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duxbelisarius · 6 months ago

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The Velaryon Blockade or, How Not to Fight a War at Sea

Greetings and Salutations! After many months since completing the Military Analysis series, and having watched Season 2 of House of the Dragon (surely one of the shows of all time), I've returned to do some further analysis of the war of the Dance. I may end up including this entry in a subsequent re-write of the original analysis series, but I'm currently in the middle of working on a Daeron fanfic and wanted to write this to get my juices flowing. Without further ado, onto the main event: The Blockade of the Gullet (WARNING: Spoilers for HOTD and F&B; this is gonna be a long one!)

Analyzing the blockade of the Gullet or the Velaryon Blockade, as portrayed in Fire and Blood and House of the Dragon, requires tackling the subjects of how King's Landing is fed and whether such a blockade is feasible given the technology available to the setting. I'll start with the provisioning of King's Landing since the show made a big deal out of it, and it has implications for Fire and Blood's portrayal of the Dance.

The idea of a blockade of the Gullet leading to food shortages and near-starvation in King's Landing is a non-starter, since it is supported neither by the ASOIAF books or the show Game of Thrones. In the former case, we know that House Tyrells support for Renly leads to the Roseroad being closed and near famine conditions in KL, as noted by Tyrion in A Storm of Swords:

The mob loved Margaery so much they were even willing to love Joffrey again. She had belonged to Renly, the handsome young prince who had loved them so well he had come back from beyond the grave to save them. And the bounty of Highgarden had come with her, flowing up the roseroad from the south. The fools didn't seem to remember that it had been Mace Tyrell who closed the roseroad to begin with, and made the bloody famine. (ASOS, Tyrion VIII)

GoT retained this thread in Season 2 and returned to the subject of the Reach supplying KL with the 'Loot Train Battle' in Season 7.

Looked at more broadly, there are three sources of food that KL can access which render the Gullet completely redundant: Firstly, there is the Crownlands themselves, which should be accessible to KL by road or by boat via Blackwater Bay; there's the Reach, which is the most agriculturally abundant of all the Seven Kingdoms, although the main artery of this supply really should be the Mander river and not the Roseroad; and finally we have the Riverlands, which ought to be more important of a source for food since goods could reach KL from there entirely by boat or barge thanks to the Blackwater Rush and the God's Eye lake. Regardless, access to these areas means that little if any food provisions should be required to pass through the Gullet to support the capital, and this creates problems for the show and the books.

Leaving aside how the Blockade in the show is rendered useless, there is a massive plot hole for the Dance created by acknowledging this information. Prior to Criston Cole's Crownlands Campaign, most of that region, most of the Reach and all of the Riverlands have sworn fealty to Rhaenyra. Even if rationing was introduced and every source of food in the city were exploited, KL is still cut off from it's main food providers and this fact should have been addressed by the councils of either faction. Rhaenyra's allies were capable of cutting off the city's food supply and their armies could have come together to lay siege to the city. The only real obstacles they would face are Vhagar and Sunfyre, since Borros Baratheon and the Stormlands vanish from the narrative following Luke's death.

On the other hand, Aegon should have seized upon this threat to push for immediate action given his impatience with Otto's letter writing, the only payoff for which is the Triarchy's attack on the Gullet at the start of the next year. Aemond already secured the Baratheons, Tyland guarantees the Westerlands' support, and Ormund is effectively alone in supporting Aegon's cause in the Reach. As it turns out, neither faction is cognizant of this specific vulnerability of the capital at this time or later on in the Dance. When living conditions deteriorate under Rhaenyra, her tax policy is blamed rather than the fact that Cole's campaign should have negatively affected Crownlands agriculture; the Reach is rapidly switching sides thanks to Daeron; Daemon left the Riverlands in the hands of his army and those of the Lannisters, Aemond and Cole, with devastating consequences for the land and people; and finally, that the onset of winter should be having a negative effect on the food supply of the the Kingdoms.

It also needs to be stressed that for KL to rely on overseas shipments for the majority if not entirety of it's food supply, it would require the Targaryen monarchy to possess far greater governmental and military resources than they are given by George. Looking at Rome from the Middle Republic onwards and the Eastern Roman Empire prior to the Arab invasions, we can see that grain shipments helped to sustain far greater cities than King's Landing in Rome and Constantinople. In both cases though, they could rely on a hinterland for local food markets (Italy for Rome, Thrace/modern day Bulgaria for Constantinople) and possessed almost overwhelming naval supremacy which ensured the security of the seas. Rome could reliably access Sicily, North Africa, and Egypt for its grain needs, and Constantinople could do likewise with Anatolia, Egypt, the Black Sea basin and later Sicily and North Africa as well.

Ships bound for KL from the Reach would have to sail the treacherous waters and barren coast of southern Dorne, brave storms and pirates in the Stepstones, and risk further storms off the coast of the Stormlands, and this is without considering how dangerous the transit would be during years long autumns and winters. Essosi shipments have the same problem but with the added wrinkle that the crown would have to pay for them, whereas Roman grain shipments were often provided by collecting taxes in kind rather than cash from farmers in Egypt and North Africa. This alone would automatically elevate House Lannister above the Targaryens as the foremost house in the Seven Kingdoms, given their access to nigh-infinite gold deposits. This is all to say that the premise of the Gullet Blockade starving out KL is utterly preposterous, which makes it completely unsurprising that Ryan Condal and Sara Hess chose to run with it!

By contrast, the blockade attempted in F&B was meant to put pressure on the Greens by cutting off all trade to the capital, preventing merchants from reaching the city or leaving it. The foreign and domestic merchants trapped in Blackwater Bay are among the loudest voices criticizing Aegon and his leadership, which was seemingly the aim of Corlys Velaryon. Unfortunately for George's plot, close examination of the development of naval warfare in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods (c.500-1500 and c.1500-1800 respectively), the very periods George has derived his naval technology and ship designs from, indicate that the blockade of the Gullet makes no sense militarily. I arrived at my conclusion about the Blockade after consulting John H. Pryor and Elizabeth M. Jeffries excellent book The Age of the Dromon: The Byzantine Navy c.500-1204, with further insight provided by X users SzablaObr2023 and the "Orc Logistics Guy" himself, Professor Bret Devereaux.

The most fundamental problem with the Gullet Blockade is that it's the wrong kind of blockade to attempt within the setting; historically, there have been two types of blockade attempted in war: Close and Distant. Close blockades were the most common in pre-modern times, and involved cutting off naval traffic from a region or area (typically a port) with ships posted within sight of the coastline. Distant blockades aim to cut off traffic to a much larger area by posting ships at sea far from the coastline of the intended target. The Velaryons are attempting the latter kind by controlling the waters between Dragonstone and Massey's Hook, to prevent any ships from entering or leaving Blackwater Bay and thereby isolating King's Landing.

The forces available to Corlys Velaryon are not insignificant: we know that Alyn Velaryon sailed against the Stepstones in 133 AC with 60 war galleys, 30 longships, and over 100 cogs and great cogs, to which we can add the 7 warships that escorted the Gay Abandon in 129-130 AC. Increasing this fleet by a third and rounding up to account for the losses suffered in the Battle of the Gullet gives the Velaryon Fleet at least 270 ships at the outset of the Dance, potentially as high as 300. By comparison, the Redwyne Fleet in 300 AC possesses 200 warships, about equal to the Carthaginian fleet at the outset of the First Punic War and larger than any fleet used by Athens against Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (see this video from 15:27 onward).

Based on Alyn's order of battle, it appears that the Velaryon Fleet was evenly split between oared warships and pure sailing vessels, which presents a problem for the Gullet Blockade. While oared and sailing vessels could maintain a close blockade, the former are completely unsuited for a distant blockade due to their logistical requirements and seaworthiness. Close blockades were often used to cut off a port or narrow stretch of water in support of a siege by land forces; an excellent historical example is the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, when the army and fleet of Gaius Octavian trapped Mark Antony's forces in the Ambracian Gulf. Closeness to the coast and the friendly armies stationed there ensured that oared ships had access to food supplies and more importantly, fresh water. Pryor and Jeffries estimate that each member of a Byzantine rowing crew required a minimum of 8 liters of fresh water per day; a Dromon with 108 rowers would thus need 864 liters per day and 1000 liters or one tonne if the marines and officers are included (adding a second crew of rowers would almost double that amount). Mediterranean war galleys of the Medieval and Early Modern Periods had storage for only 4-8 tonnes of fresh water on board, making accessible fresh water sources a sine qua non for operations of any length.

The other factor rendering oared warships unsuitable for distant blockade duties is their seaworthiness, which Pryor and Jeffries discuss at length:

if the wind rose to Beaufort Scale Four-Five (16-17 knots) ... That would raise waves of around 4.75 feet, 1.45 metres. All galleys at all times were designed to cut through the water rather than to ride the waves and such a wind, which is just a “moderate” to “fresh” breeze on the Beaufort Scale, nothing out of the ordinary, would send waves washing over the deck of any dromon. Even if the wind were astern, she would still be forced to run for the coast. If the wind were ahead, it would be worse because that would mean that the ship was attempting to beat to windward and therefore would be heeling over with one gunwale continuously under water." ... Scale Seven winds would raise seas up to 13.5 feet (4.115 metres) and no dromon would stand a chance of continuing its voyage in such conditions. The authors of the Olympias project have concluded that a trieres [Trireme] would be swamped in waves above 0.85 metres, and we believe that in all probability a dromon would have been also. ... However, galleys were simply not designed to be sailed and throughout history they were always notoriously poor sailers. Because their lack of deep keels meant that they made excessive leeway when beating into the wind, because their shallow draft and low freeboard meant that they could not heel under sail very much, because their narrow beam and low depth in hold meant that their hulls did not have the structural strength to carry a large press of sail, and because their extreme length:beam ratio and lateen sails meant that they carried pronounced weather helm, constantly griping, the bows coming up into the wind, galleys were always notorious for poor upwind performance under sail. That is nothing to be wondered at for they were not designed to do that ... Moreover, a heel under sail of a mere ten degrees or so would put the lower rims of the lower oar ports at the flat water line and at that point it is highly questionable whether the oar sleeves would have prevented water from entering the hull, even if they were tied off. (Age of the Dromon, pg. 336-338)

Velaryon war galleys and longships would need to stay close to Cracklaw Point, Massey's Hook, Driftmark and Dragonstone to be of any assistance to the Blockade, although with the rough seas and weather of autumn and winter even this would be a doubtful prospect. Corlys would have to rely upon the cogs and great cogs of the Velaryon Fleet to conduct the blockade; Devereaux and Szabla noted that sailing vessels are capable of conducting distant blockades, as demonstrated by Britain's Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. They also note that conducting such a blockade entailed problems all its own:

A distant blockade with sailing vessels still required significant logistical support, a well developed naval command structure and bureaucracy, and only began to be attempted centuries after the High and Late Middle Ages when the Cog was widely used.

Even if we leave these issues aside, the Gullet Blockade still has another serious problem: Communications. Based on a distance map of Westeros, the distance between Crackclaw Point and Sharp Point appears to be c.125 miles while the length of the Gullet proper from Dragonstone to Sharp Point may be 100 miles or less. Meleys is the only dragon known to have supported the Blockade and seems not to have been replaced after her death at Rook's Rest. Over 100 cogs and 1 dragon at best would be the only forces capable of patrolling the Gullet to any effect, while the need for ships to resupply the blockade and to act as reserves to relieve ships from the Blockade line drastically reduces the amount of ships that could patrol the Gullet. Pryor and Jeffries' assessment of Byzantine visual signaling suggests that communications within the Blockade would be almost impossible:

The masthead height of the foremast of a standard dromon as we have reconstructed it was only around 10.65 metres above sea level. There were, admittedly, larger dromons; however, for what follows a couple of metres more of masthead height would make no difference to the conclusions reached. With a foremast height of 10.65 metres above sea level, the theoretical horizon of a lookout at the masthead would have been only around 11.8 kilometres. Theoretically, the peak of a lateen sail 21 metres above sea level could be seen a further 51.7 kilometres away but, of course, no man could see 63.5 kilometres with unaided sight. In all probability, around 15-20 kilometres would have been the limit of visibility from the masthead of a dromon. Scout ships could not, therefore, patrol a space more than 30-40 kilometres in advance of a fleet and probably no more than 30, since they were always said to have been smaller than standard dromons and would have had lower mastheads. In fact, in order to be able to actually read signals with unaided eyesight and communicate them back to the fleet, distances must have been even less than this. Syrianos Magistros advised that a fleet should always proceed with scout ships out ahead, up to six milia or so. Two scout ships should be 6 milia ahead and another two should be between them and the fleet to relay any messages. Six milia was only around 8 kilometres. If the forward scout ships then had a range of visibility of another 8-16 kilometres, then the real maritime space that could be observed was only around 25 kilometres at best. (Age of the Dromon, pg. 388-389).

Compared to the Gullet, the Strait of Otranto is 100 km wide (c.69 miles) while the distance between Crete and Rhodes is 180 km (c.112 miles) with the island of Karpathos in the middle; neither the Byzantines nor contemporary Mediterranean powers could control entry and exit through such space.

It might be argued that spyglasses, known in ASOIAF as Myrish Lenses or a Myrish Eye, could offer a solution to such long distances; unfortunately these devices are only produced in Myr, and of the three mentioned in the main books only one is used onboard a ship. The lenses used by Maesters Luwin and Aemon are large enough to require a tripod; the only one mentioned aboard a ship is a collapsible Eye carried by a Myrish captain whose ship is taken by Victarion en route to Slavers Bay. Even if Myrish lenses were available to some degree, it's unlikely they could overcome the problems of distance and the conditions at sea.

Writing about the War of 1812, Frederick Leiner states that a lookout "perched on the masthead, 80 or 100 feet above the main deck, and equipped with a spyglass, with the horizon perhaps 20 miles off ... might be able to discern a larger warship-like frigate perhaps as far as 15 miles distant, if the weather were clear and sea conditions allowed." 15 miles or 24 km is impressive compared to the 8-16 km of the Byzantine scout ships mentioned by Pryor and Jeffries, but the heights of Leiner's masts are more than double that of a Dromon and taller still than a cogs. Even a spyglass from two centuries after they were first introduced would not greatly enhance the vision of a Velaryon lookout, and the notoriously poor weather and seas of the Westerosi autumn and winter would certainly counteract it. With ships being kept off station to ferry supplies and act as reserves, the area needing to be patrolled would make visual signaling highly impractical.

To quote Pryor and Jeffries once more, "Expeditionary objectives could frequently be achieved best by preserving one’s forces intact and actually avoiding battle since naval warfare was essentially amphibious warfare whose purpose was to secure control of terrestrial objectives rather than to attempt to control maritime space (Age of the Dromon, 388)." Using the Velaryon Fleet to support the Black armies rather than attempting an exercise in futility by blockading the Gullet, would have applied pressure to Aegon and the Greens more effectively while being consistent with the setting that George created and its inspirations.

The most obvious way for the Velaryon Fleet to support the Blacks would be through transporting Northern and Vale troops south of the Neck and the Mountains of the Moon, to take the fight to Aegon rather than sitting back passively once Daemon rallied the Riverlords and the Blacks in the Reach marched on Oldtown. Considering how swiftly both of those armies were raised, it makes no sense why the Vale could not at least send troops to assist Rhaenyra in the Crownlands. Another option and one which I proposed in part 12 and the conclusion of my military analysis series, would be to send the Velaryon Fleet south against the Stormlords.

