#These two are gifts for my nephews who are visiting right now

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for saying my family shows favoritism towards my baby cousin?

(This is copied from my Reddit drafts because my partner told me tumblr would be better for this and I trust them)

Okay this is a long one so I’m just gonna throw out fake names for everyone and everyone is white middle class Americans

I, Op, 20M, I’m a trans man not accepted by my family. This is relevant

Renee, 20F, my twin sister

Bea, 16F, my younger sister

Lee, 35F, my aunt on my father’s side

Lucas, 2M, my cousin, son of Lee

Suzie, 5F, my cousin, daughter of Lee

My father, 44M, the patriarch of our whole family

My mother, 45F

Grandpa, 76M, paternal grandpa, previous patriarch

Grandma, 74F, paternal grandma

So I’m sending this in on Christmas Day of 2023. For some context, I still live at home, but it’s more of a roommate situation now that I’m an adult. Renee lives on her out-of-state college campus but visits for holidays, and Bea is still a high schooler. Lee, her children, and her husband who isn’t relevant to this (I love my uncle, we just literally never talk) live across the country. My father is losing the battle with cancer and can’t travel, so we had two separate christmases this year, one with my immediate family and one with Lee. Grandma and Grandpa went to Lee’s, which was awesome for me because that meant I got to avoid them this year!

As the character list above states, I’m (one of) the oldest of the five grandkids with my cousins being born a lot later than me and my sisters. My family is a traditional WASP family and staunchly conservative with Aunt Lee actively being a cop right now while my parents and Grandpa served in the military. Growing up undeniably queer was hilarious, I know. But the family dynamic wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, my family did a good job of trying to hide the fact that Renee was the favorite child lol, but that was more on the basis of her having the same traditional values that they do until Aunt Lee had Suzie, then she obviously became the favorite. Fine by me, she’s an adorable girl and I love spoiling her. Also, ACAB does apply for Aunt Lee for being complacent in this system, it’s not just the most relevant part of the story besides explaining how she fits into the family dynamic

But then Lee had Lucas a few years later and the focus in the family shifted to him. At first, it was baby fever making everyone dote over him (and I’m guilty of this too) but after a while, I realized that the fever hasn’t died down. If we had family reunions, everyone would flock to Lucas and I would be the one watching Suzie. For a toddler, she’s a great conversationalist, but it was still sad to see all her aunts and uncles and cousins showering her baby brother with attention and not her. And then the comments started. That my father would only refer to Lucas as “my nephew” even when talking directly to Lee (unhinged to witness in person). That Grandpa was so happy to finally have a grandson (felt great). The lady-killer comments and guessing what profession he’s gonna go into based on how chubby of a baby he is (the money’s on Linebacker, little dude is built like a truck). Stuff like that

None of these comments were ever made about Suzie when she was born, and I really don’t want to admit that it’s because Lucas is a boy, but thats the only answer I can think of when trying to understand the favoritism. Lucas is showered in gifts and love and while I know newborns need that, Suzie received nowhere near this much attention. Lee’s husband doesn’t go to family functions because he works full time, but I heard Suzie mumble at Thanksgiving last month that she wanted to go home to daddy. It broke my fucking heart, so I called him and she got to FaceTime with my uncle until my phone died

At this point, I’m not even upset that the family ignores my obvious trans-ness as I’m over a year on T (paid for by myself too) in favor of my boy cousin. I’m upset that Suzie is getting left out of the fawning while she’s still super young and she could grow up resenting Lucas because of it.

Anyways, so this morning we opened gifts as an immediate family and I got to FaceTime my significant other as they unboxed their gift from me and we were having a good time until my dad FaceTimes Grandpa. Grandpa answers and Dad immediately asks how his nephew is. Lucas is pushed in front of the phone and all I can hear is asking about how Lucas is, is Lucas talking yet, is Lucas reading yet. I manage to squeeze my head in and ask about Suzie and Lee’s voice off camera says that “oh she’s fine, just snobbish.” Snobbish? A five year old?

And here’s where I’m probably the Asshole. Honestly, I’m looking between ESH and JAH here, but would perfectly understandable if tumblr decides YTA. My response to Lee’s comment was: “well maybe she wouldn’t be if everyone didn’t pick Lucas as the family favorite.”

My dad smacked me upside the head, Renee and Bea got really pissed off, and the FaceTime went quiet until it was cut off and Grandpa called back to talk to Dad privately. Bea called me an asshole and while my Mom got onto her for her language, Mom agreed that I was.

My dad came back from the phone and did the silent point towards his bedroom, y’all with shitty parents know the one. Because I’m twenty fucking years old and pay RENT here, I shook my head, grabbed my keys, and went to go hang out with my significant partner and work friends. We had a great time and I’m currently in the car with my significant other while typing this. I’m gonna spend the night at their place and go back in the morning to see how bad the damage is. My significant other says I was justified in what I said, but two of my work friends (one who’s a Cishet guy who grew up in a similar household and another who’s a new dad with his own son) say that what I said was uncalled for and rude. They explained that I had no right to weaponize Lucas and Suzie like that and I understand that. I’m just tired of Suzie being neglected and, selfishly I know, I’m tired of how my identity is ignored as well

So, tumblr, AITA?

TL;DR, My two year old cousin is the “only” grandson in the family. The family ignores my male identity and my baby cousin’s five year old sister to fawn over the two year old. Am I The Asshole for pointing this out point blank in front of the whole family on Christmas morning?

What are these acronyms?

[kissingarthurclaus]

Hehe little small infodump about my Arthur Christmas self ship lore!

❄️ there's nothing too special about my self insert herself, she'd be pretty close to me irl! Just a regular girl who works at a coffee shop and does normal things.

❄️ I imagine the two would meet during Arthur's first official year as Santa! My s/i would probably be spending Christmas eve with her sister and little nephew, and after some pretty heavy eggnog indulgence she falls asleep on the couch, so when Arthur gets to the house he has to be EXTRA quiet so as not to wake her up. But as you know, he's a big ol klutz so while he's trying to sneak around he trips over something and makes a big ruckus

❄️ understandably believing him to be an intruder and panicking, my s/i proceeds to grab the nearest item (in this case a gift-wrapped kid's plastic bat) and starts beating him with it 😂😂 ofc the elves rush in to help him and I imagine they have tranq darts to deal with unruly pets and such but they gotta think fast. A little too fast, cause after getting tranqed my s/i falls over and conks her head on the coffee table

❄️ now, if it were Steve running this operation he'd just call 911 and leave, but this is Arthur Claus he feels REALLY bad and doesn't wanna just leave her like that and they also need to keep schedule so they just sorta? Kidnap her? They bring her onto the ship to be looked over by some first aid elf physicians. And when she wakes up she is...not very pleased to say the least!

❄️ now, they can't very well turn around and drop her off bcs they've got the whole WORLD to visit so she's gotta stick around until they're done, like it or not! And ofc she's bewildered at first and believes she's asleep or concussed and none of it can be real, but eventually she comes around and is even really impressed by the scale of the whole operation! In between countries she and Arthur get to talking (mostly to make sure she's NOT concussed) and she really feels the love he has for the whole thing. How important it is to him that Christmas is magical for every child in the world and...well it moves her 🥺💖

❄️ after all the deliveries are done, Arthur invites her to Christmas dinner with his family! I think partly per Steve's request as a 'please don't tell/don't sue us' gesture 😂 Everyone gets a good laugh out of the situation, and it's a very nice time! It's a silly thought but I think Arthur's mom might even say that she met her husband in a similar way 😂 during HIS first year as Santa he crashed a hole right through her roof and she came outside to yell at him and ask for money, but one thing lead to another! That sort of makes my s/i think...

[ele-sme]

Part 2 of the post below.

Max and Norm came to pay visit to the family, has been a few months since they have taken Spider.

They were all chilling in the Mauri and Neytiri was cooking something with the help of Lo'ak.

"Uncle Max can i ask you a question?" Tuk said, putting down her new toys who were a gift of her grandmother for her 9th season of living.

"Hey, why him? You like him better?" Norm joked about making Max rolling his eyes.

"Of course have you seen yourself?" Max responded with an annoying tone

"How is Spider doing?" Tuk asked before her uncle could say something to the other. The Mauri froozed, the sound of the fire was the only who could have been heard.

"Why don't you ask it yourself?" Norm said putting his hand in a pocket.

"He is here?!" Tuk getten up to see outside only to be met we nothing.

"No he isn't here sweety, but we can call him" he picked out of his pocked a old machine, who as he said could make him and hell gates connect.

"This should be only for emergency" Max tried to protest, but only a look at his nephews maked him change mind "this is an emergency go on"

The other two teenagers got closer to listen.

"Norm is here speaking, do someone hear me?" Norm asked, the device at inches form his mouth.

"Norm?Norm! Is everything all right? Why are you calling with this?! Are you guys ok? Jake and his kids? What happend?!" A female voice asked from the other line, Tuk was amazed at the machine.

"Everything is all right we just need you to pass us Spider, how is he feeling?" Max asked taking the device.

"I'm calling him in, anyway he threw up several times since you guys lefted and he's has a bad fever." She said honestly.

Her answer maked Kiri feel sick to her stomach.

After some minutes, the boy arrived and the female voice said that she was outside for anything.

"Norm?Max? Are you guys okay? Did anything happened? Tuk, Lo'ak and Kiri how are okay?" Spider asked immediately with frenzy and a scared tone.

Lo'ak putted himself closer to the device to ear his best friend, brother, voice.

"Spidy? Are you okay?" Tuk asked and after some moments the boy responded affirmatively.

"Spidy when will you come back? I miss you!" Tuk said taking the device.

"I don't know if i can come back tuk-tuk, something bad is happening to me." He said making Tuk eyes wet.

Kiri snatched the device from her sister hand and putted closer to her and Lo'ak.

"Monkey boy! What do you have?" She asked with a half sob. Her brother hand of her back.

"Oh, hi Kiri" the boy only responded.

"Bro what do you have?!" Lo'ak asked this time only to be met by a sigh fromthe other line.

"I'm going to say it with fancy words so i can annoy you" he then responded, a tiny bit of happiness in his tone. But something was definitely wrong, so wrong that even Neytiri turned and putted herself closer to her mate to listen.

"Thanks to that RDA machine i developed a sickness, I'm ill, very much ill. Fevers comes and go. I vomit everyday. I loose blood from whatever part of my body. My hair fallen, my skin is of a yellow color. My eyes are red and tired all day. I smell bad and not like usual, i mean very bad. I can bearly get up, and i falled a few times everytime I needed to go to an emergency room. They make me wear normal clothes and they make me analysis at least twice a day." He explained, and Jake eyes grew understanding all those words that for his children maked no sense. Yellow skin? Hair falling? Blood from everywhere? How was the last thing even possibile?

"Spidy i do not understand" Tuk said and she taked the device back.

"Tuk! Tuk, i always thinked of you as a sister do you know this?" Spider said, his voice now sad.

"Yes, and i think about you as a brother." She said with no remorse, she indeed thinked lf the boy as her brother. "I'm still not understanding spidy" she asked again the same question as before

"Tuk do you understand dead?"the other one said with baldness

"Yes" the blue kid responded after some moments.

