#i love u crew of the creek
Note
Hellooo!!! may I request a luffy, zoro, and law with fem!reader whos rlly shy and she will just will throw gifts or little notes that say “love u” at him and runs away or hides 😭
separate pls but also if u don’t wanna do all three u can do one! whatever works for u❤️
Shy Reader Who Gives Gifts/Notes To Them
Hiii!!! Thank you for being my first ask!! I couldn't really think of any ideas for Luffy, so I just wrote for Zoro and Law. I apologize for the long wait and I hope you enjoy!
Character(s): Zoro, Law
WC: 1.4k
Zoro
You've had the biggest crush on Zoro for longer than you can remember. The Strawhats had saved your island and invited you to join along, and with this HUNK of a man there who could say no.
You wanted to talk with him so bad, but he was always training and it was just so awkward...you didn't wanna risk a conversation that was mostly silent.
After going to Nami for advice, you decided the best way to communicate would be little notes! Nothing could go wrong...right..?
"321...322...323..." Zoro was in the crows nest, training as per usual. Right now he had so many weights on his back while doing pushups that he couldn't even look up from the floor. He heard the door to the crow's nest creek open, but he didn't have the strength to break his workout and look up to see who it is.
"Oi, who's there?" He asked, but got no reply. He heard someone walking towards him, but couldn't make out who's footsteps they were. The person came close to him, then ran back to the ladder and climbed down the crows nest. Zoro thought it was a bit weird, but maybe it was Chopper dropping off some water, or Usopp searching for Luffy in their daily game of hide and seek. Whatever he thought, as he finished his workout. When he finally put down his weights, he noticed a small note taped onto one of the weights.
"Love u"
What.
Zoro looked at the note like it was in another language. Whatever, someone probably left it as a joke. He went back to training, crumpling the note and throwing it to the corner of the crow's nest.
He thought that would be the last he thought of the note, but that was before he found 4 more in the past hour. Each had the same words, "love u", and it was starting to piss him off. Of course he appreciated the gesture, but he was confused on who in the crew would leave him these notes. Nami???? No, she wouldn't, and if she did she'd charge him for it. Luffy?? No, his handwriting isn't even legible. This was going to bother him all day, so he decided to catch the culprit in the act.
He decided to lay on the side of the railing and take a short "nap." It took about an hour, but he soon noticed someone's presence approaching him. Quietly, the person crept near him and placed a small note on the ground next to him, but just before they turned to walk away, Zoro grabbed their ankle and pulled them down. When he opened his eyes, he never expected to see you there.
"Y/N??? Oi are you ok?" Zoro hastily helped you up. "Shit I am so sorry."
"Its fine.." you quietly reply, he had caught you in the act, you had no idea what to say. It was quiet for a few minutes till Zoro spoke up.
"So...you were the one leaving those notes...right?"
"Yeah..it was me.." you mumbled, looking down at the ground. You were finished, he knew, he probably thought you were weird now and would never want to-
"Next time...sign your name.." You looked up at him, a glimmer of hope in your eye. His face was visibly flustered as he said, "I'm glad those notes were from you ya know, anyone else on this ship leaving them would be weird..."
"Okay...I'll make sure to sign my name next time.." You said, still intrigued by his flustered face. He noticed you staring and quickly walked away, covering his face. You kept leaving notes for him and even small gifts too, and even though you always ran away immediacy after, you always made sure to sign your name.
Law
Your captain was THE Trafalgar Law, like how could you not have a crush on him????
You were a good crewmate and did your job well around the ship, but whenever your captain praised you or tried to have a non-work related conversation, you just got so flustered you couldn't handle it.
Approaching him directly about your feelings wouldn't work...but you had another idea up your sleeve....
Law stopped looking at his clock a long time ago, all he knew was that it was late. He had stayed up late reading a new textbook he picked up at the last island, and the last time he checked the clock it was about 2:19 am.....but that was awhile ago. He swore he was going to go to sleep soon...he just wanted to read about 1 or 2 or 5 more chapters.
Knock Knock
Who the hell was knocking at his door at this hour??? Probably Bepo with a random nightmare he thought as he shuffled towards the door. Law opened it expecting a crying polar bear, but was shocked to see no one was there. He stepped out to see if someone could be down the hall, but his foot was met with a small box. Law picked up the box and looked around the hallway....no one was there. He shut the door to his room and examined the box. It looked.....normal..
Law slowly opened the box and found a small plush of a polar bear. Oh my god???? He loved it???? He examined it more and could tell it was obviously hand made. The stiches weren't perfect, but he could tell whoever made it put a lot of thought into it. He didn't know why someone would make him this, but he didn't really question it cause even though he loved the gift the textbook was calling his name.
Throughout the next week Law would receive a total of 23 gifts. Some being a small note attached with a piece of candy and others being big extravagant displays. He wanted to confront the crew about it and ask whoever it was to stop.....but in all honestly he loved these small gifts. Each one had their own thought to it and the person who gave them obviously knew his favorite things. He wanted to figure out who was giving these to him so he could thank them...and hopefully return the favor.
Law decided the best course of action was catching them in the act...so he set up baby Den Den Mushi's around the Polar Tang that would hopefully catch the perpetrator in the act. He waited till the next time he got a gift to check them, and when he was met with a box of chocolates at the foot of his door, he knew it was time to check.
Your plan had been going perfectly. Throughout the week you had been leaving Law little gifts, hoping that it would catch his attention. Everyone noticed the captain's mood boost throughout the week, so it was obvious your efforts weren't to waste. You wish he knew it was you though....but you never thought you'd have the courage to tell him.
You started to make your way to your room after dinner, when Law stopped you. The rest of the crew had left the kitchen, so it was only you and him.
"Um..is there something you needed captain?" you asked. Why had he pulled you aside?? There's no way he knows about the gifts right???
"Yes actually, I was just wondering when did you learn to sew?" Ok so he definitely knew. No, you could still save this.
"Sewing??? What are you talking about??? I can't sew-" You were cut off by Law shoving a baby Den Den Mushi in your face. He didn't have to play it for you to know you'd been caught.
"I just don't get it, why did you give me all those gifts. I appreciated them of course, but what was the occasion??" Law asked.
"I just wanted to show my appreciation towards you captain...and show how much I care for you.." you sheepishly say, looking down at the floor.
"Well....I'd love to return the favor...maybe I could take you out to dinner at the next island.." You looked up at him, your eyes sparkling. His face was clearly red, and seeing you staring at him made him even more flustered.
"Sure...I'd love that.." you said, letting a smile slip from your lips. Seems your efforts paid off...and it only took a few of sewing classes to do so.
#one piece#x reader#x you#x y/n#one piece x reader#one piece x y/n#one piece x you#roronoa zoro x y/n#roronoa zoro x reader#roronoa zoro x you#zoro x y/n#zoro x you#zoro x reader#roronoa zoro headcanons#roronoa zoro one piece#roronoa zoro imagine#one piece scenario#one piece headcanons#one piece imagine#law x reader#law x y/n#law x you#trafalgar one piece#trafalgar law one piece#trafalgar d water law#trafalgar law x reader#trafalgar law x y/n#trafalgar law x you#trafalgar law headcanons#trafalgar law scenarios
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Best Beating Heart
I is for Ice Skating
Joel makes your dreams come true in a post-apocalyptic world.
Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader
Warnings: None. This is just some good Joel fluff. Because we need it.
“Here looks like a good place to stop,” Joel says to you and the rest of the crew following along behind him. “Take a few moments, catch your breath. We have more ground to cover.” His eyes flick to you for a sliver of a second, and you smile just as he turns to walk away.
He enters the abandoned library, leaving you and the rest of the patrol out in the snow. It’s not unusual for Joel to be quiet and standoffish. It’s not like he’s a jerk or anything, but he likes to keep to himself. He’s friendly when he has to be and social when the situation calls for it. But mostly, Joel’s a loner.
That doesn’t bother you. In fact, it’s one of the things you like about him. He looks scary and intimidating, but you know he’s actually a total softie. You have Ellie to thank for that. She never shuts up about him. Not that you mind. You like hearing her stories about the older man.
“You gonna follow him?”
Speaking of the devil, Ellie pops up by your side, amused grin on her face. She knows about your fascination with Joel. You think everyone does, except Joel.
It’s your fault. You’re not exactly subtle. Like right now, for instance, you can’t tear your eyes away from the double doors he disappeared behind.
“No,” you scoff, brushing her off awkwardly. “Why would I do that? You’re being weird. Shut up.”
“Yeah, okay,” the teenager snorts and heads off towards the rest of the group, leaving you alone. You frown at the library before making the decision to join Ellie. Joel needs some alone time. You don’t want to bother him.
Your boots crunch in the snow as you walk the small trail to the frozen creek. Flakes continue to fall in a light dusting, sprinkling over your hair and face. It’s been a brutal winter with storms continuously rolling in and temperatures well below freezing. But work calls. And today is a group patrol. So it’s not as awful.
“You totally love him,” Ellie chimes in as you catch up with her. You roll your eyes and shove her off the path into the snow. She curses at you, but you’re already gone, running down the snowy pathway.
When you catch up with the others, you see they’re all huddled in a group, keeping warm and taking turns talking about what they miss most from their “past life.” It’s their way of keeping their minds off the biting cold. You kind of like hearing about everyone’s past and the things they were into. It shows a lot about who they were before life turned them rigid.
Ellie, having grown up in the apocalypse, skips her turn, much to her chagrin. So your friend Ivan begins to talk about school field trips. Like you, he was still young when the cordyceps hit. All of his memories are of being a goofy kid. When he talks about his third grade class going on a field trip to the science center, you can picture it. You had the exact same energy for those outings.
The excitement the night before, laying out your clothes so you’d be ready in the morning. The fun lunches your parents used to pack and the cash they gave you for souvenirs. Missing an entire day of school to learn about one subject, but having fun anyway because you were with your friends and you didn’t have to be stuck in class. Those were the days.
Ivan continues to talk, and you continue to recall small pieces of your memories. You don’t realize you and Ellie aren’t alone anymore. It’s when Ellie kicks your foot that you snap out of your haze and look over to see that Joel has joined you.
You give him a small smile and a wave. But all he does is nod his head and stand back, away from everyone else. He’s happy to just listen in.
“Your turn,” Ivan states, saying your name and pointing at you.
Put on the spot, you say the first thing that comes to mind. “Ice skating.”
“Seriously?” Ellie chimes in, intrigued by your answer. “You know how to skate?”
“I used to compete,” you tell her with a smile. “I was a kid, obviously, but I was pretty good. And I liked it. I felt like a princess,” you admit.
“That’s so cool,” she says, clearly impressed by your hidden talent. You have to confess, you’re not surprised. You used to get that reaction a lot. People always seem mystified by the fact that you skated at an expert level. Especially when you were only seven years old.
“I think that’s the thing I miss most,” you say to the rest of the group, glancing over at Joel to gauge his reaction. His face is unreadable, but you like to think he’s listening to you. “It could be the weather,” you add, holding your hand up to the sky. “Winter always reminds me of competition. But, I don’t know, skating is graceful. It’s peaceful. I never felt happier than when I was on the ice, floating around in my sparkly outfits, feeling the rhythm of the music. I’d give anything for just one more glide around the ice.”
“That sounds really nice,” Ellie tells you with a warm smile. She turns to Joel, the man still stoic where he stands. “Have you ever been ice skating, Joel?”
For the first time since he joined you all, he shows some emotion, breathing out a soft laugh. Instead of looking at Ellie, he looks at you, and you feel your heart flutter at the light swimming in his hazel eyes. “I took Sarah a few times,” he says, eyes darting away from you. “She hated it. But that’s because she kept falling. I’m pretty sure my laughing at her didn’t help,” he chuckles.
“Joel!” Ellie tsks, smacking the man on the arm. “That’s so rude.”
“Nah,” you join in, shaking your head as you laugh. “I used to make fun of my friends, too. Man, it would be so fucking funny to watch them flail around before eating shit. Like newborn deer trying to walk. Hilarious.”
“Wow,” Ellie scoffs, but it’s not her reaction you focus on. From the corner of your eye, you see Joel smiling, a real smile, teeth and all. It’s so damn beautiful.
You’re staring. You know you’re staring. Everyone around you fucking knows you’re staring. But you can’t help yourself.
And Joel notices. You think you can see his face heat up with a blush, but you can’t be certain. But he does hold your gaze for a second longer than he usually does. It’s such a small action, but it feels intimate.
“We should get movin’ again,'' Joel says as he clears his throat, his eyes dropping to his snowy boots. “If we leave now, we can make it home before the storm starts.”
Short-lived and simple, but that moment with Joel is something you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. Who knows if you’ll ever have another interaction like that with him? Next to you, you hear Ellie giggle. You can’t avoid her.
“You so love him,” she teases, making kissy faces mocking you. “And don’t even tell me you don’t. I see those hearts in your eyes.”
“Whatever,” you stick your tongue out like a child. “Just get a move on, kid.”
Up ahead, Joel listens in on you and Ellie. He feels bad, invading your conversation like that, but he can’t help it. Truthfully, Joel likes you. He’s liked you since you arrived in Jackson last year. He hasn’t done anything about it because he sees himself as a boring old man. And you’re only in your twenties. What would you want with him?
But that doesn’t stop him from keeping you close. When there’s an opening for his patrol, he insists you be his partner. That way he can keep you safe. And he always insists you’re in his trainings. That way he can assure you’re prepared to the best of your ability. When there’s group outings, he asks you to come along “for Ellie’s sake.” Because she likes you. Trusts you. Really, he just wants you around. Always.
And it’s just easier for him to hide behind excuses.
But what Joel doesn’t know is that you have the biggest crush on him, too. You’re first in line when he needs a partner for patrol. You sign up for his trainings as soon as the list goes up. And when there are group outings, you’re out the door ready to go before he even asks.
Ellie knows about your weird crush. And she knows that Joel’s into you, too. She laughs at how clueless you both are. She has a time limit before she’ll step in and play matchmaker. And watching your shy smiles and small waves today is only pushing her closer to the edge.
-
“Tommy!” Joel finds his brother the next day, enthusiastically pitching him a grand idea. “You know that empty lot by the playground?” He doesn’t wait for Tommy to answer before delving into his thoughts. “It’s not being used for anything, is it? Because I know the perfect way to utilize that space. I think it’s something everyone will really enjoy.”
The younger brother pauses for a few seconds, not used to seeing Joel so animated and excited about something. He only has to think for a brief minute before realizing the true nature behind Joel’s intentions. “It’s for that girl, isn’t it?”
Joel frowns, his rare cheery disposition fading away. He’s being too obvious. But how? He didn’t even give any details!
“I, uh, I don’t know what you mean?” He mutters with a pout.
“Yeah, you do,” Tommy chuckles, but he doesn’t push it anymore. He notices Joel’s hesitation and feels guilty for teasing him. Even though it’s a little deserved. It’s about time the older man acted on his feelings. “What do you have in mind, big brother?”
“Okay,” Joel’s smile returns. “I need some PVC, some plastic lining,” he begins listing the building materials he’ll need, hoping Tommy will know where to find them. Or that he’ll know someone who can help. “Tarp,” he mumbles, counting on his fingers. “And, well, water.”
“Interesting,” Tommy muses. “Yeah, I know where we can get some of that. May I ask what you’re planning?”
“You may not,” Joel counters, thanking his brother for the help and disappearing. He’s secretive, but Tommy laughs. Joel has a good heart. He’s always had a good heart. It’s a relief to see him thriving again.
Over the next few days, Joel works tirelessly on his secret project. Ellie constantly pesters him about it, but he doesn’t reveal any details. She has a pretty good idea of what he’s doing, but she doesn’t ruin the surprise, knowing how excited he is.
On Monday, she checks in, asking Joel if he needs any help. He tells her to go away. On Tuesday, she pokes by again but is turned away by Jesse and Dina, saying they have it under control. By Wednesday, Ellie is annoyed. She threatens Joel, warning him that she’ll tell you what he’s up to if he doesn’t let her help.
