. Kubo remembered :)

That time Ichigo was pissed and started yelling at Kon and Orihime's like "heheh, but it was my fault, too." But Ichigo doesn't get mad at her :) Not in the slightest. Only Kon. heheeheh.

Ichigo teases Orihime about her bread, Orihime sasses him right back :)

Ichigo and Orihime in chapter 589. Sweating, flustered, blushing, teenagers who are trying like hell to hide their feelings for each other. Making it the one and only scene of mutual blushing/attraction involving either Ichigo or Orihime in the entire manga, while their friends and mentors are basically shouting, "just kiss, already!!!" because they're still too awkward and embarrassed to admit their feelings...But everyone else can sense it, apparently. That's chemistry.

The way Orihime is the FIRST person Ichigo ever felt comfortable with enough to ask her to fight side-by-side with him in battle. And the way they communicated a strategy without words--just a look.

Seriously, just look at this this page and tell me they don't have chemistry. The way Kubo keeps narrowing in closer and closer on their mouths. The way they're both sweating and panting and almost kind of smiling in the middle of this life or death battle because they know they just effectively communicated a plan to each other without speaking and it's pretty cool how in synch they are and they're both kinda diggin' it? Yeah. (If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were doing *something else* here, if you know what I mean lmao).

And one of my FAVORITE things about IchiHime, is how whenever Ichigo gets into one of his "funks," what is it that most people do for him? Rukia. Renji. Isshin. Chad. ...?

They hit him. They slap him. They kick him. They throw him. They use some sort of violence. And hey, that's cool! It clearly works.

...But you wanna know what else works?

Orihime, crying out to him. No violence, no hitting. Just gentle words. Once again, their dynamic is different from what he has with all the other 'just friends.' It's so much more gentle, and tender, and soft. That's what sets it apart, makes it special. You can't say that Renji or Rukia or Chad has a special, unique way of getting Ichigo out of his funks, because they all do basically the same thing: call him an idiot, make a big speech, kick him in the head, etc.

But with Orihime, it is special, it is unique. He has a different chemistry with her. While practically every other person in his life takes a “tough love” approach, with Orihime, it’s always more gentle--i.e. unique. Different. It's her wearing her heart on her sleeve for him, a tearful request for him to not get hurt anymore. And that's all it takes to completely revive him, and restore his resolve, when he was about to lose during the Grimmjow battle. THIS is the kind of effect she has on him.

And of course, as we know, he tells Grimmjow he's not allowed to get hurt anymore....because Orihime said so.

And that's his future wife up there, so you better fuckin' believe he's gonna listen lmao.

The dynamic he has with her is different than the other 'just friends.' The way they treat each other is different from the other 'just friends.' Because they're not just friends. They're in love with each other. Don't believe me?

Oh well. THEY'RE MARRIED.

thanks, bye.

[zabiume]

Prompt: could we get a fic about Ichigo and Orihime’s very first date. Like that awkwardness in the beginning then they get more comfortable as the date goes on

I was going to answer this to the T, but I realized there have been a lot of awkward first date fics, so I thought I'd add a little twist to this one. Hope you like! :')

[Read on Ao3/ff.net]

They were twenty—well he was twenty, and she was a few weeks short of her birthday—when Ichigo could admit to himself that he maybe, possibly, probably thought about taking Orihime out on a date sometimes. It wasn’t a lot—his mind had erected rigid boundaries about what he was allowed to want, and what was strictly confined to his private thoughts when he was lying in his dorm bed and listening to Keigo snore.

And Keigo snored a lot.

So maybe he did think about it often, about Orihime coming down to visit him at college, eyes sparkling fondly when she saw through his attempts at humble-bragging about something he was secretly proud of. Listening to her thoughts and her opinions and her occasional bad puns.

Often, he felt homesick just thinking about it—which was ridiculous, really, because his university was a fifteen-minute train ride from home and having Keigo tail him around college was really no different from high school.

(Or maybe it was just stubborn denial of the fact that his homesickness wasn’t really for home, at all. Not strictly anyway).

Either way, when Orihime texted him back saying, yes, she would be interested in coming down to see this really cool aquarium he’d spotted, he sat up in bed and grinned like an idiot.

…

This was a mistake, Ichigo thought, the morning of, flinging a wad of clothes out of his closet. He was due to pick Orihime up from the train station in twenty minutes and he had absolutely nothing to wear.

“Wear a leather jacket,” Keigo said, from where he was lounging upside down on a study chair. “Girls like leather jackets.”

Ichigo made a noise of acknowledgement but frowned. In truth, he wasn’t really worried as much about the outfit as he was about the date itself. Orihime was a friend—a good friend, and half of him was perfectly content to let that be the status quo. The last thing he needed was an awkward change. The other half of him, though, the half that bloomed in hope when she so much as smiled at him—that half wondered if she’d maybe give him a chance.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and sighed glumly. His hair was too orange. This was a terrible idea.

A sudden knock against the door pulled both him and Keigo out from their reverie.

“Kurosaki-kun! We’re here!”

Ichigo frowned. We?

He threw his leather jacket over his shoulders and quickly hurried to fling the door open—

—coming face-to-face with Orihime, Chad and Uryu, all dressed up and ready to go in their summer clothes.

Ichigo frowned.

Chad flashed one thumb up in greeting.

“Sado-kun’s car just got back from servicing, so we drove here instead of taking the train.” Orihime explained happily, hands clasped together. “We figured we could spend more time with you that way.”

“I’ve been wanting to see the kelp forest exhibit,” Uryu felt the need to butt in quickly, lest anyone assume he willingly wanted to spend more time with Kurosaki.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was stunned. He opened his mouth to make a bold attempt at words, but was interrupted again.

“Sado? Ishida?” Keigo had come up to the doorway, one brow furled in confusion. He glanced at Ichigo. “But I thought it was supposed to be just—” Ichigo was on him in a flash of a second, palm forcefully covering his mouth even as his ears burned in embarrassment. They wrestled until Keigo was fully in Ichigo’s control, stumbling backwards into the room. The door slammed shut. Someone—probably Keigo—screamed.

Orihime, Chad and Uryu glanced at each other in confusion. When Ichigo re-emerged, he looked rumpled, but made a valiant effort not to let his inner turmoil show.

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Let's go.”

…

In retrospect, he’d never really specified it was supposed to be a date. There was absolutely nothing in his text that indicated he wanted to maybe try holding Orihime’s hand while they watched the magnificent giant Pacific octopus leer at them. But still. Though he loved Chad (and Uryu, he begrudged), he wanted nothing more than to glare at their looming shadows behind him right now.

“You know, it was so thoughtful of you to invite us out like this, Kurosaki-kun.” Orihime bumped her shoulder with Ichigo’s. “I’ve missed this.”

Ichigo softened, despite the misgivings in his head. “Me too.”

“Is that a cuttlefish?” Uryu piped up from behind them. “I’ve never seen one on this side of the Pacific.”

Ichigo groaned. He resisted the urge to turn around and snap, “how does it matter?!” but ultimately chose to grit his teeth instead. His forehead and armpits were damp with awkward sweat and this was going a lot worse than he’d pictured it in his head.

“I think it's a squid,” Chad rumbled.

Ichigo pinched his brows. Orihime raised a brow in concern and he flashed her a fake, half-hearted smile that only made her face falter in more concern.

Good going dumbass, he thought.

“Look!” she gasped suddenly, and his heart gave a strong lurch when her hand curled around his bicep. He forcibly peeled his eyes away from how close they were to follow her gaze upwards. They’d arrived at a darker section of the aquarium, a long, overhead arch glowing a vibrant sea-green above them. Ichigo squinted, trying to see what she was seeing among the thick kelp and seaweed.

“There,” she whispered, hand unconsciously clutching him tighter. He followed her pale finger, just in time to catch a bloom of kelp morph into a nebulous cloud of pink, tentacles unfurling outwards in gentle curls. “Camouflage.”

Ichigo returned his gaze to the dancing spots of the water’s reflection on Orihime’s face, utterly captured by the soft ‘O’ of her mouth, the pretty arc of freckles that dusted across her cheeks, her shimmering eyes. When she turned to look at him—and found him already looking back—her hand slipped from his arm in surprise and her cheeks pinked. Their knuckles were so close now, almost brushing, and Ichigo held his breath.

“Welcome to the Carnivore Kingdom~Where the mighty carnivores thrive and roam! Carnivooore Kingdoooom!”

“Damn it, Chad!” Ichigo roared.

…

After Ichigo’s outrage over Chad’s ringtone had gotten them kicked out of the kelp forest exhibit, Orihime had retreated to the washrooms to fix her hair and makeup. Ichigo had seemed rather poorly earlier, but she hoped he was alright now. He’d sounded so keen over text about meeting up this week, it really was strange to see him acting out. Had he been in a fight? Shaking the thought out of her head, she exited the restroom, only to find Ichigo waiting by the entrance—alone.

“Did Ishida-kun and Sado-kun skip ahead to the sea otters already?” Orihime asked, confused.

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck, a dull color rising to his cheeks. “They, uh—” he cleared his throat. “They left.”

“Left?”

Ichigo opened his mouth, then closed it. He took a deep breath, one fist clenched. “Inoue, I haven’t exactly been honest with you. About today, I mean.”

Orihime’s belly tightened in worry. So something had happened. “Kurosaki-kun—”

“I meant it to be just the two of us,” he confessed sheepishly, meeting her eyes. “Y’know. Like a date.”

He stared at his fingernails after a prolonged moment of silence. Orihime’s mouth fell open.

“Oh,” she heard herself say, very softly, the sound of her heartbeat filling her ears in fierce thrums.

