#and not just included but front and center right after Dany (who the collection is named after)

[fromtheseventhhell]

"Arya" Wedding Dress

"Dracarys" // 2025 bridal collection, by Kim Kassas Couture [x]

[vivilove-jonsa]

Young at Heart at Oldstones

Since we have some lovely Jonsa-themed WIP Wednesday headers for Modern and Canon fic both, I’m going to share a couple of different things that have been sitting in my big Maybe file collecting dust.  (You can find the Modern AU Headers here)

I don’t see much fic of Jon having a relationship with his grandmother so that was partly what sparked the idea for this one.  Someday, I’ll get enough of it done to start posting on ao3 but here’s a good little bit of it.  

****

“I don’t know about this, Mom.  We’ve not spent much time together since I was a kid.  What do I even say to her?” Jon asked as he had the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, searching for a clean shirt.

“Just talk. She’ll be happy you came to see her.”

“Yeah but it’s going to be awkward after about five minutes.”

“You can handle a little awkward, can’t you? You’re not a kid anymore.”

She was right. He wasn’t. He was twenty-three and a graduate student at Riverlands University. He could give an hour or two of free time to his grandmother and not whine about it being a sacrifice. “I’m going…once I find a clean shirt.”

Lyanna laughed through the phone, making him smile to hear it. “I know it’s thirty minutes away but it’ll mean so much to her, Jon. I call her here and there but you know it’s…well, it’s awkward with us.”

He knew that. How could it not be awkward? Considering the circumstances of his conception and birth and the strained relations that had arisen between more than just his mother and father, he felt his mother was quite thoughtful for even bothering to call his paternal grandmother.

Speaking of which…

“You know, she has three kids who could visit her.”

“Yeah, she does and none of them visit. Your Aunt Dany is young…”

“Barely younger than me!”

“But she’s always been her father’s daughter at heart and she still blames your grandmother for the divorce.”

“Oh, yeah because Aerys is such a gem,” he said sarcastically.

“Families are complicated, Jon.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Anyway, Viserys can’t visit.” No, his sociopath of an uncle wouldn’t be visiting his mother.  Hard to do when you’re behind bars.  “And your father…”

“Is a self-absorbed asshole who found a retirement community for his mother four hours away from where he lives.” He heard his mother’s sigh and felt guilty for dredging up hurtful things. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. You’re not wrong. She’s so excited you’re coming, Jon. I hope you can enjoy the visit, knowing that at least.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be okay. Love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

** 

Oldstones Retirement Community was not a nursing home although he’d thought of it as one. He’d pictured some old depressing building resembling a hospital with blank eggshell white walls, dingy tiled floors and musty-smelling, hospital-style rooms.

Therefore, Jon was pleasantly surprised to see it was indeed a community, a neighborhood for the elderly with rows and rows of neat individual bungalows with their own little postage stamp yards spread out in an arch around a larger one level ‘community center.’

However, in order to get a pass to enter the gated section where those bungalows were, you had to check in at the center first.

Parking out front, he walked inside the center to get his bearings, the whoosh of the automatic doors giving him a blast of air conditioning on the exceptionally warm autumn day.

He caught sight of a young woman in navy blue scrubs holding the arm of an elderly man as they walked along. Thinking she might be an employee of the center, he approached.

“Hi. I was wondering if…”

His words and his train of thought were effectively stopped in their tracks when she turned towards him with forget-me-not blue eyes and waves of auburn hair.

“Oh, hello,” she replied, a musical lilt to her voice as she looked at him expectantly.

Damn, she was beautiful. She was around his age, maybe a couple of years younger. Could she already be a nurse? Or just an assistant here? 

There was a pattern to her scrubs, cartoon characters he recognized from childhood including Wiley Wolfe. It was cute. She was stunning.

The old guy beside her cleared his throat irritably and Jon realized he was just standing there staring at her and her scrubs.  It’s not like he didn’t know how to talk to women but he felt his mouth going dry while he was drowning in those eyes of hers.

Her expectant smile began to morph into one of concern as the silence stretched on. Say something! Use your words, you idiot!

So unfortunately, Jon blurted out the first words that came to mind. “I’m here to see Gamma.” 

Those were not the words I had in mind.

The beauty’s lips twitched and Jon felt heat flooding his face. Of course, he’d fall back to what he’d called Rhaella when he’d been two (not that he’d ever stopped calling her that when it was just him and her.)

“I mean, I was looking for my grandmother.”

“Oh, well…do you know which bungalow she’s in or…”

“Reception’s over there, kid,” the old man interrupted curtly. “My granddaughter doesn’t have your gamma hiding under her top either.”

“Grandpa!”

Jon’s red face was getting redder but now.  Hers was, too.  “I wasn’t looking!” Well, his eyes had lingered on her top for a minute there. “I was just…I like the wolf bit,” he said, nodding towards her chest. “Wiley was always my favorite.”

The wolf bit?!  ‘Wiley was always my favorite?’  Gods, you are such a dumbass, he thought, rolling his eyes at himself.

The old guy with his shaggy grey beard shot through with hints of red continued to glare at him.  He had a cane and Jon wondered if he was about to use it on him.  At least, she was smiling.

“I’m sorry for assuming. I just saw the scrubs and thought…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m a nursing student, thus the scrubs.  I just came by to see my grandfather today after my classes were done.”

“Checking up on me for your mother, you mean.”

“You know I want to see you anyway, Grandpa.”

She was still smiling but there was an edge of hurt feelings in her voice, too. Jon didn’t like the idea of anyone hurting her feelings although he didn’t even know her name. Yet.

The old man took the hint though and grasped her hand. “I know, darling. Sorry. They’ll help you out at reception, kid.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

“Who’re you seeing anyway?”

“Rhaella Targaryen.”

“Rhaella?” he said, his bushy eyebrows raised. “Well, that’s swell. I’m her neighbor, Hoster Tully.”

He held out his hand so Jon shook it.  “Jon Snow.” He looked hopefully towards Hoster’s granddaughter, unable to hide his grin.

“I’m Sansa Stark,” she said, shaking Jon’s hand as well, her cheeks still flushed a lovely shade of pink.  “And I’m glad you have such good taste in cartoons.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, grinning wider.  “It’s nice to meet you both.”  Especially you.

“Have a nice time with your gamma, Jon,” Hoster chuckled. Never living down that introduction then.  “The sweet shop’s open. You wanna ice cream, darling?”  

Jon smiled, thinking his grandmother would likely ask him the same question.

Sansa cocked an eyebrow at him and put a hand on her hip. “Do I want an ice cream or is it you who wants one, Grandpa?” she asked, clearly amused. 

“I’m sure you’ll be reminding me of the doctor saying to watch my sweets, huh?”

“Maybe.”

“I've been a good boy, I swear.  I also remember when you couldn’t say no to mint chocolate chip,” he added in a slightly pleading tone.

“I still struggle to say no to it,” she laughed. “Maybe they have a no-sugar alternative." 

"Blech.  Help me out here, Jon."

"I, uh..."  He looked between them both, Mr. Tully with pleading puppy dog eyes and Sansa with her hand still on her hip.  "I mean, one little scoop’s not so bad and I'll bet they have a variety of options with, um...different sizes and calories, sugar-free and...you know I've never been here before in my life, right?"

They both started laughing and he was mesmerized by the tinkling sound of Sansa's as her eyes sparkled.  

"Well, maybe we'll check out the varieties available, Grandpa," Sansa relented, giving Jon a wink.  Hot damn!  "It was nice to meet you, Jon. I hope you enjoy your visit.”

