#I’ve done this lemon joke like AGES ago so it’s fun to do it again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mikotyzini · 6 years

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What Defines Us - Ch. 20

Thank you to those who’ve been following this story, and a special thanks to the people who’ve signed up on Patreon for early chapters and commentary and everything. Your support means the world to me! Recently, I’ve been spending 3-4 hours a night after work writing, and I really wouldn’t do that if not for you guys. <3

If you want to read on ff.net (or find previous chapters), here’s the link.

After briefly rubbing her tired eyes, Ruby blinked and then blinked again - trying to get the tiny object in her hand to come into better focus. It’d be a whole lot easier if it weren’t so dang small! Like, seriously, why were small things the coolest? It made them so friggin’ difficult to work on!

Taking a big breath, she let it out in one smooth exhale while carefully layering another swipe of paint - her hand steady while a thin line appeared against a background of dark grey. Taking another breath, she blew softly on the fresh paint so it would dry before she set everything down on the workbench.

Perfect!

It was really tough to make such little lines, but she’d figured out how to do it after a whole bunch of practice. ‘A whole bunch’ meaning pages and pages of trial swipes done just to make sure that one itty bitty line would look great. But it did, so the sleep hours devoted to drawing instead of sleeping had been worth it.

And, for not having a heck of a lot of time, her latest project had turned out a lot better than expected. Maybe because her inspiration was better than usual. Or maybe because she was better than usual!

That was definitely something Yang would say. But Yang wasn’t here right now, so Ruby got to say it! Er...think it.

It wasn’t very long ago that she’d kind of dreaded the days her big sister would leave for hunts, but this time had been different. Without Yang around, the house was actually...quiet. It was really weird, but also kind of nice. If anything, it gave Ruby the chance to work on her projects without her sister barging in and throwing random objects at her. Although she missed the candy - it wasn’t so bad when Yang would throw candy into the garage. That was the best! It just wasn’t as great when Yang threw things like lemons or pieces of cheesecake. It was really hard to catch cheesecake without smearing it everywhere...

Yang and Blake had left last night after dinner, but would hopefully be back soon. Using her novice interrogation skills (she was still learning from Blake), Ruby had managed to pry the hunt details from Yang like a hot knife slicing through warm butter. Or...well, basically it had been really easy to get Yang to talk. Like bribing a parrot with a carrot. Heh, that rhymed.

But Blake and Yang had picked up an ‘assassinate’ contract - the kind Blake loved to do. Ruby could see why - they sounded awesome! Basically, certain Grimm were so smart and deadly that they’d earn themselves a nickname - a cool one like ‘Deathdealer’ or ‘Ten Claws’ or ‘The Vanisher.’ The goal of an assassinate contract was to hunt down and destroy these overly powerful and aggressive Grimm. Wipe them off the face of Remnant!

This particular contract was for an Ursa who’d grown a bit too well known near the outskirts. His name was - and Ruby had thought Yang was teasing her until she saw the name with her own eyes - The Hugger. The Hugger! That didn’t sound like a deadly Ursa - it sounded like a character from some kids’ cartoon show!

Or just a cartoon show, because cartoons weren’t exclusively for kids. In fact, people of all ages could watch cartoons. Not just kids. And watching cartoons didn’t make someone childish. Adults could watch cartoons - cartoons with characters named The Hugger.

When Ruby asked how they’d know they’d found this super deadly bear hugger, Blake had almost too calmly answered that it’d be whichever one tried to hug Yang. It was funny because sometimes Blake could be really possessive about people getting too close to Yang, but didn’t seem to care much when it came to Grimm. If anything, it kind of sounded like Yang was going to be bait for this contract.

Tracking a Grimm through the forest at night though...that sounded like a lot of fun! Ruby wished she could’ve gone, but she also knew she was a little clumsy and wasn’t sure she could stay quiet for that long. She didn’t know how Yang could stay quiet for more than a few minutes at a time!

Because Blake and Yang had to find the Grimm before they could kill it, they had no idea when they’d get back. It could be next week; it could be in a few minutes - it all depended on how quickly they could track and dispose of the beast. Theoretically, they could be gone for years - stuck out in the forest, eating berries and tree bark to survive…but Yang had sounded pretty confident that they wouldn’t be gone for long. She’d even made a joke about how Ruby should make dinner for them, as if they’d want to eat undercooked noodles and raw vegetables after they’d been up all night.

Staying at home wasn’t so bad though. It meant Ruby didn’t have to eat tree bark and it had given her enough time to finish a spur of the moment idea she’d had. Unfortunately, being spur of the moment didn’t mean this project was quick and easy. It was actually the opposite of that - never-ending and horribly challenging. But she’d been determined! Determined enough that she’d skipped her last few practices - something she hadn’t done in months. Ordinarily, she’d feel guilty about skimping out on her training, but Yang said it was ok to take a little break after a hunt to rest and recuperate.

Sitting on the edge of her seat, Ruby leaned over the bench to look at what she’d just created - being extra careful not to touch it for the next few minutes while the paint dried. When a big yawn slipped out, she covered her mouth with one hand and blinked several times to knock the exhaustion away.

The little project looked pretty good, but the most important question was - would she like it?

When Ruby’s scroll buzzed beside her face, she jumped out of the seat in surprise and knocked her knee into the workbench with a loud bang.

It was Weiss though!

Hopping on one leg while rubbing her broken knee, Ruby grabbed the scroll and was immediately disappointed.

It wasn’t Weiss. It was a message from Yang - a picture.

Resuming her perch on the chair, Ruby opened the message and found a picture taken through a heavily wooded area. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than trees and bushes and leaves, which was totally something Yang would do. Send a photo and get Ruby all excited…

Ah! But there was something! If she squinted her eyes, she could barely make out a black shape in the distance. Zooming in on that spot, the caption of ‘huggin’ time!’ suddenly made a lot more sense. If that was a regular sized tree right next to the black blob, then that was a big Ursa. Big, big, big Ursa. They should’ve called him Jumbursa. No, that was lame. But not as lame as The Hugger!

She knew better than to respond right away, but her heart was pounding from just looking at the photo and knowing that Yang and Blake were, right at this moment, within shouting distance of the monster. While Ruby was safe at home, they were getting into a huge fight. It was weird...she felt like she should be out there with them, but she also knew that they could take care of each other.

Hearing two knocks on the front door, she instantly leaped to her feet and yelped when both of her knees crashed into the bench this time, nearly knocking everything over. Squealing, she managed to catch her newest prized possession, steadying it on its stand before dashing into the house and flying to the front door. Not even checking through the window to see who was outside, she threw the door open and grinned.

“Weiss!” she exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling Weiss into a hug that was returned with one arm.

One of these days Weiss would hug properly - which meant using both arms! A full circle! Although it probably didn’t help that she was currently carrying a brown paper bag in one hand...

“Hi, Ruby. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you some food,” Weiss replied with a timid smile, holding out the bag.

“Why would I mind??” Ruby asked in confusion while accepting the bag.

“Oh. Well, that’s just - I didn’t actually think that you would - it’s a saying.”

Ruby couldn’t help but giggle at Weiss’ adorably flustered response, which only made Weiss look even more unsure of what to say next.

“How about - I brought you some food,” she finally concluded, her eyes searching Ruby’s to see if that had cleared up the miscommunication.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind if I accept the food I don’t mind that you brought me,” Ruby replied while unfurling the top of the bag. “You really didn’t have to - oh!! Spaghetti! That’s my favorite!”

The comment made Weiss smile while she followed Ruby into the kitchen. Setting the bag on the table, Ruby pulled out the containers and gave them a second and third glance. It didn’t take a master-level detective to figure out that they hadn’t come from any restaurant she’d ever been to.

“Did you make this?” she asked, which only made Weiss look embarrassed.

“Yes, I did.”

Homemade spaghetti! From Weiss! That was a gift Ruby really didn’t mind!

“You can cook?” she asked in complete amazement. “Wow, is there anything you can’t do?”

“Many things,” Weiss answered so sincerely that Ruby chuckled.

“Yeah right...tell me one thing you can’t do!”

Searching for an answer, Weiss looked into Ruby’s eyes while her mouth opened, but no words came out.

“See? You can’t even think of anything!” Ruby pointed out happily. Finally smiling, Weiss shook her head.

“I can’t catch butterflies.”

Bursting into laughter at the memory, Ruby quickly stuck the containers into the fridge so she could turn back to Weiss. “But you looked so cute trying!”

Ah - that word! It just slipped out. Could she use that word with Weiss? Yeah? No, she could play it off.

“I can’t cook at all,” she added quickly, changing the subject like a pro. “But I’m great at cutting things up! Yang calls me the Super Chopper.”

Waving her hands through the air in a chopping motion, she beamed when Weiss chuckled.

“Well that’s perfect - every chef needs a sous chef to prepare ingredients for them.”

“Then I can be your sous chef?”

“Absolutely.”

For a long time, the two of them shared a smile - probably the longest one they’d shared yet - before Weiss finally turned away and coughed into her hand.

“So...what have you been up to while Blake and Yang are away?”

“I’ve been keeping myself busy! Working on another project and enjoying the silence,” Ruby replied with another small laugh. “They might be back tonight though, so it’s not so bad.”

“You don’t mind having the house to yourself?”

“It’s awesome! I can do whatever I want!” After spinning in a quick, semblance-fueled circle, Ruby planted her feet and caught one of her petals out of the air when she came to an abrupt stop. “I used to get kinda lonely or bored when they left for a few days,” she admitted. “But it’s not so bad anymore.”

This time she’d actually been excited for her two roommates to leave. The front door had hardly closed before she’d messaged Weiss to see when she could come over. And then the front door had reopened because Yang had forgotten something, so she’d caught Ruby texting and gotten in a few lame jokes before actually leaving.

“But now when they leave we can hang out, right?” Ruby shot Weiss a hopeful look before quickly adding, “I mean, if you’re not busy.”

