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uwuwriting · 3 years

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My OCs

Okay okay so these are my OCs, I’m sorry if their names aren’t really Japanese I googled most of their names back when I started creating them. I hope you enjoy them and well let's get started. I didn’t include Sky aka Shirakumos daughter even though technically she is one of my OCs, I felt that since I have introduced her in my fics *by name* I’ll leave her a rather blank slate for yall *I can describe her as well if yall want that though*. Hope you like them and yes some of the quirks were inspired by Avatar. Love ya💖💖💖

Kenushima Akane

Akane is in her mid 20s, her birthday is on 30th of December making her a Capricorn and is part of our favorite villain group, the LoV. She was the eldest child of two pro heroes who married because it would satisfy the media and boost their careers. She had two younger siblings, the twins Annya and Arakan. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with fairly long auburn hair which are always braided so they don’t get in her way, amber eyes and a burn mark on her right shoulder from a small scuffle with our favorite fire user. Her hair and eyes become a dark red when she uses her quirk making her even more menacing. She wears a black mask over her eyes, keeping that way her identity a secret and a rather tight uniform consisting of black leather overall-shorts matched with a black-red plaid shirt and thigh highs with black military boots. Her weapon of choice is anything you can swing. Her quirk is a powerful blood bending type which she inherited from her mothers’ side. She can control the blood in someones’ system to the point of a heart attack or a stroke. Once the blood is out of the persons’ system she can still wield it, sharpening it into a blade like shape and cut through both flesh and bone, the new blood adding to the power of her makeshift blade. Her limits begin when she gets a nose bleed followed by either her eyes or ears starting to bleed as well; the final stage is giving herself a heart attack but she has never reached that point thankfully. It’s a self-destructive quirk since she pushes her body’s boundaries everytime she activates it, making her vulnerable to diseases after a particularly hard fight. She is a master of many forms of martial arts, kicking anyone's ass without even having to use her quirk. Her family is wreck *lmao*. Since her parents married out of convenience the kids were results of moments of weakness between the two adults. Her household wasn’t very affectionate, partnered with her fathers’ constant absence and negligence and her mothers overly obsessive quirk demands, her relationships soon turned abusive. Excessive training and brutal punishments were her mothers’ tactics to ensure a picture perfect quirk state which she could boast about in the media. Her father was a decent figure during the sparse moments when he was actually in the house. He treated his kids with some trace of humanity and not like objects but he too didn’t really care. Everything went downhill when rumours of affairs surfaced and her mother lost her senses, killing their father on the kitchen floor before getting to the children. Akane tried to protect her siblings but was easily tossed aside by her mother and she doesn’t remember what actually happened that night. The only thing she knows for sure is that she was now an orphan and one sibling short, losing both her home and her brother that night. She didn’t stay in foster care for long since she dipped, joining a group of castaways called the Deck. Due to her quirk she was named the Queen of Hearts and became one of the most feared and powerful villains in Japan. Soon she joined the LoV after Shiggy approached her, officially meeting Dabi *who is her s/o btw lol*. She’s still close with her little sister Annya and owns a bookstore so she won’t have to steal. She has morals *shocker*, killing only those who have comitted crimes varying from abuse to murder or fraud. She is against useless killing and would prefer to clear the streets from scum rather than litter it with herself. She’s kinda like an anti-hero. She joined the LoV so she could have easier access to the insights of the hero industry and slowly help take out those hero frauds. She likes cooking Mexican food, her favorite animal is the fox and she is deathly afraid of spiders to the point she once burned her table using a lighter and hairspray because she had seen a spider on it. All in all she is a lovely person *I think*.

Kenushima Annya

Annya is 15 and part of class 1-A, her birthday is on the 3rd of January *like me heh* making her a Capricorn. She is the youngest of a twin set and has an older sister, while her parents were pros. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with shoulder length dark brown hair, amber eyes and faint lightning like scars scaling down both of her arms. Dark lavender streaks appear in her hair when she over uses her quirk and her scars shine the same color many times pulsating along with the surges of her blasts. Her uniform consists of a tight black crop top with azure and magenta details alongside black pants, black boots which are specially designed to give her extreme jumping power helping her also levitate for a short period so she can unleash her attacks and lastly gloves that cover almost all of her scars *also black with the same patterns as the top*. Has basic combat skills but she mostly prefers to rely on her quirk. Speaking of her quirk, she has a combo of a water and a lightning quirk making her able to easily electrocute others without short circuiting like Kami. She can control any form of water, making her easily overpowered in seaside missions but she can also control any liquid which has some water in it. However she cannot create water from thin air, like Shoto can make ice, and she can’t freeze it. Much like her sister she uses water mostly as a whip or a blade. Lightning is used mainly as one of her ultimate moves since she doesn’t have full control over it and it tends to hurt her scars when she does use it. She can let the purple strings of light course through her and hit her target with incredible force making her excellent for range attacks. Just like her sister she reaches her limits when her nose starts to bleed and she can pass out from dehydration due to her quirk using up some of the water inside of her body with each attack. Now for her family life. She was a late bloomer and that was unacceptable according to her mother. She didn’t showcase signs of having a quirk until the age of 9 when her mother attacked her and her siblings. In a fit of rage and despair her mother tried killing her for ruining the familys’ image with her quirklessness. Her twin brother tried to save her from her mother *just like Akane did* only to be tossed aside as well, hitting the back of his head on a nearby table. Seeing both of her siblings on the ground *and almost being choked to death by her abuser* Annya activated her quirk, losing complete control over her powers resulting in her scars and the death of her mother. Arakan was pronounced dead on arrival leaving the two girls the only surviving members of the Kenushima family. After Akane’s disappearance, Annya was moved from home to home for about a year before being adopted by a couple and living as much of a normal life as she could. Her mental health isn’t the best as one can imagine, suffering from PTSD from the incident and having self hating tendencies. Becoming a hero is her way of proving to herself that she’s not a monster and that she can indeed help others. In class 1-A she tends to hang out with the Dekusquad and two other girls who I’ll introduce down the line. Her hero name is Electra and her s/o is Shoto *lol siblings are dating siblings tf*. She likes Autumn and Winter, loves going ice skating, has many plants in her room and loves watching horror movies with her friends.

