#glad to be back for the ides of March

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[juvinadelgreko]

Underage Ronan Lynch Stole Declan’s ID To Get His Massive Back Tattoo And I Can (Circumstantially) Prove It.

one question i’ve been dying to know the answer to is how in the hell ronan, while still underage, got an actual artist to give him a massive, extremely intricate full back tattoo.

we know the following:

he didn’t dream the tattoo on to himself, because a) he couldn’t control his dreaming at the time when he got it, b) it’s mentioned in TDT that part of ronan’s motivation for getting it was to see if the pain was actually as bad as people said, and c) it’s mentioned in greywaren that the sensation of hennessy tattooing his arm is familiar, like when he got his back done.

so obviously it was done with a real needle, by a (presumably human) artist. but ronan was underage when he got the tattoo. occam’s razor says the simplest solution is most often the correct one, and in this case, it’s that ronan used a fake/stolen ID.

he couldn’t have forged one himself because as we mentioned, he couldn’t control his dreaming at this point. he could’ve bought one from someone else. but again, the simplest solution is most often the correct one. why would ronan have bothered tracking down someone to make him a fake and then paid them money for it if his older brother’s real ID was sitting right there?

therefore, the simplest explanation is: ronan stole declan’s ID to get the tattoo.

it’s stated that ronan was also motivated to get the tattoo by the knowledge that declan wouldn’t like it. it stands to reason that he’d go an extra step to spite him by stealing his ID to do it. it would’ve worked too, because declan and ronan are described as looking so similar.

hold on june, you say, how do we know declan was 18 when ronan got the tattoo?

i’m so glad you asked! based on the following analysis of the TRC timeline, declan had to have been 18 when ronan got the tattoo.

it’s stated in TDT that niall died a few weeks after ronan and gansey started at aglionby. in TDT (summer 2012, right after they finished junior year), it’s noted that gansey had been in henrietta nearly two years, implying start of his senior year marks two years which means he started there as a sophomore in fall of 2010. that means niall died a few weeks later, like october 2010 at the latest. which means that ronan was a sophomore who likely hadn’t yet turned 16, considering his birthday is november 1st. declan was referred to as underage in niall’s will; this makes sense as it would’ve been the fall of his junior year, so he would’ve been at most 17 when niall died.

it’s stated in TDT (again, summer 2012) that ronan got the tattoo “a few months” before, so december 2011 at the absolute earliest, i’d think, probably more like february-march 2012. this would’ve about 1.25 years after niall’s death. therefore, if declan was 17 when niall died, he would’ve been 18 when ronan got the tattoo.

even if declan was 16 when niall died in october 2010, this naturally means he was 17 in october of 2011. in order for him to be 18 by graduation in may of 2012, he would’ve had to turn 18 at the very latest in the spring of 2012, in other words, exactly when ronan got his tattoo.

*takes a bow*

[ratatouillewastakendammit]

OMG I LOVED THE Tomorrow, I promise SO MUCH 😭🔥🙏🏻 have you considered of making part two? id be begging on my knees

I'm so glad you liked it!! Thanks for the request! (Also for the person who requested the Hawks version of this trope, it should be done soon! 💙)

Tomorrow, I promise

Pairing: Dabi x Reader

Warnings: language; slight smut/suggestive; as always I have no beta reader and this was made in maybe under two hours because I wanted to get it to yall quickly <3

Find part one here!

"You ready to beg yet?"

In all honesty, your answer would've been yes.

The desire to give in was heinous, to throw away your pride for the tickle of heat budding below your abdomen and that wicked smile coming from the man above you.

Then you heard the knock on the door.

Practically falling off of the bed, your right knee hit the floor, pulling a curse from your mouth as the wood scraped against your skin. You scrambled to your feet, allowing yourself a deep breath for composition before turning the knob.

Magne and Compress met your line of sight, both looking upward as your door creaked open, the hinges rusted with age and lack of care.

"Good morning!" The redhead grinned, lowering her sunglasses to get a better view. "We figured it had been long enough for the quirk to wear off, so we wanted to check on how you were doing..."

Her voice trailed off, face scrunching in surprise. At first, you weren't actually sure why.

Until you felt the wave of heat gnawing at your back.

Eyes narrowed, Dabi had a hand placed on the left side of the door frame, leaning slightly and wearing an expression of pure annoyance.

Magne bit her lip. "Did you two-"

"No!" You sidestepped a few inches, heat blooming in your cheeks. "We definitely did not."

Dabi scoffed, muttering a quiet, "Yeah, thanks, assholes."

"Plus Shigaraki wants to see you two, talk about tomorrow's mission or something." Compress, seemingly able to ignore the less-than-kind comment, nodded to the stairway. "Unless, of course, we're interrupting anything."

Grabbing his free arm, you yanked Dabi in front of you, effectively pushing the group out of the room. "Nope, sounds good. See you soon, bye."

The hurried burst of words was followed by the slam of your door and a sigh. The sound of relief echoed through the space, now devoid of that warmth you kicked yourself for missing. Body resting on the wood, almost like a barricade to the world outside, you pushed yourself forward and towards the dresser.

Picking out a pair of jeans and a hoodie was easy.

Facing the rest of the League was not.

You tried to listen to your leader's explanation of what would be going down tomorrow, fidgeting under the cerulean gaze stemming from across the room.

For what seemed like hours, Shigaraki droned on and on about how pissed off he would be if you messed up again. It felt like a millennium before he waved you all off with a lazed flip of his hand.

Jumping up from your chair far too quickly, you sped-walked to the stairs, going at least two at a time in the direction of your room.

Unfortunately, you weren't fast enough.

Deft hands slid around your waist from behind, picking you off from the mismatched wood and tossing you over Dabi's shoulder.

"Put me down, asshole!" You yelled, ignoring the way his hand rested ever-so conveniently over your behind.

"Sorry, doll," he replied, ushering a soft squeeze to the area above your thigh. The sound he earned drew a wicked grin across his features as he opened the door to his own room. "But not happening."

Locking clicking into place, he marched forward and tossed you onto his bed.

That seemed to be happening far too often lately.

"Wanna know what else isn't gonna happen?" He was on you before you could sit up, hands placed on either side of your body and arms caging you in. "You aren't gonna sit there and pretend like you don't have a thing for me."

"Why the hell does it matter?" You scoffed. "You don't feel the same, so just let it go. Try your best not to be a prick for once."

The words pulled at your chest, but the silence was worse. Abundant and humid, it hung over the air like a toxic gas as Dabi stared at you.

"Are you fucking serious?"

"I-"

"Do you know how fucking hard it was to watch you sit there and bat those pretty, little eyes and go on and on about how much you liked me? How hard it was to say no when you, of all people, are practically begging for me to take you?"

"So, you just wanted to sleep with me."

Rolling his eyes, he smirked. "If I wanted a simple fuck from you, I would've done it yesterday when you were frothing at the mouth."

"I was not." You mumbled, face heating.

"Oh, come on, princess. You gotta admit how needy you are for me at some point." Dabi cradled your chin with his hand, pulling your face upward as he inched closer, the warmth of his breath tickling your ear and sending a chill down your spine. "Or else I can't show you how much I like you."

Tongue running across your neck, his free hand moved under your shirt, hesitating just enough to give you a chance to pull away. When you didn't, his fingers traveled beneath your bra, cupping your chest gently.

He pinched your nipple, earning a small moan. "So, let's hear it."

"Fuck," you cursed, back arching into the warmth of his touch. "Yeah, fine. I like you too, or whatever."

A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "You can do better than that."

"You're an asshole."

"And you're an idiot." He pushed his lips against yours, tongue skimming the bottom, begging for entrance, a request that you happily indulged.

The heat of his touch coursed over your body, warm and inviting and absolutely nothing like the mask he wore. It felt safe, a pure contradiction to what the world saw. The idea that he was only like this with you made your chest feel light.

When he pulled back, taking that heat with him, it was like the air had been sucked from your lungs. Still, the way that he looked at you had a pleasant fervor running through your limbs.

"How the hell could I not like you?"

[rebelliousstories]

Did You Know?

Relationship: Spencer Reid x Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Light Fluff, Allusions to Pregnancy

Word Count: 1,083

Main Masterlist: Here

Criminal Minds Masterlist: Here

Part Two: I Know Now// Part Three: Somebody Knows// Part Four: What We Know

Summary: Spencer is sent to prison and is waiting on his team to get him out. Meanwhile, his partner is there for morale support.

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much preforms much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” Vincent Van Gogh

Never in a million years did she think she would be in this position. Getting a call from Emily in the middle of the night was not what she expected. But to be told that her husband is currently in federal custody and awaiting trial, that was another. But she took it as it came. There was nothing she could do for her husband except just to be there for him. She would never be able to get the image of him in handcuffs in the BAU out of her head, but she was glad she was able to hug him.

“Spence. Oh my Spence.” She hugged him over the handcuffs that were hidden with the jacket. His fingertips were just barely able to grasp on to her shirt to pull her as close as physically possible.

“Hey honey. I’m sorry you have to see me like this. How’s my mom?” He whispered into her ear. Spencer was thankful that everyone decided to keep a healthy distance as the husband and wife reunited.

“She’s good. Wondering when you’re coming home, but I am helping Cassie take care of her. I don’t care about seeing you handcuffed, sweetheart. I’m just glad I can see you and hold you.” Her reply made Spencer want to cry. He knew it was not fair to her to have to deal with this whole situation. Stepping back, she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips and tried to convey all of the lover she felt into that kiss. Pulling away completely, she watched as he accepted embraces from his teammates.

If only they knew at the time, how much of a roller coaster this was going to be. She sat on the prison bus waiting to be taken to the facility. Being able to see her husband was wonderful, except for the fact that she would be sitting across from him in a cubicle, with a sheet of glass separating them. The bus ride was bumpy, but thankfully it was over quick. Stepping off, her hair was swept away in the windy weather outside.

Walking inside the correctional facility, her eyes kept scanning the room, looking for any threats. A side effect from working for the FBI all those years ago. Now, it only served as a reminder of where she had once been, and of how her husband became that title. She walked up to the reception desk and placed her id down.

“Inmate name?” The officer asked. Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

“Spencer Reid. I’m his wife.” She supplied her name, and waited as the officer scanned a list and then her ID again.

