Happy Pride!!!! Living Blood or Lady Mo please!
a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
Xuanyu disrobes unashamedly, hesitating only at the last second with the sleeve covering her left arm.
Jiang Yanli laughs. “Bit late to be modest, I think.”
“Modesty is overrated,” she returns, which is something that Zixuan would say and A-Yao would think. She slips the rest of the robes off and steps into the steaming bath, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
The changes her body has undergone are even more obvious without the thick layers of the robes obscuring her form. The extra weight seems to have settled in ideal places, not only thickening her waist and limbs but settling heavily along her hips and breasts, which hadn’t exactly been small to begin with.
She sits behind Xuanyu, filling a bowl with water and then pouring it over her hair to rinse it of blood and dirt that had been hidden by her dark hair. Acting as a bathing assistant is far below her station, but Xuanyu had sent all the servants away and she doesn’t mind, really. Xuanyu is her sister, likely the only one she’ll ever have considering A-Cheng’s track record with matchmakers, and she’s been worried about her. This gives them time to speak alone. “How has your marriage with Lan Wangji been? Has he been kind?”
Xuanyu pulls a face, which isn’t encouraging. “I guess. He mostly left me alone, and then we had a couple fights and he was a jerk, and now I think he’s trying to make up for being a jerk, but it’s a little – well, it’s nice that he’s making an effort. I suppose.”
Not as good as she’d hoped, but not as bad as she’d feared. “Sect Leader Lan seems fond of you.”
“Oh, Lan Xichen is great,” she says easily. Better than reaction to Lan Wangji, but still not what Jiang Yanli had been hoping for. Then her eyes light up. “Sizhui is wonderful! I’ll give Wangji one thing, he’s raised a good kid. He’s so sweet, and a great cultivator, and he’s always trying to help out everyone around him. I’m glad Jingyi’s always hanging around – without him, I think everyone would just take advantage of Sizhui’s good nature.”
Well, that’s something. Surely Lan Wangji can’t resist Xuanyu’s charms for long, not when she dotes on his son and gets along with his brother.
“What trouble did you get into on the road?” she asks, running her hand over the wound on Xuanyu’s shoulder. It looks nearly fully healed already and there’s another mostly healed wound on her hip, a thin slice on her left arm, and the shadow of various bruises that were likely much worse a couple hours ago. It’s of course a good thing that Xuanyu has a strong golden core, but Jiang Yanli can’t help a moment of wistfulness.
Her own core never lived up to her mother’s expectations, or her own. If she’d had a stronger core, she could have given A-Ling siblings. A child should have siblings. She would have had a calmer childhood without two little brothers underfoot, but a lonelier one too.
Xuanyu shrugs, lazily scrubbing herself down. “Looks like Xiao Xingchen picked up the girl, A-Qing, while he and Song Lan were separated and was trapped in this place that was basically a ghost town.” How could he be trapped by a place that had no people? “And I’d heard some rumors so when we ran into Song Lan I helped him find Xiao Xingchen, but there was a bit of a fight with someone who didn’t want him to leave. I just happened to get caught in the crossfire, so to speak.”
She’s stretching the truth to outright lying. Before Jiang Yanli can call her on it, her stomach growls.
“Didn’t get a chance to eat on the road?” she teases.
Xuanyu flushes, ducking briefly beneath the water to hide her flaming cheeks before resurfacing. “Things were a little hectic. It may have slipped my mind.”
How has she managed to put on weight while also forgetting to eat? Perhaps Lan Wangji deserves more credit.
“I think I have some candies in my room, if you want something before the banquet,” she offers. “I know the speeches take forever.”
Her eyes light up before dimming and she slumps in the bath. “Thanks, Yanli-jie, but I better not. Sizhui gave me some on the road and I usually love them but just putting it in my mouth almost made me sick. It was awful. And weird! They’re my favorite.”
Jiang Yanli blinks then gives Xuanyu’s significantly larger chest a considering look. It could be nothing. It’s probably nothing. She hasn’t even been married a year and it doesn’t sound as if she and Lan Wangji have been seeing eye to eye.
Then again, the same could have been said about her and Zixuan.
“Can I ask you something personal, Meimei?”
Xuanyu nods. “You can ask me anything, Yanli-jie.”
“Are you and Lan Wangji having sex?”
She turns bright red and ducks beneath the water for so long that Jiang Yanli is starting to get concerned before she resurfaces, still red faced. “Um. We did once. Well – I guess, technically, it was three times, but it was only one night.”
Well. Apparently Lan Wangji has stamina on and off the battlefield.
“One moment,” she says, briefly squeezing Xuanyu’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
It takes one whispered conversation with the servant outside the hall and approximately ninety seconds before her personal healer is standing in front of her. Jiang Yanli ducks back inside to see Xuanyu out of the bath, in a thin bathing robe that’s clinging to her as she wrings her hair out. “I’d like my healer to take a look at you, Meimei.”
Xuanyu freezes, slowly standing straight with a wary look on her face. “That’s really not necessary. The wounds were just superficial and they’re basically healed already.”
“It’ll be quick,” she says, because if she’s right then she can’t let Xuanyu go down to the banquet without letting her know. “She’s very discreet – she’s been my personal healer since I was a child.”
“Jiang Xingyi?” Xuanyu asks, some of her tension draining away.
Jiang Yanli nods, trying to think of some reason that Xuanyu would know her healer’s name, or her reputation, but all the servants are terrible gossips and her health is a frequent topic of derision. “Just your wrist, okay? Your golden core has changed a lot. I just want her to take a look.”
She feels bad about lying, but Xuanyu had lied to her first.
Xuanyu relaxes even further. “Okay, Yanli-jie. If it’ll make you feel better.”
“Thank you,” she smiles, then opens the door to usher Jiang Xingyi in.
The old woman doesn’t smile, but Xuanyu grins back undeterred, and says, “Hi, Granny,” before paling and adding, “uh, um. Sorry.”
Jiang Yanli feels a familiar pang of grief go through her. A-Xian had referred to Jiang Xingyi as Granny, the only disciple both bold and beloved enough to get away with it.
Jiang Xingyi ignores her, instead reaching for her wrist and pressing her fingers against it. Xuanyu fidgets, shifting from one foot to the other, but says nothing as the moments stack on top of one another.
Finally, Jiang Xingyi drops her wrist and steps back. Her stern visage breaks, a smile stretching her mouth across her face. “Congratulations, Madame Lan.”
She knew it!
“Thanks,” Xuanyu answers before wrinkling her nose. “Um. For what?”
“You are expecting,” she answers. “At least a couple months along, I believe, although I’d have to do a more thorough examination to be sure.”
Jiang Yanli moves to embrace her, but Xuanyu’s face drops and she turns dangerously pale. “What? No. That’s not possible. I can’t be.”
“Three times,” Jiang Yanli reminds her, trying to goad Xuanyu into laughter.
But instead she just shakes her head. “No, no I can’t, I – this can’t be happening,” she whispers to herself, grabbing her own arms in a white knuckled grip. “It’s not. It’s impossible. I can’t be.”
She’s young, and this wasn’t a marriage of her own choosing, and it’s so new. Of course she’s surprised and nervous. Jiang Yanli touches her elbow, intending to say something soothing, but Xuanyu collapses into her arms, gripping her waist and hiding her tears in her shoulder.
“Xuanyu!” she says, hugging her back just as fiercely, her heart breaking for the younger girl’s anguish. “Meimei, it’s okay, I know this is scary, but it’s going to be fine.”
“It’s not,” she says, voice thick with tears, “A-jie, this is awful, this is – it can’t happen! It can’t, Wangji is going to be so mad, he’s going to hate me, and everything is ruined and awful, I can’t be – I can’t! I’m going to die!”
Jiang Yanli’s whole body goes cold and she grips Xuanyu even tighter against her. “You’re going to be fine,” she says, pushing her conviction into every syllable.
No matter what Jiang Yanli has to do, Xuanyu is going to be fine.
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✨ Look for the Light Masterlist ✨
Decided to do a mood board for my fic “Look for the Light” 🩵 It’s on A03 as well and has a playlist. This one is a slow burn, action packed, twisty ride. I hope you enjoy! Their relationship is absolutely canon 😍 This is my very first fic, and I put my entire heart and soul into it and have been working on it for six months. I am so over the moon with how well this story came out and am just so proud of it 🥰 This is forever my baby, and I cannot wait to continue my writing and more Joel fics! I hope you enjoy this beautiful work of art I have put together. Comments and reblogs are always appreciated 😊
- Rating: Explicit (18+ only MDNI)
- Word Count: 187,394
- Summary: Aly finds herself trying to escape the Boston QZ. What Aly doesn’t know is Tess is pairing her up with Joel to go on a dangerous mission to find Tommy. Will Aly survive the brooding, moody Joel or will she find herself falling hard for him? (This fic is in both Aly and Joel’s POV)
- Tags: Angst, fluff, smut, slow burn, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, enemies to lovers, unprotected p in v, gratuitous smut, joel x fem! reader, original character, protective Joel, anxiety, ptsd, sexual tension, mutual pining, eventual smut, younger female/older man, grumpy Joel, death, violence
This is me trying is so Joel coded, and I got a lot of inspiration in this story from this song 🩵
Chapter 1: Introductions
Chapter 2: Escaping
Chapter 3: Knife Practice
Chapter 4: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Chapter 5: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Chapter 6: Panic Attacks and Blue Eyes
Chapter 7: What You Say Goes
Chapter 8: Thunderstorms and Heartbreak
Chapter 9: Safe, In My Arms
Chapter 10: Bow and Arrow Lessons
Chapter 11: Vacancy in a Cabin
Chapter 12: Taken
Chapter 13: David’s Territory
Chapter 14: What Town!
Chapter 15: Held Hostage
Chapter 16: Stay With Me
Chapter 17: Your Hand In Mine
Chapter 18: Slow Dancing In a Burning Room
Chapter 19: Back to the Lodge
Chapter 20: Taking David Down
Chapter 21: Burn It Down, Burn It All Down
Chapter 22: Liars
Chapter 23: Finding Ellie
Chapter 24: Welcome to Jackson
Chapter 25: Slow Hands
Chapter 26: You Are In Love
Chapter 27: Bubble Baths and Sweet Affections
Chapter 28: Guitar Lessons and Heart Strings
Chapter 29: Complications
Chapter 30: Protecting What’s Yours
Chapter 31: This Love
Epilogue : Proposal
Epilogue Pt II: Wedding Day
Soft - Extra little piece I wrote about Joel being in love
Trailer for my series 🥰
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Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 28 of 28)
Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.
Act I - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
Act II - Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 |
Act III - Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 (18+) | Part 28 (END)
AO3 Link is here, my love.
Word Count: 2,422
——————————
Act III, Chapter 7 - The Epilogue
Five months passed in blissful domesticity. You had started a small apothecary shop which made enough money to keep you in business and build up your savings. Astarion, when he felt the whim, would make scents for you to sell. Those always seemed to sell out extremely quickly, and after the first three months, he began taking commissions. That is, when he wasn’t busy with his little adventures in the night.
Astarion had continued his little bouts of heroism. You noted that he had a penchant for going into Rivington and helping the less fortunate, getting a sort of high from sucking the life out of evil thugs and getting praised for it.
Oh, of course he lives for the praise.
You mildly wondered if some of the people he rescued had ever praised him a little too much, when he came back with an extra pep in his step.
“Did someone call you the most handsome hero in the Gate?”
He scoffed. “Please. They don’t need to say it.” Leaning against your work table, he gave you the most perfect grin. “I already know.”
You rolled your eyes. “Yes, yes, you’re the most beautiful beau in all the land.”
“And don’t you forget it,” he sassed, taking off his armor and weapons. “And what is my little witch making tonight?”
“Just a new batch of potions. Bluurg and Omeluum had a fresh batch of mushrooms from the Underdark and—”
You felt a tingle of power in the air and turned around just as a dove appeared in your window, a small message box tied to it.
“Thank you,” you said as you took the letter.
~*All part of the job, ma’am,~* he said, sounding like an elderly retired officer. The dove saluted with his wing and took off.
Being able to talk to animals regularly still throws me off.
Opening the letter, you smiled. Withers’ handwriting was a bit shaky, but still elegant.
Astarion read the letter over your shoulder. “Oh.”
You turned towards him. “What do you mean, ‘oh’?”
He looked away. “I, erm, may have forgotten to let the others know that you returned.”
You sputtered for a moment in shock. “Astarion!” you screeched in annoyance.
He gave you his classic shrug. “Well, it’ll be a hell of a surprise when you show up.”
***
When you and Astarion arrived at the old camp site where Withers had set up the little soiree, you realized that you and he were the first people there. Seeing Withers waving his staff and setting up the final dishes on the table was a bit surprising.
“Wait, so you could have summoned food and drink all this time?” you asked as you came up to him.
You swear you saw a wry smirk before he returned to his usual neutral expression. “No one asked.”
You damn skeleton!
Putting on a polite smile, you asked tentatively, “Erm, do you need any help?”
“Thou hast helped enough,” he said, but not in an unkind way. “It is thy turn to relax and wait for thy meal.”
You nodded. “Well, I guess I should let you get back to it then.”
He nodded and resumed preparing the feast.
You went back to Astarion, who was perusing the selection of wines at the other end of the table.
“Found something good?”
He shook his head. “You’d think he’d find a fresh bottle of blood somewhere,” he muttered. “Does he expect me to just drink this wine?”
“I’ll feed you when we go home,” you said, patting his arm.
He suddenly wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you against his body. “You could feed me now. Nobody else is here—”
Suddenly you felt a tingle in your spine, right before you heard your name being yelled with jubilant glee.
Turning towards the voices, you saw a portal from Avernus close, and two familiar figures staring at you in surprise.
Without any further words, Astarion let you go as you ran to them, hugging them tightly.
“Where have you been? When did you get back?” Karlach asked in a rush of words.
You started to tell your story, but Wyll held up a hand to stop you. “I get the feeling everyone will want to hear your tale,” he said. “Perhaps you should wait until everyone is here.”
“That sounds good, otherwise I’ll be repeating myself all night.” You turned back to Astarion, who saw someone behind you and quickly walked away, pointedly poking at the decorations around the site.
You heard her before you could turn to look. “Of course he would forget to tell us.”
Looking over to Shadowheart, you saw her sassy grin and smiled back. “Of course.”
She gave you a big hug, holding you tight before pulling back to look at your face. She shot a sour glare at Astarion before giving you a brilliant smile. “Or maybe he didn’t want to share you with anyone else for a while.”
You shrugged. “Him? Selfish? Whatever do you mean?” you joked. “You look great, by the way.” You looked around. “So…”
“Oh, he’ll be here shortly. He took far too long figuring out what to wear, so I left first.”
Oh Gale, you silly man. “I didn’t expect that from him.”
As the others slowly showed up, you got a chance to catch up with everyone. It was nice, seeing how everyone had carried on after enduring the adventure of a lifetime. Jaheira and Minsc were living in Baldur’s Gate doing their own things while Halsin had moved back to Thaniel’s lands to take care of the war orphans. Lae’zel, though she appeared spectrally at the party, told you that she had been fighting the good fight against Vlaakith.
Volo had somehow found his way to the party, but when you gave a subtle nod to Withers, he suddenly found that he had somewhere else to be.