“Thanks. It was nice to meet you, too,” he replied as they continued down the hallway.

Sansa’s a pretty name. Where do you go to school? Riverlands?  Please, say Riverlands. They've got a nursing program there...I think.  Do you come here often? Can I buy you both an ice cream? Can I have your number? Do you have a boyfriend?  I really do like the wolf bit.  

Naturally, he’d think of a dozen things to say as she was walking away, not that he could say most of those things when they'd just met.

With a sigh, he headed towards the reception desk as Sansa and her grandfather disappeared from his view.

“Can I help you?” a woman wearing pink scrubs, a friendly smile and a name tag that said ‘Yaya’ on it asked.

“Yes, I’m here to see my gamma.” He groaned inwardly as her smile widened. “I mean, my grandmother. I want to visit Rhaella Targaryen.”

“Oh, Rhaella! What’s your name, honey?”

“Jon Snow.”

“Okay, Jon Snow, let’s take a look.” She opened a ledger to nearly the back page, her finger tracing downwards. “Do you have an ID on you, Jon?”

“Yeah.”

He grimaced as he pulled out his wallet. It was possible they asked this of all visitors but he had to wonder if his grandfather and uncle didn’t make this necessary for his grandmother. There was still an Order of Protection in place for his grandfather and Viserys wouldn’t be welcome lots of places, particularly around a potentially physically vulnerable population. Well, I’ll bet Old Hoster with his cane can take care of himself alright.    

Yaya looked it over and then smiled, passing him a slip of paper with a word written on it.

“Hippie?”

“Yeah, that’s the gate’s passcode.  Just use the alpha-numeric keypad to enter it and you can pull your vehicle through.”

“Okay but hippie?”

“The residents vote on it once a month.  They tend to go with something that gives them a chuckle.”

“What was last month’s?”

“Prunes.”

“No shit?”  Yaya’s eyes widened before she threw her head back and laughed.  Jon hadn’t meant to curse in front of a stranger but when he thought about the meaning there…  “Sorry,” he said, failing to stifle his answering laughter.

After they’d settled down again, Yaya asked, “Does she know you’re coming?”

“Yeah, she does.”

“Great. I know she’ll be happy to see you. She doesn’t get…” Yaya trailed off, a soft melancholy settling in her warm brown eyes.

“Many visitors, I know,” he said, shifting guiltily. He’d moved here six weeks ago. He could’ve come sooner. “I…maybe that’ll change.”

“I hope so, Jon. Have a nice visit.”

[notgonnarememberthis]

find your way (back to me) - chapter six

Happy New Year!! Hope y’all are starting off the new year with health and safety for you and your families. Less than 2 weeks away from season 2 and I’m so fucking excited/anxious. Weird note, this chapter is actually the first thing I wrote for the entire story. I had the first part stuck in my head for a little over a month and threw out the concept to my best friend Em. They encouraged me to build the story and so far I’ve been so pleased with it and the reactions y’all have given. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. It really means the world to me.

Three days wears on the psyche, Gil notes in yet another confrontation report. It’d been three days since they’d found the car with Jessica’s phone inside and no sign of her except for her blood on the back window. Malcolm was quickly unraveling, it’s not hard to see. He’d slammed a reporter up against a wall for even suggesting that maybe the world was better off with another Whitly gone. With him visiting Martin the reporter got too close. It didn’t take much more for Malcolm to throw a punch.

He has two of his best cops tailing her children, taking much needed focus away. JT took on Ainsley almost immediately, after her snap with Endicott it’d become an unspoken agreement that she be kept an eye on. He has to bury his feelings every time he sees Malcolm’s hand shake uncontrollably, or when Ainsley comes back from the bathroom with her makeup absolutely perfect but her eyes still red and puffy from the tears she shed in private. It takes all of his power not to go to them and hold them close to his chest.

Every part of him aches.

Two bodies dropped since Jessica’s disappearance. Both had gunshot wounds to the back of the head. Malcolm had made the connection with the information from Martin, thank god. It didn’t take much more to connect the dots after that. They’re lucky Colette even considered it, but they were all desperate. Their time frame was 48 hours. They’re now at 56.

God, where is she?

“Oh my god!” He’s on immediate alert when he hears Ainsley’s scream followed by shouts of other officers. With his hand on his gun he races to where he’d left her and Malcolm earlier.

The room is in absolute chaos, JT is barely holding back Ainsley, her face red while she screams in protest. Several officers have their weapons drawn, Dani included. In the center of it all Malcolm stands with his hands extended, as if reaching for something.

And then he sees her. Her hair is disheveled; dirt and blood are smeared across her face. She’s barefoot, she likely lost her heels long ago. Her once white blouse is also caked in muck and grime. There’s a cloth wrapped around her thigh and one hand is cradling her side. Most startling, though, in her other hand is a knife stained crimson.

“Where is he?” She shouts, her eyes are wild. Gil’s not all that certain she even knows where she is.

“Mom, it’s me.” Malcolm steps a little closer.

“Bright, stand down.” Dani’s voice is a warning.

“It’s ok. She’s not gonna hurt me.” He breathes out slowly, as if trying to calm the entire room at once. “Give me the knife and I’ll find Gil for you. Okay?”

“No!” She springs back and the shouts erupt again.

“Lower your weapons.” Gil barks above the noise. All eyes turn to him, even Jessica’s. They’re reluctant but they obey.

“Mom.” Malcolm steps closer again, drawing her attention back to him. Her face crumples, truly seeing him now for the first time.

“Malcolm.” She sobs, the knife clattering to the floor. She pulls him into a tight hug, her voice barely carrying, “You’re ok. Thank god you’re ok.” 

“I’m ok?” Malcolm chuckles humorlessly. The hug is enough for all of the weight that had been on him to crash all at once. He buries his face into her shoulder his whole frame now shaking with the sorrow he kept so tightly wrapped for days. 

Once the knife is removed and bagged as evidence JT releases Ainsley and she crashes into the hug too. “Ainsley, baby.” Jessica’s voice carries as she recognizes the touch of her daughter. Her crimson stained fingers tangle in the blonde curls. He puts his gun back in his belt allowing himself to relax. He aches to join the embrace. Jessica lifts her chin and meets his eyes feeling his gaze upon them. Her face slackens, and he realizes just how pale she looks.

“Mom?” His heart drops at Ainsley’s tone, the two younger Whitly’s stumbling backwards with sudden weight. He’s on them in seconds, helping to settle Jessica gently onto the ground. The spot where she had been cradling with her free hand was spreading quickly staining her blouse red. In the embrace the cloth the she’d been holding to her fell as well. 

“Call a paramedic.” He orders shucking his coat off to press against the wound. She groans in pain, eyes widening. “I’m sorry, I know.”

“What’s happening?” Malcolm’s arms come around Ainsley, stopping her from coming closer. His hands shake, he’s closed himself off again holding him and his sister together at once. His eyes are glued to his mother, his face as red as Ainsley’s.

“Where is he?” Jessica asks again, this time pleading. His eyes flash to Malcolm, confused. “Please Gil you have to find him. I tried to get him out, I tried.” He shushes her trying to get her to relax.

“Who Jess?” Her fingers grip the front of his sweater, looking around terrified. “Hey, focus. Jess, who do I need to find?” It was too late, however, her eyes slid shut and her body slumped completely against him. He holds his breath until he feels her pulse against his fingertips, strong and steady.