"Do you know that Neteyam is" he paused, everyone freezed and the name, sounding so alive "Neteyam is dead" and then the name sounded so unreal.

A small hiss escaped from Neytiri lips, but was not heard trough the device.

"Yes i know" tears fellen down the little girl face.

"In a few months i will go to him" the other responded and a small scream of pain escaped Kiri lips.

"No no no no no no" the blue boy said.

"We can't do anything about it, that RDA machine putted me into a bad state, and even if they used it for not so much their affects are affecting." The human boy said before someone asked if there was anything to help it.

"Guys before we hang up, i need to confess something to you, that might change your view of me" Spider said "and since this might be the last time we speak" his voice cracked, he was for sure crying from the other line " we speak to eachother i want to tell you"

"There is nothing that can change our mind on you" Kiri cried, the comfort was meant for later, when the call would have been ending.

"I save him" words from the other line came

"Who?" Lo'ak asked.

Silent.

realization.

"I'm so sorry, i don't even know what i was doing, if i just could go back, i-" the human boy was trying to say, his break down was so lound even from afar.

The siblings looked at eachother.

"It's okay we forgive you spidy, we understand" Tuk said, her sister and her were hugging eachother and their brother was between them, hugging them too.

"But-" the human tried to protest

"No but bro, we forgive you" Lo'ak responded.

"..."

"Guys, no matter what, not matter how much you want, do not, avenge me. Don't even try. I will hunt you if you do. Do not Avenge me!" The human boy said, he knew that the siblings were ready to personally kill everyone for him, as he have done for them and as they have done for him.

Kiri first kill was for avenge him, when a animal attacked them when they were nine (she was seven).

the line drops

"What happend?!" Kiri said, her voice choked with pain.

"The line have dropped, it happens." Max said

"Can we call back?" Tuk asked

"No, after the first time it doesn't work anymore" he explained, they had hundred of things like those in the lab but the two scientists only brought one.

They scientis decided to go away sooner than they originally wanted.

The house was silent all day. No one said anything.

Memories came.

The first animal killed together at ten and eight by Lo'ak and Spider.

The first ried on Kiri ikran when they were nine and seven.

Him making Tuk learn how to read.

Jake and Neytiri had a few memorable memories of the boy too.

The first time Jake meeted the boy outside of the lab and as he saw how the kid climped he nicknamed him Spider. Jake give the boy his name.

Neytiri, when the boy was so young that possible couldn't remember had the memory, him learning all her family songcords and sing them to her kids so that they would fall asleep faster. Learning her mate and hers songcords. She was always so mean to him, and in the end the boy was dying with no mother or someone who held him. Regret in her eyes with the grief. Her face formed only from those two sentiments.

Late that night, the kids could hear Jake crying outside of the Mauri asking his mate how could they have possible done what they have done, and as he was baling his eyes out with her, she asked the great Mother to take the boy with her.

Bonus: what if they saw eachother one last time.

Spider came into the Mauri with the help of Norm.

Tuk eyes widening as she saw him.

Soon all four kids were on hugging and crying

"How is this possible? How do you have allowed that?" Jake asked

"This was his last wish, we couldn't refuse" Norm said.

The parents soon joined the children.

They spented all day togher and it was now mid afternoon.

Spider who was laughing seconds before stopped himself.

All eyes on him.

"Norm I'm not feeling well." The boy amited

Norm immediately by his side.

"What can i do?" His voice sad.

It was the time.

"I would like to see hometree one last time." He confessed.

"Yeah buddy of crouse, we going there immediately." Norm said picking up the dying body.

"That okay, just promise to plant me there." And we that the boy closed his eyes.

[lemonsprite]

𝐘𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 || 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐱 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

Summary: idk Yule something something something bro I don't know what to write it's just a bunch of fluff and tiny Frodo content

Word count: 2K

A/N: This was cross-posted on my ao3!

Dearest Thorin, 

I regret to inform you I won’t be able to spend the winter months with you this year as much as I’d like to. Unfortunately, my dear cousins the Brandybuck-bagginses have passed in a terrible boating accident and as much as this time hurts for my family, they have asked that I may take in my cousin's only son, Frodo. Of course, I have agreed as is right to do. Poor lad lost both his parents in one day, I can only imagine what he’s going through right now. 

Yavannah knows this is the last thing I’d ever want but I must take care of the boy for now. I hope you can understand. Perhaps I can visit in the summertime, I’m sure Frodo would love to see Erebor someday. 

Your burglar, 

Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo looked down sadly at the sealed envelope in his hands. He’d been looking extremely forward to spending Yule with Thorin. Yet that was all a distant thought now, He has a boy to look after. Frodo sat next to him, only nine years old and inexplicably quiet. Bilbo had given him one of his books he’d picked up on his journey to the lonely mountain. Some sort of elvish novel filled with fantastical fairy tales and stories of yore. 

When Frodo had been younger he’d used to jump for joy when Uncle Bilbo came bearing gifts of books to family gatherings, now he sat staring at the same page for the past fifteen minutes his face emotionless and his eyes distant. 

Bilbo sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair, turning his attention back to the letter in his hand. 

“I’ll be right back, Frodo.” He said, giving the boy the biggest smile he could muster at the moment.

Frodo blinked in response, not even turning to look Bilbo in the eye. 

The hobbit pursed his lips and tucked the envelope into his waistcoat pocket. 

It was snowing hard outside and the windows of Bag-end rattled with the force of the wind. It was a true blizzard in the making. Hopefully, the bird would be able to make it to Thorin. 

Barely half a month had passed since Bilbo sent his letter. Frodo seemed to return slightly to his younger self. He’d begun asking Bilbo questions about his journeys once more, the young hobbit would stop in the hallways of Bag-end and pester Bilbo until he told him the story behind the map hanging on the wall or the set or dwarven battle armor sitting in the corner, long forgotten. 

They sat together at the dinner table two bowls of beef stew lay untouched before them, it was getting late. 

“Don’t you want your soup Frodo?” Asked Bilbo. “It’s one of your favorites.” He encouraged, attempting to get his picky-eater of a nephew to eat. 

Frodo scowled, poking at the meat in his stew with his fork. 

Their silence was broken by the loud noise of Bilbo’s bell signaling there was someone at the door. Bilbo cleared his throat and sat up from his seat. 

The elder hobbit walked gingerly to the front of Bag-end, wondering who in their right mind would be pestering a hobbit this late during supper of all times. 

Decades ago the last time his bell had rung at this hour he’d become an unwilling party member on a long and quite bothersome adventure. 

Bilbo threw open the door to reveal a quite serious-looking dwarf. Yet that was not the source of his surprise (He quite expected this to happen if Bilbo was being truthful, he had a tendency to attract unwanted visitors) What really shocked the hobbit was that the dwarf was none other than Thorin Oakenshield himself. 

“Thorin?” He gaped, staring wide-eyed at the dwarrow in front of him. “Wha? Huh?” 

“Where’s the little pebble, hm?” Asked Thorin a serious glint in his eye, trying to peer past Bilbo’s shoulder into the den. 

“pebble?” Asked Bilbo still trying to work out why Thorin was here in the first place. He raised his hands to back peddle their conversation. “Hold on- aren’t you supposed to be at Erebor?” 

Thorin waved his hand dismissively. “Fili’s got it under control, it’ll be a good experience for him.”

“Good experience? Thorin, that's an entire kingdom to run by himself!” Exclaimed Bilbo, flabbergasted at the dwarf’s carelessness. 

“And he has Balin to take care of him, he’ll be fine,” explained Thorin, putting a hand on Bilbo’s shoulder. “Besides, you need more help than him right now.” 

“I don’t think that's a very even comparison.” Laughed Bilbo, looking at Thorin as if he’d just magically turned into a monkey. “Look, come inside, I don’t want you catching a cold out in the snow.” The hobbit sighed, opening the door further for the dwarven king to enter. 

Thorin shook the snow off his thick fur coat and turned to Bilbo, giving the other a stern look. 

“It may not seem like that hard of an ordeal Bilbo but raising a child is no laughing matter.” He tsked. “When my brother-in-law died I helped Dis out with the boys every day, I essentially became like their father. I know what child-rearing is like.” 

“So you’ve come all this way to help me?” Asked Bilbo, looking Thorin up and down curiously. “Not to mention how fast you got here, I didn’t even know it was possible to travel from Erebor to the Shire in less than a month.” 

Thorin's face turned red, he looked everywhere but Bilbo’s eyes, muttering something unintelligible. 

“What was that?” Asked Bilbo, a smile pulling at his lips. 

“I also may have wanted to spend Yule with you,” Thorin grumbled, his voice deep and gravely, like a bear. 

Bilbo grinned at Thorin, the tips of his pointed ears turning red. 

“Uncle Bilbo, why is there a dwarf in our parlor?” Came Frodo's voice from the doorway, his curly head peeking out from the corner. 

Bilbo opened his mouth to speak but Thorin beat him to the chase.

“You must be Frodo.” He smiled, wrapping his arm around Bilbo’s shoulder and pulling him close to the dwarf’s side. 

Bilbo coughed, clearing his throat, denying the feeling of warmth that spread throughout his body at Thorin's touch. 

“Frodo, you recall Thorin from my adventures, hm?” He asked, waving a careless hand in the general direction of the dwarf. 

The younger hobbit's pointed ears perked up and he stared up at Thorin in awe. “The king under the mountain?” Frodo exclaimed in astonishment. 

“At your service,” Thorin replied, a soft smile spreading across his face. 

Frodo’s excitement was basically tangible, he was practically bouncing off the walls as he ran up to Thorin, the young hobbit twiddling his fingers in nervousness. 

“Did you really fight a dragon?” He asked in amazement, looking up at Thorin as if he’d saved his life instead of Bilbo’s. 

Thorin was about to answer when Bilbo cut him off. 

“Good little hobbits finish their dinner first, you can bombard him with all your questions after you finish your stew.” 

Frodo grumbled, frowning hard as he glanced back at Thorin. 

“You know…” Said Thorin looking around the room as if he was afraid someone would overhear him. “I brought all these toys from Erebor… But I was strictly told by my advisors to only give them to shirelings who finish their suppers.” He glanced at Bilbo, shooting him a small smile. 

Bilbo rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance, yet his smile told another story. 

Frodo gasped, looking back and forth between Bilbo and Thorin before making a mad dash for the dining room, determined to eat all his soup. 

“How about I show you around a bit? Before the little devil inhales his stew I mean…” Added Bilbo, his eyes still on the doorway Frodo had just sped through. “It's been quite a while since you last visited… Four years if I remember correctly.” 

“Four years far too long.” Sighed Thorin, pulling Bilbo even closer to his side. “If I had my way I’d visit you every year.” 

“You have a kingdom to run.” Rationalized Bilbo. “Besides, it takes three months to travel from Erebor to the Shire… Usually.” He continued glancing up at Thorin. 

The dwarf met him with an exasperated shrug. 

“I would like that tour, however,” Thorin added as an afterthought, looping his and Bilbo’s arms together. “Show me where I’ll be sleeping, hm?” 

“I see you’ve gotten a lot more books in your study since I last visited.” Observed Thorin as Bilbo led him into his office. 

“Elrond half-elven gave me them as gifts since I’ve learned to speak Sindarin and Quenya. told me they’d help expand my knowledge.” Bilbo smiled, patting Thorin’s arm which was still entangled in his. 

