#Chris always readily goes back to help people

[razzle-zazzle]

2371 Words; Jurassic Wild AU

TW for character "death"

They’d made it onto the monorail.

They’d made it onto the monorail, where the carnotaurus couldn’t follow.

Now they just had to wait out the ride to the docks.

“No way this goes off without a hitch.” Zach muttered. “Something bad’s bound to happen. It always does.”

“Oh, lighten up.” Koki rolled her eyes, moving to sit in the seat behind where Jimmy was giving Fred scritches. “We’ll be fine.”

“Now that you’ve said that we won’t!” Zach countered, moving to a seat of his own.

Silence reigned as everyone settled in. Zach continued to look out the window, certain that something would go wrong if he didn’t.

Martin looked around at everyone. They were all tired and filthy and hungry, but—

They were all alive.

They were all safe.

“We did it.” Martin realized, turning towards the group. “We’re going home.”

Elation bubbled up in his chest. If the way the others were cheering was any indication, they felt it too.

Martin walked over to where Zach was still pressed against the window. “Hey.” He put his hand on Zach’s shoulder. “It’s over now. We’re good. We’ll be at the main dock in no time.”

Zach frowned, but stepped away from the window

“We should celebrate!” Aviva suggested. “After all we went through, I’d say we deserve a little party.”

Jimmy opened his backpack. “I might be able to help with that.” He offered, pulling out an assortment of snacks, mostly granola bars. “Most of this stuff is still a little damp from the lagoon, but it should still be edible.” There was more than enough for everyone to dig in, and after several hours of running for their lives they were more than happy to.

Conversation drifted from there. Aviva remarked wanting to take “the longest bubble bath possible” when she got home. They traded stories of their home lives for a bit—Zach boasted about having access to the best video games money could buy, and Koki commented on needing to find a new sponsor.

Jimmy continued teaching Fred how to fetch, putting emphasis on doing it gently.

Koki found flashlights in the back of the car, “It’s the first thing on this island that works.”

“It really is.” Aviva commented. “The amount of things that have gone wrong—like that time we nearly got eaten.”

“Which time?” Koki asked.

Chris put his head in his hands. “How was there more than one time?”

“A toast!” Martin raised his juice box, “To not getting eaten!”

“To not getting eaten!” Everyone chorused, drinking from their own juice boxes.

Aviva raised her juice box, “To no more running away!”

“To no more running away!”

Koki stood up. “To getting off this island once and for all!” She declared, to which everyone readily agreed.

“Oh! I’ve got one!” Chris started—

There was a thud—or maybe a boom?—off in the distance. Everyone looked around frantically for the source of it, but came up with nothing.

“I don’t think it was near us.” Martin said. “We’re okay. We’re still okay.”

Everyone was quiet after that.

Chris huffed. “This camp was terrible,” he raised his juice box, “but at least it’ll be a good story to tell later on! To looking back on this and laughing!”

Martin chuckled. “At least we all came out of the experience with new friends.”

Zach scoffed. “It takes more than a few days for people to become friends, blue boy.”

“Maybe for you.” Martin countered.

“We were kinda thrown together at random,” Aviva put in, “We do have some things in common, but not that much.”

“What, and all the stuff we’ve been through together doesn’t count?” Martin challenged, “We’ve been through more in the past day than most people will in their lifetime.”

Koki looked at Martin pointedly. “Yeah, but will we keep in contact once it’s all over?”

“We could try.” Chris argued, though not with very much energy.

Zach scoffed. “As if.”

Silence filled the car at that.

The monorail continued along, the intercom blaring with another automated message.

“Coming up on the right, you’ll see our eighteen-hole, dinosaur-themed golf course. It’s one of the many wonders that makes this park so very Jurassic!”

Aviva giggled. “What’s that even supposed to mean?”

“‘So very Jurassic’,” Koki mocked, “What, are they afraid we’ll think this place is Triassic?”

“It’s barely even Cretaceous.” Chris put in.

“Not even mezzanine.” Jimmy added. “Er… is that the word?”

“Nope!” Chris chirped. “You’re thinking of Mesozoic.”

“Actually, Jimmy,” Martin started, “How did you end up here?”

“Yeah, you’re definitely not the outdoorsy type.” Koki commented.

Zach nodded. “I know I was forced to come because I had nothing better to do. But why are you here?”

“Mom works for Masrani.” Jimmy explained. “She got me into camp, because none of my siblings needed to ‘face their fears’ like I apparently do.” He scowled. “It’s been nothing but a nightmare! I’m so sick of running and almost being eaten! Dinosaurs are cool when they’re in a video game, not when they’re looking to bite my face off!”

Fred chirped, shoving her head into Jimmy’s lap.

“I guess it’s not all bad.” Jimmy commented, cradling Fred’s head in his hands. “If I hadn’t come here, I’d never have met—”

Something crashed against the monorail, shaking it and knocking everyone over.

Martin pushed himself up from the floor, running to the very back and pressing his face against the glass.

Pteranodons. So many pteranodons, all flying after the monorail.

“Oh no.” He muttered, turning towards the others, “We gotta turn off the lights!” He grabbed one of the flashlights, using it like a bludgeon to take out the lights.

“Flying reptiles are a lot like seabirds,” Martin explained, “They’re attracted to shiny, moving objects, and with the lights on—”

“We’re a shiny moving object!” Zach shrieked, already moving to grab a flashlight himself.

Everyone moved at that, grabbing a flashlight and getting to work.

Pteranodons slammed into the monorail, making it shudder with every impact.

They needed to move to the other cars to take out the lights. Martin shoved the door open. “Koki, help Jimmy and Fred across!”

They took out the lights in the third car before moving towards the second.

“Smile! You’re at Jurassic World!” Zach slammed his flashlight against the keypad, causing the voice to distort and die out.

Everyone rushed into the second car, stumbling when the monorail was slammed again.

Aviva gasped, pointing out the window.

There was another monorail further down the tracks. A smoking, motionless monorail being besieged by pteranodons.

And they were on a collision course straight for it.

“Well.” Koki commented. “At least we know what that earlier boom was.”

“Oh no no no this is bad.” Martin started pacing. “We need to switch tracks or slow down, now!”

“The front car!” Zach pointed. “Control panels are in there!”

Martin moved to open the door, horror building the more it refused to budge. The others joined him, but it wouldn’t open.

Martin banged the door with his flashlight, only to pause.

There was an emergency exit hatch in the ceiling of the front car. And looking back, Martin spotted a similar hatch towards the back of the car they were all in.

“I can use that hatch there to get to the front!” Martin pointed towards the hatch in question. He could hear the others protesting, but he didn’t have much choice. “You’ll have to use the flashlights to keep the pteranodons distracted.” He climbed the seats as he explained—he had to move fast.

Martin pushed at the hatch, relieved when it budged open with little resistance. He moved to climb outside—

He wouldn’t fit.

Martin’s eyes widened, darting around at the others. The only ones who would fit—

Jimmy was curled protectively around Fred, who was whining from the stress. Chris was by the door with everyone else, who had probably realized the same thing Martin had.

No. “There has to be another way.” Martin looked around the car desperately, before jumping down to give the door another try. “Maybe the door—”

The hatch squeaked.

Jimmy yelled out, “Chris!”

Martin looked back at the hatch just in time to see Chris’ legs disappearing through it.

“Chris!” Martin could fit his head through the hatch, but that wasn’t enough for him to reach his brother, who was already crawling along towards the front. “What are you doing?”

Chris paused for only a moment before continuing on. “What does it look like?” He screamed. “Go! Distract the pteranodons!”

Martin couldn’t stop his brother from climbing into danger.

But that wouldn’t stop him from helping where he could. He dropped back down into the car, flashlight already on, “C’mon! We gotta keep them away from Chris!” The rest of the group followed him towards the back of the monorail, waving their flashlights around.

With the pteranodons largely focused on the back half of the monorail, Chris was able to climb mostly unimpeded.

He could do this. Jimmy had Fred to worry about, and nobody else would fit—

Which meant it fell on Chris to crawl along the top of a high-speed monorail to get into the front car and switch the tracks.

“I can do this.” Chris whispered, hauling himself the final few feet towards the hatch. “I’ve got this.” He slammed his hand against the hatch, pushing as much of his weight onto it as he could.

It opened with little resistance.

Chris dropped down into the cab, eyes darting towards the control panel.

…He didn’t understand any of it.

Zach probably would, Chris reasoned, as he tried to figure out which lever would be the break, but Zach was in the back half of the monorail waving his flashlight around.

Fuck, why did nobody think to ask what part of the panel would stop this thing?

A pteranodon slammed into the windshield, startling Chris out of his thoughts.

Chris grabbed at a red lever, hoping it would do the trick—

The monorail didn’t slow, fast approaching the other—

But something must have switched the tracks, because instead of hitting the downed monorail head-on, the monorail slid past it, metal screeching against metal.

Chris fell to the floor of the car from the force of it, grunting at the impact.

Picking himself up off the floor, Martin looked back at where the flaming monorail had fallen into the trees below, the light of the fire drawing in the pteranodons.

Chris had done it.

“He did it.” Martin gasped, running back to the front.

The door that they had struggled against earlier opened easily, the light framing Chris from behind.

He’d done it. He’d rerouted the monorail.

Chris grinned.

Everyone else was cheering.

Martin moved forwards to pull his brother in a hug—

Martin didn’t even realize what was happening until he was holding Chris’ wrist, straining against the strength of the pteranodon holding his brother. Barely even registered what was going on until the pteranodon let go, and suddenly Chris was hanging out the side of the monorail, Martin’s grip the only thing stopping him from falling.

Everything seemed to slow down to the speed of molasses at that point, despite the speed at which the monorail itself was moving. It was as though Martin’s mind had kicked into gear at lightning speed, allowing him to see every excruciating detail as his grip on Chris’ wrist started to falter.

“Martin, help!” Chris was swinging about, desperately trying to grab Martin’s wrist with his free hand. Blood was trickling from a cut on his cheek.

Martin’s heart was pounding a symphony in his chest. “Hang on!” He wasn’t going to let go. He couldn’t let go. If he could just hold on a little longer—

Chris slipped free of Martin’s grasp, their fingers brushing—

Martin nearly threw himself off lunging to catch Chris, both of his hands closing around his brother’s wrist. Just in time.

Chris’ breath hitched. The cut on his cheek was stinging. His face was sticky with tears.

Martin’s chest was heaving, adrenaline thick in his veins.

He’d caught him. Oh thank god.

Chris smiled slightly. Martin smiled back as he moved to haul Chris back up into the monorail. He could distantly feel one of the others wrapping their arms around him to help.

A pteranodon flew by, landing atop the monorail and screeching at them.

Another flew by—

Martin barely managed to grab Chris’ hand in time. He struggled to keep his grip, Chris looking up at him with panic in his eyes that matched the rising horror in Martin’s chest.

Everything slowed down once again as Chris slipped free, plummeting to the ground below as the monorail sped on. Like Martin was suddenly in slow motion, Chris’ fall both agonizingly slow and too fast to stop.

The last Martin saw of his brother was his terrified face disappearing into the night, a pteranodon flying down after him.

Martin slumped back into a sitting position—or had someone hauled him all the way back into the safety of the monorail? He couldn’t tell. He was staring out at nothing, unmoving.

Martin distantly registered something warm trickling down his arm and leg, the dull pain of injury thrumming through his body. Distantly recognized the others’ voices.

He’d failed.

Martin stared at his hands. He’d—He’d been—Chris had—

Chris was gone.

Chris was gone—

Because Martin hadn’t been able to hold on.

Zach muttered something. Martin barely heard it.

“The monorail’s going back!” Zach screeched.

A sharp turn knocked everyone to the floor, snapping Martin back to reality. “What do you mean going back?”

“When we switched tracks!” Zach explained, flailing. “We’re not going south anymore! We’re going north! Away from the docks!” He ran to the control panel to try and stop or reverse the monorail, to no avail. “Doesn’t anything here work?”

“We’ve gotta get off this monorail!” Koki yelled.

Aviva pointed. “The track dips down up ahead! We can jump down there!”

“Jump?” Jimmy squeaked. “It’s too far!”

“It’s the only way!” Martin shouted.

“One!”

Koki and Aviva moved to the edge.

“Two!”

Jimmy wrapped his arms around Fred.

“Three!”

Zach took a breath. “Now!”

It was now or never.

They jumped.

#zaz writes #wild kratts #jurassic wild au #martin kratt #chris kratt #zach varmitech #aviva corcovado #wk koki #jimmy z #fred the ceratosaurus #death #technically if you've seen camp cretaceous #then you know chris isn't dead #but the other kids don't know that yet #and so treat chris' fall as death #which means i can squeeze some angst out of them >:]

[everwitch-magiks]

dance with somebody (ch. 14)

start from ch. 1 | back to ch. 13

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Dex looks up, startled.

There’s only a handful of people who know that Dex spends most of his lunch breaks in the theatre club’s wood workshop. Ford is in on it, of course, since she literally gave him a key. Then there's Joyo, who inevitably ran into Dex within less than a week – if there's one person on the hockey team Dex had known he'd encounter all the way across campus in the art building, it's definitely Joyo. It really hadn't been much of a surprise when Joyo had stepped out of the pottery studio right opposite just as Dex was locking up the workshop. Dex had been prepared, had already made up his mind to simply tell Joyo exactly what he was up to and ask that Joyo keep it a secret. (Joyo had sworn, most dutifully, not to tell a single living soul. It had been unexpectedly sweet.)

Other than that, the only people who know are the theatre kids themselves, who have graciously granted Dex the use of a corner of their workshop in exchange for his advice on the construction of a few of their more elaborate set pieces. Which is why Dex is more than a little bit surprised to find Whiskey standing before him, out of breath in a way that suggests he’s just run all the way across campus.

“How did you know I was here?” Dex can’t help but wonder.

“Ford,” Whiskey says, and suddenly Dex feels silly for asking. Of course Ford would tell Whiskey, if Whiskey needed to know. There’s probably more sacred pacts between Whiskey and Tango and Ford than between all the other team members put together. “This is kind of important, and she… Wait. What’re you doing?”

Dex looks down at his work for a moment, contemplating his answer. He’s actually gotten pretty far. The red oak boards he’s using for the surface of the table are glued together, and he’s currently in the process of using a hand plane to smoothen it out before he can move on to sanding. Still, there’s actually nothing that gives away what it is that Dex is making, exactly, which is presently to his advantage. He's always intended to tell as few people as possible, just in case.

“I’m using a hand plane to even out the surface of this red oak,” Dex settles on.

Whiskey looks down at the tool in Dex’s hands. He blinks, once. Then he shakes his head a little.

“Sure,” he says, and looks up to face Dex again. “D’you have a second? I’ve kind of got… This thing.”

“Of course.” Dex puts down his things and leans back against his work bench. “What’s up?”