Otto Hightower believed that Tarth would support Rhaenyra's cause, and Lord Buckler and Lady Fel were both executed by Aegon for refusing to swear fealty to him instead of Rhaenyra. The bulk of the Crownlands supports Rhaenyra prior to Criston Cole's campaign, and Felwood and Bronzegate are located south of the Crownlands astride the Kingsroad to Storm's End. The Wendwater flows through the Stormlands and Crownlands before emptying into Blackwater Bay; assuming the river is even partially navigable, this could allow shallow drafted boats to move troops and supplies into the lower Kingswood and prevent Aegon and Borros from aiding one another. Naval operations along the coast would be risky given the arrival of autumn, but the weather rarely affects the plot of the Dance if the author doesn't want it to. Tarth would serve as a base for the Velaryon ships to resupply and further raid the coast or land troops and the Blacks in the Reach could threaten the border, with the Cockleswhent and Blueburn rivers potentially serving as supply arteries for an invasion from the west.

There are also compelling political reasons for the Blacks and particularly the Velaryons to attack the Stormlands: It would punish Borros Baratheon for breaking his father's oath to Rhaenyra, esp. since his father supported Rhaenys and Laenor in 101 and Rhaenys is currently part of the Black council; it could be portrayed as vengeance for the death of Lucerys Velaryon over Shipbreaker Bay; and it could potentially force the Greens out of King's Landing. Aemond's betrothal to Floris Baratheon would give him some obligation to support his ally and future good-father against their common foe, and failure to give aid would endanger the Baratheon alliance. Aegon's only other allies are in the Westerlands and the Honeywine valley of the southern Reach, and without the Baratheons he is completely surrounded by his enemies. Whether Aegon, Aemond or both set out with an army to aid Borros, King's Landing's garrison and perhaps one dragonrider are all that would be left to defend against an attack by Daemon and the Riverlords and/or the Black houses of the Reach.

These scenarios offer a more effective employment for the Velaryon Fleet, but there is a way to retain the blockade while ensuring that the ending of the Dance remains relatively the same (Rhaenyra and Aegon are dead, Aegon III and Jaehaera marry, most of the dragons are dead, etc.) by acknowledging that the blockade is a poor strategy. It could start by allowing Mysaria's spies to discover the fate of the Royal Treasury, with ships carrying 75% of the treasury out of Blackwater Bay without the awareness of the Velaryon Fleet. It can even be implied that Larys Strong leaked this information to play both sides and drive a wedge between Rhaenyra and her Hand; this pays off as Rhaenyra blames Corlys and the Velaryons for this embarassment and imposes the Blockade against Corlys' judgement. The blockade serves as a way for her to get back at Aegon while asserting her royal authority after her claim was usurped.

The Velaryon Fleet is thus forced to commit the entirety of its forces to a task that Corlys, his vassals, and his captains and crews know is beyond their means to carry out successfully. Many galleys could be lost to the stormy seas and their crews drowned, while the cogs must endure the same weather and miserable conditions in pursuit of a pointless task. Morale declines steadily as many ships desert completely, turning to piracy or becoming merchantmen and sellsails in Essos, which further undermines the blockade. Tensions between Rhaenyra and Corlys would already be high before Rhaenys' death and could reach a crisis point after the Battle of the Gullet. The way the battle plays out in F&B could likewise be retained if the mistakes made by the Blacks are acknowledged, being the failure of naval or dragon patrols to detect the approach of the Triarchy Fleet. Gyldan could point out that both Prince Jacaerys and Lord Corlys are at fault for the disaster, but that Rhaenyra solely blames the Velaryons. I would even go a step further: Medieval and Early Modern naval combat relied heavily on boarding actions, excluding cannons since they're not present in George's setting. With many galleys and ships being entangled in these close-quarters bouts, it would not be surprising if the dragonriders set fire to Velaryon ships by mistake and further contributed to the deterioration of Velaryon support.

With many officers and crews having lost their families and homes in the Triarchy attack, this would present a perfect opportunity for Vaemond Velaryon's sons, Daeron and Daemion, and his nephews the 'Silent Five' to take action if they were not already involved in the events of the Dance. With Larys possibly assisting them, they could begin organizing a fleet-wide mutiny against Rhaenyra and the Black Council, which would take place after Corlys is arrested. Addam and Alyn would flee to Dragonstone and Driftmark, the former to seek Baela and Moondancer's help and the latter to rally ships and crews to help his father. The mutineers capture Alyn while Addam finds Moondancer dead, Baela imprisoned, and Dragonstone in the hands of Aegon II, with a battle ensuing between Sunfyre and Seasmoke which leads to Aegon's injuries and Addam fleeing the bay worse for wear. Heading to Maidenpool and finding that Nettles has fled and Daemon and Aemond are fallen in battle, Addam could then rally what forces he can for a suicide mission against Tumbleton with the aim of killing Daeron and the Betrayers and mauling their army before it can join Aegon at King's Landing.

This sets up how I would fix Second Tumbleton, by Addam showing up to find Daeron already battling with the Betrayers and the army divided. Knowing that neither Aegon and Alicent nor Alyn, Baela and Corlys will survive if the Betrayers take the capital, Addam and Daeron join forces and rout the Betrayers army, with all four dragonriders being killed in the battle. This change is important if Jaehaera's death is retained, since there needs to be strong foundations for reconciling the Greens and Blacks. Addam and Daeron the Daring's sacrifice gives both factions heroes that they can memorialize and honour together; Daenaera's marriage to Aegon III is also helped by her father and uncle having been actively involved in Rhaenyra's downfall in support of Aegon II. A final touch I would add would be for Alyn to lead a counter-mutiny following Aegon II's death which leads to deaths of Daeron Velaryon and three of the 'Silent Five'; Alyn could swear an oath to the dying Daeron to look after his daughter Daenaera now that both her parents will be dead. This magnanimous act by Alyn and the respect the Velaryon Fleet has for him could inform Daemion's decision to break with the remaining 'Silent Five' and support Alyn's claim as Corlys' heir.

If you've made it to the end of this wall of text, I commend you! For those that want a TL;DR: The Show's blockade is nonsense; the Book blockade is unworkable as a strategy; nonetheless, the blockade and the Velaryon Fleet can still play an important role in the story if the aforementioned flaws are acknowledged. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

#asoiaf #house of the dragon #hotd #fire and blood #asoiaf critical #hotd critical #grrm critical #house velaryon #team green #team black #corlys velaryon #alyn velaryon #addam velaryon #military history

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chasing-faith-and-fate · 7 months ago

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soooo the obvious weakness is water/rain (unless i am Very Stupid) but like I'm curious about in what way.

is it a physical weakness (from the steaminess of the body that dewbat was holding) where water/rain is like acid and dissolves both the skin and the taker beneath (or just the taker itself if it doesnt have a skin)? and in that case, is one of the signs that something might be a taker that they won't drink water or go anywhere near it or show an unusual amount of nervousness/avoidance to water/rain/storms? (i know they don't have to eat or drink anyway since they have no organs, so in that case, if not already answered, does the fact that they don't eat raise alerts or do they just pretend to eat? CAN they even eat? sorry, tangent.)

i know takers aren't stupid but their intelligence is also not super advanced/high so i feel bad for asking this but i must know: do takers KNOW about their weakness? like are they aware? or are they unaware and then get very injured or very Dead from water/rain on accident. does that make sense?

does water collect at the bottom of the physical rift? and in that case, would that effectively kill takers who can't shelter from it? like. could that be a way to Get Rid of Them? bc all this foreshadowing and prophecy and stuff relating to storms paired with the "we throw takers down in the rift bc we can't rlly kill them" thing makes me think that if they just idk collected/gathered as many of the takers as they could up in the rift and waited for the water/rain to kill them (which is rlly good timing right now since the storms aren't stopping anytime soon if i remember correctly) they could stomp out a large portion of their infestation/problem.

idk im bad with putting my thoughts into words (something I struggle with and get very frustrated with) but i NEEDED to Say Things while it's still fresh.

-@warriorwhiskers

1: Water is very much acid to them, a little bit of water on the fur won't burn them (morning dew), but large amounts (rain, puddles, lakes etc) will burn through the skin, which is already thin and weak with no nutrients to keep it healthy, and will touch the Taker itself, who smoke and dissolve were the water makes contact. Enough damage will kill them fully.

Takers with no bodies to protect them burn away easily. They will seek out shelter.

They never go near water, this isn't exactly unusual to most cats because they get most of their hydration from prey. Takers will eat in social environments, they don't get anything out of it, but they consume it the same way they do the organs from a body they inhabit.

2: Takers are aware of their weaknesses in the same way an animal with rabies fear water, it's simply instinctual. They don't have continence thoughts on "this is bad and this will reveal me" but instead "that is bad that is scary that is death".

3: Yes! The Rift, during rainy periods, will fill with water. The cats don't know about the water weakness and so truly believe that there's an uneasy amount of cat like creatures in the rift (very much the reason that Chasingclan is considered cured is because of this, since the rift surrounds them.)

There are still Takers that are alive in the Rift despite the water. There's many cliffs and caves all along the rift that can provide shelter, but they're all very badly injured still.

Redstep and Cicadabranch are still in the rift, their Takers have been able to survive for years in the rift. This isn't very likely to come up in story, so I don't mind revealing that.

All in all, there aren't actually as many Takers as you'd think currently. There's still an alarming amount, but not as many as there could be.

Doesn't mean that there aren't more being born/made to make up for it. There isn't a set amount of Takers, they're not a critically endangered species :]

#askjon #chasinglore

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lagolepuri · 6 months ago

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#6: Halcyon

“You could have made yourself easier to find, you know.” Hythlodaeus crested a grassy hill where he found Aletheia resting on a thick blanket, overlooking the water below. Her dark locks whipped fitfully around her in the wind.

“I thought my directions were specific enough,” she replied without lifting her eyes from the water.

“‘Meet me by the water where form itself forgets’ is specific enough in retrospect, but it’s unlike you to be so flowery and indirect.” Hyth surveyed their surroundings as he approached. “‘Come quickly,’ you also said, but we seem to be having a picnic. Are the sandwiches so near to spoiling?”

“Oh, come,” she spoke softly, “You’re beginning to sound like Emet-Selch.” She shifted herself to one side of the blanket and patted the ground next to her. “I’ve saved you a seat.” As Hythlodaeus took his place, Aletheia snickered darkly. “How did Hades bear to suffer the both of us when my mischief furrows the brow of even jolly Hythlodaeus?”

His friend’s demeanor gave Hythlodaeus pause. It was rare to see her so somber. “I fear my jesting has been misconstrued for scorn.” He gazed up at the Elpis sky, tumultuous with umbral wind. “Perhaps this foul weather infects us both,” he offered, then, when no reply came, he lifted his voice to ask, “On what adventure have you invited me today?”

“Bird watching,” said Aletheia, without a hint of mirth.

Hyth smiled with chagrin. “That was the urgent matter I rushed here for?” He was careful to make clear the hints of mirth in his own voice.

“At another lake, for another bird, it might have been a less urgent matter, but for this one you’ll never get another chance. You made it just in time, too. Look, it comes.”

Hyth craned his neck to see the lake of Lethe below them, its waters as rough and turbulent as the sky above them. A small, blue bird glided above the choppy waves and alighted on the crest of one. As it did, the wave itself dropped and rested. A ring of calm, clear surface surrounded the bird and grew, spreading stillness across the water until only in the distance could it still be seen trembling.

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” A light came into Aletheia’s ruby eyes that Hyth had not seen since arriving. “‘Alkyone,’ Hermes named it. It seems to project peace and stasis into the aether wherever it rests. I suspected some light-based manipulation, but that doesn’t seem to be correct. I can’t determine the method of its effect. But it’s enviable nonetheless, don’t you think?”

“Remarkable indeed. But why do we find it here? I would have been excited to see such a concept cross my desk under the name of good Hermes.” As they watched, the little creature closed its eyes and seemed to go to sleep. Its form relaxed and its beak touched the beak of its reflection in the perfect mirror of the lake. Two birds seemed to be suspended in a vast empty space between the raging umbral storm above and its illusory twin beneath the water.

“Whatever his intentions were for this creation, it seemed not to meet his desires. So here it has come to rest, the first and last of its kind, and forget that it ever existed.

Hythlodaeus’s sharp eyes could already see the weave of the little bird’s being start to fray in the magic of the lake. The surface of the water trembled. “Did you not inquire further? What intentions did Master Hermes have that such a marvelous creation failed to meet them?”

Aletheia shook her head. “I didn’t inquire at all. Just observed.” She glanced sideways at her friend. “Nobody else knows I’m here. Came in through a back door. Better not to worry anyone by announcing myself.” Hythlodaeus scowled with concern, but did not interject. “When I return to the star,” she began, “I hope I can return as such a creature. Bringing peace and serenity wherever I alight. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

At that her companion smiled. “Is that not already the creature you are, Azem, the hero, Fourteenth Seat of the Convocation?”

“So you see me, perhaps. So I hope to be remembered. But I fear I’m coming to be known as more of a storm crow.” Hyth frowned and raised his eyebrows inquiringly. Aletheia sighed and continued. “Suppose that unbeknown to you that tree over there began to fall towards you. I see this and shout to you. I run towards you, arms outstretched, but you are startled and bewildered. If I save you, you may piece together what happened and thank me, but that first impression, associating me with the danger never goes away.” She sighed again. “When I depart, yes, peace may be left in my wake, but when I arrive…people have begun to take me as a sign of coming danger and struggle and pain.” At the edge of the blanket, her sword gleamed silently in the sickly storm light. Below, the waters grew restless.

The two sat together in silence for a while as the Alkyone and its reflection unraveled on the water. Hythlodaeus, always so glib and full of cheer, wanted deeply to rally his dear friend from her gloom. He remembered the youthful Aletheia rapping on his window with a gangly Hades in tow and dragging them into the wilderness on fanciful adventures. The right words wouldn’t come. He could only put his arm around her and tell her that no matter what happened, her friends would continue to love her and carry her memory.

When the stormy sky vanished from the surface of the lake and dark waves took that place again, neither of them were there to see it.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2024 #azem oc #hythlodaeus #elpis #late again #this one's a little rough #hopefully it still lands

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sl-walker · 10 months ago

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Preview...

...from the next chapter of Stardust, which will go out at some point after I finish it. Until then, please enjoy this opener to an already wildly self-indulgent chapter.

“I maintain that this would be easier in a pool,” Ted said, though given his tone, he was kvetching to kvetch -- his term -- and was perfectly content with where they were.

Booster had never been in any body of water larger than a hot tub or a cold water post-game bath before, so obviously he’d wanted to jump into Lake Michigan. It was upwards of 90 out and it wasn’t the dry heat of El Paso; this heat clung to the body, making clothes stick in wildly uncomfortable ways and in insanely uncomfortable places, and so naturally he wanted to wear as little as possible and the best place to get away with wearing very little was the beach. The incredible amount of blue and water was just a bonus.

And that wasn’t even taking into account a Ted wearing nothing but swim goggles and trunks. Which meant this could well be either Booster’s very personal heaven or his very personal hell. Unless there was a weird personal purgatory where you were being tortured with the appealing sight of the unaware object of your affections?

Hell if he knew. There was a reason he body-swerved religion like it was a wharf rat hissing from the storm drain.

He'd thought about going out to some of the Long Island beaches before, maybe as an afternoon trip, but the ocean intimidated him every bit as much as he was fascinated by it. By his time, the oceans were very barren; mostly, they existed as giant vats to grow specialized algae, which in turn became the building blocks of most food sources. Storms could rage, but the vast bumpers and floats and dividers kept the surface anywhere near shore fairly smooth; to let it get wild would be to risk starving some large portion of the roughly two billion people inhabiting Earth at any given time.

In this time, waves roared ashore and smashed against rocks and the first time he’d stood on an unsheltered walk next to an unfettered ocean had left him so awed that he didn’t even remember the walk back to the motel. His face was windburned and he was cold enough that he took the warmest shower he could coax out of the motel’s hot-water heaters, and then sat shivering wrapped in the cheap blankets after.

But even as he did, he was still reliving the reverberation of water pounding the shore, a low and bone-shaking boom that felt like it changed the very rhythm of his heart right through the soles of his shoes. He was still tasting salt, flecks of seawater spray flung by the wind, long after it had to have been impossible to.

