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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 2 months
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01/31/2024 Daily Recap
TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; Watch Parties; OurFlagMeansDeadloch; LubeAsACrew; Stats; UK News; Upcoming Events; Other News; Favor To Ask; Love Notes; DailyDarby/Tonight's Taika
== Cast and Crew Sightings ==
Probably the cutest sighting would be Con O'Neill's dog Cooper
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== How To Help ==
How to help docs have been updated with queerties and other stats!
How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US
How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US
== Watch Parties ==
Today was Day 2, episodes 3 and 4 of Deadloch!
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I realised I totally forgot to crew reactions up for Deadloch yesterday! Sorry all! Here's some from todays watch!
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On to episodes 5/6 tomorrow! Same time same place!
== LubeAsACrew ==
The second Lube as a crew was widely successful! Trending at #7! Thanks for catching it @_irene_adler!
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Everybody had a lot of fun with it, here's some highlights!
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Our lovely friend over at @Astroglide left some fantastic tweets for us, I'm including a few that stood out.
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== Stats ==
Some interesting stats today! Thank you @meowzawowza_ on twitter for these details!
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More stats by @lucyrosebutler regarding How well OFMD is doing in the US!
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== UK News ==
Reminder! 5 days until S2 airs in the UK!
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Thanks as always to our lovely @lamentus1 for the update in the UK!
"I tweeted at 13 lucky TV Guide journalists in the UK all about Our Flag Means Death and the efforts of the fandom and also why the show is so great. I have a document with their twitters and email addresses. Email will be my next line of attack! If anyone wants access to the UK TV Guide press list let me know! We were thinking that we should introduce a spoiler free way for people who are starting to watch season 2 on the BBC to interact with the campaign on Twitter. I think it might be to encourage them to follow #OurFlagBBC while encouraging anyone posting spoilers under that hashtag to add #ofmd2spoilers so that people can avoid seeing spoilers. One other thing that’s coming up later in February is that Chxrlotte on our UK crew will be releasing an Our Flag Means Death inspired track on her label on 24 February! She has a ton of gorgeous tracks that are often inspired by shows like OFMD and Good Omens, and the new one is about Ed and Stede. I’ve had a preview of the new track and it’ll make you cry! @shutupchxrlotte's Twitter Her other stuff is on Apple Music and Spotify here"
Please have a listen!
== Upcoming Events ==
#StewAsACrew
Reminder! Feb 4th is National Homemade Soup Day! More deets! Be sure to share your soup/stew pics with these hashtags:
#StewAsACrew
#SaveOFMD
#AdoptOurCrew
Not a soup bitch but still want to help?
You can politely menace: @CambellSoupCo and @CampbellsChunky with our petition hashtags!
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==New Watch Party!==
Muppet Treasure Island - Feb 7th 2024
4PM EST, 1PM PST, 9 PM GMT
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Watch Party Hashtags:
#MuppetPirates
#AdoptOurCrew
#SaveOFMD
== Other News ==
Warner bros stock is still dropping! Sure looks like cancelling OFMD wasn't a very lucrative plan. Thanks @iamadequate_ for this!
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Max still has billboards up for OFMD in Hollywood! Thanks @LeanneBrodie13 for catching this!
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Also, @_irene_adler caught some audacity from Max in trying to monetize OFMD merch for Valentine's Day.
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== Favor to Ask ==
I've been working on a bit of a side project of putting together an OFMD Renewal Repository for resources that doesn't require anyone to log into ... twitter, IG, tumblr, facebook, etc. It's still WIP but I'd love some constructive feedback if anyone would be willing to take a look and let me know what they think. I won't be replacing the tumblr recaps with it, but will be posting them there minus the gifs at the end so they can be shared to other platforms if needed.
My specific questions are:
Are there more categories / different information you'd like to have added?
Is it generally easy to find information?
Is this a bad idea? (too many places with this stuff already?)
Other feedback welcome!
I am totally cool with constructive feedback, feel free to dm me :)
== Love Notes ==
Hey lovelies. Do you ever worry you're too much? Like you talk too much, or feel too much, or come off too strong? I know I do some days.
Just remember, on days you're feeling too much, you're probably shining your brightest. What other people think is too much is just you, and you're allowed to shine! Don't ever let their inability to see your worth stop you. Saw this on IG today and thought of you call. Gnight crew, all the love <3
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== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==
These gifs go together, I don't make the rules.
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It's so comforting to see Jaskier back as your profile picture! I'm so happy for you, and hope the journey back goes as smoothly as possible 💛 I'd be very interested to know your final thoughts on what it's been like living in the real-life Middle-earth, when, and if you'd be happy to share! I've always wondered what it's really like beyond the majestic landscapes.
Oh trust me, it’s comforting for me too!! It’s like full circle of character development
Okay, so, the deets on living in irl Middle-earth, five months later
So, the scenery is absolutely spectacular. I’ve climbed glaciers, flown in helicopters, gone skydiving, quad-biking, horse riding, kayaking, swimming, hiking, pubbing, have been to almost every lotr/hobbit filming location, have almost died like ten times, have had countless crazy encounters that are just so downright wacky and hilarious, have met some of the greatest friends of my life thus far, and have just seen and done so much
I’m half ready to go back home, as I think, culture-wise, I just fit in better there and am better understood by my people. On the other hand, no matter how scary it gets sometimes, this adventure is just amazing and I’m loving the vagabond bard lifestyle it brings, even if I tire of it and the life-threatening situations it occasionally brings
I’m not saying the country itself is prone to endangering people’s lives, I’m just saying I’m a reckless idiot with too much to say and a tendency to cause trouble, which inevitably leads to people slightly wanting me dead (a trait that has followed me overseas, it seems!)
I think, for all the friends and enemies I’ve made here, one thing that can get old very quick is that the country itself is like a small town — everyone knows everyone, and you’re very likely to bump into that one dude who wants you dead on an errand run on the other side of the island
Again, that’s just me and my disaster ass though, not everyone makes enemies like a fourth grader the way I do lmao — I invoke very strong reactions in people. They either LOVE me, or hate me. No in-between.
The rental situation in NZ is ridiculous though, but I think that can be said for everywhere in the world at the moment. It’s actually very scary how hard it is to find somewhere to live here. I’ve just gotten lucky so far I guess, but I’ve met plenty of homeless people along the way, local and tourists-alike
Overall, 10/10 I recommend it. Amazing place, if a little claustrophobic at times, but still incredible
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linneastarron · 2 months
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wip wednesday
this is for a viva pinata oneshot i'm very slow at writing
Reluctantly, she pulled out the letter and reopened it. She reread it, skimming over the words used. Who would even write something like this for her? She wanted to eliminate people by default, but she knew the island was full of secrets and that perhaps some people weren’t entirely honest about how they present themselves. Who even had this type of handwriting? It was a fancy cursive and in a beautiful red ink, and she didn’t know a single person who used that style or ink for anything. You know who would know, though? Gretchen sighed. She slapped the letter down onto the counter of Fannie’s post office. “Alright, fine. Maybe I want to find my secret admirer.” Fannie let out a joyous squeal. “Yes, yes, yes!” she cheered. “I’m so glad you came around to the idea. I’ve got a knack for this sleuthing thing too, you know.” “Do you, now?” Gretchen huffed, crossing her arms. “Absolutely! I mean, like, I’m literally in an office full of people’s secrets all of the time. Between you and me? I’ve seen my fair share of juicy deets.” “Isn’t that illegal?” “Psssh, whaaat?” Fannie giggled nervously, swatting her hand. “It’d only be illegal tampering if I actually did anything to the mail. I just peek, nothing bad!” Gretchen’s brow rose, but she decided it wasn’t worth pushing this if she wanted help. “Whatever. So, can you help me deduce people’s handwriting or not?”
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teawithswift · 3 years
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i finally got a switch and animal crossing but the craze has died out here
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utterlyinevitable · 3 years
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HC for MC and Ethans first overseas vacation together?
i hc that ethan takes mc on a european adventure in honor of mrs. martinez. he wants to give mc the world 🥺
Ethan x MC’s First Vacation Together 
Bloom Edenbrook was only open for two months before closing for extensive renovations that would last for three more months - planning on opening mid-October. 
It was the perfect time for all employees to take a much needed break. 
It was also the perfect time for Ethan and MC to finally put their relationship first. 
What else were they supposed to do for three months? 
(it was a rhetorical question, mc assumed ethan would see his dad and attend conferences across the country and whatnot like the big nerd he is) 
Over the last few weeks, the pair had thrown around ideas for a week or two away. Though never settling on a solid plan - it was all just wishful thinking. 
So, Ethan took things into his own, very romantic, hands. 
The man who very adamantly did not believe in love planned a 6-week trip abroad. 
He and MC would visit almost every European city he could remember from Mrs. Martinez postcards. The lengthy trip was also a service to MC’s deathbed regret of not getting to travel more; since that moment he swore to help rectify that if she lived. 
A week before their departure Ethan surprised MC with a hefty envelope. 
MC’s brows furrowed as she gingerly and cautiously opened the manila envelope in Ethan’s kitchen.
She unloaded all the papers and spread them out in front of her against the marble island. 
She couldn’t process the information before here. 
Maps and plane tickets and hotel reservations and excursion brochures staring her in the face.
On top was her name attached to a flight reservation inbound to Rome and outbound from Dublin. 
It all set it. 
MC’s mouth hung open and for once she was speechless.  
“Ethan, it’s too much.” She said as she finally tore her eyes from the papers and looked at him.   He stood there with a glorious crooked smile on his face and his blue eyes alight. “It’s not. The way I see it, I’m going anyway. So you can share my hotel room and give me something to do, or stay here and be boring.” 
Her eyes instinctively narrowed at the jab. 
Instead of sparring with him she made a deal; “Okay, but I’m paying for food and some excursions.”  He nodded, “Of course.” Before crossing the distance and pulling her into a kiss. 
The itinerary included: Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan, Cannes, Paris, London, Dublin and then Home.  
The were set to spend about 3-5 days in each city. The longest the two would have ever spent together. 
It would be the ultimate test of their compatibility. 
The notion of there being an argument or any tension arising during their 46 days together didn’t cross either of their minds. They were just happy to be together and sharing in this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. 
They stayed at 4-star hotels and dined at some of the best restaurants Ethan could find. 
They got sidetracked and thrown off course by local markets and whatever else tickled MC’s fancy as they went about their days. 
MC took so many pictures and was constantly posting Pictagram. The godforsaken app was the source of their biggest tiff. He wanted her to enjoy the moment and she wanted to immortalize it. (and maybe show her friends all the cool things she had the pleasure of experiencing..) 
They went on walking tours and adventurous excursions. And some days they even lounged around the hotel. 
It was a mix of historic tourism, foodie adventures and relaxation. 
And they both needed a hefty dose of relaxation. 
Ethan speaking Italian was extremely useful. 
And sexy. 
And a part of MC assumed he chose to spend most of their trip in Italy just to flex his skills and impress her. 
The month away was the perfect honeymoon for this budding couple. They had a chance to explore one another and their relationship even further. 
And they really fucking adored one another. 
By their last full day in Dublin, Ethan and MC were a mix of emotions. Somewhere between wanting to settle down back home and batting around ideas of where they’d go next if they were to extend their trip. 
They settled on planning a round two in the future. 
Once they touched down in Boston, Ethan drove MC home. 
She happily hopped out of the sedan, giving her beau a kiss and an elated smile. 
MC was excited to see her friends in person and not through a screen. She was excited to tell them all the bits she couldn’t say with Ethan around - all those dirty deets. She was excited to be back in her favorite city. 
Most importantly, the two were excited to miss each other. 
(though they only lasted three days without before ethan coaxed her into joining him in providence) 
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ladynoirelf · 3 years
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Dark Crystal Tik-Tok challenge: Calling s/o the wrong name.
Deet to Rian:
Deet was writing up her midterm paper comparing Stonewood and Grottons weapons for her elective history class. Thanks to Rian and Ordon, Deet had tons of research material to work with thanks to Ordon’s collection and Rian’s expertise. Though she was having a bit of trouble remembering what a specific sword was used for. She also made a mental note to call up Amri and see if he could send her a picture of his family’s old bombs that they used. She called to her boyfriend:
“Amri! I-I mean Rian”!
“Amri”!?
Oh crud.
Rian walked out in robe, pink facial mask on and his hair tucked under a towel.
“Of all the names to call, you call Amri? Your EX”?!
“Im so sorry”.
“Amr-Does Amri sounds like Rian? D-Do I look like an egotistical grottan with a bad haircut who makes horrible fashion choices ”?
“Hey”!
“Oh don't defend him Deethra, short or long just pick man”!
Deet stifled the growing lump of a laugh in her throat. “He was on my mind, I meant to call your name-”.
“Why was he on your mind? Why are you thinking about your ex-boyfriend when you have all this”?! Rian circled his hand around himself.
“I need help with my paper”. Deet giggled, finding humor in her boyfriend’s reaction.
“No you know what, get an F”.
“Huh”?!
“Yeah, you want to hurt your boyfriend’s feelings, you get privileges taken away. No more help, no more access to the family weaponry, you want help you get Amri”. With a final humph and quick tightening of his robe, he left Deet alone cackling on the bed.
 Rian to Deet:
After a successful date, Deet recommended that they grab some burgers and fries from Wimpy. 
Deet was driving despite Rian’s gentle protest, but the young Grottan loved using the car since it took to roads so well compared to a Grottan vehicle that was more suited for the paved sirt of her hometown. The problem was that Deets turns were quite harsh and sharp as if she was still trying to trek through the caves roads.
Rian held on to the coat handle for dear life as Deet skidded the car into the parking lot, nearly knocking over one of the trashcans by the outdoor seatings.
“For the love of Thra! Mira you're gonna kill us”! Rian screeched just as Deet spiraled to park perfectly.
“Who”? Deet put the car in park, brows raised in question.
“Huh”?
“D-Did you just call me by your ex-girlfriend's name”?
Did he? He was too terrified for his life to even comprehend what he was saying.
“Did I”?
“Yeah, did my driving make you think of her”? Deet grinned leaning in close to a flustered Rian, who was clutching his thumping heart. 
“Probably, she drove crazy like you. Though she didn't have an excuse she just liked giving me a scare”.
“Awww, you’re still going to introduce me to her right? She sounds fun”. Grinned Deet, grabbing her purse from the back seat.
“Oh yeah, she’ll love you”. Rian breathed, shakingly getting out of the car. 
His legs were so wobbly Deet had to help him inside the restaurant.
 Brea to Kylan:
Brea was on her phone while Kylan was at the foot of the bed folding their laundry. 
As she scrolled through her phone, she got an email from her friendly ex, Rek’yr. Apparently, he had tickets to a museum benefactor gala. He was going to go with his plus one but apparently, they had to cancel. So Rek’yr decided to offer the two tickets for her and Kylan to use. Delighted by an evening out, Brea immediately accepted the offer.
“Rek’yr what are you doing on Friday”?
“...”
“...”
“A-Are you...Were you addressing me”?
Brea slowly looked up from her phone, mortified as she realized her error. Kylan looked at her, a mix of confusion and hurt on his face.
“... I am so sorry”.
“I-Its fine, i guess. I mean...It was a mistake right”?
“Yeah”. Brea’s lips quivered, tear bubbles forming in the corner of her eyes. Kylan cooed, pulling her into his arms he rubbed her back as she began to cry.
“Shhh, it's okay Brea, I know it was a mistake”.
“I-I-Im so sorry”. She wailed, clutching Kylan’s snotty shirt.
“There is nothing to be sorry for Princess”. Kylan sweetly assured, kissing her temple as she continued to cry in shame.
Completely forgetting about the tickets.
 Kylan to Brea:
As much as Kylan was getting used to Brea’s family members randomly coming over to their apartment, It was a hassle when one of her sisters just came over randomly. The latest ‘visitor’ was Brea’s second older sister, Tavra.  Who apparently stopped by to drop off some leftovers she thought he and Brea might like then left in a hurry. 
So when he heard the door open, he assumed it was Tavra coming back for something.
“Did you forget something Katavra”?
“Excuse me, Ka-who”?
Kylan looked from his book to his girlfriend's confused frown. Brea pushed her sunglasses over her eyes, hands on her hip and amber eyes narrowed.
“Who is Katavra”?
“W-Wha”?
“You heard me”. Brea sauntered over, her intimidating demeanor forcing Kylan to scramble to the side of the couch. “Who is Katavara”?
“Is this a trick question or are you having fun with me”?
“Kylan, do I look like I'm having fun with you”. Brea leaned over, caging Kylan with her petite body. “I'll ask again.Who.Is.Katavra”?
“...Your sister”. Kylan warily answered.
Brea blinked, irritation morphing into realization. Her mouth opened in an “oh”.
“You mean Tavra”?
“Did you forget your sister’s name”?
“Well I mean, no one calls her Katavra so...Yeah I forgot her name. Sorry larva”.
“For the love of Thra woman”.
 Mothria to Gurjin:
The best thing about being chosen to dance in the Sog community’s up-and-coming festival was that Mothria had an excuse to ditch Pop-Pa’s excruciating farmwork. To replace it with an excruciating hour of practice, though it's not all bad. It was nice to spend time with Naia, as both of them were partnered up to dance the part of the maiden. Although, having your ex-boyfriend as the head director can be quite awkward. Thankfully, Geal was very professional and only talked to her when needed.
Unfortunately, when Mothria got home after a long rehearsal her greeting was a little off.
“Geal I'm home, wanna get take out”?
“The FUCK you just call”?
Mothria stiffened as Gurjin stomped over to the foyer, arms crossed and eyes burning with anger.
“Did I call you Gael by accident”?
“Yeah, you did”.
“I messed up bad huh”?
“Mm-hm”.
“Couch tonight”?
“I'll get it set up for you”.
Mothria didn't move as Gurjin’s locs hit her snout as he swiftly turned to march to the linen closet.
“I love you”. She called.
“Love you too, but you're still on the couch tonight”.
 Gurjin to Mothria:
If there was one thing Gurjin liked doing, it was messing with Mothria when was in a pissed mood. Not to pissed that would kick him out the loft, but pissed enough to at least get kicked out of the room for thirty minutes to an hour.
And he cooked up the perfect way to agitate his love moth even more.
His ‘victim’ was sitting at the kitchen island on her phone probably venting to his twin. With natural born charm, Gurjin slid to Mothria’s side wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“Hey, Lovemoth, why so sad”?
“Oh, just dealing with family drama Gur-Gur”. She sighed, leaning into his touch “Not to be a brat but can you cuddle me later. We can watch whatever I just want snuggles”.
“Of course, Resha”.
Gurjin bursted out laughing as he was roughly shoved on his rump.
“I freaking hate you”! Mothria growled, stomping their shared bedroom after gently punching Gurjin below the belt.
“OOF”! Gurjin guffawed as he clutched his gentiles “M-Mothy what about cuddles and movies”? “You're banned from cuddles and movies! I'm going over to Naia’s”!
“Can I come”?
“NOOOOO, people who call me by ‘Resha’ don't get my love”!
The fuming Mothria stepped over her still laughing boyfriend who was now rolling on the floor. Grabbing her purse and keys.
“Love you”! Gurjin wheezed, tears in his eyes.
“Eat sog”! Screamed Mothria, slamming the apartment door. Leaving a chukaling Gurjin on his own for the next few hours.
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sl-c · 2 years
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OMFG sim cryingggggg!!!! CONGRATS YOU ANGEL!! Please share all the deets!! Did you have any idea the proposal was coming? Loling now about your last thoughts about needing to get your nails done, hope managed to squeeze the in before the trip 😂❤️
aw thank you so much!! ofc I didn't end up getting my nails done hahahahahaha but he completely surprised me with the whole thing and knew telling me to get them done would spoil it. Honestly, we talked about getting engaged all the time but you never actually think it's going to happen or at least not this soon. I thought we would get engaged next year some time and that was what James was leading me to believe the whole time. He completely set me up saying it would take a few months to get the ring ready and probably on our years anniversary etc etc but it was all apart of the big plan!!
I am so impressed that he managed to keep the whole thing to himself given we tell each other everything and suck at keeping surprised from each other. It wasn't until the day before he told me that I had to pack a bag for 2 nights and that we needed to be out of the house by 5:30am for a morning activity. He kept up the whole time that we would be able to come back to the apartment because I had work events on and everything so I thought we were staying at a local hotel or something. Then he surprised me with everything - going to the airport, collecting our tickets for hamilton island, walking to the Qualia stand (somewhere I've always dreamt of going), the 'snorkelling trip at 2:30' which turned out to be the helicopter flight ah it was just insane.
I was thinking to myself am I about to get engaged constantly, but again, you just never think it's actually going to happen. I was a bit on edge when we landed on Whitehaven to ourselves thinking am I going to get engaged but we had picnic food and when James starting unpacking it all I was like nah we are just here to have a romantic date night and then he went to get the champagne behind me and then said my name and I turned around to this shiny thing and in a split second SPEAR TACKLED HIM INTO THE SAND. Like really aggressively spear tackled - we were covered in sand crying our eyes out. It was the most amazing feeling. We just embraced crying and screaming and then he put it on my finger and we jumped around with champagne and ran in the water. It felt surreal. I'm so over the moon :')
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The West Coast Trail; A Vancouver Island Adventure Of A Lifetime
Packing: Food/Clothes/Essentials | Booking: Reservations/Transport | Research | Facts | My Story | Start | Days 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | Chez Moniques | Nitinaht Crab Shack
The West Coast Trail is one of the most, if not the most, iconic Canadian west coast adventure a hiker could ask for. It is a 75km test of both physical and mental endurance in one of the most stunning environmental settings you have ever seen. Not everyone that sets out for this great journey completes it, but those that do have a tale to tell for a lifetime and a forever bond with those they meet along the way.
Having completed this epic trail twice now, my approach is to blend a little bit of old and new into a (hopefully) wondrous tail that offers context, wisdom and insight to the journey, while describing the magical things you will experience and the challenges you will face. I’ve also prepared additional posts for your reading pleasure on Packing: Food/Clothes/Essentials and Booking: Reservations/Transport. So please, grab a hot cup of tea, throw on those comfy pjs and sit back and enjoy the read. 
Handy References and Information Material
Every great hike starts with research, especially this one! If you haven't heard of it yet, look up the famed book Blisters and Bliss: A Trekker's Guide to the West Coast Trail by David Foster and Wayne Aitken. This awesomely 80′s comic styled guide adds a little light-hearted humour to a highly detailed account of the WCT which is revised roughly every couple years. It offers both trekking options (north to south AND south to north!) and gives you all the step by step nitty gritty deets in between including history, objects of interest, geological features and safety tips! I suggest taking it with you and read about the section ahead each night. Also, opt to keep it in a safe pack pocket, don’t put it in a plastic bag (I did this my first time and sadly lost my copy to the inescapable moisture and mold).
Check out the West Coast Trail Facebook Page! This page is not manned by Parks Canada. However, it is a great place to meet other hikers, find someone looking to ride share, ask questions and for advice, learn about recent developments and important information (washed out bridges, danger sections, wildlife sightings or concerns... even hear about annoyed hikers picking up others garbage...not kidding lol).
Oh! And there is also a Women’s West Coast Trail Page!
Parks Canada Website. Duh, right?! But you may not realize that Parks Canada has some handy info regarding what to pack (and what not to!), emergency items, wildlife warnings, necessary fees, maps, tide tables, tips and more to make your hike a happy one. Check out the Planning For WCT page here.
You'll also find online a plethora of websites, blogs and articles dedicated to WCT info, tips, advice, and more. I encourage you to read a few personal accounts to get a real life feel of what others experience. Here are some of my favourites (don’t let the names scare you!), plus a very cool and scholarly article from UofBC on the effects of colonial-style tourism in the area and on the local indigenous tribes written in 2020. Fascinating read.
Hike The WCT (website)
Walking the wild coast : territory, belonging, and tourism on the West Coast Trail (UofBC Open Collection)
Lost On The West Coast Trail
How Not To Die On The West Coast Trail
The Facts
The West Coast Trail is 75 km long. That's on the map and, best as I can figure, relatively "as the crow flies". It does not account for the extra steps, the ladders, the climbing, the crawling, the descending, etc, you get the picture. Both times I've gone my fitbit has read almost double or more the distance in 'real ground covered'. For example, when they say its 5km from the Gordon River Trail Head to Thrasher Cove, my fitbit in both cases recorded over 12 km when all was said and done. When they tell you it takes on average 5-6 hours to do that stretch, and you're only covering 1km or less an hour, this is why. You will chuckle in the orientation, as many have, and think, "ya, if you're a SNAIL!", but you will soon realize it’s about the terrain and that you're essentially doing double or more the physical effort to cross it. The same is true for nearly all the trail, even the "easy parts".