“I can always make time for you.”

The effortless reply made Ruby’s cheeks warm right up. It made her feel special when Weiss said things like that! Like she’d actually try to create time for Ruby, if it came to that. And the way Weiss said it was so simple, like of course she would do that - because why wouldn’t she go through the effort of doing something impossible just to hang out with Ruby?

“Great! Then I hope they go on a lotta hunts,” Ruby said before stifling a yawn and rubbing her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Weiss’ eyes were openly concerned as she asked the question, so Ruby rubbed her eyes again to remove some of the tiredness Weiss must be seeing - only for another yawn to slip out.

“Yeahhh just a little tired!” she said after her yawn had passed. Staying up all night tended to do that to a person.

“Did you not sleep well? Is it your wrist? Did you take anything for it?”

Giggling at all the questions, Ruby shook her head. It was sweet how Weiss fretted over something so simple, but the worry was unnecessary.

“Naw, just stayed up too late!”

The answer was made of fudge. Technically Ruby had stayed up until this moment - which was quite late (in her opinion).

“Do you want to get some sleep? I could always come back later -”

“No, it’s ok! I’m feeling great!” Ruby yelped before forcing a wide grin.

Weiss couldn’t leave yet - she’d just gotten here! Plus, Ruby felt fine! Sure, she was tired and had a bit of a headache, but it was just one of those vague tired headaches - like when your head is squishing your brain a little too hard. Being too tired must make your skull shrink...either that or makes your brain bigger!

She could always take a nap later, but right now she had something for Weiss.

“Oh! I have something to show you!”

Even though she’d been thinking about it since Weiss had knocked on the door, Ruby tried to make it sound like she’d just remembered it. That way it would seem like no big deal - because it wasn’t really. It was just…a normal deal.

Waving Weiss after her, Ruby made her way back into the garage, where she’d spent practically all of her time since their visit to the Dust factory. Which had been amazing and so much cooler than Ruby had ever expected. And so, so thoughtful – like, wow, Weiss had really gone out of her way to make sure they had a great time.

Because Weiss had done something so nice for them, Ruby wanted to give Weiss something nice in return. So she’d been hard at work! That meant she’d stayed up a little later than she should have - or hadn’t slept at all - but it was worth it! Or it would be worth it if Weiss liked what Ruby had created - which was still resting on top of the workbench where she’d left it. By now the paint would be dry, so she didn’t hesitate reaching over to pick it up and hold it out to Weiss.

It was a little nerve-wracking! Weiss was so amazing and obviously had enough money to buy anything she wanted, so the idea of giving her a gift was kind of stressful...stressful enough to make Ruby’s heart beat really, really fast.

“What do you think?” she asked, dropping the tiny object into Weiss’ hand.

“Wow...Ruby, this is spectacular…” Weiss whispered while holding the shiny object carefully between her thumb and forefinger, rotating it gently so it caught the light in the garage just right.

It was just a little ring, but Ruby had made it from scratch!

The band had been the easiest part - repurposing a nice dark grey metal that had welded together smoothly. Along the outer surface, Ruby had painted a single vine of thorns, but the thorns were in the same shade of white-blue as Weiss’ glyphs. Against the dark grey metal, they popped way better than red or black would have.

“You made the entire thing, I’m guessing?”

“Uh, yeah. The band is from an old sword, and I just finished the painting before you got here,” Ruby answered, wringing her hands while Weiss continued to look over the ring.

“It’s beautiful,” Weiss finally said, the reply making Ruby grin while her heart thundered in her chest.

“I’m glad you like it! Because...uh...well, I made it for you.”

Running one hand through her hair, a nervous smiled tugged at her lips when light blue eyes shot up to hers.

“I can change the design if you want,” she added when Weiss said nothing in response. “I’ve just been drawing thorns everywhere since naming my glove. Yang keeps making jokes about how ‘prickly’ I’ve been.” Ruby rolled her eyes at the lame joke. “But I wanted to give you something as a ‘thank you’ for showing us around your family’s factory. It was really fun!”

From the way Weiss was staring, she was at a loss for words. It was only when Ruby shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the silence that Weiss opened her mouth to speak.

“You didn’t have to do this…”

“I know! I wanted to. I had fun making it, too.”

When Weiss’ eyes fell back to the ring in her hands and searched the inside of the band, Ruby held her breath. Spinning it in a slow circle while examining it closely, Weiss eventually turned it back over, and Ruby couldn’t help but grin.

She might have taken a page out of the book of the person who’d worked on Myrtenaster and hidden a word on the interior where the two pieces seamed together. It had taken hours of practice before she’d gotten good enough to make the tiny letters somewhat legible, but she’d eventually figured it out. And apparently she’d done a good enough job that Weiss couldn’t see it - score one for Ruby Rose!

“I don’t know what to say…” Weiss whispered towards the ring in her hands before looking up and meeting Ruby’s eyes. “Thank you. This might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me...”

“I’m really glad you like it! Here I was all worried…” Ruby let out a small chuckle at how silly her fears seemed now.

“I love it, Ruby.”

Weiss looked directly into Ruby’s eyes as she said the words, making Ruby’s heart do a silly little double beat that felt just as weird as it sounded. She’d hoped that Weiss would like it. Loving it was way better.

“But don’t feel like you’ve gotta wear it or anything!” Ruby hurried out before Weiss could feel any pressure to do so. “You can always put it in a drawer or something - I won’t be upset!”

Biting her lip, Weiss thought about the words for several seconds before she slipped the ring onto her finger and gently wiggled it around.

“It fits perfectly,” she remarked, her brow furrowing in confusion. “How did you know my ring size?”

“Oh, you know, I have this super scientific way of figuring out someone’s ring size,” Ruby bolstered before letting out a giggle. “It’s called ‘Ruby’s Art of Guessing!’”

Her laughter made Weiss chuckle softly along with her.

“But I figured your hands are, uh, more delicate than mine, so I used my ring and then made yours a bit smaller!” she explained, briefly holding up the ring around her neck to prove her point. “Oh, and the best part!” Moving around Weiss, Ruby grabbed Thorn from his stand and pulled the glove over her hand. “Ok - give me a high five!”

Curious, Weiss held up her hand and reached towards Thorn. The moment the ring and glove were in close enough proximity, the thorns painted on each illuminated - the vibrant ice-blue popping out against the dark gray backgrounds.

“Luminescent paint!” Ruby exclaimed, clasping her hand around Weiss’ so the heightened color wouldn’t fade away. “Isn’t it cool? It’s purely cosmetic, but ya know, totally worth it.”

“That’s...amazing…” Weiss replied softly, intertwining her fingers with Ruby’s while staring at the thorns glowing brightly.

Ruby watched Weiss’ reaction with a grin, their hands still locked together. She’d had to repaint Thorn since she hadn’t used the same paint the first time around, but it was worth it. Now she and Weiss had a cool friend thing! If they went on more hunts together, people could give them a cool nickname - like The Glowing Thorns or The White Thorns. Or they could be officially lame and go with The Huggers. Ha. Grimm beware…

Still undecided on a nickname, Ruby’s attention flitted back to Weiss when she suddenly slipped her hand away and rubbed both hands up and down her arms with a barely noticeable shiver.

“Are you cold?” Ruby immediately asked.

“Um...just a little.”

“It gets cold out here. Come on - I’ll get you something warm to wear!”

“It’s really -”

“No no, don’t say it’s ok!” Ruby interrupted while heading towards the door to the house. Turning around, she grinned at the perplexed expression on Weiss’ face. “You’re cold, so I’m getting you a jacket or sweater or something! You can either wait here or come with me!”

Taken aback, Weiss blinked several times before finally nodding her head.

“Then lead the way.”

Chuckling at Weiss’ acquiescence, Ruby walked inside - tugging Thorn off her hand and tossing him onto the kitchen table while they walked by it. Making it to her room, she gently kicked open the door with one foot and gestured towards her bed.

“You can sit if you want,” she offered, before heading to the closet to find some warmer clothing to lend her friend.

If she had to guess, Weiss would like something super trendy and fashionable. In other words, nothing Ruby owned. But she couldn’t let Weiss be cold! There had to be something that would kinda...maybe...sorta…well, a great lesson to be learned right now was that Weiss had a different taste in fashion than Ruby did. So...her favorite one would have to do!

Grabbing the red and black jacket and spinning around – her headache giving a slight twinge of complaint as she did so - Ruby found Weiss perched on the very edge of the bed like she didn't know how to sit there. Her back was super straight, her hands were in her lap, and her hair draped over one shoulder. Maybe she felt uncomfortable, but she looked like a princess.

“Here you go!” Holding up the jacket, Ruby waited for Weiss to stand and then helped her into the sleeves. It was a little big on her - the sleeves too long and the shoulders too big - but it was kind of cute the way it enveloped her.

Ah! That word again! At least Ruby hadn’t said it out loud this time. Wait - she hadn’t said it out loud the first time...had she?

“Sorry, it probably smells like roses,” she apologized when she noticed Weiss lower her nose towards the collar. “I can never get the smell out of my stuff! It’s like permanent perfume. Permafume.”

Letting out a small scoff of amusement, Weiss gave Ruby one of the best smiles she’d received yet.

“Don't be sorry. I love the smell.”

The words made Ruby’s cheeks pleasantly warm while Weiss turned her gaze down to the cuffs of the jacket.

If Weiss loved the smell of roses, that was great! For Ruby. Probably not for people who didn’t always smell like roses.

“At least it beats smelling like I just jumped out of a burning building like Yang does!” Ruby joked at her sister’s expense, earning another surprised laugh from Weiss.

“If I’m not mistaken, Blake loves that smell,” Weiss replied with a smirk.

“Oh yeah. Something about how it smells like ‘home.’” Laughing a little, Ruby shook her head. “Those two are so weird.”

“At least they have each other.”

“That’s right! Every weirdo must have a matching weirdo, right?”