Aizawa Kaiya

Kaiya is 15 and part of class 1-A despite her father being the homeroom teacher. Her birthday is on the 19th of June making her a Gemini. She sports the legendary jet black hair, her hair is also pretty long so she always has to braid it or put it up in a ponytail and she has egirl bangs *I don’t know how else to describe them*. Her eyes are a striking azure and she has dyed the tips of her hair the same color. Ya girl is shorter than the Kenushimas, barely reaching 5’2 (160cm). Her hero costume consists of black cargo pants with multiple pockets, a black turtleneck and chest straps(?) around her waist and collarbone finishing the look with black military boots. Sometimes she might wear a gas mask which helps her control her breathing. Now for her quirk. It’s some type of psychic power, she can hear people’s thoughts making it easy for her to know what they are about to do, giving her the upper hand almost every time, but she can aslo channel her own and others thoughts and make dark shards out of them. These shards can be thrown with amazing speed or create a protective wall in front and above her. Her quirk ,though drains her very easily, making it hard to breath and walk in a straight line. She gets light headed while the voices inside her head get overly loud. Through practice she can push her boundaries and use more of her quirks’ power. Lastly in order for her to hear your thoughts she needs to see you. Once she sees you for even a quarter of a second, she can see into your head even long after you have left her line of sight. Her family life is very calm compared to the Kenushimas. She is the daughter of Aizawa’s sister who vanished when Kaiya was five. Having no one else to care for her since her real father wasn’t in the picture, Aizawa took his niece in and raised her as his own. She was too little to remember her mother and for years she believed that Shouta was her actual dad but Dadzawa did tell her the truth. Nothing really changed, she still calls him dad and they have a lovely father-daughter relationship. She loves Eri and loves being her older sister, playing with her, doing her hair and taking her to the dorms to meet her friends. She has a pet cat named Majesty who she uses to bribe Aizawa to buy snacks. She likes rainy days, beating Shinsou’s ass during training, being pinned by Shinsou while training, Halloween, cats and fluffy blankets. She is friends with mostly Annya, Shinsou and Sky but she doesn’t mind hanging out with the Deku or the Baku squads. Her hero name is Calypso. Her s/o is Shinsou much to Aizawa’s dismay. He is salty because this happened right under his nose, Dadzawa was too busy looking out for the 1-A boys that he completely ignored his trainee pinning his daughter down during training *he is really glad that she likes Shinsou bc he knows that he is a good kid*.

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#bnha #bnha oc #my oc #oc #since i cant draw #take these poorly written descriptions #im sorry #i tried #why are clothing so hard to write?#bnha x oc #dabi x oc #shoto x oc #todoroki x oc #shinsou x oc

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everlarkingjoshifer · 6 years

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Trump signed an executive order to abolish what he did....

I don’t normally come in here to post long political pieces. However, after the disgusting comments that I’ve read on social media as Democrats held a press conference to speak about children being ripped apart from their parents at the border, is more than I can take. So, because I am pretty fucking annoyed with all the baseless accusations, and major misinformation I would like to dispel erroneous conclusions along with the comments I have been seeing on social media.

Immigrants are taking our jobs!

No Becky, they’re not. Immigrants are bringing in jobs and taking the low wage, often dangerous and non-union jobs that YOU don’t want to take. How about you go pick those strawberries in the blazing heat for as little as 6$ an hour, doesn’t sound very appealing right? So if it’s not good enough for you because you want a cushy job, what makes you think Immigrants want to do it too? They don’t, but they’re so desperate to make a living that they’re willing to do anything so long as they can provide a better future for their own families, something you can easily understand. As a matter of fact, while you enjoy your burrito know that none of it would be possible if it wasn’t for an immigrant who brought in their culture and food to enrich our country. Yeah, that big old Mexican franchised fast food joint? Would not have existed for your high school kids to work at, so while your sitting on your ass enjoying someone else’s culture, know that none of it

would be possible without an immigrant.

Immigrants are taking our resources and our taxes pay for them to live here!

Noooo, Immigrant individuals cannot ever receive federal based help such as SSI. They can’t even get health insurance. Some states do hand out some help to aid immigrants but it would only be something as small as being able to use the WIC program which is very limited. (I’ve used it when I had just given birth). As a matter of fact, white citizens are amongst the highest percentage who receive federal assistance and immigrant people pay INTO our social security and taxes without hope of ever getting that money back. If you want to talk about needlessly spending your money on immigrants then you should definitely be against the barbaric procedures that are happening right the hell now. There are companies profiting from your taxpayer money in order to house children that didn’t need to be housed in the first place. It’s all a big scam and those 1 % who don’t really need the money are making millions that you’re paying into JUST because you want to be a paranoid idiot. It’s a pretty simple concept actually, it’s called security theater. Except this theater is of the Third Reich.

They’re bringing in disease!

See, now you just sound like a Nazi, and come on, we’re not exactly one to speak about diseases when you’re refusing to vaccinate your fucking kid because of “big pharma, unfounded conspiracies, and autism”. Cry me a fucking river, Shania. The whole notion of disease comes out of fear of the unknown but we cannot throw a stone at someone else knowing we do the same. We won’t vaccinate and now measles, chicken pox, whooping cough, and many other diseases are on the rise because you’d rather let your kid die than have autism, which by the way has been dispelled at every turn by various scientists.

Obama/ Bush administration were the ones who implemented the law of child separation.

Oh Brandon, you xenophobic dick. First of all the Obama and Bush administration NEVER placed an order of removal between the parents and their children. What is true is that there is no law saying these current atrocities have to be carried out. Crossing the border illegally is a misdemeanor that can get you jailed for up to 20 days or so and then you’re automatically sent to your country of origin. The immigrant parents who are caught with their children are never separated from them and there are no real lasting repercussions. If I was to take your reasoning into account then that would mean people who have had a DUI, or those who have been arrested for public disturbance should have their children taken away as well? Secondly, when the Obama administration implemented certain facilities to house kids it was due to an immense influx of unaccompanied minors who were immigrating to the USA by their damn selves. Most, of these children, were from Central America and were not deemed a threat to the nation after very careful vetting. These kids ranged between the ages of 12-17 years old and they were TEMPORARILY housed or often placed in foster homes with other immigrant adults till the Government could get a hold of their parent. Of course, everything wasn’t always handled perfectly as there were a ton of problems because sometimes the foster parents would refuse to answer their phones to various federally appointed counselors or even gave the Government the wrong information. Some of the facilities in which the children were housed were not as top notch as we expected and there were abuses happening at the time. But by that point, the children were really alone. They didn’t come in with their parents to protect them and sadly things didn’t always go the right way. The few kids who were separated from the adult were either trafficked here or were in deep danger of those adults that surrounded them

They should come here legally if they want to enter the country!

