#I really hope she survives tomorrows finale or else I won't survive

[marutchi]

[backfromtwitterforw]

Pomme's diary found in the place she was with Richas (30 first pages)

Day 117

We walked for so long, longer than a day.

Chayanne thinks we'll be safe if we're far enough. I doubt that, because no matter what threatened us manage to find my secured bunker 200 000 blocks away, and even succeded to get into my room to put its letter. Honestly, I think we'll never be really safe anywhere.

Chayanne was panicking so much that we didn't even have time to prepare stuff before leaving. I tried to talk him out ot it, but they were all already gone and I couldn't leave them alone.

At least, I had the reflex to take one of my scythe. And fortunately so.

During our journey, I had to fight a lot of monsters. It's a miracle we all survived without armor or anything else.

We weren't far from death on multiple occasions.

I'll protect them no matter what.

That's a promise.

Day 118

We could build a little improvised camp. We're exhausted from the walk we had, we don"t have alot but it's better than nothing. The most important for now is to survive.

Dapper made a small makeshift field and planted seeds and potatoeshe had collected along the way, while we prepared tools and cut wood.

Tallulah played the flute to try to confort us and give us courage. She even leanred one of my favorite songs on the flute to try to make me smile again.

We make progress, slowly but surely.

Day 119

I think each one of us has tools now. We continued to gather ressources, especially trying to find enough food for everyone, because Dapper's field is not enough. But we didn't have great success, we have to be comptent with the bare minimum. We'll try to build a small shelter tomorrow.

It's hard to do anything because we are all exhausted from the trip. We found materiel to make sleeping bags, so they will finally be able to rest in better conditions.

I'll try to stand guard and watch over them during the night.

Day 120

We were able to start the construction of a small makeshift shelter. It doesn't look great but at least we have something to be protected now.

Truth be told, I haven't slept in a few days, I cannot allow myself to sleep.

We could be attacked at any time, by monsters or by the thing that threatened us. I'm scared it may trace our steps.

On multiple occasions, Chayanne asked me on multiple occasions to share the watch during the night, but I refused systematically.

I'd rather let him rest, and watch over Tallulah during the day. He's the one she trusts the most, he needs to be there to for her, and to protect her.

But I feel the tiredness winning over me.

I fight against exhaution as hard as I can, but I can see my reaction time and my moves becoming slower.

Day 121

The shelter is almost done, I'm so proud of them. They never let themselves be overwhelmed by fear and they do their maximum for everyone to be safe. We watch over one antother and that warms my heart to see it.

On the other side, food is continuously missing.

It soon gonna become a huge problem if we don't find a solution, we won't be able to hold much longer with the ressources we actually have...

I believe it's been a week I haven't slept, I'm trying to stay awake with always being busy. As soon as I am not, I feel my eyes closing by themselves.

It's especially difficult during the night. I spend them looking at the campfire crackling and making sure it doesn't extinguish by itself. We found material to make a lighter, so I play with it to pass the time: I found out the burning feeling is particularly effective to wake me up.

I miss my parents. I miss them excruciatingly.

It's so hard that they're not here with us. I regret all the time that we couldn't leave any note, any letter. They must be terribly worried for us, i feel terribly guilty...

I hope they won't resent us...

Day 122

Dapper amost died.

Dapper.

Almost.

Died.

We were talking about the pending lack of food, and he suggested we could explore the surroundings to find something to eat. I know exploring is something he adores, and he knows better than anyone the different kinds of existing ressources, so I also thought it was a good idea.

I suggested to come with him, but i assured me I didn't have to worry about him, that it wouldn't take him long to come back, and that it would be better for me to stay with the others to watch over them. So, I accepted. I trusted him.

But he went to fight against a skeleton. Or at least, what looked like a normal skeleton, but it wasn't one; this one had an armor and was able to shoot arrows at an abnormal speed, in addition to having knockback.

He thought it was a normal skeleton and attacked. But the skeleton was stronger and knocked him off.

I ran.

I ran so fast, every second mattered.

He cannot die, not like this, not now.

If he dies, I'll never forgive myself.

I managed to find him, and I could finish the skeleton off.

I ran to him to save him, just in time.

With tears in my eyes, I asked if he was ok and why he wanted to attack that monster way to strong for us even though we have no armor and barely any defense.

He just answered that he wanted bones to make bonemill, to speed up the growth of the seeds in the field. And also because he wanted to make a bone mask for Chayanne, since he didn't have his fetish skull.

He was so nonchalant in explaining it all, as if he didn't care about being do close to death.

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 3

Tried some Silent Hill 2, but a bad pain day has overtaken me and I am not up for getting ambushed by Lying Figures two at a time, once in an enclosed space. (Fucking record store.) Not that I didn't survive; it as just not fun when I've been having pain spasms in my left elbow most of the evening.

So instead, I'm going to liveblog TLOVM. I understand from the few spoilers I couldn't really avoid that I'm going to see a variation on one of my favourite scenes. So let's see.

Oooooh Raishan ... I mean, you're not as trustworthy as you want anyone you've been dealing with to believe, but ... say smarter things, Deceiver...

Okay, honey, your only hope is that Vorugal withholds that message he was told to give because he's greedy enough to want your empire. And hope that you can get Keyleth to believe that you're at least not immediately selling them out to Thordak. Otherwise, certain bits of your fate are going to happen a lot sooner.

Grog ... that is an A-B conversation, so C yourself out. Also ... I know people are going to think this is happening too fast, even those who saw the campaign as it happened, but ... what the fuck else are they supposed to do when they didn't have, "The arrows were flirting?" "The arrows were totally flirting"?!?

I guess Scanlan is very much invested in that whole thing he was talking to Kaylie about. If he forgets who he is when the lute goes down, he's going to hold it for as long as possible.

Someone taught Grog the phrase "spill the tea", and he only used about half of it. Typical.

"...perhaps I'll cut down the Sun Tree and build an extravagant canoe." Cassandra, you have recovered from your ordeal so very well.

YOU TELL HIM, CASSANDRA!

Yeah, Percy, "eugh" is right; that's terrible. Just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind that isn't self-recrimination and you will be fine-- Yeah! THAT'S the spirit!

Admittedly? I miss the multiple bottles. Maybe the animators in charge of this weren't up for Taliesin's earlier demand: "I will be expecting labels for all of those".

This is why we all need to be glad that Vex is ... Vex. If she was too much like her brother? This would be the result. Vax, borrow your sister's chutzpah for one night.

Wait. Wut.

"...Right. Shutting up now." So ... we decided on 'after', then. And that thing you said just before you knocked, Percival? Her. Not 'it'. HER.

Ah, so someone on screen has finally figured out the bit about "it doesn't necessarily mean everyone but her gets brutally murdered". Still, take your joys where you can, you idiot.

"So ... joy today isn't worth pain tomorrow--" THAT'S WHAT I JUST SAID. THANK YOU, KEYLETH.

Well ... at least one of the Vessar twins is happy. And ... you know ... not a self-sacrificial dipshit.

Well. They had a good time.

"Good talk." BWAHAHAHA!

Well ... this is probably better than being high on magical drugs at important moments? Maybe?

brb - laughing at the dipshits.

I still have to wonder how they got this allowed. I thought Orion Acaba owned the rights to the name Draconia. Then again, he's done shit-all with it since 2019, so ... I dunno, maybe a deal was cut, or something? No one's even made mention of it.

Scanlan ... you bundle up that far and you still leave half your chest exposed?

Dohla... Dohla ... Rachel House. Hrm. Nothing I've seen, but most people would be all about Thor: Ragnarok, Moana, and Our Flag Means Death. Right. Moving on!

Okay, if we have the good ship Perc'halia being dragged in and out of dry dock for the sake of angst when we've already got Vaxleth beached and Scanlan ... you know, having a significant identity crisis that he's not getting help for (partly because he won't let anyone, but that's another thing)? I'm going to slap someone.

Well. Welcome to Hell. Nice place. In a "Night On Bald Mountain With Better Lighting" sort of way.

I ... was going to suggest that they spell it for Grog, but then I remember that they never did the thing where Pike taught him to read, so that'd be basically pointless. I ... don't think there's any way to correct him on that one.

Is it wrong that I'm not trusting Dohla?

Vex, what are you--? Ooooooooh shit. Well, that explains Yenk things.

So ... they're keeping the destruction of Draconia? Because however this come's out, Vorugal's going to tear shit up.

Also ... not trusting Dohla ... for a reason, apparently. This is a really interesting take on how things went in the campaign.

Seeing Allura and Kima fight is impressive.

I'm impressed no one did anything with the "We're edging" line. Then again, Scanlan's currently in Hell, so...

Dohla ... yeah, no, don't shit-talk ancient dragons. They will-- that. Yeah, there goes the story of you.

...I didn't know Fenthras could do that...

I know Kima is going to be okay. I know Kima is going to be okay. I know this entirely too well. It is going to be an object lesson of the "sometimes this shit works out" variety and everybody will be okay. I know this partly because campaign and partly because I need to know this down to my bones to get any sleep tonight.

At least Vex has somewhat more emotional intelligence than her brother-- mostly. Sort of. But at least Percy seems to understand what she's not-saying. And she did at least communicate worth a shit.

(Also that is probably the only way they can actually convey that will-they-won't-they dance of frustrating nonsense they had going during a lot of the campaign while dealing with a shorter-form format like half-hour episodes.)

Well ... that could have been a more painful cliffhanger... But I'm grateful it wasn't because I can't handle more adrenaline tonight.

Right. Winding down time. Hopefully I'll be in better shape tomorrow and the flu vaccine doesn't hit me too hard.

[fantasticcloudcreation]

Sep 23

Just got to the hotel! Blessed by the weather gods today, had the perfect amount of cloud cover and it wasn't hot at all until the sun came out for the last hour of the drive, hallelujah.

My roommate isn't here yet and I want to get high and lounge around but I have to go get groceries first, send me moral support 🙏 half tempted to just, not, but I know I'll regret that in the morning when I have no caffeine and no food...

-

Update: it's now 7:30pm, groceries were acquired, roommate is still not here, I'm gonna take a shower and drink a beer and eat an edible and hopefully relax.

(I'm rambling again so I'm putting the rest under a read more)

Have to be at work around 7am tmro, technically start time is 8 but it's the first day and I gotta figure out where to park and get all my gear together etc. Also didn't get cigs so I have to stop somewhere in the morning...

And I have to eat dinner tonight??? (Ugh you mean I have to eat the food I just bought?? Lol) The weed will probably help encourage that. Wish I had a cig right now I'm a lil bit stressing but it'll be fine, life is good, I will survive even though it's gonna be hot af tmro...

I finally got a new hairbrush (lost mine a couple weeks ago) and it actually feels so good to brush my hair again haha.

Wishing I had a cuddle buddy here tonight but it is what it is! D will be here for show days and hopefully I'll be off work that week in between so we can hang out, that'll be nice.

Right now: just trying to relax, get settled. Got all my stuff organized so whenever roomie shows up it at least looks like I have my shit together 😅 hoping she doesn't ask to carpool to work bc my van is a mess + no AC, but maybe I can just say that and she'll find another ride... Also thinking about like, it's always hot af trying to drive home after work in Austin traffic direct sunlight etc; maybe I'll just hang out at the park for a while after work, cool down in the shade, do some yoga read a book etc, and then drive home once the traffic subsides and the sun goes down? Idk just thinking. (Stop thinking so much just go take a shower and relax, whatever happens tomorrow will unfold on its own time.)

Also, my period is starting, I actually might die tomorrow - it'll be ok just take breaks and eat snacks and pour ice water on your body haha. Last year I went home early twice bc of the heat and I'm going to try so hard to keep it together this year. I haven't built a stage since April but you know what, it's really not that hard, find the easy tasks and start doing them before anyone else does them 😂

Unrelated but L just told me he quit his job and is starting another endeavor, very happy for him but also bummed bc maybe now I won't see him at the next 2 gigs and I was really looking forward to that......... But maybe I will, idk, I don't want to be clingy and weird but at the same time I want to spend more time with him? Like basically we met, hung out for 3 weeks straight, and haven't seen him since lol. I'm sure we'll cross paths again at some point but who knows when.

Anyway, the edible is kicking in already, that was fast but maybe it's bc I haven't eaten anything besides a small bag of chips at like, noon... Go shower and eat dinner and watch something silly on TV. Set an alarm and figure everything else out in the morning. It's all going to work out ❤️

[ackermanshoe]

"Mikasa?!"

"get your shit together"

"we are the only ones who can stop Eren"

Well smart ppl, this is the first time in the entirety of attack on titan Levi "snapped" towards Mikasa. The look on his eyes it's so full concern, did he know what was happening to her? Did he realise it was her headache or did he think it was Eren doing something?

Maybe he snapped bc he was absolutely tired of Erens shit and mikasa's hesitation towards him. Maybe he was so worried that he couldn't get his words to come out? "Get your shit together" is such a Levi think to say if he said "are you okay?" It would be so out of character.

I know I don't need to explain this as we are all aware that Levi's way with Mikasa is like none other, right? Eg when he snapped at historia for not being able to give a straight answer to the biggest decision of her life - more: he often snaps at hanji despite them being friends for years etc.

It also makes me wonder how Levi is so in touch with reality, he's right next to her, could it be that his presence helped Mikasa come back to hers and finally decide to end Eren?