“You’re not on the list. Next!” The officer yelled, pushing the woman off to the side. She stood there dumbfounded as she was handed back her ID, but knew better than to fight with the officer. Her body, especially her heart felt numb as she walked outside and waited for the bus to take her back to the car lot. Why was she denied access to see her husband? JJ was able to see him; so why was she not?

After the numbness wore off, rage fueled her. It kept her going all the way to the FBI headquarters where she signed in for a visitor’s pass silently. Marching her way into the BAU’s office on the sixth floor, she noticed how everyone was still there thankfully. She made her way over to JJ, who was surrounded by Tara, Matt, and Stephen.

“Hey,” JJ greeted, ”how are you doing?”

“Don’t give me that.” She snapped, leaving the agents in a state of shock. Never had she ever snapped, not even raised her voice.

“Whoa, what is going on?” The blonde woman asked, holding her hands up in surrender.

“Did you know?” Mrs. Reid growled, with her patience wearing thin.

“Did I know what? You’re not making any sense.” JJ tried to reason and de escalate the situation, but Emily and David were already out of their offices and looking out at the bullpen.

“Did you know when you went to visit Spence that he had put me on the ‘no visit’ list?” There it was. The million dollar question. JJ remained silent for a minute, but her face did the talking before her words caught up.

“Listen, you have to understand his reasons.” She tried to reach for the woman, but she slipped out of the way.

“You knew? And you didn’t tell me? I just got back from there, hoping to see my husband and check in on him. Only to be turned away at the gate. And you never told me?” Now, she was yelling. It was scary to see the former profiler turned professor yell. She spoke sternly sometimes sure, but she never raised her voice in anger.

“He wants to protect you from the inside. Spence asked us not to tell.” A slip of the tongue and now her fury was leveled to everyone.

“You all knew?” Prentiss and Rossi made their way down the stairs by this point.

“Yes, we did.” The dark haired agent said, walking along with her right hand man.

“Spencer doesn’t want you to see him like that so he asked if we would not tell you that he had put you on that list.” Emily placed her hand on the woman, and it was like her strings were cut. Rage left and was followed by intense depression. Sobs wracked her body as she crumpled to the floor. Emily tried to grab her, but Luke was the one that actually got his arms around her.

There was nothing left for her now. Everything came crashing down around her; her world was shattered. She thought about every interaction that she had ever had with Spencer. There were probably some that she was missing, but she was not blessed with his memory skills. But every major moment came to her at that time. The first time they met, their first date, when he introduced her to his mom, their proposal and wedding. Rubbing her stomach, she wondered when she would wake from this nightmare and be safe in her husband’s arms once again.

Zsa Zsa Gabor said, “To be loved is a strength. To love is a weakness.”

[stone-stars]

[ID: A five page comic, centered on Aryox as he has a dream of Melora's future as a goddess. ID in alt text, and full description under the cut.]

@operationslipperypuppet hi alli.

higher than you'd think, apparently! um.... happy hoglidays, merry crickmas, i don't think i've laughed harder than when i saw the little message pop up that said my giftee was you, and i'm sorry for lying to you for a month.

this gift is in two parts. this comic, and the accompanying fic, which i've posted here! i hope you enjoy both, i'm really glad i got to make something about our guys. thank you for being a wonderful friend <3

for the @naddpodgifting exchange!

[ID: A five page comic, centered on Aryox as he has a dream of Melora's future as a goddess. Everything is drawn in bright colored outlines against a black background.

First page. Aryox (in light blue) opens his eyes slowly. Mist cuts across the top of the page behind the panels. The bottom half of the page is frameless, and shows Aryox standing at the base of steps leading up to a large temple, with mist swirling around it. Green vines wrap around the temple, with everything else being drawn in Aryox's blue.

Next page. Aryox walks up the steps of the temple, his hand briefly resting on one of its columns next to a green vine, then snaps his fingers and summons a light which he raises above his head, parting the mist. He stares into the distance, where within the mist a pale green light shines back. Grinning, he remarks "towards the light, then. Morbid." The next sequence shows Aryox walking through the temple, the edges of each panel just the columns of the temple itself. By the second, faint speech bubbles appear in the background. One is unreadable and yellow, and then in the third, as Aryox steps off-panel behind the column, a green text box faintly says "i'm sorry". Aryox stops and turns, saying "hello." Then a yellow (for Telaine) speech bubble appears isolated, reading "So THAT'S how little WE mean to YOU?" Aryox looks shocked, then looks away as his light extinguishes, looking hurt and guilty, and turns away. He marches forward as a green speech bubble (for Melora) echoes behind him: "how could you…"

The entire next page shows Aryox walking, then running through the mist, with speech bubbles and words echoing all around him. They start more spaced out, but by the end of the page crowd and overwhelm him. First, he walks with purpose. A text box in his blue shows that he's thinking "It's alright." The words he hears as he walks forward are: "(Melora) Aryox, don't do this, PLEASE." "(Telaine) I have nothing to say to you" "(Melora) I can't let you--" A closeup of his face is shown, just the bottom half, with his mouth set in a frown. His own voice, in the style of the other echoes, reads "I'm sorry Mel." Then, he starts walking quicker. Behind him is Telaine's speech bubble yelling "If you want my heart, you can do what [scribbled out] did and break it yourself". He walks through Lumi saying "She seems to have inherited Aryox's penchant for cold, calculating actions. They don't make for the best parents. At times, they don't make for the best friends." Melora says "Aryox". Next there are more of Aryox's thoughts: "if I betray them…", followed by a drawing of Telaine (in yellow) and Melora (in green) laughing together, "I have a reason." A speech bubble in gray offsets this, reading "[illegible], I pray to your indifference." Telaine says "Aryox al-- broke our-- pact and--" Finally, Aryox runs through a mass of speech bubbles. One panel overlayed on top of them is a closeup of his eye, staring forward. His thought cuts through them too-- "It's for their sake. For the future. Because I saw--" The speech bubbles are overlapping, and cutting each other off. They are: "(Aryox) --ell Telaine --'m sorry" "(Telaine) That is why I think [illegible]'s indifference is WRONG" "(gray/Mira) Saved --ed, but at the cost of betraying" "(Telaine) Aryo--" "(Callie, teal) I don't think even he was on his own side." "(Aryox) I know. I had to. If there had been any other way, I would've…" "(Melora) --about the world, I needy you, Aryox." "(Melora) I am not neutral. I protect the--" "(gray) May [illegible]'s indifference protect me." The last speech bubble is just behind Aryox as he runs-- Melora's voice begging "please."

The first half of the next page is entirely taken up by a drawing of a statue of Melora, in slightly faded green. She stands in a column of light, stepping forward, smiling softly with one hand extended towards the viewer. She's looking down, towards whoever is looking at her. Green vines wrap around her, and she carries a green branch in her other hand with yellow, blue, and green flowers on it. Below the statue, a tiny Aryox stands across from it, on top of the border of the next panel, as he says "Mel?" Aryox stares up at her in shock.

The last page shows Aryox staring up at Melora from the front, his ears drooping and text bubbles echoing behind him. They are mostly illegible but some words can be made out: "(Aryox) Mel" "(Telaine) Goddess" "(Melora) I need you, Aryox" "(gray) Melora's indifference" Melora is shown laughing, with the panel fracturing into ice below her and cracks running through the vision of her as Aryox things "no." He is then shown stepping forward raising a hand towards Melora, ice crumbling away from the border of the frame, with Melora's statue still standing across from him. Text echoes behind him: "(Aryox) I know. I'm sorry. If there had been any other--" "(Telaine) Melora's indifference is WRONG" "(gray) Melora, I pray ---ence" "(Telaine) THAT'S how-----tle WE--- YOU" "(Melora) Please." "(Aryox) If I betray them, I have a reason." The ice is cracking below them, too, as Aryox thinks "not you." Mist begins to swirl into the page, and very faintly in the background Aryox's name in light green begins to appear. Aryox reaches up towards Melora, then stares up at her with a frown, putting his hand on her cheek. It is small against her face, and mist cuts across the corner of the panel. It is cut off in the corner by Melora yelling "Aryox!", the tail of this speech bubble parting the mist on the page. The speech bubble leads to Melora in the only colored panel of the comic-- Melora and Telaine leaning over Aryox from his Pov, with his hand on Melora's cheek, bigger against it than the statue's. Melora frowns as she speaks, and Telaine smiles softly, her eyebrows furrowed.

The discord DMs after read: discord dms between me (stonestars) and alli from november. I say "I'm hoping. What are the chances one of us gets the other since we both put the eladrin." Alli responds "possibly high"]

[cirr0stratus]

thinking about frodo and sam and how their characters are near identical to stanislaus katzinsky and paul baumer and how they are both fictional men of different statuses that were created during the horrors of world war one by two people who used their incredible poetic voices to cope with the realities of warfare and how the relationship that these characters have transcends friendship and brotherhood and even romantic love because what they have is so much more important than that, it’s so much more. how there isn’t a word for the relationship that they have, and people like me are stuck thinking about these quotes and being completely normal about them

“We sit opposite one another, Kat and I, two soldiers in shabby coats, cooking a goose in the middle of the night. We don't talk much, but I believe we have a more complete communion with one another than even lovers have.

We are two men, two minute sparks of life; outside is the night and the circle of death. We sit on the edge of it crouching in danger, the grease drips from our hands, in our hearts we are close to one another, and the hour is like the room: flecked over with the lights and shadows of our feelings cast by a quiet fire. What does he know of me or I of him? formerly we should not have had a single thought in common – now we sit with a goose between us and feel in unison, are so intimate that we do not even speak.”

“you lay close to me. I'd be dearly glad to see you have a sleep. Id keep watch over you; and anyway, if you lay near, with my arm round you, no one could come pawing you without your Sam knowing it.”

“A little soldier and a clear voice, and if anyone were to caress him he would hardly understand, this soldier with the big boots and the shut heart, who marches because he is wearing big boots, and has forgotten all else but marching. Beyond the sky-line is a country with flowers, lying so still that he would like to weep. There are sights there that he has not forgotten, because he never possessed them – perplexing, yet lost to him. Are not his twenty summers there?

Is my face wet, and where am I? Kat stands before me, his gigantic, stooping shadow falls upon me, like home. He speaks gently, he smiles and goes back to the fire.

