#alexei burrow

[bulletdyke]

hey guys i have SCOURED the internet and cannot find panda love unit anywhere except for the five songs uploaded to youtube. if anyone out there has the files for the rest of them i would give my entire left arm for them PLEASE. literally u could just post them all on tumblr and ill download them from there i SWEARRR. Thamk you

[herpsandbirds]

Hello! Love your tumblr blog, it is constantly introducing me to cool animals and others. Do you have any birds or creatures specific to El Salvador that I could see?

EL SALVADOR

Thank you so much. While I don't have any animals that are endemic to EL Salvador. I do have a number of animals that live there...

Yellow Toad (Incilius Luetkenii), family Bufonidae, El Salvador

photograph by Erick Rivas

Red-bordered Pixie (Melanis pixe), family Riodinidae, Izalco, El Salvador

photograph by Carlos Funes

Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa), family Momotidae, order Coraciiformes, El Salvador

photograph by Alexeys

Mexican Cantil (Agkistrodon bilineatus), T-juvenile, B- adult, family Viperidae, found in Mexico and Central America

Venomous.

photos by Dick Bartlett & Eduardo Estellez

American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), family Crocodylidae, found in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and northern South America

photograph by Tomás Castelazo

Painted Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima) juvenile, family Geoemydidae, found throughout much of Mexico and Central America

photograph by theturtlesource.com

Mexican Burrowing Caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus), family Dermophiidae, found in Mexico and Central America

Also called "Tapaculo," for the belief by some people that it will enter your anus, if you defecate outside or sit naked on the ground... This is not the case. Amphibians don't wanna be in your butt.

photos: Franco Andreone & Herping Zoongolica

[romanoffsbish]

You’re so Prettyyyyy…

Natasha Romanoff x F!R

Warnings: Angst -> Fluff | Friends to Lovers | Drunk Confessions | Suggestive Content

Smut: Fantasy/Thought (2 blocks of writing). Mentions of strap on (R). Mentions of oral(N) (aka, no major smutty plot. You can blink it away)

Natasha was drunk; borderline blackout.

God, you loved her so much, her voice like an angel's melody, but right now, all you wanted was for the pretty drunkard to shut the fuck up.

Her heart, that she normally kept under lock and key was burning on the tip of her tongue.

——

Drunk words are sober thoughts, right?

Most of you hoped so, yearned for it to be true.

Regardless, she'd be embarrassed. She'd probably take off on a mission, nearly get herself killed, and she'd still avoid you when she returned and was benched. Most of her days likely to be spent in the garden moping over some book about sapphic heartbreak.

Natasha is predictably, an involved reader. She lets her favorite artists tell the story of her life.

Which is why you figured she'd bolt. All you can do is hope she is really blacking out so she won't remember this. So that she won't run.

"You're so prettyyy Y/N," the redhead fawned over you as she leaned her entire body against your side. You chuckled; it wasn't humorous. "The most beautiful girl in the universe."

If she could feel how tense you were she didn't let it be known. Her body simply molded into yours and yours stood as still as a statue. You stood there silently cursing vodka and Thor's mead for leaving Natasha in such delirium.

Natasha hiccuped, "My favorite girl," her hand slid into yours, she giggled, "Your hands are so soft." Her fingers slipped between yours and she sighed dreamily, "I just wanna kiss you."

An even tenser silence fell over you both as you said nothing, the redhead turned and shifted into you. Burrowing her face into your top, she sighed sadly now, "I wish you loved me back."

"I do love you Nat." You couldn't believe she'd question such a thing, like you hadn't made your feelings for her obvious for years now. Never with any pressure though, you were just as content remaining only the best of friends if it meant she was still yours in some fashion.

"Nope," she shook her head defiantly. "Because if you did you would've kissed me by now."

"You're drunk Nat..." She huffed, "Only now."

"Yeah, and when you're sober you don't want me. Not my fault." You were growing impatient with her, but you were also instantly riddled with guilt when you felt her body flinch.

"I always want you detka," she whispered her confession so softly into the fabric of your top that you'd miss it if not for being a spy yourself.

"Not outright." Natasha looked up at your avoidant eyes, lips pouting as you guided her into the elevator that finally arrived. An idea spurred her next movements on, catching you completely off guard as she found confidence.

Natasha shoved you against the elevator wall, or at least she tried to, her gross motor skills aren't the same after ten shots of vodka.

That pure shit Alexei smuggles into America too, from when he comes to see his 'girls', but really he comes to intimidate (fangirl over) Captain Ameeeerica. He only ever leaves in low spirits, without success. Even on his surprise visits is the star-spangled man not there when he arrives, he almost thinks that there is a drone following him around; there is, and Melina and Natasha are always in contact.

"Incoming. Two hours, abort America," her tone always serious, and mistakenly humorous.

If the big oaf was here you'd knock him out, along with Thor for only making it worse with promises of top of the line Asgardian mead.

Natasha had actually tripped, instead of the hot sequence she'd envisioned took place. Your hands quickly caught her by the waist, holding her steady. Her lips crashed into yours, slightly taking you by surprise, you'd expected it as a possibility, but were mortified by the actuality.

"Nat please," you were desperate for space, but her lips pressed to yours without any thought, her tongue sliding over yours hungrily. "This isn't fair," you whimpered into her mouth, hot breaths mixing as the one sided kiss continued.

Tears fell from your eyes, saturating both your cheeks as you settled into the moment. If this would be your only chance to kiss her now that she'd given you no choice, you'd lean into it.

Natasha pulled you from the elevator, shoving you haphazardly through the door of her room. Your body landed on the mattress, hers now on top of yours in a flash, hands roaming beneath your shirt the cause for your abrupt departure.

Natasha whined as you turned your head, forcefully separating her lips from yours as your hands tightly gripped her wrists, shaking your head as you flipped your positions. You hovered over her now instead, looking into her dejected eyes with concern. "You're drunk."

Natasha was drunk, but not as much as before.

Still enough to be out of it, but bold enough to make the moves she never could sober. She wanted you, and knew that even if sober her regretted it, it would only be outwardly. Deep down she'd hold onto the memory with joy.

"I'm fine," she attempted to rebut, "Please."

"We can't," you denied, you loved her too much to take advantage of her like this. But you were also weakened by her pleading gaze, there was no more denying it, she reciprocated your love.

So, in a moment of complete tenderness, you reapplied your lips to hers. Giving her all the love you'd hidden away behind playful flirting, soft embraces and the longing glances you'd send her way from across bustling rooms.

"Please," you whimpered breathlessly, "Forget this happened Natty, I-I can't lose you." You kept up the momentum of the soft kiss, even though you were practically sobbing into it.

"Just forget," you begged more firmly, "It'll be easier that way, we'll be okay, you'll stay..."

You fell asleep clinging to that hope.

But alas it was a fruitless thought.

Natasha remembered. It was an inevitability.

She could never forget her dream coming true.

Plus, she was trained to remember everything.

She flinched away from you, body softly trembling as she remembered the words she bombarded you with, and the accompanied laughter, one's uneasy the other's unaware.

The touches, and their implications. God, had she been in her right mind she would have been begging you to take her. Actually, she'd never have been bold enough, she didn't feel deserving of your tenderness, she knew of your love. She just wished you'd known of hers.

Everything would be easier if you did.

What she remembers most vividly, as in what haunts her most, was your desperate pleading that came with tears, and sniffling to prevent a runny nose; to prevent her from running.

Something you yourself tried to do last night.

She remembers you trying to leave, it's a bit of a blur, but you reluctantly stayed when she begged pitifully in her sleepy, drunken stupor.

Now she's uneasy at the sight of you. You were a beautiful, yet tragic reminder of all that she wanted, but never felt like she had a right to take. But while under the influence she did. And the tricky part is she doesn't regret it.

The longer she stared at you the more inclined she felt to face the mess she made. To stay put. So the redhead inched closer to you, you were magnetizing. She couldn't help but attract.

The fading light of the moon had lit up your face, and her heart ached with a longing for permanence. It also weighed heavily with guilt upon seeing pieces of your hair stuck to the dried tear tracks that stained your cheeks.

Lithe, calloused hands touched you with soft intentions. Rough, but oddly soft fingertips trailed up your cheeks as she moved to cup them. Natasha choked back a sob as to not wake you, her heart just couldn't handle how you melted into her so naturally; perfectly.

Natasha continued to sob semi-openly. The hand that wasn't cradling your face lovingly is covering her mouth, forcing her to minimize output as she must rely on her nose to breathe.

"I'm sorry this is how this went down," she shook her head, but you couldn't see, "I'm so embarrassed baby, I wanted our first kiss to be special. I'd schedule the sprinklers for an odd time under Tony in the system. He's far too easy to hack." —— Natasha set aside a whole afternoon to hack into the geniuses files, after 20 minutes she was in line to get popcorn before going in disguise to see the 'shitty' rom coms she'd always protest watching with you.

She loved them — god did she love you.

More than she'd ever dreamed possible.

Natasha obviously loved your body in a way that transcended lust. The redhead adored your plush thighs. She loved to nap on them, there have been days where she spent the entire day in your room doing just that. However, she never claimed to be a saint, and so, in a devious contradiction she'd always imagined the cellulite divots to be a challenge for her. Meant for her to press her thumb into, just to wind up wrapping her fingers around the malleable area, she'd use her attractive strength to press your thighs up and thrust her strap even deeper into your squelching cunt.

Your walls would quiver around the silicone and you'd cry out for her to stop and keep going all at the same time. Blissfully confused.

God she wanted that, but now she fears she ruined it all by not confessing with her sanity.

"We would've been having a spread of peanut butter sandwiches, grapes and oreos," she paused to catch her breath, she was nervous, your likely hearing this confession on some level. "Then just as I victoriously landed a light green grape into your mouth the sprinklers would shoot out of the grass without even a warning squeak before we'd be jumping up in shock, and quickly deflating as our clothes are officially soaked through. I'd hoped you'd be giggling. Smile as bright as the sun behind you, giving you that perfect angel glow."

You struggled to contain yourself, this crazy idea that Natasha 'the ever so stoic Black Widow' Romanoff had these girlish fantasies of you was amusing, and incredibly endearing.