Kathy, you sad simpleton. Looking for Asylum is not against the law. Actually, the ports of entry for refugees are being blocked by ICE agents to deter them from reaching the United States legally. Usually, when an immigrant came to the port of entry looking for asylum they would have to bring proof which then they would be taken to a holding facility where their case was carefully reviewed and then after about a month or so they would either be allowed to stay or leave depending on the severity of their situation. Now, Looking for a way to come to the united states legally especially in countries that are extremely corrupt is very difficult. I myself applied for a visa in order to come to the united states twice and both times it was denied even though I was a 4-year-old child who was about to die of a severe heart condition. If it hadn’t been for a charitable company that had put their name behind me and petitioned for me to travel I would never have even set a foot in the United States and I would never be able to write this because I’d be dead by now. That’s how difficult everything is. The immigration system is so broken and instead of looking for a solution you shining citizens can only proclaim your distaste for a president that hasn’t been in office for over 2 years. Obama, Bush, or Clinton are no longer running the country. Take responsibility for the mistakes YOUR amoral president is making.

But MS-13!

Ms-13 is a Mexican terrorist group that has been used as a cop out to paint innocent people who are Latino and Hispanic in an unflattering light. Gang members don’t really want to come here, their profit is not here. They are already immensely powerful in Mexico, why leave if things are good for them? It makes no sense and if again I were to take your reasoning into consideration I would say that other countries should never allow an American entry because they could be from the KKK. What makes sense is to have a racist, xenophobic, sexist president using something like gang violence in order to disenfranchise a group of people who don’t match his ideas for the perfect immigrant. Case in point, he very clearly said he would like Europeans (meaning Caucasians) to immigrate here (They wouldn’t. Europe is not perfect but at least it has universal health care among other things.) Mexicans, meaning all Latino because that how you all like to categorize us not realizing that Latinos are very diverse but those of us who are brown in complexion are rapists, killers, we’re infesting the country, we’re bringing disease, we’re animals among other ludicrous things Trump has said about the Latino community and for the record, not all immigrants are Mexican. Most at this point are from Central America. It's the same as not all Asians are Chinese, not all black people are thugs and not all white men who wear penny loafers are entitled pricks who call on their daddies to fix their problems. You see how stereotypes work? Those of you who applaud him while desecrating the flag by wearing it as a shirt or bandana and eating off of flag emblazoned paper plates like to think you’re somehow better and patriotic because you won the lottery by being born here. It’s as simple as that and if you want the immigrants to fix their problems back home maybe tell your government not to meddle in their democratic systems. It’s a cop-out to make yourselves feel better about the atrocities that are happening.

Build the WALL!

Yes Brayden, because a wall is gonna stop a bunch of plane riding immigrants to come to the United States. Newsflash, most people who end up here illegally came here legally through a visa but overstayed their welcome. Most of the people who came here otherwise, seek asylum, which is not illegal. There are actually very few people who cross the border illegally and stay here. No one wants to leave their life, culture, and language behind unless it’s absolutely necessary. The wall will stop nothing. Separating kids and now babies from their parents have not deterred the parents from continuing their long arduous trips to the United States. The wall only serves as a trophy for the GOP to pat themselves on the back and say what good little legislators they are. It’s a sign of oppression and a sign of unwelcoming. It’s as if I had a picture of Jesus in my living room but a satanic altar in the next room. It’s counterproductive and we’re the ones who are gonna pay for it. Mexico will pay for nothing even if Trump is holding these children hostages. The procedures are very eerily being carried out in much the same way the Nazi's carried out their atrocities. First, they block all potential legal ways for the marginalized group to carry out their mission legally. Then, they used false rhetoric and fear monger civilians so that the marginalized group can be dehumanized and therefore easier for the government to carry out whatever it is they are planning without dissent. Then they sanitize the living conditions in which the immigrant group are living in. Finally, they discredit or all accounts that are cited by reputable resources in order to keep the masses confused and ignorant. It's exactly what happened when the Japanese were placed in internment camps.

Immigrants will never assimilate to our way of life!

Say the people whose grandpappy’s and Nanas never learned English and continued to live their lives the way they did in Poland. English is not a designated American language. No language has been designated to the USA, you morons.

Immigrants should look for a way to legalize their situation.

Ok, how about you fork over $20,000 while working a minimum wage job that you can’t quit from no matter how bad it is because if you do there’s nowhere else for you to work at without breaking the Law. Immigration lawyers are some of the worst wolves in sheep’s clothing I have ever met. I spend about $10,000 just to get a green card while having nowhere else to live but at my Mother in law’s tiny ass house in the middle of the ghetto while pregnant. I slept on the floor with my husband because the place was so small we couldn’t even put a bed in there, much less afford one. When I was about to apply for citizenship my Lawyer up and left after I had paid her the money to file in the citizenship paperwork. She disappeared and I have no way of recuperating my paperwork from her. Thankfully no everything was lost but I am not an isolated incident, there are countless stories of people who have been duped by lawyers and there are more fast food joint in the USA than immigration courthouses. So you guys do the fucking math. It takes so much of you and so long for you to even reach the tip of what American citizens expect from you.

They broke the law, therefore they should pay the consequences.