“She just passed out.” Malcolm assures his sister after he likely saw the look of relief cross Gil’s face. The precinct seems to remain still until the paramedics arrive and take her away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“We collected three different sources of blood on Ms. Whitly.” Edrisa remarks, though slowly, her eyes on Malcolm the entire time. She’s worried about him being there, they all are. His insistence was to stay. With Jessica in surgery, it would be a few hours before she was released. “Her own, obviously being the first. But the spots on her face and blouse were of our fourth and fifth victims, Tommy Moore and Andrew Rankin. She was likely sitting in front of them when…”

“What about the knife?” Dani asks, she’s biting the inside of her cheek, almost regretting having to ask the question. Malcolm shifts, Gil knows all too well the scene flashing through his memory.

“The blood on the knife was Ms. Whitly’s. With the help of Dr. Garcia, who is the trauma surgeon who I met in the hospital, we determined a loose thread of events.” She looks to Gil and he nods for her to continue. “We are aware of the wreck, Ms. Whitly was showing signs of a concussion upon arrival at the station and in the hospital when she briefly regained consciousness before being sedated. She likely hit her head off the window during the wreck. This is conducive with the bruising and dried blood on her right temple.” Edrisa turns back to the board she was using to present her information swallowing. 

It wasn’t often that she presented the injuries of a victim who survived but after the events of today he’s exercising caution. He makes a brief note to check on her and maybe buy her lunch for her work. He knows none of this is easy but Edrisa is close to Malcolm. She understands him in a way that doesn’t quite make sense to the rest of them. She deserves to know that she’s appreciated.

“Then there’s the gunshot wound. It was likely received two days ago but opened up again when she escaped.” Gil bites the inside of his cheek thinking privately to himself. She’s lucky she didn’t bleed out. The old stab would on his own abdomen aches with the sympathy of that pain. One he wishes she never knew. “Next we have some yellowed bruising across her cheekbone and under her left eye. It suggests that she was hit. With the scrape on her cheek I would assume the perpetrator wore a ring when doing so.” She checks her notes again adjusting the glasses that slid down the bridge of her nose. “The large bruise on her forehead suggests that she hit her attacker. With her wrists and legs bound I would assume she headbutt him.”

Malcolm’s laugh catches them all by surprise. He shouldn’t get as much glee out of the moment as he does; but imagining prim and proper Jessica Whitly slamming her head against her captor is more satisfying than anything. “Sorry.” He mutters muffling a further laugh with his palm.

Edrisa relaxes slightly at that. “Finally we have the wound in her leg. She was stabbed, obviously. But the wound pattern along with some small cuts on her wrist suggest that she pulled it out herself.”

“She saw her opportunity. Her captor left the knife and she cut the ties around her wrists and ankles to escape.” Malcolm nods in agreement with Edrisa’s assessment.

“Holy shit.” JT mutters. “How the hell did she get back here without anyone taking her to the hospital or calling the cops?”

“That we won’t know. The doctors have my mother under sedation, for now. She’s undergoing her second surgery now, she’s severely dehydrated, and was delirious when she woke up in the hospital.”

“Shouldn’t you be with Ainsley?” Dani asks slowly. “Your mom needs you.”

“My mother needs me to find who did this to her before he strikes again.” Malcolm snaps. Dani grits her teeth but nods.

“What about the guy Ms. Whitly was talking about before she lost consciousness?” JT shifts, eyes combing over the file in front of him. “Do we have any idea who it could be?”

“We can only assume it is another missing person. Until she’s coherent enough to talk to us, we won’t know for certainty. Until we find the guys we are looking for I want detail on all of the Whitly’s until further notice. With her reaction earlier we can only assume that Malcolm and Ainsley were the next targets if Jess didn’t participate in what the killers wanted.” He turns to Edrisa, “Thank you Dr. Tanaka. Keep us updated if Dr. Garcia contacts you with any more information.”

“Yes sir.”

“Colette and her team are canvassing the area now. She couldn’t have made it far without being noticed by a concerned stranger. Dani, I want you and JT looking through missing persons. See if there’s any new disappearances that could be our missing man.”

“What do you want me to do?” Malcolm sits up straight, alert.

“We’re going back to the hospital.” He holds up his hand when Malcolm stammers to protest. “Ainsley needs you right now, more than anything. Not to mention once your mother wakes up she’ll need a face she can trust. Something scared her into coming here with a knife. I have a bad feeling.” Malcolm nods in agreement, though he still doesn’t look too pleased with the information.

He can’t shake the feeling in his gut that they’re missing some key information. He only hopes that Jessica will wake and tell them before it is too late.

[redheadgleek]

When You Wish Upon A Star 1/?

Written for @lishashisha. A year or so ago, we were talking about a match-maker Klaine story. This isn’t quite it, but I hope you like it anyway. <3 you, my friend! This is very much a WIP, I don’t know when I’ll get to write the next part (or how many parts it’ll end up being). 

Written for Klaine Advent 2018, Day 1: Snowman.

Chapter 1 - In The Meadow

“Okay. I’ve got height and weight requirements and possible careers down. What else?”

“What else is there?”

Kurt puts down his pen, talking over the den of the coffeehouse. “Dani. You can find a girl on Tinder with that little. I’m not trying to find you a date. I’m in the business of finding you love. When you think about the woman that you want to spend the rest of your life with, what do you imagine.”

Dani stares at her hands for a moment. “I guess. I guess I imagine her sitting in the front row of an intimate club. I’m performing, and she’s looking at me like every word I sing is written just for her. And I’m singing as if she’s the only one in the room. Just her and I.”

Kurt smiles encouragingly. “Okay. I can work with that. What else?”

Kurt Hummel learns two lessons shortly after moving to New York City. One, it is everything that he had dreamed it would be: bustling, massive, overwhelming, and full of people just like him. And two, his full time job at the Starlight Diner will only just barely cover rent. His wardrobe budget is nonexistent - he can’t even afford the clothes at the local consignment stop.

He falls into his second career accidentally. It first started when he introduced his best friend, Mercedes, to a young man modeling for his art class. Mercedes and Sam hit it off instantly, and three months later, Sam was tagging along as Mercedes went on her first world tour.

Rachel is next. His suggestion that she meet Jesse St. James, the hot, up and coming Broadway director, who just happens to be a guest instructor at NYADA, is also a roaring success. They announce their engagement six months after their first date.

Rachel being Rachel raves about Kurt’s skills the matters of the heart and pretty soon, Kurt has line of clients from NYADA and beyond, and over just a few months, it morphs into a business that supports him while he pounds the pavement auditioning. People pay well for the opportunity for love, and his vest collection much appreciates the few hours devoted to making connections, a job that he is surprisingly good at.

Well. He’s good at finding love for others. His own love life has been nonexistent ever since Adam had called it off two years ago shortly before graduation. Kurt’s not exactly unhappy about it - his freedom means that he has time to take extra dance and acting classes to increase his chances of getting that lucky break.

He looks up from the barre as Rachel taps on the door.

“Kurt!” She kisses his cheek. “I’ve come to kidnap you for lunch. Grab your bag.”

“Rach-”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”

“Fine.” Kurt grumbles good-naturedly tucks her hand under his arm. “But you’re buying.”

They chat aimlessly as they wind down the snow packed sidewalks, not yet cleared after the latest snowstorm - it’s been a surprisingly wet and white winter for so early in December. Kurt never gets tired of seeing the lights of New York sparkling in the (briefly) clean snow, even if it does make navigation a little more difficult.