Then he says: "It's done."”

“Frodo's face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face was not changed. Not that Sam Gamgee put it that way to himself. He shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured: 'I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no”

“Kat my friend, Kat with the drooping shoulders and the poor, thin moustache, Kat, whom I know as I know no other man, Kat with whom I have shared these years—it is impossible that perhaps I shall not see Kat again”

“'If you don't come back, sir, then I shan't, that's certain,' said Sam. 'Don't you leave him! they said to me. Leave him! I said. I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon; and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with,”

[cconfusedkat]

(shaking hands, functioning on three iced coffees, not beta read we just die) (LIL BRO TREATING THIS LIKE AO3Anyways yeah i did not read anything i typed here a second time so my wording might Suck Major Kuss)

Hey chat! sorry my holiday depression unfortunately kicked in, i had a ,, relatively decent Eid (cuz i dont celebrate christmas) ...? so i hope everyone had a relatively better holiday than i did… 💦

My friends often tell me i look like my art and i kinda see it. Hooray! Meeting the artist! Except i took matters into my own hands of making my own collage because I Do Not Have Enough Storage Space For Any Other Editing App

Additional shitpost ❤️ the art I've been most proud of are not actually in here, really! I'm mainly proud of the fanart i made for the few smiling critters AU's aaaall the way back feb-march but. I guess the stuff i liked the most i did this year was probably for the one who wilts? Im trying to think of stuff earlier than that. I noticed i definitely had an improvement in art, and i learned i do have a preference of drawing certain ways now too lmao- the fun of art! I hope to improve more in 2025 :-)

Herm,, all jokes aside, im glad people like my art...?? I am not a very Secure artist myself (already taking me five minutes to type that out and consider myself as an artist) so im SHOCKED when people Actually like my things. My doodles. The sometimes rare occasion of real art i put out there. Like! Wow! Thats crazy

Id have to say the same for youtube- im currently at 456 subscribers 🥺❤️ that is huge to me,, i wouldnt have expected me posting for the first time in years on youtube would result to me getting this many subscribers? ? .???

Im very, VERY thankful for the people ive met this year through fandom and generally. Unfortunately—for the past few months—Ive hit a really low stump in my mental health that limits me from talking to people without getting super drained, even on social media i kinda struggle with being active again. I am thankful for the people that continue to stick around and know im the way that i am,, one day ill be mentally stronger and everyone is gonna see my growth as soon as i can ,, Actually leave my own home and hopefully start a new. I didnt really consider that until one of my friends shared its experiences with me and i GENUINELY realized i can run away and get better one day,, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,, there IS,, but not now. Not today. Not in a few months. Itll take me years to heal but 2025 and ongoing years as i get more freedom to do so,,

UHHHH UHHH. ASIDE FROM CHEESY RANTING OF HAVING HOPES FOR THE FUTURE, YAPYAPYAP- i got a drawing tablet (again another thing my friend inspired me for- technically two major things in a row it inspired me for- hope in the future and drawing BWAHAHA-) and uhhh. HmMMOOHHH YEAH I REUNITED MY MEOWMEOWS! HOORA🎊🎊🎊🎊

my 2025 goals are not just improvement in art,, but in hopes of getting a full time job (since my last full time UMM. did NOT work out well! How am i gonna learn to pay my taxes on my own dawg,) and trying to get a place of my own since i missed out on that two years ago (or one? One year ago? I DUNNO..!!!!) , therapy and trying to heal better compared to my terrible stumps of 2022-2024,, i dunno what else but. Maybe working on my social skills at some point 🗿🗿 a far fetched goal is moving out of state completely and also going on testosterone but that is farrrr from now </33

Thank you lot for following and keeping up with my goofiness i gen did not think an animanga nerd with a passion of indie and mascot horror games could reach 510 followers within one year HELPPP thats crazy

On less serious goals though i hope on watching more animes than reading manga in 2025 BWAHAHAGAHSAJD i read manga more and anime is Extremely Rare for me to watch but both jjk and Beastars have all ive been watching as of recent lol- trust i will be such a geek (girl Please that is NAWT something to look forward to) (YES IT IS. HAVE YOU NO WHIMSY?)

[gothic-aesthetic-gal]

Old Scars (Part 19)

Ledger!joker x reader

Fem!reader is kidnapped by the joker and his henchmen while just trying to get a moment's reprieve from her boring, soul-destroying job ✨️

Tw: I mean, we all saw TDK, right? I'd say this is on the same level/rating. Kidnapping, violence, mentions of minor characters (not J) being misogynist/threatening SA.

In this chapter specifically, Transphobia directed at side character (perp gets swift comeuppance) some violence.

Beyond this i'm not sure, i'll update these when I write more.

Part 19 -

I switched trains several times, still paranoid that I might be being followed, and found myself heading downtown. I had finally calmed myself enough to decide that I had to find a place to crash and I couldn't go back to my apartment. I'd been gone for a couple of weeks now, so I probably hadn't been served an eviction notice yet, but I was supposed to be missing and presumed dead. Going back there would be a sure-fire way to run into the crooked cops, or J.

I looked out over the city flickering by the train window, framed by scribbled graffiti. Even in the dead hours of the night, there were some cars on the roads, some businesses open, some lights still on. These small signs of life were a strange comfort to me: In a city that never sleeps, there are always some people out there awake with you in the early hours. When you know that, it feels less alarming being awake at a time when you're not supposed to be.

I was ripped from my momentary trance by shouting at the end of the train car, and looking up, I saw two figures. One had the other herded into the corner. The other was protesting and trying to get around him. The man had his back to me as I approached.

"Shut up you t***ny slut!" he yelled out, slurring his words.

The lady he was attacking pushed him away and managed to run towards me.

"Hey!" I yelled at the drunk asshole, sending him spinning round to see who was addressing him.

"What?!"

"Leave her alone!"

"And what you gonna do about it?" He laughed.

"I'm not joking. Leave her the fuck alone and keep your hands to yourself!" I barked back.

This clearly pissed him off as he straightened up to full height and started marching towards me. I wasted no time in pulling the taser out of my pocket, flipping off the safety and pressing the trigger. In a flash, the two spiral wires shot out and embedded into his chest. He started to violently convulse and jerk around, falling to the floor with an uncanny groan as his entire body stiffened up. I pulled out the used cartridge and tossed it onto the floor, glad I hadn't given him a chance to get any closer to us.

"Gotham city am I right?" The lady beside me muttered, kicking the man in the groin for good measure, then pulling a cigarette and lighter out of her black corset and lighting up as she returned.

I shook my head at the guy crumpled up on the floor.

"I always carry a stun gun in my purse when I'm working. It's not safe, espescially for girls like me out here - Only some other stupid fucker stole my goddamn purse earlier!"

"Wow, it's not been your night, huh?" I said as we walked to the other end of the train car.

"No it hasn't. But you stopped it being a whole lot worse. I'm Candy, what's your name, doll?" She smiled, smoothing down her miniskirt.

I flinched a little at her choice of pet name.

"I'm (y/n). Nice to meet you Candy... I'm not having a good night either, i'll be honest," I sighed, loading a new cartridge into the taser and throwing the strap of my duffle bag back over my shoulders.

"Awe no honey, what's eatin' ya?" She asked earnestly.

Again, I was taken back by anyone in the city being kind to me.

"I need a place to crash, do you know anywhere... kind of, off-grid no questions asked? I got a little money, but not a lot," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"Somewhere that doesn't ask for ID you mean?" She asked.

"Yeah, I kinda, crossed a bad cop... or four," I admitted, deciding I could trust her.

"Oh wow!" She giggled, "Don't worry, I got you. I know a place or two."

"Thanks, I'll make it worth your while," I added, handing her a hundred dollar bill.

"Oh doll, that's way too much. I can't take it. Don't ya need it?"

I pushed it into her hand.

"Trust me, i'm good for it. I want you to take it, just promise you'll help me?"

"Of course!" She said, tucking it into her corset and patting my hand supportively.

The train pulled in to a stop and we both exited the doors to move to a different car, leaving my new friend's attacker groaning in pain on the floor.

I followed Candy's lead as we got off two stops down and I wondered how the hell she could walk so gracefully in heels down the slippery staircase to street level.

"I'm going back to my place for the night, if I didn't share with some very sketchy people, I'd invite you there," she sighed.

"Hey that's okay, I appreciate what you're doing already."

We rounded a couple of corners and came across what once must have been quite a grand building in the forties. The steps up to the cracked art deco façade spilled down onto the street and we stopped in front of them. The graffiti and flyers pasted to the walls indicated that it wasn't so grand any longer.

"I'd try this one first. It's a bit less dangerous than the other places," she explained, stubbing out her cigarette under her pointed heel and starting up the steps.

I hopped up after her and entered the lobby.

There was a man sat behind the reception desk with his feet up watching television. The blue light flickered across his pallid face as he sat, chewing on something. I had to press the little bell on the counter for him to slowly peel himself away from the TV set.

"Yeah?" He asked gruffly.

"Can I get a room here please?" I asked.

"A double?"

"Sure," I nodded.

"It's twenty five bucks a night. How many nights you stopping?"

"Uh, three for now."

He held out his hand expectantly as I withdrew the bills, being very careful not to flash exactly how much cash I had with me. I handed them over and he licked his fingers and counted them, before slamming a fist on the side of an ancient looking cash register so that the drawer popped open with a ping. Once he'd jammed the drawer closed again he turned to a wall covered in chipped plaster with hundreds of keys hanging from hooks. Grabbing one down, he handed it over.

"Third floor, room 27," he said already settling back in front of his TV show.

"Thanks," I muttered.

The stairwell had a flickering light and I could still see my breath as we climbed. There was an elevator but it looked incredibly unreliable and I really did not want to get stuck between floors. Once I reached my room, we sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets looked clean enough - much to my relief. There was a little bathroom and I had a window that looked out over the street and the train tracks. With each passing train the vibrations rumbled through the room.

"Thank you," I said, my voice cracking a little as my emotions overwhelmed me.

"Oh baby, what are you running from?" She said, taking my hand as she sat beside me on the bed.

I blinked back my tears.

"It's not just the cops," I managed to get out, struggling to find the words to explain the rest.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me what. We all got our demons."