We break the law every single day Khayyley, it's not an exaggeration or even something that I'm making up. I live in Connecticut and lord do we have some ridiculous laws like, husbands who cannot kiss their wives on any Sunday. If a cyclist goes above 65 MPH they have be stopped by a police officer and we're not allowed to educate dogs. (lol, what?) Anyway, the point is we don't get citations, incarcerated or even have enforcement carried out for the most menial lawlessness so why should we punish these kids who have done nothing wrong? This used to be the country that was known for checks and balances, the country of separation of church and state. Somewhere along the way, we've lost ourselves and we've become the country of checks and cherry picking. The country that puts babies in cages and we don't allow the staff to offer any comfort. These are not "summer camps" and we shouldn't find a way to sanitize the word cage but we have gone so far off the deep end and our expectations for our leaders are so low that we may as well be licking the ground. These are kids who are screaming for their mothers and fathers who may never see them again just for committing the sin of being born brown, something that they obviously have no control over. It's a harrowing reality but their voices are falling on deaf ears as politicians use the bible to excuse their horrid laws as they smile because they're the ones all cozy with big fat paychecks provided by their citizens. We're duped into thinking that these current politicians have our best interest at heart when in actuality they don't. Just because an abusive parent says they care about you doesn't mean they actually do. The GOP is a cesspool of corrupt, self-serving, amoral group of people with Trump at the head.

Our Lawmakers are making due with what they were handed.

How, exactly how have we been improving the country? The rich are getting richer while the poor still have to rely on governmental help that is slowly dwindling while those very same poor people have to deal with being called moochers. Our children are dying off at alarming rates because our government wants to continue catering to the NRA's demands as they go about spreading baseless lies and flimsy excuses for mass shootings. Our healthcare system is a fucking joke and we sit idly by as Men in power oppress our women because they don't want to bring a child into a world full of problems that cannot be easily fixed. We cater to our very own terrorists who use the bible in order to justify themselves and call it "freedom of speech" yet we call people color sons of bitches for simply daring to protest peacefully for the flagrant disenfranchisement of his fellow people. We slap the, what about isms and point fingers to others without realizing we're the ones putting them in those positions while simultaneously squashing the education system in order to keep future voters ignorant. Republicans can't be voted in if we have intellectuals willing to question their agendas. It's much easier to have dumb, compliant, narrow-minded morons in order for them to make that money. Can't you see what it is they're doing? They are dehumanizing these people and saying that they're all criminals and or will become criminals in the future so that the white elitists can feel alleviated of all culpability in order for them to be able to sell their soul to the administration that is quietly pocketing civilian's money. Money, that they say will go to charities but never do. It doesn't matter if these kids have television, air conditioners, or even a meal because they have been so traumatized by being ripped apart from their parents that even if they were being housed at the Ritz Carlton the practices would still be inhumane.

But Trump signed the executive order, stop complaining already.

Wow Tammy, first of all, he didn't need to. Separating children from their parents is not a law, never has been. The separation of children who were accompanied by an adult usually happened if the child was found to have been a product of human trafficking, which by the way, has a very low percentage. Instead, the manner in which these kids are being handled now is more cause for worry because they can fall prey to actual human traffickers. Case in point, the over 1,000 children that were mysteriously lost and haven't been found yet and no one has any clue where or how they might have disappeared. It's insane for you to think that just because these kids are in these prison camps they're somehow being treated correctly. These children only see the light of day for 2 hours and the rest they spend it inside and security measures have been implemented to keep the child from escaping as if they were high-security inmates. They're being treated like prisoners and now they're being forcefully injected with psychiatric drugs in order to keep them from crying. I don't think I need to tell you about the long-term repercussions these drugs can have but I will anyway. It can cause obesity, adult onset diabetes, dizziness, listlessness, and are left incapacitated. Easy prey for any trafficker. it's callously barbaric. These kids are set up for a plethora of mental health problem that will never go away. This new executive order was unnecessary and Trump just needed to feel like a dictator because that's what he truly wants. He doesn't believe in a democracy. He values people like Stalin and Kim Jung Un and insults our allies (sorry Canada!). The paper he signed keeps families together yes, but at the cost of their freedom because they are to be kept in what I would guess to be newly built facilities that will most definitely be paid by us for an indefinite period of time as opposed to deporting them back to their countries after about 20 days. It'll be a real concentration camp and I wouldn't be surprised if gas chambers and fire pits begin to appear all over the United States and all Latino immigrants are rounded up regardless of whether they are legally here or not.

We should worry about our own citizens instead of immigrants who are only a distraction to our own problems.

You're right up to a point. We should definitely worry about our citizens and maybe worry about our very own problems that plague our nation, yet we don't. We should be working towards implementing Gun control and worrying about human rights abuses towards people of color, but we don't. Instead, we blame those very people that are being needlessly maligned because we'd rather think it's their fault as opposed to us saying that we fucked up, that we cannot do enough to help our own people. Immigrants aren't looking to distract us from our own problems but the GOP sure is using that scapegoat in order to confuse us and turn us into megalomaniacs who claim to care for this country while rationalizing the heinous laws that this administration is implementing. Understand that just because I sympathize with the plight of immigration it doesn't negate my love or even my worries for the problems that are in my country. I love this country and I'm thankful to this country for all its wonderful opportunities. I believe we can be better and I don't think we're perfect but we're definitely capable of being great indeed. It was before and I'm sure we can be now and in the future.

Listen, all I’m trying to really say is that the things that are happening are beyond horrible and at such an alarming speed that I am scared for the future of my country. This president is giving a pathway for all the fascists to wave their flag and complain about how they suffer at the cost of people they refuse to understand or even get to know. It's giving way for racists to be open about their disgusting assumptions by calling it honesty, and "well I'm just telling it like it is, and everyone else was thinking it, anyway".

Just like President Snow from the Hunger Games, Trump is using children to shield himself and get what he wants. This is no longer a, “I wonder what a dystopian future would be like.” situation we are there already. This is the Handmaid’s Tale. This the Hunger Games. This is Nazi Germany, and the trail of tears coming to fruition all over again and we’re allowing it. So, come November if you do not vote blue and later regret not doing so then it will be entirely your fault that this once great country will crumble and burn to the ground with only the ashes to left as a reminder of what it once was. Our founding fathers would ashamed of us and we should too. Have a little humanity and compassion but if you're not capable of that, at least know that your stance will follow not just you but your entire lineage till the end of time just like the Nazi regime was because you are most definitely on the wrong side of history.

#Trump #child separation #concentration camps #immigration

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kootenaygoon · 5 years

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So,

Shortly after losing a job in November 2017, an event which led to an escalating series of manic episodes, I ended up in the psych ward of Vancouver General Hospital. They informed me that my antidepressant was partially to blame for my uncharacteristic behaviour, then gave me a prescription for lithium — a drug I’d only ever associated with Kurt Cobain, the Nirvana frontman who took his own life with a shotgun. I understood that I would have to do something drastic if I wanted to regain a level headspace and a sense of normalcy.