“You’re right,” Weiss agreed, smiling back at Ruby. Again their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds before Weiss abruptly turned away in favor of staring at the ground.

Maybe Ruby wasn’t the best at social interactions, but she was more interesting than the ground, right? Seriously, the carpet was just carpet. It was a kinda gray, kinda blue color that probably had a weird name like ‘afternoon sky’ or ‘inky clay.’ The little whatchamacallits - the fabric part that stuck up - were super soft though. They felt really nice when she wasn’t wearing any socks! There was also a small patch hidden underneath the bed that had gotten an itsy bit burned by complete accident. Yang had wondered why Ruby decided to rearrange her room so suddenly...

Ok, maybe the carpet was kind of interesting - but not as interesting as she was!

Determined not to be outdone by the flooring, Ruby grabbed the desk chair and spun it around so she could sit in front of Weiss.

“Did you get to hang out with your sister while she was here?” she asked, happily noting that Weiss was subconsciously playing with the newly appointed ring on her finger, but the question made her let go and return her attention to Ruby.

“Yes, we had dinner before she returned to Atlas.”

“I hope you had fun!”

“It was...great,” Weiss answered with a thoughtful nod and small smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see her, so that was a nice surprise.”

“Yeah! For me too!” Ruby replied. “I mean, I didn’t even know you had a sister, so that was the surprise. And the nice part was, um...her. She seems super nice!”

Nice, and pretty, and kind of stern. A bit intimidating, actually.

“She is. She supported me growing up...I owe her a great deal.”

“Aren’t older sisters the best?” Ruby asked with a smile that Weiss returned.

“They are. You happen to have a great one, yourself.”

“I do! Yang’s awesome.”

“She is…” Weiss replied softly. “She cares so much about you too.”

Growing up, Ruby had never questioned her sister’s love for her. It was always her and Yang against the world - whether it was the actual world or some pretend universe they made up.

“I know she does. With my injuries and stuff, she really went out of the way to help me get better. One day I want to make it up to her! I have no idea how, but I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

Ruby knew that sacrifices had been made in order to help her recover. Of course, with the way Yang was, she’d never mention them. So Ruby had no idea what they were, but she knew they must be there. No one devoted a year of their life to helping another person go through rehab without missing out on something for themselves.

“Well, if you ever figure that out, let me know. I’m still trying to make things up to her, myself,” Weiss added with a self-depreciating shake of her head that made Ruby frown.

“Is she still being mean to you?”

Yang had said that she’d try to be kinder to Weiss…but Ruby would talk to her sister again if she needed to.

“Actually, she’s been a bit more...tolerant...recently. But something is still really...broken between us.” Pausing, Weiss sighed and shook her head. “I know I hurt her, but I want to make it up to her. I have to. We used to be so close.”

“I’m sure she’ll give you another chance! She has no reason not to when you’re here making an effort!”

“Well, I think I’ve finally learned that running away fixes nothing. It only leaves the wounds to fester…” Brow furrowing, Weiss was silent for some time before sighing and meeting Ruby’s gaze with mournful eyes. “It was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop regretting it, but hopefully, I can find a way to overcome it.”

The biggest mistake she’d ever made? What was it? The biggest mistake Ruby ever made had landed her in the hospital with some pretty serious boo-boos and quite a few missing memories. But that seemed like a completely different type of mistake. The way Weiss looked right now made it seem like she’d done something horrible. But, to Ruby, it seemed impossible that Weiss was capable of anything that bad.

Maybe it was kind of bad, or maybe Weiss was just really hard on herself. Whichever it was, Ruby didn’t care. What she cared about was how sad Weiss looked right now.

“I’m sure you’ll overcome it,” Ruby replied confidently, leaning forward and nearly reaching over to grab one of Weiss’ hands before stopping and tugging on her necklace instead. “And I’m sure you had a good reason to leave!”

“But she gave me the chance to come back. I just...I couldn’t do it…”

“But you did! You did do it! Unless...are you a hologram??” Reaching out, Ruby lightly poked Weiss in the shoulder. “No, you’re real! And you’re in Vale, so you did come back!”

“It took me so long though -”

“So? What matters is that you did it,” Ruby said. “You’ve gotta let go of how long it took, Weiss. You’re here now, and that’s what matters. It’s like my mom used to say -” Scrunching up her face, she searched for the exact wording, so she didn’t mess this up. “Mistakes don’t define you - your reactions to them do.”

When Weiss stared at her thoughtfully, Ruby kept talking.

“Basically, you made a mistake, but did it make you a better person in the end?”

“I...don’t know. I hope so.”

Weiss was clearly unconvinced, so Ruby decided it was time to do some ultra convincing.

“Like, look at this!” she said, holding out her wrist so Weiss could see the scar running all the way across it on both sides. “Clearly, a mistake was made. But I’m not going to be Ruby Rose - injured girl, forever. I train really hard every day so that I won’t be that person.”

After briefly glancing at Ruby’s wrist, Weiss turned away and bit her bottom lip in thought.

“We get to choose our reactions to our problems,” Ruby continued. “That’s the great thing about life! Maybe it took you a long time, but you chose to come back, Weiss. Running away can’t define you anymore, because that’s not how the story ends.”

While Ruby grinned at her hopefully-successful argument, Weiss stared for a long, long time while processing the information. It looked like she was going to disagree, but eventually, with a partial smile, she seemed to concede - for now.

“How did you become so...strong?”

“I’m not though!” Ruby answered with a laugh, holding up her left hand and wiggling her fingers. Without Thorn, her left hand was still injured - and she was beginning to realize that her full strength might never come back. Fortunately, she’d found a way to compensate for her weaknesses and then some.

However, Weiss shook her head at the response.

“You are,” she insisted. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. I still don’t know how...how did you work your way back so quickly from your injuries? They were so serious...from what you’ve told me. And with your memories...it must’ve been so difficult.”

“Yeah, I guess it was...the beginning especially, but I had a lot of help!”

“Yang?”

Ruby nodded.

“Yang and Blake encouraged me, and I tried to keep my spirits up. My mom helped too - it felt like she was trying to talk to me all the time, reminding me not to give up. Oh, and can’t forget my secret source of power!”

Looking in both directions like she was about to disclose top secret information, it was only when she found the coast was clear that she leaned forward and held her necklace up in between them.

“Tada!” she exclaimed. It was supposed to be a big reveal, but Weiss only looked confused - glancing between the ring and Ruby several times.

“Your...ring?”

“It’s not just a ring!” Ruby stated matter-of-factly, spinning the necklace around so she could fumble with the clasp. “It’s also filled with magical powers!”

Since she hardly ever took it off, she was less than skillful in getting the itty bitty fastener to open, but after several failed attempts she was finally successful. Letting the necklace fall into one hand, she made a show of slumping her shoulders at the same time.

“Oh...yeah...I feel weaker already…” she tried to say in a tired voice while sliding the ring off of the chain and holding it out to Weiss. “You can feel it – it’s like there’s an invisible power in this ring.”

Even though Ruby was holding the ring in between them, Weiss seemed extremely hesitant to take it.

“Don’t worry, it’s not one of those buzz rings or anything,” Ruby assured her. Finally convinced, Weiss held out her hand, and Ruby dropped the ring into it. Curling her fingers around the small band, Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Can you feel it?” Ruby asked in a whisper, watching Weiss intently. When Weiss opened her eyes, crystal blue seemed to be looking deep into Ruby’s heart.

“It’s important to you,” Weiss remarked softly, uncurling her fingers and looking down into the palm of her hand.

“Yup!”

With a small smile, Weiss gave the ring one last glance before extending it back to Ruby.

“I guess the answer is that I had a lot of people looking out for me,” Ruby explained while accepting the ring and sliding it back onto its chain. “Yang, Blake, my mom, and the one thing from my past that feels...powerful in a way. They all kept me going.”

Stringing the necklace around her neck, she fumbled with the clasp several times before giving up and holding it out to Weiss.

“Can you help me? I haven’t taken this off in months, so I kinda suck at putting it back on.”

Nodding, Weiss took both ends of the necklace in her hands while Ruby turned around. Carefully lowering the chain, Weiss gently fastened it in place - drawing a round of goosebumps when her fingers lightly grazed the back of Ruby’s neck. When Ruby turned around, Weiss moved the ring so it was sitting perfectly in front - holding onto it for a few seconds longer while staring at it intently.

“Who’s it from?” she asked.

The question made Ruby’s brow burrow.

“I’m actually not sure,” she answered truthfully.

“You’ve never asked?”

“Naw...Blake said she’d tell me, but…” Ruby shrugged one shoulder and gave Weiss a small smile. “Is it important where it came from? Or that when things sucked, it made me feel better?”

Weiss opened her mouth, but said nothing for a long time until finally muttering, “I guess...that it made you feel better…”

“But I have a sneaky hunch it’s from my partner,” Ruby admitted. The words made Weiss’ eyes widen in surprise.

“Your partner?”

“Yeah, I know we had a fourth teammate - every team at Beacon has four,” Ruby explained, rubbing her forehead as sleep deprivation continued to weigh on her, pressing behind her eyes in a super annoying way. “But Yang hasn’t told me much about her, and I haven’t asked. There was just...so much else to focus on. I don’t know. All I know is that whoever she was, she was really cool.”

The revelation seemed to catch Weiss completely by surprise.

“How do you know that?”

“That’s one of the only things Yang told me!” Ruby explained, briefly closing her eyes while trying to recall Yang’s words around the stupid, growing headache. “She said…that our teammate was one of the most talented fighters she’d ever seen. And was super smart - like the brains of the whole operation.”

“She said that?”

Ruby nodded. “Yup! ‘We got the smartest in school,’ she said.”

“But you never wanted to know who it was?”

“Of course I wanted to know! I still do. There were so many times I almost looked it up myself...because I’d love to meet her. She sounds amazing, but…” her words trailed off as a familiar twinge pulled at her heart.