Your body warmed as she spoke so tenderly.

Natasha sniffled into the sleeve of her hoodie, then a bitter chuckle left her lips. "We would have inched closer as we decided to dance in the metaphorical rain. Then I would have put my hand on your cheek, while my other lands on your waist. Then it would be up to you to ask me to pull you in." Natasha softly sighed.

She went to cradle your face with her free hand, but she lost her balance, shaking the bed and slipping your face from her right hands soft stabilization, right onto her left, your cold, damp lips pursed against the skin of her palm.

Natasha shivered at the delicate touch. Faint memories hitting her, a warmth settling over her pale pink lips, as she choppily remembered bits and pieces of last night in the elevator.

In a shaky whisper, the Russian beauty said: "Then when you sheepishly nodded, or squeaked out an adorable yes I would've pulled you in, and kissed you slow Y/N. Letting you, my precious girl, decide the eventual tempo."

Natasha let her face hover over yours, your breaths softly puffed against her skin as she whispered on about her perfect date. "We'd have probably ran to a dry part of land, likely further in the woods that gave way to shadows. Deep green leaves to gorgeously rival the pear green shaded ones. Then just as you caught your breath I'd rob you of it and push you into an oak tree; where I'd love you if you let me."

Natasha squeaked when you hastily broke the minuscule distance, leaning up to kiss her hard. Confirming her suspicions that you'd been awake the whole time. She was a spy, but so were you, so the usual context clues, like ones breathing patterns, aren't exactly credible.

The kiss was sloppy, full of obvious desperation on both ends. You were so afraid she'd run, but you realize now that you underestimated her.

"You're here," you acknowledged, tears springing to your eyes as you felt overwhelmed by immense happiness. She smiled solemnly. "I'm here to stay moya lyubov'," she promised in a hushed tone, "I won't run, I swear to it."

"You're serious Natty?" Natasha nodded with a grin that was widening at the sight of your face. A stray tear ran down your cheek, but it wasn't sad, it was one of relief, one she understood.

"Yes, I'm not going anywhere, at least not without you by my side." Her entire body warmed as you giggled unabashedly, she'd only booped your nose to emphasize her prior sentiments, in hindsight she saw how it could be deemed childish, but she didn't mind much. Hearing your joy is what manifested her own.

"Soooo," your voice trailed off, anxiety bubbled beneath the surface keeping you choked up.

"Yes," Natasha softly answered your wordless question, her lips pressing to your cheek as she sought to comfort you. "You're mine now." Her lips then pressed to yours. "And I'm yours."

"Please remind me to thank Alexei and Thor."

Natasha laughed, belly aching as her face fell into the crook of your neck. "You ruined it," she groaned against your skin, "the moment was perfect, and you just couldn't let it be."

"I'm known for my anxious responses Nat," you reminded her, "Be sure that's what you.." Natasha shushed you with a finger over your lips, pulling back from your neck she glared down at you without heat. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. I'm locked in baby girl."

Natasha smiled when your body melted into her mattress, it was as if her words unlocked the remainder of the tension in your body.

The moment was once again perfect, she leaned back down to slowly kiss you, her tongue was seconds away from entering your mouth until she was startled. The sounds going off in your stomach were reminiscent of hectic war times, it sent her head flying backwards in shock. "When did you eat last Y/N?"

You sheepishly laughed, "I think lunch."

Natasha gasped before immediately leaving you alone on her bed, she removed her phone from its charging dock then wordlessly slipped into her bathroom. You were confused, sure, but you knew there was likely a reason for her reaction. (She cared about you very much.)

"Okay, so I ordered breakfast from that diner up the street that you love," Natasha began to ramble methodically, "Today is a lazy day, I have deemed it as such so Steve was already told to fuck off, and to stay away from you."

Natasha's next set of words died on her tongue, you'd moved to sit up now, and under the light of the sun she noticed you were in her clothes.

An old, tattered Green Day T-shirt that she stole from Clint, and a pair of panties hidden beneath the length. She wondered what color.

"Natty?" The woman looked to you in a daze, but she quickly shook out of it at the sight of your extended hand. She accepted it with ease and you pulled her into your lap, the cold skin of your thigh pressed into the warmth of her own and she shuddered softly. Her viridescent eyes fluttered open to find your gentle smile waiting, and she could only think about kissing you, she'd pretend it was for the first time.

You sighed heavily, an indication of nerves, and she worried you'd changed your mind. But then you speak and everything settles, "I know it's a bit soon, but I hope you understand that I love you," you smile as you speak, "I've loved you for years, and I want to put it all out there."

"I think that it's actually a bit late," Natasha acknowledges with a teasing smirk, "We've been idiots for long enough Y/N. No more."

You shook your head in emphasis, "No more." Natasha mirrors your goofy smile as you cup her face, thumb stroking over the raised apple of her cheek just before you're pulling her in for a kiss that leaves you both feeling restless.

Natasha had moved to straddle your closed thighs, her arms lazily wrapped around your neck as she let you devour her mouth whole. There was a natural flow established, the redhead ground her hips down into you as burning arousal coursed through her veins. It seemed promiscuously promising even, especially with how she whimpered into your mouth shamelessly. Then the moment was over as Friday boomed through her speakers.

“Attention Agent Romanoff, your breakfast has arrived, and Mr. Stark refuses to send anyone upstairs in fear of a traumatic encounter.”

Natasha growls against your lips, “Pretentious fucking twat is asking for an ass whooping.”

You giggled, “Is he wrong Natty?” Natasha shrugged, her lips were pursed thoughtfully as she silently noted your compromised position.

“I mean,” you paused, pushing her even closer via the hand you had on her back, the one that was barely above her ass. “I wouldn’t exactly mind having you for my breakfast.”

Natasha smirked, her plump lips now ghosting over yours, and only brushing yours lightly. “Nice try detka,” she whispered, her lips found yours again, but in a much softer kiss that she controlled this time. “I don’t want to rush,” she timidly admitted, “We have time, and I want to take you out to dinner before serving dessert.”

The redhead winked as she left the room, you fell back against the mattress with a huff, she always was such a tease. Even in friendship. You loved her in spite of that, and as the lust faded you felt your mind reach the same place.

Meanwhile, in the elevator, Natasha was smiling like an idiot as she leaned her warm body into the cold metal. Her fingers brushed over her lips, they were burning with memory’s of yours and her heart fluttered in her chest.

When she returned to find you snoring softly she couldn’t help but to shake her head in amusement. Warmth overtook her body as she imagined this becoming a more familiar sight.

Natasha vowed to spend the rest of her life chasing down the sweet moments like these with you. Nothing in this world would ever mean as much to the woman as you do.

At least that's what she believed, until the day she first held your son in her arms, she swears she actually felt her heart doubling in size.

Everything made sense to her now, her heart at genuine ease for the first time in her entire life.

————

3,168 Words

❤️ Kaitlyn 🥺

If you’re feeling angsty, here, have a bonus ending: Then it shattered, as yours flatlined...

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

Life in the Early Triassic

(first row: Sclerosaurus, Lystrosaurus; second row: Hupehsuchus, Triadobatrachus, Cartorhynchus; thrid row: Rebellatrix, Atopodentatus; fourth row: Aphaneramma, Erythrosuchus)

Lystrosaurus - Julio Lacerda

Erythrosuchus - Mark Witton

Rebellatrix - Michael Skrepnick

Aphaneramma - Gabriel Ugueto

Cartorhynchus, Hupehsuchus, Atopodentatus - Nobu Tamura

Triadobatrachus - Alexey Malitskiy

Sclerosaurus - Wikimedia

We‘ve reached the Triassic period and with it the Mesozoic Era, the Age of Reptiles! Right now (about 250 million years ago), the reptiles are not dominating yet - in fact no one really was doing too well, as the Early Triassic was mostly a recovery period with low diversity after the most devastating mass extinction of all time, The Great Dying, at the end of the Permian.

The one exception to this is Lystrosaurus. The pig-sized herbivores somehow made it through the mass extinction mostly unscathed and in a now barren world they re-diversified, took up empty niches and became the most common vertebrate in many areas. It is not entirely clear why they survived. Maybe it was hibernation or burrowing that gave them some kind of protection from the worst parts of The Great Dying, maybe they were just lucky. Whatever it was, these prehistoric cockroaches marked one of the last big hurrahs of the synapsids (our own linage), before they went into hiding and lived their lifes as rodent size critters in the shadows of the reptiles for the following 200 million years or so.

The synapsids were the stars of the Permian, but only three groups of them made it into the Triassic: The carnivorous therocephalians and the herbivorous dicynodonts like Lystrosaurus with bulky bodies, mostly toothless beaks and tusk-like canines. They both went extinct during the Triassic. A third group, the cynodonts, survived much longer and will eventually include all modern mammals, from the tiniest bats to the biggest whales. But right now all of that is just some distant future.

Right now, at the beginning of the Triassic, a lot of other groups hurry to fill empty spaces. Several groups of reptiles decided that, after their ancestors once spent a lot of time and effort to evolve a terrestrial lifestyle, they want to return to the oceans. This included early cousins of the ichthyosaurs (those dolphin-shaped marine reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs) like Cartorhynchus and very basal sauropterygians. The most famous member of that group are the Loch-Ness-Monster-looking plesiosaurs, but one early member was the strange Atopodentatus. They possibly used their weird mouths to eat algae, making them one of the earliest herbivorous marine reptiles.

On land, the most interesting development might be the rise of the archosaurs and their close relatives. Over the span of the Mesozoic, the age of reptiles, they became the dominate group of life including many fan-favorites: The giant dinosaurs, the flying pterosaurs, the birds we have today and the wide variety of crocs, both past and present. At the beginning of the Triassic, they are just starting out, but 5 m long predators like the big-headed Erythrosuchus (although they are technically not quite archosaurs), already give a glimpse into their future.

[fict1onallyobsessed]

Trusting You

Yᴇʟᴇɴᴀ Bᴇʟᴏᴠᴀ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ - your both in doubt, but your both in love

Yelena's whole life was a lie. She did her best to persuade herself that it was real, because to her, it was.