I smiled weakly.

"How do you do it?" I asked shakily.

"Do what?"

"Stay kind, when life is so bad to you?"

"Seems to me like you're doing the same. Don't give up honey. Kindness is rebellion in a world like this," she answered patting my thigh supportively.

"I guess you're right," I began.

"I am. But don't get me wrong. There are some nasty fuckers out there who don't deserve your kindness. Give people what they deserve. If they are kind, be kind. If they're not... well, you already understand; you tazed that creep for me."

Her words struck me to my core.

"Now, I got to go. If you need to find me, I work Jefferson most nights. Or you can ask in the Black Dog Club on fifty-second, they usually know where I am."

I nodded.

"You're gonna be okay?" She asked, looking guilty.

I wiped the remaining tears from my face and put on a smile.

"Of course, I'll be fine."

I wanted to give her more money, but I was terrified of anyone else finding out what I had. She walked out of the door leaving me on my own.

I turned the key until the door locked and slid the dead bolt across the back. Then I placed the key on the bedside dresser and pulled the chair from the corner of the room in front of the door, hooking it under the handle.

Finally, I laid back on the bed, exhausted. I could see the faint glow of the oncoming dawn in the dark sky through the gap in the broken blinds and the sounds of the city clawed at the glass - as though it was desperate to destroy the tiny layer of separation I had just established.

I thought about what Candy had said. I thought about the crooked cops, and the man on the train. I thought about the man who had attacked me in the alley until J intervened, and Vladislav injecting me with the fear toxin. I thought about all of it, turning it over and over in my mind.

I had to do something. I was already on the run... I had already committed a laundry list of criminal offences. Maybe it was time to be less reactionary, and more proactive. It wasn't hope that filled my chest now, but there was a growing desire for some kind of revenge. If the law couldn't be relied on to provide justice for people like myself or Candy, then maybe the only other option was to do something more drastic... an idea was spreading like fire in my mind.

I knew that J would come looking for me, turning over every stone, and the cops i'd crossed, but what I didn't know, was that the Batman was also on my trail. Running the letter through the computer database had not returned the results he was hoping for, although it had given him a set of my prints which could potentially confirm whether I was at other locations, and therefore still living. He'd managed to piece together our movements away from the burnt out apartment, between the mysterious bloody clothing at the laundromat and the car-jacking on 89th. The kid running deliveries was terrified - who was gonna believe that he'd run into both the joker, and the bat? Still, he'd recounted his story and the mysterious vigilante vanished into the night once again, like a deadly shadow.

Running the plates had taken time, but eventually that had lead him across the water, to the hills, and the crumbling remnants of Parkview Asylum. Again, he found only traces, echoes where he wabted to find voices. It frustrated him, and he looked out of the window at the twinkling lights of the city in despair. She seemed to be winking at him, as if once again she concealed her secrets. Gotham had the upper hand; she always did. She was full of shadows, and corruption. The rot was so deep you couldn't dig it out. But whenever he wondered if she was too far gone, he would think of his parents, and find the renewed strength to pull forwards against the tide. He would find them. He would free her from the Joker's profane clutches.

When I woke up it was almost midday, and uncharacteristically sunny. The warmth of the yellow light brought a genuine smile to my face as I held out a hand, watching my movements send dust particles swirling around in the beams. For a few precious moments I had forgotten that I was living on borrowed time - that I had crossed J and fled in the night. My heart felt heavy with guilt, not just for staying with him in the first place, but also for leaving. If he had a heart, had I just taken a hammer to it? Wouldn't he be angry?

In a desperate attempt not to focus on the alarming reality of my situation, I cast my mind instead to the idea that I might be able to make some productive use of my time before the end I was rapidly screeching towards. If this train was going off the tracks, I would ride it until it plunged off the fractured bridge into the waters. I knew I didn't want to kill anyone. For the most part I didn't want to cause major bodily harm either... but exceptions could be made for some if necessary. Setting fire to people, or beating them with a crowbar wasn't going to be my first move, but if things became truly desperate, I already had a track record for it.

Knowing where to start was difficult, but I figured that I would try to track down the guy who had attacked me in the alley. I wanted to know he hadn't hurt anyone else, but I wasn't convinced, and something in my gut told me he was part of something much bigger. I wanted to know what.

Link to the Masterlist of other Chapters ⬇️

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[mediocreanomaly]

Heya! Same patchwork anon here >:]

Im so glad you like the idea! And id definitely see Vash being so protective of it, but sir we need to clean that omg 😩

But i did wanna shoot another reply cause i had another thought (Its 3am, so its the perfect time for thoughts) but imagine instead of white solid thread for Nai's janky ass milk puzzle blanket, its instead stitched with colored thread to at least give it some more life :0

I do like the idea that Nai just keeps it hidden, but imagine Nai's mate finding it and wanting to improve on it more, so little by little theyve been hand-embroiddering stuff on each patch to give it more life, and Nai doesnt notice cause he doesnt really lay it out often, and one day he just has this urge to look at it again, maybe give it a chance and add it to the nest, afterall its the thought that counts right? but then he spreads it out and sees the different embroiderry, like hearts or flowers that Nai's mate saw in books~ Theres even an ongoing embroiderry that makes it clear that his mate has been stitching this behind his back lol

(okay thats all sorry for the ramble im just so weak for them huhu)

Authors Note: Oh my gosh??? I'm so sorry for being away everyone work is busy busy busy rn, gotta serve up some of my drafts fr...anyways! Patchwork anon strikes again! You know nesting hc's are my weakness I had to indulge, R.I.P. Knives milk puzzle.

In reference to both of these post: Nesting Hc's, Patchwork Anon

A Blanket of Many Colors, Knives x Reader

You run your fingers over the blanket you had gifted Nai, the patchwork of white making the blanket look more like a haphazard ghost costume rather than a gift you'd painstakingly sown together. You sigh, you didn't really blame Nai for hiding it away in fact you'd been a be relived when you found out your mate kept the scraggly piece of fabric at all. While the vision had been there the end result had ended up lack luster at best.

You groan, about to tuck it back away in its hiding spot for good when you pause over one of the squares. Although by itself it wasn't much...it'd be the perfect base for something else. You think of what you could fill the tiles with, you had more than enough colored thread to add a bit of life to it, you mull over a couple options before remembering the book of flowers Nai had shown you once, his expression had soften as he explained the differences between each species. Inspired, you quickly grab the blanket and march over to the large bookcase in the corner of Nai's room, running your fingers over the spines of the books trying to find the correct one.

"c'mon...it's gotta be here somewh- ah!" you say triumphantly, pulling out the book containing pictures hundreds of different flowers. You'd been amazed when Nai first showed you, plants like this didn't bloom on Gunsmoke, so the idea of their soft petals were all you had to go off of. You quickly flip through the book picking out one of the flowers and grab some red thread and a needle, ready to go to work.

Some where along the way this little practice had become routine for you. Every time Nai was away or you were bored you'd sneak over to the cabinet your mate had stored the blanket and add a small embroidery. Adding a different flower every time until the blanket was becoming a colorful tapestry of your own making. You weren't sure if Nai even knew what you were doing, if he did he didn't say anything about it. So you continued the harmless pass time figuring he had just forgotten about the gift to collect dust.

He hadn't. Nai was, admittedly, particular when it came to his nest and he knew it. He'd mull over the sheets over and over making sure they were the same shade of white and that they were both soft and large enough. When you had presented him with the hand made blanket...it wasn't that he didn't apricate a gift from his beloved mate, it's just that he cringed internally anytime he thought about it in his nest. He couldn't bring himself to throw away something made by your hands though, so he had stored it away for safe keeping, not wanting anyone else to get their filthy hands on something made specifically for him.

It wasn't until a couple months and one tedious day later that he found himself marching towards his quarters. His instincts where screaming to wind down and drag you into the nest with him but you were out in Ja'Lai, escorted by Legato. He huffs, thinking of grabbing some of your clothes to add to the nest for your scent but then grimaces at the idea of all that disorganized fabric against the white sheets and pillows. He pauses looking at the cabinet that contained the gift you had made all that time ago. Although he still bristles slightly at the idea of it sprawled out in his nest...maybe it's the thought that counts? No. Absolutely not. But he could at least drag it out for a little while, maybe it wasn't as bad as he remembered.

Nai opens the cabinet and reaches in for the blanket but when he pulls it out...his eyes go wide. He holds it up so that he had a better view of what he's seeing, flowers he had only seen as a child blossom against the white fabric painting a scene of an intricate garden that only his memories and dreams could recreate. Had his mate been doing this the whole time? He tilts his head and gently traces the patters of the petals and whining stems that adorns the blanket now, then...he glances up towards his nest.

"Nai? You you here?" you call walking towards your shared room. The others had informed you of your mates arrival while you were out in town and you were eager to welcome him with open arms. You pad in, cold floor beneath you feet. He must be curled up in the nest it's where he liked to recharge after being gone. You walk towards the bed where you know a heap of white blankets and pillows is waiting as you quietly peek in the room. Your mate is in the nest alright, but...instead of the usual stark white, a myriad of color litters the top. Your blanket, you realize, is now the main center piece of the nest, curled securely around your sleeping mate as he purrs in his sleep, plant marking glowing softly. It seems...he liked the gift after all.

