#even if they hadn't used it all and there was no reason for it to be plugged in in the first place they'd have debilitating anxiety

[acosmicbee]

Heart of the Sea

500 Follower Celebration - Day 3

This was it. It was the end of the line, but you'd go out fighting. The dagger you'd kept hidden so well was clutched in your hand as you stared at the cabin door. This... this would be you last night alive.

Because you were about to murder the pirate king.

-------

The idea would've been unthinkable only a month or two ago. As the child of two hardworking farmers most of your days were spent playing with the other children or helping out on the farm.

You remembered your parents and your siblings fondly. The way they'd teach you about every plant they grew, even the weeds they'd pull from among the plants. The way your siblings would tease you, but always have your back when you need it.

They were gone now. Everything was gone. Your village had been burned down. Your family had been slaughtered right in front of your eyes by the same pirates who had stolen you away.

You were nothing more than a chore runner now. You cleaned, washed, and folded clothes, fetched food, and scrubbed the deck. You barely got enough to eat somedays, always under the watchful eye of at least one of the pirate king's lackeys.

Finally, you'd grown tired of everything. You missed your family, longed for a home that didn't exist anymore. So, you'd decided to finally take your life into your own hands.

The dagger had been one you'd swiped from some merchant ship he and his crew had pillaged. You'd found the small pearl incrusted blade tucked in the pocket of some clothes that had been thrown at you to be cleaned. No one ever came to look for it after you'd swiped it so you'd been biding your time since.

Now, you were ready to take revenge for your family, for your village. More than that, for all the people whose lives he and his men had ruined without care.

When you finally crept inside, you hadn't expected to find him cuddling with his first mate. It was a little strange, but you were more focused on your plan, even as your hands shook around the hilt of the dagger. You had your mission, and you would complete what you set out to do.

The fire in his room softly crackled, making it feel warm and cozy. So different from where his crew had made you sleep down by the brig. It was freezing and damp and dark down there, and that only made you despise him more. How come a monster like him got to live in comfort?! What had you ever done to deserve the treatment you received?

You slowly stalked up to the bed, looking down at his face and raising the dagger. You would give him a mercy he didn't deserve and try to make it quick. You forced your hands to stop shaking as you firmly gripped the dagger, rearing back and aiming for his chest.

In an instant, the dagger had flown across the room and out of your hands. You had failed. Miserably. The pirate king was awake, his own sword grabbed from his bedside and used to deflect your blow. He smirked at you as you cowered back, accepting your failure and subsequent death.

The sound had caused the first mate to perk awake beside him. Now you were being stared down by two seasoned pirates, one of whom was known as 'the pirate king' for a reason.

"So, you think you had a chance of killing me?" The pirate king laughed like it was the most hilarious thing on the planet. It wasn't his usual manic laugh either. You'd heard that plenty of times, but this was a genuine laugh. He really didn't believe you could have done it. You frowned, angry tears starting to well in your eyes. Not only had you failed but you were being laughed at.

"Look at them! You made them cry!" The first mate scolded. He climbed over the still laughing prate king and approached you, which only made you cry harder as you realized neither of them saw you as any kind of threat.

You backed away from him, but he was faster. He grabbed your arm, his hands burning on your cold skin. Although you'd started to heat up since entering the room, the chill of the brig and the night hadn't fully left you yet.

"You're freezing! Oh, you poor thing... Julian, stop laughing at them!" The pirate king, Julian, you now knew, finally stopped laughing. He wiped a couple of tears from his face and took a few deep breaths before finally composing himself.

"Sorry, sorry. It was just so adorable! I think I was around their age when I first tried to murder my older brother." He grinned at you and you shrunk into yourself, still sobbing inconsolably.

"Here, let's sit you down by the fire. Why are you so cold, hm? I thought the bunks had adequate blankets. Now that I think about it, Julian, why is there such a young child on the ship anyway?" The first mate asked. In a flare of anger of being talked about like a harmless baby, you spoke up.

"I'm not a child! I'm old enough to help my parents on the farm if they were still here!" 

"You're what, 9? 10 at the oldest? You're practically a baby. Also, they're an errand boy. Helps the crew with stuff." Julian said. The first mate huffed as he fetched a blanket from the nearby wardrobe and draped it over your shoulders. It was heavy and warm and reminded you of your mother, which only made you start crying again.

"You're having a child work as an errand runner?! Julian, you better give me one good reason not to-!"

"Woah! Woah! Calm down there, Finn! The boys tell me he's fairly compensated for all his work! They say they like the chores!" Julian insisted. You rolled your eyes, weakly scoffing into the blanket.

"Where do you sleep, hm? I'll make sure your bed has some new blankets tomorrow." The first mate, Finn, asked. 

"I don't have a bed." You answered.

"Excuse me?!" This time it was Julian who gave you an incredulous look. You repeated yourself.

"Where do you sleep then?" Finn asked. You could hear the anger in his tone.

"There's a small closet near the brig. That's my room." You said. Finn whirled around and glared at Julian. Julian was already halfway out the door, slamming it behind him.

You just sniffled as Finn tried to calm you down. It wasn't long before you could hear yelling from the crew area. You just stared at the fire as it crackled. "When are you going to kill me?"

"Excuse me?" Finn asked. He had a mildly horrified look on his face.

"I tried to kill the captain. The king of the pirates. Isn't the punishment death?" You asked. Finn took a second to answer.

"Would you mind telling me why you tried to kill him?"

"You killed my family. They ransacked our house and stole our crops. My parents and my siblings all died that day because of him." You glared at the fire. How dare it warm you when your family would never be able to feel warm again.

"I'm... I'm so sorry." Finn said. He pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you, gently rocking you back and forth. Tears sprang forth again for the last time. Then you were quietly crying, cursing the world that had robbed you of everything you'd loved. It didn't take long for the near silent cries to taper off as you cried yourself to sleep.

Finn didn't let go. Instead, he stared at the fire, gently wiping your tears with a corner of the blanket he had wrapped you in. Julian stormed back in 10 minutes after you'd fallen asleep.

"Those lousy no good scoundrels. I've made sure they know they're living on borrowed time. Honestly, not only did they lie to me, but they harmed a child. This will not be forgotten or go unpunished." He promised Finn, staring down at your small body. Finn quietly whispered your conversation to him as he slowly moved you to their bed.

"They have been done a great injustice." Julian said. Felix cuddled you from one side, making sure you were warm enough, while Julian took the other side. "But I will do my best to rectify it."

"We both will." Finn sighed. "They aren't going to be leaving my sight for a bit. Just so I can make sure they're okay."

"Sleep tight Y/N. When you wake up in the morning you'll be treated like the finest of my treasures." Kept safe, taken care of, and never let go of.

[innorality]

imagine fucking clark kent... mid air.

this probably—most definitely—wasn't your brightest idea.

but it's not everyday you get to fuck and fly with superman now, do you?

you had to convince him to do it. he loved you, and loved being intimate with you, but this was—and he was sure of it—one hell of a bad idea. so it took you weeks, actual weeks, of begging and convincing, talking about it, mapping out every reason why you thought this was genius.

"please, kent, please! it'll be so fun and refreshing!" you sat on his lap while he was laying down on the bed, looking up at you, shaking his head. "people will notice and see us, sweetie." you ran your hands up his chest, "if you go high up enough, they won't even see a thing!"

finally, after two weeks of not touching you (because you refused to let him do so unless it was to take you mid air), he agreed.

you were tightening your silk robe around your waist, waiting for him by the balcony. you obviously weren't wearing anything underneath it, considering the main goal was intimacy. he arrived, in his own black robe, and grabbed you firmly yet delicately by the waist.

"are you ready, pretty?" he asked, voice low and protective. your knees buckled a bit, but you nodded. "of course." and he tightened his grip around your waist before jumping up in the air, and holy shit-

you were flying.

then, you noticed his hand wonder. the hand that he hadn't used to grip you was snaking its way inside your robe, brushing against your boobs and hardened nipples, before migrating all the way down to your cunt.