Melina was her mother. The closest thing she even had to one. Same with Alexei, he was her real father, the person that raised her.

But lately she was questioning everything. From her childhood, to her time in the red room, to today. She was scared of lies. And Yelena Belova wasn't scared of anything.

When you and her finally moved in together after Val gave you both jobs as assassins again, she began to wonder; why her? Why did you choose her to say goodnight to every night? Why didn't you leave like everyone else? Are you lying too? Are you lying about your love for her?

Her eyes did nothing but stare in front of her while she sat on the couch in the small apartments living room that Val supplied you both with. Her leg bounced up and down; a unintentional stress gesture she did every time she's feel her anxiety rising.

You were on a minor mission that Val sent you on. 'Lena said she would go for you, but you declined saying she needed rest since she'd been going on non-stop missions for 3 weeks.

To be truthful, she only liked to go on missions for 2 reasons.

1. It refrained her from sitting in a confined space for hours, alone with her thoughts; which only seemed to run wild for the past month.

2. She didn't want you to get injured. She knew that you took your missions seriously but she couldn't help but think about scenarios in which you'd get brutally hurt, leaving you to die somewhere in an ally for away from her.

No matter what thoughts in her head told her you didn't love her, she still loved you. Her elbows were on her knees, hands interlocked with each other while her eyes burrowed holes into her fingers.

The short bits of her hair were falling out of the loose pony tail she wore, making then fall into her face annoyingly. You were due to come back today, and despite it being 4 a.m. she still waited for you; it was impossible for her to fall asleep without your body next to hers anyway.

The door opened moments later and Yelena's head snapped towards the sound. You entered the apartment in your newly recreated suit, fully intact, and from where Yelena sat she couldn't see any wounds.

You gave her a warm smile as you dropped your bag to the ground, walking further into the room. You realised Yelena was more distant than usual. She warmed up to you soon after you met in the Red Room and she only trusted you. But lately, she was pushing herself away from you in multiple ways possible. Both physically and emotionally.

She didn't hug you anymore, nor would she explain why she was upset. She'd shake her head and give you a smile before walking out the door. She'd always come back though, so you never commented or asked her about it.

You thought it was because of how fast everything happened. Her having to get used to making her own decisions. Her taking down the Red room with her sister, then reuniting with you. Then Natasha's death, finally Val's offer. It took a toll on her, but you were both in the same boat so why would she suddenly push you away? Didn't she love you anymore?

You walked closer to the kitchen which was opposite the living room, giving Yelena a perfect view of you taking out the first aid kit. She was hurt you didn't come straight to her to hug her, but again intrusive thoughts telling her that your love for her was fake that she didn’t dare take the first step.

“Are you hurt?” She suddenly asked, her Russian accent prominent. She stood up from her seat and slowly made her way to you, carefully scanning each inch of your body for injuries.

You dismissed her question as you unzipped your suit revealing a massive cut on your upper chest. She inhaled sharply, immediately reaching up to take the first aid kit from your hands and taking out the anti- biotics. No thoughts would make her stop caring for you.

“'El, I'm okay." You started but the glare she sent you was a murderous one. You shut up in an instant and let her unzip a little more of your suit to give her more access.

The next few minutes were spent in complete silence; you stared at her while she worked on your wound with furrowed eyebrows. You longed her touch again, but you were scared that she'll push you away. And you'd rather have her next to you than not have her at all.

“Why don't you hug me any more?" You blurted out randomly, surprised at yourself that you even said anything. "Or lean on my shoulder like you always did when we watch movies?”

She was taken aback by your question, and for a second it was clear she had no answers before her face went back into an unreadable expression.

“Is it me?" You asked again and she was surprised again, but not by the question but at the sudden thought that she made you feel like it was your fault she was distant.

"What? No, no. Of course not." She defended, staring right in your eyes to tell you she means it. You sighed, looking away for a bit before zipping your suit back up.

“I wasn't done fixing tha-"

“Than what is it?" She stared at you for a while before she huffed and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“I'm scared." Your brows furrow and you let your body relax.

“Of?"

“I'm scared you'll leave me for someone less broken." She admitted. "That you'll up and leave without saying goodbye. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I distance myself, so it'll be less painful when you do."

“What makes you think I was leaving?" You got closer to her, grabbing her hand and running your thumb across her knuckles.

"My whole life is fake. You know my childhood, everyone I know has lied to me and left. I thought maybe I could be strong, you know? And not show you that I'm a mess and I'm scared of losing you but I can't. I want to hug you again but the little voice in my head keeps on telling me that you don't love me anymore and you'll leave when you find somewhere to live with someone better."

"I'm just as broken as you, dorogaya." She looked up to your eyes, finally letting you see the tears that sat on the bottom of her eye- lids.

"I'll always come back to you." You reached up so your thumb could brush her cheek, wiping away any tears that surfaces her face.

"I love you so much, Yelena. So, so, so much, you wouldn't believe." She smiled gently, letting her chin tremble at your words.

“I promise you I'm never leaving.”

“Promise?”

“Promise."

THE END

Taglist: @emily0013 \\ @xxromanoffxx \\ @emilyprentisslittlewhore \\ @d14n4ol \\ @marvel2024

[sailxrmxrs]

took a little break from writing to recharge the brain but expect some fun christmas content now that december is upon us. before the fesitivities begin, however, let's give alexei a little moment to shine bc i haven't actually written a solo fic for him yet. today we change that. now everyone's beloved science boy is for SURE the type to overwork himself and not realise until he gets sick so who else should take care of him other than mc <3 also bc a sleepy alexei is adorable. enjoy the alexei softness gamers! also maybe opening requests again for some inspo hehe. fantasy rory coming to a tumblr near u too soon <3

Being roommates with Alexei meant a lot of late nights after work, sharing food you'd ordered in because neither of you had the energy to cook. A pleasant routine had settled and you couldn't really fathom a time before this close friendship with Alexei. However, something that set you both apart was the ability to relax. Where you valued your time at home away from work, letting your brain rest and indulge in comforts and hobbies, Alexei did not. Even when the two of you would watch a new show together, or go out for food, Alexei was always thinking about work. If he could, he'd stay in the lab working long into the night, only stopping when you physically dragged him away from his current projects. His late nights combined with his early morning starts meant it was inevitable he'd get sick. Despite his determination to prove otherwise, Alexei was only human. And that meant his repeated late nights would soon catch up on him and render him useless to his own immune system.

It only took a few more days for Alexei's inevitable fate to strike. You were cleaning up the kitchen from your breakfast, the tv providing background noise, when you heard Alexei's door open. Dark circles ringed his eyes as he slowly trudged out of his room, a blanket wrapped around him and his cheeks flushed feverishly.

"Uh oh. Someone's sick," you observed, taking a bite of toast as you watched him collapse on the sofa. "Told you to rest more."

Alexei answered with a groan, his energy levels too low to offer any sort of intelligent response. He burrowed deeper into the cushions, tugging the blanket around his shoulders for extra warmth. Despite it being a result of his own blindsided eagerness to work, you couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Alexei was usually a bright little ray of sunshine in the mornings so to see him look so defeated made your heart sink. Luckily for Alexei, today was a day off for you. Initially, you'd planned to spend it running a couple necessary errands before hibernating away in cosy clothes in your room but some adjustments could be made for Alexei.

"Instead of moping over there, you should get yourself back into bed. Can you manage any food right now or do you just want to sleep it off?"

Alexei contemplated his options for a moment before he begrudgingly pulled himself up off the sofa. "Sleep. Food later."

"Got it. Still, you should drink some fluids first. I'll grab you some water and a spare blanket from my room." By the time you'd gotten Alexei a glass of water and retrieved the blanket in question, he was already fast asleep. His body was so exhausted that he'd collapsed before even getting himself fully into bed. You left the glass on his bedside table, pulling the covers and blankets over him so that he would stay nice and warm as his body caught up on all the sleep it had missed. You pulled the curtains taut and quietly closed the door as you left. Judging from the gentle snores coming from Alexei, he wouldn't be waking up anytime before noon which meant you had a couple hours to run out for some ingredients to make him the perfect comfort meal. It wasn't often that you got to cook for Alexei so you weren't intending on letting this opportunity slip you by. Especially because you knew that in a few hours once Alexei was fully rested, he'd be aching to get up and go about his day like normal despite the strain on his body. Getting him to relax might just be the hardest task you've ever set to accomplish.

Once you'd returned home and got to work on Alexei's food, the real work begun. As you'd suspected, the moment Alexei woke up he made the executive decision to get out of bed again and join you in the kitchen, claiming to be all better now. Of course, this wasn't true in the slighest but there was little you could do for the moment so you let him sit and watch you finish preparing the ingredients.

"As soon as this is all in the pot simmering away I'm putting you back into bed, you know that, right?"

"I already slept I'm fine. Besides I have a report to finish for Monday," Alexei complained as he reluctantly drank sips of water while you glared directly at him.

"Were my ears deceiving me or are you seriously talking about work when you are sick. From overworking and not sleeping. Alexei Demidov I swear you are going to be the death of me." You halted your actions, a half-chopped carrot under your hands momentarily abandoned while you scolded Alexei.

"I'm not sick or overworked. I was just a little tired. Which I'm not anymore."

"Sure. Is that why when I checked your temperature earlier you had a fever? Because you are in perfect health? And don't even get me started on the overworking. I've never met someone more willing to work overtime."

Alexei puffed his cheeks in defeat, knowing that as a scientist himself he couldn't refute the evidence of his high temperature. "Enjoying your job is hardly a crime."

"True, but you can always have too much of a good thing. Perhaps this is the ideal experiment into why rest and relaxation is vital to one's physical wellbeing."

"Perhaps." Alexei sipped at his water, watching as you went about the kitchen clearing up the utensils you no longer needed now that everything was cooking. He quietly observed, only responding with little nods and short answers to your questions about the food. Having food prepared specially for him was a new feeling for Alexei, and it was one he rather enjoyed. He liked the closeness of seeing the process but found the gesture of you going to such lengths to look after him even more comforting. Even if he didn't believe he needed such treatment, he would have been lying if he said he hated it. To be doted on like this was incredibly rare so maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let you continue treating him like this? After all, he did have a slight fever—even if he didn't feel ill himself.