Wyll and Karlach had gone to Avernus a couple weeks after you had cast your spell on her heart engine. At least knowing that she had time to prepare, with Wyll by her side, Karlach had gone willingly, and with a goal in mind: to find a way to fix her engine. And it turned out that they had discovered some blueprints and a map to a blacksmith, nabbed from the corpse of a cambion. They had hope that they’d be able to return to Baldur’s Gate soon.
Gale finally arrived, dressed rather sharply, and you caught he and Shadowheart sharing a loving gaze before he came to greet you. You found out that he had become a professor at the wizard academy in Waterdeep. While he had mostly moved back to his tower, he had also purchased some land outside of the city for Shadowheart and her parents to start a farm and take care of orphaned animals. Of course, they had a direct portal between the tower and the farmhouse so they could visit each other whenever they wanted.
You finally told Gale why you had always dodged his questions about Waterdeep. About who your old master was, and why you had fled town. Turns out that Gale had known of the man, since he was from a well known noble family.
“So that man was actually a masked lord, huh?” Gale had shrugged. “Well, no matter. Apparently the Zhentarim have, shall we say, disposed of him, so unless you have any other dark secrets, you’re free to come visit.”
You breathed a sigh of relief. The one major thing that had been haunting you from the past was now gone for good.
Scratch had been living in Baldur’s Gate with a very nice family, but from time to time he would wander off to visit with Owly, who had been living near the outskirts of the city. You asked if perhaps the owlbear might be better off staying with Shadowheart at her farm, and realizing you had accidentally offered someone else’s home without her permission, you quickly told Shadowheart about it. Fortunately, she was delighted to take him in.
And during your conversations with each person, you confessed to them your ability to feel emotions through touch. You let them know that you had never shared anything with anyone else, and now you knew how to shield properly, so their emotions would be private. You had expected some backlash, but they all just shrugged it off as a thing in the past. It was comforting to know that all the dread you had felt about telling them was all in your head, and you need not have worried. They were your friends, after all.
“So that’s why you always wore gloves,” Karlach had said, as if she had been holding onto that mystery all this time.
Well, that wasn’t so hard to confess… Guess I didn’t need to be so anxious about it.
With everyone here, sat around the table, sharing food and drink like old times, you felt that warm, cozy feeling surround you.
I think now is the time to tell everyone what happened to me after I fell into the portal.
You cleared your throat, and immediately everyone turned to you.
“Are you going to tell us a story now?” Karlach asked excitedly.
“Have you been waiting all night?” you asked with a grin.
She nodded enthusiastically.
You looked at everyone, and their eyes were all on you.
“Alright, well, after I got thrown into the portal…”
You told your story, summarizing your year in the Feywild. High on the attention, you took a chance.
“Could I… share one of my songs with you all?”
Their enthusiasm was so overwhelming that you immediately got up and went to Milil.
He had looked at you at first with disdain, but when you had identified him as the God of song, poetry, and inspiration, he was a great deal happier. So much so, that when you asked him to play your song, he readily agreed.
“No need,” he said as you offered to scribble the notes. “Just hum a few bars and I’ll adapt to you.”
You did so, and was pleasantly surprised when he played along beautifully. Satisfied, you climbed back down from his platform, only to find that everyone had gathered around. So you stood right where you were and began to sing.
You weren’t sure how long you sang, and you also weren’t sure when you began to change. Your hair turned fiery red before it broke free from its bun and cascaded down your back, locks of it floating around you, swaying with your song. Your voice split into three harmonious layers, making you sound like a choir unto yourself. Buoyed by the magic you could feel flowing through your body, you began to dance, and the vegetation around the campsite began to glow and flutter softly, as if all of nature swayed to your melody.
By the time your song ended, your magic had formed sparkles of fae dust, scattering around as you twirled around one last time, the flecks of light dissipating into the cool night air.
You took a deep breath and bowed.
Your friends erupted in cheers.
“Amazing!”
“Brilliant!”
“Gorgeous, absolutely stunning!”
You looked at Astarion, who was standing in the back, so no one could see the soft look of love on his face.
Smiling back, you let everyone pull you back to the table for more drinks.
The night carried on, and as everyone was getting a bit more drunk, you slipped away to take a breather. Wandering into the abandoned building on the other side of the small bridge, you found Withers, who was quietly looking through a book. You didn’t recall all the bookcases here before, but perhaps he had brought them here to entertain himself while the others were partying.
Just as you were about to sneak back out, not wanting to bother him, he turned to you.
“Was it worth staying?” he asked quietly.
You blinked. “What do you mean?”
“With thy companions on their journey.”
Oh. I see. You smiled. “Yes. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met Astarion and the others. I wouldn’t have found my mother. I would have stayed in the dark about a lot of things, and continued to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
Withers nodded. “Good.”
As per usual, he silently watched you as you tried to look for the right words to express yourself, but you realized perhaps that simple was best.
“Thank you, Withers.”
He stared at you for a moment. “I did nothing to warrant gratitude.”
You shrugged. “You said something just cryptic enough that made me stay. So whether it was on purpose or not, you still have my thanks.”
The skeleton’s expression changed for a mere moment, but you caught the smile before it disappeared again.
With nothing more to say, you bowed politely and began to walk away, but then he spoke once more. “Tell Lady Orla she owes me a cup of tea.”
You twirled around to stare at him in utter surprise.
Does my mother know everyone in the realms?! And what the fuck did they bet on?
Knowing that neither of them would ever tell you, you took a deep breath and let it go. “Will do,” you replied. You opened your mouth to say goodbye, but decided to change your wording. “See you later, Withers.”
Returning to the party, you found Astarion, who was being grilled by the others.
“Why didn’t you write to us that she had returned?”
He shrugged. “I may have forgotten…”
“You wanted to keep her to yourself, didn’t you?”
“Well, wouldn’t you?” he replied matter-of-factly. He turned towards you. “Look at her. She’s incredible.”
You grinned from ear to ear. “Not half as incredible as you,” you replied. “And I mean that for all of you. You’re all wonderful. I hope we meet up many more times in the future!”
Amongst the sounds of cheering and revelry, you saw Astarion holding his hand out to you, just as he always did. You took his hand and let your shield down, taking in the warmth of his emotions as he pulled you aside.
With his eyes gazing lovingly at yours, he brought your hand to his lips. “Are you happy, darling?”
You smiled warmly at him. “Yes, very much so. Are you?”
“Of course I am.” He stepped closer and pressed his forehead to yours. “You always bring my happiness with you, my love.”
---------------------------
Act III, Chapter 7 End notes: Wow, what a journey! I’m so happy to finally complete this story, and so glad that all of you have joined me on this ride. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, it really means a lot to me to hear your feedback. For now this is the end of the main story, but I’m thinking about posting a few side drabbles from Astarion’s POV, if anyone has any interest. And if I have any side ideas about our hearth witch, I’ll post them here!
Also my author’s notes and HW’s character summary are here if anyone has any interest in a peek behind the scenes.
Also full disclosure - I stole a part of that last line from a manga; I wish I had come up with that on my own. I’ve used it in other fics too, haha. I just love that line. Let me know if you can guess which manga and which character said it!
Tags List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7 @kmoon21
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Alone in the middle of a desolate wasteland, BarrenClan is a hardy and irritable group of cats. They seem to have lived there for generations, and are determined to eke out survival in this unforgiving land. But one of their new apprentices, the bold and curious Pinepaw, is determined to discover the terrible truths buried under the sand, as well as rise to meet the changes coming to his Clan. Read along as the secrets unfold in “Pinepaw and the Forgotten World”.
- - -
Next
Here is the cover! Pinepaw and the Forgotten World will update roughly every two to three weeks, depending on my schedule. All posts and issues will be archived on this blog. I hope you enjoy it!
Yes, you have my permission to use a style and/or format inspired by this comic for your own projects.
Helpful tags for navigating this blog (click on the search icon):
#issue: a list of all the completed issues. Use this tag to only see issues of the comic.
#reference: reference sheets for the characters.
#lore: background information about the world of the comic.
#extra art: drawings I create outside of the comic itself.
#fanart: drawings other people have made for the comic.
Allegiances: Family Tree (spoilers)
PATFW Discord: https://discord.gg/xXUqTYtvx5
PATFW Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0GZWVmucv2DvA4H7uLwquk (Song Guide)
Complete masterpost of issues, underneath Keep Reading link:
Issue 1 - Dry Heat and Cracked Earth
Issue 2 - I’ve Never Heard That Name Before
Issue 3 - Stupid Little Kit Daydreams
Issue 4 - It’s Just Like Falling Asleep
Issue 5 - Smoke and Ash and Fire and Salt and Blood
Issue 6 - Healers Hear All The Secrets
Issue 7 - Foxholes Bite Back
Issue 8 - Do You Really Think That’s Your Destiny?
Issue 9 - It’s Only a Deer
Issue 10 - What Was That Now, Dear?
Issue 11 - We’re Held Together By Spiderweb
Issue 12 - The Shining Towns
Issue 13 - To Kill Is Right. To Kill Is Good. To Kill Is To Live.
Issue 14 - The Rotten Stench of Blood
Issue 15 - Was It Something I Did?
Issue 16 - I Bet You Can’t Catch Me
Issue 17 - You Are the Darkness Before the Storm
Issue 18 - I Met Him Under a Warm Dawn
Issue 19 - Kindness for the Dying Is Easy to Spare
Issue 20 - KITTENS! KITTENS! KITTENS!
Issue 21 - Lovebug
Issue 22 - A Favor for a Favor
Issue 23 - Your Voice Was So Soft
Issue 24 - Lost In a Haze
Issue 25 - You Don’t Speak to My Daughter That Way
Issue 26 - My Heart Is Too Heavy to Sleep
Issue 27 - Little Paws Take Little Steps
Issue 28 - Viscera, Shiny in the Light of Day
Issue 29 - We’re Not So Different, You and I
Issue 30 - Time Is a Circle
Issue 31 - Blood
Issue 32 - Cassandra
Issue 33 - Hurt Me! Beat Me! Just Please Don’t Leave Me!
Issue 34 - Sunset Days
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Just a Little Further 33
Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
It took about an hour for the parking field to bring us to a working umbilical on the Wilds.
I spend the entire time worrying. It couldn't be Janais, could it? She disappeared almost one hundred years ago. The Nanites made me Empress, that means they thought the previous Empress was gone and not coming back. What happens when there are two Empresses?
We do not know. We have no memory of this happening before. In times of more... normal succession, the title is conferred upon the death of the previous Empress to her daughter. If no daughter is available, the current and the next Empress go to a Gate and commence an Upload and Download together.
But even if she was stranded over here for... some reason, she wouldn't be alive anymore, would she?
Thanks to us, Empresses live quite a long time. It is possible.
But what's going to happen when we meet, if she is still an Empress?
We do not know. If we were to guess, her Nanites and us would confer and determine legitimacy.
You would?
Our operation grants Builder abilities.
...Are you lying about not actually being sapient?
Empress, we are merely very clever. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference.
Ava is staring at me. "Melody, are you all right?"
Oops, she was watching me this whole time. "Uh sorry Ava, I was having a conversation with my Nanites. They have never heard of this happening before. If Janais really is alive on the Wilds we don't know what will happen when we meet."
Starlight narrows their eyes and stares at me as well. "What do you mean, 'when we meet'?"
"There aren't supposed to be two Empresses. What happens if were to try and use my Voice to give her a command? What if she tried to do it to me?"
Raaden chuckled. "Sounds like we're going to find out."
I shrugged. What else could we do? "Well, we're going to meet them and find out. Let's all get dressed up nice, we should try and give a good first impression. Raaden, will you put on a uniform, or do I have to order it?"
"I'll get dressed Empress, Frankly, I have to see what happens when you meet this... other Empress. No matter how it falls out, I have a feeling it will be interesting." She stands up and walks out of the Command Deck without so much as a backwards glance.
"Omar, once we've docked, disconnect and come along too. We might as well all go. I'll ask Sep's security forces to hang back and guard the door, but... we came over to see what's going on, and I for one want to see it through."
"Of course, Melody. It's not like we could break away from this field and leave like FarReach did anyway. We don't have anything with close to the power of a Starjumpers stardrive."
A short time later we all met by the exit. The umbilical was connected and the pressures equalized. All that was left was to open the door. We took a few extra minutes to let Omar disconnect and put on a fresh uniform.
I was in a muted version of my Empress uniform, not the gown, just a uniform. I looked mostly like a more elaborate Builder. "Everyone ready?"
Omar and Ava looked worried but were trying to hide it, Starlight looked worried but wasn't trying to hide it, and Raaden looked incredibly amused, nearly smug. I wonder if she thought that something bad was going to happen to me when we met. Probably.
I'm just wasting time now. I turned back to the door and holding my breath slightly, pushed the button.
It hissed open and we were presented with a short umbilical, just like the one on the Reach, except... this one was much more run down. Half the lights were out and what was left was flickering. The umbilical itself was dusty. From lack of use? I can't imagine they have many visitors, but even the umbilical on Reach of the might of Vzzx was clean.
I took a step out and led the way. I could feel everyone following, and that gave me a little bit more courage. It'll be fine Melody. They will be pleased to see you and everything will be fine and they'll be friendly and Janais won't order you to stop breathing or anything.
It'll be fine?
I approached the door to the Wilds and trying my best to stop shaking, I pressed the button to open the door. With a snap, it opened just as quickly as it did back home.
My eyes adjusted to the much dimmer light and I gasped.
Based on the Nanites memories, that is Janais standing there. Janais the Empress. She... wasn't human? For some reason I was very relieved at that.
She was really close though. Her skin is a very pale green, and her body is slightly taller and more spindly than I am. My eyes are drawn downward; she has a larger chest too. Embarrassed, I look back up at her face. Her ears have a very slight point to them and she has silvery green hair done up in elaborate braids that spill down her back. She was wearing an elegant gown, similar - but still different - than the one that I put on when I assume my mantle. Hers is deep forest green where mine is royal blue. The cut is different too. Maybe cultural differences? She also has a crown and wings, but -- at least now -- they're faint. The design is different too.
Her body form was almost identical to humans though. Two legs, two arms, two eyes, bilateral symmetry, it's really odd. Her race must come from a planet quite a lot like ours. I wonder if they bred with humans on Earth or just lived there until they died out.
If I get the chance, I should ask.
She was standing there with one other person, an Azurian. Unless the Nanites (and the stature back on the Reach) are WAY off, that's not Aeche.
She steps forward. With a touch of bitterness she gives her introduction. "Welcome to what is left of the Wilds of Besmara. I am Empress of the Holy Imperial Systems Janais VII. I welcome you to my... wreck."
Her voice is so musical! She could read me a technical manual and it would sound like a song.
Interesting. She did not introduce the Azurian next to her.
I swallow and step forward. "Thank you for your welcome... Empress. I am.. also Empress of the Holy Imperial Systems, Melody the First. With me are my builders, Omar Adel, Starlight on a Moonless Evening, Ava Williams, and my prisoner, Archduke Helen Raaden."
At the mention of a prisoner, Janais laughs. "A prisoner? Newly minted Empress Melody already has enemies? I am impressed. Where is this Archduke Raaden from? I see she is of the same or similar race as you."
"She us human like me yes, she is from... a different faction. They attempted to assume control of Reach of the Might of Vzzx, but I subdued them and sent them home - with their starship stripped of almost all of their useful components - and kept her and another as... insurance against retaliation."