But by Thursday, he’s done. And after letting Ellie in, she’s so excited she can’t stand it. She tells Joel she’s leaving. She’ll be hanging out with Cat for the rest of the day. So she’ll be out of his hair. He tells her it’s unnecessary, but deep down, he’s thankful. He’s so worried about the big reveal. He just wants it all to go smoothly.
So on your next patrol with Joel, one where it’s only the two of you because Tommy kindly backed out, he spends the whole shift feeling jittery. He had a whole big speech planned, but then you showed up at his house this morning, and all that preparedness went out the window. Just seeing your face, red from the cold, turned his brain to mush.
You have such a strange effect on him. You’re dangerous, and you don’t even know it. It’s a curse, really. But you’re just so cute and you’re funny. And you make even his darkest days bright just by giving him one smile.
“Joel? You okay?” You break the silence that’s fallen between you two. He’s been looking off in the distance for a while now, and you’re a bit concerned.
“Huh?” He mumbles, coming back down to Earth. He observes your worried face and realizes how aloof he’s been during most of your ride. “Sorry, darlin’, guess I spaced out.”
Darlin’. The nickname rolls off his tongue so easily that you wonder if he’s that smooth with other girls. Or if he’s been holding that in for you. It’s the first time he’s ever called you that. But it feels so right. It feels…good. You want to hear it again. You want him to say it to you, exclusively.
“Something on your mind?” You ask, holding back your squeals. His handsome face beams into a beautiful smile that melts your insides.
“Yeah, actually,” he admits as you approach the walls of Jackson. “I have something I want to show you, if you’re not busy?”
“For you?” You tease. “I have all the time in the world.”
Joel can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but he doesn’t care. He takes your word for it. The gates open, welcoming you home. You dismount from your horses, and Joel quickly takes your hand. The touch shocks you, literally, the static hitting you both. But you know it’s more than that.
He excitedly drags you to the playground area, and you watch as the kids engage in a snowball fight. You think it’s nice that behind these walls, kids can still be kids and enjoy those little luxuries. You kind of wish you still had some of that inspiring youth left in your heart.
You feel a tug on your hand and pull yourself away from the adventures of the kids. You follow Joel past the slides and around the fence until you reach what used to be just a grassy field. Your jaw drops, however, when you see that patch of grass gone and replaced with…a rink.
An ice rink.
“That day when we were all on patrol,” Joel starts, reaching into a bag beside the rink. “You shared your story. And the look on your face…” He pulls out a pair of old ice skates, worn and dirty, but still in decent shape. “I had to guess your size,” he says as he hands them to you.
Your heart explodes at the gesture, different emotions coming over you all at once. You’re going to overflow with actual tears if you don’t get it under control. “Joel, I can’t believe this,” you whimper as you grab the skates. They’re perfect.
“It’s nothing,” he shrugs, but you don’t miss the small smile that pulls at the corner of his lips.
“You built me an ice skating rink,” you say in disbelief. That is so not nothing.
“It was easy, I just had to get a few supplies, and it didn’t take long,” he mumbles. “I had some help.”
“You built me a rink,” you say again, trying to emphasize just how special this is.
“I liked doing it,” he shrugs. “It was a fun project.”
“Joel, you built me an ice skating rink,” you declare with finality in your voice.
That’s when he finally looks at you, loving eyes boring into yours. “You deserve it,” he whispers.
“No one has ever done anything this thoughtful for me before,” your voice cracks as you speak. You can’t believe Joel did all this. He’s playing it off like it’s no big deal, but it is. It means everything to you.
Joel grunts and he looks down at his handy work. He looks sad, almost. Like he’s given up or something. “I just want you to be happy,” he sighs.
And it’s the softest sound you’ve ever heard. His brave admission is what does it for you. You can’t lie anymore. Fuck, Ellie is right. You love him.
You take two strides to where he stands, grab his perfect face in your hands, and kiss him deeply. The second your lips touch, you know there’s no turning back. His moves are tender, lips soft and slow as he kisses you back. It’s such a delicate feeling. You look at a man like Joel and expect a roughness that rivals that of the outside world. But he’s touching your face like you’re this fragile figure and he doesn’t want to hurt you.
“Why? What?” He stutters as you pull away from him. He misses your lips already, desperate to feel them again, a little rougher this time.
You giggle and wrap your arms around his neck. “I wanted to. I have for a while,” you murmur, standing on your tiptoes to brush your nose against his. Your eyes blink up at him and he swoons.
His lips claim yours again, kissing you harder this time as his hands tangle in your hair. The amount of times he’s imagined this is unhealthy. And his imagination is pitiful compared to the real thing. Your kiss tastes sweet, like candy, and your warm breath tickles his face as you exhale through your nose. He loves you. He loves you so much.
“Darlin’, I…” Joel speaks, but you stop him, kissing him again. Just as he wraps his arms around you, you break the kiss and cuddle into him.
“I know,” you say, “I love you, too.”
Masterlist
Joel Miller Taglist: @swtaura - @chxpsi - @extraneous-trip - @cerebellam - @tiredbeebo
#joel miller#joel miller x reader#joel miller x you#joel miller fanfiction#joel tlou#tlou fanfiction
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💥 writeblr intro 💥
hiii folks, this is gonna be my writeblr (hopefully we’ll see how motivated i am) so i want to do a little intro!!
about me
you can call me layne, or if u want to call me icarus, that works too
queer
they/them
disabled with like a million chronic illnesses
21 yrs old
i’m a college dropout with absolutely no plan ahaha
i work as a barista and am looking for music gigs on the side (i still need to get better at the music part oops)
currently reading: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
about my writing
i write mostly fiction/sci-fi/fantasy
almost all of my characters have powers or magic or aren’t even completely human
i like to write really cool fight scenes, i don’t care if they seem unreasonable, pretend it’s an anime idk. they have superpowers they can do anything
i like to explore the darker elements of these powers and worlds, so a lot of my work is nsfw bc of gore and stuff like that
like incorporating horror into my stories as well as just writing horror too
i write diverse characters and do the best research i can; if someone notices i’ve made a mistake or have accidentally written something insensitive, please let me know! i am always learning!
if i could draw i would make all of my works graphic novels as my choice of media, but alas, i am incapable of doing much more than staring at my tablet and getting angry when the picture doesn’t draw itself
my wips:
Generation Six
sci-fi, superpowers
a woman spends her entire life recruiting people known as Guardians to help protect the world from danger, but the biggest threat she’s ever faced is about to upend it all. not to mention the evil little shadow demon that lives in her head is constantly trying to overtake her and go on a murderous rampage. she’s a bit busy.
large cast, multiple povs
this series is on the back burner for now, i just am not sure where i want to go with it
an untitled pirate story
fantasy, magic gay pirates
the most feared pirates in the world is a crew of six people… and a magic cat? the captain is searching for the greatest treasure known to humankind, and she’d probably have it already, if they didn’t keep hitting all these roadblocks. seablocks? they’re on a boat.
small main cast
Murders of Crow Creek
western setting with supernatural/paranormal elements
a small town sheriff recruits an interesting group of people to help her solve a string of murders: a witch of the Dark Gods, a bounty hunter with a memory problem, a demon killer with a smoking problem, and a bartender with one arm and a hell of a lot of knives tucked in his boots. what’s the worst that could happen? ignore the all out war between gods that they accidentally get themselves into
small main cast
there’s ghosts, demons, angels, vampires, all sorts of supernatural beings just chillin in the wild west
personally love this one bc the main character, the sheriff, is just getting too old for this nonsense; she’s also a big time lesbian yeehaw
Kid Mother
sci-fi, post-apocalyptic
a disease has wiped out nearly the entire human population. if things weren’t already bad, this disease made it so that babies just. couldn’t be born. until one is. with the human population dwindling, and groups trying to speed up that process, our main character has to travel across the country with the first baby that’s been born in two decades so that scientists may be able to find a way to fix this entire thing. no problem.
very small cast
us vs the world trope
other info
i love answering literally any questions about my wips so pleeeeeaaaase ask away!!
i’ll probably also post any fanfics i write bc i have a lot of them, and i really need somewhere to share them oopsies
any advice about other places i can share my writing would be appreciated
please refrain from giving criticism unless it’s 1. constructive and 2. something i asked for :) sometimes i just Can Not Handle It
i do not tolerate any form of bigotry. if i see any clownery on any of my stuff, you will be blocked and reported. just don’t be an ass.
uhhh i think that’s about it? not sure what else to put in a writeblr intro, so if you made it this far, thank you so much! hopefully i will have more detailed posts about those wips up at some point before the year ends! follow if your interested, i’ll probs follow back :)
💥
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Indian creek nature preserve, Reily, Township.
Glacial deposit ridge line, somewhat acidic in some sections, somewhat rocky and less acidic in others, near a bison trace.
The park also has an old ccc stand and a beautiful set of creek bed vernal pools.
In order Geranium maculatum, a flagged Trifolium kentuckyensis (Labelled temporary placement)100 % not native to Ohio but still cool to see and i’de love to see the two original single plants, last but not least Danny taking photos of midland shooting star next to an extremely old Nyssa sylvatica (black gum tulipo) and acidifilic slow growing tree.
Im assuming this Trifolium is part of CREW or a Miami U test, I assumed that the Trifolium kentuckyensis was going to be hispid along the stem but I guess it might be variable?
https://saveplants.org/tag/trifolium-kentuckiense/
2 individuals left on the planet from 2 counties Franklin co and Woodfard co. Now C.R.E.W from Cincinnati zoo is working to get re-introduction and ex-situ tests moving along; tissue culture + breeding + gmo tests and ex-situ tests are not new in the clover projects theyve been apart of.
but Big shout out to these people on the Ky clover proj: Dr. MAV , Dr. Chapel, Dr. V. Pence, Dan Boone, Vanessa Voelker, Tara Littlefeild, Megan Philpot, Brian Jorg, Marayed, Savanna.
#danny#ohio#Nyssa sylvatica#nyssa#plantblr#botany#geranium maculatum#trifolium kentuckyensis#trifolium#geranium#kentucky
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Alright so guys this is my first written series. it's of star trek so if you guys find mistakes please don't come after me. And enjoy.
Summary:
Jim Kirk is captured by an unknown species and he has no idea where he is but he makes some unexpected discoveries in there and make some new friends and meets some old ones.
Warning: There will be mention of torture (I mean guys get use to it), and blood.
Part 2 new revealation
Jim's pov
So it's been a few hours and she just went to sleep.
Ok, now I am getting impatient. I want to ask her Questions... alot of them
Like how did she get here and how long has she been here. Honestly the crazy part is that the crazy fucking no mouth people didn't come here.
The door creeks open.
"Shit I spoke to soon" jim says out loud.
They come near Jim and drag him out of the cell. He saw Emily stir awake and look at him. A few more came in and stood beside Emily. Jim really didn't want to know what they were going to do to her.
They drag him out of the cell. And took him to the torture room as Jim started calling it.
They started to torture him. While he is being tortured. He likes to think about his family and crew. He thinks about those awesome chess games with Spock. And bones screaming at him for getting that paper cut. Hehe. He laughed at there last one.
He sreamed in pain when they cut into his skin.
"Fuck you" he sreamed at them. They didn't even budge.
He remembered how Uhura would be screaming at him when she would be learning to perfect the Klingon after their last in counter with them. And when sulu and checkov playing rock, paper,scissors when they would get board of just sitting on their chairs looking at scans. And who can forget Scotty. Poor guy was always screaming at keenser to not mess up the warp core and kill us all. And Carol he would think of her when he was alone cause he loved her and didn't think of her when he getting tortured.
When They were done with him and they draged him back to the cell.
When he got back there he saw Emily with a few tears in her eyes.
She immediately wiped them and looked down of her lap.
Jim didn't ask Any questions about what happened to her.
He sat down and waited for her to speak. After a while she finally said
" Your pretty brave. I like that but they don't. They want to see u scream in pain " she paused for a moment " don't talk back at them and scream sometimes. They let u go quicker "
Jim just froze for a moment. How does she know all that he thought to himself. He knew he had to ask her now.
"Look I didn't want to ask u but how long have to been hear for "
"Five years" she said
Damn that took him off guard five years Jim couldn't think of being here for a month and she has been here for 5 years.
"Ok... And how did u get here" Jim asked.
She looked down. Idiot Jim thought to himself. she clearly doesn't want to answer that and then why did u say that.
" I don't want to... But something tells me that I can trust you " Emily replied.
Jim felt good that she was starting to trust him
" I... Am from a family called the Richards. We are family of blood and we don't accept people who are not our own " she paused.
Jim knew she was fighting with herself to tell him.
" Hey hey u don't have to tell me if u don't want to okey... "
Emily smiled "no I want to so I will."
Jim nodded
"I.... My mother had a one night stand with someone making me a not so pure daughter and for that reason my father hated me and my mother was relatively normal compared to my father. I had many siblings but the ones that treated me normally were my older brother John and my other sister kira. I don't know what had gotten into them but my parents decided to sacrifice me to the black sea and kill me to make the bloodline pure again."
Jim was shocked
"Anyway I will continue so they just said that they were gonna take me to a vacation place and since my parents had never treated me like their own I thought they were going to and as u can y see that didn't go so well and ended up going and before they were going to sacrifice me my sister kira gave me an oxygen mask and told me to wear it as soon as I got into the water I thought she had gone crazy but that's what ended up having my life and I ended up on shore where these people captured me and tortured me for 5 years"
Jim could not believe his ears. He didn't know what to say.
Alas he said
"I am so sorry"
"Ehhh... I have gotten used to it" Emily said.
Jim looked down.
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“VIOLENCE WILL NOT BRING CHANGE.”
That’s what Biden said in his latest advert.
Are we kidding ourselves here? Seriously? It’s the AMERICAN WAY! Let’s review a little history...
1619: SLAVERY BEGINS in AMERICA
American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Cherokee–American wars (1776–1795) USA v. Native Americans
Northwest Indian War (1785–1793) USA v. Native Americans
Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787) USA v. Citizens During Debt Crisis
Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794) USA v. Citizens over TAXES
Quasi-War (1798–1800) Naval Pissing Match- USA v. France
Fries Rebellion (1799–1800) USA . PA Dutch Farmers over TAXES
First Barbary War (1801–1805) USA & Sweden v. N. Africa (Pirates)
German Coast Uprising (1811) Slave Rebellion in New Orleans v. USA
Tecumseh's War (1811) Native Annihilation.
War of 1812 (1812–1815) USA v. Britain over UK’s seizure of ships and men
Creek War (1813–1814) USA v. Alabama Native Americans
Second Barbary War (1815) Again.
First Seminole War (1817–1818) USA v. Florida Native Americans
Texas–Indian Wars (1820–1875) USA v. Texas Natives & Spain/Mexico
Arikara War (1823) USA v. Sioux Native Americans
Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States (1825–1828)
Winnebago War (1827) USA v. Wisconsin Native Americans
First Sumatran expedition (1832) USA v. Indonesia
Black Hawk War (1832) USA v. Ill & Mich Native Americans
Texas Revolution (1835–1836) USA v. Mexico to steal Tex-ass
Second Seminole War (1835–1842) USA v. Native Americans in Florida
Second Sumatran expedition (1838)
Aroostook War (1838) USA v. Britain over N. Brunswick & Maine Border
Ivory Coast expedition (1842) USA v. Bereby, W. Africa against Slavers
Mexican–American War (1846–1848) USA v. Mexico to seize TX, NM & CA
Cayuse War (1847–1855) USA v. Oregon Native Americans (Annihilation)
Apache Wars (1851–1900) USA v. Apache Native Americans in s.west
Bleeding Kansas (1854–1861) USA v. USA Kansas & Missouri Conservative PRO-Slavery versus Abolitionist/Progressive ANTI-Slavery in new territories.
Puget Sound War (1855–1856) USA v. coastal Wash. State Native Americans
First Fiji expedition (1855) USA v. Fiji over the islanders not wanting rich American fucks there anymore. We did away with that by force, by Harry!