Rachel naturally dominates the conversation for the majority of their walk across Central Park to their favorite restaurant on the west side, chattering on about her most recent audition and the strength of her competition, before she squeezes Kurt’s arm. “Of course, I keep going on and on, and haven’t heard a peep from you. You must tell me what’s new with you! Oh did I tell you I ran into Paul last week? I just can’t figure out why you two broke up. You were so cute together.”

“We didn’t break up. That would require more commitment than the two dates we went on. And I know for a fact that Paul just moved in with Ben, my neighbor down the hall. I introduced them.”

“Kurt.” Rachel stops walking and looks at him earnestly. “You’re allowed to find love for yourself too.”

“I’m not a repressed monk.”

“I know you’re not, but you can’t deny that you’re lonely.”

“I’m really not. I enjoy my solitude and I have plenty of friends. Including you most of the time.” Over her protests, he tugs on her arm to get them to start walking again. “I mean it. I don’t have the time right now to balance a relationship along with everything else and that’s fine. I work for people looking for love and I know better than most of how random these connections can be. So can we just enjoy this walk? I want to see the snow sculptures.” Kurt gestures to the collection of elaborate creations that decorate one of Central Parks lawns.

Rachel pouts, then relents. “Fine. I just want to see you happy.”

“And I am.”

They linger over the snow dragons, octopuses, and charming cottages, ooo over the exquisite details, before leaving to resume the meander to the restaurant. Despite Rachel's annoying persistence in meddling in his personal life, he is feeling more refreshed due to their walk in the crisp air. This had been a good idea after all.

As they exit the park, a snowman posed next to the sidewalk catches Kurt’s eye. Even amongst the sculptures, the details in this carving are mind-blowing: hands reaching up to slick back curls that appear to be fighting against the breeze and a mirthful smile with lips that seemed made to be kissed, complete with a jaunty bowtie just off of center.

He stares at the carved snow for several moments, feeling like he’s 6 again and falling in love with the cartoon character of The Little Mermaid’s Eric. There’s a strange pull of familiarity and warmth towards this creation and he wonders briefly, if fairy tales do exist. If he pressed his lips against the cool carves, would they melt into tender flesh?

He shakes his head ruefully at his illogical thoughts. He tunes back into Rachel’s chatter realizing he has missed much of her one-person conversation “but I hope you won’t be offended if I continue to set you up. I know so many nice guys in the theater and surely one of them will catch your interest. You just need to date more, I'm sure.”

He shakes his head and firmly interrupts her. “Rachel. You might as well wish alive that snowman there to be my date. I told you, I’m not interested right now. So can we please drop it?” He glares at her protests. “Nope, no more. We’re going to go in there and have a nice lunch and we’re going to talk about my latest audition and you’re not going to mention a word about my love life. Understand?”

She nods meekly.

"I understand."

Kurt holds the door open and for a brief moment, glances back at the snowman. Too bad you couldn’t wish snow sculptures to life, he thought, as that one really did seem made just for him.

The door chimes merrily as it closed behind him.

[crimsonheart01]

Boss [Part III] (Happy x OC)

Word Count: 3,213

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5: Coming Soon

Playlist: Heartbreaker (feat. Jay Z) - Mariah Carey, & Good Ol’ Ghetto - Usher

I sat with Capri after our meeting with Nero. She was still reeling from everything that had been going on but she knew that I was doing everything to take care of her. Her wellbeing was in danger and I didn’t want her to resort back to drugs, or tricking. Not if she didn’t want too. Nero agreed to keep her around Diosa to recuperate.

I reached out and laid a hand on Capri’s shoulder. I had a feeling deep in my stomach that Capri was going to walk away from this life, and soon.

“Are you ok staying here?” I needed to be confident that she felt safe. If she didn’t then I failed at my job.

Capri nodded, “Thank you Dani. For everything.”

I smiled at her, “It’s my job, babe.” I squeezed her shoulder, “I’ll stick around for a bit. Let you get settled in with the crowd here. Once you feel ok to be on your own, I’ll leave.”

She gave me another appreciative nod. I stood up, making my way to the door. I flicked my fingers between the cheap metal blinds on the window and spotted the boys of SAMCRO still milling around. I desperately needed a smoke. I needed to relax. I rummaged through my pockets, grateful when my fingers grazed over the joint still sitting in my left pocket. I pushed through the door and without a glance at anyone in the room I continued to the front door, exiting to stand in the bright afternoon sunshine.

~(xXx)~

Nero watched as Dani strode through the club, pushing the door open and stopping outside. No one knew too much about her, him included. But, he could honestly say he knew better than anyone else. There wasn’t any warning when she emerged. She just showed up on the scene one day and never left. Her moves in their industry were exact, and perfectly calculated. She had a particular vision and worked towards that goal. Quicker than he’d ever witnessed, she made a name for herself. Girls began jumping ship, left, right and center. All to be protected. That was her claim to fame. She protected her own. Kept them safe. Made sure they were comfortable, well off. He’d even heard rumours – in those early days – of her putting up room and board for her girls, keeping them fed.

What he never expected to see was a ‘Madame’ help her girls leave. If they were tired of the life, she let them walk away, even went as far as to help them secure legitimate jobs. After many years, he learned she kept in contact with those women. Some turned into doctors, lawyers, and even teachers. He figured out from there that some of her girls were paying their way through school, and finishing with little to no debt. He understood her. He could spot a good soul from a mile away. She was boosting them. Enforcing that – if it was what they wanted – they could pursue any career choice they wanted. She never forced anyone in, or to continue.

She had one rule though, and while it was a simple one, it was strict. Not to be messed with. Anyone under her charge must be supportive of all the other women in the camp. There was no room in her company for internal animosity. In the beginning, she had to make an example of a few women, but it got the message across. You disrespect the dynamic, you get kicked out. The power this woman exuded was something he felt everyone should have the privilege of watching in action.

That’s why she was a force to be reckoned with. She built her empire. By herself. She knew when to accept, or seek out, help. But more than anything, she knew how to command a room. Make her presence known. He’d admit that she’d grown harder with years in but never to her girls. Her patience wore thin, as he witnessed just this afternoon. He assumed that was coupled with the fact that Caruso was out to get everyone but it was still a drastic measure for her to take. She’d grown wary of others, really only keeping him as contact to continue working with.

He didn’t mind. Their working relationship worked. She brought her girls his way, and made him more money while giving the girls a break from their everyday routine. He rubbed his finger against his nose, wondering how his new partnership was going to affect the working one he had with Dani. She’d already made herself known to the Sons. Some seemed impressed, while the others looked at her like a challenge. He pitied the man who attempted to contest her. He wouldn’t put it past her to castrate him… manually. He shivered at the thought and Jackson caught the movement. The blond raised an eyebrow at him and he waved him off. Nero wasn’t prepared to give them that type of information. If they discovered how unmerciful she could be, that was on them.

He glanced up at the exact same time Happy made a move for the front door.

“Hermano.” Nero called out, realizing he really didn’t have much to tell the man.

She wasn’t in the best of moods at the moment. Happy stopped, one hand on the door, and turned toward Nero.

Nero let out a breath, warning him, “Tread carefully.”

Happy nodded, seemingly taking his alert into consideration.

~(xXx)~

He mulled over the warning Nero had given, but continued forward. He made his way to the door and pushed it open, expecting to find her standing close. He blinked through the sunshine, cursing himself patting at his pockets for his shades. Distracted from his pursuit, he spotted Dani leaning against the hood of her Caddy. She gave him a half glance but didn’t give him the satisfaction of acknowledging his presence. He licked across his teeth. The woman was always questioning his authority. He shoved his hands into his pockets. He hated admitting it, but he liked it. He liked a woman who took charge. He would have never figured it was a turn on for him. Not when he had crows running around to catch his attention. He always had options. He never had to fight – no, work – for someone to give him attention. He liked the time she was making him put in.