He must have caught something in her expression, because he quickly added, “But I don’t mind if you don’t...if you don’t feel the same. I don’t mind staying friends, Inoue—I mean that. I’d never want you to feel obligated, and if this isn’t something you want—”

“NO!” she shouted, before simmering down in embarrassment, her face feeling hot. He glanced up at her curiously—maybe a little hopefully, she thought, her chest swelling with tightness. Her eyes felt thick with the first swarm of tears, but she fought them back to shake her head and stammer out, “No. I want this. I—I’d love to go on a date with you, please, Kurosaki-kun.”

She clenched her purse tightly with one hand, her only relief being that his face was as red as hers was. They stared at each other for a tense moment before his face broke out into a smile—a real, boyish smile full of warmth and relief.

“Good,” he said, nodding. “That’s good. Want to go—uh, see those sea otters?”

“I love sea otters,” she said faintly.

“I know.” He smiled, holding his arm out for her to take.

She took it.

[probably-haven]

Spoilers Galor ...... it is time.... for me to do what ive been considering for quite some time

this is my arguement... on why, whether romantically or platonically, i think you should ship or bro-ship,...... Childe.... and Albedo

HERE ME OUT I SWEAR PLEASE IT MAKES SENSE IN MY HEAD- JUST GIVE IT A CHANCE! rarepair shipping is painful- join me

OR DONT EVEN IF YOU DONT WANT TO GIVE THE SHIP A CHANCE I DO A LOT OF ANALYSIS ON ALBEDO AND CHILDE’S CHARACTERS INDIVIDUALLY, AS WELL AS THE FATUI, THEYRE METHODS, AND THE RELATION WITH MONDSTADT- AND OTHER STUFF- just- if you like reading different analysis-es of the game or ship material or anything- 

please just consider skimming it possibly- 

so for the first section of my argument, i will cover why this is a largely feasible possibility, so let’s set the stage

- Childe is from Snezhnaya, and he is shown to have a large amount of ties to his home, including but not limited to; his family, ice fishing, and just a large number of nostalgic references in his voice lines. 

- Because of this it’s a pretty common occurrence that he finds himself feeling homesick, as with many of the other Fatui.

- This is why he, like many of the other Fatui, so frequently visit and camp within Dragonspine, where the cold snowy atmosphere serves to remind them of home and the things they left behind.

- also in his birthday letter, it says he canonically visits Dragonspine, but explaining it this way gives it feeling 

- so considering that he would be in Dragonspine relatively often, and given the large number of Fatui camps in there regardless, it’s pretty clear he’d have heard of Albedo. So onto Albedo (unfortunately i wasnt there for his event so i dont have as much fuel, but it is what it is)

- there’s a few things that need to be asked first- It’s pretty clear that Albedo must have some interaction with the Fatui given the sheer number of them that camp in Dragonspine. Evidentially, he’s still alive so the question is why? and there’s a few possible explanations for this.

     - He just sneaks around a lot or avoids them (this i think is unlikely, as it would limit his actions while conducting experiments as well as the places where he’d be able to conduct them, which isn’t a big deal, but when there are other options I don’t think this is the one he’d pick)      - He just pulls a traveler and kills them (i don’t think he would do this except for as a last resort, he’s rather disconnected from any sense of empathy yes, but his time is better spent elsewhere. If it comes to that, it comes to that and he will, but he wouldn’t do it as his first option) (also i dont use geo characters much so idk how good he’d be at breaking their shields in this case)      - The Fatui don’t bother or attack him out of their own choice

- i think the third is the most likely, which sounds dumb but hear me out. 

- something that is stressed time and time again during the mondstadt archon quest is the fact that nobody wants to increase the always present strain on diplomatic relations between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya.      - Sure the Fatui do not care very much about this and have many ways to get around this. Signora attacking Venti (technically not a diplomat, and by disappearing she had plausible deniability; traveler’s words against her own, and really both traveler and Venti weren’t supposed to survive that, hence “leave no trace”), or the Fatui constantly attacking the traveler, (who’s canonically travelling alone with only Paimon, always on the move and encountering many unfamiliar dangers, not hard to clear up)      - However despite this, I still believe that Albedo’s safety(and by extent that of Sucrose and Timeus) on Dragonspine is maintained by a mixture of political agreement, situational convenience, and Albedo’s own actions

- its difficult for this to work but i believe it’s the most likely answer, combining all three possibilities that i mentioned above.  - Albedo is an official Knight of Favonius, so his death would cause a pretty dramatic commotion, and since he’s been in Dragonspine for as long as he has, if he was found dead outside of his lab- or suddenly disappeared, the first person to blame would be the Fatui.

- “But Flurp! what about the stuff you mentioned earlier, with Senora’s attack and the Fatui always going after the traveler?”

- context is key. The traveler is a traveler, and Venti was a necessity to achieve their goal. The traveler is also a huge threat to what they are trying to do, since the Fatui have probably heard of their accomplishments. Them attacking Venti was inevitable, no matter the strain it would cause. The fact that the traveler was there as well was merely coincidence in my opinion

- again “leave no trace” means the intent was that both the Traveller and Venti weren’t meant to survive. This is important because if the traveler disappeared, they would have vanished shortly after finishing what they had to do in mondstadt and thered be no reason to suspect anything had happened to them, just that they had moved onto Liyue. 

- Venti would pose risk, but again, the pros outweighed any risk it could have posed to their relations.

- with the Fatui regularly attacking the Traveler, again, that’s easy to clear up and would be difficult to pin on the Fatui, assuming how long it would take to realize they were gone (because despite helping so many people, its still natural to assume they’ve just travelled elsewhere)

- Albedo on the other hand, is technically a legal official, because of his high rank in the knights. He is also only ever really found in Dragonspine and Mondstadt the city. And he is well familiar with the dangers of Dragonspine, so if he were to die there it would be assumed to be either at the hands of the Fatui, or one of his own experiments.

- Thus attacking him is very high risk(unlike the traveler), and since he has nothing to do with their plans, low reward(unlike Venti). 

- So most likely he doesn’t needlessly interact with the Fatui, but should an experiment need to expand into the space of one of their camps, it’s likely he would need some kind of documentation to do so. At the same time, Albedo himself would also not be able to harm the Fatui who frequent the mountain. I TOOK WAY TO LONG TO EXPLAIN THAT UGGGGHHHHHHH anyways

- So set the stage, Childe is visiting Dragonspine, right? And he hears from whichever Fatui Camp he happens to stop in about the one Knight of Favonius that they keep seeing around Dragonspine, the one who just last week came to them with a stack of documents saying they would have to move their camp, it’s annoying but they have orders not to attack him. 

- and then there’s Childe, who’s been living in Liyue, surrounded by people who basically fear Dragonspine as if its some kind of deadzone, and he just assumed that for anyone not from Snezhnaya, thats exactly what it was. He assumed nobody but the Fatui would dare even visit there, let alone be there as frequently as whoever this person was. 

- And he’s got to be pretty important for there to be orders not to attack him, right?       - cue Childe’s unique brand of curiosity, so he asks more, apparently the fellow has a geo vision, and had been spotted taking down or even just lurking by a number of Dragonspine’s dangers as though it was merely routine       - cue flashback to when he first met the traveler, instantly hesitant, hostile, and potentially even afraid towards him as soon as he realized he was Fatui, even before revealing himself as a harbinger.

- so what was it about this guy that made him so convinced he could walk into a Fatui camp alone, order them around, and still walk out alive. Even Childe could admit how underhanded the Fatui were at times, their true orders could have been anything

- He’s not just going to leave now, no. So he asks more questions and figures out that they did at one point scout out his lab while the Knight was out, and give him the location. He’s a harbinger, what are they gonna say “sorry sir, can’t tell ya” no, these bitches see him with the same amount of fear they’d have for Dotorre or Scaramouche or La Signora or any of the others- you don’t just tell a harbinger “no”

- So anyways Childe decides to check it out 

- in the case that Albedo’s mid experiment in his lab when this happens, he’ll probably assume it’s a Knight, since the Fatui haven’t tried anything in quite some time and would just send off a quick “I am in the middle of an experiment right now, I would prefer not to be disturbed”      - and Childe would laugh at his voice because let’s be honest, he thinks of himself as a Chad and it just sounds “weak” to him, and then the scenario leads into what would happen even if he wasnt mid-experiment

and now a look into Albedo’s perspective

- let’s assume that the Knights heard about the Traveler’s role in what happened in Liyue, since it’s kind of common knowledge that Childe was the one who did it, and the traveler doesn’t exactly try to hide that he fought Childe. So considering how often the knights and the Fatui clash, and what happened with Signora, they would likely ask the traveler about it, in order to be better prepared, and for that same reason i feel like the traveler would tell them some of it. 

- so in this situation, it’s likely that Albedo would recognize him and likely know an amount of his combat abilities, and the thing with the fake seals of permission/Osial, but I don’t think the Traveler would have given told any more than that

- so here’s Albedo, surrounded by Fatui camps, knowing that he knows more about this Harbinger than the other thinks he does and assuming that Childe knows more about him himself, but just how much does he know.