Rogue River Wars (1855–1856) USA v. Oregon Native Americans
Third Seminole War (1855–1858) USA purges last of Florida Natives
Yakima War (1855–1858) USA v. Washington Native Americans
Second Opium War (1856–1859) USA, Britain & France v. China over forcing the Chinese to buy opium to keep them compliant
Utah War (1857–1858) USA v. The F’n MORMONS This was the Waco Tex-Ass of its time.
Navajo Wars USA v. New Mexico Native Americans (Long Walk)
Second Fiji expedition (1859) USA v. Fiji. We told them once...
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) USA v. USA, Prelude to Civil War
First and Second Cortina War (1859–1861) USA (Then CSA) v. Mexico in TX
Paiute War (1860) USA v. Nevada Native Americans
American Civil War (1861–1865) USA v. CSA
Yavapai Wars (1861–1875) USA v. AZ Native Americans
Dakota War of 1862 (1862) USA v. Minnesota & Dakota Native Americans
Colorado War (1863–1865) USA v. Colorado, Wyoming & Nebraska Natives
Shimonoseki War (1863–1864) UK, USA, France, Dutch v. Japan over straight between Japan’s own islands.
Snake War (1864–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho & California
Powder River War (1865) USA v. Native Americans in Montana & Dakota
Red Cloud's War (1866–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Wyoming & Montana
Formosa expedition (1867) USA v. Taiwan Natives in response to massacre of crew of wrecked USS Rover, a small bark.
Comanche Campaign (1867–1875) USA v. Native Americans in western states/territories
Korea expedition (1871) USA v. Korea in retaliation for being shot at because they hated us.
Modoc War (1872–1873) USA v. Native Americans in N. Cali & Oregon.
Red River War (1874–1875) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.
Las Cuevas War (1875) USA/TX v. Mexican Raiders
Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.
Buffalo Hunters' War (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in TX & OK
Nez Perce War (1877) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming & Montana
Bannock War (1878) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho & Wyoming
Cheyenne War (1878–1879) USA v. Native Americans in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, S. Dakota and Montana
Sheepeater Indian War (1879) USA v. Native Americans in Idaho
Victorio's War (1879–1881) USA/Mexico v. Apache in Mexico
White River War (1879–1880) USA v. Native Americans in Colorado
Pine Ridge Campaign (1890–1891) USA v. Native Americans in S. Dakota
Garza Revolution (1891–1893) USA & Mexico v. Mexican Revolutionaries
Yaqui Wars (1896–1918) USA/Mexico v. Native Americans in Mexico & AZ
Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899) USA v. Germany over Samoa Control because screw the natives already living there.
Spanish–American War (1898) USA v. Spain- when the US wanted to bugger Spain and used the likely accidental destruction of the USS Maine (”Remember the Maine!”) in Havana Harbor as an excuse for war.
Philippine–American War (1899–1902) USA v. Philippines because we won you from Spain in the last war; screw you if you’re a native on the island.
Moro Rebellion (1899–1913) USA v. Philippines because while we’re here, we’ll meddle in your politics too.
Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) USA v. China because they wanted those douchebag imperialists, foreigners and goddamn Christians to simply fuck the hell off back to where they came from because they suck.
Crazy Snake Rebellion (1909) USA v. OK Native Americans because Americans just LOVE betraying treaties and killing the native population.
Border War (1910–1919) USA v. Mexico & Germany because it’s more fun to play with guns and kill one another rather than sit at a table with a map and come to an amicable agreement.
Negro Rebellion (1912) USA v. Cuba (under US control from war with Spain) where we literally went in and slaughtered Afro-Cubans for wanting freedom. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Occupation of Nicaragua (1912–1933) USA v. Nicaragua where the US seized land and occupied it because a canal was going to be built and never was. Oops. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Bluff War (1914–1915) USA v. Native Americans in Utah and Colorado. Again. Why should the last generation have all the fun, right?
Occupation of Veracruz (1914) USA v. Mexico. Because fuck those Mexicans, right?
Occupation of Haiti (1915–1934) USA v. Haiti because why not? We own you now. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924) USA v. D.R. because we may as well own you too while we’re in the area.
World War I (1917–1918)
USA arriving very late in the “War to End All Wars”. “Thanks for nothing,” said the allies, “But please; take all the credit.”
Russian Civil War (1918–1920) USA & Europe v. Bolshevik Russia which didn’t end well for the USA & allies. We totally lost that one.
Last Indian Uprising (1923) USA v. Native Americans in Utah because we’d rather have Mormons than the Ute and the Paiute tribes.
World War II (1939–1945)
USA fights Japan covertly in the Pacific, aiding China against Japanese aggression. USA assists Britain and occupied Europe against the FASCIST regimes of Hitler’s Nazis and Mussolini in Italy and fucks off until the Attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941. “Oh, THIS shit again?” asks Europe. “Showing up late YET AGAIN, but sure; hey, USA, take all the credit yet again. Seriously, fuck you guys. Thanks for the assist, but we could have saved millions of lives of you’d gotten of your fat asses YEARS ago!”
Korean War (1950–1953) USA v. N. Korea in a proxy war with the USSR and China because fuck those commies, right? We won, even though they kicked our asses and a formal treaty was NEVER signed so technically the war is actually STILL ON.
Laotian Civil War (1953–1975) USA v. Laos and those commie scumbags. Yep. We don’t talk about this one because we LOST.
Lebanon Crisis (1958) USA v. Lebanon, Beirut, because we like Christians and fuck those Muslim twats, right? (God, we’re not a good people in the US...)
Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) USA & Cuban Revolutionaries v. Cuban Government because fuck the commies. Maybe if we help, we’ll own Cuba again... Oops. Nope. Totally fucked that up.
Simba rebellion, Operation Dragon Rouge (1964) USA and EU Allies v. S.E. Asia in amounted to a total clusterfuck that dissolved Vietnam and was a precursor there as well as other areas. It helped the rise of dictators all throughout the region. Khmer Rouge anyone?
Vietnam War (1955–1975) USA, S. Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand etc. v. China-backed, USSR backed N. Vietnam. The Imperialist WEST v. the Communist EAST. That ended in a shit-show for the West like all proxy wars in southeast Asia do.
Communist insurgency in Thailand (1965–1983) USA/Local allies v. China/ally backed communist rebels. Pretty much a draw that petered out and Communism didn’t really stick... sort of.
Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–1969) USA v. N. Korea because they attempted to convince the S. Koreans to rise up and join the North, throwing out the WEST. No dice for them.
Dominican Civil War (1965–1966) USA v. Dom. Republic insurgents to restore Dem elected government. It worked so well that we would decide never to really do that sort of thing again when doing it the opposite way gets us more money.
Insurgency in Bolivia (1966–1967) USA (CIA) & Bolivia stomp out Che Guevara because we’ll have none of this uprising shit.
Cambodian Civil War (1967–1975) USA v. Cambodian communists, because we were in the area anyway... “THE KILLING FIELDS” happened.
War in South Zaire (1978) USA & Allies v. USSR & Allies in Africa. Yes, another Cold War proxy war. Finally, the US wins one. Yay.
Gulf of Sidra encounter (1981) USA v. Libya- a pissing contest over a line in the water. Libyan fighters fire upon US fighters and get their asses handed to them. USA! USA! USA!
Multinational Intervention in Lebanon (1982–1984) USA joins the U/N to shaft the P.L.O. and Muslims in Lebanon because fuck them and we love Israel.
Invasion of Grenada (1983) USA v. Cuban-backed commie bastards who overthrew the democratically elected government. I know we said we wouldn’t do that again, but we hate Cuba more than these guys.
Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) USA v. Libya because fuck you, Qaddafi, and that bullshit line in the water. We’re sending a carrier group in to show YOU where the REAL line is.
Bombing of Libya (1986) USA v. Libya because they keep bombing shit around Europe and they make us keep coming back. France still likes Libya and wouldn’t let US fighters through their airspace as they left German air bases. US pilots were a bit fatigued having to go around the long way and ‘accidentally’ bombed the French Embassy in Libya...
Tanker War (1987–1988) USA v. Iran because fuck them, that’s why. Iran & Iraq were duking it out and Iran thought shooting at US and allied shipping would be good fun. USS Vincennes then shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 passengers; 66 of which were children. Yeah, we totally fucked that up hard-core.
Tobruk encounter (1989) USA v. Libya. Again. That line. US F-14′s splash their MIGs. Now, stay. Good Libya.
Invasion of Panama (1989–1990) USA v. Panama dictator Manuel Noriega because he’s an evil cunt. No, not really. It was because he wouldn’t play ball with the US and the CIA. He was a drug lord anyway so fuck him.
Gulf War (1990–1991) USA & Allies v. Iraq because Saddam Hussein needed his dick slapped the fuck back out of Kuwait, a US & EU ally.
Iraqi No-Fly Zone Enforcement Operations (1991–2003) USA v. Iraq, because every now and then we had to go blow up some of their shit and keep them in their place.
First U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (1992–1995) USA & Allies v. Somalia because why not? Lots of shooting, lots of dead, and nothing accomplished. The war is STILL going on.
Bosnian War (1992–1995) USA v. Bosnian, post USSR dictators because the US/NATO won’t act until AFTER the genocides...
Intervention in Haiti (1994–1995) USA v. Haiti, because damn it, we’ll restore your democratically elected government and put down that coup... for a price...
Kosovo War (1998–1999) USA and a fuck ton of allies v. Russia-backed Yugoslavia because human rights violations are for US southern CSA states only, fuckers. We sort of won this ‘contest’.
Operation Infinite Reach (1998) USA v. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, because fuck those ‘towelheads’ we helped push out the Russians! How dare they turn on us imperialists when we treat them like peasants and shit on them? What nerve! How will Big Pharma keep up their poppy fields now? This means war...
THE 21st CENTURY
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
2003 invasion of Iraq (2003) & Iraq War (2003–2011)
War in North-West Pakistan (2004–present)
Second U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (2007–present)
Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016) USA v. Somali pirates
International intervention in Libya (2011) Because enough, Qaddafi.
Operation Observant Compass (2011–2017) USA v. Uganda because of terrorist camps
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Iraq. Thanks, Obama; right?
American-led intervention in Syria (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Syria where we rounded up lots of ‘terrorist’ fighters.
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
American intervention in Libya (2015–present) USA v/ ISIS/ISIL in Libya. It’s as if the war in Iraq pissed off a ton of people in the region along with Israel’s expansion into Palestine territory over the years... Go figure.
THE TRUMP YEARS
Despite fucking over our allies in Syria and being far too cozy with Putin and Kim Jong Un and other dictators, sympathizing with Nazis in the US and having the KKK in his blood, trumplefuckstick hasn’t actually pushed any “NEW” wars upon the US so far. Sure, we’re in a state of chaos and about to collapse into a failed nation-state into that “shithole country” everyone thinks can’t happen here.
The point is:
“HEY JOE FUCKIN’ BIDEN! I DON’T MEAN TO THROW YOU OFF YOUR GAME HERE BUT WHILE I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE, IT SEEMS THAT AS AMERICANS, IT’S THE ONLY WAY WE DO THINGS HERE TO GET SHIT DONE!”
Still don’t believe me? How about some non-war stuff...
How about EVERY act of white supremacist, KKK driven TERROR on non-whites since the Civil War ended or of the slave owners before them?
How about how our first real “police” in the US were bounty hunters looking for runaway slaves?
How about the Tulsa race massacre when white mobs attacked the black residents and business of the Greenwood District in Tulsa because the good people of Oklahoma didn’t want them “uppity niggers” to be doing as well or better than the white racist fucks were doing. That learned ‘em, didn’t it?
Let’s not forget the anti-union suppression! How about the Herrin Massacre? During a United Mineworkers of America nationwide strike union miners shot at strikebreakers working at the mine. The mine's guards killed three union miners on June 21, and the miners killed 20 strikebreakers and guards on June 22.
What about the Hanapepe Massacre? During a strike of Filipino sugar workers, in an attempt to rescue two hostage strikebreakers police killed 16 strikers, while strikers killed four law enforcement members.
Kent State shootings: During a protest of the bombing of Cambodia at the University, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire, killing four and injuring nine people.
Jackson State University shooting: After responding to the University due to a growing unrest, officers opened fire on a dorm building and two students (one from a local high school) were killed and twelve were injured.
There are more, to be sure, but Mr. Biden, you ARE correct in one particular field here- gun violence. Look at this list HERE. So many acts of mass shootings going WAY back before Columbine. What’s been done about this by you, the Democrats or Republicans of the piece-of-shit NRA? Fuck-all NOTHING.
Your truth, Mr. Biden- in this instance, gun violence literally achieves NOTHING.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States#1920s
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Craig aint even gay what u talking about the whole show is him telling a story to his grandchildren
1. I have no idea where you got the idea that Craig of The Creek is framed by an older Craig telling stories of his childhood to his grandchildren. This isn’t in the pilot or anywhere in the show that I can tell. Maybe there’s a chance this is something the crew said and I missed it, but I think either this is a theory of yours or something you’ve confused with another show
2. Gay people can have children, and therefore grandchildren. They can adopt, have surrogate parents, or even children from relationships when they were in the closet, so even if you are right that Craig goes on to have grandchildren, this wouldn’t mean it’s impossible that he’s gay. In the post that you’re referring to actually, I say I headcanon Craig as “gay, bisexual or queer”. So even if he does fall in love with and have children with a woman in the future, that still doesn’t negate my headcanon. Which goes on to my third point...
3. This is just a headcanon of mine! You don’t need to come on anon and whine that I’m making a straight character gay. You don’t have to think of him this way. I relate to Craig and see aspects of my and other people’s queer childhood experiences in him. You’re allowed to headcanon that Craig is straight, and even if you think it goes against the logic of the show, I’m allowed to headcanon that he’s not. In the post you are referring to, I was explaining why I and others with my interests might find the show enjoyable. If you don’t find my theories enjoyable, you don’t have to engage with them.
4. The show now includes multiple representations of people who use they/them pronouns (Angel and Pullstring), women who love women (the witches, Craig’s cousin Jasmine and possibly JP’s sister and partner) and men who love men (that Chef couple and possibly the Junk Lord and the honey suckle rangers). I think the creators of the show themselves would be disgusted by the attitude you seem to have towards queer people. Given the groundbreaking diversity in the show, I don’t think it unlikely that the crew might attempt to hint that at least one of the main trio grows up to identify as queer.
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OC Companion Meme
i got tagged by @ultrastimpaks !! thanks gio love u
rules: pick out a fallout oc and fill out the prompts!
tagging uh. @sleights-of-hand @rocket-69 and @rotarydials !!
THE BASICS
>> which game would they be from?
Fallout 3
>> where would you find them?
A random encounter in the subways!
>> how do you recruit them?
"Just put it down! I didn't do anything to you!" Oppy shouts at the pair while holding her hands in the air.
"Aw, you really think I care, don't you?" The raider throws Oppy's backpack to another, who begins to dig through its contents.
"Never said that. Just give it back and I'll be on my--"
(I wrote it out as a dialogue tree scenario! Read the rest here!)
After rescuing Oppy from the raiders, you have the option to recruit her as a traveling companion.
>> do they have a specialized task?
If you give her dirty water, she’ll eventually hand back purified water!
(First time picking up dirty water with Oppy traveling with you) “Oooh! My mom taught me how to boil all the dirt and stuff out of water ages ago. I can clean those up for you if you want! Much healthier too, don’t want you getting sick on me!”
(Giving her dirty water) “Oh yuck! Will get this back to you as soon as I can!”
(Handing back purified water) “Bye dirt! You belong with the plants, not in my drinking water, thank you very much!”
>> do they give the player items? if yes, which items?
Oppy will occasionally pick up miscellaneous items on your journey with her. Sometimes they’ll even be useful! She will occasionally share them with the player. The things she picks up can range from an old pre-war phone to a stray stimpak she nabbed.
>> do they have a personal quest? if yes, what would it be?
Oppy doesn’t have a personal quest, but she’ll occasionally bring up smaller quests to go to different places around the DC area for research purposes. The player will likely need to take down low-level enemies from these locations before Oppy is able to complete her research.