"a theory isn't a fantasy, it's a coherent set of ideas intend to explain something.." and this is me theorising so stay with me. The Ackerman's who had their inhumane power activated are Levi Mikasa and Kenny. Kenny met his tragic end with Yuri, Levi met his tragic end with Erwin and now it is clearly Mikasa's turn. Ik it wasn't obvious but when Kenny Ackerman lost his liege he was completely alone then eventually he had died off. Isn't it funny how the only two Ackerman's to have had years side by side were Mikasa and Levi? It's just my belief that Erwin's death would have caused more harm on Levi if he hadn't had Mikasa by his side and Mikasa would have been more lost in her delusion or dreams without Levi's consent attempt to bring her back to reality. Eg female titan arc.

Even after killing Zeke Levi never found true happiness, was it really the purpose of his life? Definitely not. It almost feels like there's a loose end to tie, possibly with another Ackerman. This is where my theory ( or more questions ) about the shine in his eyes comes in which I will explain later.

I have always seen Mikasa as a doer, who is not indecisive and always goes for the kill. Levi knows that too. This one moment where got her headache and she hesitated to move forward it was a conflict that clearly irretated Levi.

But man if it were anyone else with all their love and care for Mikasa they would have snapped at her ages ago. The patience this man has for Mikasa is unmatched.

Furthermore

"got it"

"Mikasa"

He said this to himself, TO HIMSELF I repeat not to Mikasa or anyone. What does this tell me? It tells me he trusts Mikasa to make the right decision. He knows it's time and he knows that she won't hesitate this time. Remember the gleam in his eyes when Mikasa asked him to help her kill Eren?

It's a gleam of trust and recognition.

To me this is the purest form of support Levi has given not only to Mikasa but anyone at all. It kinda makes me feel soft if I'm being honest but I can't explain that with facts.

Might I mention how how Levi said mikasa's name more in this one chapter than he has said in the entire manga?

( if someone know why he never calls Mikasa by her name please let me know I'm so hung up on that and still wondering what could be the meaning behind it )

It can be said the same with Mikasa calling Levi "captain" several times in the last chapter and possibly this one.

It may be a personal view of mine but the I think there's a lot of significance in calling ones name. But in rivamika's relationship the lack there of name calling makes it much more interesting to theorise. I have always been someone who would hesitate to say my crush's name because I feel like it would be awkward and make the conversation much more intimate. Yeah it's just a theory but most people would avoid using their crushes name because it makes them nervous and the fact their crush exist near them much more realistic. ( Input scene from there first caridge scene where Levi called Mikasa by her name to tell her to protect Eren with all her skills and Mikasa had a drop sweat on her, she was caught off guard by his voice calling her name )

If I was to assume this is what happened with Levi not mentioning mikasa's name ( all that often ) then it kinda makes sense. And now that we have Levi finally calling out her name in the middle of a life or death battle it makes me wonder if he is finally breaking out of a invisible shell and confronting his feelings (?)

Note: "feelings" can be interpreted as romantic AND non romantic. I don't mean to say that I think he is in love with her that's realistically thinking.

Idk how to word this properly but it's like he is becoming more aware of mikasa's importance in his life and vice versa (?)

Ones name is the biggest connection they have with their individuality and the fact that Levi calls her name several times in this particular chapter makes me think it's somehow connected to Mikasa letting go off Eren and choosing herself + Levi and whoever is left to save. I believe Levi already knew this since the moment the gleam came into his eyes, like I mentioned many many many times Levi knows things about Mikasa before she does. For Levi it's like looking into a mirror that goes backwards in time.

If I'm going to talk more about the gleam in Levi's eyes I might as well put it all down on the table and you can view it however you want.

Remember this

"is it from hope or despair that this strength comes from?"

Well the gleam to me represents hope, not only for the survival of them two by killing Eren, but for Mikasa herself, finding herself MIGHT just be the gleam of hope Levi's strength came from. Individuality. This is more like forshadowing the future than the present.

It also reminds me of S1 when Levi's eyes gleamed when Eren expressed his hatred towards the titans. The look of obsession, to kill the titans and now mikasa's determination to kill Eren ( her obsession).

If I'm being a delulu then yes I do think he is in love with her and nothing less 🤩 and this look^^ above is so sexy can they just idk send me the wedding invitation already I'm 🕯️😔🕯️ tired of waiting.

Anyways I'm going to end this here I feel like I write so much and if anyone asked me what this was all about in real life I would prolly run away rather than speaking. Thank you guys for being here and supporting me and everyone else! I hope the last chapter is at least 100 pages long because we need it 😭🕯️😭.

Edit: I apologize for making this so long I was going to post it like tomorrow but I think it will makes sense if I do it now rather than later.

Also regarding the snapping bit I honestly think it's just because the way he speaks it comes out as harsh which is natural for his character we already know he cares so much about her, he was panicking guys.

[zaine-m]

July 12th - Still behind but hoping to catch up today. We're on "What team?" then ta catch up I also have to watch "Thanksgiving". Tomorrow with "The Tech rehearsal" we won't get any Gina which sucks but we'll survive.

Previous -- next

Season 1 Episode 6: "What Team?" thoughts under the cut:

Okay so this episode is starting the Monday after Homecoming, which was Friday

Everyone is working together and is having fun, finally

Why do they have big red do all the miscellaneous stuff

Seb's little pink streak of hair 🥰

How tf did Gina turn her personality around so quickly

And just because of a guy, where did the don't change yourself for a guy message go?

Yes Nini feel that pain, Ricky has girls other than you in his life, you can't just drop him and pick him up as you see fit. Honestly I just like seeing her in pain

Why did Gina jump so early, her and that Ryan guy

Gina's "I figured", this girl takes responsibility for her actions

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like there was a deleted scene where a lot went down because Ricky told her like once that she was too ambitious and that's what caused all this change. Has no one ever called her out before? Was her entire confidence act really all that weak?

"It's was more like I felt like I had to get it" "That's the same thing"

It's hard to take them seriously when they're wearing the most brightly coloured outfits ever

"little too literal for my taste" she's such a english teacher (derogatory)

We never see the principle in season 2 do we?

Kourtney switched so fucking quickly like before she was stealing Gina's stuff because her friend had a hunch Gina stole her phone and now they're being all friendly. I guess if Nini told Kourtney what Gina said and Gina didn't know about Kourtney's part in it it doesn't matter that much but still, like Kourtney used to hate Gina

Carlos putting his acting skills to work

Nini, Carlos is already soo stressed about this, why are you making his life harder with all your questions?

"This is not a democracy"😂

Nini pushing Carlos to his limits then being like "are you okay? it's not that deep" like, you're the issue

Seb's little "You know you could've told me"

Ricky just hanging onto "the show will still go on" for sake of his dying mental health then Gina just being like, "wtf, you can hold onto to stuff, even when it's unlikely, not just run away at any sign things could fall apart, seems fake but okay"

Gina's making friends!!!! And they're close!!!!

"Has it occurred to you that Miss Jenn is responsible for her own untimely demise" This is why Mr. Mazzara is my favourite character

Ej being this unstoppable force of making bad decisions and Ashlyn trying her best to stop him

HE'S GROWING AS A PERSON. CHARACTER DEVLOPMENT. I'm so proud of my little asshole baby, he's doing the right thing on his own

"I've messed up. More than you know" He's so responsible

"The audience doesn't know what they're missing" And he still uplifts her after everything that happened where she was a pretty shitting girlfriend to him

This is peak EJ. He will never get better than in this scene

His little stop when he's checking to see if he has anything else to apologize for

We better get a billion sorrys 2.0 in season 3

Nini's suffering when she sees Rina😍😍😍😍

Why tf did you think you would be able to stroll back into Ricky's life after how you left him. Because of his fear of abandonment and change that makes him willing o do anything to get things back to the way they used to be? Oh, yeah, okay, fair

How many teachers does this school have? would none of them be willing to help the students finish the musical?

Big Red made friends outside of Ricky!!!!

Ashlyn inviting a ton of people to Big Red's house

Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't miss Natalie Bagley. Her sass is kind of funny at first but then it just gets annoying

Gina says that like she has a lot of skeletons in her closet

Again Nini with this voice thing. Show me one fucking scene where no one listens to her, where everyone ignores or invalidates what she's saying. Any decent writer would add a scene like that to make this actually be a believable issues

Unless what Nini means by being heard is to have her voice be scene as the only important one and it's just so fucking shitty for anyone to have that

Okay but Ashlyn, I don't think your parents would be as relaxed about a teacher lying about their sketchy past

So mike and Miss Jenn find out that they're both connected to Ricky. This seems so early in their relationship that they could just break it off now

This entire show acts like theater is this very hated community which I never saw at my school. Idk is it an American thing?

Are you allowed to fire people sp publicly, like that seems like humiliating people in the workplace. Is this a thing that actually happens?

Also those seem like pretty good reasons to fire her

The way Ricky looks at his dad when he stands up

Seb says "she's the one who cheers us on" but then she's always just saying "no seb"

Where is Nini's other mom???

The hugging scenes are always so fun because you can just see them randomly hugging eachother in the background. Like Ashlyn and Ricky, EJ and seb, Carlos and Nini

Yessss, more of Nini in pain!!!!

Ricky's look when he realises they're flirting

[gingerbreadmonsters]

1, 3, 32? How did your uni even mess up your schedule so badly? I thought schools here were chaotic, but yours is just 💀

Hope your week gets better though. Congrats on getting into that dance society btw! Stay safe and relatively sane~

rainy!! hi sweetie 🤩🥳 my god there were MORE developments in the timetable saga today and it's literally making my blood pressure rise in real time 🤡🤡 but fingers are crossed!! and thank you hehe - i have my first proper class to teach tomorrow and i'm tentatively excited, plus i'm excited about this year's comp dances bc they seem REALLY cool 🤩💕🎊

rainy's talking about this ask game (still open)!

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

i'm a google docs girlie bc it's just really convenient, so it's arial 11 for me 😎😎 i don't think i cared that much in the past, but now i'm so used to it that i can't do anything else lmao

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

this.... may not come as a shock, considering that i talk a lot about music as an inspiration, but i HAVE to listen to music while i'm writing - that's not cursed, but if the fic in question is centred around one song in particular, then i'm required to listen to THAT song over and over again until i'm finished 😭😭 when i wrote motion capture, i listened to 'you are the sunshine of my life' (a two and a half minute song) for literally five hours straight as i bashed my face against the middle section and i genuinely thought i was about to lose my mind 😵‍💫😵‍💫

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

there are many, but here are a few off the top of my head:

"It was the milk, wasn't it?" she said. "All those years ago."

from This Melody Calling You by @mochibun23

i read this fic a long time ago when i was deep in the LU sauce, and i genuinely think it changed me as a person - the author has the most incredible, beautiful way of writing, and this particular fic always felt like the epitome of that fairytale, folk-tale-y style that hits so so deep for me. i cry every single time, without fail, and i love it more than anything - even if you know absolutely nothing about the legend of zelda, i cannot recommend this highly enough. it does that speed-up-slow-down music-swelling final-spotlight ending that i've always wanted to be able to do, and the author absolutely nails it 😍😍😍 an honourable mention to another of their works, this is the recipe of life, which for me is THE hyrule-centric fic and i won't hear arguments to the contrary!

They walk past him to get to the cooler in the trunk, intentionally bumping him with their hip on the way, and he follows, hopelessly charmed.

from refractions by @solclaw

i don't think there's anyone left on the face of the earth who doesn't know about my everlasting love for rowan and their writing, but just so we're all clear - it's very very true 🤩🤩 the description of gavin as "hopelessly charmed" - that little phrase has stuck in my mind ever since i read it, and i'm not sure i'll ever be over it, just because it so perfectly sums up how i imagine gavin to be. this whole fic (as well as my other favourite of rowan's, bring me a dream) is just immaculately done, but seeing as i can only choose one line then this is where we'll stay for now 💕💕

this is getting very long, so a quick-fire round to finish off:

She has a smile like the sun. I would do much to feel it's warmth upon me once again.

from the legend of zelda: breath of the wild

Imagine you were dying. Imagine you were afraid, and a long way from home, and in terrible pain. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, you looked up, and saw the face of the Devil himself. Hello, Dalek.

from doctor who s6e13, The Wedding of River Song

She could not survive... but nor did she entirely submit. Just as he found it impossible for a prisoner to travel instantly from a Japanese prison cell to Paris, just as he proved it impossible to draw a face one cannot envision, Yagami Light unwittingly, unknowingly proved that it is impossible to stand still and calmly burn to ash.

from Resistance, or Another Case: The Death of Naomi Misora by @/JPlash on ao3

(a word of warning: that last one is VERY graphic and describes someone burning to death in quite severe detail - please please PLEASE bear that in mind if you choose to read it, and please don't read it if you're sensitive to topics of self-inflicted injury, death, and the like. reader discretion is DEFINITELY advised.)

[booksfromblackwood]

Is anyone still around in this fandom? If so, I thought I’d post the first chapter of an old fic that I re-wrote last year! Let me know if anyone’s still around, and if you’d be interested in reading more! Hope everyone reading this has a great day! :)

Han has left the chat.

Three Days Before The Disappearance

.Sam.Giddings. added josh_wash, ashleeeeey, xXGamerChrisXx, TheOriginalMatt, HanButterfly, BethWash, Mike_Munroe, EmilyD_, and _Jess.Riley_ to the chat.

.Sam.Giddings. named the chat Info For Tomorrow.