- it’s the first time one of the Fatui has come to his lab in- he doesn’t know how long (other than the occasional instance of a wounded member risking the encounter in a moment of desperation. He’s observed that those who wield hydro have never been present in any of these instances, and are most likely designated as healers, but he isn’t in the best position to find out.)      - and the fact that the first Fatui to come to his camp(out of anything other than necessity) is a Harbinger, is certainly very off putting, as he knows that Childe most certainly has the ability to change the orders of the Fatui around him whose cooperation with him is something that he recognizes as very fragile

- and he knows it’s unlikely, in the back of his mind he keeps recalling that this specific Harbinger is the one who resurrected a dead god for the purpose of destroying a city (flashback to the famous “if I destroy Mondstadt” line) but he reminds himself that it’s highly improbable and thus illogical to jump to that conclusion, but he is nonetheless very on edge with Childe’s presence

- However, as with the rest of the Fatui, his hands are legally tied, and unless Childe moves to attack him, any move he makes would only serve to reflect on the rest of the knights

- As such neither would attack the other in this scenario, though Childe would very much want to, and Albedo would very much be prepared to.      - and both of these people are very observant (Albedo in the general sense and Childe in the ‘reading body language for combat’ sense) so both of them are completely aware of that, though Albedo would probably acknowledge that it may just be a result of his own paranoia

- However, unless Childe has orders otherwise, he tends to approach interactions with a more amiable attitude, extending his hand and introducing himself as “Childe,” less flamboyant than normal, because yes he’s extra, but not an idiot, he’s not gonna say “hey girlie, hold still” when the guy obviously has his hand tensed like that, “discretely” ready to reach for whats assumed to be a weapon, a melee one based on the position, sword or polearm probably

- Albedo, isn’t really one for pleasantries though, he has a number of things he still needs to do, and he does not want this Harbinger in or nearby his camp. “I’m aware” he says, giving his full attention, so as not to be caught off guard, and to get this over as quickly as possible. “I assume you have some purpose behind this visit. I am rather busy at the moment, so i would prefer that we keep this interaction brief.”

- and Childe is a little shit who still doesn’t know how to associate violence and hostility with any kind of bad vibes so he just laughs and holds up his hands “relax relax, I’m not here on business, no need to be on edge, right?”

- But Childe has a tendency while speaking to, knowingly or unknowingly, give his words a rather ominous tone. That and the fact that Albedo is in his lab, one of few places in Dragonspine where any misfortune that might befall him could be pinned on his own experiments keeps him from letting down his guard just yet. 

HOWEVER i cant do dialogue... and this isn’t technically a fanfiction so i can summarize-

- Childe is basically all like “so why the shit are you in dragonspine comrade? i thought yall hated it”

- and albedo is all “experiments and this is where my lab is, is ” but like- not key details cuz he isnt going to reveal stuff to the fatui

-and Childe basically be like “ why up here, isnt there other places,” cuz he legit doesn’t get it. He gets that his mindset isn’t the norm, so he’d assume Albedo would want to do anything to avoid Dragonspine and its dangers like what seems to be the norm for what most people hes interacted with have generally agreed

- and Albedo says some flowery words for like oh “In the pursuit of knowledge if one allows themselves to be dissuaded by potential dangers, then they will find it quite difficult to progress beyond that which is already known”

- which, is important cuz it reflects Childe’s mindset on getting stronger, so he’s like yeah, checks out, and being the extroverted shit he is, he has the guts to ask “aren’t you gonna ask why im in dragonspine?” or something because honestly he likes talking about himself, and thats a topic that doesnt have to do with the fatui so it’s an easy way to make conversation.

- and Albedo, who has by now slightly relaxed just enough to resume preparing the experiment he was preparing before Childe came in. and all passive aggressively is like “The same as the rest of the Fatui, most likely. Now if you don’t mind I do have a number of experiments to conduct and I’m afraid it can get rather dangerous, so it would be best that you take your leave now”

- and Childe gets the message that he’s essentially being told to fuck off but he’s also cheeky as shit and absolutely loves to test his luck so he’d be all “I thought you said not to be dissuaded by potential dangers” sounding all proud of himself for using the other’s words against him 

- and Albedo doesn’t have time for this so he just turns back towards Childe, same tone and same face as before, and repeats “it would best that you take your leave”

- Now Childe doesn’t see this as a challenge persay, but he sees how easily it can turn into one, and speaks the two cliche words “make me”

- but Albedo is also a little shit and just turns to resume his experiment, letting out a sigh “Stay if you’d like. I didn’t consider this possibility but I may have to request my lab be made off limits to the Fatui. A shame, I didn’t plan to return to Mondstadt for quite some time”

- and Childe, he’s decently smart- and he knows a number of things, 1 the other harbingers are gonna be pissed if they find out he caused more work for them again, 2 this individual is interesting and he very much wants the opportunity to fight them in the future, and 3 he’s not involved in politics and should Albedo follow through, the Harbingers wouldn’t give 2 shits if he asked them to try and get the change reversed.

- and so he leaves, but he’ll be back

- Albedo’s threat may have given him the upper hand for now, but it also served as a challenge he wouldn’t forget.       - of course it’s not really that big a deal though, just if he’s ever in Dragonspine again and there’s nothing nearby to kill, he’d keep it in mind, and hey, best case scenario he can get more information to contribute to the Fatui

OKAY

- so now that Childe is gone and Albedo is able to reflect on the interaction, at first he’s just relieved nothing bad happened

- within the following day he reflects once again, deciding that the Harbinger most likely wasn’t lying about his intentions, he truly did seem seem to merely have been curious as he had claimed

- in hindsight he also realizes that conversing with him may also allow him to confirm or deny a number of the theories he had on the Fatui, or perhaps raise more questions for him to look into that he had not yet considered... or at least it could as long as he was careful about how he asked.

- AND THUS there a few more meetings, many are purely conversational, each trying to get knowledge from the other while being fully aware that the other is trying to do the same      - not the type of battle Childe is used to, and it does get boring at times, but it’s all part of the game so he persists

- and eventually, as Albedo recognizes this as a regular thing, he begins enlisting Childe’s help in a number of experiments. Just figuring that since he’s doing an experiment and Childe is there regardless, it’s the most efficient option. That and it keeps the more dangerous questions to a minimum, often redirecting the questions towards alchemy, a much safer topic that he does not need to step so carefully around in order to discuss.

- There comes a point where Childe decides to point out the fact that Albedo most often has him help out with combat-requiring aspects of his experiments, and questions why

- Albedo, figuring it was obvious, reminds him of the conversation a few visits ago, where Childe mentioned his drive to get stronger, and(to requote) said that if he didn’t feel these opponents were sufficient to increase Childe’s strength, he could always bring in a couple Oceanids to fight. He then points out afterwards that ruin guards are a bit easier to fight with a bow

- Mixed responses from Childe including but not limited to      - quickly refusing in the language of hydro vision panic, followed quickly by      - oh, so he’s been trying to help this whole time, to-      - how the fuck would he bring Oceanids to Dragonspine, is that even possible?      - followed by curiosity

- and so he brings up the point that he’s never seen Albedo fight, which is a shame. “If you can’t take them down on your own just say so, no need to make excuses.” because heck yeah he’s going to taunt him, I mean this is Childe

- which of course Albedo returns with “If you want to see me in combat, follow your own advice” because of course, by now he knows about Childe’s combat obsession, like you don’t need to know him that long to figure it out, its kind of obvious. 

- but he recognizes the intention, so he finishes what he’s doing checking what he needs for his future plans before exiting the lab, Childe following behind him, eager to see his future opponent in action

- so albedo goes to a ruin guard/grader/hunter(one of those), because otherwise it’s hilichurls or abyss mages and he knows enough to be able to tell that’s not exactly the kind of opponent Childe meant, and he would prefer not to have the topic brought up again, if he knew how to avoid it.

- so Childe stands back and Albedo, who is well accustomed to having to defeat the enemies in Dragonspine in order to get components for his alchemy knows exactly how to kill this bitch cuz honestly, the number of these guys he’s probably killed for research purposes is astronomical, so it’s done rather quickly and methodically, as if just another part of routine, exactly the way that it had been described when Childe was first asking the Fatui at that one camp about the alchemist.

- And that interest/intrigue that had started in the side of Childe’s mind and grew over time into one of the reasons(tho not the main reason) that he would often go to Dragonspine... it multiplied exponentially

- cue a few more visits and a new turning point occurs

Klee

- Childe comes to visit, and upon arriving at the lab he sees a child

- cue Childe approaching again, amiable grin on is face “and who’s this young lady”       - because it’s literally canon that he’s good with kids

.....

- but Klee isn’t any kid

- and Klee was there for the briefing so she has just as much information on Childe as any of the other higher ranking knights      - and only that much information

- a short time later they’re cleaning up the scattered remains of what was Albedo’s last experiment, lucky that the explosion was set off near the entrance so the damage wasn’t too extensive

- “Please don’t tell Master Jean, Dodocco said he was sorry”

- Cue Childe’s “I’m not a bad guy... okay I’m kind of a bad guy” quote       - “but I mean no harm, I’m a friend of Albedo’s”

- and Albedo’s standing there like when I agree to that but he wants to see how this plays out

- and I’m really unfamiliar with Klee’s characterization, but you get the point Childe is canonically god at kids, he’s gonna learn that Klee’s basically Albedo’s little sister, Klee’s gonna get attached to him and remind him of his siblings back home, Childe’s interaction with Klee is basically what gets Albedo to start actually somewhat trusting Childe as opposed to just using him from a metaphorical distance and subtly helping in ways that wouldnt really negatively impact the knights

- and now that hes no longer actively distrustful his mind is more open to actually becoming attached, as he now begin to recognize that that which he initially believed to be mere manipulation tactics was actually just... Childe being genuine, or as genuine as a person can be in their situation

OKAY OKAY OKAY NOW THAT ALL THAT IS ESTABLISHED I CAN GET INTO THE DYNAMIC 

- so theres the obvious things i already mentioned, like their mutual extreme drive to improve in their respective fields that separates them from others, even within their own respective groups/organizations which already(to an extent) separate their members from most others

now lets talk about this point specifically

- both Childe and Albedo are capable of helping each other grow in their respective fields.