If enough quests are completed, the player is granted the ‘In the Know!’ perk. This will grant special dialogue options while Oppy is by your side.
(For example, during the Stealing Independence quest if you have Oppy by your side you can ask Abraham to tell you more about the location you’re going to.)
>> can you romance them?
No.
(If flirted with) “Oh! Well, I’m flattered, but I’m not really looking for romance right now. I’d rather just go on more adventures with you! Where to next?”
>> what perk would they give the player?
Walking on Sunshine: Well-rested will always be granted after sleeping in a bed - being around Opportunity just seems to put you in a good mood! You also receive bonus EXP for any non-combat related actions.
>> what are their SPECIAL stats?
S - 6, P - 4, E - 6, C - 9, I - 8, A - 7, L - 7
AFFINITY
>> loves
- Using a cooking station. “I love cooking! Do you need any help? I know what I’m doing, believe it or not.”
- Helping others, doing good deeds. “Good work! Some people are just down on their luck.”
- Taking down Paradise Falls. “No one deserves to be treated like that. No one.”
- Choosing the non-violent option in quests. “You handled that well! Sometimes words work better than bullets.”
>> likes
- Helping Moira with the Wasteland Survival Guide. “I know it’s tough, but it’s going to help a lot of people! No, really! ...What do you mean I sound just like her, shut up!”
- Siding with Roy Phillips and doing the non-violent route of the Tenpenny Tower quest. “You did the right thing, that Alistair guy is an asshole. ...Excuse my language.”
>> neutral
- Entering vaults. “The so-called height of the pre-war era... Did you know they were experimenting on people even before the bombs dropped? Cruel. We should get out of here as soon as we can.”
>> dislikes
- Drinking alcohol or using chems. “Hey! Being intoxicated isn’t going to help us get anywhere!”
- Pickpocketing/Stealing. “What are you doing?! Put that back!”
- Attempting to unlock owned doors or objects. “Stop it! How would you like it if I blatantly ignored your privacy? Those are locked for a reason!”
- Killing brahmin. “If you wanted to be a butcher you could have just said so, but this isn’t the time or place. What did they do to you?”
>> hates
- Leaving Harold alive during the Oasis quest. “I want plants back just as much as anyone else, but this isn’t the way to do it. He’s suffering at the hands of these people... Maybe you should have rethought that.” (Oppy will pull you aside to try talking you out of it multiple times during the quest.)
- Blowing up Megaton. “Why... would you.... I don’t understand your- What? You know what? No. I can’t stand to look at your face. Don’t try explaining yourself, I’m leaving. Don’t come running after me, either.” (Oppy will permanently leave you if you blow up Megaton. She will pull you aside to try talking you out of it multiple times throughout the quest.)
- Siding with the Brotherhood. “I’m afraid I don’t get why you would do that... They’re only out to help themselves. Have you seen the way they treat anyone different from their own?”
VOICE LINES
>> “use melee”
"Oh! Okay, I got my bat ready! I’ll try my best!”
>> “use ranged”
"I’m not sure that’s the best decision, I always seem to lose my ammo...”
>> “stay close”
“Right behind you! I’ll try not to trip you up.”
>> “keep distance”
“Got it! They’ll never see us- Er... Me, coming!”
>> “back up”
“Oh sorry, was I too close?”
>> “be passive”
“Great! That’s my specialty.”
>> “be aggressive”
“Why would you want me to do that?”
>> “wait here”
“No problem! Do you want me to set up a camp while I wait?”
>> “follow me”
“Off we go!”
>> when healed
“Ow ow ow- Oh, thanks! You sure we don’t have to amputate?”
>> when killed (general)
“This wasn’t... how I planned this going...”
>> when killed (by player)
“I trusted you!”
>> when talking
“Back home my granmama would always make these tato cakes- they were the BEST. You’d love ‘em. Maybe I could make them for you sometime!”
“There’s a lot more to learn about our history than you’d think. Doesn’t do any good to just ignore it when it’s all repeating itself again.”
“One time my cousins and I were out playing in a nearby creek when we were young and Matty got his leg stuck in the mud.. We were out there for HOURS until my dad and my uncle came out to rescue us. Hey, at least we got snacks afterward!”
“Don’t you find feral ghouls fascinating? I mean, basically losing your mind and who you are as a person.. Only hanging onto what little threads of memory you can hang onto. Must be hard.”
“I think the Capitol Preseveration Society is doing good work, even if most people don’t appreciate it. History has to be remembered somehow!”
“Back home we didn’t have a lot of plants, but we at least had more than there are here.. Sometimes I get tired of all the concrete and rubble.”
“You know... As much as I enjoy looking back at history and all, I don’t want you to think I want to go back to it. Pre-war wasn’t good, I mean, hell, it ended up with a nuclear war that brought us to where we are now.”
“I’ve always thought people should make more of their own music. My family was always singing and drumming against things... I rarely see any of that around here. It’s kinda gloomy, really!”
“I’m not a fan of that Brotherhood of Steel group... They say they’re preserving old technology, but they’re not really helping anybody or teaching anyone outside of their crew, are they?”
>> when trading (neutral)
“Shoot... Which pocket did I put this in again?”
“Hold on, I think I lost... Nope, there it is.”
>> when trading (happy)
“Oh good! Do you have snacks?”
“I assure you I’ll handle your things with the UTMOST care and attention. I even have a dust rag around here somewhere!”
>> when dismissed
“Oh, okay... I’ll be in Rivet City if you need me!”
#my ocs#oppy#fallout 3#this took FOREVER but it was fun! in this house we love oppy#yes im just noticing all of my typos and grammar issues leave me alone this took me so long :(
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Got any favourite AUs u wanna rant about? Doesn’t have to specifically be about one fandom too, just go buck wild!
omg i’ve been waiting for someone to ask this >:) and i will be going buck wild so be prepared to read a LOT
so basically, i LOVE my tua and wild kratts au’s but i dont really feel like talking about my tua one right now so LOL. so if you’re particularly interested in my wk au, you’ll be getting that. but if anyone wants a post about maddie and my tua au, just ask in my asks so i can make a whole post about it!! :)
so it all started with the creation of lacey (who in this is martin and chris’s younger sister. also in this au she’s 15, chris is 21, and martin is 22) and i realized i had to sort out other things to make sense because 1) she lives on the tortuga and 2) she’s 15 and still in high school. so her sort of backstory is she had been begging to live on the tortuga ever since they moved on and as a christmas present, her parents were like yeah u can move onto the tortuga if she kept up on her school work. and the “basic boring” au in my head is that she lives with the crew and goes on creature adventures with her brothers (she has a CPS) and she’s super close with martin and chris. mk and ck are also super protective of lacey. but the au i’m writing about is practically the same as the “basic boring” but she moves in with the crew because zach knows lacey exists and that’s a problem because he moved neighbourhoods just after she was born and was never friends with the brothers to begin with. so you can see how it’s a problem. and on halloween night, one of the kratt kids overhears zach telling his zachbots to go find and kidnap lacey and the bros and then they get the news and emergency move her into the tortuga and then a few months later on chris’s birthday, he finally kidnaps them and lacey manages get out of her cell and become zach’s assistant, helping him with inventions and crap. a bit later she becomes a sort of co-inventor and the whole time she’s visiting martin and chris in their holding cell and secretly planning a way to get everyone free and expose zach, which they end up doing.
but really, in any lacey au, it comes down to her and the brothers sibling love, which is my favorite thing about them. it’s also my favorite thing to write with them. and while her basic au has a not interesting backstory, she’s just a sweet girl who loves her brother and loves hanging out with animals.
a bit more details about lacey because i can and you said to not hold back >:)
she’s the sassy one of the siblings
she’s also super smart and knows how to use it to her advantage
she knows how to drive the createrra xv despite chris’s anxiety
she doesn’t have a favorite brother but she prefers martin, probably cause she looks like a girl version of him
people never really liked her but i guess that comes with having famous brothers
chris got her into marvel movies and now they have marathons every so often
her and martin are closer in the category that they’re both sort of emotionally soft and their love language is touch do they’re always hugging
koki, aviva, and lacey love taking girl days and most of the time, those girl days are just them chatting while aviva does some inventing
the crew has movie nights every friday and it’s mostly just them scrolling through netflix or disney +
she is such a science kid omg. when she was just a little baby, 5 and 6 year old chris and martin would always take her out into their backyard and show her all the wildlife they could find. and as she got older, they would take her to local ponds and creeks/brooks and they would teach her animal and nature facts, which led her to being the animal-loving kratt kid she is
she also sizes up everyone in her science class with animal facts and her teachers are always annoyed but still give her A’s
she’s got like one friend who eventually betrayed her who i’ve decided to name skylar. this is a skylar hate club. also idk what she looks like so if u wanna draw them being angsty friends do it and be creative besties
they’re all such taylor swift and olivia rodrigo fans
i think that’s it but thank you for asking! i had a lot of fun writing this out :)
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How The Ivy’s End - Season 1
it’s long af, so below the cut. at the end is a brief tldr; too for u instant gratification fans
Levi & Penelope
Levi and Penelope, after raising 4 kids together (Luna, Dorian [Penny + Zach’s baby, passed off as Levi’s], Morgan and Charlotte [Penny+Levi’s twins]), have a struggling relationship.
Levi is constantly trying to make things work, to make Penny happy, and to find the ‘spark’ they once had, in an attempt to revive their dead bedroom (yup!!! rip). Penny gets put on a project at work that has her teaming up with a legal consultant... none other than ex-boyfriend Justin Brees!
While Levi is struggling to work on his relationship with Penelope, raise his children, and manage his relationship with Luna’s mom Megan, Penelope is starting to feel things she hasn’t felt in a while-- but for Justin.
When Levi and Penny’s neighbor hits on Levi one afternoon, after he rejects her she tells him she knows his relationship is falling apart-- she sees it, because so is hers. Turns out... she maybe have been right!! Penelope starts toying with the idea of breaking things off with Levi, to pursue Justin; the way she feels around him is just incomparable.
She’s ready to pull the trigger, and put an end to their ~4 years together when... Zach shows up. The father of her first child (who everyone thinks is Levi’s!), the man who spun a wild tale about a mysterious man he worked for, and some sort of danger which meant he had to disappear for a while. It took time, but eventually Penelope realized she’d been played. Zach, an avid reader nonetheless, made up a wild story all to avoid responsibility.
Or did he.....?
Feeling the pressure and a surge of emotions from Zach’s return, Penelope finds comfort in the familiar, and reels herself back in from breaking things off with Levi. Together, they try to determine what to do about Zach being back in the picture, and wanting to meet his son. Penelope is adamant that she doesn’t want to give him a chance, but Levi, despite how much he wants to agree with her, can’t, after having experienced what it was like to not be able to see your own child. He urges her to hear Zach out, at the very least.
And when she does, it turns out... Zach’s story wasn’t as farfetched of a lie as she thought. He was on the hook for partaking in a money laundering scheme, through his business, Scratch Publishing. He’d fallen into the scheme thanks to a man he met and befriend in his NA group-- Michael Windsor. By the time he’d realized what was happening, he was in too deep to safely get out. That was why he’d pushed Penelope away in the first place, broken up with her over something trivial, and run when she’d told him about the baby. He couldn’t risk bringing her down with him. Thankfully, the statute of limitations on money laundering was five years, and with a solid four under his belt and no red flags or contact from Mr. Windsor, he figured it’d be safe to come back.
In awe of his words, Penelope’s harsh demeanor starts to slowly dismantle. The thing she’d always held against Zach was his abandonment, his betrayal, and how much he’d broken her heart when she was certain they were truly, deeply in love. How did she feel about him now that it turned out all of that was to protect her?
Slowly, but surely, Penelope allows Zach back into her, and Dorian’s life. Zach and his son bond almost instantly, which is both heartwarming and troubling. Dorian had been raised thinking Levi was his dad... what were they to say now? For Levi especially, it was hard seeing a child he’s come to see as his own, be taken away... rightfully so, by his biological father... but nonetheless, it wasn’t easy. Especially not for a second time. Within himself, now Levi has to grapple with the dilemma of how to tell his entire family he’d lied to them for four years...
Eventually, he tells them all, and once the chaos and confusion of it all blows over, things start to settle into a nice (albeit, strange) routine with Levi, Penelope, Zach and Dorian. As Zach grows closer with his son, he grows closer with Penelope too-- the old inside jokes, the literary references, the intimate teasing they’d once had together, all slowly starts to come back. Meanwhile, Justin is still spending late nights working with Penelope, and talking to her far too much to be considered strictly professional. Oh, and she’s still with Levi, and raising four children with him....
Levi, focusing on his family and his career, is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. An international trip, to photograph at some of the top fashion events in Paris. He knows it’d be a game changer for his career, but declines the offer, in favor of staying home, where he can keep an eye on his kids, and more importantly, his relationship, which seems to be falling apart at the seems, and slipping through his fingers like water. (Somewhere in there, Luna gets into child modeling lol.)
After months of battling her emotions, dealing with the revisiting of old feelings of abandonment with Zach (both romantic and parental... him leaving Dorian mirrors her own father leaving her much to much for comfort) and trying to make the best decision not only for herself, but for her family(s?), Penelope decides to end things with Levi. She realizes that if she is feeling so conflicted (and over three men, at that!), that Levi deserves better. She jumped head first into motherhood at such a young age, and lost herself in the tumult of it all. She needed time to be alone-- no Levi, no Justin, no Zach-- to be herself for once, and find out who that woman was.
....to be continued...
Violet & Jordan
Vi and Jordan couldn’t have a more perfect life. A beautiful daughter, a brand new home, a fancy lifestyle, and a brand new baby boy on the way to complete it all. There had never been a couple more in love in the history of time than Violet and Jordan-- that’s what they like to think anyways.
Their biggest crises is Jordan’s desire to start his own business. After near a decade of working in restaurants, and five years managing one, and a lifetime interest as a hobbyist chef, Jordan realizes that his biggest dream is to open his own catering company. There’s only one problem-- it’s expensive. And truth be told, with an obstetrician for a wife, Jordan isn’t exactly the primary breadwinner in his family.
With a mountain of medical school debt still to be paid, two brand new cars, a brand new house, and two children that need college funds, Violet is gun shy over Jordan’s new proposal. Jordan takes this to mean that his wife doesn’t believe in him, which ensues a few nights of arguments, cold shoulders, and sleeping on the couch (J, not Vi, of course).
But suddenly, that all becomes trivial when Jordan gets a phone call..... his father has died. This news rocks his world. His father had never been much of a father to him, and in fact, had been his abuser growing up. As soon as he was old enough, he’d cut ties with both his parents and got the hell out of dodge. He is filled with a strange feeling-- not quite sadness, but not relief, but a weird mixture of the two. His grieving mother begs him to come home for the funeral. For the moment, Vi and J set their disagreements aside, and say goodbye as Jordan leaves his very pregnant wife to catch a flight to Willow Creek.
To put it simply, this is an intense experience for Jordan. Being back in a place he associates with his terrible childhood, in a place he hated and couldn’t wait to run from...He hardly knows how to process it all. He is happy to see his mother, and grateful now she can be free from her husband’s abuse, too. Except... she’s not happy he’s gone. She doesn’t see herself as freed-- she would’ve defended her husband until the grave, no matter how many bruises he left, and she did exactly that. Jordan decides to stay for the week, and help his mother get everything in order, despite it all.
As he spends time in Willow Creek, he is reminded of the crew he used to run with as a teen and young adult-- people he hardly recognizes now. Except maybe... Cami. Cami had been his ex girlfriend, on again off again sort of situation. They’d dated throughout high school, and after he’d broken up with Violet to give her a better shot at life (thinking, wrongfully, he’d hold her back), Cami was the woman he turned to in his time of heartbreak. Feeling stranded and alone in Willow Creek, with his mom blaming him for his father’s death, and generally feeling like he’s at a crossroads in his life, Jordan ends up humoring Cami’s insistence on hanging around.
