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leonslutkennedeeznuts · 1 year ago

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The Wedding Date | Leon x Fem!Reader

"From the first meeting to rehearsal dinner everyone had fallen in love with him. Including you." | One-shot inspired by The Wedding Date (2005): Leon's an escort. You hire him and fall in love. (AO3)

It was an expensive, totally stupid impulsive thing to do- book a male escort as your wedding date to stick it to your ex (and nagging mother) that you weren’t a lonely, miserable spinster. You weren’t ugly or anything, just lazy with a specific plan- to rub it in your ex fiance’s face that you were 100% over him and moving on by “dating” someone way more attractive and totally smitten with you.

His name was Scott, or so he said as per his website details. He was 6 '0, clearly worked out, had dirty blonde hair in a boyband haircut and per his many reviews was a skilled lover- but that part was totally irrelevant to you. It had taken a few days to finally bite the bullet. Your career was stable, you had the money- it just made sense to go this route versus swiping on Tinder. You’d never done this before but were admittedly desperate. You needed a professional, someone that nobody in your friend group knew who could lie his way in and out of any conversations and questions they’d be sure to ask him.

He just had to look good, pretend to be in love with you, get paid and then fuck off never to be seen again when the wedding was over.

—

You’d met up with him at a bougie brunch spot on a Sunday afternoon, having chugged one mimosa with a shot of vodka before he even showed up to ease your nerves.

“This is the weirdest outcall I’ve ever been to,” he’d joked after introducing himself to you, his hands so soft and his cologne making you wet. “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

Scott was funny, naturally charismatic and beautiful to look at. He clearly took care of himself and didn’t seem phased by your plan at all once revealed to him.

“Alright, we need to go over the questions they’ll ask you, about us, your life, yadda yadda,” you’d instructed him. You tried your best to be assertive and not give into the butterflies flying wildly inside your stomach. “This has to be very convincing.”

You had tried to rehearse his answers with him but Scott refused while gazing at you intently. You’d definitely need new panties after this but he didn’t need to know that.

Scott had said he’d prefer to see how everything worked out before accepting payment. This plot of yours amused him greatly, he had said as much several times. Nobody had ever hired him to be arm candy until you. He planned to enjoy every second of this.

“They’ll know I’m lying, sweetheart. It’s better to just wing it. Trust me, Y/N, I won’t let you down.”

And Scott didn’t let you down. He’d passed the “test” with flying colors. From the first meeting to rehearsal dinner everyone had fallen in love with him. Including you.

—

It was late one night after having to help with decorating the church and you just wanted to relax. One bottle of wine later and you were getting a little bold and very nosy about Scott’s personal life as he gave you an exquisite foot rub.

“I didn’t make it into the police academy. I was 21 years old in a new city with nowhere to go so I started stripping. Then stripping became this.”

You gave him a reassuring smile, your hand patting his shoulder while the other held a glass of sweet burgundy wine. Scott had chosen whiskey for himself. Wine gave him bad hangovers, he’d admitted.

“I thought about being a stripper once,” you revealed. “I almost auditioned actually but my dancing is terrible without heels so with them on I’m sure I’d break my ankles.”

Scott laughed, as if he’d imagined you in a pair of clear heels attempting to dance around a pole and failing miserably. Making him laugh made you feel warm all over.

Conversations with him came naturally, he felt like an old friend. It was none of your business, truly but he’d answered you unashamedly. A part of you wished you’d met him under different circumstances for a chance at something real.

“Why aren’t you married yet, Y/N?”

You definitely weren’t expecting him to ask that. Your previous relationship was still a sore subject- he’d been your highschool sweetheart and first love. With a job promotion and more money, your ex had wanted to date around and see what else was out there a few months after proposing.

“One day he just decided that he didn’t want me anymore,” came your solemn answer.

You took a big gulp of wine to keep from crying. This was the guy that you thought you’d be planning your wedding with at this age. Instead you hired a male escort that you developed feelings for. C’est la vie!

“What a fucking idiot, seriously. You’re beautiful, Y/N, inside and out. A total catch,” Scott asserted. “Dude is a loser for letting you go.”

That remark made you smile, bringing a feeling of peace that washed over you from within at his words. You really enjoyed being around Scott. He was damn good at what he did: making women feel desired. Even though this was his job, it just felt natural to lean in and kiss him so you did. To your surprise Scott kissed you back quite fiercely, the taste of whiskey on his tongue almost like a poison bringing you deeper under his spell.

“Let me take care of you tonight,” he’d offered.

Scott was indeed a skilled lover.

He lifted you up effortlessly, laying you on the bed before teasing with kisses up and down your body. You were so wet it hurt and ached. Your clothes quickly became a crumpled up heap on the floor while he stayed fully clothed sans a shirt.

“Such a pretty pussy, baby.”

He never stopped touching or tasting you that night, making sure that you came hard on his face and with his fingers, refusing to let you return the favor. You rode his tongue to completion, let him flip you onto your back and bucked into his mouth almost crying at how good he made you feel.

“You taste so good, Y/N.”

Your ex had been selfish in bed, all about receiving and barely giving. You thought you’d had an orgasm before but now you knew better. Scott made you cum almost violently, begging, writhing and almost screaming every time he sucked your clit or filled you up with two or three fingers.

“Can eat you out all fucking night.”

You had to push his head away before he finally stopped, looking so pleased with his work as you watched him through heavily lidded eyes. He kissed you one last time, the taste of yourself on his tongue giving a sense of pride. This gorgeous man had dined on you like he’d never get enough, licking and eating your cum like it was a delicacy. You wanted to taste him too, to look into his eyes as he slid into you and fucked you so deep and hard that your headboard banged against the wall.

But instead, he cuddled you until sleep finally took over.

—

Scott wasn’t there when you awoke the next morning.

You awoke in a panic, your head pounding as the events of last night started to replay in your head. Wine. Scott. Orgasms. Your thighs were sore.

“Shit,” you exclaimed. The wedding. Your wedding date. Scott. Was he going to show up now? Would it be too awkward? Was it all just a wine induced episode of lucid dreaming?

You hurriedly got out of bed and took a shower. The envelope with his payment was still in your dresser. Did he even know it was there? You tried to focus on everything but Scott on your drive to the venue, going through the motions of getting dressed and sitting still for makeup.

When it was time to walk down the aisle with your ex-fiance as part of the wedding processional, your eyes glanced around nervously looking for any signs of a GQ model with dirty blond hair sitting in the pews as you tried not to fumble with your bouquet too much.

This was the church you had always wanted to be married in. You had thought that your ex fiance was the one but now you knew otherwise. Walking down the aisle with him, even in this context, made you feel uneasy like you were cheating. You almost didn't see Scott giving you a thumbs up and blowing you a kiss when you finally stood with the other bridesmaids. It was embarrassing how your mood instantly lifted.

Everything was going to be okay. You'd convinced everyone that this was so real, you'd even convinced yourself. Once the wedding was over Scott would go back to his life and so would you. It was a painful thought.

It wasn’t until the wedding reception that you spotted him again. He was standing off to himself while most of the single ladies and a few men crowded the dance floor for the bouquet toss. His tuxedo fit perfectly and now that you knew how he looked shirtless, a part of you wanted to rip it right off.

You caught the bouquet purely by accident, not even paying attention until a blur of pink roses came into your peripheral. Scott’s eyes never left yours as he walked towards you, cool as a cucumber like on the day you met.

He leaned in to kiss you so intensely that your knees buckled. You heard your mom cheering the loudest. Your ex stormed off in a huff, clearly regretting his choice to let you go- convinced that this man kissing you was your new forever and not a paid actor. Scott had done his job perfectly, too perfectly. You tried not to look so crestfallen when the kiss ended.

—

The walk back to your car seemed to take forever, so much you wanted to say, so much was going unsaid but didn’t want to come across as that one creepy client who took things too far.

“Definitely a 5 star experience,” you stated honestly yet awkwardly avoiding his gaze, wanting to make light of it all. “I really can’t thank you enough Sco-”

“Leon,” he cut you off. “My real name is Leon.”

The tension in the air was thick. Was his name really Leon or was this another part of the act? Your mother was now convinced that Scott, well, Leon would propose someday. How were you going to explain that everything was all a lie?

Should you address the kiss, the amazing oral sex and show vulnerability? Or hand over the cash and move on? You just wanted a nice clean break, no more emotions to overly complicate things. He did his job, nothing more nothing less. It would hurt more to be rejected than to wonder what if.

“I can’t thank you enough, Leon.” You looked a little too long at his lips, wanting and wishing you had the courage to just lean in and close the gap between you two again and again.

Instead, you handed him the bouquet of flowers so you could reach into your clutch for his payment.

“You can count it now if you’d like. It’s all there, I promise.”

Leon tensed. His face which usually sported a knowing smirk or stoic expression now looked confused, almost disgusted. He didn’t reach out to take the envelope.

“Leon, you did exactly what I asked you for. Of course I’m paying you plus tip,” you said trying to sound calm yet internally freaking out. “Thank you for this.”

Thank you for eating me out so well that no other man will ever compare, you thought.

You were ready to drive home and cry into your pillows about what a mess you’d made- falling in love with your hired boyfriend who probably always had clients obsessed with him and unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.

“I don’t want your money, Y/N. I want you.” Leon took your envelope with his free hand and placed it back into your clutch. “God, that was cornier than it sounded in my head.”

Your mouth opened but nothing came out.

Confusion painted your face. Realization hit you afterwards but before you could think of what to say in response, his lips were on yours. The bouquet was forgotten on the ground as you let Leon take you into his arms, your heart threatening to beat out of your chest.

“Y/N, this has been real for me no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I love you.”

You felt like you were floating, the world beyond Leon in this moment failing to exist.

"I love you, too. So much," you proclaimed proudly.

Leon slowly pulled away from you, his eyes taking you in. “I don’t do this, I don’t date or get too close but you, you’ve awakened something inside of me that I can’t live without.”

His hands gripped your ass and you felt the promise of more, thick hard and straining against his slacks. “And you have the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted,” he quipped.

With a laugh you gave his bulge a light squeeze, ready to finally consummate your relationship with the gorgeous man standing before you.

---

With each deep, slow, tortutous thrust you were crying out his name, his real name, over and over. Pathetically begging and pleading for Leon to fuck you harder. You'd never felt like this before, your body on fire with lust and greedy for more, more, more.