.Sam.Giddings.: Hey guys! Just to keep everyone updated on our travel plans for tomorrow! I know it's going to be a long day for everyone so it's vital we stick to the plan and stay in our groups where possible!

ashleeeeey: Okie-doodle!!

TheOriginalMatt: How are you so organised, Sam? You're a lifesaver!

HanButterfly: Hi!!

BethWash: trust sam to be more prepared than those of us organising the trip lol

xXGamerChrisXx: Since when was 'okie-doodle' a thing?

EmilyD_: Thanks Sam x

xXGamerChrisXx: And thanks so much, sam!

.Sam.Giddings.: So quick reminder of everyone's groups:

_Jess.Riley_: I'm stoked!!

ashleeeeey: That's rich coming from someone whose username is xXGamerChrisXx! :P

.Sam.Giddings.: Ash, Chris, Matt, and myself will start the journey first tomorrow morning.

xXGamerChrisXx: You wound me!

Mike_Munroe: Thanks for the plan, Sam!

TheOriginalMatt: Excited to see everyone tomorrow! This is going to be a killer weekend for sure!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Em, Mike, and Jess, you guys are next.

ashleeeeey: You're so dramatic!! XD

Mike_Munroe: Team Two here we go!!

xXGamerChrisXx: Made you smile, though! ;-)

josh_wash: what about us

.Sam.Giddings.: I'm just getting to that!

ashleeeeey: True :)

xXGamerChrisXx: You guys are already there and are therefore irrelevant! :P

.Sam.Giddings.: Han, Beth, and Josh, you guys are there already!

josh_wash: thanks cochise i feel so appreciated

BethWash: lol thanks chris

Mike_Munroe: So, what are we all up to?

BethWash: i found cake

xXGamerChrisXx: Browsing reddit like a nerd XD

ashleeeeey: Listening to Sam's rundown of tomorrow unlike sOmE pEoPlE *coughcoughChris*

EmilyD_: Honestly just packing my final things with Jess. Mike's mostly watching the TV.

xXGamerChrisXx: :-(

.Sam.Giddings.: So, tonight we should all make sure our bags are packed and that we have our passports and tickets ready!! Set your alarms for the right times (depending on your group) and make sure to sleep early too (especially if you're in my group since tomorrow will be an early start for us)!

ashleeeeey: :)

TheOriginalMatt: 5am gang where we AT?

HanButterfly: Beth where are you rn? Because I want some of that cake!!

.Sam.Giddings.: So Team One (myself, Chris, Ash, and Matt), we need to be up by 5:00am and be ready by 5:30am for the taxi to the airport!! Matt and Chris, yours is going to be at Chris' place at 5:24 for some reason so make sure to be ready!!

BethWash: the lodge kitchen bcos where else would there be cake han lol

.Sam.Giddings.: We'll meet up at the airport when we arrive! Once we re-group, we'll check in, probably eat some breakfast whilst we wait, and then catch the 8:30 plane!!

TheOriginalMatt: Sweet!

ashleeeeey: Can't wait! :)

josh_wash: yo matt you surviving the puns

.Sam.Giddings.: Team Two - you guys don't have to be up until around 9:00am since your taxi is at 9:20 and then your plane is at 11:30!

HanButterfly: Josh would you like me to save you some cake before we eat it all? :)

EmilyD_: We'll need a little longer than 20 minutes to all get ready but sure x

TheOriginalMatt: Just about! Myself and Chris have mostly been playing on his PS4 so I've been distracting myself with that! XD

josh_wash: yes please!

josh_wash: i feel for ya bro, a whole evening with chris' puns can prove fatal

josh_wash: you die of cringe

Mike_Munroe: Poor ol' Chris XD

.Sam.Giddings.: Once we arrive and get our bags, we need to catch the 2:30pm train and then the 4:20 bus! After that we have to take the 5:40 bus (I sent you guys screenshots of the route yesterday) and get off at Blackwood Pines ready for our hike up the mountain (with a little help from the cable car, of course)!

xXGamerChrisXx: I'm being BULLIED guys :(

ashleeeeey: Aw, poor Chris! :P

josh_wash: jk XD

TheOriginalMatt: I like how Sam's still here typing all we need to know whilst we're talking about cake and puns XD

.Sam.Giddings.: Team Two, you guys need to catch either the 5:30pm or the 6:00pm train depending on when your stuff arrives. After that you'll need to get the 7:50 bus and then the 8:40 bus to Blackwood Pines (you have to specify you want it to stop there or the driver won't stop) before you head up. Remember to lock the cable car station once you get in, Mike!

josh_wash: oh gosh tHE CAKE

Mike_Munroe: Gotcha' Sam!

HanButterfly: No worries, Josh! I managed to save most of it from Beth!

BethWash: rip my chance at a third slice of cake

_Jess.Riley_: Really, thanks Sam! We're all packed and ready to go! Xx

HanButterfly: It's really going to be such an awesome weekend! I can't wait :D

ashleeeeey: Thank you so much for inviting me! I've never been on something like this before!! :D

TheOriginalMatt: Yeah, thank you so much guys! I can't wait either, Han!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Have we got rooms sorted out for the lodge, guys?

BethWash: ash take the plans away from sam so she can have time to relax lol

EmilyD_: I'm with Mike in the room away from everyone like agreed right x

ashleeeeey: I'm trying but she won't let me! XD

HanButterfly: I mean if needs be we can sort out rooms once we're here! If not maybe we just sort out the first night rooms since it'll be fairly late when everyone arrives and then we can adjust them as needed as the trip goes on!

BethWash: lol poor sam will be up all night organising at this rate

.Sam.Giddings.: Sounds good, Han!

Mike_Munroe: Great idea, Hannah!

BethWash: em, yours and mike's room (upstairs guest) may not be ready first night so is it possible for you to share a room with jess til we get a chance to sort it out tomorrow?

EmilyD_: That's fine, hon. Thank you again for the trip and for letting us use the upstairs guest room x

josh_wash: how about for the first night emily and jess share beth's room and then beth sam and han go in hannah's room

josh_wash: mike can go to the small room downstairs if he's alright w/ that and matt can room w/ me

xXGamerChrisXx: Yo dude you forgot ash

ashleeeeey: It's alright, Chris! I can find somewhere!

EmilyD_: Ash you're honestly lovely but I'd kinda' like to be with either Jess or Mike if that's alright xx

ashleeeeey: No problem, Emily! I wouldn't want to intrude! :)

EmilyD_: Knew you'd understand xx

josh_wash: why dont you and ash share a room cochise

xXGamerChrisXx: I thought I was rooming with you and matt?

josh_wash: bro please just think for a minute here

ashleeeeey: I'm not sure.

xXGamerChrisXx: Beth, han, and sam, is there any room with you guys?

ashleeeeey: I'm really sorry to be a bother!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Of course you can room with us, Ash! We'd love to have you with us! :)

BethWash: im with sam

HanButterfly: Of course!!

xXGamerChrisXx: Thank you to the only valid washington kids right now!

josh_wash: -_-

xXGamerChrisXx: I see what you're doing, josh. ha ha, we've had our laugh, now please stop before this weekend.

Mike_Munroe: Rough subject, huh?

josh_wash: bro chill you know i was just joking

ashleeeeey: I'm really sorry!! Please don't get upset with each other!

xXGamerChrisXx: No ash it's alright! i promise i'm not actually mad! :-)

josh_wash: he acts mad over text to get his point across but he literally just sits there with a blank expression irl XD

TheOriginalMatt: Is Sam still there, Ash? Haven't heard from her in a while!

TheOriginalMatt: Gotta check up on my plane buddy for tomorrow!!

_Jess.Riley_: Did you guys get window seats or middle isle seats? I got a middle isle and the others got a window!

BethWash: she hasn't drowned in her notes has she lol

TheOriginalMatt: We got two sets of window seats! Though I don't know which of us is actually going to be at the window and which one will be window isle!

ashleeeeey: She's just brushing her teeth! Her mom came in and brought us a load of vegan snacks for the trip tomorrow and now I'm even more excited!!

ashleeeeey: Speaking of which, I'm probably going to head to sleep in a minute! Though I'm not sure how much I'll actually get since I'm so excited!!! :)

xXGamerChrisXx: Sleep well, ash. see you in the morning :-)

ashleeeeey: Night, Chris :)

ashleeeeey has left the chat.

_Jess.Riley_: Well that was cute!

xXGamerChrisXx: People say goodnight to eachother! that's a normal human interaction!

_Jess.Riley_: You know full well it's cute when it's you two

.Sam.Giddings.: Ash told me she logged out so I came to say goodnight!

josh_wash: w/ jess on this one bro

HanButterfly: Goodnight, Sam!

BethWash: night sam!

josh_wash: dont let the bedbugs bite!

TheOriginalMatt: See you bright and early tomorrow!!

.Sam.Giddings.: See you at the airport/lodge, guys!

xXGamerChrisXx: Night!

.Sam.Giddings. has left the chat.

BethWash: its cute because you like eachother chris

xXGamerChrisXx has left the chat.

HanButterfly: Aww, don't tease the poor guy!

TheOriginalMatt: Chris says goodnight, as do I! Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!

BethWash: night guys!

TheOriginalMatt has left the chat.

josh_wash: night!

Mike_Munroe: Make sure to save me a slice of that cake, Han! I gtg!

Mike_Munroe has left the chat.

HanButterfly: Goodnight Mike :)

EmilyD_: We'd best be off too. See you all in the morning.

_Jess.Riley_: Night x

EmilyD_ has left the chat.

BethWash: night

HanButterfly: Goodnight x

josh_wash: night xxxxxxyzqvp

_Jess.Riley_: Ha ha, very funny. Get that one from Chris?

josh_wash: lol night

_Jess.Riley_ has left the chat.

BethWash: PLEASE can i have some more cake, han?

josh_wash: you guys can literally just talk if you wanted

HanButterfly: Nope! Gotta' save some for Mike~

BethWash: you wont shut up about that for the rest of the evening now, will you?

BethWash: lol

HanButterfly: :P

josh_wash: you guys gossip in the kitchen

josh_wash: imma head to bed

BethWash: night bro

HanButterfly: Sleep well!

josh_wash has left the chat.

BethWash: please?

HanButterfly: No :P

BethWash: ugh night sis

HanButterfly: Night, Beth! XD

BethWash has left the chat.

HanButterfly has left the chat.

[dailyaudiobible]

05/26/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 9:1-11-27, John 15:1-27, Psalm 119:49-64, Proverbs 16:1-3

Today is the 26th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm sorry…I was…I was like chewing something. Okay. I think I'm all in the clear now. I didn’t want to chew so close to your ear. So, here we are, the 26th day of May already to take the next step forward as we continue this journey. And first up, of course, we’ll be moving back into the Old Testament, which lands us back in second Samuel squarely in the life of King David. So, we’re reading from the Evangelical Heritage Version, the EHV, this week. Second Samuel 9, 10, and 11 today.

Commentary:

Okay. Second Kings today. It’s like we were going along so well. What happened? All of a sudden what happened? David has been this upstanding, upright, godly God-fearing king who brings justice to his people. The people respect David. They know what he went through with Saul and they watched his ascension to power and the way that he was humble in all of it. And the next thing we know, we flip the page and Bathsheba's naked taking a bath and he sees her, and he sends for her and she comes and she's another man's wife and…I mean…she gets pregnant, so they get together. And it's a difficult situation because it's the king. So, does…you know, she doesn’t really have any say in the matter, her husband Uriah is off fighting a battle on behalf of King David while King David is sitting in the palace sleeping with his wife. And then it turns out she's pregnant and she sends word back. So, now she is bearing a prince, the royal a royal child. And David's got this situation. But he seems to be decisive about what he is going to do and it's like what is going to do is only bad. He calls for Uriah the Hittite to come from the battle and what he’s gonna do is kinda give Uriah a furlough so that he can go home and be with his wife, get rested up, maybe cover-up the pregnancy. Not maybe. Cover-up the pregnancy and all that transpired to make her pregnant. But Uriah won't behave after that fashion. He has honor for his fellow soldiers his king and the battle, the mission that they are on and he won't…he won't do it. The irony is now, that Uriah is acting more like David than David. And David is acting more like Saul than anybody else in this situation. Saul tried to send David into battle lots of times to get him killed. Now David, after seeing that he's not going to get Uriah to go home and cover this whole thing up, sends him back to the front lines where he will most certainly be killed. And he most certainly is killed. One of the little, little pieces of this story that is so fascinating is, later on when we kinda get to the end of David's life and his reign we’ll meet a lot of names, like a big recap, all the different kinds of people that were involved in what they did and there will be the valiant soldiers…like the best of the best of the nation, they'll be named, the mighty warriors, the mighty warriors of Israel, the mighty warriors of King David and Uriah the Hittite was one of them. One of the most loyal, dedicated gifted committed warriors David had. He had him killed to cover up what he had done, which looks way more like Saul. And we’ll continue this story because it hasn't…I mean we’re kind of in the middle of this story. So, we have some more territory to cover but what seems to become quite apparent in this story is very very similar warnings that came through Moses. When you get into that land and you don't have anything to fight for anymore and all is going well, when you find that you are living in houses you didn't build, and you’re eating from vineyards you didn't plant, all is well all around you, prosperity is the norm then don't forget who your God is because when you make that turn it may take a minute but it's over. In so many ways that is what we see here. David has been a warrior, he has been fighting, he has been honorable, he's been holding and clinging to God for his very life. So many times, he’s clinging to God as the only hope to stay alive and God has kept them alive, but now he has subdued his enemies. He has been blessed. He has everything that he could want, and he wants Bathsheba. He wants something he can't have, he’s not supposed to have, but he's got it all and peace is on every side, and there's no reason to cling to God for dear life anymore. And, so, he gets himself to the position where this type of thing could happen. It doesn't have to…I mean for us to apply this to our lives doesn't have to be adultery, doesn’t not to be sexual, doesn’t not be anything like that. It could be anything that can distract us, anything that can make us self-sufficient, a decision that we make out of our own strength and out of our own power and out of our own means to do something, to do something despite God, to do something without consulting God, to do something that we might even know God would not approve of but we’re in a good place, we’re resourced well, we’re gonna do what we want to do because we’re not clinging for dear life. We've lost the plot of the wilderness, which is exactly what Moses was telling the children of Israel before they came into the promised land, “do not lose the plot of the wilderness. You are utterly dependent on God no matter what. And, so, when you get into the promised land and it doesn't look like that anymore don't forget.” David obviously has forgotten, at least for the moment, and we are guilty of the same so many times in our lives. So, let's think about that because the thing that we continually pray for is blessing and relief from the pressures around us, but when the pressures are relieved we no longer need to cling in utter devotion to God, we have things back under control and we…we repeat the cycle. If we could get off that train, if we could just truly finally realize we are utterly dependent on God no matter what, no matter what the circumstance. Whether the circumstances are trying or whether we just have infinite abundance, we are still utterly dependent upon God. When we lose that plot…I mean…this is one of the central plots of the Bible. Like all…what…let's just continue to watch. We’ll see what happens to a people when they lose that plot and then we can understand what happens to us because we’re in the middle of it right now. And as we can see from the story of David when you lose that plot, really really bad things can happen.