It was a decision she’d made a long time ago and stuck with to this day.

“But what?” Weiss prodded, her eyes searching Ruby’s for whatever was going to come next.

“But she’s not here, is she?” Ruby finally answered, temporarily drawn back to the times when she hadn’t had enough energy for anything - when getting out of bed might be the best thing she could accomplish in a day. “If I wanted to get better, I couldn’t dwell on the past. So I decided to focus on the here and now. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet her if...I mean...if she’s still...”

They’d reached the root of the matter - something she was too scared to ask, yet quietly desperate to know. But if she could share this worry to anyone, it was Weiss.

“If she’s...still alive, you know?”

Weiss’ response was one of pure shock. For a second, her mouth hung slightly open with no sound coming out before finally speaking.

“But what makes you think she’s not?”

Raising one hand to clutch the ring around her neck, Ruby shook her head – and paid for it with another pang in her forehead, this one sharper than the last.

There were a lot of reasons why she’d avoided her past for such a long time. It was confusing. It was scary. It made her feel vulnerable and small.

And it would’ve been impossible to move on if she remained stuck in the past. Being able to let go and move on had been important. But, beyond all of those things, something was lurking in the fog that was really painful. Whenever she thought about it, her chest tightened with this ache that only went away through distraction. There was something surrounding her partner that hurt, even with no memories of who they were.

It was the part of her past that eluded her most. Some days she wanted the answers but was terrified to know them. The way Blake and Yang dodged around the subject only made her more nervous to know what the truth might be. So she’d avoided the topic altogether - content to deal with more important matters and live in blissful ignorance. One day she’d probably figure everything out, but she wasn’t in any hurry for that day to arrive.

“I’ve always felt like someone or something important to me was missing,” Ruby tried to explain. “It’s kinda difficult to describe, but...it must be her, right?”

“But to think she died -?”

“It’s either that or she left and has no interest in speaking to me, or us.” Either of those answers kind of sucked - enough to bring tears to her eyes as a sense of loss grew in her chest. Sniffing once, she tried to play it off by rubbing her tired eyes.

This was part of the reason why she avoided thinking about the wall of fog sealing her off from those memories. It made her way too emotional!

“I’m pretty sure the ring is hers,” she whispered, briefly scrunching her eyes closed when another quick jab of pain appeared over her left eye. “That’s why it’s so powerful,” she continued, opening her eyes and shaking off the exhaustion. “It’s a huntress’ ring. And that’s why I always kept it near me. Honor her memories even if I don’t have them, ya know?”

Picking up the ring again, Ruby looked down at it the best she could while it was still hanging around her neck.

“Maybe she’s not in my life anymore, but she helped me get through some rough times without even being here. If I ever get to meet her...and I hope I do, you know? I hope I’m wrong. But if I ever get to meet her, I want to thank her for that. For leaving me with something that helped me through.”

Smiling, Ruby looked up only to find that Weiss was staring back with tears growing in her eyes.

“Weiss?” Ruby yelped in concern, quickly moving over to the bed and sitting by Weiss’ side. “Are you ok? What’s wrong??”

“I’m -” Choking up, Weiss stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry. Just...hearing you say that…I didn’t realize...”

“Hey, it’s ok.” Consoling Weiss, Ruby made sure to smile to prove that she was just fine. Because she was. This was something she’d come to terms with a while ago. “It’s just one of those things, you know? That’s why I try not to think about it too much!”

“Yes, but…”

When Weiss’ lip quivered, Ruby reached out and pulled her into a hug that again made her stiffen. Only this time she eventually gave in and returned the hug in full, wrapping both arms around Ruby and pulling her closer.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss murmured, burying her face into Ruby’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Ruby replied softly, rubbing one hand up and down Weiss’ back. “I’m probably just overthinking it anyway. Maybe she decided to go off on her own after school and no one’s heard from her since. Maybe we were never that close. Or maybe I bought the ring for myself!”

Her sense of loss could come from not having access to any of those memories, not over some specific person or thing. The ring might only symbolize the years she’d lost - a tiny, pretty reminder that she could carry with her everywhere.

Maybe she should consider that her story might be a little sad to people who were hearing it for the first time. Just because she’d accepted what had happened to her didn’t mean that others were on the same page as her. But it was really sweet that Weiss was so sympathetic!

Savoring the hug, Ruby gave Weiss a gentle squeeze to try to comfort her even more. Now, this was a good hug. Firm yet comfortable. Open and accepting. This was how a hug was supposed to be.

It was only a few more moments before Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby for what felt like a long time - her hands resting softly on Ruby’s knees. If Ruby could look into Weiss’ mind right now, she could probably see the wheels turning full speed - coming up with an answer to some question Ruby had never asked.

The next second, Weiss abruptly stood up.

“Ruby, I need to tell you something,” she said, immediately pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

The sight made Ruby feel a strange twinge of anticipation - like something really significant was about to be revealed. If she was right, that would be amazing. The possibility of getting another glimpse into Weiss’ thoughts made her both hopeful and excited at the same time.

“I’m listening,” Ruby said, standing up as well. The moment she did so, there was another prick of pain in her temple that caused her to temporarily close her eyes and wait for the feeling to pass, but it only slightly went away this time. Thankfully, Weiss hadn’t noticed, but Ruby might need to get some sleep soon…

“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d respond -” Weiss was saying quickly, pacing the small room and not daring to glance Ruby’s way. “I know it took me a long time to summon the courage, but I hope that telling you now counts for something. Because I need you to know.”

Standing in the middle of the room, Ruby remained as motionless as possible. She didn’t want to move because the room had kind of started to spin. The tired tension in her forehead was getting a little harder to ignore, and she was growing increasingly light-headed the longer she watched Weiss walk back and forth, back and forth.

Something didn’t feel right.

“I know you’ve wondered how Yang and I know each other. From school, but -”

Weiss’ words were beginning to fade away as a dull roar crept into Ruby’s ears, and a black spot appeared in the center of her vision. She blinked, but it didn’t go away - it only got bigger. Probably not a good sign.

“Weiss…” she said, her voice sounding hazy and far away. “I don’t feel so good…”

“Ruby? Ruby!”

The last thing she saw were light blue eyes headed her way.

#RWBY #White Rose #Weiss Schnee #Ruby Rose #what defines us

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mangled-dreams · 7 years

Text

Dealings with a Devil (Part 9)

Reader X Darkiplier

You, Reader, have made a deal with what you believed to be a fantasized version of your favorite YouTuber’s alter ego, Darkiplier after he’d visited you in a dream. You believed Darkiplier to only exist in your dreams and on Markiplier’s YouTube channel, but by some impossible way he’s real and he intends on collecting on your debt to him.

Some how you manage to appear normal and not in a complete crisis about reality. You've been watching Mark and Sean for any sign that things have been a big joke. Neither acts any differently towards you, or with each other. This in isn't self is reassuring in a ways, but then again, it means your world really is more mysterious than you had initially thought.

“Hey, are you feeling okay? You seem a bit out of it.” Mark says walking you out to his car at the end of the convention. You'd both ended up staying a little later than the previous day.

You look at Mark and shrug. “I'm feeling okay, just a little tired. I've been... having very odd dreams lately. I think it's just being so far away from home.” you tell him, partially being honest with Mark. You mean, how much can you reveal before it just sounds like you're crazy?

“I can understand that. It was hard when I first moved out here, but you get used to it.” Mark says smiling. You return the smile. “But you get to go home in a day. Oh, speaking of which, we'd like to take you out for a goodbye dinner tomorrow before your flight out.”

You mull it over. You'd planned to spend the evening packing, but you can do that in the morning. You'll be skipping the last day of the convention to do a little sight seeing before you leave LA. You've done a little here and there, taking photos for references and for your personal collection, but you wanted to see the Santa Monica Beach.

“Sounds fun. What time were you thinking?” you ask standing near the rental car.

“How about being at my house around 4 and we'll leave from there.” Mark suggests getting a nod from you. You bid him a goodnight and let the hotel's car take you back.

Entering your room you turn to find a cocktail dress waiting for you in the living room. You inspect the gown, not sure why it would be there. Near the dress on the table you find a note from Dark. Giving it a quick once over you look to the dress and sigh.

A gift for such a beauty. I will be arriving at 5 o'clock sharp. Be ready. ~ Dark

You shower, take care to lather your hair in conditioner for at least five minutes before rinsing it out and exiting the shower. You take your time getting ready. Dark would expect nothing less than perfections, but unfortunately for him, you don't believe in perfection outside of art.

Running your hands through your hair, you fluff it a few times then go into the bedroom. You carefully slip the dark navy blue dress up your legs and secure it over your shoulders. It fits like a dream, which leads you to wonder how Dark knew your dress size? Then again, it is Dark and he seems to know everything...except how to properly woo you.

Looking at the clock on your night stand you see the time. 4:58 PM. Slipping on a pair of black flats you'd packed you walk into the living room. The clock strikes five.

“You look wonderful, my dear.” Dark greets you as you enter the living room. You pause and look back at Dark. You're slowly getting used to his sudden appearances.

Looking him over you notice his hair isn't as neat as he usually has it and his coat isn't buttoned. Now that you really look at him, his tie is gone and the top three buttons of his dress shirt are undone. You give him a look that says 'not bad'. You actually find him quite attractive like this... well, he's freaking hot right now.

Not that he isn't hot all the time, but something about Dark being so casual around you strikes a nerve. If you weren't still questioning your sanity, or whether Dark is physically in the real world, you might give into your interest to kiss him again. Perhaps more...

Stop that. You can't think of things like that right now. “You don't look bad yourself.” you say walking over to Dark. Reaching up you button his shirt and straighten his jacket. He's too tempting in a disheveled appearance. Smoothing out his shirt, palms pressing into his chest, you savor the feeling of his solidity.

“I thought you enjoyed me looking disheveled.” Dark says looking down at you, he doesn't move to stop you or push you away.