- two things that have the potential to cause Childe trouble and lessen his combat ability and the problems with his delusion and his foul legacy transformation

- these two things are things likely unlike anything that Albedo has been able to study before (tho delusions he might have some experience with- but it’s unlikely) and it would likely be able to expand his knowledge, were he given the opportunity to experiment them, while simultaneously helping childe improve his strength

HOWEVER

- both of them know just how fragile the relationship(whatever it is) between them is, how quickly tensions can shift and orders can change, so in order to protect both the other and themselves they both understand that actually going through with this wouldn’t truly be safe and both sides could get in trouble for it

- because no matter what they do there will always be a constantly present risk hanging over their heads, but ill come back to that

- Dragonspine      - in a lot of Albedo ships, the other character has to go through the effort of going to Dragonspine, which tends to serve as an obstacle for the relationship to be overcome (exception of sucrose and... idk do people ship him with Timeus? just in case, recognizing them both as potential exceptions)       - However, in the case of Childe, who legitimately enjoys coming to Dragonspine, he wouldn’t hesitate to visit Albedo      - with most it becomes “wow, i haven’t seen Albedo in a while, gee, i wish he’d come down the mountain, nonetheless i am a good lover so i shall make the harsh trek to see my beloved”      - with this bitch Childe tho it’s more like “oops, feelin’ homesick, Imma see how Albedo’s doing, hope he’s made progress, wonder if Klee will be there” or “Wow I haven’t seen Albedo in awhile. Finna finish up these fatui duties real quick and head over, if i say im checking on the Fatui stationed there, I dont even have to ask to go on leave” (he gets in trouble for not officially asking for a day off anyways)

-anywho, Childe is largely used to interacting with the Harbingers, who always seem to have some other secret second layered plan of sorts that he’s not always informed about (ex: him being intended to fail when he summoned Osial, but being kept in the dark about it), which conflicts with Childe’s relatively straight forward nature      - Albedo also possesses the potential to be similar, however he doesn’t often see the need for such things, preferring to be frank about his goals and expectations, so unlike with his fellow harbingers, Childe knows that when Albedo tells him something or asks something of him, what he’s being told is usually exactly what actually is true/intended. And if it’s not, Albedo is the kind of person to explain that it’s something he can’t tell him, which he understands, since he has his own share of things he cant share because of his Fatui alignment.

- there is going to be an interaction where at some point Childe is rambling about his family back home, and Albedo questions him about what they look like, a few days later handing him a surprisingly accurate drawing of his siblings      - “I did have to try to check appearance with the traveler but unfortunately they weren’t in Mondstadt, do I do hope there aren’t too many inaccuracies”      - Homeboy doesn’t cry(probably) but he gets really fucking close      - cue socially isolated Alchemist boy misunderstanding and trying to apologize, which Childe responds to by just hugging him- because both of these boys are touch starved and honestly they fucking need it. 

- and now that Childe knows Albedo doesn’t actually have a significant boundary on physical affection, as with most Childe ships... it happens a lot

- headcanon that Childe tends to just lean/rest his head on things like a dog.  - additional headcanon that Albedo tends to have a need to keep his hands busy at all times     - so just cue the scene where Albedo is working on experiments as usual, Childe watching from behind with his head rested on his shoulder and Albedo just absentmindedly playing with his hair with one hand while the other continues with his work

- also talking with Albedo gives Childe a a lot of harmless fun facts and he loves rubbing it in they’re faces when he gets to correct one of the other harbingers on something because of this

- Albedo does also have a tendency to overthink things though, and Childe’s more straight forward mindset gives a new perspective that helps him work around issues more often than he would have expected

- Also Albedo’s love language is totally words of affirmation (i will die on this hill, he doesn’t even realize he does it probably). So he wouldn’t hesitate to sincerely thank or praise Childe whenever he helps or does something good. And Childe is a Fatui, most of the praise he gets is from the subordinates who admire him yes, but also lowkey highkey fear him, and especially after all of Liyue knows he summoned Osial basically, he is pretty damn starved for affirmation and praise and wouldn’t even notice just how much until Albedo gave that to him.      - like Childe is over here melting into a puddle of fluff and Albedo probably wouldn’t even realize what he’s doing, he’s just stating his observations out loud

- Childe and Albedo making a pinkie promise, Childe does the little Snezhnayan chant, and Albedo’s gaze just shifts slowly towards the nearby frozen lake in intense concern

- They go ice fishing with Klee who introduces Childe to fish blasting and it’s a whole new world of possibilities now. Albedo has many regrets.

- the harbingers have all basically figured it out by now and are concerned about security but mostly they just mock him for it      - the Fatui stationed in Dragonspine however, probably know because 1 they’ve seen Childe with Albedo almost every time he visits, and Childe brags about it regularly           - at this point a majority of them ship it and needless to say Albedo’s risk of death via Fatui has gone down significantly, and it’s had a surprisingly positive benefit on relations between the knights and Fatui overall

- the Knights took a bit longer to catch on, since Albedo isn’t exactly in Mondstadt all that often, but it’s the city of freedom, what are they gonna do? say no? again, they are concerned about security risks, but trust Albedo to recognize what should be withheld.

- also its canon that Childe enjoys cooking, and Albedo has a line about like... let me look it up rq- It’s his “Least Favorite Food” line which talks about how he doesn’t eat at restaurants cuz he has a small appetite and doesn’t want to waste food, which is unfortunate cuz then he has to spend time making his own food      - idk its kind of small but i just saw it and thought it was kind of a cute detail

- Childe is a chaotic bean and we love him for it      - on the other hand Albedo is more calm and patient, able to put up with this, and realistically, he has enough experience with Klee to not accidentally put him out or down or otherwise dampen his natural personality...... it’s just when the two of them get together that Albedo experiences true fear.

- Albedo: I have an idea for an experiment but the Jean has suggested that the risk is- - Childe: you should do it! - Albedo: -that the risk is too great and has disallowed me from continuing it - Childe: Oh? well she can’t tell me not to it, now can she?  - Both: *mutual gremlin noises*

anyway... im probs gonna add more to this later.... I’m just really bad at coming up with ship dynamics- so my main point in this is to get people to realize that it possible and that it could work- because there is... nearly 0 material on it- and i just think it has the potential to be so wonderful but I do not have the potential to make it that way. Like it has the potential for so many different dynamics and iconic moments and theres so many reasonable ways they could meet and just so many possibilities and im just really hoping to show the ship to more people because, y’know, it’s rare and i want them to suffer from the lack of content too, because I’m just a kind person like that.

i would have put it under a cut if i could, but i have no idea how to do that so... apologies...

[tuliharja]

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Separation episode 9 review

And after a week's break, the anime is back~. And we're continuing right where we left off.

Good thing Ichigo and the company bounced back to the action after Uryuu joined Yhwach and Jugram. It was a quick and shift moment, but I get a feeling it was mostly thanks to Chad's reassurance. Of course, Orihime too helped, but I feel like Chad got that small spotlight to be Ichigo's main support this time around which felt just nice.

It was also interesting to see shinigami picking themselves after that blast Yhwach and company left because in the manga there wasn't such a scene.

I must admit I was genuinely surprised we saw Iba and Komamura. That was just a nice addition the anime team made, along with Byakuya surrounded by the Quincies and Renji protecting Rukia from that blast. Little additions like those really add to things in the long run as those explain what happened to other characters when something was going on. Sure, it's nice to see the main gang in action and follow them, but it just gives this feeling of many characters and stories, when there are little bits like these in anime (and manga).

Lol! Renji talking smack about Bazz-B. xD Just for Bazz-B to compliment Renji. That was an adorable moment, even though Renji ended up pissing off Bazz-B with his chicken comment...like yes. It's nice chickens lay eggs and all, but I'm not sure if a guy would like such a compliment. Poor Bazz-B. His Burner Finger Four was very cool. Reminded me again just how good the animation is in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ~.

Oh, so they really went for that scene with Yumichika revealing Giselle isn't biologically a girl, huh? It really wasn't that clever way of Yumichika wanting to make more accurate points of Giselle. (And before anyone asks, yes, in the original TV-broadcast Yumichika uses the lines he uses in the manga. [Making that scene just tacky -at least from my mind.] In the international version they've censored that line and also Giselle's one line as far as I'm aware.) But I suppose they just wanted that scene to be added, because...I'm not sure. I don't think anyone would have minded if that scene had been fully scrapped, because what would have mattered in the end if we wouldn't have been sure of Giselle's biological gender? Giselle identifies herself as a girl, so it should have been fine. But I suppose for some reason or another, they just wanted to push that little niche fact about Giselle. At least they tried their best with that scene. That's all that I'll write about it.

Now moving on~. To be honest, I was dreading this part of the anime because zombies are a big nope to me. Luckily the zombies in this didn't look as bad as those could, otherwise, I would have had to skip quite a lot of content from this episode, as it centered around quite heavily around zombies.

I'm kind of glad Yoruichi was introduced in such a neutral manner, unlike in the manga. Now the focus was on the task of 'how to get Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad to Soul King's palace?' Kisuke's explanation was interesting and I'm glad we learned what Yoruichi was up to, since up until now we hadn't seen her! Not to mention what exactly was Hiyori's, Lisa's, and Hachigen's task at the World of the Living. This all actually made me question if Kisuke (and Mayuri) did foresee Yhwach going to the Royal Palace and if they allowed such a thing to happen on purpose. Because now remember, Kyoraku all but hinted Ichibe allowed on purpose such a thing to occur...is there a secret scheme going on or what? Because that all seemed like such a big mishap, I wouldn't say all was just 'pure coincidence'.

Seeing Yumichika and Ikkaku fighting against zombie Bambietta was very nice. They really work very well together and I believe before this we hadn't really seen them fighting together. At least I can't recall such an event as usually, they would work separately I recall Ikkaku insisted on fighting alone against his own opponent and Yumichika felt shamed for his kido skills. But this time around, it seemed like they had managed to solve such issues and worked together quite well. Too bad their fight against Bambietta was a short one. But it was nice to see sunflower!Mayuri enters the stage~.