Prayer:

Father, we don't want to lose that aspect of the story. It's a central deep foundational part of our story. You have created us. You are our Creator. We are dependent upon You. We are not independent of You. We need You for survival. And You have only ever been willing to Father us, yet we just act like rebellious children most of the time. So, forgive us, because it is from Your hand that all good things that have ever happened in our lives have flowed, and we have no desire to dishonor or disrespect that in any way. But we do when we…when we get lost in our own story, when we get disoriented and upside down and start believing that we have control, and we have power and if You’re not gonna come through then we’re gonna come through. And we just get this thing so upside down and it has led us to the same place, some sort of destruction of our own making in some sort of way in our lives. And, so, we’re asking for forgiveness. We’re repenting, we’re changing our mind about this type of behavior. We repent. You are our only hope. We are utterly dependent on You for everything. Help us to remember this Father, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's…it's the website and its where you find out what's going on around here. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access these things as well from within the app by pushing the Drawer icon.

But, yeah, the Community section, this is where the Prayer Wall is and stays. It's where the links to different social media channels that we are a part of are.

And the Daily Audio Bible Shop is full of resources that are intended to be used as we take this journey through the Bible in a year. And, so, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or there are a number of numbers that you can use, that you can dial. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number or if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family, I’ll call myself Child of God. I’m a faithful listener since October of last year and first-time caller. I’ve begun journaling daily and logging prayer requests. Though I’ve been a Christian all my life the DAB has helped me grow so much spiritually, especially my prayer life. After hearing Momma D from Indiana’s request for prayer for healing for her marriage even after two years of petition because of being encouraged by God Smile’s story, I decided to ask the DAB family for prayers for my broken family. We live in a small rural town and our three married children with young families all live here too, serving the Lord faithfully. We have a 30-year family business. We’ve raised our family here. After our middle son finished college and joined our business conflict began plaguing us. I was constantly playing mediator in the roles of wife and mother. My husband feeling betrayed if I’d side with my son on issues. Our success has made him prideful and headstrong. Delegating the work and spending little time actually managing the business or being there yet unwilling to let go of any power and decision making. He had an affair 4 years ago, he blamed me for it, and it went on for two years. This shattered our world. My kids were our rock for me through it all. Counseling helped me but my husbands hardened heart became more hard and the relationship between him and our son became worse. Our son sought counseling, but his father refused. Our son left the business 1 year ago and now his father goes around painting him as ungrateful, unappreciative, and disloyal. Things have gotten very ugly. We’re now separated. Please pray for wisdom and direction as I navigate through this storm, for my husbands hardened heart to be softened and for my hurting children and grandchildren. Thank you.

Hey DAB family it’s His River and Rain here calling from the UK. I’ve just been listening to the 8th of May and I’ve just heard our sisters Viola’s voice and I just want to pray for her Lord. She’s a very servant, prayer-filled member of the DAB family and she’s always calling in to prayer over us, always calling in to, you know, just give her prayers and give her blessings and comfort to people, Lord. So, I just want to pray that our sister Viola and she’s such a God-filled woman, you know, spirit filled and…and everything and I just want to continue to say God just to bless her just to love on her, comfort her. She’s always praying for us all and I’m just so glad God that you’ve chosen her, you’ve chosen Viola to be part of this family, you’ve chosen her at this specific time to be with us all, to praying for us all. And God I just ask that You continue to bless her and continue to favor her, continue to just fill her with Your Holy Spirit and anything that she’s going through God cause she continues to pray for us, she continues to pray for…for, for the DAB family. I just ask that anything that she’s going through, Lord may you bless it Father God, may You heal and restore anything that she’s going through and just continue to just fill her up God so there’s, you know, less of us and, you know, less of me and more of You, less of me and more of You God in every situation. We ask the same for Viola God. We pray over her so much God and we thank You so much. And so, to sister Viola, we love you, we love you so much and I love hearing your voice, I smile every time I hear it. And I just want to give blessings and ask that God blesses you and favors you and keeps you. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. You guys have been a huge encouragement to me just hearing everybody pray for each other. I just joined the family in late February, early March-ish and I’m play catch up. So, you guys are about a month ahead of where I am so now but I’m still hearing all the prayers and all the people who take a genuine interest in the life of their fellow Christians and…and those people hurting and…and trying to lift them up and…and I came here looking to just find a place to hear God’s word and…and I think God has brought me here to…just to soften my heart and give me a heart for others. And you guys demonstrated that so well and I want to say thank you. And…and just keep it up guys. And Have a great day.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible listeners Isaiah 66:16-20 Come and listen all you who fear God let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth, His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened and heard my voice and prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me. Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us that our ways may be known on the earth…that Your ways Oh Lord may be known on the earth and Your salvation among all the nations. And I just want to praise God for what He has done. I had been praying for my youngest son Jordon who had gone…7 years ago had gone off on the wrong…the…the evil ways of this world. I mean he had…was bound by the enemy. And I never…my husband and I never stopped praying, we fasted, we prayed, we interceded, we always let him know that we were there for him, loved him and thank God last year he accepted Jesus all on his own through a YouTube video of a street preacher and now as of today he loves Jesus, he has surrendered his whole life. He has made King Jesus, king of his heart. He got married in February. He is having a baby and God is good. So, keep on praying for your sons and your daughters. Do not let the enemy take ‘em, you say no Satan you will not take my kids. My kids belong to God. Be like a dog on a bone, do not let go. Keep trusting in God with faith, tenacity and just keep on praying for your children. And ask God to guide you by His Spirit with what to do and how to help them in any way shape or form and pray for other believers to be placed in their life to be given the…the word of truth…

[ma-gic-gay]

A few hours, two kisses, and one nap later, he begins plotting his escape. It mainly consists of signing a discharge form and then hunting down Cyrus. Then, he'll kill him. Fairly simple, and does provide a good distraction from the chaos his personal life has become. His business/mob life has been fairly normal, no new competitors yet.

"What are you planning?" Carly asks, looking up from the iPad she's probably planning Morgan's return from the dead party on.

"How long until I can get out of here?" Hospital rooms inspire him to run very far away from them. They keep him cooped up, they're boring as all hell, and there's really no choice as to who can walk in at any given time.

"Probably tomorrow," she answers and he groans. "It's not the end of the world, Jason. It's one more night in a hospital bed." Debatable. It's a whole twelve hours, minimum.

"Or I could just sign my discharge form now and break out of here."

"No, you need to stay at least for tonight. Break out tomorrow."

"I don't want to."

"Just let them monitor you. Sleep. You won't be able to do much out there anyways. I'm pretty sure the doctors are going to tell you to relax and take it easy, which means taking a short leave of absence. Brando can handle it for a few more days."

"There could be a takeover-"

"Not without any talk. Come on, if I thought there was any threat, I'd be breaking you out of here myself," she reminds him. "Take a nap."

"I'm not sure that's the best decision." Actually, it's more time that he'd be a suspect in Cyrus's murder (that, rest assured, he will commit) and more time Cyrus gets to breathe the same air as him. "Stop the thoughts about it being unsafe because you're not going to be able to do anything. You're recovering from surgeries and a gunshot wound."

"I'm perfectly capable of doing everything," he responds, fidgeting again with the stupid IV. He'll break that thing out of him if that's what it takes.

"I'm sure you are, but stop pouting. Sleep. Take a nap. Enjoy your break from reality for a day or two and just relax," Carly reasons. You know it's bad when Carly's being the reasonable one.

"This isn't pouting, it's captivity."

"No one's holding you captive."

"I'm being forced to be in a room against my will. This could be a hostage situation," he says dramatically.

"Well, as cute as your pouting is, you're spending the night. Take a nap. Enjoy it," she smiles. "Oh, and by the way, you're not killing Cyrus."

There's a lot to take in there but we'll start with the obvious: "I didn't even say I was planning on it."

She rolls her eyes, "You didn't have to, I can see the plan formulating in your mind. No murder. Cyrus will live for the rest of his miserable life in prison without you sending someone to rough him up or kill him."

Sometimes it's a shame how well she knows him. It genuinely sucks sometimes because she can read him like a book. No matter how successful he is at hiding everything from, well, pretty much everyone else, she just rolls her eyes and lets him know exactly what he's doing. Half the time, she knows before he does. The other half, she's informing him it's normal to express your emotions.

"I don't think he should even be able to walk around," he admits, struggling somewhat to voice the hatred he feels for the other mobster. "I've wanted to kill the guy for years, ever since I laid eyes on him. Going after you, kidnapping and raping you as some sort of sick revenge against me was the last straw."

"It was stupid to go after me and he'll pay. For the rest of his life, he'll be in prison. Solitary, you said. He can't run his business in solitary. Cyrus will never be able to hurt me or anyone else again," Carly says, grasping his hand and squeezing it. "He's a piece of shit. I look forward to the day he's in jail, serving his sentence. But it's probably going to be a few weeks."

"Which provides plenty of opportunity-"

"He lives. You're not going to jail because of him, Jason. Cyrus isn't worth it, alright? I don't care if he dies tomorrow. If you go to jail, I'll have to break you out of there myself and that probably won't go too well," she laughs at that. "So, save us all the paperwork and don't kill him. Besides, I confronted him."

She- confronted- "You did what? Carly, that is a man who could kill you and threatened to! He's very much capable of keeping that threat! Did you want to die?"

What inspired her to go confront her kidnapper/rapist? What made her think that was the sane thing to do while he was unconscious in a hospital bed?! She could've died and he can't have that happening because it'd be his fault. It's also such an ugly thought he can't stand to think of it. Carly cannot die.

"I brought guards, I threatened him, I yelled and screamed, I also cried for a while," she summarizes. "And to answer your question, I don't have a death wish. There's children I have to take care of and I'm not done complicating your life yet. I've got at least ten more years left in me."

"You confronted a man who could kill you."

"With guards, Jason."

"That doesn't make it okay! Carly, you can't act like there wasn't a good chance you could've died! You can't reason with people like Cyrus, you can't go in on your own."

"I. Brought. Guards."

"And they could've died too. He took out a whole group of them once, an entire warehouse of the Novak crew."

"You're acting like I didn't know what I was doing! I knew exactly what I was doing and it was either that or wonder if you'd live to tell me I'm being stupid again, Jason. Which choice would you have made?" Carly asks, tears building up in her eyes. No, he's mad, don't start crying. That'll make him sad. No crying, Carly, please don't. "I'm not so unknowledgeable when it comes to the business, you know."

"No, but you don't know how the business works. Things like that, impulsive things, they get people killed! They're the things that cause people to die and not the type you can come back from. You can't be doing things like that and pulling stunts like threatening Cyrus. He has nothing left to lose, which means he has everything to gain. If he can kill you, which is what he wants to do, that'll be a win for him and a final way to get back at me. That's what he wants and you're playing right into it." Jason exclaims. Emotional outbursts are rare for him, which probably made the point more clear. He hopes so. Losing her-

That's a thought almost too painful to bear thinking of.

"I was worried you would die! Jason, I couldn't spend another hour in this room or getting harassed by Sam. I needed to do something, make some statement," Carly argues and he shakes his head. Does she not get it? She could've died.

"And you couldn't go to work at the Metro Court? You had to go and confront a man who wants you dead almost as much as he wants me dead, Carly! It was stupid. You could've died."

"I was safe-"

"You don't get it! Doing that, no matter how many guards are there, isn't safe. I don't care if you had the place full with guards, he wants you six feet under and he wants me even further. What if he shot you? What if he hurt you? What if he killed you?" Emotions just seem to flow out of him like water does down a river at this point, anger and hurt and worry and sadness all combined into one.

"He didn't-"

"Not this time. Next time, he could. You could've gotten hurt or killed or shot at and I'm not going to be the reason for that."