Safety First - the majority of accidents and injuries occur in the first 13 kms on the south side of the trail, from Gordon River at km 75, to Camper Bay at km 62. The trail accommodates just over 7500 people a year. Of that, Parks Canada evacuates roughly 80-100 injured persons annually and Nitinaht villagers have claimed to ferry out 100-200 additional hikers off the trail as well, due to injury, misery, etc. It won’t be a bear or cougar that takes you out, it’ll be the wilderness itself. A fall from a wet log or slimy stone is the most common culprit, and it may not even be the fall itself, but what you land on. Sharp rocks, jabbing sticks, etc all cause serious injury. And it always happens when you're TIRED. Don't push yourself. Take a break, have a snack, don't go farther in a day than your body can handle. Better to be a day late than waiting 24 hrs in the bush with no morphine and a broken leg for a boat ride that surely will be agonizing. Just sayin' here...
The WCT historically was maintained for shipwrecked mariners. Many have lost their lives along this trail. I don’t understand how it doesn’t have its own ghost story yet! It has an amazing history with lots of ship wreckage to see along the way if you time the tides right.
Lastly, the temperate rainforest that engulfs the WCT is not only stunning but globally very rare, encompassing less than 1% of ecosystems across the earth. Here you will see plants, trees and animals that may not exist anywhere else on our planet. The Sitka Spruce for example is among not only the tallest trees in the world, but also the oldest, some 700-1000 years old. This means they have seen North America as it was before European Settlers touched it. They are revered by many and highly sought after by loggers, which often leads to conflicts. Many extremely unique animals also reside in the WCT, like the islands' black bears which are actually larger than mainland black bears with massive skulls and only one unique colour phase. The island is also home to cougars, Victoria's famous mini-deer and sea-wolves, the only wolves in the world that have adapted to life on a coastline, they call the Pacific Coast home. With a completely unique diet of seafood they are genetically different from mainland wolves and have also been known to swim in the ocean for many kilometers.
My West Coast Trail Story
Now, before we begin, I'll preface this by saying, don't mistake me for a pro; I am simply someone who has made it off the WCT twice [relatively] safely and lived to share my tale. If you are looking for expert advice I'd say check out the Parks Canada website or the Blisters and Bliss book. But if you are looking for a heartwarming and informative, real life account of the experience, you've come to a great place.
I am now amongst a lucky few that have had the enormous privilege to have hiked the West Coast Trail not only once, but twice in my lifetime thus far. I say thus far because this trail has such a special place in my heart I expect at some point I will likely attempt it again. It changed my life and has had an everlasting impact on the lives of those around me. I learned a lot about myself and even more about those closest to me. What I am capable of, the importance of preparation and planning, the bonds you create with people you meet along the way and the love of those that support you going and take care of things while you're gone. I simply couldn’t have done this without the support of my amazing husband, friends, parents and sister and my wonderful sister in law whom we stayed with this time. But most importantly I missed the encouragement and support of my mother-in-law who lived on the island and sadly has passed since my first trip. She and her friends played such an instrumental role in my first journey with my sister, buying us foods, housing us, driving us, and just overall being so excited to see us off, I truly missed her this time but I know she was there with me in spirit.
In this way the West Coast Trail is a life-shaping experience like no other. You will learn much about yourself, be in awe and hopefully inspired by the incredible natural world around you and you will meet fellow Canadians and global trotters and, in turn, become a part of their WCT story. Let me be amongst the first to congratulate you on this epic endeavor and wish you the happiest, and safest, of journeys and hopefully I can send you off a bit more well prepared for the adventure.
First Timers VS Second Timers
My experience as a first time WCT hiker was extremely different from my second expedition in every way possible.
The first time I hiked the WCT I went with my youngest sister Jenna. We had both hiked and camped before but this was a new experience and everything was raw, a bit scary, amazing and beautiful all at once. I think it just hit us both like a ton of bricks when we landed at the base of that first ladder across the Gordon River. Although Sharon had talked to me for months, mentally preparing me for the hike, when Jenna and I both looked up at the rest of our start group scaling that first beast, looming up from the small beach landing, I know we both had the exact same thought, like, "oh shit, this is for real...".
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Why the WCT? Sharon, my good friend and co-worker, had previously attempted it before turning me onto it. Due to an unfortunate incident with her hiking companion, they had to turn in the towel. She has since rocked it twice more and was an absolute wealth of information, support and the wisdom that only an experienced female hiker, mom and athlete can be. Much of what I am sharing with you today began with her. She continues to inspire me every day with her ferocity and determination and boundless want for adventure.
At the time of my first hike in 2016, my mother-in-law lived on Vancouver Island and she and her best friend Jill had kindly arranged for us to stay at another friend's cottage just outside Port Alberni. The friend and her husband fed us well and the beauty of the setting was unimaginable. But the anticipation of what lay ahead weighed heavily on both Jenna and I and neither of us barely slept a wink. The next morning we had our last hot shower and flush toilet experience for the next 7 days and the 4 of us set out for the Gordon River Trail Head.
We piled into Jill’s car the following morning. The ride was long, on gravel switch back logging roads, but the supportive company made the nervous anticipation bearable. I feel like I did not appreciate the ride as much as I should have at the time, but a few 5 am bus rides (and much experience) later, I certainly cherish the thought my mother-in-law and Jill had put into making the beginning special for us both.
Since then, I've booked my island hike transports with the West Coast Trail Express bus. The folks there are super helpful and the experience has always been a good one. In 2018, a WCT facebook group was created which has made connecting with others looking for ride shares and doing the trail much easier AND more informative! You can read about this page and other research options at the top of this post if you missed them ;)
When 2016 saw Jenna and I land at Gordon River's Information Station, I was greeted with an amazing surprise... Sharon and Jackie (another friend) had pre-purchased for me a WCT t-shirt. I cried, there were no words. When 2021 saw Krista and I land at Gordon River's Information Station, I was greeted with a sense of the familiarity of the adventure and vicariously enjoyed the wonder of someone else now experiencing the trail for the first time... READY?!.. and INHALE... can you smell it..? the Adventure?! It's like greeting an old friend again, for the first time.
It's Like Those Choose Your Own Adventure Books, Where You Pick Your Ending...
Remember those..? Maybe..? When Starting the WCT, you can plan to start at either entry point, Gordon River to the south or Pacheena Bay to the north, or now even halfway at Nitinaht. There are advantages to all, so it just depends what is most appealing to you. Most people do the trail within a 6-8 day time frame. This gives a good balance of time vs pack weight. I always try to plan for an extra emergency day, just in case. Things happen here... Long stays requires more provisions and a heavier pack. Shorter stays (in my personal opinion) are extremely challenging, unless you have done the trail before, are very skilled in lightweight packing and are an expert hiker. I still wouldn't recommend it. Plus, if you're going that fast, you're rushing by so much, what's the point? If you've paid and taken the time to be here, enjoy it! That being said, when Jenna and I did the trail we were treated to watching marathoner and athlete Jen Segger run it in one day. ONE DAY. She currently holds the women's record for WCT completion at 13 hrs 44mins (as posted here on her page under 2016). Of course she had no pack and support runners with her and a camera crew. But as she ran by us I think both our jaws dropped. It was like watching Super Woman run by you and you were just lucky if her sweat spayed you as she passed by. 
When you start out, keep in mind your pack is at it's heaviest. Starting at Pacheena Bay entry point means you'll be hiking the easiest parts of the trail first. You'll make excellent time here and cover the most distance over the shortest number of days. Although all areas of the trail offer exquisite and unique beauty, in my opinion the north end is the most magical. Maybe because by the time I reach it Im half delirious and most certainly exhausted so the easier hike is a much welcome break. Both times I've hiked the WCT I have opted to start at the southern trail head point known as Gordon River.
Starting at Gordon River means that you get through the most difficult terrain right at the beginning, when you're freshest, well rested and eager to set out. You also have the added benefit of anticipating the terrain getting easier (rather than harder). To me, this is the most logical approach and why I prefer this route and honestly, there is just something that seems slightly disillusioning about expecting something to get harder along the way. When Jenna and I first made it up that initial ladder we came across several groups finishing their hike. One in particular stuck out, a group of three female friends. We passed the first two who were happy and chatting and weirdly gave us a (mild) warning to disregard their companion, who was somewhere behind them. Ok... sure, we thought. Then along came the third girl... muttering, swearing under her breath, we contemplated what she might do to her companions if she caught up to them and we joked about how that likely was the end of that friendship. 2016 was a much busier year, pre-covid and all, and we met so many more people, Canadians, Germans, Chinese and Auzzies! 
2021 though is the year of the Canadians! If you happen to head out on the WCT this year, although you will still experience a wide range of people (Canada is an extraordinarily diverse nation!), rest assured most currently reside within Canada. Hello Homies! It was, however, a much more muted WCT experience than my past one. Although the Parks staff assured me they have had lots of people come through (I asked!), and the online bookings are sold out, it seemed so much quieter day to day. At the time Krista and I arrived, Parks staff were still only doing outdoor basic debriefing, prior to which we were expected to watch an online information video covering the basics. This was in stark contrast to the very in depth orientation Jenna and I had to attend back in 2016. 
Fellow Canadians, Tsk Tsk...
The biggest difference I noticed that could be as a result of the minimized debrief is the amount of garbage. There is NO garbage removal on the trail. Parks staff DO NOT haul garbage out (its a remote wilderness, do you really expect garbage men??). The WCT is accessible by foot (as in, you hike in... for 75 km) OR by boat, the latter being weather and safety dependant in extreme occasions (ie emergency evacuation). At each campsite we stayed, hikers THIS year (the trail was closed 2020) have left copious amounts of garbage. It’s in the bear bins, on the trail, the beach, in the outhouses... it’s EVERYWHERE. The worst by far was Camper Bay with stinking tuna cans and bags in every bear bin and Cribbs Creek, where the garbage pile extended to a massive bottle collection BEHIND the bear bin.
Why do sites have bear bins in the first place? Because human food and waste smells amazing to BEARS! So we lock it away to keep it, and us, safe. This does not mean a bear can’t smell it, it just means they can’t access it. Now, what happens when food rots and gets stinkier...? Of course it's more enticing. This draws bears, and other animals, to the campsite, which puts your safety, and the safety of each camper, at risk. I have to give Krista major kuudos here because that girl dug in deep, cleaned someone else's mess at each site we stopped at and even hauled out other people's stinky gross trash. Please give her a round of applause for thinking about you because she deserves it. And as Canadians, seriously, we can do better right??
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Da' Debrief
Apologies, now that’s out, let's get on. During our debrief we learned some important key points.
2021 has seen unprecedented amounts of animal sightings and encounters. Primarily bear and cougar. There has also been more daytime sightings of wolves, which is considered extremely rare. With the trail closed in 2020, lack of human presence has caused a larger wildlife presence. Be aware, practice safety, travel in groups. Groups are also being asked to accommodate single hikers to reduce risk.
There is a lot of maintenance to be done that wasn't able to be accomplished in 2020 due to the pandemic. Be prepared for washed out boardwalks, bridges and rotten boards. There is also fewer Parks staff to help with this upkeep. Luckily, local members of indigenous tribes, called the Trail Guardians, historically help in a huge way with this and you may even run into them on the trail! We saw their team arrive in their new boat leaving Walbran and at Pacheena we spoke to a Parks staff who's uncle is on the team. It's a small world here.
Following the debrief, the Parks staff escort you to the Gordon River ferry. The fellow here takes you across and plops you down on the small sandy beach, gathers up any hikers waiting for a ride back and heads off on his way. And there you are, left to stare at a huge ladder, really, the first of many.
up, Up, UP You Go!
In 2016 Jenna and I patiently waited at the end of the line to be the last two up the ladder and I tackled the climb with my 50lb pack in tow (phew!). In 2021 Krista and I were the only two standing on the beach, me revelling in my 'barely there' 38lb pack. The trail was our oyster!
The trek from Gordon River to Thrasher Cove is the most challenging and physically demanding on the trail. We left on the 11:30 ferry and finally walked into Thrashers Cove at 5pm - Yes, it DOES take that long. You actually don't see many ladders, a few here and there, but best believe you are still climbing! You scramble up rock faces, you squeeze past trees, you choose your footing extremely carefully and all the while up, up, UP you GO! Even over rocks and hard ground the trail is fairly well worn and easy to follow... most of the time. A short while in you come to the first bridge over the first creek. I have stopped here both times to fill up water bottles, but beware, the scramble back up is more difficult than it looks this year due to the fallen trees. Mountain Goat level scuttling expertise is advised! Much further along, not far from Thrashers, you'll eventually comes across the famed Donkey Engine! This year you will find it to be directly in your path, where as in 2016 I’m quite sure we looked down on it somehow from a higher elevation. Either way, it’s epic and makes for an amazing photo op! To think that thing was hauled by beast and hand up that hill still blows my mind.
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Along the way we met a very nice gentleman named Wilson who had intended to hike the WCT with his son. Unfortunately, due to a graduation re-scheduling mishap his son was unable to come, but Wilson decided to soldier on. He was incredibly happy, thoughtful and polite and asked if we minded if he tagged along as we hiked. He regaled us with tails of his trails, immigration to Canada, his wife and family and much more; he was a fascinating fellow! With the wildlife warnings this year, Parks staff request that no one hike alone, if you can, allow a solo hiker to tag along so everyone can stay safe. We graciously obliged and enjoyed his company and great conversation for a couple more days until we parted ways at Nitinaht comfort camping.
Thrasher's Cove is an amazing, but small, campsite. I recall vividly in 2016 the trail down to the beach being extremely treacherous, with steep and slippery embankments and so many ladders! By comparison our 2021 descent seemed like a cake-walk. Here I was, boasting to Krista the challenge that lay before her, but when we got there it was literally a quick hop and skip down. She found anything I said after that to be hard to believe and was convinced I was totally embellishing. It really made me realize how MUCH the trail changes and what dynamic metamorphosis must have occurred in 6 years! I also realized how hard Trail Guardians and Parks staff must work to maintain all this constantly worn out infrastructure. It must a BEAST. Be warned, if you arrive to Thrashers too late in the day it will be tough finding a spot. If this happens to you, check out the south side of the beach, sometimes there's a bit more space there. Ironically, I have set up my tent in the exact same spot both times, right in front of the tiny triangle cave around the rock wall on the south side of the beach. I have claimed this spot now.
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Knock, Knock, It's The Ocean!
This is also where knowing how to read your tide tables is extremely important. While camping on the beach you must pitch your tent above the high tide line. The high tide line is where you can see the sand was last wet on the beach. It's not where the water is when you arrive. Look for the wet point on the sand and keep your tent a few good feet above that. When Jenna and I first arrived at Thrashers, I was confident in my tide table reading skills; being from Alberta, I took the time to learn how to read them in advance. But, during the orientation the Park staff had warned our group that our first night was due to be the highest high tide of the year - intimidating to a couple prairie girls! And, which is also a thing if you read up on the moon cycle! (Actually there is a lot of news this year on the effects of the moon's impending orbital wobble on tides, its a fascinating read if you're interested!). So, naturally a bit cautious and overly leery of the horror stories of campers waking up to soaked tents in the middle of the night, my poor sister was worried sick. Exhausted but too afraid to sleep, I promised her I'd stay up till high tide to make sure we were safe. She soon passed out and I settled in reading my book. But the surf was loud and near, a thundering, crashing rukus with each wave and about 2 hours in my sister jolted straight up in her sleeping bag, scaring the ba-geezus outta me crying out 'IS IT HERE?! IS THE OCEAN HERE YET?! ", big-eyed I just stared, then broke out laughing; I settled her back down, reassured her we were safe, now passed the time of concern, and wiggled down into my own sack to drift off. It's still an inside joke to this day and once in a while we chuckle to each other about the time the ocean came knocking.
2021 brought me its own surprise when at 4am I awoke to an unusual scratching noise against our tent next to my head. We had wrapped our rain covers around our [empty] backpacks and snugged them up against the tent to stay dry and save space. Apparently the local otter family found them fascinating and decided to check them out on their morning stroll. An alarm clock certainly fit for the WCT. 
It's A Beach Walk, Not A Cake Walk
Leaving Thrasher's Cove you have two options! You can take the beach route if you time the tides carefully OR you can take the inland route. In 2016 Jenna and I sojourned the inland route. Although the inland hike was pretty, if I'd found the trek down to Thrashers tough, the trek back up would've been classed insane. Sharon’s favourite saying is, what goes down must go up. In 2021 Krista and I timed the tide, leaving at 7:30am, to take the beach route. Although we'd planned to avoid what turned out to not be a bad climb, I'd really wanted to see the famous sea caves! The sea caves themselves were nothing short of AMAZING. There is just no other word. I was so in awe that in my mind they seem to take up almost 3 days of our trip, not just half an hour on the second day.
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Although we'd planned to aim for Cullite Creek Campground day 2, we hit a major snag. As we traipsed along, well after the sea caves, we came to a rocky sea shelf that rose high out of the water. As you look up, you might catch a glimpse of some buoys, which commonly mark the beach access to the trail and campgrounds. Thinking this was our access back onto the trail, as you must go inland from here to Campers, we headed up along the higher shelf. We passed an unusual 'Danger' sign. We looked around, but could not identify anything that seemed out of the ordinary for where we were. We kept on. We came to a similar sign on the rock, but again, failed to see what was obviously dangerous. Wasps? Bear den? Surge Channel? There was no fallen bridge, no down ladder. Everything seemed ok. We reached the buoys, and Krista lifted her leg to step over a small trickle of a water... That's when it happened.
Danger on the Trail...
Before she could even complete her step, both feet flew out from beneath her and her whole body, pack and all, smashed onto the rock shelf. She began rocketing like a she was on a pro waterslide down the embankment towards a 9 foot drop into the water pool below. I had the wherewithal to shout out 'grab a rock!', and in the 3 seconds that seemed like 3 hours, I had the presence of mind to ponder how I might explain this to her mother back at home and 4 year old son if things went sideways... but with a 38lb pack on myself and being a few feet behind, there was no way I could move fast enough to do anything but yell.
Luckily, mid-slide, she managed to grab a handhold just long enough to stop and get some footing. Crisis averted, but the damage was done. Wearing shorts, she was sporting some nasty road rash on her cheek and arm, but most of the damage was buffered by the hoodie she'd had tied around her waist. She was bruised, but she was lucky.
Feeling pretty roughed up, we opted to stay at Camper Bay instead and rolled in about 1pm where we washed and treated her ailing buttocks and gave her some much needed pain meds. Along came a few more groups and we felt a bit less sheepish learning 2 of them had also had the exact same experience. Pride slightly less wounded, we made some new friends for the chatter and laid back and chilled for the afternoon. On your parks provided trail map, you will see a small note in red pointing to BA 'B' (beach access B) that warns about a dangerous slope just past the surge channels after Owen Point. It's not kidding.
If you stay at Camper Bay, it's a lovely and large campsite with lots of room for everyone. However, it has a habit of getting very windy, like all the time, and the only time it's not is when the sun goes down. If you're early enough, grab one of the sheltered tent spots in the woods/taller grass along the creek side. It also has a rep for early morning rain and fog. Something about the geography here seems to create its own micro-environment. If you walk out along the beach at low tide and cross the creek to the north, you'll see some neat tidal pools and caves in the rock wall. In the one with the small pool of water you might see a single lonely fish with the pool all to himself. I hope one day the tide washes him in friend.
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Reminiscing...
Ironically, day 2 in 2016 was also the day I had a mishap of my own. Tired and worn down, toddling  after Jenna across a log bridge the width of my car, I misstepped. My feet were somehow gone and in a second I found myself sitting on my ass, straddling the log instead of walking on it. I peered down into the 6 foot drop below. Completely in disbelief I suddenly realized Jenna was yelling at me "Are you OK?!" ... Yes! I was! I was ok. Nothing was broken, hurt or otherwise. But it was a wake up call. If you are tired, take a break, don't push on or try to keep up with someone faster. Only hike as fast as your slowest hiker and be patient. Take a breath and remember, the goal is no one dies out here... hopefully.
Gone Are The Days Of Legendary Mud And Tilting Ladders That Make You Poop ... Just A Little
The few days that followed are a bit of a blur. There's so much to see and so little blog space to include it all! We left Campers Bay on a foggy, rain mist morning at about 10am. Since we had to take the inland trail there was no worry about racing the tide on this stretch. We chatted with the couple we met the night before (Mat and Lauren from Calgary!). Everyone was a bit tired that morning.
Although we saw some mud, with a historic heat wave just prior to our trip in 2021, the legendary mud pits that the WCT has typically been known for were non-existent. In 2016 Jenna and I spent most of our inland trail time figuring out how to cross mud-holes, watching where each other stepped and trying not to fall in up to our armpits (I kid you not). This time, there was no mud and if you disagree with me, go again after it rains. I dare you.
This is also the section where we saw the most ladders, most notably through Cullite Creek, which was sadly such a trickle there was no need for the cable car, we just rock hopped across (with ease). We saw some really cool art done along the trail by the Guardians in the new bridge and log cuttings, some even signed their names! Have you tried making a curve with a chainsaw? I was impressed.
This section also has a neat and unique stretch of boardwalk that goes through a fragile wetland. Sections of the boardwalk were out, it looks easy, don't let it fool you!
A brand-spank'in new suspension bridge calls Logan Creek home! In 2016 Jenna and I had to climb a harrowing series of crazy, half-tilted ladders to get to the bridge. I recall my favourite as being the third ladder in a tower, that was so amazingly on a 10 degree angle sideways, and scaling it with my 50lb backpack. It was all I could do not to roll off and meet a perilous end at the bottom of the gully. Today the beautiful new bridge almost disappointed with the ease it took to cross it. NO more ladder climbing, you just walk up the stairs and off you go!
We arrived in Walbran Campsite at 5:30, the creek is perfect for swimming if it’s warm enough. Several groups had a run-in here with a couple breaking the fire ban policy. People on the WCT take this seriously, keep in mind if you start a forest fire here, there’s no where to go and it puts the homes of indigenous peoples at severe risk too. We all simmered, had a tasty meal, chatted with our travel companions, explored the beach a bit and turned in for the night, thoroughly exhausted.
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We spent the next two days going from Walbran Campsite to Cribbs and then to Tsuisiat Falls. Due to a problematic and confrontational cougar in 2021 there is no camping permitted along the trail between kilometer 34 to 38. So, naturally, your last stop prior to Nitinaht Narrows is Cribbs Creek.
The Stretch from Walbran to Cribbs is basically all beach walk. The beach is lovely, but don’t let 'beach walk' fool you. It’s just as challenging to walk in sand as it is through forest... and you thought it was going to be easier, didn’t you?! It's like walking through snow without snowshoes and being 30lbs heavier...what a Canadian thought. But! Fear Not! along this stretch is also the famed Chez Moniques burger stop and the Carmanah Lighthouse! The lighthouses are closed to the public this year due to covid, but it’s still a sight to behold as it beams brightly through the fog.
The Legend That Is Chez Moniques
In 2016 Jenna and I made a critical, but common, food planning error. We packed meals based on what we felt was healthy and would give us energy, without accounting for taste. In other words, we packed a lot of dry lentil-based meals that tasted awful and took forever to cook and I couldn't have forced down my throat if you had paid me. I love beans, but dried lentils on the trail... yech! You can read more about our cautionary tale in my food section, and if you're uncertain about foods to pack, it’s worth the read!
So, sufficed to say, that year we had the absolute pleasure of experiencing Chez Moniques in it's prime. It was incredible. Here we were, in the middle of nowhere, exhausted, starving (I was anyway lol), and run off our feet. And out of nowhere arose this mirage of a tent with burgers, fancy meals, peach ciders and more! My god it was intense. We kicked off our boots, stuffed our faces, chatted with Monique, the legend herself, and I protectively cradled the best Okanagan Cider that had ever touched my lips while we waited for the tide to recede. It was magical.