Cami knew what it was like. She got it. In ways Violet never could. She'd been hurt by her parents too. She’d grown up in a rough part of town, got involved with the wrong people and the wrong things, just like he did. In a way, they were kindred spirits-- it why they always found their way back to each other, despite how toxic it always ended up being. And if there is one word to describe Cami, it is determined. She is determined to get her way.
She calls him JJ-- his old nickname, that he now despises and associates with his tumultuous youth. She tries to remind him of who he was, and still is, deep down. Who they were together. She tries to tell him that this new life he’s got? It’s not him. It’s that boujee bitch wife of yours, JJ. I bet she don’t even understand you-- bet she doesn’t even get how you can miss someone even when they’ve hurt so bad... bet she said ‘good riddance’ when you told her the news. She doesn’t get you JJ, not like how I do... how I always did.
She comes on to him, pushing herself against him. Jordan gets angry, tries to push her off of him. She goads him on. What’re you gonna do, baby? Hit me again? Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree I guess, JJ. That was one time Camille. One time. I am nothing like him. No baby, you’re not... mmm.. not at all. Shhh, it’s okay, don’t cry. I’m here. I’m here. I’m never leavin’ you JJ, not ever again.
In a moment of incredible vulnerability and weakness, Jordan relents to her seductions. But... only momentarily. It doesn’t take long for him to realize what is happening-- he pushes her off of him and storms away, as she cries out his name. Disgusted with himself, he immediately goes to call his wife. He breaks down, sobs shaking his body, as he tells Violet everything. Except the other end of the line stays silent... Don’t bother coming home, Jordan. There’s nothing for you here anymore. Stay the fuck away from me.
Cheating was the one thing Violet would never, ever stomach. She hangs up the phone, stoic and stiff as a rock, and then collapses into tears, crying on her beautiful, marble kitchen floors. She she looks around her home, she sees Jordan everywhere. She sees the life they’ve built together over the years. And she knows she can’t stay there for the night. Violet packs a bag for herself and her daughter, drops Willow off with her mom, and heads to Wes and Nate’s place to get away for the night.
...to be continued...
Wes & Nate
Wes and Nate, after four years of marriage, are ready to grow their family. With both of them working good jobs, and a townhouse in a nice enough part of the city (that Nate’s parents may or may not have helped out with...), they figured it was time. Of course, the pleading mothers on both sides of the family didn’t help matters!
Turns out, however, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to adopt a child, especially as a gay couple. Agency after agency has turned them down-- either because they don’t work with gay parents, or because they say they’re just ‘not the right fit’ (code for: you’re gay but we’re scared to say that’s our reasoning). The few agencies that have been willing to work with them are still struggling to pair them with a birth mother. Possibly because despite both of them having good jobs, neither has a college education. Or possibly because on more than one occasion, Wes had dropped an f-bomb during the interview process. Or possibly.... Weston’s questionable family history, and his father being a convict-- which came up on several occasions.
Feeling depressed and defeated, Weston’s connects with Nate’s sister, Thalia, who is also struggling to conceive with her husband Gianni. Neither of them thought they’d ever really want kids one day, and here they are, both in their feelings about not having them. They have their heart to heart, as it feels like the only person who truly gets it is each other. The feeling of letting their partner down, over one of the biggest things.
Despite Wes and Nate’s growing frustrations, they try and stay patient. And finally, it seems to be paying off! A birth mother has agreed to match with them! Finally, it seems they have conquered the beast.
Until..... she changes her mind, and rescinds the offer, after finding out about Weston’s absent dad. Failure, again. They both know there is nothing they can do to change the sort of childhood Wes had, and that it has no bearing on the types of dads they will be-- it’s just a matter of time until they match with someone who won’t hold that against them. But it inspires Nate to bed the question to his husband... should he try and reconnect with his dad again?
It had been years of avoidance since the last time Steven showed up in Weston’s life. He’d avoided him then, and ever sense. But now, with the topic coming up over and over again, he does feel compelled to reach out. It doesn’t take long to get his number from his mom; he finds out he lives just a few hours away, and they schedule to meet somewhere in the middle.
And for the first time ever, Wes willingly confronts his father. His whole life, he’d built him up to be some kind of monster, and he can’t tell if he’s disappointed or just plain sad to see the man his father has actually become-- a tired, old, cracked out looking man with shaky hands.
As they talk, Steven apologizes for never being a dad to him, but also admits that he never wanted to be a dad-- not then and not now. The times he reached out years ago, he was just hoping to get to know his kid, as a fellow adult, not like some mentor or fatherly figure. That was a role Steven never did well in. Steven tells Wes how despite his actions, he really did care for him, and his mom, Daria, and he’d cleaned up his act ever since he got out of prison. He confesses that he might not be the best grandfather in the world, but says he is willing to try, if Wes is willing to bring his child around him, one day (despite the fact that Steven gets visibly uncomfortable referencing the fact that Wes is, indeed gay and married to a man). With mutual understanding and no more hard feelings, the men shake hands and part their separate ways.
And as if by some kind of strange magic... Wes and Nate get paired with a birth mom just a few weeks later. Although this time, they know better than to hold their breath, there is something different about this woman and this situation that feels... right.
...to be continued...
Wrap It All Up
Jordan has returned home, Violet is still refusing to forgive him, and only seeing him when they exchange their daughter. Inside, both of them are absolutely crushed, but neither of them knows how to begin to fix the wreckage. Jordan has been coping with all the old dirt his father’s death and trip back home stirred up in himself, and throws himself into developing his business idea. He’s added onto it-- not only will it be a catering company, but he will specifically try and work with at-risk youth. Kids from bad homes, and bad situations. Even with no financial backing, he decides to take the risk and go for it.
Penelope, discovering herself as a single woman and trying to cope with the tremendous emotions she’s been having, is finally starting to find her footing. She’s finally figured out a good childcare schedule with Levi, she’s thriving at work, and she’s starting to see herself-- and what she wants-- clearer. She ends things with Justin (or what little had ever been there) once and for all, and finds herself spending more and more time with Zach, out of desire and not just necessity. With all of her reasons to hate him melted away, the feelings of love she thought were gone start to come back. And-- surprise, surprise-- they’re returned.
Violet has been staying with Wes and Nate, and celebrating with them over the news of matching with another birth mom. She’s been helping them coordinate with her, send her the right sort of items, and prepare their future nursery. One night, her and Wes are up late, talking, as they usually do. And finally Wes tries to approach to touchy subject of her marriage.
Wes looks at Vi, and point blank, asks her if she wants to divorce Jordan. Instantly, she says no. That tells Wes everything. He urges her to forgive Jordan-- he made a terrible, awful mistake, but he immediately tried to do the right thing. He stopped it before it went further, and his first thought was to lay it all on the line to Violet, not hide it. Wes gently reminds her of the time when she cheated on jordan... with himself. It had just been a kiss, but that was besides the point. When the little secret had finally come out, Jordan had laughed, and been more so annoyed that she was never honest, and less about the actual kiss. Violet insists that was soo different, which Weston concedes to. But still, he urges her to find it in her heart to forgive Jordan. He’s a good man, a great father, and they are truly in love-- they shouldn’t throw it away over one lapse in perfection.
Violet considers Wes’ advice... and heeds it. She goes home one day, when she knows Jordan will be off work, and finds him in the once-pristine kitchen, surrounded with food and bowls and tupperware and tomato sauce strewn just about everywhere. It catches her off guard. She laughs. And then she cries. Then she goes to her husband, wraps her arms around him, and tearfully whispers, What the hell are you doing to my kitchen, Jordan?
Jordan tells Violet about how even if he doesn’t know the financial details yet, he’s going to make his catering business happen; he tells her about the change in plans, spurred by his own troubled teenhood. As she listens to him talk about his life, his dreams, and his passion, she cries harder; she realizes that maybe she never did know this part of her husband. Maybe he never shared it, but maybe she never asked. Again, he apologizes for what happened in Willow Creek. She apologizes for her reaction, and for never taking the time to get to know the rough corners of her husband. As they kiss and makeup, Violet decides that they will tackle this catering business-- together.
Levi, more than anything, feels tired. He feels beaten down. The stress of raising four children. His relationship with Penelope falling apart despite how hard he tried to make it work. Watching Violet and Jordan’s strong marriage falter and almost crack, and Wes and Nate struggle to grow their family... It’s all too much for him-- a man notoriously always looking for love (in all the wrong places..). But, it’s even harder watching all those people around him re-find their love, and peace and happiness... while his still lies dormant. As summer draws near in the wake of the hardest year of his life to date, he decides to finally do something just for him... he calls up his boss, and last minute, takes up the offer to travel to Paris for the international project.
Violet goes into labor, and gives birth to her and Jordan’s second child, and first son. They also officially file for the name of his new catering business.
Nate and Wes fly across the country to be present for the birth of their son, grateful that things didn’t fall through this time.
Penelope and Zach finally make things official.
And in Paris, Levi scouts the streets, following the directions scrawled out on a sheet of torn paper, until he finds it.
He knocks on the door. And Marie opens it.
////////////////////////////
tldr;
Penny has a lil love triangle with Levi/Justin/Zach. She breaks up with Levi to be single, but ends up with Zach.
Jordan cheats on Vi in a moment of weakness with his toxic ex after the death of his abusive father, but they eventually make up, and he starts a catering business and vows to hire at-risk youth.
Wes and Nate struggle to find a birth mom to adopt from, but finally, it all works out and they have a son.
Levi gets fkin WRECKED emotionally (karma fro, everything perhaps??? lool) , and ends up in Paris, knockin’ on Marie’s door. ;)
There was supposed to be a season 2, as well, which details what happens the next year, after all of this.. :) Primarily focusing on Levi + Marie, and what happens with them, and also Luna’s story! May or may not make a post for that one. Season 2 wasn’t as fleshed out.
Most important detail I guess is that Levi and Marie end up together lol.
~*~spoiler~*~
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Howdy cowpals I’m Missy, I’m 27, and I promise I am super hip just like all the other youths out there. So hip. So in. So fashion forward.
Under the cut is a bit of information on Raphael and some plot ideas! I’m excited to be here and can’t wait to meet all these fantastic characters.
( manny montana, 35, cis man, he/him ) Was that RAFAEL RUIZ ? I heard a rumor they work for the WALSH family, but who knows for sure ? They can be a bit UNPREDICTABLE & BACKHANDED, but I also heard they can be INSPIRING & MAGNETIC. You’ll usually find them at BLUE ORCHID in their spare time, when they’re not being an BONEBREAKER/CHEF @ NORTH COAST HOTEL. You may want to keep an eye on that one !
alright folks, let’s get going:
rafael, or raf, will start telling you about his past by beginning with the military. he joined the marines when he was 18, and the details of when he left are very unclear. previous to that? it’s a bit like he popped out of thin air. He has a past just like everyone else, but he never talks about his childhood.
that’s not because it was bad. He actually had a pretty good childhood. he had a big family with three brothers and two sisters and a ton of cousins and his reluctance to talk about that comes more from the fact that he misses them.
he was discharged from the military after an incident of refusal to act. war is messy and he made a call that he thought was the right now, the good one, and he ended up being wrong. he doesn’t talk about that a lot, but it was definitely a turning point for him.
after he was discharged, where the hell did raf go? no one knows! he went a little bit of everywhere, in the grand scheme of things. y’all watch schitt’s creek? you know when alexis throws out random wild tidbits of her adventures around the world? That’s sort of his vibe. for the most part, it’s pretty well known that raf spent most of his time between 25-30 just traveling around as a gun for hire.
is that all true? who knows! he’s a liar! raf is a crazy good liar when he wants to be, he can lie like no other, it’s second nature to him—but he’s also just a dang liar. he lies about things all the time (he calls it messing around). it’s about little things too, like…hey, raf, do you want a cupcake? and he says no, i’m allergic to dairy. and then like a minute later he’ll pick up the cupcake and eat it because he was fucking around he is not allergic to dairy.
this can make him a nightmare for people who don’t know him, or people who are really gullible. the good thing is most of the time it’s harmless fucking around, he just gets a kick out of it. he says it so very casually that it’s hard to tell when he’s playing and when he’s not. this is mostly because everything about him seems almost hyper-casual. the dude is excessively chill. don’t believe it, it’s a trap. he’s always got this cocky crooked grin on his face, and is a master of the ‘oh word? that’s wild’ phrase. he’s the type to kick back with his feet up and slow nod along to your story, like he’s totally calm and cool and collected. for the most part, he is. he’s laid-back and relaxed.
but where chill ends, wild begins. raf has two speeds—totally fine, dude, no drama & i’m gonna throw you off this cliff and then i’m gonna find your houseplant and throw it off the cliff too for good measure. when he snaps, he snaps pretty hard.
for the MOST PART though? he’s really not what you would expect. he’s got a bit of a reputation that precedes him, but he’s...not that scary when you meet him. Raf smiles a lot, he seems to enjoy life, he likes passing off little tidbits of wisdom that don’t pertain to the situation at hard.
his body is a TEMPLE. he’s very into organic food and meditation exercises and purifying the soul of world decay and that’s...a lot. he can be a lot. if your energy is out of whack, he might suggest you go pick up some crystals or some bath salts to clear that shit up.
he works, when he’s not crushing bones, as one of the head chefs for the north coast hotel. he cares a lot about his food. don’t insult his food who knows what he’ll do.
he has a lot of strong opinions on things. like names. mmm, never trust a veronica. he also has a habit of giving little backhanded compliments that leave the recipient confused and caught between insulted and ego-boosted. a little bit of oh, nice hair cut, yeah. real slick. loved that look when it was cool in the 90
he tends to adopt wandering youths that look like they haven’t been ruined by the world yet. who knows why. maybe he wants a kid. maybe he wants to preserve the part of him that used to exist before everything got so damn murky. who knows! just know that if you have been selected by raf as a Good Kid he will probably kill for you, regardless of who your allegiances belong to.
other than that little part, he’s VERY loyal to the o’sheas, and by extension now the walshs. raf may speak his mind and argue a point, but at the end of the day he’ll carry out what he’s been told to carry out.
there’s probably tons more but i want to wait a little so I understand the dynamics bette <3 i can say, that if you’re ever looking for him, you can find him at the blue orchid because a good skin care routine and upkeep is VERY IMPORTANT. he also lives for that deep tissue massage.
POSSIBLE PLOTS
hook-ups: because who doesn’t love that. open to male and female and non-binary. pretty much anyone as long as they’re not too young! his cut off for this is probably 25. he’s 35. he’s tired.
the person who brought him into the oshea fam: this is open to anyone who has been with that family for longer than he has (so longer than five years). we can plot of the how of it all, i’m open to any ideas.
a respected enemy: someone from a different side who is also very good at what they do. they respect each other! they probably even try to avoid each other because they know they’re good. the kind of people who can share a drink at a neutral territory bar and then tip hats and go their separate ways—a real ‘just business’ admiration.
exes: always down for exes! man, woman, nb, anyone as long as they’re within a reasonable age!
his adopted youths: these are just people that he thinks are good and deserve protection and good things in life. they don’t have to be ‘youths’ its more of like a vibe thing. could be a 40 year old man and raf is like i will protect u little pal
friends: SO IMPORTANT just that crew, the ride or dies, the PALZONES. give them to me!!!
if you like this, i’ll pop over to plot some stuff. it might take me time to find a read all the intros but i’m 100% here and ready to meet these characters.