Thorin scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Damn elves, next thing you know they’ll be coming to Bag-end to join us for Yule.” 

“They might as well.” Added Bilbo smugly. “I’m told we bagginses are quite good at making foreign friends.” 

Thorin rolled his eyes playfully at the hobbit's remark as Bilbo continued. The hobbit led Thorin through a circular door into his bed chambers. 

Bilbo’s room hadn’t changed much since the four years of Thorin’s absence. A new quilt sat neatly on top of his bed, illustrating the shire and its surplus gardens. On the hobbit's nightstand was an assortment of parenting books stacked to reach a combined height of an average elf. One of Bilbo’s coats (An extremely well-made dwarven garment) sat draped over a cushioned armchair that hadn’t been there previously. Thorin had given the coat to Bilbo as a Yule present eight years ago, part of him melted seeing it displayed. 

“I assume you’ll be staying here with me…” Bilbo dawdled on, looking anywhere but Thorin, the tips of his ears turning red. “That is- if you want to.” He added hurriedly.

Thorin nodded his head furiously. 

“I want to.” 

Bilbo smiled sheepishly, tugging nervously at his copper curls. 

 A silence fell between them and Thorin faltered, grabbing Bilbo’s hand. 

“We need to talk, my burglar.” 

Bilbo stared back at the dwarven king, his smile hesitating. 

“I agree.” 

Bilbo busied himself by straightening invisible wrinkles on his bed sheets and sat down with Thorin next to him. The hobbit sighed, he’d had a feeling they’d be having this discussion one way or another. 

An uncomfortable silence filled the air with thick tension. Thorin was the first to speak. 

“Our original plan isn’t going to work now, isn’t it?” He asked, rubbing his thumb over Bilbo’s knuckles, making the hobbit's face flush and his ears ring. 

“I suppose Frodo does change some things…” Replied Bilbo, his gaze finding the ground much more interesting than Thorin at the moment. 

“Do…” Thorin faltered. “Do you wish to end our courtship?” 

Bilbo didn't waste a second to respond, his eyes darting up to Thorins within milliseconds. 

“No! Not at all! I still want to marry you, Thorin!” He exclaimed, anxiety filling his stomach. “It’s just, a lot changed with the addition of Frodo…” Bilbo pursed his lips. 

“We… Just need time to figure it out.” He sighed, turning to smile slightly at Thorin. “I swear I’ll never leave you. No matter what.” 

“I as well my burglar.” Thorin sighed contentedly, happy with the conclusion of their discussion as he cupped Bilbo’s face with his rough hand. “Aulë I love you.” 

They sat there for what felt like eons to both of them but was most likely a matter of a few fleeting moments. Both content to be held in each other's arms.

“Did you actually bring dwarvish toys?” Whispered Bilbo, almost unbelieving. He shifted in the dwarf’s arms, breaking the dramatic tension that had filled the air almost suffocatingly with their discussion. 

Thorin pulled away from their embrace and opened the pockets of his big coat, revealing a plethora of small (most likely enchanted) children’s toys, ranging from tops to stuffed animals, and dominos. 

“Don’t worry.” He smirked. “I’m planning to make his Yule present myself.”

Bilbo knew Thorin and Bilbo knew the dwarf was most likely to make something that would get Frodo in lots of trouble with their ever-nosy neighbors. 

“It better not be any hopefully safe and small Dwarven battle gear.” He scolded, looking the dwarf king in the eye. 

“How did you guess?” Asked Thorin with a devious smirk. 

“I had my suspicions.” Bilbo’s annoyance did not last as he laughed shortly, rolling his eyes and returning to Thorin's arms. 

The dwarven king brought his attention to the small trinkets in his pocket. “They were my nephews' favorite nick-nacks growing up. Now that they don’t need them I thought they could be put to good use again.” He explained shyly. 

“That’s an excellent idea Thorin.” Sighed Bilbo contentedly, restraining himself from burrowing deeper into the dwarf’s warm chest. It’d been what felt like decades since he was last able to embrace Thorin like he was currently. 

A harsh knock came from the door to Bilbo’s bedroom, interrupting their moment. 

“Uncle Bilbo, I've finished my soup!” Rang Frodo’s voice from behind the door. “Is Mr. Thorin in there?” 

Bilbo gave Thorin a knowing look as he got up from his arms to answer the door, readjusting his wrinkled clothing as he did so. 

“All of it?” He asked the little hobbit, raising a suspicious eyebrow. 

Frodo nodded violently, his eyes looking expectantly behind him to the dwarf still sitting on Bilbo’s bed. 

“Alright- But if you’re lying so help me Yavannah…” The hobbit sighed, opening the door further for Frodo to dash in, running straight to Thorin. 

Bilbo had a feeling this was going to be the best Yule yet.

I love them (༎ຶ���༎ຶ)

[noa-de-cajou]

The following texts references sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

Domhildr belongs to @soupedepates

Amandine belongs to @corneille-but-not-the-author

I feel like the lobby in this house is getting bigger and bigger with each and every one of my visits.

Maybe it’s just me that feels smaller, despite the heels, despite my situation, despite the fact that I’m grown now.

“Auntie Leoooo!”

Well, here come three of the few good things about Christmas. I didn't even have the time to get my coat off before getting jumped by my two nephews and my niece. I barely see them at all since they moved to Belgium. The laugh escaping me is sincere.

“Nice try, kiddos, but you're not getting the gifts before dessert!”

Danil, the oldest, puffs his cheeks.

“No fun.”

“I don’t care about the gifts! I just want a hug from auntie,” Nina whines.

Meanwhile, Saveliy keeps holding out his arms to ask for uppies, which is kind of hard with his siblings glued to my leg and my eight-centimeters heels.

“Kids, let your aunt breathe, will you?”

My brother-in-law arrives to get Danil and Nina off me, and takes his youngest into his arms before smiling politely.

“Hello, Leonova. Sorry about this, they've been all giddy since this morning.”

“Good evening, Zachary. It’s no problem. Is my sister around?”

Zachary is nice enough, compared to some other members of this family. We just don’t have much in common is all. If I'm completely honest, he’s a little bland, but as long as he makes my sister happy…

“Yes, she's in the dining hall with your brother. They've been waiting for you too.”

I thank him with a nod and head over to the dining room. Dear god, the Christmas tree is even taller than last year. Imagining Father climbing on a ladder to decorate it is pretty comical, even if he surely didn’t do it himself. But I'm not really interested in trees. No, what matters is my siblings, chatting together near the window, and their faces lighting up when they see me.

“Hi, Novushka!”

Misha’s looking a lot better than last time. Her hair has grown back to her shoulders, even if it’s thinner and curlier than before. When I hug her, I only feel a flat torso against mine. It’s a little strange, but at least she seems alright. And she’s told me the chemo worked. That's all that matters.

“Heyy, Misha, I want a hug from Nova too!”

Misha laughs and lets Denevan come embrace me. My littlest brother is twenty-four now, and he sure looks smart in his brand new suit and tie. It’s weird to see him all grown-up when I practically raised him. Fresh out of business school just like his sister and already well-off. Wonder who he gets that from. He lets go of me, looks around confusedly.

���Kal isn't coming this year either?”

…

“Well? Have you changed your mind?”

Kalerich glances at me and shrugs.

“You know they don't want me around anymore. I don’t see why this year is any different.”

Yeah. I know. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken refuge at my place. Maybe a part of me likes to rub it in, the way you fell from grace, the way you went from the golden heir to a college dropout no one believes in anymore, the way I'm the most successful out of both of us now.

And the other…

“No. I'm sorry, Deni.”

“You know it’s complicated between him and Father, Vanya,” Misha adds hastily.

Denevan makes a face. He doesn't know, actually. He just thinks Kalerich and Father had an argument over who would inherit the company, which isn’t untrue. But he doesn't know about the rest and I think that's for the better.

“Well, I'm glad to see you three are still as chummy as ever! Now, let us all sit down and catch up, alright?”

Ha. Speaking of the Devil, here he comes with his most faithful priestess. My father and stepmother. Ivan and Honora Delavriskov.

And at his command, we all sit down, because the lambs don't resist when the shepherd guides them home, now do they?

So here we are. My dad, sat at the far end of the table. Honora to his right, Denevan to his left. Misha sits between her mother and husband, I sit next to my brother and my niece. My nephews face each other at the other end.

No matter what I do or how much I work my ass off, I'm still seated next to the kids. They make sure I know my place even though I've carved one for myself.

It doesn't matter. It’s fine. It’s only one evening. I start eating with the others, chatting with my brother, listening patiently to Nina when she tries to ask me for a food she doesn't know the name of. I talk like I'm a convict and the conversations are my last cigarette as I await for the moment of my public execution. I’m not disappointed.

“Leonova, why is your hair cut so short every time I see you?”

Because everyone says it suits me. Everyone except Honora, apparently. But I know the lengths I have to go to get even one compliment from her. They're hardly worth it. She doesn’t let me reply, anyway.

“If you keep going like that, we'll soon see your scalp,” she continues. “And your make-up makes you look like a stolen car. No man is ever going to be interested in you with this kind of look.”

Well her hair will fall off sooner than mine with all the dye she puts on her roots. And her ensemble is tacky at best, horrid at worst.

And I don't want a man to be interested in me. Or rather, I don't give a flying shit.

“Your mother has a point, Leonova.”

She isn’t my mother. She's never been. I don't care if I'm ungrateful, because she was oh so kind to take in her husband’s late mistress’ three children that he had behind her back.

My mother, my real mother, died almost twenty years ago because no one fucking cared. Not my father, not the doctors, not her family, no one.

But I don't say it.

I’m a good daughter. Good daughters smile and let their father speak.

“How old are you already?”

“I'll be turning thirty this february, Father.”

But it's not like you care enough to remember my birthday.

“Thirty! Thirty, and you’re still unmarried.”

Yeah.

Because you forced me to cut off the only person I've ever wanted to marry.

I still remember her eyes. Full of hurt. A cold hurt. But the worse was how disappointed she seemed. Disappointed in me.

I could have told her. That it was to protect her. But I didn't.

Keep calm. Breathe. Don’t let him get to you.

“I'd rather focus on my career for now.”

He bursts out laughing. No one else laughs but no one else comes to my defense either.

“Your career? Look at your sister! She can juggle her work, children and marriage just fine.”

“Dad, it’s different,” Misha tries. “I’m a dentist, Leo has a lot more responsibilities than–”

“What do you even do that takes up so much of your time?” Honora cuts her off, her eyes fixed on me.

I stab my turkey with my fork. Sauce splatters to the sides of my plate.

“I’m a marketing manager. I thought I already told you.”

“Marketing manager? I was already marketing director at your age,” my father scoffs.

Yeah. Because you inherited your father’s company, just the way Denevan will inherit yours. Meanwhile I had to make my way in a luxury company all on my own, while trying to handle my superior that wants me under his desk before promoting me and scares all the women in my team because he gets too handsy.

But a cheating, lying asshole like you wouldn’t understand that, now would he?

Because we’re nothing without you and your goddamn money. But I make my own, now. I don't need this. I don't need you.

Kalerich’s dubious stare comes back to my mind.