"Well there won't be a next time."

"How can you be so sure about that, Carly? You don't control him. He's his own person; he does what he wants, exactly when he wants, exactly how he wants. And he could've hurt you."

"Every single time you agrees to one of those meetings with him or left to go, seemingly, anywhere, I thought the same thing. He's tried to get to you a million times. But you didn't die."

"I didn't die because I'm aware of the intricacies of the business! You're not and, as much as I'm grateful you're not, I can't have you running around picking fights with people who want you dead, who want me dead."

"Do you want a fake apology?" Carly snaps. "Do you want me to pretend like I didn't know that? I'm all too aware of the fact that everytime I leave the house, I could get shot at and die or that everytime I see you it might be the last time because of your line of work. I am intimately familiar with the anxieties of waiting in a hospital room to see if you're going to wake up or not from yet another injury. You're acting like it's my first day as someone who cares about people in your line of work and you're wrong. It's not. I knew damn well what I was doing and I know you would've done the same if they'd shot me."

Well. He didn't think of that. Anger sort of half drowns inside of him, flopping but still very much there at her beyond dumb move. "You're right. I would've killed him if he'd shot you or hurt you. But that doesn't make that you get to go out and pick fights with him because you're worried. It means you've got to be careful, stay in groups. It means-"

"Don't tell me what I should've done."

"What would you like me to do, congratulate you? Congratulations, Carly, you could've died! You could've died and if I woke up to that knowledge I don't know what I'd do."

"You'd keep surviving. Probably throw yourself into the business even more, to a point I don't think it'd be healthy." Carly shakily says, clearly having thought about it. "You'd tell Donna all about me when she started to forget I existed."

"You've thought of this?" Jason asks, incredulous. "You've thought about what I'd do if you died?"

"When we thought you were gone, I thought about what you would've done if roles were reversed."

There's a solid 20% chance she's pulling at his heartstrings right now to get sympathy and it's working. 100%. She could be completely playing him and he'd believe it at this point.

He hugs her as best as he can in the hospital bed. "I wasn't dead. You're not dead, thankfully. But you can't take risks with your life, not like that. Your kids need their mom. People need you. I'd miss you."

"How nice, I sobbed myself to sleep for weeks because you were gone and you'd miss me." Tugging at the heart, yet again.

"Oh come on, Carly. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah I do."

It's a strange bond they've got (and a strange life he's got), but at least they can count on one thing: their friendship. Hence why kissing and stuff can't mean anything or complicate things. They've been in each other's lives so long, if they dated or something and it went south, he doesn't know if they could bounce back. And that's a terrifying thought, that they could be,,, not friends.

To be continued after I change my tampon and sleep because I'm fucking tired :)

@ryleighjosephine

[pietromelim]

"Dance with me" Lucie/Jesse and Christopher/Grace short story!

The Blackthorn siblings were on their way to the Institute. At Lucie's request,her family decided that today's ball would be a celebration for Jesse's return to life.

Jesse himself felt happy that Lucie had that idea,it probably meant he was special to her,perhaps? One could always dream. But that didn't meant he wasn't nervous.

He had been a ghost for quite some time,and he never danced with anyone during his time as a ghost. The thought of dancing with Lucie today really scared him.

Not that he would ever admit it. He was going to become a real Shadowhunter soon. A warrior trained to slain demons in the dead of night. Why would dancing with a stunning,5'4 girl with blue eyes scare him?

They were inside the carriage. Grace was there,looking at him,trying to understand his expression.

-Is something the matter Jesse? You seem awfully worried. Do you wish to return? We don't have to go if you don't feel like going.-Grace said.

Jesse smiled at his sister. Grace meant well,he knew that. But he had to go,for Lucie.

-I am perfectly fine,Grace. It is just that...It has been many years since i last danced with a lady. Actually,the last time was when mother taught us how to dance,remember that?-Jesse said.

Grace laughed.

-I do. We were horrible.-Grace said.

Jesse shook his head.

-Don't lie to make me feel good about myself. I was a true disaster,but you were always perfect in dancing. I'm afraid that i'm still a disaster.-Jesse said.

Grace blinked. Her expression changed quite softly.

-Is that the problem? Are you afraid you will embarrass Lucie in front of the Enclave?-Grace asked.

-Not really. I'm afraid i will embarrass myself in front of Lucie.-Jesse said.

-Nonsense Jesse. I am absolutely sure Lucie will be delighted to dance with you,even if you turn out to have two left feet.-Grace said.

Jesse only nodded. Grace had a weird way to encourage him. But she had a point. Perhaps he would turn out to be terrible at dancing,but at least he would be able to share a special moment with Lucie.

And that was more than enough for him.

Meanwhile

-Lucie,can you please stop staring at the door? You are beginning to vex me.-Cordelia said,a little impatient.

Lucie could not help but keep looking at the door. The ball had been happening for at least 30 minutes now,and still no sign of Jesse.

He was taking a little longer than expected. She just wanted him to be there already.

-Why has he not arrived yet!? I can't keep dancing with all these gentlemen! I need to be free to dance with Jesse when he shows up!-Lucie said.

-I know you want that Lu,but is not like you can refuse a dance. Perhaps if you keep dancing with Thomas? I'm sure he won't mind if you leave him when Jesse shows up.-Cordelia said.

Lucie saw Thomas dancing with Catherine Townsend,she was smiling,and Tom was as well. At least he was enjoying himself.

-I cannot do that. My arms won't survive dancing with Thomas all night.-Lucie said.

Cordelia laughed. But Lucie was being serious. Thomas was so much taller than her. It was hard to keep her arms in his shoulders all the time.

She was beginning to feel nervous. The whole idea for this ball was because of Jesse. He needed to be there with her.

-He will come! You don't need to fret over this. A little bit of patience would do you good.-Cordelia said.

James approached them,looking entertained.

-Daisy,shall we dance? I'm sure Lucie wishes to be alone as she longs for Jesse Blackthorn's presence.-James said,grinning.

Lucie was about to say a word that a lady should never pronounce,but her attention was at the door.

A boy and a girl had just entered. The boy was fully dressed in black,he looked around the ballroom,as if everything was new to him.

The girl beside him was just the opposite. She was dressed in white,and the ballroom was no surprise to her.

Jesse and Grace. They were finally there.

Lucie ignored James and went in their direction,she was almost running.

She stopped. Her parents were there,talking to them. So much for thinking that she could just go and talk to him right away.

-Finally. Lucie prepared this ballroom just for you,Jesse Blackthorn. I was beginning to feel you would not come.-Will said.

-Pardon our delay. Chiswick House is quite far from here,and our carriage is not as fast as it once was.-Jesse said.

-Don't scare him,Will. You are not late at all! The ball has barely begun. Have fun,it is all we ask of you.-Tessa said.

-Of course. And thank you.-Jesse said,as Grace only nodded.

She was not in the best of terms with the Herondales,but that would change eventually.

-Lucie is coming here,Jesse. I'll let you talk to her in private.-Grace said,leaving Jesse's side.

As soon as she did,one of Jesse's cousins,Christopher Lightwood,asked to dance with her,and Grace accepted,smiling.

Jesse raised his eyebrows. Did Grace actually seemed happy? It was quite unexpected for him to see that. Grace always considered balls to be simply a task that had to be done.

-By the Angel Jesse! I was nearly losing my mind! I thought you had forgotten about this!-Lucie said.

-I would never do that. I know that you prepared all of this because of me. Your father made that very clear just now.-Jesse said,smiling.

Lucie was scandalized.

-Oh goodness! Why would he!? That is so vexing! Forgive me Jesse!-Lucie said.

-You didn't do anything wrong. And i should be thanking you,as a matter of fact. No one ever did something like this for me before. You are always doing big things for me,have you realized that? First you bring me back to life,then you stand up for me against the Clave,and now this ball. Do i really deserve all of this?-Jesse asked.

Lucie could not help but smile after hearing his words.

-Of course you do! You are worth every effort i assure you!-Lucie said.

Jesse got closer to her,their hands almost touching.

-How can i make it up to you?-Jesse asked.

Lucie was really hoping he would say that.

-I thought you would never ask. Dance with me.-She said.

Jesse took her hands,and they began to dance.

Meanwhile

-Would you like to dance with me,Grace?-Christopher asked.

Grace looked at Christopher. He seemed quite nervous,his lavender eyes were studying her expression,as if he was trying to see if she was going to decline or accept.

A lady could never decline a gentleman's request for a dance. But it wasn't like Grace was planning to decline anyway.

-Of course Christopher.-Grace said. It would be good for her,and Jesse needed his moment with Lucie. Grace knew that she was the only one who could make her brother truly happy.

They began to dance,he had one hand at her waist,and the other held her hand.

-I am so glad that you came. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to talk tonight.-Christopher said.

Grace knew why he thought that. After she revealed the use of her powers on James,most of the Merry Thieves were trying to avoid her. James and Thomas still were polite to her,and Matthew was ignoring her completely,but that was no surprise to Grace.

What truly were a surprise to Grace was the fact that Christopher did not gave up of their friendship after the whole "control over James" situation. Obviously he was not pleased by her actions. But he said that he understood the reasons she had.

And that was enough for Grace to sympathize with him.

-I wouldn't miss this. It is very important to Jesse,and i had to be here with him. I also wanted to see you as well.-Grace said.

-I am flattered. And you look absolutely stunning. I am nearly breathless.-Christopher said.

Grace had a weak smile in her face. She wasn't really sure if Christopher was any good at flirting,but he seemed to have some sort of talent.

-Thank you Chris. I wasn't aware of your skill with words. Have you been reading about how to please ladies instead of science?-Grace asked.

-Not exactly. I told Matthew that there was a girl i wanted to impress today,so he gave me some advice,and dancing lessons. Stepping in your toes would be awful.-Christopher said.

-Is that so? Well how very nice of you. Have you impressed her yet? I am sure she will be delighted.-Grace said.

Christopher seemed really confused.

-Hm,i believe you misunderstood me? I was trying to impress you,Grace,not some random girl of the Enclave.-Christopher said.

Grace almost laughed.

-I knew that. Do they know about us?-Grace asked.

-Not yet. But i had plans of revealing to them today. That is,if you are impressed? I still haven't smashed your toes like potatoes.-Christopher said.

-I am impressed. But you always manage to impress me in different ways,so i am used to it.-Grace said.

-That is great! Really good,by the way,my father plans on inviting you and Jesse for dinner tomorrow. Will you accept it?-Christopher asked.

She would,but not really for the whole family thing. If she could be with Christopher,she would accept almost anything,even going out to kill demons.

-I surely will. Perhaps you can even show me something new at your lab?-Grace suggested.

Christopher smiled. Grace was always surprising him.

-I would love that.-He said.

Grace gave him a quick kiss on the cheek,and Christopher blushed immediately. He was so adorable,maybe that was the reason she liked him so much.

As they danced,far from them,Lucie was finally dancing with Jesse.

It had been a recurring dream,being in the ballroom with him. In her dreams,the ballroom was empty,and the melody was in the air. They danced together as everything fell apart,but nothing could stop them.

But that was the real thing. She could feel Jesse's hand on her hand,now his skin felt soft and warm,and not deadly cold as it once were.

She could feel Jesse's body close to hers,his breathing,his heart beating,he was alive and with her,and she could ask for nothing else.

And he was such a good dancer. She was not expecting him to be bad,but certainly was not expecting him to be that good either.

-Are you sure you never danced as a ghost? Perhaps you had an understanding with a ghost lady that i could not see,and you danced with her all the time.-Lucie said,smiling.

Jesse blushed.

-Are you trying to say that i am good? Because that was definitely going to be a lie if you had said it.-Jesse said.

-You are good! I don't have any reasons to lie about this.-Lucie said.

-Don't try to fool me. I practiced with Grace so that you could have a good partner. I suppose it didn't went as good as i had hoped.-Jesse said.

-Stop that Jesse! You are not a bad dancer! It is almost the same way i dreamed about.-Lucie said.

But she was not supposed to say that. Why would she reveal such thing to Jesse? If only there was a hole she could put her head into...

-You dreamed about dancing with me? Well i am glad to know i wasn't the only one.-Jesse said.

Lucie looked at him.

-Are you serious? You wanted this too?-She asked.

-More than you can imagine! I was so nervous that i would hurt you while we danced. I wanted this moment to be special for the both of us. After all,it is our first dance.-Jesse said.

Lucie smiled,a smile brighter then the sun. Jesse felt great joy when she smiled.

-It may be our first. But i'm sure that are many others yet to come.-Lucie said.

-As long as i am dancing with you,everything will be just perfect.-Jesse said.

He leaned in to kiss her. Their lips touched,and Lucie felt as if she could fly with so much happiness.

And they didn't care if the others were staring,that was their moment. The first of many dances,of a love that would be their first and their last.

As that very kiss was meant to happen,they were meant to be together.

And they would.

[fishball-and-sweet-potato]

Zero O'Clock - BirdCop Celebration + GIF Challenge (MLQC AU)

I just wanna join. I actually want to post this fic at ARMY day (9th of July), but here it is anyway!

Pairing : Leah Hong (MC) x Gavin Bai

Warning : triggering events (containing insecurity and anxiety)

Disclaimer : Leah is MC in this AU. In this AU, there is no Evol.

Genre : fluff

Words : 1,542

NB : this fic is also inspired from this song

“Leah, you should go home now. You just left the hospital yesterday, your body still needs time to be fully recovered,” Anna slowly shaked my body, waking me up.