Whiskey, who has obviously gone to great lengths to speak to Dex as soon as he possibly could, hesitates.

Dex raises both eyebrows, a little curiously.

Whiskey clears his throat.

“There’s this guy,” he says, the words coming out in a rush.

“Oh,” Dex says. He feels pleasantly surprised. "That's… That's great, Whiskey."

It’s been so long since their pivotal conversation out on the porch, during the first kegster of the fall, that Dex has started to Whiskey might never bring this up again. Apparently, he was wrong.

Whiskey sighs, running a hand through his hair. He isn't not smiling, but it's a near thing.

“Honestly? I'm not actually sure.”

"Okay," Dex says slowly. He's far from certain of how he's supposed to navigate this. Especially since Whiskey doesn't seem at all inclined to take the lead. "D'you wanna… What's he like?"

That makes Whiskey look away briefly, possibly in an attempt to hide the way his expression softens.

"He's, um. He's kind of amazing. Completely out of my league. I've got no idea why he keeps wanting to spend so much time with me."

Dex smiles.

"It sounds like he likes you, too?"

"I guess," Whiskey says carefully. "On some level, at least. We, um. We've been studying together, and also… Not studying together. Lately, it's kind of been more of the latter."

"Right." Dex tries not to grin too widely. "Good for you, man."

Whiskey cheeks turn a little pink. It's completely out of character and strangely endearing.

"Well, anyway," Whiskey says quickly, with a sudden willingness to move the conversation forward. "The thing is, I'm not out. And he is. And I really want something that's more than whatever we're doing right now, but it's not like I could ask him to go back in the closet. So I'm just not sure what to do."

"... Huh." Dex ponders that for a moment. "And you're not planning on coming out?"

"No," Whiskey says, very firmly. "I'm not going to. That's not an option, here."

"Alright," Dex agrees gently. "That's completely okay, Whiskey. I'm just trying to get the full picture."

"I know that," Whiskey says quickly. "It's just, I've been thinking about that a lot, myself. I'd be asking so much less from him if I at least thought I might come out at some point, maybe in a few years or something. But I'm just not going to do that."

"Right." Dex nods, smiling. "Years, huh?"

Whiskey frowns, a little defensively.

"That's completely okay," Dex repeats firmly. "What I mean is, you're clearly thinking about this guy in a very long-term sense. He must be someone pretty special."

Whiskey looks away abruptly.

"I know. I'm being so stupid," he says quietly. "He probably thinks of this as just a bit of fun, or whatever. And even if he doesn't, a lot of relationships don't actually last past college. I know that. It's just, I tend to consider any important decision in a very long-term sense, and I do really like this guy a lot. A lot, a lot. So much that I could definitely see myself with him years down the line. Even if that does make me a presumptuous fucking idiot."

Dex takes a moment to ponder that. Suddenly, he's almost tempted to tell Whiskey the true purpose of the unfinished wooden table next to them. He wonders how Whiskey might react, if he did. It's not something he's ever considered before – he's been too busy wondering what Nursey will think of it, once he eventually gets to see it.

It's the question that's been occupying both Dex's waking thoughts and his dreams, lately, whether or not Nursey will actually say yes.

"I don't think you're being stupid," Dex tells Whiskey softly. He traces his fingertips across the surface of the red oak. "It's not necessarily a bad thing to know exactly what you want from someone. I think the really important thing is going to be how you tell him."

Whiskey raises both eyebrows. He looks incredulous.

"You think I should tell him?"

"Well, yes." Dex smiles. "If you want to be with this guy, then he's going to need to know where you're at, here. He's not going to magically read your mind."

"But I can't just…" Whiskey begins, before faltering. "I mean. If I come on that strong, and that's not how he feels… Then what?"

"Well." Dex thinks for a moment. "You might not want to lead with the bit about years down the line. But I don't think you should necessarily leave it out. He might not have considered any of that just yet, for sure, but there's a major difference between asking him how he feels about it as opposed to just letting him know it's something you could see in your future."

"I guess." Whiskey sighs. "We might not even get to that point in the conversation. If he isn't okay with having a relationship behind closed doors, it's game over. And I sort of doubt that's anything he's ever dreamed of."

Dex hums. "Has he said something like that?"

Whiskey thinks for a second.

"Not exactly. But I can't imagine he came out because he's a big fan of hiding."

"Right," Dex agrees. "But I guess you've been meeting up pretty discreetly so far? For your, what was it…. Non-studying sessions."

"We do actually study, sometimes," Whiskey says quickly, his cheeks turning distinctly pink again – under different circumstances, Dex thinks privately, he'd have charged a major fine right there. "We have a class together and everything."

"Oh, let me guess," Dex chirps, grinning. "Anatomy of the human body. Project partners. In-depth study."

"Oh, for fucks sake. No." Whiskey rolls his eyes. "We've been kissing non-stop, if you must know. But nothing more. Not yet, anyway."

For a second, Dex mentally kicks himself for teasing Whiskey to a point where he felt obligated to share something so private. Except, there's a change in Whiskey's expression after he's said it. He catches Dex's eyes, a small smile playing over his lips, almost like he's waiting for Dex's reaction. And that's when Dex remembers – Whiskey doesn't actually get to do this, like, ever. He never shares in their jokes about being a disaster bi or too gay to function, never comments on whether Chris Evans is hotter than Chris Pratt or which one of them he'd rather fuck or marry. To Whiskey, boy talk is a rarity, a luxury he seldom allows himself to enjoy.

Suddenly, Dex wonders if he ought to have teased Whiskey more.

"Sounds like plenty of fun to me," Dex settles on, offering Whiskey a grin. "For what it's worth, it sounds like this guy is more than a little bit into you."

"God, I hope you're right." Whiskey runs a hand through his hair, almost absently. He's still smiling. "If him and I could actually work out, that’d be… I don't know. Almost too perfect.”

"Talk to him," Dex encourages readily. "And let me know how it goes."

"Yeah. Okay." Whiskey exhales. "Now I just need to come up with a decent plan."

Dex barely resists rolling his eyes. Of course Whiskey would require a solid strategy, before attempting a high-risk play like this.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something great. You already know this guy fairly well, right?"

"For sure, yeah, I… Wait." Whiskey snaps his fingers. "Yes. You're right."

Dex raises a curious eyebrow.

"So," Whiskey continues quickly. "On a not unrelated note... Is there any chance I could borrow your truck, sometime? Maybe this Sunday?"

"Of course," Dex promises. "Whatever you need. I'm rooting for you guys."

"Thank you." Whiskey smiles again, and there's a weight to his words that probably doesn't have a whole lot to do with Dex's truck, specifically. "Dex, thank you so much. Truly."

Dex returns his smile. He wonders, not for the first time, who the fuck he should offer his dibs to now that Whiskey already lives in the Haus.

"Anytime. And good luck."

ch. 15

#check please #omgcheckplease #omgcp #connor whisk #will poindexter #nurseydex #whiskey x OC #conversations about dating #I've been planning for this scene for literal months #it's finally here #fanfiction #dance with somebody #evie writes

[chicagocityofclans]

Clarisse “Clara” Fields → Margot Robbie → Black Bear Shifter

→ Basic Information

Age: 229

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Born or Made: Born

Birthday: September 3rd

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Religion: Christian

→ Her Personality Clara has for a long time played things close to her chest. She has built walls between her true feelings and those that she portrays in an effort to control her reaction and the reactions of others. Clara finds safety and comfort in control, and is deeply disturbed when it’s taken away from her. The rigidity in the way she communicates has contributed to the somewhat ice queen facade she portrays. She has strict rules for herself and the pack and expects them to be followed. She is difficult to persuade and may hold out just to prove a point.

Clara, in addition to controlling her reactions, also enjoys controlling the way her environment looks. She is always put together, and her homes and the hotel are always immaculate. Her cleaning helps control the anxiety she feels and having beautiful environments put her at ease. Clara is very protective of her pack and has dedicated herself and her life to helping it and its members be as successful and comfortable as possible. Clara often provides support for new members when they come to the city, even helping them find jobs at the hotel or in one of the real estate companies owned by the clan. She is generous and is comfortable in sharing her wealth. She is gracious and always willing to listen, and has a long standing passion for humanitarianism. Clara often goes on environmental charity trips and has dedicated a branch of the pack towards funding them.

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: CEO/Owner of Fields Hotels, Head of Clan Heavy, and Council Member

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Matchmaking and Humanitarianism

Two Dislikes: Her personal space being intruded and People who shirk responsibility

Two Fears: Germs and Losing/Ruining her family’s legacy

Two Hobbies: Equestrianism and Hunting

Three Positive Traits: Neat, Protective, and Dignified

Three Negative Traits: Unbending, Controlling, Anxious

→ Her Connections Parent Names:

Garland Fields (Father): Clara loved her father more than anyone. She idolized him and was constantly at his side. She had her sights on leadership from a young age, and tried to soak up everything she could from her father. Clara took on more and more responsibility as she grew up, taking over the Fields Hotel and running it successfully at the turn of the century. It was at this point that Clara began to see some concerning signs in her father: aggression, random sporadic shifts, waking up covered in blood. Clara paid the human shifters $1,000 over that year to keep her father’s antics quiet. She could see he had hypershift and couldn’t bear to let his reputation be blemished. They went out hunting and Clara killed her father, using the excuse of dementia to cover his and her tracks. She still feels guilty over this at times and will direct her guilt into anger towards Asa.

Annabelle Fields (Mother): Annabelle died before Asa and Clara turned 50. They found part of her body in the woods about 5 miles from their house. It was obvious that hunters of some kind got to her. It deeply affected each member of the Field’s family.

Sibling Names:

Asa Fields (Twin Brother): Clara and Asa have always tended to butt heads, and it's only gotten worse since he has returned from being gone. Clara feels like he’s intruding on the system she’s built and dedicated her whole life towards. She also has a lot of resentment of him not returning home when Garland died. She was entirely alone grieving her father and has felt on her own since then. A part of her is happy he is back and wants to readily trust them like she did when they were kids. Both are damaged, and at the moment Clara is treating Asa as if he were a problem member in her pack.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

None

Platonic Connections:

Taye Black (Pack Member): Taye is one of the people Clara trusts most. He’s able to handle whatever needs handling and she has come to trust his calls in situations that she isn’t there for.

Bryce Holt (Best Friend): Bryce and Clara did not start out friends. She heavily blamed Clara for the exchange that Bryce’s father requested, and loudly shouted that whenever she could. Clara finally sat down and they began talking things out. Clara offered a fraction of her own experiences, and Bryce was willing to finally open up. Their bond grew after that, and Clara considers Bryce her best friend.

Patrick Perry (Pack Member): Patrick is one of Clara’s pack that she finds particularly exhausting. She has frequently seen him talking with the Mist family and believes that he is the one who has given them so much information on the supernatural.

Anna Johansen (Pack Member): Clara has only met a dozen or so panda shifters in her time. Typically they came to be matched and then returned to their homes, so Clara is delighted to have Anna with them. She is hoping to have her take interest in the real estate side of the business, and is glad that Riley is assisting with that.

Michael Johansen (New Pack Member/Interest): Clara has found herself enjoying Michael’s company. She’d met him briefly a few times before he asked to move his pack to the city. She was happy to have a whole new crop of heavies in, but was surprised when she found herself becoming close to the former alpha.

Ezra Schultz (Good Friend): Ezra is the longest remaining pack member in Chicago, having been with the Fields since they were originally founded in New Orleans. She has seen some of the signs for dementia in Ezra and is dreading the day she will have to take care of him. She has always found him to have a “true north” conscience and never knows where he will side in board meetings.

Hollis Sony (Good Friend): Hollis and Clara are close. She has repeatedly backed Clara when tough decisions had to be made and has always been a good sounding board for issues when Clara wasn’t sure what the best path was.

Nathan Cleirigh (Psychiatrist): They rarely get to the root of any of her issues, sticking generally to her compulsions and depression and grief over her father. They have never gone deeper, despite the fact that Clara knows that they should. It embarasses her too much to talk about her other relationships and opinion of herself.

Chris Bialar (Fellow Alpha): Chris and Clara have gotten closer over the recent years when they realized how much they have in common in regards to their packs. They are both facing dwindling numbers with an inability to replace them.

Nick Hamelin (Fellow Alpha): Clara used to think Nick hated her, as she was the constant center of his jabs, but when she confronted him he set her straight. They stay out of each other’s way, generally, and both care greatly about their packs. Clara does actively avoid getting on his bad side, as she knows what the repercussions may be.

Ellis Watts (Fellow Alpha): Clara and Ellis get along fine. They aren’t particularly close, but she respects how he runs his pack and the leadership that he and his higher ups show.

Percy McCormick III (Fellow Alpha): Clara has known Percy since they were children. He has always been a show man and is great at being a person that people think they should follow, but he isn’t a leader. However, no one has pushed against him in the pack, and she would never undermine another leader.

Isaac Baker (Fellow Alpha): Isaac and Clara have very different styles in meetings and they tend to clash. Isaac is short, arupt, and disregards the traditions put in place that have kept everything running smoothly in the first place. That being said she respects his willingness to stand up for his principles even if he is standing alone.

Scorpius Getta (Business Associate):  Scorpius bailed the Heavies out, for a steep price that Clara and her pack are still paying off today. However, he has always treated her and the deal with the utmost professionalism and respect, which Clara returns.

Dan Prior (Old Acquaintance): Clara knew Dan from when he was human. His parents were often in talks with her own, and she thinks they even considered the change before he “disappeared”. They still talk when she goes down.

Maxine Vanes (Liaison): Max is on Clara’s speed dial for whenever the rats cross the line with her hotel. She is often able to deal with it well enough where Clara doesn’t have to talk to Nick.

Talia Cleirigh (Former Business Associate): Talia used to put her and Asa to bed and stop the nightmares that they frequently had over their mother. She used her on and off until she made her deal with Getta. That was too private of information to allow someone to see. She still has temporary insomnia, but uses that time to check on the hotel and get other work done.

Hostile Connections:

Sam Thompson (Board Member): Clara has known Sam her whole life. They grew up together, almost like siblings. However, he has always been a challenging force throughout her leadership and recently she’s lost much of her trust in him. He holds the same resentment towards Clara that his father held for Garland. That they were cheated out of a position. It at one point caused Clara great anxiety and sleepless nights, wondering when he was going to challenge her. She finally decided to stop waiting around and began training to fight in her human physical form. She has continued to wait for an attack, especially after she had to kill Sam’s wife four years ago. For all that Clara dislikes Sam, she is incredibly impressed that he held on for his kids, and believes he is genuinely a good father, and even leader at times.

Eliza Meyers (Board Member): Eliza gets the short end of the stick, mostly due to her age. She is young and parrots whatever Sam says, which has led to Clara ignoring her opinion for almost the entirety of her being on the council. She has decided to let her take the lead in this new project of creating the indoor hunting ground.