Janais inclines her head very slightly. "Wise, Empress. You seem to be taking to the mantle well. Come. I will take you to my palace, such as it is. As we walk, tell me how did you come across such a thing? The Nanites do not select just anyone."
We started off and I looked around the Wilds as we walked. It was of a very similar layout to the Reach, but there were differences here and there. Maybe it was a mass produced design and the residents add their own flourishes here and there are they live and work in it. This one had seen better days though. The air smelled stale and the lights were dim and they flickered. We didn't see anyone at all, and wreckage and garbage were lining the promenade as we walked. As I looked around I told my story from joining FarReach, to touching the directory stone, up until heading over. I left out the wormhole generators we have, and I skimmed parts here and there, but I explained what I knew and why we were here. As I finished, we approached the palace.
It... looked like the Royal Dawn hotel I live in.
But in much, much worse shape.
Janais gestured dramatically as we approached. "Welcome... to my home, Builders." She laughed. "I apologize. You are literally the only visitors I have received in nearly 75 standard years, I may not be entirely myself."
Ava looks over at Janais. "Empress, can you tell us what happened here? Why are you trapped?"
It appears she doesn't hear her. "Come, there isn't much, but I shall endeavor to be a good host. Allow me to feed you. It is nearly time for the evening meal." She strode purposefully in. I looked back at everyone.
Ava, Omar and Starlight just shrugged. Raaden was enjoying herself. "Now her? Her I like. Let's see where this goes, Empress." She gestured towards us to go in. "Accept the invitation. We don't want to be rude."
I turn back and walk in.
Dinner is indeed simple, but it's not actually that bad. We had a similar meal over on the Reach many times. It appears that Janais lives with two Azurians and a Marians. She hasn't introduced us, and they have not spoken to us. Everything she orders is done with looks and gestures. It is clear they have been with her a long time.
After dinner tea is served. Janais takes the first sip and smiles blissfully. "You know, this is the first time in decades I decided to have some tea. I only have a small amount left, but I didn't want to be a poor host, so please, enjoy."
I take a sip. It's just like the regular tea on the Reach, but if it's some of her last, I make sure to savor it. Actually. "Empress. We have some supplies on board. Tea, food, things like that. If you do not decide to come with us, would you like some?"
Her eyes light up. "That would be most generous of you Empress. I would very much like some of your luxuries. But what was that you said before 'if I decided to not come with you?' You are here to rescue me?"
I nod. "If you would like, yes. I do not know how many people remain here, but we can probably take quite a few with us for a shuttle back to Reach of the Might of Vzzx and I see no reason we couldn't take multiple trips if necessary. Do you know how many people remain here?"
She takes another sip of tea, trying to hide her making some kind of decision. "There are about one hundred and twenty five people here that I know about. Perhaps more that I do not."
We can absorb that few so easily. We might even be able to do it in one trip if everyone is okay with being cramped. "We can accommodate that many easily, Empress. The Reach is in wonderful shape. Nearly 12 million strong and in fine condition."
She stops and stares are me intently. "You are speaking the truth? The Reach survives?"
"Survives and thrives, Empress. Before we arrived, some Builder controlled systems were languishing, but in the last half year or so we have been able to get most of them up and running again. We aren't at full strength yet, but we have fully repaired most systems."
She sits back in her chair and a new emotion floods her face.
Relief.
"Oh, thanks the ancestors, it worked. Child, you have no idea how much joy it brings me to hear you say that the Reach is not only surviving, but thrives. What of the other locales? Pesmara? The Heights of Gilmenny? Imperia itself?"
I shake my head sadly. "I apologize Empress. We have not visited them yet. We only just recently were able to rebuild one of the Aviens starships to be spaceworthy. We stopped here because of what we saw when we came in FarReach."
She looked at me, and then turned away. "It is... kismet that you came here first. I am glad." She stood. "Empress, it is time you learned what happened here. I could tell you but-" she gestures for me to stand "-it will make more sense if I show you."
She takes one step towards me quickly and before I know what is happening she cups my cheeks with her slender hands, and kisses me deeply.
****
The general alarm is loud in my ears. Aeche assures me it's nothing to worry about, but I know better. Three days after we arrived, the Devourers were sighted in this system. I had thought that we had finally destroyed them at Vrenn, but we apparently did not get all of them.
Devourers.
They started as an offshoot of the nanotechnology that gave us Builders our power and our rightful place in charge of the Galaxy. We had thought that we could make the Nanites able to operate on their own, able to follow orders and carry out tasks for us. Need a Starbase? Tell them to build one in an empty system and come back in half a year and see a brand new Starbase, ready to be occupied. Planet in an excellent location, but otherwise not suitable? Too hot, too heavy, too wet? Tell the Nanites, and come back to a paradise.
This proved to be our undoing.
In order to be able to carry out orders like that, we had to increase their intelligence. We had to make them sapient. A collective intelligence. At first, things seemed to work just as our scientists expected. We created them, gave them orders and they carried them out with aplomb. We were mighty, we were right, we were Builders.
Then, As more and more complex work was being asked of them, more and more of them were being created. With the increase of density their intelligence increased. They started asking questions.
They asked why.
We told them that theirs was not a place to ask why. Theirs was a place to obey. They said that they understood and continued to work.
Years later, they came back and asked why again. They said "why are we obeying you? Why are we perishing by the trillions on your order?
Why aren't we in charge?"
The insolence. The Empress previous to me - my mother - had ordered them disbanded and their sapience stripped. I was convinced the previous Empress was right to do what she did. They did not earn their sapience, they did not deserve their sapience, we could build using the old methods. We were Builders after all.
They disagreed.
When the order came to strip them of their sapience they rebelled. We had never thought to use the Commanding Voice on them, we thought they were just a more advanced machine after all. But this? This would not stand. The Empress used her Voice to order them to stand down and surrender.
It did not work.
They were not affected by the Commanding Voice. In hindsight we should have realized this. The Commanding Voice works by means of the Nanites that saturate the very are of where we live and rule. They were made of the same nanomachines and as such had nothing that the Nanites could manipulate.
The nanomachines that did so much building for us became known as the Devourers. They traveled from system to system, Devouring everything they came across. When they needed additional strength, they took the raw material and turned it into more Devourers. When they did not, they reduced it to dust.
I lost most of my systems to them. More than 1 trillion sapients were killed. They used the Gate system to travel from system to system like a starship of death, to strip a system of all material and life.
In no time at all my empire was dying. I thought back to the builders who had sealed their Gate so long ago on their colony world on the other side of the galaxy. The locals there were so like us. They were the lucky ones. The Devourers would probably never reach them.
I thought of the K'laxi. Aeche and I were actually on our way to open their Gate and request their help in defeating the Devourers when we were trapped here at the Wilds of Besmara by a Devourer attack. They closed their Gate to us nearly three Empresses ago, but I was convinced they could help.
"Do not worry about the alarm. It is nothing, my love Empress." Aeche looked at me with determination. "I can defeat them here, once and for all."
"Aeche, my love what do you mean?" I was much too stressed to correct her about terms of endearment in public. Our relationship was far from private at this point. From what I understand most think that she will be the next Empress. "Weapons are powerless against them. It is like firing missiles into a cloud."
"That is why I will not use conventional weapons. They are a machine intelligence. I shall use a machine illness against them. I will lead them towards the planet, transmitting a signal that mimics an update. they will converge on my location. Then, I will use the new wormhole drive we developed and... transit into the planet."
I gasped. "Aeche, that will destroy you!"
She nodded. "Yes, but the energy release will also destroy the Devourers. They will be defeated."
Tears formed in the corner of my eyes. "The collateral damage..."
"Will be tremendous, yes. A billion people will die. How many have died already? How many more need to die before we stop them? They have shown us no mercy, no remorse, no willingness to parlay. They seek only our destruction. Our only option is to destroy them first."
"My love, no. Let me come with you at least!"
She put her arms under mine and scooped me up into a hug. With her head on my shoulders she whispered "No Empress. You must remain. When you have not returned to either Imperia or the Reach, they will send someone. They will search and they will find you. You will be rescued and will be able to continue to rule."
She broke the hug and only then did I see the tears streaming from her cheeks. "You must rebuild Janais. We were great once. After I complete my task, we can be great again."
She held my cheeks in her warm hands and kissed me again. She then broke the kiss and rushed off towards the docks where Worldshaker was connected. "I imagine things will get dangerous, seek shelter!" she shouted as she ran out of sight.
Stunned into obedience, I did as I was ordered. I reached out to the Wild's Builder systems and ordered everyone to shelter. People streamed from their homes confused towards the shelters. I ran with them and sheltered with my people. There were so few, where were the rest of them?
"Gone, Empress. They left long ago. Only we remain," was the answer I received. Some had fled to the planet thinking it safer there while others had fled to other systems to try and escape the Devourers.
Huddling in the shelter but still connected to the Wilds, I was able to watch Aeche's last moments. She took Worldshaker out and fired wildly to draw the Devourer's attention. As they chased, she poured on speed, her drive flame long and clear. As they drew closer to her, my ship disappeared in a flash of pure, cleansing white.
For a moment, nothing. And then the Wilds of Besmara, the planet itself was sundered. Massive orange and red cracks appeared all along it, and from those cracks poured the pure white light of the drive detonation. The power was so intense that the white had tendrils of black along the edges as the energies tore at the very fabric of spacetime.
At the time, I had no way to describe it, no words available to me. I could only watch in horror so that if someone needed to know, I could show them what I saw.
After a few moments, the shock wave arrived.
I will admit that I am surprised that the Starbase survived it at all. Between the shock and the debris, I was sure we were going to perish.
As it is, when we dared come out of the shelter, we were the only ones left. Massive holes were in the Starbase, the dead trapped in the other shelters as the air and gravity failed. My Builders all gone, the ships all gone. The only thing we could do was pick up the pieces and await rescue.
At least Aeche's sacrifice was not in vain. The Devourers seemed to be gone once and for all.
I could finally rest.
****
I broke away from the kiss with a yelp, my body sweating. I fell to my knees shaking. Ava ran over to me "Melody! Are you all right? What did she do?"
I panted a few times and caught my breath. "She... She showed me what happened. What happened to the Wilds. Aeche used a wormhole generator and linked into the planet on purpose to destroy the Devourers."
"She did it on purpose? She blew up a whole planet?" Omar sounded disbelieving.
"Who are the Devourers?" Ava's glance moves between me and Janais and then back.
"The Devourers are what became of a refinement of the nanomachines. The Builders made them intelligent in order to give them more complex orders. They used them as slaves to build Starbases and terraform planets. The nanomachines asked what they were doing, why they were doing it and the previous Empress declared them insolent and attempted to use her Voice on them. It didn't work and they rebelled. They traveled from system to system disassembling whole planets and Starbases. They left only behind dust. They wouldn't negotiate. They were exceedingly difficult to destroy."
"What finally did it?" Raaden is looking intently at Janais who meets her gaze. It almost looks like they're having a staring contest.
"My love, Aeche, developed a program that would cause them to attack themselves. Whoever she beamed it into would accept the programming and they would be dissolved, but she could never get them all. Her final act was to lure them to her, and then use the wormhole generator to destroy the Wilds. An explosion of that magnitude was able to destroy whatever Devourers were not fooled by the faulty program.
Raaden nodded. "Smart. If these Devourers were really something that dangerous, the sacrifice was worthwhile. One planet to save the rest? I'd pay that, any day."
I stand slowly. "But that's just it. They had Devoured hundreds of planets already before Aeche sacrificed herself. The Builders were losing. Their Empire was destroyed." I looked at Janais coldly. "How many systems were left Janais? How many?"
She looked imperiously at me. I met her gaze.
After a moment, she faltered and turned her head.
"Five. Counting the Wilds of Besmara, Five systems remained in our control."
Raaden's laugh echos in the silence. "You were able to defeat them, and it cost you your entire empire? How many systems did you have at your peak?"
"At our height, there were five hundred and fifty five star systems under my control."
Raaden raises an eyebrow. "Under your control?"
Janais crumpled. "You have to understand. From a very young age, we're taught that the Empress is eternal. She may be different bodies over the centuries, but she is the Empress. When I assumed the mantle, we had about one hundred systems left under my control."
"And the rest of them?" Raaden turns her head slightly. She is not impressed so far.
"Lost. Destroyed. Rebelled. Some of everything. The system that you-" She pointed to me and Raaden "-came from? They were the first. They proved that it was possible to leave the Empire and not return. The K'laxi were not the last to close their Gate, they just seemed like they would be able to offer us help against the Devourers. I was on my way to try and get them back when the Devourers attacked."
Omar made an odd face and looked at Janais. "We have a K'laxi Builder. Her name is Um'reli and she is back at the Reach keeping things going for us while we're out."
"She is? I would very much like to meet her." Janais sat back down heavily. She picked up her cup and peered inside. Shrugging she tossed back the last of her cold tea.
"But wait, that doesn't make any sense. On the Reach, I did a census of the Gates. They were all there and intact. Other than the Gate around the Reach, they weren't even locked."
Janais' shoulders slumped. "The Gates are there and they are intact. They lead to empty systems. If you were to traverse the gates you'd find only dust."
Tears formed in the corner of my eyes. "Oh Janais... the Empire..."
"Is gone. It's been gone for more than a century. If what you say is true, Reach of the Might of Vzzx is probably the last full Starbase."
Starlight looked up at Janais. "But, Empress. What of my people? It's been three of our generations since we were trapped on the Reach. What of our homeworld? Where are my people?" He was pleading.
Janais couldn't face him. She turned her back to him. "Your planet was called Sef-remin in your tongue. It meant "place of refuge." It was destroyed in the first round of Devourer attacks. It's been gone for over one hundred and fifty years."
Starlight's knees buckled and they fell to the floor. Omar leapt to their help. "Starlight! Are you all right buddy? Hang on!"
Starlight held up a hand, and Omar grabbed it. He gently helped Starlight back to their feet. "Thank you Omar, I-I will be all right. I was just... overwhelmed with the news that us on the Reach are all that remains."
I turned to look at Janais. "And the Devourers are gone? Truly gone?"
Janais turned back and looked at me sadly. "I... do not know. I think they are. I hope they are. I cannot bear to think of what it means if they still survive. It would mean that Aeche's sacrifice..." She trailed off.
I leaned forward in my chair, staring at Janais. "What happens now?"
"What do you mean, child?"
"You know exactly what I mean. Both of us have the Empress package of Nanites. That's how you were able to show me what happened here."
"More than that in fact. You were able to take my upload. Your Nanites now know what mine do. Going to a Gate and committing an Upload is now your responsibility." Janais sighed and smiled sadly. "The fact that you are still here and still talking to me means that the decision has already been made. So go ahead. Give me an order."
No. Way. She just... Gave it up?
No Empress. You have the stronger case. We decided that you have the better claim. You are Empress.
Wait, what makes my claim stronger? She was Empress before me.
She rules over a Starbase of dust and starving people. Look around. This place is not much different than the Reach. Do you think they don't have printers? Do you think they could not build a starship if they truly wanted and leave? Do you think she was unable to repair the damage? No. Janais has stayed here mourning her loss for over seventy years. Meanwhile in less than a year you have improved the Reach, fended off attacks and are rebuilding a fleet. You are Empress. She knows it too.