By the time his food had finished cooking, you were already ushering Alexei to either get back into his bed with the pillows propped up or onto the sofa where you'd drag his duvet and blankets. He opted for the sofa as he clutched the warm bowl in his hands and took a first bite. His eyes closed in satisfaction, the heat spreading through every inch of his body.

"You better not get any ideas of working even more because you won't be getting this sort of treatment next time," you commented, tossing the bundle of blankets beside Alexei so as not to spill any of his food. "Special treatment only for people who deserve it."

Alexei took another bite before answering. "You really think I'd do that?"

"Hm, maybe not on purpose, but yes. Anything for some more of my cooking," you teased, falling back onto the other end of the sofa, tucking your feet under one of the blankets.

"Never knew you could cook this good. I might need a lesson or two from you."

You'd gotten yourself a bowl of food to enjoy with Alexei, knowing the comfort meal was exactly what you needed after a long week of work. "Don't get excited, this is one of very few recipes I've mastered. Mostly because I made it all the time as a student when it got cold."

"Still, I appreciate it. Thank you." Alexei smiled, his cheeks still flushed with fever, but looking a lot more rejuvenated than they had been earlier in the morning. After he finished eating, Alexei got himself comfortable under the covers again, swearing he wasn't about to fall asleep. He was just getting cosy. Until you looked over ten minutes later and saw that same sleep-induced calmness cover his features. His lips were curled in the slightest of smiles and his hair tumbled over his eyes. A bemused grin covered your features as you rose from your seat to check up on him. His temperature had almost returned to normal but there was no need to disturb him now. So instead, you brushed the hair from his forehead, leaving a soft kiss in your wake before leaving him to sleep the rest of his fever away. But before you could go, a hand reached for your arm and weakly tugged. Alexei was still mostly asleep, the last remnants of his consciousness encouraging you to join him. What kind of person would you be to refuse such a sweet request? So you managed to balance yourself beside him, the blankets sufficently covering you both before sleep called out and lulled you into its grasp.

[jathis]

okay your turn, top 5 peter episodes of the monkees :))). ALSO tell me your top 5 owls 🦉

GAAAAAASP

Okay so

Top Five Owls

1. Burrowing Owl

2. Barn Owl

3. Screech!

4. Barred

5. Horned Owl

TOP FIVE PETER EPISODES

1. The Devil and Peter Tork

My handsome boy couldn’t actually play the harp but the fact that he did it by emulating Harpo I think makes him a great actor. Also it’s a sweet friendship between him and Mike (at least in the show).

2. Fairy Tale

HE’S A PEASANT. A WAYWARD SERF. LOWEST OF THE LOW. And he’s gotta save his beloved Princess Gwen from Harold

3. The Card Carrying Red Shoes

It’s just a funny episode and Peter has to be rescued by the boys! Also the ending with Russian!Peter named Alexei is hilarious. All of these boys had doppelgängers.

4. Art for Monkees’ Sake

Autism be damned my boy can commit art forgery. Also Liberace smashes a piano and Mike dies in the background from laughter.

5. It’s A Nice Place to Visit

Okay so maybe it’s not Peter focused but I always loved when Peter finds Davy first and they just,

Peter!

Davy!

Peter!

Davy!

And then Peter hugs his tiny boyfriend ; ;

[yinachens]

Yina didn't find making friends easily, she never had. Even when she'd maintained a strong-ish circle of girls when she'd been at school: more of a drain than fun. Her social battery ran so long before she was crashing like an old, un-updated iPhone. And yet, recently, she'd been pushing herself into situations, stepping over barriers. For what reason? It was something she asked herself often. Was it because she truly excepted that her parents would never ask her for back, never apologise? Some part of her inner-child still wished for that. But the grown part of her, the one that had done the healing, the hard work had let silly notions go.

Burrowing further into her coat as she handed off the water bottle, she smiled, something a little lighter — not so tort. The man seemed out of it, deep in thought. If he was anything like herself, she knew introspection was good for the soul. "No worries," she laughed with a cough, arms folding to keep the wind from blowing the coat open. "Although the pun could use some work." She said in jest, of course, the corners of her lips curling ever so slightly.

The laughter of children drew her eye momentarily, before finding Alexei again, using her chin to gesture towards the playground. "Yours?"

This was never the life that Alexi thought he would have. He for years after he moved to the states would have the life his parents wanted. To become a dentist like his father, a good way to care for a family it made good money. To marry a Russian women, because it did matter to his family to keep Russian in his family to keep it going even if they lived in the States now. He did all of that, the did what he was told and what he was told was normal.

But for years he knew how he felt and just pushed it away, knowing that what he felt he was told was wrong. He did his best to be kind and loved his ex wife and he did but not in the way he should. He wanted to make it work for years, why they had their kids right away. It worked for a couple years before it didn't. But here he was years later dating a man and living with his kids part time.

He was a bit out of it thinking about Eddy and what he wanted from his boyfriend and watching his kids play. That he didn't notice his waterbottle fall down and rollaway till she came up to him. 'Oh thanks" he said as he took it from her. "It really ran away from me" he chuckled. @yinachens

[thetravelerwrites]

Names and Locations of my OCs

The towns that surround Shelter Forest are Willowridge, Coleville, Red Landing, Tandale, Chesterfield, the City of Dunmountain, and the Shoreton Ruins. There are islands just off of the coast called Beast Island, Ghost Island, and Demon Island, where the Gandharva people reside. There’s also Geyarajan’s winery island and the Hidden Island, where the fae live.

These towns exist is on a fictional continent that’s near North America but is not part of it, hence why it’s a kingdom and not a democracy. Dunmountain is the largest city/town in the vicinity during the Shelter Forest Arc, but not the largest city on the continent. Tandale is the smallest.

Shoreton is made up of the Shoreton Ruins, which was once a vast city that housed an ancient race of elves, long extinct, and the Shoreton Port, where all import and export from other countries is conducted. Red Landing also has a port, but importing from there is strictly prohibited and it’s mainly a fishing town.

Declan is from South America, specifically Guatemala, and was trafficked into the country illegally.

Asker’s family’s territory encompasses most of the outer limits of Coleville and the cliffs near Geyarajan’s people’s islands.

Reed’s mate, Yala, was originally from Coleville.

Soraya’s mate, Caeli, came from the human-only town, Chesterfield. Asker’s mate, Laefa, and Ryel also came from Chesterfield. Soraya herself was discovered by Ryel in Tandale.

Rantha’s wife, Mercy, is from Dunmountain. Her family is fallen nobility attempting to reclaim their glory and saw her as a barrier to that goal. After her disappearance, they were arrested on suspicion of murder and convicted on “anonymous testimony.” 

Thandur came from a stronghold southeast of Red Landing called Red Ore. Thandur belongs to a prominent family named the Silversmiths. Thandur’s partner and her father came from Red Landing, and they all settled in Willowridge, buying the land they built their house on directly from Eris.  

Feera’s wife, Eris, originally lived in Tandale before marrying Rory and moving to a settlement that was later named Willowridge.

Cetzu was found in Asker’s territory near the cliffs. He originated from the Hidden Island.

Birch and Yew, though not related, were both born in captivity on a ranch in another country and were raised as slave laborers.

Albian came to Declan’s farm from Dunmountain. He’d lived there since he was young, but he and his mother had come to the country from England.

Lymera was rescued from a tavern in Tandale.

Toklo was bought as an infant from Dunmountain’s bazaar and smuggled to Declan’s farm by a family friend.

Ichabod’s partner lived in a convent outside of Red Landing. They now live in Coleville, as does Eli and Winnie.

Arkag was originally from Red Ore Stronghold, and resettled in Tandale after his amputation.

Geyarajan’s wife is from Chesterfield but was moved to the City of Dunmountain when she was eleven. His people’s original settlement was about seven miles east of Chesterfield, between Chesterfield and Red Landing.

Balkat is a hired mercenary and has no stable home, but he grew up in Coleville at the orphanage.

Karrghed is from Willowshield. His wife’s farm is outside of Tandale.

Alexei is originally from the orphanage in Coleville. The land he built his cottage on is outside of Coleville.

The gladiator where Sheng was a prize-fighter is in Dunmountain.

Wrykas’s family farm is near Tandale. The princess in Wrykas’s story is from Dunmountaint. She’s the eldest of two dozen princes and princesses, born from a seventh wife. Many of her siblings abdicated, went into hiding, or were executed when her father and his queen were deposed.

In the modern age, Varik and Elena moved to Dunmountain from Willowridge.

Tumble settled in Willowridge from a burrow near Dunmountain.

Farley and his mother live in a large cottage-style house outside of Tandale.

Yenuno, Amaia, Dr. Halvorg, and the Research Center, is located outside the city limits of Willowridge, not in the town proper.

Ravadhi has distant family in Red Landing whom he’s never met; he’s a distant descendant of one of Thandur��s brothers.

The person from Geteb’s story is going to the same college as Ravadhi.

Jin lived in Shelter Forest before meeting his partner and step-daughter, who live in the rural part of Red Landing.

Blue and their partner live in Tandale.

Verith is from Willowshield.

Sorka works in an offshoot branch of Ironblood Interspecies Childcare Services in the town of Chesterfield, which became integrated during the turn of the 19th century. Around this same time, the social attitudes of Willowridge and Chesterfield switched, in which Chesterfield became a more progressive, intersectional place and Willowridge became more insular and exclusive.

Salvatore lived in Willowridge before meeting his partner, but he traveled to work, since he doesn’t like taking clients in the same town where he lives. His partner lives in Tandale.

Fuzz moved to Willowridge from Dunmountain.

Yi Xiùlán’s cafe is located in Coleville. His family is originally from the Hubei Province in China.

Akuji and his partner live in Red Landing.

Vallech lives and works in Dunmountain, though he has a holiday home in Shoreton, which has since become a resort town.

Sergeant Chatzak was stationed in Coleville and is originally from Texas.

Rolgun lives in Chesterfield but does most of his work in Dunmountain.

Errol and his partner live in Red Landing, as does Errol’s brother. His parents and sister reside in Tandale.

