#bill doesnt have any holes

[jameslongforjimshortforgabriel]

how would ford and bill even fuck. how would they even kiss. would ford have to straight up kiss his eye? like. would bill even close the eye?

[taikeero-lecoredier]

STOP KOSA(and cie) MASTERPOST 2024

Both KOSA and the Earn It Act bill are dangerous for the future of the Internet.

In a nutshell, KOSA would allow states to sue any websites that host content deemed “harmful” to minors. With such a vague wording, its expected that any NSFW stuff, educational ressources or LGBT content, will immediately be taken down if govts dont approve of it.

Plus, it will be made mandatory to use IDs to confirm your age when going online, to so called “protect kids” but all that will cause is a huge potential data breach and endanger more kids.

As for the Earn It Act bill, it would allow the governement to spy and filter out anything they dont like in private dms for any users,as well as blowing a hole into Section 230 : The thing that prevent websites from being directly liable in case a user post something illegal,instead of the user being punished directly. The comics I made about KOSA and Earn It Act are old but sadly still relevant. All the info you need are in this post.

•KOSA Comic •Earn It Act comic

•KOSA UPDATE + CALL SCRIPT (Made the April 11, 2024)

•When contacting your reps, you may also add that they should support better bills that will make kids (and anyone) safer by focusing on data privacy legislations instead of KOSA • Contact Congress through here https://www.stopkosa.com/ • House Energy and Commerce are the best to contact for the hearing of 17th April 2024 https://energycommerce.house.gov/representatives (the link doesnt work properly so you'll need to head to the site and select "Members" to find them)

• Find all your Congresspeople here http://badinternetbills.com/

• Find your House representative here https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative •Never forget to make tweets, posts, tiktoks, or use any social media you can think of to talk about this : Spreading the word will be crucial. As always, if you wish to help us fight against bad inetrnet bills,and have the latest infos about KOSA, consider joining our Discord server (if not, please just share it around) • https://discord.gg/pwTSXZMxnH

[swiftfootedachilles]

hiiii achilles!!!!!!! how are you today? i miss your gallavich hot takes so do you have something in mind? have a good day 🌷

well apparently my big gallavich hot take is them having a jewish wedding 😭

okay. hmmm, actual unpopular hot takes? i gotchu

i want more intersex headcanons (that are well-researched and not fetishizing intersex people!). i want more t4t mlm gallavich. and i DEFINITELY want more t4t trans!mickey nonbinary!ian gallavich. because amab people are just as transgender as anyone else even if they dont take hormones or drastically change their appearance or change their name. nonbinary people arent women lite and men lite, theyre nonbinary. and i think nonbinary!ian is so slay

ian does not enjoy bottoming. even when he consented to doing it with trevor, he didnt actually like it. he simply tolerated it

when staying with the gallaghers, ian and mickey are very brazen about their sex life and dont try to stay quiet or even close their door sometimes, BUT they wont fuck in common areas like the kitchen and living room unless it was on the couch and they were 1000% sure there was NO chance of any of the kids walking in on them. they wouldnt traumatize liam or franny like that (stfu s5 doesnt count bc they knew liam was too young to have memories yet 😭 (speaking of, why does nobody ever talk about the fact that liam was 2 years old for like 3 whole years 😭😭))

their "security" business as it is in the finale isnt very sustainable. it literally started as money laundering, and ian didnt know. i think he eventually finds out by accident thru kev or vee what mickeys original "security business" plan was, and he gets super pissed. but i think they could very easily turn it into a legal business. we see them starting to do that, by working with real dispensaries instead of the shady illegal one kev and vee have in the bar. nevertheless, id like to read more future fics where they grow or adapt the business, and even move on to a new business altogether! theyre not exactly the career-having type. i think change over time actually helps stabilize them

THEY NEED TO PAINT THAT FUCKING AMBULANCE. ITS STOLEN. WHY DONT THEY EVER PAINT IT ALL BLACK OR SOMETHING?? WHERE DID THEY GET THE NEW PLATES. DID THEY EVEN CHANGE THE PLATES?? the s4 writers would never let a scam have so many plot holes 😔 they wouldve SHOWED us mickey and his brothers getting new plates for the truck

ian gets a tattoo for mickey. youre telling me that after the surprise anniversary party, you think ian WOULDNT get mickey somehow immortalized on his body? WRONG. he definitely does. i dont think its his name over his heart. maybe something small on his wrist? or M on his ring finger💜 thats a fav headcanon of mine

they dont start a family until close to 40. the longer theyre married, the more they realize they have to catch up on. learning to live together long-term, paying off debts and bills, moving, vacations, reconnecting with old friends and family, being there for liam where theu couldnt for their other siblings when they were liam's age, watching their nieces and nephews often to gain more caretaking and parenting skills, medical issues, family emergencies. theres just a lot that takes up their time, and they become very comfortable being two before they ever try to become three

they nonseriously say shit like "i want a divorce" but they NEVER mean it. even when one says it as a joke or like in s11e3, the other will ask "did you really mean that? do you really want a divorce? do you think we'll ever get one?" and they end up having a rare super serious heart-to-heart about it. about what they think the future might hold - or at least, what they want it to hold. the longer they are with each other the more stable their relationship becomes. bickering is less common, big fights are less explosive and violent, and they learn to become comfortable with silence

[hundredyardclown]

a brief overview of wildcard weekend

some of these games were decent, most were unwatchable. behold, the most haste-induced summary:

Texans 32, Chargers 12: same old fucking chargers. exciting new hire/rookie, fairly impressive regular season, immediately look like fools against a competent opponent. the texans used some flavor of voodoo magic to pick off justin herbert 4 times, which practically iced the game the whole way through. many people (me included) picked the chargers to win, how dumb to believe in that team year after year. have fun in cancun.

Ravens 28, Steelers 14: Congratulations Mike Tomlin! you win another year of "is it time to move on?" debate. this team was playing with house money, but its clear the culture needs to change. meanwhile in baltimore, the team must continue to convince lamar that it is still the regular season if they want a chance at beating buffalo. this game was really fucking boring to be honest.

Bills 31, Broncos 7: aside from a fun opening drive TD, this game was also boring. the bills beat the shit out of a wildcard seed for the 5 year going, what's new? unlike the chargers, there is a bright future in denver. bo nix is still the guy. but in the meantime, the great quest continues in buffalo. hope it doesnt go wide right! (also can we talk about the sheer loudness of the buffalo goalposts? it must be investigated.)

Eagles 22, Packers 10: If the packers had any starting receivers, this would have been different. jordan love looked like the reincarnation of brett farve (without the misuse of public funds). by the second half it was so bad that aj brown was reading on the sidelines. stay educated king. this team actually looks very competent???