[clemswinecorner-socials]

Unfaithful [JD]

the reader is a little bit the opposite of her sweet innocent brother, enjoy this ocasionally unhinged ocon!reader x jackie doohie :)

Yourusername

Abu Dhabi

liked by mickschumacher, itselenaberri and others

yourusername guess who's ass is back at the track💁🏻‍♀️💁🏻‍♀️ tagged alpinef1team

posted novemeber 19th, 2023

alpinef1team good to have you back! estiebestiefan y/n!! we've missed you at the track, are you planning on making iconic tiktoks again?

yourusername absolutely! already have some in drafts baby

fanlovesyn y/n ready to be unhinged at the track again yourbestie you dont know how jealous i am itselenaberri i've missed you! randomfan so nice!! just curious, why haven't you been at the track for a while?

yourusername school! did an internship as an extra to finish up my studies after the summerbreak so i couldn't travel around much, but now i am fully graduated! randomfan congrats! we're all excited to have you back :) yourusername thank you 💗💗

... view more comments

Yourusername

liked by pierregasly, estebanocon and others

yourusername icymi: i did, in fact, not thridwheel this christmas. i did, however, get babyfever😻😻 tagged estebanocon, itselenaberri

posted december 26th, 2023

familyfriend merry christmas y/n! tell the loverboy i said hi as well ;)

yourusername merci beaucoup😚😚

f1obsessed omg pierre liked?! are they dating?? randomfan the caption is too relatable honestly if that was my bf id fall in love too friendorsomething baby fever or breeding k*nk?

yourusername i hate you

yourusername also there's kids here friendorsomething yours? yourusername get out of my comments

... view more comments

Yourusername

liked by landonorris, jackdoohan and others

yourusername well one of us siblings had to be unfaithful this year 🤭🤭

posted december 31st, 2022

yourbestie at least we had fun🫡 yndefender she's so hot estebanocon glad it was you not me randomfan not all the drivers lurking in the likes helpppp jackdoohan 😮‍💨😮‍💨 randomperson am i the only one weirded out by her behaviour?? her brother is an f1 driver, this isn't a good look

yndefender she's her own person and can do what she wants lol, besides esteban supports whatever she does lmao

... view more comments

Yourusername

Bahrain international circuit

liked by alpinef1team, scottyjames31 and others

yourusername oh how i’ve missed being trackside tagged alpinef1team, estebanocon, lance_stroll, jackdoohan

posted march 5th, 2023

f1lover that pic of lance🫠🫠 estebanocon i've missed having you here petite💙 yourbestie ahhh i can't wait to be back with youuuuu!!

yourusername me neither!!! and for you to meet all my new besties hehe

feederseriesfan feeding the jack girlies wth randomfan y/n i beg please make more tiktoks with lance yourbestie stop being horny on main challenge

yourusername no❤️

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Yourusername

liked by felipedrugovich, lance_stroll and others

yourusername straya! some great beaches and great bitches👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 tagged itselenaberri, estebanocon, pierregasly

posted march 30th, 2023

randomfan elena and y/n being besties is such a slay mickschumacher 😊😊 ynlover WHO IS THAT GUY

yourusername a hottie is who he is (also he’s preeetty good at ***)

estiefan y/n's bf being aussie is so real of her bc i'd fall for that accent too yourbestie tell the lover i said g'day

yourusername he rolled his eyes, said ai and told me to tell you he said hi back

... view more comments

Yoursername

liked by mickschumacher, victormartinsfr and others

yourusername little bit of australia pics that didnt make it to the gram yet😼😼 tagged estebanocon, jackdoohan

posted april 5th, 2023

formulafan ok but she's spending a suspicious amount of time with jack atp pierregasly there's something missing

yourusername unfortunately yuki wasn't available because some french guy claimed him pierregasly i meant me

yourcousin people in love🤮🤮 (you guys look cute) jackdoohan spent so much time with mick and no pictures of him?

yourusername someone stole the pic i was going to use...

estebanocon rain was lovely as always randomfan seeing y/n interact with all these drivers except her brother is so funny

... view more comments

Yourusername

liked by jackdoohan and others

yourusername it's officially out there that you'll be a formula one driver. so i'm writing a sappy post 🤗🤗 jackie, it's not where we're used to it, but you got the spot you deserve. you deserve to be in f1 wether thats with alfa romeo, alpine or red bull, and you finally got there. i remember the first time you told me "life always has its way", and it does. you deserve all the good things coming your way. now here's sappy thank you because i probably won't do a long caption like this until an engagement (preferably ours😇) you came in at the right time in my life when everything was going wrong for me and i needed change. you knew that and encouraged it, but you never made me change myself. i always had to do what felt right and "life would have its way", and it did. it'll feel weird to not watch the race with you, but cheering you on is the only acceptable reason why :) i love you, thank you for everything you did for me when you were here, jack. wish you weren't leaving, but life always has its way 🫶🏼 congrats on the seat, doohie posted july 25th, 2023

yourusername idk why im so emotional congratulating you as if i wont be cheering you on (and sucking you off) every race weekend, also hey guys me and jack are dating lolz!

jackdoohan it was very cute until the last part yourusername sorry its my way of coping jackdoohan im aware babe yourusername i know you are ;)

yourbestie congratulations jack!! so deserved estebanocon excited for you mate! @/jackdoohan

jackdoohan thanks brother🙏🏼

jackdoohan thank you baby 💙💙 i love you more than i can explain

comments limited.

other social media works & main writing masterlist

[elizmanderson]

it's a good thing book stuff is going well, because aside from book stuff things have us on the struggle bus over here, friends

but at least I have my ARCs and another trade review

(video ID at the end)

ngl I personally wouldn't use the words "gothic," "romantasy," OR "spice" to describe this book myself, but I'm glad Publishers Weekly liked it 😂

preorder a signed copy from my local indie: link to The Keeper of Lonely Spirits at Gathering Volumes Bookshop

add The Keeper of Lonely Spirits to a TBR: link to book page on TheStoryGraph | link to book page on GoodReads

[video ID: A box on the floor in someone's living room, already untaped, being opened to reveal stacks of paperback ARCs of E.M. Anderson's The Keeper of Lonely Spirits. Text: Let's pretend I didn't open the box before filming. Offscreen, E holds up the book to show the front and back covers and the spine, which has a tiny duplicate of the cottage from the front cover at the top. Text: the tiny cottage on the spine!!

Offscreen, E opens the book to reveal the cover page. Text: that's my name!! They show the first page, then flip through the book. Their flipping slows down. Text: Okay hang on. Let's find my favorite bit of typesetting. Here it is. E brings the page close to the camera to show the words "MOTHER" and "DAUGHTER" in all caps in the body of text, but only the upper half of each word is visible. Text: "Mother" and "daughter." Cut off to show how sunken the headstones are!! E holds up the book to show off the front cover again. Text: Look at herrrrrrr. The cover shows a lonely cottage surrounded by headstones, with smoke drifting from the chimney, atop a tall green hill dotted with trees and yellow flowers, against a starry sky.

The video swipes to a black background with The Keeper of Lonely Spirits at the top and a QR code labeled "signed preorders" at the bottom. In between is text reading, "An old man cursed with immortality hunts ghosts rather than making mortal friends who will die one day. When residents of an Ohio town beset by a vengeful spirit adopt him as their own, he must decide: leave to protect his heart, or stay to save their lives?" The images and text swipe away and are replaced with the text "Available March 25." The music is Jodie Comer's cover of Fantasy. End video ID.]

[praetoravila]

mighta found the one (but i need you too)

happy birthday @myloveforhergoeson !!! i hope 23 treats you so well (my favourite old lady)! here’s a continuation of our wag au. love you so dearly ❤️

Bachelorette parties were a completely foreign concept to Olive. Sure, she had seen videos on ClipClop of rowdy girls in their twenties coming home after a bachelorette, giggling about getting shitfaced. 

Or the opposite, women who stayed in with their friends and rewatched their favourite 90s romcom instead. 

But that wasn’t a true depiction of a bachelorette. At least she figured as much. 

Nonetheless, the Latina girl wasn’t sure what to expect when she pulled up to the nightclub that Roxy had sent her the address of. 

Olive got out of her Uber, thanking the driver quickly before walking over to the line. A group of teen girls came up behind her, and as they giggled over their fake IDs, she hoped to God that she was going to enjoy herself. 

Getting inside the club wasn’t hard, and as she looked around, she eventually found Roxy at the back in one of the sections. 

The brunette had her hair pulled up into two low hanging pigtails, and she was wearing a white halter top dress and a silver bomber jacket. 

“Olive!” She called out and Olive smiled as she made her way over and up the stairs.

“Hey.” She said, enveloping Roxy in a hug. The other girl smelled like roses. Roxy grinned as she pulled away, her pigtails swishing under the dim light of the club. 

“I’m so glad that you came. We’re going to have so much fun tonight.” 

Olive smiled back. “Definitely.” Roxy began introducing her to the other girls who were there. Jo Taylor, the actress from New Town High, that supernatural show that Wren had forced Olive to spend a summer binge watching, Lucy Stone, the rockstar and Stephanie King, who was a director and filmmaker. 

They all chatted for a few minutes, Olive doing her best to get to know the girls. Lucy was working on a new album that was inspired by her move to Los Angeles in her teens, and Stephanie had a new horror movie in progress that was based on her own family history - apparently one of her great aunts had killed her husband back in the 1940s. 

It was interesting listening to them. Olive loved her job as a youth counselor but sometimes she missed getting to have a true creative outlet. She hadn’t written poetry in years, but listening to the others, she wondered if maybe she should get back into it. 

She probably could have spent forever ruminating on that, before Jo clapped her hands together. 

“Alright in honour of our girl Roxy, we are going to hit this club like it’s never been hit before ladies. Shots on me!” 

And with that, Olive was pulled out of her seat and down the stairs as the blonde marched over to the bartender. 

“10 shots of the worst tequila you got for all of us.” She said with a sickenly sweet smile, her southern North Carolina accent played up. 

Olive raised an eyebrow, as Jo spun back around to face her. The blonde had what could only be described as a game face on. “Ready to party?” 

“Yeah. Definitely.” 

% 

So apparently, Olive’s idea of partying was different from Roxy and her friends. Within 20 minutes of them guzzling down shots, Olive had found herself pulled onto the dance floor, Stephanie and Jo taking turns spinning her around and grinding against each other and her. Jo was a handsy drunk, and the glimmer in her eyes spoke of trouble. 

Nothing Olive couldn’t handle but still. Besides, honestly she was getting a little bit dizzy. 

As Where Them Girls At by David Guetta faded out, Olive brushed her hair off her shoulders, grateful that she had decided to wear a thinner cotton t-shirt. She could feel sweat dripping down her back and she grimaced. Her heart rate picked up. Olive could feel the tell tale signs of overstimulation starting to hit her. 

She needed out of this room and she needed it now. 

“You okay?” Stephanie asked over the music and people talking. Olive nodded. “I’m fine! Just need a moment to breathe outside. Excuse me.” 

She slipped off the dance floor, and into the hallway where the bathrooms were. Without the loud music blasting directly in her ears, she felt less like she was going to keel over. 

She pulled out her phone, checking the time. It was only 9PM. She’d only been in the club for forty minutes and she was already ready to go home. 