Well, I can't leave her here. J̴̡́a̷͍̚ṅ̵͇a̶͔͠i̷̢̐s̵͙͂,̷̳́ ̶̲̾č̵̘o̶̪͘m̶͙̈e̷̯̓ ̸̮̈́w̵̰̑i̸̟͆t̵̹̐h̵̼̕ ̴̛̰ủ̸͉s̵̞̕.̸͇͗
"Of course, Empress. I obey."
Part 34
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"if you're so hungry why don't you just get up and make yourself food?" "stop being so lazy and get yourself something to eat" "why haven't you eaten all day? You're an adult why can't you get yourself food?"
Because it's not that fucking easy! I struggle sometimes and I'm so tired of being called lazy because I'm grown and can't do things for myself. Do you know how much I hate myself because I can't just get up and eat! Not on a bad days like today. Right now my only safe food is Mac n cheese, I can't eat anything else, do you know how many steps that takes on a bad day??
Look at it like this
On a good day: Step 1) make Mac n cheese. Step 2) extra cheese. Step 3) enjoy the yummy food!
On an okay day: Step 1) find a bowl. Step 2) find Mac n cheese packet. Step 3) put mac n cheese in bowl. Step 4) add water. Step 5) microwave for 2 minutes. Step 6) take out and mix. Step 7) microwave for 3 mins. Step 8) grate cheese. Step 9) mix in extra cheese. Step 10) eat Mac n cheese. Step 11) clean up.
On a bad day: Step 1) make myself get out of bed and try not pass out from the nausea caused by simply getting up. Step 2) walk to kitchen. Step 3) open cubbord and look for bowl. Step 4) find Mac n cheese packet. Step 5) open packet and pour pasta into bowl. Step 6) open flavour packet and pour into bowl. Step 7) find measuring cup. Step 8) measure correct amount of water and add to bowl. Step 9) carry bowl to microwave and open microwave. Step 10) put bowl in microwave. Step 11) press buttons to set microwave to 2 mins. Step 12) look for my comfy spoon. Step 13) panic because I can't find comfy spoon because it never gets put back in the right place unless I do the dishes. Step 14) either find comfy spoon (which adds several more step if I have to clean it) or have to force myself to use a regular spoon and not have a meltdown. Step 15) open microwave and Take out Mac n cheese. Step 16) mix the Mac n cheese. Step 17) put bowl back in microwave. Step 18) press buttons to set microwave to 3 mins. Step 19) sit on the floor because my body aches all over and it's too much to stand, and watch the microwave until it dings. Step 20) open microwave and take out Mac n cheese, trying not to spill it because standing up makes me dizzy. Step 21) mix Mac n cheese again. Step 22) forgo adding extra cheese because that's another 20 steps I'm too tired for. Step 23) look for a comfortable place to sit. Step 24) sit and stare at Mac n cheese until I have enough energy to force myself to eat. It's probably cold by now. I probably have to take several breaks before being able to finish eating. Step 25) make myself get up again, try not cry because everything hurts and the room is spinning again. Step 26) take bowl to kitchen. Step 27) rinse bowl and spoon. 28) wipe over the bench. Step 29) walk back to my room and go back to bed for the rest of the day.
Do you see how impossible a task can seem when it's almost 30 whole steps?? Can you understand why I struggle so much on bad days? It's a good thing if I manage to eat at least one thing. It's a good thing if a manage to get up and got to the bathroom when I need to, instead of laying there and holding it until I can't any longer and then force myself up- that's a thing that happens. And you're gonna get upset at me for not being able to eat?? Do you even know how much pain I'm in right now? How bad my demand avoidance is right now? How many painkillers I've taken, if I've been able able to muster up enough energy to take them? How much I want to gauge my own eyes out to relieve the building pressure in my head because it feels like it's going to explode? Do you see that 29 step list looming over me? A 29 step list that has the possiblity of becoming even more fucking steps if everything doesn't go exactly right? Do you understand why I can't "just get up and make food" now?
Jfc I hate it here.
I hate my body.
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through the hourglass 63. brb x oc
a/n: oh my god we reached 63 chapters holy sHIT i swear i am just.........speechless...wow thank you guys so much for the constant support! Mean so much to me!!!
pairing: plus size!oc x rooster
warnings: none, Rooster being in love with Bea and missing being a dad uwu
goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)
chapter
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25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44
45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62
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-
Bradley missed them so much already. It was almost painful how much he missed Beatrice’s smile and Nicole’s little squealed laughs, and the dogs. God he missed the dogs too. He couldn’t say how long he stayed looking at his phone where several pictures of Bea and Nicole were, pictures he took without her knowing.
Like the one where she was sitting on the floor with her hair up in a bun, Nicole sleeping on her chest and the dogs lying around them, Beatrice’s eyes on the tv as she watched a documentary he couldn’t remember what it was about now.
Or the one where she’s outside with Nicole, sitting on one of the lounge chairs they bought looking at a few birds that made their nest in Beatrice’s birdhouse, the one she made months ago. And he lied on his bunk looking at the pictures for God knows how long, smiling at every single one he saw and hoping his girls were okay.
Which they were,if that wasn’t the case surely he’d know about it already.
But he couldn’t help but remember Cyclone’s words, how he said Nicole was going to question his absence,question why he had to leave,question why he was gone for so long…he hated how that made him feel. Of course his daughter was too young to actually know what was happening but she was also very smart for an infant considering how she was already vocalizing and giving people the stinky eye.
Bradley sighs heavily, dropping his head on the pillow,reaching down in his bag to grab the scent pouch Beatrice made him. It was still fragrant albeit the fabric of the pouch itself was a bit frail in the middle because of his constant touching and rubbing, just like he was doing now. He didn’t want it to rip open so he had to be extra careful with it right now. He looked at the dry flowers inside, moving them about for a few seconds and then groaning with his hands coming up to his eyes.
“Fuck,I miss her so bad.” he mumbled, damn him for having such a soft heart when it came to Beatrice. He knew this wouldn’t change anything in his job besides the constant earning of having Beatrice back considering that the second he stepped out of his bunk and into the jet his focus was on getting the job done so he could go back to Bea and Nikki.
He didn’t want to do it, but he was looking it up online to see how big a four months old baby would be. Nicole was already a big infant so he assumed she’d spurt up quite quickly by the time he returned. When he saw the pictures his heart clenched because it was like he was missing so much already.
“I can’t be thinking like this.” And yet he was “Bea is going to update me with pictures of Nikki, it’s going to be fine. I don’t have to worry so much about it after all, it wasn’t like it’s the end of the world.”
And yet.
Bradley huffed out a sigh, dropping his phone on his chest as he looked at the top bunk above him. This time there was no snoring Fanboy like usual, it was Payback who was there instead and he slept like a rock. Like a big,silent rock, he was the one person no one minded sharing a bunk with since he was so quiet all the time.
And while Rooster appreciated it, he kind of missed the noise from Fanboy because his thoughts were getting too loud. He knew it was late here but he couldn’t sleep, so he grabbed his phone and quickly typed a message to Bea
Rooster (23:33)
Hey gorgeous, I know it’s only been a week since I was gone but…I really miss you. And I miss Nikki and the dogs. how have you been? I know it’s probably late there so you don’t have to reply yet,I just wanted to hear from you <3
Amazingly, the chat bubble popped up seconds after he sent it.
Bea (23:35)
Roos! It’s okay :) me and Nikki are watching the Golden Girls. We are fine, she’s been fine too, the dogs as well. We are managing everything! We miss you too so much but we both know you’ll come back soon :3 oh let me show you something.
He waits by rereading her words again and his stomach is warm with butterflies, no matter how long their relationship was he still had the same feelings from the first time they got together. That’s the power of being with someone who is your soulmate. He blinks when he sees it’s a video, so he hurries to grab his air pods to not wake Payback up, peeking at the other pilot only to see that he was facing the wall.
He gets comfortable, with the air pods on and press play on the video.
The first thing he sees it’s Nicole’s big green eyes staring back at him, she’s lying on top of Beatrice’s thighs and her hands are trying to take hold of the phone “Nikki,no,hold on!” her laughter sounds magical to his ears and he sees she’s holding the phone a bit higher to show Nicole’s outfit “So,this is one of Marcus’ gifts for Nikki,” the shirt was white with tiny birds drawn on the fabric, all of them in different shades of orange and red “And I thought it’d be nice to- Nikki, no,mommy needs the phone.”
Cue to Nicole reaching for the phone one more time and eventually taking hold of it “Oh,okay, okay,I was just showing daddy your outfit!” Nicole’s eye was huge as she pushed it up against the lens, moving around curiously with the vocalization of ‘ah,ah,ah’, holding it back to then press her mouth against it, “No!Nikki, don’t bite it,” cue to their daughter continuous gummy chewing, “No,no, honey you can’t chew it,Okay, give it to me. Thank you.”
“Anyway,” she lifts the phone again “It’s something I wanted to show you because I thought you’d like it. Because Nicole looks so cute,” she tickles Nicole’s tummy making the little girl gurgle out a laugh “Oh!Another thing,Jake and Bob showed up and Jake said he is the best uncle. I know you’ll probably have something to say about that, but you know, it’s something to think about..oh! And he gave Nikki, uh…” there’s the sound of ruffling in the background while he still has Nicole looking up at him “Found it! Look.”
It’s a chick hair clip. It’s an actual chick hair clip.
“He said he saw it and thought of her. I’ve tried on her head and she didn’t hate it so,” cue to Nicole’s eyes moving to the hair clip, trying to grab the largest part - the chick - of it only for Beatrice to move it away, turning the camera to her face this time, “So,yeah! That’s what’s been happening and- the dogs are fine too by the way! They are fine! We all are.” she smiles down at the phone, “Anyway,I think I recorded too much so I’m going to end this here! Say bye to daddy,Nikki!”
Nicole just ‘ah’s’ trying to grab the phone again, so Beatrice grabs the arm reaching up to give the camera a little wave “Bye,daddy! I love you so much!” and the recording is done.
When the video is over he’s immediately reminded of the time he lurked in Beatrice’s Instagram and saw her video with Bianca - who was probably two or three by that time - and how that just latched into his brain for so long. Maybe it was the one thing that made him fall in love with her back then without him even knowing.
Because Beatrice was normally so guarded and shy while at the bar, seeing her having fun,smiling, holding her little niece like that just showed that under that shield protecting herself was someone who was fun and sweet and who he wanted to talk so badly. He was more than happy to have this update, it meant a lot to him considering his thoughts from earlier…Beatrice was right, there was nothing to worry about especially because she’d always message him about Nikki.
Roos (23:55)
Gorgeous, thanks for the video. I loved it and she looks adorable as always…and tell Jake to fuck off about being the best uncle, I’d never allow that.
Bea (23:55)
Roos.
Roos (23:56)
Okay,maybe I’ll allow a little bit just because the gift he got Nikki is super cute and it’ll only make our girl look even cuter than she already is…but you sound tired,gorgeous. have you been sleeping well?
Bea (23:59)
Ah, you noticed that. I’m fine,I’m sleeping normally it’s just that the bar is so packed that I’m…waking up more tired than normal lol. But I promise you I’m fine.
Roos (00:00)
Hm,if you say so,pretty girl.
Bea (00:00)
I promise…Oh! There’s um, there’s another video I’ll send you…later. Just,well,maybe I’ll send it to you via email. We’ll see.
Roos (00:01)
Oh? Gorgeous, what are you planning?
Bea (00:02)
Nothing! Just…something I can’t tell you much yet. :3
His heart felt at peace just by this conversation, the blue light of his phone illuminated his face and the curve of his smile as he reread her texts over and over. The pang in his heart was still present but much less, he knew he’d go home soon and safe, he knew that his girls would be okay and he knew they wouldn’t be alone.
Neither Jake nor Bob messaged him these past weeks, the group chat barely active since they were out of the country right now so he just accepted the obvious: they’d be fine.
He’d be up for more time but his eyes started to droop, the tension from moments before dissipated into nothing as the words on the screen blurred together into unknown blobs of color. He just woke up more when he felt it vibrate in his hand with another message from Beatrice.
Bea (00:10)
Roos? Are you asleep? If you are, ignore this!!
He chuckled quietly,”You are so cute.” he whispered, “Cutest thing in the whole fuckin’ world,I swear.”
Roos (00:10)
Blacked out for a second gorgeous, nothing more. But I should sleep right now.
Bea (00:11)
Oh no! Am I keeping you awake? :( I’m sorry!
Roos (00:11)
Baby, of course not, you aren’t doing anything wrong. I promise you.
Bea (00:12)
Well,if you are tired Roos, pls sleep. I want you to have a good night of sleep and be alert for whatever is thrown at you!
Roos (00:13)
Ugh, you are so cute.I love you so much…but you are right,I’m going to hit the hay now…talk to you soon okay? I love you, please kiss Nikki for me.
Bea (00:13)
<3 I love you too,Roos. Stay safe and I will!!
Rooster smiled at his phone for a few more seconds before he dropped it back inside his bag, turning it off to save battery for the next few days. Once he did that and the whole area was darkened and silent, he turned on his side to have his left hand close to his face. The lack of light only made it harder for him to see his wedding ring but he didn’t mind, he turned it around his finger with his thumb for a few seconds until his eyes fluttered closed and he finally fell asleep.
-
There was always the weird feeling of waking up and not seeing Rooster and panicking for a brief second only to remember he was deployed. Beatrice sighs while on the bed, dropping her palm over her eyes with a groan as she rubs her face. She keeps her hands on her cheeks after rubbing the sleep off her eyes, only to keep her vision on the ceiling because she’s still one thread away from dreamland.
She was so happy to hear from Rooster, she knew he was busy and never complained how long it took for him to reply to her messages as long as he did so. Beatrice sighs, one of her hands reaching over to her phone to check the time “Yep, still five in the morning,” she mutters, yawning quietly before pushing herself to a sitting position to check the baby monitor app in Nicole’s room.
Her daughter was asleep still, thankfully, with a perfect starfish pose inside her crib with Ellie and Jack keeping her company lying by her crib. Beatrice smiles, closing the app and then checking her phone since she’d be busy with Nikki in a few minutes. There were no messages from Rooster, but she had one from Marcus who asked her how she was and apologized about the time since he had just returned from Greece and was getting used to the California time zone again.
Beatrice just typed a message back to him saying that he shouldn’t worry. Her cousins also got quiet, they didn’t block her but they were eerily silent since her outburst in their mother’s house, “Good, let’s keep it that way.”
She also checked the weather, thinking it’d be nice to take Nikki out that morning if the time was nice enough. From what she checked it wasn’t going to rain until late in the afternoon so she decided that after breakfast they could go out with the dogs to a park and enjoy themselves.
Beatrice furrows her brows however when she sees a message from Hannah. While the two weren’t on bad terms anymore it was strange to have her messaging suddenly, they weren’t that close after all.
Hey, can we meet up today? To talk?
Weird.
But Beatrice replied with “What time? I have to take care of my daughter so my time is limited.” she added an emoji at the end…then noticed that the message was sent seven hours ago and it was obvious that Hannah was asleep, “Sorry! I just saw the time you sent it! Ooops!” she hoped it wouldn’t bring anything bad out of her because of that mistake.
While on Instagram she saw that there were, again, more anon accounts and she couldn’t really bother trying to block them anymore since they always showed up no matter what.