Commanders 23, Buccaneers 20: FINALLY. an actually entertaining game. the 4th quarter alone probably had all of tampa bay and washington dc suffer from high blood pressure. goal line fumble followed by a doink in. storybook stuff for the snyderless commies. nothing else to say, love to see it.

Rams 27, Vikings 9: sam darnold put on a disasterclass. fumbled generational wealth. L. jets sam was back in full effect, bro looked like a deer in headlights. meanwhile this was a hugely cathartic win for the rams as their city burns, fuck it they ball. jared verse is actually filling the aaron donald sized hole, looks to be a star for years to come. rams at eagles is gonna be lit

divisonal matchup predictions coming to a blog near you.

[aurorafandomblog]

11) Hospitality

Inside the small yet cozy restaurant, Kisame seems to be eating to his heart's content while Itachi seems to be more mindful and almost methodical about the way he eats. It seems to Tsuru that Itachi does not wish to appear greedy while Kisame seems to pay no mind. Tsuru smiles softly to herself. She certainly doesnt mind either way- she has plenty to spare for hungry travelers like these two men, but she does appreciate Itachi's quiet manners.

As the meal comes to a close, Tsuru decides its time to ask. "Where do you plan to go next?"

"Where do you want us to go?" Itachi asks in his calm and quiet voice.

"We've been instructed to accept any assignment," Kisame says.

While Kisame was still speaking, Tsuru pulls out several lists, putting them on the table and pushing them towards the two men. "Anywhere," she answers with a smile.

Both men glance at the readied lists in surprise.

"Choose whichever is the most convenient for you- there's no need to go completely out of your way."

Kisame glances at each of the list, reading the countries each one is for. Itachi wordlessly begins stacking each one into a neat pile and Tsuru tilts her head questioningly.

"There are others who can help us," Itachi explains simply.

"Others...?"

Itachi nods.

"Oh..." Tsuru blinks as she takes a moment to process this- and then she nods with a smile. "Okay... yes, that would be great. Thank you!"

"No need to thank us," Kisame answers. "We're just doing our jobs."

"Be that as it may," she says dismissively while signaling for the bill. "You are making my life a million times easier. I cant afford to be away from my shop for more than a couple days at a time."

As Tsuru is paying for the bill, Kisame reaches to take another drink of water. Suddenly, Tsuru is grabbing his arm. "Hold on," she says.

Kisame looks at Tsuru in confusion. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"How long has this tear been here?" she asks, examining the sleeve of Kisame's cloak.

"....maybe a week?"

"You two arent going anywhere until you let me mend that."

Both of the men blink at Tsuru's forwardness.

"Itachi. Do you have any tears or holes in yours?" she asks firmly.

He simply shakes his head.

"Good," she says with a nod. Returning her attention to Kisame, she says, "Take the cloak off and let me have it. It'll be fixed before you leave in the morning."

He hesitates, glancing at Itachi momentarily before obliging Tsuru's command.

Taking the cloak carefully to ensure no food or drink gets onto it, she gives a satisfied nod. "There's a place you can spend the night just a few buildings to the south. Tell them you are my guests and I will care for your lodging bill."

"If you insist," Kisame answers with a shrug.

Itachi glances at Kisame with a look that Tsuru could only assume was vague disapproval. And then Itachi meets her eyes. "Thank you."

Tsuru smiles. "It is my pleasure. Now you two go on, i'll see you in the morning."

master list

@theheirofthesharingan

[geodetojoy]

lux lux lux hi hi hi o//

i have questions!!! for you!!! from the asks list-

abelia, sage, chamomile, palm tree

ilysm am eagerly awaiting your answers. also. here is a cat for you

≽^•⩊•^≼

gaaaasp a wild mads??? in my ask box??? what an honor :D and they brought a cat??? omg this is incredible

yippeeee asks!! lets seee

abelia- do you have a particular piece of jewelry you always wear or can't part with?

mhm! i quite literally only take my bracelets off when i shower or do dirty work with my hands lmao-

i know ive told you what they are buuut i wanna go thru em anyway :3

ok on my left hand is my pride flag wrist, from top to bottom we have: ace, aro, aroace, omni, nb, and agender

then my left hand is like. fandoms? or special interests i suppose and its: ranboo, donnie, [this one i made when over at an irl friends house and i just liked the colors lmao, its not related to anything], luxray, httyd, and techno :3

i also have a fidget ring and the same rules apply lmao

i will say it has. started to pigment my skin. so. uh. maybe things need to change,,,,

sage- what 'medium' of art is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

wait this is such a fun question omg

despite my main form of art being physical, i think i prefer to "consume", for lack of a better word, anything language related, like stories, poetry, and music.

i think honestly its because music/language has been such a huge part of my life since birth, like my mom would constantly be playing music when she was watching me, and i (essentially) taught myself to read by the age of three so ive just always had a penchant for language and i find it so incredibly interesting

also just. music sound good in ears

chamomile- what kinds of things do you like receiving as gifts?

i feel like this is a trap /silly

genuinely anything personalized *cough cough* the stuff yall made for my bday *cough cough* will immediately reduce me to a puddle of tears /pos but aside from that, i like stuff that i wouldn't expect to get but it's given from someone that knows me so well that i didn't know i needed it until i had it

and legos. i fucking love legos.

palm tree- do you have a fictional villain you shouldn't like but love regardless?

hmmmmm my gut response to this is veigo grimborn from httyd: rtte but i think they kinda wrote it so that at the end of his story he became likable lmao- but i was always a huge fan of him he's an absolute asshole and like. he wants to kill dragons/ sell them to get rich but. he's also so fucking smart and like? nice? respectful? i think diplomatic would be a better word. he's a "man of his word" as he likes to say, and its never once proven wrong

and his whole arc before he dies is like. him turning his back on the dragon hunters to help hiccup and the skrill escape and like. idk it fit his character so well at the time he had such good development i love rtte sm watch it watch it watch it watc-

fuck his brother tho. ryker can go die in a fucking hole.

and the rest of the villains actually they fucking suck. johann, krogan, drago, grimmel. all the fucking scum of humanity i despise them.

dagur doesnt count get behind me dagur

honestly the rest of the villains i like are all like. commonly liked villains i don't think i have any stand out ones. like. bill obvi, cucurucho from qsmp, monika from ddlc, team rocket. duh., oh and the new one in pokemon horizons. idk the group name but amethio my love <333, and eggman and team dark (they are. definitely not villains but like. theyre seen as that in the story kinda so fuck it i wanna give the three of em some love shadow, rouge, omega they could never make me hate you)

RAHHH TY FOR THE ASK I SHALL BE OVER TO YOUR ASK BOX SOON LOVE YOUUUUU

[hellowhoisthere]

Hello! I hope you don't mind me invading your inbox but I thought this might be more efficient than reblogging the same post over and over and clogging people's dashes 😅

But I had a question about your non-profit AU! How does the divorce between Salem x Ozpin play out? ��

- Zac (@zacs-of-rwby)

Its no invasion! You are completely welcomed to enter any ask and most certianly enter if I get talk about my silly ideas lol.