As he moved towards her, he caught the strong scent of cannabis burning around her. He stopped and admired the way her arm lifted to place the end of her joint at the opening of her mouth. She inhaled, letting the smoke fold into her mouth, held it in and then exhaled through her nostrils. He schooled the twitch of arousal thrumming through his entire body. He couldn’t let on that she was gaining an intense reaction from him. If he had to work, then so did she. His eyes followed the movement as she dropped her hand hallway down to her waist, holding the joint out to him as an offer. He paused, understanding the gesture.

Taking a moment to assess the situation he chose to accept her white flag. Nero’s warning flashed through his mind but he knew he was in the clear. She wasn’t here to start a fight. At least not with him. He moved towards her, reaching out and taking the smoke from her. He watched as her eyes roamed over his rings, then up his arms, obvious in their admiration. Finally, her perusal reached his mouth, mesmerized by the way the inhale of smoke entered his system. She bit down on her lip, letting him know she was interested. He lifted one eyebrow at the tell. It was done on purpose and he fought with the need to grab a hold of her. He blew out, letting his hand drift down between them and matched her stance, leaning back against the hood of the car.

Without any kind of warning, her fingers crawled down his forearm and he snapped his head in her direction. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she circled her hand around his wrist. In slow motion, she lifted his arm towards her, guiding his hand (and the joint) towards her mouth. He held his breath, unsure of where she was planning to take this. A million different scenarios were playing out in his mind. Most notably him slamming her against the hood and taking her right here, in broad daylight. She winked, bending in closer to him, before her lips closed around the joint, the tips of his fingers brushing against her mouth. He let go. She pulled back and swallowed the deep pull she took.

He felt the sun beating down on him, the sweat collecting on the back of his neck. The pure adrenaline running in his veins thrilled him. It’d been too long since a woman had this kind of effect on him. The best – potentially worst – part was that she knew. She knew exactly how much sway she held over him. It made him positively animalistic. Every nerve within him was screaming for him to throw down, here and now. She flicked the ash away from the roach, bending to snuff it out against the asphalt of the parking lot. His gazed down at her, imagining gripping his fingers in her long hair and tugging. He shifted his hand in his pocket, hoping to discreetly hide the growing situation threatening to show.

With a practiced toss, she flung her hair over her shoulder and their eyes connected. Before she stood, swiping one finger along her lower lip, smirking as his gaze followed every centimetre. He swallowed, attempting to keep it discreet. Keeping her movements slow, she rounded to him, standing less than a foot from him. Having her this close called their height difference into the forefront. She tilted her head up towards him, her smirk still prominent. He licked his lower lip, his eyes racking over her mouth. He watched as her mouth formed the words of her next sentence. His mind spun, imagining watching those lips wrapping around a certain part of his body. Her lips stopped moving and it took him a good thirty seconds before he realized she was talking to him. 

“What?” He rasped, his voice throaty with arousal.

She chuckled, “I said – you have plans tonight?”

He snapped his eyes up to hers and searched. He searched for the joke. Was she stringing him along. He’d been imaging having her to himself and she was offering it up. He could see the mirth filtering into her gaze but everything else pointed towards how serious she was.

“No.” He answered.

She leaned in close, her nose brushing along his cheek. Her breath was warm against the base of his neck, “Good.”

He ground his teeth together, forcing himself not to grab her. She stepped backwards and towards the driver’s side door. He blinked, staring at the brick wall in front of him, processing. He heard the door creak open and then slam shut. He moved off the hood, turning to catch her leaning out the window.

“Motel on 6. Room 14.” She winked.

His tongue ran across the top of his teeth as she reversed out of the spot, and driving off onto the main road. He gave a curt nod to her retreating car. He hadn’t known what he’d been expecting when he came out after her, but being propositioned was definitely not high on his list. His eyes never left the end of the driveway where the parking lot met the street, the last place he’d seen her before her car turned the corner. Was he really going to take up her offer? He scoffed out loud, of fucking course he was.  The real question was would he tell any of his brothers. They already knew he had a crush. Did they need to know that she was calling the shots? That she asked him to come over? He shook his head at his inner dialogue. No. he’d wait it out. See where she took things. See exactly what she wanted from him first.

~(xXx)~

It well after sunset by the time he rolled into the parking lot. It didn’t take him long to find the room, and a spot directly out front. He parked, kicking out the stand and pulling his helmet off. He stared at the closed door, pulling a cigarette from the back in his pocket. He sparked up, staring at the number nailed into the door, just above the peephole. He’d been officially off the clock for an hour now. None of the boys were expecting him to hang around, but it was also odd for him not to stay and fraternize with the crows back at the clubhouse. No one asked questions of course. They never did. There was tiny inkling in him that hoped someone would. At least so he could just brush them off.

He took a long drag, flicking the ash from his smoke. He had no idea what to expect. What if he walked into that room and was ambushed. She did have a bit of a tiff with Tig this afternoon. What if she was choosing to take it out on him? He stopped, rolling his eyes at himself. He was thinking irrationally. He was a shoot first, ask questions later kind of man. Ask the questions later he reminded himself. He flicked the cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out. Gripping his keys, he shoved them down into his jean pocket and moved forward.

He knocked on the door and the lock clicked open the second his fist pulled away. The door never opened but he understood the sign. He turned the knob and entered into the room. The door swung shut behind him as he took in the scene before him. The room was immaculate. More so than any other motel room. The bed was made and there was a duffel bag tossed onto the night side table. She stood with her back to him, facing the only dresser in the room.

“You have a choice.” Her voice carried through the sparely lighted room.

He stayed still, waiting for her to clarify. She kept her back to him, the jersey she was wearing tied tight around her waist, showing off her midriff. What he was quick to notice was that she wasn’t wearing anything else but a plain black pair of boy short underwear. He ran his eyes down the length of her legs, admiring the toned muscle. His gaze was snapped back to her hands when she swirled the glass she was holding. The dark liquid spun in the glass before she whipped it back and swallowed it down in one gulp. He licked his lips, his thoughts straying to what else that mouth could do. Bumping her hip against the dresser, she turned around and let her gaze stray to the clasp of his belt buckle. The tips of her mouth perked up and she shook her head.

“Nevermind. I’m not giving you any options.” She bit down on her lip as she spoke.

He inclined an eyebrow and she laughed. She stepped towards him, leveling her palms against the breast pockets of his cut. He inhaled deeply at her touch. Flipping her hair over one shoulder with a flick of her head, her hands began running up and over his shoulders. Leaning into him, balanced on her tip toes, she tilted her face and nipped at his jawline. He growled in response, reached around her and grabbed any part of her that he could catch. He yanked her towards himself, dragging her body against his. She let out a breathy chuckle at his reaction.

Using his hold on her as momentum she opened her legs and swung them around his thighs. He dropped his hands lower, gripping her underside and tugging her closer to him. She ran her nose along his jaw, from the tip of his mouth to just below his ear. She paused, blowing down his exposed neck. His reaction was unwanted, but he couldn’t hide it. His hands twitched at her attentions. He leaned back, forcing her to turn and face him head on. He captured her mouth with his, harsh and rushed. She groaned into his kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she rubbed her body against his. He bit down on her lower lip and her fingers tightened on his shoulders.