How the hell did she use to do this for hours with Saylor, Elisa and Noah in college? 

Shaking her head, she pulled up her and Logan’s text thread as a new notification popped up. 

hey gorgeous. you having fun? i miss you 

Olive snorted. Logan was clearly bored at home. She replied back swiftly. 

yeah. taken three shots so far. already feeling dizzy. when did i become a lightweight? 

Logan’s response made her laugh out loud. 

whenever you became a homebody. 

She replied with a middle finger and her phone began ringing a second later. 

“Ello?” 

“You want me to pick you up?” Logan asked, voice gruff from sleep. He was probably only awake because he wanted to check on her. Now that they weren’t in the playoffs, he was back to his regular job as a lab assistant, which meant his schedule was more regular. 

Olive shook her head before remembering that her boyfriend couldn’t see her. 

Her boyfriend’s voice instantly soothed her anxiety. Her stomach didn’t feel like it was going to explode anymore. 

“Nah. I’m having fun. I’ll probably be home by midnight.” She said, twisting a loose strand of hair around her finger. Logan hummed. 

“Want me to wait up?” 

Olive paused for a second before responding. “Nah. Just leave the key under the mat. I didn’t bring my apartment keys with me.” 

Logan snorted. “I told you to stop doing that.” He said teasingly, and Olive rolled her eyes at him. 

“Yeah well, I didn’t want to leave them at the club like I did the last time I went out.” 

Logan’s giggles were clear to her ears, even though the music from the club was still blasting. “Sure babe. I’ll see you in the morning. Love you.” 

“Love you too.” Olive replied. The line disconnected after a second and she sighed, brushing her bangs off her forehead. 

She steeled her shoulders back, before leaving the hallway and making her way to the bar. People were dancing, grinding against each other, and drinking with happy cheers. 

Lucy was still chatting with the bartender, and the two of them gave Olive a quick glance and smile before falling back into their conversation. 

Olive fiddled with a loose straw in a cup for a moment, zoning out before the feeling of someone’s clammy warm hands startled her. She turned around, ready to yell before she realized that it was Roxy. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” The brunette said, cheeks flushed. “I forgot that you’re not a touchy person. I was going to ask if you’ll take some pictures of me to send to James?” 

Olive raised an eyebrow. “What kind of pictures?” Honestly, she knew what Roxy meant, but making the other girl turn bright red in embarrassment was never not funny. 

“Oh my god. I don’t mean,” Roxy cut herself off, looking around as if she was doing something wrong before continuing, “nudes. He said he wanted to see my outfit.” 

Olive hummed under her breath, a smirk on her face. “I’m sure that’s all he wanted to see.” 

Roxy smacked her shoulder and Olive feigned being hurt. Roxy rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, and Olive snickered under her breath, pulling the other girl along with her. 

“Alright, Songbird. Let’s go take some pictures of you.” 

%

Their impromptu photo session took them outside the club, the bouncer slipping red wristbands onto their wrists. 

“Don’t take these off or you can’t come back in.” He grumbled and Roxy, ever cheerful, grinned at him. 

“Will do, sir.” 

The brunette girl grabbed Olive’s hand and dragged her into a nearby 24 hour convience store. The teenage girl at the front looked at them for half a second before going back to her phone. 

“The lighting here is probably not much better than the club. But we’ll make do.” Roxy mumbled, as she handed Olive her phone. 

Olive hummed as she swiped into Roxy’s camera, quickly adjusting the exposure to compensate for the harsh fluorescent lighting of the store. Roxy fiddled with her hair and the skirt of her dress. 

“Do I look okay?” She asked. Olive looked at her, a genuine smile on her face. “You look great Rox. James isn’t going to know what hit him.” 

Their mini photoshoot commenced after that, Roxy leaning against the blank wall in the store, and Olive taking shots of her from every angle possible. 

Roxy grabbed a bag of O’Chippigans and used them as her prop, pretending that she had opened the bag and was eating them. 

Olive snickered. Her friend was so silly sometimes. She got up from the floor, handing Roxy her phone so the taller brunette could look through her camera roll. 

“These are perfect! Thanks Ollie.” Before she could say anything, she had an armful of Roxy. The other girl’s rose scented perfume enveloped her. Olive resisted the urge to take a deep breath in. 

“You’re welcome. But we should probably get out of here before the girl at the front yells at us.” Roxy’s eyes widened as she looked over Olive’s shoulder at the teen girl who was probably staring at them. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” 

%

The club was still full of loud music and energetic people when they walked back into it. Stephanie waved them over when she saw them. 

“Where the hell have you two been?” She asked, her midwestern accent slightly thicker from the alcohol. She sounded like Logan in the morning, Olive thought to herself before she replied. 

“We did an impromptu photo shoot for the bride here.” 

Stephanie snorted. “And you didn’t invite me?” She asked teasingly, and Roxy immediately began protesting. 

“I tried looking for you and I couldn’t!” 

Stephanie giggled, wrapping her arm around Roxy’s shoulder. “I know pipsqueak. It’s fine. You’ll make it up to me by letting me photograph the wedding.” 

Roxy grinned at her. “Of course Steph. Who else would we hire?” She turned to Olive who was watching the interaction with a confused smile. 

“On top of being a director extraordinaire, Stephanie is a wedding photographer in her free time. She photographed Kendall and Daisy’s wedding last year. It was gorgeous Ollie. I really wish you had been there.” 

Olive raised an eyebrow at Stephanie, ignoring the way her stomach flipped at the reminder that her and Logan hadn’t been together last year. “Wow. A working woman huh?” 

Stephanie grinned even wider. 

“I like to keep busy. Besides, the hockey community is so small. And y'all have a lot of weddings in the off season.” 

Stephanie pointed at Olive and Roxy. The latter blushed. 

“Not my fault the only time everybody is free is after March.” Roxy grumbled, and Olive snorted. “Perks of dating a professional hockey player.” 

Roxy’s face lit up at the reminder of her fiancé, and she began patting herself down like a crazy person. “Where’s my phone?” She asked and Olive laughed, pointing at the shorter girl’s small clutch bag. 

“In there. Why? You missing James?” She teased and Roxy pouted. “Yeah.” 

Jo popped back up, blonde hair now pulled back into a no nonsense ponytail. Her face was flushed, and she looked like she had just gone through a tornado. 

“Guys. I need a break. Is it possible to die from dancing too hard?” She said, and they all laughed. 

“I’ll stay on babysitting Jo duty.” Stephanie said, grabbing the blonde’s arm. Jo smiled at her, all dopely. 

Olive laughed. She had missed this. The feeling of hanging out with people and feeling their energies and presence. She loved working with her kids and teenagers but it was different. She was the adult in the room. The one who had to be serious. 

But here, this stupid LA club, she could be whoever she wanted to be. And right now, that meant dancing with her friends. 

She grabbed Roxy’s hand, shaking the other brunette girl out of her thoughts. A song by the old 2010s boy band, Brand New Day, came on. 

Olive grinned as the opening notes to Boyfriend started playing. “Come on! Dance with me!” She cried out and Roxy rolled her eyes before resting her bag and phone on the table where Stephanie was sitting. 

Olive dragged Roxy to the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around the other girl’s neck just as the chorus hit. 

“I heard that you're looking for a boyfriend! I see that, gimme time, you know I'm gonna be there!” 

They screamed their lungs out as the music kept playing. Dancing together, bodies pressed against each other. At some point, Roxy’s hair ended up in Olive’s face, and she grinned as she pushed it out of the way, swaying the smaller girl side to side.

Yeah. This was the best night ever.

[spicyraeman]

ᴏᴄꜱ - ᴛʜᴇɴ & ɴᴏᴡ

Saw a buncha chooms doin this lil trend and remembered that I had an old draft doing this very thing! Spiffied it up with even newer shots of my babes and it really makes me realize how far both me and my OCs have come :]

March 25, 2022 || June 24, 2023

The shot on the left is legit my very first oc shot in cyberpunk. Id taken some landscape shots before this but this was where the blorbo brainrot started. Vons definitely come the farthest in terms of design, from big beefy maelstrom to like.. wet rat white boy energy I guess lol. She still got a long way to go though, probably gonna be working on her forever, she's my favorite little passion project😌

June 2, 2022 || June 2, 2023

Didn't even realize these were exactly a year apart till I checked the dates!

Luis is basically the exact same as when I first made him, just the perfect design from the moment of creation😌He's the OC that really started my VP journey, I made him just to take pretty pictures of and learn the ropes. Glad I finally have the skills to show off his full beauty!

September 12, 2022 || June 14, 2023

Lynk's design is one that feels both entirely different and very much the same to me. Same overall vibe and style, but more refined I suppose. Less scrungly mess of wires and more sleek and sharp borg. Really love their current design now, still wanna make 'em custom tattoos but it gonna be a while till i'm at that modding level!

December 12, 2022 || June 1, 2023

Dallas was a design first backstory second kinda OC. I love her old design, think all the cyberware and makeup are really cool, but as I fleshed her out it just wasn't Dallas. Found myself in a comfy spot with her now though, even ended up making her her own custom complexion!

December 5, 2022 || July 9, 2023

Technically there's an even farther back design I could use for Sunny but it's so different I can't even consider it him. His old design looks so similar yet so very different its kinda weird😅Sunny's design now is probably the one I'm most content with, I might try and add back his arm tattoos but until then he's pretty much perfect.

December 8, 2022 || April 23, 2023

When I first made Midas my main goal was a dark moody playboy, which definitely stayed the same just in a radically different way. His OG personality was a playful and dramatic womanizer which I loved but I needed a straight man in this group of idiots and he had to be it. So instead he became a mysterious and gruff guy that has ladies falling over him whether he likes it or not, also he's a vampire now.