"Look at you, taking me so well like this," he whispered into your ear as you tightened and throbbed around his length. "Love you so much, so fucking much."

You were sucking him in to the hilt, nails digging into his back and biceps as you took every inch coating it in your slick.

"Fuck, Leon, love you too," you grunted out almost painfully. "Gonna cum, oh!"

Leon loosened the grip on your throat, kissing you lazily as you cried out his name cumming hard around him while he never stopped pounding into your tight, hungry cunt.

"There you go, baby, cum all over me." He ground his pelvis into you wanting to feel all your cum gushing out against him. "Wanna cum inside you, fuck!"

It was almost a whisper but you'd heard it and God, you wanted him to. Wanted him to fill you up so deeply that you'd feel it slipping out throughout the day.

"Yes, please cum inside, need it, Leon."

He looked into your glazed over eyes smirking at your blissful face knowing only he could make you feel this good, only he had taken the time to learn your body and make you cum with your whole body shaking and jerking against his.

With a few more hard, short thrusts Leon's hot cum started to fill you up. You instinctly wrapped your legs around his waist pushing him in even deeper, his balls throbbing against you as he emptied himself into your eager pussy.

"Mmm, are you ready for round three," he inquired against your sweated out hair.

He took you from behind, from the side, with you on top and even picked you up and fucked you hard and fast in his arms as you cried out your release.

The man's stamina was unmatched. You were a sweaty tangled mess of limbs not knowing where his body began and your body ended when he was finally done with you.

---

You quickly settled into domestic life quite easily. Leon moved in with you while mulling over his career options now that being a boyfriend for hire was over.

Leon had made you dinner to celebrate your recent promotion, your favorite meal of filet mignon and lobster tail. He'd mentioned in passing that he was letting the website domain expire soon to pursue his other dream: being a scuba diving instructor.

"Scott's Scuba School sounds good, right?"

You nodded, considering how often he went down on you without needing to come up for air. Yeah, he'd be an amazing scuba diver. Although using his previous alias gave you some pause. What if one of his past lovers recognized him and wanted more? Silly little insecure thoughts like that were becoming less usual as time went on.

If you'd thought Leon was an amazing hired boyfriend, he was even better without the promise of money. He refused to let you pay for anything or want for nothing. From having roses delivered to your office to cooking you dinner, planning out romantic date nights to making love to you until you begged him to stop. He was perfect and he was all yours.

"Best wedding date ever," Leon read aloud to himself, seeing the new notification popping up on his previous work phone. "So good you'll think he's really in love with you."

He shot you a knowing glance before giving you a slow lingering kiss. With the simple tap, his website and review page were deleted and his new, real life with you could truly begin.

#leon kennedy #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy x reader #resident evil #leon kennedy smut #leon x reader #leon s kennedy smut #leon s kennedy x reader #resident evil fic #resident evil smut #sex worker Leon #graphic design is my passion #leon x female reader #leon kennedy x fem reader #leon kennedy x fem!reader

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openheartfanfics · 6 days ago

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Newly Added Fics

Oct 26 - Nov 1, 2024

Ethan x F!MC

Halloween Lights - @jamespotterthefirst ☁👻Ⓜ Going to questionable lengths to decorate their house/apartment (for Halloween)

Mad About Matching - @cariantha ☁👻 Ethan won't wear matching costumes for Halloween except for one person. [Domestic; Family]

New Rooms - @potionsprefect ☁ Luke and Lily get their rooms decorated. [Domestic; Family]

Trick or Treat - @liaromancewriter ☁👻 Who says Halloween traditions are only for children?

Ethan x Tobias

The Proposition - @jerzwriter ☁ Tobias & Ethan remain behind at the bar after a retirement party ends, and Tobias has some news to share. [Platonic]

Rafael x F!MC

First dates are worth the wait - @rafasgirl23415 📷 Casey & Raf have their real first date when Raf takes Casey for lunch.

Love In Every Heartbeat - @rafasgirl23415 📚 [extended: wip] Go right to the start of Casey & Raf’s relationship. Casey is cautious about falling too fast too soon.

CH 1: Fancy Seeing You Here

CH 2: First Date Butterflies

Our Miracle Baby - @rafasgirl23415 📚 [extended: complete] TW: Discussion of and scenes of miscarriage in flashback scenes of domestic violence.

Part 20

Part 21

Welcome to the World - @rafasgirl23415 📷 Casey & Raf announce the birth of their daughter Sienna Rose.

Rafael x M!MC

Home is Where You Are - @silver-rings-and-rabbits 🛸 This is an alternate universe where Rafael made it to Brazil and the attack never happened.

Sienna x M!OC

Counter Proposal - @liaromancewriter 📱 Sienna practices the fine art of negotiation.

Tobias x F!MC

A Little Obsessed - @jerzwriter ☁👻 Casey can become a little obsessed when she wants something to be just right. But will another obsession thwart her plans?

Edenbrook Mysteries: Secret Admirer - @jerzwriter ☁ Casey's got a secret admirer, and Tobias is determined to find out who it is.

Peter, Peter - @jerzwriter ☁ Tobias & Casey are off to the pumpkin patch, aka Casey's favorite day of the year!

Treat for Two - @alj4890 ☁👻 Halloween is a perfect time for Tobias and a few others to bring up the fact Chris looks eerily like Karen Gillian.

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

#open heart #playchoices #choices open heart #open heart fanfic #open heart fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #ethan ramsey #rafael aveiro #sienna trinh #tobias carrick #ethan ramsey x mc #rafael aveiro x mc #sienna trinh x oc #tobias carrick x mc #newly added fics

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anachronismstellar · 2 months ago

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Wip Wednesday - 21/08

Heeeello people!

What's this?? Me posting before next Wednesday?? A miracle for sure lol

Here are my sentences for Waltz for the Dead!

Tagging: @zyrafowe-sny @aparticularbandit @post-and-out @eriquin @somefishycat @enigma-the-mysterious @kalira @whimsicalmeerkat @wizisbored

Thank you so much for all the tags and love you guys are giving this fic gnsbakfnsk ;u;♡ I still don't know where I'm going with it but I'm having a hell lot of fun lol

Sentences under the cut!

He could start to see why Lan Sizhui said he had bitten more than he could chew.

-----------

“I hope you enjoy your stay, Lan-gongzi,” Nie-zongzhu said with a shallow bow, but a bow anyway, making all hairs in Jingyi's neck stand up.

One thing was an encounter at a small inn in Cayin City, another thing together was to walk around into the lion’s den, guided by the lion himself, as Nie-zongzhu softly pointed the directions for the mail hall and the gardens with a carp pond.

“No bunnies, I'm afraid, there's too many hawks flying around, it wouldn't be wise to raise them,” Nie-zongzhu said as a thrown away comment, half of his face hidden behind his fan.

Was it a threat? It kinda felt like a threat. Should he send a butterfly to Hanguang-Jun? Maybe. Maybe he should send one to Sizhui. He was going to send one anyway to tell him he arrived well. Too bad it would be followed by him telling he was going to die.

“And here we are.” Nie-zongzhu stopped in front of his rooms, the wing decorated with soft whites and blues. Lan Jingyi looked around, unable to not feel impressed by Nie-zongzhu decoration abilities, when he started to notice that most of them were picked with one particular Lan in mind. His suspicions were confirmed as soon as he opened the door, the room a shocking mirror to Hanshi, down to the furniture.

“I believe it is up to the Lan Sect rules. It hasn't been touched for many years.” Nie-zongzhu fanned his face at a leisurely pace, not even glancing inside the room. “If Lan-gongzi has any requests, he shouldn't hesitate to ask.”

Lan Jingyi swallowed hard, not daring to enter the room. Outside, wind howled at the mountain, bringing in a chill to freeze his bones, but even so he could feel his Lan ribbon dampening with sweat.

He couldn't accept Zewu-Jun's old rooms!

“Nie-zongzhu is most kind.” He fumbled as he took a step back to properly bow to the other. “However, I couldn't accept such an offer. These are the rooms proper of a Sect Leader, I-”

“Are you not the heir of the Lan Clan?” Nie-zongzhu interrupted him while Jingyi tried to find words to get himself out of this diplomatic disaster. If he weren't so anxious he would be furious at Nie-zongzhu for putting him in this situation. “Therefore, as the representative of the Lan during this conference, the rooms are yours.”

“But- What if Hanguang-Jun-”

“Hanguang-Jun and Wei-gongzi are going to be allocated to a more private part of the palace when they arrive.” Nie-zongzhu didn't explicitly say why, but Lan Jingyi and any poor soul that ever adventured around Jingshi late at night was aware of the couple's… Behavior. Their shamelessness was the worst kept Lan secret, but to have a Sect Leader addressing it so openly was… Uncomfortable.

“Either way-” Nie-zongzhu kept talking, pretending not to see Jingyi fidgeting. “These rooms were built to accommodate the Lan representative, and you're more than welcome to use them. The choice is yours, but if you feel inclined to change rooms, just send word to Nie Yuan, he is the one responsible for accommodations.”

Why, though? Jingyi couldn’t help but fret, holding back his wish to shake Nie-zongzhu by the shoulders and scream. Why are you being so deferential towards me?! Of all people, why me?!

-------------

That's it folks! See you next Wednesday! :D

#writing #my writing #wip wednesday #wip wednesday game #fanfiction #my writing: Waltz for the Dead #The Untamed #CQL #Mo Dao Zu Shi #MDZS #Nie Huaisang #NHS #NHS pos canon

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 11 months ago

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Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 9: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (2/3)

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t! One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia. A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns. So here you go! Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2545

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Notes: This story was originally written in 2014.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

“Looks like your boyfriend learned about Christmas,” David said dryly as he pushed open the sheriff’s station door.

Emma elbowed her way past her father to have a look and then barked out a laugh. A veritable forest of mistletoe hung above her desk and chair. David was right; it couldn’t be the work of anyone but her adorable idiot of a pirate.

“Although if he really wanted to get you to kiss him,” David continued, draping his winter coat over the back of his own chair, “he would have hung it inside one of the jail cells. We left the station locked when we went on rounds, so I’m pretty sure this qualifies as breaking and entering.”

Emma grinned. “Cut him some slack, Dad. There are far, far worse things he could have done, don’t you think?”

“That depends,” David replied with a frown.

“Yeah? On what?”

“Whether or not he makes use of the mistletoe when I’m around.”