Lake Michigan was cheerful by comparison to that; the waves were nonexistent today, and given the rental Ted had chosen, the largely private beach was likewise quiet. Down the way, one of the various public beaches that lined the North Shore was busier -- Jaime, Brenda and Paco had abandoned them to go investigate the more social scene, in fact -- but there had been no talk of Booster and Ted going with.

If one was going to half-ass some swimming lessons, then it couldn’t be a better day for it, or a better location. And, ulterior motives about getting to see the man in trunks aside, Booster wouldn’t have wanted them from anyone but Ted anyway.

Booster shrugged, drawing his hands through the water in a wide arc around himself, feeling the resistance against his palms. “Easier, sure, but way less pretty,” he said, as he pretended with award-winning composure that he was referring to the lake and not his oblivious instructor. Though the lake was also pretty.

“Yeah, but with a pool you can practice kicking by holding onto the side. For an example.” Ted looked around; he had so much sunscreen on his face and shoulders that there was a glaze of it left on his skin. Not enough to hide the birthmark on the back of one shoulder. He smelled like artificial coconut, which was definitely not Booster’s favorite scent, and Booster still would have happily buried his face in Ted’s neck for a snootful. “I mean, out here all you have to hold onto is me,” Ted added.

Booster stared at him for a second or two, then swallowed down a groan and just let himself slide below the surface because it was that or die right there.

He was laying sort-of on the floor of Lake Michigan in a speedo and goggles and the guy he was absolutely head over heels for was mostly naked and this was the single worst idea he’d ever had in his life.

But, he had to allow as he stared up through the water at the distorted image of his best friend looking down at him in what was undoubtedly a bemused fashion, there were definitely worse ways to go.

#ted kord #michael carter #blue beetle #booster gold #stardust

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newstfionline · 5 months ago

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Thursday, October 10, 2024

More than 2.8 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding (AP) Hurricane Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm, bringing misery to a coast still ravaged by Helene, pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) after producing a barrage of tornadoes, but sparing Tampa a direct hit. The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. The situation in the Tampa area was still a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida. The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 2.8 million homes and businesses without power as of early Thursday. Before Milton even made landfall, tornadoes were touching down across the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 90 mph (145 kph) as it churned about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Orlando.

In the hole (NYT) Sometime in the next two years, the federal debt will likely cross a worrisome threshold: It will exceed the size of the country’s annual economic output (or GDP) for the first time since 1946. There are a number of causes, but what these causes have in common is a federal government that seems incapable of paying its own bills—and an electorate that tells pollsters it cares about the federal debt but votes for politicians who support low taxes and high spending. I know that the federal debt can be a hard topic to think about, partly because budget scolds have been warning for years that it is too large. Then it keeps growing, and nothing bad seems to happen. Those scolds can sound like Aesop’s boy who cried wolf. But it’s worth remembering what happens at the end of that fable: Eventually, the boy was telling the truth, and a wolf really did come to eat the town’s sheep. Likewise, the federal government will eventually face consequences for spending more money than it raises in taxes. Already, the costs of high federal debt are evident. About one-seventh of all federal spending this year will cover interest payments on debt the government previously accumulated. Over time, interest payments will account for an even larger share of the federal budget, leaving less money for everything else. The interest payments mean that the longer the government waits to deal with its growing debt, the more painful the solution will need to be.

Voters in the US don’t directly elect the president (AP) The U.S. has a unique system for electing a president, the Electoral College. In modern times, it has put disproportionate voting power in the hands of a few states that are fairly evenly divided politically. That forces campaigns to dedicate most of their money to the so-called battleground states. There are seven of them this year—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The lack of attention to other states leaves voters in much of the country feeling as if they and the issues they care about are being overlooked during the presidential contest. In two of the last six U.S. presidential elections, candidates have lost the nationwide popular vote but won the presidency. This includes former President Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by nearly 2.9 million but still won enough votes in the Electoral College to become president. This often sounds crazy to people who live in democracies in the rest of the world. The U.S. is the only country to have a system where voters select a body of electors with the sole function of choosing the president. In most other democracies, the president is directly elected through the popular will of the voters.

A Cartel Battle Turns a Mexican State Into a War Zone (NYT) Bodies dumped on the side of the road. Gun battles in upscale neighborhoods. Tractor-trailers set aflame on the highway. People plucked from their cars by armed men in broad daylight. This is what it looks like when war breaks out within one of the most powerful criminal mafias in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, pitting two rival factions against each other in a bloody struggle to control a multibillion-dollar narco empire. The bloody struggle between two rival factions of one of the most powerful criminal mafias in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, has cost Culiacán, a city of one million people, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, business leaders say.

Biden’s Cuba Policy Leaves the Island a Wreck (Drop Site News) The sight of hungry people scavenging through dumpsters and panhandling was once more common in cities in the United States and Europe than in Havana. But a series of quiet moves, first by Trump, and now by Biden, have produced a humanitarian crisis throughout Cuba. Cuba has been sanctioned for longer than any other country in modern history. But almost a decade ago the Obama administration softened sanctions on the island and restored diplomatic relations with Havana, admitting that over half a century of immiserating the island had failed to oust the communist government. The economic rebound was swift. But in the final weeks of the Trump administration, the White House put Cuba back on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, alongside Iran, Syria and North Korea, for nakedly political reasons and without providing evidence. Cuba watchers expected that Biden would restore Obama’s raft of achievements, as he had promised. Instead, Biden has one-upped Trump by going further than the previous administration in attacking Cuba’s tourism industry—the main engine of the island’s economy. Two years ago, the Biden State Department barred foreigners who visit Cuba from visa-free travel to the U.S. That meant that people from the United Kingdom, France, Spain and 37 other countries found out that a mere holiday in Cuba could forfeit their visa waiver, and many decided not to risk a visit to the island. The terror designation, together with more than 200 sanctions enacted against the island since Obama left office, has pulped the Cuban economy. By driving down people’s living standards and crushing the dream of a better tomorrow, the Trump-Biden sanctions have produced a mass exodus from the island of historic proportions.

Spanish olive trees find new home on Hungary’s slopes (Reuters) Wine maker Csaba Torok, who grows olives on Hungary’s warm southern slopes near Lake Balaton, believes his trees from southern Europe have found a successful new home as Europe’s climate gets warmer. As southern Europe is hit by more frequent droughts and scorching heatwaves, the areas where olive groves can flourish appear to be shifting northwards, he said. Hungary’s winters have become palpably milder over the past years. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, the European Environment Agency said last month. Spain, which usually supplies around 40% of the world’s olive oil, has suffered poor olive harvests in the past two years due to heatwaves and a prolonged drought, doubling olive oil prices to record levels.

So, Are You Pregnant Yet? China’s In-Your-Face Push for More Babies. (NYT) The first time a government worker encouraged Yumi Yang to have a baby, she thought little of it. She and her husband were registering their marriage at a local office in northeastern China, and the worker gave them free prenatal vitamins, which she chalked up to the government trying to be helpful. When an official later called to ask if she had taken them, and then called again after she did get pregnant to track her progress, Ms. Yang shrugged those questions off as well intentioned, too. But then officials showed up at her door after she had given birth, asking to take a photograph of her with her baby for their files. That was too much. Faced with a declining population that threatens economic growth, the Chinese government is responding with a time-tested tactic: inserting itself into this most intimate of choices for women, whether or not to have a child. Officials are not just going door to door to ask women about their plans. They have partnered with universities to develop courses on having a “positive view of marriage and childbearing.” At high-profile political gatherings, officials are spreading the message wherever they can.

U.N. says it’s ‘seeing the same patterns’ in Lebanon as in Gaza (Washington Post) The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is “seeing the same patterns that we saw in Gaza” in Lebanon, a spokesperson for the agency said in a video shared on social media Tuesday, as Israel continues its military campaign in Lebanon and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the potential for “destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.” Jeremy Laurence, the OHCHR spokesperson, said that in Lebanon, “the same means and methods of warfare that have been used” as in Gaza, “and as a result we are seeing civilians pay the ultimate price.” He also pointed to shuttered hospitals and mass displacement, among other parallels with Gaza. “The devastation is beyond belief for all people in Lebanon, as it is in Gaza,” he said. “We can’t let this happen again.”

In Gaza, children who survive Israel’s assault face a lifetime of trauma (NBC News) Osama Muhammad Abu Mustafa was convinced he would become an international soccer superstar. Playing on a local team at the municipal stadium in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, he envisioned a future “like Ronaldo.” He was 13. He was practicing soccer with his cousins when the bombs fell. “I had the ball—and then a missile fell,” he told NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza in an interview in his home, where he was still recovering months after the July 3 airstrike. What happened next is a blur, he said. But when he woke up, he was in a hospital bed, where he learned that one of his cousins, his aunt and her husband had been killed. He had also lost his left leg. “The occupation killed my dream,” Osama said. “They stole it from me.” Now, Osama struggles to find the will to leave his hospital bed, even in a wheelchair. Osama is one of hundreds of thousands of children whose lives have been shattered during Israel’s yearlong military offensive in Gaza. Like the rest of Gaza’s children, who make up about half of the strip’s population of 2.2 million, Osama bears no responsibility for the Oct. 7 attacks, nor the devastating war that followed. But children like him are paying a high price, with more than 16,900 killed, including dozens of infants under the age of 1, during the intensive Israeli bombing and ground operations.

Water gushes through sand dunes after a rare rainfall in the Sahara desert (AP) The Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco has flooded with more water than seen in decades, with two days of rain in September leading to several areas getting more rain in hours than they ordinarily would get in a year. The rain, an extratropical storm, has interrupted what has otherwise been six consecutive years of drought and will refill groundwater aquifers. Lake Iriqui, which is a lake bed that has been dry for the past 50 years, now had water rushing into it, and the village of Tagounite managed to get 100 millimeters of precipitation in a 24-hour period—unheard of.

A ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Comet (NYT) Look up, stargazers: A comet discovered last year is getting brighter as it makes its closest pass by Earth later this week, and this could be humanity’s last chance to see the comet before it disappears into the cosmic depths. The celestial visitor is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or C/2023 A3 to scientists. Astronomers are expecting the comet to be especially vivid, possibly rivaling the brightness of Jupiter in the night sky. The comet is expected to be at its brightest on Wednesday and potentially visible through the end of the month. “This one is, I would say, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist based in Italy and the scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project.

#headlines #news

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btsbabe7 · 1 year ago

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November Prompt 22: Lover

Words: 2.3k | Pairings: Severus Snape, Sirius Black x reader | Warnings: 18+, brief sex/mentions of

You had lied in bed next to your former partner, Severus Snape himself, unable to sleep. It had stormed that night and it reminded you of the times you’d escape from your Hogwarts dormitory to enjoy the earthly aroma and loud rumbling of the thunder beneath your feet near the Black Lake.

You draped his cloak over your silk nightgown and snuck out of his sleeping quarters and the castle that night. At the edge of the lake, you sat, taking in the sight of the rain rippling across the black surface outstretched in front of you.

You wished Snape could’ve been there, wished he had indulged in the pleasure of finding his animagus form, but he was against it. He often lectured you for going out at night to explore, saying it was too dangerous for you to be out alone. You had assured him that no one would bother a small basset hound from Hufflepuff, but he only scoffed in response.

The chirping of crickets grew quieter as the thunder shook the ground underneath your paws and you whined softly to the moon cascading over the surface of the lake before you lied on the cool, wet ground. It was beautiful, the lake, the storm, the peace, until thoughts that weren’t your own had filled your head and a sharp growl rippled through the forest behind you.

Well, well, well, if it isn’t Severus himself.

Severus?

You had perched up on your paws and searched for the animal that had begun to invade your peace, but found nothing, not a single soul in the darkness.

The attack following was quick and left you breathless. A single bite to the neck, not too hard, but not soft either, had caused you to shift back into your human form—naked, weak and shivering against the frigid ground. The yellow eyes of the dog on top of you turned golden as it stepped back with a whimper and a dark haired, bearded man transformed from the hairy beast.

“I’m sorry! Are you alright?”

“Y-you bit me!” You sputtered, which had turned into playful laugher.

“To be fair, I thought you were my formal nemesis. You reek of him quite frankly, like bitterness and grief.”

You gulped at the insult. Surely he hadn’t meant your Severus, but a month later, you found out he had.

After a few moments, the man had come down next to you, pulling on a pair of damp pants while tossing his jacket towards you, leaving his lanky chest exposed to the elements.

“You realize you’re naked?”

Your cheeks flushed a crimson red, but your long, curly hair had done a good job at shielding you from his view.

“I know,” you replied confidently and threw the jacket back while climbing off the ground and shaking the debris off your body. You had left your clothes near a tree and knew exactly where to find them without the help of a stranger.

“And I thought I was careless,” he chuckled behind you, as you unknowingly led the way.

“Why’re you following me?”

“Me? Following you?” He scoffed at the insult. “I’ll have you know I’m going to meet a dear friend in the castle.”

You had stopped in your tracks and spun towards him.

“In the castle? Then why are you lurking in the shadows of the lake?”

“I take pleasure in being in my animagus form. Aside from the fleas, I’m free to roam the grounds without the slightest detection of people knowing who I am.”

“And whom are you exactly?” You had asked, hands on your hips as your damp hair clung over your bare breasts.

He had chuckled manically, taking in the sight of your bare mound and the curvature of your hips.

“I’m Sirius Black, of course,” he replied with a brilliant smile that would change your life forever.

The two of you had spent the rest of the night talking and sharing stories after you had clothed yourself. He had turned his nose at the thought of you and Severus, saying you deserved better, and this stranger spent the entire night telling you so.

You still remember the glimmer in his steel gray eyes when you two arrived at the front doors of the castle, his hair dripping, much like yours had, and a smirk on his face.

“Even in this poor lighting, you’re breathtaking,” he commented. “Though, I think I fancy you in the nude, you’re more rigid that way.”

“And I fancy you as a dog,” you scoffed with hot cheeks.

“Funny that you fancy me as anything, seeing that you’re happily taken as you described before,” he laughed just before the doors had swung open.

You were glad it was Dumbledore and not Severus himself who had caught the two of you frolicking in the rain, but surely he had overheard some of your playful banter based on his raised brows alone.

You had bathed alone that night.

The bathroom was empty and silent aside from the thoughts of Sirius that roared in your head. His charming good looks, witty jokes and effortless flirting had made your heart stir in a way you never expected from another man, especially not in just one night.

So, when you snuck back into Severus’ room that night, all you felt was guilt.

Once a week over the course of a month, you had stopped at the Black Lake in hopes that Sirius would find you where it had all begun, but you always spent those nights alone, with the cool breeze sweeping off the lake and through your fur.

On the last night of the month, you had contemplated staying in, Autumn was fading to winter. Severus had even asked you over, but you couldn’t bring yourself to go. Surely he had noticed a shift in your behavior over the month, but he figured you’d been busy. He’d hated knowing that the issue was in fact that there was something lacking in your relationship that you were both too painfully scared to express.

So, you sat alone at the edge of the lake, not in your animagus form, but in your true form. The wind had whipped through your hair relentlessly and it left you breathless as you stared up at the crescent moon above.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

You smiled onto your hands which were caressing your cheeks to keep warm. Your elbows had been perched on top of your knees and drawn up for comfort for most of the night. You didn’t need to turn around to know he had finally shown, after all this time.

“I’ve waited for you,” you hummed. As painful as it was to admit, you had to say it.

“I know,” he breathes, which had gained your attention immediately.

You’d spun off the ground and stormed towards him.

“What do you mean you know?”

“I’ve watched… from the edge of the forest, just far enough so you couldn’t detect my scent, my thoughts. I had to know if this feeling was real. Surely I shouldn’t be this shaken up after only spending one night in your presence.”

You shoved him hard, tears burning in your eyes and longing in your chest.

“Why’d you make me wait so long, Sirius?” You sighed and clenched the softness of his shirt in your hands.