"f-foreplay? mid-flight?" and he chuckled, his eyes darkening with lust. "when did we think we were gonna do it?" and before you even has half the mind to answer, you felt two of his thick fingers press against your entrance, sliding inside.

he pumped inside you and your legs felt like pudding—half from the whole flying thing, and the other half from the fact he was fingering you mercilessly just like he knows you like. his palm is slapping against your clit and your legs tremble at every impact.

"w-when are we stopping?" and he paused for a second, before giving you that grin that tells you you're knees deep in this mess. "when you cum."

the simple sentence made a moan bloom from your chest, walls clenching down on his fingers. "y'wanna cum for me, baby?" you nod, "yeah? yeah? wanna give me one before the real thing?" and his dirty talking is throwing you off the edge, white droplets of cream dribbling down to his hand as she moaned his name as loud as she could. who cares? they're in the sky.

finally, the movement comes to an alt. they stop flying, stop moving.

you're still delirious, but smiling victoriously when he undoes his robes, hard cock revealing itself for you.

you salivate and bite your lip, feeling his dick rub against your sticky folds, jumping a bit when his mushroom top bumps into your clit. "this is so..." he trails off and you finish, "filthy?" and he hums while nodding, eyes closing while he loses himself at the sensation of your wet pussy.

finally, finally, he starts pushing himself in. it's scary and surreal, the thought of fucking in mid air turning you on more than it should. you love how you can see the birds flying next to you guys and feel his big veins hitting all the right spots inside you. he's so focused, focused on not letting you fall, focused on not being too rough, focused on making you feel good.

and fuck, the adrenaline rush heightened your senses and you could feel every fucking thing.

the way his vein bulged everytime you moaned in his ear, how tightly he was holding onto you, the cold breeze caressing you exposed skin, the sound of his heavy balls slapping against you..

you were close. dangerously close.

your own hand snaked down between your legs and you rubbed your clit softly, making yourself twitch in pleasure. "f-fuck, clark!" your voice got louder and louder with every string of sweet sounds getting pulled out of between your plush lips and he couldn't get enough.

your orgasm hit you like a train.

the adrenaline and stress of falling made everything feel ten times more intense, your walls clenching rapidly around him. cream started dribbling down your hole, forming a ring around his girthy base. "oh my fucking-" was really all you could coherently say in such a situation, every other word melting with eachother.

"baby- baby, shit- yes-" you had the man of steel stuttering and drooling, the sensation of your mushy walls clamping down on him too much for the poor man. he quickly let himself go, his cum coating your insides in a thick, white and milky layer.

he gasped, breath hitching when he felt the warmth of his cum fill you up. he pulled out slowly, your name slipping out of his mouth, while still catching his breath.

the flight back home was full of panting and quick dirty jokes you threw at him to fluster him.

bonus : bruce wayne noticed superman flying up in the sky.. up.. and up... and then stopping? wait.. he's with someone.. what are those movements–oh. they're fucking. this is officially none of his business anymore.

[hasufin]

We "don't know" the reason for the invasion inasmuch as the people who chose to do it never honestly explained their motivation, at least not to the general public.

But I want to be clear that in the public discourse at the time, it was very well-known that there were no good reasons for that invasion. I recall having a conversation with a co-worker then; he was a former Marine, very oo-rah, very patriotic in that specific form of patriotism which doesn't include any of the actual ideals of the country... I guess we could call it Nationalism and not be wrong.

Anyway, my stance was that there weren't any good reasons for the invasion.

He said Iraq was involved with 9/11. I pointed out how they were very definitely not and in fact had bigger beef with al-Qaeda than we did.

He said it was because Hussein tortured and oppressed the Iraqi population. I mentioned how he had very specifically said the USA wasn't going to be the World Police, and asked if we were going to invade every country that had human rights abuses.

He said it was because Saddam was building Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs were a big deal then), and would use them on anyone who invaded. I directed him to George W. Bush's own statement about how the USA would utilize our nukes if we were invaded, and asked how this was any different - notwithstanding that we didn't actually know Saddam was making WMDs, the evidence even as presented was really shaky [and subsequently shown to have been false].

He finally countered with a reason I couldn't tear down: "Because we can".

And that was it. Every reason the W administration gave for the invasion was bogus. And we knew it at the time. There's some speculation that it was a "blood for oil" thing to gain control of Iraqi oil; there was a lot of speculation that it was just to do what his father didn't and actually remove Hussein. But at the ground level, with the W supporters of the time, the reason was bloodlust. The USA had been attacked and they wanted to hurt someone. They knew Iraq hadn't done it. But they hated Saddam, and they wanted to hurt someone so it was gonna be him.

Sure, the W administration concocted a false narrative about why we should invade. They lied, and they knew they were lying. But we all knew too. No one was fooled. The lie was accepted, knowing it was a lie, because it justified what many people wanted at the time.

I missed most of the Iraq war due to being a baby, but every time I read about it I start wondering why we aren’t all talking about it all of the time

[captainsophiestark]

Better Than I Dreamed

Azriel x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for day four of the @sjmxreaderweek event!

Fandom: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Day Two Prompt: Villain/Heroes

Summary: The Autumn Court's only female spy has officially defected to the Night Court to start a new life that's more than she ever could've imagined.

Word Count: 1,768

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Cauldron boil me, I love this song!"

I laughed as Cassian, the feared general of the Night Court's armies, shouted to be heard over the music from the middle of the dance floor at Rita's. It shouldn't have been possible, but he managed to up the energy by another level as he danced and jumped around, Mor doing the same right beside him. I grinned and followed suit.

Six months ago, I'd been the only female spy in the Autumn Court. I'd worked my ass off to gather secrets and protect that absolute asshole Beron, despite constant danger and disrespect even from within my own court. It had been hell, but I'd been so deep in the middle of it, I hadn't even noticed.

Four months ago, I'd officially decided to defect from the only home I'd ever known, to the Night Court of all places. I'd run into Azriel on a mission two weeks before, and even though we were quite literally enemies, he'd saved my life. It had been the first crack in the foundations of my loyalty to the Autumn Court, which had quickly come tumbling down. Even though he had no reason to do so, Az had helped me through everything. He'd been my lifeline when I needed him, and we'd been almost inseparable ever since.

Last week, I'd finally passed the final test from Rhys and the rest of his Inner Circle to prove my loyalty and trustworthiness to the Night Court. I'd been allowed to relocate here, in Velaris, with the help of all my new friends. It came after working shoulder to shoulder with all of them on a dangerous, high-stakes intelligence mission, which we'd barely managed to pull off. But barely still counted as a success!

Which was why we all now found ourselves at Rita's, celebrating both my clearing of the final security checks and our success on the mission.

I laughed as Cassian and Mor linked arms and swung each other around the dance floor, picking up enough velocity to be a threat to anybody standing too close. I shifted back slightly to give them more space without having to slow down my own manic dancing energy levels.

No sooner had I shifted back than I felt a looming, shadowy presence directly behind me. I turned to find none other than Azriel, the fearsome Spymaster of the Night Court, staring me down. I smiled.

"Hey. I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."

He shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting into the barest hint of a smile.

"I had something to take care of."

I frowned, but before I could get out a clarifying question, the band changed the song they were playing to my absolute favorite song of all time. I'd first heard it on the first day I'd been allowed in Velaris, walking through the streets with Azriel and Mor. The smile returned in a split second, bigger and brighter than ever.

"May I have this dance?" Azriel asked, extending one hand to me. I took it without hesitation.

"Like you even have to ask."

Az pulled me closer to him, and the two of us started bouncing and moving with the rhythm of the music. I'd heard this song plenty of times since coming to the Night Court, alone and in the company of the member's of Rhysand's inner circle. But nothing stood out quite as much as the few different times I'd heard it in the company of Az, and just Az. It had sort of become our unofficial song.