Sadly, between 2017-2018 both Monique and her husband tragically passed away. It was a blow felt around the world by all those who had passed through their doors and experienced their generosity. There is a lovely documentary attributed to their memory here. Today, in 2021, following a devastating 2020 with no business, Monique & Peter's grand-daughter, Katrina Knighton is trying to carry on the dream though the restaurant will be renamed as Nytom. We heard lots of chatter and some hikers did actually see her in person, but unfortunately there are some struggles, including keeping up supply levels, which they are walking in for 1.5 hours (!). We missed them this year, as did many hikers, and I was so sad Krista would not experience it. But! They are rumoured to have services most often morning and around 5pm. Katrina is also very active on the WCT Facebook page, so feel free to drop her a line there for more info!
We arrived in Cribbs Creek at about 2:30pm. It was the end of our Day 4 and what a campsite it was. Lovely soft sand under your toes and beautiful beach. There is nothing here for swimming but we had the most amazing sunset view on the rock shelf that night. Although it didn't rain while we were on the trail, this was the first time we'd seen the sun since we left Victoria.
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The Magical Beauty Of Nitinaht And  The Crab Shack Of Your Dreams
We left Cribbs Creek about 9am and stuck to mostly inland trail. Other hikers going the opposite way had warned it was very overgrown but we honestly had no problems with it; it was a little underused, but keep in mind they hadn't seen the south side yet. We made excellent time and arrived in Nitinaht Narrows at 1:09pm. The journey is absolutely stunning. There is a new bridge over the creek at Dare Beach and the forest walk is lovely. The bridge over the Cheewhat River offers great views also. You cannot take water from the river itself but after the bridge there is a freshwater stream marked by a wooden sign if you need it and soon you will come across an old Cabin. When you arrive here, turn around and see the new and amazing Ditidaht home across the river. It has changed a bit, likely with the drought, but in 2016 Jenna and I referred to this stretch as "the place that Disney films are based on". Ivy clung all the way up the trees and just as you wrapped your head around that, the trail winds it's way through a silent coniferous forest where you could almost hear a pin drop, followed by a magical wetland lake with flowering lilly pads the size of your head. But none of this compares to Nitinaht Narrows.
As you walk along the trail, just a few short minutes past the lake, the path will turn from boardwalk to dirt and as you round the bend you will suddenly walk, with no warning, right into Nitinaht! It has caught me by surprise each time. We strolled down the walkways to the dock, left our packs safely on the bench and made our way to the Crab Shack. The blue-green waters of Nitinaht Narrows is something to behold. When you peer over the side of the wharf you see schools of small fish so thick you could almost surely touch them. When I dream of paradise, I dream of here.
Nitinaht Narrows was only recently made an 'official' entry and exit point by Parks Canada in 2014, you can read more about it here. But prior to this, older community members witnessed the inception and rise of the WCT as we know it today and watched it grow. Ferrying hikers across the narrows has become a task handed down from generation to generation. Connected to the ocean, it has tides about 10 minutes apart and historically, many years ago, hikers did drown trying to swim across before getting swept out to sea, naively misjudging the calm-looking waters. About 3 kms past the narrows, the Ditidaht band offers comfort camping options to those looking to settle and day hike the trail or in need of a break from the grind. This is marked with a sign and you will see it on the trail. The crab shack itself has also recently built new cabins as well which start from roughly $100/night (houses 4 bodies and you use your own sleeping bag) and goes up to ($200 and $300) where bedding is provided. They also offer tent platforms for a modest $30/night fee.
The Nitinaht Crab Shack is owned and operated by the Edgar family. They are kind, light-hearted, hospitable and will make you the best meal you have ever had. They work extremely hard and have a great sense of humour. A family member told me the previous day they had served a group of 20 lunch all at the same time! Hippie-Doug was their ring leader that day and he manned the ferry, that took us across the narrows to complete our journey, along with a sweet old chocolate lab you will see in many a hikers' photos. If you catch him at a slow moment he might share a joke and and story with you. But don't leave until you have warmed yourself thoroughly by the wood stove, had the best meal this side of Canada and picked up some treats for the road. The ferry finishes for the day at 4:30pm and then Hippie-Doug settles in for a much deserved break, a meal, and maybe a drink, so don't be late!
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Tsu-Tsu-Tsusiat!
We left the warming comfort of the Nitinaht stove at about 3pm and headed on our way. We saw our new friend and traveling tag-along Wilson off at the Ditidaht Comfort Camping site and continued on, arriving at Tsusiat Falls by 6:30pm. You can't see the falls from the beach, but if you reach the hole in the wall at Tsusiat Point, you're just minutes away.
In 2016, the first 5 days of our hike Jenna and I had the most amazing weather. On our 5th day, after the crab shack, while the sun beamed a balmy 25+ C, we ditched our packs on a slope of sand with gentler waters between Nitinaht and Tsusiat Point and ran into the ocean up to our knees, jumping the waves and being astonished at their strength. We laid on the beach afterwards and soaked in the sun. When I think of my little sister, I often think of this carefree day and smile. Enjoy the journey as you go, or you’ll miss the best parts.
Tsusiat Falls is a popular campground. When we arrived the beach was packed. According to 2021 Parks regs, you can only stay one night here to minimize environmental impact. The beach was very different from what I remembered, but the falls were ever glorious. We threw on bathing suites and while Krista enjoyed the brief sun, I took a dip in the beckoning water.
The next morning, with Krista not feeling hot, I'd aimed to get up early and walk back to the Hole In The Wall with my Nikon DSLR camera. When we passed by the day before it was high tide and the Hole was under sea water. However, after a delay, Krista decided to come with me. We packed up, left our bags at Tsusiat and strolled back to the hole together, and a better decision it was. I’d watched a group ahead of us pass through an hour ago, but beneath their tracks you could make out a fresh set of cougar prints. Since low tide was at 10am that morning, that means the tracks were very recent and could only have been made since the water receded. Food for thought.
Darling Bears You Might Be Cute, But I Don't Want To Snuggle
The last 2 days on the WCT (or your first two, depending where you start) are the easiest to hike and where you make up the most ground. We'd intended to land at Darling River Campsite (approx km 14), which from Tsusiat (approx km 25) would make it about an 11 km day. Most of our fellow travellers whom we had become familiar with were aiming for Michigan Creek though, which would add 2 km to our 6th day, but save us that on our 7th and final day out. We decided to see what the day held and if we arrived at Darling early we might continue on. WELL.... what the day held was not entirely what we expected.
In 2016 Jenna and I walked the beach hike between Tsocowis Creek and Michigan Creek. It had started to rain the night before and by morning was a light, but steady, downpour. We donned our rain gear but by noon, and halfway through our distance, it was clear that Jenna's rain jacket was not waterproof. Though she had tested it prior to leaving, it turned out not to be up to WCT-level rain. As we continued on poor Jenna got wetter and wetter and by the time we reached Michigan, she was soaked through to the bone. Water pooled in her boots, and she shivered so hard she couldn't help me with the tent. Realizing this could get worse quickly, I popped the tent, got her changed and snugged into her sleeping bag ASAP. Then I worked on adding a tarp. When the shivering stopped we got a warm meal into her and passed our time taking turns winding up our emergency radio and trying to maintain the faint signal from a long forgotten US talk station till darkness fell. It poured the entire next day as well for a total of over 24 hours straight and our photos at the Pacheena lighthouse are in plastic emergency ponchos.
In 2021 Krista and I opted for the inland trail as we'd previously made better time this way. There is lots to see here, another Donkey Engine and a rusty old grader, and I absolutely love the Billy Goat Bridge. The trail threw us for a bit at Tsocowis Creek, there, phantom branch-offs seemed to lead off and abruptly stop. You have to go down the ladders to continue the inland trail portion (OR access the beach). However, just passed Orange Juice Creek, it was quite clear this section of trail was not well used recently... by people anyway. It was eerily dark, overgrown and passed by what looked like long lost abandoned campsites in caves along the rock wall. As we passed by we heard something stir in the dim light, knocking over an old cup, and we nervously quickened our pace. We began to see pile after pile of fresh bear scat, some so fresh that by the time we reached Darling we figured we must be just behind it. Making a lot of noise we made our way to the beach and relief washed over us as we recognized people half a km ahead... our fellow Albertans, Mat and Lauren! But when they stopped suddenly and started to back up we knew something wasn't right.
Just ahead of them on the beach was our bear. And big guy he was! They figured a lone male. They managed to scare him off and once we caught up the 4 of us made our way as a group to Michigan Creek just down the beach where we figured there was relative safety in numbers.
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Bitter Sweet Goodbyes
Our last day from Michigan to the Information Station at Pacheena was a super short one. We were the last hikers to leave Michigan at 8am and among the first ones (ironically) to reach the Parks office at 11:01am. The path is very well maintained and an easy hike. You'll also see a lot of day hikers here, many with dogs. Along the way are some cool sights you won't want to miss, so don't be too quick to rush out. The abandoned dirt bike isn't going anywhere fast anymore, but be sure to check out the sea lion rock just passed km 10. You may even hear them from the trail! Just before the sea lions you'll also pass by the Pacheena Lighthouse. Again, due to covid, you cant access the grounds but you can totally snap a quick pic! The area has so much bear activity Parks Staff joke about running 'bear daycare' here so be vigilant. Two wonderfully enthusiastic young ladies we met along the way carried an amazing tune; Im sure they must've charmed away any "would be" encounters.
In 2016 there was no km 1 sign on the trail and in 2021 there was still no km 1 sign lol. Both times I raced past km 2 and then later wished I'd taken a pic with it. You'll want it as proof! We walked the very last km along the beach, where firm sand makes for easy going. There were bear sightings of a mother and cubs here just before we arrived. We missed them, but were lucky enough to get some great foot-print photos. The very last bench you'll see on the trail is emblazoned with the word 'PARKS'. We sat here for an eternal minute and took some photos. As we strolled towards the Information station I couldn't believe it was over again so quickly.
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Looking back, even after time number two, it feels more like a dream. The first time I walked off the trail in 2016 I eagerly anticipated a hot shower, was thoroughly disappointed at finding I had no quarters for to pay for one and I spent the 5 hour bus ride home starving and trying to sleep on a roller coaster. Perhaps not such a glorious end, but I realized I had achieved something few people would in their life time and of that I was SO proud of Jenna and myself. We did it.
When I arrived back at work Sharon had the most glorious little bouquet of flowers for me and she glued tiny cut out flags of all the major trail milestones to skewer sticks throughout. It brought tears to my eyes.... she told me this, "for a while, you will think to yourself, I am NEVER going back to that EVER again. And then, slowly, you will forget all the bad parts and the thought will creep in... maybe, perhaps, I might try it again... and you will find yourself looking it up once more". And she was right, I did. And I am so glad I did... I might even do it again.
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sonipanda · 4 years
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Back into some heavy lace and some colour! This brand is a own one, and I mean this as Next is well-known store that sells clothing, homeware etc. and the normally sell their own brand hosiery.
I bought these off eBay a while back for a cheap price, and I have tried to find other pairs so I could share a link … I had no luck so I do apologise.
I don’t think I have reviewed this brand before on the blog, however this isn’t much info I can give you about their hosiery collection.
The Spec
Colour: Blue/Purple
Size: Small-Medium
Denier: Around 40-60
Materials: 85% nylon, 15% elastane
Price: £9.00 / Bought for £1.50
Website: Unknown
My Outfit
Keeping it simple with black today; I paired up my shift dress with my suede mules. I was gonna do court shoes, but switched it last minute to these for a funkier look 🙂
My Deets
Dress: Mango
Tights: Next
Mules: River Island 
    The Review
The Packaging: these normally come like this, unless they are sheer or luxe pairs which come in plastic packaging. It states the size and brand on the front and the back goes into a little more detail about hosiery care and composition.
I made sure I didn’t rush opening the packaging as this had card going though one of the legs and they’re netted lace, so it can catch easily.
These come flat folded (in a sense) with no foot or leg shaping to it as you can see below.
  Getting Them On: as these are pretty stretchy, these can be stretched and rolled on. I did my scrunch and roll around the feet and anklets to ensure they don’t get caught. From there, you can easily pull them you if you didn’t want to roll them up.
  On The Legs: these are looking pretty awesome! I gotta say I do love this colour; I’m not too sure what it is exactly, but this mix of blue and purple looks incredible as netted tights. And with the added lace pattern, it makes it slightly more feminine.
The quality of these are not bad, and I say that as I wasn’t too keen on how easily these catch on. My nails kept getting caught in them, which I had gently prise away each time, not to mention if I walked past anything slightly raised or sharp. Other than that, they aren’t so bad as I haven’t actually ripped them yet!
The fit of these are great on the legs; as these are a duo size, there is so much stretch in them. If I was a size larger and got into them, I can tell you that they won’t look as tight as they do on the legs. They will open up and the colour will become a little lighter. There was no gapping around the knees or ankles either 🙂
The feel of them are a rough netting, as these are cheaply made which you can tell. I can’t say these itch the legs when they’re on, but if your skin is sensitive, you may want to wear a base pair with these. These are a matte finish on the legs, as if they were shiny they would feel softer and smoother.
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    The Toes & Ankle: these come with reinforced toes, which is a solid colour before it works into the netting. You see the strip working at the front and back of the toes. There is plenty of wiggle room in these for your toes to move and breathe and no pressure is added.
Around the feet and ankles, you get a smooth and fitted finish with no wrinkles.
  The Waistband & Gusset: I am working with a thin waistband on these, and I have to say they did very well. They did not roll down themselves, they stayed up the whole day unless I moved them and they had enough stretch so they didn’t squeeze me. I like that thee tights have no reinforcement going down to the thigh, as you can wear shorts and mini skirts without having to worry.
Unfortunately there is no gusset on these; it’s just a small centre stitch.
  My Thoughts?
Not a bad pair. I love the colour and style more than anything to be honest, especially as it looks so different and not a colour you can easily get hold of. Other than that, the quality wasn’t too bad and the fit was really good. I suppose I would recommend with a base pair of tights underneath.
Next Lace Patterned Tights Back into some heavy lace and some colour! This brand is a own one, and I mean this as Next is well-known store that sells clothing, homeware etc.
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phoebtcnkin · 4 years
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ABOUT ME.
NAME/ALIAS: Kayla / Satan 
TIMEZONE: PST (for now, but don’t ask me where we’re moving next LOL)
RANDOM FACT: I was adopted when I was three, am 11wks pregnant with our newest and long awaited wee one, and shamefully have over 10,000 likes on this blog with zero chance of ever fully clearing them out lmfao
CHARACTER ONE.
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NAME: Lauren “Ren” Victoria Livingston (29)
FACECLAIM: Phoebe Tonkin, my queen.
in COCONUT GROVE you’ll find LAUREN LIVINGSTON who’s lived there for FOUR YEARS and they spend their days working as THE MANAGER OF NATALIA ESCABIAS LUXURY SPA AND A FREELANCE WRITER. They’ve been described as ROUGE STAINED MARLBOROS STUBBED OUT IN ANTIQUE CAVIAR BOWLS, POSTCARDS SENT FROM PLACES SHE’S NEVER BEEN, CHAMPAGNE IN SOLO CUPS, AND UNMET DEADLINES by the people that know them. Which makes sense when you consider that they can be ENGAGING + ADVENTUROUS but also IRRESPONSIBLE + IN DENIAL  
BACKGROUND.
grew up with a single mom who could never weave the same story twice about the origins and subsequent disappearance of her father.
lived on the cusp of wealth but didn’t actually have it… her mother, jane, was presumably from old money, but either the family lost it ages ago or she’d been cut off for reasons unknown.
they were ‘adopted’ by an older wealthy couple without children of their own when ren’s mother was pregnant with her aka given permission to live out of the guesthouse on their property for basically free
went all over when she was younger to “soul search” and sort out her life. basically just bummed around with a bunch of other barely legal adults who ate gas station food and drank expensive champagne and just a whole bunch of other nonsense
is approaching that age / stage of life where she’s meant to have her shit together but really doesn’t.
is still spending her money and maxing out credit cards on stupid things she can’t afford and doesn’t need. skips rent to go to fancy clubs. probably abuses something bc she can and she’s #lostandbroke inside
claims she’s an aspiring writer, and she’s trying she really is (sometimes), but doesn’t have anything to show for it if ppl asked
basically put together and #fine on the outside but a disaster on the inside
HEADCANONS.
HOMETOWN: Newport, Rhode Island
BIRTHDAY: tbd
NICKNAMES: almost exclusively goes by ‘Ren’, but a small few may call her L.V.
ORIENTATION: bisexual
MUSE SONGS: Girls Like You by The Naked and Famous, rock bottom by Caro, tba
CHARACTER TAG: can be found here.
PINTEREST BOARD: can be found here.
on any given day the only things you’re likely to find inside of ren’s fridge are a bottle of something alcoholic, a gel eye mask, and one of many credit cards frozen in the freezer.
in a similar vein, her oven is absolutely full of half clothes, half books.
is literally always on the verge of eviction bc, as mentioned above, she prioritizes p. much anything over responsibilities.
will 1000% justify buying five pairs of shoes she can’t afford bc she got them at a sample sale for the price of one at full retail
once upon a time she excused bad habits and terrible choices under the premise that they were hands on experience for the sake of her writing... except all these years later she’s still on her bullshit and hasn’t written anything of quality in ???
can’t be trusted to keep a pet rock alive let alone anything else
has never, not once, been able to say no to anything made of silk or velvet
WANTED CONNECTIONS.
this is already crazy long so i’m going to be making a sep. post for these and will add the link as soon as it’s finished, but you can expect to see things like: neighbors, coworkers, friends she’s met since moving to miami, the people she hung around during her years of travel and shenanigans, messy exes, drug dealer, former (kinda) sugar daddy lmfao, secret family, etc.
CHARACTER TWO.
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NAME: 👑 Alicia Josefine Palmeiro (30)
FACECLAIM: Ana de Armas
in CORAL GABLES, you’ll find ALICIA PALMEIRO who’s lived there for ONE WEEK and they spend their days working as A (CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED) LAWYER. They’ve been described as SHARP GLANCES, RUNNING IN HEELS, AND THE SCENT OF ACRYLIC PAINT FAINTLY LINGERING BENEATH ARMANI PERFUME by the people that know them. Which makes sense when you consider that they can be ELOQUENT + AMBITIOUS but also MATERIALISTIC + INDIFFERENT.
BACKGROUND.
comes from one of those richer than god families that have a library named after them somewhere and flaunt it. grandfather was the former governor of NC and her father is the current state attorney there
basically grew up with anything she wanted under the sun aside from attention and love. she was more of a business/brand investment than a beloved child in their eyes. rafael and gabriella (true monsters, lemme tell u) had her entire life mapped out and signed in blood before she was even conceived.
thought it would be really fun once to get a boyfriend in HS and hasn’t been able to get rid of him since. pls don’t call the cops if she threatens to light jaxon on fire bc she’s not serious. except for the one time she prob almost did.
speaking of things she almost did... she almost ran away with him after hs graduation in the pursuit of true love and following her dreams
daddy blackmailed jax into leaving her without a word, though. he listened (with good reason). instead of being happy and painting to pay rent, ali sucked up her tears before her mascara could run and went off to duke.... u guessed it.... exactly as her parents planned.
years later ran into jax again and they had an affair while she was engaged to another man. it ultimately led to their birth of their now 1.5 year old son
wyatt is probably the only thing she cares about more in this world than birkin bags and lingerie and shoes. on wednesdays she’ll let jaxon grace the list, but only if he leaves his muddy boots and potato chips at the door.
they’ve just moved to miami in a panic bc she found evidence against her father that proved they weren’t safe around him anymore (can share deets, but it’s chalk full of triggers so i won’t add it here)
HEADCANONS.
HOMETOWN: Wilmington, North Carolina
BIRTHDAY: August 16th, 1989
NICKNAMES: Ali, Princess, Queen Alicia P.
ORIENTATION: attention and diamonds (no but really she heterosexual)
PERMANENT PAIN IN THE ASS: Jaxon Martins
CHILDREN: Wyatt Martins, 1.5 years
MUSE SONGS: Me Too by Meghan Trainor, tba
CHARACTER TAG: can be found here.
PINTEREST BOARD: can be found here.
currently living in the penthouse suite at the biltmore hotel while they house shop for a mini mansion up to ali’s standards
is the stomping parrot when jax refuses to give her the attention she wants. or when she’s giving him the silent treatment but wants him to know she’s still mad.
thinks $20 t-shirts are just the result of misprinted tickets.
might cry if you try to take her inside of a dollar store or walmart.
couldn’t cook a meal to save her life and will absolutely get something catered and then take the credit when you tell her how delish it is.
has extreme trouble expressing her verbal emotions, so her displays of affection typically manifest in the form of gifts. ali will secretly obsess for weeks over finding the perfect present to fit the recipient 
not saying she’d throw u in front of a bus but…. if she doesn’t like u she prob wouldn’t hold out a hand to save you either.
is actually a warmhearted arsenic laced cupcake with a painter’s soul beneath her icy shield and devil blood. she does care. stg. mommy and daddy just never taught her how to show it.
WANTED CONNECTIONS.
just like before, i’m going to be making a sep. post for these and add the link as soon as it’s finished, but you can expect to see things like: neighbors, family local to the area (depending on from which side, would also need to be discussed with @fcntastical​), new friends, artsy friends she can be herself around, mom friends (gimme a real housewives of miami club pls), people connected to her father and all his maniacal ways, fr/enemies, etc.
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demyrie · 5 years
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Incoming Call (Erasermight and Devu and Skype all at once)
[inspired by this amazing doodle from @pixiepunch​ and precluding twitter thread on low key jealous Aizawa who can’t speak English and might be a Little Fuckin Touchy about Devu! we’re really getting up to some shit on twitter guys it’s a fun mess and completely enabling im in love
Deets: Erasermight and dave and toshi friendship forever, set post-kamino and post-movie with heavily implied movie spoilers, rated t for implications of the nasty] 
It was about ten minutes into a long-overdue Skype chat with Toshinori that Dave even thought to look away from the ever-shining face of his old hero partner and best friend -- but when he did, he immediately saw the man in the doorway.
His jaw almost dropped, alarm bells going off in his head as he watched the man turn and stare in their direction, hunched ominously with lank black hair falling across his face. He was dressed in black with an enormous pile of fabric slung across his shoulders and what looked like a knife case strapped on the back of a utility belt.
In the foreground, Toshinori was talking, no, raving about his students and their progress and the new experience of being a teacher, something Dave sincerely wanted to share in and contribute to, but he was far too attuned to the potential of villain attacks now. Especially with the bandages criss-crossing Toshinori’s shoulder and forehead, marking a change far more permanent and dire than simple broken skin.
Dave couldn’t find the breath or words to interrupt him, but he did point. He pointed very hard, very directly, right into the camera, feeling his adrenaline spike surreally an ocean away from what he was seeing. Toshinori trailed off, blinking owlishly, and looked over his shoulder.
“Ah! Aizawa-kun,” he exclaimed happily, leaning back and firing off a string of Japanese with his name stuck in there somewhere.
Introductions? Introductions. Dave’s shoulders dropped a fraction and he breathed out. Not a villain.
Across the room, still moored in the doorway, the newcomer just raised a coffee mug to his mouth and muttered something into it. His voice was alarmingly deep. He glared at the monitor and the scarf piled around his neck gave an affronted rustle all on its own, like a snake disturbed from cold repose.
Wait. Aizawa, Dave thought suddenly. A light bulb of recognition flickered on and he reached back in his mental records, combing through everything he and Toshi hadn’t been able to discuss since I-Island. Fragments, promises to explain.
There was so much to catch up on, but he could almost swear that name belonged to --
“Ohiyo gozaimasu, Aizawa-san. O-me ni kakarete ureshi desu,” Dave called as loudly as he dared, putting on a cautious smile and angling his tablet so he could incline his head respectfully. He felt confident that it was a formal enough greeting, or just the usual fare for a hopeful introduction, even as he winced inwardly at his sticky pronunciation. It had been a while.
Not long enough, however, to merit the reaction: in the ensuing silence, the man narrowed his eyes even further, and Dave could have sworn a menacing red light star-bursted out from under his hair. Then he took a breathtakingly standoffish sip of coffee and walked off without a word.