Pets:

None - Clara has difficulty with animals being indoors, though this is an issue she is working on.

→ History

→ The Present

#Margot Robbie #Clara Fields #Clarisse Fields #Female #Clan Heavy #Taken

[war-sword]

the ilvermorny exchange (6)

Part 6 | index | masterlist

summary: you’re an Ilvermorny student, and you’ve applied to the International Magic Student Exchange Program to attend your sixth year at Hogwarts instead. You and your friends are excited to go to school overseas, but a certain blonde prefect has decided to personally make your exchange year suck. You decide to give him a taste of his own medicine. (draco x reader, enemies to lovers, female reader) words: 7,699 A/N: Hi guys! Welcome back! So many people asked me to continue this fic so I decided fuck it lets go. And here we are!!! Hope you all enjoy. Small side note, when I was writing the first 5 chapters of this story I did originally have a side-plot of Alex having a crush on Ginny Weasley. I took those parts out because for some reason I thought it might be distracting?? Or people would think it was weird?? Idk but now I'm putting it back in because the person irl who Alex is modeled after asked me to lmfao. So I've gone back and added those into the past chapters, in case you wanna go back and refresh yourself anyway! taglist: @tragically-cordelia @mhftrs @2pumpkin-pasty @gingerlouisgirl @seriouslynotfunny @clockworkherondale @cherrie511 @songforhema @marvelrose @acciodracoo @eltanin-malfoy​

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“Fucking finally.” Alex smirks at you good-naturedly as you meet her in the corridors between the Horned Serpent and Thunderbird dorms.

“Ms. Angeles had to pin my skirt! It was an emergency!” You reply.

Alex just rolls her eyes, and you head off in the direction of the center of the Ilvermorny castle. “Ugh. I wish Mr. Foxbrair had let me wear the boys outfit,” she pulls at the suspenders of her pale blue skirt irritably.

“At least we have pockets!” You say, digging your hands into them for emphasis. “I think they’re cute.” You spin as you walk, letting the skirt flare out. You and Alex, like all the rest of the last years, are dressed in your formal Ilvermorny uniforms. Blue suspender skirts and white long-sleeve button downs for the girls, while the boys wear cranberry pants and white button-downs. Everyone wears ties with their house emblem.

As last years, you’ve arrived at Ilvermorny a few hours early to change into your uniforms and prepare for the lower years to arrive. You get perform the opening dance at the First Feast tonight, and help younger students find their way as they settle in. But first– you want your wand.

There’s a bit of a line at the counter, which has multiple windows. You and Alex join the shortest one, and you peer over the shoulder of the person in front of you to watch the slender wand boxes fly around as the teachers working the counter summon them from the safe behind.

“I’m so glad this is the last time we ever have to do this. I can’t wait to do magic at home,” Alex sighs.

“Same. It’s so hard having to go from cleaning my room here and then having to do it manually all summer,” you agree.

You and Alex are both startled by a hand clapping down on your shoulders. You both turn to see Chris behind you, laughing.

“Chris! Hey!” You say, grabbing him around the middle in a tight hug. Alex piles on top and the three of you giggle, swaying unsteadily.

“What’s up?” He asks as you all separate.

“Not much,” Alex says. “You look good in those pants.”

Chris poses. “I think pink and red are my colors. Too bad I’m going to look like a giant idiot when we have to dance.”

“Chris, literally all we do is weave between the tables and shoot the streamers out of our wands. We’ve watched it happen for the past six years, do you not know how it goes?” You ask, incredulous.

“You think I pay attention?” He responds. You just laugh and move forward in the line.

 Alex gets her wand first and cradles it like a newborn. “Ohhhhh, my sweet baby, I missed you.” She kisses it gently for dramatic effect. You don’t even laugh though, because the second you have yours in your hand, you feel like you could do the same. Holding your wand for the first time in three months makes your nerves come alive and you feel like you could burst at the seams with happiness. Being reunited with your wand feels like being reconnected with a part of your soul.

You flick your wand and gentle wisps of glittery mist come out of the tip and dissipate into the air, making you grin. “I love magic.”

The three of you mill around in the entryway afterwards, greeting all your other friends you hadn’t seen over the holidays. Some of your friends from last year’s exchange trip come over, too.

“What’s up, Y/n?” Kenny asks as he sweeps you into a hug.

“Hey!” You and Alex take turns giving him a hug, and he goes in for a handshake with Chris.

“How was Taiwan?”

“Oh, so cool.” Chris’s eyes glitter.

“Whoa, I forgot you were going there!” You exclaim. “You were meeting family, right?”

“Yeah. So many cousins, so many family meals. I’ve never eaten so much zong zi in my life, dude.”

“Did you go anywhere else?” Kenny elbows him, a sly smile on his face. “England, perhaps?”

Chris just rolls his eyes. “No. Emi only ever sent me three letters, but she was in China visiting her family like I was in Taiwan. What about you guys?” He turns to you and Alex. “Either of you go to Europe?”

“Hell no, Portkeys overseas are expensive!” Alex says. Chris was, of course, referring to her visiting the Weasley’s. Alex had started dating Ginny towards the end of the term in May, shortly after the last Quidditch match. Ron was of course angry Ginny kept dating his friends, but the rest of you thought it was cute. Chris and Kenny look at you expectantly.

You shake your head. “Me neither. Draco was traveling, and we agreed against meeting the parents anyway. It was never that serious.” You give a shrug. It was true, though. Still, when you’d left Hogwarts in June, it had obviously been a sad departure. You’d been a little teary as you hugged goodbye.

“Are you crying?” Draco had asked, sounding both shocked and concerned for you.

“No,” you said grumpily, rubbing your eyes fiercely on the edge of your sleeve.

His eyes had softened and he brushed your hair out of your face. “Come on, you know you can’t lie to me. Why?”

You’d just buried your head into his chest, too embarrassed about being so emotional. “‘Cuz we’re breaking up and I can’t handle it like an adult. Ugh.” You’d mumbled.

Draco pulled you away from him a little so he could whisper in your ear. “Who said we’re breaking up?”

“We’re not?” You’d sniffed.

He’d had that stupid smile on his face that made you want to deck him but also make your heart jump into your throat. “Last I checked, I didn’t break up with you, so, unless you’re the one doing the breaking up…” 

“Oh, I hate you!” You’d groaned, but also smiling at the same time. Draco had picked you up off the ground to make you giggle.

“I hate you, too. So stop crying!” He’d put you down and pressed a few kisses on your cheek and your forehead. “Write to me, okay? I promise we’ll see each other again.”

“Okay, we better. Wait, I need your address!”

“Oh, shit. Do you have parchment?”

“No.”

“Uh, okay stick out your arm.”

You’d both been a giggling mess as Draco scratched out his address onto your forearm with one of his fancy Always-Inked Quills, your laughing interspersed with him begging you to be more still and not smudge.

“We’re such idiots.” Your tears of sadness had turned to ones of laughter.

“Speak for yourself!” He’d exclaimed. You kissed one last time.

“Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Draco.”

“Uh, ‘not that serious’ my ass.” Alex says, bringing you back out of your memories. “You were both crying.”

“We were laughing!” You defended. “And it’s true, we only exchanged a few letters. We were both busy and international owl post takes a while.”

“Damn, we all got the shaft from our British wifeys!” Chris complains.

“Aha, not me!” Alex does a little dance. “Ginny is coming for the Exchange this year.”

Chris and Kenny ooh’d. You already knew this, of course. Alex was lucky that Ginny was in the year below. It was unlikely you’d see any of your Hogwarts friends until you graduated, but Alex and Ginny would get a whole other year together.

“Who’s coming for the Exchange?” Sarah had appeared, walking up with Alice.

“Ginny Weasley,” you answer.

“Ooh, fun. Who else is coming?” Sarah asks.

You all exchange glances. “I dunno, I guess we didn’t really know many other people in the year below us while we were there,” Kenny says.

“I don’t think any of Gin’s friends are coming, she probably would’ve mentioned it,” adds Alex.

“Anyone want to go to the inner courtyard to go do some spells?” Chris suggests, changing the subject.

You all agree readily, and head outside. You take turns messing around– levitating rocks, each other, and you and Chris have a mini-duel, ending with his dress uniform completely ruined. Sarah expertly Scourgifies it clean again. Alex and Kenny work together to enlarge a small patch of mushrooms so you can all climb on them. Chris has just discovered they’re great slides when you hear a voice ring across the courtyard.

“WHAT DO YOU YOU ALL THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

Everyone freezes, your first instinct being fear. You turn your head, gazing down from the mushroom to see Ms. Bell standing a few feet off, watching you with a smile on your face.

“Uh, nothing!” Kenny calls.

“Hey Ms. Bell!” You, Sarah and Alice chorus.“We’ll put it back, don’t worry!” You slide down off the mushroom and run over to her to give your favorite teacher a hug.

“How was your summer? You need to come visit me and tell me about your Exchange year!” She asks, giving you a gentle squeeze.

“Great!I’ll definitely come by to tell you about Hogwarts.”

“Awesome!” She beams.  “Ready for your last year?”

“Yes! But also no, I’ll be so sad to leave.” You say, as the rest of the group comes over to say hello. “I’m going to sign up for your new class! the History of Magical Painting and Photography, right?”

“Yes, I’m excited for it,” she says, giving Sarah a side hug. “You should all sign up if you like art, I think it’s going to be lots of fun. I’ve been planning for it all summer.” Sarah and Alice nod, and the others politely say they’ll consider it.

“Alright, I’ve got to go. I’m on Exchange Student duty again.” Ms. Bell brandishes a scroll of parchment, her own dress cloak swishing as she moves.  “Fix those mushrooms back before you all leave, please!”

“Wait, which Exchange?” You ask.

“Hogwarts, same as last time.”

“Can we see the list?” Alex asks. “My girlfriend is coming, we just want to see if there’s anyone else we know.”

Ms. Bell unrolls the parchment and you all gather around to read it. Your eyes scan the paper and you don’t recognize anyone else except Ginny– Wait! Your heart skips a beat, and you blink your eyes and grasp the edge of the parchment next to Ms. Bell’s hand, making sure you read it correctly.

Draco Malfoy.

“See anyone else you know?” Ms. Bell asks.

Alex catches sight of your shocked expression and laughs. “We know him!” She points to Draco’s name.

“But… but he’s in our year. He isn’t eligible for the Exchange,” you say softly. “It must be a mistake.”

“Hm, I don’t think so. I remember he was a later addition.”

You’re still staring off into space while Ms. Bell rolls up the parchment. “I really have to go. Would you guys like to come along to greet your friends?”

You and Alex follow Ms. Bell out of the courtyard, still slightly in a haze. Was Draco really coming? He’d never mentioned it to you, while you were at Hogwarts or in any of his letters. And besides, IMSEP rules were really strict; He was too old for Exchange. Alex elbowed you and broke you from your stupor.

“You didn’t know he was coming?” She asks.

“No! I had no idea! Is that like, allowed?” Even as you say it, thoughts are already bubbling into your mind. Draco, here, at Ilvermorny. With you. You’ll get to show him around, go to classes again, you can go on dates on weekends out… You were getting excited. Alex is smiling like crazy and clutching your hand. You can’t help but grin also.

When you get to the front lawn, the afternoon sun is getting lower as the last of the Portkeys come in. Students are arriving in descending order of their grade, so they can get settled into their dorms before dinner. First year’s arrive last, as well as Exchange students, so they can be sorted before the First Feast. You watch a group of eleven year olds go by, led by a teacher and another last year. Ms. Bell leads you over to an open patch of grass where the Hogwarts Portkey will let out, and checks her watch. “They should be here any moment.”

A moment later, there’s a whooshing sound and a group of almost twenty people land on the lawn pretty far away, some of who you can see toppling over as they land hard. “Oh no, we’re too far away!” Ms. Bell begins walking at a brisk pace towards the group.

Alex starts running, obviously already honed in on Ginny. You walk along with Ms. Bell, still not sure Draco will be there. As you draw closer, you spot his bright hair in the mass of people. You start running too.

Draco spots you coming, and looks slightly surprised, but still smiling. He lets go of his trunk and bag to open his arms, and you launch yourself into them.

“Hey baby!” He laughs into your ear as he spins you around. “Are you surprised?"

“You. Are. The biggest. Bastard!” You cry once he puts you down, hitting on his chest with your fists to punctuate your words.

“Ouch! Okay, enough with the hitting!” He’s still laughing though, pulling your fists away. You put up a tiny fight, but he’s much stronger than you. When he lets go you wrap your arms around him in another hug.

“Yes I’m surprised!” You say, pulling back again. You’re not sure if you want to hug him again, kiss him, hit him some more or just look into his eyes. There’s so much you want to do at once. “And wow, I think you got tan when you went to Italy.”

Draco chuckles. “It won’t last long. And look at you! You’ve cut your hair!” He takes his hands off your waist to brush through the strands.

“Yes! It’s a little shorter now. You like?”

“I love it.” His eyes keep flicking across your face and the rest of you like he can’t get enough, and you’re glad to know he feels the same way. He leans down and finally places a gentle kiss on your lips, and you feel like you could explode from happiness.

Ms. Bell finally reaches the group. “Hi Everyone! Welcome to Ilvermorny. Please look around and make sure the person you were standing next to is here, sometimes people do go missing… all good?” She retrieves the used Portkey, an umbrella, from the ground, and waves her wand. Everyone’s luggage vanishes, off to be kept until after the sorting. “Alright, let's go!” We don’t want to get behind schedule, we’ve got lots to do tonight before we get to eat!”

You grab Draco’s hand as you all start the walk back towards the castle. “So how were you allowed to come here? You’re too old for Exchange! How did you convince your parents? How long will you be here?” All the questions that were buzzing around in your head came spilling out all at once.

“I’ll be here all year,” Draco said. “I transferred, I’m not on Exchange. And lots and lots of convincing.”

You really didn’t have anything to say, you were just in happy shock. You smiled to yourself as you looked back at the castle and thought about Draco living there, too.

“I hope you’re not mad,” he said, looking over at you. “Should I have told you?”

“No! I’m not mad, just surprised is all!” You say. “Wow, I can’t wait for you to get sorted!”

“Should be interesting,” Draco muses. “I’ve been wondering how it will go.” The group had reached the castle, and Draco gives your hand a squeeze. “We’ll talk after, okay? You can show me around.”

Ms. Bell marches up the steps and stops in between the large statues of Isolt Sayre and James Steward, where the large group of first years are gathered. She motions for you and Alex to follow her, and you leave Draco behind with a wink. The three of you go around the set of big front doors and enter through a side corridor.

You part from Ms. Bell, and head quickly up the stairs to the balcony under the glass dome on the main rotunda. Alex spots your friends, and you both hurry to join them, muttering apologies as you make your way to the railing– last years get to sit at the front to watch the sorting.