My heart felt the lightest it had, possibly ever, as Az and I danced together, chest to chest. Our song ended, but we didn't slow down, carving out our own space just the two of us in the middle of the crowded Rita's dancefloor. A dazey smile floated onto my face, and a happy laugh literally bubbled out of me on our fifth or sixth song.

"What?" asked Az, a bemused smile on his own face. I shook my head and laughed again.

"Nothing. It's just... I kind of can't believe this is my real life. You know, if anybody I worked with in the Autumn Court could see me right now, they'd be absolutely shaking in their boots, head to toe."

"...Why?"

"Well, you're... you! You must know what your reputation is in the other courts. The terrifying, all-seeing spymaster of the Night Court, thought to perfectly resemble and maybe actually be the Shadow of Death. You were the number one fear of every spy in that court, and now..." A smile pulled onto my face, slightly delirious, and I shook my head. "Now I'm here, dancing with you in a club, feeling safer and more comfortable and at home than I ever have in my life."

A strange look flickered across Azriel's face which I couldn't quite decipher. Some day, I hoped I'd be able to read all the microexpressions that flickered across his face. I wanted to stay as close as possible to the shadowsinger, for as long as he'd let me.

The realization sent another wave of giddiness flooding through me, especially as Azriel tentatively reached out to put his hands on my waist, our dancing shifting to something a little slower and more intimate. I leaned into him. I knew I was beaming like an idiot, but I just couldn't bring myself to care.

"You're like... you're like a scary teddy bear, or like a wolf that only you are friends with who would shred anyone else. And I just... I feel so fucking lucky that I'm one of the people who gets to be here, with you, like this. Especially after everything that happened and where I came from."

Az gently squeezed my sides, but when I looked back at him after staring off into space as I tried to get my thoughts together, I found him carefully scanning my face with an eyebrow raised. I thought the corner of his mouth might just be twitching up towards a smile, but I might've been imagining it.

"...Are you drunk?"

"No!" I cried, whacking him on the arm. "Just... happy. I... I didn't realize how unhappy I was, how much I was missing critical components of my life, until I got here, with you all. I'm a little giddy about being here, I'll admit."

Az's mouth really did pull up into a smile at that, and he pulled me even closer to him, until our chests were pressed against each other. My heart sped up.

"I can't say I can ever remember being giddy, but... I'm damn happy that you're here right now, too."

I grinned at Azriel, and I got a rare, bright smile back from him. A magnetic force seemed to pull me closer to him, and him closer to me, and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine as my hands moved across his shoulders and up to tangle into his hair.

Fireworks exploded in my chest and in my mind. The entire world narrowed down to just me and Azriel, and all of a sudden, an invisible string I hadn't even been aware of snapped taught, connecting my heart to the heart of the male holding me in his arms. Azriel held me tighter and deepened the kiss, but I pulled back after a moment, unable to stop a laugh of absolute joy from bubbling out of me.

"This doesn't feel real," I said, my smile starting to hurt as I shook my head, still gazing at Azriel and holding onto him for dear life.

"I know what you mean."

His gave me a little squeeze, and as the reality of the moment started to really sink in, I put my hands on either side of his face and pulled him back in for another kiss. I'd completely lost all sense of the world around us, and I knew Az had, too. For better or worse, however, we had friends in the vicinity who weren't so oblivious.

"Woo! About time!" cheered Cassian loudly. He and Mor had moved to stand right beside us, and Azriel and I shot them matching glares as we reluctantly broke apart.

"Pay up, Cassian," said Mor with a grin. He rolled his eyes, but I saw him slip Mor some kind of payment. Apparently, they'd bet on this outcome, and Mor had been right.

Azriel huffed and shot the two of them a particularly strong glare, which was enough to snap Cassian back to the moment.

"Look, I'm not gonna judge either of you if you want to celebrate the moment right here and now, but I thought it might be nice to give you both a reminder that we're still at Rita's, in the middle of the dance floor. Not exactly private, if that's something you're after."

Azriel huffed again, wasting no time before turning to walk us both out of the bar. I waved to Cassian and Mor and called back a "Thank you!", to which they just nodded before going back to bickering over whatever Cassian had just been required to pay up. I quickly forgot all about the both of them, though, as Azriel and I cleared the door to Rita's and he lifted me into his arms before launching off into the sky.

I shrieked and laughed again, the wind whipping at my clothes and the strong arms of Azriel—of my mate—supporting me bringing back that delirious, giddy feeling I'd had in the bar. I rested my head on his shoulder, bringing one hand up to brush some of the hair back from his face.

"I love you, Az," I said. My voice was quiet, but I knew Az well enough to know he'd be able to hear me over the wind. "This still feels like a dream, but it's one I don't want to wake up from. Ever. I love you so much."

"...I love you too. More than-" Azriel's voice actually broke, and I saw his jaw clench tight to hold back whatever emotion was about to break through. He took a deep breath, holding me tighter to him. When he spoke again, his voice was strong and set in a way I hadn't heard before. "I love you too."

I curled into Azriel's chest, no more words needed as we sailed above the city of Velaris together. I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted that Azriel would find us somewhere perfect. My new life in Velaris and with him had just begun, and already it was better than anything I'd ever known. I couldn't wait to see where it went next.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21 @diego42

Maasverse: @lilah-asteria

[screamingcrows]

I confess I was going to send in a nsfw spring event request (short) but started writing an essay (long) so instead of that whole thing could I please ask for Zandik with hickeys? Getting them or covering them up all embarrassed, or giving if you think it fits better? Can be nsfw or sfw, I just miss embarrassed Zandik a little! Write this one only if it’s not too much tho. Thank you! - Singed

Cannot believe you're not even sharing the nsfw idea :< Also shaking your hand, how could someone not miss embarrassed Zandik?

Tags: Akademiya!Zandik x reader, implied prior nsft activities, hickeys, fluff, established relationship, silly-

Having a relationship - or whatever it was you had - with Zandik came with certain perks. It also came with the aggravating experience of waking up with a sheen of sweat, a pounding headache, and a dry throat. All of it because of the wrong reasons.

Said reason being the poor placement of his bed in direct line of the east-facing window and its glaring lack of curtains. He hadn't gotten around to putting any up yet. You were certain he'd become a Dastur long before 'getting around to it'.

"Zandik.. water…" You whined, swatting at the space beside you with increasing frustration as your hand found nothing but his bed.

Mildly perplexed, and severely dehydrated, you shuffled into a sitting position, temporarily satisfied as your hands found the shirt he'd slept in and slipped it on.

Right. He was presenting a research proposal today.

A raspy chuckle caught your attention just in time to see Zandik wobble as he failed to properly put on a sock.

"So dignified." You merely grinned as he shot you a half-hearted glare, the subtle heat that rose to his cheeks not lost on you.

"You're hardly one to speak of dignity, waking up and acting like some spoiled housepet." There was no real bite to his words, nothing compared to how he snapped like a rabid animal whenever others would push his countless open books aside to make room for themselves in the House of Daena.

A small yawn escaped you, with Zandik swiftly following suit.

"And you're a terrible host," you retorted, beckoning him closer to fix the mess of tousled hair that he always insisted looked 'fine'.

"That so?" Zandik huffed, quick to grasp your chin and force your gaze to the nightstand where a full glass of water glittered tantalisingly in the sun. "Use your eyes next time, it's what they're there for."

Sheepishly, you brought the glass to your puckered lips, squirming until Zandik released his hold. An unfamiliar hint of blue caught your eye in the distorted view through the glass, the odd discoloration around his lips making him look almost anemic.

"Zandik," you tugged on his uniform to prevent his hasty retreat (no doubt anxious to go through all his plans and sketches one last time), "you've got some jam- let me.."

Most graciously, your efforts of licking your thumb and rubbing at his skin were afforded exactly five seconds before Zandik grew restless and swatted your hands away. Odd. It was still there.