Mayuri going against Bambietta and Giselle looked visually very cool. Though when Giselle brought her Gotei Thirteen zombies, I almost snorted when Mayuri explained he wouldn't be able to go against them because of the 'goodness of his heart'. Yeah, like he hadn't previously in his life killed many of his subordinates. Not at all! ...but in all seriousness, I think he just wanted to flaunt his own zombies to Giselle. (And yes, just moments later when Mayuri told off both Ikkaku and Yumichika, proved he is still the same old Mayuri. Now with more facts under his belt that he can use against other people to do what he wants, though.) A good way to bring out already dead characters.

I must admit, zombified Toshiro wearing a Wandenreich outfit suited somehow extremely well to him. I still feel sorry for him, though. The fact he turned into a zombie and now has to go against his allies...not good at all. But we all will see more about that in next week's episode as the whole zombie thing is still far from over! (Again, I'm happy the zombies don't look like typical ones.)

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

Top 5 Bleach openings/endings :)

Ask me for my Top 5/Top 10 of anything!

This one was a lot of fun! However, I must admit ranking the openings was a lot harder than I thought it would be! There some I desperately wanted to include in my top 5 (like Velonica, Shojo S, After Dark, and chAngE), but I had to leave them off!

Top 5 openings

5. *~Asterisk~ by Orange Range

It's a classic, it can't not be on my list. It's stylish and unique, and every time I hear it I can't help but feel nostalgic and just throw myself into the beat.

4. Rolling Star by YUI

While I like the music for this one, I LOVE the visuals even more. They're creative and cryptic, hinting at what's to come and where the character's mindsets are at. Heck, I liked this one so much I ended up writing an analysis about the Ginran and Hitsuhina parts here if you're interested.

3. Ichirin no Hana by High and Mighty Color

This one is just bad ass! The music, the visuals, it's all great! I especially love the shot of Orihime looking determined and ready to kick ass, Kyouraku and Jushiro unveiling their hsikai, and of course the gif above. I also head bang at the end everytime when the screaming kicks in, can't help myself.

2.Ranbu no Melody by SID

I LOVE everything about this one! The music, the visuals, everything! It felt epic in some ways, showing this was it, the final showdown with Aizen. In other ways it was somber, as if everything was truly coming to an end - not just Aizen, but Ichigo is going to lose his powers, and Gin is going to die. One of the best and very close to being number 1.

1. D-technoLife by UVERwolrd

I have such good memories with this one, and it will forever have a special place in my heart. It was while watching this OP that realised how much I had come to love BLEACH, how much I looked forward to getting home and watching the next episodes. In terms of music and visuals, it's all hype! We've got battles that happened (Ichigo vs Kenpachi and Ichigo vs Renji) and battles that didn't happen but now looking back I would have been interested to see (Uryu vs Toshiro). We've got most of the Shinigami character making an appearance, even if it's only for a second or two. And of course, we have the amazing moment in the gif above. The first time I watched the Ichigo and Renji fight here, I got chills. After that, I'd always get hyped when it cut to them yelling ('I swore to my soul!!') and seeing the last shot of Ichigo and co running towards Sokyoku Hill.

Top 5 endings

5. Echoes by Universe

It's not my favourite song from the EDs, but I can't deny that I love the visuals with this one. From Orihime's slow walk at the start all the way to the captains and visoreds picking themselves up and the still of the Karakura gang walking away at the end, I love all the visuals and animation in this one.

4. Mask by Aqua Timez

The animation and visual are fantastic, I love how they portray Ichigo's emotions and the colours are so vibrant towards the end. The song really fits the visuals very well and it grew on me the more I listened to it. It also didn't hurt that there was a Hitsuhina scene in the alternative version for episode 366 :P

3. Mad Surfer by Kenichi Asai

(Couldn't find a gif for this ED so using this one because it's similar to the visuals)

I liked the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc, and this ED is part of the reason why. It's kind off beat, with a groovy tune and visuals that pop in colour. I also love how it showcased the zanpakuto spirits and their wielders.

2. Life by YUI

A lot of nostalgia tied to this one. It makes me remember all the fun I had while watching BLEACH for the first time and thinking about the characters after the episode ended and this ED kicked in. Visually it's just a bunch of still images for the most part, but I like what most of the stills show, like the one above with all the Karakura students (it reminds me of old times before the Soul Society arc). I also love the final image of Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, and Chad all on the roof.

1. Hokiboshi by Younha

*sigh* What can I say? It has to be on this list, for this moment alone! Well, not just for this moment. In fact, I adore this ending for the showcases of each of the divisions and the relationships between the captains and lieutenants (special mention goes to all versions of the ED that involved the Women's Association, like in the twelfth division and eighth division versions) I also love the little moments the Karakura gang have before the opening launches into showing the divisions, with my personal favourite being the one where they're all around the camp fire and Ganju is freaking out. The music is upbeat and I can't help but bob along to it every single time. If I had to rank my top 5 versions for this ED, it'd be: 1) tenth division, 2) eleventh division, 3) first division, 4) fifth division, and 5) sixth division.

Thanks for sending this one in! :D

[forever-rogue]

Afterglow - Part 6

A/N: Honey Bee finally made the smartest decision of her life in the last chapter and now...time to deal with the fallout. Thank you guys for supporting and loving this story too! As always, feedback and comments are welcome, and if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. xx 💕

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 6.5k

Warnings: None

AFTERGLOW MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

Spitting out the toothpaste into the sink, you groaned slightly when you realized that you had left your mouthwash back on your desk. Tilting your head under the tap, you got a mouthful of water and swished it around in your mouth, trying to get the last bits of toothpaste out.

When you were satisfied with the lackluster brushing, you quickly splashed some cold water onto your face to wake yourself up. But it was no use - you still looked as tired and dragged out as you felt. There were dark circles under your eyes, your lips were chapped and cracked, and the joy you normally held in your eyes was all but gone. You had been going through the motions for the last three, feeling more like an empty shell than anything else. 

But you felt liberated - free. More so than you had in a long time. That in itself made your current struggle worth it.

Grabbing your toothpaste, toothbrush, and hairbrush, you stalked out of the bathroom, ready to slink back to your office before anyone else arrived. 

Looking furtively around the hall, you walked the short distance to your own office, almost making it to safety when you heard your name being called softly. Groaning inwardly, you cleared your throat and turned around, plastering on the best smile you could.

"Ally," you said softly, "y-you're here early!"

"I was just thinking the same thing," she joked, and while you could tell she meant no harm, it still caused you to panic slightly. She was well aware of you calling off your engagement, hell the whole world seemed to know, but she never seemed to pity you for it. Her eyes flicked to the items in your hands as a warmth crept into your chest and blossomed over your whole face, "I'm meeting a client early this morning because it was the only thing that fit into his schedule. Are you..."

You remained silent for a moment, hanging your head before letting out a long sigh, "look, I've just been staying here since things ended with Chad. I'm trying to find my own place, but its been a bit of a difficult go. Turns that a lot of people don't want to rent to you if you happen to have supposedly wronged Chad Williams. It seems like everyone knows him."

She reached out and gave your shoulder a soft, reassuring squeeze. Meeting her eyes, you found a small smile on her face, luckily not one of pity, "I'm sorry he's making things miserable still. I'm guessing your parents are out of the question?"

"Absolutely not an option," you admitted with a stiff laugh, "my mom seemed okay at first but she and my father quickly came to the conclusion that I was in the wrong and making a horrible mistake. They insisted I was just going through a phase because of nerves. When I told them I was sure about my decision and wasn’t going back, they all but...disowned me. Imagine the shame I’ve brought upon them in their minds...they’re so old fashioned. Maybe they’ll come around one day.”

"Yikes," she said as you nodded, "can I be honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I never liked him," she admitted softly, causing you to almost give yourself whiplash as you looked over at her, "there was just something about him that was off. I think - I know, you can do so much better."

"Thank you," you said as you laughed lightly, trying to hold the tears that threatened to well up at bay, "I hope so too."

"I mean it," she insisted, "you're kind, smart, pretty, and you've got a good heart. What more could anyone ask for?"

"Apparently a dutiful, quiet little wife..."

"Very funny," she teased, "why don't you come and stay with us? While you get your own place? We've got an extra bedroom that's not being used, and it's much better than staying here. Have you been sleeping on your hard old couch?”

"Yes..."

"Absolutely not," she shook her head, "come over when you're done for the day. We'll get the room ready for you. Anna will be happy to see you again too. And you know what, it's not an option, its a demand. Just come over tonight and we'll get you settled. I'll have Anna pick up some wine for dinner and everything."

"Ally, you're much too kind..." you said as her phone stared to ring. She looked at the screen and a big smile spread across her visage as her wife's name popped up on the screen.

"Speak of the devil," she laughed lightly, "tonight! No if, ands, or buts!"

You could only nod as she walked away, chattering excitedly as she went to her own office. Before stepping in and closing the door, she gave you a grin and wave that was enough to cause a single tear to roll down your cheek. It had been weeks since anyone had even shown you an ounce of kindness; most people had decided to scorn you instead, blaming you for everything that had happened. Wiping the warm drop away, you stepped foot into your own office, stashing your toiletries away for what you hoped would be the last time. Hopefully that everything you'd finally be able to have a proper, long, hot shower and sleep in a bed, two luxuries that you had been greatly missing. 

Pulling out a dress from the small wardrobe, you slipped it on, vowing to stop your little pity party. Sure, things weren't ideal right now, but you were still so much better off than others. That was something you did not take for granted.

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Men really can be the worst,” Anna laughed, almost snorting into her wine as you held up your glass in a mock salute, “can you imagine being that pathetic and trying to sabotage someone you supposedly loved? I think it speaks volumes to his character.”

“The longer we were together, the more I realized that it was never about love, even if that’s how it started out. It was always about appearances and trying to please everyone else. It was getting so tiring.”

“I can only imagine,” Ally gave her your leg a small pat as you downed the rest of your glass, “but at least you’re free now. It’s easy to fall  into routine and not realize how unhappy we’ve become. We get used to just staying on one path. Usually it takes something big to make us realize what we’re doing isn’t what we wanted in the first place.”