Why do you still go?

“It’s been going well so fa–”

“But you're still single.”

I am not.

I have a girlfriend. Her name is Ether. She wants to be a gynaecologist. She’s hard-working, kind, too kind, laughs loudly, swears too much, forgives too easily, never sleeps enough, likes her coffee with a lot of sugar, has the most beautiful smile I've seen and I've been treating her like garbage. But I'm in love with her. I'm in love with her. Even if I know she deserves better, I keep coming back to her.

But I don’t say it.

There’s a crucifix on the far wall and I feel like it’s looking right at me.

I smile for the imaginary camera.

“That's right.”

My father sighs in disappointment.

Disappointment. Again.

Disappointment in her eyes when I told her it was over.

Disappointment in Domhildr’s mouth when I told her I had a girlfriend.

Disappointment in Ether’s words when she learned about the cheating.

Disappointment on Denevan’s face when I told him his brother wouldn’t be here.

Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment, you're a fucking disappointment–

“You're lucky I've started looking through potential fiancés for you.”

… What?

“I should have done this much earlier, to be honest. I thought you’d manage to find someone decent, but it looks like I've overestimated you.”

My blood runs cold. My stomach is nothing but a mess of knots all tightening simultaneously.

Denevan’s nervous eyes dart between me and our father. Misha looks like she's frozen in her seat. Zachary pretends to be busy helping Saveliy cut his meat.

I’m on my own.

My tongue feels like it’s made of lead.

“You… You can't just–”

“Oh, but I can. That's the better option for everyone.”

“Your father's right,” Honora agrees. “I mean, I don’t want to speak ill of your tastes, Leonova, but the man you were with for some time…”

She wasn’t a man. She wasn't happy as a man.

That's why she couldn't have been happy with me or this family either.

Not when Father chuckles with so much disdain.

“Right, him. He turned out to be quite… well, his whole delirium about being a woman… Who could have thought? Either way, it wasn’t normal. I’m glad you had enough sense to break up with him. Those people are sick and we’re not doctors.”

“Those people”. I dated one of “those people”. Goddammit, I loved her. I probably still do.

How dare he? How dare he talk about her like she's sick when Misha, his eldest daughter, was actually sick with something she could have not recovered from?

Who am I kidding. Legitimate or not, it doesn't matter. We’re still daughters and not sons.

“What was his name again? Ar–”

Her name was Amandine.

Stop. Stop talking about her like that. Stop, stop, stop.

I stuff some meat into my mouth and Honora looks at me disapprovingly.

“Don't look at us like that, Leonova. Do you have any idea how you made us look to our acquaintances and business partners? How many justifications we had to come up with for you? I mean, everyone thought you were…”

Misha’s face turns sour.

“Mom. That’s enough.”

“No,” I interrupt. My voice sounds like dry ice. “They thought I was… what?”

“You know what I mean!” Honora exclaims.

“No, I don't. They thought I was what?”

“A homosexual.”

The room goes dead silent. My stepmother’s eyes widen.

“Ivan!”

“What? There's no point in sugarcoating it. And since Leonova isn’t like that, I don’t see why I should beat around the bush.”

Leonova isn’t like that.

“Auntie Leo? What's a homosessual?”

“Nina, be quiet and eat your food,” Zachary whispers furiously from the other side of the table.

I smile at my niece like I don't want the ground to open and swallow me whole along with this entire godforsaken household.

“You can ask your parents later, Ninoshka. Okay?”

She stares at me with her big blue eyes, but obeys and goes back to picking at her food. Six years-old are more perceptive than they look. But I can't let her see through the cracks. She'll realize their presence soon enough anyway.

“Leonova, you have to understand. Your father and I are just worried for you. That's why I'm not so sure about the short hair… People might get the wrong idea…”

I hate how sincerely worried Honora sounds. How she genuinely thinks she’s doing this for my own good. She treats me like I'm her real daughter, always has.

That's probably the worst thing she could have done.

But I don't say it.

I just smile. I don't reassure her. I’m not sure I'll be able to contain the venom in my voice if I try to.

“Well, no harm in looking for fiancés for you, then?” my father asks with a smile.

“No. Not at all.”

The words are gravel in my mouth.

“Good. At least there’s still hope for you. We wouldn't want you to end up like your disappointment of a brother, now would we?”

My siblings stare at their plate. Danil frowns. Kalerich has always been his favorite uncle. But Zachary’s eyes dissuade him from trying anything.

Disappointment.

I feel nauseous.

“Let's resume eating, then,” Honora exclaims joyfully. “Anyone want seconds?”

Saveliy raises his hand enthusiastically, Danil mumbles that he’d like that. Misha looks like she lost her appetite. Denevan passes me the wine with the most discomfited expression I've ever seen on him. Bless his heart.

I pour myself drink after drink, barely touch my dessert, only taking a bite out of Nina’s because she offered me to. By the time the kids open their gifts, I'm not sober at all anymore. There’s a bunch of wrapped packages with my name under the tree and the mere thought of opening them in front of everyone makes me want to puke.

“I’m going out for a smoke.”

I don’t ask for anyone to join me. My father and Honora only give me disapproving glances, Misha doesn’t smoke anymore, Zachary will be too uncomfortable to join me and Denevan has never touched a cigarette in his life. No one says a word when I walk out the room, no one says anything about how wobbly I am on my heels.

Everything in this house is too big. It makes me feel like I'm twelve again.

I go out to the porch and take a huge whiff of cold air before lighting up my cig. I check out my phone. There’s one text. From Domhildr, of all people.

Merry Chrysler! (hoping you haven't broken up with your girlfriend again cuz right now my legs are closed)

The little fucker. At least the message makes me snort. I contemplate calling her, not for sex of anything, just to chat. She's from a muslim family, does she even celebrate at all? Well. She’s probably busy anyways, with her roommate or her friends or whatever. And she might get the wrong idea. We’re not friends, after all. I don’t have friends.

I start scrolling mindlessly through my contacts. Kalerich hasn't texted me. He’s probably watching a series or out to town to kill time. Spending Christmas alone. There’s a pang of guilt in my chest but I barely feel it under all the alcohol and resentment.

A part of me likes to rub it in.

And the other

Keeps being jealous of you because at least now you have no expectations to meet anymore. Yet you're still someone. A parasitic, grim, lazy sack of shit, but you're someone without them. I’d be no one without them. I’d be nothing.

Or I'd just be Leonova and there’s nothing worse to be than myself.

I scroll past.

Amandine is still registered in favorites and in speed dial, even after all these years. My thumb hovers above the calling button. I haven’t tried texting her in a long, long time. Heard from a few rumors that she got into the police. Wrote seven drafts to congratulate her, sent none. Too afraid of the possibility that maybe, maybe she blocked me and my words will remain stuck in my phone. But god I want to call her. I want to hear her voice. I miss her.

But she’s better off without me.

So I scroll past again.

Only person left is Ether. She’s at her parents right now, with her sister. Her dad is an egyptian muslim, but her mom is greek and likes christmas, so they celebrate anyways. And I know they're a happy family. I know she loves her parents and her parents love her just as much.

It’s so unfair it makes me sick.

Why does she get that and I don't?

She invited Khaliun to come, too. Khaliun who’s infinitely better than me in every way and a much better girlfriend. I’ve met her and I could already tell this much. Does Ether keep me around just so she can feel better about herself for adopting a rabid dog that was about to be put down? Am I here to make her other lovers feel better about themselves?

She told me to call her if things got too much. I told her there would be no need. Now I need her but I’d rather die than admit it.

So I call. With every intention of being a bitch, of blaming Ether unjustly for having such a great time when I don’t, of ruining my life for good so I can prove to myself I'm just as bad as I think I am.

It’s ringing.

Pick up.

Pick up.

Pick up the fucking phone–

“Yeeeessss hellooo?”

My anger is swept away in a second.

That’s not Ether’s voice.

“... Khaliun?”

“Leonova! Hi! Yeah, it’s me.”

That's her laugh, no mistake.

… What is she doing with Ether's phone?

“Where’s Ether?”

“Uuuuh, right now? Very drunk and very busy debating in arabic with her dad. Her phone was ringing in her bag and she told me you might call, so I thought I’d answer.”

Ether… told her I might call? Why?

“Is everything okay? You sound off.”

I want to scream at her. For stealing my girlfriend away from me. For getting all the good times. For being so good and nice and everything I'm not.

Instead, all that comes out is a sob.

“Aw, Leo. Christmas is a tough time for you, huh?”

…

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

I'm tired of pretending it’s not.

“Do you want me to get Ether?”

I shake my head, and realize a second later that she can’t hear that over the phone, but it seems like she understands anyways. I hear some shuffling sounds.

“Okay. Hold on, I'mma go somewhere more quiet. Stay on the line, alright?”

I do. My make-up runs down my cheeks. I hear shuffling on the other side of the line, the sound of a door closing.

“So, Leo, tell me. What’s the big sad about?”

The question is stupid. Yet it makes me sob harder.

I’m so pathetic, crying to a twenty-three years old girl I keep talking shit about behind her back.

But I'm tired. I'm so tired. I want to go home.

I just don't know where home is anymore.

I got the things I wanted, it's just not what I imagined

Making the bed - Olivia Rodrigo

[queen-of-prophecy]

@usagoos

Visits were limited. That was the way of things when you were a Queen in exile.

Vine took it with stride. This was not exile by normal standards. This was a mighty task entrusted to her hands by Lucifer. He had granted her his mercy, and even left her a gift of his own power, to turn this realm of darkness into one that all of Hell would flock to in droves. She had certainly made her mark when she had created Heresy and Treachery. Who had ever heard of a mere Goetia creating miracles meant only for Sins?

Vine once only ruled over a single circle in Pride. Now she was Queen over two new realms. One of them however needed....remodeling. Heresy was dark, oppressive, and grim. Though there were many impressive islands floating above the icy abyss below, many of its surrounding lands were crags and black jagged rocks, imposing and difficult terrain. It would take much work before people could live in the cold realm. And given its dark state, it was still only inhabitable to those inclined to darkness.

Vine's main room, at the very top of the Tower of Heresy, was a bit cramped. Her necessity for conservation of her strength required a more...hands on, approach to creation. A cauldron was constantly brewing, her many hands constantly crushing, distilling, mixing or preparing things. And though she rested on her lounging chair, her third eye was not idle.

She was scanning the future. Insuring the dates and times were marked. Knowing who and what would enter Heresy and when.

She had some guests she would like to keep quiet about.

But the next visitor was expected. Approved. She had created the Rings without Lucifer's consent. She was more cautious now about inviting people to it. A letter to the King had been sent, and his approval granted meant another could be sent to the right man for the task at hand.

Her glittering nephew Vassago.

The portal opened. Her power to teleport herself at a whim had been restricted, but Lucifer could allow approved portals during mandated periods. This one was not her own, but a shining gold. The light itself assured her. This was the one. The Prince that could make it happen.

"Vassago, darling!" Vine rose up. "How delightful! You do this old lady a great service by coming to visit me in my solace."

[demigoddessqueens]

my lady, the artist

This is based per a DM request from @lady-mandalorian-fett for an OC. Had such a fun time writing this one

and this is my first request for this 🎥

Also read here on ao3

How could one begin to describe her? Ebenezer always knew she was a constant presence in his life.