[gabapentinblues]

journal update 2.28.2025

last day of february. march is usually a pretty hard month, but i should be starting therapy. i get hit so hard w my depression and despair right when i wake up and i have nothing to counterbalance it with. i just have no energy to fight against it.

i drink coffee and i dont even look forward to it and i just feel empty. i come on here and search for connection and validation and thats the best i can do right now.

i told myself id make my bed today and try to clean up before leaving. maybe i can make myself do it. just force myself through it. then im driving up to see friends later today and staying the night, that will be nice. they were talking about how its a no buy day today but i need to get gas and i wanted to get cigs and a coffee too so i feel bad.

im looking forward to having my big iced coffee and a cig while im driving and bringing a bottle of wine and some joints w me. and tomorrow i'll get to wake n bake for the first time in a while. that will be great. glad we'll get to hang out all day.

im not even excited about my art anymore. i just dont care. i dont feel very moved to make anything. maybe that will come back though. i dont know.

i really should clean up, my desk where i work on things is a huge mess, my whole room is a huge mess honestly. im trying. ugh.

i want to get a haircut and some other stuff but im worried about what i can afford. i dont know when i'll start working again. and i just feel like no one understands how hard things are and how much im struggling. definitely no one understands why, it doesnt even make sense to me.

i guess i just feel like i dont deserve sympathy or patience or understanding. i feel like im wasting and ruining everything. im a grown adult reverting back to pouty self destructive adolesence. i dont deserve anything but being told to just get over it. i miss having people around me who tried to understand me, it made it so much easier for me to be kind to myself. now i feel like i have nothing.

nothing nothing nothing.

my urges to self harm are huge again and i just want to starve but i keep binging bc food gives me a tiny bit of dopamine so i can never stop eating. ive been so inactive, not walking anywhere, just sleeping all day. im horrified to know what i weigh and i can't picture myself getting to a place that im not terrified to see the number on the scale.

in august i was the lowest weight ive ever been and now ive gained so much idek what happened. its terrible and i dont know how im going to come out of it.

i feel awful all the time.

i feel alone so often. just not cared about. empty and disconnected from everything.

i dont know how im ever going to come out of this.

[roguephenon]

How has Harvey been after his second chance?

He’s been well! Didn’t take long at all for him to work his way to earning ALL the keys to Moonbase. Comes in handy when Patrick locks himself out of the Decommissioning Wing. You’d be surprised how often that happens.

Moonbase Zero-point-One has never been cleaner with him in charge of Custodial Operations. He takes the job very seriously.

His work was essential in helping Sonia with negotiations with Queen B, the leader of the Teen Ninjas Remnants. During his Moonbase deep clean, he found a TON of old, lost toys and mementos. Kids can be messy and misplace things, especially when they’re turning 13 and decide to betray everyone and escape decommissioning.

Harvey found an old security blanket and something compelled him to wash it up and stitch it back together (he learned stitching from that weird Vin Moosk guy when the latter would pop in to visit Bonnie.)

Good thing, too. Turns out it belonged to Queen B. Upon being reunited with her blanky, Stacey’s heart thawed out, and she got all emotional and signed the “Let’s Give This Whole Peace Thing Another Shot” Treaty.

Oh, then there was the time where he single-handedly held back the army of War Dust Bunnies when the Couch Dave Empire launched a surprise invasion during the Ides of March Madness. Crazy times!

Yeah, Harvey’s doing alright. Sonia, Lee, and Patrick are glad to have him around.

[ronaestrider]

A Reunion Long In The Making [Part II]

[ Part I ]

Ina'thia makes the long walk up the spire to the Phoenix Guard's former headquarters, motivated by the promise of wine and memories. She hopes for good memories, but if not, there's wine for that. The former Commander marches to the door, and lets out a frustrated hiss when it is, in fact, locked! She jiggles the handle, then begins pulling on it.

Ruthar makes his way up, a pair of dusty wine bottles and a pair of crystal glasses in his hand. He hears the jiggling of the locked knob. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that," he says with a chuckle. "It has been quite some time."

Ina'thia seems to be taking her anger, which had been buried deep for years, out on the door. She becomes more forceful with it. "Of course it's locked. Why wouldn't it be? Did they give me a key? Fuck if I know. I've been gone for seven - " she kicks the door once then twice. " "- YEARS." With a final kick, the door swings open in a whirl of dust and paperwork! It was exactly as it had been left, save for the layer of dust.

Ruthar opens his mouth to suggest something, but shuts it promptly as the door smashes inward. "That's one way to the put the shattered in Shattered Sun."

Ina'thia rakes a hand through her hair to toss it back over her shoulders, then steps into the office. It was small and cramped, but offered a beautiful view of the harbor. She'd lost count of how many nights she'd stayed up until the dawn here.

“I may have been a bit overealous.”

Ruthar makes his way into the office, the memories flooding back as he moves from the main meeting room into her office. "Perhaps a touch," he offers. He places the bottles and the glasses down on the desk, pushing a document out of the way. He lifts it up in his fingers, eyeing the red ink at the top. -Classified: Decommissioning Notice-

Ina'thia turns the decommissioning notice upside down, lest it sour her mood and make her become completely overzealous. "We spent a lot of time up here, didn't we? I remember planning our mission to Draenor and telling the others to get their affairs in order and make peace with the Light, or whatever they prayed to." 

Ruthar nods, allowing a pause to settle as he moves to uncork one of the bottles. "I remember it very clearly. When I was captured in Tanaan, it was one of the things that truly kept me alive. Remembering the faces of all of you who accepted the suicidal portal mission." He pours the liquid into the glasses.

"Feels simultaenously like a lifetime ago and only yesterday."

Ina'thia pulls her gaze away from the harbor to Ruthar as he pours the wine. The pop of a cork seems to calm her heightened frustrations. "I really did think we were all going to die. Part of me thought you were dead already, and we were only going to recover your body. Gruesome times. I'm glad none of it came to pass." 

Ruthar hoists the now-filled glasses and offers one to Ina'thia. He leans upon the edge of the desk, raising his up for a small toast. "Here's to being not as dead as we should be."

Ina'thia leans on the other edge of the desk and accepts the glass, eagerly toasting. "Here's to being too stubborn to die, no matter what is thrown in our paths." 

Ruthar clinks the glass and takes a long sip, the bite of the old wine both a comfort and a memory. He looks out to the sea, holding his glass. "There is so much to discuss, even some recent things that are worth mentioning. I don't quite know where to begin - so many questions spring to mind."

Ina'thia takes a long sip of the wine as well. It's everything in her power not to drink it all in one go, but instead, savor the flavor. Just as she intended to savor the company and the locale.  - 

Ina'thia turns to face Ruthar. "You know you can ask me anything, Ruthar. You're my best friend, and always have been. A brother, even. No secrets." 

Ruthar smiles against his glass as he takes another sip. "I know," he says softly, looking down into the wine itself. "And you have no idea how good that feels to hear," he offers, thinking of recent events. "I don't think I saw you at all since the decommissioning, then the next moment I hear you've departed entirely. So what's your story? You absolutely must have had a reason."

Ina'thia can't help herself; she takes that next long drink, and soon enough, the glass is empty. She holds it out for Ruthar to refill, because this story requires alcohol. And lots of it. "Well, it's a long one... I went directly back to Kul Tiras under the Horde's banner, in and around Stormsong Valley. Bloody battles. I retired from active duty not long after, and fooled myself into thinking I could do diplomacy and politics on a Magister's arm. Or was he on my arm? Hard to tell, really." 

Ruthar gingerly takes the empty glass from her digits and just passes her the bottle. He doesn't interrupt the tale.

Ina'thia takes the glass back, but doesn't drink just yet. "I lived in Magister Everblaze's manor for some time... and I thought the monotony was getting to me. I started hearing things, at first. Then I began seeing them. Just little shadows from the corner of my eye. Then I couldn't see or hear or dream of anything but -him- and -his- Empire. I was losing it, Ruthar. Fuck. I had to leave. What if I attacked him? Retired Knight-Lord murders esteemed Magister! Or worse, Syrie and Gatto or their kid?" 

 “I -had- to leave.”

Ruthar considers that for a moment. "Did you find the source of such thoughts and whispers?"

Ina'thia gives Ruthar an odd look over her wine glass, "...It was the old god N'zoth. Shortly after I left, spires and faceless ones started appearing everywhere." 

Ruthar blinks at that. "You...you're serious? I expected some sort of trick of the Magister, not the efforts of an Old God."

Ina'thia nods once, "Bey'ron is an absolutely insufferable asshole, but I know he would never do that to me. He was actually very kind to me while we were together. No... I was vulnerable, emotionally, after the Guard was decommissioned. Easy prey for an old god."

Ruthar looks at her with a truly concerned expression. "I'm sorry to hear that. I can only imagine how difficult those whispers were to silence. I heard so many stories from Kul Tiras, but I think you are the first I've spoken to with direct experience."

Ina'thia takes another long drink of wine, "It was a bloodbath, Ruthar. We've seen our share of combat with the Guard, but it was always for the good of Quel'Thalas or the world. We killed everyone. Farmers in their fields, their wives, their children. Even the cattle. No survivors. No resources. Burnt it all to the ground on the Warchief's order.”

Ruthar sighs, looking down into his wine. "I would have done anything for her," he admits. "She was my Ranger-General. I swore an oath that I held so firmly." He looks to her, his gaze supportive. "I would have done the very same."

Ina'thia watches Ruthar closely, "...She was -our- Ranger-General. Farstrider or not, we all loved and admired her. Either way... I left, and I went to Kun-Lai. It's a place that has brought me peace in tumultuous times past." 

Ruthar nods. "Of course. Our. Hard to tell who still sees it that way after everything." He finishes his glass and slowly pours another. "And how was the Summit? I haven't been to Pandaria since I had a nasty incident with the mantid so many years back."

Ina'thia looks out over the harbor. "Still steep and cold as fuck. I climbed on foot, fell face-down in the snow and was dragged the rest of the way on a sled pulled by grummles." 

Ruthar raises an eybrow at that. "And yet here you stand. I assume the mission was a success?"

Ina'thia looks down at her fingertips, "Had to recover from the frostbite and exposure, first. Stayed at the temple for a few months. I was in a bad way, Ruthar. Bad. I snapped out of it when the temple was attacked and I got punched in the face by another sin'dorei who was there. We fought back the faceless ones, and I chose to continue the fight. I've been everywhere hunting them. Tanaris. Silithus. Uldum. Un'goro. All of Kalimdor, and then some." 

Ruthar nods slowly, his eyebrows still raised. "I will fully admit that this was not the story I was expecting in the least. Amazing that you could face N'Zoth's agents directly and live to tell the tale. For how long did you fight the n'raqi?"