“I needed to know,” he breathed and clutched his hand in your hair before rushing his lips against yours.

You moaned loudly against him and pushed him off.

“I’m with Severus,” you whimpered.

“Hasn’t he realized your heart beats for another? Haven’t you realized? Every week you’ve waited for me, and for what? For another chance to tease each other and frolic around in the forest?” He scoffed and tossed his hands up. “I can’t wait any longer. If you don’t end things with him, then you and I simply cannot be. I’ll respect the both of you enough to give you the final choice.”

“Then tell me the truth, Sirius,” you panted through the chilled breeze. “Do you love me?”

The question alone was completely mad and even took you by surprise. How could one night together prove any worth of love? Yet, you find your heart only yearning for one answer.

He stopped his pacing, eyes burrowing into your soul as he closed the gap you’d placed between the two of you. His hand gripped your jaw softly and his thumb traced your bottom lip as he bit into his own.

“Do I love you?” He chuckled hoarsely, almost silently. His warm breath brushed against your mouth and the moonlight had caught in the grays his eyes. “The only question is how long will I loved you and the only answer is endlessly.”

Your lips trembled and you crawled into yourself, fighting your thoughts, fighting the urge to kiss him, to just touch him while your heart beat ten thousand times more than its normal speed in that moment. You couldn’t betray Severus, you respected him enough to end it the right way. That much he deserved.

You left Sirius in the forest that night and cleaned yourself up with your heart already broken as you approached the familiar corridor. Severus was your first love and your only love until you snuck out on one particular night just a month ago. If you could’ve taken it all back, would you at the expense of saving Severus’ heart from one more ache?

You knocked on the door with a heavy heart. Severus wouldn’t take the news well, you wouldn’t either if the roles were reversed. Your heart had ached for him the entire way here.

Severus opened the door cautiously, visibly relieved once he makes you out in the candlelit corridor.

“I thought you w—“

Your lips crashed against his. You wanted to take in the last taste of him before you couldn’t any longer.

“What’s happened, Y/n?” He whispered, closing the door behind the both of you with deeply worried eyes.

“I want you to make love to me, Sev.”

One last time, but you didn’t have the courage to let those words slip. Surely it was written in your eyes and he could always read them like his favorite passage from his favorite novel. He’d known long before you showed up outside his door.

You had tossed your robe to the floor before Severus lied you back, slowly peeling your clothes off and leaving them scattered on his black ornate rug. He repeated the action on himself before kissing over every inch of your body, drinking you in one last time before prowling back to your lips and lowering himself against you. Your hands traced his petite chest and the sharpness of his jawline, the last time you ever would, and you moaned softly into his mouth as he entered you.

“I love you,” he whispered shakily into the crook of your neck, tears burning against your flesh as you toyed with your favorite parts of his greasy hair.

“Me too,” you whimpered.

“I want you to say it,” he panted hungrily. “Like it’s the last time you’ll be able to.”

His eyes had caught yours in the dimly lit room, tears clung to both your lashes and his own as you sat up onto your elbows. Despite this, he hadn’t stopped, both your pants swirled in the sticky air like smoke from a blown out flame.

“I love you, Severus Snape, but we have to let each other go.”

He nodded as you held him tightly, wrapping your legs around him for the last time as he continued to make love to you. And in the end, he spilled inside of you with a stuttered groan, and you, with a bloodcurdling moan as you clung to each other in the fleeting night.

The next morning, you had awakened in an empty bed. Severus wasn’t selfish enough to make you bear witness to his sulking; he’d want you to be happy no matter what you chose, no matter how unbearable it’d be for him.

And the next night, it was you who’d found Sirius sitting at the edge of the lake, back turned to the forest, waiting for you.

“You’ve done it?” He asked, body not wavering.

“Yes,” you whispered and came to a stop several feet away. “I still love him, but you… Oh, Sirius, my heart yearns for you in a way I can’t deny.”

He shuffled on the ground and came up to his feet, turning immediately to you as if he were breathless.

“Do you regret it?”

“Don’t make me,” you scoffed as you both rushed towards each other like lovers lost and now found again.

“Not a day will go by that you’ll regret this,” he promised.

He pressed his lips into yours and the both of you gasped for air between the open-mouthed kiss. Your hands had found a new comfort between the strands of his luscious hair as the two of you broke apart breathlessly, only to return to each other again.

Sirius had pulled you down to the cool ground, ripping your clothes off, and you, his, before he pulled you into his lap. You’d sunken down his length, howling to the moon at the feeling of fullness inside of you. He’d made love to you roughly, tugging your hair in a way you weren’t used to, and pulling you so close that you could hardly breathe.

“I’ll love you endlessly,” he groaned, eyes staring straight into yours, never wavering. “For as long as I live and beyond.”

You nodded, mouth parted as his name clung to your lips like your new favorite melody. And he had spent the rest of the night making you his in the place where the both of you had met, knowing you’d both love each other for eternity.

Please be sure to check out my other latest fics:

⚡︎ November Prompt Challenge (days 1-30)

⚡︎ For You Always - reader x Snape

~ Navi: masterlist (all fandoms) & (bts imagines/drabbles)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction, but please don’t copy! Written purely for fun :) Please only repost to other socials w/my permission and credit! Reblogging w/credit is fine. Thank you! ♡

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nei-ning · 1 year ago

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Dream ppost, possibly long, once again.

First dream: I visited a woman who had some kind of mental illness. She had 3 puppies and 1 of them was very scared, sitting still and trembling. I thought I need to report about that poor puppy but never didn't. At one point she and I went near to her balcony and there was 3 or 4 wild HUGE Great Horned Owls (huuhkaja) sleeping on the railing under a bedsheet. I LOVE those owls so seeing them made me super excited!

Next we stood on the balcony after those owls left. Before us was Chinese landscape with mountains and lake which was right beneath us. In the lake was HUGE cat fish! Like at least 5 meters long! But with it in the lake lived dragons. 2 of them were middle sized / normal (whatever you consider "normal size" to be for dragons) and one HUGE one. Those smaller ones were black and red-black in color while biggest was made of stone. They all laid at the bottom of the lake, relaxing and living peacefully. At the edge of the lake, near mountains, was wooden polls with ropes and something hang from those ropes. Rope went from poll to poll. I then thought: "Wait a minute. This was MY idea! MY way to earn money and help environment! She STOLE this from me!" Soon after this I woke up.

In last night's dream I, first, was in some mall and first I followed this guy who liked me, like I liked him, and he played hard to catch. I lost him at some point. Then something happened and people started to rush out of the mall in panic. I tried to keep up with my sister but lost her.

Next I sat in a high car, looking behind through back window. We were driving on a forest road, forest being on both sides of the road. Road itself was like a storming sea, covered with water which was coming towards us. Suddenly bright yellow flashing, like lightning, started to appear in the middle line of the water and it made me happy. I knew it was the guy, my crush, who I lost at the mall. He had returned and found me instead. I also need to mention this guy was more or less like a lizard people (if you know what I mean).

Then, in the same dream, I was in HUGE white truck. It had 2 big trailers but they were shared in 2 levels. Upper levels looked like a bus with seats but below area was empty, stored with food and weapons. I sat near the window, equipped with a hammer only. We were chased by enemy or police, I'm not sure. My sister was there with many other people. I saw one enemy coming with flying scooter or something so I asked could I break the window so I could shoot him. Sis started to say no, but I already hit a small hole in the glass, pushing my little gun through it, aiming at the enemy.

I pulled the trigger and out came a group of small white balls which turned into seagulls! They attacked the man, me yelling at them to poke his eyes out of his head! :'D More enemies came to his aid and one of them aimed at me directly with his gun. The glass shattered and I fell out of the truck. Luckily I, like evetyobe else, were tied on their seat with a long rope or chain so I hanged along.

I managed to land on near by police car which was still chafing us. On it's roof was a pile of weapons, mostly old long axes, knives and swords. I took few of them before falling off on the car. I got sucked under the police car before my chain yanked me back with such huge force that I landed on another white truck which was driving beside us. I heard my sis scream at me something while I watched another pile of weapons in front of me. Once more I took old swords, knives and axes. We had no good weapons in our truck so I took weapons to as many people as I could.

I remember how excited and pleased I was when picking up those weapons, haha! Oh, and another thing! For a some reason wearing shoes, and socks, was forbid in our truck. Apparently they made noises what enemies could hear.

And then I slowly started to wake up.

#Text #Dream #Neis dream #20.2.2024

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pcttrailsidereader · 2 years ago

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A Sierra Storm

This past week in Northern California has been unsettled with nightly thunderstorms in the mountains. After a quiet fire season, we are now dealing with several dozen fires. While I am not in the mountain now, it made me think about some prior lightning encounters.

A summer storm in the Sierra is hardly a unique mountain experience. Yet I find them disconcerting … underscoring our vulnerability and insignificance. I’ve been known to make promises in the midst of the alpine pyrotechnics that I still need to make good on. This story shares one particular episode just north of Muir Pass, on the stony shores of Wanda Lake.

The National Weather Service calculates that my odds of being struck by lightning any given year is literally one in a million. Just about the same as my odds of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. As I sat tucked on my Thermarest pad trying to minimize any direct contact with the ground, I could feel the tension throughout my body. My racing heart, shallow breathing, and knotted stomach. Another flash illuminated the tent followed almost immediately by the demoralizing explosion of thunder. Our little foxhole felt so incredibly vulnerable.

Flash. BOOM.

I stole a glance at Howard and Jim. We were each mouthing the numbers as we counted between the flash and the thunder. For a while we had been able to count and joke. For the past eternity – perhaps ten minutes – we were happy to get to “1001” or “1002”.

Flash. BOOM.

A little longer. Maybe the storm is passing. Several rumbles chase each other down the valley, tripping and tumbling as they go.

Flash.BOOM

My body tightened. I just hoped that it wasn’t my time yet. You have to be fatalistic in these storms. You are completely powerless. Impotent. A minor actor on an immense stage.

We had started early to make the first climb into Evolution Valley in the cool of first light. That seemed so long ago now. We made steady progress as the trail paralleled that series of beautiful meadows that follow the meanders of Evolution Creek. After some half dozen miles of this leisurely stroll the trail climbed steeply into another hanging valley, the Evolution Basin. We made an extended stop at Evolution Lake to do laundry and wait out the most intense part of the day. At 10,800’, trees are scarce and the sun fierce. Through the mid-afternoon the skies had remained perfectly clear offering no hint of things to come.

Grey granite walls touch

Translucent blue waters that

Reflect the heavens.

Flash… 1001 … 1002 … 1003 … BOOM

The lightning and thunder brought me out of my reverie and back to the present. I stretched my legs quickly and pulled the sleeping bag around me to preserve the warmth. This was the quiet between. The waiting.

Flash … 1001 … 1002 … BOOM

Flash. 1001 BOOM

“Damn,” I muttered. Jim suggested that we should count faster.

As we had passed Sapphire Lake I can remember thinking, as I eyed the skies, “Probably not the best time to be heading into such an exposed world.” Ah, the wisdom of hindsight.

About 6:45 p.m. we topped the bench that dams Wanda Lake. Just, and I mean precisely at that moment, as we took our packs off the rain began. The first few drops gave us the illusion that we had ample time to select a suitable tent site. That was not the case.

Almost immediately the rain transitioned from drops to sheets and with it a chilling wind swept across the lake. The rocky landscape offered little protection and a few totally inadequate tent sites, ones we would have scoffed at any other time.

The leader of a Sierra Club outing group camped nearby amidst a jumble of rocks, motioned to us that there was a flat space near them. Even as efficient as we were at erecting the tent after more than a week on the trail, we were pretty wet by the time we had the tent up and packs somewhat protected. Then the lightning had begun.

In this high country

With lightning in a barren land

I feel so naked.

Frankly there is little I find more terrifying in the high country than lightning, that massive electrostatic discharge caused by unbalanced electric charge in the atmosphere.

“Separate,” yelled the Sierra Club trip leader.

Flash BOOM.

We huddled in the tent. The thunder reverberated off the surrounding peaks. It was the hall of the mountain king with tympany pounding and cymbals crashing. The rain alternated sleet, hail, and rain. I took my sleeping bag and dry clothes from my pack sheltered (somewhat) in the vestibule. Jim and Howard’s resources were under pack covers well outside the tent. We put on my clothes and covered our legs with the sleeping bag as the temperature dropped. The sweat and precipitation that had dampened us, now began to chill us . The wind buffeted the tent bending the tent wall toward us.

Flash… 1001 … 1002 … BOOM.

We waited.

Flash … 100BOOM

Too close.

Fortunately, the whole episode lasted about an hour. Not an atypical Sierra storm. It was twilight by the time the storm was spent. In the waning evening light we made a quick dinner, appreciated the illuminated peaks around Wanda Lake, and watched (rather ironically) the stars as they appeared. No cards tonight. Perhaps a few prayers.

#Wanda Lake #High Sierra #Evolution Lakes #Muir Pass #lightning #storm

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tittyinfinity · 1 year ago

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Seroquel dream (it's been a while) (I mostly document these for myself but man. They're wild)

So I hate (USAmerican) football. But my dream started off with me being at a Chiefs vs Cowboys game. My family's favorite team is the Chiefs (Missourians here) and my ex's favorite team is the Cowboys and I've grown up around a lot of their merch so it made sense. What didn't make sense was that I was watching the game from the sidelines of the football field. WAIT NO THAT DOES MAKE SENSE bc I was in marching band and actually did that a lot IRL. Lmao. Anyway. Pretty sure we were at the Dallas stadium.

But there was some kind of crazy weather apocalypse happening at the same time. I looked up to the sky and it's completely covered by brownish dust clouds that are rapidly moving across the atmosphere. I kept thinking that it looked more like the sky on Mars – except the sky was moving so fast that you would think the earth was rotating 10x faster than usual. Lightning would cover the entire sky like a spiderweb sometimes. I thought that was pretty cool to look at actually. But everyone else was ignoring it and it really confused me.

Fast forward, idk how I got there, but suddenly I'm in Philadelphia at an Eagles vs Patriots game. The sky looks exactly the same. On a huge screen in the football stadium, there was a man giving out a news report that this "sky dust storm" was happening all over the world, and it was due to illegal weapons and chemicals put out by the US. Again, the game kept going as usual and everyone ignored it.

I decide I'm gonna go on a lake trip of some sort to clear my mind, so I go to the store for supplies, because I always go to the fucking store in my dreams and that's been a thing for a couple of years now for some reason. I'm going to try on swimsuits, and the dressing rooms were extremely small to "prevent anyone bigger than a size 5 from wearing their clothes" (this stems from a memory of me watching America's next top model when I was younger). Well I barely fit in there, but I just stole everything because fuck their fatphobia. Well and because I would have done it anyway.

I get back to my "home" and my ex's girlfriend is standing in the doorway with it wide open, so I freak out, telling her my cats probably escaped, and she said yeah but they'll be fine. They apparently had ran to the lake I was about to visit.

I woke up to my cats being assholes IRL at that point. Then fell back asleep about 30 minutes later.

Time skip. Now I'm in the middle of the lake, holding onto a floating couch. Someone else was with me, but idk who. There was another green floating couch floating away near us with no one on it. It was double sided and slightly dirty. I "remembered" that this lake rented out "floating party couches" and that they give you a warning beforehand that sometimes they can flip and everyone could fall off. That couch was still upright, however, while the one I was holding onto along with Mystery Man had been flipped over. I heard the sounds of meows and gurgling. My cats were trapped under the couch and drowning. I managed to get them all out.

And then that was it. Who knows

#.bdo #seroquel dreams

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darkcavewriting · 5 months ago

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Chelan Summer

Portland, Oregon, my hometown by birth but at present not my current home. Stuck I am in Spokane, Washington, not the worst place to be stuck by any stretch of imagination, but a far cry from Portland. It wasn’t so much that I was stuck here, it was just for the summer break from Eastern Washington University. Nothing like spending the summer sleeping on a friends couch while trying to find something at least partially resembling a part time job. If anything it sure as hell beat hanging around Cheney for the summer, anything was better than that.