“Okay Dr. Ally,” Anna teased her wife, “we’re not at the office. But I agree...I am curious, and happy, as to what caused you to realize that you deserve more.”

You felt the blood draining from your face almost immediately as you swallowed nervously, mouth dry. You weren’t about to delve into the memories and dreams that had been plaguing you over the weeks, becoming increasingly more frequent the closer your former wedding date had approached. Frankly, you hadn’t even admitted that to yourself yet, not out loud anyway. 

How were you supposed to tell yourself, let anyone else, that the reason you realized you deserved was better because you’d been dreaming of your high school boyfriend again? It had been twenty years, twenty long years without him - there was no reason you should have even given him a second thought. Yet...here you were. Still hung up on Frankie Morales, the boy that had earned your heart...and then brought it into a million pieces. You knew, you would be the first to admit, that it wasn’t all his fault, that you were to blame to an extent as well, but it didn’t make it any easier.

Ever since the day that you had run into him again, a day that should have been like any other, he’d been living rent free in your mind. Even if you hated him, even if you were still mad at him after all this time. You couldn’t help but wonder - what if. What if. 

What if he had come to California with you and you’d both stayed there? What if you had waited for him while you went to school and he was in the military? What if he’d come back to you long ago? Would you still be together? Would you be married to him? Would  you have a daughter or son that took on both of your best qualities? Or would you have eventually fallen out and broken up anyway, only to loathe each with every fiber of your being? Would you have stayed together?”

What if. What if. What if. 

It was that haunted you for so long now.

“Umm,” you snapped back into reality and pushed the thought of the boy you had loved out of your mind. You set the glass back down and made a small, noncommittal sound, “it was just a lot of things. The more real things became with the wedding planning the more I realized that I didn’t want this. It was at my last dress fitting actually, that I realized I couldn’t do it.” 

“That must have been quite a wake up call,” Anna’s eyes widened as she imagined the scene as you nodded, taking the almost empty bottle of wine and pouring the remainder into your class. 

“It was,” you admitted with a long sigh, “you should have been the poor dress maker. I almost ran out on her. But you know, even though things are far from perfect right now, I would still do it all again.”

“Cheers to that,” Ally held up her class, and the two of you clinked yours against it, “now to bigger and better things. You can, and will, do so much better.”

“Thank you both,” just being in their presence, let alone their home, had you feeling infinitely better, “I don’t even know where to begin to thank you.”

“What are friends for?” 

“I, however, do have some more good news,” Anna was proud of herself as the two of your gave her an inquisitive look, “I spoke to my friend who is a realtor today, no connection to Chad or anything, and he said he has a perfect little house available! It’s a little on the outskirts of town, a small, quiet neighborhood, but that it would be perfect for you. It’s not big, just a little two bedroom, one bath, but it’s all been redone recently, and it’s quaint. He showed me some pictures and I think you’d really like it.”

“You did...you did this for me?” you felt another wave of tears sting at the back of your eyes as she nodded. 

“I’m not trying to push this on you at all, or anything of the sort,” she promised, “but we were talking and it just came up and I thought of you. I thought I’d just tell you in case you were interested...you are, of course, welcome to stay with us however long you want.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” you said softly, “truly. I’d love to see the place. If you like, I’m sure it’ll be great. And honestly, it would be nice to get out of the city and be a little bit out of the way and I don’t need anything much. I just want a place that will feel like home...my own place.”

“Obviously it comes with the stipulation that we will get to help decorate and pick out furniture if you move into it.”

“I would expect nothing less,” you agreed, “it’s going to be nice getting my own things and having it be truly mine.”

“A fresh start,” she agreed, “I’ll tell Elijah that we’ll stop by tomorrow and take a look? How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” you agreed, feeling your heart finally feel warm again, as a wave of calm washed over you, “absolutely perfect.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of moving, although you technically didn’t have much to move, furniture shopping, unpacking, and organizing your new home. 

The house was cute, an older little home that had been recently renovated with a small yard and  a perfect spot for a garden. You could already picture yourself gardening once the cooler autumn and winter months were over. 

It wasn’t huge, but it had a spare bedroom you decided would serve as a home office and occasional guest room, although you figured you weren’t going to have many of those considering how easily everyone had cut you off. It was open, warm, and inviting, and it was perfect for what you wanted. It had brought up the idea of maybe adopting a dog or cat to keep as your friend. It had made you think of something that Frankie always said: anyone who wasn’t willing to share their home with an animal was as good as heartless.

It served as a sharp contrast to your former living situation; everything in the apartment you had shared with Chad had been cold, dark, and minimalistic. Nothing about it had ever felt truly homey, more like an ornate display at an art museum you were afraid to even look at. Chad had never wanted an animal of any sorts, not even a goldfish, claiming that it would take up too much time, too much space, and he just didn’t want something to take care of.

But your new home was the polar opposite, it was romantic and airy and filled with items and trinkets that made it feel like a home. A little animal friend would fit in perfectly. You were fitting in perfectly already. 

You’d even made it a point to go around the neighborhood and introduce yourself to people. Your justification was that you had literally nothing to lose, your family had turned their backs on you, your ex-fiance had taken almost all of the so called friends you’d had, and were left to your own devices. In the worst case scenario, you’d have met a few unsavory people, and in the best case scenario you’d get to know your neighbors and maybe make a few friends.

Something in the stars seemed to align, as your neighbors turned out to be kind and welcoming, and you were sure the cookies you offered them weren't a deterrent either. They were mostly either older couples, or small families, a few roommates that lived together. The normalcy of it all was endearing, and to know that you had a place that you were welcome was enough to let your heart rest easy. 

The only mystery that remained was your next door neighbor, the one on your left side. Whoever it was had been missing, gone or something, since you’d moved in several weeks before. While trying to maintain a respectful distance, you’d kept an eye on the house to see if you could spy anyone coming or going, see a car...something. But you never did - not even seen so much as a porch light flicker on. It seemed odd, especially in this neighborhood.

One afternoon, in the middle of unpacking the new bits of furniture for your living room and rearranging everything for about the tenth time, curiosity got the better of you. Maybe it was because you were in the middle of watching some true crime documentaries as you worked but you just felt...nervous. You were concerned about the health and safety of this mysterious neighbor that you hadn’t even met. You’d hastily wiped the sweat from your brow before rushing over to the neighbor on the other side of the seemingly nonexistent neighbor. 

Unfortunately, much to your chagrin, the other neighbor, an older widowed man by the name of Eddie, who happened to have an adorable dog that you decided you’d offer to take on walks, was just as clueless as you. 

He said he’d seen the man, at least you narrowed it down to that much, come on and go on occasion, but that he kept odd hours. He commented that he must have worked evenings or something, because he wasn’t around much at that time and it was always quiet during the day. Apparently it wasn’t odd for him to be gone for days at a time, or at least for no one to notice him. At least he’d be a quiet neighbor if he ever appeared again. But the older man hadn’t seemed too concerned, so figured there was nothing to worry about. You ended finding out that he was likely around your age, with dark hair. That was about all that Eddie knew; he said the man whose name he couldn’t even remember had always kept to himself since he’d moved in a few years ago. 

You’d thanked him, given the small fluffy dog a few pets and trudged back to your own place, arms filled with various baked goods, including a delicious smelling loaf of banana bread. Eddie had proudly declared that he had taken up the hobby of baking in his retirement and he always had been plenty to share. You made a mental note to store that little piece of info away for future use. 

And yet still, even as more days passed, you still didn’t see hide nor hair of the mystery man. You’d gone to work each morning, wondering if maybe you just missed him and you had conflicting schedules. You didn’t know why you even cared so much, or what drew you to solving this mystery, but you were just inexplicably invested. 

One evening, as you were watching some Netflix and unwinding with a glass of wine, browsing the adoptable animals at the local shelter, it hit you. It was like the proverbial lightbulb had been switched on and you came up with a brilliant idea. When you’d moved in, you’d taken some fresh, homemade cookies to everyone in the small cul-de-sac - why didn’t you just make some for him? 

It was brilliant, you thought to yourself as you set the wine glass down and almost tossed your laptop to the floor in excitement. You would make your favorite cookies, soft, gooey chocolate chip ones you fancied so much, get them all safely in a container and drop them off when you felt for work in the morning. If they were gone by the time you came home that would mean he had to have been there. 

Yes, you thought to yourself, this is brilliant. No one could turn down a plate of fresh cookies. 

So you’d spent the rest of the evening, bouncing around the kitchen excitedly, pouring your heart and soul into the every little step it took to make the perfect treat. By the time you’d gone to bed, excited and worn out, the little package was sitting on your counter for your to grab on your way out. This was going to be it, you just knew it.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You woke up early the next morning, even before your alarm went off, a smile on your face despite being tired. You almost stopped dead in your tracks when you realized that this was the first, the first time in what felt like a small eternity that you woke up like that. It was a good feeling, and you hoped that you would be able to hang onto it. 

Once you’d showered and done up your makeup and hair to your liking, you slipped on a pretty golden dress. It always made you feel pretty, the color bringing a slight bit of joy into your heart. You always felt confident and good in it, and you decided it was just what you needed. If your last session ended early enough, you even planned on stopping by the animal shelter to see if you made a connection with any of the adoptable animals. It was going to be a good day. You could feel it in your bones. 

Once you were ready to go, you grabbed your pre-packed lunch from the fridge, along with your purse and the package for your mystery neighbor. Almost flouncing over to his porch because you were buzzing with energy, you hopped up the steps and set it on the front porch and center, in the middle of the doormat, topped off with a handwritten note introducing yourself. The mat was a generic one, and you did a little look around to see if you could find a name or any personal touches around the porch. But there was nothing - no clue as to who it could be. It was no matter, you told yourself, you would have your answers soon enough.