You hum in response. You do enjoy him looking less than perfect. “You are correct, but if you are taking me out for dinner, you have to look your best. I assume you are taking me to dinner.” you say stepping away from Dark.

Dark smirks at you. Obviously very proud, or happy about your response. “Yes we are.” In turn Dark tucks a lock of hair behind your ear, opening up your face to his view. “You shouldn't hide your face.” he tells you letting his fingertips brush along your jaw.

“And you should knock before you enter the dwelling of a woman.” you tell him turning away to head to the door. You're still not sure where Dark plans on taking you. “Are you coming, or am I going to be eating alone?” you ask looking over your shoulder at Dark, opening the door.

Dark sits across from you at the restaurant on the third floor of the hotel. You had almost expected to go elsewhere, but thankful it's so close to your room. You won't admit to it, but you are tried from another exciting day at the convention. You met quite a few more fans of your art work and even gave your email out to a few that want to commission you.

“So,” you begin softly, the light instrumental music and low lighting setting quite a romantic mood. “What do I owe a dinner with Dark?” you ask taking a sip of your lemon water.

Dark chuckles. “It is so odd that I take you out for once? It is thanks to you that I am free.” Dark says.

You rise a brow at that. “Free? Were you not free before?” you ask. Dark shakes his head at you. Before you can question him further the waiter stops at your table.

“Would you like to see the wine menu?” He asks.

“Yes.” Dark answers and take the menu. Part of you is impressed, and another part of you is finally coming to terms with Dark's actual solidity in the real world. Dark looks over the menu, carefully analyzing and weighing his options. You on the other hand have never really liked wine, so you don't voice a concern or request to see the menu.

“We'll take a bottle of the pink champagne. Two flutes.” Dark orders. You watch the waiter nod his head, take the menu, and leave your table.

“Pink champagne? I would have pegged you for a dark red kind of guy.” you tell him smoothing out the crinkles in your dress.

“Usually, yes, you are correct. However, a pink champagne is a good introduction, for you.” Dark says, his eyes locked on your face.

“For me? What's the occasion?” you ask. In your house wine or anything considered fancy is reserved for special occasions.

“To mark the end of your first, of many, vacations.” Dark responds coolly. You're unable to inquire what he means as the waiter comes back, setting a bucket of ice with a bottle of pink champagne on the edge of your table. You wait in silence as he pops the cork and pours two flutes and sets one before you and Dark.

“Are you ready to order? Or would you like to spend a few more minutes looking the menu over?” he asks looking from you to Dark and back again.

“I know what I would like, what about you Dark?” you ask looking at Dark.

“I too have chosen my entree.” he responds. You both relay your order to the young man and he goes off to then give it to the cook.

“Have a sip.” Dark says, but it sounds like an order.

“You can suggest I take a sip rather than ordering me too. I'm not quite sure what your end goal is, Dark, but if you plan on being in my life we should have some ground rules.” you tell him softly, playing with the flute next to your right hand. You don't rightly know how this conversation is going to end, but it needs to be done.

“I know of your... we'll say, hesitations to my presence in your life; however, I do plan on being in your life for a long time.” Dark says taking a shot drag on his flute. You bite the inside of your cheek. What is Dark truly planning?

“Dark, are you a human, or are you something else?” you ask keeping your tone low.

“Something else.” He responds instantly.

“Do you age?”

“No.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Once, long, long ago I thought I was; back when I was much younger and naive.” Dark responds. Well, that's new.

“Are you in love with me?” you ask softly, you're not sure how you want him to respond.

Dark pauses, taking a few seconds before responding to you. “You make me want more.” Dark tells you, puzzling you.

“More?”

He nods. “I do not understand this myself. It is... new. I simply know it is you that had invoked this feeling.” Dark says staring directly at you. You feel slightly unsettled by his admission. This is the most open Dark has been with you since he started appearing outside your dreams.

“Does this really have to do with our deal? Was it a binding contract?” you ask seriously. Dark nods, his eyes flickering to the flute you're still twirling between your fingers.

“Please,” he says softly, a tone he rarely uses. “Try the champagne.” You look at the flute and cave. When he uses this tone you want to do anything to make him happy.

Twisting it once more you lift the flute to your lips and take a drink. It bubbles on your tongue and down your throat. The flavor isn't as strong as you've had before. It's sweet with an after taste of bitterness, but nothing unpleasant. You mull the taste over before taking another sip. It really is better than anything your mother or brothers have tried to make you drink. You've never been very big into alcohol, but on occasion you can imagine yourself enjoying a glass or two of pink champagne.

“It's very good. Not at all what I was expecting, which is a pleasant surprise.” you tell him setting the glass down. Dark smirks, but it looks more like a smile, which in turn makes you smile.

“I'm glad.” he says. You watching as he sits across from you, looking for any hint that you're just sitting at a table talking to yourself. “I'm not going to disappear.” he tells you earning a confused look from him. “I know you are expecting me to disappear.” Dark says.

You look away, blushing. You keep forgetting Dark is very attuned to you. “Sorry, its just hard to believe this is actually happening. I keep wanted to ask the waiter if he sees you or not.” you say glancing around. No one is looking at you odd or in question.

“Y/N.” Dark says, no, commands. You look up at him, watching as he extends his hand to you. “I am here, simply touch my hand and know this.” Dark tells you sternly. You look at his hand then up to his face and back again.

Without thought you lay your hand in his. His long fingers curl around your hand, locking it in place. You can feel the subtle warmth emitting from his touch. “Are you sure I can make you happy?” you ask feeling a tight squeeze in your chest at your own question.

Dark doesn't answer right away, he waits, squeezing your hand, for you to look up at him. When you do, he smiles. A genuine smile that makes you feel light and bubbly inside. “You already have.”

Part 10

#darkiplier #darkiplier x reader #markiplier #date night #gotta love him #he just wants to be loved #love the poor boy #heart to heart #reader insert #mark fischbach #being honest #laying it all out there #ain't cha?

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nyodrite · 7 years

Text

#Uncle Skull

Writer:

The Boggart... That's horrifying. So imagine the staff meetings they have. Especially in the beginning first year. (Dumbledore is impressed by the creatures he manages to conjure and wants to give him a medal for making the years at Hogwarts with him in it the most memorable and enjoyable he's ever had.)

Meeting 1. Dumbledore: "How is the newest Black?" Defense teacher: "Well, he's handsome, as all Blacks are. He"s also a little... louder and more outspoken than the rest of his family. But a good kid, I like him."

Meeting 2. Arithmancy teacher: "Is the Black showing genes yet?" Flitwick: "No. Still an absolute sweetheart in class, though I still can't get him to shut up. Though..." Slughorn: "What is it?" Flitwick: "Somehow he seems a little dangerous, but only in brief flashes. I'm sure I was imagining it. It's so short and who wouldn't have a survival mechanism after growing up with that family?" Dumbledore: "Wise words, Filius, as always. He seems like a perfectly good student, however. I'm very glad there's no need to owl anyone." A whispered comment in the back: "Maybe we've finally found a nonlethal Black?" (Aha, that's a funny joke.) Another whispered comment: "I have a bad feeling about this."

Meeting 3. Dumbledore: "What were the first-year flying lessons like, Madam Hooch?" Hooch: "Horrible." Dumbledore: "Oh, my dear girl, you look thoroughly traumatized. What happened? Lemon drop?" Hooch: "The Black. No." Flitwick: "What on earth happened? Did he break a bone?" Pomphery: "No, he didn't show up at the hospital wing." Hooch: "No, he wouldn't have. That's just it, Filius-he didn't break a bone. In all my days, I've never seen-dear Merlin, as soon as I've given them permission to hover, he shoots off like a rocket straight into the Forbidden Forest. Fifteen minutes later, he bursts out, flying up to the clouds, then dives back down and weaves through all three Keeper hoops on the Quidditch pitch, does three loop-De-loops, and halts a hairs' breadth from my head, like he didn't just give us all a panic attack the fifteen whole minutes he was gone. I even sent two students in for the defense professor, but he came back before they arrived and I sent him away when he did arrive." Defense professor: "Or, you tried to. She was having a breakdown so I dismissed class and helped her to my quarters to rest." Hooch: "Merlin, what did I do to deserve it? He even laughed and said, 'That was fun! I know why people like doing this so much now. So, do I pass?' I am never going to teach a class with him present again, and you cannot make me." Slughorn: "No one is going to make you. It was just a nasty surprise, that's all-I'm sure you'll be over it in no time. For now, just breath. It wouldn't do to have a panic attack right now." Whispered comment from the back: "I guess not." Another whispered comment: "I knew it. I told you so."

Meeting 4. Dumbledore: "So, the Black?" Slughorn, McGonagall,, Flitwick, and others: "The Black." Hagrid: "That hybrid was so beautiful! What spell did he use again?" All others (except Dumbledore): *turn slowly to Look at Hagrid, who continues to wax poetic, oblivious* McGonagall: "Silencio." Dumbledore: "Oh, don't be like that. It was fascinating! Surprisingly hard to dispose of! I think the Department of Mysteries confiscated the corpse, in fact." Defense teacher, eye twitching: "Says the one who stood to the side for half an hour and watched it rampage before even trying to do anything about it, while the other hardworking members of the staff who cared about the students' well-being tried to stop it." Sprout: "The first thing you did when it approached you was to offer it a lemon drop. And then you led it on a merry chase." Dumbledore: "It was very resourceful and quick on its feet. Or wings, whichever you prefer. It had a very enduring quality to it which I admired. And of course, it is my policy that, before being dealt with, all potential problems should be offered a lemon drop as a metaphor for a second chance. Also because they taste good, and anything about to be flattened by me deserves to have a happy moment before I maul it ruthlessly." *smiles brightly, eyes twinkling* All others: "..." "..." Whispered comment from the back: "So this is why Grindlewald fell to him."