Emma laughed again, still amazed at the happiness that was her life at the moment. Seriously, who would have thought that Emma Swan, the unloved, unwanted orphan would one day have to deal with an overzealous pirate boyfriend and an overprotective father?

“I’ll make him behave,” Emma promised. “At least while you’re around.”

David grimaced. “You had to tack on that last part?”

“Yep,” Emma replied, taking a seat. “Deal with it Dad; your little girl’s dating a pirate. Bound to be some…um…misbehavior. Probably on both our parts.”

David groaned.

Her dad put up a good show, but Emma knew that’s all it was—a show. The bromance was strong with these two. Emma didn’t know who was happier that her relationship with Killian was still going strong, her or her dad.

A month had passed since Gold’s sorcerer’s hat stunt, and they were all still reeling from it to various extents. She’d had nightmares about it every night for a solid two weeks following the incident. Nightmares where they didn’t make it in time. Nightmares where she, her mom and Belle arrived at the clock tower a moment after Gold had finished crushing Killian’s heart into a fine powder. She’d woken up shaking and bathed in sweat.

If Gold had succeeded…she couldn’t even bring herself to finish the sentence. The very thought scared her more than anything in her life had ever scared her.

It was in that moment when she was frozen in place, helpless to protect Killian, that she gave up the last bit of pretense. She loved him; there was no denying it. Just the sight of him was enough to make the butterflies start tap dancing in her stomach.

“What do you think of my first attempt at decorating for the season?”

Speak of the devil.

Killian strode in with the confidence (and looks) of a fashion model. He leaned down, brushed a kiss against her cheek and then straightened with the grin she’d come to learn meant trouble.

“Not bad,” she said, “but you know people usually just hang one sprig of mistletoe, not a whole garden.”

He tsked, and frowned at her playfully. “And where would be the fun in that? I’d prefer to increase my chances of finding myself under it with a fetching lass rather than limit them.”

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “Speaking of which, it appears you and I are currently standing beneath a particularly hearty specimen. Holiday traditions must be observed, darling. Good form and all.”

She grinned and looped her arms around his neck. “So what are you waiting for?”

His smile turned distinctly wicked. “Not a thing in the world, love.”

A wildfire raged between them at the first touch of his lips to hers. It was always like this between them; like someone had tossed a lit match on a mountain of dry kindling. Emma tilted her head, instantly deepening the kiss, reveling in the feel of his hand in her hair anchoring her to him, his hook at her back urging her closer.

David cleared his throat. Loudly. Whatever adjectives could be used to describe her father, “subtle” was not one of them. Emma pulled away with an apologetic look at her boyfriend, then turned to face her dad. Killian reached down and laced his fingers with hers.

“You guys mind?” David asked with a hint of exasperation. “This is a place of business after all.”

“Funny,” Killian said with a smirk, “you seemed to be singing an entirely different tune that night last week when I walked in to find you and your lovely wife similarly expressing your affection.”

David spluttered. “That’s…that’s different!”

“Aye? How so?”

“It’s different because…because…well, because it just is.”

Killian laughed with such good humor that soon even David joined in. “Look,” her father finally said, “I’m glad you two are happy together, I really am, but could you keep the PDA to a minimum while I’m around? Please?”

Killian sketched a bow. “I shall endeavor to control myself, but confronted with your daughter’s ravishing beauty, I am, more often than not, unable to express my admiration any other way.”

Emma laughed and swatted him playfully. “You are so full of it.”

“Aye,” he returned with a flirtatious wink, “but I noticed you failed to put up a protest at my ‘PDA’ a moment ago.”

“I’ll admit,” she returned, placing her free hand over his heart, a gesture she found herself making more and more frequently since his ordeal with Gold, “kissing you is kind of addicting. So, what’s up? We weren’t supposed to meet for lunch for another hour or so.”

“I’ve come to steal you away, love,” He said, giving her hand a squeeze. “The snow has bathed the woods in a blanket of loveliness, and I wish to share it with my favorite lass.”

“I can’t just go take a stroll in the woods,” Emma said. “For one thing, it’s cold. For another, I’ve got work to do. And did I mention, it’s cold?”

The look on his face was two parts puppy and one part wicked. “If we don’t go, I’ll be forced to hang around and, no doubt, nauseate your father. We wouldn’t want that, now would we? Besides, I’m…more than capable of keeping you warm.”

“Ugh,” David said. “Emma just go with him. I’ll cover for you.”

“Well,” Emma said, grabbing her coat and hat, “if you both insist…”

“We do,” David and Killian said in unison.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Emma had to admit it was beautiful and peaceful out here. And with Killian’s arm draped around her, surprisingly warm as well. On impulse, she reached up and pecked him on the cheek.

“And what was that delightful gesture for, Swan?”

She shrugged. “No reason. Just…thank you. You were right. It’s nice to get away from the craziness of the town for a while.”

He smiled, making the crow’s feet stand at attention at the edges of his eyes. “Darling, when are you going to finally realize that I’m always right?”

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the grin from her face. “Don’t hold your breath, pirate.”

“Thought as much,” Killian muttered under his breath.

Emma had never been a big fan of winter. She hated the cold, and the snow drove her crazy—especially now that she was the sheriff and was called to every fender bender and slide-off in the whole damn town. Killian, however, seemed to have an entirely different opinion on the matter. His face was lit up with the wonder and awe of a child as he trudged through the ankle-deep snow and watched the flurries continue to drift down.

“You seem to be enjoying this weather,” she observed, reaching up to feather her fingers through his hair and dislodge the stubborn snowflakes that had evidently decided to take up residence there.

“Aye,” he said, looking down at her with a delighted grin. “Always reminds me of a day I spent with Liam many, many years ago.”

Emma perked up at the mention of Killian’s brother. “You never talk about him. I always assumed the memories were too painful for you.”

Killian smiled tenderly. “Aye, some memories are. It seems no matter how many centuries go by, the sting of his passing will never truly fade. I do, however, have many, many pleasant memories of him, and the day we spent in the snow is certainly one of those.”

“Would you tell me about it?”

“Of course,” he complied without hesitation. “It was one of the last good memories I had of my family. My mum died the following year, and my father was never the same after her passing. At any rate, I was but a wee lad at the time, five, maybe six years old. Liam was a good ten years my senior and I nearly worshiped him. He’d just informed me that he would be leaving in less than a fortnight upon his first ship; I no longer recall her name. He was to be a cabin boy and I’ve rarely seen a lad so excited. I was, of course, devastated that my brother, my hero, would be leaving me in a matter of days.”

“I can only imagine,” Emma soothed. Killian felt things so deeply; his entire heart and soul were invested when he loved. Liam’s departure must have hit him hard.

“Aye,” he said with a grimace. “Anyway, on the day in question, Liam woke me, excited about the newly fallen snow. We two spent the entire day reveling in it—making snowmen and snow fortifications. Engaging in a rather ruthless snowball fight. It was a day I wouldn’t trade for all the rum in the Enchanted Forest.”

“It sounds great.”

“Aye, that it was.”

They lapsed into silence for a time. Emma rested her head against his shoulder, and she felt him brush a kiss against the crown of her head.

“So how was your breakfast with Henry?” Emma asked.

“Informative,” Killian said, and Emma could hear the smile in his voice. “The lad is a wealth of information. He seems quite excited for this Christmas holiday.”

Emma sighed. “Yeah. Seems like it’s all he can talk about.”

Killian looked over at her. “From your tone, I take it you don’t share his sentiments?”

“No.” The word was definitive, emphatic.

“The lad told me as much,” Killian admitted. “He was concerned that you seem unwilling to participate in this realm’s Christmas traditions.”

Emma grimaced. “I was hoping it would be enough for him to get all the Christmas crap at Regina’s or my mom and dad’s.”

Killian stopped walking and turned her toward him. “The lad didn’t come to me because he needs more Christmas; he came to me because he’s worried about you.”

Henry was worried about her? Because of Christmas? “He doesn’t need to be. I’m fine.”

Killian looked at her skeptically. “Swan, I’ve seen you ‘fine’. I’ve seen you happy. I’ve seen you content. You are feeling none of those emotions. This ‘Christmas’ is obviously a source of pain for you. Please, tell me why that is.”

Emma sighed. There really was no point trying to hide anything from this man. “It’s just…I don’t know. Christmas is all about family and happiness and being together and stuff.”

“And these are bad things?” At some point, Killian brought his good hand up to cup her face, and he was gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“No…” Emma drew out the syllable. “Not in general, but for an unwanted little girl in the group homes it was torture. I mean, everywhere you turned you’d get assaulted with images of happy little families doing happy little family things. Every time you turned on the TV you’d see commercials and movies and everything else where everyone was perfectly happy and enjoying each other’s company. The songs talk about it being the happiest time of the year, or about how people love going home for the holidays or the love of family. You know what it was for me? It was a slap in the face. It was yet another reminder that I’d never had that and probably never would.”

The compassion in Killian’s eyes nearly broke her. He dropped his hand from her face and gathered her into his arms, holding her tight. She clung to him, drinking in the love he offered her.

“Emma,” he whispered., “there are so many, many people who love you. So many, many people who would do anything to make you happy.”

The tears rushed to her eyes. “I know, and it means everything in the world to me. It’s just—I don’t know. Childhood memories die hard. I don’t know if I can even do all the ‘happy family Christmas’ stuff.”

“But you said it yourself, love,” Killian reasoned, stroking her hair. “Christmas isn’t about perfectly fulfilling the traditions you’re accustomed to. It’s not about living up to the standards you believe the ‘perfect’ families attained. It’s not about fulfilling a checklist of Christmas items. It’s about being with the ones you love; showing them how much you care.”

Killian pulled away. “Let us love you,” he said simply. “Let us show you how much you mean to all of us. Let us build our own traditions, our own memories. Perhaps they won’t erase the pain of the past, but trust me love, the good memories, the beautiful moments—they shine as brightly as the star Leroy attempted to force me to place on the top of Granny’s tree—if you but let them. They are like the sun that blots out the light of the stars. Losing Liam to dreamshade—it was one of the darkest days of my life. The pain of losing my brother, the man who was captain and brother and hero to me, was such that words cannot describe. Even so, traumatic as that day was, it cannot hold a candle to the simple joy of that day spent playing in the snow. ”

“I wish I’d met Liam,” Emma said with a wistful smile.

“As do I love,” Killian said. “He would have liked you—and would have thanked his lucky stars that I’d finally found myself a beautiful blonde savior to point me back to the man I wish to be.”