Giving the neatly wrapped container one last fond look, you headed to your car and off to work. Hopefully you’d be busy enough to keep your mind occupied. It was silly to get so invested in something so trivial and yet...here you were. An eternal dreamer and optimist at heart, just like you always had been, even as a teenager. Even if you had to suppress that side of yourself for some time, more so with each passing year, you were still the same girl underneath it all. 

The day felt like it had like it went by in a blur as you saw several of your regular patients, feeling like you were finally able to help them properly and give them your undivided attention. It went so well that you did manage to finish up early, which meant  you could have your fun and go look at animals. You knew it would be a challenge to meet different pets and not be able to take them all home, but you were willing to give it the old college try. 

You hadn’t bothered to stop home and change, opting to go straight to the shelter.

»»————-　♡　————-««

As soon as you'd gotten there and started looking at the different dogs, you knew it would be hard. 

So many of the sweet dogs came up to you, some wagging their tails in nervous excitement, some just beside themselves, but others were more reluctant, sitting and observing you. You went up to as many as you could, keeping a respectful distance from them and offering them your hand to sniff. A couple of them give you a few licks, letting you reach in and pet them, but getting distracted as soon as they spied other people. Sweet dogs, all of them, but those weren’t the ones for you. As you walked through the various dogs, you were disheartened to find that you didn’t seem to have a connection to any of them. You hoped they would go to good homes soon regardless. Maybe it wasn’t your day to find a companion, which was totally okay with you. You’d just come back some other day and make sure that one of them got a home in your adobe.

But as you neared the end of the last row, you stopped when you spotted a small dog, small for being a pitbull that was, sitting in the corner of her kennel, a sad, dejected look on her face. She was a pretty thing, light tan with white marking on her sweet face, but her eyes contained a deep sadness.

“Hi, sweet girl,” you said softly as you didn’t even hesitate to drop to your knees, dropping on the floor of the kennel, sliding a few fingers under the barrier keeping you from her, trying to coax her to you. She observed you with keen interest, but remained rooted in her spot, “you are so pretty! I bet you’re just as sweet too, aren’t you? I can tell…”

“She’s very sweet,” one of the shelter’s volunteers, a young boy by the name of Lucas that had let you in, said as he walked up to you, “but she’s really shy. She’s less than a year old, but she’s already had a go of it.”

“What happened to her?” you asked gently, keeping your voice down so you wouldn’t startle her, “she looks so sad.”

“She was abused by her former owner, sadly. They found her when they went to raid the owner’s home, apparently he was a small time drug dealer on top of it,” he explained and you made a small in the back of your throat as you just looked at her. It made your heart break to know that this poor animal, and so many others like her, were being abused for no reason - not that anyone, person or animal, should ever have been abused, “it’s made her shy, but she does warm up to people.”

“What’s her name?” you asked as she moved ever so marginally closer to you. You smiled at her, giving her an encouraging little nod.

“Daisy.”

“Daisy,” you called softly as her ears perked up slightly. It suited her, you decided, a soft pretty name for a pretty girl, “hi sweet Daisy. You are a big lovebug underneath it all, aren’t you?”

She turned her slightly to look at as you offered her a small, reassuring nod. 

“How about Miss Daisy Mae?” you asked her and you got a glimpse of her tail wagging ever so slightly, “yeah, I think that’s perfect too. May I pet you?”

It was silent, completely so sans for the other dogs in their kennels as you attempted to gain her trust. You didn’t want to scare her off, but you wanted to see if you could get her to come closer. Lucas told you could stay as long as you wanted, and you decided that you would do just that, plopping onto your bottom as you gently spoke to her. You spent some time sitting there, talking to her about anything and everything, and slowly, inch by precious inch, she came closer to you until she was just a few inches from your hand. When you moved your hand and she didn’t flinch, you gently petted her muzzle, tracing over it delicately with a few fingers. 

“You’ve been through a lot,” you mused quietly and she gently rubbed her head into your hand, “but you’ve got so much life left to live. So many happy things to come. Would you like to come home with me and see? I have a big bed that I have all to myself, and I could really use a companion to take up some of the space. Would you like to help me?”

She made a small sound as she looked up at you, her tail wagging ever so slightly. That was enough to convince you that you were making the right decision. Giving Daisy one last gentle touch, you slowly pulled your hand back to keep from startling her and jumped to your feet. She was yours, it hadn’t taken much to figure that out, and you were going to make sure she came home with you. 

Telling her you would be back in a little bit, you went off in search of Lucas, to tell him to get you all the paperwork so you could bring her home with that day.

»»————-　♡　————-««

As soon as Daisy was all yours, you’d set her up in your car, draping a big, soft blanket over the backseat for her. You were glad you kept one in your car for whatever occasion called for it; this was the perfect time. As soon as she seemed to realize what was happening, Daisy’s eyes had lit up and she already seemed like a different dog, her tail going softly, but nonstop as she stayed close to your side. 

You’d stopped by the pet store on your way home, bringing her in with you as you stocked up on the best dog food, treats, several big fluffy beds (one for each room of the house naturally), and let her pick out several toys. Whatever she wanted she got, honestly, and before you knew it before pushing a huge cartful to the counter to the pay. Daisy, now in a pretty yellow collar and leash, followed closely by your side, a little stuffed bear in her mouth. This felt so right, so natural, almost like you had meant to find her. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had felt this much joy in your heart, and you hoped the feeling would never go away.

“And this is where we live,” you told her as you pulled into the driveway, pulling up to the garage and turning off the car. She stood up and went to the window, looking out eagerly. Your break broke a little when you realize she probably never got to run and play like any puppy should, but you vowed to change that. You got and opened the door, not even bothering to stop her as she jumped out and started to sniff everywhere. 

Sighing contentedly at the sight of the happy dog, the one that had quickly turned from nervous to optimistic, you started to gather everything out of the car to bring inside. Daisy came back to your side, following you with keen attention as you opened the door to the house and let her explore. 

It wasn’t until your last excursion to the car to bring in the last of the toys, that your attention wandered back to your MIA neighbor. When you studied his house, you noticed that all the lights were off, and there was no car in the driveway. The package you had you left for him was still right where you had placed that morning. A small, dejected sigh left your lips as you quickly dashed over and retrieved the package. It was only slightly heartbreaking,  but you knew it wasn’t due to any fault of yours. But still...you couldn’t help but wonder. Who was he? Where was he? Maybe one day your questions would be answered, but at least for now you had your new friend to keep you company. Just as you thought about her, you heard a small, almost tiny bark from your door as Daisy poked her head out and looked excitedly at you.

“Coming sweet girl!” you promised her as you ran back over to her. This day was decidedly not a waste in the slightest, you reminded yourself, you had a new friend and that was more important than anything else.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Several more days passed, and Daisy adjusted to life with you without a hitch. She really was the sweetest girl you had met, and she had won a big spot in your heart, and bed, almost instantly. Gone were the cookies you had baked for the neighbor you thought might not actually exist, eaten with some milk as you watched Netflix late into the evening with Daisy snoozing next to you. 

Something though, whatever little stubborn streak you had, told you to keep trying.

So you did.

That night you dragged yourself back to the kitchen and repeated the painstaking process of making your now neighborhood famous cookies again. He was going to get these cookies come hell or high water. This time Daisy joined you in the kitchen and watched your every move intently, as you walked her through the process, giving her your best impression of some lofty Food Network chef. 

Just as you had previously done earlier in the week, you prepped everything and stuck the same note on the top, making sure it looked perfect. Even if it ended up as another batch that you would eat, you wanted to go through the efforts and ensure it was perfect. 

The next morning, you herded Daisy into the car, allowing her to come to your office with you. She had been enjoying coming to your office and greeting your clients, being a good girl and laying on her bed while you worked. Many of them seemed to find her comforting, and as thought she could sense when they needed something, which she probably did, she’d often go to comfort them with wet kisses and nuzzles. Ally had suggested that you look into her having certified as a therapy dog, which you decided was a perfect idea. 

You wandered over to his porch and left the little package again and turned to head off to work. Whatever was meant to happen would happen. So if he didn’t come and get the cookies, so be it. You’d stop worrying about it and let it go. 

When you got home that evening, you brought everything inside and let Daisy into the backyard to roam around before her dinner time, when you looked through the front windows to try and see your neighbor’s porch. You huffed when you came to the conclusion that you were at just the wrong angle to be able to see anything. Stalking out the front door to get a better look, you sighed deeply when the package was once again there. What had you really expected? You’d struck out for weeks now, the man was an enigma to yourself and everyone else around, it was a far cry that you’d ever really see him. 

Grumbling at yourself for being too hopeful and optimistic, you trudged over to his porch, ready to take the cookies back again and enjoy them for yourself. Maybe you could bring them, and Daisy, over to Eddie and see if he would enjoy them and the dogs would get along. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but it was something anyway.

You bent down to pick up the small container, ready to head back home and get on with your day. But just as you swooped up the container, you heard the door unlock, causing you to jump back in surprise, dropping the container and letting it clatter to the ground. You took a step back and looked up, finding the door open, but the screen closed. Squinting your eyes, you tried to make out the person on the other side but found it almost impossible. 

“H-hi,” you stammered nervously, hoping the person wouldn’t think you were stealing or snooping around, “I-I moved into the neighborhood a few weeks ago, and I was just...I made cookies! I was going to introduce myself but I hadn’t seen you or anything, so I figured I’d leave them for you. They-they’re not old though, I made this batch last night.”

Nothing but silence met your ears for several moments as you nervously picked up the container to display it for him. You were nervous suddenly, terrified that you had somehow offended him, or...something.

“I-I’ll get going,” you said as you set the cookies on the bench that was near the door. Unsure why you felt the need to keep speaking you gave him your name, letting it linger in the air for a moment, “I live right next door, so I guess maybe I will see you around. Yeah...well, umm...goodbye!”