After two weeks sleeping on my friend Mike’s couch and doing little more than chain drinking Rainier beer I knew I needed a change, this is not at all what I had in mind for my summer vacation. It was the middle of my third week off from classes that the phone call came in from my friend Marie who was spending her summer as she always did, working at her families diner in Chelan. I hadn’t been to Chelan since I was a wee lad, and the only thing I remembered was staying in a tiny cabin with my parents. It was one of the few vacations I could think back at with fond memories and now with the passing of my parents that made me feel far more sad than I would have liked to admit.

Marie was calling wondering if I would at all be interested in coming out to Chelan for a portion of the summer to both do a little work at the diner, what with her brother being off doing basic training for the National Guard, but also if anything to not be spending the whole summer stuck in Spokane. I didn’t mind Spokane anywhere near as much as she did, but still, spending a good deal of the summer hanging out at Lake Chelan sure sounded better than than being bored. I packed my clothing , laptop and a decent selection of books into the trunk of my 1963 Ford Falcon and headed West, escape from the horrific heat that was already setting in on Spokane was a welcome change, it was already pushing 100 and it was only the second week of June. I was not used to this sort of heat, mild Portland summers had spoiled me as a kid and this was going to take some serious getting used to. I knew Chelan wasn’t going to be cold by any stretch of the imagination but it was not going to be anywhere near as warm as Spokane and that was all I was asking for. The Falcon had a decent speed and traffic was light. Well it was a Tuesday I figured I would stop for lunch in Moses Lake and make it into Chelan by late afternoon, by then it would give Marie time to figure out exactly what I would be doing at the diner, but also to figure out if the little guest cabin she said I could stay in was in any condition for me to actually stay in tonight. To say I was getting tired of sleeping on couches would be an understatement to say the least. I was longing for sleeping on a dorm bed and those things were god awful. The Falcon was my second car in less than a year. It was a replacement for the Plymouth Arrow that met an untimely demise after it was t-boned by a Ford Explorer in the first ice storm of the season. The minimum amount of insurance money didn’t afford me enough to get anything terribly fancy but the Falcon made due. I always did like vintage cars from a young age. Something about cars actually having some personality unlike the bulk of cars produced since the late 1970’s.

Lunch in Moses Lake was decent, nothing special, just a burger and fries from a little cafe out by the airport. It had been ages since I had last been though Moses Lake, probably at least 10 years, and seeing as how I was only 19, for me that was quite a while. I really didn’t remember much about my last visit other than it was rather warm as my parents and I were coming back from Banff, Alberta, Canada, via Spokane. I hadn’t been back to Alberta since then either, which made me sad. The Canadian Rockies had to be one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. I was hoping on making it up this summer but with the lack of cash flow in my life, I had ruled it out. Now with some money coming in the door, a late summer trip could easily be in the works I felt.

I didn’t know how much money I would actually have before classes started back up, but if there was somehow enough to make a short trip to the Rockies I felt it would be worth it. Dealing with only my own thoughts for a few days would be worth it I felt. I really hadn’t had a chance to spend any time on my own since my parents passed right before classes started. It was nice however to have the people around in the dorm that wanted to make sure I was alright and that I had someone around if and or when I ever needed to talk about anything which was very much appreciated, sometimes though I really just wanted some time on my own and I really hoped that here in Chelan I just might finally be able to find some time on my own.

I pulled into Chelan a bit after 4:00 p.m. which was right around when I thought I would. The skies were blue and there was enough of a breeze that even with the temperature hanging in the 80’s it was not bad out at all. I made it to the diner, Lakeside Pies, it was quite busy, the parking lot as well as the street out front was packed with cars and a small like of folks out the front door. At least the place was busy and popular I thought to myself. Nothing worse I felt than working someplace that was never busy.

I made my way through the group of people at the front door and started looking for Marie. I knew she had to be around somewhere. I saw her a couple minutes later coming out of the kitchen with a tray piled high with plates. In Cheney she had worked at Watermans, the bar and grill across from campus, which is where I first met her. Later on I ended up having a class with her and ended up getting to know her far better than I did from just having out far too much at Watermans. I wasn’t expecting her to offer me to come out to Chelan, but now that I was here I could see why, the place was packed and they needed the staff. Not that I had any experience at all in food service but now was as good of a time as any to learn and she knew I was a reliable person from the multiple group projects we had needed to complete in our class together.

Once she finished running the mountain of food to the table she came over and gave me a massive bear hug, which was not at all what I was expecting. She had never been much for hugging and such, well at least not that I had noticed. I wasn’t about to complain though. Marie was older than me, not by much though, a couple of years or so perhaps, not that it mattered all that much, just something that popped into my head. I had never thought about her in any sort of romantic way, never had any reason to in my mind. I had always presumed that she was romantically tied up with James who was the late night bartender at Watermans. I knew now wasn’t the best time to sort things out my employment because it was so busy, but I felt I should do something to help during the rush. Marie insisted though for me not to worry and gave me the key for the cabin that would be my home for the enxt couple months. I headed down the road back from the lake to find the cabin. It was nothing special to say the least, a one room box with a tiny loft in the back with an old mattress. Nothing special by any stretch, but I was clearly liking the solitude that was soon to be in my future. I headed out to my car to unload my very limited amount of belongings, tossed the clothes in the tiny closet and the books on the built in shelf next to the fridge. The fridge wasn’t on. I had to search for the breaker box and finally found it, of all places, in the bathroom, and finally got power up and going to the whole cabin. It wasn’t the best lit place in the world but I was sure I could manage to make due with it at least for the summer. I was however worried that it would get warmer than I wanted in July. I knew I was going to have to invest in at least one fan in order to make sure I didn’t roast to death. By the time I was unpacked and had the fridge at a decent temperature and ran to the store to get a few things, namely coffee, it was close to 11:00 p.m. and there was a knock at the cabin door. I walked over and opened it up and there was Marie with a to-go box and a case of Rainier beer. She came over and had a seat on the couch and handed me a beer, of course after she already opened one for herself.

She apologized for the state of the place, the idea for me to come out and stay there was just hatched this morning, not really allotting much time to prep the cabin for any sort of long term lodging. She went outside, beer in hand to make sure that the water had been turned on at a decent enough pressure that I would be able to take a shower with enough pressure to actually get clean. She headed over to the built in dining table and bench and took the seat off and pulled out a typewriter and some dishes and the like. I had always enjoyed working on a typewriter. There was just something soothing about the gattling gun sound made by the keys striking the paper. No chance for going back and editing, just one idea after another hitting the page. I loved to write, I was going to school to be involved in journalism, after this last school year though I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The shock of my parents dying after hitting a moose with their car a day after dropping me off at Eastern Washington put me in a daze, a state of shock. It was a blessing that I was essentially able to take my first semester off in order to try my best to cope with the whole situation, but not having any real time by myself made that rather difficult to say the least. I did feel lucky to be able to make some very good friends that went out of their way to make sure that I was alright though the whole situation perhaps now I would have a chance, even though it was almost nine months ago since it all happened. It is important to grieve and better late than never I guess.

Marie asked me how I was feeling about the whole sudden relocation to Chelan. Clearly it was a surprise and not at all something I was planning going into the summer but I was indeed quite pleased to be here and actually be working. As well it was time away from Cheney and Eastern.

Marie agreed that I needed some real time away from both Eastern but also from the large amount of people that I had come to know there. Not that they were bad people or anything along those lines, more that they were people I was just thrown into a social circle of sorts with, almost like a support group of sorts after the incident with my parents. Ideal it was not, at all. I felt that I knew the people, well at least I kind of knew them. I really didn’t know if I could actually trust or count on any of them besides a couple who I had actually had a couple of classes with. Generally the people in the dorms left a lot to be desired. Thank god I had a single room for the whole year, made things a whole lot easier for me. Was able to have time on my own if I felt I needed it.

There was something magic about Chelan, or at least I felt that there was. I loved the lake, the peace and quiet. I was finally able to be alone with my thoughts, and that was something I desperately needed and had wanted for months. The cabin was a step up from my dorm room, but that wasn’t really saying too much. The dorm left a great deal to be desired. It was a bit drafty in the cabin even for it being summer. I had a feeling it was not going to exactly be the warmest of nights. I searched the couple of small closets in the cabin in hopes that I would find a extra blanket or something. I remembered I had my emergency sleeping bag that I always kept in the trunk of my car which I could always use if I really needed to. I felt there had to be some sort of extra bedding somewhere in the cabin though, or that Marie would have some in the main house. I made a note to ask her about that when she came back. She stepped out a few minutes earlier saying she was going to figure out what happened to all of the plates and other dishes that were supposed to be in the cabin’s kitchen.

I was still trying to get a grasp on what all was going on. I still felt like a complete and total wreck, I truthfully had no idea how all how to react to the death of my parents, even eight months later I still felt like I had no idea how to judge or process the while series of events. Their death hit me, obviously, even though I was not exactly the closest with them, or had the best relationship with them. That made my reaction their death hard to read from an outsiders point of view. As parents it was not as though they were bad, more that they were rather absorbed in their own lives and I was so often on my own or in the company of other family members. I never really felt all that close to them. I however did not know exactly how much of it I could honestly blame on them, after my father lost his job with the merger mania of banks in the early 1990’s he went back to do what he always wanted to do, teach, and got a position teaching accounting at the school of business at Lewis and Clark College in Portland and within a couple of years had been named chair of the department. My mother worked as a nurse at Oregon Health Sciences University. Often with off the wall schedules and being perpetually on call, it was not unheard of for me to only see my parents for any real length of time on the weekends, and even then my mother would have to dart off to the hospital more often than she ever would have liked.

My going off to Eastern however had prompted the both of them to look into retirement. They weren’t terribly old, both in their late 50’s but financially they were well enough off that they could at least consider the prospects of an early retirement. For my father it was much easier to scale back the work flow. He scheduled himself to only teach two senior level classes at Lewis and Clark, and he was no longer the department chair, having served two consecutive three year terms. This course load allowed him to only be on campus two days a week, save the occasional department meeting or an office hours appointment with a student. He was embracing his newfound free time and began to start running again which was something he had not seriously done since his college days at the University of Washington. For my mother however it was not as easy. She loved her job, always had, she loved caring for people, it was her nature, it was her mother’s nature as well, she wouldn’t admit it but that is why she wen into nursing in the first place.

She managed to use a good stock of her accumulated vacation time to coincide with helping me move to Cheney and it still bring summer break for my father, to see see if she was really ready for retirement. Financially they were a-ok. Owned two houses, one in Portland and another on the Oregon Coast in Yachats. The beach house was used in the summer primarily, at one point my father headed out there for two months to work on a research article with relative peace and quiet, it ended up getting published in some prestigious journal and helped his career dramatically. I hadn’t been to the beach house in at least a couple years. I knew my parents had let my aunt and uncle borrow it for a good length of time the prior summer. They had both already retired, well, more my uncle retired as he had worked for Burlington Northern for a considerable time, nearly 35 years, he was on the receiving end of a healthy retirement package even after their merger with Santa Fe.

Everything my parents owned had been left to me, in a trust that I wouldn’t have access to until I hit the age of 35. I didn’t have an issue with that in the least. Finances were to be made available to pay for my education and housing and I would be allowed to either live in or rent out my parents former home in Portland, but I would not have the ability to sell the home until I was 35. It seemed like that was a condition put in to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid with the money at a young age. I was only 19 after all. Not that I Was noted for doing anything too stupid mind you, but it prevented me from making any spur of the moment decisions to sell, and also would reduce pressure from others in the family or elsewhere to try and sell the homes as well. I had no idea what to do about the house at the coast.

I was also given a small monthly stipend for expenses, it was not a large sum by any stretch of the imagination but it was enough to keep me from really worrying about having to find some low level crappy job to make ends meet while I went to school. I was grateful for that. I was able to focus full time on school, although for my first semester it was mainly me focusing on not losing my damned mind, which proved to be far more difficult than I had ever imagined. Even though I was not exactly all that close with my parents, it still ht me, and hit me hard, far harder than I had honestly expected when I first got the news. I felt incredibly lucky that I had family in the area, just outside of Spokane, which I became closer with almost overnight. The situation there was a bit odd, and a little stressful, but we all made it work.

Getting out for the summer however I hoped would prove to be a good decision, if anything I felt it really couldn’t make things any worse. Marie came back into the cabin with a large box in her arms. Inside was a ton of stuff that I hoped would prove to be some used to me. A French press, dishes and coffee mugs, as well as a blanket and a new pillow. I was happy to see all of the things, as well as the can of coffee that was hiding under the blanket. The thought of having to function in the mornings without coffee was not a happy prospect. I had learned to love the stuff over the last year, even though I couldn’t stand it in the least earlier in my life. Getting used to using a French press instead of a normal drip coffee maker was going to take some time though I thought.

Marie looked exhausted, it was close to 11:30 p.m. and her day began at 6:20 a.m. when she arrived at work to begin baking bread and biscuits for the day. She asked if there was anything else I could think of that I might need. I told her that I couldn’t think of anything else that I needed, well at least not tonight. I asked her what time she wanted me to show up to work in the morning. She said she really wasn’t all that sure. The cafe opened at 7:30 a.m. so she figured I should at least show up by 7:15 a.m. I told her I would set the alarm clock on the kitchen counter. With it being far enough from the bed, located in the loft it would force me to get out of bed to shut the damned thing off. Marie said she was going to head to the house to get some sleep, and that if I determined that I needed anything that I should let her know in the morning. I told her I would as she headed out the door. I knew I needed to get some sleep too, it had been a long day, and tomorrow was going to be just as long, if not longer, but I really didn’t feel all that tired. I grabbed an old paperback off the shelf by the door, “Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy” and headed up to the bed with it in hand. The wind was whipping through the trees that surrounded the cabin, not something I was used to, and of course I didn’t have a fan or anything around to help drown out the sounds. The only radio had dead batteries. I had a sinking feeling I was going to have a rough time getting to sleep. Thankfully that ended up not being the case.I awoke with a jolt, the alarm was going off. The bedside light was still on, the book next to me, I had no idea where I was. This wasn’t the first time I had woken up somewhere in a panic with no clue as to where I was or how I got there, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last either. Still it was not the ideal way to start ones morning.

I finally managed to remember where I was and that I was going to need to hurry and take a shower and get ready to go into my first day of work at the cafe, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was hoping for it to be peaceful at Chelan, I should have known better. Calm summers in Chelan were ancient history, it was a vacation spot through and through and had been for years. Winters were the only calm time, and from what I had heard from Marie, they were almost too calm. A summer someplace that was lively and active was going to be a far cry from what I would have been in store for if I stayed in Cheney. For being a college town, it nearly rolled up the sidewalks in the summer. The summer class offerings were minimal at best and mostly all of the student population headed home, or to Spokane for the summer where there were actually jobs to be had. Not that Cheney was a ghost town mind you, but unless you worked at the University or at one of the few small businesses , in the summer there was next to nothing to do, save get drunk all the time, which most did year round anyways.