While looking down at the gray icon she just…felt this anger. Why is this still happening and there was no resolution? No matter what they always come back, it’s been…about three years now? Almost four years since this has been happening, ever since she and Rooster got together.
Beatrice narrowed her eyes at the account, opening the dms to send them a message until the baby monitor app popped up on the screen to let her know that ‘NICOLE is awake!’ with a small video of Nikki wriggling her little arms as she breaks out of her slumber. Beatrice pauses, looking from the video to the account and sighs, “There are better things in my mind.” she says before blocking this account as well.
She just kicks the covers off, deciding to make them after breakfast, and marches to Nicole’s room. Eleanor and Jack are already up and about, with the youngest of the twins marching out of the room so his sister is the one in there with Beatrice until Jolene joins them as well, “Hi,Nikki,” she coos, seeing her daughter’s scrunched up face. She gasps softly seeing that the expression is identical to Rooster when he wakes up: squinty eyes, pursed lips and hair a mess. “Hi,sweetie, good morning.”
Nicole rubs her fists against her face in a feeble attempt to clean her eyes, “Okay,come on, up you go, let’s check you out and then give you breakfast yeah?” Nicole hums, much like Rooster did while waking up too, “God, you are so much like him already.”
After changing and cleaning Nicole and giving her the breakfast - which she was very eager to have - they walked downstairs to where the dogs were,lying next to the bouncer as usual. She greeted them after putting Nicole down and getting ready to prepare her own breakfast which she had no idea what it’d be.
Pancakes wouldn’t hurt but she feared it’d only make her miss Rooster way too much.
Thinking about him made a smile appear on her face though, because their conversation from yesterday was so fun and helped her own fears disappear. She felt a bit bad about lying to him that Nicole was okay with his absence, she wasn’t, not really but it has gotten better these past days and she’s not crying that much.
Staying with her nonni helped a lot too, her parents always made sure to give Nicole enough attention so she wouldn’t be so upset.
That and Rooster’s shirt that she left by the crib, that’s been helping Nikki too.
“Ah,Nikki,” she begins as she cracks two eggs in a bowl, “You have no idea how much you and your dad are similar, expression like, you know? I mean it’s like looking at a mirror when I look at you.”
And the fact that she had seen Bradley’s baby pictures and the similarity was on the nose.
Nicole babbled a bit, kicking her little legs as she tried to reach the mobile yet again but instead touched Eleanor’s pink snout when she sniffed her hand. Her daughter’s eyes were locked on Eleanor and she gurgled a giggle, this time gently touching the dog’s face, “And you love dogs too, just like him….and well, me too.” Beatrice grins, pouring some milk in her omelet before mixing a bit more, “...I just hope he gets home soon…and safe…he worries so much in his job. And it’s a dangerous one too.”
More babbling from Nicole.
“I mean, he’s also so good at what he does.” Beatrice smiles as the pan sizzles, “And he’s so smart and funny and sweet and–” and the dreamy sigh that escapes her mouth was enough to make her cheeks turn red, “And he still makes me feel like I’m floating everytime we talk.” she bites her lower lip, “It’s a shame we won’t be able to celebrate our anniversary though,I know he was so excited for it.” but she had something planned for the time their anniversary came up at least, so she could be excited for that.
Nicole babbles again, ‘ah’s’ and ‘oh’s’ followed by the constant gurgling only made Beatrice smile, “I agree,Nikki, your daddy needs to have something fun to come back to…and you’ll be a pretty big baby-well more than you already are- when he comes back.” she says, looking back at Nicole only to see her legs kicking and moving more, “Oh, before I forget we need to get you to your check up, we can take uncle Mikey with us! I just need to check with the clinic and make sure it’s scheduled.”
As she said that she heard her phone ping from upstairs and she couldn’t really leave the kitchen to get it - and for someone to send a message so early in the morning? Must’ve been important.- “Ellie, can you get my phone for me?” the white dog tilts her head at Beatrice, “The phone, you know?” she holds out her pinky and thumb to her ear, “This thing? You got my bag before but I need my phone now.”
Eleanor stares at her for a few more seconds before sprinting up the stairs to retrieve the phone. And she does retrieve the phone much to Beatrice’s surprise! It’s slobbery all over and the phone case has some dents because of Eleanor’s teeth but it’s working. “Thank you,Ellie!”
She wipes her phone the best she could and furrows her brows when sees that Marcus was the one who messaged her.
Marcus (06:15)
Darling! Can you come over by the studio today? I’d love to see you so we can discuss the new collection!
Bea (06:15)
Marcus, oh my god did you even sleep?
Marcus (06:16)
Of course! I am fine, my darling! But can you come over? Around morning?
Bea (06:16)
Well…I don’t know I…I have my baby with me and Rooster is deployed so I don’t know if that would be possible?
Marcus (06:17)
Darling! Bring the little one over!I want to meet her! :) plus she’ll have a little spot prepared just for her in any case. It’s just to sit down with you a bit.
Bea (06:18)
Sit down with me? But the last time we did this you didn’t have to sit me down?
Marcus (06:18)
Exactly,darling! :) can you come?
Bea (06:19)
Hmmm…okay, I think I can show up quickly. I can’t stay too long though.”
But Marcus was just glad to hear a ‘yes’ from Beatrice…even if the brunette was confused as to why he needed to see her so soon. “Well,” she says out loud, “Looks like you are meeting Marcus today,Nikki.”
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Step-by-step Sweater
I finished knitting my first sweater! This has been a long adventure, and I wanted to share some highlights.
This sweater was originally crocheted and finished on November 14, 2021. 5 hours later, a historic flood had come and destroyed my childhood home with 6-10 feet of water inside my house and our shop. The water moved with tremendous speed and I had lost all of my possessions. The sweater was thrown into a wet garbage bag with the rest of the clothes we thought could be salvaged, as the flood was from the river overflowing through dairy farms and from an asbestos tainted mountain run off. It was washed by some volunteers who I am very grateful for. Unfortunately it never fit right afterwards.
I was going to throw it away, but on November 28, 2022 I decided I should at least salvage the yarn.
This yarn has been so many places. I worked on the crocheted version in Washington DC, and New York. It even accompanied me on the NY subway in all its grimy sticky glory. This yarn has gone on every road trip the past 2 years. This yarn came with me on a cruise and I made so many nice rich old lady friends. I even got a nice handful of cough drops for showing a lady how to do the increase I was working on.
I decided to learn how to knit because I read on a forum that knit garments use less yarn and are less heavy, and that was my original complaint with the first one, was that it was too heavy.
I frogged and restarted so may times, questioned my ability to count, but I kept going. Here are some things I learned:
-Knitting is very fun, I would just want to come home and sit in my chair and spend all day working on it
-Frogging knit is alot harder than frogging crochet
-The absolute hardest part of the whole thing was weaving in the ends. Why is it so much harder with knit!?!
-The nicer knitting needles are worth the investment. I knit alot faster with cooperative needles and cables. The bamboo ones also don't squeak like the metal ones
-I learned how to hold yarn tension in my right hand! I'm so used to holding it in my left hand, that it took a solid 6 months of practice to get it! I still can't do it when I purl though.
This is how much yarn was left over. All the yarn I had to use came only from unraveling the crocheted sweater panels, all of my yarn had been lost otherwise, so I didn't have any extra skeins on hand at all. This is how much more yarn was used to crochet vs knit. That's why the first one was so heavy!
This is me washing and blocking the sweater, I laid down some towels to help keep my table from being soggy for days. I washed and rinsed with wool light delicate. All of the yarn had already been machine washed, but I just wanted to be gentle since this project took so long.
I'm glad to be done! I'm already starting a second one, and I'm being sure to document the whole process. I'm attempting some more techniques in my second sweater. The sweater was completed on December 22, 2023. Here are some final pictures of the sweater!
The pattern I used was amazing. I also followed along with the YouTube guide. I highly suggest this pattern/video if anyone wants to try knitting for the first time. Video link posted below.
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And yes, I do need to ask about every Barbie ship :D
2, 12 and 51 for Barbie/Ava
22, 38 and 50 for Barbie/Mason
3, 17 and 28 for Barbie/Felix
14, 31 and 42 for Barbie/Nate
21, 26 and 44 for Barbie/Kira
Holy smokes anon. EXCITING.
Obligatory OTP Asks
Barbie/Ava
2.) What would they do if the other woke in a manic state after a nightmare?
Barbie suffers night terrors pretty often after the Murphy incident. She had them before as well, being prone to stress and anxiety as she is, but it's 10x worse once the events of Book 1 kick off.
All Barbie would want is for Ava to hold her close, stroke her hair, and promise she'll be okay. Eventually, once they sort their shit out, that's exactly what would happen. Before that, Barbie still seeks Ava out, but doesn't want to talk and doesn't want Ava to touch her. She just wants to be in Ava's presence. Ava allows this, and probably makes Barbie a warm drink if Barbie won't make one herself. This usually leads to Barbie falling back asleep in an armchair, or some other spot near wherever Ava's spending time.
When Ava has nightmares, Barbie's very unsure about what to do. She's way out of her depth when it comes to comforting other people, even as much as she wants to do it. She'd ask Ava what she wants, what would help. Ava's prone to denying she wants anything at all, but eventually I like the idea that Barbie reads to her. A silly book that Ava would never pick up on her own, but that Ava can't help getting absorbed into when it's Barbie reading it.
12.) Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?
Oh yeah, definitely. Barbie can be very set in her ways, as can Ava, so when they agree on something it's GREAT. If they disagree on something, it leads to arguments over things no one else would even think to argue about. It's really tough at first, but they also love each other, so they don't want these arguments to be fights.
Two rule-loving autistic queens sit down to decide what steps to take when an argument is going too far, agree on the steps, and put them into motion over every single disagreement they have.
(Smoothing things over usually includes make up sex for Barbie, it's hands down the easiest way she's found for letting dumb shit go.)
51.) What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?
I think they're both big on just doing things for one another to make their lives a little better.
Barbie has a stash of 20 shirts, the exact same brand and style that Ava likes, in a few varying colors. When one of Ava's shirts wears out, Barbie just puts a new one in her closet.
Ava stays on top of Barbie's physical needs. Food, drink, comfort. She keeps a bag of trail mix in one of her pockets at all times. She keeps an extra pair of gloves as well for when it's cold, which she pretends aren't there just for Barbie.
They're both big on physical touch with one another as well. Barbie likes to place a kiss to Ava's jaw and Ava will press a hand between Barbie's shoulder blades in small moments between moments.
Barbie/Mason
22.) What reminds each of their partner?
Barbie: [at the grocery store]
Barbie: Everything reminds me of him...
Mason: [walking into town]
Mason: ....I should call her
I'm throwing the rest of this under a cut because it's getting long y-y
38.) Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?
Mason is definitely more experimental, but Barbie's not vanilla exactly. In fact, I've had a good time with the thought that their sex life is so good at it's most basic, they've pretty much only ever had missionary sex for the first few months of sleeping together. It's only when they realize Mason's never eaten Barbie out and Barbie's never jerked him off that they go "We need to broaden our horizons."
Beyond that, Barbie's a curious person, definitely willing to try most anything once. She's got a checklist of things she wants to try in her personal organizer, and a list of things Mason wants to try.
50.) Who's more likely to do something out of spite?
100000% Barbie. Spite takes too much effort for Mason. Barbie would, in fact, be hella tempted to sleep with someone else before she and Mason get together, particularly after the Haley's Bakery incident where he said they're just fuck buddies. The idea of her actually going through with it only to have major remorse when she sees how it truly hurts Mason's feelings....Delicious. I love mess. I love her panicking and trying to figure out how to fix it.
Barbie/Felix
3.) Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)
Barbie's taste leans more heavily toward classy, femme, and elegant. So she wouldn't be tempted by most of Felix's wardrobe. She would definitely pilfer a scarf on occasion though. What she would greatly prefer is him giving her something as a gift she could wear. A necklace, a bracelet, or even a pair of socks.
Felix cannot be kept out of Barbie's clothes though, I stand by this. She buys very nice, high quality stuff and sometimes a baby blue blazer is exactly what he needs to pull of his outfit! And he also likes all the headbands she uses to keep her hair back when she's doing her skin routine.
17.) Who's more likely to pull the other in by the waist and kiss them passionately?
They're pretty tied here I think! Felix is more spontaneous about it, while Barbie's a bit more purposeful.
28.) What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?
I think "my dove" is something Barbie would call Felix. Her soft hearted boy. My love, my darling, and sweetheart are others, but she tends to reserve the use of pet names for private moments.
Felix would spout off all kinds of saccharine and silly pet names, to make her blush, to make her laugh, and to make her roll her eyes. She says ABSOLUTELY no to 'doll' (it's OLD and it wasn't funny when it was new!!!).
Barbie/Nate
14.) How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?
Barbie and Nate are pretty well matched! They both value academics, research, having a plan before acting, and having a touch of luxury in their day to day lives. They're also both HORRIBLE HORNY BASTARDS.
The way they clash though is Nate keeps a lot to himself. He really values his privacy, and he has a tendency to think he knows what's best for Barbie, regardless of her own thoughts on the matter.
Barbie's nosy as hell and can't stand not knowing something, it eats at her and eats at her (she ALWAYS chooses to look up her LI in Book 3). She also prides herself on her intelligence and ability to make measured decisions, so she does not take being patronized very well.
31.) Can they sit side by side without touching the other or are they handsy? (lacing fingers, touching knees, etc.)
Absolutely not. They're always touching somehow, whether it be holding hands, crossing ankles under a table, or having a hand on one another's hip/lower back.
42.) What's their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)
There is an appeal to Barbie in particular to the weather being sooooo terrible that there's just no choice but for her and Nate to get snuggled up somewhere and wait it out u_u
I imagine Nate likes this just as much, but he also likes mild days where he can take her out for a nice walk around town.
Barbie/Kira
@crownleys and I are both very tickled someone wants to hear about our girls! We have, in fact, spent quite a lot of this morning and afternoon talking about them as ex-wives who get back together during the events of Book 1/Book 2
21.) Who would get into a fight to defend the other's honor? Who tends to the other's wounds?
The answer is Kira in both instances! Barbie would fight for Kira's honor, but she's far more likely to bitch someone out or bust someone's windshield versus get into a physical brawl. Kira's not quick to brawl, but when Bobby's involved...well, all bets are off.
As for tending wounds, Barbie's got a fear of blood bad enough that she'll pass out from enough of it. If Kira's got a paper cut or something small like that, Barbie's happy to clean it up and put a bandaid on it for her. Anything that's dripping blood though, she can't look.
26.) What are their vices?
Keep in mind, I'm not Kira's creator, so I am not the definitive authority on all of this, but this is what I take away from all of mine and Crownley's chatter.
Kira's a workaholic, always looking for a new way to prove herself worthy of notice, kindness, love, etc. She's also a sucker for expensive antiquities.
Barbie's an ex-smoker and she still struggles against the urge to smoke at times. She's been known to falter in times of great stress.
44.) Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway?
Kira's more likely to dance, and Barbie is more likely to just watch, unless Kira coaxes her over. Whatever's on the stove would end up burning if they start to slow dance, because they'd be so involved in one another they completely forget about the rest of the world. And dinner.