Emma stroked his face. “He’d be proud of you, Killian. You’re a good man; one of the best and most honorable I know.”

Killian turned his head and brushed a kiss against her palm. “You can have no idea how sweet those words sound coming from your lips. I have but one bit of advice for you, love: don’t run from the love of family and the joys of Christmas all around you. Make new memories, good memories. I can promise you; you won’t regret it.”

Emma reached up and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Again with the skepticism, darling? Didn’t we just establish I’m always right?”

Emma chuckled. “Whatever. I’m hungry. Are you going to take me to lunch or not?”

Killian sketched a bow. “My lady’s wish is my command.”

–Up next, Emma and Killian return to her apartment after the town’s Christmas Eve party.

NEXT CHAPTER->

#christmas reruns 2023 #cs fanfiction #captain swan christmas ff #my fanfiction #have yourself a merry little christmas

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rinwellisathing · 6 months ago

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It's A Thankless Job: Prologue

Note: Okay, so at least a couple people were interested in me posting my modern AU here. Um...it's I'm pretty sure not as good as my canon universe Durgetash, but I've been working pretty hard on it and it's been fun writing. I do hope you like it. Important to remember the prologue is the only chapter where Sentry is a teenager, there is a five year timeskip after, making him 21 for the duration of the story after this. Content warnings for this chapter involve: Misgendering, implied abuse

The spring weather had filled the fields of Balduran Public High-school with flowers of all sorts and grass as green as it would be all season. The warm weather seemed to spur on the students running along the track today for gym class, all except a small group huddled under a tree avoiding the others. A slightly chubby half-elf girl in a black hoodie with an image of a woman shrouded in darkness on it took a long drag from a predictably black clove cigarette as she leaned against the tree, her long black hair worn in a braid with several silver butterfly clips decorating it. She and the thin Tiefling girl she was sharing the cigarette with wore matching pajama pants with a cartoon owlbear with blue feathers on them. The Tiefling girl had purple skin and slightly darker purple hair, short backwards curving horns followed her hairstyle and she wore a plain black T-shirt with a few pins on it from various shows and comics. The group was rounded out by two tall male tieflings, one sitting on the ground reading a book and one laying in the grass, wrinkling his nose at the pollen in the air. The bookish one had light red skin and light brown hair, he was dressed in a patterned button down in blue and silver and a pair of sharp khaki pants. His expression was serious and intense as he focused on his book. The more carefree one had pale skin and silver hair. He was dressed in a simple black hoodie and a T-Shirt with a piece of duct tape placed over the ending part of one of the words, leaving it to read 'F-- It, We Bhaal.' he wore black and white striped wrist bands as well as a matching band on his tail as well as a black beanie with a red skull on it, rolled up behind his horns. Four silver earrings pierced each ear, with two more in his tail along with red studs at the tip.

“Look at all of them running like good little sheep.” The half-elf remarked, rolling her eyes. “If you ask me, gym class should be outlawed.” “Hey, what if they replaced it with nap time? Like why do toddlers get nap time when all they want to do is run around all day and I have to run when I wanna fucking sleep?” The Tiefling girl chuckled, taking the cigarette from her friend and taking a drag from it. “That's called study hall, Nocturne. Duh.” The silver haired boy smirked. “You get two naps a day and they're called study hall. More if you're at the back of any of your classes.” The boy with the book scoffed, not looking up from his reading. “' Rolan, you've got to help me, man, I'm failing maths.'” He spoke in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, but did you or did you not do my homework for me? So who's the real winner here?” The other boy grinned, nudging his friend's leg. “Only because if you get held back a year and end up in the same class as Lia, who knows what you two will talk about behind my back.” Rolan shot back. “Well, I thank you for your dedication to keeping your sister from having someone to talk shit to.” His friend smirked, closing his eyes and laying back. “Hey, easy you two, I don't want any weird energy during the radio show today, alright?” The Tiefling girl folded her arms, side eyeing the boys. “Easy, Nocturne, we're just playing. And besides, I've got a great story for today's show too, you know how I moved in with a new family recently?” The boy laying in the grass grinned. “Yeah, what's the deal with that, Sentry? That's some Series of Unfortunate Events shit right there. Your mum dies and suddenly you have a rich family coming to collect you out of nowhere?” Nocturne looked at her friend with a touch of concern.

“It's my dad's family, don't worry about it.” Sentry brushed her off as he slowly sat up. “Anyway, everyone in my new family has these cool, sort of creepy things about them...I've been writing down some of their stories, I figure I could read some for the radio show.”

“I thought we agreed the radio show should stay academic, you know, so we don't end up getting the entire radio club shut down?” Rolan closed his book, giving Sentry a somewhat chastising look. “I feel like original fiction isn't the direction we should be going. I thought we were going to review the literature class reading list, a bit tongue in cheek sort of...” Nocturne replied. “Come on, it'll be great! Just give my idea a chance, I swear it'll be so cool.” Sentry gave his friends a wide eyed, pleading look. “Don't puppy dog eyes at me, I'm not even part of your club.” The half-elf frowned, rolling her eyes. “If this club gets shut down, though, then I lose an extra curricular for my university application.” Rolan shifted nervously. “You know how the teachers are, one step out of line and they'd shut us down.”

“And yet here you are cutting gym with the rest of us, mister valedictorian.” Sentry stuck out his tongue. “Come on, man...”

A shadow loomed over them as an imposing figure stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the group. Their gym teacher, a hulking Orthorn in black shorts, a whistle around his neck, and a track jacket that may have been white at one point addressed them.

“Have you all really been sitting here this whole time? None of you ran a single lap?” He boomed. “Um...I have medical exemption?” Rolan produced a note from his pocket. “I'm a troubled youth dealing with a traumatic change of environment.” Sentry smirked. “Principal Jaheira said it's fine.” “And what about the two of you?” He narrowed his eyes at Nocturne and Shadowheart. “Religious exemption.” They both said in unison, holding up identical Sharran pendants. “Of course you do...Fine. Class is over, you all better hurry or you'll be late for classes you don't have convenient excuses for.” The defeated devil grumbled, storming back to the track. “Ha! Joke's on you! Mine works for everything!” Sentry shouted after him, but still got to his feet and followed his friends back into the building.

“Okay, and we're back with Balduran Public High-school's favorite lunch time radio show, Three Tieflings In A Trench-coat...Which is a name Nocturne came up with, I completely denounce any responsibility for it.” Rolan spoke into the crystal on the desk. “Anyway, back by unpopular demand, during today's show, Sentry is up on our subject matter rotation and has chosen to read a scary story...” He retreated from the desk back to a different one next to Nocturne where he pulled out a brown paper bag and began to set his lunch out. She was already eating hers, absently pulling at some string cheese as she watched Sentry approach the broadcast desk. “Hello all you spooky people. So I've recently moved into a new home, whole new family and everything. And like...when that happens, there's always that knee jerk sort of 'oh shit is this gonna be like one of those haunted house situations? And especially with a whole new family, coz...as you know, I'm an orphan and all....so I kind of get kicked around from family to family...like...are these people serial killers? Did they take me in for some crazy ritual sacrifice or something?” Sentry's voice barely hid his excitement behind a valiant attempt at a proper horror narration tone. He looked back at his friends, Rolan's head was buried in his hands like he was willing himself to melt into the floor. Nocturne grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Right, so this family, yeah? I've got some stories from my new siblings, interesting tales from all over. So the first one up for all you Kozakuran animation enthusiasts out there: Eight Paper Dolls. This a creepy story about a set of octuplets born in Kozakura, all beautiful, all perfect, each one charming....” Sentry began the tale, reciting it with enthusiasm. He slipped up on occasion, but even Rolan had to admit that once Sentry dropped any attempt to imitate a certain famous Tiefling horror actor, the story flowed and was pretty creepy.

“See, Rolan? There was nothing to worry about, his story was great.” Nocturne grinned. “ Where d'you come up with this stuff, Sentry?” “Well, this one woman, one of my new sisters, told me she once had seven biological sisters and they all died tragically back in Kozakura where she was born. She had this weird little smile on her face when she said it...” Sentry grinned. “I feel like this family was made for me honestly. I'm finally with my people...even if I still miss mum a lot.” The door to the radio room opened and a slight half-elven woman with light brown skin and bright, brown eyes narrowed in annoyance stood in the door way. She was dressed in a green blazer and a pair of dark brown slacks, her grey-blonde hair tied back in multiple braids. “Mr. Ojeda, do you really think that's an appropriate story for school hours?” She looked him over accusingly. Sentry frowned, wrinkling his nose and cocking his head. “I wanna say...yes....but your pissed off facial expression is giving me more of a 'no'???” The tiefling shrugged. Rolan slouched in his chair and Nocturne ducked behind her lunch-bag, both trying in vain to avoid Principal Jaheira's accusing gaze. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head and stepping back. “Look, I like you three, you're good kids. Maybe a little weird, maybe a little trouble, but most of my favorite students are...I wanted you to have your radio show...but I'm going to deal with such a headache now because of this story! If anyone repeats it, I will have parents bursting down my door, do you understand me?” She wagged a finger at Sentry, her expression sympathetic but frustrated. “I didn't want to do this, but there's no choice. I'm not dealing with these school board mothers, not even for you guys. I have to shut you down. No more radio show.” “What?!” Nocturne gasped in disbelief. “You can't be serious!” Rolan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Awww come on, Jaheira, this is total bullshit! You can't even let it slide for Commander Mum's sake?” Sentry whined. Jaheira's expression fell and she shook her head. “Look, many of us are grieving Mrs. Ojeda's passing, Sentry. She was my best friend, and I know you loved her too...but what would she tell you about this? How would she think of you acting out because she'd passed?” “She'd laugh.” Sentry shot back. “She hated all that stuffy bullshit...and she'd tease you about the school board moms when you two went out for drinks next.”

Jaheira thought a moment and smiled sadly. “Be that as it may, my decision is final... I'm sorry, Sentry.” And with that, she turned and left the room, but not before taking the wire that connected the microphone to the console. “Nice going, Sentry...I did warn you, you know.” Rolan sighed, beginning to pack up his things. “Maybe the subject this time was just a bit too much....” Nocturne nodded, stuffing her trash into a brown paper bag and crumpling it up. “I'm sorry, guys...” Sentry lowered his head, blushing with embarrassment. He knew this was all his fault, if he'd just taken Rolan's advice, they would all still have their radio show. There had to be a way to fix this.