I took a quick shower partially out of necessity, but also because there only seemed to be about five minutes of hot water. That was not ideal, I needed to ask Mary about that. Not knowing what to wear for work, better yet not even knowing what I would be doing when I got there, I figured jeans and a Eastern Washington t-shirt would be ok, as the dress seemed to be rather casual when I showed up last night. I made sure I had the keys to the cabin and headed out the door on foot to Lakeside Pies. Marie was already there when I arrived, we appeared to be the only ones however. I really hoped I wasn’t going to be in the kitchen, my cooking skills left a lot to be desired, especially if it comes to cooking things quickly. I was hoping that there was already some coffee made. I hadn’t though to make any before my shower and I desperately needed a cup. If anything not just to wake up but also to warm my hands, it wasn’t particularly warm outside, hovering in the 40’s, a wee bit cooler than I was used to in Spokane to say the least. Marie told me there was indeed coffee, but I had to make it. I set up the brewers to make four large air pots of coffee in preparation for opening. I had a feeling that between the two of us we would be able to put at least one out of its misery on our own. Moments after I started the coffee, in walked Keith, one of the cooks. He was also one of the few who was born and raised there in Chelan. He was an older gentleman, I was guessing at first look that he might be in his early 60’s I was shocked to find out later that he was 77 and came back to Chelan to work here after nearly 20 years working in various diners in Seattle. You could tell by looking at him that he enjoyed working in a kitchen. Several minutes later the kitchen started filling with people coming in through the back door. Marie and I went from being the only people in the place to only a small fraction of the staff. There were nearly a dozen people in the kitchen, one whole section was set up specifically for baking the house specialty, pies. The last 45 minutes before opening was hectic, especially for me since I had no idea what I was actually supposed to be doing. Marie finally told me what I was going to be doing, and I was relived I wouldn’t be working in the kitchen,

I was relegated to serving, bussing tables and seating people. The trifecta of things I hoped I wouldn’t fuck up too bad. My biggest worry had to be dropping food on the way to the tables. Graceful I was not. I downed another cup of coffee before making my way over to the cash register, which looked to be at least 50 years old, to see if I could figure out how to use it. All in all I was thankful that it was an older register it made it far easier to use as far as I was concerned, no worries about some software having issues. As long as I could read everyones handwriting I would be golden. I knew my handwriting was far from the best but I would have to make it look a bit more readable. I felt lucky that the menu was rather limited in its offerings. Far less for me to need to try and memorize.

We could see people starting to arrive in the parking lot in advance of the doors opening. Not what I was expecting for the middle of the week, but then it was Chelan, nothing had to make sense in a vacation town like this. People were either coming in before they had to go to work, or people out here on vacation. Working here was a far cry from what I was hoping I would be doing over the summer. My plan during the spring was going to include a summer trip on Amtrak to Chicago and Milwaukee. That obviously didn’t end up happening.

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weywardwisdom · 5 months ago

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‘Narrung? Where’s that?’

A FAIRLY EASY READ

‘What state’s that in’? Most people ask.

I stop myself from saying, ‘Neglect’.

But they’ve already gone onto ask,

‘What’s the nearest town’?

‘Meningie’, I say.

‘Medindie’? They sound puzzled. My working class accent doesn’t go with Adelaide’s finest of upper class addresses.

‘No’, I say. ‘Meningie. It’s near Narrung. And Narrung is near the Coorong’.

‘Ah! The Coorong — Storm Boy Country! I saw the movie’, they say brightly. I see Colin Thiele turn in his grave.

‘Can you picture Snoopy’? I say. ‘When he’s playing at being a flying ace — red scarf waving—chasing the Red Baron, that is. If Snoopy is Lake Alexandrina, and his waving scarf is Lake Albert, then the knot tied at Snoopy’s neck is Narrung’.

Well, it makes sense to me! It makes more sense than tourism trumpeting about Narrung being in ‘Coorong Country’. The Coorong is 25 kms away! Besides.The name ‘Coorong’ is a knockoff of the Ngarrindjeri word ‘Kurrangk’. It means at the neck (2009, Ngarrindjeri Dictionary, complied by Mary-Anne Gale with the elders, 31).

Ngarrindjeri elders told me they see a swan. Its long neck makes the long thin Kurrangk estuary, next to the dunes. Much more dignified than my cartoon dog.

The peninsula that Narrung sits on could have been an island. There’s lots scattered near the sea mouth. Land-grabbers named them after the animals they brought here and let go — so they’d have four-legged food at hand. No thought to the harm the misplaced critters would cause. So. There’s Cow, Ewe, Goat, Rabbit and Rat Island.

The first time I set foot on the Narrung Peninsula, I was very young. My memory is as hazy as the mist that moves in from the sea. Wind is what I remember most. It was so strong I could lean into it and not fall over. And seagulls seemed to stand still in the air, just above my head. I reached up my arm and one daring bird did a touch-and-go landing on my hand. My family were standing on a road that was on concrete stilts that stopped a lot of water going out to sea.

‘Pelican Point’, my grandfather called it. ‘A gorgeous bird is the pelican’, he grinned and said, ‘It's beak can hold more than its bellican’.

Granddad would always leave out the last lines: ‘He can put in his beak Food enough for a week. But I’m d[amned] if I see how in hellecan’ (1912-13, CM Marshton’s limerick in Florida’s Tampa Morning Tribune quoted in 2020, A Gorgeous Bird).

Local land-grabbers thought of this area as the arse end of ‘one of the largest river systems in the world’. They called it ‘Tail-End Charlie’ (1986, Narrung History — a viewpoint, Graham Camac, Narrung Alpha, 25).

Local land-grabbers didn’t like the summers. The lakes would dry out into stinking mucky pools. Or stretches of dry cracked earth. The lack of fresh water was ruining their livelihoods. Something had to be done.

Fred Ayres, owner of the Narrung Station, reckoned he had the answer in 1928. He wanted barrages built. But. Fred Ayres had grand money-making plans. He’d been a gold-digger, after all. He wanted the gubment to drain Lake Albert. And then he wanted it to sell the land for farming. There would be ‘room for 800 settlers’. And. The land sales would ‘make £800,000’ — more than enough to build his barrages (Draining The Lakes).

There’s more. Fred wanted the barrages built ‘wide for motor traffic’. So the public could drive across. He had a ‘16 mile’ route planned — from ‘Tubberug’ to ‘Hindmarsh Island’ and onto Goolwa. He said the water there was ‘nowhere deeper than 2 ft' — knee high. And the route had a solid 'limestone bottom' (1928, March 3, Draining The Lakes, Observer, Adelaide, 6, Trove).

But. How did Fred Ayres know this route was safe? How did he know it avoided the quicksand, shifting silts and deep people-swallowing cracks in the mud? Fred Ayres wasn’t a surveyor. He wasn’t a geologist either. How did he know?

Thing is, ‘Tubberug’— or ‘Tulerang’—is a Ngarrindjeri place-name. We land-grabbers now call it Pelican Point (Ngarrindjeri Dictionary, 153).

So. Fred Ayres — I strongly suspect — had local knowledge — Ngarrindjeri knowledge. What was his link with the Ngarrindjeri Nation?

On the afternoon of the 11th of March, 1913, he'd been one of four local land-grabbers who'd gone to the Point McLeay Mission. Why? They wanted to give evidence to five visiting MPs. They were looking into the 'progress' of the 'Aborigines'. But. It’s likely Fred Ayres was no friend of Ngarrindjeri. The MPs reported:

‘It was admitted by most of the witnesses ... that the work at Point McLeay has not been a success’ (1913, Progress Report Of The Royal Commission On The Aborigines).

What did ‘success’ look like? Success would have been the ‘natives’ working in ‘industrial pursuits’ and being ‘useful on the land’. But. The land that went with the Mission was, they admitted, of ‘inferior character’. And. The few ‘natives’ who did work for local ‘landowners’ would go back to the Mission ‘after a few weeks’. So. They lived ‘in idleness’.

And. The YTs were not idle!

By 1940, 5 barrages with flood-gates had been built from Pelican Point to Goolwa.

Now to get to Goolwa, it’s a three hour drive around the lake. Or a twenty minute boat ride.

No one asked Ngarrindjeri folks what they wanted. The barrages made a big change to their lands and waters.

Thing is, 16 miles — roughly 26 kms — was a short walk for Ngarrindjeri people in those days. And. Before the barrages were built, Ngarrindjeri would walk to Kumarangk. It’s an important cultural centre. How do I know? Aunty Grace Sumner told me so. Her father had worked as a shepherd there. Driving to Kumarangk in the late1990s, she always like to go the long way via Clayton Bay. So. She could look across the water and see the old stone shearing shed. It stood above the old Hindmarsh Island ferry.

Besides. Ngarrindjeri elder, Dr Doreen Kartinyeri, often thought about her younger days too — before land-grabbers built the barrages. She wrote:

‘My mind went back to my childhood when we spent holidays at Kumarangk. We used to walk across to the island from Mark’s Point’ (2008, My Ngarrindjeri Calling, 114).

Walk to Kumarangk? From Mark's Point? You’d drown doing that today!

Where’s Mark’s Point? It’s a few kms along from Pelican Point.

Ok, land-grabbers call it ‘Mark Point’— as if it marks something. To elder Aunty Maggie Jacobs, it marked the place where a big Rigney mob would stay during the hottest months of the year. How do I know? She told me so! One day, she asked me to take her to Camp Coorong. On the way she gave me a lesson in culture. She named each Ngarrindjeri family who own each point, all along the Coorong. These points are not Crown Land or National Park, she insisted. They are owned by Ngarrindjeri. Like the Sumner family at Dupang — Long Point.

All the points are summer places for Ngarrindjeri people, as far as Aunty Maggie was concerned. So. I’m not surprised when Ngarrindjeri elders talk about Mark's Point as if it’s named after someone called Mark.

In 1998, Mark Point and Pelican Point were among many places visited by a big Ngarrindjeri mob again. The Stolen Generations had missed out on a lot of culture. And so. The Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee at Camp Coorong wanted to make up for all that hurt and pain. And. Just like the other aunties had done — Aunty Veronica Brodie talked about walking across to the island too.

Ngarrindjeri cultural routes have a long, long history.

#history #travel #photography

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redheadspark · 3 years ago

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Beth

Summary: Five years after leaving Hawkins, you can help but reflect on the new life you've built with the old Dungeon Master of Hawkins High.

WC: 3,923

Warnings: Just some fluff and cuteness overload!

A/N: I can only picture Eddie being the best metal daddy in the world, and I wanted to write about it. Who knows if I'll write more about this little family, let me know if you do wanna see more! I hope you love it!

1991

Indianapolis, Indiana

As soon as you opened the front door into your small yet boy apartment, you sighed in relief and you could finally breathe.

You were a bit stressed lately at work, getting a receptionist job at the University of Indianapolis on the weekends and three nights a week was no easy task for you since it was mostly a passing job for you until you could get your hands on the ideal job you knew as out there. But being a receptionist was decent pay, especially at the college you attended and graduated from a year prior. But going through plenty of paperwork and endless phone call that you had to redirect over and over. You didn't mind it, but you also didn't think about that as soon as you walked into your apartment.

The small smell of your home made you happy and already feeling at ease: warm clothes from the laundry, a fresh pot of coffee that was recently brewed in the cheap coffee machine, and the distinct scent of weed, though it was very faint. It was still a familiar comfort for you, almost like a rolling fog along the top of your skin and near your neck as the door closed behind you and you tossed your keys on the bowl on the counter next to you. The image of your living room that was combined with the kitchen made you grin as the radio was playing softly on the kitchen counter. The front area was deserted, having you poke your head in and look around for a moment or two.

"Babe?" You called out.

"In the bathroom, be right out!" You heard back, you grinning as you moved to unload your work bag onto the couch. You cracked your knuckles, moving to look in the kitchen to see if any dinner was prepped. There wasn't even a pot on the stove, which made you raise a suspicious brow since you knew your husband far too well. He would at least prep dinner for you, making it ready for you to throw in the pot or on the stove as soon as you came home from work. He liked the busy work, claiming it would calm his crazy mind down. You could only snort as your eyes moved to the small frame on the wall, seeing one polaroid on the top part of the frame and a marriage certificate on the bottom half. A smile was on your face, you tilted your head and remembered that day so well in the back of your mind.

The day you married Eddie Munson.

You two have been friends since you were 12 years old, sitting next to each other in math class and Eddie showing you how to work out an equation when he saw you were about to cry in frustration. He was smart, smarter than others but he never really put it to good use. He was infatuated with you from the moment you smiled at him, almost smitten as you two were friends and then later one a couple when you got into high school. You were the calm to his storm, whereas he was the fearlessness to your hesitance. It was like you two brought out the opposites in one another and made it good, made it wholesome, and filled it with love. Summer afternoons with flower crowns in your hair as you heard him strum his guitar outside his trailer when the sun would set, or even autumn mornings snuggling under the blankets in his bed as the fog rolled by. It all felt like a dream to you, how Eddie loved you and cherished you with every ounce of his being. As soon as Eddie kissed you for the first time, out at Lover Lake in your hometown of Hawkins, you were in it for the long haul. There was no one else, only Eddie Munson.

And you knew he felt the same way about you.

"Sorry for not prepping dinner, my love!" He sang out as he finally made it out of the bathroom, a bundle in his arms and a big grin on his face. He had his long hair pushed back behind his shoulders, getting long again compared to the last time you trimmed it outside on the porch when the weather was too hot and his hair was sticking to his neck and shoulders. He was sporting one of his Metallica shirts that he got at a concert year back, a birthday present from you. Every cent you scrapped and saved was worth it as you gave him the tickets, feeling you swoop you in his arms and him carrying you to the bedroom not too long after.

You two were simply happy living together as a couple, getting this apartment for the first time after you moved out of Hawkins. After all that happened in Hawkins with the world nearly ending and the Upside Down screwing everything up, you both decided to leave town and start over fresh. Eddie especially needed to get away from that town, not only because some citizens still thought he did kill Chrissy Cunningham and after his name was cleared, but also because he nearly died in your arms in the Upside Down. Those last moments you thought you were going to have with Eddie felt like the worst minutes of your life, giving you the assumption that he was going to leave you forever when you two knew you were going to get married. You fought tooth and nail to keep him alive, there was nothing that was going to take him away from you.

The bundle in his arms squirmed a bit, the sound of babble and gurgling was evident as you moved over to Eddie. Kissing his cheek, Eddie chuckled as he moved the blanket out of the way, a mop or auburn curly hair was seen and a wide toothless smile greeted you. You smiled sweetly.

Your 6-month-old daughter: Beth Maxine Munson

"Hello, baby girl!" You said with sweetness, Beth babbling at you wildly as you scooped her in your arms. She squealed in delight as you kissed her cheeks and face, breathing in the fresh scent of baby skin and a very small hint of shampoo in her curls that she clearly got from her dad, along with the tint of red that he sported too, "I missed you today at work, baby girl. I needed your smile more today,"

"That bad, huh?" Eddie asked, you giving him a knowing look as he sighed. He leaned over to kiss your head and rub your shoulders with his knuckles, giving you some sense of comfort, "They work you too hard there, baby. Some of those deans were dicks in general anyhow,"

"I didn't mind the workload, Eds. I got paid extra from last week any who and it's already going into our savings," You explained, to which Eddie then clasped his hands and then gestured.

"Speaking of which, my darling wife!" he hummed, you eyeing you with a raised eyebrow as you placed Beth on your hip and she was watching her father with her bright eyes, "I got a bonus from the mechanic shop last night."

"That's great, sweetheart!" You complimented him as you pecked him on the cheek, seeing a hint of blush on his cheeks, "You've been working your ass off there at the shop for the past few months. I knew Mike liked you when he hired you, and now it's paying off,"

"Aww you flatter me," Eddie said in a sultry manner, though you giggled as he kissed your nose in retaliation, "And since this bonus is real good… I want to take you out to dinner tonight. Correction: I wanna take my two ladies out tonight,"

You couldn't help but beam at Eddie, seeing his face and how he was waiting for your reaction. No matter how long you two were together or have known each other, Eddie always surprised you and kept you on your toes. There was never a dull moment with Eddie, and he made you keep your relationship lively. He loved surprising you with the simplest gestures because he knew you were an old romantic at heart: giving you flowers on your first date, using one of his "metal" rings as a promise ring he gifted you on your one-year anniversary. He even taught you how to play Dungeons and Dragons, though you were barely good compared to him since he was the Dungeon Master with Hellfire Club. It didn't matter to Eddie: He loved bringing you into his world and you appreciating all of him and all of his sides. You weren't one to let him slide too, you'd pay for the snacks at the movies when you would go together, and also buying him new cassettes of his favorite bands to sneak into his van or in his room when he wasn't looking. You started dabbling into photography, teaching Eddie how to take and develop pictures. He was hooked, getting his own polaroid and taking his pictures left and right.