"Had your fun?" He huffed, capturing both your wrists in one hand and squeezing them in warning. You couldn't help but parrot the question, clearly much to his dismay based on the tone he continued in, "at least pay attention if you want to rattle me, haven't even had any breakfast yet."

Although he would never admit to it, Zandik sounded nervous. And with good reason, a single mistake could easily cost anyone the support of the Akademiya, so for someone with his reputation? They would expect nothing short of perfection and full compliance with all regulations if they were to even consider backing his project.

Haven't had breakfast yet.

Heat rushed to your cheeks as a dreadful hypothesis formed in your mind. In all honesty, it was less of a hypothesis and closer to fact, there were at least few other options available that would explain the observed phenomena quite as precisely.

Zandik's startled squeak mere seconds after confirmed your suspicion, body already half hidden beneath the blanket as you desperately attempted to disappear. If he hadn't known exactly where you were, the rapid beating of your heart would've surely alerted him.

"Get. Out. Here-" you wrestled him for control of the blanket, catching glimpses of how the color of his eyes had spread to his cheeks, hot puffs of air hitting your face with every word he huffed.

The air was knocked from your lungs as you both hit the floor, laughter bubbling in your chest as the wrestling turned to Zandik merely laying splayed out atop you, his unruly hair tickling your skin. Once he'd settled against you, sharp teeth nipping almost painfully at your neck, it was too tempting to thread your fingers through his hair and pull his head back so you could admire the accidental masterpiece.

"How didn't you notice when I did that?" The question was free of accusation but filled with wonder, your free hand coming up to brush a thumb across his delightfully swollen bottom lip.

You tutted softly at his attempt to sneer, eyes locked on the blooming hickey, fascinated by how dark it appeared. "In case you don't remember, I was preoccupied.." Zandik muttered the words before diving back to bite and suck at your neck, most likely keen on taking revenge.

He ignored the first two calls of his name, one broad hand swatting at your face as you continued to writhe and giggle, "-Zandik! We're not gonna have time to cover it if you keep going-"

A/N: Yeah. It's easier than you think to make a hickey on someone's lip. No, they probably won't feel it. Yes, it's difficult as hell to cover up.

[byjovewhataspend]

anyways talking about this further:

an omega from the 'reverse' world getting isekai'd into the 'typical' world

and kind of looking around like... oh shit...!! look at all these HOT SEXY ALPHAS just getting SHIRTLESS in public?? showing off for US??? and no other omega is reacting to their flirting??? they are SAVING THEMSELVES for MATING???

basically just drooling as they realize 'holy shit, i could have a rotating door of alphas in my bed DAILY if i wanted! i could have them FIGHTING to be with me during my heat!!!'

(in this omegas world, the thought process is that since its omegas that need knots so bad during their heat that its the OMEGA that has to get the alpha to deign lay with them-- which over 2 thousand years or so built up a culture where omegas are the 'guys' that must make lots of money (even with less time due to heats and pregnancies) to secure an alpha, must be cool and strong to give them a reason not to stray, etc)

it all makes perfect sense to the Reverse World Omega, and THIS world where omegas are fighting off alphas with a stick is like an insane wet dream XD

its fun if they are just a super easy pervert of course, but if they are kind of a normal person that hadn't been insanely 'girl-crazy' in his world this is more like constant unexpected attention and temptation the likes of which they NEVER wouldve have expected or believed could happen. whereas before they were considered a short, normal, unimpressive guy that the opposite sex mostly overlooked, suddenly he's the princess holding the keys to the pussy palace. they kind of almost feel like they are TRICKING all these great alphas into wanting him, he's doign totally normal things (excercising in a bra and not caring if tiddies fall out while bending) and its making the opposite sex go feral

anyways i jsut thinkkk its such a fun idea

[teh-nos]

The thing is, the reason I finally realised that people meant that the mid-tier has degraded is when i finally had the money to buy some things from that level and they weren't very good. had people simply been lying to me all along? oh, they used to be good? i just hadn't experienced that myself, and had assumed that poor people stuff getting worse (Asda knickers lose their elastic on the first wear AND you can put your fingers through the fabric by accident!) because that's just the way of things.

i suspect (citation needed, etc) that some degree of the decline at both these levels is that the technology exists now to make them shittier than they used to be. because i am pretty sure they weren't making jeans that lasted up to several years back then because they genuinely wanted the products to be good. (though my cheap clothes usually don't fall apart this fast and since this post has become american already i'm gonna mention that from the sound of things americans have TERRIFYING laundry habits that cannot be helping any in this regard.)

the thing about stretch is a good point - a lot of the shittiness can be traced back to things that were initially a consumer choice (like - to make this WILDLY leap in economic levels) when people wanted thin and light laptops so the computing companies took out CD drives. and now they won't let you buy one with a CD drive. because they took those out already! they are saving money here! that but with clothes. and those lower down the ladder got even worse things and also now we can't even save up for ages to get the good thing. where the fuck is sam vimes buying those boots that last for ages! :O

went to youtube, watched some of those videos where people complain that modern consumers are too stupid to buy quality clothing and everything sucks now. which is true to an extent but for years i was hearing that clothing was much worse now and falls apart quicker and i was slightly baffled - when did shoes last 10 years? what jeans were soft and durable? when did you not have polyester in everything? and then i realised that as with many things in recent years i'd been thinking back to '1990s poor person' standards rather than '1990s/early 2000s middle class person' standards. idk why it took me so long really, but i noticed the brand names that have got significantly worse were not the ones i grew up in, they're the ones we never even looked at because who can afford GAP or Levis or Nike? there's a brand name you've heard of, no way is that going to be within your budget!

and just. the number of things that have always been problems but also they weren't until wealthier/formerly wealthier people started to experience them. rented accomodation. public transport options. energy prepayment meters (the fact that all the news stories had a little "what the fuck even is a prepayment meter?" infoboxes!). clothes. i know that the badness spreading is bad but also i feel a bit... annoyed that long-running issues are only now... not even "understood" just people being aware that they exist.

the people smugly telling me "buy vintage!" really do mean vintage, they don't mean "get it in town centre Sue Ryder in a poor part of the country." i've been buying secondhand clothing all my life, it was that or nothing. "oh just sew your own!" okay but with what? my craft fabrics have been old clothing cut up, anything else was just opulent madness! it just bothers me is all. generational poverty was okay but as soon as the "comfortable" (rich) are downwardly mobile it's now something to worry about. "bad things happening to tory voters so now they're bad." you know?

[sillygoofyqueer]

"Four, you've been too distracted by the fic you were binging!!! You've forgotten to write the next part of the mad scientist AU!" *looks up from where I have been huddled in a corner and laughing manically to myself with every word I read* SHIT!!!! YOU'RE RIGHT! HOW COULD I FORGET!! *hobbles out from my corner as every bone in my body cracks* The Lads (Wen siblings + Xue Yang, it has been decided) have been taken into the care of the Sunshot Campaign, both ensuring Wei Wuxian's assistance in the war and Wen Ruohan's fury. Yu Ziyuan keeps stating that this is an absolutely awful idea but literally nobody is paying attention to her except her gyals (Jinzhu and Yinzhu) and Jiang Yanli when she's escorting her mother back to her tent. Of course, Xue Yang hates EVERYONE and is literally having to be leashed and distracted so that he doesn't just immediately go zooming back to Yiling on Jiangzai. He literally has a chain attached to his wrist that is usually also attached to Wen Ning, who (being more confident and relaxed due to Wei Ying and Xue Yang's influence) seems to take some form of joy at being able to drag around a complaining Xue Yang to do the things that he wants to do. He's not lounging around either, he's helping out with unpacking supplies and stringing bows and getting weapons ready for battles.