Leah corrected her posture, “yeah, I know I should. But I don’t want to become a burden for all of you, and especially that’s because I’m in charge of this company now. I just feel like I’m the one that should be my fellow workers’ strength, and I failed you all, even my father…” unbeknownst to her, her eyes felt hot. Leah wanted to continue but her brain couldn’t process her emotions right now.

“No, you’re not. And believe me, we all have made mistakes when that talk show was supposed to be aired live. But still, we managed to do it well at last thanks to the content and technical errors,” Willow tried to assure her. Three days ago, Leah had a chance to interview Mrs. Peng, the owner of a well-known bak kut teh* shop named Seventh Heaven. The topic was about business’ survival strategies for small and medium enterprises amidst the economic crisis. Suddenly, her stomach felt painful and she couldn’t suppress it despite all her efforts, until she fainted. The first thing she thought when she gained my consciousness was, she was such an unprofessional disgrace for this show.

“I want to see the editing process for a while,” Leah replied, still refusing to do nothing.

“Boss, we can also lend you a shoulder. I’ll send it straight to you when it’s finished. Okay?” Kiki patted her shoulder.

Before Leah nodded in defeat, Minor continued, “Boss, I’m sorry for the shift of topic, but Gavin said to me that he will come to your house around 10 pm.”

She yawned, “why didn’t he tell me directly?”

Minor rolled his eyes, but suddenly he had a flustered look on his face, “eh, sorry, he already contacted you several times, but no answer from you.”

Leah checked my phone, it had no power. “Oh God, why am I so stupid? Gavin is definitely angry with me now,” she said resenting herself. The fact that she had done this earlier consumed all her sanity. She immediately turned on her phone, and her eyes almost popped out from their sockets seeing the amount of missed calls. The fact that this day was July 28th made her more shocked. “Okay, I gotta go now,” she said after her friends kept telling me the editing was almost finished.

Leah went to Seventh Heaven. Amidst the crowd, she could still hear the voice she knew really well greeted her first, “Leah, are you feeling better?”

“Mrs. Peng!” Leah slightly raised her voice and fastened her pace towards the middle-aged woman. “Yeah, I’m healthy now! I’m… I’m sorry…” suddenly the scene flashed her mind, her body felt heavy.

“You don’t need to. Let’s go inside,” Mrs. Peng replied, dragging her into the shop.

“I think the technical errors are made up…” Leah couldn’t help but loathed everything around her.

Mrs. Peng patted her, “we can’t prevent unexpected things from happening. Instead, the only thing we could do is to find ways so it would be meaningful.”

While Leah was digesting her words, Gavin’s smile entered her thought and erased her anxiety, “I want to buy two portions of pork tenderloin soup, one portion of fish soup, and one braised pork belly. All takeaways, please.”

“For who?” Mrs. Peng giggled. “Let me guess, your policeman friend…”

Leah blushed and tried to hide her embarrassment with all her might, “uh, Gavin, tomorrow is his birthday.”

Not long after, a waitress handed her orders. Leah waved goodbye at Mrs. Peng. Her home was quite far from her company and the shop, so she had to take a bus ride. She was listening to her favourite song, not realizing that she dozed off.

You know those days

Those days where you're sad for no reason

And it looks like everyone else except you is busy and fierce

Those days where your body is heavy

My feet won't set off, though it seems like I'm already too late

I'm hateful of the whole world

Yeah, here and there are click-clacking speed bumps

My heart grows crumpled and my words lessen

Why the hell? I ran so hard

Oh why to me

A bell sound gave her consciousness back. Finance Street Halt, Leah could read the sign clearly and hear the sound of the broadcaster telling the passengers to pay when they intended to leave the bus repeatedly. She hurriedly ran to my home, opened her phone. She just realized that she hadn’t replied to Gavin's messages. Without a second thought, she spammed him her apology. Not seeing any signs of his reply, she attempted to sleep because she was really beaten up. The only thing that kept her awake was the clock, reminding her of her faults and it was already 10.30 pm. She continued listening to the song, so she could relieve her stomach pain and irregular, fast-paced heartbeat.

Come home and lie in bed

Dizzy night, looking at the clock

Thinking if it was my fault?

Soon it will be midnight

When her mind was about to drift off, the bell rang. “Coming,” Leah said, running to the door. The first thing she saw after opening the door made her heart want to leap, but getting crumpled instead. Gavin was in his casual clothes, but with a solemn look on his face. “Gavin, you’re late. Come in,” she said, inviting him to enter her home. He only followed her without uttering any single word.

After both of them sat, he started speaking, “I’m sorry for not telling you, I just finished my work. Leah, have you eaten?”

Leah shook her head, “actually, I bought food from Seventh Heaven. Mrs. Peng is really generous despite all my mistakes.”

Seeing her held back her tears, Gavin approached her, then she felt a pair of warm arms encircled her. “You have done your best, Leah.”

“I’m just a nuisance,” she said coldly. “And yeah, the audience wasn’t really impressed because the airing time was rescheduled. That makes me think that I should get lost forever. And I even forget to return your calls...”

A pair of amber eyes pierced through her soul’s window, his hand patted her head gently, “I’m hateful of the world too. But, about the last thing, that makes me dead worried. Have I done something wrong? Because all I got is my own echo.”

Somehow, she finally managed to let out a laugh, “Minor told me that too. No, actually I’m just dumb. I forgot to charge my phone.”

Gavin sighed, a small but sincere smile curved from his mouth. “I’m here to accompany you tonight.”

Thanks to him, Leah felt much better. “Let’s eat now. I’ve been waiting for you so we can start making our tummy happy!” She was beyond glad because he loved the bak kut teh.

After the dinner was finished, she held his hand while guiding him to her bedroom. Gavin always gave her warmth despite his cold exterior. “Listen to this song with me, it really helps me cope with the present situation.”

Gavin was confused when he put one side of my earphones, “what song?” 

God, how Leah wished she could cuddle him. She showed him the English translation in order to make him understand the meaning better. He was a bit sulky that she liked the boy group that sang it a bit too much, but he tried hard to hide it by cuddling her tight.

It won't be something like that

Will something be different?

But this day will be over

When the minute and second hands overlap

The world holds its breath for a little while

Zero o’clock

Her reminder popped up. It was already July 29th, zero o’clock. They kept listening to the song.

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

Like that snow that just settled down

Let's breathe, like the first time

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

(Ooh-ooh) And you're gonna be happy

Turn this all around

When everything is new, zero o'clock

Leah paused the song, pulled herself from his cuddle, “happy birthday, Potato. I hope at this new year of your life, you’ll be happier and healthier.”

Gavin cuddled her again, “thank you so much, my Pumpkin. My wish is the same for you. I hope I’ll be the one who makes you get the happiness you deserve.”

She blushed, how could he be so smooth at times. He laughed at my reddened face. “Why are you laughing? Let us pray,” she said to divert her embarrassment.

They were holding hands, silently pouring all their wishes.

Put my hands together to pray

It'll be better, for me

Hoping that tomorrow I'll laugh more, for me

When this song ends

May a new song begin

Hoping that I'll be a little happier, yeah

Gavin caressed her hair after he saw her yawned. “Sleepy?”

“Yeah, finally. But I’m joyful because it’s the tranquility that makes me sleepy, not the usual tiredness,” Leah snuggled closer to him.

“Sweet dreams for us, then,” he closed his eyes, hugging her in their sleep.

*bak kut teh : a pork ribs / meat soup dish with salted vegetables (this is how it looks like)

This is the GIF :))

[moonlightstars16]

Psssst....Hey y’all......Bonus Chapter ;)

YEP AND ITS ALL THANKS TOO @thepurecinnamonroll and her amazing fan art of my story! (🚨PLEASE DO NOT STEAL HER FAN ART OR REPOST WITHOUT HER PERMISSION🚨)

So enjoy this weeks bonus chapter!!! :)

Chapter 6 ~ Preparations

The next few days for Connie were just studying gem royal history and the strict rules to follow. In her off time, the library became her sanctuary of sorts. There she could read and get lost in her daydreams. From time to time she helped her newly found gem friends with their work around the castle. It was slightly surprising to find a kitchen full of, as normal as one could expect, human food and nourishment necessary for survival.

Lapis explained that part of it was making sure the humans in the zoo wouldn't starve to death. Mainly, however, it was used for Steven's purposes. Though part gem, he needed his nutrients for his human half sometimes. Even some of the gems shape-shifted their forms similar to humans to experience the pleasure of digesting food...and other things. Some actually found enjoyment in it, making it a hobby of sorts from time to time. It was quite bizarre for her to process.

Not that she truly cared where he was or what he was doing (other than the fact of the deal to not harm anyone, so long as she kept her end of the deal). Mostly work consisting of plans for earth's demise and keeping to himself(Pearl informed her upon asking since she technically hasn't seen him since before her studies began). Her heart sank every time she thought about what she agreed too. Her future to live in this horrid place and be his bride.... Though unfathomable to grasp, it wasn't like she could go back on the deal. It was her life or all of humanities on the line. No matter what she thought, she would end up losing. At least humanity will have diplomatic immunity from being destroyed. How could she turn her back on them? It wasn't like her life was worth saving aynways....

One day before the first meeting with the Diamonds to talk about earth. Connie decided to ease her worries by relaxing in the library during her break. However with the situation at hand it was hard for her to concentrate on anything else. A loud clashing sound soon interrupted her thoughts. Looking up she walked towards an open window to where the sound resonated from down below. A purple gem, though a bit shorter than the others and Pearl dueling with swords is what she had only begun to witness. Peaking her interest she sat on the windowsill to watch. The idea of them sword fighting, even though they have magic, puzzled her. And though she was on the second level, she could hear the conversing during their battle.

"Come on Pearl don't hold back! I am a gem solder for Mr. I-am-no-Diamond himself, I can handle you!" The purple gem with silver hair tied up in a ponytail shouted. Just barely dodging her attack, though she missed an opportunity to take down Pearl when the opportunity was wide open. Making Connie wonder if Pearl left herself open to attack on purpose.

"Amethyst, your footwork is still sloppy and you have no coordination! Being random can't be you're only plan of attack, sooner of later you'll need a battle strategy." Pearl moved with such precision and elegance, it was mesmerizing to watch. In just a few quick motions and effortless dodges, she pinned down Amethyst with her sword pointing towards her throat. They stood in silence until Amethyst pushed her away and stood up. Walking away in anger and grumbling under her breathe. The intense staring from before said a lot between them.

However Connie couldn't pull away from the scene replaying in her mind. Looking down at her own hands she thought about her current situation. Having a few good fighting skills could be useful, certainly she couldn't hope to have someone there to hide behind. Even back on earth she felt uncomfortable going outside to take out the trash at night. Though pepper spray in hand is nice and knowing she could run for long distances was good, but now it wasn't enough. Especially in a place where she was beyond out of her element. 

That evening, while she prepping for tomorrow's important meeting, Pearl knocked and entered the room. Slightly pleased to see her studying and memorizing all the information given. Shaking her head, Pearl cleared her throat and maintained her composure.

"Steven, has requested your presence in the dining hall for supper this evening." It was quite shocking to say the least, and a tad nerve wracking since the last time she saw him was when he took care of her headache. It was odd. One minute he was a tyrant, the next caring and then back to being cruel. Just that alone wasn't making sense and made her head spin just thinking about it.

"Why me? Why now?" She asked standing up from the vanity chair and mirror. Pearl only shrugged slightly whilst shaking her head.

"It's difficult to understand him and for now, better not to question so." Her statement made less sense about the whole situation. Still she had a point. Connie gulped remembering the deal with him. If she were to step out of line then more lives would be taken, their blood on her hands as well as his. Without another word she  followed Pearl to the dining hall. Her light green dress' skirt swaying slightly with every step she took. Stepping through the doors, she instantly felt the intensity in the air. There he was with his back facing them. He was lost in deep thought until he sensed there presence. Lifting his head up slightly he felt the warmth of her presence as it surrounded the entire room.

"As requested, Steven." Pearl spoke with her hands behind her, back straight. It reminded Connie of the way solders on earth would stand when called to at the word 'attention'. Her thoughts soon returned to the man standing before her as white butterflies swirled around her mind.

"Good, now please leave us alone." The words hit Connie like a fist punching her gut. What was about to come made her uneasy. Both herself and Pearl looked at one another, Connie's eyes pleading for her not to leave, or at least not be very far. While Pearl's gaze was calm as if to say she was alright. Leaving the room with a gentle sound of the huge double doors shutting close. Connie stayed in place not knowing what to do.

"M-My Diamond" her voice squeaked(which she hated) whilst saluting and bowing slightly. A deep chuckle soon turned into a roaring laugh. the sound surprised her enough to jump a tad a the outburst. Steven breathed in deeply to stop himself as he placed a hand over his chest.

"The Diamonds are not around. You may address me as Steven, in fact I insist upon it." Slowly but surely Steven turned his attention towards her. His gaze a tad less intimidating than before. Stepping closer till he was two feet away. Extending his leather black gloved hand. "Come" Hesitantly she raised her's, trying hard to hide her trembling and failing at the same time. Her gaze held into his outstretched hand until the soft and gentle tone of his next word surprised and compelled her. "Please" instinctively their eyes' matched one another's, only this time his was less intimidating and more inviting; Her's still confusing as ever. 