As soon as he was out of frame, Toshi shook his head with a laugh, calling something after him about breakfast. Aizawa’s response was low and short and Toshinori turned back to the screen with a dopey smile. It was one of the happiest, easiest expressions Dave had ever seen on him, the kind he’d missed for years, and it was just from a two second exchange about breakfast.
In that moment, Dave knew his earlier wild guess was right. He felt wild pride and glee fill his chest, because it was written all over Toshinori’s face: honeymoon stage, first degree. It made the man look ten years younger and bliss looked damn good on him.
“Please forgive him,” Toshinori intoned with a hushed, doting voice Dave had plainly never heard before, inclining his frazzled head briefly. “He looks scary, but it’s morning here, and his patrol just ended. He’s had a long night.”
“I’m not going to lie, I thought he was a villain,” Dave offered dryly, righting his tablet and settling back in his chair. Toshinori snorted, shadowed eyes twinkling.
“You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. I can’t say it’s unintentional, on his part. He’s … well, he’s him.”
Toshinori looked extraordinarily pleased with that fact. Boyfriend hypothesis confirmed in triplicate.
“So, that is him,” Dave prompted with a growing smile, giving a stifled little gesture in the direction the nocturnal hero had disappeared. He kept his voice low, even though Toshi assured him weeks earlier that “Aizawa-kun” didn't speak English.
Just courtesy, he thought, if such a thing was applicable to gossiping. His smile widened.
“That's your…”
He trailed off expectantly, having maxed out his limited intel on his best friend’s dramatic new life as a hero instructor. For a moment, there was nothing but silence above the distant buzz of his tablet screen. Toshinori delicately tucked his bangs behind his ears, a nervous gesture that swarmed Dave with memories of glancing between themselves during exams.
“If you want a word for what we are,” Toshi murmured, gaze pinned on his knees. He looked sheepish, but pleased. “I'm, ah ... afraid I don't have one.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Dave’s expectations recalibrate in real time, factoring in the retired hero’s shyness and their time apart and the language gap itself. Interesting, but not unexpected. So Dave tried his best to be reassuring, or just light. He lifted his brows and thumbed his chin with pointed thoughtfulness, putting on his best lecturing voice as if walking through a problem and the most likely solutions.
“Well, let’s see. He's … in your house. Do you want him in your house? Because I was a little worried that you didn’t.”
“Oh! Very much,” Toshi assured him with a startled laugh, waving his remaining free hand. “Yes, we … he stays here sometimes.”
The look on his friend’s face was a peculiar combination of terrified yearning and embarrassment, as if he both relished it and wanted more in the same breath. Incredible. Dave couldn’t hide his grin anymore. It was hurting his cheeks.
Who ever thought he would see the Symbol of Peace squirming in his seat with a crush?
“Are there any specific rooms you want him in?” he said as evenly as he could, trying not to snicker. Toshinori’s flustered smile fell away, brow knitting as he tried to parse the joke beyond its literal translation, then barked a laugh. The laugh tumbled into a cough and he reached off-screen for something.
“Dave!” he scolded over the wad of his handkerchief, eyes twinkling again. Dave shrugged grandly, spinning around in his chair.
“I'm just saying, I hope one of them is the bedroom.”
He watched with glee as Toshinori turned red and sputtered, shocked he would press the joke beyond subtext -- because Americans, right? He waved his hand placatingly, knowing how little teasing Toshinori could actually take, as he leaned forward and finished:
“Because you both look like you could use the sleep after everything that's happened. That's all.”
“Agreed,” Toshinori chuckled faintly when he recovered, giving a small, firm nod.
For a second, the two old friends seemed content to just beam at each other across their devices, appreciating a connection long overdue and much obstructed, but soon Toshinori’s gaze fell. As Dave watched, his expressive face wilted into something oddly vulnerable, or just distracted, and just when Dave was going to ask him what was wrong, the freshly retired hero took a deep, slow breath.
“I’ve never done this before,” he confessed, face downturned. His long fingers picked at the bandages wrapped around his forehead, brow furrowed.
Dave frowned, mirroring him. Was Toshi saying he had never “done” relationships before? Or maybe just normal life -- everything that was possible now that he’d lost what made him All Might. But then, while accurate, Dave knew that was the farthest from the truth.
“And if there’s anyone I know who can tackle something on the first try, it’s you,” he said reassuringly, but Toshi just shook his head and snorted softly, hand rising to self-consciously shade his eyes and their surreal glow; the cave of his cheeks and the exhaustion written in every line of his face. Feeling the physical distance between them like an ache under his ribs, Dave wanted little more than to reach out and put his hands on Toshinori’s terribly thin shoulders and squeeze.
“Hey, buddy. Toshi.”
When he looked up, Dave gave his best impression of the good old All Might smile.
“You’re doing great. It might be new, but this isn’t something you have to worry about winning. There’s nothing to defeat here. I'm happy for you and I want to meet him. You deserve it,” he said, feeling his throat tighten spectacularly as he said it. It was everything he meant and blindly, foolishly fought for that night at the gala, condensed into four words.
“You deserve everything, Toshi.”
When Toshinori just looked at him, shadowed eyes shining with the hope that such a simple thing might be true, all the affection Dave ever felt rushed him again. He felt doubly grateful to have survived his own ego and stupidity to see his best friend’s face again, much less smiling like this. No shining teeth, no promise, no performance. Just happiness.
He was allowed, after all these years. After all those fights, all that loss, Toshinori was allowed to just exist and feel loved, even if his new boyfriend was factually terrifying and Dave was definitely going to pull any and all records belonging to “Shouta Aizawa AKA Eraserhead” the moment they hung up. Just to be sure.
It was a best friend thing. Like best man, but with hacking into the Japanese crime database. Easy.
“Thank you, my friend. I miss you. We still have so much to talk about. I didn't really get to ... see you, on the island, for obvious reasons,” Toshinori said with a grimace, then beamed into the camera. The screen jolted and he flashed a thumbs-up. “I have to go and make breakfast now before Shouta escapes my good intentions, but could we try again soon?”
“Definitely.” Dave gave him a mock salute, pausing only briefly before calling back to what he always said before cutting their radio: “All right, All Might. Shield out.”
Toshinori’s grin lit up the whole room, so bright Dave distantly worried about one of the pixels blowing on his tablet screen. Fantastic. His heart squeezed gratefully.
“Safe travels and best of luck, my friend,” Toshinori said, soft and happy. He raised his brows. “Save the world for me, will you?”
“For you? I’ll do my best.”
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quesadellaarts · 4 years
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November Polished Gamers Box: Retro Games!
[Everything in this informational review was given to me as a press sample free of charge.]
When I heard that November’s Polished Gamers Box was going to be based on Retro games, I knew for a fact I needed to get on that bandwagon, because my favorite games are definitely considered retro. I’ve been playing video games since my dad showed me the Atari 2600 in the late 80s (yes, I am that old) and the first game I actually remember playing is Zelda 2: the Adventures of Link on my uncle’s OG NES. To this day, my favorite game series is LucasArts’ Monkey Island point-and-click adventure games. So as you can tell, I needed to get in on this, and let me tell you - so do you.
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Below I’ll give you all the deets for every single product you can get this month, plus what the box is all about, dotted with some various reviews and comments from yours truly, moi. And don’t get overwhelmed by the length of this post - I’ll be featuring each item in it’s own post as well so it’s easier to handle!
If you’d like to see more of some of the products, these other awesome bloggers and swatchers have their own pics to share!
FatCat Pawlished: https://www.youtube.com/user/thepersonalgoddess
Smashlee1: https://www.instagram.com/smashlee1 & https://nerdlifenails.com
Southern_Swatches: https://www.instagram.com/southern_swatches
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What is the Polished Gamers Box?
The Polished Gamers Box is a game themed box featuring several makers each month. Each box will have a gaming related theme and feature different types of indie products that include nail polish, nail care, body care, wax, and other handmade items.
What if I don’t want to order everything in the box?
That’s the beauty of the Polished Gamers Box! You can pick and choose what you want to order. No minimums or maximums, just order what items you want!
When can I get the box?
The box will launch on the 15th of every month and will be available for preorder for a five day period.
Preorders will open at 12:00PM MST / 1:00PM CST / 2:00 EST
The turn around time will be approximately 2-3 weeks after the box preorder ends on the 20th of each month.
Where do I go to order the box?
polishedgamersbox.com
Is there a support email if I have questions about my order?
Yes! Feel free to email [email protected] if you have questions about your order or the box!
Is there Polished Gamers social media I can follow?
There is!
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2020189871644665/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polishedgamers/
How much is shipping for the box?
Domestic: $4 flat rate shipping
International: At cost shipping (Estimates: Canada $10, Europe $15-$20)
If you do make multiple purchases, shipping overages can/will be refunded if the multiple purchases are made using the same name
Are there caps on items?
Each maker will set caps for their items and things can sell out! Caps are all listed in this blog post.
What is the price of the box?
Each maker will set the price of their items. Prices will change from box to box and all prices are listed below in this blog post.
Will there be a “buy all” button?
For this box it is looking like there will not be a buy all option but it is a possibility in the future!
And with that out of the way, let’s get this show on the road!
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Alter Ego “Flippin Fun”
Price: $10, no cap
Inspiration: Pinball Machine
Product Description: 4 different particle size holo
Ingredients: Butyl acetate,Ethyl acetate,Nitrocellulose,Adipic acid/neopentyl gycol/trimellitic anhydride copolymer,Acetal tributyl citrate,Isopropyl alcohol,Stearalkronium bentonite,Acrylates copolymer,Styrene/acrylates copolymer,Silica,Benzopehone-1,Trimiethylpentanediyl dibenzoate, may also contain pigments, micas and/or glitters. One bottle weighs 1.85 oz
Shop: https://wisconsinsoap.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AlterEgoBodyCareProducts/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlterEgoBodyCare/
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/alteregobodycareproducts/
Other Social Media: https://www.pinterest.com/repsak/alter-ego-body-care-products/
My Thoughts...
I am a huge fan of pinball games so I was really excited to see them get chosen as an inspiration, and this does not disappoint. I am super impressed with this formula - 4 different particle sizes of holo might sound like a recipe for a thicc boi, but this baby was smooth as silver and surprisingly opaque! Shown here is 2 coats and Seche Vite top coat. On my pinky and ring finger I have on black undies as well, but you really don’t need undies with this sort of coverage!  A single coat is beautiful on it’s own also… and it can double as a topper! This baby is so versatile!
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Atomic Polish “Marooned On Mars”
Price: $11, no cap
Inspiration: Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons on DOS. My gateway to the gaming world.
Product Description: Black jelly base with pink to purple and holographic flakes.
Ingredients: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid, Isopropyl Alcohol, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Silica, N-Butyl Alcohol, Benzophenone-3, Violet #2, Carbon Black, D&C Black #2, Holographic Flakes
Shop: www.atomicpolish.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/atomicpolish
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/atomicpolishmn
My thoughts...
Oh. My. Gosh. You don’t understand how much nerding out I did when I discovered that Atomic Polish had chosen Commander Keen as her inspiration. It’s not exactly the most well known of series, and being old enough to have been on DOS makes it basically ancient, so it’s hard to find anyone who would even recognize the name, let alone have played it. Yes, I’m totally dating myself here. Anyway, the polish is what we are here for. “Marooned on Mars” is a black jelly that looks like it would be pretty sheer at first, but I got great coverage and full opacity with only 2 coats! And you know I absolutely love anything with flakies in it, so this immediately got a gold star sticker from me.
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Colores de Carol “Lone Starfighter”
Price: $11, no cap
Inspiration: Galaga
Product Description: A black jelly base with holo rainbow glitters, shifting rainbow micro shreds, iridescent glitter. 
Base Ingredients: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Silica, N-Butyl Alcohol, Benzophenone-1, Trimethylpentanediyl Dibenzoate. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxides, Chromium Oxide Green, Ultramarines, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Aluminum, Synthetic Mica, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorophylogopite, D&C Lakes (Black 2, Orange 5, Red 6, Red 7, Red 28, Red 30, Red 34, Violet 2, Yellow 10), FD&C Lakes (Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5), Mica, Spectraflair, Glitter,Cosmetic Grade Pigments. All Colores de Carol lacquers are Cruelty Free and 5-free.
Shop: www.coloresdecarol.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/coloresdecarol
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/coloresdecarolandfriends
Instagram Page: instagram.com/coloresdecarol
My thoughts...
Galaga is probably the most played retro game in my household besides Super Mario, so I got pretty stoked when Colores de Carol chose it for her inspiration. “Lone Starfighter” is an impressive black jelly that is loaded with all sorts of glitters of varying shapes and sizes in a rainbow of colors. It looks just as packed with glitters as the screen full of enemies gets in-game! This gorgeous chunky baby has no problems applying and glitters more than my pictures could capture. 2 coats and a layer of Seche Vite are shown here.
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Color Spectrum Polish “Tetris Top Out”
Price: $10, 40 cap
Inspiration: Tetris
Product Description: Blue jelly base with red, green, blue & orange holo squares and holo glitter
Ingredients: Butyl Acetate,Ethyl Acetate,Nitrocellulose,Acetyl Tributyl Citrate,Isobutyl Acetate,Isopropyl Alcohol,Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer,Silica,Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer,N-Butyl Alcohol,Benzophenone-1,Violet2, mica powder and glitter
Shop: ColorSpectrumPolish.etsy.com 
Facebook Page: Facebook.com/ColorSpectrumPolish
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/colorspectrumpolish/
Instagram Page: Instagram.com/color_spectrum_polish
My thoughts...
It’s impossible to go through life and not have played Tetris at some point. I absolutely love Tetris - it’s one of those nice casual games that I can just pick up anywhere and play for a few minutes - or even a few hours, let’s be honest. Color Spectrum Polish has scored big with her Tetris inspired polish, “Tetris Top Out”, a beautiful blue jelly with square glitters and a lovely sprinkling of holo sparkles! The formula has great coverage, and this is a versatile polish, because you can wear it on it’s own, or even as a topper! I have it on here in 2 coats and top coat, but I tested it over black on a stick and it is lovely that way also. Super smooth and I didn’t have to fish for glitters, which makes it truly amazing!
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Indie By Patty Lopes “Endurance Circuit”
Price: $11, 50 cap
Inspiration: Enduro
Product Description: Grey crelly base with mix glitters and blue metallic flakies
Ingredients: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl, Glycol/Trimellitic, Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Silica, Benzophenone-3, N-Butyl Alcohol, Violet 2 May Contain: Aluminum Powder, Mica, Iron Oxide, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Ultramarines, Red 6, Red 22, Red 30, Red 28, Red 34, Red 7, Orange 5, Yellow 5, Yellow 11, Yellow 6, Yellow 10, Blue 1, Black 2, Violet 2 Ext, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorophylogopite, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyurethane 33, Silver, Chromium, Magnesium Fluoride, Bismuth Oxychloride.
Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IndiebyPattyLopes
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/indiepolishbypattylopes/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/977488842417645/
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/indiebypattylopes/
My thoughts...
I like to pride myself on the retro games I’m familiar with, but while I’ve heard of Enduro, I have to say I don’t recall ever playing it! Luckily it isn’t a requirement to enjoy a polish, especially a crelly as nice as “Endurance Circuit”! I love the mix of flakies and glitters, and crellies immediately go on my “yes please” list. This grey baby is loaded with a nice mix of primary colored glitters, silver microflakies, and blue metallic flakies. It was opaque in 2 coats for me, but I did thick coats as it is a little thin, so I would recommend 3 thin coats probably instead.
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Moon Shine Mani “Mario Circuit”
Price: $12, no cap
Inspiration: Super Mario Kart
Product Description: Asphalt gray crelly filled with red, white, green, and black matte glitters and red to green aurora shimmer
Ingredients: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic, Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Silica, Benzophenone-3, N-Butyl Alcohol, Violet 2 May Contain: Aluminum Powder, Mica, Iron Oxide, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Ultramarines, Red 6, Red 22, Red 30, Red 28, Red 34 , Red 7, Orange 5, Yellow 5, Yellow 11, Yellow 6, Yellow 10, Blue 1, Black 2, Violet 2 Ext , Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorophylogopite, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyurethane 33, Silver, Chromium, Magnesium Fluoride, Bismuth Oxychloride
Shop: https://moonshinemani.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112267552783942/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112267552783942/
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/moonshinemani/
My thoughts...
Ah, the game that tests so many friendships. No, I’m not talking about Monopoly, I’m talking Super Mario Kart! Crellies are a weakness of mine, and I love this one! And look at that aurora shimmer - I could just stare at it all day. Shown in 2 coats and top coat. I have to say, this is formula is a tad on the thick side, but it isn’t hard to work with, and her brushes are so, so dreamy!
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Red Eyed Lacquer “Adventures of Captain Comic”
Price: $11, no cap
Inspiration: Captain Comic
Product Description: A black jelly packed with different micro flakies, UCC flakies, crystal flakies, color changing flakies and iridescent shreds.
Ingredients: Base ingredients: Nitrocelluose, Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Propyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, n-Butyl Alcohol, Triphenyl Phosphate. Other possible ingredients: Mica, Glitters and Flakies, Liquid Colorants.
Shop: www.redeyedlacquer.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/redeyedlacquer
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/286619188617235/
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/redeyedlacquer
My thoughts...
Another game I had never heard of before now, Red Eyed Lacquer chose The Adventures of Captain Comic as her inspiration, and it is a stunner! Definitely a sheer one, this black jelly can be used on it’s own or as a topper. I would call it a tint, since Ashlee (@Smashlee1/@NerdLifeNails) did 3 coats and you can still see the nail line. I actually love the way this sheer color looks, and it actually looks very nice with my skintone, in my opinion. I used 2 coats and Seche Vite top coat and I love it! Meanwhile, @southern_swatches got full coverage in 4 thin coats, so go check out her swatches to see how awesome this polish can look at full opacity!
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Sassy Cats Lacquer “Yoshi’s Island”
Price: $11, no cap
Inspiration: super mario world 2 yoshis Island
Product Description: blue to clear thermal with ucc flakes and blue shimmer
Ingredients: five free base, mica, flakies
Shop: sassycatslacquer.com
Facebook Page: Facebook.com/sassycatslacquer
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sassycatslacquer/
Instagram Page: Instagram.com/sassycatslacquer
My thoughts...
Weird fact: I can do the Yoshi voice. Yes, that is kind of relevant to our next topic - Sassy Cats Lacquer has done a beautiful thermal polish based on Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island! I really like this polish, the application was flawless and I didn’t have to fish for flakies. FLAKIES! Of course, this is a winner immediately for me, just for the flakies alone. But then the color change! Oh, it’s lovely. Blue to white/clear, nicely reactive to my body heat. Now, I run cool in my fingertips, so I got really excited every time my tips got warm enough for it to change. It looks especially cool when I have hot coffee in my hand - so you get a typically backwards transition! The white tips looked awesome. 2 coats shown here with Seche Vite.
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Treo Lacquer “Ms. Pac-Man”
Price: $11, 50 cap
Inspiration: When I was a little girl my Dad would prop me up on his knee so I could play the Ms. Pac-Man arcade in the mall. This polish is inspired by the Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet and those fond memories.
Product Description: A bright pink jelly filled with contrasting sunshine yellow dots and mini hot pink flakies that flash violet
Ingredients: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Isopropyl Alcohol, N-Butyl Alcohol, Isobutyl Acetate, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Silica, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Benzophenone-1, D&C Violet #2
± Aluminum Powder (CI 77000), Calcium, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Carmine (CI 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Chromium Oxide Green (CI 77288), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Glitter, Iron Oxides (CI 77489, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Magnesium Fluoride, Mica (CI 77019), Polyester-3, Red 40 Lake (CI 15850), Silicon Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite (CI 77019), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Ultramarines (CI 77007).
Shop: treo-lacquer-cosmetics.square.site
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/treolacquer
Instagram Page:https://www.instagram.com/treolacquer
My thoughts...
“Ms. Pac-Man” is yet another classic favorite in my house, and I love what Treo Lacquer has done with the inspiration! I have to admit I fished a little bit for the yellow glitters, just to show a few extra ones on the nail, but you’ll have zero issues with it. This is a lightly pigmented hot pink that is packed with matching glitters and flakies, and those yellow Ms. Pac-Man glitters pop! Could probably be used as a topper as well, but I gotta admit I didn’t try it. I Love the formula on this one, so nice and smooth, easy to work with. 2 coats and top coat shown.
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Venus Lacquers “Ready for a crazy ride?”
Price: $10, 30 cap
Inspiration: Crazy Taxi
Product Description: A shimmery yellow base with a red shift, red holographic micro glitter and black hexes. 
Ingredients: Butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose , acetyl tributyl citrate, isobutyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, glitter, mica
Shop: Www.etsy.com/shop/VenusLacquers
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Venus-Lacquers-234751027272683/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Venuslacquersfanpage/
Instagram Page: Www.instagram.com/venuslacquers
My thoughts...
Did anyone else only play Crazy Taxi for the awesome Offspring soundtrack? No? Just me? I sucked pretty hardcore at it, but I abused my poor Dreamcast with it anyway. Venus Lacquers has brought us “Ready For A Crazy Ride?” and I gotta say… yes. Yes I am. I love the contrast of the black against the yellow base color here, and the microglitters work out really nice with the whole composition. I didn’t have any issues applying, in fact I really love the formula, but I suggest shaking quite a bit to disperse the black glitters because they like to sink.
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And now for the non-polish items you can grab for yourself - or others - in this awesome box this month!
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3Cheers4Ears - Blinky Ghost Phone Grip
Price: $20, 30 piece cap
Inspired by Pac-Man
Shop: www.3cheers4ears.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/3Cheers4Ears
Instagram Page: instagram.com/3cheers4ears
My thoughts...
Everyone loves the ghosts from Pac-Man, right? Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde are the best! So of course you want them for your phone, right? Who wouldn’t?! This awesome phone grip is being brought to you by @3cheers4ears - make sure you move fast as Pac-Man with a bonus dot so you can gobble up this ghost before they’re gone! I am completely in love with mine, so move quick!
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All Mixed Up Lacquers - Pac-Man Vinyl Sticker
Price: $7, 30 cap
Inspiration: Pac-Man Game
Product Description: Fun custom sticker with colorful ghosts and bits of holographic vinyl for sparkle. This vinyl sticker can be applied to walls, computers, vehicles, or anywhere you want. 5" (H) x 5" (L)  
Shop: www.allmixeduplacquers.com 
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AllMixedUpLacquers
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1526046117405825/
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/all_mixed_up_lacquers
My thoughts...
As you can see, I haven’t been able to bring myself to actually apply this awesome Pac-Man vinyl sticker to anything… because I have anxiety about that sort of thing. But I am in love with it! All Mixed Up Lacquers has knocked it out of the park with this super cute sticker that you can apply anywhere your little ghost and cherry munching heart desires!
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Bohemian Polish - “Donkey’s Punch” scented wax
Price: $4, no cap
Inspiration: Donkey Kong Country on SNES
Product Description: Have you ever wondered what Donkey Kong did with all of the bananas he took back from King K. Rool? We here at Bohemian HQ have a theory - we call it Donkey's Punch. It's a potent banana daiquiri blend, designed to knock you off your feet! (Must be of legal age to consume, keep out of reach of Diddy and Dixie Kong.)
Ingredients: Parasoy Wax Blend, Fragrance
Shop: www.bohemianpolish.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/bohemianpolish
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/bohemianbabes
Instagram Page: instagram.com/bohemian_polish
My thoughts...
Donkey Kong Country was one of my favorite SNES games as a kid, no matter how horrible I was at it. And all those bananas had to go somewhere, so they got turned into this dreamy banana scented wax from Bohemian Polish! This wax melts quickly and the fragrance is lovely - you definitely get the banana, but I personally also get notes of baby powder and fabric softener, and I am absolutely in love. I will definitely be using it again in the very near future. ...Can I get some of this scent as a perfume please?
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Chirality - “Mega Vitamin Bonus” Tonal Shift acetone additive 
Price: $4,100 cap
Inspiration: Mega Vitamin Bonus from Rampage
Product Description: A moisturizing additive for acetone to make nail polish removal less harsh on your skin and nails. Formulated with the same skin loving oils as Soften Your Tips Nourishing Cuticle Oil, Tonal Shift will add a moisturizing touch during polish removal. Just shake the bottle of Tonal Shift to ensure all the nourishing oils are mixed. Pour the entire bottle into 6-8 ounces of acetone. Then swirl the acetone bottle to mix.  15mL bottle
Scented in an exclusive scent blend inspired by the Mega Vitamin Bonus in Rampage. Mega Vitamin Bonus is a fruity and floral mix with notes of peaches and raspberries sitting on top of green apples with a kick of extra sweetness.