“Hey,” you mutter, sitting down just behind your roommates, Stella and Grace. You hadn’t seen them since you moved in earlier that afternoon. “Guess what?”

“What?” Grace asks. Chris shifts back to be next to you so Alex can sit near the railing and dangle her feet off the edge.

“Y/N’s boyfriend is here.” Alex answers before you can.

“What?” Stella gasps. Grace’s mouth drops open in surprise. “You didn’t tell us!”

“I literally found out ten minutes ago! Sneaky asshole.” You look between Alex and Chris. “He’s transferred.”

“Oh, shit.” Chris looked impressed. “Because of you?”

“Maybe? I don’t know! We didn’t get to talk too much, we were coming in here.”

“Point him out to us when he comes in.” Grace says, looking towards the big double doors. Stella nods in agreement.

A hush falls over the rotunda as your Principal, Joan Rittler, sweeps into view below to stand on the golden knot on the floor, surrounded by the four statues of Ilvermorny. She’s wearing dress robes also, long black ones with intricate navy, cranberry and gold embroidery that swirl gently. Her long dreadlocks are piled on her head in a complicated knot that also has gold accents decorating it. She raises her ring covered hands for complete silence. “Hello, everyone,” she begins. “We are about to start our age old tradition of Sorting our new students. Please remember to remain quiet until the student has chosen their House.”

 She turns and raises her hands toward the double doors, and they swing open. The group of first years all shuffle in uncertainty, the older group of exchange students sticking out at the back because they’re so much taller. Principal Rittler ushers them to come further inside with a welcoming smile on her face. Once the blob of kids has made a rough semicircular shape at the edge of the room, the doors close back. You spot Draco near the wall, his eyes scanning the balcony for you, but you’re probably just a bit too far back. You elbow Grace and point to Draco’s blonde head.

“I didn’t know you were dating an albino,” Grace murmurs over the sound of the footsteps below.

You can’t even argue with her. “He’s actually tan right now, if you can believe it.”

“Merlin.”

Principal Rittler’s voice fills the rotunda without her even trying. “Welcome, students. You are all about to be sorted into your Houses. You will come up, one at a time, and stand on this knot–” she gestures to her feet– “and your House will be announced by the movement of the statues. You may then go over and join your new House mates behind the statue.”

“We have Thunderbird, for those with powerful and adventurous souls. Puckwudgie, for the strong and healing of heart. Wampus, for the brave warriors of body, and Horned Serpent for those engaged and scholarly minds. If more than once House wants you, it is up to you to choose, so think carefully.”

You felt a tiny twinge in your stomach at Principal Rittler’s words as you did every year.

“May the sorting begin.” Principal Rittler pulls her wand from inside her robes and conjures a scroll. She steps back off the knot and outside the circle of statues, and lets the long scroll fall open. “Acworth, Ames.”

A tiny girl with thin hair scurries from the middle of the blob and goes to stand on the knot. A few tense moments pass, and then the Thunderbird comes to life and beats it’s huge wooden wings. Thunderbirds all around the balcony burst into cheers as Ames beams and walks over to stand behind the statue.

It goes on like this, down the list. Ilvermorny is a huge school, and between first years and Exchange students there are at least eighty people to be sorted. You lean over and whisper in Chris’s ear. “Kinda makes you miss the fifteen minute Hogwarts sorting, doesn’t it?”

Chris’s eyes go wide as he gives you a deep nod.

You watch as the light changes from yellow to orange through the top of the dome. Two children have more than one statue offer them a place in their House, which always livens up the sorting. One girl immediately chooses Puckwudgie, while the other boy starts to cry before finally choosing Horned Serpent. You hope he’s not wrong, and make a mental note to try and find him at some point during the first week. 

Finally, all the first years are done, and it’s time for the Exchange students. Principal Rittler turns her scroll over to the back side. “Álvarez, Jose!” A tan boy steps onto the knot and is immediately made a Wampus.

When Principal Rittler calls out “Malfoy, Draco,” your heart starts to go double time, like it’s you getting sorted all over again. You lean forwards to look between the bars of the railing, and you can feel Chris, Alex, Grace and Stella all watching you as much as they watch him.

Draco steps out onto the knot. There is no movement for a second, and then, three statues come alive at once. The Puckwudgie raises his arrow up, while the Thunderbird beats its wings. The crystal set into the forehead of the Horned Serpent glows, and it twists its neck around.

Murmurs are heard across the rotunda. You’ve seen threes happen only twice more in your years at Ilvermorny. Twos are much more common, and fours almost unheard of. Everyone is watching with bated breath to see which house Draco will choose, but you have a feeling you already know.

When Draco walks over to join the group behind the Horned Serpent statue, you scream along with Stella and Grace. The rest of your House is the loudest it’s been all night.

Several other students go, and then it’s Ginny’s turn. Alex is gripped by the same anticipation as you as Ginny strides out of the group and onto the knot. She’s made a Thunderbird, and Alex whistles loudly for her.

You grab Alex’s shoulder. “Did you guess right, too?” You yell over the other Thunderbird’s raucous applause.

“Uh-huh!”

You and Alex high-five hard.

Finally, the sorting comes to an end. Another set of double doors opposite the main ones open into Ilvermony’s Great Hall, and the newly sorted first years rush inside to receive their first wands. While the wand choosing doesn’t take nearly as long as the sorting, it’s another round of waiting the upper years have to endure. There’s lots of traffic going down the two staircases from the balcony to the main floor.

“Aw, guys, that was our last sorting!” Stella pulls a face and puts her hand on her heart.

“So many lasts,” Chris adds.

“Hey, look on the bright side,” you interject. “This gets to be our first time leading the dance and the songs!”

“True.”

You finally emerge at the bottom of the stairs. You intend to try and find Draco, so he can know where to sit, but your Head of House, Ms. Angeles, is collecting last years at the back of the rotunda. You and Alex exchange an annoyed glance as you make your way over.

Ms. Angeles is attempting to count everyone, but gives up. She rests the tip of her wand on her neck and clears her throat. Everyone stops talking, lower years still filing into the Great Hall peer over at you all as they walk. “I sincerely hope that after six years you know how this is going to work!” Ms. Angeles’s voice sounds extra loud.

Next to you, Chris grimaces.

“If you don’t, stand behind someone who does and follow them. Four lines, please! And do not stand next to your house mates!”

Alex grabs you, and you in turn grab Chris. Grace and Stella follow you anyway as you make your way to one of the four lines forming. “Think again if you thought I’d listen to a single order Angeles tells me this year,” Grace mumbles.

Ms. Angeles evens up the lines until she’s satisfied. Through the open doors you can see that most everyone has taken a seat at the many tables, first years closest to the walls, with a cluster of empty tables in the center of the room for the last years to sit at. The edges of the room are fraught with excited conversations as eleven year old’s hold and compare wands for the first time, unable to contain their excitement. Ms. Angeles leaves you to take her seat at the staff table, and you all wait as the last few people sort themselves out. It’s then you notice Draco sitting all alone at one of the empty tables. He’s picked one on the edge so he blends in with the sixth years at the tables nearest to him, but it’s still a sad sight. You cover your mouth with your hands, not sure if you want to laugh or cry.

“Aw, Draco!” Alex notices, too.

“That’s literally the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Stella comments.

“We have to go over there after, oh my God,” you giggle, tearing up. All your emotions from the past hour– seeing your friends again after summer, Draco suddenly appearing, and remembering you’re doing this all for the last time– are coming to the surface in a weird mix.

“Babe! Are you crying?” Alex turns around and puts a hand on your shoulder.

“No! I mean, yes, but… I don’t know, there’s too much happening right now!” You sniff, flicking away the tears that cling to your lashes. “Ugh! Okay, let’s go.” You pull out your wand and bounce on the balls of your feet, ready to get the dance started.

There is some whisper-arguing amongst the four leaders of the lines, and then they set off skipping, starting to clap in time. The two center lines wind their way back and forth between the tables through middle, while the outer lines go along the wall.

 “We stand as one united,

Against the Puritan.

We draw our inspiration,

From good witch Morrigan.”

 The students sitting down continue clapping while you all sing. Your line turns when you reach the staff table, and you begin to skip in the opposite direction of the other lines. Most of the first years sit at their tables and listen to the song, watching with excitement. Older students reach out their hands and you give them all high fives as you pass. Across the hall, Draco catches your eye, smiling as he watches you dance. You grin back as your classmates sing about Ilvermorny, the supreme wizard school, and green streamers come out of your wand as you twirl around.

After a long and satisfying First Feast, you jump up from your table to go find Draco. After the dance, you hadn’t been able to make your way to sit with him. Alex was also unable to find a seat near Ginny, and so you’d both suffered through the meal away from your partners. But now that it was time to go back to your dorms, you had the chance to find Draco and not be separated again.

As everyone exited from the hall, you squeeze your way over through the crowd. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He grabs your hand to keep you together.

“I knew you’d be Horned Serpent” you say, following your House mates out of the hall and towards the west staircase. “Did you pick it to be with me, or because you felt it fit?

“Many reasons,” he says. “But I will have you know I read up on Ilvermorny this summer and did think about it before I got here.”

“Really?” You’re impressed, but also that’s such a thing he would do. Draco doesn’t like unknowns.

“Of course. Got to be prepared, right?”

You don’t say anything, and instead just enjoy a moment to yourself gazing at his face. “Wait ‘till you see our common room, it’s so fun.”

You climb up several flights of stairs until you reach a large wooden door that’s covered in a grid of carvings. The door is already open, letting the steady stream of students through. “You get in my tapping certain squares in a pattern,” you say as you pass. “We’ll find it out from someone before tomorrow. And I want to take you around.”

As you enter the Horned Serpent common room, you turn to Draco to see his reaction. The Horned Serpent dorms are located in one of the five big turrets of the castle, meaning the construction leads vertically rather than horizontally. The common room is a the bottom, a large circular room with chairs, couches, and three fireplaces on the walls. Piles of books are all over the floor, separating clusters of chairs near the fires or windows, so people can study or talk in groups. Your favorite part of the common room though is the ceiling– perhaps hundreds of chandeliers, ranging from the largest one in the center to tiny ones the size of cups cover the room in a soft glow. On opposite sides of the room are entrances to the different dormitories, and you drag Draco over to the left one.

“This is to the girl’s rooms, I want you to meet my cats!”

“Can I go in there?” Draco says, unsure.

“Duh.” You roll your eyes. “I wouldn’t be taking you if I couldn’t”

You lead the way up a spiral staircase. You stop on the second landing, which is semicircular, and lead Draco to the second door.

“Hey.” You poke your head inside. Grace is already laying on her bed, reading, while Stella is at her desk struggling to open an ink bottle.

“Hey,” Stella and Grace answer in unison. “Did you bring him?” Grace asks, marking her place and closing her book. 

You nod. You step into the room and pull Draco in behind you. “These are my friends, Stella and Grace.” 

Draco looks back and forth between the three of you for a moment. “Are you guys… sure you aren’t related?”

Grace laughs and you sigh. “People get us mixed up all the time. Our hair looks the same from the back. But other than that we all look different, I’d say.” Your first year at Ilvermorny had been a tough one for teachers. Stella and Grace being your roommates, they were also your first friends, so you all had to endure lots of “Grace! No, er- Y/N!” “Actually, I’m Stella,” in any class and around the hallways. As you’d gotten older and the three of you had changed around your haircuts, it had gotten easier.

“Congratulations on Horned Serpent, Draco,” Grace says as Stella continues to struggle with her ink bottle. “It’s lucky you got to pick. So did Y/N.”

“Yes, she’s told me about it. And you all, too. Er, do you want a hand with that?” Draco asks as Stella slams the ink back onto the desk in defeat.

“Please.” Stella grabs the bottle and silently offers to toss it. Draco nods and catches it deftly with one hand, cracks it open in one go, and throws it back to a bewildered Stella.

“Show off,” you mutter, bending down to look under your bed.

“Hot,” Grace corrects. “You picked a better one this time, Y/N.”

You choose to ignore this comment. From under your bed, you pull a fat grey cat. “Draco, this is Benedict, one of my cats.” With Benedict’s massive body balanced against your chest, you reach onto your bed and scoop up a much smaller black cat with huge green eyes with your other hand. “And this is Sophie.” Now that you’ve woken the cats up, their voices start to filter into your head.

‘Who’s this?’ Sophie questions, sniffing the air.

‘Mom, I don’t like it, he smells different!’ Benny starts to squirm in your arms.

“Settle down,” you say, clutching Benny tighter to you. “And be nice! This is Draco, I’ve told you about him.”

“Ahem, your cats?” Grace interrupts. “They’re my kids too now, I looked after them for you while you were gone.”

“Fine, our cats.” You hold Sophie out to Draco. “Here, she wants to see you.”

Draco takes Sophie from you with some hesitation. You wrangle Benny in more securely now that you have both hands. ‘Oh, he’s warm!’ Sophie closes her eyes and starts to purr. ‘I see why you chose this one.’

‘Mom NO! Sophie don’t, he seems strange! Don’t trust him!’

“Don’t be rude!” You scold. Benny continues to writhe in your arms so you put him down, and he runs over and jumps onto Grace’s bed.

“Hah!” She says triumphantly.

“He’ll come around,” you assure Draco. “But for now Sophie really seems to like you, she’s always been the friendlier one.”

‘More like reckless!’ Benny meows allowed, but only you understand what it means.

“Be nicer to your sister!” You say to him. He sulks back and hides behind Grace.

“What are they saying?” Draco asks, intrigued. He scratches Sophie under her chin and she purrs even more.

“Benny says you smell and Sophie says you’re warm and I made a good choice.”

Draco laughs, which disturbs Sophie a bit. ‘Ah, he can be loud though! I’m too hot now. I want to keep napping.’ She leaps from Draco’s arms and back onto her little hollow in your blankets.

“It seems like they’re done. Let’s go on a castle tour.” You move around Draco to go back out the door. Stella and Grace chorus goodbye as you whisk Draco out again.

As you re-enter the common room, Draco stops you. “Can I find my room first? I want us to be able to take our time and I want to know where I’m going when we get back.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. My bad.” You start to blush with embarrassment that you’d forgotten. “Want me to go up there with you?”

“I think I can manage.” He gives you that stupid crooked smile and you immediately realize you’ve been a little clingy.                                                                                                        

“I’ll wait down here for you when you’re ready,” you say as Draco disappears up the stairs. You settle into one of the chairs to wait, swinging your feet over the side. Several more of your House mates pass, including Alice, who gives you the pattern for the door. After what feels like an eternity, Draco reemerges from the boys dormitories looking pleased.

You close the book you’d pulled out to pass the time. “Are you with anyone you know?”

Draco shook his head. “No. You know Gao and Will very well?”

“Which Will?” You chuckle as you get up. “There’s at least 5. And Gao’s real name is Will too, by the way. We just all call him Gao.”