Finally she accepted, feeling his grip wrap around hers as he lead them both towards the table. Decorated in candelabras, and a vast array of fancy food. The scent intoxicating as she felt her hunger grow. He lead her towards the chair in a corner position right next to the head seat, which she assumed was his. Once they both sat down, Steven gestured for her to dine on the food set before her. After a long moment she began eating, it was her first official meal  since arriving on the planet. Not feeling really hungry other than a few scraps she found from the kitchen. With her predicament, no one could really blame her for not wanting to eat.

Steven watched her as they ate in silence, her hair had fallen to the side of her face that sort of hid her from him. It was surprising, knowing himself. He basked in her natural beauty for a moment. Causing him to slow down and almost stop eating himself. But he was part Diamond, long periods without food was normal for him. However she needed to eat, and he needed to make sure she had the strength to deal with the Diamonds. On instinct he reached out brushed away her hair tucked behind her ear gently. Feeling her jump at his sudden touch.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked watching her look upon him since they sat down.

"I'd be a fool not to be." Her reply was honest without having to say the actual word yes. "If I may" Connie began "Why don't you use other titles?" She waited till he gave a slight nod for her to continue. The look on his face puzzling as his right brow slightly raised up. "You've made it clear you don't like being called-... well you know." Carefully avoiding the phrase as best she could. "But why not any other formal titles?"

"I would rather have others address me without hiding behind formalities. Especially if one chooses to defy me, I want to hear them say my name." It was almost like he didn't want to be mistaken for anyone else other than himself. "I'm sure you have more questions... I suggest you choose your next one a bit wisely." Connie gulped and nodded her head. Her next said question was one that she had since Pearl informed her of this situation right before. Wanting to know why he needed to see her. Putting her fork down on her plate and her hands folded together on her lap. Focusing all her attention on him.

"There must be a reason you wanted me here."

"You must regain your strength. I cannot allow you to falter from lack of nourishment in front of the Diamonds tomorrow evening. Besides the complete humiliation, you won't be able to hold up your end of the deal." Steven spoke whilst grabbing a glass full of red wine, taking a sip.

"And why do you care?" Her voice low and full of annoyance. "I would suffer the most, yes, but I don't see how this affects you."

"There is not enjoyment if all I can do is easily win, I prefer a challenge after all. Besides you are to be a apart of my royal court. Whatever happens to you doesn't reflect well on me." He paused for a moment smirking "Not that it matters to me personally." He chuckled slightly as she gazed downwards yet again. It was simple, she was a pawn in his sick, twisted games and nothing more. It pained her heart deeply though she couldn't understand why. "Don't fret my dear, I am only wanting to make sure you're alright."

Once more taking her hand in his, bringing it to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss, careful in not wanting his mask to touch her. Looking back towards him, his eyes watched hers the entire time. Setting his hand down while not letting go of hers, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. The sensation oddly calmed her, yet making her inhale inwardly.

His eyes now held a depth she never saw before; it was calm, inviting, and intense in a way that she didn't shake with fear. Steven gazed into her eyes, almost getting lost in them himself. 'Snap out of it!' his inner voice shouted before he blinked and soon let go, clearing his throat slightly before instantly regaining his composure.

"Tomorrow you will accompany myself and Pearl to meet with the Diamonds to discuss matters about earth. Are you fully prepared?" Connie nodded slowly still coming out of the brief moment that had just occurred.

"Yes, Steven, I am prepared." The next day was going to be intense for her, the cruelest thing he could've done was not say anything more than what he already warned her about. She would soon see the depth of how truly horrid they were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following day, Lapis spent the hours preceding the upcoming Diamond meeting getting Connie to look presentable. A long soak in the bath making sure her skin was clean, light amount of makeup, hair done in braid adorned with jewels and a few curled locks that framed her face. And an outfit that the material it was made from was almost uncomfortable to move in. The corset underneath was no help.

The color a deep blood red dress, off the shoulders with long sleeves coming to a point against the back of her hand. The outer regal layer of the sleeves almost touched the ground. The neckline a cross between a low swoop and a sweetheart design. Both front and back. The belt had a Diamond design, and golden, all over it as it wrapped around her lower waist; while it tied to one spot and letting it drop all down her skirt towards the floor. The skirt itself gave her maneuver to walk around effortlessly but the length(hemline on the neckline and bottom skirt were black) was almost impossible to ignore. Her shoes resembled ballet flats as the color scheme matched her dress.

Though attending as nothing more than a servant, she was still supposed to look presentable. She was about to meet the Diamonds in person. Lapis could sense her nerves as she placed a black laced choker with A red pendant in the middle and three red diamond shaped jewels dangling in the front.

"You look beautiful, Connie." Lapis stated with a smile looking at their reflections in the mirror. Connie weakly smiled back weakly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Though she had every rule and etiquette mesmerized by heart backwards and forwards, it was hard to stop from her heart beating wildly.

"Lapis is right!" a voice which belonged to a certain Peridot exclaimed as she and Bismuth entered the room. A box wrapped in a bow in hand. Connie smile widened as they handed it to her.

"We wanted to give this to you before you headed out." Bismuth said with a proud gleam in her eyes. Connie adjusting her grip began to unwrap the bow.

"Oh you don't need to do that. It's just a box lid made too look like it's been carefully wrapped." Peridot said before getting elbowed in the gut by a glaring rainbow haired gem. "Ow-Hey! She would've found out anyway!" Connie began to laugh and the rest of them followed in suit. Opening the box she gasped and was surprised to see an almost mystical like journal, quill pen and ink. It wasn't advanced compared to gem tech. But for Connie it was perfect.

"We all thought it would be nice for you to have something more...traditional. At least for when you have free time." Bismuth explained as Peridot went into telling her how they made it and where the quill feather came from, and not to get her even started on how long the ink took to make. Which earned another elbow in the gut. It brought tears to her eye briefly before blinking them away.

"Thank you, I am truly lucky to have friends like you. I hope one day I can return you're kindness."

"We'll just say you owe us one." And that statement earning a third punch in the gut.

Pearl came to fetch her soon after. Herself dressed a tad more formal than usual with her cape flaring in a more Diamond shape. Bringing Connie to the launch pad where they we're greeted by Steven, dressed in a black suit with a red shirt underneath, his blood stained black cloak with a gold chain attached this time and more leather like black gloves. A dark pinkish red cravat accentuated his jacket and his silver mask a bit more polished than normal.

Upon seeing Connie, his eyes widened. The dress she was wearing revealed how beautiful she truly was. As she entered the room, nobody could tell she was a few days ago just carrying herself like an earthling. Revealing the true young woman, kept hidden from even himself, she now presented herself like a gem. Perfect and radiant. In his eyes rivaling even the elegance of the Diamonds themselves. Closing his eyes briefly, maintaining himself yet again.

"There is no turning back, from now on you are a member of my court. Temporary or not, do you understand my dear?" Connie nodded mentally preparing herself for what was ahead.

"Yes" Soon they were on the warp pad ready to transport to the grand Diamond palace. Steven held out his arm towards a slightly confused Connie.

"Unless you want to arrive at the grand entrance landing flat on your face, I would suggest you hold on tight." She complied without hesitation. Once he felt her tight grip, he looked at Pearl with a nod as they were ready. In a flash of light and the feeling of being elevated off the ground they were off and within moments, stood before a grand Palace. Had it not been for his insistence, she would be laying on the ground in pain. Connie breathed in sharply for a moment, gasping at it's exquisite beauty that captured her eyes. Then remembering where she was brushed herself off and tried to maintain a regal state.

“I suggest you be a bit more careful next time." He spoke coldly.

As they began walking, Connie noticed Steven still had her arm tightly around his, with no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

[mercenary-jake-muller]

Fanart By Vanadise:

《...........................................................》

Jake Muller's Journal || Entry 01

《.............................................................》

November 12, 2019

"I hate days like these.

These types of days where I don't have to do shit. Just sit around all day and not do a damn thing.

People say I should relax more and sure, I like to relax some days. Hell, I need to sometimes, but what I hate is having to relax or sit around for too long. I always gotta do something or I just don't feel right, you know? I always think if I stay in one place for too long then there's a chance I can get attacked and hit the dirt as a forever resting place. Maybe it's the merc in me makin' me feel this way... Always on edge. Always in danger.

Since I got nothin' to do, I guess I'll just keep writing in this journal. 

God, I'm not really good at this shit--writing my thoughts down... Well whatever. Here goes nothing.

It's fuckin' cold outside. It's so cold that I could have freaking ice cycles comin' out my nose. While I was outside, my eye lashes were practically frozen together. I had bits of snowflakes all over me and my fingers were so cold that it hurt to move 'em when I needed to. Well, to be honest, the cold never really bothered me 'cause I grew up in it, yeah? Had no heating system when I was growing up. I only had my own body heat and one or two torn up blankets. When I was a little older, my mom would always try to make me get her blanket, too, but I would refuse 'cause I didn't want to make her freeze to death. I remember when I was real young, before she got sick, she would lie to me and tell me she didn't need any blankets to keep her warm. I'd always wake up in the middle of the night and check on her only to find her shakin' like a leaf, curled in her bed. I'd go grab all of my blankets and throw 'em on her and I wouldn't leave her side till she'd stop shakin'. Then I'd lay down on the floor and stay there with her during the rest of the night to make sure she didn't freeze  anymore. I didn't mind being cold if it meant she would be warm enough to sleep. After all, she worked all day, everyday, and I would be at home most of the time.

I'm in some fancy hotel room. The place is pretty nice and has air conditioning and running electricity and honestly it's way too fancy for me. There was a fuckin' towel folded up as a penguin on my bed. Like the hell? Who the hell gives a shit about what their towel looks like? Just give it to me so I can use it to dry off. The walls are all a dark red, the floor is a pale, tanned colored carpet, and the doors are the same color as the carpet. There's three fancy paintings of flowers and some of the other buildings that can be found in the town hangin' up in the bedroom, bathroom, and small lounging area. The bed has tan bed sheets and pillow cases and the blanket is a dark red-- almost the same color as the walls. There's a television placed on the dresser across from the foot of my bed, but I'm not gonna bother watching it. Never liked watching television, anyway. There's a big window on the right side of my bed. The drapes are the same color as the walls and the glass on the outside has frost covering most of it.

I'm only stayin' in this place 'cause a lady I was working for told me she was gonna pay for my stay while I'm in this small town. I finished a job for her two days ago. Had to kill some high and mighty prick who thought he'd win a mayor election by sending BOW's out to terrorize the town. He thought he could win by sending out military personnel to dispose of the monsters and pretend that he was the good guy. I hate people like that, who pretend to be somethin' they aren't just to get something they want. I'm not sure when I'll be getting another job. That's why I'm not leaving yet. Hopefully I'll get one soon so I can get the hell outta here and start movin' again. These jobs take me all over the world and I think I enjoy seeing the sights, culture, and people as much as I like taking up assignments. I really love tryin' new food and drinks, like different types of coffee.

Damn, coffee sounds good right about now...

Just sat down on my bed and got me a cup of black coffee while I was up. Took a quick shower to warm me up, too, and I kinda felt bad messin' up the penguin towel. Wonder how long it took the staff to fold it like that? Well, whatever. I bet they already have tons of others made that way, too. They gotta wash and dry the towels anyway. Got my pajamas on, also. Just a pair of navy blue, cotton pants. I never wear a shirt cause it's just uncomfortable wearing one when I sleep. Doesn't matter how cold it is, I still get too hot and sweat like a dog.

What else to write...?

...

Lookin' outside the window now as I gulp down my drink. It makes me warm up from the inside and so do a few memories. On days like these, where I don't have to do anything, all sorts of memories flood to the front of my mind. Good ones, bad ones... 

All of 'em. 

Used to, when I'd look out of a window while it was snowing, the snow would always remind me of my mom--and it still does, sometimes. Though, now when I see the snow... It reminds me of Sherry. It reminds me of the first day we met and how we had to survive together. I thought she was a preppy, know-it-all bitch who couldn't do a damn thing, but man, did she prove me wrong. She could beat the shit outta anyone and anything that got in her way and I bet she would have done the same to me if she had to. 

I remember when Ustanak, the crazy fucker, had shot down our helicopter and we landed in the snow. Somehow, we had survived the fall even though our parachute had gotten torn by the metal debris. I had blacked out and woken up to Sherry laying on top of me. My brain woke up real quick when I had lifted my hand to find it was covered in blood and I hurriedly got myself out from under her. My heart was pounding rapidly against my chest and a cold sweat came over me as I began to panic when I saw she had a piece of metal sticking out of her back. On the inside, I was freaking out 'cause some chick I just met was about to die in front of me. I kept thinking how it should have been me who should have had the shrapnel lodged into my back. Not her. Not some innocent woman. I doubt she had done anything bad in her life, while I had done all kinds of horrible shit...

She surprised me when she told me to pull it out of her and I thought she was nuts when she just begged me to do it. So I did. I pulled the thing outta her, tossed it to the side, and as I was about to start ripping pieces of clothing to make some sort of bandage, I was shocked to find her skin and muscles pulling themselves back together.

I gotta admit, that shit freaked me the hell out. 

After a while I got used to it. It was just part of her and something that helped formed her personality. I think she hated having it, though. Probably 'cause it reminded her of her parents and the shit she had to go through as a kid.  I never asked her about it, though.

I hope she's doing okay these days. Hopefully she isn't doin' anything stupid or getting herself into trouble. It's been seven years since I've last seen or heard from her. ...I wonder if she even remembers me. Well if she doesn't then it won't bother me. I couldn't care less if she remembers me or not. 