Ingredients: Glycerine, Water, Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil Rice Bran Oil, Avocado Oil, Vitamin E, Polysorbate 80. May contain fragrance. 
Shop: www.chiralitypolish.com
Facebook Page: Facebook.com/chiralitypolish
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Chiralitypolishcollectors/
Instagram Page: instagram.com/chiralitynailpolish
My thoughts...
Rampage is one of the most recognizable games of the 80s and is the inspiration behind Chirality Polish’s Mega Vitamin Bonus scented Tonal Shift acetone additive. This smells sweetly of a fruit cocktail, ranging from apples to berries and a hint of floral notes. Where it really shines is when you add it to acetone - the oils and nutrients added make it less harsh for your nails and skin without diluting the power of your acetone! I recommend it, especially if you’re prone to harsh drying out when using acetone.
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Crystal Knockout - “Load The Wagon” Earrings
Price: $8, 20 cap
Inspiration: Oregon Trail
Product Description: Silver plated wagon charms on lobster hooks, nickel free and hypoallergenic. About 1 inch in length.
Ingredients: Silver plated, copper core charms. Stainless steel hooks.
Shop: www.crystalknockout.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/crystalknockout
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/CrystalKnockoutCuties
Instagram Page: instagram.com/crystalknockout
My thoughts...
You have died of dysentery! Ah, I believe everyone is familiar with that, even if they have never played the classic Oregon Trail. Remember when graphics were nothing but ugly green lines on a black screen? Good times. Crystal Knockout has brought us back to the wagon circle with these “Load The Wagon” earrings. They hand nicely from my ears, not heavy at all, and they’re hypoallergenic so they’re safe for most metal sensitivities.
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Fangirl Polish - “Wood and Water Rage” Magnet
Price: $6, 20 cap
Inspiration: T&C Surf Designs Wood & Water Rage
Product Description: Grab your skateboard, surfboard, Ray-Bans, and slather on the sunscreen so you can surf all day and rage all night with the Da’ Boys. Thrilla Gorilla, Joe Cool, and Tiki Man are catching a wave and thrashing the pavement on this magnet featuring the cover art from the 1988 NES game, “Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage”, with a few added epic tweaks. Size: approx 2.25” (H) x 1.625” (W). Resin coated and a small, but mighty, neodymium magnet on the back.
Ingredients: plastic, resin, neodymium magnet 
Shop: fangirlpolish.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/FangirlPolish/
Instagram Page: instagram.com/fangirlpolish
My thoughts...
I have a bad track record when it comes to retro games, I realize this now. I have never heard of this game! I am ashamed! But it makes for one kickass magnet! Fangirl Polsih brings you an awesome resin magnet based on T&C Surf Designs Wood & Water Rage. The magnet is small but mighty, and it looks pretty dang awesome next to my other stuff on my fridge.
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Geekish Glitter Lacquer - “The Vampire Killer” Sugar Scrub Soap
Price: $6, 20 cap
Inspiration: Castlevania
Product Description: Don't venture into Dracula's territory unprepared, Belmont! This is a thick whipped sugar scrub soap scented in a blend of tart and juicy goji berry mixed with deep blood orange that will have you ready for Castlevania!
Ingredients: Glycerin, Aqua, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sorbitol, Granulated White Sugar, Apricot Kernel Oil, Soap Colorant, Skin Safe Fragrance
Shop: geekishglitterlacquer.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/geekishglitterlacquer
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/geekishglitterlacquergeeks
Instagram Page: instagram.com/geekishglitterlacquer
My thoughts...
Castlevania was always too hard for me to get into as a kid, so I have to admit my knowledge of the fandom is limited to the recent anime series. But don’t let that deter you from this amazing sugar scrub! Geekish Glitter Lacquer has made a luscious scrub, “The Vampire Killer” that smells of blood orange and goji berry. This blend is amazing, because my hands usually look like the Crypt Keeper in the Sahara, and after using this, my skin is super soft and not that bad looking. So if you’re dry and in need of some exfoliating scrub after all that vampire slaying, look no further!
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Jewelry By RPF - GITD Lime Green Necklace or Necklace and Earring Set
Price: $12.99 (necklace only, 20 cap), $19.99 (necklace & earrings, 20 cap)
Inspiration: Centipede
Product Description: The necklace is a green glow in the dark pendant using a neon lime green with OG UP and UCC flakies that shift red, pink, gold and green. A gunmetal silver tone pendant base with a hand painted glass cabochon (each one will look a little different due to the hand painting aspect). It comes with an 18" dark silver tone metal rolo link chain necklace with a lobster claw clasp. The pendant is about 1" x 1" not including a 1/4" bale. 
Also available is a necklace and earring set. You'll get the same necklace. The earrings also glow in the dark and use all the same polishes with a 12mm hand painted glass cabochon. They are set in a darker gunmetal color and they come with a push back ear plug in the same gunmetal color. They are about 1/2" long x 1/2" wide.
Ingredients: Zinc alloy metal (necklace). Stainless iron (earrings). Lead and nickel free.
Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelryByRPF
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JewelrybyRPF/
Instagram Page:https://www.instagram.com/jewelrybyrpf/
My thoughts...
Confession time: I got excited for Centipede being chosen as an inspiration not for the actual game (although it is an awesome game let me tell you) but because I have the Centipede boardgame and could use it as a prop for these photos. I KNOW. I’m just as ashamed of me as you are. Jewelry By RPF has made an absolutely gorgeous set of jewelry that glows in the dark on top of being so loaded with beautiful shifting flakies. SO EXTRA. I am in love with this, and you will be too. Just make sure you move fast - this Centipede may not be trying to kill you, but it is definitely going to sell quick!
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Maker: K.N.I. Beauty & Bath - “Slice of Life” Pizza scented Atmos Cuticle Butter
Price: $8, 25 cap
Inspiration: TMNT - The Arcade Game - NES
Product Description: Cowabunga, Dudes! 🤙🏼K.N.I. Beauty & Bath was inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Forget about being "out of the box", when we can take you on a yummy adventure with what's inside... a pizza box, that is! We are contributing our fan favorite ATMOS Cuticle Butter in the 2 oz jar size scented in none other than delicious pizza!
Ingredients: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Cocos Nucifera, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Helianthus Anuus (Sunflower) Oil, Olea Europa, Zinc Oxide, Fragrance, May contain Mica.
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My thoughts... 
Okay, so everyone has their own favorite turtle, right? You know who I’m talking about. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! My favorite as a kid was always Michelangelo, but I gotta admit, as an adult I sort of love Donatello. Anyone else play pretend as a kid also? I always played as April O’Neil and my friend was always Raphael. Yes, he was a boy, and yes my grandma probably shipped us. ...I’ve lost my train of thought.
PIZZA! One thing that goes with the Turtles no matter what incarnation is definitely their love of pizza, and that is the inspiration for KNI Beauty And Bath’s scented ATMOS Cuticle Butter. I was skeptical at first, but this really works. It is definitely a tomato and italian seasoning scent, but with a very heavy sweet overlay. Think of very sweet marinara sauce, like a dessert pizza! The consistency is very nice, at first I thought it was a bit waxy but working it into your skin is is an amazing moisture locking barrier that protects your skin and ohhh I just can’t enough with the praise.
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peacefulwriter88 · 5 years
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One That Got Away- Chapter 5
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Chapter 5: It's a Man’s Man’s World
Universe: Marvel Canon
Rating: M for Mature (Language, Sexual tones eventual)
Previous Chapter 
I don’t realize I’ve stolen Steve Rogers jacket until Sunday morning. Its not intentional, not even an afterthought for me. Saturdays are busy in the fall in the my world. There’s college football and the NFL and the World Series and tennis and while my specialty was primarily football and basketball, it was natural for me to follow other things for the blog I ran on the side. Because whether men liked that I was a black women giving them tips on sports, they couldn’t deny that I knew my shit. And I only knew my shit because I spent too  much of my free time trending things and doing too much research. I never saw Ellie, she came in late Saturday morning…the sun barely rising while I slept. She was nestled in her room when I ran out and I had spent the day in my office, making use of the leftover lunch from the luncheon the day before and watching all the games on big screens while taking notes on my laptop. By the time I got home, Ellie was still perched in her room and I happily trailed into my own, shutting the door and stripping myself of clothes before falling asleep.
When I wake up the next morning, its from a group text between Ellie and Nel:
N: Bitches. It's been 24 hours since we’ve all been dicked down by an Avenger. Da fuck why haven’t we shared the juicy deets yet?
E: Nel! You don’t expose that stuff over text. Someone can hack it and use it against them
N: Or us
E: Or us!
E: ……but you and Aria might have been the only ones get that Avengers D….
N: Don’t tell me you didn’t get to experience bucky’s winter soldier?
N: What he freeze up on you? :D
E: Hey! No! We just talked! He was a gentleman
N: Not the way he was giving you the eye
E: It wasn’t like that
N: I saw what I saw and what I saw were fuck me eyes. Do you not agree A?
E: Aria! Tell him Bucky isn’t like that
N: You wanna tell me that Steve wasn’t giving A the full dick down with those baby blues of his. Because he was. All night long….
E: Aria! Say something
N: She probably worked all day yesterday after the dick down and is resting.
N: So I propose brunch at 11 at Lulu’s.
N: you in?
E:….ooooo lulu’s! Yep!
N: Perfect. Wake up her highness and I’ll see you bitches in an hour
E: Don’t tell me what to do with my life!
E: ….. see you in a hour ha ha
I laugh, shaking my head. Nel was the fucking worse in the best way. And then it clicks in my head.
“Sam’s gay!?”
I don’t mean to say it out loud the thought that shakes me. Sure there was some mild level bi vibes I got from him but hell I just mistook it as his ability to be strongly empathetic. He worked with veterans.
I didn’t think he was full on gay. I wouldn’t have walked him into Nels arms if I did. Nel was great but the worst kind of heartbreaker.
“Ariadne!”
Ellie’s voice fills the house and I can hear her door squeal open, shut close. She's in my room in two seconds, a spaghetti strap and shorts that mirror my own and she jumps on my queen size bed and squeals,
“Did you fuck Steve Rogers!!??? Please, please, please say you did!”
“Sam’s gay?” I counter back and she falls back on her haunches, looking at me skeptically,
“Yes, that’s old news. I thought you knew that. I thought that’s why you invited the boys to the bar. So Nel had sam, I would have Bucky to leave you to Steve all for yourself…”
I blink my eyes, sitting up and shaking my head,
“Pure, innocent coincidence. I just wanted wing friends.”
She looks at me and laughs,
“What did you think I meant when I said Sam was more Nel’s type.”
“I don’t know.” I shrug and she nods, before looking around my room.
“I know that bomber jacket,” she nods to the blue jacket resting on the back of my desk chair. I look at it, sigh, and throw my head on the back of my headboard. “it belongs to a certain blue eyed soldier. So you did invite him in.”
I can't help the smile that erupts over my face but I shake my head,
“E, do you think that if I honestly fucked Steve Rogers I’d be able to walk to work the next day? Really?”
She thinks about it, furrowing her eyes together then sighs,
“Probably not. All that super serum dick….you’d need at least a day of rest.”
“Exactly. He walked me home.”
She furrow’s her eyebrows together.
“You telling me Nel is the one who walked away with a good dicking down out of the three of us?”
I shrug.
“Looks like.”
“Mother fucker.” She says and I giggle as I lean into her.
“Whatever Ms. ‘ I have Bucky wrapped around my little finger’! I want to hear more about that…”
Ellie is the kind of girl that loves to share details with the people she loved and I was always the first she would spill too. Unless it was something she was unsure about - something she had to feel out herself.
Then she’d keep that shit so close to her heart and it’d be up to me to pry it open with crowbar if necessary.
“Hmmmmm….let's get ready for brunch. Its nearly ten and it's going to take thirty minutes to get down to the island.”
She was stalling, typical Elli style,
“I'm going to get it out of you.” I say and she rolls her eyes, smiling as she moves off my bed.
“Whatever you say Ariadne.”
“The gods blessed the earth when they created the man that is Sam Wilson.”
The café is packed and were smooshed in a corner because New York decided to dip to the low forties and the idea of waiting outside for an hour felt like hell.
Nel is being not tactful at all, speaking loudly as he obnoxiously sips his coffee. Despite the scarf he wears, his neck is littered in dark blue and pepper bruises, a gift I’m sure from Sam.
“You are being ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.” I say, looking up from my phone and he leans down, pushing even closer to me and Ellie.
“I might be ridiculous but I just had the best goddamn 24 hours of my life. So shoot me for wanting the world to know how happy a certain Avenger made me.”
I roll my eyes as I sit up more against the small booth I’m sharing with Ellie. It was pure luck that just when Nel was putting our names in, a couple had gotten up and Ellie and I had rushed to grab the seat. We’d alternate standing with Nel and sitting comfortably – Lucy’s was always packed and having to stand an hour in even fall chilly temperatures made my knees sore.
“This is the happiest I have ever seen you.” Ellie notes from the comfortable place on my shoulder. The tendrils of her hair tickling my exposed neck, and her body warmth was a nice contrast to the cool air that kept creeping into the enclosed space.
“Because I am my happiest,” Nel bats his eye lashes before looking down at Ellie, “So baby doll are you going to lay down some truth about you and Mr. Metal Arm or am I going to have to pull it out of you.”
Ellie narrows her eyes at him before directing her gaze elsewhere.
“Don’t call him that…” she finally says softly and Nel wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“Oh, why? Did Mr. Barnes fuck you so good you’ve forgotten what it's like to laugh outside of your post orgasmic state?”
I can’t help but chuckle as she tries to swat him with her short legs, easily missing Nel who barely moves from the action.
“Stop it Nel! It's not like that with me and him.” her voice is light and I can tell she’s pouting without having to look at her as Nel asks,
“Then what’s it like?”
“It's….different.”
“How is it different?” he presses and she sighs, resting her chin on my shoulders and batting her eyes.
“Make him stop.” She whines and I laugh, nudging her forehead with my own before saying,
“What makes you think he’ll listen to me?”
“He always listens to you.” she pouts and I shrug,
“Well…..maybe I’m curious to hear more about your night with Bucky. You both were exuding some mad vibes the minute he sat down next to you.”
She furrows her eyes together, pouting.
“You’re terrible, you know that, strategically placing yourself in the middle so we were forced to be all close with them and keeping yourself out of arm's reach from Steve. Speaking of, what did happen with you and Steve? I’m not forgetting that his jacket is still lying on your chair, speaking of.”
I roll my eyes as Nel leans down, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
“Reallly? That’s an interesting unfolding of events.”
“Oh my god the both of you. Nothing happened. Really. Steve lectured me on taking the subway home alone, like you both do and then walked me home.”
I lean back in the booth, allowing the cold air from the window to counter the blood rising to my cheeks.
“And then…” Nel asks and I sigh, looking down at Ellie.
“You have to give us all the juicy details on Bucky if I go any further.”
“Oh I will!” my body shakes from the enthusiastic way she bobs her head up and down and I sigh as I close my eyes.
“It's nothing really. He walked me up the stairs, I kissed him good night on the cheek. Then he asked me for my number and I gave it to him and he hasn’t called me sense.”
I didn’t want to go into any further detail….I was feeling insecure about it. Normally I wouldn’t care too much about sharing my number with a boy and not hearing back from him but I thought by now I’d have heard something. On the way over, Ellie had been nose deep in her phone, smiling to herself as she texted who I could only assume was Bucky. Nel had spent the weekend with Sam and I was left pining over someone who probably didn’t like me like that.
What a mess.
“It's only been like a little over 24 hours….” Ellie can already sense me falling into myself, how I was placing up walls. For as flirty and outgoing that I could be, I didn’t like the way Steve Grant Rogers made me feel. I was unsure, always second guessing myself. He broke down a lot of fucking walls I’ve spent years mastering putting up.
But in a sick, tormented way I liked it?
“Not to mention its Captain America. He’s like one of the most important Avengers….the big guy. He’s probably just busy saving the world.”
Nel’s voice is light but it verges on the edge of danger, knowing that my mind was already decided as he flickers his eyes over to Ellie.
He hoped for all their sake he was right.
By Tuesday I’m a fucking monster. Between hearing how Ellie had a date with Bucky that night, I wake up in a mean mood, fuming past Ellie in our small shared bathroom and bitching loudly about anything that annoys me. She ignores me, dutiful friend that she is, allowing me to bitch about how cold the water is, sigh exaggeratedly when my charcoal eyeliner breaks against my eye. She’s known me long enough to know how to navigate past a bad mood and her guilt filled irises just fuel my anger.
Stupid fucking Captain America.
Everyone I encounter from my trek to my work is a victim to raging eyes that silently read “go fuck yourself in a dark corner and die”. I nearly lose my shit when a guy spills my $2 coffee on my silk, white blouse and gives an empathetic eye.
Work is too far away.
And probably not the brightest idea in my current state.
The only women on the floor consist of me, the main secretary and three other journalist. There were graphic designers and other behind the scenes staff that were heavier with a female staff, but the main and consistent writers were only full of five fucking women.
The 21st century hadn’t shifted shit.
Its enough though, women who know when you’re in a bad mood and instead of digging into why have enough social cues to leave you the fuck alone. Tiffany, the secretary offers me a dress she keeps around and that she’d dry clean my shirt on the company dime which only threatens me to cry. Almost.
Instead I say thank you, change into the deep V-neck dress, ignoring the fact that it was most definitely designed as a party dress and throw my blazer over it, hoping that my hair covers enough of my cleavage.
By the time I walk into my first meeting, I’m a little better.
Just a bit.
I have to deal with Tod, a mediocre writer who has strings in the right places checking out my boobs every few minutes. Have to tolerate Jeff, an alright guy with a gift for talent but no social cues from showing me his weekend plans. He had managed to get some woman to date him, awkward ass Jeff – imagine the fuck that – and I pretend to smile and be  amused by his story. Stefanie who is sitting across from me can sense my annoyance and throws me a sympathetic glance. I had already texted her my annoyances with the world omitting the Steve Rogers part and she was sympathetic to my struggles.
I almost make it through my meeting.
Almost.
That’s before my boss speeds up a deadline for two articles I haven’t even been able to start because it’s then I’m giving the task of covering some shit Mediocre Tod couldn’t handle. Fuck his rich daddy and his quiet donations to our company. It was killing me.
I’m on the verge of losing my shit by the time that I walk to my office, tempted between finally giving into my angry, frustrated tears or just destroying my office until I felt satisfied before I  hear my phone ring.
Internal -  great. Probably someone I didn’t want to deal with.
“Whaaaaaattt.” I don’t mean to sound annoyed and clipped but I had so much fucking work to do and on top of it all I forgot to eat breakfast and it was just a little past lunch. I was adding that to my list of annoyances for the day.
“You have a visitor Ms. Bellamy.”
Tiffany’s voice is soft and cracks, it's different. Unlike the young blonde.
“Ok. What do you want me to do about it?”
There’s a pause. Tiffany had worked for my office for a while, so she knew that on bad days my attitude wasn’t anything new. The pause makes me wonder what was up.
“Umm, maybe…come to meet him? Or I can bring him to you?”
“That option. Tell him he has 5 minutes.”
I hang up and sigh, straightening up. My office had a single window, so there was transparency among young journalist and more experienced writers. Though I was in a corner unit and had a nice space that offered privacy if I need to quick change into an outfit and was too lazy to move to bathroom, it also meant that I couldn’t see who was coming toward me. I open my laptop, connecting it to my desktop screen as I begin outline the two different articles I need to complete. Find a good jazz station and take a deep breath.
I could pretend to be pleasant for five minutes
I so caught in breathing exercises I almost miss the light knock on the door.
“Ms. Bellamy,” Tiffany’s voice is soft as I flicker my eyes over to the door. “You’re guest is here with lunch.”
I’m five seconds from cussing out whatever new football player thought it would be cute to waltz himself into my office when my heart stops.
There is no one other than mother fucking Steve Rogers moving into my office.
Steve had a long weekend. The kind where he was out of the country fighting international bad guys for over 72 hours kind of weekend. It was supposed to be a small intel unit – him, Rhodey, Natasha. Quick and sweet and he’d be back in his bed as fast as he got out of it.
Of course it was a fucking trap.
It had worked out, in the end. They got the information that they needed, had a few individuals in custody. There was no major damage done to any cities and best of all, no need to call for backup. It was a lot of people’s weekend off – if there was such a thing for protectors of the world – and he wanted to keep that up. No one in the Tower, himself included, understood boundaries and pushed themselves to hard. Invincible or powerful or sleathy or not, at the core they were all beings and beings had basic needs to survive.
So they rotated and while the burden had been heavier for him – taking too many gun shots that would bruise him underneath his suit and a few fractured ribs, he had come back in one piece Monday morning.
The instant he left the infirmary he had fallen on his bed and didn’t emerge from the deep slumber he was in until Tuesday morning.
Which was why he hadn’t thought about calling you.
He compartmentalized things. It was the only way to survive the type of things he saw, the emotional burden he placed on himself. He created distance and boundaries for himself and his personal life – his personal needs were the last of his areas he paid attention to. It's not until he’s dragging himself into the kitchen, making a pot of coffee that he feels pain against his head.
He turns quickly and isn’t surprised to see Bucky moving past him, shaking his head.
“You fucking idiot.” He mutters to him and Steve frowns, rubbing his head and returning to his coffee.
“What I do now?”
“You didn’t call Ariadne is what.”
Son of a bitch. Steve’s eyes pop over to Bucky who smirks, shaking his head as he leans against the counter.
“You didn’t call her and now she thinks you don’t like her. And is in a mood and that’s making Ellie nervous to meet up for drinks tonight.”
“What does that have to do with Ariadne? She wouldn’t tell her to stay home.”
“True,” Bucky nods. “But Ellie feels terrible her friend is getting ghosted by Captain America so you know, female comradery. Which is fair for their friendship but sucks for the possibility of my relationship. So your idiocy is fucking up my life.”
Steve sighs leaning against the counter.
“I didn’t mean to forget to call her. I just went out on mission and-”
“And don’t have a fucking smart phone or sense to get texting on that prehistoric machine to let her know,” Bucky cuts him off. “C’mon Steve, I know you well enough to know that’s a poor excuse. What do you think she is going to think?”
Steve sighs, returning to the coffee pot.
“I didn’t want to mess this up. I really want to get to know her. I…I…”
“I know,” Bucky finishes, pushing off the counter. “So I did a little favor. Asked Ellie where Ariadne worked. Asked if she would mind sharing the address so  my dear friend Steve could go and make amends with lunch.”
He walks past Steve, placing a piece of paper beside him.
“Figure out your fucking life and stop forcing me to continue to clean up your mess. And stop being such a pussy when it comes to women you like – that’s how you lose all the good ones.”
Bucky shakes his head and Steve can’t help but give a side, grateful smile. Bucky could be a pain in the ass but he knew how to pull through when he really needed it.
It’s a little past 12:30 when he’s walking through the glass doors of ESPN. He opted for burgers and fries from an upscale restaurant Tony had recommended once because you just seemed like the kind of woman who wasn’t insecure enough to eat a good meal in front of him. He had also grabbed a bouquet of flowers for you – white roses laced with a fancy form of purple orchid that made him insecure when he stepped out of the elevator from the looks he was receiving. Maybe they were too fancy, possibly, but he didn’t know what type of flowers you liked – if you were even a flower girl – and really wanted to make up for the delay in responding back to you. The more he thought about it, the shittier it felt to share a special moment with you and go silent for days.
He didn’t mean to “ghost” you as Bucky had kindly put it.
What he didn’t expect when you looked up from your monitor, thick black glasses falling down the bridge of your nose was the overwhelming feeling of lust mixed with relief to fill him. He hadn’t thought he missed you, not really, but seeing you gives him a weird feeling of peace.
There’s that and the ridiculous cut of the blue dress you wear as you look him up and down before sighing and returning your eyes back to the screen.
“Thanks Tiffany. That’ll be all for now.”