Stewing in my parents’ basement for a number of months, painting and wasting time on social media, I could feel my body swelling from the inactivity. My depression was coming back with a vengeance and I knew I needed something to distract and engage me, ideally some sort of endeavour that was physically demanding and could bring me closer to the fitness level I’d enjoyed as a competitive swimmer in high school. I needed something that touched on all the fundamental aspects of physical literacy: competence, confidence, motivation, knowledge and understanding. Going for a jog every once in a while wasn’t going to cut it.

Most jobs wouldn’t give me this, though, and the majority of the opportunities I looked up involved being sedentary at a desk for 40 hours a week — a recipe for disaster, I figured. That’s when whitewater rafting occurred to me. As a teenager I’d rafted the Thompson River in Lytton, the third largest commercially rafted river in the world, and I’d long fantasized about becoming a guide like the charismatic foreigners who had piloted my rafts decades before. From the age of 17 through 27 I’d planned to enroll in guide school each summer, but I always found some excuse not to: a new job, a new girlfriend, lack of money. Now suddenly I found myself with no conflicts, and no reason not to jump at this chance. I called up one of the owners of Kumsheen Whitewater Rafting, Braden Fandrich, and put down a deposit to hold my spot. I was 33 years old and ready for a new profession.

When all was said and done, I ended up developing my competence by rafting six different rivers over the course of the 12 gruelling days of guide school. Not only did I learn proper oar and paddle techniques, I also picked up knot-tying skills, became an expert at tossing rescue throw-bags, and experienced swimming through roiling rapids. Though I was significantly out of shape, I went in confident that the aquatic skills I’d developed as a kid would serve me. As it turned out, though, the rivers absolutely kicked my ass on more than one occasion. I found myself more and more feeling an unfamiliar sensation: fear.

That’s when Braden gave us a little speech.

“There’s something I’ve learned with rafting, and I guess it’s the same with other extreme sports but it’s especially true of being on the river — when things get scary or overwhelming, it really gives you an opportunity to either let that fear make you weak, or let it make you stronger,” he said.

He held his paddle in his lap, calmly sitting there in his dry suit as we drifted down the Nicola. “I guess what I’m saying is, choose to let it make you stronger.”

This was the first major skill I learned that would be pertinent to my outside life: fear management. This fell under one of the most important aspects of physical literacy, confidence, and it bled out into my everyday existence. And once I was hired that summer at Adams River Rafting in Scotch Creek, doing an hour-long course that involved a Class 3 rapid called the Canyon, I became well-versed at recognizing the moments when I was afraid and funnelling that energy in a productive direction.

By this point I was working on developing two other aspects of physical literacy, knowledge and understanding. I talked through the play-by-play of that same 35-second stretch with my boss Clif Garcia multiple times, discussing how to negotiate each hit and how to compensate for all the forces outside my control. Repeatedly I found myself facing down waves that I thought would absolutely wreck me, and each time I took a deep breath and made the most of it.

When it comes right down to it, water is just water, and making it successfully down the river has more to do with your composure than the actual mechanics of all that surging H20.

By the end of the summer, I had navigated the Adams River nearly 100 times. I watched my skin darken, my hair bleach and the pounds drop away. It wasn’t just the time on the water that was keeping me fit; there were also the mundane tasks like lifting the rafts on and off the trailer, hiking up the canyon wall to lead clients in a cliff jump, and bending over the side of the raft to grab ahold of clients by the lifejacket and heave them back into my boat. My energy surged, my depression faded, and I felt a growing pride in my newfound skill set. I was legitimately good at something, and thinking about that felt better than fixating on the series of mistakes I’d made in the months before. I had developed the motivation to become the best guide I could possibly be.

The other thing is that I was bringing people joy, and that brought me joy. Every day when I loaded my boat with new clients I saw faces ranging in age from five years old to 90, from all sorts of backgrounds. Some could swim, some didn’t even know how to paddle. Twice I shared a raft with Paralympian Josh Dueck, another time I went down the river with hockey star Shane Doan and his family. One trip would be a group of co-workers, the next would be a bunch of camp kids. Sometimes we made adjustments, such as when one of my clients didn’t have a left hand and needed to switch sides, but we always figured out a way to make things work. If you were game to come down the river, we were game to take you.

After the summer was over I took a storytelling position at Sport for Life, intrigued by this new term “physical literacy”. Though I was initially skeptical, I eventually became a full convert via writing about the various success stories and triumphs we’ve experienced as a non-profit. Lives were being changed for the better, whether that meant a field hockey team tweaking their inclusion practices, some government adopting an active living mandate or a hockey program embracing the tenets of Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity. What I was most impressed by was Sport for Life’s commitment to walking their talk, ensuring the workforce is diverse and introducing things like standing desks and walking meetings. They were looking to change the culture and that started right in our office.

In our flagship publication Developing Physical Literacy: A New Normal for all Canadians, Sport for Life lays out a game plan for how to address the physical inactivity crisis. It’s a multi-faceted enterprise, with varying implications for different age groups and populations, and it requires large-scale buy-in. Ultimately, the aim is to have physical literacy mentioned in the same breath as numeracy and literacy, and to have it prioritized in the same way. When it comes to mental health, according to research done by experts like Dr. Guy Faulkner at UBC, there is growing evidence that physical activity may play an important role in the prevention of mental health problems like depression and anxiety. It also notes that exercise and physical activity are now recommended as first-line therapies in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

So when it came time for the rafting season to return, I knew which approach to take when asking for time off: I wrote my bosses an email, explaining that returning to my raft gig for the summer would be “a crucial part of my physical literacy journey”. I was being slightly facetious, but also dead serious. In Victoria I’d struggled to find regular fitness opportunities, and multiple times I had to give up my CrossFit membership because I couldn’t afford it. I had regained the weight I’d lost the previous summer, and I could feel my depression rearing its ugly head. It had been coiled in the shadowy corners of my mind, waiting patiently.