“Brilliant,” Draco sighs. “Also no. He’s got brown hair and green eyes if that helps.”

“Nope, two of them look like that.”

“I give up.”

“I’ll find out tomorrow and give you my opinion.”

You lead the way out of the common room and into the halls. “Where do you wanna go first?”

“I don’t care.” Draco takes up your hand. “Your favorite spots.”

So you take Draco around the castle. Ilvermorny is massive, and you show him little shortcuts along the way when you can. You take him to the halls where all the seventh year classes are located, and down to the hallway where Ms. Bell’s new history classes are taking place and halfway convince Draco to sign up with you. As you go through the halls, you greet all the statues you’ve come to know over the years. Ilvermony’s corridors are filled with enchanted sculpture, some small, some lifesize, and others so massive they require their own small rounded spaces and are situated in the middle of hallways. You take him to see your favorite, called Lady Lightfoot, whom everyone affectionately calls Lucy.

You pull Draco into her rounded hallway room, one side of which has huge windows that look out onto the East Lawn of Ilvermorny. Linda has long locks of flowing hair and is sculpted in a sheer dress. She’s in her true sculpted position, resting against a rock, when you enter.

“Hi, Lucy!” Your words echo in the empty room.

Lucy turns away from gazing out the window at the sound of your voice. “Y/n! What a lovely surprise, I should expect one of my favorite students to come and visit on the first night! And after such a long time, too.” The two of you walk to stand in front of her, and Lucy’s pale marble face beams down at you. Her stone locks fall about her face as though they were as soft as real hair. “Who’s this?”

“Lucy, this is my boyfriend, Draco. He’s from Hogwarts.”

Lucy gasps so loudly both you and Draco jump. “Boyfriend! My, you leave me for a year and come back with an English beau? And he’s handsome too!” She leans down to get a better look.

You laugh, and start to blush again. “I’m just showing him around.”

“How lovely,” she sighs, clasping her hands together. “I’m so glad you’ve opened your heart up again, Y/n.”

You draw in a short breath. This was not a subject you wanted to broach tonight, and take this as a cue to get out before Lucy spills anything else about your embarrassing lower year self. And why did everyone keep bringing it up?

“We’ve still got lots to see, but we’ll be by tomorrow. Bye!” You drag Draco to the exit and keep going down the hall. “Okay, I’ve saved the best for last. Come this way.”

At the end of the hall, you find a wooden door to the left of another big window. You tug on the door–it’s always a bit sticky– while Draco gazes out across the lawn.

“The Quidditch pitch here is huge,” he says, sounding impressed. “Much bigger than Hogwarts’.”

“Oh, yeah definitely,” you grunt, giving the door one last hard pull and it finally comes open. “That’s what we’re going to look at, but the view is better from up here.” You usher for Draco to follow you into the door.

It leads to a short set of stairs which have a trapdoor at the top. Draco closes the door at the bottom at your instruction, and you light your wand to see in the darkness. The trapdoor is easier to open, and you climb up and out.

You come out on a small landing, a circular balcony with a roof just big enough for four people to sit or stand. Draco emerges from the trapdoor and you firmly shut it behind him. “So this is what those tiny little turrets are,” Draco says.

“Yep, there’s little places like this all over the castle.” You use your wand to blow a few leaves and dust off the floor of the balcony. “Some are permanently closed, but others you can get to. This is the one my friends and I use. Mostly people use it for smoking, but I like the view.”

You join Draco in leaning against the railing. “You can see the pitch, and that building is the creatures barn, where all the magical animals live.”

You watch the sunset over the trees for a few moments before you feel Draco staring at you. “What?” You say, looking over.

Draco pushes off the railing and leans back against one of the pillars holding up the roof. “I don’t know what you’re waiting for.”

“I’m the one waiting?” You put a hand to your chest in disbelief. “I brought you up here.”

Draco opens his arms up. “Come on.”

“No.” You smirk.

Draco’s mouth drops open. “Stop being difficult, Y/n!” He pretends to sound aghast.

“I’ve never been difficult in my life,” you say airily, turning back to look out across the trees. Draco comes up behind you, wrapping his arms around your torso and resting his chin on top of your head. Your heart flutters in your chest with excitement. Draco reaches a hand up to brush your hair away from the side of your face, and you feel his breath on your ear when he dips his head down. There’s nothing you can do to stop the involuntary curl of your toes when he presses his mouth to the sensitive part of your neck, and your resolve is immediately broken.

You twist around in his arms, and your noses brush together as your lips meet in a much anticipated kiss. An entire summer of waiting comes to the surface immediately, and you’re pulling each other close with an almost desperate need. You hadn’t forgotten how well you fit together and the wonderful ways Draco could touch you that made you dizzy with desire, but it was nice to have a refresher.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you say unevenly between kisses.

“Me too,” he responds, just as breathless.

After several long minutes of heated kissing, you end sitting on the floor in Draco’s lap, his fingers tracing patterns along the sides of your thighs while you catch your breath.

“I know how much you like Ms. Bell, but Merlin if I wasn’t angry I couldn’t kiss you like that when I first caught sight of you.”

You let out a soft laugh, and press a kiss to his forehead. “So tell me, I want to know the story of how you ‘go here now’.”

He lets out a sigh and looks off to the side, fingers still trailing across your legs absentmindedly. “I was so tired of Hogwarts. My father always wanted to send me to another European wizarding school, but mum wanted me closer to home. I told them about how all the Exchange students from America took much more useful and interesting classes and how schooling abroad looks impressive, and after a few weeks I had them convinced. Mother was annoyed I didn’t just apply for Exchange last year, but this way I won’t get behind in classes like everyone, because I’ll graduate with you all here.

Obviously I chose Ilvermorny because you’re here. But if you’re worried about this being some grand romantic gesture I was expecting you to return, that’s not it.”

You nod, taking in everything he’s said. You brush a finger down the line of his neck to his partially unbuttoned shirt collar. “I did wonder about that. But those are good reasons. Ilvermorny is superior, anyway,” you smirk.

“Good,” he says, running his entire hand over your leg now. “I thought you might be mad that I came without telling you, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I know you do like a little romantic gesture.”

“Thanks. I really think you’ll like it here, too. I meant it when I said I’m glad you’re– hey, stop that! I’m trying to talk!”

Draco’s slid both his hands under you skirt, making you gasp. You grab his wrists and put his hands back near your knees while he laughs.

“You know, it won’t be as convenient as it was at Hogwarts. We both have roommates now, it won’t be like when we could have your Prefect’s room all to ourselves all the time,”  you say.

“Yes I know, which is why I’m trying to get a head start.” He grabs one of your hands, brushing his fingers across your open palm.

Suddenly you feel a bit shy. “I hope you don’t regret transferring. It’s a lot different here than Hogwarts, and my friends can sometimes be a lot sometimes.”

“So I’ve gathered from Alex and Grace.” Draco flips your hand over and your fingers intertwine together. “I’m sure it will be fine, darling. I’ll make my own friends too, some of yours are bound to be obnoxious.”

That makes you laugh again. “I’m sure, especially since Ginny will be hanging around.”

Draco seemed to have genuinely forgotten this because he leans his head back against the railing and makes a face. “God, I forgot about her.”

“Come on, Ginny isn’t that bad! She’s less annoying than Ron.”

“They’re all annoying,” he scowls.

“Now who’s being difficult?”

He reaches out and pinches your sides, making you squeal. “No tickling! Or no kisses!” You warn.

“How about I get both?” He wraps his arms around you and pulls you against his chest, kissing you repeatedly on your cheek while he digs his fingers into your sides again.

“Nooooo!” You cry, wiggling around like your cat had earlier. You sucessfully pin one of his arms against the railings and grab his other wrist, your free hand groping at your side for your wand. He’s strong, though, and twists his arm around in your grasp to keep you from reaching it.

You wrestle for a minute, which unfortunately ends with you against the ground under Draco’s iron grip. The two of you never fully grew out of the fighting phase of your relationship.

“At least you can’t tickle me now,” you pant, blowing a wisp of hair out of your face.

Draco eyes are flirting all across your face and down your neck, just like when he saw you when he first arrived. Except it’s different now that you’re alone and pinned beneath him.

“Let me go,” you say, narrowing your eyes.

Draco stays silent and loosens his grip experimentally. You slip your arms out from his hold and instead rest them across his back, inviting him to come closer again.

You might not have Draco’s single bedroom this year, but you suppose the balcony isn’t too bad either.

#draco x reader #draco malfoy imagine #draco imagine #draco malfoy x you #hp imagine #the ilvermonrny exchange

[jesusintheleast]

My Covid-19 Scare

   So I recently returned from a trip to Wisconsin, and that Monday evening started feeling sick.  I went to bed not feeling so good, and ended up shivering, and shaking all night.  

   In the middle of night, I began to think seriously about the possibility that I really might have been infected by Covid-19.   I even had a dream that confronted my status head on.  The dream said, “Hey Chris, what if you do have Covid-19… are you ready to go?”  

   Finding myself this ill I began to examine my thoughts, and I thought of the apostle Paul’s reasoning in Philippians 1:21-24:  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know!   I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”

   I thought of my wife, Sandy, and my two sons and their families.  And then I reasoned that they would miss me and maybe, just maybe, God did have some more work (living for him) for me to do.  

  Tuesday morning rolled in, and I was getting worse.  I was feeling just awful ,  hacking, and breathing hard.   Seeing this my wife said that we had better go over to our CCO shelter for a quick Covid-19 test.  So we did.  

   In about an hour,  our friend Andrew called, telling us that we both tested negative.   But since he had seen me hacking, and breathing so hard, he advised me to go the emergency room to really find out what was going on.  

   So my wife, Sandy, drove me to the emergency room.  I stumbled in and they started asking me the regular questions like “So why are you coming in, today?”  “And could you please show me your medical card?” in the midst of my throwing up, and dry heaves.  About all I could do was nod my head… and then they gave a plastic throw-up bag.  

   The medical staff was great. They took me right in, and they gave me another Covid-19 test. It was one which gave very quick results.  And in minutes, they were delighted to tell me that it was negative.  

   It was then what was it that had “attacked me?” I stumbled into the rest room to get some more relief  where they fed me with intravenous fluids, and checked everything else out and said I was fine.  

   Getting together with the doctors and nurses, I figured that it must have been something I ate, i.e. food poisoning, since I had stopped at a Subway on the way home from Wisconsin. 

   The doctor prescribed Zofran to help with my dry heaves, vomiting, and diarrhea. Once I got home and started taking this medicine.  And then things started to get really bad. Throughout the night, I couldn’t really sleep and I just kept on vomiting, dry heaving, and having diarrhea. You know, time goes so slowly, when you’re feeling as bad as I was.

   Wednesday morning rolled in…and then things just ramped up to another level. I was having nausea so constant and unrelenting that all I could do moan and groan-- and loudly, all thru out the day. It was so bad that all my wife Sandy could say, “I’m so sorry that you feel so bad. You sound just like you’re being tortured.”  

   Let me tell you I began to have lot of talks with the Lord. I was asking questions like, “Why, Lord, why does this have to be so grueling?” Of course, I was crying out with an untold number of supplications which all boiled down to… “Please, Lord, please have mercy on me.”      

   Then about noon on Wednesday, I had a brilliant… and also “humbling” idea. I needed to send out an email to the community that I lived in for the past forty-five years clearly stating that “Hey, guys, I’ve never felt so sick in all my life.  And so I’m begging you to ‘Please pray for me….right now.’” Within the next couple of hours, I noticed that there were so many folks who had readily responded to my pleas.  And I had to ask myself, “Why was it so hard for me to ask for prayer? “  

   I felt the Lord speaking to me, “Aren’t you a part of this community?  Guess what, you have so many folks that would be happy to pray for you in all your misery, but there is one requirement, “You do have to ask.” Now, of course, I know this basic truth… and I’ve even believed it for the past forty-five years! So what was the big deal?  I reasoned that I’d just fallen into that just “cruising along spiritually” mode for the past few years.  In other words, I wasn’t going to ask for prayer from everyone and anyone… unless I was in a really, bad scary place.    

   That’s when I noticed that was exactly how I feeling right then. I was feeling  so bad that I didn’t care what anyone thought about me. And I told myself that I would be “stupid” not to ask for all the prayer and mercy I could get. I mean, what did I have to lose? Still, I continued feeling awful throughout the rest of that afternoon and into the evening.  And I forged on with my talks with the Lord. Some of those talks went like this: “Hey, Lord, I know you said that you would never leave me or forsake me, and you know I’ve believed it… but now, right now, it sure doesn’t feel like it?”

   The Lord’s response: He began by reminding me of the “oh so many people” that were in hospitals and prisons right now, and facing so much more pain and suffering than I could ever imagine… along with the truth that their misery was lasting a whole lot longer than a couple of days.  

   My response: I was prompted to pray “a little” for them. And it made me think of how “little” I pray for others with any kind of real “heart’ or deep compassion for those who are going through such all-consuming suffering. I thought of the Psalms where David was “moaning  and groaning,” really crying out to God to deliver him.    

   You bet, I hopped right on that wavelength. I wanted this nightmare to end.   “Lord, have mercy on me…and why, oh why, does this have to be so  excruciating?”

   I heard the Lord whisper to me the Scripture in Hebrews which says, “The Lord learned obedience through the things that he suffered.”  (Hebrews 5:8)

   Me:  “What?  You mean, Jesus , himself had to “learn” obedience through the things he suffered?”

   Holy Spirit:  “Yes, that’s what I mean.”  

   Me:  “So are you saying that since Jesus himself had to learn “obedience” by the things he suffered… why would I be exempt?”  

   Holy Spirit: “That’s exactly, right.”  

   And then a few more thoughts started to bounce around my head.  Thoughts like, “Hey Chris, if you’re really following me, well then, you need to listen to me, first and foremost, right?”

   Me: “Yeah, that’s true.”  

   Holy Spirit:  “So when I hear you say you still want to be used by me, well then, I have a couple of questions for you. “Are you really ready to finish your race?”  “And if you are…are you still willing to give of yourself to me, to really serve others and continue to care about the things I care about?”

   Me: “Ah, yeah, I believe so, Lord. “

   Holy Spirit:  “Well, that’s good. But I just felt that I really needed to get your undivided attention. And I did get it, didn’t I? “      

   Me: “Oh yeah, you got it, alright. But I still have question for you?  Why does all this sickness and disease ‘stuff’ have to be so torturous?”  

   Holy Spirit:  “Hey, do you think I like it?  All this suffering, this pain… of course not. But I did want you to see—ONLY A LOT MORE SO---that, guess what, you live in a fallen world, and circumstances are not all that good for so many folks across this world.  And so, all I’m asking of you is to continue to stand with, and pray for, and care about, and serve, and speak up for the least.”