Childhood friend, wife, mother of his child and the secretary for his business. The art she gracefully crafted on the side added an element of life to the building and in their home. Though he was known as a stringent miser, the emotions slipped through the cracks whenever he saw Victoria’s art.

But there was more to it, as it was for such a woman. In learning more to change his life, the harrowed Scrooge re-examined the life that had been gifted to him. Only he never truly realized it until now.

Past showed him how the torch had long been lit since the beginning. Yes she loved him, always did since they were children, despite the feelings he long held for Isabelle. The guilt he felt when Ebenezer realized why Victoria kept her distance for a while, and how he never bothered to check on her at that time. Even after the heart-breaking separation from Isabelle, he thought creating happiness and starting anew was best in marrying her. But the lingering sadness still remained, and his obsession with money clawed at his heart, despite Victoria’s reassuring protests.

Present was eager to show the older man that there was still a spark that had yet to flower as before. The sight of his nephew and employee’s toasts pulled at Ebenezer’s emotions, until she came into view. Victoria had insisted on taking their young child to visit those of her family before returning back on Christmas. But it was the words she spoke that echoed in his mind.

“Deep down, I know he cares. There’s a heart underneath those layers, and call me a fool or what have you for wishful thinking, I still believe he’s capable of true change. If not for me or his child…”

Yet To Come revealed the bleakness of his absence in Victoria’s life. A father taken too soon, and a husband that was mourned by one who still wanted to see the good in him. Even as doom threatened him, Scrooge’s protests called out to the love he let slip through his fingers.

After he awoke from the harrowing visions from the night, Scrooge reveled in the newfound appreciation and love for life. He’d tell her, make things right again with Victoria, and live life to the fullest every day with her and their child. His two greatest loves.

After preparing for the Christmas Day, Victoria had returned from her trip. Sweet, beautiful Victoria with her exquisite features and natural grace. Scrooge ran like a mad man to her, cupping her face into his hands as the locks tickled his face when he kissed her.

“I love you, and I wish to never be apart from you, my love. My treasured wife…”

[ffxivaltaholic]

Prompt #22: (You Pick) Homecoming

#FFxivWrite2024

"I think... That's the last one..." Dark fluffy ears perked up with delight as the Miqo'te woman tied off the bag she had been packing. Standing, hands on hips, N'akani was proud of her gifts, all wrapped and ready for the trip home. Almost a year had passed since the Seeker had seen her siblings, but it would be her nephew's first birthday tomorrow, and she was determined to attend.

Giddy with excitement, the Seeker pranced around her room looking for any final items she might have missed the first few times around. After a lap or two N'akani was content that she had all that was needed. The opening creak of the room's door caught her attention and N'akani turned to greet the small Raen woman, adorned in pink and flowers, who had come to check in on her. "All packed up?" Inquiring as she approached the blonde woman fiddled with her skirt. "You'll be back in a few days right?" While Ame was sure her partner had told her the correct dates, she also knew how fickle the Miqo'te was and how quickly she changed her mind, and how often it happened without notice... "I am all set and will be home in like... three-ish days." The words were not spoken with much confidence but Ame trusted the Seeker to check in and at least let her know if plans changed. "I'm so excited to see little Ezra... He was so tiny when he was born, but now apparently he looks just like my brother did as a wee one." Listening with a lovely smile, the Raen nodded. "That is wonderful to hear. I hope the visit goes well and you have a lovely time with your siblings. Will they all be there?" Having only met the eldest brother and sister once, Ame had yet to meet the younger two siblings of her girlfriend's family. N'akani gave an enthusiastic nod and picked up the bag. "Everyone is coming out to celebrate. It would have been a big event regardless but since my brother is now the Nuhn, it's a tribe-wide event." Were it not for the amount of work Ame had left before their departure to Tural she would have considered joining, but this was good timing in itself as it would keep the Seeker busy and allow Ame to get the work done unhindered. "Don't let me keep you then, I just wanted to see you off." The Raen offered a sweet and loving smile. "If you need anything please let us know." Taking hold of N'akani's hand she would accompany the Seeker to the door before finally imparting upon her a little container full of homemade treats from the Tea House. "Be safe, I'll see you in a few days." Beaming at her, Ame simply kissed the Miqo'te's cheek and held the door, bidding her a safe trip.

"I promise I won't get into trouble or arrested again!" N'akani called out as she trotted through the door and down the hall. Somehow, Ame found it hard to believe her... "Again..." The Raen sighed and simply shook her head before locking up the room and continuing on her way. There were chores to be done.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

For years I had this photograph in my room, framed and prominently displayed.

My cousins.

It's taken by one of my uncles or aunts a super long time ago on the boat that either just left Gorinchem in Holland for Loevestein Castle... or was on its way back to Gorinchem from Loevestein Castle.

Loevestein Castle?

Yup. An actual medieval castle (with a moat!) a coupla miles upstream on the Merwede River.

Back to my cousins, though.

I'm pretty sure we all have this photograph. It's actually the only one I had for many years until I started taking my own photographs and keeping my own photo albums. Before that, the only way to remember the earliest times we spent together was through my dad's slide shows in our living room at home because my dad had all his vacation photographs developed as slides. So it was a singular occasion to remember our time spent with family in Holland.

The framed picture of my cousins and I on the boat as children, then, was the constant presence of family in Holland for as long as I lived with my parents.

It wasn't until just now, by the way, that I realized I lost that picture. Probably when I moved from my parent's house. Not sure... maybe it's in storage. 😕

So during our just taken trip to Holland, I actually reconnected with that photograph through my uncle, my mom's older sister's husband, who presented it to me on the late afternoon of our third day in Holland at our hotel's lounge. I didn't realize in that moment that I'd long since lost my own copy but—

I enjoyed and appreciated it never-the-less. Even more so now. 😁

The timing of that gift was exquisitely important, as it turns out. Because a few hours later we assembled with as much of my family at the cousins level as could be assembled. A group of us that has not been intentionally assembled in more than two decades.

All of us at once?

It's not clear to me how long since that happened. Our family trips to Holland usually involved visiting my mom's sibling's families one at a time.

So it was easy, growing up, to focus on that long ago photograph of myself and my three cousins as children. Of course, had we assembled all the cousins in one place at that time...

There'd be two more. The two sons of my mother's younger brother and his wife.

Had we assembled everyone a few years later, one of my cousins in the photograph (the one without his sister in the photograph)... would now have a sister.

Had we assembled everyone a decade or so after that... I would now have whatever the cousin equivalent is of brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Had we assembled everyone another ten years later, fifteen years later, I would have a gaggle of second cousins who I call nephews and nieces.

So when we assembled everyone just now, like a minute ago, it's breathtaking to me how much of my family isn't in that childhood photograph with just the four of us. Right now, my family's four generations deep. It's cousins, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, sons, daughters, in-laws, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on.

Basically it's one heckuva big family I've got over on the other side of the Atlantic.

And, as I said a minute ago, I was just reminded of that. As well as introduced to a bunch family I didn't know...

But now I do.

☺️

[ahopkins1965]



Nahum 1:3 says: The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.  What this is saying is that the Lord is slow to anger.  This is the truth because the Lord God will always be there with you.  He knows that we cannot make it without his help.  The Lord is great in power.  God has all power, and that is power that we wish we could have at our disposal.



The Lord God will not aquit the wicked.  Frankly, I have changed my ways because I used to be a backbiter myself.  A backbiter is a person who talks about you behind your back and is scared to come to your face just to solve matters.  Someone told a big lie on me recently by saying that I was talking about my best friend.  The only thing I have said is that I will try my best to visit Charlotte, NC.  I need to get a job because Social Security is watching me very carefully.  This is because I was making money from publishing two books in two years.  The Social Security Administration specifically stated to my face that they are reviewing my entire situation.  They are mad at me for earning money for myself.



Further, I would like to work again in the near future.  I have to go back to school and earn another college education.  The Lord is not showing any mercy to those who are always in trouble.  I want to inform all of you that I have to get my act together and pay off my student loans and other bills.  I guess what my family members want me to do is become a two face person.  I used to be that way years ago.  People who are two face cannot be trusted by anyone.

Moreover, I have changed my behavior for the better.  I used to be a backbiter and a sinner.  I used to tell lies all of the time.  I have lost a lot of close friends and family members do not trust me anymore. My own family members do not have faith in me anymore.  My family members accused me of talking to scammers and computer hackers on a daily basis.  I got scammed out of$16,977 dollars in Western Union Funds.  I don't be online as much as I used to.  The scammers are uploading naked pictures of women on my Facebook page.  The scammers remember my information for the rest of their lives because I was stupid enough to give it to them.

Finally, I am a person who is 58 years old and I have a lot of common sense right now.  I am very intelligent and smart academically.  Even though I had a 2.63 GPA in college at the University of Toledo.  I had to study very hard in school.  The Lord is watching all of us inside of the clouds and the whirlwind.  My overall Grade Point Average is a 2.41.  My Nephews College at Tiffin is undefeated in the conference in Football.  There was a time when I used to abhor school because of my selfish ways.  I had a real bad disposition in the past.  I only made myself fail at various things.  I had to overcome having a learning disability for a total of 5 years.  I have achieved success in school and on the job.  Please keep me in your prayers and thoughts because I suffer from Alzheimer's and Seizures.  I also suffer from Type 2 Diabetes Full Blown and Schizoid Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia right now.  I am under surveillance by the US Government right now.  I cannot get a job because I am a victim of Age Discrimination and Mentally Illness.

In Conclusion, I am a hard worker and a person who loves to write about everything in my life right now.  I am blessed and not stressed.  I am an analytical thinker.  I am a critical thinking person.  My own family members and friends underestimate my ability to be a grown man.  I am gifted in a variety of things.  I love learning more than ever before.  If I can stay in school until I die.  This is my privilege.  I need some Job Skills.  I need to change my environment and attitude about life.  Thank you for reading my essay.

[little-atlas]

for @nosebleedclub's july prompt: day 13: nephew.

there's a tab open on my phone. books with transgender representation. i've fallen in love with them, recently. i love reading the struggles and the disappointments, but most of all the successes. it lets me look god in the eyes and say, i'm not afraid of you.

i have an uncle. let's call him lucas. he lived near where i live now, and he gave me the gift of a piano, sitting in my parent's dining room, under the painting of my mom's garden. he let us drive his golf cart, swim in his pool when it was hot. he voted against my rights. i haven't seen or talked to him in years. my dad hasn't seen or talked to his brother in years. i pretend it doesn't sting as much as it does.

i have an uncle. let's call him thomas. he lives the closest of all my uncles, and yet i see him the least. i haven't talked to him in a long time, his wife dropping off my graduation present half a year late. i haven't told him, and i don't know if i will.

i have an aunt. let's call her marie. she lives in a state i'm looking at for college. when she called my dad a year ago, i asked to talk to her on the phone. she was always so kind to me, and to hear her say hey reagan, through the phone despite me never telling her felt like flowers blooming in my chest.

i have an uncle. let's call him michael. he's always been my favorite uncle. he's always been the closest to me. i went and visited him in new york two years ago, got to venture around the big city. the last night on the subway, he fumbled my pronouns, but it still meant the world to me because finally, here's someone who's trying.

he was the first to call me his nephew.