But the moment I got on to the river again this past summer all of that angst wafted off into the sky. I was in my element again, joshing with the customers and making up tall tales. It felt like having my own personal watery highway as I commandeered my bright yellow boat around each bend. I practiced each maneuver over and over, waking up my arms from their eight-month slumber, and relished every moment of crashing through the Canyon. I wasn’t afraid anymore; I was having the time of my life. Afterwards I would stand hip-deep in the river and take deep nostril-shots of forest air while the clients hung out on the beach, reminding myself repeatedly how lucky I was to be there.

Sometimes saving someone’s life is less dramatic than rescuing them from a burning building. Sometimes it’s as simple as teaching them how to properly climb back into a raft without assistance, or how to tie all the knots and deploy all the necessary carabiners to complete a Z-drag pulley system. Maybe it’s as simple as giving them a job, then telling them to do it. Imagine a physical literacy-based mental health system that prescribed a dose of whitewater rafting to patients feeling lost, suicidal or hopeless. The prescription would say “River Time - Min: Two Summers”, and would come with a paddle.

It worked for me.

The Kootenay Goon

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mshollycrap · 7 years

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WE NEED YOUR LOVE!

Dear shipper of great love stories! Dear POTENTIAL EVAK “trial” shipper! Brace yourselves, this is a long, but important message to you: The shippers of SKAM is a very varied fandom. The “Skamily” ranges from 12 to 80 years of age. We are of all colors and genders and we live on all continents. What we have in common is that we have all bonded quite recently over our love for SKAM – especially brought on by season 3 and the stories that were told through Isak and Evens struggles. And against all odds, EVAK and the Skamily managed to reach the final in the E-online TV-couple 2017 poll, and we are so proud to be competing against Malec in the end game – they are a tough crowd and worthy competitors! A long the way, we were fortunate enough to be paired up with some very tough competition and beating some very popular couples. We do understand that these ships are important to you, but, we are writing this to be sincere; We are hoping that if you learn a little bit more about SKAM and watch a few of the episodes from season 3, you might feel for EVAK and maybe experience that they sort of represent something in you as well. I would like to take the opportunity to offer a few important facts about SKAM that may make you want to watch it, and also maybe want to “trial” ship our couple just a tiny bit. Just enough for you to want to vote for them (in massive amounts of course;) in the finale happening as we speak. 1. SKAM is a small low budget production, mainly made for the people of a country with a population of 5 million. Three full seasons cost approx. 1,1 million dollars to produce – a fraction of what larger TV-series productions normally cost. It is produced by NRK - the Norwegian National Public Broadcasting Company. NRK is financed by the people, therefore the price tag on SKAM is a sober one. 2. The actors are real teenagers, with blemishes and all infirmities that go along with that. Most are without any prior acting experience. A few of them are exceptions to this but none of them were well known before SKAM. Also, the SKAM cast is made up of some of the best acting talents in the country. Especially Henrik Holm and Tarjei Sandvik Moe, who play Even and Isak, are raw outstanding talents. They play the difficult and challinging roles of Isak and Even with such force and credibility that one is blown away. We have no other two actors who can act like this in Norway. It’s true. These are some of the key reasons the SKAM universe is so very believable and relatable to the viewer. We feel them. We are them. No matter our background or where we are from. 3. SKAM is originally made especially for young people (target audience was girls 15-17). But as the subject matters and troubles of the characters are so universally recognizable and relatable the show has become a big hit in all age groups. At first only in Norway and Scandinavia, but suddenly, with season 3, also a big hit in so many corners of the world. And that is because the challenges the characters are confronted with are relatable not only to Scandinavians but to people on a global scale. 4. SKAM is made primarily for watching and following on the internet. It is really smartly integrated and interweaved with the character’s communicating via FB Messenger, Instagram and SMS (texts) in between film clips. Everything is posted in “real time” so you get the feeling that it is happening right now. The concept brings you even closer to the SKAM universe and draws you in. All clips during one week are collected in a 18-30 min. episode available online as well as being aired on traditional linear TV every Friday during the season. Only watching the Friday episode makes you miss out on all the social media communication between the main character and his/her friends and family, but you can still follow the story line by only watching the film clips. 5. Season 3 with EVAK gave SKAM its big break through internationally (due to devoted fans subtitling and spreading the show on their own). Isak and Evens bumpy road to becoming comfortable in their own skin and finding love is about acceptance, tolerance, friendships, support, mental health and a lot of things we ALL struggle with every day, no matter the color of your skin, your gender, your nationality, your age or your religion. It really touched so many people’s hearts all over the globe. There is really nothing more and nothing less to it. All is LOVE as the show states. Our fragmented Skamily has been faced with claims that we cheated our way through the previous voting rounds. To that we just need to say that we really didn’t. We are just totally ordinary people who found each other online because of our love for SKAM and Isak and Even. This ship is very new and not really an organized one at that. I think that the majority of EVAK and SKAM fans have never shipped anyone before and have no real experience being part of a fandom, this just happened a bit suddenly and we are still trying to get to grips with it. I don’t even think we think of it that way – that we are part of a fandom. We just love EVAK and SKAM. So, where do we go from here over the next few days? As season 3 really touched so many people, that’s why people globally are voting their asses off for EVAK. And, there will in fact never be a new chance for EVAK to win this again because the SKAM concept of every season having its own character that we follow, puts the previous characters in the background and their story is not really a priority. So most likely, EVAK is history by the end of this year. Now, we would really love for EVAK to win this, and thus show that: 1. you don’t need to bring out the big guns (money) to create a show of quality that touches people. 2. a quality show can come from a small country many can’t really place on the map. 3. a quality show can be in a foreign language (with subs rather than dubbing to make it more realistic) and can teach you about other places, other people, other lives - that are different, but yet sometimes also the same… 4. a low budget production from the other side of the world can stand up to 63 American TV-productions with lots more bucks in their pockets. 5. it’s OK to be different 6. underdogs are lovable too So, we hope you give EVAK a shot and watch some of the episodes with subs generously offered by devoted fans (see links below). And if you actually think it’s any good (which we are sure you will after pressing play) we would love your support and “trial” ship of EVAK. We know you will not regret it! And, whoever you decide to give your vote(s) - the coming days and nights will be exiting and exhausting where we all will give our all – on both sides. We respect that everybody will fight with what they’ve got. So, with no hidden agenda, no ulterior motive, no shame - only LOVE; Happy voting and happy shipping from Skamdinavia! Alt er LOVE. Watch SKAM season 1-3 here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4_tljy06u8UVlc0RmF5ek9hTnM Watch SKAM season 3 Isak+Even here (18-30 min. episodes): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4_tljy06u8UcHVYWWVtbm9ESDg VOTE HERE: You can vote as many times as you like, all day and all night if you want. Please note that you should cross of pics in a Captcha for your vote to count. The Captcha appears when you check the box for not being a robot. If you don’t see the Captcha and only get the green V confirming you have voted, it still might not be registered. So please vote in a browser that shows the Captcha. There are discussions about the importance of the Captcahs going around, but to be on the safe side it is smart to do it. http://www.eonline.com/news/833507/tv-s-top-couple-2017-vote-in-the-top-2-now Watch @skamtrashme EVAK VOTING VIDEO. Enjoy!