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* // 𝙻𝙾𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴 … /𝚃𝙷𝙴_𝙸𝙽𝚂𝙸𝙳𝙴_𝙼𝙰𝙽 : 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐨 also known as 𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢 is wanted for grand larceny. she is a twenty-one year old cis female who has ties to the mastermind because 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨. 𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙾𝙲𝙸𝙰𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 : 𝑎 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑤, 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠, 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠, & 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠. 𝙳𝙾 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙵𝙾𝚁 : 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐞𝐮𝐧.
hello my name is julie & i’m really excited to be here !! if you don’t already have me on discord, feel free to add me @ *kisses els cheek gently*#8023
ok love you all kissy !! 🥺💖🦌🌱🎀💝🌠🌿💕
* / 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖎𝖓𝖌 ; 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬
name: adora seo ( kang jinah )
age: twenty one
sign: capricorn sun / gemini moon ( click )
sexual orientation: bisexual
romantic orientation: biromantic
alignment: chaotic neutral
pinterest board
* / 𝖊𝖝𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 ; 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲
tw : death, a fire
✧ . part 1: kang jinah.
adora seo, born as kang jinah, grew up in poverty. her mother’s pregnancy had been one outside of wedlock, meaning her family disowned her as soon as the news came out
after living on the streets / having temporary accommodations on & off for the next couple of years, jinah’s mother was able to get a job as a housekeeper for this vv rich couple
the seo family lived on a vv lavish & spacious estate on the countryside, completely separated from any type of life
they lived in their own little world, as they had to drive nearly 45 min to reach the nearest town
this also meant that when jinah’s mother started working there her daughter was allowed to stay in the staff quarters as well
mr. & mrs. seo were super fond of jinah, as she reminded them of their own daughter, adora
honestly adora didn’t really like jinah as adora was a spoiled brat & didn’t enjoy sharing part of the spotlights with some random child
her mother worked hard to earn her place in that house, while jinah was mainly there to entertain adora. they would get homeschooled together, whenever adora wanted to play outside jinah had to tag along & carry all her toys, & whenever jinah was free she tended to help her mother out as well with whatever she was working on
despite all of this jinah had a fairly nice childhood, spending every free moment outside in the forest next to the mansion
which ! ultimately saved her life
after one particular night of adora being super nasty n mean to her, jinah couldn’t go back to bed so she decided to sneak out & go to her hideout spot in the forest, next to a creek
when she returned a few hours later, just wanting to go back to bed, she honestly got the surprise of her life when the mansion was burning down
she fainted </3 she just remembers panicking & being woken up by paramedics who had taken her to a hospital, & when she asked them where her mother was they told her mrs. seo hadn’t survived the fire, & everything will be okay adora
she never corrected them
✧ . part 2: adora seo.
the fire had been a disaster to a point where no one inside the house had survived & the bodies had been beyond identifiable with the resources they had back then ( not to mention lazy work from authorities ) meaning jinah, now adora, inherited a whole lot of money without anyone even questioning her identity
they honestly didn’t have any reason to do so either as the seo family had no relatives left, they’d been secluded all these years, & her and adora were the exact same age
everyone felt really bad for her, she kinda made headlines as a ‘ wonder child ’ for surviving such a tragedy, & got to live with extended family of the seo’s in new york city
it was surprisingly easy, honestly, how quickly she got used to being adora. she got.. really pampered by all the people surrounding her because they pitied her, & that being the first time she got any real attention / love from adults... she wasn’t going to tell them she was lying to them all HDFJKDFGJFKDFJK so she just stayed quiet, avoided eye contact whenever she met people who’d seen adora as a baby, & grew up surrounded by socialites
honestly !!!!! the hardest part out of all of this ( for her ) was how she couldn’t find any information on her mother as everyone just kept talking about the seo’s 😔 she never got any closure when it comes to her mother’s death
✧ . part 3: bambi.
ok so adora grew up, was lowkey a golden child as she didn’t like talking to people so she just focused on her work, aka she got things done <333 & lived a vv good life
in college she met enzo at some local coffee shop, who had been working with j by then
there was this guy in front of her basically excusing himself bc he forgot his wallet at home & she overheard and was like .. oh ! let me pay for him ! and basically he insisted on repaying her with a date & she said yes & then they slowly but surely fell in love <333
their relationship was an overall good one !! he really helped her come out of her shell, while she gave him a safe haven as his family life wasn’t the best
it wasn’t until one night she overheard him having a phonecall with j that she grew suspicious, thinking he’d been cheating on her, & basically demanded for him to explain himself
he confessed he’s been working with this person for crime related stuff, how he was of great use for them, & that adora was welcome to meet j if she wanted to
she was honestly super upset & ready to break up with him, but he basically begged her to stay by reminding her how they promised to be each other’s ride or die, & only then she reluctantly agreed to the meet up
but honestly the moment they met she realized well enough she already knew too much & that there was no way out
working along with the 2017 heist was a vv surreal experience for her, even though her job was relatively easy
a couple of weeks before the heist was supposed to take place adora & enzo got into a big fight
basically she begged for them to just run away & forget about j and the others, vv aware of the risks, & that she had enough money for the two of them to live a comfortable life elsewhere
but he basically told her that j would always be his top priority
she was kinda pissed & baffled so she broke up with him that night
they decided not to tell the crew ( kinda planning on talking it out as soon as the heist was over ) as they didn’t want to cause any type of distraction when tensions were already running high
but honestly she was ready to leave after the heist, already having plane tickets to disappear somewhere in europe
so .. when that night went horribly wrong & enzo died, she was kinda like :/ ok guess i can’t take my flight to anymore..
once again when people broke down the news to her, she didn’t correct anyone & played her role as enzo’s grieving girlfriend vv well
basically she told alec she was planning on leaving a couple of days later ( as he was one of her closer friends at the time ) and he basically was like .. yea no ur not i know who u are & basically she’s .. being blackmailed into doing the 2020 heist out of fear of alec telling j that she’s been lying about her identity all along
like she really doesn’t want to die QJHDJSJDFDKS
* / 𝖉𝖎𝖌 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖗 ; 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
she’s overall a nice person !! she doesn’t want to be there & sometimes it shows but she tries to make the most out of it <333
not to mention that she does her job really well like .. once she focuses on something she needs to make sure everything’s going perfect
kinda emotionally constipated
kinda smart
she’s honestly your stereotypical capricorn this is sick .. ( i’m not talking about you veer i love you 🥺 )
she’s reliable & loyal though !! adora’s observant & knows a Lot about people but she always keeps things to herself
ok .. this is it for now .. lets plot aha <3 🙈
#nocte:intro#im so sorry this took me so long i was literally thinking of different ways to write this without sounding delulu#FHJDFFJGKFDSQ#anyways here we go 🥺
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Berlin Sketches pt 1
by T. Frank
My grandmother cannot fathom entering Germany. She was a child of the Great Depression and lived through the war safely from the Catskill Mountains of New York while her husband fixed radios on home turf. However, Germany represents a taboo in history for my grandparents as Jews. They would no sooner visit the Brandenberg Gate than they would try scuba diving without an oxygen tank.
I constantly reflect on the trusted feeling of Home since I lived in Berlin for six weeks in fall of 2018. Previously, the longest trip I took was a ten-day tour of Israel through the organization Birthright: from the peak of a mountain overlooking three desert countries, to the crowded rush of the Jerusalem shuk, and my aversion to a display of American-Israeli nationalism on a military campus. The scenes and feelings form a whirlwind of hazy memories, much like any experience on new land.
A few days after I arrived back in the Bay Area, I sat in Strawberry Creek Park watching the sun go down and the light blue sky grow faint as night approached, seeking those moments of "awe" that came so suddenly in Berlin. This bright green park reminded me of the open recreational space I loved over there, even though the grass was literally greener on this side of the pond! I distinctly remember the moment when I scarcely had to look up at the street signs and felt like whichever path I took, I would find my way. Nevertheless, five months ago, I had sent in an application for an unusual art residency, an immersion into the study of grief. I reflected on those periods of my life that had led to some of my deepest creations. Drawings of cancer cells and lungs, struggles to breathe and heal in the midst of choking emotion, flowers and vines winding through the dark themes. I yearned to express my observations of the world through whatever moved me, again.
~~~~~
The journey to Berlin was a three-legged trip with two layovers, leaving Friday evening and arriving at 10:00PM on Saturday. A huge, crowded economy flight, cheap and minimal. I tried to rest as the crew turned off all lights on board. No sooner did I close my eyes than it seemed like the sun was creeping over the horizon, and we touched down to a windy, barren tarmac. It was 9:00AM, as all the passengers disembarked in Reykjavik, Iceland, we felt the chill burrowing through our thin layers and shivered.
On the second leg, as the plane glided to the lowlands, I appreciated the bucolic farmland. I was alone in the Copenhagen airport. The crowds in Reykjavik were more diverse, like a burgeoning metropolis. By contrast, everyone arriving in this Danish terminal looked alike: tall, blond, and, permit me, Aryan. They traveled in clusters of family groups, chatting, gesturing, smiling. I dragged my suitcase past designer boutiques to a desolate, unfinished terminal, where passengers awaited their flights without customary notice; but learned to say, Takk, Danish for "Thank you". When I finally reached Germany, I connected to the U-bahn, the underground subway. The ride was over an hour long, and I gazed at the subterranean signage, lost once more. Until I arrived at Rathaus Neukölln, and my new roommate Shimon met me outside in the rain.
The next day, I left the mattress that our hostess Amelia had set up on the floor, staggering about with jet lag. Luckily there's oatmeal, my favorite companion. Shimon and his friend Devorah from Tel Aviv are home. We discuss the neighborhood. ‘What if I get terribly lost, not only physically, but mentally, too?’ I thought. ‘Is this a dream? Why am I so far from anyplace I know?’ Devorah suggested a walk to the canal, with a Sunday flea market. Late afternoon, I ventured outdoors and discovered a slice of paradise.
At the end of the block, a large mosaic mural adorned a staircase which I took to have the impression of a rooftop. A large concrete lot surrounded a beautiful community garden. Raised flower beds were home to a bounty of colorful flowers, tall green vegetables grew under the sunshine and painted poles flanked handmade structures. I spotted a concrete ping-pong table, and mustered up the courage to join two men playing. One of them wore a baseball cap with "Cal" emblazoned in blue and yellow; by chance, he attended law school at UC Berkeley, and lived several blocks away from me! After a few rounds of ping-pong, the Germans drank beer and suggested that I check out a nearby landmark before sunset.
Cheered, I walked along and found an "I Love SF" sweatshirt at a pop-up flea market. More surprises awaited. I heard music, and pushed aside brambles to emerge in Hasenheide Park, where a large circle of guitarists and drummers jammed for casual onlookers. I saw an ornate mosque with blue and gold trim, a wide courtyard, and an outdoor faucet for washing hands or drinking cool, crisp water. Next door was Tempelhof Field. A former airport utilized during World War Two to fly-in supplies from the West, the unused tarmac was reinvented as an open recreational wonderland. I entered the gates and was met with flocks of activity: bicyclists, joggers, even a pair doing synchronized roller-skating. Dry, dull grass covered the fields, but a victory garden shined under the setting sun, and the barista of an on-site cafe recommended finding a good perch.
I joined two boys from Afghanistan, Hasan and Muhamed, watching the sky from tall ladder-seats. Muhamed and I grinned, struggling to hold a conversation between the lack of a common language. Google helped, but broken English got us farther. "Do you know there are still American police in my country?,” he exclaimed. My conscience bristling, I say that most people do not speak of the Afghan-American war anymore. The sun set in deep purple and vivid pink hues. Hasan saw my eyes light up at the sight of his bicycle, and offered me a ride--so, I sat sideways on the frame, clutching his black leather jacket, and answering "Ya" when asked, "Alles Gut?"until I grimaced from discomfort and Hasan laughed--"Kaput!" The two friends saw me off at a bus stop, and I stumbled on board as the passengers stared.
~~~~~
The following Monday, I walked twenty minutes from the apartment to arrive in front of a white-painted gallery, and no one around. Feeling nervous that the entire program was a hoax (just like my parents thought when they read the acceptance letter from the dubious-sounding organization), I noticed a middle-aged man at a computer in the corner. I knocked on the window, and he let me inside. Here was a room devoid of decoration, save for a long rectangular table and six chairs, three of which were filled by women. Soon, another man entered the room and offered tea, introducing himself as our "mentor". We never referred to him by any name other than his own, even when I suggested “Alek”. He's over six feet tall, shaved head, and wore all black from his long-sleeved turtleneck to his sturdy dress shoes.
The participants introduced themselves. Sarah researched environmental grief, such as the devastation left behind from man-made disasters. Gwen studied grief theories in graduate school. Jasmine hoped to connect to refugees of war. And Sara--no error, there are two--prepared to make an installation honoring a departed friend. Linda would join us the following afternoon and plunge into an exploration of feeling othered through found objects. After we went over studio policies, we shared a bit on why we study grief, bringing several girls to tears. It felt like a group therapy session--and it wouldn't be the last.
~~~~~
Dear Talya, Gone to synagogue. It's a short walk from the canal. I forget the street name-'Pflug'-something. Come join me for Yom Kippur services. Love, Devorah. Without consulting a map, I asked for directions from three different shopkeepers to find the synagogue. Luckily, they understood English and didn’t express unsavory reactions to my Jewish-ness. Once I found the path parallel to the Canal, the temple came into view: a large building curving around a tranquil block, with stained glass windows and a grand façade. Security officers were stationed outside, and I was screened before entering. "Are you Jewish?" they ask.. "Yes." Unmoved, they question, "Do you pray?"
In August, I went to Washington, DC for my cousin’s wedding. Her family and friends are modern orthodox, or, religious. The day before the wedding, we were in shul for Shabbat services. During the long morning prayers, I read the English version of the Torah portion. The text alluded to the treatment of rape by virtue of marriage or the punishment of execution. By coincidence, this was the same chapter I studied for my Bat Mitzvah twelve years ago, but I must have been too young to grasp such explicit content. I left the room and spent the rest of services out in the hallway, tending to the potted plants as a distraction.
Did I pray? Not willfully on that day in the synagogue. Internally, yes, throughout my life: the inner dialogue between my spirit and the spirit of a G-d. But in practice, only with family over Shabbat blessings. So I answered, "No. But my Israeli friend is in there, can I go in?"
Yom Kippur services were surprisingly welcoming in Germany. Although the congregation was divided amongst the men and women, the dress code was more relaxed (jeans, white t-shirts), and several of the men held babies on their shoulders as the rabbi sang in Hebrew. I found Devorah and stood beside her. I recognized the somber prayer, "Avinu Malkeinu", and it felt no different than my family's congregation. The prayer books here were German on one side, and Hebrew on the other.
After the ceremony, we passed by plenty of people enjoying the balmy weather at dusk. Devorah was reminded of holidays in her country, riding her bike freely while everyone took time off to relax. Shimon met us to break the fast with noodle phơ. I was lucky to connect with "my people", thousands of miles away from home. As a child, I remember feeling like my relatives’ religious differences divided us. However, my cultural upbringing is something I've retained and appreciate. Joining Israelis in Germany for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was akin to sharing a secret amongst friends.
~~~~~
As the weeks went by, I developed a habit of visiting the community garden, mornings before heading to the studio and nights on my way home. One weekend, I felt antsy as I read a book called The Truth Will Set You Free by Alice Miller. There was a campfire at the garden as they observed summer changing to chilly Autumn. I surveyed the party scene before resting into a corner of a homemade wooden bench under the dim glow from industrial lights around the lot. Although the setting was not condusive to reading, I was shy to join the group. But, when I repositioned myself next to the fire, it was apparent that these young, hip, multinational guests preferred to speak in English. Rosa asked what I’m doing in Berlin. When I told her I’m studying grief, her voice got excited and she invited her friends into the conversation.
Annika was vivacious and full of life. I noticed her wisps of fuzzy blonde hair, bright in the glow of the fire. She was working on a memoir, and was also the subject of a photoshoot documenting her journey with cancer. As she spoke, I folded a paper crane and gave it to her, provoking a sense of delight. My idea for the residency then was to make a handmade book for participants to share their experiences of grief, and to make origami together. Annika agreed to be interviewed the following week.
~~~~~
I took the S-bahn, the above-ground trolley, several miles northwest where the buildings are close to the city center. Annika told her story: how, at age 26, she discovered the cancer in her breast and rushed into several months of intensive treatment including antibody therapy, anti-hormone medicine, and chemotherapy. She ultimately received a double mastectomy and chose breast implants. For a month after surgery, Annika couldn't lift her arms over her head. It was painful, but her energy was focused on how to function normally again. Now, she was in recovery, undergoing radiation and daily physical therapy. She wholeheartedly embraced her body, and I felt a mixture of awe and love for her resilience and positive attitude.