I have read a many a fic where Salem is abusive to Ozpin and he escapes the relationship but in this au they decided to get divorce right before that point. Because this fic got theme going of 'the love was there but it didn't change anything/doesnt save anyone' because how with Arkos and Seamonkeys in fic that leads in Jaune/Neptune. But not going down that rabbit hole now.

Just when Salem and Ozpin meet in this AU they are optimistic for the future, at what they can build together. But once Salem takes over her father's company completely (after his very normal death, at a very normal dinner party) they are married and they start their business together that goes so well until business isnt doing well, then marriage isnt doing well and after some capitalistic tatics the business is doing well, but marrige doesnt recover. There no work-life balance, and they have grown apart, becoming strangers to eachother.

In saving the company Salem lost herself. But Ozpin can't blame because he has changed too. He not the humble business man he was at the start. He is not sure he likes who is now. Salem understands that but she has power to do the change they once dreamed and she is going stay who she become. There is that chance they can learn each other now, but there is the greater chance they lose eachother completely and ruin what good things they still have and good they had in past. So yeah they divorce. It heartbreaking but its going save more hurt and heartbreak than being together.

PS.

I had considered the reason that Salem is so desperate to save business is because Ozpin gets sick and medical bills are a nightmare but I'm still thinking on Salem's story. Just different verisons of The Girl in The Tower we get makes want to give Salem a more complex motive.

[miss--river]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

thank you so much!❤️ sorry this took me so long to answer 😅

i'll start with jori since she's the first one i created! i know it may not seem like it lately but she's the main baby of the other 2 main babies i have! ive projected so much of myself and interests onto her that i became attached quickly lmao! she's also the one who i insert into every piece of media that im consuming and like enough. like, if im playing dead space i totally imagine her in the place of isaac. or if im playing a backrooms game she's the one running around and trying to escape from the monsters lmfao! her story has taken different shapes and changes since i actually brought her over from red dead online. her twin brother, mika, doesnt exist in red dead online and was solely create for cyberpunk purposes. i love the pic on the left because i just think she looks really badass lmao! and i like the one on the right because im not usually patient enough to set up sets and backgrounds but this time i stuck it out and i loved it! it's simple compared to what others can do but im still proud of it!

next is the love of her life, driss! back when i first started getting into modding my game i actually shipped her with river. i was trying to get a cute shot of her and river looking out at the sunset over the ocean, but sine i was so new to modding i didnt know bigger characters like river had a different locomotion type so i couldnt get any poses to work. as a test i replaced an NPC couple with jori and driss and that was when i fell into a hole lmfao! i thought they looked so much better together so i kept them going! their ship name is Broken and Beautiful because both of them have past traumas that still effect them but they found comfort and understanding in each other. i love how soft both of these pics are! especially the fire behind them in the one on the right!

lottie is my second of the main 3! she also started out as a red dead online OC! i usually try to make her come off as a flowery, cottage core, disney princess aesthetic type. she's the softest and shyest of my OCs but she can be fierce too! she smiles at strangers in the street and will lend a hand if they look like they need it but she does it with caution because... its night city lmao! i chose these pictures in particular because i just thought they were the coolest ones. i do have some pics that showcase her as soft and flowery but i just couldnt resist showing these ones instead! the one on the left was made to be a tarot card called The World. the pic on the right was me trying out a greaser AU on her! i really love how they both came out!

the last of the main 3 is phoenix! i made her fully expecting to just leave her to collect dust, just like certain other OCs, (and i feel so bad for them 😔) but i became attached to her very quickly too. i based a chunk of her personality off of vash the stampede from the 1998 anime trigun. after a short while of that i actually ended up shipping her with him lmfao! currently she doesnt have a backstory because nothing has really inspired me yet but at least i know some things about her current life! i think these pics are perfect for show casing her as she currently is. she lives in clutter but not, like, dirty clutter if that makes sense? she just likes having stuff and buying things that interest her. i mean doesnt everyone? haha! she doesnt really save her money for anything other than rent and bills, everything else is purely impulse. her favorite treat is donuts and when she's willing to share one with you thats how you know she likes you! her favorite thing is to make people smile!

onto stuff that i made for other people! i really loves these pics that i took of mishka and claire for @thelonestrider! mishka looks SO GOOD in purple! and claire is chef's kiss! i had a lot of fun taking pics of her! i got such freeing vibes from her so i had to have her enjoying the sun's rays!

i took these ones for @holofishes and i totally consider wren to be one of jori's besties! i think they'd have so much to talk about and i get such warm vibes when i see them together! jori is usually very sweet and kind but when it comes to her friends she'd kick anyone's ass 😉 the sunflowers and butterflies in the first pic took so long to place! but it was totally worth it! they're both rays of sunshine!

[fluffnflightillustrations]

I just need to get it off my chest.

Another vent post, since this month has been just... terrible, really.

So we were doing well, paying the bills, even making a little extra... then my roomie quit her job on the spot without a backup job on the rear cooker... right before my birthday.

maybe its selfish, but im really frustrated and pissed about it? she got a small job after jobhunting for two or three days and they let her go the next week, so once again, we are out of more than half the bill payments. usually, if i were healthy, i would be able to try to float us for a bit, but im just. not. healthy. at all.

i cannot afford my medication i desperately need to maintain myself, and my paranoia is getting so much worse with all of the stress piling higher and higher. for those unaware, i am diagnosed with PTSD, OCD, GAD, and Psychotic depression... that last one is basically super intense depression, but add on some hallucinations and a lot of paranoia.

I cant get enough sleep and i keep waking up with tachycardia and night sweats and feeling weak and i dont know if its my paranoia as usual or if its actually some new heart condition and its freaking me the hell out

I'm working as much as i can at my new job and i still don't think im going to make ends meet, so I opened commissions but the guilt from being able to finish them fast enough is eating me alive and i feel like im really falling into a huge hole i cannot crawl out of

i want to disappear and hide from it all... i wish it would all just disappear. the world, the bills, the stress, the hallucinations, the anxiety, the loneliness. my entire life. im not going to act on an attempted... unaliving, since ive tried and failed too many times to have any faith in myself to be successful, but im so... so tired. so exhausted.