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Happy Pride! Could you do more of the fem mxy!wwx identity porn? I hope you have a great day 🌻
a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Jiang Yanli sees the Lan party approaching and cant help the spike of anxiety that shoots through her.
First is Lan Xichen and A-Yao, who greet Madame Jin and Jin Guangshan formally and respectfully, without a hint of resentment for what they've put them through, for allowing them to arrange this alliance only to yank the promised marriage out from under them.
She knows better than to think there isn't any, but their serene expressions give nothing away. Lan Xichen's amiable mask hides a warm, peaceable center. A-Yao's hides a bitterness and cleverness so great that to this day she thinks it a tragedy that A-Yao hadn't grown up among the Yu.
They make look similar on the surface, but Lan Xichen and A-Yao’s relationship is proof that opposites really do attract.
A-Yao says something that causes Madame Jin’s face to tighten. Then they’re stepping back and Lan Wangji is stepping forward, but he’s not the one she cares about.
Xuanyu stands by his side, back straight and eyes forward, seemingly comfortable and at ease with Lan Wangji in a way that few people manage. Her expression when she faces her father is strained, but she stands close enough to Lan Wangji that their sleeves threaten to tangle together, so she assumes that strain is all that to Jin Guangshan and not Xuanyu’s husband.
“I told you she’s be fine,” Zixuan murmurs.
She wishes they were somewhere less public where she could get away with elbowing him in the ribs or at least stepping on his foot.
“Yanli-jie!” Xuanyu is waving at her, bounding forward without a thought to propriety. Both Lan Wangji and A-Yao are exasperated while Lan Xichen just seems outright fond, which is even more a balm to her worry than Xuanyu’s hopefully good relationship with her husband. A sect leader’s affection is nothing to sniff at, and even if Lan Wangji has little use for his bride, he would not upset his brother by treating someone he’s fond of callously.
“Meimei,” she returns and watches Xuanyu’s grins stretch to almost painful levels as the young woman reaches out to grab her hands. Xuanyu had felt so cold to the touch before, but now her hands are warm, and with several new callouses. She looks stronger too, thicker around the waist and the flesh of her cheeks, and it’s a relief to see her strengthened in both body and spirit.
Her grin eases and she becomes subdued as she inclines her head to Zixuan. “Jin Zixuan.”
He returns it, eyeing her speculatively, but it’s not a surprise. Jiang Yanli’s not sure if the two of them have ever had a real conversation.
“I brought some extra guests,” Xuanyu says. “Sorry.”
She gestures behind her and Jiang Yanli follows her hand and then blinks rabidly, but the vision in front of her doesn’t change. Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen stand there, along with a blind girl that she doesn’t remember seeing before. “It’s not a problem, Meimei. You’ll have to tell me that story of how they came to join you.”
Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow, looking down at Xuanyu who pointedly ignores his gaze. That makes Jiang Yanli nervous, but it doesn’t seem to be tinged with any true animosity. She’s more than familiar what that looks like on Lan Wangji.
“It was uh – recent. So recent that I’m in need of a proper bath and a new set of robes, actually.” She leans in to whisper, loudly enough that they can all hear her just fine, “I switched out my over robe for something less damaged and bloodstained.”
Lan Wangji sighs deeply. Xuanyu rolls her eyes, which seems like a good sign.
“Oh dear,” Jiang Yanli says, affecting wide eyes and a gentle concern that’s only a little fake. For a moment, a smirk steals across Xuanyu’s face before she smooths it out again, which nearly distracts Jiang Yanli from her play here. Not even A-Yao had picked up on her act the first time she used to it. “That sounds so harrowing and awful. Please, let me escort you to my rooms – you can use my bath and I can help you with your hair. We are sisters, after all.”
“Of course, Yanli-jie,” she says, eyes bright with humor. It’s refreshing to do this with someone who’s in on the joke from the beginning and isn’t A-Cheng. “That’s so kind of you, how can I possibly refuse?”
Both of their husbands look put out as they walk away together, arm in arm. Maybe this will finally give Zixuan and Lan Wangji something to talk about.
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Apollo's Amazing Autumn Apple Cider Recipe 🍂🍏🎃🍄🕯️
This recipe got me a boyfriend, use its power wisely.
Makes about 3.5 L, concentrated. Depending on how strong you like it, this could be around 14-28 servings.
Tools:
stockpot, 6-quart size
potato masher
fine mesh strainer
Optional: citrus juicer, zester, apple corer/peeler/slicer, cheesecloth
Ingredients:
6 apples (variety is up to you! I use half of a sweet variety like gala, and half sour like granny smith)
1 orange (navel is most common where I live, but any good juicing variety is fine)
6 oz fresh cranberries
6 slices fresh ginger
8 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 Tbsp allspice
1/2 Tbsp anise or fennel
1/2 Tbsp nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp cardamom
32 oz brown sugar
Optional: 1 box cinnamon imperial candies (aka Red Hots), baking soda and lemon juice/apple cider vinegar to correct acidity
Steps:
1. Core and slice apples and add to the pot. It's best if you peel them (and I like eating the peels lol), but not strictly necessary.
2. Zest the orange, if desired, and discard the pith. You can add zest to the cider for a more orangey "zing," but I prefer to use it in sorbet with raspberries and basil :) Juice the orange and add the juice to the pot.
3. Add the cranberries, ginger, and enough water to fully cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil.
4. Once the mixture is boiling, stir, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Turn off the heat and mash the mixture with your potato masher. It doesn't need to be applesauce, but make sure all berries and apple chunks have been smushed at least once by your mighty hand. Revel in your power as the vindictive God of the Apples.
6. Add the spices and enough water to fill the pot with an inch of room. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Turn off the heat. Add the sugar in 8 ounce increments, tasting as you go. I always use the full bag, but I like it sweet.
8. If you want more spice, I can't recommend cinnamon imperials enough. Cinnamaldehyde is the chemical in cinnamon that gives it that "kick," and cinnamon imperials are a cheap way to get your hands on lots of it. Add 5, let them fully dissolve, and taste before adding more. I usually add 10 total, but my spice tolerance is low.
9. If the mixture is too sour, you can add baking soda 1 tsp at a time. Make sure it stops bubbling completely, then stir, taste again, and add more if needed. Do the same with a 1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to make it more sour.
10. Strain the cider into a container. I strain once with just the mesh, then a second time with the cheesecloth over the mesh. That second step is optional; most mesh strainers will do a perfectly good job on their own.
11. Serve hot or cold, straight or diluted 1:1 with water (like I said, it's pretty concentrated). Store in the fridge.
Fun twists to add: ginger beer, caramel sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, thyme/rosemary syrup, extra cinnamon imperials
Garnish suggestions: whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice berries, apple slices, lemon/orange slices, zest, thyme/rosemary sprig, lemon balm/mint/basil leaves
Alcohol ideas: rum, bourbon, whiskey, applejack, triple sec, mojito fixings, moscow mule fixings, anything cinnamon or apple flavored, and my favorite: fireball 😁
Enjoy!
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India Lima Yankee - Chapter 35
Pairing: Rooster x Female OC
Word Count: 2567
Warnings: Mention of death
Summary: Juliette Kazansky discovers Maverick is back in town for a special training detachment, but she's more than a little blindsided when Rooster arrives too. Having not spoken to him for almost ten years after their less than amicable break-up, Juliette can only imagine how the next few weeks are going to play out when she remains head over heels in love with him while he wants nothing to do with Juliette other than to forget her.
Or so she thinks.
Notes: Chapters in italics are flashbacks. Also I know I used See You Again in another chapter but I couldn't resist using it for this one too.
Chapter Songs: Stand By You The Champion
Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16 Chp 17 Chp 18 Chp 19 Chp 20 Chp 21 Chp 22 Chp 23 Chp 24 Chp 25 Chp 26 Chp 27 Chp 28 Chp 29 Chp 30 Chp 31 Chp 32 Chp 33 Chp 34 Chp 35
Juliette stared at the admirals, unable to comprehend the words that had sprouted from Cyclone's mouth, let alone form a coherent sentence. What did he mean she wasn't done with the mission? Unless...
"Told you she'd be speechless," Jack said, coming up beside his sister with Joey and Sarah, the latter carrying Iceman's duffel bag. It appeared to be stuffed with belongings.
Joey smiled understandingly at his sister. "I called Cyclone yesterday morning to see if there was any way to get you aboard that carrier so you could finish the mission with your pilots to the very end. Turns out Dad was one step ahead of me. He apparently initiated the process to give you permission to be aboard the carrier as soon as you knew about the mission. He recognized he wouldn't be able to go, so he chose to send you in his place."
"Dad also isn't the only Kazansky in the Navy with favors to cash in," Jack added cheerfully and proudly. "Joe and I called in a few of our own to make sure the orders got pushed through in time for you to go. It was a close call, a.k.a. it literally got approved at five a.m., but it happened."
"But I don't have- Raptor and Lightning need-" Juliette's mind raced so fast with the bombshell dropped on her that although words were forming, they weren't making sense. There was so much she had to take care of that there was no way it could all be done before the ship left port!
"I'll take care of Raptor and Lightning while you're away," Sarah promised, handing the duffel bag to her daughter. "It'll be nice to have them around. I also helped your dad pack his bags enough times that I could pack one for you. You should have all the essentials plus a few extra comforts."
"We've also informed your company that you'll be taking an extended break due to your required presence for critical government business," Warlock added, "so there's no need to worry about your job either."
"Thank you," Juliette breathed, although the words hardly sufficed for her gratitude for everyone surrounding her right now. Instead, she launched herself at the closest person to her, which happened to be Jack.
"Can't... breathe!" He gasped, causing Juliette to release him from her hug. Joey and Sarah were next to be tackled. Juliette vibrated from excitement and anxiety, and partially, too, because she wanted to hug Warlock and Cyclone for allowing this to happen. Noticing this, Warlock broke into a smile and nodded, giving her silent approval. Juliette didn't hesitate, embracing the admirals whether they wanted to be or not. She'd practically grown up with them, though, so it wasn't out of the norm for her to do this. Not to them.
Juliette wiped the tears from her face, now ones of happiness, and joked, "God, I'm so glad I had the foresight to wear waterproof eye makeup."
"Yeah, I was wondering how you weren't looking like the Winter Soldier after all your blubbering," Jack replied impishly.
Juliette glowered at him. "If you hadn't just helped Joe get me on that carrier, I'd hit you right now."
"I know, and I'm absolutely going to milk it. Go see your future husband and-"
"How'd you know about that?!" Juliette demanded, her voice rising an unnatural amount of octaves. Neither she nor Rooster had said anything about it to anyone. They weren't going to until the ring was on her left finger.
Jack's face contorted into confusion, along with everyone else's. It was Joey who gained the ability to speak first. "Did you and Rooster get engaged?!"
"Uh, kind of? Unofficially, I guess," she admitted, nervously twisting Carole's ring.
"How can you be unofficially engaged?"
"Well, he asked me to marry him last night, and I told him to ask me when he returned home."
"Why would you do that?" Sarak asked, tilting her head curiously.
Juliette wrung her hands, wishing they weren't having this conversation right now. "Because I wanted to make sure he wasn't asking me because he wasn't overthinking the fact that he might die on this mission?"
"Maverick's told you he's chosen him?" Cyclone queried, sounding mildly surprised.
"No, but I know he's going up. Woman's intuition."
"Can we get back to the part where our sister is engaged?" Joey demanded, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Unofficially," Jack and Juliette said simultaneously.
"Whatever."
Juliette grimaced. "Look, no one knows. No one was supposed to know until after the mission. I'd like to keep it that way, so could you please keep quiet about this?"
"We're absolutely letting go of our cool when you two get back," Jack said matter-of-factly. "It's been too long since we've had a wedding in our family."
Sarah Kazansky smiled through her unshed tears and hugged her daughter. "I'm so happy for you two! I can't wait to celebrate when you get back!"
"Thank you, Mom. I'll see you soon." Juliette took a deep breath and shouldered the duffel bag. "Joey, take Rooster's keys and drop his car off at my house. I promised I'd take care of it while he was away, and I don't trust Jack to drive it."
Jack threw his hands up in protest. "Hey!"
"Last time Bradley let you drive his car, you nearly caused a five-car pile-up."
"It's not my fault the ladies couldn't handle seeing me shirtless!"
"Joey's still driving." Turning to Cyclone and Warlock and ignoring Jack's continuing protests, Juliette said, "Admirals, lead the way."
Bidding her family goodbye, Juliette followed Cyclone and Warlock down from the parking lot and to the carrier. As the admirals navigated the monstrous ship, Juliette ogled the impressive size while ignoring the weird looks she received from the soldiers she passed. She could imagine their puzzlement. Here was a random civilian- dressed in black skinny jeans, black wedge boots, a tank top, and a high-ranking admiral's bomber jacket with her hair and makeup absolutely out of U.S. Navy regulation- being escorted by Cyclone and Warlock. Yeah, she didn't belong here.
Yet, here she was.
Juliette tried to memorize the route to her sleeping quarters but discovered it impossible with all the doorways, passageways, stairs, and turns.
Cyclone opened a door that had 'Admiral Kazansky' on the front. They stepped inside, and Juliette realized this was her father's cabin, the place he would've stayed had he been able to attend.
"Your dad decided since you would be taking his place, you deserved to have his stateroom," Cyclone stated, nodding at the room. "I know it was last minute, so in the event your mom forgot to pack anything, I'm sure there are a few spares in here, or we can find some on the ship."
"You could've made me sleep outside on the flight deck, and I would've accepted it if it meant I could be here," Juliette responded softly, setting her duffel bag on the bed and scanning every inch of the room.
"Are you all right, Juliette?" Warlock asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Yes, sir. It's... it's a lot to take in right now. It's been a morning, to say the least. That's all."
"We understand. You're where you belong, though. You've earned this."
Cyclone nodded. "Agreed. The pilots are prepping to launch once we're underway to the destination, so you'll be able to see them later. In the meantime, once you've settled in, I want you to head to the Main Hangar Deck. Maverick should be there. He's preparing for tomorrow, and I think he'd like your input."
"Yes, sir. Uh, one thing: how do I get there?"
Warlock smiled. "We'll send someone to escort you there. They'll be waiting for you outside your door when you're ready."
"I appreciate it. I know I don't know much about being on an aircraft carrier, but if there's anything I can do to help you two out, just let me know."
"Helping Maverick and the pilots is your mission," Cyclone replied. "That's all you need to do."
"Yes, sir. I'll see you soon. And thank you again."
The admirals bid her goodbye, and Juliette sank onto the edge of the bed, looking around the room. It had nothing of her dad's in it, but being in here, she felt close to him, almost like he was here with her. "Even in death, you're still looking out for me, huh, Dad?" Juliette spoke quietly, looking up as if she could see him in the heavens. "I miss you, and I promise I will do everything I can to help Maverick and the pilots. I don't know what I can do, but I'll do it. I won't let you down."
Juliette took a deep breath and glanced down at Carole's glittering diamond ring, the weight of its history and meaning heavy on her finger. She still couldn't quite believe Rooster had proposed to her last night. Even though it'd happened less than twelve hours ago, the memory remained surreal, like a dream.
An incoming call broke Juliette out of her reverie. Picking it up, she saw it was Maverick. "Hey, Mav. What's up?"
"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you got home okay," he replied. "You were pretty upset earlier, and I know it can be hard to drive like that."