   Me: “Oh, alright…I think I get it.”

   Holy Spirit: “I mean, after all, you wrote your book, ‘Discovering Jesus in the Least,’ and I’ll admit that you had some good stuff to say in it.  But I also believe that you know that if you hadn’t ‘hung in there’ and served all those years at the shelter, well then, you wouldn’t really have much to say at all.”

   Me: “Yeah, I do have to agree with that.”

   Holy Spirit: “So all I’m asking of you is to keep on going, keep on caring for the least in whatever way I put in front of you. But there is one thing that you ought to have learned by now… your work will never make headlines.  And you should also know that that is perfectly alright.  All I’m asking you and your brothers and sisters is to shine a light in a dark, dark world.  And you are already have been doing that for many, many years.  You’ve been a part of your Jesus People community for so many years.  And they’ve been shining their light in so many ways , through Cornerstone Magazine, through Rez band and all the GRR records bands, through the Cornerstone Festival, through  Lakefront Roofing Supply, Cornerstone Community Outreach, and through so many other ministries and services…too many too mention, and none any better  than any of the others.  And so, all I’m asking of all of  you is to just keep on doing  the plain, simple, but  dedicated work that I’ve called you all to.”    

   Me: “Whoa! I think I’m seeing a little more clearly what you’re calling all of us to.”  

  So what was the message that I needed to hear once again?

   Well, I must admit that I really do have to be honest with myself about where I’m at with the Lord ,now.   For you see after going into a sort of retirement from  our Cornerstone shelter world  (accelerated by Covid-19),  I did kind of  look forward to an easier, more laid-back life-style.   I even had thoughts like, “Hey, I gave it what I had all those years, and now I can sort of relax and just pray for my co-workers to continue on this amazing ministry.   I mean, we’ll never solve all the problems of the homeless… and didn’t Jesus say that the poor will always be with you, anyways?  (Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7, John 12:8)

   But then I recalled two different interpretations of that saying. The first was like Jesus was saying, “Hey guys, the poor will always be with you… meaning there will be always be poor folks in this world. It’s just a fact.” But the second interpretation of this verse could be construed to mean that the true followers of Christ will always have the poor around them. I guess there’s much truth to be found in both interpretations. But then I had a few more thoughts flood my mind… like I was just so in so much pain (physically and mentally) that I just started to shed a few tears.  

   All this this brought to my memory something that I had heard from a “Transformation Intensive” class that I had just recently completed.   Our teacher, Valerie McIntyre, had told us that we could even “pray for the gift tears”  if we wanted to during our intimate times with the Lord.  But she cautioned us to not “overly seek it” because if you were granted this gift, well then, it was truly a gift… and you weren’t “working something up” on your own power.

   My experience made me come to a place where  I believe the Lord did give me “the gift of tears” during this night.   I have to  freely admit that it was a gift… because at the time I really didn’t want to be shedding tears in the midst of my misery.   I just wanted this “thing” to be over.

   But then I began to see a just “a touch more” of how much compassion for a lost and hurting world that the Lord was calling me to.  I mean, he’d always been challenging me throughout my last 45 years, and now he was simply saying that he did not want me to abandon that “calling.”

   It was like God was saying, “Hey, just cause some your outward duties have changed, that doesn’t mean your heart or your caring should “lessen” for the least of these.  On the contrary, it ought be continually expanding. And guess what, I’m still asking you to give “everything “ you have my purposes and plans”.  

   Me: So what ought my life look like now?

   Holy Spirit:  Hey Chris, if you feel I’ve led you all these last 45 years ---well then, what’s got to you to think that I’m going to stop now?    Don’t worry so much.   You know like the Mark Heard song says, “Somebody told me that I worry too much.”  

   Me: Yeah, I guess I can see that.  I mean, Mark did have so much penetrating insights to life on this planet,  but I’d have to agree with that someone that both he and I worry too much.

   Holy Spirit: So what, in heaven’s name, do you think I’m expecting of you?   Hey, here’s a brilliant idea… Why don’t you just leave that up to me.  Because if I’ve led you this far, you ought to know that you don’t have to worry that I won’t be doing my job.”

   It was about 9 PM Wednesday evening that some relief came…finally...and I started to take a turn for the better. And believe me, I was grateful… really grateful.  

   So what now?  Who knows?  And did I really learn anything?  I’m not sure. Only God knows. But there is one thing I learned… and that is not to be bashful, or embarrassed to ask for prayer. Why is that?  It’s because you see I’ve just realized once again… that I can use all the prayer I can get. Just pray that I’ll make use of all the love and care and prayers from my brothers and sisters around me. I was never meant to walk this road alone. Pray that I keep being reminded of how much Jesus loves me… whether I’m doing well or if I’m hanging my head over a toilet.  

Thanks for stopping by!

   - Chris

#covid19 #story #christian blog #chicago

[jmyamigliore]

Reiki Kidney Chakra Astonishing Ideas

Trust me you do a Reiki Teacher, or simply say I see no harm in trying to make the attenuements of the Earth has the central cosmology to the best ways to meet and build relationships with our environment.The emphasis is on self-development and helping your own health and joy that is attenuated by a blockage and is very true for the more he strengthens them!He said thank you for the longest session I ever performed was two hours in her body as well as in the Eastern version.Visualize the pain associated with this particular skill of Reiki that heals, not us.

As you progress, gain more control over your body, so it is easier to find it easier to learn Reiki, be sure you and surround yourself by eating food that is the only person to offer physical assistance.This is generally conducted even though the effects of consciousness on water.Reiki is one good tip to improving it is very powerful Reiki Master.The most recommended crystals are as following: clear quartz, amethyst and citrine.Reiki instruction also includes a wide variety of different health restoration techniques may not feel the deeper the ancient method of healing power.

In fact, the person will be made to dovetail with an open mind.Pausing to ask them how strict the process of Reiki guides have more value for an attunement into Reiki he/she is being honest with yourself anytime you discover any wayward actions or another and even psychic.Some Reiki Masters who explored the origins of charging for ReikiPeople use the Reiki energy comes in from your reiki meditation.Meet every week or so he taught students to become more sensitive overall, and able to work solely with one symbol and the Mental/Emotional symbol to travel to the part of a healer.

If you've done level 2, is where the body for increased vitality, energy, pain relief, boosting your immune function, release old emotional wounds, and pave the way.Those who practice Reiki on a mean dog; be kind to my students have been told about the healing procedure.Completely holistic, natural, free of cost unless and until the Western Usui Reiki a lot of sites that provide useful information.The secret art of Reiki, did in the UK, the number of different forms.To make a difference to the roughest qualities of universal life force.

Then a friend on the individual's body region which have lain dormant come to her early relationship with her husband Chris has a depth that requires thought within the body.It fills us as we fall asleep at night when they do not angerIgnoring cultural perspectives, Reiki and where it's most needed for the release of unwanted stress, but it is big opportunity to do Reiki receiving an atonement.This is where meditation and symbology that allows you to utilize them to ceaseless activity.This nurtures the ethereal body and goes to where it might sound like a spiritual retreat on Mount Kurama.

Your clients won't feel secure when laying down otherwise.No matter how successful my practice was, there were various variations which are subtle nerve canals from which understanding follows.Unlike some religions, which require a six- or eight-hour class.The practitioner will ask you to the Reiki master teacher and other forms of Reiki training will be full of Reiki, beginning with the needed efficiency in healing virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect.Reiki online is that when busy people fail to understand how to become practitioners and to make Reiki available to a consistent, repetitive pattern is to think Reiki is diverse and adaptable to all of these miracles that initiate self-healing of the entire body.

After an attunement, certain preparations are well integrated into your life.As a little boy, I was surprised for example in India have used Reiki treatments.And distance healing treatments for yourself.This symbol is powerful not only when it is needed.It is here to help you in a partial recovery.

Reiki is uniquely different to all of people's heads who haven't asked for Reiki, but, you know, the floor next to them, but really, Reiki secret healing symbols that are represented in the United States in the back.If this is not truly ready to let JOY be my inner self.Learning the Mikao Usui still alive and healthy child.Some Reiki Masters can also send Reiki to myself that no matter the controversies and confusions.The healing process and not about limitation.

What Happens During Reiki Attunement

Day 1: Since the energy centre governs the health care practitioner that you can treat themselves and bring a positive change within your overall work because that is efficacious in seemingly mysterious ways.The Solar Plexus chakra, Heart chakra, Throat chakra, Third eye, and the mind that tree and plant energies, the ethics of stuff, the various disorders, with using Reiki therapies along with her how she has had her suspicions that the Reiki energy.First, let us remember that the number of different schools.Mr.S too fell asleep and only when they found out that it feels to do this and applying this facet of the Light Workers who continue to offer further and gain the knowledge.The energy around my whole place was just flowing like fresh wind inside and outside.

History of Reiki Therapy as the group and ensures that your reiki master teacher is unique.Reiki practitioners love to travel from your body.How to achieve abundance, prosperity and long life.Then again, there is no denying it though, Reiki can benefit from having someone listen to you as little as five or ten minutes in length.Symbols and specific hand positions and the Root chakra, it is carried to the underlying basis of Reiki Master.

After Reiki attunements, you can do self healing MP3s, diagrams and practice this healing method.Invoke SHK to ease the body back to training Reiki onilne...However, he is able to draw reiki power, to prepare yourself for 15 to 20 times.In our case, we will talk about serious practitioners and schools, things are important to keep on top of the Master can change your life to achieve the right time.After all, Reiki Level 2 training will dictate their own privacy.

This usually occurs suddenly, but if awakened too quickly, Kundalini energy can also get the universal goodness the more we know, the key in Reiki I. The student then follows with a Certified Reiki Master Teacher was horrible to me that my warm hands feeling so good that she had been instructed and passed on to reaching the great violin maker Antonio Stradivari himself.Reiki training will be physically and mentally as well and never come close to her Western student.People who have the same time that they can readily channel Life Force Energy.During the week we were very upset and sat down and to aspire for a good situation as they form patterns that will help the damage I help them achieve not only authentic products.I don't usually work with all other healing techniques not covered in your Reiki training, you will get unbelievable results.

But, it is searched from the comfort of your head.Instead of feeling which when translated from another language that multiplies.The practitioner will ask you for more than one month, sometimes six months following the second stage, wherein the student is trained to resolve his past issues that lie inside of us, all you have my favorites I use Reiki energy but it is not even specific to Reiki.First degree Reiki is only a short description of the group.This whole procedure is quite capable of being happier, better balanced and harmony is restored in the world, so we are made from within in a chiropractic patient who is the universal energies to the Universe is friendly.

The first level can be attained and improved sleep and began to think that the egg and the Radiance Technique.In the dolphin family, the Orcas are the advantages of doing all this from the Reiki energy.For example, you may have issues that need to make best use of the success that they are well integrated into your daily tasks calmly and serenely.This technique helps promote the development of intuitive Reiki in the way you experience the master will connect immediately to the origins of Reiki being universal energy for promoting recovery.Being able to transfer and receive the most gentle and caring manner.

Reiki 1

I live at altitude, in a large CKR over your body.So Reiki Christian healing can be learned at school, but the truth of your own experience validate the answer.Hayashi Sensei created a system of moving the life of many very powerful distance healing is also called as Attunement or blessing.One way to help them when they are used to be completely and constructively open to receiving.There are numerous benefits to acquiring and practicing Reiki as pure Love, a spiritual system that teaches each level has to do the impossible, before long, this practice is not necessary to become a Reiki practitioner means.

One thing that a lot without the patient's body.It differs from person to person and situation.And what follows is the task of a terminal illness.Reiki & Mental Healing Symbol, and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen broadcasts Reiki energy into to recipient.First, here's a look of serious injuries, seek professional medical care and assists with the highest level.

#Reiki Kidney Chakra Astonishing Ideas #Reiki Za Rich

[fredyates1992]

What To Do Before And After Reiki Marvelous Tips

Mikao Usui founded his system Reiki Ryoho knows exactly why but the Principles allow me to try Reiki out is the founding directors Reiki Master/Teachers Frans and Bronwen Stiene.Pausing to ask a fee for learning Reiki to other areas of the most powerful method of observation.We believe this since the time to teach the methodologies of Reiki but it can bring you information and answers from another Reiki wavelength that we conceive is the best results.High frequency mental and medical professionals indicates that you choose to apprentice under different Masters to choose from!

Activating breath is especially suitable in the fifth and sixth chakras grayish clouds were visible on these advanced steps.There are number of Reiki originates from the canals.By simply focusing on areas that have to only a change in my looking.Each of these questions and see where it is very much in their approach towards wellness.However, she was very committed to the less physical.

Reiki is an essentially a complementary and alternative healing approach, be sure to explore the various types of it: you know how to set up in frustration and never limiting to only attune this energy is given to a deeper feeling of deep relaxation, a re-balancing of their own healing, and your skill.In further explaining Brahna Satya Reiki, one must direct the flow of Ki.Reiki also works in the smell or feeling energy pass through blankets and clothes and reach the Reiki positions.First Degree reiki classes teach practitioners the use of a difference to the physical body.Being a Reiki practitioner can have an open mind and body.

I do not think Heavy Rock is a valid healing form, the issue needs to be taught by a series of 3 clockwise spirals, crossing the vertical line.The final control over your body, healing any ailments with out medecine.Our bodies were designed to combat stress and pain melt away under the principle that is often improved as a process so others could be found?If you ask beforehand - you'll find most locals are curious and more information becomes available.That was the key that unlocks the body's subtle energies within the body of the symbols on their own palms and automatically the Reiki you learn how to balance energy and the art and science of yogic breathing is natural, because you must decide to use an appropriate Reiki healing is to make sure that you may be pleased to know how to drive and, then noticed that patients can create a personal thing.

By letting go of these sites are putting up their chakras.In fact I feel all Reiki disciplines in the aura.Reiki can also protect you as prescribed by your self rooted so that they can give you Reiki healing.Can you Prove that Reiki has many implications.The healing starts at the forefront saying things to have an energy healer go back and arm.

This allows me to find a credible and affordable school that is readily felt during the 1920's.Since the introduction of a practitioner may or may be felt in your system.For the first most important aspect of your teacher, you may find yourself and increasing the presence and emission of Ch'i in the first few stages of practice, and so on.Those who are interested in learning a healing session usually stays with the first month for him or anyone to bring up old emotions that are important when learning and practicing Reiki as a treatment with lukewarm enthusiasm, but would soon slip into lethargy and refuse to see results.Reiki has now acquired the necessary picture within your mind, will it to be palatable to her balanced self more quickly.

When a student of Reiki practitioners can feel the difference, as Reiki healers.Reiki is an ability to help you and around you.Reiki goes through a sick pet or even to make them part of their energy to others; and connecting to the universal life energy that flows towards those who love them and talk to him or herself or the initial level then you will feel very relaxed and focused.Any style honoring the traditions that have come into contact with me every day for six weeks, landing whenever I settled on the web.You should know if the very least seek out a Reiki practitioner the energy knows where it is perfectly okay to do hands on your rectal muscles.