Harlan and his partner are co-CEOs of a successful media company in Dunmountain.

Henry’s flowershop is in Coleville.

Urgan went to college in Dunmountain, but moved to a home in Coleville after his daughter was born.

Drigka and his girlfriend lived in Willowridge when they were in college, but reunited in Coleville.

Noah lives in Chesterfield officially, but he spends most of his time as a ranger in Shelter Forest, which is officially named Desoto Regional Forest in the modern day.

Want to know more? Ask me about my OCs.

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Traveler's Masterlist/Creators' Masterlist/OkCryptid Collab

[idahofallshq]

01: GIVE & TAKE. 8TH - 20TH OF MAY, 2044.

TW: MURDER, BLOOD, VIOLENCE, GRIEF.

8th of may.

it starts with a speech that alexei gives with a proud smile. those in grand teton mall are called to the lobby where alexei stands, head held high, his enforcers standing silently behind him. he congratulates those listening on a good season of gathering (stealing, killing, looting), and announces that tonight, there will be celebrations. there are cheers from the residents of the zone, and an excited buzz begins to bloom and spread.

the enforcers stay while alexei walks away to enjoy the spoils reaped by the people trapped under this heel, doling out the last tasks of the day. some soldiers are instructed to gather all the metal bins and other heat proof containers around the mall and bring them to the roof and car park. small fires are lit and seats cramped around them. the delivery bay shutters are left wide open, with sheltered seating in the workshop.

the other lookouts and bases in the QZ are contacted over the radio, with news of the celebrations and instructions to make their way over to the mall to help with preparations. residents at the hotel base are tasked with bringing over potato vodka made at the brewery.

as residents pile into grand teton mall, the food hall is alive with the aromas of freshly cooked game. those who have finished their tasks are given their regular portions, and the cooks are brought drinks to enjoy while they serve the food. but selfishness leaves a bitterness in the air. an enforcer, mike, cuts into the line for food, who has already been seen eating his portion. mike holds out his bowl for the cook to refill, and the line stirs as the cook hesitates. confrontation builds up but leads nowhere, as the atmosphere becomes tense and the enforcer reacts with malice. ultimately, mike walks away smug with a second helping, and no consequences. those who witness the altercation are shocked and quietly outraged.

once the kitchens have closed, the food hall remains busy with those who prefer the warmth over the cool may night, or perhaps want to avoid the drunk residents crowding the workshop bar. but something else lingers here. resentment? despair? injustice?

a voice calls out to the food court, that voice is that of raymond's, one of the oldest of idaho falls and the cook present when mike took more than his allotted portion. he addresses the elephant in the room, because his heart has always been too big for a place run by volkovs. ray declares injustice, damning mike loud and clear for taking more than everyone else. his voice carries over the silent room so clearly, despite his stature, that even those wandering past the food hall hear his words. but with this, ray's accusations find the wrong pair of ears. an enforcer sneaks out the food hall to inform alexei of the situation.

the tyrant arrives before ray has time to finish, enforcers on either side of him, and always a step behind. the room falls silent, but alexei doesn't keep it that way. “no, go on, ray. i want to hear your case.” but there is hesitation from the cook, because alexei holds a pistol in one hand. “come on, raymond. out with it.” there is something welcoming about the way alexei eggs him on, which makes what he does next so much more shocking.

ray opens his mouth. two words in, a bullet is fired. it burrows into the spot between ray's eyes, and the cook drops to the floor. there are gasps, but the room remains silent as alexei speaks again.

“any other complaints?”

not even breathing can be heard. it’s cold with fear and forced compliance.

alexei and his enforcers leave, including mike, who sports the grin of a man who’s won. where raymond's body fell lays a pool of blood, cleaned as he's carried away. it stains the hands of the unfortunate cleaners - still warm.

word spreads throughout the mall, and while the night continues, spirits are dampened. ray was widely loved, widely known. there isn't a soul in idaho falls who hasn't at least met him once. now he is gone, his body turning cold in the back of a truck, blood seeping through the cloth covering him.

most residents will be staying the night at the mall unless they can find a sober person to drive them back to the hotel.

9th of may.

residents on morning patrol shifts are allowed 2 more hours in bed, but are expected to all show up to work despite hangovers. the day proceeds as usual, but the zone is heavy with the absence of their beloved cook and storyteller. without raymond to cheer up everyone's morning, silent sadness fills the spaces between souls.

with the sun still up and the evening almost upon them, the residents of idaho falls who wish to pay respects to raymond prepare to make their way to the cemetery.

the ceremony is quiet, but packed. there's only a few residents who haven't attended, alexei included, but the silence of their places are filled by the children and many grandchildren of the old cook, the youngest crying quietly as the body is lowered into the dirt. idaho falls QZ has lost a warm heart, a bright smile, and a beloved entertainer, one that will be missed more with each passing day, the more they all step further and further into the darkness. no more will ray's light guide them home after a long patrol. no more will his jokes and care keep them warm enough to sleep through the night undisturbed.

the volkov heir, DAIYU, notices the face of mike, the enforcer who started ray’s words of outrage, looking smug, looking down on the man’s life he indirectly ended. rage is all that shines through, and the crowd gasps and parts as alexei’s youngest beats another enforcer within an inch of his life. an enforcer intervenes, saving the other's life, intentionally or not, grappling the tyrant born and dragging her away from the fight.

ray's grave is filled, and everyone says their goodbyes, quietly or through waves of tears. what will grow where he was planted? will anger and righteousness finally take hold? or will his death do nothing but begin the process of rot?

ADMIN NOTES.

unless your character was named, you can choose whether your character saw raymond be shot in the food hall or not.

while there isn't anything specific happening for the rest of the timestamp, feel free to explore the aftermath of ray’s death for your characters. are they outraged? numb?

DAIYU has been put in isolation from the 9th-16th for attacking mike, the enforcer responsible for ray’s death, but this has not been widely announced. if your character wishes to visit her in isolation, be warned that the guard on duty could snitch to alexei, should your character not have enough influence or stealth.

feel free to write this plot drop on the dash and/or the IC server and continue any flashbacks & pre event threads you might have.

please spoiler any spoilers for the plot drop in the server until everyone’s read it!

if you have any questions, hit up the #questions channel! happy writing! ps. alexei is watching.

8TH OF MAY.

with ZAHRA and HENRIK assigned to truck 28, NELE and HEZEKIAH to truck 11, and TEDDY and VICTORIA to truck 9, they tasked with delivering booze and some rations from the hotel to the mall. however, they can't settle which is the best route to take. truck 28 and 9 take a shorter route with more obstacles, where the two groups are seperated [obstacles TBD by players] while truck 11 takes the longer route but ultimately gets to the mall first.

truck 16, driven by LEO and MATEUS, leaves earlier than most and yet is nowhere to be found as celebrations start. left with a car pouring smoke from a mechanical issue, in a very deserted part of the QZ, they struggle with radio until they at last get backup, arriving at the mall way later in the night.

in the carpark, among the spaced out fires and bodies huddled around them, drinking and laughing, some of the residents prop up a plank of wood with a makeshift bullseye. NIKOLAI is among the group of residents who take turns throwing knives at the center, and so far he is the reigning champion. MARA is passing by, and stops to take a turn.

EVA gets up from her seat to collect a drink from the bar, but when she returns SURI is occupying it.

singing can be heard from the serene rooftop. QUINO, having had a few drinks, sings a song from before the infection. VICTORIA, who doesn’t recognise the song at first, moves closer to listen. 

it's OPHELIA who's tasked with cleaning up the pool of blood left behind by ray's body, and it’s MATTY who approaches to help her. 

9TH OF MAY.

GILBERT and VINCENT make their way over to the cemetery early to dig out raymond's grave.

FELIX and ZEPPELIN are tasked with driving and escorting the truck with raymond's body, while his family is being driven to the cemetery behind them.

VIVIEN intervenes when DAIYU attacks mike, stopping her from killing him.

[vertigocomics]

Black Widow movie felt like a rough draft.

The theme was FAMILY but it said nothing about family.

Why was there a Nirvana cover? Who made that choice?

I wish when Natasha severed the nerve (i think thats what they said) it was her figuring that out and showing us her skill instead of Melina telling her

Also splicing that scene with a flashback was not a great choice or execution not sure which was wrong but one of them

Wish the relationships/dynamics were more like the comics

Why was Alexei her "father"???

Why are Yelena and Natasha sisters?

Whats with the Nirvana?

I saw a lot of people say that Taskmaster is a good villain because she represents trauma

Like "family" they say nothing of trauma

Antonia was just another female character with no personality of her own she exists as a mans backstory and is literally controlled by him

It would be more interesting if she was willingly working with him because of what Natasha did to her

Can you imagine if they "freed" her and she still fought them?

If you want a woman to be the villain let her be a villain

Antonia if she had agency could have worked as a foil for Natasha instead of a victim of the Red Room she would be a victim of Natasha

What about Nirvana screams girlpower to Marvel?

Natasha is already dead so they didnt bother giving her any development

Yelena is the star but its not because of the writing its Florence Pugh

I havent red a comic with Alexei in a while but I dont remember him being an idiot? Why was he an idiot here? Was it Marvel capitilizing on the rise of Himbos and love of Jim Hopper?

Why Nirvana?

Why were there so many bears at Nats grave I assume it was the other girls but why bears

Speaking of bears that prisoner was Ursa??? I dont know shit about Ursa but I want a big talking bear or nothing

I felt almost nothing when they took down the red room

There was very little set up of what the red room is and I didnt have much connection to it

Why do both of Marvels superhero movie feature a song from the Nevermind album?

Natasha telling that guy (forgot the name) that shes impressed also could have been an emotional moment but I had forgotten about him by the time he showed up again

They needed to spend more time on character development give the audience reasons to care please

Also transitions you cant just hop from one plot point to another with nothing in between

You need a story not a book report

I cant see myself rewatching unless its with my in laws who speak rusian to hear them complain about the pronunciation bc thats always fun

I wanted to like this movie I love spy movies and Black Widow but they goofed

@captainamericasamwilson the Nirvana thing has burrowed into my mind and "Kurt Cobain feminism" may or may not be in my search history

[awkwardxstars]

He enjoyed the closeness, smirking and reminded of Sasha. He ran his fingers through Cannes hair and rubbed his back and whispers. "You're very, very cute. You know that?"