-------

“So anyway, I'm pretty much a pariah now and my friends all hate me.” Sentry bit into another fry, looking up into his brother's red eyes as they sat across from each other at the diner. The battered red plastic of the seats had seen better days and the dingy interior called into question how safe it was to actually eat anything that came out of that kitchen. But the food was good, the food was cheap, and the chef in the kitchen was part of the family, so there was always a 'late night special' for Bhaalists. Tonight's special was a very rare burger, a dish both Sentry and Gary were enjoying as they talked. “Can't you guys just do something on the internet? Don't people make youtube shows or whatever now?” The dragonborn asked, his white scales glinting in the dim, sputtering lights of the run down dining room. “Or I could come down to the school and have a 'talk' with your principal.” He offered, tail flicking a bit at the suggestion. Sentry gripped his own tail nervously, twisting it between his hands and looking down. “No, it's better you don't. Principal Jaheira isn't....she doesn't....” He cleared his throat anxiously. “She was a friend of mum's, I don't want her hurt.” Gary quirked a brow-ridge and then chuckled. “Glad to hear it, Jaheira is kind of a name to run away from really fast, so to speak. We're pretty well acquainted with her, but that was before she was a high-school principal. Actually before my time too, but still, the stories you hear from the old heads....” He shook his head. “Anyway, if your friends don't want to hang out with you, you can always hang out with Orin.” Sentry gave Gary a completely deadpan stare. “Orin is ten years old. I'm not hanging out with a little kid.” “You two seem to get along well enough, I'm just making suggestions.” The dragonborn held up his hands defensively.

“Yeah, when I'm in charge of watching her. Like...there's a huge difference between being nice to your little sister and keeping her entertained with some arts and crafts and video games and expecting me to shoot the shit with her.” Sentry folded his arms across his chest. “Well I'm sorry, I just assumed when you and that Rolan kid hang out video games are pretty much the only thing on the agenda too, you're sixteen year old boys. I mean...unless you're jacking off together or whatever.” Gary snorted, taking another bite of his food and rolling his eyes. Sentry's face went bright red and he gripped his tail tighter, looking at the ground. “N...No, it isn't like that...we don't...we're not....we....I don't like him that way! We're just friends. He's into this guy in our shop class!” “Jeeze, you don't have to get defensive, twerp. I'm just messing with you.” Gary gave Sentry a reassuring look. “Anyway, the bottom line is you guys are kids...kids fight all the time. Your friends will get over it and I'm sure they'll be talking to you again by Monday.” He reached across the table, ruffling Sentry's pale hair with those large, imposing claws. “And if you're really lonely, maybe I can take you with me on a few jobs. Tonight went well, after all...it's probably time you got into the family business.” Sentry's eyes widened with excitement. “Oh shit, for real?” He practically jumped up in his seat. “You really mean it!?” Gary nodded his head, finishing off his food and wiping his mouth free of the red stains. “Yup, really really, kid. Now come on, finish your food. Maybe we'll have time to make a stop on the way home.”

------ “Watch out! Right behind you!” Sentry swiveled the thumb stick, the grizzled and bloodied Goliath on screen in his heavy armor rolled out of the way of a deadly swipe from the massive Minotaur “Thanks, kid. Ready for the show?” “Make him bleed, slaughter-kin!” The little girl squealed excitedly, hands balled into fists as she watched the screen.

Sentry slammed down the 'O' button and the Goliath kicked the Minotaur to the ground, stomping on the creature's back, a graphic in the corner showing a detailed X-ray of a spine snapped completely in two. The character's strong hands grabbed the creature by the horns and began to twist and yank at its head until the skin of the neck tore and the head came loose in a gratuitous torrent of blood, the Goliath holding the head above his head as a prize as the screen proclaimed that he had collected six Minotaur horns so far.

“That's my favorite part.” His little sister announced with a wide grin that showed a few missing baby teeth. She was dressed in a red T-shirt sporting a scowling cartoon character and a pair of black shorts, her long pale hair in pigtails. Her bare feet kicked as her legs dangled off the edge of the bed and she drank from a metallic silver pouch of juice. “Well, it's six more horns till I can upgrade my weapons. Shall we keep at it then?” Sentry asked. It was Saturday morning by now so he was still dressed in his pajamas. A pair of red and green striped pants and a soft black T-shirt with a clawed, bloodstained glove on the front.

“Yes! Yes! More slaughter! More blood!” The little girl giggled happily, clapping her hands together. “And maybe I could try to do one?” Sentry nodded. “Sure, Orin. Remember, you have to follow the pattern on the screen as fast as you can as it shows up.” He handed the controller back to her and retrieved his sketchbook, flipping to an empty page and beginning to sketch, looking up occasionally to coach Orin on the game play.

After a time, the two were disrupted by the door opening. A diminutive figure in a sharp black and red suit shuffled in with a tray of cookies, setting them on the bed next to Orin before walking over to Sentry and taking his hat in his hands. “Ah, young master...Sarevok wishes to speak with you.” He informed the young man hesitantly. Sentry rolled his eyes. “What, now?” The butler gulped and nodded. “Well, yes, young master. Straight away, if you would.”

Sentry rolled his eyes and climbed to his feet, folding his arms across his chest. “You know, if Gary and I are father's chosen favorites, I really don't get why I have to lesson to a crumbling old sack of flesh who's desperate to put his dick in me. I feel like that's something my father shouldn't approve of.” Fel stammered and fumbled for words, hat in hand, head lowered. “Young master, I....” Sentry scoffed and shook his head. “Whatever. Just stay here with Orin in case she needs anything while I'm gone.” He shuffled out of the room, tail raised warily despite himself. ---- “You still insist on dressing like a boy.” His new guardian's deep voice boomed from the plush red and gold chair he sat in across the room. He raised a crystal glass to his lips and took a sip of whiskey before setting it down. “I AM a boy.” Sentry corrected him, looking away with a cold glare, refusing to meet those burning yellow eyes. “You are Vereena Mortis and you are meant to breed.” Sarevok pointed a thick finger toward Sentry, the dim light of the room revealed that he was dressed, as usual, in that stupid old fashioned suit he always wore like a mob boss in the movies. Buying his own con that the family really was some sort of crime syndicate instead of a murder cult covering it up with whoring, drug deals, and protections rackets. “Even if your older brother doesn't see fit to use you as intended.” “Because Gary's not a creep.” Sentry shot back. He was valiantly standing his ground, putting on a tough front, but his tail was in his hands again. “Your brother has certain....peculiarities....about how this family is to be run, that is why your father put me in charge.” Sarevok replied, rising from his chair and approaching Sentry. The tiefling flinched, trying to keep from trembling. Even after his most recent growth spurt, Sarevok still seemed to tower over him. “We covered up the fire you started, all the murders you committed when you were a child....We allowed you respite for a time with another family, one outside of our kind....It is not unreasonable to expect you to do your job.”

“Actually it is. I'm a child, for fuck's sake.” Sentry staggered backwards, backing into another figure, this one a bit shorter than he was, but strongly built, calloused fingers digging into his skin as he was grabbed by the arms and held in place. Sarevok approached him slowly as Sentry's eyes widened with fear. No, you're chosen, you're special. You've taken lives, Sentry, don't let them see that you're scared! He told himself. “Hey! That's enough!” A voice rang out from the doorway. The sound of heavy combat boots hit the floor accompanied by the swish of a thick tail, heavy with scales and muscle. Big brother. “You are interrupting a lesson, Gary.” Sarevok growled. “Yeah, piss off!” The drow holding Sentry's arms spat. “Talk to me like that again and I'll fucking gut you, Jackal.” Gary hissed and then walked up to Sarevok, hands pressed together and expression thoughtful. “Grownups are talking, so show some decorum.” He finally addressed the boss. “So the bottom line you've been harping on is you expect Sentry to pull his weight, right?” Sentry's eyes were squeezed shut tightly at this point, so he didn't see what Gary did to make Jackal release him, only heard a pained yelp and felt the hands let go of his arms and his second brother stagger back swiftly. He dared to peek, seeing Gary standing between him and Sarevok now. “The kid isn't a breeder. For one thing, he's sixteen years old. For another thing, he's Chosen and he said no. I'd like to think you remember who's still in charge here, even if you have a special title.” Gary nodded towards the wall where a sculpture of a leering red skull held court. Sentry noticed that Sarevok's nostrils flared, but he inclined his head. “Put the kid to work like Tomi and Jackal and I. Send him out on 'garbage disposal' or deliveries. He's tough and he's pretty twisted. Believe me, I've been showing him around a bit.” Sarevok seemed to think for a minute, looking to the image of father and then back to Sentry. A cruel smirk crossed his lips just briefly before he looked back to Gary and nodded. “You're right, the....child... could be useful with our daily tasks...”

'Still won't call me a boy, though, you miserable old creep.' Sentry thought bitterly as he looked at the ground. He startled, but looked up as he felt Gary's hand on his shoulder, protective. “He will be. Trust me. The kid had fifty kills under his belt at age six, he's a natural.” Gary slugged Sentry's shoulder fondly. “My caveat remains, however, that he will engage in ALL forms of business the family is involved with. He is not exempt from any job I would require of any other Bhaalist...after all, as you know many of them allow our assassins close enough to kill....you understand.” Those yellow eyes leered down at Sentry even as he spoke to the boy's older brother. Gary winced, but he knew when to cut and run. This was the best deal he could get and the most he was able to protect Sentry, so he nodded his head. “Right, of course.” “Better anyone else than you.” Sentry stuck out his tongue at Sarevok as Gary guided him from the room. He knew exactly what Sarevok meant and it made his stomach churn with disgust, but anything was better than going back to the life he'd been born into.

---- “Well, Mr. Ojeda, welcome to your first day as an Unholy Assassin, then.” Gary's voice was playfully formal as he held out a hand to shake his little brother's. Sentry grinned and instead wrapped the tip of his tail around Gary's and shook his tail. “Thanks, Mr...um....big bro...I'm the right man for the job, you won't regret it!” “Well, before the big boss decides to be an asshole and stick you on the worst assignment on your first day, I'm making an executive decision: Deliveries for you. Go see Tomi in the morning to pick up the product and then Fel will have a list for you of who's buying. If Sarevok bitches about it, remind him our other delivery boy sucks at his job and sticks out like a sore thumb in his stupid red outfit and that should shut him up at least for the week.” Gary instructed as he saw Sentry to his bedroom door. He gave the Tiefling a sympathetic look and grabbed his shoulder gently before he returned to the room. “And hey, have a good night, okay?” Sentry gave his brother a small smile and nodded. “I will. Thanks. Hopefully Orin hasn't got my guy killed.” He chuckled as he walked into the room. “Hi slaughter-kin! Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Orin chirped excitedly as Sentry sat down beside her on the bed.

#baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #oc #tiefling #dark urge #durge #writing #oc: sentry ojeda #fanfic #default durge #default dark urge #Rolan #Nocturne #Shadowheart #orin the red #Modern AU

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impossiblefangirl0632 · 1 year ago

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Previously on Take Back the Kingdom (spoilers for everything pre Ch 31)

Chapter 15: The Stuff of Legends (Bruno thinking about how Jose threatened Mirabel)

Bruno felt his anger boil over into the immediate area around him. He grit his teeth and clenched his fist to draw the destructive magic back in. Not here, not yet.

Just a few more days before he could commit the murder he’d been planning for 500 years. No matter whatever else happened, Bruno was going to kill Jose Nehoye or die trying.

Dead, brittle grass crunched beneath his feet when he finally stood.

Just a few more days.

Chapter 21: Demons Run (after the mercenaries)

Bruno looked around, making eye contact with each of them, from Isabela all the way down to Antonio. “Next time I explicitly give you instructions, I need you to follow them.”

Chapter 22: Interlude III: Questions & Answers

Bruno scowled. “Assuming he’s still frozen, that should be enough to actually kill him.”

“...what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m fairly certain that he made himself immortal before coming back to the Encanto.”

“Immortal?!”

“You can do that?

“What do you mean back ?”

Bruno held up his hand to stem the flow of panicked questions. “Yes, back .” His eyes darkened, “José was banished as a teenager when his father led the coup against mine.”

He gave them a minute before cutting off their cries of shock and outrage by raising a hand once more.

“After I left the first thing I did was find out as much about him as I could, know your enemy and all that. I knew there was no way someone that powerful and that evil just sprung up out of nowhere without leaving a trail. What I was able to piece together is that after his father’s death he vowed to finish what he started. But to do that he needed power.”

He nodded towards Mirabel. “When I taught you about the source of magic, I didn’t tell you about the other source. The darker source. You can cultivate magic, or you can steal it.”

Taking the amulet out of his pocket Bruno ran his thumb over the engraved butterfly. “José had spent years hunting down magic users to steal their magic, and their life force. He’s not immortal in the same way I am, but I’m betting it’ll take a decent amount of force to use up all of his stolen life and actually kill him.”

Chapter 23: By the Skin of Our Teeth (while Bruno is thinking after waking up from the nightmare vision of his almost suicide)

Turning it over in his hands he ran his fingers down the lines of runes decorated the edges of the worn leather. Spells to preserve it, spells to return it to him should he lose it, spells to reinforce the blade. It had been his constant companion even before he left the Encanto and everything that followed. To this day he didn’t know how he felt about it.

Remnant light from the embers of their fight danced in the emerald blade as he lowered it and laid the sword across his knees, absently tracing the engraved hourglass in the pommel. Even with the temptation it represented, he had always kept it with him. Because it was a piece of home yes, but also because it was his best shot at killing José quickly. Bruno knew his own strength, knew that he had him outclassed in raw power. But José was clever, and wouldn’t hesitate to fight dirty, and Bruno had everything to lose.

It’s why he had put so much time and effort into making sure the sword could kill José. Over the years Bruno had added his own spells to the sword but the one he was relying on was the original curse, the power to kill an immortal. It had been a relief to find out for sure that it worked on immortals who’d cheated by stealing life from others.

‘Protect our people. Protect our family.’ Those words, that admonition from his mother echoed in his mind as he absently traced the words that had been etched into the leather of the scabbard near the hilt. He didn’t need to look to follow their path, tracing the letters had been how he centered himself before a fight ever since his mother gave it to him after he’d been chosen as the heir

:::

(after the vision and him debating with himself what the last two scenes means, ie whether he should hope for survival or not)

The debate between realism, pessimism and optimism raged on through what was left of the night. An hour before dawn he finally came to a decision. He would assume the worst, set contingencies for if he failed to defeat José, while holding on to a sliver of hope to keep himself from doing anything too reckless.

First things first. The kids could not learn of this, nothing could be gained from them knowing and it would only worry and distract them. Picking up the discarded tablet he reached into its future, dragging it forward in time until it crumbled into green sand that slipped through his fingers.

Chapter 24: Reluctance in All its Forms (While Bruno tells Isabela and Dolores about Oscar)

“When I decided to adopt him I told myself I would quietly slip out of his life when he was an adult and didn’t need me anymore. And you know what he did?” He huffed at the memory despite the somber atmosphere. “The morning of his 18th birthday he knocked on my door and handed me a notebook that he’d started when he was eight with the words ‘Proof that Pa is Immortal’ written on the front cover.” Bruno had taken his hands back to wave one in a slow arc emphasizing the title.

#TBTK #my fic

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ewooxyjewelry · 1 year ago

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The Romance of the Rococo Period. Luxurious Russian Aesthetics

The Glory of the Classical Period. The Aesthetics of the Victorian Era

Accumulation of Aesthetics | Hidden in World Famous Paintings: Splendor Pearl Jewelry

The brilliant colors depicted by the painter ignite the artistic soul of jewelry. The splendor of pearls hidden in the painting unintentionally reveals the owner's identity and preferences, while also recording the most classic female jewelry styles of that era.

The Romance of the Rococo Period

The lace-backed Choker pearl necklace is a classic necklace style of the royal family during the Rococo period. The soft lace and lustrous pearls, along with bow decorations, echo the high-worn Choker pearl chain and the exposed skin of fashion. When it comes to Rococo style art, one cannot fail to mention Madame Pompadour. As a cultural patron, she influenced the court as well as the lifestyle, fashion, and artistic tendencies of France.

Luxurious Russian Aesthetics

The main part of the necklace is composed of 21 oval-shaped diamonds, with 15 pear-shaped diamonds suspended below and connected by small diamonds. The total weight of the diamonds is 475 carats. Maria, as a Danish princess, married Tsar Alexander III and eventually succeeded in being crowned as the Empress of the empire. She not only inherited the precious treasures collected by emperors and queens of past generations but also received many jewelry pieces from Alexander III as expressions of love. She had a strong fondness for diamonds, and the presence of diamonds can be seen throughout her portrait.

The Glory of the Classical Period

Napoleon once dominated Europe, and his lifelong love, Empress Josephine, was also an unparalleled beauty. How much did Napoleon love her? Despite the opposition from his family, he crowned her as Empress and had a crown made by the jeweler Chaumet (Shangmei Paris) adorned with 1,040 diamonds. At that time, only male members of the royal family could wear a crown, but in everyday life, this queen, who loved simplicity and classicism, favored pearl jewelry.

The Aesthetics of the Victorian Era

The Victorian era was the pinnacle of artistic development in "antique jewelry," presenting a style of beauty and romance through gemstones. In terms of design, the jewelry was often accompanied by relatively simple and rounded lines. As for the shapes, they were predominantly inspired by nature, such as flowers, butterflies, and vines. The sense of happiness in Queen Victoria's family influenced her aesthetic preferences, making the jewelry fashion of this era under the Queen's influence light-hearted and delightful. Pearls became the darlings of the aristocracy. While many people could only dream of owning the royal jewels, pearls became cherished possessions among the nobility. In an era when cultured pearls were not yet mature, a pearl with a beautiful luster and unique shape was especially adored by the upper class. For the past 2,000 years, pearls have been regarded as symbols of status and wealth.

More Pearl Jewelry at EWOOXY.

#pearljewelryset #classic #jewelry #jewellery #earrings #pearl necklace #necklace

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dpr-lahore-division · 5 months ago

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With compliments from, The Directorate General Public Relations,

Government of the Punjab, Lahore Ph. 99201390.

No.1666/DN/Umer

HANDOUT (A)

PHA launches botanical garden project in Murree

LAHORE, June 23:

The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) of Lahore has begun work on establishing a cutting-edge botanical garden in the picturesque hill station of Murree, confirmed its director general on Sunday.

Set against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayan foothills, this 10-acre facility will showcase a variety of gardens, including Japanese Sakura and perfume gardens, a giant water lily pond, and a tunnel adorned with Wisteria trees of different varieties and colors, said Muhammad Tahir Wattoo.

This ambitious project, poised to be the country’s first of its kind, will also offer public amenities such as a children’s play area, zip lines, sky bridges, a glow-in-the-dark garden, and dedicated parking, he said.

PHA also operates a botanical garden near Jallo Park in Lahore, covering 80 acres. Around 30 acres feature diverse landscapes and attractions for visitors, including Rose, Bonsai, and Cactus Gardens, a creeper-covered tunnel, a Rhizotron for viewing plant roots, tree houses, gazebos, a Treetop Walkway, and the popular Butterfly House, the DG added.

Highlighting the new garden’s floral diversity, Mr. Wattoo mentioned it would feature dazzling flowers like Tulips, Tiger Lily, and Geranium, typically found in mountainous tropical regions.

He noted Murree’s unique climate accelerates the growth period of Tulips by at least two months compared to urban centers like Lahore, which could help conserve foreign exchange by cultivating the national flower of the Netherlands.

Additionally, PHA plans to host a groundbreaking Tulip exhibition in Lahore this December to celebrate the flower’s rich cultural history.

Mr Wattoo recalled that Tulips originated from lilies in East Asia 21 million years ago, later cultivated in Kazakhstan and used as food by nomads. In Persia from the 11th century, Tulips symbolised the start of spring, celebrated for their beauty in art and poetry long before gaining fame in the Netherlands.

“Visitors can expect to embark on educational journeys through themed gardens, each representing distinct ecosystems from around the globe,” the director general said. He emphasised that the initiative underscores the Punjab government’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable tourism development.

The botanical garden is expected to open its gates to the public later this year, he concluded.

Separately, the PHA has also decorated the main thoroughfares of Lahore, including Jail Road, The Mall, Johar Town, and Canal, with colorful light structures twinkling like stars on the ground. Ring and crescent-shaped light installations positioned along these roads offer a stunning spectacle at night.