He’d forgotten about the young blonde giving him goo-goo eyes and she flickers back from you to him one last time before stepping out the room, closing the door behind her.
“Surprised you even remembered my name to find out where I worked.”
There’s a dryness to your tone, your shoulders are tense as you keep your eyes on your monitor.
Yea – you were definitely pissed.
“I’m an idiot.”
He doesn’t know what else to say as you stop moving your fingers for a second and he takes it as his cue to continue, “I had a mission and…this sounds stupid even saying it out loud but I don’t have text and I didn't think to call and leave a message and I sort of...missions I just am in a different  mind space. I got back in yesterday and slept and didn’t realize that I had been stupid until then so I thought I’d bring you lunch and flowers. And if that’s too much…I’ll leave. You deserve better than what I put you through.”
He sees you sigh, closing your eyes and taking intentional breaths before waving to the chair across from you,
“Sounds fair.”
Its awkward, the first fifteen minutes. You could even give Peggy a run for her money with your ability to not act impressed by the small notions of apology he’s created. But after a few bites into your burger he senses you relaxing, easing into yourself. You don’t pester him about what his mission was like, not like most people who normally are dying to hear about it, instead you ask him what interested him in art. How he was able to refine his skill. In return he asks about how you’ve fallen into journalism, how you ended up at ESPN as a journalist. You speak passionately about your journey, your eyes lighting up and it's only when the both of you are down to your fries that you give a sigh. Not like the one before.
“I really do need to get back to work. I have two deadlines my boss threw at me this morning and no fucking time to get it done.”
You’re voice is full of regret as you lean back in your chair, your eyes hooded as you swivel your chair back and forth. He nods, smiling as he falls back in his own seat, watching you curiously.
“That’s a shame. I was thinking I was finally getting to the part where I redeem myself.”
You smile, amused but you don’t say anything.
Just watch him carefully.
“I’d like to see you again,” he’s careful with his next words, hunching over and staring at the table. “I know…I didn’t set the best track record the first time. Normally I’m a bit better at this…well not dating.. ahh, I don’t really date a lot but you know, getting to know a woman…”
He sounded like the world's biggest idiot. One hundred years old and still tripping over his words.
He flickers his eyes up at you and you’re still watching curiously. He continues,
“But I do learn from my mistakes. And I really….want to get to know you. You are…I like spending time with you. Could I take you out maybe this Friday? Its my weekend off so I promise I won’t be an idiot and accidently blow you off.”
His voice is hopeful as he looks up at you and you give a lazy grin, pushing your chair back to your laptop and resuming your typing,
“Friday’s can be hard. Sometimes I work, sometimes I don’t. They’re games you know, and basketball is starting up and the Yankees by some miracle are in the semi-finals. So I’ll probably be going to that,” he got it. He fucked up. It was nice, his gesture, but it wasn’t enough. He was about to get up and apologize for wasting your time before you nod your head thoughtfully, looking over at him, “I normally drag Ellie to these things but she hates it and only goes for the free seats and free booze. And selfie opportunities. But I have nice box seats for the game this Friday – want to be my plus one?”
He wants to tell you he’d jump off skyscrapers to be your plus one for the next decade of Yankee games. Instead he gives a coy smile and nods,
“Yea – that sounds fun.”
“Great!” You say as you return your eyes back to your screen. “I’ll call you and tell you the details but I’ll probably meet you there. I’ll be working from home that day and typically have to run here before heading to games so it’ll just be easier.”
“Sure, whatever works best for you.” he gets up and hesitates, wondering if he should ask to hug you, or just let himself out. When you don’t move your eyes from the screen he takes it as his cue and leaves. He’d won a second date, he wouldn't be pushy about the details.
“Oh, let me walk you out. Sorry, my boss emailed me and I have a bad habit of going into tunnel vision when my interest is peaked.”
You stand up, shifting your dress, brushing crumbs off your bosom before smiling and walking toward him.
“By the way, who do I have to thank for sending over the courier lunch service?”
You move past him with a confident ease, opening your door and strolling out into the office. He’d forgotten how most of the workers had quieted with his appearance and they all fumble back into position as he catches up with you easily.
“I can’t tell you.”
You smile, shaking your head.
“Ah. Ellie.”
He furrows his eyebrows together as you look over at him,
“Nel would have no shame letting Sam know I was in a mood from you ghosting me.”
He smiles as you both make it to the elevator, stuffing his hands in his pocket.
“Well are you? Still upset?” he wants it to come off teasing but he knows the worry drips off each word, can’t help but default to bad habits when he was around someone that impressed him. You look up at the ceiling, thinking through it before smiling and shrugging,
“Depends on how impressed I am by your baseball knowledge.
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365-money-diary · 3 years
Text
DAYS 8-14
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DAY EIGHT [JAN 8]
9:00 AM - Wake up still feeling full from yesterday’s black bean burgers. Make a chemex and start working. I have a performance evaluation today and as well as an after-work happy hour so I want to try to get everything done before the review and then workout after before HH.
10:30 AM - Eat a banana
12:30 PM - Have a short break before my performance review. Make a Greek-ish salad and drink a Seltzer before my quarterly performance review which I am slightly nervous for since I was very slow in both November & December.
3:00 PM - Performance review went well. No criticism from my boss, though I should’ve known. She is the most direct supervisor I’ve ever had so I always know where I stand. Eat some grapes. I’m not super sore today but there’s something in me that’s saying to take a breather from exercising today (probably my “reward” for a good performance review), so I slowly finish my work for today.
4:00 PM - My best friend (let’s call her T) from high school calls and we catch up for 45 minutes. Pour a mezcal soda while we chat. I let her go attend Happy Hour and realize this after work HH thing isn’t happening. Today is David Bowie’s bday and I get sentimental about the annual David Bowie Nights I would do with H (I never gave him a name in my last diary, but we’ve remained pals over the years and he will probably come up more this time around). I FaceTime H kinda drunkenly and he goes to the corner store and joins me with a bottle of wine. I pour a second mezcal soda. We chat until 7:45 and I lowkey make dinner towards the end.
8:00 PM - K and I eat veggie sandwiches with potatoes for dinner. He slinks off to work more and I facetime another friend, J to chat about H’s latest drama. 
10:00 PM - Go out on the couch to find K already falling asleep. I’m kind of drunk anyways and there’s no point staying up so we decide to turn in.
DAY EIGHT TOTAL: $0
DAY NINE
2:00 AM - Wake up sweating. This is my new hangover thing and has been happening throughout quar. Drink some water, turn on the fan, and stay up for an extra 30 minutes until I pass out again.
9:15 AM - Wake up feeling ok! Make a chemex and watch the latest episode of Dessert Person on YouTube.
10:30 AM - Get started on blog stuff for the day. I have a stacked list of stuff I want to shoot this weekend. I’m only one ingredient spread in before I start to feel light-headed from last night’s alcohol, so I break to make breakfast – tofu/egg scramble tacos with soyrizo. I still feel a little weird after so I drink a nuun and things start to improve.
3:30 PM - I shoot thousand island dressing, Russian dressing, cauliflower leek soup, and the first half of seitan corned beef. Tomorrow I’ll finish that, and shoot rubens, italian dressing and a greek salad. I don’t usually shoot 7 recipes in one weekend, but I’m very much out of content. 
4:30 PM - Finish shooting for the day and eat a small bowl of cauliflower leek soup. 
6:00 PM - Working out on the weekends is always hard because of lack of routine / structure, but I suck it up and do a barre live stream. Shower and watch the last of the Suns game and import photos. 
7:45 PM - Make veggie sandwiches with miso butter green beans for dinner. This is the last of our veggie sandwiches which is sad. I love them so much! Spend the rest of the evening with K. We watch part of the 76ers game where they only had 7 players, a few episodes of Letterkenny, and then I read Remain in Love while he played RocketLeague.
DAY NINE TOTAL: $0
DAY TEN
8:45 AM - Doomscroll in bed for a bit and finally make myself a chemex. Put on an old episode of The Challenge. Buy a very belated birthday present for a friend - mamafuku seasoned salts. $34.95
10:30 AM - Pump myself up for shooting for the rest of the day. I have to finish the seitan, then shoot a greek dressing, a greek salad, and reuben sandwiches. None of these things should take too long but I also shot all day yesterday so I’m dragging ass. 
3:15 PM - Finially finish! I ended up also taking a decent break to chat with my sister on the phone part way through. I think everything looks alright though. 
4:00 PM - Import photos, eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup with a La Croix, watch an episode of The Challenge, try to hype myself up to exercise but by the time I am ready to play DDR, K says we’ll be zooming with his parents in just a short while.
5:30 PM - Drink the last of the wine in the house – a true bummer – on zoom with K’s parents. Cook dinner after – reubens with miso butter broccoli with more La Croix. We watch some Letterkenney and then K plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love / zone out on fone. 
9:00 PM - K finishes playing and I assume the DDR position. My tracking has already improved quite a bit since Tuesday. I play most of the tracks on standard and close my Apple Watch rings after 30 minutes. Rinse off, put the Challenge back on and edit photos of Russian Dressing. 
DAY TEN TOTAL: $34.95
DAY ELEVEN
8:30 AM - Ugh Monday. I actually have a lot to do already today. Make a chemex and do the dishes leftover from yesterday’s cooking adventures. Pure barre charge comes through. $15
9:45 AM - I have a giant stack of packages and mail in the house from the past few weeks. Open up one of them and it contains a phone case I bought from a “tech company” that is probably just a fancy version of Wish. Slap it on my phone. I honestly can’t believe I went over a month without a case without cracking anything. I’m amazing.
10:00 AM - Missed a call on Friday afternoon from an appraiser scheduler, so I call them back to get something on the calendar for next week after MLK day so I have the 3-day weekend to clean. Eat yogurt for breakfast.
12:00 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. It’s really good but not very filling. I have a feeling today is going to have a heavy snack vibe.
2:00 PM - Eat a handful of pretzels. 
3:00 PM - Eat 2 clementines
4:00 PM - Eat a handful of tortilla chips. Start thinking about dinner. Don’t want to do reubens and burritos sound really nice so I start the process of making chile de arbol salsa and instant pot refried beans.
5:30 PM - Do a Pure Barre livestream. My focus is a little better than Saturday, so I’ll take it!
7:00 PM - Make rice on the stove while I clear some dishes and make burritos for din. Spend the rest of the eve watching random YouTube videos with K. He falls asleep at some point on and I turn on The Challenge. 
11:00 PM - Gently wake K up and we head to bed. Put on the Suns game from earlier and cuddle up. By the end of the first quarter, I’m asleep.
DAY ELEVEN TOTAL $15
DAY TWELVE
8:30 AM - Wake up to find a couple of weird charge notifications. One is from Instacart for the exact amount of my last order – a duplicate charge. And the other is an auto-ship from Thrive market but it was supposed to charge my mom. I text her to let her know she owes me $20. I won’t include either of these charges since I’ll get reimbursed / refunded. The autoship also reminds me to look at the account and cancel my next one with Thrive.
9:00 AM - Get the stuff sorted out with Instacart. They’re going to email my sister (we share this account) the deets and she’ll forward to me. Make a chemex and make my way through the stack of paper mail before starting my workday. One of them is a confirmation of my credit score – 749. Sign a bunch of papers and put them in a giant envelope to send back to the loan company.
10:00 AM - Eat plant yogurt for breakfast and try to focus on the outstanding tasks I have this AM which is surprisingly kind of a lot.
11:45 AM - H texts me saying he forgot his wallet to buy lunch and asks me to place an order at Chipotle that he can pick up. Always happy to help! Place the order online and it’s $10.43. He PayPals me $10 for the damage. $0.43
12:45 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. This salad has like 5 calories since the dressing is oil-free and leaves me wanting more. 
1:00 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels. 
3:00 PM - Heat up a small bowl of cauliflower lentil soup. Officially done snacking until din.
5:15 PM - Done with workie. Make a nuun and do barre live stream. The class recording this time is actually “easy” which is nice – my body must be adjusting to the new moves. Make leftover bean cheeze and rice burritos for din.
7:00 PM - K and I watch King of the Hill for a bit and then he plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love and then work on a post for Russian dressing. Watch some of the Challenge in the background.
DAY TWELVE TOTAL: $0.43
DAY THIRTEEN
8:30 AM - Good morning to me! See a charge come in from Blueland for soap & dishwasher tablets. Kind of a bummer because I don’t need them at all right now. Move my next delivery date to November 1 and put a note on my calendar a week before to check my stock. Note that the Instacart charge is gone. Hooray! Make a chemex, do the dishes and spray down the counters. $25.19
9:30 AM - Not sure what it is about today, but my calendar is clear and I know tomorrow is going to suck with meetings, so I really take my time and ease into the day. I don’t feel super confident posting the Russian dressing all over the interweb and would rather stage it as a thousand island vs Russian dressing kind of thing, so I just decide to post on Insta, Pinterest, and one Reddit forum before deciding that’s good enough. 
10:00 AM - Eat a yogurt. These Oui ones are really too sweet for me, but I’m at the mercy of whatever is on sale because honestly yogurt is a giant rip off. I should learn how to make my own.
12:30 PM - Make another greek salad with La Croix for lunch. Fully prepared to snack again since this guy is just not very filling. 
1:20 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels
2:30 PM - Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup. I’m actually caught up on work for once which is nice. Looking forward to knocking out barre before 7 PM - hah. We’re still a week out from needing groceries, but it takes a while to plan/prep. With the appraisal on Tuesday, I know it’s not going to be a fun weekend so I start thinking about what I want to make for the rest of the month.
3:30 PM - Find a bougie polenta recipe I want to give a go as well as shoot oil-free instant pot refried beans and nacho cheese with potatoes and carrots. And use all of that to make sheet pan nachos. Should be a fun weekend of shooting there. Eat grapes. 
4:30 PM - I can’t hang with how hungry I am. Eat tortilla chips and salsa. Do a barre live stream and do a peloton 10 minute low impact ride. 
8:00 PM - K isn’t hungry for dinner so I heat up a Philly burrito and eat it with more tortilla chips and Sweedish Fish for “dessert.” I watch some of The Challenge and then K and I play Mario Kart and watch Letterkenny before turning in.
DAY THIRTEEN TOTAL: $25.19
DAY FOURTEEN
8:30 AM - I hate 9 AM meetings. Get my shit together enough to make a chemex before I have to be on the call.
10:00 AM - I can’t handle how many snacks I keep eating throughout the day. Toast a bagel for breakfast with Earth Balance, everything but the bagel seasoning, nooch, and salt. Eat some Sweedish Fish while I wait for the bagel to toast.
12:30 PM - Make the same greek salad with a lemon La Croix. I eat quickly as I have to present at 1 so I eat quickly in prep for that.
2:50 PM - It’s over! It went well and got good compliments on my presentation skills by all parties. AND I’m not starving. A win for all! I realize half the lights in my bedroom & bathroom are out which is a bad scene for appraisal. Buy some replacements on Amazon. $27.98
3:10 PM - Start building the grocery order for next Wednesday. I realize I’m doing this really far in advance, but I’m worried I won’t have the gusto for it this weekend. 
4:30 PM - Heat up a small cup of cauliflower leek soup for a snack. Debate to myself about whether or not I want to do barre and for whatever reason an hour of it sounds boring. DDR sounds fun though so I go for that instead. Get a good cal burn and even AA Kind Lady on Heavy. It’s coming back baby!
6:00 PM - Rinse off and make dinner – we’re doing Reubens tonight with roasted potatoes. Really really delicious dang. 
8:30 PM - Drink a yellow chartreuse with Lagunitas Hop Water and play Mario Kart with K. Then edit photos of cauliflower lentil soup for my blog.
DAY FOURTEEN TOTAL: $27.98
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womenofcolor15 · 4 years
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Vanessa Bryant Addresses Estranged Mother Who Said She Kicked Her Out Of The House, Formally SUES LAPD For Leaking Pics Of Kobe & Gianna
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2020 isn’t letting up on Vanessa Bryant. Now, there’s drama with her mother and she just officially filed a lawsuit against the LAPD for leaking photos of her late husband Kobe Bryant and her daughter Gianna Bryant. Deets inside…
2020 already started with tragic news for Vanessa Bryant. And she’s still going through it.
Apparently, there’s tension between Vanessa and her mother! Sofia Laine – Vanessa’s mother – recently sat down for an interview with Univision where she accused her daughter of kicking her out of her home, as well as made her return a car she used.
Here’s the clip, however it’s in Spanish:
        View this post on Instagram
                  Este lunes @davevaladez habla en #Exclusiva con la madre de @vanessabryant quien se encuentra en el abandono y la tristeza después del fallecimiento de su yerno #kobebryant #vanessabryant
A post shared by ElGordoyLaFlaca (@elgordoylaflaca) on Sep 18, 2020 at 2:49pm PDT
        View this post on Instagram
                  la madre de @vanessabryant le dio a nuestro @davevaladez
A post shared by ElGordoyLaFlaca (@elgordoylaflaca) on Sep 21, 2020 at 3:05pm PDT
  In the clips, Vanessa's mother claims she kicked her out of the home and repossessed her car after Kobe's death. She claims Vanessa sold her home after the NBA icon's death and then rented an apartment for her. Apparently, she has been trying to Facetime Natalia Bryant (Kobe & Vanessa's eldest daughter), but she said she has not been responding. She said she misses her granddaughters.
Now, Kobe Bryant’s widow is responding to the claims. The 38-year-old told PEOPLE her mother was NOT there for her after her husband and daughter unexpectantly died and that she has financially supported her mother for over 20 years.
"My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly and yet my mom has the audacity to do an interview on TV talking negatively about me while shedding tears about a car and home that wasn’t in her name,” she told PEOPLE.
"She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied her apartment that I provide, and put the furniture in storage to appear as though she is without support," Bryant said. "My husband and I have financially supported her over the past 20 years, and I continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony." https://people.com/sports/vanessa-bryant-mom-interview-beyond-hurtful-cl...
"Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive for my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away. Going forward, I see what is most important to my mom and it is beyond hurtful. I hope this public airing of our personal relations will stop here."
As you know, Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old Gianna Bryant and seven others lost their lives in a helicopter crash on January 26th. After suing the helicopter company (Island Express Helicopters Inc.) after the crash, Mrs. Bryant is now suing the LAPD for leaking photos of the bodies of Kobe & Gianna at the scene of the helicopter crash. Rightfully so.
In the suit, Vanessa argues the officers who took the photos of “the dead children, parents and coaches took these photos for their own personal gratification."
TMZ reports:
The lawsuit goes onto allege the photos were the subject of conversation within the sheriff's dept ... with deputies showing their colleagues the pictures that had no investigative purpose.
The lawsuit notes how the photos were exposed ... when a deputy was at a bar and showed the photos to a woman he was trying to impress. The bartender heard the conversation, blew the whistle and called the sheriff's department.
Vanessa says in the suit ... that's when Sheriff Villanueva tried to cover it all up by going to the Sheriff's substation that responded to the crash and telling deputies if they deleted the photos they would not face discipline. The suit claims the purpose of his talk was destruction of evidence. The lawsuit claims Villanueva did not tell the families about the photos and they only learned of it in the media when the story broke that deputies took the photos.
The lawsuit claims the Sheriff never gave the family straight answers and now Vanessa is in constant fear the photos will leak ... "Ms. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online."
The lawsuit didn’t list the damages or punitive damages its seeking. We hope these pictures never get out because she has tapped into her inner #MambaMentality: 
          View this post on Instagram
                  #VanessaBryant has tapped into her #MambaMentality after publicly responding to her mother and suing the #LAPD! Swipe up in Stories or click the link in our bio for more!
A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Sep 22, 2020 at 4:11pm PDT
  We’re glad she’s fighting back because taking pictures of deceased individuals when it has nothing to do with the investigating is disgusting!
Photo: Tinseltown/Shutterstock.com
[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/09/22/vanessa-bryant-addresses-estranged-mother-who-said-she-kicked-her-out-of-the-house-formal
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iphoenixrising · 7 years
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Anything Angsty with Tim please. Recommendations, a fic anything, just feeling angsty .... (P.S doctor!tim is everything I've ever needed and looking forward to AOB part 5! You're amazing! Good luck with your day)
Hi babe. I’m sorry I kept this for so long, but I am def aware how much you love your pain (lol) and I had this idea spinning for a while, so… Yeah. But ah, I started thinking about this what-if from the Fracture Verse and it got really long and intense really fast>.Destroyed. Basically, the Titans take on theinvaders and most the JL mentors take their sidekicks for some R&R exceptfor Red Robin, who goes back to the Tower to take care of himself and Batmanjust kind of lets him go.Well, What-If B just wasn’t having any of that? What if shit started getting so real there and just ALL THE KNOWLEDGE DROP HAPPENS THERE INSTEAD OF A YEAR LATER O_O  Like, Tim has only been back from his little torture vacay and then the mind fuckery of the Insurgents and just!
So…here it is.
**
All-in-all, invading aliens are douche canoes.
Seriously.
Kon, Cassie, Bart, Rave, Gar, and Miguel are allin agreement with him on this one; especially after they were all trapped in anendless of loop of their worst moment, worst losses, worst failures while stuckin the alien’s most powerful weapon: the Mind Trap.
Sure, it had been his brilliant, last-ditch ideato jump ball to the wall into the trap, giving him the access to their neuralnet he needed to break the hive mentality and shut them down from the inside.
It doesn’t make anything, any of it, anybetter.
While he’s reliving Kon’s final moments, Raven’snear insanity at the hand of Trigon, Gar’s out-of-control power ripping hisbody apart, Cassie’s nearly fatal injuries, Bart’s last wishes while hecoughs up blood and bile, Miguel watching his beloved slip in a coma to hoveron the edge of death—
While he’s doing all of that, Cassie is gettinghit with a two week span of time he was tortured as Tim Drake, Kon is getting aload of life with a ruptured spleen bleeding out, Bart is feeling the contagiontaking hold to kill Batman’s sidekick, Gar is feeling the pain when he, Damian,and Dick are fighting it out after the Robin tunic was given away without hisconsent, and Miguel is feeling a whole lot of owfuck from that time theRed Hood tried giving him a second smile to worry about.
But what matters in the end? With Raven’s help,he’s able to keep part of his mind partitioned off from the alien device so hecan live through the atrocities of his team and hack the invader’s tech at thesame time—enough to put in his carefully recalibrated virus to take them thefuck down.
The trap faded around them once the virus his jackpotand breaks the neural-net connection, essentially making the invaders as potentas five-year olds throwing temper tantrums.
The following beat-down is enjoyableenough to make up for the hour spent reliving their worst moments and fears, inhaving those moments share with the rest of the team.
Well, not really.
But still, it’s a pretty sweet revenge fight.
As per usual, the JL appears out of the sky overSan Fran once the main body of fighting is pretty much over and done with.They’ve already started on clean-up with the local authorities when Superman,Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Zatanna, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, GreenArrow, and the Batman show up to take a look around at the nice pile of former mayhem.
It’s a surprise when Superman goes straight forSuperboy, eyes wide with concern, gripping the teen’s arms and asking quietlyif he’s been hurt, is he okay? Does he need to go to the fortress for somehealing time?
Wonder Woman is similarly concerned upon seeingWonder Girl wavering with some bloody patches on her elbows and ribs, but it’sthe younger hero’s eyes that really bother her. Without a word to therest of the Justice League, she takes one of her protégé’s arms around hershoulders and takes to the sky, intent on going to Paradise Island for theyounger to recuperate.
The Flash pretty much catches KF in anall-encompassing hug, blurting out how bad ass the younger speedster didon such terrible bad guys, how proud he is of what KF did here today,how they need to check him over before he collapses, and just let me feedand care for you, little bro.
Zatanna feels the sharp, aching throb of paincoming directly from Raven, the power radiating in shards of agony. As a fellow magic user, she has no qualms going directly to the youngerwoman and talking gently, almost begging her to come to New York and the quietroom set-up to negate magic and allow for healing.
Martian Manhunter, who’s known Gar for years,sees the strain, the trembling, flinching muscle, and just pulls theunresisting Beast Boy up in his arms with something spoken softly against themop of green hair, and flies off with a nod to the Bat.
Red Robin, beaten and abused, bloody andlimping, is glad the JL came for his team; the aftermath of this, the rawnessof it, the pain, would be a real bitch for them to deal with. They would needthe support and the time to come back from the slideshow of horrors they allexperienced.