His heart stuttered in his chest and he was suddenly very glad that Alexei couldn't see the flustered look on his face. ...He nuzzled close, burrowing into the crook of Alexei's neck to make really sure he didn't, though.

"I...I don't know what to say to that," Cannes mumbled honestly, voice thick with embarrassment. "Thank you...?"

[tawneybel]

The holy month of No Nut November is not observed on this blog. 

Did I ever mention how much I love Halloween socks? It takes self-control not to buy a dozen pairs each year. But if you don’t get ones that actually say “Halloween” or have pumpkins on them, you can wear them whenever.

Okay, last personal post I said I would talk about Stranger Things 3. First, here’s a list of other stuff I’ve watched:

Murder on the Orient Express 2017

Crooked House 2017

Hills Have Eyes 2 

Sleepwalkers (Charles Brady is going on my husband list.)

Slither (But the infestation was not sexy, not sexy at all.) 

Body Snatchers (Billy Wirth is actually hotter [to me] in this than The Lost Boys.)

Halloween: Resurrection 

Rocky III

Halloween II 2009 (Caught up with this franchise, finally.) 

Leatherface

Pet Sematary 1989 (Debating whether or not to watch Pet Sematary Two, but I definitely want to watch the remake.) 

Thir13een Ghosts (Had no idea this was a remake. The Torn Prince is kinda cute.) 

Orphan (Actually pretty terrifying.) 

The Blob 1988 (I’m surprised I preferred the original.) 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Finally! Bubba’s grunts and yelps are oddly endearing.) 

Suzie, Do You Copy?

It’s a good thing I watched the recap. Steve’s still great. Guys who are good with kids are sooo hot. That’s why dads are hot.

I wish I could hang out at the Starcourt Mall with its synth music. :( Some people don’t like how this series employs so much eighties nostalgia pandering. I don’t see the problem. 

The Mall Rats

“Yeah, well, boyfriends lie. All the time.” Who hurt you? Besides Lucas. Communicate! Then dump his a/s/s if need be. As for those supposedly mean girls, all they did was give you a look! Don’t blow the drinks up in their faces! Imagine if Eleven had manually done that. It would be considered bullying. :/ 

I want Mrs. Wheeler’s swimsuit and El’s dress with the black background. And I want to get glamour shots to “Material Girl.” But my favorite thing about this episode was the possession. It was a really, really pleasant surprise. 

The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

Ralph Macchio? Yesss. When I was thirteen, I watched The Outsiders and I’ve liked him since. Also, Bill Gambini from My Cousin Vinny.

The Sauna Test

Look at all those infested townspeople. Yes, good.

The Flayed

The characters are kind of mean to each other. :( But Steve finally won a fight!

E Pluribus Unum

Flayed!Billy’s speech: “Don’t you see? All this time we’ve been building it. We’ve been building it… for you./“All that work… all that pain… all of it, for you.”

Also, today Dustin would be considered a Brony. 

The Bite

I like how El and Mike worked on their issues. Illegally hanging out at a grocery store after hours with some friends seems fun. Steve making fun of Robin’s crush was one of my favorite scenes this season: “She sounds like a Muppet giving birth.”

Eleven badassedly using telekinesis to get that thing that burrowed under her skin. 

Alexei died, which sucked. But I laughed when Murray said, “I left for a stupid corndog.” It sounded like he got food before looking for Hopper and Joyce. 

The Battle of Starcourt

I wish a Flayed dude would carry me over his shoulder. But like, without knocking me out first. And without carrying me to danger. 

Dustin/Suzie might become my Stranger Things OTP in season four. Their rendition of “The NeverEnding Story” was so beautiful. Eventually I will watch that movie. 

Nice to see Keith again. I WANT TO WORK IN AN EIGHTIES VIDEO STORE. :( Thanks, Netflix.

Song of the Day: “Bigger Hole to Fill” by The Hives.

[nikolacvna-archive]

                                                    @lettergave  asked :   ⛄️

         ꧁ ༒ ☬   holiday ask meme  /  accepting!!  ☬ ༒ ꧂

         their work,  so it would seem, is  n e v e r  done.    no sooner have the two groups of sisters stumbled inside, shaking snow off their fur muffs with cheeks freshly flush from a frigid sleigh ride, that alexei declares he wants to build a snowman.    as a dedicated older sister, how could tatiana refuse?    how could their guests, for that matter, when the young tsarevich is so persistent, and so persuasive?

          there’s no somehow to it.   alexei’s puppy dog eyes are exactly how she and eliza find themselves on their knees in the snow, packing handfuls of slush into an icy torso.     through the fabric of her dress and coat, tatiana’s legs are starting to freeze.  the chill is burrowing its way into her bones   ;;   even her deerskin gloves are losing the ability to keep her hands warm.     in the icy air, eliza’s cheeks are bright pink, her skin pale and eyes very dark.     does she look happy to be out here?    it is impossible to say.

         ‘ if you are cold, we can go back inside, ’      she says in an undertone, over alexei’s whooping.      ‘ i doubt we’d be noticed.    we could make some excuse, like…   we’ve got to find a carrot for his nose, or black beans for the eyes.   buttons, maybe. ’      looking up, she surveys the mess which can just barely be called a snowman with a critical eye.     ‘ yes…  i think our friend could benefit from buttons, don’t you, eliza? ’

[yahoodevelopers]

Announcing Bandar-Log: easily monitor throughput of data sources and processing components for ETL pipelines

By Alexey Lipodat, Project Engagement, Oath

One of the biggest problems with a typical Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) workflow is that stringing together multiple systems adds processing time that is often unmeasured. At Oath, we turned to open source for a solution.

When researching possible solutions for enabling process metrics within our ETL pipeline, we searched for tools focused on Apache Kafka, Athena, Hive, Presto, and Vertica. For Kafka, we discovered Burrow, a monitoring service that provides consumer lag metric, but no existing options were available for Hive and Vertica. Creating or integrating a different monitoring application for each component of the ETL pipeline would significantly increase the complexity to run and maintain the system.

In order to avoid unnecessary complexity and effort, we built Bandar-Log, a simple, standalone monitoring application based on typical ETL workflows. We published it as an open source project so that it can be a resource for other developers as well.

Meet Bandar-Log

Bandar-Log is a monitoring service that tracks three fundamental metrics in real-time: lag, incoming, and outgoing rates. It runs as a standalone application that tracks performance outside the monitored application and sends metrics to an associated monitoring system (e.g. Datadog).

A typical ETL assumes there will be some processing logic between data sources. This assumption adds some delay, or "resistance," which Bandar-Log can measure.

For example:

How many events is the Spark app processing per minute as compared to how many events are coming to Kafka topics?

What is the size of unprocessed events in Kafka topics at this exact moment?

How much time has passed since the last aggregation processed?

Bandar-Log makes it easy to answer these questions and is a great tool:

Simple to use — create your own Bandar-Log in 10 minutes by following the Start Bandar-Log in 3 steps doc, and easily extend or add custom data sources

Stable — tested extensively on real-time big data pipelines

Fully supported — new features are frequently added

Flexible — no modifications needed to existing apps for this external, standalone application to monitor metrics.

 How Bandar-Log works

To better understand how Bandar-Log works, let's review a single part of the ETL process and integrate it with Bandar-Log.

As an example, we’ll use the replication stage, the process of copying data from one data source to another. Let's assume we already have aggregated data in Presto/Hive storage and now we’ll replicate the data to Vertica and query business reports. We'll use a replicator app to duplicate data from one storage to another. This process copies the dedicated batch of data from Presto/Hive to Vertica.

The replication process is now configured, but how should we track the progress? We want to make sure that the replication works as expected and that there isn’t any delay. In order to confirm that the replication is working correctly, we will need to know:

How much unreplicated data do we have in Presto/Hive?

What's the incoming rate of Presto/Hive data?

How much data has already been replicated to Vertica?

What's the lag between unreplicated and already replicated data?

Inserting tracking logic directly in the replicator app or adding tracking logic in all the ETL pipeline components where we need the process status pose concerns, as these approaches are not scalable and if the replicator app fails, no information is received. A standalone application, like Bandar-Log, solves these issues by tracking status from outside the monitored application.

Let's integrate Bandar-Log with the replication pipeline. As mentioned above, Bandar-Log operates with three fundamental metrics:

IN - incoming rate

OUT - outgoing rate

LAG - lag rate (the difference between IN and OUT)

Every component independently interprets lag and incoming/outgoing rates. For instance, a Spark-driven app depends on Kafka, therefore, the lag and rates signify the number of unread messages, both producing and consuming rates. For our replicator app, incoming and outgoing rates mean how many batches of data arrived and were processed per some interval. ETL components use a dedicated column to mark and isolate a specific piece of processed data, which is called batch_id. The semantics of batch_id is a Unix time timestamp measured in milliseconds, which determines the time when the piece of data was processed.

Keeping this in mind, we’ll now use the Presto/Hive source to measure the input rate and our Vertica source to measure the output rate.  

Due to this approach, an input rate will be the last processed timestamp from Presto/Hive, and the output rate will be the last replicated timestamp from Vertica. Bandar-Log will fetch these metrics according to the rate interval, which can be configured to retrieve metrics based on preference. Fetched metrics will be pushed to Datadog, the default monitoring system.

Now that we have the input and output rate metrics. What about lag? How can we track the delay of our replication process?

This is quite simple: the LAG metric depends on IN and OUT metrics and is calculated as the difference between them. If we have both of these metrics, then we can easily calculate the LAG metric, which will show us the delay in the replication process between Presto/Hive and Vertica. However, if we are using the real-time system then we should provide data faster and track the status of this process. This metric can be called "Real-time Lag" and determines the delay between the current timestamp and the timestamp associated with the last processed or replicated batch of data.

To calculate the REALTIME_LAG metric, the IN metric from Presto/Hive isn’t needed; instead, we'll use the current timestamp and OUT metric from the final source, which is Vertica. After this step we'll receive four metrics (IN, OUT, LAG, REALTIME_LAG) in the monitoring system. We can now create appropriate dashboards and alert monitors.