We had planned a trip to New York, even bought nonrefundable tickets and a hotel a few months back when we were doing well... but im going to have to go and spend the whole time working, and my friends i was going to meet might have to cancel, and honestly.. part of me just doesnt want to go anymore. its hard to feel any excitement for a trip that will just be spent being anxious and feeling guilty for not working in that time period.

My friends are all busy, so i don't have really anybody to get it off my chest to, and then another few friends i suspect of actually hating me, but maybe its my anxiety speaking... im just tired of it all. i want it all to perish

anyways... commissions are open. ill post about it tomorrow probably when i feel better, if i feel better

[despite-everything]

im

just going to write this out because i need to get it out somewhere and dont know where my little audio recorder is. i know its hard to live with parents for a lot of people, and i knew it'd be hard for me but thats really hitting right now.

today wasnt the worst, but it also kinda sucked. some geriatric asshole stopped his working vehicle in the middle of the street for no reason, and nearly got me t-boned because of it, then i got an energy bill for a place i dont live despite cancelling the policy in july, then i got a message from my insurance agent saying my policy would be cancelled if i didnt pay (but nothing was due?) and then when i tried to call i learned that this house often doesnt have cell signal in the afternoon. i eventually managed to talk to the insurance people and got that sorted, but i couldnt get through to the energy people, so that's still unresolved. im still rattled from the car thing - i was almost killed in a car last year, so im very sensitive around crashes and near-crashes (no flashbacks today, though, so thats better than the last near-incident i dealt with). tomorrow my dad and i fly out to visit his aging parents - his dad is basically wasting away and his mom is losing her mind, so its a bit of a lets-visit-one-last-time thing. i havent seen them since 2018 and rarely talk to them, but i know theyve fallen down this horrible fox-news-christian-conservative hole lately, and before that they werent great, so i have a horrible feeling this trip is just going to be painful and sad. i know that best-case-scenario, we talk about nothing meaningful at all, and they dont comment on my appearance. but they're going to hate it. and if they actually knew me, they'd hate me, too. and i feel bad leaving my cat behind to live in the basement for 3 days - my stepmom will look after her, but she's going to be very lonely. so there's that, too.

but honestly i needed to write this out because my dad and i were driving our dog to the park to let her run around and we were listening to the radio. he asked me why i dont always use my radio voice, and i told him its because it takes extra effort to stay low and smooth for the persona and the microphones, and that after a few hours its tiring. he said he knew that, but then basically asked again - i tried to get him to clarify, but he didnt have the vocabulary to explain it, so he tried to mimic my voice (i guess?) and it was fucking mean. like i felt my heart drop and almost teared up immediately. i said something like "haha i don't sound like that" and he doubled down and said i did. and the thing is like... i know my natural voice is a bit nasal. im from texas and was raised with a mother and an aunt with nasally, high-pitched southern accents, and i inherited some of that. i HATE my natural voice. for years, any video taken where i spoke at all, i hated rewatching it. i thought i sounded annoying and could barely fathom people wanting to be around me. i hear any recording of my self earlier than 2021 and i want to turn it off and erase it completely. i don't think i'll ever get over that hatred. but as i've gotten older, my voice has dropped a bit. and i make a conscious effort to have much less of a texan accent (some words still trip me up - aisle, line, fire, wild... "i" is hard to not sound texan on), and i try to sound "smoother" and more pleasant. but i know i don't always succeed, especially if im excited. and the thing is, my excitement is always too much for my family. it's annoying and immature and overwhelming, apparently. so my entire life i've tried to tone myself down, but sometimes i fail, and sometimes i'm so wound up and anxious i fail then, too. and i know it's annoying, but jesus christ that imitation hurt.

when i tried to express that, my dad got pissed and was like "thats just what you sound like" and i said something along the lines of "you don't have to mean about it" and he got more upset and was like "im not being mean you just sound like that. but fine. i just wont bring it up ever again" and im sitting in the passenger seat thinking... what am i supposed to do? what am i supposed to say? if i cry, he'll get even more upset and think im overreacting and being immature, but todays already been hard (to self-regulate earlier, i bit my arm so hard i accidentally drew blood, and screamed so loud in my car my hearing was temporarily dampened, but while that helped, it didn't fix anything), and i could cry any moment. and my mind just loops back to the impression of me, which was startlingly similar to his "whiny voice" he uses to mock assholes. it just felt fucking awful and yet i felt kinda crazy because he keeps saying he didnt mean it in a bad way, and he isnt the type to play mind games but my mother did that sort of thing all the time, and i was tired and upset and wanted to go back home. after the park, i tried to continue the conversation, but never really understood what part of my voice or cadence he was referring to,but i think i smoothed things over enough. but it just sucks so much.

im living with him and my stepmom right now as i look for a job, and im more than an hour away from any of my friends. while i could drive to see them, it doesnt make sense to waste that gas when im unemployed and heading for the airport in the morning tomorrow. and i dont really call my friends. i could, but its not a thing we do, and i honestly would just want to say what this post said and then move on. i just wish i had company. but im outside trying not to be eaten alive by mosquitoes but theyre getting me through me jeans, so i just have to suck it up and go inside to wash the dishes.

[chesters-ocs]

i am realizing i never even like. fleshed out where the FUCK butcher and his family are from. OOPS???

okay strap in because this'll get complicated because im stubborn and dont want to de-canonize the languages he speaks

(also it gets long because i get off topic and just wanna talk about him <3 my babygirl <3)

so as it currently stands, he met sylvester in latvia when they were both in their early 20s, but had been living there since he was a kid, just in a different city. i wanna say that because of his energy, it just HAS to be Rīga. So i can expand on that further and say that him and sylvester (Who's from Ventspils) likely met at some nasty, gross hole-in-the-wall club. likely after Sylvester got lost in Rīga and just went there for directions.

But his parents were both italian, so they got hella lost in the sauce and migrated there, while the country was still a part of the ussr. Which. uh. odd choice, for sure, but take my hand and lets believe in this magical land where its likely. together. <3

As butcher and marcus start school there, dominic is born, and a year later: elizabeth.

Then his dad got drafted. fuck. which eventually leads to butchers intense haterid for anything military due to it getting his father killed.