But before you made it off the porch, you heard the screen door open, and swing shut. You swallowed the lump in your throat, ready to turn around and make a proper introduction when you heard your name whispered so quietly, that you thought you might have imagined it. That voice...that soft, gentle voice caused your heart to skip a few beats. You knew that voice. 

Turning around slowly, you came face to face with the man that had been on your mind for weeks. You brought your eyes up to the man’s face and a small gasp of surprise left your lips. 

“F-Frankie?” except this wasn’t the Frankie you’d known. No, this man was tired looking, nothing but sheer exhaustion on his face, dark circles, parched lips, no trace of facial hair, his hair flattened from what you knew was a signature hat. This was a different man, a world weary man, a man who you never intended on seeing again. But you knew that voice, you knew it so well, you’d recognize it anywhere, even after all this time. But there was something about him, how he was looking at you that broke our heart. 

He remained silent as his dark eyes watched you, wondering how and why on earth you’d ended up as his neighbor. It was like some force was at play, some weird thing that kept bringing the two of you together. 

He remained silent as the two of you looked at each other, his eyes quickly flicked to your left hand. You straightened up when you noticed that and got ready to walk away, unsure of how to feel in that moment. Once again, your life was thrown in a complete tailspin. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat, unable to find any words. 

But before you could leave his porch, his hand went to your wrist, taking it gently in his large hand as you immediately turned around and gave him a wide eyed stare.

Your chest was rising and falling rapidly as you looked at him in silent question, and he did the same. 

This was Frankie - your Frankie. After all these years, he was still yours.

Before either of you could say anything, he gently grabbed your face and studied it for a moment before crashing his lips onto yours. It took a moment for you to react, and for a few beats before you kissed him back, not even having to think about it. But just as quickly as it had started you came to your senses and while part of you was screaming to continue to kiss him, the logical part of your brain took over and you pushed him away from you. Immediately realizing what you were doing, he let go of you and took a step back. 

“Don’t,” you insisted sharply, your voice crackling on the singular word, “don’t. You don’t get to do that. I shouldn’t have done that. Not anymore. Never again.”

Before he could say anything, you dashed away from him, running back over to your house. This had to be some sort of weird dream, surely life couldn’t be throwing another challenge at you. Surely you’d been through enough.

Surely you weren’t neighbors, after all this time and years, with Frankie Morales. 

Life couldn’t be that cruel...right?

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[nordleuchten]

La Fayette and the Battle of Brandywine

On September 11, 1777, things were not looking well for the Continental Army. They were engaged in a battle that would later be known as the Battle of Brandywine. They faced the British army under the command of General Lord Cornwallis and soon the American troops were retreating in an unorderly fashion. Enter the youngest Continental general, the Marquis de La Fayette. He had just turned 20 a few days before the battle and had virtually no experience on the battlefield. He was determined though to do something and to rally the retreating soldiers. He was shot in the leg trying to achieve this and his injury was only one of the ways he would eventually cemented his place in the heart of a whole nation. Let us have a closer look at La Fayette’s wound on this anniversary of the battle.

La Fayette wrote in his Memoirs about his wound:

(…) the confusion became extreme; and it was whilst M. de Lafayette was rallying the troops that a ball passed through his leg; -- at that moment all those remaining on the field gave way. M. de Lafayette was indebted to Gimat, his aide-de-camp, for the happiness of getting upon his horse. General Washington arrived from a distance with fresh troops; M. de Lafayette was preparing to join him, when loss of blood obliged him to stop and have his wound bandaged; he was even very near being taken. Fugitives, cannon and baggage now crowded without order into the road leading to Chester. The general employed the remaining daylight in checking the enemy: some regiments behaved extremely well, but the disorder was complete. During that time the ford of Chad was forced, the cannon taken, and the Chester road became the common retreat of the whole army. In the midst of that dreadful confusion, and during the darkness of the night, it was impossible to recover; but at Chester, twelve miles from the field of battle, they met with a bridge which it was necessary to cross; M. de Lafayette occupied himself in arresting the fugitives; some degree of order was re-established; the generals and the commander-in-chief arrived, and he had leisure to have his wound dressed. (…) M. de Lafayette having been conveyed by water to Philadelphia, was carefully attended to by the citizens, who were all interested in his situation and extreme youth. That same evening the congress determined to quit the city: a vast number of the inhabitants deserted their own hearths -- whole families, abandoning their possessions, and uncertain of the future, took refuge in the mountains. M. de Lafayette was carried to Bristol; in a boat he there saw the fugitive congress, who only assembled again on the other side of the Susquehannah; he was himself conducted to Bethlehem a Moravian establishment, where the mild religion of the brotherhood, the community of fortune, education, and interests amongst that large and simple family formed a striking contrast to scenes of blood, and the convulsions occasioned by a civil war.

A few things to add to this little excerpt. La Fayette was quite lucky, because the musket ball had hit the fleshy part of the calf without damaging nerve or bone. In the medical world of the 18th century, especially a damaged bone would have led to a certain amputation of the limp. But La Fayette was indeed quite lucky. There is a bit of a discussion about the “true” extend of La Fayette’s injury because he tended to drastically downplay serious illnesses and injuries (while he would do the exact opposite with minor illnesses and injuries). Later in life, he also mentioned that without the good care of the Moravian sisters, he would have lost his leg - thus leading some people to believe that the injury was worse than he presented it. There is however no real evidence to support this theory, neither coming from La Fayette nor from anybody else.

Another interesting side note, the founders of the Moravian settlement came from the same region that La Fayette was later imprisoned in - from the region were Olmütz was at.

The sash that was used for the initial dressing of the wound has survived and is now displayed in the Fraunces Tavern Museum. I wrote about the sash here.

On the day of the battle, George Washington send some sort of “after action report” to John Hancock, who was then the President of the Continental Congress. In his letter, Washington also mentioned La Fayette:

The Marquis La Fayette was wounded in the leg, & General Woodford in the hand. Divers other officers were wounded, & some slain; but the numbers of either cannot now be ascertained.

But Washington was not the only one who wrote letters, La Fayette wrote letters as well that detailed his wound. He wrote his wife Adrienne a day after the battle on September 12, 1777:

While I was trying to rally them, the English honored me with a musket shot, which wounded me slightly in the leg. But the wound is nothing, dear heart; the ball hit neither bone nor nerve, and all I have to do for it to heal is to lie on my back for a while-which puts me in very bad humor. I hope, dear heart, that you will not worry; on the contrary, you should be even less worried than before, because I shall now be out of action for some time. I intend to take good care of myself; you may be sure of that, dear heart. This battle will, I fear, have unpleasant consequences for America; we must try to repair the damage, if we can. You must have received many letters from me, unless the English are as hostile to my letters as to my legs. I have received only one from you so far, and I long for news.

He wrote his wife again on October 1, 1777 from Bethlehem:

To put the best face on it, I could tell you that mature reflection had induced me to remain in my bed for several weeks, sheltered from all danger. But I must admit that I was invited to stay there because of a very slight wound in the leg. I do not know how I received it; in truth, I did not expose myself to enemy fire. It was my first battle, so you see how rare battles are. It is the last of this campaign, or at least the last big battle, it appears. If any other action occurs here, you see that I could not be present. Consequently, my dear heart, I take pleasure in reassuring you that you have no need to worry. While I tell you not to worry about me, I tell myself that you love me, and this little conversation with my heart pleases it very much, for it has never loved you more tenderly.

The day after that battle, my first thought was to write to you. I told you then that the wound was nothing, and I was right. The only thing I fear is that you have not received that letter, for if, when General Howe gives his master the king some slightly inflated details about his exploits in America, he reports me wounded, he could just as well report me killed. That would cost him nothing. I hope that my friends, and you especially, my dear heart, will never believe the reports of those people who last year even dared to print a story that General Washington and all his general officers were in a boat that capsized and all of them were drowned.

But we were speaking of my wound; the ball passed through the flesh and touched neither bone nor nerve. The surgeons are astonished by the rate at which it heals; they are in ecstasy every time they dress it, and maintain that it is the most beautiful thing in the world. I myself find it very foul, very tedious, and rather painful; there is no accounting for tastes. But, finally, if a man wished to be wounded just for his own amusement, he should come and see my wound and have one just like it. There, dear heart, you have the story of what I pompously call my wound, to give myself airs and to make myself interesting.

Now, since you are the wife of an American general officer, I must give you some instructions. People will say to you: “They have been beaten.” You will reply: “That is true, but between two armies of equal size, in open country, old soldiers have the advantage over new ones; besides, the Americans had the satisfaction of killing many more of the enemy than they lost.”

This letter is just so quintessential La Fayette! The way he wrote that he did not know how he even was injured in the first place, his statement that battles are oh so rarely and that he is perfectly safe, him getting completely side-tracked in the middle of the letter and finishing with his “instructions” to Adrienne (who still went on after that). But best of all is the opening line of the letter:

I wrote to you, dear heart, on the twelfth of September; the twelfth is the day after the eleventh

Yes La Fayette, that is true - but also very obvious, but thank you for pointing that out again :-)

He wrote his wife a last time regarding his injury on November 6, 1777. By that time he had actually already returned to the army (October) and had resumed active service.

You may receive this letter, my dear heart, in five or six years, for I am writing you by an indirect route, which I don't know much about. (…) All my other dispatches have informed you of the remaining events of the campaign. The Battle of Brandywine, where I cleverly left a little bit of my leg; the occupation of Philadelphia, which is so far from having the ill consequences of which they are persuaded in Europe; an unsuccessful attack on the camp at Germantown, in which I didn't participate because I had very recently been wounded (…)

I again included the opening sentence, not because it is of any merit for the topic, but because he is simply too good to be left out.