Wen Qing, on the other hand, takes clear and obvious control of the medical tent, basically taking one look at the blood and the screams and going "oh my god, finally." She becomes the unquestioned head of the tent, and everyone defers to her - I mean, she's literally most known for her medical skills, you think anyone is going "mmm I think you're wrong" to something she says? The Lads (minus Xue Yang, who is The Didi of All Time right now) step into this hectic war camp and then slide in to roles that were practically shaped for them to fit into. This fact, paired with how the Lads have taken to wearing Nie robes (Xue Yang is Not Happy about this), make it almost easy to forget that they are 'Wen scum' - it's strange how...when someone from a hated group is useful....people's personal beliefs on that group change....don't mind me! Talking nonsense.

Despite the fact that the Lads are now chilling in the war camp, there is no sign of Wei Wuxian. Occasionally they'll see one of his crows surveying the area slowly, doing slow circles of the camp before darting off again, but that's about it. No more notes, no more messages - however, a crow does bring a stack of talismans. They are unfamiliar and drawn in blood, but Xue Yang basically pounces on them and starts a reverent explanation of how they're small scale maze arrays meant to confuse any potential threats. It doesn't take long for the gang to learn after that that Xue Yang is useful for something outside of whining and that something is sort of being able to understand some of Wei Wuxian's works and codes (now that he knows Wei Wuxian is alive, he's stopped hyperfixating on cracking the code). Jiang Fengmian worries that this is what help Wei Wuxian meant when he offered support, but Nie Huaisang shuts him down because the elusive teenager has his own grudge against the Wen - even if he hadn't promised support, he'd still have reason to spill their blood.

In all honesty, Nie Huaisang is really vibing with the Lads - even Xue Yang, who regularly tells him that he would be trying to kill him if Wei Wuxian really was dead. Wen Qing reminds him of his Da-ge in how she is stern and oftentimes terrifying but ultimately means the best and cares deeply for those she claims as family. Xue Yang reminds him of a feral little dog and he delights in watching the young kid (guys, I've just realised that Xue Yang is literally twelve. They be trying to get him to go to bed on time and he's bouncing off the walls) kick and struggle uselessly as Wen Ning escorts him around. Wen Ning is like a gentle giant, calm and sweet, seemingly legitimately interested in what Nie Huaisang talks about whenever he follows the duo around the camp - he seems to be able to sense and dissuade any of his worries without him having to voice them. Wen Ning may be magic (Wen Qing agrees when he tells her his theory).

Lan Wangji is not scared of the Lads. He isn't thrown off by the fact that they don't go out of their way to leave him alone like everyone else, or that Wen Qing is the first person ever to grab him by the scruff of his robes because "your arm strength is NEEDED in the medical tent." He's completely calm with the fact that he seems to be the only person that Xue Yang tolerates just because he "hasn't hurt Wei-gege" in any way, shape or form, seemingly remembering the way he found Lan Wangji clutching Wei Wuxian's barely conscious body back in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter. He's fine with these facts. He tells Lan Xichen as much, and Lan Xichen just raises his brow slowly before going "I'm so glad you're making friends." Oh god, he's making friends. What next, Nie Huaisang isn't going to be scared of him?- OH GOD NIE HUAISANG IS NOW TALKING TO HIM ALL THE TIME.

All of this occurs during a lull in battle, but it all soon comes to a grinding halt when Nie Mingjue receives word of Wen and Jin forces marching towards their camp, likely in reaction to their quick seize of both Yiling and some of Wen Ruohan's important assets. All eyes are on the Lads in this moment, but they just continue with what they've been doing, except this time it's paired with Wen Qing taking over Xue Yang minding duties while Wen Ning starts familiarising himself with all edges of camp. There is no words needed to agree that Wen Ning is going to be standing with the other archers when the enemy reaches them, no matter what Yu Ziyuan (and a few contrary voices) are saying about him turning on them in the most crucial moments. They obviously haven't been around when he's had multiple opportunities to shank them all up when preparing weapons for this upcoming battle.

The day of battle arrives, with Nie Mingjue and Lan Wangji taking their prime places in the front lines while Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan get ready to pick off the bastards as they come running. The enemy do not slow in their approach, remaining at their same pace the whole time - they are more than confident that they will crush the Sunshot Campaign with this one. They may have been holding their own before, but this is the first full assault charged with Wen Ruohan's frustration at Wen Xu's beheading and the loss of his important assets. They are fuelled with righteous anger at such events, and they will be victorious both in the name of Wen Xu, and so they can retrieve the Lads. Blood will be spilled on both sides, but they will soon have the other sects begging for mercy and forgiveness.

Just as Nie Mingjue is about to give the order to charge, however, a low and haunting melody begins to echo out from the forest. The enemy stops as one, as if confused by such a sound, looking around for the source of it. The melody continues, becoming dark and aggressive with every note seeping from it. The air grows thick with resentful energy, and there's a strange tremble in the ground, followed by hands beginning to slam up out of the dirt of the already worn and bloody battlefield. From the trees at either side of the area, clouds of resentful energy begin to form into actual humane shapes - mostly humane, anyway. The melody suddenly cuts off, and everything goes still. Corpses half pulled out of the ground, spirits stopped at the tree line and crows fluttering down to watch the carnage about to unfold.

A figure emerges from the forests, dizi gripped in his hand as he leans back against the tree, greeting them all with a careless wave before raising the dizi to his lips and beginning to play again.

This time, the melody is violent, and the spirits react accordingly.

[sadiepeach]

Small ninjago dragons rising theory (s3p2 leak spoilers below)

I feel like I'm about to point out the obvious right now, but at the same time, I've seen no one talk about this, so I might as well share my thoughts.

I've been thinking about all the new information we got in s3p2 regarding Jay's circumstances with the Administration.

I used to consider Jay's post-merge arc to be something like this:

Administation Agent Era -> Wolf Clan Era -> Rogue Era

But the more I think about it, the more I start to believe that it looks more like this:

Administration Agent With Memories Era -> Administration Agent Without Memories Era -> Wolf Clan Era -> Rogue Era

Let’s recap all the information that Jay has provided.

1. The first thing he remembers is waking up in the Land of Madness without ANY information about himself whatsoever, not even his name.

2. Some agents found him and told him his name and that he worked at the Administration like them, doing Realm Reassignment.

3. The Administration had photos of Jay. (Although Jay says they're fake. Actually no, he just says that stuff like that can be faked. Hm.)

4. Leaving the Administration is something no agent ever does. (Theoretically)

What I'm trying to get at is that, it seems weird to me that anyone would just walk up to Jay, call him by his actual accurate real name and give him a job at the Administration that is pretty high in the hierarchy if they hadn't actually known him before and he hadn't actually worked there at some point and earned that spot, because he is not just some random intern / subagent, he is a MANAGER.

My theory is that Jay probably ended up at the Administration right after the Merge, with his memories intact and thought that he would maybe be able to find / intersect with the other Ninjas if he worked in the Realm Reassignment Department and then they'd escape together. He does just that, gets promoted to manager, but he waits for so long that he starts to lose hope, so he decides to search for them himself. Since the Administration doesn't take leaving lightly at all, I wouldn't be surprised if they were pretty pissed that Jay tried to escape and just. Took his memories and then acted like whoops actually we just found you without memories but yeah you do work with us here's actual photos please come back with us 🥺🥺🥺 and from there we vaguely know what happens. Jay, with no memories, gets upset with / sick of the Administration for an unknown reason and tries to leave, gets rescued by Ras yada yada

So yeah, I'd love to hear everybody else's thoughts on this and if you have another theory, I'd love to read about it^^

[kerorowhump]

So ok I wanted to make a post talking about my thoughts on ep110 but I feel like they're gonna be scattered but bear with me

I think the most important thing I wanted to mention is that the way the starfruit is described feels symbolic of what Keroro actually wants deep down

essentially a hybrid of the best of both, coming together into a single unit. all keroro does want is for keron and earth to co-exist in harmony, but his flawed way of imagining that is explored a bit more in 110b.

Any sort of invasion, even a peaceful one, despite being the best possible scenario for him in the situation he's in, still implies changing things about earth in order to achieve it and... as he realized, he doesn't want that!