His mother then drags the four of them to the uk in search of a better life, and they end up landing themselves farmland and livestock and finally, a safe place to live. during this time, is when sylvester and butcher turn into penpals, which later on developed into the coded postcards

elizabeth and dominic are put into school again. this time, they get taught neither latvian nor russian, and its purely english. and the only connection those both had to italian is when speaking to their mother at home, who never picked up any new languages, other than broken phrases

butcher is now 18 (and marcus is 19) and their mother, due to nonstop health scares, leaves the farm into their hands. more like butchers than marcus', but yknow. with an occasional help from their uncle: julius, who kept an eye on them whenever their mother couldnt.

but due to the hospital bills increasing and getting worse, butcher starts to get desperate. its clear marcus will just let everything turn to ruin, and he cant stand for it. and theres only so much julius can do.

so he schemes and returns to sylvester. it was supposed to be temporary. but the more little escapades and dubiously legal jobs they pick up, the more he realizes that. oh. *oh*. maybe this is the answer he was looking for the whole time.

sylvester opts out of it after getting caught and heavily fined, but butcher doesnt. he keeps going, keeps saving up whatever he can get. excusing it all with the fact that it'll be for his mother, that he's doing it so they can get her the treatment she needs.

but he knows its too late when he gets the news from julius in a funeral invite in the mail.

he leaves behind every last cent in julius' possession during the funeral, trusting he'll put it to good use. if not to pay off the burial expenses, then to at least put it towards repairs they need, or to have food on the table

in his absence, marcus also got full control of the farm. its not in ruin per se, but it is certainly not maintained as well as it shouldve been.

however, finally a good thing comes from marcus: his fiance, ivy, who speaks of her other son. in italy. and speaks of who the father is. should it have been classified information? yes. but a few wine bottles in she no longer cared. so butcher now has a starting point for the beginning of the end.

ivy had a lot of insight into vincents work. and what vincent needs right now is someone like butcher. someone who's desperate. so he accepts butcher's pleas.

or at the very least, tells him to wait with the confirmation he will be called in one day. and then he'll be expected to show.

what he doesnt know is that ivy and butcher have befriended each other. butcher speaks of missing the motherland, and she tips him in on whats it like there now. helps him brush up on the language too

during this time is also when sylvester and līva divorced, according to the letters. so having nothing better to do than await his death, he helps him move. helps with the same document hell he himself had to help his mother with when they first arrived.

and he makes the mistake of falling in love. sylvester managed to mellow out a bit, but still found butchers antics tolerable enough to move in.

and then to have a kid of their own.

... and then, on the day he bought a marriage ring, he got that call. the one he had forgotten about until that day.

so he packed his bags, kissed his almost-fiance goodbye, hugged his kids and left trough the front door.

he did not return home in the 10 year time he said he would. at least it was not a promise. or it wouldve hurt way more.

instead, 7 years into the decade, sylvester gets the news broken to him by mail. that the body will be delivered soon, along with his possessions, and instructions on how to plan for a funeral.

[joshhutchersonseggsalad]

Hiii! I'm B💜

I've been goin on tumblr for years and didnt realize theres more to it than just cute fanfics and memes. Idk WHAT I'm doing at all so bare with me lmao. Only here because I love all my lil fandoms<3

Heres some shit about me:

She/her♡Pisces♡Hufflepuff♡Enfp♡2w4♡Silly goose♡ADULT♡Romantic loser♡#1 best hugger♡Daydreaming cute scenarios 24/7♡Poetic flirt♡Music breather♡Bird lover♡Safe space♡

Also! I loveee josh hutcherson:] (and ofc some of his roles like josh futturman, billy, derek, clapton, mike, trey, peetaa, steve, travis, david, franklin, etc. Tho my hypefixation has died lowkey..sry i don't post him much no more)garrett watts, twenty one pilots, nirvana, foo fighters (big taylor and dave stan) spongebob, green day, queen, ddlc, donnie darko!!!, fnaf, TEOTFW, impractical jokers, some view askewniverse shit ( CURRENT hyperfix♡snoochie boochies😉), bill and teds excellent adventure (favorite movie of ALLLL time), 90s tmnt, rocky and sm other stufffff!

I post about plenty of random shit, including my fav fandoms^and interacting with lots of other accounts ex. rp pages. Plus mental health stuff too (both positive and negative things fair warning). Also I'm 20+ and do tend to post nsfw stuff a lot. Pls keep in mind, that whatever content u decide to look at is YOUR responsibility. If I see someone of a certain age interacting with my blog/even nsfw stuff, I have the right to remove/block u. Or if ur just rude and disrespect boundaries👌

Feel free to message me about any fandoms, sillies, or even if u need someone to talk to‼I love makin new pals🍪🏞🎸🌻

(edit: social media will never fill the empty hole. yes, it may help distract u from reality and keep ur happy lil hyperfixations alive, but every doomscrolling software, including this one, thats meant to keep u from feeling REAL dopamine, will never heal u within. if you need help, pls reach out. please. You are more than just another person with a phone addiction. You are more than just another person with depression. You are worth more than you think. Idk u but if u need help, feel free to message me, or contact professionals. You are loved and have so much ahead of u, even if it doesnt feel like it rn. I believe in u. stay strong.)

[aqvamoss]

I am doing so bad at having a weekend. I feel like I'm doing bad at having a weekend that I am actually writing a tumblr post, and I dont know if I've every actually written an original tumblr post. Its gonna be a misaligned rant. And I do this knowing my audience is 3 people. I mean fuck I have 16 followers and only recognize people from my hometown or have been through something with, so I know my audience. I am not doing okay. I'm crying typing it. It's just a bad weekend, I've had a great last month. I felt better than I had in the last 4 or more month before that. But I'm really struggling this weekend. I'm trying, I'm working on getting help, and I really dont wanna be drugged again. I just want to feel normal and produce something. I want to do more than take, but I cant do anything for myself. I only do it for other people so I can feel some worth or purpose. And even then I dont fix anything! I cant make anything permanent or stable or reliable or consistent and I can't make a home on rickety foundation! I feel I'm never gonna have somewhere to land or that feels safe or my own or be proud of. I can barely get out of bed somedays, like today. The best I can do is empty a dishwasher. I dont care if that's something, it's not enough. It gets me nowhere, it doesnt move myself forward. I feel like I'm rotting in place and cant find any reason to throw soap on the rot. That's more or less just to say I havent showered in like 5 days. I'm getting more lucid as I write it but I gotta press on with the feeling. I'm crying out all the overwhelming hormones, or at least that's what I tell everyone when I want them to be able to cry in front of me. "Its just your body purging the overflow, they've done studies and looked at tear chemical structures, this is the bodies flush mechanism." Idek if that's true, I say it but did I ever look into it? Did I make it up? I've felt like a lot of things I say lately I dont know where they came from. I've got holes in my brain. Hell maybe even real holes. Depression and genetic dementia, maybe it's getting me early. But all I've done this weekend is rot in my room, nag at myself about the things I should have done, could have done, had the time to do. Make myself a habitat worth holing myself up in. Only done things that minutely benefit the house, the fucking dregs I live with, where we're all suffering one way or another but I try my damnedest to make mine not affect them. This place isnt even safe. I cant feel home here, I can barely host here but it's a goddamn parade for any other fuck that wants to come through. I havent lived with this many people and felt this alone since I moved to grand rapids. I've lost the plot, all I can think about is I cant keep falling any further. I'm not moving up or even moving past things. I dont know where I'm going, where I'm supposed to go, or what's gonna be there if I get there. Is it worth going? Would any of YOU go out not know what the plan is? Just leave the house because you're told that's where things are going to happen? Okay where, with who, how long, and what happens, and WHY? I cant figure out why I'm doing anything other than it keeps me fed, it keeps the Bill's at bay, it keeps me from going crazy but makes me crazy in other ways. None of it feels right and I dont know what the right feeling is or how to feel it. It could shove itself down my throat and I wouldnt know any better because I'm broken and numb to good things. If I've felt anything today it's been the verge of a panic attack. It's been loneliness and exasperation. And the only thing I can do to make any moves forward is to go take a shower and hope to God that sets me back to zero.