I encouraged Annika to leave her mark in a communal scrapbook of stories. She drew a breast in pastel colors with words circling the nipple, such as "soft"-, "round"-, "hope"-, and "loss".- After I left the apartment, I boarded the train and closed my eyes. In the dark, I envisioned a bare, cream-colored orb, shiny and wet, like a peeled lychee fruit. Perhaps, I reasoned, this represented Annika's true self.
Back in the studio, I was at a loss to contribute during our group discussion. I almost broke down, overcome with emotions that arose from the interview. So I took a break from the sterile white walls, and sat under the chestnut tree in the courtyard. I picked up a spiny shell, cracked it open to reveal a creamy-brown belly. I wrote a meditation on the seed of the tree. I reflected on impermanence, on patience, on Annika taking her time to heal yet reveling in every healthy moment. I like taking my time.
"Hey Aleksander," I remarked in the midst of studio time, "Since the interview with Annika, I’ve been feeling down.” My mentor was sitting at a desk, drinking tea and writing in one of his many small notebooks. "Do you feel your own grief surface?," he replied. "No, more like I put myself in her shoes, and feel compassion." He advised, "Keep a journal--one just for yourself, your thoughts and daily experiences. And one for your work in the residency; write down everything you're thinking. It'll help, trust me."
-----
Talia Frank lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She contributes to the Donut Club, an East Bay writer’s group. Visiting Berlin in 2018 inspired a love of community gardens and allowed her to re-examine Judiasm within a global context.
Reach the author: [email protected]
Visual art: www.cargocollective.com/taliafrank
Blog: https://wanderlustblumen.wordpress.com
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Busy Earning (Pieces of the People We Love, Part 1.)
Description: Not many people had the chance to see a vault or to mean anything in the world of Pandora. Will a hardly built relationship in the loneliness of the desert would have the potential to change anything in the world of anarchy and chaos - or will the friends try to murder each other?
A/N: If you're not familiar with Borderlands, this series will most probably won't make any sense to you. But that's alright! I am thinking about releasing a small thing called Vault Hunters Vocabulary and I will try to explain the lore and everything used IN the story but not explained in there. Whaddaya say?
A/N 2: Also, I AM MAKING NEW-U STATIONS LEGAL AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME. So I guess this is an AU? ALSO: the Bandits, Psychos, and Fanatics will speak only in the ancient language of Vine!
Warnings: A lot of guns, violence, reader is a tough badass - not a vault hunter tho. They're badass and don't give a fuck. And Scooter is a dumb bitch, as always.
Word count: 4.5 K
Tagging: @notaliteraltoad
Series master list: H E R E
It was one of those days when you took a deep breath and it almost burns your whole mucous membrane. Most of the days were like that in this particular part of Pandora, yet some of these days were too much. The desert around you was dry, the rocks were so hot that you'd burn your whole palm if you'd touch it. No plants or water source insight; it was just you, the asphalt road, the heatwave, and the complete silence.
If you wouldn't be aware of sweating like a living fuck and of the fact that your trousers were pretty bloody then, you'd most likely have the suspicion that you most likely just pissed yourself. On the other hand, you also knew that you had to be dressed from your head to your toes - if you wouldn't have every inch of your body covered, the sun would burn your skin down in a matter of minutes; that was how strong the sunlight was. It wasn't the most practical choice to cross the desert in a long coat, long boots, and a huge cowboy hat; it was, in fact, very much impractical, but you really didn't have much of a choice. That big, cowboy-ish hat became your personal trade over time - you were easily recognizable. If someone would've asked you to describe your personality, the hat itself would be one of your personality traits. Ever since you started wearing it, almost everyone was calling you the Cowboy, even if you were pretty sure that you're a woman. Why would you or any of the people you've been living in this hellhole with being obeying any of society's rules if you were leaving at the edge of civilization itself? Something like grammar and other constructs didn't have any value in the world you knew and were living in.
Back to you. You were pissed at the moment; very pissed. For some random reason, the Catch-A-Ride station near your house was off for the last three weeks and anyone cared enough to repair it. You were hunting Skags for a living and believe it or not, having the chance to get a functioning car was making your job very much enjoyable. But because anything could work on Pandora, you had to hunt down two Skags and drag them to the man living in the nearest town, where you had your contract signed.
Every single morning, you had to get up super-early to track some pack down, hunt at least two of these animals, and then drag the dead bodies through the entirety of the desert. That was the pain in your ass. To drag two damn heavy animals in that goddamn weather. Not that you had a chance refuse to hunt for that day - the meat was rotting quickly in this part of the planet and also, Pintley had quite a lot of customers he had to feed - you being one of the said customers. Also, funny enough, there wasn't that much meat on Skags. It was a doubtful business, to say the least.
A sudden, quiet mechanical noise threw you out of the train of your thoughts. It was easy to tell what was the problem since you could feel your right shoulder tensing up. - "Please no, please no." - You mumbled as you felt your right arm getting stuck and letting the bag go. A hiss left your lips as you felt the metal limb giving you a slight electric shock, sending it down your body. You sighed and sat down on one of the dead Skag's body, carefully taking the coat off just enough to reach the small panel, so you wouldn't tear the arm of your body. It took you almost half an hour of sitting there with a small wrench in your hand as you re-organized the small cabled inside as the metal whole arm was made of got hotter and hotter. Just a small moment longer and you'd burn your damn fingers.
In the end, you somehow managed to connect all the cables on the upper arm and attached the small piece of metal back on its spot again, rolling the coat back on your shoulder so it would cool down a bit. You were good to go again, so you took the bags your Skags were put in and walked forward again, dragging the corpses on the road behind you. At least, the buildings of that God abandoned city could be seen in the distance.
Hell's Cauldron. That was the name the locals gave it. The barely-a-town was raided by the bandits so often that they became more of your neighbors and maybe even friends over time. You knew a mentally unstable bandit named Bernie, who sometimes gave you a drive home - a ride from a Psycho was never a good one, but do as they say and don't look on the teeth of a horse that was given to you.
You also became friends with Blind Billy, who was a better driver than Bernie and his one-man crew. This psycho was the man who always tried to buy your Skags. But you were persistent against selling them for Eridium.
Just as you thought of your favorite boys, the roar of their car could be heard in the distance as the machine got closer and closer. You smiled when you heard the sounds of their cars; they were very specific sounds breaking the utter silence around. The cars themselves were... Something. It wasn't a model rentable in Catch-A-Ride stations, so their cars were working just right at the moment. Also, this meant that you wouldn't have to the last few miles on foot, which would be simply great.
"Y/N!" - It was Billy's voice that could behear through speakers placed on the back of their car. In the next moment, the machine stopped next to you. You gave him a smirk and a nod through one of the windows. - "Ya still huntin' down those bunnies, ha? Come in, Cowboy girl, we'll give you a ride, whatcha say?" - The man opened up the door and invited you in. You gladly accepted and gave him the first bag containing a dead animal so he'd help you with dragging it inside the back of the car. Blindy threw it on the ground next to two benches before giving you a hand to drag you in as well.
"I guess I do, yeah. You know, Blindy, everybody needs a way to survive. You rob and kill, and I hunt. Everyone's doing great." - With a sigh, you sat on one of the only clean spots on the bench, getting a hold of it as you felt the engine shaking with the entire car.
"TO HELL'S CAULDRON YOU FUCKING DEADBRAIN!" - Billy yelled into the microphone so it could be heard at least miles from you. The car started so abruptly that it almost knocked you to the ground. - "Ya still don't wanna gimme one of those delicious creatures? I'm sick of eating bugs and sometimes people, when necessary, of course." - Billy asked and dragged his hand along one of the Skag's body. You were disgusted to say at least, but you also were careful enough not to display it in your expression. In the end, there was nothing to wonder about - these men were classified psychopaths.
"We've talked about this more than once, Blindy. Pay me the cash and I will give you one. If you don't want to pay for the work... Well..." - You laughed and touched the Jacobs shotgun attached to your back, sending him a clear message. - "Let's say that we've talked about this, shall we?" - "Oh, yea, Cowboy! Do ya get good money from it? I told ya I can pay ya in Eridium." - The psycho smiled and leaned in closer to you. You leaned to him as well, putting your metal palm on his mask.
"Eridium is worth only if I am a siren or if I have someone who deals Eridium to someone else. So... Do I, a), look like an Eridium dealer or do I, b), look like a siren to you?" - Your metal wrist patted the mask, and right after, you leaned away. Billy chuckled at what you've said. Eridium was an extremely valuable material - for some sort of people. If you weren't that sort of person, Eridium were just violet glowy stones in your eyes. Why would you even need that shit in this hole?
The most ridiculous thing in this matter was the fact that psychos of Ham's Creek had a ton of Eridium on them; piles, probably. Hyperion jerks excavated many shafts in the proximity of your homes before they left; and while Hyperion guys were gone, the Eridium was still there and ready to get mined. You've heard that the guys from Ham's Creek, the bandit colony, were trading the stones to doubtful people for less than half of its value... But who were you to judge them? You were all doubtful people, you were all doing shady things. Any of you could be considered innocent.
"You may not be a siren, but you're ma muse in everythin' I do, Cowboy." - Blindy chuckled as the car stopped right in front of Hell's Cauldron's pub. There were seven more buildings in the city if you counted the toilette cab... The least pleasurable place in the proximity of fifty miles radius. - "Don't ever dare to repeat that, dear God. If you do, Imma shoot your ass off, okay?" - Your laughter filled the air as you watched Blindy and Rayray dragging Skags into the local.
"I SMELL LIKE BEEF!" - Rayray yelled and threw the Skag body next to the bar. It was a greeting, a very polite one if you might add. Rayray was still learning how to grasp the rules of being police and sometimes, he really hit the ballpark. With a small smile, you entered the pub as well and nodded at Pintley, the local pub keeper, who shrugged his shoulders. - "You've been making the boys busy again, Cowboy?" - Pintley, an old man with white hair and a missing eye, asked kindly and controlled the Skag.
One day, Billy's crew accidentally took out a bag with a dead human body instead of the Skag one and when Pintley wanted to cook his famous Skag goulash, he almost threw up. This time, it was really the dead animal.
"Oh, yea. And I would get the bags to the freezer as soon as possible, it is probably already grilled at this point." - With a grunt, you finally took off the coat as you leaned into and took your enormous hat off to look at Pinty. The man was still looking at the animals, trying to set an amount of cash to pay for this catch. - "That's fifty dollars for each one of them... Maybe even sixty, they're huge. Good call today, Cowboy." - He hummed in the end, opening the cash register and handled you the money. It was not much... But it was something at least.
"Something must be happening out there again, huh?" - It was a quiet, suggestive mumble as you looked at the banknotes in your palm. Pintley asked a silent "What?" because he hadn't heard about anything going on. - "I mean... Marcus Munitions charges for bullets are off the charts since Jack had... You know." - You peeked behind the bar, pointing at a slice of bread. Without you having to pay for it, Pintley gave it to you to chew on it.
To your surprise, Blind Billy nodded at you as he too leaned into the countertop. Even the bandits of Ham Creek could see that something's going on when they were buying their bullets for another raid - it cost almost two hundred dollars more.
All of the things you've mentioned happened over five years ago, maybe even more. Handsome Jack, the CEO of Hyperion, was allegedly murdered by Lilith and the Crimson Raiders of Sanctuary. Since then, Hyperion Corporation was filled with social climbers who tried to become the new CEO - but before everything ended, Elpis' lunar station Helios was blown up, meaning that the days of Hyperion ruling over Pandora were over. Not that any of you would particularly care about any of that.
After that, there were some rumors about a new vault key found and about the existence of many new vaults all around Pandora and its sister planets. And as you heard, it was usually a joke, the vault key ended up in a desert where two jackasses found it. That, in fact, led to the creation of a pain in the ass known as 'The Calypso twins' and their cult; the Children of the Vault. Now, allegedly, Crimson Raiders and their leader Lilith had left Pandora and created Sanctuary 3, a spaceship flying on the orbit of Pandora.
Honestly, as far as you cared, all of this could be just a bunch of made-up stories. How the hell were you supposed to know what happened in space or on the other side of the planet? Who were you supposed to be? A fortune-teller? A telepath to know all of these things for certain? There was one sort of people on Pandora about which everyone seemed to forget - normal people. Normal people like you.
Yes, people who only tried to live their lives and who owned only one gun existed. People who pursued normal jobs, calm life without all of the vault hunting business.
You've personally never seen the infamous Handsome Jack (only his posters and billboards) or the alleged vault hunters scattering through Pandora, searching for new things to kill and new loot to find. You never have seen Lilith, Roland, or any of the Crimson Raiders with your eyes, nor you've visited Sanctuary, Haven, New Haven, or Helios - and you surely had not visited the Concordia spaceship.
You never saw any of those rumors for yourself, thus, you didn't know what was real or fake.
"Look at it like this, Pintley... The Catch-A-Ride stations aren't working in this part of Pandora for God knows how long and now, Marcus is charging up for rounds again? The last time he did that when the last bunch of the vault hunters came to Pandora? I tell you, something's going on." - Now, you rose your eyebrows and stopped everything you were doing. A loud bang blasted through the Hell's Cauldron.
There was silence for a moment, but then a loud song started to play. With a long sigh, each of you stood up and grabbed their gun to get ready for a fight. The Children of the Vault decided to pay you a late-afternoon visit.
This, unfortunately, meant a shootout in the middle of the sun-parched square of the Hell's Cauldron just for the laughs. Those guys were just fine most of the time, but on some days, they came to the town and all they wanted to do was fight with guns blazing. By now, you all knew the drill - a short shootout while letting them spawn back in their base and then, you could continue with your daily program.
No matter what you told those jackasses, no matter what you did, no matter anything - they just drove into the sun-parched square and started to shoot. They were idiots without a single functioning brain between them, to say at least.
To your good luck, Blindy and Rayray were on your side. These two were pretty reasonable bandits. Billy was also unusually smart for living with psychos, midgets, and more for as long as he did, yet he still kept his brain working.
The shooting which happened in Hell's Cauldron that day was louder than usual. Maybe it was just the way you've been laughing or the COV's new summer playlist, but this one was unusually loud.
People were throwing grenades just as they were yelling some nasty words at each other. Some of them dropped dead in a matter of seconds because they were just standing in plain open. A car blew up accidentally, the trunk almost hitting you in your face and the face. When everything was done, there was only you, Rayray, and Pintley standing in the settling dust. You and Pintley were usually a great team - since he had a slag sniper rifle and you had an orange tier Jacobs shotgun, you were good to go any time. The rest of the COVs slowly disappeared - they started spawning at the New-U stations back in their small cultist town fifty miles away from Hell's Cauldron.
But something wasn't right. Blindy was still laying on the ground, bleeding out with a blank stare. His body wasn't moving and there were even small droplets of blood as he coughed before he passed away. This wasn't supposed to happen.
As you approached the body, you've been growing through how did you get into the town in the first place. You've driven in our of the eastern exist, which meant you've driven around a checkpoint. That led you to a conclusion that the Hyperion Checkpoint Station, those were all over Pandora, must've written his biometrical data down. Blindy was somewhere inside the database, hidden in the code; but New-U station wasn't, for a reason, reconstructing his physical body.
"What's going on? Why isn't he respawning, Pintley? Don't you tell me that he wasn't registered by the Checkpoint." - Without giving a single fuck about the blood and dust, you kneeled and took off Blindy's mask to look into his scarred, lifeless fave. He wasn't the most handsome lad you've seen, but he had a good heart and that was all you cared about. - "Billy, man, don't you play games with me now. Get the fuck up, man. Come on." - You begged silently.
You couldn't lose him because of a routine shootout. You've survived hundreds of these - he was a good bandit, a good friend, and a significantly good gunman.
"I think the New-U is cut out of the electric network, Cowboy." - Pintley yelled at you, while Rayray was opening the database in the Checkpoint station next to the pub. - "We might as well put it back to use. Stop with the nonsense and get to work, come on!"