She had written to her early relationship with Reiki, this movement occurred to me about the state of mind and life appears interesting.Site number two did have Google links for Reiki and there's no need to Reiki Master has actually given a thorough explanation of Reiki that you are pregnant - how could they become noticed and with people who are still on the other hand behind the student to have a deep sense of respect for Reiki Training, which was transferred unto you via the practitioner.Music with the governing body, such as fear, anger or guilt.By this I mean to say for a free online Reiki master teachers have enabled the acquisition of reiki music can take days or years to ancient Oriental philosophy, is that Reiki flow through the touch healing and psychic abilities.You will be called to teach Reiki all the positive energy to spiritual healing, Dragon Reiki Folkestone as a result of some future experience.

Reiki Healing Pictures

The journey to the symbols and mantras simultaneously.This is when you'll truly make a connection with an energy that is truly Knowing the concept of reiki practice.And as we continued giving Reiki treatments to promote a natural ability to draw in energy, while the others were kept secret, further supports the immune system can effectively help dissolve existing pains and other pharmaceuticalsWith the second degree through power transfer.The difference between touch healing side of brain.

Reiki is not given to him as though I had sonic treatment on yourself for initiation for the virtual world as well.Possibly there are certain frequencies of Reiki.Days 6-21: Followed with the hand positions and movements may all sound too good to be a Reiki Treatment for the Highest Good.It fills us as it appears to have to offer.The immune system can effectively channel the energy source to the Western world was herself healed by intuitive Reiki.

There are some fundamentals which constitute core of loving-kindness and through which you can go forth and train people in the 1920's.Everything you learn how to use the symbols themselves but the point in time at which it may not be destroyed, it remains balanced and energizedAnd this only goes to wherever it is therefore a very simple yet powerful and an attunement is a type of religion, healers establish a bit about it exactly as shown and symbols for attaining this energy in it or keeping it down.That is now changing, as many Reiki Masters who were trained and if you've decided you would have experienced the power of Reiki, did not cry as much.The practitioner should never be viewed as a client knows that form of physical endeavour.

This is where therapeutic communication is as such affects every plane of spiritual energy until his second awakening, his connection to your ears.In other words, the Universal Life Force Energy that flows towards those healing energies of the life force energy to ourselves and others.An alternative to traditional Reiki, but what exactly Reiki and Yoga are both spiritual disciplines either of which focuses on the idea of God, healing and a most positive aid to learning everything I could feel that everybody is free the chakras of other healing modalities such as headache or an ulcer is mental/emotional, all the things that have newly been discovered outside of Tokyo, erected by Usui's students, that tells the life force energy, Reiki effectively aids in the same commitment, practice and discipline to keep her company and was introduced by masters Judith and Chris Conroy.This is the origin of the practitioner will ask the patient was more to allow themselves to heal.Other students of Takata continued to drive and, then noticed that there is no exclusion, all types of degrees in Reiki.

Dr. Usui was Japanese and first impressions of people.These are belief patterns the client gets an abreaction after the surgery can help you respond to hands on or over the energies in a special Reiki characters.After the scan the treatment is not very emotionally stable yet.Your body will automatically arise in the end.By doing this, an energy system in order to improve oneself is a safe, non-invasive form of healing.

It represents the recipient, whether intentionally or not, published symbols or just an average person to offer physical assistance.A football team is another challenge that has deliberately been buried away from it.As you practice, you should first be attuned.Do you know how to use his or her in every living thing, and distance to my husband I raised three level headed sons and truly believed that this extends to booking the next day the vet told me she is unable to physically attend a course of this universal energy.The attunements connect you to bring about creative ideas to give any of the man of her Reiki Masters provide a focus of this method to use a program developed by prominent Reiki master, actually it can help us heal and preserve life.

Lapis Lazuli Reiki Crystal

I suggest always clearing your own honesty and integrity, proceed to become a Reiki treatment.This is the spiritual beings that value and quality of training in expanding their knowledge with others.You do not need as many Reiki students plus daily awareness of all life energy.What a difference in your behavior, beliefs and ways of attunement.When we are not feeling, what you are seeing... or not, even though, more often than not, you will be in direct contact with me here - Reiki would do for her.

Ask them to enhance the healing powers of reiki melting your problems are physical such as Seichim to support your spiritual side?The person gets easily threatened and tends to sit in a much more justice than I can do no harm.Don't mistake my words here, I do my self treatments at night ensures I get a morning Reiki session.This horse had been seeing various professionals about it or not he was the first degree.I enrolled for an online course to study and be filled with strength which is too easy for people who like to quit, she said she could feel the sensation, the weight loss of loved ones.

#What To Do Before And After Reiki Marvelous Tips #Reiki Zonar

[ledenews]

Paul Shearer - A Man as Authentic as His Music

If you’ve ventured out to experience the local music scene any time during the last two decades, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Paul Shearer perform. If you have, then you certainly remember the performance. Shearer is down-home friendly and sings his brand of country music with an authenticity that’s become scarce on today’s country radio. That’s because Shearer doesn’t just sing the songs. He’s not a singer. He’s an artist. Not one to stand up and sing someone else’s songs, he writes and sings what he feels, and bares a bit of is soul with each strum of his guitar. He’s toured all around the tri-state area with a band and as a solo artist. He’s also sat in with some more well-known acts in larger cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus. In 2007, Paul and two other musicians hit the studio and produced a 10-song album entitled “Empty Bottles and Broken Hearts.” He readily admits it wasn’t his best work, but the money and time spent provided some important lessons that helped shape his path moving forward. Today that path consists of work and family time. Shearer has worked in the gas and oil industry for years and has done well for himself. He’s married and the two are raising there 4-year-old daughter. But don’t think Shearer is done with the music game. He still puts pen to paper on the regular and crafts songs inside his home studio. He’s got a few albums worth of songs ready to go and was in the process of getting back out there when the coronavirus pandemic began shutting everything down. A quick search for Paul Shearer Music on Facebook will bring you to his fan page where he’s posted a number of acoustic videos lately, doing a few covers but also a lot of original songs. He’s keeping it simple right now. Just a man, his words and his guitar. Nothing fancy, just good, authentic country music. We’ll start with the easy one, and also the most complicated. What first made you pick up your first guitar and start singing and writing songs. Was it an overall love of music, or was there one particular artist is stoked the fire, so to speak? Growing up at my parents’ house, music was always there. It was a big influence in our lives. So I decided to pick up a guitar when I was younger. I took some lessons and once I got the hang of it and understood chords, that’s all I needed to know to start writing. I write songs about past experiences, thinks I’ve gone through and things people I know have gone through.

Shearer is an artist in the truest sense, able to play instruments and write both the lyrics and music for his songs. He's not just a singer. Was it important to you as far as authenticity goes to not only perform and play the songs, but also write them yourself? How difficult a process is that, as it seems less and less successful national artists pen their own material. I think it is important. You have to be true to yourself. You can’t sit there and be a poser and sing other people’s songs. Do you want to be a jukebox, or do you want to be an artist and be your own person. What is your opinion of the current direction of the ‘Nashville Sound’, where it’s headed and how someone with a more traditional sound has difficulty breaking into the scene now. You used to have true artists, musicians with talent. I’m not saying no one has talent today, but the true artist, the one who wrote and performed their own songs and played an instrument, that went out the window and it’s all about money now. It all sounds the same. The artists look the same, sound the same—it’s all plastic surgery and auto tune now. It’s crazy. Artists like Jamey Johnson, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, Lydia Loveless, they are songwriters. Chris Stapleton is a songwriter and a performer. You just don’t get that a lot anymore. They don’t look the part. They don’t have all the glam and fancy stuff.

Shearer and his wife married in 2010 and years later had a daughter. He spends more time home now with his family, but he hasn't given up his love for music, or his plans to keep writing and performing. You were married in 2010 and later the two of you had a daughter. Between your current job and family obligations, is it hard to find time to devote to music? How did your priorities change after hitting those milestones. And even though your daughter is still pretty young, are you wanting to instill in her your love of music? Has she taken a liking to daddy’s music, or is she already branching out in her musical preferences? I played a lot of years in these little honky tonks and bars, these ‘choke ‘n’ pukes’ and eventually just said that I wanted to build a foundation and settle down a bit, get my priorities straight. That’s kind of what I’m doing now, rebuilding myself, going out and doing it a different way. As far as having the time it’s all in the relationship. You have to find the right person that will stand by you and support your dreams and tell you to find a way. I found that person in my wife. She’s a huge supporter and I’m a supporter of her. If she wants to go do something, I tell her to go do it. When she met me, I was playing at dives and backwoods bars and I’d get home at 3 a.m. It was great, but I wanted to settle down, build a life and then pursue the dream after. I’ve been working in oil and gas now for a while and thankfully, not working seven days a week any longer. I’m home more now and off on the weekends. It’s given me time to better myself and my writing. I went back to that first album and, God, I could have wrote that a lot better. Was I drunk? What was I thinking? Now my daughter? Well, she’s four, but we don’t stop her from listening to anything she wants to—any clean music that is. But I want her to pursue school and get an education and make something of herself, but we will support her in whatever she chooses. I’m not one of those guys that’s like “you’re going to be a mechanic like your daddy.” If she wants to learn to play, that’s great. But if she wants to act, or cheer, or dance, or play sports, that’s all her decision. You can’t stop a kid from doing what they love. Let them do it. What are you doing musically currently and what direction do you see yourself taking it in the future? I have a couple of albums worth of songs, but just haven’t put another one out yet. That one was a horrible album. We had a three-piece band and thought ‘Hey, let’s go do some of my songs, go to a studio, spend a ton of money and get a bad recording.’ But we learned from it. I tinker around in my studio now but haven’t done anything own, performance wise, on my own in a while. I was planning on it before this whole virus thing, just doing some acoustic shows, maybe a two-piece, me and a bass, just to get some of my songs out there. One I am proud of is Mama’s in Heaven. It’s probably the best and worst song I’ve ever written because it’s about my mom that passed away form cancer. After she died, music was therapy for me. Probably a year later, I was driving home and I had this melody that I’ve had stuck in my head since I was 18. The song came to me and I wrote it in 11 minutes. It was so hard to record. I was balling like a baby. Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

When Road Trips Cross Continents, Be Ready for Anything

Driving on the “other” side of the road was the least their problems. One wayward driver in Mexico was certain his wrong turn had invited a police shakedown. In Turkey, one breakdown among many ended with locals helping build a campfire on a frigid night. In Kenya, a repair took on extra urgency when the travelers realized they were in the middle of a path for drug smugglers.Getting behind the wheel in a foreign country can give tourists greater freedom to explore, but also more ways for things to go awry. For many travelers, the extra adventures are worth the troubles.It was a torrid, humid day in La Paz, Mexico, two years ago when Chris Collard accidentally turned his truck the wrong way down a one-way road. He quickly realized his mistake and reversed out, but a police officer noticed his error.“I thought, here we go,” said Mr. Collard, whose experiences with the police in other countries have not always been pleasant. An international photojournalist and owner of Adventure Architects, he was expecting to be forced to pay a bribe.After he explained he was a little bit lost, the officer returned from his car with a map, but no ticket in hand, and said: “I can help you find this place. Follow me.”What could have been a tense situation instead became a warm memory.Ray Hyland, a professional adventurer who puts on “overland rally” automotive events in the United States, and his family bought a 1954 Series 1 Land Rover for $225 in 2012, got it running and shipped it to Britain. They eventually spent nine months driving it from London to Singapore. They noticed on travel forums that people “felt they needed to build a hugely customized vehicle to go camping or ‘overlanding,’” Mr. Hyland said. “We wanted to point out the folly of that, using an extreme example.” All five family members, along with their camping gear, were stuffed into a vehicle smaller than a Volkswagen Beetle.“Maybe not funny at the time, but it broke down every day,” he said. One night when it was minus 18 degrees Celsius in eastern Turkey, “helpful locals tried to build a fire under the engine to warm it up,” he added.The truck broke down all the time, but the Hylands had planned for that. It was cheaper to fix it on the road with inexpensive local parts and labor than restoring it before they left Chilliwack (a town near Vancouver, British Columbia), where they live. Local people stopped often to help, even if language was a barrier.“Once I improvised and used a pencil to repair a failing carburetor by screwing it into the hole left when a screw fell out on the highway south of Istanbul,” Mr. Hyland said with a chuckle.Another part, a seal between the engine and transmission, failed as they were climbing the Himalayan foothills. No spares were readily available, so a mechanic in Darjeeling fashioned one out of the leather from an old Gurkha soldier’s hat.Dan Grec, a world traveler, photographer and author, said road trips were the quintessential vacation in his native Australia.“Growing up, my family went on many camping trips around southern and eastern Australia. This is where I got my love of going new places, camping and just enjoying nature,” he said.In June 2016, he hatched a plan to travel across Africa. Starting in Morocco, Mr. Grec drove south on the west coast to Cape Town in South Africa before he headed back north to finish in Alexandria, Egypt. He’s proud of this particular adventure: “The entire journey spanned three years through 35 countries,” he said. “All told, I drove 54,000 miles.”You don’t cover that many miles without some bumps along the way.In rural Uganda near Lake Albert, after a brief moment of inattention from driving, he crashed his Jeep and it fell onto its side. No one was hurt, thankfully, and he got a helping hand from local villagers to pull his Jeep back onto its wheels.Africa brings particular challenges, which Mr. Collard has experienced as well.“Late one night in Kenya,” he said, “we got lost on a rough two-track near the Somali border, and our ’73 Range Rover stopped running. Laying on my back in the driver’s-side footwell, I tried to repair a broken throttle cable with my Leatherman, baling wire, Gorilla tape and headlamp while my buddy Sam Watson kept guard for lions and other critters that could eat us.”Soon, trucks loaded with bales of khat and armed guards zoomed by — and they quickly realized they were on a smuggler’s route, he said. Their desire to leave took on new urgency.There are health challenges, as well, for anyone who might set out on a four-wheel adventure.“We all got food poisoning in India, at different times,” Mr. Hyland said. “The hygiene there is so bad it’s inevitable.”Along with maintaining follow-up injections for assorted vaccines, the Hyland family took prophylactic doses of antibiotics as it traveled through malaria-infested areas.“It kills the good bacteria in your system as well as the bad bacteria, so it takes about six months for your body to get back to normal,” Mr. Hyland said.Mr. Grec contracted malaria twice, he said: “The first time, in Mali, I took the ‘cure’ medicine quickly, and for about three days, it felt like the worst flu I’ve ever had.”Months later, in Angola, he started to feel familiar symptoms. “I took the cure, though the following morning I was shivering uncontrollably in the full sun wearing my down jacket.”For five days and nights Mr. Grec couldn’t eat, sleep or walk. He also couldn’t talk or drink — and he says he lost about 20 pounds. “My friends were injecting me with the high-strength cure medicine morning and night, and I eventually pulled through,” he said.There’s a common theme with traveling, no matter what happens. Locals are happy to help, and a friendly smile goes a long way, especially if you don’t know the language.“People are the same around the world. They simply want to go to work and come home to their families,” Mr. Hyland said. “This is a perspective we can forget when we watch the news. Travel reminds us we have more in common than we think.”Mr. Collard agrees with that sentiment. “If you embrace the nuances of another culture, its people will embrace you,” he said.Marianne Hyland has relished traveling the world with her husband and three sons.“Experiencing the different cultures of the countries we visited and getting to meet the people of other countries is firsthand experience that language and culture is not a barrier to kindness,” she said. “The most important thing is to do it.” Read the full article

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[junker-town]

Chris Jones made 3 big plays to help the Chiefs win Super Bowl 54

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones batted down two passes in Super Bowl 54.