[magicspaceuncle]

I recognize that - if it had to happen that day - the way it did, place it did, and time it did couldnt have been more perfect even if I had planned it myself. But that doesnt make it any less heartachingly upsetting that it happened at all.

Veronica (my car) is in the shop again. The theory is that the hole in my exhaust pipe (1.5yr ago someone tried to steal my catalytic converter and bitched out before finishing the first cut, I havent been able to afford a new one or even to pay someone to weld the damn hole shut so its still just. There being annoying and making noise.) has been preventing the exhaust system from clearing out properly, and a carbon/whatever buildup on some intake valve somewhere is limiting oxygen and causing my engine to suffocate. Havent heard back from the mechanic yet so we'll see what they find during diagnostic.

Fml though. All I want to do is pay back everything I owe to friends/family who bailed me out during our move, pay the last of the bills from the old place, and move on so I can finally relax for once in my fucking adult life. But alas. Im not allowed to relax yet, apparently.

[homesickhalfling]

I watched Bo's new special Inside today.

#spoilers #Inside #boburnham #howthefuckdoiputthisunderacutidontwannaruinpeoplesfeedswiththiscrap #idontknowhowhashtagswork

---

I felt anxiety before I watched it, almost like I knew it was going to hurt me.

And it did.

About halfway through i realized I had spent a lot of it literally hugging myself.

I sobbed after it was done. Sobbed.

Then I spent half an hour in the fetal position in silence in my room wondering what I was supposed to do now.

He articulated everything I had been feeling but running from for the past few years because I didn't want to acknowledge it or know how to say it, let alone fix it. ("There's that feeling again")

He proved that I was right when I had guessed that making this special would be a difficult regression for him and not good for his mental health. That he'd start questioning his life and his career.

It was hard to watch someone essentially record themselves having a breakdown over the course of a year. Even when he was trying to make me laugh I felt bad for doing it... yet I still laughed.

I feel partially responsible for his mental state. I participated. We all did. We gave him the likes, the views, the follows, the ticket sales. He was a child star and it fucked him up. There's a moment where he's sitting there watching one of his early YouTube videos and I just felt such pain for him. How horrible it must feel to live in the spotlight and be expected to make others happy ("dance you fucking monkey/ watch the skinny kid with the steadily declining mental health as he attempts to give you what he cannot give himself") and no one deserves to live their lives in that state.

He pointed out so expertly how the internet has spun wildly out of control and technology is too accessible and is ruining society. How everyone has to broadcast themselves and their opinions all the time. How kids grow up attached to tech that is rewiring their brains and development.

It was hard to watch. Of course he was funny, he made silly jokes and did silly dances and made fun of people and himself in poignant and catchy ways as he always does... but at the core of it all was this struggle of trying to make sense of a world that doesnt make any fucking sense. That is harmful in almost every way. And not wanting to participate in it anymore but having no way out.

He talked about wanting to kill himself, but not kill himself. I know that exact feeling. I have been saying it for months (maybe not out loud cause I don't want to alarm anyone but...) some days I just dont want to exist.

He talked about his anxiety, about feeling agoraphobia, about how the outside world is like a coal mine. And it's a perfect analogy.

He sang "congratulations" to Bezos. How many times have I said that exsxt thing to people? I say "Congratulations you won capitalism, good for you, now give us all your money."

He filmed himself turning 30. I turn 30 this year. It looked exactly how it feels. Scary. Lonely. Disappointing.

The ending hurt too. Its too real, too "meta". It's unavoidable and hurts to think about: He's come outside and "reentered" but all we are going to do is put him in the spotlight and laugh as he struggles with wanting anything but that. And yet he's releasing this fucking masterpiece... and like... are we not supposed to applaud him for it? It feels like a trap. Which I guess is exactly how he feels. Which just makes me appreciate his genius that much more for being able to convey that so perfectly.

He made me question everything (including my white woman instagram) because of course... what was I gonna do the second I finished watching? Post my opinion about it on social media. Like he said we all do. Like he asked us not to do. He's absolutely right that it's a pointless and empty validation thing that we all do and can't stop doing... and why? What purpose does it serve? ("Just perform for each other, all the time, for no reason")

I just kinda want to crawl in a hole and not participate in society. You know, like how I have always felt. Like my anxiety and depression have been telling me to do for years. That feeling I have to shove down every single morning before I get dressed and go to work. Pay bills. Socialize.

I dont know what to do now. I understand him not wanting to finish the special... because... then what? Just carry on like nothing happened? Go back to "normal"? Or go back to our isolation and wonder if/when things will ever get better for any of us?

Anyway... all of that being said... I think it's an important look in the mirror at where our society stands and what we have become. I think it's exactly what the world needs to hear right now even though it's hard. ("Look into my eyes don't shy away"). Bo is our mirror. A tortured, twisted, broken mirror for our tortured, twisted, and broken society.

And here I am... giving out my opinion that no one asked for or needed or cares about. Like the fucking hypocrite I am.

[manonblaqkbeak]

Sugar, sugar

(genuinely hate coming up with titles lol)

this is just rowaelin being pining idiots, one of my fave tropes for day 11--delayed love confession

just a note, the lifestyle in this fic is more of a background note and doesnt really take centre stage in this fic. it’s one ive been tempted to write for a while tbh but didnt really get around to it until now

cw: very, very light smut (like barely non existent, but just in case), a lil bit of swearing

enjoy! :)

3k words (officially my longest fic, yay!)