+ 2 nice fan videoes: https://youtu.be/yTGmoUZ-tuU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxqLnGnlBg

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superman-icecream13 · 7 years

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Bonne Année (A Zimbits New Years Fic)

Bitty had one tuxedo. It was the byproduct of many southern weddings, holiday masses, and the occasional funeral. His mother had bought it for him halfway through high school, and it had hung in the back of his closet ever since Lardo’s art exhibit.

He really should have tried it on before it was too late. But, here he was wriggling and squirming in a desperate attempt to get his thighs past the tight waistline. He was cursing everything under the sun; mostly Holster and his stupid squat regimen.

“Bitty?” Jack poked his head out of the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”

“Just,” he tugged, “In need,” another tug, “Of a new pair of pants.” One final tug and they were on. They were tight, but they were on. He was absolutely certain that they weren’t going to come off anytime soon.

“Didn’t you try them on before you got up here?”

“I didn’t think I needed too! But apparently my ass has grown exponentially since Sophomore year!” Bitty angrily tugged on his dress shirt.

“I could have told you that,” Jack said, crossing the room. “Those pants are positively sinful.” He adjusted Bitty’s collar.

“You’re going to have to cut them off of me,” Bitty turned around to grab his tie. And it was a total accident that he knocked it onto the floor and had to bend over to get it.

“Christe,” Jack muttered, “I’m going to go finish getting ready so I don’t have to brush my teeth all over again.”

Bitty winked at him as he tied his tie. “If that’s what you really want.”

“I really don’t want to be late!” Jack called, already back in the bathroom. “So you keep your flirty comments and your tight pants to yourself.”

They weren’t late. They made it out the door just as Georgia called to tell them that they were outside. Thanks to the swankiness of this New Year's Charity Gala she had pulled out all the stops and rented a limo for the team. Now nobody could be late, and nobody could make the excuse not to go. Georgia Martin knew where they lived, and wasn’t afraid to use it against her players.

Jack was thankful for this idea. Thanks to George’s thinking all the players would be on the red carpet at once. It helped with the anxiety of talking to the press if he had people at his back. It probably had Bitty’s anxiety at bay knowing that Jack, the players, and their wives were here to help. Most of them were already cooing over Bitty’s baking and coaching him on how to handle the press mobs on the red carpet.

“Just smile and stand by Jack. You’re there to support him, and that’s all the media cares about. You’re an old friend hanging out with him for the New Years.”

Bitty was nodding, “Okay, that makes sense. So just don’t say anything?”

“Unless they ask you a question.”

Bitty nodded. He could do this, it would be easy. Smile, nod and watch Jack entertain the press. If his life went the direction he wanted then this would soon become old hat for him. Going to big swanky parties would be something he did on an off Friday evening. Hopefully he’d have a better fitting suit by then.

He could do this. It was just another step into his future.

Bitty did it. He regretted it almost immediately, but by then he was out of the limo and Snowy’s wife (Patricia?) was dragging him along down the red carpet laughing at how the reporters seemed to dive straight for Jack. He was Bad Bob’s son, press legendary, and he handled himself like it. Bitty got lost in watching him field the press; simultaneously answering questions and steering Bitty along.

He took a deep breath and slumped against a rack of coats. “Jesus Christ how do y’all stand it?”

“It’s instinct,” Marty said, folding his wife’s coat over his arm. “Kinda like playing hockey.”

“Hockey seems to be a lot less violent,” Bitty laughed, leaning back into Jack’s hands as he pulled his coat off. This was the most contact they could have all night, and it felt good to have Jack’s strong hands running across his shoulders. Bitty leaned into the contact and Jack squeezed.

“You want a glass of champagne?” Jack asked, the two of them standing in the doorway to the ballroom. A room full of swanky executives all wearing Armani and couture.

“There anything harder?”

“If you wanted tub juice you should have stayed at the Haus.”

They were already moving across the ballroom, heading for the open bar.

Bitty took advantage of the din to lean over and murmur: “Miss you in that suit? Never.” He flicked his eyes up and down once, grinning when Jack blushed.

“Just wait here,” Jack elbowed Bitty. “I’ll be back in a jiffy with your drink.”

Bitty stood, stranded, at one of the standing tables scattered around the edges of the ballroom. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, fishing his phone out of his suit coat. He glanced at the crowd around him to assuage his fear. Nobody was looking at his phone, or at him. He sent a quick text to Jack.

“You look a little out of place,” a voice said behind his shoulder. “Don’t think I’ve seen anyone look more nervous at one of these things!” Bitty scrambled to tuck his phone away as a woman set her clutch down on the table. “Other than me, that is.” Her accent was southern. Alabama?

“I’ve never been to a swanky party like this.” Bitty opened the floodgates on his accent. “But that’s a bit obvious ain’t it?”

The woman laughed and clapped her hands. “Another Southern Belle, thought I was the only one into hockey.”

“I don’t think they know what hockey is below the Mason Dixon line,” Bitty waved Jack over. “Name’s Eric Bittle.” he stuck out his hand.

“Kathleen Rogers,” she shook his hand. “Local hockey reporter. You?”

“Just a fan. My old college teammate plays for them.” It was his typical greeting.

“Jack Zimmerman?”

“That would be me,” Jack said, causing Kathleen to spin around in surprise.