The New-U stations and Checkpoints were a special thing that Pandora needed to have any population surviving on it.
It all started way back when Atlas, Dahl, Hyperion, and many more were supporting the golden era of vault hunting; those hunters got their own Echo devices to stay in touch all the time and in case they'd accidentally die or dismember, the New-U stations were meant to render a new body for them. As soon as you arrived or was born in this sector of the universe, the corporation implanted a chip to the nape of your neck; you wouldn't respawn only in the case someone would be using jammer or took the chip out of your body.
There was a whole lot of things that could get you killed - psycho in a bad mood, hungry Skag, angry friend, bad food, accidental fall into a volcano... You could choose, really. Sometimes, it could take a while to respawn, it also cost you some money, and before the transaction was sent... It could be a whole lot at times.
Since there were no laws and anarchy and chaos ruled the planet hand by hand, this system came in handy at all times. The Checkpoint stations were the smaller ones, saving up your data like DNA and memories to have all of your personal information in the systems in case anything happened to you.
New-U was able to resurrect a person after paying said charge - they constructed your body from the DNA and cells of your dead body, implanted the memories back into your brain, and even construed the clothes you had on. It was truly a miracle of modern age science - but also a necessity for Pandora and its moon Elpis.
Rayray nodded when he read Billy's name in the database. He was there; he was there, safe and sound. You only had to make the New-U work. Without giving any fuck, you just threw the dead and useless body on the ground, walking to the machine, next to Pintley, to look at the cables leading out of the back of the machine to the charger on the wall.
Luckily, you were quite handy with this sort of stuff. Really, you had to restore the electricity circuits inside your metallic arm; handily, you opened up the machine and started to work on it, searching for the problem. Pintley was kneeling next to you, so you were only telling him what you needed - like a wrench or a hammer - and he fetched it to you.
New-U was mostly unused in Hell's Cauldron, so it was really no wonder that it wasn't working; it was out of order for quite some time now. If Blindy wouldn't have died, you wouldn't even notice the malfunctioning machine.
It probably was out of order for the last five years - since the last time Bandits provoked a gunfight was... You couldn't even remember. Maybe, Pintley himself pulled the cables out; you wouldn't let the electricity bill getting bigger if you hadn't need for letting the New-U running, right?
The Calypso fanatics couldn't be considered a threat at all. Each of them was dumb and couldn't shoot for shit, so the only ones getting killed were them. Even more so, they usually started to talk about some of their damn fanatic nonsense in the middle of the fight. In the beginning, you listened to those jackshit rambles; then you just murdered them without blinking. It wasn't that easy. Rayray looked at you from the database's screen. Bandits, believe it or not, were sometimes pretty smart. Yes, they had their bright moments. The only thing they couldn't do was to speak like a normal human being.
"THAT HURTS LIKE A BUTTCHEEK ON A STICK!" - Rayray yelled at you and you furrowed - it was too late to stop the respawning process since the machine started barking loudly in front of you as it came back to life. What did he say? Someone else was written down in the system except the normies of Hell's Cauldron?
You looked over to the bandit boy, but it was too late to pull the cable; the New-U already started to build a human being. And that person definitely wasn't Billy. You made Pintley step back since he hadn't any gun on him and took out your Jacobs shotgun again, pointing at the stranger.
The man, it definitely was a man, was looking at his hands in wonder, opening his palms, closing them right after, playing with his fingers. He slowly pulled an Oz kid used in the vacuum off the back of his head, so he could take some normal, hot breath into his lungs. The breather was old as hell, probably six to seven years to your estimations (given it was an ultra-old Vladof Oz it). Who was that man, you didn't know at all; you just assumed he must've been dead for quite some time.
The Hyperion nice-ass lady was telling him something, but she couldn't quite finish her speech - Billy started rendering right next to the man. You exhaled and thanked God for Billy, but you didn't let the mysterious man go out of your sight - you didn't know who he was, what his intentions were, or if he was a bad guy or not. The only thing you could clearly tell was that the man was super-happy to be alive.
"I'm alive! I'm alive! Would ya believe it, man, I'm alive, breathin' and stuff and I'm feelin' just fine!" - The stranger exclaimed and looked over to you. - "Wait... Wait. Man, man, ya not Lilith or Moxxi or one of their vault hunters. Who are ya?" - He tried to come closer to you, for some reason, so you only rose the barrel of the shotgun and watched the small laser light hovering on his forehead.
"Ya not any friendly folks, ha?" - The man asked and laughed your barrel off as if he barely noticed the danger he was in. There was... Something about him. You felt like you knew him from somewhere. That face was basically burned deep into your brain and it was so detailed, that it was freaking you out like shit. Those eyes, sharp lips... But his name was a remaining mystery to you; not for too long, unfortunately. - "Hey, name's Scooter. Ya know me. Most of the folks on Pandora do." - With that, he offered you a palm to shake, and because of that, you took the barrel of your shotgun down from his forehead.
Scooter. Scooter. That face, that name... Jesus that man was reminding you of someone and you couldn't just remember who. Eyeing down his clothes covered in old, dry oil (which was clearly powering engines, or some other machinery), you straightened and watched Pintley approach Scooterboy.
You exhaled slowly and put the shotgun on your back, shoving it back into the covering.
"Name's Pintley, young man. Come here, I'll give you a cold Dr. Bob and some food." - Pintley patted his shoulder and you carefully watched Scooterboy with a frown. You were inclined to believe him just after he looked like isn't about to kill you, yet it didn't mean you'd be particularly fond of the stranger just yet.
"Scooterboy?" - Your voice was firm and cold as you looked at him. - "Don't you do something with cars? I get the vibe you do, look at your clothes." - It was a short explanation, but it did work. Scooter looked down quickly, raising his eyebrows. Blindy was now standing next to you and he didn't have a clue about what was going on.
"Catch-A-Ride!" - Scooterboy exclaimed with a big smile.
Oh dear, you got your mindset straight on who he was. It was like a blast inside your brain. You knew his face from all the commercials you've seen with his face - it was a big thing when he supposedly died on his way to Helios. Ellie, his big sister and the other big mechanic of Pandora, was paying him many respects and missed him dearly. She was mourning for a long time.
"How the fuck are you alive?" - With a frown, you stormed past him and Pintley, entering the pub first. - "This is one wild evening Pintley, I tell you. Give me, Billy and Scooter some cold Dr. Bob and some bread with cheese you have there because I'm about to faint." - You sat at the nearest chair, massaging your own face.
Scooter was alive.
#borderlands#scooter borderlands#new-u#pandora#elpis#helios#tales of the borderlands#borderlands 2#there is a lot to work with#srsly folks#here we go omg
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hats off to schitts creek
u can always tell when a crew is in love with the work, when the writing isn’t targeted against fans, when the care of the storytelling and the characters leads them to where they were meant to go and it all feels so beautiful and crafted like fine china
im gonna miss this show.
canadian television is so underrated and i just whew i need a moment to cry at this love.
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Memories (G)
This gift is for: @themouthking
As requested, a little gift exchange fic!
(Thank you sososo much to @thefrenchmaidoutfit, AKA MythicalCatie on AO3, for her guidance and help editing I owe u my life.)
From your Secret Santa, Maddi (AKA @good-mythical-maddi)
Link to AO3 or read below:
Link slowly settled himself down in his mother’s armchair, feeling full to the brim with pancakes, bacon and biscuits. The long trek back home to North Carolina during the holidays proved to be stressful, but the Christmas Day “breakfast for dinner” (as well as the company that came along with it) always felt like a reward for all of his efforts.
Link smiled as he observed his pajama-clad wife and three beautiful kids engrossed in a story from Christmas past that his mother, Sue, was retelling with an air of enthusiasm that he had missed in the months since his last visit.
Being back in North Carolina felt like being wrapped in his favorite childhood blanket: familiar and comforting. Driving through Buies Creek and into Lillington brought back so many memories, most of them made with his best friend, Rhett. Although Link was happy to spend time with his family and make up for lost time, he couldn’t help but notice the absence of his bearded other half. After thirty-four years of friendship, when the two men were apart, their absences from each other were not only noticed, but felt.
Link shifted in his seat and pulled his phone out of his back pocket, unlocking it and tapping the Twitter icon. He scrolled through dozens and dozens of tweets from Mythical Beasts wishing himself, Rhett, and the whole mythical crew a happy holidays. The well wishes brought a smile to his face; they really were lucky to have such great fans. All of the sudden, Link’s phone began vibrating as a picture of Rhett overtook his screen.
Getting up from his seat, he headed down the hall and to the guest bedroom to accept the call.
“Hey man, Merry Christmas!” Link said cheerfully, feeling a sudden boost of energy, one he always got from talking to Rhett
“Merry Christmas Link! I’m shocked you picked up, I figured you’d be in a biscuit- induced coma.” Rhett joked.
“Very nearly my friend, very nearly.” Link said, feigning exhaustion. “How’re the in-laws treating you?”
“Ah, you lead me right to the purpose of my call.”
“Oh no, need me to call in the SWAT team to come and save you?” Link teased playfully.
“Nah, just you man. Want to meet at Mermaid Point for a drink? I’ve got something for yah.”
“I got a lil’ something for you too.” Link said in a mockingly seductive tone “Meet you there in twenty?”
Rhett chuckled. “Can’t wait, see you there.” He said in a deep tone that always made Link’s breath catch in his throat.
Link hung up and began rummaging through his luggage for something decent to wear, settling for his charcoal joggers, a plain black t-shirt and his wool collared denim jacket to go over it. Under several layers of Link’s neatly folded clothes was a small box haphazardly wrapped in iridescent red wrapping paper. He carefully extracted the box out from beneath the clothes and stuck it under his arm. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he kissed his wife on the head, telling her where he was headed and that he would be back soon. After slipping on his Nike Air Trainers, he headed out the door.
Beginning his short drive to the bar, Link was immediately hit with a wave of nervous excitement. It had only been four days since he and Rhett went their separate ways, flying different airlines back to North Carolina with their respective families, but the days apart almost felt like months. Every time he was away from his best friend for more than a long weekend, he felt a familiar aching that reminded him he was one half of something. He couldn’t wait to reunite and feel whole again.
Upon his arrival, Link stepped out of his car and took a deep breath of the cool winter air, filling his lungs with a smell that pervaded his childhood: the Cape Fear River, which flowed steadily behind Mermaid Point. He and Rhett spent so much of their time exploring Cape Fear and the woods that surrounded, going on adventure hikes and camping trips as often as they could together. The surging water he heard brought him right back to the days that were some of the best in his life. He stepped in to the bar with a warmth in his chest and butterflies in his stomach as he made eye contact with the dirty blond haired man who sat one head above everyone else. Rhett smiled warmly and motioned for Link to take the seat next to him.
“Hey Linkster!” Rhett said, his cheeks rounding from grinning so big.
“Hey there you dork!” Link giggled as he gave his best friend a love tap on the shoulder and sat down, placing his present on the bar.
Rhett gently raised his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Bourbon on the rocks and a vodka tonic for my friend please?” The bartender nodded and began making their drinks.
As they drank, the two men caught each other up on their families, gushed about the southern home cooking they had missed so much and shared the gifts they had received this year.
“That reminds me,” Rhett twisted around, retrieving something from the black bomber jacket hanging off the back of his chair. “Merry Christmas, bo,” he enthused with a soft smile that warmed Link from the inside like the strong drink he lightly swirled in his hand. Rhett handed him a green sealed envelope and quietly delighted in watching his best friend fumble, almost ripping the gift in half while attempting to open it. Link unfolded the paper that was inside and read over the words, a confused expression on his face as he looked up at Rhett with his brows raised in question.
“Am I takin’ a boat ride?” Link said with a bewildered tone, pointing to the unexplained ticket he held in his hands.
“We are taking a ferry ride to Catalina, man!” Rhett said exuberantly. “Four days away, just you and me exploring caves, surfing and horseback riding all around the island.” He paused, awaiting Link’s reaction to the last bit of information.
“Horseback riding?!” Link nearly yelled out of excitement, bouncing briefly in his chair. “Like at full gallop?!”
“As fast as the wind takes you, buddy roll.” Rhett laughed. “We been talking ‘bout doing things on our bucket list since that Ear Biscuit months ago and I figured I’d help you check this one off!” His beaming expression began to soften as he shifted his view down to the bar top. “I feel like we spend all this time together at work, on tour, with friends… but we haven’t really gotten to hang out just the two of us, no business involved, in I don’t know how long.” Rhett paused thoughtfully, raising his eyes to meet Link’s. “I miss you man.”
A soft blush fell over Link’s cheeks, nearly invisible to everyone in the dimly lit bar but Rhett, whose cheeks mimicked a similar crimson color in response.
“I miss you too Rhett.” Link said with a shy smile. He paused for a moment, looked down at his drink, then back at Rhett, his expression now of concern. “Do you ever worry that building a career on our friendship will break us apart? Like the stress of it all?”
Rhett took a sip of his bourbon then shook his head. “Nothing could do that.” He said with confidence. “Look what we’ve gotten to do together! Travel around the country, across the seas, doing these amazing things and meeting all the people we never would have if we didn’t do this together.”
A million memories flashed into Link’s brain, recalling some of the incredible things he’d been through with this man by his side. Smiling to himself, he listened to Rhett continue.
“Sure, sometimes when work is brutal and responsibilities get in the way, things can feel distant. But that’s where rehashing old memories and getaways to Catalina come in and bring us right back. I’m never worried about us.” Rhett beamed as he wrapped his arm around Link’s shoulder, the electric touch giving him goosebumps. The sudden act of affection abruptly brought their faces less than a foot apart as their eyes met. Link felt the warmth of Rhett’s breath as he noticed his gaze briefly wander to his mouth then back to locking eyes. After Link gently bit his lip in reaction, the proximity became too much, as Rhett removed his arm and reached for his drink. The two men drank quietly for a minute and attempted to cool down as they processed what just occurred.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Link exclaimed, attempting to break the tension. He slid the small shimmering box towards Rhett, who slowly rotated the gift on the surface of the bar appreciating the wrapping job from all angles. “Wow, very nice.” He said sarcastically, nodding.
“Yanno, I didn’t win the Epic Wrap Battle all those years ago with just my dashing good looks.” Link jested.
Rhett shook his head and quietly laughed as he unwrapped his gift, exposing a black paper box. He removed the top of the box to reveal a beautiful speckled light gray stone, smoothed and shined to perfection. On the largest face of the rock, engraved in black letters was:
R & L
Est. 1984
He ran his fingers over the text, tracing the numbers and letters.
“When I came back home to say goodbye to Papa a couple months ago, I took some time to myself to think and just… be.” Link paused, clearing his throat as he looked down at his wedding ring that he was fiddling with. “I went to Cape Fear and sat on our speaking rock and thought about Papa and the memories I had with him. Sittin’ there, I was remembering all the significant conversations you and I had there and how it was a place of clarity and safety. It’s an important place to me, to us. So I wanted you to be able to keep a piece of Cape Fear and the talking rock with you.”
Link watched as his companion admired the stone a bit longer before finally meeting his gaze. Rhett’s eyes welled with tears, feeling so moved having never received something filled with so much meaning and sentimentality. Some of the most pivotal moments and one of the most important relationships in his life now symbolized in an object that was his to keep. He sniffled and pulled Link into a hug, patting him on the back. But even that wasn’t good enough to express just how grateful he was. “Thank you Link.”
Link was stunned for a moment by the unexpected embrace before wrapping his arms around him, bringing their chests together and Link’s face deeper into the crook of his neck. “Anything for you, Rhett,” the smaller man said with a tone of the deepest sincerity. He closed his eyes and relished in the warmth he was enveloped in a couple moments longer, the two then gently releasing their clasp of one another. “You know I mean that, right? Anything you need anytime, I’m there for you.”
“I’ve know for the past three decades, brother.” Rhett said. “And I’m always there for you too, friends ‘til the end.” He smiled as he raised his nearly empty glass.
“Friends ‘till the end,” Link echoed as he met his own drink to Rhett’s.
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