Having a nightmare about successfully invading... Even with the starfruit representing literally the best possible scenario. It highlights his impossible task, but it also served to make him reflect about the invasion and his feelings on it at all.

In fact this whole episode is huge in this regard because the whole reason he got sick in the first place was stress and failure to adapt (hey! remember those old posts I made about how he doesn't quite feel at home on either planet and even though he loves earth it feels unwelcoming too in many aspects...) and it's easy to see why, normally we can see his stress, but this season won't let us forget (thanks to that beautiful timer device). With this constant reminder of what he has to do, where usually he likes to not think about it at all.

Coming to terms with his feelings towards earth and his own role in regards to it when it comes to invading, realizing you don't want anything to change about it really, in the second half that is.

The entire first half he spends it severely downplaying his negative feelings, which is nothing new, he often does this.

Trudging through his daily tasks sluggishly, doesn't ask for help or complain at all, actually the opposite is true.

Losing strength and physically lighter, like someone who doesn't want to be a weight and can't stand up for what he believes in. Ready to give up.

The kind of lethargy one experiences when under extreme pressure (and already depressed if I'm allowed to add), which is why when he tastes the starfruit (which again, what it represents...) which is one new positive thing he hadn't experienced before (something to keep going for), he literally breaks down in tears. And then attaches way too much importance to it (in a dream yes, but that's still his subconscious so, if anything it counts more).

Normal phrase to say for someone whose feelings are totally stable and not at all experiencing an extreme low. Normal tantrum behavior showing perfectly fine emotional regulation, not dramatic at all.

So anyway in my opinion from what I've observed so far anime keroro really isn't one to explicate his real feelings/needs or even do much self reflection on them at all. Normally, these occur when he's under huge stress. On average he has tantrums or indulges in escapism.

When Aki asks him a simple question on it, he has to stop and think about it, despite literally almost dying from the severity of them. My alexithymia king.

And then and only then, when it feels like he'll actually be listened to (by the way, getting ignored seems to be a big trigger for him! just based on observing his reactions... when people don't pay attention to him or praise something else while he's there... and stuff like that), does he say it in a way that feels so understated.

But to me it's really huge, because I don't think he has ever admitted these two facts so naturally. Or at all?

And as I said the shot with the timer feels especially devious in this context, it's a reminder to us the viewer that anyway how Keroro feels about the invasion doesn't matter, because he really has no agency or choice about it at this point. It's also a visual reminder of the obvious other underlying reason for his stress, that he doesn't outright say, but is shown to us regardless.

I think maybe, in such a context, even praise for a job well done could start mattering less to him, because the outcome is what's unfavorable, the thing he dreads.

That might be why this did nothing for him. Throughout the day so many duties, things he has to do, but not many times that he's asked how he feels about it (which is why he often ends up snapping in extreme ways). Like "what's the point?" of even thinking about it, if the situation is set in stone no matter what?

And I know Aki said may disease and we settled on that, it's the closest thing for sure, it lends a description for the type of disappointment he feels about what he has to do. But I do feel like it's not about "may" for him, it's more long lasting, it's just reaching a boiling point now due to the set timer. And may disease (while not clinically recognized) is best described as a type of minor depression. Keroro doesn't really have responsibilities tied to japan school/work (even if it's representing it), so you also have to see the bigger picture of it here... of why it manifested... He himself says he carries stress and unease every day. So it's not limited to may, it's circumscribed to his situation.

So yeah that's it these were my thoughts on the ep

[honeyjars-sims]

Part 2 1.27 Together

It was Father's Day and my sisters and I had plans to visit Dad and Pops at their house. I decided to get there early so I could talk to them about Paul. I didn't want to keep it a secret, and I also figured they would be the perfect people to talk to about navigating my newly discovered queerness. Still, I felt a bit nervous as I approached the door and made my way inside.

Dad and Pops were surprised to see me. "Hey Johnny! You know you weren't supposed to be here for another hour, right?" Pops asked. He and Dad were snuggled together on the couch, which made me feel a little better for some reason.

"Yeah, I hope it's okay that I'm early," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "I wanted to talk to you guys about something before everyone else gets here."

"What's wrong?" Dad questioned, sensing my nervousness.

"Nothing's wrong," I explained quickly. "It's just...oh my God, this is so stupid. Why am I nervous about this?"

"Johnny, just talk to us. Everything's going to be okay." Pops told me gently.

"You're right," I responded. "I'm seeing somebody."

"Oh, that's exciting! Tell us all about her," Dad coaxed.

"Well, actually, it's Paul."

"Paul? He's a nice young man," Pops replied. "He's funny like your Dad."

"Yeah, he's pretty great. I guess I was a little nervous telling you because I didn't want you to see me differently."

"Son, I don't know how to tell you this," Dad began, a smirk forming on his face. "But your Pops and I are gay. We're not going to judge you for having a same-sex relationship."

"Haha." I deadpanned. "I knew you wouldn't, but it's just that you've seen me as being a certain way, and now I've realized I'm not that person."

"We don't mean to undermine what a big deal this is," Dad said. "It's not just about your sexuality, but it involves your identity, too."

"Yeah, it's a significant change for you. But our love for you is unconditional. You don't have to be any certain way to earn our approval."

"I know. You guys are great. I'm really lucky to have you as my parents." I felt a lot better after talking things out with them. We talked some about how I was feeling, what labels I wanted to use (I decided to use the term "queer" for the time being), and of course, about Paul. I was glad they liked him, though I suppose it's hard not to.

Later, Chantal, Cece, and Ben arrived. Cece and Ben got them a rare version of their favorite record. It was a great gift; I almost felt bad considering Chantal and I were about to blow it out of the water with what we had planned.

"I can't help but notice neither of you came in with a bag," Cece teased.

"That's because our gift can't be put in one," Chantal explained.

"Yeah, it transcends anything tangible," I chimed in.

"Okay, this better be good for how much you're hyping it up," Dad laughed.

"It is!" I insisted. "So, Chantal and I have been thinking about how much you two mean to us, and we thought it was about time that we officially became Owens-Haims."

"Yeah, we both filled out the paperwork to legally change our last names!" added Chantal.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Pops exclaimed.

"That means the world to us," Dad added, tears welling in his eyes.

"Okay, that was a pretty great gift," Cece relented.

It was such a good feeling to share the news with Dad and Pops, and to have my last name finally match my parents' last name. As we sat around their kitchen table laughing and reminiscing, I couldn't help but reflect on how far we'd all come.

Things hadn't always been easy, but it felt like things were finally falling into place for all of us. I knew that life wouldn't be perfect forever, but I also realized that even if something unexpected came our way, we'd meet it head on...and we'd do it together.

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter |

This was the last story post for Safe Harbor! I will be starting a new story soon following Johnny in the future with Paul and their kids. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me. I really appreciate everyone who has read this story, and I hope you enjoy This Must Be the Place just as much!

[mothinked]

Ellie wouldn't have cared about the casinos. It was the neon lights and night life that always fascinated her. And also maybe the prospect of what people referred to as 'strip clubs'... That kind of entertainment wasn't exactly easy to find these days. Even still, there were so few places that had a sustained power grid and—much to Ellie's disappointment during her first visit to Nevada—Vegas was not one of them. It made her want to take out her journal again and sketch the city line.

There was a yard sale she went to with Dina some time ago where she found a neon beer sign that, surprisingly, still worked. It stood out to her even before she'd plugged the thing in. It now sat on the wall in what was once Joel's wood-working shop that she converted into her own art studio. His house had sat empty for over three years before she was able to sleep under its roof like she used to as a kid. Dina, bless her heart, really helped turn it into a family home rather than let it continue to be a mausoleum of memories. JJ would use Ellie's garage soon enough as a spot to hang out with his friends.