Meeting 5. McGonagall: "Albus, is there any particular reason why /Black/ walked up to me and asked if lemon drops were a sign of favoritism?" Dumbledore: "I offered one to him as congratulations for discovering such a magnificent side effect of a levitation spell." Sprout: *facepalm* McGonagall: "It would be very much appreciated if you did not encourage these children. They might actually stop, then." Dumbledore: "I am afraid, my dear girl, that I cannot do that. It's my only entertainment in my old age." All: "..." Defense teacher (I think I'll call him Alfonzo, I like this guy): "We are never talking about that boy again." Whispered comment in the back: "And to think I thought the suicidal flying was the end of it." Another whispered comment: "No, he's just plain suicidal."

Meeting 15. Flitwick: "I think we need to reconsider the situation with the Black boy." Alfonzo: "Why, what on earth made you think that was a good idea? The appearance of another bat-demon-hybrid, the animate lamps that won't stop singing, or the destruction of two portraits and five suits of armor mysteriously in the fifth-floor right-hand corridor where he was seen five minutes earlier?" Sprout: "I thought the portraits were spelled unbreakable." McGonagall: "Oh, they are. But it's not enough to stop the explosion and fire of an Aholomora by Black, apparently." Dumbledore: "I think Black is very interesting to have around. We should give him a medal." Alfonzo: "For the sake of my continued mental health, I'm going to ignore anything our esteemed Headmaster says for the rest of this meeting. I didn't hear that. Did you?" Ancient Runes teacher: "No." Flitwick: "So we agree something needs to be done. Well, we can't deny him an education. Precautionary measures?" Ancient Runes teacher: "That sounds like a good idea. I'm in." McGonagall: "Head Boy and Girl, five extra members of the staff in addition to Filch and Pomphery and a ten-foot circle of space around him every time he learns a new spell." Hooch: "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME." Dumbledore: "Now, my dear girl, I know that the bat almost ate you, but you mustn't assign the caster all the blame for his creation. They're just side-effects you know, however animate and amusing they may be. I for one believe this is quite educational and character-buildi-" Slughorn: *talks over Albus* "No one is going to make you." Whispered comment from the back: "Looks like I'm going to be disillusioned every possible second I can spare now."

Meeting 20. Dumbledore: "Are you sure that we need these measures for Izar? Nothing has happened since the supervision started and I know it's very taxing on your schedules." Flitwick: "He's kind of got a point." McGonagall: "Well. Maybe it was a one-time thing. He is a very bright boy." Alfonzo: "It happened twice. Two. Times." Everybody else: *ignores Alfonzo, desperately clinging to the fantasy that it will never happen again* Sprout: "Alright then, I'm glad that's settled." Comment from the back: "I don't think this is a god idea." Another comment: "On the bright side, I don't have to walk around disillusioned anymore all the time outside of classes and meals. It was tiring. And I'm so glad my plan worked."

Meeting 21, or Emergency Meeting 1. Alfonzo: "I told you, but did you listen? No! Izar's so innocent! Izar is a prodigy on a broom, despite the fact that he gives us heart attacks he must be good through and through! Let's ignore all the cackling when he reads his mail! Let's ignore all the times he's cackled at nothing at all, just staring off into space! Let's ignore the hybrid flesh-eating rose-petunia-manhole cover-ashwinder thing that happened two weeks ago and only call an emergency meeting after another bat-hybrid happens! This time it had FLAMING WINGS! TWO HEADS! AND IT NOT ONLY SHOT FIREBALLS BUT ALSO BREATHED FIRE! And was SOMEHOW AS RESISTANT TO MAGIC AS A TROLL! I QUIT AFTER THIS YEAR! I TOLD YOU!" *stands up and storms out of conference room* "..." Dumbledore: "My, what a passionate speech. Such a shame he's chosen to leave us. But I believe that Mr. Black has our interests at heart, he's obviously just struggling with a lot of issues right now, magically and psychologically-" Flitwick: "Precautionary measures will be instated again." Hooch: "You will keep that devil child away from me or so help me I will incendio him myself." Slughorn: "I'm sure it won't come to that, Madam. Would you care to have a glass of wine?" Whispered comment from the back: "Dang it, and I just lost the last side-effect of being under constant disillusionment." Another comment: "I agree with Alfonzo. I knew it! I didn't even hear about the Ashwinder hybrid, though, that scares me a little-I'll have to keep a lookout. Do you think they would stop coming after me if I gave it sacrifices? What does it eat? Fire? Centaurs? That sounds good to me." Yet another comment: "Is anybody worried about how Dumbledore is taking all this?"

... Then we find out later that Dumbledore's Rain and Mist Flames have turned on him and are forcefully making him calm. ... And a religion pops up, centered around worshipping Izar in an effort that when he summons The Bat-Demon Hybrid it will ignore them. (James and Peter join it.) An offshoot of the religion worships the creatures themselves. (Sirius founded it through the mail ssomehow, with help from Hagrid.) Some in an attempt to pacify it and make it not kill them, others in an effort to be closer to the beasts and befriend, study, or just stare at them. (Hagrid and Dumbledore belong to the latter group.) And of course, burning part of the meal at mealtimes as a sacrifice was a requirement for members of both religions.

Look it @acrossthetallgreenriver

#Uncle Skull #bwahahahhahahaha #no response but I love this #had to share it #all of the yeses and kudos

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wingsporkhalo · 7 years

Text

A Collaborative Spork of “Why?”: a Lord of the Rings Fanfic-- Chapter 4

Time to “enjoy” chapter 4 of this mess with @icykalismsts!

Special thanks to Liz Lemon and Castiel for helping me as snarky as possible.

Chapter 4: Not Quite Home Sweet Home

Hey, it's Nyanko-chan again. I'm writing this next half chapter for my friends.

(Damn the influence you have on me!) However, I'm considering pulling down

this fic.

W: You can’t pull it down any further than it has already sunk.

I put this fic for others to enjoy, and if they don't, well obviously I could

just give the rest of the fic to Crystal-chan now instead of putting her in suspense.

::sigh:: There goes all the fun.

W: That’s my line, buster.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A little girl from the group walked up to Crystal.

~ Onee-chan (sister), what are we going to do with him? ~

W: For once, author is right about the translation, but it actually means more specifically “Big sister/older sister.”

Sarcastically, she said, "Well jeez, why don't you tell me? YOU'RE the

one caught him!" The girl blushed.

~ Hai, hai. (can mean anything between yes, agreeing, or agreeing in an

offhand way) ~ What do yall think? ~

K: That these “translations” are incredibly intrusive.

W: That “y’all” doesn’t seem like very sophisticated language. And oops, if the author’s translations are intrusive, mine are probably even more so. Sorry, guys.

Several murmurs were heard, saying things

like, "Why not do to him what he did to Crystal-sama?" and such. Comments like

these made Legolas a bit nervous.

Crystal hushed them up with a careless wave of her hand.

W: It was careless because she had knocked over a nearby flower vase.

"No matter what

we do with him, no one, even an ordinary elf deserves this kind of treatment. We'll

take him to the camp, and THEN decide what to do with him."

K: Is it bad that I immediately thought of a prison camp? W: Well, I thought of a concentration camp, so really yours was better than mine.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aragorn hurried and woke the others as soon as he got up. As they packed,

they all thought about what could have been bothering Legolas so much about this

stranger that he took off after her without telling anyone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they arrived at the elves camp

W: --which is where young elves undergo training to one day assist Santa in his workshop--

around 10:00 a.m., they closed the

gates and untied him.

K: It is an Elf prison camp! W: Oh god, no!

Crystal gave a mock bow. "Welcome, Prince , to our humble lodgings." As

Legolas looked around, he thought, "I'll be damned if this was humble! This place

puts shame to the city of Mirkwood!" (Was that correct?)

K: No, that’s rude. He should be grateful that he’s in a prison camp, duh.

W: Man, Mirkwood’s really changed, I guess.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As they were walking down a corridor to Legolas' room, a little thing ran

down the hallway, screaming, ~ Oneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-chan! You're back! ~

K: Oh. Good thing I didn’t need those eardrums.

Crystal turned around a millisecond too late as the thing, which happened to be an

Elf,

tackled Crystal in a bear hug. They both landed with a big thump on the floor.

~ Iiiiiiiiita!!!

W: She means “itai,” which pretty much is the Japanese equivalent to “Ouch!”

Suppi-chan, what did I tell you about doing that to me while

I'm walking in the MARBLE FILLED rooms?! ~ she mock-scolded.

K: That’s where people’s marbles go when they lose them.

~ The girl

blushed. ~ Gomenasi.

K: Is this what you say when you’re apologizing to a Nazi?

W: Oof. That joke makes me feel guilty after my mentioning the concentration camps. I have to go lay down and think about happy things for a bit. (Also, she means gomen nasai.)

I wasn't thinking when I did. Demo (but), I was so happy

you're safe from your travels! ~

Legolas stared at the girl. * She must be no older then 25 to be that small! *

W: ??? Do girls have a growth spurt after age 25 or something? If so, I better prepare myself, since I’m 25 now, and in fact will be 26 in a few months.

(Okay, I was thinking, "I want Crystal to have a little sister, but I want her to be

more skilled than the average person."

W: “Okay, I want my Sue to have a five-year-old companion, but she has to be better than all the other five-year-olds.”

So I decided that in this fic, and elf may

choose how old he/she likes,

as long as they have already lived that age in human

years.)

W: I have read so many stupid things. But this is still one of the stupidest.

Crystal began get annoyed when he didn't answer her. ' Hello?! Are you coming? '

Than she added slyly. ' Or does the almighty Prince know his way around everywhere,

even when he's never been here before? '

Legolas snapped out of it. When he realized the two were staring at him

oddly, he blushed, and apologized.

Crystal took him to a room, and showed him around it. There was a queen bed,

a view that over looked a beautiful lake, and a nice bathroom with towels, soap, etc.