He turns away from the members of his team beingtaken away by their mentors and friends, going up to Cyborg with a copy of thevirus he created to take the Insurgents down, and gave the JL membersome of the deets about the who, what, when, where, and why since, you know,invading aliens are usually part of the JL’s extensive repertoire ofass-kicking.
He finally puts the bo away now that clean-upcrews are underway and the invaders are being detained by A.R.G.U.S.  Withthe job over and done with, he pulls a grapple in one bloody hand, fires it atthe convenient rooftop to take to flight. Their part is done and AmandaWaller’s people can figure out what the fuck to do with the aliens.
At least from here, he’s close enough to theTower to get half-way there without doing more damage to his ribs and theterrible concussion—
(V)
—Vash the Stampede, hitting the back of hisbrain pan. He needs antibiotics and first-aid to stop the bleeding as well aspossible other bad shit, like septic shock, from setting in (since,really, it’s ass) before he starts up adding this little sitch to theTitan’s records. Then he needs to get back on the hunt for those curiouslywell-funded labs getting Black Market equipment, and—
The slight paf of another zip line shakeshim a little in mid-air.
The shadow of the Bat is coming right up behindhim, dark cape flaring out behind the older vigilante so Red can plainly seeB’s arm already out to grab him around the middle and pretty much pull himright the hell off his own zip line.
“What the f—!?”
But they’re moving through the air, his wordslost to the rushing wind while B’s line attaches to the Batplane flyingoverhead, retracting to bring them closer to the dark silhouette in the sky.
With his back pressed up against the yellow ovaland symbol on B’s chest (and once upon a fucking time this meantsomething, didn’t it?), and that arm like iron around him, Red’s lip curls upin a sneer, shouting over the Batplane’s engine making his hurting jaw achejust that much more.
“What the hell do you need?” The unsaid can’tthis wait? Is right there.
B leans in to talk against his ear while they’restill in mid-air, probably not at all aware of the ringing so loudanyway, “I don’t need anything. Hold on.”
But through the lightheadedness, the strikes ofvertigo, the nausea rising up, Red still clenches his aching jaw and focuses onhow the hold around his gut hurting this much proves he’s pulledsomething probably important.
“Then I don’t want a ride to the Tower. I’ve gotit” Because he does. He’s had to have his own back for the better partof two years, before and after he brought B back from being lost in time andleft the Bats to figure their own shit out. He’s stayed away from their familywhen he’s in Gotham, stayed back because, well, Replacement, right?
Even if he and Jason are on better terms than ‘letme show you the pointy end of this knife,’ he’s still not even fucking goingthere.
The exit door to the Batplane slides open rightunder the cockpit. “I’m not giving you a ride to Titan’s Tower.” Is B’srumbling reply as they close in.
“Not all of us can jump from one crisis to thenext. Give me 48 hours and then you can email me with whatever intel you’reafter.” But he’s blinking behind the whiteouts, feeling sick and fuzzy, theinjuries that apparently aren’t going to just wait a minute.
“I don’t need any intel, Tim,” B snapsout, seemingly angry at something.
Red is too far into the pain game to really givea fuck about more of this little back-and-forth with his former partner.“Then what the hell do you want?” He snaps back, gripping the armaround him at the wrist, pulling his secondary grapple for, you know, justin case.
(Well, it’s not like they’re on good termsor anything—B has a Robin, so what’s this all about?)
“Stop it. You’re going to fall,” the arms getstighter with his meddling, and Red gasps out a pained noise when somethingtender is squeezed right along with it. His upper body flops over B’s arm in anattempt to curl up against the pain.
He barely realizes they’re up through the doorand into the cockpit while the plane glides smoothly on auto-pilot. The minuteB’s arm falls away, he can brace himself on the control panel and try tobreathe without puking.
Gloved hands turning him makes him jerk back astep as far as he can in the small space, pulling away.
“Just…just get me to the damn Tower,” ishoarse, blood on the Batplane’s floor now. Great, he’s going to probably get a rightbitching in his voicemail from Alfred explaining what a pain in the assbloodstains are to get out, Sir.
“I’m not taking you to the Tower,” Bgrowls back.
And there it is again, Batman is gripping hisbicep, pulling him closer, the whiteouts dipped down and the free hand rovingover the torn places in his suit.
“Then why the fuck am I in here, and—and stopthat. Shit!” His knees wobble, his move to pull back aborted when agloved hand presses along his left side. Bile rushes up into his throat,swallowed back down by sheer fucking willpower.
“The Titans just took on invading aliens,Tim. You need medical attention and time to recuperate. Your suit stood up tomost of it, but you’re bleeding.”
Again. There it is. B saidhis name more times in the last ten minutes than he has in the last year. What.The. Ever. Loving. Fuck. Is. Happening?
“Then—” he stutters out between panting breaths,fighting the dizziness and pending gray edges to his vision, “let me go to the fuckingTower so I can patch myself up.”
B seems to finally get that something isrotten in Denmark, and lets Red pull out of the hold. With his vision failingand go time eminent, Red fumbles back at the control panel in an attemptto slam the button that will open the door back for him to jump out of and firehis extra grapple. Then he’s going to be hitting the Medical floor in like, sixminutes tops because much longer and he’s going to be in oh shit landjust like when the Triad—
He misses on the first shot because B knocks hishand away and the exit stays closed.
“Wh-What the hell are you—?”
And sometimes, B is just that guy becausethe corresponding blow to his worst injury is such a fucking dickmove.
But it has the intended effect, showing how weakhe apparently is because his knees knock together and go out on him. He wouldhave ended up on the floor if B hadn’t swept him up like some fainting lily andkicked the co-pilot’s chair around with one foot to set him down in it.
“You’re in no shape to go back to the Tower,” Bmakes it statement punctuated with the last hit.
“…asshole…” he faintly gasps while the painmakes him clench his jaw against a noise.
“We’re going to talk when I’m not worried aboutinternal bleeding and broken bones. Since when have you been taking care ofinjuries this extensive on your own? I’m fairly sure a stipulation to joiningthe Titans was that you keep me updated when you get hurt.” B fills in, handspausing when he realizes the Red Robin’s suit design is…different. Verydifferent. The design has changed, along with the security traps (and hewonders when it happened. He should have the current designs of allhis sons’ suits, including armor schematics and the necessary details).
His Bat sense is going off about everything,more so than when Clark first picked him up from Gotham to inform him theTitans are in the fight of their lives because invading aliens managedto bypass the Watchtower’s systems.
He’d set the Batplane for follow them, alreadyworried about how Red Robin would be holding up while Clark sped them as fastas possible to San Francisco, meeting up with the other JL members on the way.
None of them had to say how worried they were,it was evident, even if you weren’t the so-called World’s GreatestDetective.
But the nagging something tugging at hisinner sense when Red shot his grapple without even a word to him isgetting stronger, is making him worry a hell of a lot more than he was even anhour ago.
He feels out the obvious injuries, even withRed’s hand weakly shoving his away.
“No internal bleeding, nothing broken. Thisconcussion is the bee’s knees thanks. A stop at the Tower to drop me offwould be just—” and yes, B, that was one of their agreements.Back when he was still Robin, when someone actually gave a fuck. Healmost comes out with that, but stutters to a halt because Batman gives nofucks about anything but flicking out a razor-sharp batarang and cuttingthe tunic right up the center, pulling away the dented, broken armor to get tothe body suit and main bleeders underneath.
“Tim, I said I’m not taking you there. No one isgoing back for the moment, and you need medical treatment, these look serious.”B already has the gloves and gauntlets off, “Batcomputer,” he turns slightlyand gets the acknowledging boop, “full body scan of Red Robin. Send results toAgent A.”
“N-No, no, not—” but his arms flop uselessly andthe six-minute window has already passed him up. It’s fail timeapparently.
Behind the whiteouts, B’s eyes narrow with thisconsistent fight. There’s something very wrong here, something wrong when hisformer Robin is fighting him tooth and nail when he’s half-loopy on blood lossand exertion. “Yes. There is no way in hell I’m leaving you in the Towerby yourself like this. Not going to happen, Tim. I am not goingto let you bleed out all over your computers.”
And B shoves his cowl back to show thoseelectric blue eyes, narrowed stubbornly when there’s my way or no waygoing down.
“Why,” he stutters when black replaces gray andhis brain fuzzes more, starts shutting down because of the impending owfuck,“the hell does it matter? I’m not your fucking responsibility anymore, right?”
He tries to sneer, tries to move, tries to snarland snap about why not a little bit of fuck-off for your day, butnothing is responding to command. Before he blacks out, though, he gets to see thelook of utter shock on Batman’s face, and well, the small surge of satisfactionat getting the drop on the Dark Knight leads him to the way—
Out
**
“Septic shock?” Dick gasps, utterly dumbfounded.
“Yes, Master Dick,” Alfred carefully works,aproned and gloved, cleaning the last of the ragged, raw injuries before hewould need to wrap them. The boy on the bed isn’t moving except for his chestrising and falling with slow, even breaths.
He does, however, press a button on the touchpadabove the bed in the Cave’s medical area to show the outline of a human bodywith a glaring red circle.
“It seems Master Timothy is no longer inpossession of the viscera necessary for fighting off infections.”
Bruce in only the body suit, Dick in sweats andt-shirt, and Damian without the domino all turn to Alfred.
And stare.
“You are saying he no longer has a spleen?” Damiverified, “and is thus more prone to illness?”
“That is precisely what the scans are showing,Master Damian, and I ran them several times to verify.”
The youngest Bat blinks once, blinks twice, andturns back to the unconscious form of Tim Drake lying still and silent. It wasbad enough the four of them received a nasty shock while peeling the RedRobin body suit off to reveal a mass of still-healing welts, burns, and brokenskin marring the span of Tim’s back (what the hell happened?) andthe other injuries in the process of healing, injuries that look suspiciouslylike torture on his upper body, arms, and hands; not to mention howAlfred huffs angrily at the visible curve of ribs standing out against paleskin, but finding out he also lost, you know, a semi-crucial body part sometimesince his last Bat-physical (hearing the date is the next shocker of thenight) is pretty much the last straw.
“I’m going to do some research. Let me know ifhe comes to, Alfred.” B turns away with a snarl, the muscles in his back andshoulders tight.
“I shall, Master Bruce. However, I have nointention of tying him down to the bed frame. Should I be detained with dinner,please refrain from using cuffs.”
“I’m not making any promises,” Bruce snaps back,already in his chair at the Batcomputer to start digging into the last sixmonths of Red Robin’s vigilante career and Tim Drake’s personal life.
Gingerly, Dick ruffles Damian’s hair and movesto sit on the medical bed by Tim’s hip, staring up at the closed eyes and slackfeatures. He doesn’t process Alfred taping gauze down on the current injuries,but picks up a bruised and battered hand to hold in both of his while lookingat a very obvious scar now that he knows some of what’s been going on inthe time since Tim has been back to the Manor after the Robin mantle went toDami.
(And Dick feels like a right bastardbecause he remembers coming up the stairs, thinking Tim might have been in hisold room after their thing with Ra’s people before B had been found—whenhe thought Tim might have come to his senses and come home to be RedRobin here with them…and found Tim’s room empty. His things moved out, theshelves missing his usual array of books and video games, no clothes in theclosets, no extra suits in the hidey holes, no shampoo in the shower ortoothpaste on the sink. The Flash shower curtain is gone, replaced by a genericone in most of the other guest rooms. And just turning in circles, the hardweight in his chest, the utter pain when he realized Tim never meant to comeback. He was already gone from the Cave where Alfred had patched him up,where Tim had told Dick specifically, “You’re my brother. I knew you’dcatch me.”)
He sighs, shoulders rising with the move. Hedoesn’t say anything as Alfred continues to dress the injuries and Tim sleepson.
It’s not very long before a sharp intake ofbreath from the computer draws their eyes, and B is typing furiously to getmore information. Hacking into the Tower’s mainframe is child’s play,especially when he has Vic doing the hard work.
Tim’s ghost drive, however, is yielding moreresults than he anticipated.
The video file labeled Triad makes hisstomach churn.
Dick leaves Tim to sleep off the drugs andantibiotics, for his fever to slowly come down under their ministrations. Hegrins a little at Damian asleep in the chair next to the medical bed and stepsover to the computer where Bruce is looking grim, fists clenched tight on thecontrol panel.
Dick almost asks, almost, until hecatches the video playing—
And watches Tim Drake take a whip to the backwhile their former Robin is screaming.
“Oh…Oh my God,” he blinks, chest tight,nausea rising up when the footage skips and the next scene is Tim being helddown by the arms and shoulders, the remains of his business suit ripped to givea span of bloody skin for the glowing hot iron bar to be set down.
He doesn’t know when he moved or when B got tohis feet while the two of them try very hard not to be sick as Tim screamedover and over on the security footage.
They stand together, silenced by horror as theslideshow continues, as Tim is tortured over and over, as one of their ownattempt to escape, gets to the control room and tries to get a communicationout to the outside world.
By the time they have the full picture of howthose marks got there and what Tim Drake had to go through, Bruce is deep inthe Bat, anger radiating from every pore.
Tim was abducted outside Wayne Enterprises ashis daytime persona, as Tim Drake, CEO, and none of them had known a damn thingabout it.
**
It’s almost forty-eight hours later.
The Bats are in from patrol and upstairs to dohuman things, like sleep and eat and bathe (because the sewers of Gotham are nastyno matter how many times you’ve been down there—the sitch never gets any better).B has scrubbed down and changed in the Cave, making sure he was free ofcontaminants before coming over to check on his still-sleeping Robin. Handsaccustomed to delivering pain are absurdly gentle when he lays a palm on theback of Tim’s neck, glad to see his temperature is finally getting back tonormal, and checking the IVs as well as the bandages on Tim’s healing back andnewer injuries on his side and knee. He ruffles the too-long hair gently beforegoing up to check quickly on Alfred and the boys before planning on coming backdown to stay close to Tim, hoping he might be stable enough to wake up and talkto them.
So the Cave is empty for the moment when themachines attached to the sensor clamped on Tim’s finger and the little stickypads on his chest start to pick up slightly. Not enough to trigger analert, just enough for him to blink open his bleary eyes riding the dredges ofpainkillers and sedatives.
It’s the Bat-cocktail of owfuck.
Really, he should have known better.
The fog is clearing out while his head flops onone side to look around and see where he’s—and what’s happ—how did—?
His head flops to the other side, eyes wideningwhen he realizes the big car is parked a little past the curtain, and on theother side of him, the Batcomputer looks the same, but there’s a few morethings on the control panel.
He gets the urge to violently hurl oncethe screeching overhead signals where he’s at just in case, you know, theremight be any doubt.
The air in his chest chokes off, leaving himcoughing hard for a few seconds, enough that the pulsox beeps once in warningand he struggles to get himself under control.
The haze of painkillers is still there, but nothingshort of death is going to stop him. Instead, he uses the lead to pull thelittle machine close to him and manages to pop the casing off. A few wires and boom,he takes the sensor off his finger and the monitor keeps going. It takesmaneuvering for him to sit up enough to reach the heart monitor and do prettymuch the same.
There’s cameras everywhere, but he’s sure no onewould be watching (because why would they?) as he stands on stiff,aching legs, manages to stumble a little before righting himself.
The knee isn’t going to get better anytime soon,so he’s good to be limping around because at least that means he’s onhis feet.
The Red Robin suit they must have taken off ofhim is folded neatly on a workstation table, easy to pick up.
He feels immensely better with the body suit on(even if the pressure on still-healing injuries is about a bitch, damn);boots, gloves and gauntlets, harness and utility belt. It’s enough to rock.
A domino goes on while he nabs his somewhatstitched back together cape, but the armored tunic is totes a lost cause.
Bummer.
With the machines beeping steadily behind him,Tim leaves the tunic, makes his way further down into the Cave, favoring theleg, moves as straight-backed as possible to keep the marks on his back frompulling and getting sore all over again, as been the pattern in the last monthsince he’s been back from a certain little vacay.
(And it’s fucked how B probably saw thosemarks isn’t it? Just another check in the who gives a shit category…but,the old memorial case with Jason’s Robin suit is still there where it’s alwaysbeen—and a double-take confirms it. His first Robin suit is in a new case nextto it. Mother. Fucker does it makes his chest hurt.)
The line of just in case vehicles is inthe same place it always was. A crappy beater for Matches Malone, a van forpick-ups, an Ambulance in case shit gets real. A covered car in the backcorner that is terribly, achingly familiar, and his eyes skitter away from it,just like he did with the memorial cases.
Instead, he goes to one of the four Ducati’sserviced and ready to rock, lifts up the seat while balancing on his good leg.Keys fall into his palm, so score.
His hip only hitches slightly when he throws thebad leg over the bike so the good one can steady it, and the bruises tomorroware going to be fucking beautiful.
But for the moment, all good. He’ssitting down at least, and flips the bike on, raises the bad leg to start theengine—
When Dami drops down from the ceiling vent andlands a few feet in front of him at a crouch.
No suit, no domino, but the pose is all Robin.
A Robin in his pjs, but then, well, there’sschool and shit in the morning isn’t there?
“Drake,” a low, almost-question.
“Nice to see you too,” he smirks with oldbitterness, just waiting for it.
Dami’s eyes go from the whiteouts to the bikeand back up. “This…is not a favorable course of action,” is said morecarefully than he can remember the Demon ever being.
“What now?” Because seriously, what now?
“You have been recovering from septic shock,”the youngest informs him, still in that crazy careful tone. “Among otherinjuries. It would be best if you stayed where you could be monitored shouldyou relapse.”
Now he thinks he might be more loopy on the I’mfucked up cocktail than initially assessed. Things just aren’t…aren’tmaking sense here.
“I’m in a multiverse aren’t I?” Is a stupid butkind of valid question.
Damian, however, is not amused.
“You are a fool. This is not surprising. However,as I have been informed, your team stopped an alien invasion. That if nothingelse would merit time, Drake.”
“Telepaths that want to take over our world are assholes.Haven’t you figured that out yet?” He comes back easily, “and I have a place torecoup. It would be nice to be on my way there right about now.”
The bad leg comes down, shooting a thrill ofpain up, but fuck it. Really. He needs to get out of here before JasonTodd comes around to give him a bro fist or something else just ascrazy.
The engine purrs to life against his thighs.
Again, it’s opposite day because thatlittle brat is leaning against the handlebars, scowling and talking over theengine instead of doing things like, you know, moving.
“I would not do this if I were you.”
He blinks behind the whiteouts. “I don’t knowwhat the fuck is going on here, but this is getting to creep-tasticsproportions.” He leans over the handlebars as much as he can without someserious owfuck hitting, “you wanted me gone, Demon. Riff raff,remember? That cut zip line? You think I need a written invitation toget the fuck out?”
Dami’s eye widen a fraction before narrowing,the little asshole leaning in as well like they’re going to fight it out forsome crazy reason because this is what they all wanted butwere too chicken-shit to tell him.
“Dick’s too nice to say it, but you think hereally has to after all this time?”
“Grayson—” Dami starts, voice raised to be heardover the purring engine.
“Never wanted me either. I guess you and JasonTodd were right all along. Want to gloat about it? How about you do it overSkype so I can get back to my life?”
Dami growls, baring his teeth in a snarl, “no,you fool. Grayson has missed you unbearably in the last twoyears. He has attempted to keep track of you while you searched for Father andthen later when you re-joined the Titans. He is the one that built the case foryour Robin suit.”
And just…what the ever-loving fuck?
“I am aware of how things were left whenI began my own time as Robin, Drake. I am aware of—”
“Get off.” Because now he’s blinking behind thewhiteout, his eyes getting hot and wet fast. “Get the fuck off.”
“No!” Damian snarls back, gripping thehandlebars tighter, like he has every intention of holding on. “I refuseto let you leave like this!”
And so, apparently it’s time to spell it out.“No one gives a shit if I’m here or not.” He shoves himselfstanding, old, buried pain rearing up from the terrible place in his brain panwhere he’d buried it all just so he could keep moving. “They let meinherit the cape because I was an asshole kid and found out theirsecret. They let me keep it because I did an alright job at keeping Bfrom fucking himself up like Robin is supposed to do. And he took me inbecause my fucking father was murdered when my identity was compromised.It’s ‘adopt an orphan syndrome,’ Damian. That’s it. I fucking Get.It. Now.”
Those eyes narrow, color rising to the youngervigilante’s face. But Tim leans down, blinking rapidly behind the whiteoutbecause he’s not going to give him or any of them that fuckingsatisfaction.
His voice is low, almost angry if it didn’tcrack, giving away more than he wants, especially to Damian. “Besides,why would they want the replacement when they’ve got the real son in thecape anyway, right? You said that, and you were right, weren’t you?”
“N-none of that—Drake…Timothy, youdon’t honestly,” and the twelve year old almost looks his age for once, “youdon’t honestly believe that.”
The corner of his mouth twitches up in a veryunfunny smirk, “I’m a detective, Damian. I don’t believe anything until I haveevidence.”
The younger Bat sputters a moment, looking oddlyshell-shocked, but he doesn’t let go, refuses to give up, “evidence? Openyour eyes, Drake. Father ordered the Justice League to attend your battleas soon as he knew, made Kent come to pick him up as he knew it would be thefastest way to get to you.”
“What part of aliens wasn’t clear? Thatis usually JL territory, we just happened to call dibs.”
Dami’s fists tighten around the handlebars, “Ihave been Robin for three years. Three years, Drake. If there isanything I have learned in that time, it is how Father would not leave any ofhis Robins behind. Not even you.”
Welp, that’s going to be a very hardeventual realization for the kid. But really, it isn’t any of his businessanymore. None of this is.
He sinks back down slowly, painfully becauseit’s time to go. “Get out of the way.”
The hair on the back of his neck, however, cutshim off, makes his straighten up again on the bike and rev up the engine. Damiisn’t moving, but is just staring at him looking like he might pull out thatwicked katanna for a little sliced n’ diced vigilante rather than dealwith his shenanigans. Not like it’s nothing new.
But the ghost sensation has drawn the brat’sattention as well, those eyes drawn over Tim’s left shoulder.
Without turning to look, he gives the standard,“thanks for the pick-up. Let me know when you need the next batch of intel.We’ll have a crime-fighting party with confetti and everything.”
The hand on his bicep is something he hadn’tanticipated, startling him to look up at Bruce’s bare face and angry eyes.
Oh shit. Batman’s not a happy camper. Time tohit the dirt.
From his other side, Dick comes out of nowhereand reaches around him to turn the bike off and take the key out of the ignition.
Oh, so that’s how it is? After all theyears he put into maintaining the bikes and cars just like everyone else—
“Like I said,” he deadpans, trying very, veryhard not to get pissed off at the snub, “thanks for the pick-up. I’ll gettogether whatever data you’re looking for when—”
“Get off the bike, Tim,” Bruce emphasizes theorder with a tug to his arm.
“Seriously?” Well, there goes the best ofintentions, “I’ll bring it back if this is a problem.”
“Not the point. Get the hell off the bike.”
He shoves himself to his feet, already planningon hitting up Kon in a quick text just to get a ride out of here as fast asfucking possible, itching to jerk his arm out of B’s hold (and dammit,he hates to do that now that Clark isn’t being an asshat extraordinaire). So helets it ride for the moment since, well, he pretty much shouldn’t be hereanyway, so the lecture is probably going to be fucking spectacular.
His hip hitches again when he swings his legback over the bike, but it’s only slightly painful this time around. Nope,there’s more pain elsewhere that has nothing to do with skin and soft,fleshy bits.
He in no way is prepared for Bruce pulling hisarm up and around those massive shoulders, bending down enough to be aboutTim’s height. The limp isn’t as bad with B supporting him with an arm aroundhis waist (under the worst of the older marks) and gripping the wrist, walkinghim right the fuck back into the depths of the Cave where Alfred is waitingwith hands properly folded behind him.
“Ah, the patient is awake,” Alfred is calm,cool, and collected as per usual. “Perhaps a stronger dose of painkillersshould have been in order.”
“Not necessary,” he fills in shortly, pullingaway from Bruce as soon as possible, a passing glance off the machines he’dreconfigured. “Thanks for patching me up, Alfred.”
The butler sighs through his nose and it’s sopainfully familiar. “Of course, Master Tim. If you would be sokind as to change clothing, the bandages will need to be checked again.”