Without any warning, he took a step forward, ripping her away from his body and tossing her down onto the middle of the bed. Her echoing laugh shot throws of arousal through his body. She pulled her knees up, planting her feet on the edge of the mattress. She propped herself up, at an angle, with her elbows and winked at him. He turned and flipped the lock on the door before facing her again. She had her head tilted to the side, eyeing him with pure lust clouding her eyes. He ripped his cut off, slinging it over the chair next to the bed. Taking no time to pause, he fisted the fabric of both his pullover and shirt to tug it off over his head.

Losing patience, she sat up, grabbed him by the hem of his pants and yanked him to the bed. He fell above her, flattening his hands against the bed to brace himself. Her legs snaked around one of his. She turned her face to his left arm, her tongue flicking out, running along his bicep. He hissed at the touch. With his other hand, he reached between them and ripped open his belt buckle. He let his jeans fall while she hooked her toes into his pants and pushed them further down his legs. As they hit the floor he crawled onto the bed, grabbing her chin in his hand and whipping her face back to his. His lips crushed down onto hers and her body rolled into his without hesitation.  

Planting both her hands on his shoulders, she shoved and used the motion to flip him over. Her legs encased his as she straddled him. Without haste, she lifted her shirt and threw it beyond her with abandon. His eyes zeroed in on her naked chest. He licked his lips. His hand smoothed along her sides, gradually making their way to cup her. She moaned at his coarse fingers massaging her body. Taking liberties, she flung her head back and ground down against him. They groaned in unison. Hers a mewl and his a growl. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and peered down at him. His eyes were swimming with lust and it made her laugh. His nostrils flared at the noise, until she made her intentions clear. Letting go of one of his wrists, her hand drifted along her torso to his groin. She gripped the hardness under his boxers.

With a glint to her eyes she murmured, “Your entire night better be free…” She tugged and he fought to keep his eyes from rolling back, “…because I’m not letting you go any time soon.”

Tag List: @mogaruke, @farwelltothefallen, @happysgeishadoll

[jennymanrique]

Nonprofits, consulates in Texas aggressively seeking ways to assist separated families

Young immigrants arrive with their parents at the Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley after they were processed and released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in McAllen. Photo:   Eric Gay/The Associated Press

From Facebook's largest single fundraising drive in history to intense diplomatic efforts at the federal level, nonprofits and consulates in Texas are aggressively finding ways to help parents in detention reunite with their children in a shelter.

The zero-tolerance policy of President Donald Trump's administration has led to the separation of 60 children a day from parents at the border. It has also united those opposed to the practice.

Dave and Charlotte Willner, a couple based in Silicon Valley, Calif., began a Facebook fundraiser Saturday morning with a goal of $1,500 to help one family with legal fees. By Tuesday, they had raised almost $6 million. Private donors matched the effort with $250,000.

The money will go to San Antonio-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, the largest immigration legal services nonprofit in Texas.

“They are wonderful people who decided to fundraise and have blown us away with the generosity they have inspired,” said Jennifer Hixon, RAICES director of education and outreach, in an email.

Hixon said the money will go direct to her organization because Facebook doesn’t collect fees on donations processed through its fundraising feature.

“Regardless of political party, so many of us are distraught over children being separated from their parents at the border," said Charlotte Willner, who works at Pinterest and whose family is originally from Dallas-Fort Worth. "We can’t all be on the front lines to help these families, but by supporting RAICES, we’re able to do something that just takes less than a minute, and collectively have an impact.”

RAICES said the money will support two big projects: The Legal Representation, Advocacy, and Education Project that aims to represent released unaccompanied kids in Texas, and the Family Reunification and Bond Fund that collects money to pay bond to get parents released.

“This incredible effort shows how angry people are about this policy, and our ultimate goal is to ensure that every child in Texas won’t fight their immigration case without lawyer,” said Manoj Govindaiah, director of Family Detention Services at RAICES.

“Our No. 1 priority is to give the children back to their parents as quick as possible and assist the family with quality legal advice,” he added. “People are hearing that they should give up their cases and take deportation orders in the hope of seeing their children soon, but the option to apply for asylum and get reunified is worth it to explore.”

Looking for translators

Other organizations like the Texas Civil Rights Project are looking for Spanish, Mam, Q’eqchi’ or K’iche’ translators to assist families in the legal intake process in McAllen. Human Rights First, a national organization with roots in Houston, is also asking for donations to strengthen its pro bono program to help asylum seekers.

Volunteers of Neta, a Latino-run progressive media platform based in the Rio Grande Valley, are assisting asylum seekers who are sleeping at ports of entry because of overloaded border patrol intake centers.

“Refugees are being forced to endure extreme heat, above 100 degrees,” said Dani Marrero, director of Neta. “Many generous local residents from Texas and Mexico are bringing them supplies daily, but the need is growing.”

Neta is collecting diapers, underwear, bras, baby wipes, sandals, deodorant, hygienic supplies, water and non-perishable food items.

A new class of unaccompanied minors

Bill Holston, executive director of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, a nonprofit agency that provides legal assistance to refugees and asylum seekers, said his staff will continue offering counseling to kids in court, but “with the policy that denies asylum cases, we will be seeing just the cases of those released on bonds.”

“If the parents are deported, it might happen that some kids end up looking for a sponsor in Dallas, but this is too soon to tell.”

Holston said the zero-tolerance policy is creating “an entire class” of unaccompanied minors that didn’t cross alone but ended up alone in the system. “This overwhelms both the immigration and the criminal justice system an it is unclear how the reunification is going to happen,” he said.

Many North Texas organizations have joined efforts in the newly created Force for Immigration Rights & Empowerment and will share resources to connect people with legal aid and help them to navigate the new set of immigration-related policies, Holston explained.

Tracking where the kids are

Consulates in Texas also are helping to track where parents and kids are located to help them to reunite. “We are one of the first calls parents are doing,” said Gloria Alvarado, consul of Honduras in Dallas.

“The first thing we ask is if they cross with minors and if they can provide name, birthday and ID numbers,” she added.

Some parents are not bringing birth certificates, so the consulate has to locate other relatives in Honduras to get the correct data. Some children have aunts and uncles in the United States, but they want to go back with their parents.

“We have a good relationship with the shelters run by Catholic Charities and Southwest Key, so we have been visiting the kids,” she said.

Shelters historically have provided 1 social worker for each 7 kids, Alvarado said.

“Between April and May, there has been an increase of 30 percent of cases of Hondurans who ended up in immigration custody and need our help,” the consul said.

According to her figures, 95 percent are in the deportation process.

For the consul of El Salvador in Dallas, Veronica Pichinte, her focus is in supporting consulates in Houston and McAllen, where Salvadoran officers are insisting to law enforcement agents and Office of Refugee Resettlement personnel that they need to communicate directly with the immigrants.

“We know the parents are receiving an alien number and their kids names and ages are being included in their files” Pichinte said. “If we can’t avoid deportation, at least we hope that the families return together.”

Pichinte said consulate workers are visiting shelters and assuring that both parents are the ones deciding on the kids’ final destination. “We still don’t have a repatriation case in which just one member of the family is deported and we are devoted to keep the families together even in a repatriation event,” she added.

The consulates of El Salvador and Honduras weren't able to provide data on how many of their citizens have been detained, but the majority of the 2,300 families separated are from the countries of the Northern Triangle. The triangle includes Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

In a televised press conference Tuesday, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray confirmed that just 1 percent of the cases at the border involve Mexican families. He said they have identified 21 cases, including one in which a 10-year old girl with Down syndrome was placed in a shelter in McAllen alongside her 10-year-old brother. Their mother was sent to a detention center in Brownsville.