Joel would have wanted that for her, she had told herself. His things were carefully stored away downstairs in an old trunk, unseen but revisited every now and then. Even once with a five-year old boy eager to learn more about the grandfather he never knew; he'd wrapped his little arms around her neck upon seeing her tears at the photo of her and Joel petting Shimmer. It wasn't as painful as it used to be... To talk about him. It had been years after Seattle before Ellie could speak his name again, so keenly did she still feel that loss.

Rather than throw a look at Abby for the interruption of her and Lev's conversation, Ellie instead let her smile immediately dissolve into a neutral expression. As if it hadn't surfaced at all. A face that couldn't be read. Lev's company helped Ellie get through the long days of travel but it was Abby's refusal to let go of the tension between them that usually soured the mood. Whatever, Ellie thought as she turned her head away from the older woman. Abby was allowed to feel how she did.

It was truly a feat to be the calmer, more reasonable of the two of them and damn, she was trying. And Abby seemed to test this by acting like an asshole at every turn, whether or not intentionally. They didn't have to braid each other's hair and hold hands or some shit. Ellie just wanted to not feel like Abby was constantly thinking of ways to kill her in her mind. Part of Ellie wanted to suggest Abby throw a few hits to get it out of her system. But what good would that do?

If Ellie's fuse was a short one then every conversation with Abby would lead to an argument. She didn't answer right away, tilting her head skyward as though praying to a god she didn't believe in to give her strength. Having Jack appear beside her, brushing past her leg, helped somewhat. "There's a body of water maybe an hour from here," Ellie finally said, her voice strained. Like it took physical effort she didn't have to talk. She unhooked the military-grade canteen from the side of her bag and started twisting its cap off.

"I've taken the road to Reno before, it's not that bad if we're smart about it. Last time I was in Vegas I got trapped in a basement for hours and I don't wanna sit in the dark like that again." She grimly recalled the family torn apart by infected that she buried after leaving that basement. "It'll cool down once we go through the national forest." There were several of them, actually. One was called Death Valley. Sounded interesting to her but she didn't dare venture that far before. It was a valley she did not want to walk through. "Bakersfield then it's a straight shot to Santa Barbara."

In the forest there'd be game to hunt. Deer. Hopefully no big cats.

In the distance, a relic of old worlds past. During its heyday, this place would have been quite the sight. She’d read bits and pieces about it but the vast majority of her knowledge of this place came from her dad. Las Vegas. Sin City, aptly named for the numerous questionable activities that took place there during its prime. Ones that admittedly Abby did not understand the appeal of. So people would come here with their money and spend that money on games to try and win more money but 99% of the time lose more money than they brought? That was the concept her father had explained. Sounded like a shitty thing to travel for. Money in a post cordyceps world didn’t carry the same weight it had but she had a hard time grasping that people would willingly gamble away their savings when money actually mattered.

Nevertheless, it still remained quite a sight to see from afar. Somewhere out there, the (somewhat) recognizable shape of a crumbling, faux Eiffel Tower. Something resemblimg a pyramid and a castle too? Had she not read up on it after talking to her dad, she would have thought he was full of shit. Turns out Las Vegas was just a really fuckin’ wild place back then. The same was true now but for obviously different reasons. Endless infected or Raiders? Abby would have taken the road of losing money any day over this shit.

With the sun beating down on them, she wipes at her forehead with the back of her hand as she surveys the surrounding area. Lost to her is the conversation between Lev and Ellie. By now, she knows better than to try and force Lev to steer clear of the other woman. No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, a camaraderie had developed between them. As much as she hated it, the one thing it did allow was for her to relax a little bit. If Lev could keep her occupied at points, it meant Abby didn’t have to exhaust herself with 24/7 surveillance. Though part of her wished that Lev didn’t reveal as much as he did on certain subjects. Revealing there was a whole infection free island? Maybe better left unsaid as she didn’t necessarily trust Ellie to keep quiet on that info if and when she made it back. There were battles worth picking and choosing and this was not one of them.

Not wanting to interrupt their fascinating conversation about fish tanks (which Abby had come upon and scavenged said tank for Lev), she waits it out while keeping alert. After a moment, she clears her throat and turns around to face the trio of familiar faces, both human and animal. “If you guys are done talking fish and spilling secrets,” her eyes glance to Lev quickly as she quirks a brow up, “might want to hurry up a little. This place is a god damn death trap and I don’t want to get caught too close to the city come nightfall.” She knew better than to hand around. Whether it was Vegas itself or the outskirts, there was too much chance of running into someone or something the longer they hung around. Abby takes a moment to look up at the sun which glares right back at her. “Might be good to get some shade too. Any thoughts or just going to keep talking about things we don’t have right now?” As hard assed as she sounded, she would kill for the beach right now.

[skalitzed]

WHAT'S LEFT ? ||

Henry hasn't been the same since Istvan tortured him. Hans is worried.

The Devil's Den was as lively as ever. People sat, drank, and discussed what were most certainly morally reprehensible plans with less than hushed voices.

But Hans was left dissatisfied. Sure, the ale wasn't great, and the place was almost absolutely a health hazard, but none of that was the reason he was left so discontent.

It was Henry.

Because who else would it be?

Ever since reuniting at Maleshov, it became clear to Hans that in the short time they were apart, Henry had changed.

He was more violent, more brutal. Less forgiving than before. Even if some poor bandit was pleading on his knees for mercy, Henry's blade would find his head.

And his eyes...

He looked so distant. Almost like he was lost in a never-ending daydream.

Of course, he'd heard about what happened at Trosky. About the torture. How Henry took the brunt of it, and even then refused to say anything.

Why the hell couldn't he just tell Istvan what he wanted to know?

Maybe then he would...

Discarding the thought as quickly as it appeared. Hans slammed his tankard down onto the table and marched up the stairs.

When Henry wasn't off doing, god only knows what, he holed himself up in his shabby room. And Hans had enough. He wanted, maybe naively, to have his friend back. His only real friend.

He didn't waste time knowing the door before barging in, finding Henry with a half empty wineskin in hand, Mutt sleeping soundly in his lap.

“ Sir Hans? Is something wrong? ”

The shorter man looked wide-eyed at him, a look he had far too rarely these days.

“ Yes, It's painfully boring down there. I thought we could play some dice. Could even put a special wager on it. Just don't cry too much when you lose. ”

He offered, hoping he would accept. He had to.

“ Ah— sorry. Maybe later? I'm not feeling up to it. ”

Hans let out a disgruntled sigh.

“ When do you ever? ”

He mumbled. Henry's brows furrowed, looking up at the man, confusion on his face.

“ What the hell is that supposed to mean? ”

Hans bristled slightly. He truly hadn't meant to upset Henry.

“ Well— It's just... You've changed. You never want to do much of anything anymore, except kill bandits. ”

Scooting Mutt off his lap, Henry rose. Clearly annoyed.

“ What? Some of us have work to do Hans. I can't sit around all day to play court fool for you just because you're bored. ”

A voice in the back of his head told him to let it go. Henry was just angry. He would calm down later, and they would talk about it rationally.

“ You're right. Must be tough work keeping up with your fucking kill list. ”

And of course he didn't listen. Why couldn't he just walk away?

“ Is that what this is about? Those people took everything away from me. And you want me to what? Walk away? Just forget about it all? ”

Hans threw his head back, frustrated.

“ No one's asking you to do that. But the only thing you're doing right now is killing yourself. Have you seen the way you look? You're practically a corpse already! ”

Henry's fist clenched his thighs. His eyes filled with an anger that Hans had never seen before.

“ Get the fuck out of here, before I throw you through that door myself. ”

He could tell the blacksmith was doing all he could to restrain himself. Hans rolled his eyes with a huff. Turning to leave.

“ Fine. Rot in here all you like. Just don't run to me when you realise you've fucked yourself. ”

And with a slam of the door he left. A deep, heavy sigh leaving his body.

Henry was going to get himself killed, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

In fact, he was confident he'd just made it worse. Why couldn't he...

Just once.

Why couldn't he save Henry for a change?

[callalillywrites]

I Smell Snow

Written for @stuckybingo. A2 - Snow.