Every thought in Aelin's mind was blank. She trudged through her apartment that she shared with Nehemia, absentmindedly kicking off her heels that Rowan purchased for her months ago. Then the light jacket she wore joined the shoes, the fabric was perfectly soft and perfect for the autumn chill.

It was yet another piece of item that Rowan purchased for her. A lot of the things she had know were thanks to Rowan, either from his own wallet or from the biweekly allowance he sent her—a generous allowance that was a thousand times better than her weekly paycheck from the bookstore she'd been working at since she turned twenty-two; her business degree had turned out to be useless and so she turned to the bookstore that had been her stable job for three years.

Aelin barely touched her weekly wage now, it was practically buried underneath the money the Rowan gave her.

Because Rowan Whitethorn, thirty-five and a successful CEO who was well known, was her sugar daddy. Had been now for fourteen months. But he was more than that, more than just a man that paid her to spend time with him. He respected her, was loyal to her, listened to her and responded with actual sentences instead of a word or two like other men she had dated. He was charming, didn't treat her like she was nothing but arm candy, and she knew him so well, as he knew her, and each fortnight she sometimes forgot their whole arrangement, but she was sharply reminded when she received the notification from her bank that the two and a half thousand dollars that Rowan sent her was now in her savings account.

When she agreed to their arrangement after several get-to-know you dates, Rowan had wanted to give her three and a half grand every week, and gods Aelin had been tempted because she had never had so much money in her life, but told him that it was far too much and negotiated.

Two and a half thousand was the lowest that Rowan was willing to go, and even though Aelin only knew him for two weeks at that point, she could tell that he would not budge, so she agreed to the amount.

The first time that money had landed in her account, Aelin had thought that maybe she had imagined the whole thing, but the money was a sharp reminder of what she know was—a sugar baby. Those words still didn't feel like they applied to her.

And he still spent money on her when they spent time together. Just last week he gifted her with diamond earrings in the shapes of roses with a necklace to match. She wore them tonight, not because he bought them for her but because she genuinely loved the pieces.

Needing something sweet—despite the fact she had only finished her chocolate hazelnut gelato twenty minutes ago—she dug through her fridge and found the brownies that Nehemia had baked the other day. She told herself that she would leave some for her long-time friend, but Aelin really doubted that would happen.

Aelin relished in the cold air of the fridge as she found the new can of whipped cream on the top shelf. The fridge was one of the first things she purchased with the money she was now being gifted with (and after that came a new washer and dryer, a dish-washing machine and television. Almost everything in her apartment was brand new now, the food were actual brands instead of the generic, tasteless shit. She had bras that fit her properly and were so damned comfortable that she forgot she was wearing them half the time).

The old fridge was a cheap hunk of junk that she and Nehemia purchased off Facebook marketplace for a hundred dollars, it barely kept things cold, but with expensive rent and bills and general life things, Nehemia and her couldn't afford anything better.

Which was how she ended up in this situation. Picking up more shifts barely gave them anything extra, because the economy right now in Terrasen was shit. Nehemia had made a joke about needing sugar daddies, and Aelin, knowing that Nehemia could never really do such a thing, had decided that maybe it was a good idea.

Nehemia had told Aelin that she was insane for pursuing such a thing, and that she had only been joking, but Aelin was not and that she could handle herself if things went wrong.

Nehemia had told her not to do anything, but Aelin was determined and started her search. It had taken a while to find a website that was genuine and didn't make her feel like she had to scrub her eyes out with bleach.

She created her page in private, because she not only was Nehemia against the idea, but so was Elide and Lysandra—she didn't dare tell Aedion what she was doing. Her cousin could be an overprotective pain in her ass at times, and Aelin was very well aware that if Aedion caught wind of what she was doing, he would have locked her up in her room without any type of device so she couldn't go forward with her plan.

She appreciated their concern, she did, but she was a consenting, tax-paying adult, and if she wanted to use her time to get paid spending time with a rich man, then Aelin was allowed to do exactly that.

It wasn't prostitution, she had looked it up, because it was the sugar babies that had the power and so that was how it went with her and Rowan.

Aelin didn't even have sex with Rowan until it was the sixth month anniversary of her and Rowan's...relationship (and gods, it was the best sex Aelin ever had. Rowan was a generous and completely unselfish lover).

He was the first one she came across on the site and almost drooled down herself when she saw his picture. Silver hair, pine-green eyes, a beautiful tattoo down the length of his left arm and tanned skin, he was stupidly attractive and only ten years old than her.

Aelin messaged him first only after being on the site for ten minutes, deciding that surely he was the best one and that she needn't bother to look at any other candidates.

They hit it off straight away, and after deciding on a restaurant to meet at, Aelin had informed Nehemia of the matter, which she was promptly met with question after question: why can't a thirty-four year old man find someone his own age? Is he one of those men that can't date a woman five minutes older than him because of some stupid made up reason? How do you know for certain that it's him in the picture? What if he's cat-fishing you? What if he's a freak, or a killer? What if he's just pretending to be rich to kidnap you? What if, what if, what if?

And so after a heated discussion, Nehemia had come along on her date-that-wasn't-really-a-date and sat a few tables away from her and Rowan, watching them—especially him—the entire time like a hawk.

Aelin had completely forgotten that her friend was there, so enraptured by Rowan and what he did and how he saw life.

It had been fourteen months of seeing Rowan and genuinely enjoying spending time with him and weeks ago, she realised that she wanted it to be something more. That she had come to care for him, not because of the money, but purely because it was Rowan and he made her feel seen and he wasn't afraid of her, because she had once been told by an ex that she could be too much and that he couldn't handle all her baggage.

Aelin wanted a life with him.

So Aelin told Rowan she loved him when he dropped her off tonight after their dinner and a movie date, telling him how she felt, and he had said thank you. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and went home, leaving behind the pine-and-snow scent of him.

Aelin really wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die.

She was scarfing down her third brownie when Nehemia's bedroom door opened, her friend clad in an old matching pj set, her slippers shuffling across the tile.

“What happened? Are you okay?” her friend asked upon seeing Aelin's guttered look. Her dark brows furrowed. “Did that bastard hurt you? If he did, I'll—”

“He didn't do anything,” Aelin interrupted her friend. Taking the food, Aelin planted herself on the teal blue velvet sofa Rowan gave her for Yulemas last year, ignoring the scent of not just him, but of them both from when he came over after work just the other day with pizza and a DVD that she insisted that she watched because it was too good not to, when they forgot all about the movie as Rowan buried himself inside her, leaving hickeys all over her neck that she had to cover up with thick concealer.