[everydayhalfling]

Them!

[hazashiovo]

Sarcastic number 9 With Aemond please 💗🙏🏽

You ask you shall receive!

"Do you want to fuck me or kill me?"

Aemond Targaryen x Reader

Ps:this is gonna be a bit long, I like flavouring my fics🤭

It was simple, honestly, you and the prince allways one at each others troaths. Even so, everyone could feel the tension between the two of you.

It didn't matter if it was in a room or even outside. When you and Aemond shared a space the air got thiner and atmosphere dark.

It made sense, you being the oldest daughter of Daemon Targaryen, having his blood and a lot of his personality traits.

People often saw your father in you, you even looked alike, the one my problem was, you were a bastard.

The basic story, your father slept with the mom you don't know to this day and had you, he took you and raised you.

Fortunately you looked identical to him, but it was very suspicious that a few years later Daemon showed up with a mini him. Back to the story.

You like your dragon a lot, so that made Aemond pretty jealous. I mean, he had no dragon and you were so happily racing yours with his brother?

Whenever he said your name a bitter taste laid in his mouth. But how good he felt when he got the largest dragon alive, he felt like he kicked you in the face with a bold move as such.

When his nephew,Lucerys, bow your step-brother, took his eye you stood by, simply watching it unfold.

You found it amusing so you didn't interfere.

Because of that, many called you unwell in the head, but you only took those as compliments, making you more unique than Alicent or the other basic people that talk shit at court.

As years passed and you got older, and in many people's eyes, more attractive, you became even more wild.

You adored chaos, violence and having enemies.

Daemon could never be more proud, especially since you disobey him pretty frequently, that kinda sucks,but it shows him your from head to toe his daughter.

Not a day passes that he thanks himself for taking you with him.

What more can he ask?

Most of the time Otto, refers to you as a devil, while Alicent glares in disgust. Oh how you wish to wipe that smug of their faces.

You considered killing Alicent and her father, but than were would be the fun in watching them fuck up everything?

What you found more funny is when Aegon had company over, oh how many times you caught him fucking like a rabbit. He often suggested you to join in which you replied that if you will, by the next morning he will wake up next to his severed cock.

You laughs at face he made, sometimes you terrified even him.

Years went on and Daemon married Rhaenyra. You liked her, she was a nice company. This was, of course after Laena died, you liked Laena to, after all she was the one who gifted you your dragon as a child.

You were taught high Valeryan, but also sword fight and battle strategy. If anyone said anything about you marrying some excuse of a man you or your father would bring their tongue for a collection.

In concussion danger and chaos was written all over you.

Fortunately, you didn't spend much time in kings landing, since your family lived at Dragon Stone.

But the few times you visited you would constantly challenge the second prince.

Making rude remarks, insulting his mother whenever you got the chance.

But now that the king died? Now that Aegon usurped the throne, oh how you waited for this.

It saddened you to hear that Rhaenyra lost her baby,and your half sister.

It even raged you the reason.

You blamed Aegon, now you wanted to kill him.

It's funny how you don't actually need a reason to fuel your urge to kill.

Soon enough, Rhaenyra took the rightful crown, having a lot of houses support her.

At first she wanted to send Lucerys and Jacaerys, but Daemon suggested sending you alone.

"No,we both know how it could end if (Name) went alone, it would automatically start a war."

Daemon smirked, how he loved the reputation you carved out for yourself, but he didn't give up, in fact, he hoped you would start a war. To fuel his dragon blood for adrenaline and murder.

"Than perhaps she should acompany young Lucerys, you never know what could happen. My queen."

Barely convincing her she let the two of you go.

Before sending you, she made the two of you to promise not to go as fighters.

You went as lucerys's protector. With one final hug, Rhaenyra gave Luke the paper with her declaration and send you on your way.

Daemon nodded at you as you smirked, mischief on your face.

Once you landed and noticed Vhagar excitement took over you. If he was here ,it means the greens got ahead of you.

After you were brought inside, your eyes landed on Aemond.

Luke spoke with Boros, but you payd no mind, your eyes stuck on the white haired prince. Next to him stood a girl.

She's ugly, you thought. Even in your thoughts you were mean and unmercifully.

Soon enough things started getting heated. You only snaped back to reality when Boros yelled.

"Remind me of my father's oath?!"

his voice echoed, of course after the master read him the paper. The stupid fuck didn't even know how to read. You rolled your eyes at his tone.

You were so close to cuting his tongue off, he dares insult the queen in such manner?

You acoffed in annoyance, Aemonds eye resting peacefull on your form.

Boros continued,

"At least king Aegon came with an offer, a marriage proposal, what do you have to give child?"

You chuckled, grabing the attention of Boros and the rest of the people in the room, including Luke, who pleaded with his eyes for you to say nothing stupid.

"You call that usurper but when your rightful queen calls for you oath to her you insult her? Even more, dare request a marriage with one of her children in exchange for something you should respect?"

Oh he heard all about you, the vicious chaotic daughter of Daemon Targaryen. He didn't expect you to be here, but he knew you were your fathers flesh and blood, which scared him if he was to be honest, but if course, he would never admit it.

"You have something to say, girl? For what I know there is only one King sitting on the iron Throne, in which your mother claims to be heir but has no throne?"

A smile makes its way to your face.

"Perhaps I should bring your head to my father, but unfortunately not today... unfortunately, I swore not to come here to fight.Lucky for you, my, Lord."

The last words rolling of your tongue with venom and danger lacing them.

Your eyes look over to Aemond, you could notice how his jaw clenched in annoyance.

You only wished to challenge him further.

"After all... This happens to traitors, who work hand in hand with usurpers."

You smile viciously.

"You dare come into MY house and threaten ME?"

The Baratheon's angry voice filled the quiet room.

"Perhaps I should cut your throat in your sleep, my lord~"

Adding fire to oil, you added.

Luke looked so done with you, he knew you shouldn't have come.

"GET out! Both of you now!"

Boros yelled, not knowing if he should feel safe in his own home anymore.

"Wait."

Oh how you waited for this, you turned around, at the same time with Luke the moment you head the white haired princes's voice.

"My Lord strong,"

He continued, oh how you know he was looking for trouble. You smirked, finally some excitement.

"Did you really think, that you could just fly above the realm, trying to steal my brothers throne at no cost."

You stepped closer to Luke,noticing how Aemonds his eye lingered on you for a bit to long.

"I will not fight you,I came here as a messaged, not a soldier." Luke spoke, glancing at you. He saw the mischief in your eyes, and he was eager to leave as fast as possible before anything can go more bad then this.

"A fight would be a little challenge." Aemond spoke silently almost.

"No, I want you to put out your eye," he than took his eye patch of, exposing his sapphire eye. You must admit, it was mesmerizing.

Our allowed your eyes to take in his whole face. You must admit, the prince is handsome. Such a shame honestly.

"As payment for mine." He continued, throwing his dagger at your feet.

Aemond wondered if you would stay aside like you did when he lost his eye, no, he knows better than that, you like action.

You chuckled, moving closer.

"He will do no such thing my dear prince, not under my watch." A teasing smile shows on your face.

Aemonds face turned to fiery rage quick.

"give me your eyes, or I shall take it bastard! "

The prince lost his temper, now charging towards the two of you. Like always, you barely waited for s fight. Unfortunately for you Boros broke the tension, sending his guards to escort you and Luke outside.

You smirked, knowing he won't stop there.

Lucerys quickly made his way to his dragon Arax. Looking around you saw how bad the weather is.

Not long after Luke, you joined Caserion, your pitch black dragon.

Slowly petting his head, you climbee on him.

Soon , both of you were high in the air, Vhagar long gone.

The heavy rain landing drops on you, soaking you up.

Luke seemed pretty shaken up, so does Arax.

"Calm down little one, he shall do no harm to you as long as I breath." Reasuring him, you smile.

After a while flying you notice Vhagars large shadow.

Its funny, your dragon is her egg, would you look at that. Perhaps Caserion would be as large as her.

"Ñuhor līr gūrēnna!" Once close enough, trough the storm you could hear Aemonds angry voice. (I will take what's mine.)

You chuckle, eyeing your cousin/uncle up.

"Tubī daor kepus!"your raging voice answered like a devil. (Not today uncle)

You made a sign for Luke which way to go.

Once Luke was out of your sight you took it upon yourself to distract Aemond.

"Come uncle! Spill your rage in your dear niece! "

You maniacally laughed, having him come towards you.

"The two of you share the same debt, so I shall be satisfied with either one of your eyes. "

Choosing it's easier to fight on earth, you landed on a piece of land.

"Come fight me uncle! I'm craving for some royal blood! " you smirked, grabing only your dagger, as it was easier to move, and faster.

He landed feew meters away.

"I shall take what's mine, bastard."

The class of your weapons made you grin.

"You can try to earn it, brat."

In a quick move you got behind him, slicing his left tigh.

He turned around in a blink of an eye , sword to your neck, which you easily ducked.

Throwing your knife away and grabing your sword.

"This is fun! We should do this more often, ya know, family activity!" You chuckled as your swoeds danced together.

Aemond smirked, he wished to break you, your stupid personality and you charming face and behavior.

"I doubt you could fight me without your legs."

He spoke, a menacing look I'm his eye.

"Oh uncle, you shouldn't speak so inappropriately, after all, do you wish to fuck me or fight me?"

His one good eye widened in surprise of your lews words. You took advantage of his distraction, quickly pinning him down,point of your sword resting on his chest.

"Either way, I agree with either choice you make. Tho I am thinking, if I shall kill you or toy with you more... no, killing you would be dull. But if you ever look for a good fuck, make sure you're not seen entering my castle. "

You released him, quickly making way to your black beauty.

"Until next time, uncle~"

Once again you left Aemond frustrated and annoyed. Also with a little... Problem.

I am so sorry for making those so l9ng but I like adding detail and ya know, giving history to the character?

So like, I have 3 more request and then, I have more ideas for the following days, and also thank you all for 69 followers! I appreciate that people enjoy my fics.

Like the usual, you can find my Master list on my page and you can request whatever you want.

Bay bayyyy!

[sopebubbles]

Chapter 1

At twenty-two weeks, your baby is the size of bell pepper

<- Master list ->

Chapter summary: BTS return from tour and learn some shocking news about you.

A/n: here's the first real chapter of Serendipity and there's a several month time jump from the intro! I'm very excited about this au, but it's been a while since I've written, so feedback is appreciated! My asks are always open and I'd love to hear from you!! Thank you so much for reading!

WC: 3.6k

Warnings: unplanned pregnancy, talk of being a single parent, family troubles, hospitals and health issues, angst

Following four months of tour the boys were given one week of rest to reacclimate to their regular lives in Korea. For Namjoon and Seokjin that meant spending lots of time with family, with the other guys coming over to see their nieces and nephews, too. For Yoongi it meant mostly sleeping with a little bit of work on new tracks and pending collaborations as well. For Taehyung and Hoseok it was a visit to their respective families and being spoiled by their parents. For Jeongguk it was working out by day and partying by night. And for Jimin it has meant tending to everyone else with a side of deep hibernation. 