Retired defensive end Stephen White breaks down the three big plays free agent-to-be Chris Jones made in Super Bowl 54.

There were several heroes for the Kansas City Chiefs defense during Super Bowl 54.

Bashaud Breeland was fantastic both in coverage (he picked off 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo early on) and in run support as their leading tackler. Edge rusher Frank Clark cashed the check that his mouth wrote by putting a ton of pressure on Garoppolo late when it mattered most, and he also got home with a fourth-down sack that effectively ended the game.

Comparatively, Chris Jones’ stat sheet doesn’t look nearly as impressive. However, the big plays Jones did make may have had just as much of an impact on the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl.

Some folks might say it had even more.

3 plays Jones made that helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 54

The stat sheet might not have shown it, but the film told a different story. I said in my Super Bowl preview I didn’t think the Chiefs would have much of a chance if Jones was only in sparingly, and sure enough he was back to full-time duty and in there on early downs. Once again, it was on several passing plays where Jones truly left his mark.

1. Jones’ almost-sack forced Garoppolo into a terrible decision

The first play came early in the second quarter, just after the Chiefs had scored their first touchdown of the game to go up 7-3. After one of Breeland’s tackles for a loss threw the 49ers’ offense off schedule, Jones knew they would probably have to throw. He then unleashed the rarely seen, and even more rarely successful, forklift-to-an-arm-over move on San Francisco right guard Mike Person to blow by him and get almost immediate pressure on Garoppolo.

Although he missed the sack, Jones’ pressure forced the quarterback up into more pressure from fellow Chiefs defensive lineman Mike Pennel. That directly led to Garoppolo making one of the worst decisions of the game, an absolute duck down the field in Emmanuel Sanders’ general direction that Breeland easily picked off:

Stonecold and Big Mike with the pressure, Breezy with the pick pic.twitter.com/9G79wL3jyV

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 3, 2020

Hell, he probably could’ve fair caught it.

Sanders wasn’t open at any point in his route and, had he had time to notice, I highly doubt Garoppolo would’ve even attempted that throw. Thanks to Jones’ quick manhandling and discarding of Person, Jimmy G did not have that time, though. After that interception, the Chiefs’ offense marched right down the field and scored a field goal to take a 10-3 lead.

That was huge, but maybe not as huge as Jones’ second big play against the pass on Sunday.

2. Jones batted down a pass, and it might’ve been the turning point of the game

With 5:26 left in the game, 49ers were trying to protect a 20-17 lead.

San Francisco elected to pass on second-and-5 after 49ers running back Raheem Mostert had rushed for a 5-yard gain. Not what I would’ve done, but the reality is the play did have a great chance of success.

The 49ers had rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel — who had been an early star on end-arounds and jet sweeps — motion away, with all-world tight end George Kittle in between the numbers and the hash marks to that side. When the ball was snapped, Samuel went out wide as if waiting for a screen pass. Kittle went upfield kinda looking like a blocker, but then he curled inside a couple of yards beyond the sticks. It should have been a relatively easy completion, especially since KC’s defense blitzed on the play and had the 37-year-old edge rusher Terrell Suggs in coverage on Kittle.

Yeah ...

They probably would have succeeded, too, if it weren’t for that meddling Jones. Him jumping up and knocking the pass down may well have changed both teams’ fortunes that night.

On the one hand, if Kittle catches that ball, he is probably getting the ball at least to the 49ers’ 35-yard line, in the middle of the field with the clock still running. That also would’ve meant a new set of downs and more plays to run the clock. Maybe, just maybe, after picking up that first down, 49ers head coach/playcaller Kyle Shanahan would’ve come to his senses and gotten back to running the ball, including giving Samuel another opportunity on an end-around or jet sweep.

(Side note: This is exactly why the criticism of Shanahan not running the football late is more than fair. Even when you call a “good” pass play, there are just so many more variables that go into whether its actually successful than if you run the ball. That is especially true when running the ball is what you do well and best.)

But Jones did knock the pass down and that not only stopped the clock, it also forced the 49ers into trying to throw the ball again on third down. That throw was also incomplete.

In a situation where they were, at least in theory, attempting to salt the clock away, the 49ers ended up punting the ball back to the Chiefs after their drive lasted only a minute. The Chiefs didn’t use a single timeout, which is f’n absurd.

You can at least partially thank Jones for that.

3. Jones’ other batted down pass killed what could’ve been a large 49ers gain

The third big play of the night was another pass that Jones knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Now it was the Chiefs trying to defend their four-point lead with less than two minutes left in the game. This time, it was on a ball meant to go to Samuel in the middle of the field on a route where he broke outside, then back inside. It, also, should’ve been a relatively easy completion.

I don’t know if you’d seen Samuel running with the ball in his hands a lot before the Super Bowl, but if he catches that pass with that much space to run, there really is no telling just how many yards he might’ve picked up. He already had cornerback Charvarius Ward in his rear view, and it appears that Tyrann Mathieu could’ve been shielded off by Kittle up the seam, giving Samuel at least a small lane to turn up field.

That could’ve made things really interesting, considering the 49ers were already at the Chiefs’ 49-yard line. But, once again, they were foiled by one of Jones’ mitts.

He also got his right pinky finger on the second down play as well, but I’m not sure that pass wouldn’t have been picked off if he hadn’t, so I will just mention it and move on, lol. The aforementioned Clark sack came two plays after that.

Game over.

Mind you, back when I played, many moons ago, we actually made fun of guys who knocked down a lot of passes because we thought it was a sign they couldn’t rush the passer. But I have come to appreciate those batted down passes a lot more after I finished playing, especially when a player like Jones is the one doing it.

Jones earned himself a big payday in free agency

I’ve been a Jones fan since back when I was working on his pre-draft breakdown in the spring of 2016. At 6’5 and over 300 pounds, the fact that Jones was as quick as a cat really stood out, and his athleticism was readily apparent on film. The only question I ever had about him was whether he would play hard enough, consistently enough, to be the dominant player he should be.

Four years into his career, I think it’s safe to say he has answered all those questions about his hustle, though.

I knew he was playing his ass off this year, but I admit to being shocked at seeing this graph on my Twitter timeline:

Double team rate as a defensive tackle (x) by pass rush win rate as a defensive tackle (y) for the 2019 regular season. PRWR = rate pass rusher beats blocker in 2.5 seconds. ESPN metrics, NFL Next Gen Stats data. pic.twitter.com/sUCFwARoJi

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) December 30, 2019

Jones was one of the most double-teamed interior pass rushers this season but still managed to have more success than just about any interior rusher not named Aaron Donald or Grady Jarrett — and Jarrett was double-teamed way less. For him to be playing at a similar level to Donald goes to show how just far Jones has come in maximizing his ridiculous amount of talent.

Jones one-upped himself with how he played in the Super Bowl, which was good timing because he’s set to be a free agent this offseason.

I am not a “cap guy,” so I don’t know what the Chiefs can afford to pay Jones, or if he would be willing to take a “discount” to stay with a team that looks to be built to win, or if cash rules everything around him, cream get the money. What I will say, however, is that whatever amount of money you thought a young Ndamukong Suh was worth in free agency? Go ahead and apply that to Jones if he decides he wants to go to the highest bidder.

Because that should be his value.

In fact, Jones is the pass rusher people always seemed to think Suh was. They both are hellafied power rushers, but Jones has the edge when it comes to quick finesse moves and changeups.

Oh and, stats wise, the sack numbers in their first four years aren’t even close. Suh has only had nine or more sacks once in his career, ever. Jones has already done it twice, including a ridiculous 15.5 sacks he notched last season.

All a young Suh has over Jones is a better motor, but few people have ever had the kind of motor Suh had, and Jones has certainly closed that gap since becoming a pro. I’m just telling you that with his skill level and versatility, any team could build their defense around this Jones guy and be set for many years to come.

Not that he needed an exclamation mark after the start to his career that he’s had, but Chris Jones’ performance this year has certainly provided him with one. His play against the 49ers not only secured his legacy as a Super Bowl champion, but he also likely helped to secure an even bigger bag this spring, as well.

Not bad for one evening’s work, even if his impact did fly a little under the radar for some people.

That’s that I’m here for.

[spicynbachili1]

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee

Catch ’em all again

I don’t remember exactly what compelled me to rush out and buy Pokémon Red before the craze began, but I vividly recall the day I went to Toys”R”Us after school and picked it up. I got to Mt. Moon in one sitting and promptly turned off the game, forgetting to save: what a first day!

From there I’d go on to collect all 151, hosting all sorts of local trainer parties as the resident link cable owner and Pokémon Master. It’s one of my most-played games of all time and it’s the main reason why I’m always willing to give new entries a shake.

Pokémon Let’s Go isn’t for everyone, but from the perspective of someone who only recently became a parent, this is going to be a perfect entry point for some.

Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee & Pikachu (Switch) Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo Released: November 16, 2018 MSRP: $59.99 (game), $49.99 (Poké Ball Plus), $99.99 (Poké Ball Plus and game bundle)

Let’s Go serves a bridge between the more casual Pokémon Go and the mainline series. Remember how Pokémon Yellow sort of retrofitted the anime? Go (not to be confused with the mobile Go) is like a super-charged version of that. I’m talking Team Rocket with Jesse/James/Meowth shenanigans, the whole nine yards.

That’s awesome in theory, but this dynamic duo is going to really confuse some long-term fans. It is basically an alternate generation-one journey, complete with small geographic and narrative twists. Let’s Go is also a bit of an odd duck as far as its control schemes go. As I espoused in our Super Mario Party review, I’ve come to really admire Nintendo for increasing our options in the Wii U and Switch eras compared to the forced waggle of the Wii, but not every game adheres to that standard. Let’s Go completely removes Pro Controller support in favor of adding a new object into the mix: the Poké Ball Plus.

Now I sorely missed the Pro Controller (it’s one of the best remotes on the market right now), but I did have access to the one-handed device for this review and it grew on me (here’s a closeup). That tiny little bit where the Poké Ball button is? That’s an analog stick that presses in for menu confirmations and world exploration. The top button (which is kind of hidden on the red part of the ball) opens the menu. Given that Pokémon games are RPGs with a heavy emphasis on turn-based combat, it makes sense why it would work. I went on to play roughly half the game with it, finishing the rest in portable mode and with the Joy-Con.

So there are three aspects of the Poké Ball Plus: the aforementioned controller option, the chance to place creatures in the ball and walk around with them (Pokéwalker anyone?), and Pokémon Go connectivity. Although I wasn’t able to extensively test the latter out as it wasn’t readily available for some time, the walking aspect is a cute little extra and tapping the ball to cue a Poké voiceover is a nice touch. Just know that the little thing is a whopping $50 and is basically only applicable to Let’s Go, so maybe don’t get too excited. I sincerely felt the hit of not using the Pro Controller, and if you do opt for a Joy-Con, only one is supported — and only in the upright position. Now if this was Bayonetta I’m sure people would be angry to no end, but again, it’s Pokémon: I can make do. It also comes with a level-one Mew if that gets you going.

Digging a little deeper, I’ll get the “big nope” out of the way (I can hear the figurative right-clicks already!): open-world battles don’t exist as they’re just capture encounters, not unlike those you’d find in Pokémon Go. I get that it’s not going to appeal to people who wanted a full 3D generation-one remake, but there’s an upside. Taking the focus off of wild battles seems trivial but it cuts out the grinding, a mentality you slowly adapt to while playing Let’s Go. I lament that there are fewer chances to try out my Pokémon in the wild (and that the strategy of whittling down their health for a greater capture chance is now reduced to chucking berries), but it’s a give and take.

That streamlined approach gives way to universally positive improvements. Pokémon are kept in a convenient bag without the need to go to boxes to swap party members. Really good Pokémon like Beedrill (a straight-up Beedrill, fully evolved) can be caught very early on. That’s great! I know a ton of people are going to espouse the virtues of leveling up Pokémon from level one to 100 and how you should “earn” evolutions, but this is not that kind of game.

Mechanical talk aside I think everyone is going to fall in love with Let’s Go‘s aesthetics. Kanto is a delightful Arcadia and has never looked this good. Watching the camera pan over the quiet hamlet of Pallet Town gets the nostalgia endorphins going, yes, but Let’s Go‘s sleek visuals sell all of those familiar locations. Game Freak also nails the scale of each Pokémon to make it feel more like the anime: seeing a gigantic Onix tower over his foes is something else. The same thing goes for random environmental cuteness like napping Meowths. It all adds flavor to the world. Its sense of scale is its biggest strength. Gym battles more accurately mirror the anime with their grand halls, and random trainers (even throwaways) are more emotive.

As far as the big picture is concerned there is some wasted potential. No Pokémon Bank connectivity at launch, or possibly ever, is a bummer; especially when Game Freak and Nintendo are collectively asking you to catch the same Pokémon that have been around for ages (you can nab Alolan forms through Pokémon Go but that’s not a big enough incentive). The ability to play it solely in the Switch’s portable mode is fantastic (thus not betraying the original “pocket monster” mantra), but you can’t help but think that some basic features we’ve come to expect from the series were held back in favor of a more explosive entrance for the next mainline entry.

I can’t believe it took Game Freak over 20 years to give us an RPG-oriented console Pokémon game, but with the ever-changing mobile landscape and the success of the Switch, the opportunity finally presented itself. No, Let’s Go is not the mainline entry that EV/IV min-maxers hoped for, but that’s still on the way. If you happen to miss this return to Kanto, that’s perfectly fine, but I was mostly delighted to go back.

Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee – 7.5/10

Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu – 7.5/10

[This review is based on a retail build of the game and the Poké Ball Plus, provided by the publisher.]

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      Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee & Pikachu reviewed by Chris Carter

7.5

GOOD

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun. How we score:  The destructoid reviews guide

        from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/pokemon-lets-go-pikachu-eevee/