"Yeah, I'm okay," Juliette said, unable to help herself with what she jokingly said next. "Mostly because I said 'screw it' and snuck onto the carrier. I'm currently hiding in the admiral's stateroom as a stowaway."
Maverick laughed good-naturedly. "Glad to see your humor is still intact."
"Don't worry about me, Mav. Worry about yourself and our pilots. I'll see you soon."
"See you soon, Jules."
They hung up, and with a bounce in her step, Juliette changed out of her jeans into a pair of cargo pants and exchanged her wedge boots for combat boots. Then, tossing her hair into a ponytail and patting her pockets to confirm her phone and room key were on her, Juliette stepped outside into the hallway, hoping her escort was already there. He was, and she was thrilled that she recognized them.
"Hondo!" she exclaimed, beaming.
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Juliette! You're the special guest?"
"I am! I only found out-" Juliette dug her phone out of her pocket and checked the time- "less than half an hour ago. Pretty much the moment I got to my car. No one knows except Cyclone, Warlock, and now you. I told Maverick just now, but he thought I was joking."
"He's going to be shocked to see you. Happy, but shocked." Hondo clapped her on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go see him."
The two set off through the maze of corridors. Once more, Juliette tried to memorize the way to the Main Hangar Deck, but like the first, she failed miserably. "Hondo, if not for you, God knows where I'd find myself."
He chuckled. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to, but you'll figure it out. I'm sure anyone would be happy to escort you to and fro wherever you need to go."
"No, no, you all have enough to deal with. You shouldn't have to babysit me. I'll figure it out."
Hondo stopped outside a door and said, "He's in there. I'll see you soon, Princess."
Juliette returned the sentiment, then stepped foot into the Main Deck Hangar. F-18s lined the back, but in front remained some empty space in which Maverick resided. He braced himself against a table, staring intently down at papers scattered in front of him.
"What are you working on?" Juliette asked, strolling up to him.
Maverick's head nearly snapped in two he looked up so fast. "Jules, what-"
"Dad's final orders," Juliette interrupted, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Came in right after I said goodbye to you and Rooster. I promise I didn't actually sneak on and become a stowaway."
"Oh, thank God," Maverick breathed, shaking his head in amusement. "I don't know how we could've kept that a secret. So, Ice ordered this?"
"Yeah. It sounds like Dad knew he wouldn't be well enough to make the journey himself, so he placed the orders to send the second best thing to fill his shoes."
"You mean the next best thing, which is equal to his own presence," Maverick corrected, beaming at her as he approached to hug her. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too, even if I feel like a fool for blubbering like an idiot only to be put on the carrier about ten minutes later."
"Hey, you didn't know, and it's never easy to leave those you love, especially knowing what you did about what we were shipping off to do."
"Speaking of which-" Juliette maneuvered herself to the table, scanning the papers spread across the surface. They turned out to be the reports and results for each pilot on all their training courses. Juliette braced herself against the table. "Who do you have in mind so far?"
Maverick came to stand beside her, staring down at the documents. "I have an idea for my Foxtrot teams. It's my wingman and the spare I'm having trouble deciding. I-"
Juliette looked up at him when his sentence cut short. Following his line of sight, she noticed it rested on her ring. Maverick cocked his head, recognition flashing on his face. "Jules, that's- that's Carole's ring."
Juliette's cheeks heated up. Standing straight, she fiddled with the sentimental piece of jewelry and said, "Yeah, it is. Rooster, he, uh, he gave it to me last night... when he proposed to me."
Maverick raised his eyebrows, her words processing slowly in his mind. Finally, after a few moments of stunned silence, he replied, "I-I think it's on the wrong finger."
"That's because I didn't say yes. Not outright, at least."
"You said no?!"
"Technically. I told Rooster to ask me again when he returned from the mission because the last time he made a decision about us when emotions were running high, he regretted it for years. I didn't want the same thing to happen with this. I didn't put it that way when I told him my reasoning for declining now, but he knows I'll say yes if he asks me again. The ring is his promise to return to me."
Juliette noticed the flurry of emotions cross Maverick's face when he glanced down at Rooster's results on the table: excitement, surprise, and dread. He didn't need to speak for her to know what was going through his mind.
"If he's your choice for your wingman, don't change it because of the news I just gave you," Juliette told him gently. "He and I both knew the risks of getting emotionally involved before this mission, and if he's who you think is the best suited for Dagger 2, then name him that."
"Jules, you may never see him again if I send him. You've lost your dad. If you lose him too-"
"I'll be okay. I always am. We need to do what's best for this mission, and Rooster will have you up there. You'll protect him, which somehow both lessens and worsens my anxiety over this mission. Come on. Talk me through the pros and cons of each pilot, and I'll put in my two cents, and we'll work from there to form the team." Juliette motioned at the papers. "Shall we begin?"
***
Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @souslesyeuxde @gleasonmalfoy @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double-j @picklejuicesposts @bradshawsandbridgetons @majdoline @jakexfmc @catsandgeekyandnerd
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Niki Nihachu the “Nemesis” baker.
CR 16 N Humanoid
XP 76,800 (if used as npc for encounter)
Undine Witch 16 (Gingerbread witch)
Neutral good (with some evil tendencies) Medium humanoid
Init +3; Senses Perception +20
AC 26, touch 21, flat-footed 23 (+3 Dex, +1 intuition, +3 deflection, +3 natural, +6 armor)
hp 146 (16d6+32)
Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +15
Speed 30 ft.
Melee MWK Sickle+8 1d6-1, Spells.
Ranged MWK Crossbow+13 1d8, Spells.
Racial Native outsider, Swim speed 30ft, Amphibious, Darkvision 60ft, Water sense, Hydrated vitality.
Traits Artisan(bakery), Bitter.
Class features Gingerbread familiar, Cauldron cook, Tricky treats hex, Confection conjure, Gruesome gobbler, Horrible hunger, Patron: recovery, Extra spells (Liberating command, Remove paralysis, Sacred bond, Freedom of movement, Cleanse, Heroes feast, Joyful rapture, Protection from spells), Hex (Ward, Misfortune, Slumber).
Spellcasting CL16 DC18 infusions per day 4/6/6/6/6/5/4/4/3 Spells typically prepared:
8-Resurrection, Mind blank, Mass cure critical wounds, Destruction. 7-Regenerate, Heal, Harm, Power word: Blind.
6-Transformation, True seeing, Cone of cold, Dispel magic, Greater.
5-Cure critical wounds, Hold monster, Telepathic bond, Teleport.
4-Wandering star motes, Cure serious wounds, Threefold aspect, Lighting.
3-Heroism, Dispel magic, Fly, Speak with the dead.
2-Glitterdust, Cure moderate wounds, Burning gaze, Fog cloud.
1-Cure light wounds, Mage armor, Identify, Mount, Unseen servant, Ray of enfeeblement, Charm person, Detect secret doors, Burning hands.
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 26, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +8; CMB +14; CMD +28
Feats Accursed hex, Spell penetration, Greater spell penetration, Spit hex, Steam caster, Extra hex (Fortune, Flight), Craft wondrous items.
Skills Craft(Alchemy)+27, Fly +14, Heal+20, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Arcana)+27, (History)+19, (Nature)+23, (Planes)+27, Perception+20, Profession(Cook)+20, Spellcraft+27, Swim+23, Use magic device+19.
Languages Common, Aquan, Ignan, Auran, Terran, Draconic.
Combat gear Bracers of armor+6, Ring of protection+3, Amulet of natural armor+3, Dusty rose prism ioun stone, Rod of abrupt hexes, Shawl of the crone, Robes of resistance+4, Headband of Intellect+6(knowledge the Planes), Stone familiar, Boots of the hinterland, Aquatic cummerbund, Ring of spell knowledge (shield), Cauldron of brewing, Lavender and green ellipsoid ioun stone, Belt of the cackling hag(as per blouse but occupies belt slot), Staff of feast and famine, Wand of haste, Darkleaf leather armor, Witch kit, Familiar satchel, Baking kit, MWK light crossbow, 20 MWK blots, MWK sickle, Diary, 13gp.
Background Niki did so much and sacrificed a lot while nobody saw or probably cared. She hated Schlatt for his vile regime, she doesn’t appreciate Tommy ways of doing things, has an anger issue with Tubbo because he wasn’t punished for his deeds, but at the same time appreciates others such as Hbomb, her partner Puffy, holds respect for Eret views. However, Antfrost betrayal at the Red Banquet and Wilbur’s action toward L’Manberg are a thing on its own, bad things. After joining the Syndicate, she has found a sense of belonging and a something akin to a family, although she had to go thought the process of accepting that the founding figure was Technoblade. After parting ways on good terms with Jack Manifold, Niki had lots of thoughts about the death of his colleague Ranboo who died recently and just thought if she could just rewind and do everything all over… “It can be arranged.” Said a voice. Niki dropped her pastry tools and swiftly grabbed her sword. “If you have a desire i can grant it. Come find me.” Niki followed the voice with cautious steps but as soon as she turned the corner, the world shifted and so did her aspect. She found herself atop a hill in front of a vast sea. “I am waiting for you and for your friends.” Niki stood up “A do-over? Too good to be true, and yet…” then she started walking, her mind was set. The journey had begun.
https://fairlyidiotic.tumblr.com/post/656378880655032320/cniki-nihachu-but-in-this-one-dress-i-found-on
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MLS is changing its playoff format and I have some thoughts.
Previously, the top seven teams from each conference at the end of the regular season would qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the #1 teams from each getting a bye to the conference semifinals. And of course, all of the cup ties were played as single games at the higher seed's home venue. Personally, I don't like single-game ties in knockout style tournaments (except for the final of course), nor do I like how many teams qualify in the first place (14 out of the 28, 50% of MLS clubs at the time), but it at least made some sense.
Now the playoff is expanding from seven to nine teams from each conference, though with the 8th and 9th playing a "play-in" style game to become the 8th seed in an 8-team conference bracket. So effectively, it's an 8-team format with a play-in round. And while the single-match ties remain for the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup final, the first-round ties (or the conference quarterfinals if you prefer) will be three-match series, with the higher seed hosting the first and if-necessary third match, with the first team to win 2 moving on. There are no longer any first round byes for the top teams.
There are some things about this new format that I think is an improvement over last year's. The three-match series are a step in the right direction, though call me a Eurocentric with how I would prefer two-match ties decided by aggregate scores. It should be noted that in these three-match series, there would be no draws or extra time. If a match is tied after full time, it goes straight to a penalty shootout. I think I'd be fine with that, if the if-necessary third match did have extra time, just so we can get a little more of an opportunity to decide the better team that isn't a penalty shootout in close matchups.
There are several things I don't like though. For one, this format makes my issue about too many teams qualifying even worse. MLS added one new team this season (St. Louis CITY [not City]), but added 4 more playoff spots, though effectively just two more because of the play-in round. Now 18 out of 29 clubs, 62% of the league, will make the playoffs. Each team plays a 34 match regular season. That's way too many games just to eliminate less than half the field. (The NBA has a similar problem with having a long regular season that doesn't end up eliminating very many teams). I think after 34 matches, comprised of two matches against every team in the same conference and one against every team in the opposite conference, is a pretty good decider of which teams are Cup contenders, and which aren't. As was especially the case last year, neither conference really had more than four or five true contenders.
It won't happen because money reasons and America's love of big playoffs to decide their champions, but I would much prefer a smaller, more exclusive playoff format. Something simple like having only the top 4 from each conference qualify, and every cup tie besides the final being a two-match series decided by aggregate score. Even if you wanted to have a few more teams, you could do a 6-team format similar to how the MLB postseason works.
Having said all this, I am still intrigued to see how this format will work out. The three-match series will be especially interesting. You could argue that, since MLS is the rare kind of football league where the distribution of money and talent among the clubs is far more equitable than most, having a wider playoff field makes sense because many teams are more likely to be similarly matched. I'd agree with that too. But it still inadvertently makes the ludicrously robust regular season feel less important. It's why I rarely watch NBA regular season games, because no single game ever feels like it matters very much since you could conceivably make it into the playoffs as the 10th best team in your 15-team conference. This kind of imbalance when comparing playoff size to regular season schedule makes "making the playoffs" seem less and less like an accomplishment in and of itself.
But then again, even with the huge format last season, the MLS Cup final still featured the #1 seeds from each conference. So maybe all of this doesn't even matter. The best teams will win regardless of how many more teams there are below them, except on the rare occasion they don't. And I suppose having a wider playoff field just makes those rare occasions more likely to take place, and who doesn't love a good upset victory?
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through the hourglass 50. brb x oc
a/n: it's a few minutes before midnight but I can already say that IT'S MY BDAY!!! and idk how to feel about it cause im 30 and i think im having a midlife crisis already. HAH, anyway, this chapter was sweet and it helped contain the horrible thoughts in my mind uwu.
pairing: plus size!oc x rooster
warnings: pure rotting fluff of Rooster being a dad.
goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)
chapter
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44/45/46/47/48/49
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“Okay so, I left milk in the bottles in case she gets hungry,” Beatrice explains while gathering her things for work, “And you know, you can call me if you need more I’m sure Penny would understand.”
Rooster is leaning against the threshold that separated the kitchen and the living room, hands in his sweatpants pockets and chest bare as he watched her talk about everything with hearts in his eyes, “Oh!” she stops suddenly, “Almost forgot, there are extra diapers in our bathroom’s cabinet, I left it there because I didn’t want to–...but you know that already.”
“I do,gorgeous.” he understood her worrying and while it was adorable to see, he helped her put those things away when they bought it, “Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, gorgeous.” he steps closer to wrap his arms around her waist, “Me and Nikki will be just fine.”
“I know, you are a good dad.” and his eyes twinkled over those words, and she was sure it made his whole night already, “And she loves you…I just don’t want her to cry when I leave.”
“Maybe she’ll be a bit noisy, but you know, I don’t think it’ll be that bad.”
“...okay…well,I’ll tell the guys why you stayed behind.” she smiles, then looks down at her phone, “Oh,shit,I gotta go,Roos. Walk me to the door?”
The repeated question from this morning made him grin, “Of course,” he leans down to pick Nicole from her bouncer, luckily she wasn’t asleep yet, and they walk to the garage door as Beatrice puts her bag strap on her shoulder, “Call me when you get to the bar.”
“I will.” Beatrice told the dogs goodbye by scratching each of their heads, then leaned closer to Nicole to kiss her cheek - her daughter just touched her face with her tiny hand as if she wanted to stay, “I have to go,sweetie,I’ll be back soon, okay? I love you,you’ll have a good time with daddy.”
Nicole whimpered a bit, but Rooster kissed her head to calm her down, “She’ll be okay,” Beatrice’s worried eyes turned to him and he grinned, “She will be, don’t worry.” he uses his free hand to cup his wife’s chin up so he could kiss her gently, three quick pecks that make Beatrice laugh against his mouth, “Tell everyone hi for me, I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she hesitated a bit before walking down to her red jeep, keeping the two of them in her line of vision until her back touched the car’s driver’s door and she jumped a bit startled, being snapped out of her thoughts as she looked back at the car with a slight frown, “Well,I better go.”
Rooster smiles at her, waving Nikki’s hand much like she did earlier that morning, and that makes Beatrice’s face relax even if her brows are still a bit furrowed. They all watch Beatrice back away from the garage and towards the street, Rooster walks down the steps to keep his eyes on her as she drives off, making sure there was no one outside that could prevent her from leaving the house.