Jimin was the one to visit Jin and Namjoon's children and shower them with gifts he picked up while traveling the world. He was the one to call Tae and Hobi and pay respects to their parents who have so often treated him like another son. He was the one to make sure Yoongi didn't become too lost in his own little world and to pick Jeongguk up at 2 am before he could get himself into too much trouble. Jimin was always the one to keep the whole family connected. It gave his stressful and hectic days meaning. It kept him grounded. 

Their first day back had been one full of meetings at HYBE. With the tour just ending it isn't quite time for a comeback yet, but that never means rest for the world's biggest boy band. There were producers and creative teams to meet with. Schedules to go over and plans to make in preparation for the coming Muster in a few months. It isn't anything new to them, but the day has Jimin feeling like he's on information overload as he walks to his car in the garage. He's ready to go back to the dorm for a stiff drink and a good meal. He isn't at all expecting to see you, even though it is the end of the work day. He'd thought you were conspicuously absent in the Run BTS meeting they'd had just a few hours earlier, but you're only an assistant producer. He's thoroughly shocked to see you moving slowly with your baby bump, and a bit worried to see the look of pain on your face.

"Y/N?" He questions, calling to you across the parking garage, as if he isn't sure it's you. You weren't pregnant last time he saw you, but he'd been gone for several months now. Your head snaps up at the sound of your name and his heart aches when he sees the pain and fear filling your irises. 

"H-hi, Park Jimin," you greet him with a wavering voice and slight bow of your head. 

Jimin jogs over to you and stands a few feet away. "How many times have we told you to call us by our names?" He laughs lightly. 

You force a smile on your face, but it looks more like a grimace. "Sorry, Jimin-ssi," you respond, pressing your hands to your belly and willing the pain in your side to stop. 

"You don't look so well," Jimin notes softly. "Are you feeling okay?"

You suck in air and try to straighten up, try to relax your face and push away the pain. "I-I'm okay," you lie. You know you're not okay. You've been in pain a lot today and that's why you're on your way to the hospital right now. You know you probably shouldn't have waited all day but your position in the company has been so precarious since your pregnancy became public, since you couldn't hide your bump anymore. It wouldn't be so bad if everyone didn't know you were single and if you didn't stubbornly refuse to acknowledge who the father of your child is. Your weak facade breaks and you wince as the pain in your side intensifies. 

"No you're not. You should probably see a doctor!" Jimin tells you. Truth be told, Jimin doesn't know anything about pregnancy other than what he knows from Jin and Namjoon's wives. But he's pretty sure it's a delicate condition that one should consult a doctor for when in as much distress as you clearly find yourself. 

"I'm going now. I'm sure it's nothing though," you sigh. You're not sure at all, actually, but you don't want to admit how terrified you feel. You feel terrified all the time as every day of your pregnancy has presented new challenges you never knew you'd have to face, least of all alone. You turn to continue to your car and leave him, but it's clear you're struggling even to walk. 

"Let me take you," Jimin offers, reaching out a hand to gently touch your arm. "I don't think you should drive in your condition." 

You scoff. I've been managing to do everything just fine by myself for months, you grumble internally, besides- "You're Park Jimin. You can't drive a pregnant single woman anywhere. Think what people would say."

Jimin merely shrugs. "Whatever they say, we'll tell them the truth. That I helped a friend-" you shoot him a sharp, incredulous look, "a colleague in need. That's all."

"Jimin-ssi, really, I'm-aahhh," you groan and bend forward slightly. Jimin reaches out to steady you and now he won't take no for an answer.

"You're not fine. You need help. Let's not waste any more time arguing. For your baby," he insists and when he puts it like that your resistance crumbles. You follow him without another word as he leads you slowly to his car, an arm wrapped around your back until he ushers you into the passenger seat. 

You try to take deep breaths to calm your pain, which is a little better now that you're sitting, and it's nice not to have to focus on anything like driving.

"Is there someone you should call? Someone to meet you at the hospital?" he asks after several minutes of silence between you. The last thing you said to him was which hospital to go to. 

"There's no one," you grit out. 

"The baby's father?" he asks innocently. He doesn't mean it with any ill intent, but a tense silence is your only answer. You fix your eyes on the city passing by outside. You refuse to see the judgement you assume is in his eyes. Jimin let's the silence continue until you arrive at the hospital. You unbuckle as soon as the car stops, opening the door the second he shifts into park. 

"Thanks for your help. I've got it from here," you say firmly before he can unbuckle his own seat belt. "I'm feeling better already, really. I'll see you around, Jimin-ssi." You close the door before he can utter a word of protest, but at least he can see that you are walking more steadily now - not knowing the effort you're putting in. Still, he can't bring himself to drive away, so he parks in view of the entrance and waits, thinking he'll offer you a ride home instead of you having to get an Uber.

You've been inside for well over an hour now and Jimin doesn't think you've come out. He couldn't have missed you. He wanted to text you to see if you're okay, but he didn't have your number and the boys weren't any help. This couldn't wait until tomorrow. Jimin decides to go inside and look for you, so he slips on a mask before sliding out of his car. 

You're not anywhere in the waiting room, so you must be back in an exam room, but he asks the nurse anyway. He tells her he's your friend and she tells him that you're being held for observation but he can go see you. Observation doesn't sound not serious, so he hurries through the doors she indicates and down the hall in search of your room. The door is open and you're sitting in bed in a hospital gown scrolling through your phone with a bored expression, propped up on some pillows. You jump a little when you see him. 

"Jimin-ssi," you hiss at him. "What are you doing here?"

Jimin invites himself to sit in the chair beside your bed, moving it a bit closer than it had originally been placed. "I was waiting for you, but a lot of time passed and I got worried. I don't have your number to text you."

You stare at him blankly for a moment. You've always known Jimin is a kind, caring person. With his fellow members he's always the first to see when somethings wrong, when they need help. Even with staff he's always been quite attentive but this seems a bit much. The fact that one of the world biggest pop stars is worried about you seems wrong, especially when no one else is. 

"Jimin-ssi why were you waiting for me? You should be at home. What if someone saw you?"

Jimin shrugs just as he did before. "I told you it doesn't matter. I'm helping a friend. I couldn't leave you alone." His eyes glance down at your belly. "Is it serious?" he asks before his gaze returns to your face and he sees the uncertainly and worry in your features. 

You breathe out slowly. Your instinct is to tell him to go away, to mind his own business. But it's been so long since anyone seem to genuinely care this much about your well-being, and that hits a soft spot in you because for months now you've had no one to share your burdens with. And although up until now you've done a great job of acting tough as nails in front of every suspicious glare from your colleagues, something about the soft worry in Jimin's eyes disarms you and your eyes begin to well with tears.

"I'm not sure. They're keeping us for observation and running some tests. Something called pre-eclampsia, which seems like it's just high blood pressure, but I don't know how bad that is or what I'm supposed to do about it. They said I have to stay at least four hours," you ramble, clutching your phone to try to keep your hands from shaking.

Jimin gives you a sweet smile. "Don't worry. I'll stay with you," he declares and settles into his uncomfortable chair.

"You don't-" you begin but his sensitive brown eyes stop you. "Thank you," you finish quietly.

Jimin's eyes appraise you for a moment, satisfied by how you seem to settle a bit when you realize he genuinely wants to stay to make sure you're alright. Your shoulders relax a little and you sink into your pillows. How has he managed to put you at ease?

"How far along are you? If you dont mind me asking."

You leave your phone down on the sheet and rub your hands over your growing belly. A small smile pulls your lips. In spite of how awful and scary so much of your pregnancy has been, even though your parents have essentially disowned you and your coworkers spurned you and you have no friends or father to rely on, you want this baby. You love your baby already. If you didn't, you could have solved the problem easily. But in the moment before the fear and panic set it, while you still held the pregnancy test in your hand, you felt such a sense of happiness. You'd always wanted to be a mother and whatever the circumstances you would be. However alone you felt, you never would be again. 

"22 weeks, er five months," you tell him, since you know thinking in terms of weeks is only something people who are growing babies do. It seemed weird to you at first as well, but you came to realize every week - every day really - was a change, really mattered. 

"That's before we went on tour," Jimin mumbles, and you can see wheels spinning in his head that you're quick to stop.

"How was tour? Can you tell me about it?" You ask anxiously. His eyes snap back to yours, filled with curiosity. "I could use the distraction."

Jimin's features soften and he smiles. "We had a blast." Jimin's wide grin is back as he launches into an explanation of his favorite places they visited and how incredible army was every step of the way. He's pleased you've accepted his presence and you let him talk until a nurse comes back to take your blood pressure again. 

Hours pass and Jimin just keeps talking with you. He even manages to get you to laugh, which it feels like you haven't done in a long time, at least not with another person. He even tries to get info on the new season of Run out of you, but they've always done that and you keep your lips sealed. It's nice to have someone treat you like a person again. 

Finally, the doctor comes back and your blood pressure is taken once again. The doctor frowns as he looks at the lab results in your file. "I'm afraid it looks like we were right. Pre-eclampsia. But it should be manageable if we keep a close eye on it. You need to watch your diet, no salt, stay well hydrated. You'll need lots of rest and avoid stress."

"Does she need bedrest?" Jimin asks and your eyes widen at his boldness in asking your doctor about your health. 

"It's not that drastic, not yet. Just don't over work yourself. If things worsen that could be a possibility though," the doctor admits as he adjusts his glasses. "You should monitor your blood pressure regularly and rest if it gets too high. If the pain returns, call us." You nod. "Any other questions?" The doctor looks between you and Jimin. You shake your head. "You're free to go home then I'll have the nurse get your discharge papers."

Jimin waits while you change and helps you slowly to his car. He insists on stopping to pick up some food on the way to your apartment and on helping you all the way to your door. You refuse to let him in, but you almost give in at the scowl on his face from the third floor walk up and how you're clearly panting. You really can't understand why he cares so much.

But Jimin has already sussed out your dark secrets, and aside from being a genuinely sweet human being, he'd always do anything for the Bangtan family.

If his behavior the night before had been a mystery to you, you have no idea what to make of him when he knocks on your office door the next day. You stare at him with wide eyes when he gives you a big grin and a simple, cheerful "Hi!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" you hiss, poking your head out to look up and down the hallway to see if anyone can see him at your door. Luckily the coast is clear.

"I brought you lunch!" he chirps. Your brows knit together before you grab him by the arm and pull him inside, closing the door firmly behind you.

"You can't do things like this!" You tell him in a firm, quiet voice. 

"Why not? I heard what the doctor said about needing to change your diet, and I'd bet that you're just like everyone else at this company who overworks and doesn't eat right. So I thought I'd help and I ordered us a healthy lunch." He raises the takeout bag in his hands to eye level. "I thought we could eat together." 

Your mouth waters at the smell of whatever is in that bag, your eyes fix on it for a moment, but then you shake your head. "Jimin-ssi, I really appreciate the thought, but we can't do this. You can't come here like this." You look down at your feet. You can barely see your toes under your bump now in spite of the fact that your feet seem to have grown. "People will talk."

Jimin sighs. "How many times do I have to say it-"

"This isn't about the fans or the press, Jimin-ssi." Yow swallow. "I'm hanging onto my reputation by a thread. I'm only still here because I'm good at my job. Then you come back from tour and immediately start," you can't help choking on the next words, "taking care of me. People are going to think…"

Jimin leans his head to catch your downcast eyes. "That I'm the father?" You nod shamefully. "But I'm not."