W: Thanks for that totally not-lazy description.

"You're probably tired, so I'll leave. Feel free to go anywhere, except our

rooms, outside the gate, and wherever the others tell you not to." With that, she left

him to sort out the emotions that he hadn't felt in years.

W: “Well, I’ll put this one in the Sadness pile, and this one in the...hm...Embarrassment or Happiness?...”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She went into the meeting room where the others were waiting. Actually, it

was a patio in the garden they had.

W: Actually, no one gave a shit.

'What DO we do, Crystal? We can't just let him stay here all happy when it

was HIM that did that to you.'

Crystal thought. ' First thing's first. We need to gain his trust. I want him to

feel the pain that I felt al those years ago.

W: You felt up someone named Al?? How could you??

K: Poor Al. You can call me, Al. And you can call me Betty.

Until then, we need to capture his friends

as well. They're on their way. I left a quite noticeable trail once we entered the

woods.' She smiled.

K: Hansel and Gretel taught her well!

'We should send a welcoming party. It's not nice to leave

your guests in the dangerous forest all by themselves.' The others laughed.

W: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EverybodyLaughsEnding

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The other rode through the forest. All were wary about the place, even the

Hobbits. Why would the trail that was Hell to follow at first, all a sudden

K[sarcastically]: Hey, you can either have one sudden or all of them. Make up your mind.

be as clear

as day?

W: Worst poem ever, I’m telling you.

As they made their way, they never felt the tiny wires begin their trek around

their bodies.

W: Well that’s disturbing. Are they alive??

Nor did they feel each one slowly and lightly knot around them...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the wires wrapped around them, the Fellowship was oblivious. Boromir,

Aragorn, Gilimi,

K: I get it now! The author didn’t mention a Dwarf in chapter one because he’s canonically a mini-Balrog in this fic.

and Frodo DID sense something wrong though. * What in these

peaceful forests could possibly make me tense? There's nothing seemingly wrong.

So why am I wary? * thought Aragorn. * Probably because whatever was in here

was able to get Legolas * he thought wryly.

Suddenly, the hobbits began saying odd things. Things such as, "Can

someone give me a hand? I'm stuck," or, "Hey! I can't move!"

W: I mean, I’ve heard much odder things before, but whatever.

The others turned

W: ...to stone, and then a sudden lightning strike utterly obliterated them. The end.

to the hobbits, thinking they were joking. Boromir strode up to Frodo. "Come on,

lets not mess around anymore." As he neared Frodo, he lost the ability to move

his legs. "What the Devil?!"

K[Boromir]: Yeah, what is the Devil? I’ve never heard of such a thing, so why did I shout about it?

Soon, the others stopped moving as well. Their mounts sensed something

was amiss, and high-tailed it out of there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~ Crystal-sama won't be pleased. ~

~ Doshta? (why?) ~

W: “Doushita.”

The elf smiled. ~ Because these two men are giving me a hard time, keeping

them still. ~

The other laughed. ~ Someone hasn't been training lately, huh? ~

~ I guess you could say that. ~

After the 4 elves were positive that the Fellowship couldn't get loose, they

hopped down from their hiding place.

' My, my. Aren't we lucky, Yura? We set our traps for animals, and here

we caught ourselves some celebrities. '

W: Why would you name a character a Japanese name that means “farmer”? Or I guess it could be the onomatopoeia for swaying gently but whatevs

Strider thought it would be best to act calm. ' We apologize for setting off

Your

K: ...bear...

traps. Could you help us out? '

W: “This leg is pretty much done for, so you can just cut it off or something.”

The girls thought about it. Then they conversed among themselves.

K: They threw converse shoes all over.

W: It’s a hipster parade!

~ How about this. We'll let them go, but keep the wires on them. We'll

take them near the city, and when we're about 100 yds. away, we tie them back

up? ~ The others nodded.

"Why not?" Yura took a comb out of her clothes, and touched a certain

tooth on it.

W: Holy fucking shit. She did not. [sighs] Okay, guys, the author has once again stolen from InuYasha. There’s an early villain called Yura of the Hair who can control unbreakable, razor-sharp hair that is invisible to most mortals. Her true form is a cursed comb, so her “human” body is p much indestructible. This has been Wing’s Frustrated Crash Course in InuYasha, lesson 2.

The wires "magically" came off.

"Thank you..."

Diamond cut off whatever Strider was about to say. "We know what you

came for. Would you like us to show you the way?"

Gimili cut in before Aragorn could say anythiing.

K: Gimili’s special power is to cause misspellings wherever he treads.

W: Yeah, I don’t know why Aragorn would say “anythiing” otherwise.

"Wait a minute. You

wouldn't trust these four, would you? For one, they're elves. For another, they're

FEMALES.

W: “Calm the fuck down. No need to shout.”

Thirdly, they're wearing masks on their faces that give me the creeps."

K: Come on. It’s no Eyes Wide Shut situation.

(For an example of the masks a few of the masks, e-mail my friend, Crystal, at [REDACTED]@hotmail.com)

W: I bet she’s talking about Noh masks, another thing that is focused on briefly in InuYasha.

Aragorn thought. "It's the best lead we have. Might as well follow it." The

girls simply smiled. ~ Jeez, this was easier than I thought. ~

K: Okay. I can almost understand an author saying “God” or “Hell” in a LotR fanfic by accident. But “jeez?” Really?!

W: Speak for yourself, author. I’ve got a headache this big.

~ No kidding! ~

W: BUT THAT’S THE ONLY WAY I’LL SURVIVE THIS FIC!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A while later, curiosity got the best of Aragorn. " Why do you wear those

masks?"

The girls shot him a glare.

W: Aragorn crumpled to the ground with a groan of “I’VE BEEN HIT!”

~ If you must know, it is

K[girls]: ...because we miss Mardi Gras.

to hide our emotions. ~

"Pardon?"

Yura rolled her eyes. "If you don't understand what we said, that is your

own fault." Then she added slyly, "Maybe you could get..."

Diamond clapped her hand over Yura's mouth. ~ Unasi baka! (shut up stupid!)

W: “Urusai, baka.” Once again, the correct spelling AND my current sentiments towards the author.

K[Yura]: What?! You’re calling me a dummy and claiming I’m a Nazi?! What’s wrong with you?!

If you provoke them like that, he'll actually ask about it later. And we know he'll

tell him the Royal language!

W: How the fuck do you tell someone an entire language???

Crystal will choke you! ~ Yura shut up the rest of the

trip. The tense aura returned after that.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Legolas was walking around, when he stopped.

W: Bahahaha, oh my god, that’s the best sentence so far.

His jaw would be on the

floor if that were possible.

K: It’s possible… but the circumstances would have to be pretty horrific.

In front of him was the most beautiful garden in the

whole world. It wasn't kept trimmed, but it was a wild garden, so to speak.

W: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

he walked around, he noticed the figure near the lake. He walked toward it,

trying to get some sort of companionship.

W: “Oh, lake. You’re my only friend in the world.”

~ May I sit here with you? ~

The figure jerked with surprise.

W: “Holy shit, put yourself away!” the elf cried, hiding his scandalized eyes of undetermined color.

It was none other than Crystal herself.

~ I hope you're enjoying yourself, Legolas. ~

W: “Not as much as you just were! Holy shit!!”

~ It's been a while, hasn't it? ~

K: Well, at least it’s not a mean while.

Crystal laughed. ~ I guess you could say that. Of course, to an elf that

was nothing. A mere, what? 1,000 years or so? ~

~ That's true... ~ Legolas was relieved. It seemed that the pains had

been forgotten.

Crystal, on the other hand, was in a whole new ballgame.

W: New indeed, since I don’t think there are any ballgames in this universe.

Her

emotions reeled. It was torn between sadness, hate, betrayal, pure bliss, and

Uncertainty.

W: That’s too many fucking things, yo.

Legolas' question caught her off guard.

' Why do you wear a mask and cloak Crystal? It is as if you are hiding

from something. '

W: Uh, yeah, that’s what a mask and cloak are for. Hiding yourself.

* Or someone, * she thought wryly. Still though, she said nothing.

Legolas was confused. One moment, she was more or less talking to

him,

W: Can it be less?

and then she suddenly cold-shoulders him.

K: Well, she is Frosty.

W: YES!!

Then he asked a question

that had been plaguing him ever since the last time they met.

W: “Did you know there’s a piece of broccoli stuck between your teeth?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cliffhanger! In order to find out what he says, you must review! ::laughs

evilly:: Before I set up the next chapter, I want at least a total review count of 25

reviews.

W: What are you, a fucking English teacher? “I want two pages, double-spaced, 12-point font!!”

Five per chapter or half chapter that I put up.

K: She’s holding people ransom?! I hate it when fanfic authors do this. The sad thing is, it sometimes works...

Two more things. I'm working on the story on how they met from Crystal's point

of view. The other thing is that I've finished the story. Yay! I've typed all the

chapters. All I have to do is post them. That means I'll post a new chapter up every

time I see I have 5 new reviews.

Please remember that I don't get on everyday

anymore,

K: With an attitude like that, I’m surprised you get on with anyone.

so if my request if fulfilled, I'll probably have about 2-5 chapters a week.

Look for Chapter 5 sometime before next Monday!

#lotr #lord of the rings #badfic #bad fanfiction #spork #mst #why fic

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healingjoy · 5 years

Text

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I pull out the pages of the notebook that sweetly and fondly hold the favorite recipe of a family spaghetti sauce. I am noticing that today I want to try to engage Elaine into the multi-staged process. Today it is easier. I am more familiar with the kitchen, and there are more vegetables to handle, so sharing the responsibilities are safer today than they had been times before.