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xtruss · 8 months ago

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Bats Are In Trouble. That’s Not good For Anyone Who Likes Mezcal, Rice or Avocado

Some of Our Favorite Foods and Drinks Rely on These Oft-Misunderstood Mammals, Which are Facing Multiple Threats

— By Whitney Bauck | Thursday 21 March 2024

A Mexican long-tongued bat approaches an agave blossom in Tucson, Arizona, in 2006. Photograph: Rolf Nussbaumer/Alamy

If You’ve Ever Enjoyed Coffee ☕️, Tomatoes 🍅, Corn 🌽, Bananas 🍌, Mangoes 🥭, Walnuts, Chocolate 🍫, Tequila 🍺 or Mezcal, You May Just Owe Bats a Thank-You.

While bats are often the subject of fear and scorn – they’re fixtures in Halloween decor and haunted-house imagery, and are frequently portrayed as harbingers of doom – their presence is often a sign of a thriving ecosystem. Some of our favorite food and drinks would be much less plentiful, or even nonexistent, without them.

Bats play a few significant roles in human food systems. Some serve as a form of natural pest control by feeding on insects that can destroy crops like corn and pecans. Others pollinate species like bananas, coconuts, avocados and agave, a role many people associate with bees and butterflies. And some fruit-eating bats help maintain wild plant populations through seed dispersal – think mangoes, cashews, figs and almonds.

Bats fly out of a cave at sunset to feed in Ratchaburi, Thailand, on 12 September 2020. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

Despite all the ways that bats help ecosystems thrive, “they often get forgotten” in conservation conversations, and in people’s estimations of what it takes to maintain sustainable food systems, said Kristen Lear, who works at Bat Conservation International. Whether it’s because we just don’t notice bats (as nocturnal animals, they’re certainly not easy to observe) or because we tend to associate them with dark and spooky things, bats are rarely championed. But as threats from habitat destruction, disease and climate change mount, it’s time that changed.

No Bats, No Tequila

Most of the time when you order a margarita, you probably aren’t thinking about bats – but maybe you should be. Tequila is made from agave, and agave plants have long relied on bats for both pollination and seed dispersal.

The Mexican long-nosed bat, which has co-evolved with agave for millions of years, is a fuzzy little gray-brown creature that uses its 3in-long tongue to slurp nectar from agave flowers that bloom at night. This migratory species travels from west Texas and south-western New Mexico down into Mexico each year, keeping pace with the blooming periods of agave and flowering cacti.

But as demand for tequila and mezcal – another spirit made from agave – has grown, the plant is increasingly being harvested at scales that put these migratory bats at risk. After having been appreciated in Mexico for hundreds of years, agave-based spirits are becoming increasingly popular abroad, and nowhere are they more sought-after than in the US, where about 80% of the world’s tequila is sold.

“Agave spirits from Mexico are very trendy now. Probably that trend started 10 years ago, but in the last four or five years, it has been intense,” said Diana Pinzón, a forestry engineer who works with small-scale mezcal producers. “It’s a big problem for agaves endemic to Mexico, and for the bats and all the biodiversity around the ecosystems where the agaves grow.”

A bat feeds on agave blooms in Green Valley, Arizona, in 2012. Photograph: Michelle Gilders/Alamy

US thirst for agave-based spirits, and the money that can be made from selling them, is driving growers to harvest at a scale and in a manner that’s not sustainable long-term, according to Pinzón. In many places, agave plants are chopped down before they’ve had time to bloom, leaving bats that rely on the flowers’ nectar with one less food source.

Producers can grow new agave by working with “baby” shoots sent out by parent plants, but without bats cross-pollinating them, the new plants are all clones and lose genetic diversity over time. Pinzón fears this will make the plants less resilient in the face of climate threats and extreme weather.

“These two species evolved together for the last 10m years. If you lose one, you lose the other,” she said.

Pinzón is building a small-label brand called Zinacantán Mezcal with a fourth-generation agave grower who leaves 20% of the crop in the field for the bats, and believes that limiting the amount of production of agave-based spirits is the only path forward for any legitimate claim to sustainability.

“The demand is like cars in the city. If you build a new freeway [to fix traffic], more cars will just end up on the road,” she said. “So the [agave] projects need to put limits and say: ‘OK, we can make that quantity [of spirits] every year and no more.’ We need to recognize and take action to mitigate our ecological impact.”

The Bug-Eaters

Troy Swift has been farming pecans in Texas since 1998, but hadn’t thought about building bat houses near his orchards until recently. He was first inspired when Merlin Tuttle, a legendary bat conservationist, visited his farm and suggested it. “He said: ‘Troy, with the biodiversity you have here, you really might want to consider using bats as part of your pest-control program,’” Swift recalled.

It wasn’t long before Swift started building his own bat houses. Within six months, bats had moved in. He now has 17 bat houses on his property, and is working with Tuttle’s organization to quantify the impact that the bats have on his crop. Together, they’ve used echolocation technology and guano (bat dropping) DNA sampling to learn that there are at least seven species of bats living on Swift’s farm. They also found that over the course of six weeks, the bats had eaten more than 100 species of insects.

A bat flies over water in 2022. Photograph: Paul Colley/Getty Images/iStockphoto

They’re still trying to gather enough data to prove whether or not the bats are helping control the specific pest insects that eat pecans, but having found that the bats eat mosquitoes, flies and pests that bother livestock is already enough to convince Swift that bats have a role to play on farms.

“What we’re trying to do is leverage the use of bats into all agriculture and teach farmers that these bats are really your friends,” Swift said.

Other studies have already concluded that bats are providing farmers free pest-control services, whether they know it or not. Bats save more than $1bn a year in crop damage and pesticide use in the US corn industry, and more than $3bn a year across all agricultural production, according to Jade Florence, a biologist at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who has worked on bat conservation efforts.

Simply having bats around, even when they’re not feeding, helps keep pests under control, according to Lear of Bat Conservation International. “The mere presence of bats in agricultural fields can actually suppress the activity of those insects,” she said.

How To Help Bats Under Threat

For all the good they do for food systems, bats face numerous threats. “Many species around the world, including here in the US, are undergoing some sort of habitat loss, whether that’s disturbance to their roost sites in caves or mines or trees, or loss of foraging habitat – loss of forests or agricultural areas that have healthy insect populations,” said Lear. Other threats include the extreme weather caused by the climate crisis and diseases like white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has decimated North American bat populations.

Bats hang from the ceiling of a tunnel in Tirana, Albania, on 15 March 2023. Photograph: Franc Zhurda/AP

So what can be done? Lear has been working on a project with 60 partners across the US and Mexico to plant 115,000 agave plants in the Mexican long-nosed bats’ migratory path. Her organization recommends exploring nature responsibly (for example, respecting cave closures in order to not expose bat populations to new pathogens), protecting old trees that can serve as bat roosts, keeping cats indoors where they can’t harm bats and providing a water source in arid environments.

People who want to go one step further can build or buy a bat house and plant a bat-friendly garden with some native night-blooming flowers to attract nocturnal insects that bats can feed on. (Besides having a positive ecological benefit, “it’s just fun” having bats around, said Swift, who loves watching them emerge at dusk to hunt insects.)

But Lear said you can also help by doing something even simpler: talking about bats and why we need them. “The more we have people doing that to their friends and families, the more it will take root in their brains,” she said. “Over time, that will help gain public support for bat conservation.”

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theultimatefan · 1 year ago

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Esposito, Gunn, David, Swallow among Next Wave of Celebrities to Attend FAN EXPO Portland in January

FAN EXPO Portland today announced its next wave of celebrity guests, and with eight additions to the standout roster that already includes favorites from across many fandoms, there will be something—and someone—for everyone at this year’s convention, set for January 12-14, 2024, at the Oregon Convention Center.

Joining the annual pop culture extravaganza are Giancarlo Esposito (“The Mandalorian,” “Breaking Bad), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, “Avengers: Infinity War”), Keith David (The Thing, The Princess and the Frog), Emily Swallow (“The Mandalorian,” “Supernatural”), Jeff Ward (“One Piece,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Titus Welliver (“Bosch,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Ethan Suplee (“My Name is Earl,” Remember the Titans) and Eman Esfandi (“Ahsoka,” King Richard).

The prolific veteran film, television and stage actor, director and producer Esposito, in addition to his role as “Moff Gideon” on the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” is well known by television audiences for his iconic portrayal of drug kingpin “Gus Fring” in AMC’s critically acclaimed award-winning series “Breaking Bad.” Some of Esposito’s most memorable performances can be seen in films such as Rabbit Hole, The Usual Suspects, Smoke, The Last Holiday and Spike Lee’s films Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, School Daze and Malcolm X.

Gunn played "Kraglin" in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequels in 2017 and this year, as well as providing the physical performance via motion capture for "Rocket Raccoon" in the films plus Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder. He also portrayed "Kirk Gleason" throughout the seven-year run of "Gilmore Girls" among his 60+ acting credits.

David co-starred as “Childs” in the 1982 horror classic The Thing opposite Kurt Russell and Wilford Brimley. He has won three Emmys and is a Tony award nominee. In addition to a solid body of on-screen live action work in films such as 21 Bridges, Crash and Platoon, he has made quite a name in voice acting, lending his talents to feature films like The Princess and the Frog and the Ken Burns documentary Jackie Robinson among hundreds of credits.

With her portrayal of “The Armorer” in “The Mandalorian” in the hit Netflix series “The Mandalorian,” Swallow added another role to her growing resume. She also appeared as “Kim Fischer,” a regular on “The Mentalist” and as “Amara / The Darkness” in the 11th season of “Supernatural.” She also lent her voice to the role of “Lisa Tepes” in the animated Netflix fantasy action series “Castlevania.”

Ward currently stars as “Buggy” in the action Netflix series “One Piece,” following up on a three-year, 45-episode spin in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” as “Deke Shaw,” the complex character who proved popular with fans. He also co-starred in the 2021 Netflix horror/drama mini-series “Brand New Cherry Flavor” and portrayed Charles Manson in the Lifetime TV movie “Manson’s Lost Girls” in 2016.

Welliver starred in the title role in the decorated Netflix series “Bosch” and its current Freevee sequel “Bosch: Legacy.” He’s a familiar face to viewers, having appeared in more than 100 productions including Argo, Gone Baby Gone, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “The Good Wife,” “Deadwood” and many others.

Suplee has had nearly 100 film and TV roles, from comedies like the Kevin Smith productions Mallrats, Dogma and Clerks III, “My Name is Earl,” and “Boy Meets World” to dramas such as Remember the Titans and The Butterfly Effect.