The pair of you loved each other equally, Eddie made sure of that as well as you. It was even more so when you sat next to Eddie in the hospital room right after things were settled in Hawkins, holding his hand as he was watching the worried look on your face. A thick bandage was wrapped around his torso, and a massive gash was along his ribs and scattered along his chest from the assault he endured in the Upside Down. You were watching his chest rise up and down, silent tears were going down your face as you were telling yourself over and over that he was okay and you both were safe. He wasn't the only one who was injured, you had some scrapes and wounds along your face and shoulder blades.

"As soon as I can walk, we're gettin' out of Hawkins," Eddie reassured you as you looked from his damaged chest over to him, seeing him watch you with pure love in his eyes and concern as well. You said nothing as he squeezed your hand, "You and me, we're taking my van and we're leaving this hell hole just like we planned as soon as we graduate. After the shit we went through, there's no reason to wait. Don't you think, baby?"

You grinned, wet cheeks and eyes were evident as Eddie smiled too. You sniffled, feeling Eddie pull your joined hands to his lips to kiss the back of your hand as you cried in front of him. After all you went through in the Upside Down, nearly dying a few times by some sick demonic being that killed Chrissy and two others. It all felt so much, and to have that peace in the hospital room felt more than enough to just cry and release it all from your chest.

"That sounds perfect," You replied to your husband.

"Good, now let me take the munchkin," He said to you, taking Beth carefully in his arms as Beth started to take some of the strands in his hair in her fingers to play with, "You go change and take your time. We're gonna hit that downtown restaurant that we like, that Italian place that I can never pronounce right,"

"You mean Bellissimo Galleria?" You asked smoothly, Eddie sighing at you and giving you some of his smug grins.

"I can't make it sound sexy like you," he confessed, though you just rolled your eyes and Eddie gestured to your shared room, "Go get dressed, I'll get the munchkin ready for you,"

You and Eddie were married in a courthouse in Indianapolis, a few years after you moved there together and you got your degree completed. Eddie wanted to marry you sooner, even right after you both graduated high school, but you had to convince him to wait, at least until the pair of you landed a job and you both got some sort of college education under your belt. Eddie opted for trade school, which made him happier than being in a massive college room for hours on end and his nose in a book. Eddie landed a great mechanic job not too long after trade school and was making great money for his age, giving you time to go to school and get your degree.

You promised him that you would marry him as soon as you graduated from college. Eddie held good to that promise, making a countdown on his calendar and being excited like a child on Christmas morning as you walked across the stage in your cap and gown. He wasn't alone, some of the others from Hawkins drove out to see the graduation and they were clapping for you when your name was called. Eddie was the loudest, whooping and pumping his fist in the air with pure joy as you grabbed your degree.

The next day you wore a white dress with black Chuck Taylor converse shoes, Eddie clutching your hand tightly in his own as the judge conducted the ceremony. The rest of the gang, along with Eddie's Uncle, was in attendance to see and celebrate, leaving Robin and Steve to sign the certificate as witnesses. Sure, it seemed like you two were far too young to be married, but neither of you cared.

Nor did it look good when you were five months pregnant with a swollen belly under your dress.

Eddie was over the moon when he found out he was going to be a dad. You were a bit worried, ever the thinker and planner between the pair of you, and it made you petrified to think about bringing a human into the world that already seemed too chaotic. But Eddie, he was more excited about having a kid of his own that he would dote and love on. The one father figure in his life was his Uncle, who was ecstatic to hear the news that he was going to be a Great Uncle, or Grandfather in a weird way. Eddie's parents weren't in the picture, it was something he wanted to leave behind. Perhaps he wanted to make sure his own child would be loved and cherished.

Something he never had as a kid.

"What about Holly?" He asked as he was sitting next to you on the bed, your 8-month belly was swollen and making it hard for you to do anything. You hummed, thinking about the name as Eddie was massaging lotion on your belly and waiting for your input on baby names. Your latest appointment was successful, you two found out that very afternoon that it was a girl. Eddie seemed so proud to be a daddy's girl already, concocting plans for how he was going to raise her to be a metal head like he was. Didn't matter if it was a boy or girl, his child was going to love metal.

"Sounds like a Christmas name, and we're having a baby in October," You explained, Eddie nodding as you perked up at him, "Christine?"

"No way! I think of that Stephen King movie of the possessed car. Maybe…..Polly?"

"Nope. Beatrice?"

"Sounds like she's part of the Golden Girls,"

You both sighed, not figuring out a name until the smaller alarm clock radio was playing a Kiss song. The pair of you paused, hearing the softer melody come into the room and flood the space as Eddie was tapping ship fingers on the top of your belly.

"Beth I hear you calling….but I can't come home right now…."

"Mmm, I love this song," You sighed, leaning back against the pillows and closing your eyes to listen to the words. Then it hit you as the words were going on by, how the song was gentle and loving even from a hard rock band like Kiss. It was one of those songs that no one thought would come from Kiss, but it was successful and popular. You loved it, though you loved Kiss already thanks to Eddie and his influence on you to love hard rock and metal. There was something about this song, it was tugging at your heartstrings and making you think of the purest form of love and adoration from one person to another. All from a simple name…

"Beth," You said in a gasp, opening your eyes and staring at the popcorn ceiling as Eddie was watching you with his palm on your belly. Your eyes moved to his, seeing almost the same look of wonder and awestruck in his eyes as you spoke again, "Her name's gonna be Beth."

As soon as you said the name, it clicked in Eddie's eyes too.

You got on a cotton dress with a sleeveless denim vest to wear over with your converse shoes, combing out your hair and getting it in a ponytail. You were never one to have a full-on dress to wear or even high heels, you were more of a creature of comfort than of style. Yet Eddie never really cared about that, he always looked at you like you were a literal goddess or one of the models in those hard rock music videos. Maybe in his eyes you were, and it was a mystery for you from time to time how Eddie always loved you and adored you, calling you gorgeous and beautiful even on your lowest days. You too bought of him as handsome, with the dimples on his cheeks when he smiled, or the brightness of brown in his eyes when he would throw his head back and laugh. In the end, you both saw the beauty in one another that no one else understood or could never understand.

After you got everything ready for your night out, you could hear Eddie singing to Beth in her little nursery room, making you tiptoe over to poke your head in and watch your husband and daughter. He had her on his hip, Beth clearing a cute black yellow dress and a small bow in her curly hair. She was giggling and shrieking at Eddie as he was spinning her in circles, singing the song Beth to her in his low tenor singing voice. You just crossed your arms, leaning against the door frame to watch in silence and with a grin as Eddie was serenading Beth, the pair of them being in their own world.

The morning Beth was born, Eddie was a nervous wreck. He was supportive of you, but he also had no idea what to do or how to help more than he was. You only asked him to hold your hand when the labor started, walking with you back and forth in the room with every contraction and every moment of pain. Eddie's face look so freighted when it was time for you to push, and after a solid hour of pushing and screaming, his daughter came into the world all small and squishy but none the less healthy.

Eddie's face was so perplexed and filled with shock, then the nurses cleaned her up and placed her in his arms as they were tending to you and your recovery. His eyes never left hers, like he was engraining her face in his brain for the rest of his young adult life. You watched, tired and sore from the labor, as Eddie was silently crying and keeping Beth as close to him as possible, kissing her head and looking so blissfully happy.

He was a great father to Beth, and even more when you came home from the hospital. He helped you in everything and wanted to be more involved than ever. There were nights when you were stressed out and overly tired from breastfeeding or changing diapers, Eddie knew when to step in and take over when you needed a breath. It wasn't that he wasn't stepping up, he was beyond supportive and helpful for you since he was her father. But you still had your low moments, which apparently was normal for new mothers. Eddie was always close by, holding you close late in the night when you wanted to cry and giving you more love than you could ever imagine. When you needed sleep, Eddie would take over and watch Beth. He loved making her laugh and giggle, it was his mission to make her laugh all the time and he would do just about anything to make it happen. His favorite thing to do was to sing to Beth, always serenading her with the song "Beth" from Kiss when she was fussy or sleepy. He proclaimed it "Her Song," which made sense because she was named after that very ballad.

When the others drove out to see and meet Beth, Eddie was beyond excited to show off his daughter to the group. Everyone took a turn holding Beth, most of them amazed at how she looked more like Eddie than you. You didn't mind it, her curly hair, delicate nose, and her massive grin clearly came from Eddie. Although some of the younger ones were a bit nervous to have a baby in their arms, especially Mike and Dustin who both looked so scared to hold her. Eleven was a bit hesitant, though she was enraptured with Beth who grinned at her and reached up to touch her nose with her baby fingers. You had to giggle as Eleven took Beth's hand with her finger, a genuine smile grew on her young face.

You broke the news to Steve and Robin that they were the Godparents, Robin looked so shocked and Steve was almost proud while he held her so gracefully. It made sense since they both helped you two get out of Hawkins, not to mention keeping you two alive in the Upside Down. You and Eddie already talked about it, knowing Steve and Robin had to be Beth's Godparents.

"Just a few more hours…..and I'll be right home to you….I think I hear them calling…Oh, Beth what can I do?" Eddie sang to Beth, your own cheeks aching from how much you were grinning. You never felt better in your life and in how things were going for your growing family. There were times you did think about all that happened five years ago, the nightmares never really went away for either you or Eddie. He had moments when he looked at the scars along his ribcage and back, zoning out for a brief moment and maybe flashing back to the moment when he got those scars. All you could do was hold his hand, reminding him where he was and what you left behind. You both reminded each other, knowing those haunts would never truly leave either one of you. But your future was waiting for you, it was bright and it was far away from Hawkins.

And in the form of your baby girl that was the picture mixture of you two.

"Come on you two," You said finally, Eddie and Beth turning to stare at you. It was the perfect thing to see: Eddie holding your daughter in his arms and looking beyond happy with this life you two made together, "Shall we hit the town?"

"Sounds like a plan, my love!" Eddie hummed, Beth babbling in agreement to make you giggle. Yeah, you're future was beyond bright with those two gems.

The End.

Tagged: @ftrmrs-ally-keofield @steve-harringtons-slut @basicrese @botanicalbarnes @a-lumos-in-the-nox

#eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #dad!eddie #dad!eddie munson #dad!eddie is my weakness #joseph quinn #joseph quinn imagine #joseph quinn fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things 4 #Eddie munson fluff #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson x fem!reader #stranger things fanfiction

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lune-hime · 3 years ago

Note

I just love your writing and have been reading a lot of your stuff these past few days. I really enjoyed how you wrote Logan Howletts character, you did an amazing job. I think of those two stories you wrote as connected, and seeing that your requests are open, could you write possibly how they meet or moments in their relationship? Whatever comes to mind.

Hope your well and enjoy writing this if you decide to take it. ❤️

It makes me so incredibly happy that you have been loving my stories and my portrayal of Logan :’). Logan and reader’s first meeting had been previously requested so I went with a few moments in their relationship. Thank you for being patient with me in posting this, I hope you enjoy and that you are doing well <3.

↞↠↞↠↞↠

A Second-First Meeting

“You’re Logan.” Storm let out a melodic chuckle, her realization breaking the silence within the jet.

“Uh...yeah.” He said with a quirked brow. The ivory haired woman’s jaw went slack and another giddy laugh erupted from her. Logan's eyes darted from the oddly acting woman to Rogue who only shrugged, looking just as confused as he was.

“Logan from Canada.” She stated in semi-awe, looking him up and down as if comparing him to information she already had. It made Logan feel like he was missing something.

“He looks dirtier than she described.” Scott let out a snarky huff from the pilot’s seat.

“Okay, what is this?” Logan rose his voice to just below a growl, irritation evident in his tone. Storm put her hands up in harmless defense.

“You met Y/N in the summer. Saved her from becoming a prune all alone in the woods, remember?” Storm said and beamed brightly. Logan’s eyes widened as the memory came flooding back. The bears, the beautiful girl, the thunderous storm and her lightening energy.

“You know Y/N?” He said in disbelief.

“Know her? She’s my best friend.” Storm giggled. “She told us all about you; how she fended off that bear but didn’t have to fend you off when you guys huddled up in your car.”

Storm winked at him as he narrowed his eyes at her teasing. Rogue let out a little giggle of her own at Logan’s speechlessness.

“We’re landing.” Scott announced as everyone began feeling their smooth decrease in altitude.

“All jokes aside, thanks for looking out for her.” Storm added with a kind smile before she swiveled in her copilot’s seat to help Scott with their descent.

⇷⛒⇸

“Hey, kid, is Y/N here?” Logan asked the child in front of him. He found himself on the precipice of a new life it seems, but more literally on the precipice of the lounge area in Xavier's Mansion. He was exhausted after an abrupt and confusing flight from his little slice of Alberta to New York. His head was spinning from all of the information about Mutant Brotherhoods and Striker that was just laid upon him. And now the remembrance of the girl caught in the rain who had once told him she lived at this very school.

“Ms. Y/N? Yeah she lives here.” The child said nonchalantly. Each time he blinked, a new channel would appear on the almost theatre sized TV. “She sometimes teaches my kinetics training.”

Logan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Relief washed over him that he would have at least one familiar face here.

“Where can I find her?” He asked the boy who still hadn’t taken his gaze away from the television. He briefly paused on the Disney channel before continuing his search.

“Why would I know? I’ve been watching TV all morning.” The kid huffed as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. Logan grumbled and sauntered out of the room and back into the many mahogany halls of the massive building.

As he neared the large eastern courtyard, he caught a glimpse of just the woman he was looking for. Through the immaculately planted dormant shrubs he observed you standing next to an ornate fountain chatting with a girl who looked to be around middle school age. He felt that same energizing hum in his chest as he did a few months ago when he took in your appearance. The way you smiled so sweetly at the student, the way your hair was gently pulled from your face by the brisk winter wind, in how your legs bobbed back and forth in place as they fended off the early afternoon chill. He waited for you to finish your conversation with the child before he made his presence known.

“Y/N?” He called tentatively as he eased his way between the garden boughs. You looked up towards the direction of your summon. When you saw who it was, your eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Logan!” You chirped and jogged over to him. “How was the flight?”

“You knew I was coming?” He asked, surprised at the lack of surprise in your reaction.

“I did.” You answered with a guilty smile. “I’m a part of the team now too so I was there when Charles made the call to find you.”

Logan’s mind tried to connect the dots between the sweet yet snappy, soaked girl he met before to the cleaned up, self assured one standing before him. He pictured you using your abilities to fight opponents rather than bears and guessed you would be goddamned good at it with sparks like yours.

“I’m really glad he did…” You trailed off with the beginnings of a goofy grin. “That he found you and brought you here of course, not that you’re being targeted by the Brotherhood-”

“It’s good to see you again.” He confessed, his honeyed voice coating your rambling and effectively adding to the chilly redness of your cheeks.

“You too.” You replied softly, trying not to ogle at his casual attire of heather gray sweatshirt and joggers.

“I think you owe me, though. I gave you a free ride back then.” He declared with a smirk.

“Fine, do you need a ride to the nearest tractor supply for a new wardrobe?” You quipped back. Logan let his half smile bloom into a full crescent moon.

“Sure, if I can take you out for a drink after.” He proposed with a look that made you feel like the New England snow had suddenly melted around you and you were now in a humid jungle.

“Well, I did have another date tonight…” You began, looking up at the taller man through your lashes. If you hadn’t already been looking at him, you wouldn’t have noticed the minute clench of his jaw.