I gently ask her if she would like to help me pull tomatoes out of the fridge. She had already told me that she can help do whatever, and I smiled at her sweetness in which she talked and waved her hands around to illustrate her willingness to do anything in the kitchen. We opened up the fridge together, but she really did most of the opening. At first she had a hard time, but she came along the side of the fridge, and then got it propped opened. She made a joke about not knowing how this thing worked, this thing being the fridge, and I laughed and joked with her and said, “You know, sometimes you just need a running start to open up big things like that.” She laughed and said, “It seems that way.”

I am astounded at how much she remembers to respond appropriately in conversation, and saddened at how much she has forgotten about other life areas. This spaghetti sauce that we were making was a favorite of hers. It came from her notebook that she put together years ago for her family to remember all the delicious foods she once cooked daily in their home. And now, she is a guest to this recipe, and I am the proxy of her spirit and love being once again simmered in the heart of the home.

She starts to pull out clementines, and I quickly notice that she perhaps has forgotten what tomatoes are. So I show her, without naming them, and I ask if she can help me with pulling out all of these, and I wave over the garden tomatoes that fill one of the drawers. These tomatoes are different sizes and feel different. “Oh, they are so soft,” she says. I glowed and said that it would make the sauce even more delicious. They had come from her garden, and her husband encouraged me to use them all, except for the two firm ones in which he wanted the two of them to enjoy separately, and they were set apart.

I notice that the onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms are on the shelf above the tomatoes, and instead of naming them, I say, yes, could you also please pull out what your hand is touching, and she immediately goes to the half onion in the plastic bag. “Yes, thank you.” I say, and I add, “actually, can you pull out everything next to it as well?” And here comes to the counter the carrots, celery, and mushrooms.

I start the boiling water, and prepare the ice water after the fridge is closed and she tends to a dog who is whimpering to come back inside. This is the process of peeling the tomato skins off of the tomatoes for the sauce. Bill, the husband, had gotten all the ingredients out for me, so I was just looking over everything and getting a mental map of what I am to do.

I finish the peeling of the tomatoes, and she and I start assembling the sauce. She helps me back in the kitchen with the mushrooms, and she enters by saying, “I’ve already washed my hands,” and I hand her the plastic flexible cutting board with the cut mushrooms for her to put in the pan. The sauce is much sweeter because of her touch, and the smells of oregano, fresh tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves fill the home from the kitchen.

My mom has been wanting to come with me on one of these Rockin Senior journeys, and she arrives to spend some time with Elaine. My mom notices that Elaine is restless, and she says to Elaine, “Would you like for us to pray?” Elaine agrees wholeheartedly, and we all join together holding hands. My mom prays, acknowledging the many years Elaine has given to the world and her family, and pleads with God to be with Elaine now. We are all touched by the prayer, and Elaine stands up, wipes her eyes, and gives my mom a hug, “thank you” she says.

When Bill comes back from exercising, the sauce is finished, and we are sitting, talking about the next recipe we will do from the favorite cookbook. “Elaine, would you like to try the Lemon Pound Cake?” I ask her while holding up the recipe book. “I don’t think I have ever had it, but I like lemon pound cake.”

Spaghetti Sauce

Raw Tomatoes

Mushrooms

Onions

Salt and pepper

Oregano

Basil

Bay leaves

Oil

Directions: Add oil to the pan and add diced onions, sautee. Add about 1 teaspoon per pound of tomatoes (3 -4 ) of spices, but only 1 or 2 bay leaves total. Add skinless tomatoes, roughly chop them up, but they will cook down even if you don’t. Cover and cook/simmer for as long as you need. It should be done within 30 minutes or so. I added paprika, regular and smoked in place of the green pepper, and added vinegar and molasses. Salt and pepper to taste. Elaine’s actual recipe is within the slideshow if you would like to see it. 🙂

About the Rockin Senior Program

It was my mom who said that seniors or seasoned folk needed another outlet besides some of the Senior Centers, and it was through that process that we birthed the Rockin’ Senior Program with Hope to Thrive, the non profit that I started. This program focuses on music and dance to go into the homes of Seniors and just have fun and allow select activities to bring back memories, which sometimes they do with those who are going through cognitive changes. The action of listening to music during that time, remembering movements and stories, and doing activities from their past that is both helpful and loving, helps the aging process.

The Fond Memories Of Spaghetti Sauce I pull out the pages of the notebook that sweetly and fondly hold the favorite recipe of a family spaghetti sauce.

#dementia #recipe #spaghetti sauce

0 notes

marcusssanderson · 5 years

Text

Maya Angelou Quotes Celebrating Success, Love & Life

Inspirational Maya Angelou quotes about loving the life you have, regardless of the challenges.

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was a celebrated author, influential poet, dancer, actress, singer, and activist. Maya received over 50 honorary degrees and is celebrated for her series of 7 autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and adult experiences.

In 2010, she received one of the country’s highest honors when President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Maya Angelou’s life represented confidence, contribution, and perseverance. She left behind a lifetime of wisdom that will be cherished for many years to come.

Here are some of our favorite Maya Angelou quotes! Her words are a mix of straight talk and poetry and her messages transcend race and generations. You”ll find Maya Angelou quotes on life, love, happiness, courage, family, friendship, education and much more. Enjoy!

Maya Angelou Quotes about Essential Life Truths

1.) I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

2.) If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou

3.) My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return. – Maya Angelou

Inspirational Maya Angelou Quotes About Hope

4.) While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation. – Maya Angelou

5.) Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. – Maya Angelou

6.) Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. – Maya Angelou

Uplifting Maya Angelou Quotes About Loving others

7.) Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. – Maya Angelou

8.) If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love. – Maya Angelou

9.) Nothing will work unless you do. – Maya Angelou

10.) You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive. – Maya Angelou

11.) We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. – Maya Angelou

12.) One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest. – Maya Angelou

13.) A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim. – Maya Angelou

14.) Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning. – Maya Angelou

15.) My life has been one great big joke, a dance that’s walked, a song that’s spoke, I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself. – Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou quotes about love and greatness

16.) You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’ – Maya Angelou

17.) All great achievements require time. – Maya Angelou

18.) History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. – Maya Angelou

19.) If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. – Maya Angelou

20.) Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it. – Maya Angelou

21.) I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good. – Maya Angelou

22.) It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody. – Maya Angelou

23.) I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it. – Maya Angelou

24.) If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. – Maya Angelou

25.) I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me. – Maya Angelou

26.) Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time. – Maya Angelou

27.) I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens. Not just to the person or persons for whom I’m praying, but also something wonderful happens to me. I’m grateful that I’m heard. – Maya Angelou

28.) I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. – Maya Angelou

29.) We can learn to see each other and see ourselves in each other and recognize that human beings are more alike than we are unalike. – Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou quotes about life, love, and success

30.) My life has been long, and believing that life loves the liver of it, I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still. – Maya Angelou

31.) Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.’ – Maya Angelou

32.) I believe that every person is born with talent. – Maya Angelou

33.) At 50, I began to know who I was. It was like waking up to myself. – Maya Angelou

34.) My greatest blessing has been the birth of my son. My next greatest blessing has been my ability to turn people into children of mine. – Maya Angelou

35.) I love the song ‘I Hope You Dance’ by Lee Ann Womack. I was going to write that song, but someone beat me to it. – Maya Angelou

36.) In all my work, I try to say, ‘You may be given a load of sour lemons, why not try to make a dozen lemon meringue pies?’ – Maya Angelou

37.) I know for sure that loves saves me and that it is here to save us all. – Maya Angelou

38.) Loving someone liberates the lover as well as the beloved. And that kind of love comes with age. – Maya Angelou

39.) Everyone has at least one story, and each of us is funny if we admit it. You have to admit you’re the funniest person you’ve ever heard of. – Maya Angelou

40.) My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou

41.) I wrote some of the worst poetry west from the Mississippi River, but I wrote. And I finally sometimes got it right. – Maya Angelou

42.) You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. – Maya Angelou

43.) Courage – you develop courage by doing small things like just as if you wouldn’t want to pick up a 100-pound weight without preparing yourself. – Maya Angelou

44.) I believe that each of us comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. – Maya Angelou

45.) Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then just get a little more. – Maya Angelou

46.) A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. – Maya Angelou

47.) Don’t get older just to get wiser. If you get older, you will be wiser, I believe that – if you dare. But get older because it’s fun! – Maya Angelou

Quotes by Maya Angelou to inspire you

48.) I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too. – Maya Angelou

49.) It is a no-fail, incontrovertible reality: If you get, give. If you learn, teach. You can’t do anything with that except do it. – Maya Angelou

50.) There’s something which impels us to show our inner souls. The more courageous we are, the more we succeed in explaining what we know. – Maya Angelou

51.) We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. – Maya Angelou

52.) Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. – Maya Angelou

53.) I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life. – Maya Angelou

54.) Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls. – Maya Angelou

55.) I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. – Maya Angelou

56.) Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option. – Maya Angelou

57.) I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. – Maya Angelou

58.) I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. – Maya Angelou

59.) When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. – Maya Angelou

60.) If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be. – Maya Angelou

Did You Enjoy These Maya Angelou Quotes?

Though Maya Angelou died in 2014, her legacy still lives. She will always be remembered not only for her poetry and storytelling but also as an educator, civil activist, actress, and filmmaker.

Maya overcame sexual abuse, racism, poverty, violence and more to become an award-winning author and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hopefully, these Maya Angelou quotes have inspired you to love the life you have and to overcome any obstacles that may come your way.

So, did you enjoy these Maya Angelou quotes? Tell us in the comment section below. If you have any other quotes from Maya Angelou to share with us, please don’t hesitate to mention it. Also, feel free to share the quotes with your friends and followers.

The post Maya Angelou Quotes Celebrating Success, Love & Life appeared first on Everyday Power.

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marcusssanderson · 6 years

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Inspiring Maya Angelou Quotes About Success, Love and Life

Inspirational Maya Angelou quotes about loving the life you have, regardless of the challenges.

Here are some of our favorite Maya Angelou quotes! Her words are a mix of straight talk and poetry and her messages transcend race and generations, enjoy!