....

F U C K !

I spilled my fuckin' coffee all over me and my journal-! Son of a fuckin' bitch! Damn this shit burns like he--

.....

The coffee has dried finally and now I can end this entry. God dammit. Didn't think I'd get so  sidetracked while thinkin' about Supergirl. Spilled my own drink all over me and I had to change my pants. Now there's a big coffee stain over a few pages. Oh well. So long as I can still write in this thing. That's all that matters to me. 

Well, the sun is goin' down and I think I'm gonna get some shut eye. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a new client so I don't have to stay here and get stuck in my memories for too long.

Jake Muller"

《You find some extra writing on the back of the page. It appears to have been scribbled over by three continuous, messy lines.》

"I need to stop thinking about her. Need to stop worrying about her so much. I'm sure she's doin' fine and has some pretty boy helping her out and giving her everything she could wish for. You can't give her everything she wants and you sure as hell can't stay by her side cause you gotta work. You don't wanna be like dad and leave her alone for the rest of her life... Besides, you're not good enough for her. She needs someone better than you. Time to move on, Jake....Even if you can't stop thinking about her. Dammit...

《...........................................................》

[arthurmango]

told u i'd write this >:)

i love it so much. i already love this kid. Arthur? Being a dad? Sign me the fuck up.

based off this post by @reddeaddenial ty for letting me write it!!

"Alright, kid," Arthur Morgan sighs, leading the 9-year-old with one hand and his horse with the other. He was muddy and tired, having saved this child from some of the locals after he had been caught stealing from the general store. Never did he anticipate beating a man over a loaf of bread.

"You get yourself in there and stay warm, alright? Make sure to wait for your Mama." The child is quiet. He gently removes his hand from Arthur's cautious grip and stands on the porch of the Valentine Sherriff's Office. His wavy blonde hair partly shielding his sad blue eyes.

Great. Now Arthur felt like an asshole. More than usual this time.

"You'll be alright, I promise." Arthur ensures as he climbs atop his saddle, adjusting his weight for comfort. "See you later, kid."

His ride back to the camp is quiet. He takes in the scenery; the birds chirping, the deer prancing about, the god-rays through the pinetrees. He was mentally locking this image in his mind for later, to draw when he was bored, or when he couldn't sleep, or both.

As he approached the camp, he spotted Bill, taking his shift for guard duty.

"Who's there?" Bill shouts.

"It's Arthur, dumbass."

"Welcome ba-....who's that you got behind you?"

Arthur freezes and doesn't dare turn. His first instinct is to reach for his sawed-off shotgun. He exchanged a glance with Bill, who was just as suprised...until-

"This your home, Mister? You live out in the woods?"

Goddammit.

"Kid-?! Didn't I-"

"Yeah, Mister, but it got real lonely and I didn't wanna wait!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, then rolled them promptly as he slid off his saddle. He gave his horse a pat on it's rear in thanks, then turned his attention to the boy in front of him who fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt. He glances back at Bill who watches with a grin, enjoying every minute of this dilemma.

"Follow me." Arthur takes his horse's reins again, leading it to pasture with the others. Upon turning around, the boy had remained where he stood.

"C'mere, kid!"

The kid didn't respond.

Arthur put his hands on his hips, then sighs once again. He walks over, picking up the child with one arm. The kid is horizontal through his arm, holding him against his hip. "Abigail!"

"What is it-" Abigail pauses, looking at Arthur. "My," she smiles as the boy is put to his feet, huddling close to Arthur's legs shyly. Abigail bends to his level with a gentle smile, "what's your name, darlin'?"

His puppy-dog eyes look up to Arthur as if to ask permission to speak, then to Abigail. "James," he whispers.

"James?" Abigail reiterates. "That's a nice name. I'm Abigail, and this here is Jack," she gestures to her son, and he waves. "Where did you come from? Don't you have parents?"

James shakes his head, inching closer to Arthur.

Abigail stands, giving Arthur a look. She begins to speak, until Hosea greets the two.

"Well, what do we have here?" The huckster chuckles, kneeling to the boy. "Where'd you find him, Arthur?"

"He found me, more or less," Arthur grumbles. "He was caught takin' bread from the stands in the general store in Valentine. Some feller tried to give him a hard time, so I defended him and I thought I dropped him off at the Sheriff's Office. I guess he followed me here. Didn't even notice."

"Quiet thing he is, isn't he?" Hosea gives James a warm smile. "Have you eaten, son?"

"No sir," James replies meekly, "I haven't."

"Arthur, would you show him to Mr. Pearson for a nice supper? Mrs. Grimshaw-"

"I'm already working on it!" Susan replies hastily, adding an extra blanket to Arthur's tent.

"Hosea, I don't-"

"You can't just take him back, Arthur." Hosea replies quietly, "he followed you here, almost like a lost puppy, and like a puppy, he's gonna be your responsibility, lest the ladies get to him first. He's a handsome young man."

Arthur mumbles under his breath, knowing Hosea was right. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left James alone. In a few ways, James reminded him of his own son, Issac. Maybe, he felt, maybe this could make things right. Maybe this could fill that aching, emptiness and loneliness he's felt for so long. The only downside is that he has another thing to worry about, another, innocent child to shield from the horrors of his life. It's almost, in a way, cruel to keep him around. He deserves better. He doesn't need this life, but what was Arthur to do? Parent the boy, he guesses. Not that he's much of a father in the first place.

Over the next few minutes, the gang meets and greets the new kid. He sits at the card table, eating sheepishly as everyone takes their turns asking him questions, not that he had many answers.

"Give the boy some space!" Dutch commands, tapping the ashes off of his cigar. "Arthur, may I speak with you for a moment? Just a moment."

"Sure," Arthur complies, "I'll be right back, okay?"

He follows Dutch to his tent, where Dutch promptly turns to him, taking a drag off his cigar. "You didn't kidnap nobody's son, didya?"

Arthur squints. "Wh-no! What kinda question is that, Dutch?"

Dutch chuckles, patting Arthur's shoulder, then wiping his hand on Arthur's jacket once he realized that his hand had touched mud, "just makin' sure." He begins to lead Arthur, walking with him. "You couldn't find his folks nowhere?"

"The boy was stealin' bread, Dutch. I think it's safe to say that he has no folks," Arthur replies, thumbing his belt.

"He reminds me a lot of you when you were a boy," Dutch smiles, "he was quiet like you were, too. That is until I broke you outta your shell. I think it'll be good for you take after Hosea and I and teach the boy what he needs to know to survive."

Arthur shrugs. "I was plannin' on it. I'm just worried that....I don't know....maybe I'm not cut out for this."

"Sure ya are!" Dutch turns to Arthur, halting their walk. "It'll be good for you to have somethin' to do other than draw in that journal all day."

Arthur shakes his head, and Dutch winks, putting his cigar back between his lips.

Arthur meets back with the boy, where Charles had taken his spot. Beside Charles was Javier and Sean.

"You sure this lad ain't yours, Arthur?" Sean laughs. "Looks a helluva lot like ya!"

Arthur doesn't bother, and sits down across from Charles beside James. He seemed a little more open. He assumed it was from Charles' calming demeanor....or Sean's hyperactive one.

"He's a smart kid, Arthur. Very headstrong." Charles adds in. "He says he wants to be a hunter when he grows up. You and I should take him hunting sometime to start him off."

"You ever hunted before, James?" Arthur asks, not sure how to level his voice to keep from starling the child.

"Once, with my Pa." James moves his spoon throughout his stew absentmindedly. "Pa left when Mama got sick, and one day she went to sleep and wouldn't wake up. After she went to heaven, I've been alone, kinda."

Arthur, Sean, Javier and Charles exchange glances, feeling a variation of that pain.

"Well, you've got all the Aunts and Uncles you could ever want!" Javier grins, "you've got food, a place to sleep, and all the protection you'll ever need."

"And maybe tomorrow mornin' I could take you to Saint Denis and get ya somethin' real nice to wear, to getcha outta those old clothes."

James finally begins to smile. It adds so much to his fair complexion. "Is it pretty, Saint Denis? Just like on the postcards?"

"Just like on the postcards! Maybe even prettier." Arthur smiles, too. A rare smile hardly shown to the world. It was genuine.

"You've got a real hardworkin' Pa now, lad!" Sean smirks as Arthur eyes him. "This man is as stubborn as a bull, but make no mistake, he'll getcha anything ye ask for as long as ya can get passed that rough outer layer a'his."

"I think he's really nice," James looks down to his food, then back up to Arthur. "Scary at first, but he saved me! So that makes him my Guardian Angel, just like Mama used to say."

Arthur felt a sort of relief. This responsibility was immense, but he couldn't help himself. He was already starting to get attached to the child.

"Why don't you go with Uncle Charles and meet everyone else, huh? I should probably get cleaned up. I'm still covered in mud." Arthur remains in his seat as James follows his new Uncles, sightseeing throughout the camp. Maybe this is his second chance to actually be a father. Sure, he was afraid. He was afraid for what was to come. He was afraid that he might not be the father he hopes he is. He sure as hell won't turn out like John, that's for sure.

[maevelin]

What do you think will happen in the final 3 episodes? Which characters do you think won't survive the series?

You know while I was thinking of how to reply to this I came to realize that the show made me not to care? I feel like I only have to take what they give me at face value. Something that kept on happening for a long time now but it couldn’t be more obvious. So since this is not challenging me mentality I only have to sit back and just let the writers spell out the resolution. 

Like i know that many characters won’t survive but after dealing with NK so neatly it feels that…so they survived that so easily despite how the whole show kept building the narrative way differently for so many years and now the same characters will go die a few episodes later in a generic way which is one more pointless struggle for the political games of power? As if we haven’t seen this on repeat endlessly from episode one? So why does it make it any different now? Because the show is ending I suppose but the mentality behind it remains the same so it is more or less a little bit of the same. Unless they give a twist when it comes to the WW lore somehow and add it in the last episodes again which does not make much sense. But even so in the end the way they ended the NK still falls flat and defines the story in a very damaging way.

The narrative was operating so far on the principle that no political system -and especially one that does not favor human rights- was meant to override humanity’s soul and heart and the desire we all have for survival and hope against darkness. Magic was born again for a reason. And it was not meant to be pointless. There was a reason why every character (or at least a collection of so many characters so far) was mostly terrible and showed the bad side of humanity. Because it was meant to rise the question as if that kind of humanity is deserving of being saved in the first place; so the motivations of the NK on this were also important. As were the prophecies that led to something that was meant to be apocalyptic in a way that would bring out the best and the worst of humanity till the very end. You can’t hype something that has been foretold for thousands of years only to end it like this without caring for the consequences on the existential level. 

After the Long Night and after winning the Great War with all the expected losses (none of which we have seen really) everything else in the game board was meant to be inconsequential so when we would finally go along to the game of thrones the expectations would be subverted and the survivors that would take the Throne would reshape the world in the ashes and would strive to make it a better place after the hard lessons they learned. It would put everything in perspective. After all “Power resides where men believe it resides”. This was meant to be the ultimate power struggle that would end up being the last stand of humanity against death and that would redefine the way everyone viewed their priorities and what truly gives power to the throne. I don’t think that after 8x03 anyone actually changed in any way. Either the battle against the NK happened or not, despite his defeat, I don’t feel as if the characters went out to the other side more humble or changed. Shocked maybe. With losses in their military forces for sure. But with the same arrogance despite a bit of grief and relief for making it out alive. But only in that part of the North. The rest of the world, the rest of the Kingdoms were not affected in the least. The perspective didn’t change. Their everyday life didn’t change. Winter came and everyone slept on it. The Wall might have fallen which was meant to be a big deal but Winterfell stood and the battle was won in the span of a few hours. No one else was affected even in the slightest despite all the prophecies for the Prince that was Promised that would save the world from the apocalypse and you know the Long Night that lasted for what? 3 to 5 hours I guess. 

So in the end we are back to square one with most of the world having no clue and Cersei actually making the most sense for not bothering with this. So what is it in the next episodes that can happen that is so important? We faced the nuclear threat that wasn’t that nuclear to begin with and now we will deal with the guys with the rifles that will probably cause the most damage. Okay I guess. Got to love irony. But even so that kind of irony still has divided the sides predictably.

The thing is that in the end of the day the writers have basically cleared the sides way too nicely. There is no conflict in me as to where to side. So one way or another it is most of the faves against Cersei which is the ultimate villain that we know for a fact is evil and not even that smart to begin with (although she made the most sense with the NK). And I mean…we all know she will die so there’s that. And then it will all come down to the personal conflicts of the characters and the dynamics that will make the difference. Which I guess makes sense because the soul of each story is its characters but the timing and the way you place the characters in stories and legends that are supposedly larger than life plays its part. Especially in this kind of fantasy genre. So I feel the positions here have been misplaced. 

I’d assume the aftermath of what happened in this episode and the preparation for the big confrontation for the Throne will happen in the next episode.

The big death count, the battle and characters going against characters will take place in penultimate episode.

Jon’s claim will be the focus in these two episodes majorly too.

And the finale will clear the air where magic will be contained and maybe still simmering, the Kingdoms will find a ruler or a new way or ruling and each character’s story will be wrapped up. Bittersweet ending. Counting the losses, hope for a new tomorrow, maybe an open ambiguous ending for a supernatural threat that must always linger…and see you with the missing answers in the spin off I guess.