“Buuuut, I don’t think he would be able to handle being accidentally zapped as well as you would.” You continued playfully. Your suitor paled in any comparison to the old acquaintance that had just arrived at your doorstep. The amusement in your eyes was contagious, spreading to Logan’s forested green orbs and down to his boyish grin.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

Firelight

You hummed in utter bliss. The warmth of the campfire kissed your bare legs as your tired eyes gazed upon the moon basked lake in front of you. You nuzzled deeper into the crook of Logan’s neck as the crickets and the treefrogs serenaded you with a private summer evening concert.

Logan’s hand lazily ran the expanse of your hip and thigh from your position curled across him in the camping chair. He was about to close his eyes in complete relaxation when a boisterous banging erupted from one of the cabins in your section of the campground. The clanging was followed by a teenage chorus of muffled curses and cackles. The two of you had volunteered to be counselors of sorts on this weeklong camping trip Charles held for his beloved students each summer. Logan groaned at the disturbance, slightly annoyed with your rowdy group of students.

“They’re just having fun. As long as no one comes out on fire or with a leg missing it's fine.” You spoke up, tone laced with amusement. “Admit you love them-and spending quality time with them out here.”

You felt Logan huff against you at your wholesome accusation.

“I love being out here in the woods, with you.”

Logan’s answer wasn’t to your satisfaction. You zapped him gently with a single crackle of your energy just beneath the rib cage. When he jolted from the surprise attack, you folded yourself to him so that you were now straddling his lap.

“Sure. Not like I saw you earlier spending an hour teaching Rogue how to fish properly after she got her line all strung up in the nearest tree. Or how you, willingly I might add, played hide and seek with the younger ones when you were supposed to be taking a break. Or when-”

You rambled off his sweet acts in adoration until he leaned up to press his lips to yours. You sunk into his embrace and sighed at the euphoric feeling.

“Alright, alright. You’ve proved your point.” He grumbled half heartedly. In the fading natural light, you could see the lazy smile that adorned his face had become dusted with your lip gloss. You returned his response with a triumphant grin as he gingerly grasped the back of your head and pulled you to him once more. His heated palms sailed over your curves like a forest fire as your kisses deepened. You let out a small moan when he discretely bucked his hips into yours.

Or, what the two of you had thought was discrete.

“Gross. I’m just trying to get to the bathroom.” Bobby complained with a grimace as he walked by the two of you towards the community restrooms. You let out a chuckle as Logan brought his fist up to Bobby’s line of vision, a single adamantium claw extending to flip the younger man off against the firelight.

#fanfiction #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel x reader #Marvel x Y/N #x men #x men fanfiction #Logan #logan x reader #logan howlett #logan howlett x reader #wolverine #wolverine x reader #reader insert

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salty-medley · 2 years ago

Text

SSO - Fort Maria paintings

This library contains a lot of rather interesting paintings, most of them sadly only related to the druids, but for a part of them, few details are a bit intriguing:

The "roman" temple

Why would we find roman ruins in an island which is on the north of the Baltic Sea ? I guess most people don't think about it but it was my main reaction when I saw it in Epona. Now... That painting could give the start of an explanation: if you look at the ambiance and the light, you'll see it's not in earth anymore, it's in the in-between worlds path. And it's a portal. Maybe a portal to travel on either another world ( roman themed one ?) or on another country, like the Roman empire.

2. The harbour

This one looks rather normal, you can think about Cape West or Fort Pinta... Which one by the way ? There's not the colors of Golden, nor the statue of Fort Pinta, and certainly not the fortifications of the last one, and we know that it was fortified since the start, and the boats are more modern, something you can find in the 50s/60s. So where could it be ? Well, it still can be Cape West if we consider that the permanant autumn weather is related to the witches, but it can also be another sea side city in Jorvik, something on the closed part of the map.

3. The castle

One of the most interesting ones, if not the most. Keep in mind that I don't change the orientation of the screenshot, it's the right side. It looks like Silverglade castle, but... There's like a lake and mountains, full of snow, behind it. But the painting represents spring, there's a blossoming tree here. So... Where it is ? Could it be the lands eras before ?

4. In the sky

It's clearly not an unknown place. Do you remember the cloud event with Mica ? That strange castle silhouette you can see in the clouds ? Well, you have it with more details. We can see something like a plaza and stairs to a higher place, some columns and some trees made of clouds. There's also several winged horses ( why not pegasi ? Because Pegasus is a name, not a specie. Winged horse is a way better term) and one single human girl, probably Aideen or one of her incarnations. I though that it could be a cloud civilization BUT the magic side of the Wildwoods made me think about MPL and I think it's one of their main inspiration, so why not wild winged speaking horses ? It's dumb and childish, right in their current line.

The only question would be: why stairs when they can fly ? Eh... That one is a real mystery.

5. Mystical valley

You will say "Oh but it's a wild forest like in the Wildwoods, it's here ?" Well, since when there's palm trees in Wildwoods ? When you look more at it, the whole light make it feel warmer than the Jorwegian islands, something almost tropical. And... Is it a dinosaur like creature in the water ? Could it be what was the valley of the dinosaur before ? No, there's a south american pyramid on the right side, and a giant head. Plus, you can see some openings in the cliff, like if they were living in it, despite the small waterfalls. But you still can see a horse like creature and the soul riders runes... Very weird mix, making me think that Jorvik and its present location could just be our world's version. If you heard about the String theory, it's based on it. I have a very hard time to conceive Jorvik having both roman and pre-columbian ruins at the same time while being located near Iceland. You'll excuse me people, but having several dimensions looks more logical at that point.

6. The storm

I can't say if it's earth or not, but these rocks are really unique and threatening at the same time. Kinda looks like petrified waves, no?

7. Druidic stone

Another strange forest painting... This one has horses and a druidic stone on it, so I assume it's Jorvik. Once again, it gives a more warm feeling, it doesn't look like it's in the north of Europe at all. There's something prehistorical, I can explain why.

8. Ruins

That one intrigues me like A LOT ! These ruins looks like medieval ones, something from the early medieval era. But why are they that destroyed ? The whole place is unknown to me, I can't figure where it is, and what is the era of the painting.

#star stable online #sso #jorvik #silverglade #fort maria #aideen

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juviaafullbuster · 3 years ago

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IN EVERY UNIVERSE

"JUVIAAAA"

He should have known. He should have seen it coming the moment he heard that blue cat call out her name. Of course nothing good would come from this. That stupid cat, exceed, whatever he is, was raised by Natsu after all. But he didn't think much of it when he saw him flying towards Juvia, who was currently sitting with the other girls and landing in the middle of their table.

"Yes Happy?"

"Remember what I told you when we came back from Edolas?"

Happy was wiggling his tail excitedly, while trying to hold back from spilling the information immediately. After all, he lives for the drama. Juvia on the other hand was just looking at him, confusion written all over her face.

"Juvia isn't following.."

"You know, about the Juvia in Edolas and how the Gray there is obsessed with her.."

"Oh yes! Of course Juvia remembers that! The other Juvia is very lucky.."

"Yeah, and guess what? She got even luckier. Turns out they've got-"

"HAPPY!"

Gray had to stop him before he spilled too much. Why were they on the other side of the hall anyways? Juvia was always stuck to him whenever he came back from a mission. Why did she have to abandon him now of all times?

"What is it Gray? I'm busy delivering information."

"If you don't shut it that's the last information you'll ever deliver."

At that Happy visibly gulped. Gray was sure he was considering whether it was worth taking the risk. He probably still remembered the incident where Gray had declared him his enemy. Gray himself didn't remember much of what happened, just that it wasn't his proudest moment when he woke up half naked on an island surrounded by strangers. Now however, he was glad it had happened. At least that cat knew what he was dealing with and wouldn't dare to finish that sentence.

"Hey popsicle, are you threatening Happy?"

This just keeps getting better. Of course Natsu had to get involved as well. All he wanted was to enjoy being back home and spending some time with Juvia. And he wasn't doing either. Really, the last thing he needed was Natsu and his damn cat to ruin things for him.

"I don't threaten anyone unless necessary. So if you want to save him from trouble, tell your cat to back off."

"I'M AN EXCEED!"

"Like I care. Point is, shut up."

"HEY, DON'T TALK TO HAPPY LIKE THAT!"

"Stay out of it, flamebrain!"

"IF HAPPY IS INVOLVED, I'M INVOLVED."

"Whatever.."

He just needed to get to Juvia. There was no need to participate in the conversation with Natsu. Not that you could actually hold one. It would always end in a fight and if that idiot doesn't shut up soon, Gray was sure that this will be the case today as well. So he decided to be the bigger person and ignore Natsu, no matter how much he was provoked. However Natsu didn't get the message.

"What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're being weird lately. Happy noticed too, right Happy?"

"Aye!"

"I'm not being weird, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I think it's because he's jealous of you!"

"WHY WOULD I BE JEALOUS OF NATSU?"

"He did tell me what happened.. is it because he has more woman than you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know, that snow woman. He had quite a lot on his side, you however just had-"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Like it wasn't bad enough that he was going to tell Juvia about their Edolas counterparts, she really didn't need to know about that whole woman in the depth of his heart thing.

"You're jealous of me?"

"Who's jealous of who?

"Gray is jealous of Natsu."

"Seriously?"

"NO!"

That's it. He's going to kill that cat. But first he'll have to deal with Natsu because he was costing him his nerves as well. So next thing he knew, they were throwing fists at each other until Erza forcefully stopped them.

"What is this about? Explain yourself before I pull out my sword."

"Grays being mean to Happy."

"That's because Happy is stupid! Probably got it from you.."

"SILENCE! Happy!"

"Yes?"

"Explain!"

"Well, Gray is being mean to me just because I wanted to tell Juvia about what we saw in Edolas. I don't see why he's so worked up over it, I mean I was just going to say that they're married."

"Who's married?"

"Gray and Juvia!"

Silence. The whole guild went silent. Well, except for Happys snickering. Gray could swear he felt his soul leave his body. He was certain he would never hear the end of it. After all, he could already feel the eyes on him.

"Gray and Juvia are married in Edolas?" It was Juvia who decided to break the awful silence. Happy nodded eagerly in response to her question.

More silence. Or as Gray would say, the calm before the storm.

"Is that true?" Juvia was looking at him with wide eyes. He knows her well enough by now to know exactly what was currently going on in her head. He could tell her imagination was going wild with wedding pictures. But she was clearly holding back from squealing, instead she kept staring at him, desperately waiting for an answer. Gray sighed.

"Yes.."

And then all hell broke loss. Mira was cornering him trying to find out as much as possible, while Cana kept adding her inappropriate comments. Elfman starting shouting something about marriage being manly, whatever that meant. By the time Gray had managed to escape from them Juvia was no longer in sight.

"Juvia?"

"She went outside, said she needed to cool down." Lucy smirked proudly, making Gray fear her next sentence. "Good thing you're an ice wizard. Who else could cool her down?"

"Hilarious. I'm going outside."

"Of course you are."

Gray didn't bother reacting anymore. Instead he went to search for Juvia. The cold air outside hit him in the face. It wasn't until now that he realized how stuffy it was in there.

He distanced himself from the guild hall while keeping an eye out for his bluenette. He really had missed her during his mission and now that he was back, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. After all, he had finally acknowledged his feelings for her and after seeing their counterparts in Edolas and that vision he had been trapped in, it just made him long for her more.

Those feelings still freaked him out somehow. He wasn't aware that he was capable of feeling this much for someone. But Juvia had really broken down every single one of his walls. And he was really grateful for that. She was the one who kept pulling him back whenever he was close to the edge. She's his power to live, even though having admitted that so bluntly in front of her still got him all embarrassed. And her teasing didn't help one bit.

"Juvia!" He spotted her on a bench near the lake. She seemed lost in thought. When she heard his voice however, she immediately spun around.

"Graysama! Juvia is sorry for leaving so abruptly.."

"Don't worry about that. Are you okay?"

He sat down next to her. Usually he would leave a space between them, not wanting to give her any ideas. But things changed. And now here he was, sitting as close to her as possible, longing for her touch. Juvia smiled at him.

"Juvia is very happy that you're back."

"I'm happy to be back too. I.." He cleared his throat and looked away shyly. "I missed you."

"Juvia missed you too. Juvia was wondering whether you were doing alright, if you manged to stay dressed and whether the others bothered to pick up the clothes you discarded.." she kept talking but Gray was too focused on her beauty, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky having someone like her in his life.

"I want what they have as well." Gray had blurted out the thought before he could realize it.

"What who has?" Juvia questioned him. He could go back on his word, pretend he never said it. But what's the point? He was just making himself suffer by prolonging it. And he had promised her to be clear with his intentions once he got back, not that he got to finish that promise before he was swept back to Elentir. Point is, it was time for him to be honest.

"I want what Edolas Gray and Juvia have.."

"You want.. you want to marry Juvia!?"

"What? No!"

"No?"

This wasn't going the way he wanted it all. Gray sighed.

"One day."

"One day?"

"Yes, one day I'm going to marry you. But I think it's still a little early for that. To be fair, our counterparts in Edolas are older.."

Juvia just kept looking at him in disbelief. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't exactly his style to be so open and honest. They didn't start dating yet and he was already talking about marriage. Juvia had really impacted him..

"Listen. I want to be with you. Like Edo Gray is with Edo Juvia, like Fairy Nail Glen is with Fairy Nail Juvina.. I want Earthland Gray to be with Earthland Juvia as well."

"What's Fairy Nail? And who is Juvina?"

"That's a long story.. point is I want to be with you. I'm sorry I'm not as clear with my intentions as the other me. But that doesn't mean I want you less than he wants his Juvia.."

By this point Gray was a blushing mess. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, too afraid to see her reaction. He had literally just run her over with emotions.

"Graysama doesn't have to be sorry."

"Huh?"

"For not being as clear with his feelings. I feel in love with this version of Gray, the Earthland version. Juvia wouldn't change a thing about you."

Gray smiled at her. She was truly too perfect. How did she always know what to say? She seemed so calm and collected while he was literally trying his best not to freak out.

"And Juvia would like that very much as well. Earthland Gray and Earthland Juvia being together.." she was looking at Gray sweetly and he couldn't help the smile that took over his face.

"I promise to be the best version of myself for you."

"You already are."

They smiled at each other and Gray tucked behind the hair that had fallen into her face. He found himself leaning closer and he saw Juvia doing the same. He had just closed his eyes, just a little away from finally kissing her after thinking about it for so long, when a voice interrupted them, making them jump apart.

"Gray loves Juvia!"

"Quiet Happy!

"They are so cute together."

"About time he made a move."

How had he not seen them hiding behind that bush. He'll admit Lucy, Wendy and Charles were hidden pretty well, but Natsus pink hair and Happys blue fur were visible to everyone. And Erza hadn't even bothered hiding. He must have been too focused on the girl in front of him to notice. Said girl was now blushing furiously.

"I'm going to kick their asses.."

"Juvia thinks it's sweet that they're so supportive of you. You have a great team."

"How are they a great team? They literally interrupted a very important moment."

"Juvia knows.. but Juvia is very happy already."

"So you don't want me to kiss you?"

"Juvia didn't say that!"

He was truly enjoying teasing her. So much, he was able to ignore his friends presence. So instead of letting them ruin their moment, he leaned in and finally, after so long, kissed her. It took her a moment to react, but once she did, Gray felt like the luckiest person in the universe. He was never going to let her go.

"Juvia loves you very much."

"And I love Juvia very much."

He kissed her again, already addicted. His friends were cheering, probably happy that he finally made a move. He couldn't blame them, it took him long enough.

"All that because I told her about Edolas Gray and Juvias marriage. Imagine what she'll do when she hears about Greige.."

"Who's Greige?"

"HAPPY!"

♡♡♡

Here you have it, my contribution to Gruvia day! I hope you like it, let me know what you think :)

Also, I'm still fangirling over the drawing we got today. Maybe I'll write something about that too one day..

Anyways, happy Gruvia day! ♡

#gruvia day #gruvia #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #fairy tail

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