This is just one of many examples showing how you can use Bandar-Log. Explore more examples in the Bandar-Log Readme doc. Download the code and if you’d like to contribute any code fixes or additional functionality, visit Bandar-Log on Github and become part of our open source community.

P.S. We’re hiring! Explore opportunities here.

[inara-sensei]

Winter Storms, A short story

Tsar Alexei Romanov had the messenger sent out to Lady Katya Fedorova Katresev’s town home the second the doctors arrived. He instructed the guards to search for any possible assailants still within the palace and to check for casualties. Other than a few injured, only two had died, a maid caught in the crossfire and a soldier who was shot upon arrival of the assassins. He called a small impromptu meeting with his advisors, which concluded twenty minutes later, with plans for security in the palace and a move on policies to protect sorcerers. There was nothing left for the Tsar to do. Nothing but wait.

The tsar paced. His steps echoed through the halls, his reflection staring down at him in the shined white floors. How long had he been gone? How long? He pulled out his pocket watch. The two hours. Two hours since the incident. He sighed and shoved it back into his pocket. This couldn’t be happening.

He continued pacing through the halls until he stopped at the hall of portraits. He glanced up at the newest portrait hanging in the frame. Lines of the tsars and their sorcerers hung in gilded gold frames, and his was the newest, fresh in his military uniform with highest honors. Besides him was Nikolai, dressed in the highest dress of the Sorcerer’s Guild. He shared the same heterochromatic eyes with the golden rims around the pupils that was the hallmark of all the other imperial sorcerers in the paintings. What if he never saw those eyes again? What if Nikolai never smiled? Never laughed? Never looked at him again?

“Alexei! Look out!”

A flash of gold, and a bullet in his chest. Blood. Blood everywhere. Spilling onto the floors, falling onto the white floors.

Alexei touched his jacket, where Nikolai’s blood stained the grey jacket deep red and black in some parts. The metallic scent of blood covered his clothing.

He did this. He wasn’t careful. He let so many into the palace with reckless abandon. It was just a winter ball. Nikolai’s birthday had passed in a small celebration according to his wishes. Lady Katya had mentioned that she had thrown Nikolai a ball for his eighth birthday, but Nikolai had mentioned that he wanted a quiet event with Katya, Eduard, Zoya, and Alexei. She had let him have that according to his wishes.

And the winter ball was a few days later, one of the biggest events of the year in court. Alexei had been so busy with visiting dignitaries and guests swirling in and out of the palace. He hadn’t noticed anyone slipping inside when his guests left. He’d been holding Nikolai’s hand, walking down the hall and laughing over events at the ball together, when the shot rang out. He had seen Nikolai do magic before. Seen him weave water and ice together in displays for balls. Even seen some of his defensive and offensive skills in the Sorcerer’s Trials. But he had never seen him fused with the phoenix for long. The two of them did not fight like separate entities, but as if Nikolai disappeared and gave the phoenix use of his body until the phoenix felt it was safe. Nikolai had collapsed once the phoenix left.

“My tsar?”

Alexei jumped. He spun to face the doctor, dressed in white with only blood staining his impeccable attire. “Yes?” The doctor rung his hands, his eyes careful to avoid Alexei’s. In fact, his eyes avoided Alexei’s path completely. This couldn’t be good. He took a deep breath. “Please, whatever the news, I need to know.”

“Your sorcerer...well, we did the best we could. We removed the bullet, cleaned out the wound, and stitched him up as best we could. One of my colleagues was just finishing his bandages when I came out to find you. But he’s started developing a fever, and...” They couldn’t say his name? Just called him the sorcerer. Why couldn’t they say his name? What if...what if they chose it? His heart hammered in his ears. No. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn’t die. Nikolai couldn’t die. He was too young, too lively, too human to just be extinguished like that. And for the tsar, no less! How ironic. The grand imperial sorcerer dies in his first year in power, shortly after Alexei’s coronation.

“He’s dead?” The head doctor hesitated.

“No, my tsar.”

“He’s dying, then?”

“No, my tsar, but we don’t know if he’s going to survive.”

“There’s a chance?”

“Yes, with time, medication, and patience. If he makes it through the night, he’ll be much better.”

“But if we could get a healer-”

“They all left on their retreat, my tsar.”

“I know, but-”

“They’re in the mountains. We could not fetch them in time to save his life, should he take a turn for the worst. A healer could heal the worst, but the rest would be up to him. With the fever, all we can do is watch, treat, and pray. I am sorry, my tsar. I know you are...fond of him.” Alexei bit back a harsh laugh or sob. He wasn’t sure which. Fond of. Yes, he was fond of Nikolai in more ways than one, and certainly more than most of the candidates for empress that had been proposed to him. “If I were you, I would send for his family and say my goodbyes.”

“I already sent for his family. May I enter his chamber?”

“Of course, my tsar. We are just cleaning up in there. Though, do be wary of the little cat. She is very protective of her master.” For the first time since hearing this news, he laughed. Little Zoya, ever by Nikolai’s side. Nikolai had come to a war meeting once, flicking open the door with his magic and storming in, a trail of ice following his steps and little Zoya following him. Alexei’s generals had laughed, until they remembered just who Nikolai was, and Zoya hissed at Alexei’s generals fiercely. Sometimes, he thought she could have been a little tiger in a past life.

Doctors shuffled out of Nikolai’s room, carrying bloody bandages and tools. Alexei entered slowly as the last one left. The room was untouched. Nothing looked different in Nikolai’s extravagant room, except for the pale figure in his bed. Zoya nudged his arm softly, burrowing as close to Nikolai’s chest as she dared. Her golden eyes watched him carefully.

“Hey Zoya.”

She didn’t meow back.

He dragged a chair from the small sitting area over to Nikolai’s bedside. His face was washed out and sweat was beaded around his forehead. His breathing was labored and shallow. Alexei’s vision blurred. What had he done?

“Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me, milaya.”

Nikolai didn’t answer. Neither did Zoya.

No one answered Alexei’s plea.

No one.

***

“Where is my baby?”

The doors banged open and Lady Katya stormed through the room, followed by her head servant, Eduard. He stood to greet her, his joints creaking from his immobility. He stretched out his back a little, then put a diplomatic expression. How long had he been sitting there, watching the fever worsen and take his lover further and further away from him? Nikolai had started having fevered nightmares, similar to the ones he had normally, but much worse. He couldn’t wake him from the terror, and it was almost like he was living in it. Even little Zoya was helpless, meowing occasionally and nudging his cheek with her head or paw. Eventually, she would stop and lie beside him again, nestled in the crook of his uninjured arm or as close to his side as she could without hurting him.

“Lady Katya-”

“Oh, god above.”

She rushed past him and close to Nikolai, her jaw agape. Katya was not in her normal state. Her hair was thrown up in a chignon, but bits and pieces of her brown hair poked out of it, and her navy gown was rumpled under her fur coat. Her leather gloves were in Eduard’s hands, and her fur lined cap was askew on her head. Even Eduard’s suit was rumpled, and he had heavy bags under his eyes. She’d gotten dressed in a hurry, he realized. She’d dressed in a hurry so she couldn’t miss what could be her ward’s last moments.

“Oh sweetie... oh Niki, honey...” She collapsed into his chair, brushing back his dark hair from his sweat drenched forehead with her hand. She looked like such a mother for a moment, the steadfast guardian of her son. Eduard kept a little distance from them as if to protect their portrait of a distraught family, then placed a hand on her shoulder as her shoulders shook and trembled. He was the pillar of strength, the unmoving object in their world. Guilt panged his heart. He was tearing apart their family. Katya had already lost her husband years ago. Now he was taking away her adopted child.

“I’m seeing to it that only the best doctors see to his medical care,” Alexei volunteered. “The best the palace has to offer.” As if this small thing could make this better. Katya looked up, her face stained with tears. Her eyes, however, blazed and bore into him with an anger that he had never seen pointed at him before. He stepped back, his heart hammering in his chest. He knew Katya was anxious to give her beloved ward to him, but she had given him a try. Even after he visited her home unannounced and wrote to him after the trials, when they were supposed to have no contact, she was at least cordial. This was the first time, however, that she truly pierced his heart in fear. Fear of her rage. Fear of what she might do to him.

“You don’t deserve him. You don’t deserve my boy. And if he dies...his blood is on your hands, and I don’t even know what I’ll do to you.”

“I'm sorry.”

There was more that he wanted to say. That if he could take Nikolai’s place, he would. That he loved him more than she could ever understand. The words died in his throat. No one spoke again except for Nikolai, who shouted for mercy for someone named Vasili.

 ***

Eventually, the doctor returned to see how things were going. Katya had begun reading out loud from one book out of the four stacked by Nikolai’s nightstand, and Alexei had taken to pacing in the room. Alexei had always teased Nikolai's book stack. It was always at least three books stacked on top, but no more than seven, and Nikolai was almost always reading one when he came in. It seemed so funny. Nikolai, coming from a peasant’s background would adore books so much, while Alexei enjoyed reading but not to Nikolai's level. Now, though, he couldn't imagine sleeping in a room without Nikolai or his large stack of books.

Eduard stood faithfully by Katya, unmoving and unwavering. Loyal, like Nikolai. Zoya rose from her watch, arching her back. She hadn't left her vigil. He pressed a pouch into Alexei’s hand. “Herbs. I suggest mixing it into tea if he wakes up. It'll help,the fever, and provide good healing.”

If. Not when. If. Katya stiffened, her voice wavering in the book. But she continued reading, keeping Nikolai’s ice cold hand in hers.

“Thank you.”

“Merry Christmas my tsar. May luck be with all of you. Your sorcerer will need it.”

“Nikolai.”

The doctor hesitated.

“Excuse me, my tsar?”

“His name is Nikolai.”

“Of course, my tsar. I shall ask my family to pray for Nikolai at services in the morning.”

“Thank you. Merry Christmas. But...I need you here. On call. Just...just in case.”

“Yes, my tsar. As you wish. I shall keep the whole team here. Let me inform them.”