Stucky Masterlist | Stucky Bingo | Main Masterlist

Relationship: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Word Count: 1208

Summary: You've always had a special ability to sniff out snow. It's what drags you out of bed between your best friends at an early hour. You really do love the first snow of the season as it's the most magical of times.

Warnings: pre-relationship; established best friends; fluff; Bucky and Steve always need more sleep

A/N: This was purely inspired by Lorelei Gilmore in the first season of Gilmore Girls, episode 8. Just one of my favorite scenes from the series.

I do not give permission to have my works copied, translated, reposted, or fed into an AI machine.

*****

"Mm, I smell snow," you whispered in the quiet of your shared bedroom. The scent in the air had been the very thing to coax you from sleep, too. It'd been the reason you quickly but carefully crawled out from between your two best friends and tiptoed over to the large windows. A glance beyond the tinted glass had your smile growing. In the same soft voice, you added, "Tonight. It's going to snow tonight."

Another deep inhale further confirmed your suspicions.

You really couldn't help the soft squeal that slipped past your lips.

Afraid you might've disturbed your sleeping friends, you dared a glance over your shoulder. To your surprise and relief, they remained sleeping. With their enhanced hearing, you'd always been careful with how loud you got around them. At least, you tried to anyway. It wasn't something you could always control, but you definitely tried.

Especially times like this.

They'd both been through it with their last mission.

Sleep hadn't been easy for Steve or Bucky. This was probably the first night in a week where they'd both finally found some rest.

You wouldn't jeopardize that.

Too jazzed to return to bed, you quietly slipped toward your closet and plucked your robe. Without the heat of the two super soldiers, the coolness of the room settled over you in quick fashion. Before you slid the door shut, you also picked out some fuzzy socks for your feet. All you needed was something to do while letting them continue to rest.

Checking the clock, you saw the hour wasn't so early that an early morning breakfast would be crazy.

The idea of a big buffet-style breakfast actually sounded good to you. One, it would give you the chance to use up some of your older foodstuffs. Two, it was sure to help fill up both super soldier after finally getting their much-needed rest. Three, you needed the excuse to stay up and inhale that delectable scent that promised your favorite precipitation. And last but never least, it was an excuse to pamper your best friends in a way they'd accept without protest.

Well, maybe not without protest.

You could well imagine Steve and/or Bucky saying, "You didn't need to do this for us, doll."

The smile on your lips widened even as you shook your head. It'd be so easy to brush that aside, too, and you would if they did. Because you wanted to do this for them. You wanted to take care of them as they took care of so many others. Took care of you. It was the least you could.

The answer to why was simple, too.

You loved them.

Taking care to miss the creaky board near your your bedroom door, you moved into your small but efficient kitchenette. You quickly flicked on the overhead lights but dimmed them so they wouldn't disturb Steve and Bucky. It was moments like this that you appreciated some of the upgrades you'd made to your condo with their help.

With practiced steps and movements, you grabbed everything from your cabinets and fridge that you'd need for the breakfast you planned. The soft-close cabinet doors worked again in your favor as you mentally checked everything off your list.

Softly humming, you set to work with your ingredients taking over one of your precious few counters. Chopping, beating, stirring, and heating, each of them soothing in their own ways. Warmth soon had you shedding your robe, hanging it on the peg where you also hung your apron.

You were setting out the giant plate of sausages next to the others when you realized you weren't alone.

Glancing towards your bedroom doorway, you spied Steve and Bucky, sleep-tousled but wide-eyed. Your earlier smile came back full force. You motioned them toward the two stools you had tucked under your counter overhang.

"What got you up so early, doll?" Bucky asked, accepting the cup of coffee you handed him.

Steve also accepted one. "We didn't kick you out of your bed, did we?"

You shook your head even as your smile grew. Watching them sip at their coffees, you worked not to preen when they both groaned appreciatively. It hadn't been too hard to learn how they took their coffees, insisting on giving them perfect cups each time. Only when they set their cups down and focus on you did you answer Bucky's question.

"I smelled snow."

Amusement filled their eyes and tipped their lips upward at the corners.

"Of course, you did," Steve murmured, his amusement growing. "When will we be seeing it, you think?"

Just as before, you took another inhale. It wouldn't hurt to confirm your suspicions after all, having cracked a window while cooking. You hummed your own appreciation as you noted the subtle scent lingering beneath the heavenly aromas of the food you'd prepared.

"Definitely tonight," you said after another deep inhale. Oh, you'd never get over how great the smell of the first snow of the season was. Everything's magical. Everything's so pretty.

"It's not the only thing magical or pretty," Bucky said, bringing you out of your thoughts. Heat suffused your cheeks while his eyes remained on you, his smile widening as he continued to sip at his coffee. "Isn't that right, punk?"

Steve nodded, not even trying to hide his grin behind his coffee cup. No, he kept it at his side as he studied you with a look you'd seen plenty of times but could never quite define.

"You two shouldn't tease me," you chided, your earlier smile shifting into a soft pout. "It's not nice."

"Oh, we'd never tease you, doll," Steve said, pushing to his feet and coming around the counter. His arms wrapped around your middle and tugged you back into his warm, solid chest. "We're just thankful we have you in our lives. Your love of snow and all."

He pressed a quick kiss to your cheek, then disengaged to return to his seat.

Before you could think to protest his absence, Bucky had taken Steve's previous position. "He's right. We'll have to make the most of this first snow tonight. Anything special you wanna do?"

You shook your head.

"Well then, you won't mind if we come up a few surprises for you."

It wasn't a question as Bucky, too, pressed a kiss to your opposite cheek. He lingered another moment before he finally let you go and returned to his seat next to Steve.

You soon handed them plates after you finished up the final bit of cooking to complete your breakfast feast. They loaded them down with a little bit of everything, then went back for seconds. Few words really passed in those early hours, but then, they didn't need to as you three ate together.

While they cleaned up your kitchenette, you settled on your sofa where you could watch the early morning rays starting to color the skyline. The window remained cracked open so you could take another inhale now and then.

Sipping on your second cup of coffee, you knew the day would be a good one.

The first snow of the season has never let you down before.

Who knows? Maybe it'll be the start of something new.

[sukibenders]

Me, watching some YJS fans justify what Shauna did to Mari by using clips of Mari and Jackie giggling in s1 (normal teenage girl things), or Mari speaking the truth and trying to take Jackie's jacket (even though it was the middle of winter and the group were already sharing clothes), with said fans saying that they've would've done worse to Mari in response, acting like that makes them any better:

[anti-marauders]

Its funny remembering that in a way Mulciber and Avery are more respectful than The Marauders.

Cause The Marauders bully Lily's ex best friend Severus, despite James being in love with Lily and them claiming to be the good guys. Like bro if you want the girl befriend her best friend, damn.

And Mulciber and Avery, who are friends or acquaintances with Severus which is said by Lily, apparently don't do shit to Lily cause when she tries to get Severus to see how bad they are she only brings up the shit Mulciber did to Mary, someone Severus doesn't even know. Avery & Mulciber are clearly blood purists so they would obviously talk shit and I really think they'd talk shit about Lily wether they were friends with Severus or not cause she's a muggleborn and a gryffindor.

Yet Severus still hangs out with them and has no other issues with them especially cause he'd throw a fit if they talked shit about Lily. And if he did they'd clearly hex him cause they won't take shit from a half blood. Like wether they left Lily alone in an effort to keep Severus on their side to recruit him or not, they seemed smarter then the marauders. Cause while they didn't try to befriend her obviously, they knew if they wanted Severus on their side they didn't target the one person he truly cares about.

Now wether Mulciber and Avery were really close to Severus or not they still didn't target Lily or say shit cause I feel like they would considering how much James goes after her so they'd hear a lot about her. I feel like they'd attack her out of annoyance or berate her incase they thought she believed she was all that but apparently not cause Lily doesn't bring anything up and I know damn well she would have. Severus probably would have left them if they did.