Nehemia joined her on the couch, her friend momentarily forgetting for now that she had walked in on her and Rowan just moments after they finished, muttering under her breath in Eyllwe as she glared at them defiling the couch, and gave her a look that Aelin knew that Nehemia would listen to every word that came out from her.

And when Aelin was done recounting the story, all Nehemia could come up with was, “Oh.”

“Yes, 'oh,'. I've probably fucked up the whole thing. So don't be surprised if I call you on your lunch break tomorrow telling you he's broken things off.”

“Aelin, I don't think he will. I know that I'm not the biggest fan of your...situation—”

“I'm aware,” Aelin said, cutting her friend off. “You still won't let me buy you a new mattress, even though yours is hard as a brick and lumpy as hell. I've told you that you can pay me—”

“Aelin,” Nehemia said, “we're not talking about mattresses right now. As I was saying, I doubt he'll break things off because I've seen the way he looks at you. I still think he's too old for you, but he cares for you. You probably just caught him by surprise.”

“How does he look at me?” Aelin was observant, but sometimes when she was with Rowan, all her observation skills went out the window.

“Like he loves you,” Nehemia said, no hint of doubt in her voice.

Aelin sighed, her feelings slowly starting to crush her. “I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.”

Sighing once more, Aelin put the food back in the fridge, showered and went to bed, forgoing her usual night texting ritual with Rowan.

She really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

X X X X X X

Rowan couldn't concentrate, which wasn't a good thing, since his job dealt with having to concentrate all the time. But no matter what mind-focusing techniques he did, he couldn't stop thinking about Aelin.

Couldn't stop thinking about how she said she was in love with him. How her beautiful eyes had been sparkling when she said those words to him. And how the light in them dimmed when he said thank you and kissed her on the cheek, telling her that he would talk to her later. But he hadn't texted her, nor did she.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you. He really couldn't believe that was what he said. Felt like an utter fool and a bastard as he realised he probably crushed her heart. Aelin didn't like being vulnerable, and she had been when she said those words and he had gone and fucked it all up.

Rowan loved Aelin, he did, but he truly wasn't prepared for those words. He loved how on the weekends they would be up at one am, baking chocolate goodies, dancing in the quiet kitchen, humming quietly to Aelin's classical music playlist, with her wearing not the nightgowns that he loved, but one of his old hoodies.

He didn't think that he would get along with her so well once they met, thinking that their online interactions were nothing but a fluke. He was moments away from deleting the profile because he didn't actually create it, but Fenrys had, his friend grumbling that he needed a girlfriend, with Rowan arguing that creating a profile on a sugar daddy site was not dating but probably the opposite, when Aelin messaged him.

His life-long friend didn't listen, much to Rowan's annoyance—but he didn't grab his phone out of his friends hand; Rowan blamed it on the several whiskys he had downed by that point.

Aelin bewitched him on that first meet up. She was intelligent as hell and funny, and creative and beautiful. He was aware of why she was on the date with him, but he didn't care, just as long as he got to see her again.

Fourteen months later and Rowan was still bewitched. He wanted to be with her on a permanent basis, but wasn't completely sure how to take that step.

Clearly, Aelin had taken that step for them, and Rowan was the worlds biggest moron.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you.

Groaning, Rowan turned away from his computer and looked at the skyline, ignoring the buildings to instead watch the puffy clouds drift by.

Aelin loved watching the clouds, loved stargazing, loved questioning about the universe and what the skies held.

He never really paid any of that stuff attention, not until he met her.

Rowan didn't want to lose her, didn't want her to think that he was about to break up with her over this. He had to see her, so he grabbed his keys and wallet, told his secretary to hold his calls for the rest of the day, and went to visit Aelin.

X X X X X X

It had been an usually busy day for a Wednesday and Aelin was glad for her lunch break as she trudged up to the roof of the shopping centre. She wasn't really allowed up here, but she wanted some fresh air and to feel the sun against her skin as she sat down and dug into her lunch—fast food, unfortunately for her, because she was so frazzled from last night that she completely forgot about making a pack lunch.

Rowan hadn't called her, or texted her. Not even an email had been sent her way.

Aelin hated that she felt so damned mopey. She was an independent woman, but gods, even a good morning text would have been fine.

She finished her lunch, popping several mints into her mouth to get rid of the onion taste, when the roof door crashed open and a familiar hulking figure came into view.

He must have spoken to Elide to find her here.

Aelin's brow furrowed. “Rowan, what are you doing here?” Oh gods, surely he wasn't going to break up with her, she still had hours to go; there'd be no way she could work if she had tears in her eyes.

Taking her hands in his, Aelin stood up. She steeled herself against whatever he was going to say.

“I love you, Aelin. I'm in love with you, too,” Rowan said, his eyes soft and full of genuine love. Aelin's heart shot up into her throat. “I want a life with you. I want us to buy a home, one that has warmth and character, and a big garden. I want a dog. And kids too, if you want, I know that you've never mentioned it, but if you don't want any then that is completely fine. I want to support you in whatever endeavors you want to take, and if you ever want to go back to university, then I'll support you, or if you want to find a way to use your business degree, I'll help you with that, too. Whatever you want Aelin, I'll give it to you, as long as you're by my side, I'll be happy.”

Aelin was silent for so long that Rowan thought that maybe he shocked her into silence. But eventually, she smiled, one that was dazzling in its beauty that it took his breath away.

“You love me?”

“I do, Aelin, I love you.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Rowan groaned at the amusement in her tone, in her eyes. “You're never going to let me live that down, are you?”

She smirked. “Definitely not. It'll be a nice story to tell our children...one day. For now, I think we should contend with being proper significant others.”

Rowan nodded, smiling. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because I need to get back to work, since I'm no longer accepting your allowances. I won't deny the use of your credit card, but other than that, you are no longer my sugar daddy.”

It was Rowan's turned to smirk, and it was the one that made her core clench. “How about I be 'daddy' instead?”

Aelin snorted, even as she clenched around nothing again. Smacking his arm lightly, Aelin kissed him. “Only if you behave,” she said against his lips, “and now I really need to go back to work.”

Rowan walked her back, their fingers laced together, and as she turned to say goodbye, Aelin said, “I'll see you later, daddy.”

Rowan groaned, and it took everything in him not to take her hand and into his car to have his wicked way with her.

By the time he thought of a response, Aelin was already back to work, helping a customer with an impressive stack of books in her arms.

But she knew he was still there, because the way she swayed her hips to the counter was all for him, and when she saw him watching her, Aelin winked, making Rowan's heart flutter in his chest.

He really did love her. And he would live with her teasing him for the rest of his life, just as long as she was with him.