“We know the father is a permanent resident and we hope to reunite the kids with him in the coming days,” Videgaray said.

Originally published here

[dmcrossroads-blog]

Night 05! Rise of the Vampires!

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to DMCrossroads! Before I get into today’s post, I feel like I need to warn you; this is going to be the most hyped post I’ll have written here so far. It may be the most hyped thing I’ve written in a long time, if not simply EVER! There’s going to be a lot of ALL CAPS WRITING and exclamation points to properly convey, in text, just how excited I am!

You see�� Today is day 3 of the Commander 2017 spoiler week. And today…

They spoiled some Vampires.

If you don’t understand why that makes me hyped, then I’m going to quickly explain: I love Vampires. I. LOVE. VAMPIRES! There are very few Vampire products or sagas or universes that I don’t enjoy. Maybe a total of three or so, now that I think about it. In all the Vampire-related things that have ever been created, there MAY be three instances I was unhappy about.

And this Commander 2017 deck is NOT one of those things. I. Love. This. Deck.

And I can’t wait to talk to you about it. But before we do, I feel the need to do some house-keeping. Yesterday’s post came out before I saw two of the spoilers from the 8th of August. For the sake of being organized, I want to quickly talk about those two cards before we get started on today. Let’s go!

Mirror of the Forebears

Mirror of the Forebears strongly resembles a Tribal-dedicated Mirage Mirror. If you haven’t been following the Commander VS episodes over at the StarCityGames YouTube channel, then you may not realize this, but the Magic Mirror (as Jeremy Noell and Stephen Green have nicknamed it) is an amazing piece that can find a home in nearly any and every deck. Mirror of the Forebears does something similar, albeit it limited to working within Tribal decks. Still, I can’t imagine what kind of deck I wouldn’t want to run this card in because if ONE awesome thing is awesome, TWO awesome things is TWICE AS AWESOME!

Qasali Slingers

Qasali Slingers is an awesome card in the fact that it is basically a creature version of Aura Shards. And honestly, Green and White is really good at getting rid of pesky Artifacts and Enchantments, so the fact that this provides even more removal for those types of cards and aligns with Cat tribal is such a win! And the fact that it triggers off the Cat entering the battlefield and not on cast is very important because Flicker effects and token creators just became even more awesome!

Okay, so those two cards were awesome additions! I don’t want to downplay them in the slightest. BUT! … Let’s talk about some Vampires. And like the past couple of posts, I want to start with the big shebang RIGHT UP FRONT!

Edgar Markov 

…

Hold on a second, I’m still trying to collect my thoughts and excitement for this. Don’t judge me, you don’t understand the over-hype that I’m currently over-hyping right now!

Let’s start with the simple stuff, like his name. You may or may not have noticed, but Legendary Creatures tend to come with a “,” somewhere in their name, followed by a title. They could have called this card “Edgar Markov, Father of Vampires” or “Edgar Markov, Lord of Innistrad” or even “Edgar Markov, Ruler of the Night”. But they didn’t. And I think I know why. Edgar Markov doesn’t need a title. Think about it. This IS the Father of Vampires on Innistrad. And seeing that Vampires were SUCH A THREAT to humanity that Sorin Markov felt they needed to be policed and created Avacyn to do so, I would wager that calling him the Lord of Innistrad or Ruler of the Night is EXTREMELY appropriate. But that’s all just fluff. Because THIS is Edgar Markov. No fluff needed.

Then we look at his art. We got to see it last week when the Commander 2017 page on Wizards.com had his art as splash art, but he wasn’t centered on the page. He was aligned to the right just a bit so they could fit the title of the page and some description wording without overlapping his face or armor. I agree 100% with how they handled the situation, but now seeing the art on the card, it’s amazing. Lord Markov (let’s be real, we’re not worthy to call him by his name!) is centered, surrounded by tending fledgling Vampires, a look of nobility and strength. His golden, black eyes are looking right at the player (or any poor fool of an opponent who picks him up to read his text) and staring into your soul. This is some prime art. THIS is the art… of Lord Edgar Markov!

Finally, let’s look at what he does. And wow, does he do it all or what? Sure, he costs 6, but he’s also a 4/4 with First Strike and Haste. That means he’s going to enter the battlefield SWINGING! But that’s not all he does. Let’s say you play him turn 6, but you were able to set up with two or three other Vampires in prior turns. That means you’ve gotten two or three Vampire tokens because of his Eminence ability. I want to draw very SPECIAL ATTENTION to this ability. Not only do we get tokens while casting Vampires and Lord Markov is in the Command Zone. We STILL get them while he is on the battlefield! We’re going to bring an ARMY of Vampires to fight! And Lord Markov empowers his forces, making them gain strength with just his command to attack! Unlike Drana, Liberator of Malakir, you can prevent Lord Markov’s damage, block him, but you cannot stop the benefit he is giving to his warriors. Honestly, the only complaint I have about this card is that he’s a Vampire Knight. Let’s be honest. Lord Edgar Markov is the Vampire King!

I could go on and on about this card and how I plan to make this deck. Because, trust me! I am going to be running Lord Edgar Markov at some point in the VERY near future! But there’s a ton of other cards and I don’t want to take up your entire evening. After all, there are Vampires about! You may want to ready your defenses before nightfall…

Licia, Sanguine Tribune 

I will openly admit that I was not nearly as excited about Licia, Sanguine Tribune as I was for Lord Edgar Markov (no, Lord is not leaving his name for most likely… Ever. Expect me to always refer to him as Lord from here on out!) despite the fact that I think they’re an interesting Legendary Creature. Why, you may ask? Well, for starters, the CMC on this one is REALLY high. I see that the cost is reduced by gaining life, but I have this stereotype of Vampires for Magic: the Gathering in my head that makes me think more of the “growing in strength via combat” by them gaining +1/+1 counters instead of thinking of a lifegain deck. Now, with that being said, if I stop thinking of Licia as a Vampire Commander and more of a Lifegain Commander, I start getting more excited. I once ran Karlov of the Ghost Council as a WB Lifegain Zombie Tribal deck, so utilizing lifegain to gain counters is not new to me. Then, I also notice that you can activate Licia’s +1/+1 counter ability once EACH TURN! Not each of YOUR TURNS, EACH TURN! So in a four-person game where I’m gaining tons of life, I could pay 20 into this Commander and get a 16/16 after a single round? Um. Yes. Yes, please. I think Karlov will be a great part of the 99 for a deck like this and I’m excited to see what Licia can really do!

I’ll also note that Reddit got super hyped over Licia because their armor appears to be Roman-esque in nature. Some people theorized that they may be from Theros and we’ll see a Greece vs. Roman style conflict in a return to Theros while others are hoping and praying for a Roman-based plane in the future that has Vampires incorporated into the government. Honestly, if it has Vampires in it, I don’t truly care where we go!

Mathas, Fiend Seeker 

Wizards, STOP WITH THE AMAZING ART! This guy looks EXTREMELY badass, and I can only imagine that the branding tool in his hand is either about to be used or just was used on some poor fool. Then I look at the stats on the card and I can’t help but get excited. A 3/3 body with Menace for three mana is awesome. And then I read the Bounty counter ability and it SCREAMS politics! “Hmm, see this creature we all don’t really like? I’m going to put a Bounty on it. Now if we get rid of it, we all benefit!” Definitely something I would play. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Bounty counters, so there’s some pre-existing synergy to build with in a deck led by Mathas.