He holds up a hand, “again, not necessary. I’mon my way out—”
Dick shoves sweats and a t-shirt in his chest,jaw clenched tight enough that a muscle is jumping there, and it’s fine,he gets it. Dick doesn’t want him there. He really doesn’t need this—
“I’m trying to be out of your hair,” hegrowls back at the former Batman and current Nightwing. “I didn’t ask tocome here. Not my bad.”
If anything, Dick’s expression gets even angrier.Angry enough that the hands holding the clothes are trembling finely until Timtakes them just to get the older vigilante to step back.
“Drake,” and it’s really saying something when Damianis the one stepping between them, trying to keep, well, whatever peacedistance can realistically bring. “This is difficult to believe, but there is agrave misunderstanding happening here.”
His eyebrows draw together, head tilted down tothe youngest, but he wisely remains silent because there’s volumes hecould say about that.
“Do you need assistance, Master Tim?” Alfredcuts in, trying to divert the brewing storm raging in Dick and Bruce’sexpressions, “I should say some of your injuries must be rather painful at thisjuncture. Your back, for example—”
“I’ve got it. Thank-you.”
“Very good, Sir. Once you have changed, I have adelightful pot of coffee and breakfast—”
But those words make his head snaparound, “coffee?”
Because yes. The answer is always yes.
Alfred hums knowingly, “indeed. I believe it isthe Sumatra brand you seem to favor?”
And dammit. Just, dammit Alfred.
In reply, he limps back to pull the curtainclosed in the sectioned-off medical area, flopping the sweats and t-shirt downon the gurney. Deep, cleansing breath, and he reverses order, taking off glovesand gauntlets, boots, utility belt and harness, cape and dom, leaving the bodysuit for last (since there’s the most owfuck of the day).
“Tim? You okay?” B’s voice is softer, floatingover the partition, his silhouette against the curtain.
“I’m fine,” he taps on his wrist computer withone arm through the t-shirt. Getting the sweats on is painful but it’s whateverreally, the knee isn’t going to get any better so no use whining about it.
Instead, he puts the wrist computer back on hisforearm and comes out a la civvies, his too-long hair probably wrecked,but with a KO of approximately two days?
He shoves the curtain back, cracking his neck,and starting to move to intercept Alfred’s approach. “Bandages are clean, soI’m good. Thanks.”
The butler tisks and gently simply steers MasterTim back to the gurney, “I will need to check your levels as well as theinjuries you are unable to see, Master Tim. You certainly cannot assessyour back unless you’ve taken to perform feats of magic?”
The others approach, watching with grave facesas the butler allows a cup and saucer inside the medical area, an excuse tokeep Tim’s hands busy so work can be done.
“My levels are f—” The smell hits like anaphrodisiac and his eyes fall half-mast just because coffee.
“Do not say ‘fine.’ For a young man without thenecessary organ to build up proper immunities, then I would dare to say yes.However, for a crime-fighting vigilante, your white cell count is woefully deficient.”
Oh. So that’s whatthis is about?
Shit.
“I’ve had enough time to adjust.” Is all hebites out as the butler gloves up, winds a stethoscope around his neck.
When B’s hands plant on his hips like he iswinding up for the mother of all lectures, and Damian puts a hand toDick’s forearm to stop him from saying whatever might be ready to comeout of his mouth, Tim realizes how much of a thing this might be.
The butler, however, just frowns, “then I willpose the obvious question, Master Tim. How many episodes of septic shock haveyou experienced before now?”
His jaw clenches, eyes close briefly becausewhen he got off that fucking ship—
The pinch to his inner elbow jars him out of it(luckily) or he might still be smelling stagnant water and imagine the worldrocking under his feet.
“Twice,” and he leaves it at that, going morepale at the bits flashing through his brain pan.
Alfred removes the syringe, tapes a cotton ballto the small wound. “Twice, Sir?” is quiet, neutral.
Tim swallows, looking at the span of wallinstead of any of them, “yeah.”
“Once recently I’m afraid?” And Alfred sets theblood sample aside, easily moves a gloved hand to be under Master Tim’s stillholding the delicate saucer. The minute clattering stops when he does.
“Yeah,” hoarse, but fuck yes.
“Your back, Tim?” now Alfred’s tone is movinginto soothing, someone that can (used to be) be trusted.
Still staring at the wall, keeping himselftogether, Tim gives a short, pointed nod.
“What—” Dick steps a little closer to his side,not enough to set him off, but enough to reach out, slowly, easy, “who did thatto you, Timmy?”
His shoulders tense with the contact, and heblinks hard, shaking himself out of it, shaking himself the fuck back tothe present. He lifts the cup and takes a drink of utter heaven.
It helps to steady him, to keep his head outof the two weeks he spent being tortured as Tim Drake, CEO, and the more recentfight with dick bag aliens.
“I took care of it.”
“That doesn’t tell us anything,” Dick counters.“Timmy…you were tortured.”
And well, yes. Yes, he was.
“Yup,” is his soft admission, staring down intothe depths of his coffee while Alfred moves around behind him and the shirtinches up his spine, making his hackles rise just slightly. “I was.”
And he knows, he knows, Alfred was tryingto be careful, wasn’t trying to do anything, but the wounds, the memories, allof it was still so new and raw, that when the touch hits the wrong spot,reminds him of a burning iron bar pressed against his shoulders, he chokes andmoves without thinking.
The cup and saucer crash to the floor, and he isup, moving away, spinning in mid-air, landing at a crouch with his legand back screaming, his eyes wide, hand automatically poised in a nerve strike.And he can fight, he can fight, and he can win. He can save them thistime, save them all, and he can—
He can, he will.
Whizzing and moving, focused on not throwing up,focused on not stopping.
Bruce is gripping his face between those massivepalms from one blink to the next, and Tim realizes he must have been movingagain because they aren’t standing by the medical area anymore.
Instead, he’s pinned down on one of the big matsused for practice and training half-way across the Cave, the vinyl soft andworn-in under the arm Bruce has pinned at the wrist. His back is fucking agonybecause he’s laying down on the healing injuries. Worse, he’s shaking likefuck, the coffee in his stomach rolling with it.
“Tim! You need to stop. Just. Stop.”
But it’s just as bad because he can’t be helddown.
That…he’s not good with that, and hiships take over regardless of owfuck, bucking up enough to get Bruce offhim so he can turn over, land on all fours and gag.
“Fuck…fuck…fuck…fuck…”
He gets a million vigilante points for notthrowing up his coffee.
A. Million.
Plopping down on his ass to try getting air backinto his lungs, however, is seriously the best idea for the moment even if he’sshaky as fuck and probably embarrassed the shit out of himself.
(Regretting letting him back in now,aren’t you?)
Dick kneels in plain sight, ducking down tocatch Tim’s rapidly blinking eyes. “Hey, just me,” is meant to be soft andsoothing.
It’s not.
Instead, Tim closes his eyes again it and triesto calm himself but his brain is too fuzzy, still half-stuck on the ship, inthe mind trap, in his team’s memories—
“…something for me, Tim. Let me know you’rewith us.”
He doesn’t open his eyes so he can’t see whateverexpression is on those faces.
“Should have just…dropped me at the goddamnedTower,” he manages hoarsely, bringing his knees up to hold his heavy head.
Bruce, refusing to be diverted, gets closeenough to wrap his long fingers around Tim’s ankle slowly, carefully. “No,” heclaims slowly, mind working furiously at the flow of new and disturbinginformation, “no, Tim. I’m glad, very glad, I brought you home.”
The laugh coming out of Tim’s bent head ishalf-way to a sob (home? There hasn’t been a home in a while actually),and Bruce’s hand moves up to grip into a calf instead, sliding subtly closer onhis knees.
Dick paces right beside him, being absurdlycareful, recognizing the reactions, the instincts Bruce bred into all hisRobins to fight when you’re out of all other options. It’s knee-jerkreaction to any situation.
“You blanked out for a few minutes there, Timmy.It looked like,” he hesitates slightly from saying it even if he has plentyof experience dealing with this kind of thing, “you were having a flashback.”
“I don’t talk about it,” is the hoarse reply,the horrible panting sounds finally easing down.
“I think we’re going to try checking over yourinjuries again,” Dick gingerly touches a few fingers to Tim’s limp hand,“without trying to set you off, okay? We’ll…Timmy, we’ll be right here withyou.” His finger firm a little, squeeze Tim’s fingers before the hand jerks outof his hold, the leg moving away from Bruce.
Tim scrambles backwards on the mat, shoves tohis feet because ignoring pain is something he does like a boss, but pity?Oh, he gets all kinds of pissed off about it.
Just ask Kon. The impressive choke hold issomething the super is probably never going to forget.
“I don’t need checked over. I don’t needanything other than a way to get back to my damn Tower—” and the fuckaway from here is implied.
Because really. They can stop this moundof variable bullshit anytime now.
“I don’t need whatever in the hell this,” andhis hands flutter around for a second, “this shit is all of a sudden. I lead mydamn team, and it doesn’t effect how I work. How I’ve workedfor the last few years. I’m. Fucking. Good.”
Bruce’s mouth flattens into a grim line, staringat his third Robin, the son that took his name without qualm, the son he’d letget too far the fuck away because he felt like he didn’t belong in hisown home. And Dick might share the burden of that, the younger vigilantenearly radiating beside him facing Tim down, ready to stop him if he tries tobolt.
And Bruce doesn’t feel bad about Damian andAlfred slowly coming up behind Tim to box him in, takes a moment to beratehimself for thinking he was doing the right thing in giving Tim the spacehe thought the former Robin needed to heal. The same space Dick needed when hehad to move on from the Robin mantle.
But he’d inadvertently caused both hisformer Robins nothing but pain by giving them the space to throw their bodiesinto the Mission to try and escape the devastation, the loss.
It’s another black mark under his name, but ifanything, Bruce, the Bat, has no qualms rectifying his mistakes.
And he’s perfectly fine starting now.
“Tim,” interrupts the snarling commentary on howRed Robin isn’t fucking anything up (which is unnecessary because Brucealready knows it), and makes the injured bird abruptly pause. “Let meget this straight.”
The third Robin stops, seems to mentally re-set,like when they started up a new case and the personal lives had to be left inthe Cave before they got into the big car for the upcoming night. It’s enoughof the old Tim that Bruce takes a few cautions steps, holding up fingersto tick off so he’s got Tim’s attention on the visual.
“You were kidnapped as your daytime persona, asTim Drake, not Red Robin—”
Oh shit. Well, World’s GreatestDetective. Of course he’d find out. It happened in his city.
“—they tortured you on a ship in the middle ofthe ocean. You escaped, brought them down, and turned them in to severalbranches of authorities. Four days ago, you showed up as Red Robin when theInsurgents hit Earth’s atmosphere. You went into a fight with your team againsta psychic horde without calling for back-up. And you won. Allright so far?”
“Sounds…about right.”
Bruce hums, nods, “and…why do you thinkI would questioning how effective you are as a vigilante?”
Wait.
Tim’s mouth works but nothing comes out because,well, point.
“I have no idea why you’re trying to convince mewhen I’m already well aware how incredible you are in the field. I don’tneed any other justifications. What I need to know,” and Bruce unfoldshis arms, hands loose at his sides, trying to look less intimidating so Tim’shackles won’t rise again, “is when your spleen was removed and what criminalcaused it. What I want to know is if you’ve seen anyone to help youthrough the trauma you went through on that ship. What I want to know is whyyou keep telling me you’re fine and you handle it when you are obviously notfine. No one, Tim, no one could be after all that.”
And the younger vigilante stares up at him,taller than the last time Bruce had a chance to really see him, withnarrow eyes that are already calculating his next moves. B knows it because hesees Tim’s eyes slide to Alfred and Damian, slide over to Dick before comingback to him. It’s saying something when the Bat is hovering at the fore of hismind, ready for another mad attack if Tim flips back into those flashbacks andstarts fighting by instinct.
“What I need to know is,” B counterssoftly, “why you didn’t come home when you needed to.”
When Tim stays silent, when his beaten, batteredbody gets as straight as it can, Bruce sees enough, knows enough.
He nods slowly, like he gets it, whateversilent message Tim is putting out, and returns that intense look, sees so muchhidden under the exterior that he should have picked up long before this verymoment.
“You three go upstairs. Have some downtime,” hewaves a shooing hand at Dick, Damian, and Alfred, “Tim didn’t get his coffee,and I honestly don’t need any more caffeine induced contingencies on my hands.”
“Bruce—” is Dick’s desperate attempt tostay because now he knows how much of this, how much of it isright on his head.
“Dick. Go have some downtime.”
Dami isn’t happy, is looking with his headtilted up, those dark eyes all for the scowl on Tim’s face, the sneer.
Alfred, however, steps between them, MasterTimothy and Master Bruce to break the stare down and lift a fresh cup andsaucer into the younger vigilante’s hand. It breaks the oldest man’s heart whenMaster Tim…hesitates.
But the hands are steady when the coffee istaken, and the young Master is looking carefully away from the butler, a musclein his jaw flickering.
“Thank-you,” is said softer than the rest.
“What else could I do, Master Tim? My life isdedicated to caring for my family, and that includes you.” A small pat to theyounger man’s head while the angry, defensive expression falls to wide-eyed andslack, like the younger Master is genuinely surprised. The saucer isheld tighter in busted fingers when Timothy’s spine snaps straighter and heblinks rapidly, trying to harden himself, pull his strength around him like acloak so none of them can see what abject pain he is in—how he obviouslywas very certain he no longer belonged here, with them all.
“Oh Tim,” the butler sighs sadly, gently, “thismay be untoward, so forgive me, but it is so nice to see you. As much as wehave missed, as much as you have suffered and succeeded, I am still so happy tohave you home.”
The reaction is those wide eyes, the true tellto Master Timothy’s thoughts returning to his face and immediately seeking outany deception on the butler’s part, any lies or placations, any shred ofevidence to support his previous theories.
Alfred smiles, just a small curve of his lowerlip, when the younger man’s shoulders lose a small bit of tension, just enoughto prove he found no lies here. When he can have just a hint of belief. It’sjust enough for Alfred to fit a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and squeezewith infinite gentleness before he’s herding two of his other charges up into theManor, casting a glance back at the long line of Master Bruce’s tense backbefore he and Master Dick exchange a very concerned look.
**
And they leave Tim and Bruce in the Cave withthe fluttering of bats, the gentle hum of working equipment, with damagedsuits, and healing bodies, with injuries and trauma.
It’s such a painful thing for Bruce, staring atTim and remembering a younger kid standing in the same place with the Rover his heart, the suit of his Robin and that crazy, wide grin in anticipationfor nightfall when they could move together.
When Tim’s team was Batman and Robin.
“None of this is necessary,” and it’s RedRobin’s voice, unshakeable and reliable. A leader. A vigilante.
And not the person Bruce wants to talk toright at this moment.
“I’m sorry,” Bruce cuts off that train ofthought, seeing past the denials and old pain, seeing past everythingTim is spitting out, the abject hurt, the theory that maybe, maybethey’d just been-been using him all this time. That he was just a kid ina cape or something just as ridiculous. “I’m sorry it got this far. I’m sorrynone of us, me or Dick or Alfred jumped in to remind you that you will alwayshave a home here, no matter what.  There’s no excuse for it, Tim,absolutely none.”
The younger vigilante frowns harder, his thoughtprocesses obvious to the World’s Greatest Detective.
“Once Damian and I could realistically worktogether, Dick left out of Gotham to trail the Titans and see if he could atleast talk to you, but the team was moving fast, so he wanted to waituntil you were in town again. But, regardless, we let this go on for toolong, letting you get further and further away without checking in, withoutcoming back.”
“I didn’t need to.” Tim interjects, firming hisjaw, still staying as far inside the mask as he possibly can, trying to protecthimself.
And Bruce finally sees it.
“And you don’t have to do this,” the youngervigilante puts the cup and saucer down immediately, eyes never losing that hardedge, “at all. It’s not necessary at this point. I’m still going to be theintel guy, the IT solution. I’ll still come when you call just like I’ve alwaysdone.”
“That’s not good enough.” Bruce insistsback, arms loose by his sides, “it was never supposed to be needed over wanted,and it isn’t like that. You won’t believe me until you have evidence, I knowalready, but Tim,” and Bruce comes up on him, not the stalk of the Bat or thestride of the daytime persona, it’s all Bruce Wayne—
Dad.
He’s careful but firm, hands tilting his son’sface up a little, taking in the widening eyes of surprise, “Tim, you arealways, will always be one of my sons. Just like Dick and Jasonand Damian. That’s what you agreed to when you took on the mask. You becamemine and the Batman’s, our Robin, our partner, our son, and yes,yes this is necessary. It’s completely and totally necessary becausealong the way the important things got pushed to the wayside, and it’s so farfrom fine that I can’t even begin to list the problems here.”
And the younger vigilante has the most probablereaction Bruce can predict.
He fights.
“Bullshit,” is hoarse, angry when Tim shovesaway, steps back, “and I don’t need bullshit, Bruce. You think Idon’t get it? I was the kid that figured out your secret, you hadto keep me, to keep me quiet about it. So of fucking course you’d let mewear the R. What would I have done if you hadn’t? Just because I got goodat it doesn’t mean I don’t fucking recognize how it never should have been me.It should have been Jason and then Damian. It should have been blood,not some fucking kid you never wanted.”
And God it hurts, these things tearingout him like fucking poison, like rancid bile he can finally vomit up, to get outof him.
“And you did good. You did great, Bruce,dealing with me. You really did. You did the best you could under thecircumstances,” and fuck, yes, he means it because Bruce was there forhim when he was Robin, when Dad died, when his world was going to shittime and time again. Bruce put up with his crap more than anyone in his entire life—evenhis real Dad. “I appreciate it, all the shit from back then. You don’t—” andhis chest hitches, but he grinds his teeth, straightens his back for it, “youdon’t even know how much I needed you. How much I respect you, how muchI wanted to be your partner and friend, and you gave me that, Bruce. You didthat for me, but…but your real son has the cape now, just like italways should have been, and I understand that. This,” and his handswaffle back-and-forth while he looks away, tries to choke down the bitternessall these realizations still leave behind, “this is the way it should havehappened. This is—” not okay, never fine, not really, “how itshould be.”
But when he looks back, chances a glance, hejerks a little because Bruce’s expression is—
(Is there some fear toxin somewhere? What thehell?)
The hands at Bruce’s sides are clenching intotight fists, his forearms cording, muscles getting tight.
“How long have you felt like this?” Theoldest vigilante demands in a low, dangerous voice, “how long do youthink I’ve just been tolerating you? How could you even— Jesus,Tim.”
But really, he’s the detective, right? “Iforced my way in,” he deadpans, “you never chose me, Bruce.”
And even though he’s come a long way from thatRobin to now, he’s still not fast enough to dodge Batman.
Nope. That’s not happening.
Because Bruce is across the span separating themin a skiff of shadows, literally picking him up off his feet with an arm aroundhis waist below the healing whip marks, the other hand buried in the hair atthe back of his head, pushing his face into Bruce’s neck and shoulder (and he’sshaking, Bruce, Batman, the unstoppable, the indomitable, is shaking).
The move is so out of what he expected,so unpredictable, Tim’s eyes are wide, just blinking wetly, hands up toautomatically brace himself on Bruce’s biceps.
“In…in the beginning, I was terrifiedof you,” Bruce blinks back his own wet eyes against the side of Tim’s too-longhair, “I was so scared of getting another innocent kid hurt, and you were…youwere so smart and so brave. You were fearless, Tim. You were perfect forthe job, but if I got you hurt, if I got you killed, if this world losteverything you are because of me and my Mission… then there would be noredemption. And I—” and Bruce grips him tighter, breathes in slowly,presses the side of his face into Tim’s hair harder, “I couldn’t lose you too.I couldn’t lose you, Tim.”
And that. To hear that it wasn’t becauseof Jason Todd, to hear that he was valued back then for himself, has Tim’sheart give a painful throb in his chest, makes him hold on to Bruce like he wasstill that Robin.
“In the beginning, I didn’t want anotherkid in danger. I didn’t want another person’s life in my hands, I didn’twant anyone else to suffer because of my choice to do this, to be Batman, to bethe crime fighter Gotham needed. So…so you-you were partially right. Backthen, I didn’t want you involved. When you helped solve Dick’s caseand-and you gave me no choice, Tim. You proved to me you were everything Ineeded Robin to be, everything Dick was, everything Jason was, everythingDamian is learning to be. There was no way I could let you go.”
And God, to hear that, just to hearthat from Bruce.
It’s more than he ever expected.
“You’re more than just a kid in a cape.You always were. You were always the kid I needed, the kid that groundedme, the kid that was so much like me that you should have been a Waynefrom the get-go. Just like Dick and Jason. You taught me just as much as Itaught you, and even though I never wanted to overstep my boundaries, I neverwanted to try and take your Dad away from you because—” and Bruce has to pause,has to let his eyes spill over because back then? Back then when Jack was anass, was a damn terrible father, Bruce still couldn’t fight him because, “—becauseif mine had lived, even if he couldn’t understand me and what I grew into…Istill would have at least had him.”
And Tim bites down on his lip hard enough todraw blood, but it doesn’t stop his eyes from spilling over too, from his armsmoving to wrap around Bruce’s shoulders and hold the fuck on.
“But,” Bruce breathes in, rolls his eyes upwardto try and calm down, “but when you still lost him, I…There was no question,Tim. There never was. You were my son just as much as his, and there was nevera question as to where you belonged, that you have a home here. Not-nota room, not a cot in the Cave, not a locker for your gear. Your home,Tim. And I…I thought I was helping, letting you be the vigilante you needed tobe. When you brought me back and it was Damian in the R, I… I understood why,but I still missed you. I was still…upset with Dick, doing thatwithout telling you, without giving you an opportunity to have your say. I wastrying to give you time to stop hurting, to grow from it. I was trying not topush you too hard, to make it hurt worse.”
Gentle movement, Bruce walking carefully towardthe medical gurney still carrying Tim without even straining, still holding himclose, still so painfully angry at himself for how long these thingsmust have been buried in Tim’s psyche, how all of it must have pushed thisyoung man to his breaking point.
“And I…” Bruce closes his eyes briefly as ithitches, “and I failed you, Tim. I’m so sorry that I failed you as your Dad.I’m sorry you ever thought I only wanted to keep you from telling mysecret because it was never about that.”
But Tim, hanging there, limply, pain a dull redthrob in his brain pain, gripping Bruce around the shoulders tight,hides his face away from the realizations, from the things he never imagined.
Bruce folds himself down and rocks justslightly, comforting them both a little with the motion, “and you’re not goingto believe all this. Not for a while. I know you, young man, and you’regoing to need time to believe in me again, to believe in the family, andthat’s-that’s okay. That’s completely understandable. I’ll give you as muchtime as you need, but goddammit, Tim, I’m not letting you getthat far out of my sight again. I’m not ever going to let you go. Whether youlike it or not, you’re stuck with us, kid.”
He doesn’t laugh or chuckle, still in a state ofshock since he really didn’t imagine this in his future, or well ever.
After all this time, all the bad guys andterrible night, all the sacrifices and job well dones, he’d pretty much figuredit was really…over.
This is a whole lot of unexpected that his brainpan can’t handle all at once. He needs time to think about it, to review theevidence.
“Give me a chance, Tim,” is breathed gently againsthis ear, “don’t give up on me yet. Please, don’t give up on me.”
“You’re an idiot,” he finds himself saying backwith a scratchy throat, “I didn’t give up on you when the world thought youwere dead. Like I’m going to start now?”
And Bruce, B, the Batman, just breathesout in the quiet dim of the Cave, holds this almost nineteen-year-old on hislap like he used to do to Dick when the kid was on overload or he’s finallygotten Damian to just deal with it.
“When I really believe you mean that, I’ll let yougo back to Titan’s Tower.”
That does earn a snickerbecause really, Bruce?
“Can you just—” and the World’s GreatestDetective hesitates for a second, not sure how hard he wants to push whenthere’s been some progress made tonight.
“…you want to know about the spleen thing,don’t you?”
Bruce pats the uninjured leg a little and nodswith Tim’s head tucked under his chin.
Closing his eyes, Tim sighs out through hisnose. But, well, to start gathering evidence, this might just be the way tostart.
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