"Yeah but people care less about the truth than the rumors they can make up."

"Well maybe they wouldn't if you told them the truth. Why won't you say who your baby's father is?" He wonders.

Finally you look up at him only to glare and he swears he can feel actual heat coming off you. "My baby doesn't need it's father. They only need me. And besides it's no one's business," you snap.

"Yeah, you're right. It's your business. But coming clean might be the only way to stop the rumors," he observes. "Besides, we would be able to protect you," he continues when you say nothing. 

"We?" You repeat through narrowed eyes. 

Jimin swallows. "You know what, let's leave it for now." Jimin walks over to your desk and begins to pull out take out containers. "For today, please just eat with me, so I'll know you're taken care of."

You want to refuse again, but actually you've been putting off lunch for an hour as you're bogged down in work and your stomach betrays you when it lets out a long growl. Jimin smirks and you trudge over to your desk chair to plop down in your seat.

Several minutes pass with you eating together in relative silence. You can't help giggling happily to yourself when your baby starts to kick up inside of you.

"What?" Jimin wonders when he notices your serene smile and the way you're rubbing your belly.

You shake your head, eyes watering just a little, but not enough to make tears fall. "Mochi's been active today."

"Mochi?" Jimin cocks his head and wears a smile you can only describe as smug. 

You scoff and roll your eyes. "It's got nothing to do with you, alright? They were the size of a mochi when I found out so I just started to call them that. The pregnancy app says they're the size of a bell pepper now, but it doesn't have the same ring to it. Anyway, Mochi just started to move a couple weeks ago and yesterday they were so quiet. It's a relief to feel them kick again."

"Can I feel?" he asks, reaching his hand toward your belly before he's even finished his question.

You swat him away, but the way his face falls pulls at your heartstrings. Truthfully no one but some of the stylists had ever asked to touch your bump, and you were wary of them. No matter how pushy Jimin's actions might be or how intrusive his questions, you know that he's safe, so you grab his wrist and place his hand on the spot where he's most likely to feel movement. His eyes are blown wide when he feels the kick immediately and he can't help but give a giggle of his own. You watch him for a moment as his eyes remain locked on his hand over your tummy in rapt astonishment. 

"Jimin-ssi, why do you want to help me so much?" You can't stop yourself from asking. No one has wanted to help you since the day you found out you were pregnant, except your doctors and nurses, of course. Sure, you've been around Jimin for almost three years now, but you weren't even really friends. So why was he acting like had a reason to be involved in your pregnancy and your life? You half expect him to say he'd do it for anyone, because he is just that kind of guy, or even because you seem like you need the help, both of which are probably true. But he surprises you.

"Hm?" Jimin has to pull his attention away from the little life playing around inside of you. He'd forgotten where he was for a moment, but he sits back in his chair and pulls his hand away as he straightens up. "Listen, Y/N. I think I know who your child's father is," he begins, and you're immediately defensive.

"How could you know?" You scoff. 

"Because I know who you slept with 22 weeks ago. And you don't strike me as someone who sleeps around a lot."

Your jaw sets at that. How dare he make assumptions about you. "You don't know me, Park Jimin. You don't know my life. Stay out of my business." You turn your chair so your bump faces away from him now, arms proactively shielding you and your child.

Jimin swallows. "You're right. I don't know you, or what you're going through. But I think I'm right. And I think you need to tell him."

"What's it to you, anyway?" You snap. 

"For one thing, he should be held accountable for his actions for once, especially for something like this. For another, if I'm right, that baby of yours is my family now. And I care a lot about my family." Jimin stares at the side of your face for a long moment, waiting for your reaction, but you stubbornly stare at your computer screen in silence. 

"I want you to leave," you finally say. Jimin nods and wipes his mouth with a napkin. He knows he's pushed too far. You must have your reasons for not wanting the truth to come out, and he doesn't have to convince you today. He packs up what's left of his lunch to take with him.

"Make sure you finish your lunch. Little mochi is hungry," he grins before letting himself out of your office.

@halesandy @burningupp-replies @lilacdreams-00 @minclangyyy @yoongiofmine @yonkimint @wholockian1 @cbgdoll @babycoffeefire @theatren3rd @bri-mal @armytwist @hwayne2294 @aurel1ia @n4mina @juju-227592 @mickmoon @yoongicenterofmyuniverse @likeshatteredrainbowglass @softforpj @chimchimsauce @arikimtanapon @outro-kook @ellesalazar @somewhereinthestarss @cscam @svgahigh @bbl32 @tea4sykes

[psalm22-6]

Yes! When I first read about his nephew hating Myriel, I was so confused. But I was naive, because these are Catholics we are dealing with after all. Here is wgat Felix Courtat had to say about Myriel in his Etude sur les Misérables :

He has so little respect for the ecclesiastical robes that he listen until the end of a long impertinent speech from a Voltairean senator, instead of stopping him at the beginning, and jovially responding: “Monsieur, if you want to speak of religion, first learn your catechism; if you have doubts, come to my confessional; in any case, do not forget to respect me, which is my right, especially as a high state official.”

He has so little wisdom, that he welcomes a convict into his home, he lays out before him his silver, the only thing of value in the bishopric and in this way gives him the temptation, the opportunity, and the means to steal, and even the opportunity for a triple assassination, never thinking that he has no right to risk the lives of the two poor women linked to his fate.

He has so little intelligence of his duties towards society and, I think, towards himself, that when the police bring Valjean back to him with his stolen place settings, he lies energetically, and in some ways becomes the accomplice of the convict, in saying that he made a gift of the place settings.

He is so weak in his faith that when he visits the conventionnel, he lets himself be seduced by his doctrines, that he remains shaken by it until the end, and that, above all, having come to convert an old sinner, he ends the meeting asking for the sinner’s blessing!

M. V. Hugo may be certain: nothing among all his works - with their thousands of readers, believers and unbelievers alike, who have devoured them - has ever had such PRODIGIOUS success.

Thanks to a note of the highest interest, I learned (1st volume, page 47) that we must attribute to Hugo the bishop of Ptolemais and great grand uncle of the author, diverse pamphlets published under the pseudonym of Barleycourt ! ! !

And in Les Vrais Misérables, this is how Mirecourt (a devout Catholic and ardent defender of the papacy) characterized Hugo's intentions:

You, who know so well how to paint Christ’s veritable minister, the saintly bishop and saintly priest, do you hold Christian beliefs?

I do not hesitate to declare that you do not.

If, from time to time, you seem to be a friend of these beliefs, it does not take long to see that is it for the purposes of bringing about some impious, scandalous, revolutionary episode.

A Christian, you? Come now!

He was also very mad about the scene with the Conventionnel:

Not only does the conventionnel not humble himself before the bishop, but it is the bishop who falls to his knees before Saint-Just, Robespierre and Marat’s colleague to ask him. . . FOR HIS BENEDICTION ! ! !

He devotes a whole gruesome chapter to refuting the comparison between Bossuet's actions and Marat's. There is entirely too much nonsense in his book for me to quote here but the whole thing will explain why devout Catholics would have hated the whole book, not just the parts about Myriel.

I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet in the Les Mis Letters tag, but I figured I'd mention it just in case: the Bishop Myriel is based on a real historical person:

Both were bishops of Digne beginning in 1806, both known as "Monseigneur Bienvenu", both famous for their charity and humility.

There are differences as well of course, but the source of inspiration is clear.

Miollis also didn't live in the episcopal palace although the part about switching with a hospital isn't accurate. According to this source I found linked on the official page of the Diocese of Digne (on a website that looks like it's from the very early 00's at best), if I understood correctly, the palace wasn't available as it had been taken over by the district during the Revolution and was being used for various administrative offices.

This is a PDF link, just to warn you:

A son arrivée à Digne, l'immeuble n'étant pas en état, il acquit une maison bourgeoise, rue de l'Hubac (la maison est bien à son nom au cadastre de Digne), où il vécut modestement et très charitablement.

He acquired a bourgeois house on the rue de l'Hubac, where he lived modestly. I'm not entirely sure what the palace being "pas en état" means in this context tbh, I'm sorry.

The house where Miollis lived

Picture by Szeder László

Close up of the plaque

Picture by Renaud Camus

This house was not next to the episcopal palace (circled in red on the right) but closer to the Cathedral St. Jérôme in the old city centre, see the red arrow:

(Map from 1921 which is over a century later and thus isn't quite accurate for our era, but it was the oldest map I could find that shows the buildings clearly and readably; modern maps lack the palace which has since been demolished)

The house is sort of behind a few retaining walls (?) and downhill from the cathedral, there is a rather steep hill to climb, but it's a very short walk otherwise (the Cathedral is built right on top of the hill, it's hard to see from the map but all the houses and streets around the cathedral are built on a very steep slope in all directions, each "ring" of houses lower than the last one as you get further from the cathedral.)

[imaginativeamateur]

[Shikamaru Nara X Reader] Locked

|2022 Flubruary Event|

Week 1: Attraction | Day 4: You find yourself locked in the storage room with Shikamaru and he is oddly calm.

Pairing: Shikamaru Nara x gn!Reader

Note: Day 4 is here, hope y'all are enjoying the event! I really like this one, by the way.

You shook the door handle in despair, kicking your foot into the wooden plane a few more times before giving up with a long sigh, retreating back to make an announcement. “I’m sorry for the trouble, but we’re locked in here.”

“I was about to call maintenance to have the door fixed the other day but an urgent matter popped up.” You sat down warily, trying to explain yourself to the customer who asked to visit the storage room of your board games shop. To you, he looked indescribably familiar, resembling one of your store’s old customers, but you could not pinpoint exactly who it was. The man was looking for something that was not on display at the moment. He kindly offered to come in and help you find the item, not knowing that it would result in the two of you being locked up in the narrow space. “My employee will come for her shift very soon, we’ll be able to call for help by then.”

You were trying to be optimistic, even after drying your throat howling into vacancy. However, the customer was still walking around the shelves, totally immersed in what your store had in stock. Sliding down against the door, you wracked your brain to come up with a conversation starter to break the silence. “Are you buying it as a gift?” You asked, pointing at the box he was holding in his arms.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “for my nephew.” The man made his way across the room and sat down a few feet from you, leaning back to rest his head against the door. “How long have you been running this place for?”

“Actually, I’ve acquired the place from my father one year ago.” You smiled and he hummed. The conversation died down again. Then, you inevitably laid your eyes on his face and furrowed your brows—he definitely resembled someone you have met before.

“Quit staring,” he cleared his throat, and you straightened your spine.

“You look like someone I know,” you murmured and added, “but I’m not quite sure.”

“Who?”

“You’re a Shinobi, right?” You narrowed your eyes and he nodded. So you continued, “Your father is also a Shinobi?” Now, you finally recalled Shikaku Nara, a friend of your father who frequented your store back then, clapping your hands in surprise. He mentioned that his son was…“Shikamaru Nara?”

“You know me?”

“Yeah,” you nodded your head. “Your father is my father’s old friend. He told us that he has a son who likes to lie around and do nothing—oh—,” you stopped and immediately fixed your words, “but is really smart.”

Shikamaru’s face darkened, “Troublesome.”

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

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