The head doctor left, only the herbs in Alexei’s hand as a reminder of what had transpired. “My tsar, is there anything we can do for you?” Eduard asked.

“What? Oh, no. Eduard, you’re not even in my service. I have a palace full of servants for that! Even Nikolai has his own private staff-”

“Would you like some tea, my tsar? Mistress?”

“Tea would be lovely, Eduard,” Katya replied, continuing on with her reading.

“Then...that would be nice, thank you.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Bring some for yourself,” Alexei instructed. “You deserve it.”

“Yes, my tsar.”

Eduard left quickly. Nikolai said something about one of the members of the trials with horror in his voice, but it died down quickly. No need for comfort, though those outbursts were becoming far more common than the short ones like this in between the long stretches of silence instead.

“Mistress, I do wish that we were meeting under better circumstances.” Katya paused her reading.

“Do call me Katya. You are my son’s beloved, are you not? I believe we’re on a first name basis now, Alexei.” She was testing him. That much was clear. But Alexei couldn't bring himself to care.

“I think so, Katya.” ”

“What happened? I deserve to know.”

“We were walking back from the winter ball, and someone jumped out to kill me. Nikolai...well...had to play the hero.”

“That's so like him.”

“He summoned the Phoenix.”

“It takes a lot out of him. The Phoenix is incredibly powerful. For sometime, I thought it would steal all that my Nikolai was. This big golden bird, and my little Nikolai...it towered over him. I’d never seen a phoenix before. It was so terrifying.”

“But it didn't.”

“Thankfully, no. He's stronger than I ever thought possible. I can't imagine him dying from this. He's my baby. He always has been. And to think of my life without him, it seems so empty and devoid of happiness and laughter. This...it can't kill him.”

Alexei had seen a grand imperial sorcerer die only once before. His father’s, a strong woman by the name of Irina. She had been a skilled fire wielder, able to lift and blow flames around the room and blaze fires through forests. She could evaporate water with a single snap, and raise flames with the combustive elements in the silver ring she wore on her hand. She had taken massive hits for his father, and as she lay dying, her whole body glowed golden and the phoenix rose and left her, as if called somewhere else. Worse, it was in a shuddering breath that it departed, as if all that held her body together were the phoenix’s presence and her gold tinged blood. Maybe the strain it placed on sorcerers wasn’t healthy. Maybe it was the extent of her injuries. But when she died, it was almost as if the magic she had was gone, leaving behind the shell of a woman who was never fully human. Sorcerers were their own breed, his father had told him once.

“I...”

The words died in his throat. He couldn’t see Nikolai dying in such a gruesome way. The phoenix and Nikolai were inseparable. He couldn’t imagine Nikolai without it.

“Alexei? Are you alright?”

He turned on his heels and fled.

***

Alexei never ventured into the chapel on his own accord. Sure, he went for required ceremonies, and for services every Sunday, but he never went other times. Nikolai would venture into the temple for his practices and ceremonies with the high priest and priestess, and for his own services. He always left drained and exhausted, often falling into bed still in his ceremonial robes. He never spoke of what his work was in the temple, or even in his dealings with the gods of old.  

Alexei, however, avoided the chapel in the Winter Palace until that night, throwing open the great white doors and hurrying inside the ornate room filled with golden carvings. The white altar was adorned in a deep red cloth, and a large golden cross stood in the center of the sacristy. Candles glowed around the room, ever lit, always present. He could smell leftover incense from the evening’s Christmas service.

For the first time in all his life, he knelt before the altar and prayed.

“Please, don’t take him from me. You can have all that you wish, except for him. Anyone but him.”

***

Christmas came in the earliest hours, signaled only by the chiming of the clock in the hall, but the only change to Nikolai’s chambers was the new book Katya had begun. Eduard had brought the tea and left, refreshing the tray shortly after Alexei returned from his desperate pleas in the chapel.

Katya’s voice was soft. It had a gentle, rhythmic pulse to it that it almost helped his pounding heart slow slightly. Eduard held out a teacup, and a small plate with small sandwiches and small cookies. He accepted both, but didn’t bother eating the food or drinking the tea. He set the plate on Nikolai’s bedside table and held the tea in his hands.The warmth barely reached his fingers, just like Katya’s words didn’t register, despite their soothing nature. The room was tense. Nikolai had been sleeping quietly for a few hours now, no more shouting or thrashing. In a way, it made Nikolai dread it more. Irina had the same problem. She got quiet before she passed. Maybe this was the end. Katya continued her reading, some book Nikolai thought was the next Russian novel. A raspy laugh filled the room.

“This...this was not a good book to read now, mistress,” Nikolai managed. He sounded so tired, so ready for rest, that they almost didn’t hear him. Katya dropped the book. It bounced of the mattress and hit the carpet with a dull thud. Nikolai tried to reach down to grab it, but Alexei rushed forward, grasping it first and placing it on the table. Katya eased her ward back onto the mattress, and into the seemingly endless cloud of blankets and pillows.

“Sweetie, don’t get up.”

“What happened to me?” Katya opened her mouth, but Alexei stepped forward.

“You saved my life.”

“I did?” Nikolai’s eyes widened and he shot up in bed, before doubling over in pain. Zoya meowed in distress, almost falling out of Nikolai’s bed in his sudden movement. “I...I need to be out there. He could still be out there! I need to be hunting him down with the guard, it’s my job-”

“You need rest,” Katya said. “Sweetie, Alexei is fine.”

“But-”

“I’m right here, nothing happened to me.”

“This is my job. If something happens to you-”

“How could it, with you guarding me?” Nikolai considered this, lying back against the pillows again. Katya smoothed over his hair, brushing it out of his eyes.

“Fair enough,” he finally acquiesced.  

“I’m so happy you’re ok,” Katya whispered. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. Again, they looked like a painting, frozen in this moment. Though instead of a tragic image of a distraught mother keeping vigil in her son’s room, this was the image of a mother and son reunited after surviving death. “You be more careful now, ok? Promise me.” Zoya stood and meowed in assent. Nikolai chuckled, scratching behind his familiar’s ear.

“I promise.”

“Good.”

Alexei fished the small bag out of his pocket. “Mistress, would you and Eduard mind getting some tea from the kitchens to mix this into?” Katya frowned. Eduard glanced between them and stepped forward, taking the small bag of herbs from Alexei.

“Of course. Mistress, weren’t you saying that you wanted Nikolai to actually eat something when he woke?”

“Yes, I did, didn’t I? We’ll be back in a moment.” Her eyes cut into Alexei, a warning if anything else. Don’t try anything funny.

“Thank you.”

They departed swiftly, with Katya tugging Eduard by the sleeve. Nikolai glanced at the tea tray, then back at Alexei. Alexei climbed into bed with him, his movements careful to not move his lover’s injured body. To think, he might have never had this opportunity again.

“There’s already tea, Alexei,” Nikolai pointed out.

“It’s cold. Besides, I wanted a moment alone with you, milaya.”

“There are easier ways to get that.”

“I know.” Zoya wedged herself between the two of them, nudging Nikolai’s unbruised cheek with her head and meowing softly, burrowing herself into the blankets and purring. “I thought you were going to die.”

“It’ll take something bigger to kill me.”

“Nikolai, really. You can’t just throw yourself in front of me like that. What if...what if you had died instantly? What if the doctor hadn’t come in time? I keep thinking about it-”

“Stop. I’m here, and I’m alive. I’m hurting a lot, but I’m alive.”

“I know.”

Nikolai slung an arm around his shoulder, burying his face in the crook of Alexei’s shoulder. They stayed in their embrace until Nikolai broke it, his breath and chest shuddering with pain and difficulty breathing.

“Gods above, everything hurts...”

“You sound like Katya.”

“She lets you call her that now?”

“Sometimes. I think that’ll change now that you’re awake, though.”

“Sorry. I can go back to sleep if you want.”

“No! No, not yet. I...I never thought I’d see you again.” Nikolai paused, not speaking.

“I thought I was going to die, too. That if I had to go out in any way, it would be protecting you or Mistress Katya. And I thought to myself, it won’t be so bad. You’ll be safe, and you can move on and find someone new. Mistress Katya can move into the palace and have all that she desires, and she’ll care for Zoya. But I still didn’t want to go. Not yet. And here I am.”

“I love you. I love you so much, milaya.”

“I love you too. I had a really strange dream.”

“Really?” Alexei wanted to ask about the terrifying dreams. The terrifying ones where Nikolai screamed for mercy for others and thrashed about like he might die. “What was it about?”

“A woman named Irina came and talked to me. She brought the phoenix. We just...talked. Funny, I’ve never met her before, though.” Alexei felt himself go cold. Nikolai shifted, his eyes concerned. “Alexei? What’s wrong?”

“She was my father’s sorcerer.”

“Isn’t she dead?”

“She died defending him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t go with her.”

The door opened again, and Eduard carried in a silver tray that held a tea service and a bowl of soup. Katya’s deep brown eyes stared at Alexei. She almost looked forgiving in his general direction. But then she glanced at Nikolai, and her whole face turned into an expression of love and caring mixed with relief.

“I need you to eat all of this, ok?” she said softly. “I think it’ll help.”

“It will. The men who ate when recovering from wounds often recovered faster,” Eduard agreed, nodding his assent.

“Fine. Pass it over. Mistress, did you finish my last book?”

“I did. They get married, by the way.”

“Mistress! Don’t give away the ending!” Katya looked like twenty years had been shaved off her face since her arrival to the palace.

“Why not? You already heard it once.”

“Well, can you read it again while I’m eating?”

“If that’s what you want.”

And for just a moment, at two in the morning on Christmas, Alexei realized that nothing else mattered in this moment. Nikolai was alive. Katya was reading to him and no longer threatening his life. Eduard kept them all together. Zoya purred contentedly. For just one day, court and the state could wait. For now, his broken family was together again. He glanced out the window. A small slit from the drapes left the night sky visible as small white flakes floated down to his country.

And for all the winter storms his nation had weathered.

The winter storm that had almost killed Nikolai as a child.

The winter storm that had snowed Katya in with her new husband early in their marriage.

The winter storm that had snowed in Eduard’s regime during the war.

This might just have been the best storm of them all.