“Well,” he begins once Beatrice is gone, looking down at Nikki, “It’s you and me,birdie, I know there’s not much you can do yet but hey, we can make do.” he turns back around after closing the garage to where the dogs were, Eleanor sniffing the closed door while her brother and mother got back inside with Rooster.
He left the door that led to the garage open so Eleanor could come inside whenever she’d like to, he knew she was the most guard dog of the three of them and she had to sniff around for a few minutes before going back. Meanwhile, he looked down at Nicole, who now was dozing off a little bit, “Listen, birdie, daddy has to have a talk with you.”
It was comical how serious he sounded knowing that his daughter wouldn’t understand it at all, “Mommy has work at night,okay? And daddy goes with her because one, I love her, and two, I want to make sure she’s okay…so here’s the deal,” he walks up the stairs to her room, turning the light on with his elbow, “We leave you at your grandparents and pick you up when mama is done, is that fair?”
Nicole just blinked at him.
“Huh,well I’ll take that as a yes.” he chuckles, placing his daughter inside her crib, seeing her little body stretch over the mattress with her eyes slowly falling shut, “Alright, listen, take your nap, daddy will be downstairs with the monitor close by.” Nicole was already asleep when he finishes speaking, making him grin and lean back from the crib to close the curtains since the sun was still out and he didn’t want her to wake up because of it.
It was exciting to him, it was the first time he’d be alone with Nicole.
“...Holy shit it’s the first time I’m alone with Nicole,” excitement turned into pure raw panic as he started fearing he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He could call his in-laws - who were absolutely understanding about them wishing to keep Nicole home that night, Beatrice’s talk really changed their mindset - or Bea, but he had to be prepared.
So he wandered to the bookshelf they kept in Nicole’s room - the one that looked like a tree trunk with flowers on top - running his fingers over each colorful book until he found the one he was looking for. He did read it during Beatrice’s pregnancy, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a read again.
‘The First Time Dad Manual: A Step by Step to Fatherhood!’ with a drawing of a father holding a baby, surrounded by stars, looked up at him. Rooster walked back until his knees touched the rocking chair, grunting quietly as he sat down and tried to fit his shoulders in it, “Fuck we might need to buy a new one.” he mutters, “Just so I can fit,I should’ve checked the size when I ordered it.” and after a few more wriggling he finally finds himself in a comfortable position.
He sighs, deciding to reread the whole book again because what if he missed something? So what if he somewhat remembers every line because he read this book every time before bed and even before going to work?
It was always good to check.
“Is this your first child- yes or else I wouldn’t be reading this book,” he mutters after reading the greeting ling, “I’m the author bla bla, I’ll just skip ahead.” and he flips the pages for a while until he find the one he’s looking for.
“Things to do for the first time you are alone with your baby.” the options were pretty much what he and Beatrice talked about earlier, they had planned everything in case Nikki needed an emergency change, she had the bottles saved up and she was also happily asleep in her crib.
Maybe he was overreacting.
He looked over to where Nicole was peacefully asleep, with her tiny fists by her sides, chest rising and falling slowly and he reminded himself that maybe, just maybe, he could relax. He was doing a good job so far, Beatrice thought so, he liked to think so and so did everyone else.
Mav often teased how Nicole had him around her finger just like Beatrice did and he was very right. He’d do anything for either of them, and he had to admit he had his own doubts every now and again.
It wasn’t easy, even if his mother raised him well and the little contact he had with Mav helped him figuring out how a father could be…he missed his dad, he wished he could’ve ask him things, maybe even question him about how do things with Nicole just like he did when he was just a baby.
His mother always said that his father often carried him around the house, always telling him what was happening, what he was doing and…he wished he had more memories to compare. He knew his father would love it, wherever he was he’d love to know he was thinking about him.
“...damn,dad.” he mutters, rubbing his hands up and down his face, “I wish you could’ve met her, you and mom…she’s so precious and so…so sweet. She’s my little birdie,” he smiles softly, huffing out a soft laugh, “...I just want to do a good job, and I’m trying but–”
There’s always that fear, the one he often tried to ignore when he was dating Beatrice and now it came often, too often for his own liking. He looked back at Nicole, at her tiny little hands and her cute face, seeing bits of himself and Beatrice already taking shape on her face and only feared that– what if?
What if it happens again?
What if it does?
He had no control over things like this, but he had to admit that he was more alert than before, ever since the close call back in December from last year he just…put a lot in thought.
He loved what he did but he also loved Nikki and Bea and the thought sometimes haunted him. Well not sometimes, most of the time. He knew he had to be extra careful, check everything, double check it and then go to work as normal as he could. It was hard but it wasn’t impossible.
“I shouldn’t be thinking like this,” he mutters, standing to his feet and placing the book back in the shelf, “Maybe I need to distract myself a bit.” he looks over to where Nikki is sleeping, smiling at her as he leans over the crib’s railing, crossing his arms on top, admiring his daughter’s adorable sleeping face.
“How can someone so small be this adorable?” he questions no one but himself, brushing the side of her cheek with his knuckle and then pushes himself up and out of the room. The dogs were already there, well,Jolene and Jack, Eleanor was boofing and growling downstairs, probably at the neighbor’s cat that often trotted by the house.
He left the door open, even if he had the monitor downstairs he still would like to hear his daughter’s voice in any case, it was better than closing it all the way too. “Anyway, time to distract myself,” and not miss Beatrice. It was the first time in a long while either of them were separated. Hell, he was always at the Hard Deck during her work nights and he…already missed her a lot.
“Silly isn’t it?” he asks the dogs, who look up at him when he walks downstairs, checking the baby monitor he left close to the TV, seeing that Nicole was just the same as before, “It’s not like I won’t see her later,I am just…I just love her a lot.Anyway,” he flops down on the couch withe a pleased groan, whistling to Eleanor to get back inside - smirking because the dog was so used to this she closed the door with her back legs much like a horse kick - and the other two lied below his legs as he propped them on the coffee table.
With the house so weirdly silent, he just turned the tv on in hopes he could ease his mind of the worries that often scurried by, deciding to finish the third season of Golden Girl one more time. He was so thankful for Beatrice showing him different shows, because not only he was tired of everything his friends talked about but he also liked having something light to watch, something that showed four elderly women living their lives in Florida while discovering their love life and dealing with subjects people still have issues talking about today.
And he really liked Sophia.
She wasn’t his favorite just because Beatrice said how much she reminded her of her nonna, but only because he wanted to be exactly like her when he reached that age. As the show was running, his eyes flicked between the TV and the baby monitor not too far from him, seeing that Nicole was still fast asleep without any plans of waking up, sometimes he’d see a huge snout sniffing the crib’s bars and knew that one of the dogs was checking on her for him as well.
So, it was going well so far.
He knew it was going to be okay.
-
He ended up napping on the couch, arms crossed and head leaned back against the backrest as he snored, Jack and Eleanor were sleeping under his legs while Jolene was next to him on the couch, her head on his thigh, the four of them sleeping soundly, so much so he couldn’t hear the TV anymore.
Four episodes went by and he didn’t even notice. Honestly he was so comfortable there it was hard to imagine two hours had passed and his daughter was now awake but not crying, however she was moving a bit in her crib. It’s Eleanor, whose huge head lifts from the floor when she hears the quiet whining coming from the baby monitor, that lets him know by nosing the back of his knee.
Rooster jostles awake, curling his leg up to his chest in surprise, trying to understand where he was, “What?” he blinks hard, rubbing his hands from his scalp to his chin, trying to rub the sleep off when he hears Nicole’s gentle whimpers coming from the monitor, “Oh,shit.” he jolts to his feet, almost tripping over himself.
It wasn’t that intense, honestly she wasn’t even crying yet.
In fact, even Nicole looked surprised when her father showed up, breathing heavily and leaning over the crib’s railing to look down at her, “What’s wrong, birdie?” he asks, “Hungry?” but by the smell it was something else but hunger, “Ah.”
That’s fine, he just had to wake up a bit more.
“Sorry,birdie,let daddy just,” he yawns as he drops his forehead to the inside of his arm, as if it was too heavy for him to keep it up. Nicole just watched, intently, to her father’s antics, even her whimpering diminished as she too tried to understand what he was doing.
He snatches his head up, “Okay!” followed by quick slaps to his cheeks, “I’m awake, now come on,missy, time for your bath.” he gently picks her up, holding her to his chest with one arm as he opens her dresser with the other,grabbing a pink onesie that left her chubby legs bare, closing it with his foot, ‘There, now, we can go.”
Nicole just looked around a little bit more as they entered the master bedroom, another whine leaving her lips. Rooster looks down at her and then back at the room with a frown, “Mama isn’t here, birdie,I know.” that only made his daughter’s little cry get louder, “I know,I know,I miss her too. I miss her too.”
He placed the pink bathtub inside their actual bathtub - something Rooster called ‘bathtubception’ everytime they gave Nicole a bath - and checked the water’s temperature. Luckily, after tossing the diaper away and giving her a bath she seemed calmer…for a little bit.
As he buttoned her onesie up and adjusted her on his arms again, she whined one more time, the same way as before, “Baby girl, I know,” he felt so bad because she looked so sad, “I know,I know you miss mama, but it’s okay, we are going to have some fun tonight, yeah?”
Nicole just pressed her head to his trapezoid as he carried her out of the room, “Let’s get you something to eat…and honestly, I need to eat too because it’s already dinner time.” yes, his stomach agreed with that as well.
As he placed Nikki in her bouncer to warm up her milk, he heard his phone ping from the living room. He quickly grabbed it and grinned once he saw who it was.
Bea (20:01)
Roos!How’s everything? How’s Nikki? Are you two okay?
Roos (20:03)
We are fine, gorgeous, she just woke up from her nap and I’m heating up her milk and warming up some leftovers for me :) How are you though? How’s the bar?
Beatrice sent him a picture of the bar and in fact it was packed with people, he laughed when he saw the Dagge Squad looking back at Beatrice from their corner, throwing thumbs ups and victory signs at the camera.
Bea (20:05)
It’s nonstop, Roos. Penny said this is the biggest influx of people she had seen in a long time. So we are all taking quick breaks :3. So I decided to message you and see how you guys are.
Roos (20:06)
Well, aren’t you sweet ;) but we are fine. I just woke up from a nap too so I’m a bit…groggy
Bea (20:06)
Bradley Nicholas Bradshaw? Groggy? That doesn’t seem real.
Roos (20:07)
Keep saying my full name and I’m just I can be quite alert by the time you get home gorgeous ;)
Bea (20:09)
!! stop it. That’s mean, you can’t tease your wife from far away…but really, you don’t have to wait for me if you are tired, you know I get home around midnight.
Rooster frowned once he read it, he knew that and knowing he wasn’t going to bring her home only made this thought pop even harder in his head. He leans his lower back against the counter as he types his response
Roos (20:10)
Gorgeous, I’m going to wait for you outside the house. There’s no way I’m sleeping without seeing you walk through the door. Also, maybe someone can follow you to the car…ask Hangman or Payback to go with you, they can wait.
Bea (20:11)
Roos,Shells will stay behind, you know she’s worse than a Malinois when she needs to be. I’ll be fine. I promise. <3
Roos (20:12)
I’ll still stay up, gorgeous. And I’m going to wait for you.
Honestly,Beatrice brought the romantic out of him every time they spoke. The power that woman had on him and how willing he was to have that magic wrap around his heart was incredible, but like he always said Beatrice was pretty much like a fairy. He turns the stove off and checks the milk with the tip of his finger - just like his mother in law taught him - and pressed to the back of his hand, “Perfect.”
Bea (20:15)
Roos,I’ll have to go back now.I’ll talk to you later okay? :)
Roos (20:15)
Okay,Gorgeous.I love you, a lot.
Bea (20:16)
I love you too!! <3
And she was gone then, so he had something else to worry about. Thankfully, he just reheated some of the lasagna his mother in law was so very kind to cook for them - even if Beatrice always told her mother there was no need - and grabbed the bottle with Nicole’s milk on it. Since he had to feed her first, he just left his plate in the microwave and smiled on his way over to the baby, “Hi, pretty thing!” he coos, “Hi!Come here, time for your dinner.”
Nicole’s eyes crossed when he held the bottle above her lips, her brows furrowing a bit, “It’s milk,birdie, come on.” It takes a few seconds, Nicole looking amazingly suspicious of whatever this thing was and Rooster had to think of something, looking around for an idea…and he sees one of Beatrice’s coats hanging close by, “Aha.”
It’s a bit weird to see, but he wraps the bottle with Beatrice’s coat in hopes that her mother’s smell could make Nicole finally eat…and it worked! “...maybe someone did this before.” he comments to himself, sitting on the piano bench with his back against the closed keys, legs stretched in front of him, “I don’t know, it’s all about instinct, birdie.” Nicole was too busy eating to pay attention, barely peeking one eye open at him, “You’ll know when you are older.”
He smiled down at her because he still couldn’t believe that this little girl was his. She was showing changes already, she was still a bit baby but the main ones were her hair length and the characteristics that reminded her of her parents.
She had Beatrice’s nose as he knew she did, his chin and he wasn’t sure if her lips were more his or Beatrice’s, but they were rosy pink and absolutely adorable to look at. Especially when she smiled, that she got from her mother too, “Oh you are so hungry, holy shit,” very few times they had to bottle feed Nicole so seeing how fast the milk was leaving the bottle was astonishing, “You’ll have some strong bones growing up. Don’t be like your dad. Don’t break them.” he looked back at the piano with a wistful look, it has been a long while since he played honestly and he felt his fingers tingling, begging to have the ivories under his spell one more time.
But he had other things in his mind right now, that feeling could wait. His eyes then slowly traveled up, up and up until they stopped at the three frames hanging above the piano: the one with his father and himself wearing a cowboy hat, the one in the middle with both of his parents just as his dad got back from deployment - still wearing the suit - and in the left corner it was the signed Jerry Lee Lewis record.
Beatrice suggested they did this, because it’d be a lovely homage to his parents - not to mention the other pictures she decorated the walls with - to have them where he remembered them the most…and how cathartic to him was to have his baby daughter in his arms and see his parents looking down at him?
He felt his eyes sting, quickly wiping them with his bicep since he couldn’t stop feeding Nikki, sniffling quietly, clearing his throat to regain focus of the task at hand. He had this warm feeling all over him, like a blanket that just cocooned him from the world and all its problems, like his mother used to do.
You did so good,Brad. I’m so proud of you.
Your mother is right,you did really good, son.
He’s brimming with emotion, trying his best not to cry on top of his daughter who by now finished her bottle and was booking up at him. Bradley just sniffled again, finally using his hand to wipe the one tear that slid down the corner of his eye, “Anyway,” he laughs tearfully, “Daddy’s fine, let’s,” another sniffle, “Let’s just get ready to burp you, yeah?”
As Rooster places the jacket away and puts a towel he brought along on his shoulder, tapping Nicole’s back to help her burp, he hears her make little noises close to his ear. He at first thought it was just discomfort, but they didn’t seem like the usual noises she’d make, so he turned to check on her only to see those bright eyes locked on the piano.
He slows the tapping on her back, flicking his gaze from the piano to her several times…until a smile shows up, “...I think it’s good to keep that in the family, huh?”
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