That’s it for the Legendary Vampires that have been spoiled thus far. Someone on Reddit noticed that there are five Legendary Creatures spoiled for the Dragon deck, four for the Cat deck and only three for the Vampires, so there’s some theorizing that there will be another new Legendary Vampire at some point. I’d like to also provide the possibility that perhaps there will be more reprints in the decks that have fewer new Legendary Creatures. Vampires have tons of Legendary Creatures they could bring back, including two Drana’s, two Olivia’s, two Kalitas’ and more! So who knows what we’ll see once the decklists are revealed? For now, let’s talk about the non-Legendary Vampires we saw today.

Bloodsworn Steward 

Commander 2016 had a very unique card in one of the decks called Bastion Protector. My wife, Dani, fell in love with this card because it was another Aegis Angel for her Kaalia of the Vast deck. It looks like Vampires are bringing the “buff Commander cards” idea back and instead of giving Indestructible, the red-colored card is giving Haste. I’m excited to see the mechanic return and Haste is fine, but I almost wonder if Trample wouldn’t have been better. Haste is super important ONCE each time you play your Commander. Trample matters every attack phase it’s on the battlefield and we’ve seen Red start to share Trample with Green over the past couple of years. Remember the Red Archetype of Aggression from Theros? Still, this is a four mana 4/4 with flying that buffs your Commander and gives haste. All in all, an extremely efficient card!

Crimson Honor Guard 

I like everything about this card. The stats are spot on with a five mana 4/5 body with Trample. But the fact that it encourages people (or punishes them!) for not having their Commander on the battlefield seems hilarious! I mean, part of the reason we all love and play Commander is because you get to build this awesome deck around this awesome Legendary Creature! (Most of the time… I acknowledge some people build cards around COLORS instead of the Creature itself, but I will stand by the statement that normally, decks are built with what the Commander provides in mind). The only issue I could have with this card is if your own Commander is hard to cast, it may be a dud. Still, if you’re in a group that runs a lot of big stompy Commanders that you know won’t be out until turn seven or you plan on regularly sending back to the Command Zone… This might give you the upper hand with some nice damage!

Patron of the Vein 

Any time I see graveyard disruption on a card, I instantly want to buy as many as I can fit into decks with those colors. As a graveyard player (Hail the Golgari!) I know too well how crazy decks that rely on putting their own cards in the graveyard can get. A healthy amount of graveyard hate has a place in ANY DECK and I would say it’s as necessary as having ramp and draw. Not only does this card provide graveyard hate, it’s still very tribal by boosting EACH VAMPIRE YOU CONTROL when something gets exiled for dying. Sounds like a win/win for me!

New Blood 

So this spell obviously isn’t a Vampire itself, but as you read it, you can tell while I’m classifying it with the rest of the Vampire cards. I love taking people’s stuff. The first Vampire Tribal deck I ran was Commandered by Olivia Voldaren (as, I believe, most Vampire Tribal decks tend to be led by) and nothing was more fun than taunting my opponents by pinging their creatures and turning them into Vampires and then taking them. This card goes a step further and REPLACES TEXT ON THE TAKEN CARD so that whatever creature type it previously referenced now references Vampire instead. This doesn’t just turn the taken creature into Vampire, it can take an Elf Lord and make it a Vampire Lord. As a Krenko, Mob Boss player, I giggled with glee when I thought of taking Krenko from someone and making Goblins now say Vampires. Imagine making 1/1 Vampire tokens for each Vampire you control?! Please, Wizards, stop TOYING WITH MY EMOTIONS!

That was all the Vampire and Vampire-esque cards that were spoiled today! But we’re not done. Actually, we’re only about halfway… Because some AWESOME other cards were also spoiled! The first ones I want to talk about was the cycle of Curses!

Curse of Vitality 

Curse of Verbosity 

Curse of Disturbance 

Curse of Opulence 

Curse of Bounty 

I’m not going to go over each and every ability because you can read them for yourself and figure out which of your decks they will do the most work in. I do, however, want to mention that I am in love with Curses and have been since they first came out. I’ve been talking about wanting to run a Curse Commander deck and am constantly upset that there isn’t a Grixis colored Legendary Creature that I can work with. I’ve resigned myself to work with Nekusar the Mindrazer, since he’s the right colors, helps you draw cards and I don’t have to worry about losing my Curses like I would if I ran the deck under Jeleva, Nephalia’s Scourge. With that in mind, I noticed something VERY important about these Curses, since they’re new and improved! Remember that any time an opponent triggers one of these new Curses by attacking the cursed player, they’re not the only one getting the benefit. THESE Curses pay the attacker AND the owner of the curse! THAT IS SO COOL! It’s the ultimate political play. Sure, you want to attack this person because who doesn’t want 2 life, to draw a card, a 2/2 Zombie token, a Gold token or to untap their nonland permanents? Just know that anything you get, I get. You have to pay taxes on that benefit! Fantastic!

Finally, there was three other cards spoiled today and nearly all three were instantly gobbled up by the people as being awesome. Let’s talk about them before we wrap this SUPER LONG post up!

Disrupt Decorum 

Teferi’s Protection 

Kindred Charge 

For starters, seeing Kindred Charge after Kindred Discovery yesterday leads us to believe there will be five cards in a Kindred Cycle, just like the five Curse cards. This means there’s a White, Black and Green Kindred card that we haven’t seen yet. For today, though, Kindred Charge was instantly seen and loved by Krenko players. You mean I get MORE while I keep getting MORE from Krenko?! I’ll definitely be adding the card to my own Krenko deck!

Disrupt Decorum tickled the fancies of another set of Goblin players; Grenzo, Havoc Raiser already loves forcing chaos by making people attack each other with Goad. This spell can basically hit everyone at once and may put you in a position to sweep in for a win, or to just keep the chaos going by constantly hitting people with JUST ENOUGH creatures to keep the War of Goading going! I saved Teferi’s Protection for last because I think it made the biggest splash in the community. For starters, it’s an amazing card. It basically says you get a turn off from being touched, which is awesome on its own. Then you read the card and realize that Wizards printed a NEW card with Phasing on it. We haven’t seen this mechanic for YEARS, so the fact that they’re printing it now may be a hint that we should expect to see it in the future. While I’m loving the card, I’ll be the first person to admit that I don’t fully understand the rules behind Phasing and I’m not super excited to see the mechanic return en masse. However, if this is the only printing of it, I could definitely deal with that!

Wow. Again, this was a really long post and I hope you readers at least enjoyed it! I would love to hear from you on what you think about the new cards, what you think will come of the Wizards tomorrow, what decks you’re planning on putting what cards into, etc.! You can write to me here or find me on Twitter @DM_Cross! Or you can email me at seth.dm.cross@gmail.com! Don’t also forget that you can follow along with the Praetor Magic YouTube channel and follow the channel’s Twitter handle @PraetorMagic! We’re STILL working on our first giveaway, so head over to the channel and SUBSCRIBE and then Tweet out your favorite Magic Online Commander League episode with #MOCL! That’ll give you a chance to win a Blessed vs. Cursed Duel Deck when we hit 50 subscribers, or the second one when we hit 100!

Thanks for reading through everything! I really appreciate the attention I’ve gotten so far. I’m loving these posts and seeing what people think, so definitely reach out to me!

Until next time, folks, that’s all I got for you! Peace, love ya’ll!