Esfandi co-starred opposite Rosario Dawson, David Tennant and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in this year’s Disney+ miniseries “Ahsoka,” part of the Star Wars universe. He has also been seen in King Richard with Will Smith and The Inspection with Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.

The eight are added to a strong FAN EXPO Portland celebrity roster that includes Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher,” “The Walking Dead”), the “Charmed” duo of Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan, the "Daredevil" tandem of Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, Lana Parrilla (“Once Upon a Time,” “Spin City”), Danny Trejo (Machete, The Book of Boba Fett), Peter Cullen (Transformers), Jason Lee (Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous) and Peter Weller (RoboCop, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

FAN EXPO Portland features the biggest and best in pop culture: movies, TV, music, artists, writers, exhibitors, cosplay, with three full days of themed programming to satisfy every fandom.

Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, and Ultimate Fan Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now. Advance pricing is available until December 28, 2023. More guest news will be released in the following weeks, including line-up reveals for comic creator guests, voice actors, and cosplayers.

Portland is the second event on the 2024 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events/.

#comic con #portland #mandalorian

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litlunacy · 2 years ago

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Apprenticember Pt. 4 (Days 20-25)

20. Remember the Valentines Day event where you could pick between 3 gifts to give the LI? What 3 gifts would you write for your mc?

A novel she hasn't read yet, full of romance and adventure and magic. Bonus points if it has puns.

New art supplies, mostly charcoal sketching sticks. Ximena goes through those like the baker goes through flour.

Silver jewelry, decorated with moon and star motifs. Also any piece with a charm that looks like Ember.

21. Now what kind of gifts are they most likely to give?

If she knows they have space for it, she'll give them a painting she did herself (Nadia acquires quite a few over the years). She also likes gifting jewelry or practical things she knows the reciever can use. But the most meaningful gift from her is a homemade version of their favorite meal and/or dessert, simply because of how much she hates cooking. If this woman cooks for you, she'd also kill for you. You're family.

22. What does your mc do to show their love?

Ximena's love language is very much physical touch. A hand on their arm, leaning her head on their shoulder, sitting super close on the couch. But if she really, really loves someone, she lets them share her quiet time, meditating or reading together.

23. What parts of Vesuvia is your mc most likely to be at?

If she isn't at her shop, she's probably at Julian's clinic or with him at the Rowdy Raven. Her other favorite haunts are the forest outside the city or the beach at night.

24. Does your mc like parties, festivals, and masquerades? What do they do at them?

Ximena is not going to any sort of gathering like that unless she has someone else going with her. She's not a social butterfly, but she does enjoy the food and fun and celebration. Also getting to dress up. She just...doesn't enjoy it alone. If she does go with someone though, she's probably going to get into mischief while she's there. Also dance till she hurts and eat way too much.

25. What's your favorite thing about your mc?

She doesn't take shit from anyone. This woman spat in the Devil's face and lived to tell about it. Mess with her at your own peril.

#apprenticember #the arcana #fan apprentice #apprentice ximena

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adarshparkheightsflats · 2 years ago

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Adarsh Park Heights – Best Apartments in Gunjur

Adarsh Park Heights is a new luxury apartment project by Adarsh Group in East Bangalore. The residences are spread across 21 acres of land. These apartments come in a variety of designs and sizes to fit your lifestyle.

It is a premium 2 and 3-BHK apartment project in Varthur, Bangalore. It is located close to the IT hubs of Whitefield, ITPL, and Sarjapur Outer Ring Road. The development boasts many luxurious amenities.

The apartment floors are designed with high-quality building materials, and the apartments are furnished with modern amenities. These amenities include a swimming pool, multipurpose hall, clubhouse, sports facilities, gym, tennis court, etc. This enclave is located at Gunjur in East Bangalore.

It is a gated community with many amenities and is a great place to live. It has a convenient location and a nice design and it's also a great place for those who are looking to be located in a place that's earthquake resistant.

Adarsh Developers is a reputed builder in India. They started their journey as a small venture in the year 1988, and have since carved a niche for themselves in the real estate industry. Their projects have a long history of satisfied clients.

The project is located in a lush green environment surrounded by a variety of trees. Moreover, it offers great connectivity. It is situated near Whitefield ORR, Marathahalli, and Gunjur, and also has a good connection to other major suburbs of Bangalore.

It is an exclusive and prestigious residential enclave with the best modern facilities. Designed by leading architects and interior decorators, it is an apt reflection of urban chic living. The development includes an indoor swimming pool, skating rink, multi-purpose hall, gymnasium, and much more. Residents also have the opportunity to enjoy the company of like-minded people.

The project is close to Whitefield and the ORR area. In addition, it is also close to the IT parks of ITPL. Also, it is situated near Krupanidhi Residential PU College. Furthermore, it is located in a green and peaceful neighborhood.

These are some of the reasons why Adarsh Park Heights is a perfect investment opportunity. It has apartments that offer premium 2 and 3-bedroom layouts. There are many world-class amenities and facilities available as part of this project.

Moreover, it also offers a good range of clubhouse facilities. There is a multi-purpose hall, a basketball court, a swimming pool, and a gym. You can also enjoy a relaxing spa. Other amenities include an herb garden, a butterfly garden, and a stepped bamboo grove.

With the increase in the incidence of earthquakes in India, more efforts were made to develop earthquake-resistant buildings and infrastructure. Several initiatives were taken by the Government of India and other organizations to formulate guidelines for designing and building earthquake-resistant structures.

India was one of the first countries to adopt a formal approach to developing earthquake engineering. In the late 1950s and 1960s, earthquake engineering in India started to become institutionalized. Although it has made significant progress, it has still not managed to avoid earthquakes altogether.

Adarsh Park Heights is a newly launched residential development by Adarsh Developers. The developer has created a gated community with aesthetically pleasing architecture. This is a luxury development with apartments that are fully equipped with world-class amenities.

The project is located in Gunjur, East Bengaluru. It is connected to Sarjapur Outer Ring Road and Whitefield. As a result, it is close to major IT hubs in the city. Also, it is within proximity to reputable schools, hospitals, colleges, and business centers.

The houses are spacious with elegant interiors and classic exteriors. They feature large windows to let in plenty of natural light. In addition, they provide sufficient ventilation and circulation to ensure a healthy environment for the family. Moreover, they include round-the-clock security.

#Adarsh Park Heights #Adarsh Apartments

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becauseiloveyougiftshop · 2 years ago

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Gift Ideas For College Students

Some practical gifts that are sure to please your college student are a microwaveable coffee mug with a funny saying on the front. You can also give them a large storage pouch for their pens and makeup brushes. These hand-held bags come in different colors and can hold up to 50 pens and brushes. They are a stylish addition to their school necessities. A starry night lamp with multiple flashing modes and 16 different colors is also a great choice.

21 practical gifts

When the recipient is going off to college, a gift of practical items is always appreciated. A set of cute pajamas with a matching eye mask is perfect for dorm life, and it will send a message to their roommates that you won't be disturbed! A mini Keurig is an ideal gift for small rooms and college dorms. An air purifier will help the student get rid of the dorm funk. A cute butterfly phone case is perfect for college students, too.

A college student loves to feel comfortable in their clothes. A set of comfortable gym shoes will make life a little easier. A set of On gym shoes is both cute and functional. Another useful gift is a silk padded eye mask. Whether your recipient spends most of their time in their dorm or at class, they will love the extra sleep. They'll also appreciate a set of cozy blankets and fluffy bath towels. A set of noise-canceling earbuds is also a great gift. These can help them concentrate in the library or in class. Finally, a set of BYCHARI earrings is a must-have for a college student.

Extra-long phone charging cord

It is very important for college students to have a quality, extra-long phone charging cord. These cords should be long enough to last through many years of college use, and should not break or become too short. While purchasing a charger for a college student can be as easy as purchasing a cable from the college bookstore, you want to ensure that the cord will last for years to come.

Many college students are often frustrated by the lack of outlet space. Even a four-foot cord isn't long enough to reach their bed. An extra-long cord is important, and a ten-foot cable is ideal for charging at the library, where there are few outlets.

Dry-erase board

A dry-erase board can be a great gift idea for a college student. This product is easy to install and customizable, turning any surface into a dry-erase canvas. The board is made of durable cork or glass and can be used by both adults and children. The board can be wall mounted in a classroom or used in a home. Both students and adults can use the board, as long as they have dry-erase markers.

A combination bulletin board and dry-erase board is a great study tool for students. Students can use the board to pin up important information or write notes or points. The board's erasability is another big benefit. Erasing can be difficult on corkboard and whiteboard, so a combination board is a great choice.

Smells of home

If you're thinking of sending a gift to a college student, consider giving them the scents of home. Smells are a strong link to memory, and they can help a college student avoid homesickness. HomeSick Candles are specially crafted candles with realistic aromas from various states. The scents are derived from the opinions of local residents, and the candles use hand-poured soy wax.

The essential oil diffuser comes in 17 colors and is thin enough to fit in a backpack sleeve or cup holder. It's also less expensive than competitors. Another great feature of these diffusers is that they're eco-friendly and completely sustainable. The diffusers can double as decor, too, with seven different light settings.

Nightstand

One of the most common college student needs is a nightstand for their dorm room. Round nightstands are easy to fit into small spaces, and they are super hip. A bedside table will liven up even the most basic room. And the best part is, they are collapsible. A student who spends all day on his or her bed will appreciate a nightstand that keeps them from having to get up and move.

A college student will appreciate anything that keeps their space neat and organized. Envelope containers may be useful and can be purchased at a craft store or Michael's. A 2-pack of small fabric storage boxes can also serve the purpose. When not in use, these boxes can be folded away to store other items, such as jewelry. A paper planner is another practical and fun gift idea. The student can write meaningful notes on future dates, while still organizing his or her space.

Coffee maker

A coffee maker is a great gift idea for college students. Caffeine is a big part of the college student's diet, and a coffee maker is a convenient way to make a fresh pot of coffee on the go. Not only will it save them money by not needing to buy expensive coffee in coffee shops, it will also save them time. There are many different styles and models available on Amazon.

A coffee maker is not just for making coffee, though. You can buy a variety of cool accessories to go with your gift. For example, you can purchase a coffee machine that brews iced tea or cold brew. You can also purchase an Aeropress coffee maker with a set of filters, so that the recipient can experiment with different flavor combinations.

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