“Jack Zimmerman. Holy shit, i’ve been trying to get an interview with you for months.” She openly gaped when Jack handed her a glass of champagne. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? It’s a bit on the spot, so I get it-”

“I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Kathleen scrambled to pull her phone out of her purse. “Okay, umm,” she froze, hitting buttons on her phone. “Okay, so on the spot for me too. I guess, what’s it like switching from college hockey to pro? Was it a hard transition?”

Bitty hung around for the brief interview. Kathleen was so genuine, barely mentioning the few things Bitty knew she needed to know. There was nothing pertaining to the overdose, or Bad Bob, or Parson. It was just sports: what it was like to play with the Falconers, who was his favorite teammate. She even asked Bitty some questions, mostly about what it was like to see an old friend play in the big leagues.

“Terrifying,” Bitty laughed. “It’s scary knowing that you don’t really have his back out on the ice anymore. But I’ve met his teammates and they’re good people. They get him hurt and he’ll have the SMH team descend on them in force.”

Kathleen laughed. “Thank you so much guys, sorry to interrupt your night. I’m certain y’all are here to rub elbows with people a lot more rich than a journalist trying to break into a career in the sports world.”

“It wasn’t an issue,” Jack was smiling at her. He looked relaxed, something that wasn’t normal for Jack. “If you want I can get you hooked up with the rest of the team.” he waved at Snowy as he passed by. “Snows, this is Kathleen, a burgeoning sports reporter. Mind answering a couple of questions?”

Snowy shrugged. Kathleen died. Bitty and Jack took that moment to slip away.

“Champagne?” Bitty asked, holding up his empty glass.

“Cider actually. Sparkling.” Jack handed Bitty his glass. “Thanks ch- Bittle.”

Bitty’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he waited for the bartender to pour them new glasses. He looked down at his phone. Jack had replied. And Bitty was now blushing up to his hairline. He croaked out a thanks, grabbed his glass and halfway drained it.

Jack was in conversation with an elderly woman who was important donor to the Jr. Falcs campaign. Jack was smiling and nodding. His shoulders were stiff again, and Bitty lingered his contact as he passed Jack his glass. He heard them talking about how it was important to get children into sports at a young age. It was vital for future health as their bodies slowed into old age.

“Bittle here actually teaches skating summer camps,” Jack mentioned in passing. “Don’t you, Eric?”

“Not skating, per say, but hockey and figure skating. Ours is a community hockey team, not through the school. They’re actually how I got into hockey. It’s a hard thing to be found in the South.”

The woman laughed, “I grew up in Minnesota, so I can’t say the same thing for them. Hockey was everywhere in my high school. Then again, it was the Iron Range. Practically Canadian? Right Jack?”

Jack grinned, laughing. “Close but no cigar. Still the States I’m afraid. Besides, no poutine or Tim Hortons.”

Bitty took this moment to relax. He was fine, doing just as he should. Standing by Jack, nodding, laughing and paying attention. He looked like a dutiful friend enjoying the free bar provided at a swanky party. He was even tipsy enough to dance with Kathleen.

“I’ve seen some of your videos,” she admitted. “I think you should be dancing with some of the very attractive reporters I know.” She nodded at a young man in a bowtie talking to Poots.

“And cause a scandal?!” Bitty asked, laughing.

“Need to find you someone to kiss at midnight,” she said.

“He’s not my type,” Bitty admitted, and it was the truth. Jack Zimmerman was his type. The reporter was too blond. And short. And in the wrong profession. “I’m really not looking right now. Focusing on my future, y’know?”

“Preach,” she muttured. “Maybe I’ll just kiss you at midnight.” She laughed as his startled expression, “Platonically. Bro.”

Bitty laughed, “You’ve got the bro slang down Kat. Now I’ll just introduce you to some old friends to teach you the rest of the hockey slang you need to know to get by.”

“I have a good grasp,” she leaned in closer as they continued dancing, “Like how your boyfriend is growing a borderline flo? Is that the term?”

Bitty almost stopped in the middle of the dance floor. He almost tripped over his feet, his brain shut down. Kathleen… knew? “How?” he asked as he managed to continue to dance.

“Don’t worry, it’s not going in that article. Mum’s the word, especially in this industry. But I’ve been in secret relationships before. I know what it looks like. I’ll cover for you two if you want to sneak away at midnight, if you want.”

Bitty fought back tears. His voice was choked when he said, “Thanks Kathleen, I can’t formulate how grateful I am. And I think when we come out we know who we’ll do it with. Really skyrocket your career. As a thanks.”

“I’m really doing nothing.”

“You’re doing everything.” Bitty pulled them off the dance floor, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Another text from Jack; Bitty was now impervious to blushing. “What’s your address?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m sending you a case of pie. What’s your address?”

The whole crowd was counting down to midnight outside. Bitty and Jack leaned against the doors to the hallway, holding full glasses of champagne. They had matching grins, and were just staring at each other with all the expressions they couldn’t make in public.

“Un” Jack whispered, his lips mere centimeters away from Bitty’s lips.

“One” Bitty whispered, and he pressed his lips against Jack. It was supposed to be only a few seconds. They didn’t have much privacy, or much time. But they had this, the muffled sounds of cheering, and the band striking up Auld Lang Syne. They had each other, hands twisted in lapels, lips smashed together. Jack tasted like the fake champagne he had been drinking all night. Bitty tasted like the hor'dourves he needed the recipe for.

The whole moment felt magical. Their first New Year’s kiss.

“Happy New Year,” Bitty whispered.

Bitty was more than a little tipsy when the limo pulled up on the curb. He wasn’t the only one. Somehow a third of the hockey players had managed to have one too many glasses of champagne. They were all loud and laughing in as the limo dropped them off at their homes.

Bitty was always handsy when he was tipsy. Handsy. His hand didn’t leave Jack’s thigh the entire ride home, and when they were the only remaining ones Bitty crawled into Jack’s lap, pressing his lips against his throat.

“Jack, those texts,” Bitty moaned. “Were you serious?”

“Just wait till we get home cher. I’ll have you up well into the New Year.”

Bitty moaned again, and his hand shifted. Jack’s breath hitched. “How do you say Happy New Year in French again?”

“Bonne année, cher. Bonne année.”

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