Ina'thia purses her lips thoughtfully, then takes another sip of wine. "...Years, I think. I lost time for parts of it. Don't you fucking repeat that, either, or I'll never get reinstated." 

Ruthar nods. "Duly noted," he says quickly. "So when did you return from it, then?"

Ina'thia rolls one shoulder, "...When I set foot back in Quel'Thalas. I took the longest route possible. Boats and zeppelins and mountain and forest trails. Gave myself every opportunity to turn around, and I kept walking. Figured I'd made it this far... it was really time to come home. Last week.”

Ruthar blinks, lowering his wineglass. "That is the kind of tale I would tell younglings at the Retreat. But here you are," he gestures to her form with his wineglass. "Alive to tell it yourself. I...don't know what to say." He lowers his glass, looking her

Ruthar over for signs of the experience. "Your return is that much more pleasing after hearing what you were up against."

Ina'thia seems to be in remarkably good health at a glance, all things considered. "Mm. And here I am, after I survived all of that, too afraid to talk to my exes. I'd rather take the years of solitude and fighting literal monsters." 

Ruthar manages a smirk at that. "You can go to the very end of the world and fight monsters of untold power, and yet you are still you." He takes a sip of wine. "Speaking of, I've had interactions with said exes it seems."

Ina'thia 's ears droop a little bit in absolute embarrassment. "For fuck's sake. I need more wine." With that, she knocked back the rest of her second glass.

Ruthar laughs at that fully, knocking back his own and taking the empty glasses. He begins to uncork the second bottle. "But, before -that-," he begins, pausing his uncorking of the wine. "I'm...sorry for all of that. Truly." He sighs. "But what I am sorry about most is not being there to help. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had heard you were truly lost, but I know that I did not do anything to mitigate any of that. You deserve better from your friends." He finishes uncorking the wine and pours a fresh pair of very full glasses.

Ina'thia finally looks at Ruthar directly, with the unmistakable intensity of the Blood Knight he's known for years and years. Emboldened by the wine, of course. "Stop it, Ruthar. Don't pity me and don't blame yourself. I didn't -want- to be found. Sometimes, we have to do things on our own. Get lost. Be shattered. Put back the pieces. When I was ready to be found, I came back. And you were the first to find me... and I'm forever grateful for that." 

Ruthar looks out across the sea once more. "It's not that I pity you, and I entirely agree - such a pilgrimage can be important for self-reflection and soul recrafting. It's more about what you said earlier, something that seems to be a common theme." He takes a quick sip as he conjures the direct quote. "Your vulnerability after the decommissioning. That's where I feel the most guilty. I should have been there in that aftermath - for you, for everyone." He shakes his head. "It may not have actually changed anything, but the guilt feels very real. I suppose I'm just trying to do my own soul-rebuilding.”

Ina'thia sips at her refilled glass of wine. She's quiet for a long while, listening to Ruthar as she thinks on his words. "...We all lost something precious that day. Some more than most. We both should have been there. For each other, for the others." 

“I ran away, thinking I wasn't wanted.”

Ruthar looks down into his glass and then far across the sea. "Wasn't wanted," he repeated quietly. "I suppose therein lies the issue then, hmm?" He sighs. "Nothing could be further from the truth, Ina'thia." He looks to her directly. "Nothing. I may not have been the best to show it, but you are wanted. You are cared about. You are loved." His eyes glisten slightly with the sun of Quel'Danas through the balcony. "And it really is so- damn- good to have you back."

Ina'thia watches Ruthar quietly. Her remaining eye seems to shimmer just a little bit, but the ever-stalwart Blood Knight is skilled at hiding all emotions other than her frustration, anger or exasperation. "The mind plays tricks on us, Ruthar, especially when under influence of something as terrible as an old god. I know in my heart of hearts that you're speaking the truth, and have only spoken truths. But the me of seven years ago still wouldn't have believed you. That's over, though... in the past." 

“I'm looking to the future.”

Ruthar nods, his fingers tapping against the wineglass. "And the only reason it is in the past is because you pushed onward. I truly hope you never forget that." He lifts his glass again with a gentle smile. "To the future, then."

Ina'thia reaches her glass over to touch it against Ruthar's, smirking a bit as they make a little 'clink!' noise. "What are -your- plans for the future?"

Ruthar chuckles. "I haven't given much thought to -my- future, to be perfectly honest. I can only assume that I will continue to serve the Kingdom in whatever capacity I am able." He takes a sip, seemingly more relaxed after releasing the weight from his chest. "I can, however, speak to the immediate future. There are some things in motion that are worth mentioning."

Ina'thia quirks a brow at Ruthar. "Things in motion? Go on..." 

Ruthar places his glass down, refilling it. He raises an inquisitive eyebrow to Ina'thia as he holds the bottle toward her glass.

Ina'thia finishes the rest of her wine, holding out her empty glass for another refill. A gentle dusting of red is starting to form over her cheeks. She would undoubtedly be sleeping in this office once again. "Seriously. What's going on?" 

Ruthar finishes filling the glasses and sets the wine bottle down. "Unexpectedly, quite a bit," he begins. "I had a meeting with Farstrider leadership in the Farstriders' Square not more than week ago at this point. As I began to depart to return to Valdrakken, I found myself face to face with Magister Everblaze. He had pressing information, it turns out."

Ina'thia does her best to not visibly flinch at the mention of Bey'ron. Now that she's three glasses of wine deep, it's harder to temper and hide her emotions. "Bey'ron -always- has pressing information, and it usually involves him climbing over someone else for-

Ina'thia - power." She rolls her eye, ever annoyed by the politics of Magisters.

Ruthar nods. "I would assume the same, naturally. But this was different." Ruthar sighs, looking down into the wine as his expression turns downward. "It seems that Li-Mei is a deserter in a very real sense."

Ina'thia 's other brow raises to match her inquisitive look, shifting it to genuine surprise. "...Truly? I never would have expected... she was always so loyal. Like a weird little hatchling, at times, but still loyal." 

Ruthar nods. "Truly. Admitted by her own mouth, as it turns out." He shakes his head. "Her tale is not dissimilar to your own, to be quite honest. After the decommissioning, it appears that she was a bit lost and became disenfranchised with leadership. She departed without a trace after the Fourth War. We thought her dead and updated her record accordingly, but that seems to have been in error. She reached out to Bey'ron for help returning to Quel'Thalas. He obliged, for a price."

Ina'thia furrows her brow, "Well... I had the sense to retire from active duty, at least. I was never marked AWOL." Still, she frowns. "What is Bey'ron having her do to earn her place back here?" 

Ruthar shrugs. "Something about 16 years of service or what have you. Honestly, I'm not even sure what entails." He takes another sip. "Regardless, Magistrix Starfrost is involved as well. It was really great to see her, despite the circumstances. She will be doing a magical investigation into Li-Mei's whereabouts. That particular data will help the Farstriders determine what her next moves are."

Ina'thia can't help but smile over her glass of wine, "Shit, Syrie's a full Magistrix now? I'm happy for her..." her thoughts then trail back to Li-Mei, and she sighs again. "Probably ironing his dresses and other mundane nonsense. Still, though... I hadn't thought of what would become of everyone else after the Guard was decommissioned. I'm saddened to hear that Li-Mei struggled so much."

Ruthar nods. "It weighs heavily," he admits, taking another sip. "I promoted her myself, even trained her a bit. She was...is quite talented. I don't know how this will shake out, but here we are."

Ina'thia sets her glass of wine down on the table, atop the turned over decommissioning notice. "Give her a proper hearing, let her serve consequences and earn her place back. Just as I have to earn mine. Part of picking up our shattered pieces is facing the consequences, isn't it?" 

Ruthar nods. "Indeed it is. Sadly, this one isn't up to me. Due to our professional history, I would need to recuse myself from any such proceedings. Nothing to do at this point but to wait, really."

“The silver lining here, however, is that I got the chance to reconnect with both Starfrosts.”

Ina'thia also can't help but cringe at the mention of the Starfrosts. "And both of those things are why we have wine, Ruthar. Lots and lots of wine." 

Ruthar smirks. "You know I have it in spades. But, do tell. From how he speaks of you, it seems like there is a story."

Ina'thia 's lip curls at the idea of telling that particular story. "It was stupid, embarrassing, and wildly inappropriate bullshit that happened after the Guard was decommissioned. Gattius was jealous and I was angry. I don't know if we'll ever be able to speak to each other civilly ever again." 

“It seems that you both harbor a similar sentiment, then,” Ruthar offers.

In’athia offers a sigh. “Yeah... I imagine we probably do. It's fucked up, Ruthar. -I- fucked up. And him being mad at me is a consequence. I've endured worse. I'll live.”

Ruthar looks at her for a moment, but doesn't press the subject. "Syrie, on the other hand, sends her best. I told them both that I was following a lead to find you, so she asked me to relay her regards should I be successful."

Ina'thia smiles warmly at that, but it's a small sort of smile. "Thanks for covering for me. I don't know if I could handle seeing her anytime soon, either. She's got a kid now, it's all weird. I'm bad at this, okay? Give me a sword and an entire legion of enemies to fight, and I'll be fine." 

Ruthar scoffs. "Perhaps you are bad at it, but at least you make an effort for better or worse, speaks to a strength I falter with." He takes a sip. "That said, one final piece of new information. After Syrie and Gattius departed last evening, I happened upon Raynell A'laria in the woods of all people."

“The cosmos work in mysterious ways, really.”

Ina'thia 's mouth actually hangs open at that, "A'laria? Truly? Holy shit... everyone's coming back. All at once. The cosmos is right. Next thing you know, we'll see Calthos and Hylaudius and the world will have truly ended." 

Ruthar laughs out loud at that. "Now that would be...something," he says tactfully. “I didn't get much time with A'laria, sadly, but yes - she is returned. I do look forward to speaking with her further. By the look of her, there is quite a story to be had.”

“If they were to truly appear,” Ina’thia replies, “I think I'd die on the spot. Die dead. Cease to exist. Now, A'laria... hers is a story I would like to hear.

Ruthar chuckles as he finishes another glass. "Indeed. Though, I suspect you will hear it before I do. She was sporting the Blood Knight colours, afterall."

Ina'thia actually smiles at that, "...Good. I'm glad she still wears them. Hopefully I'm reinstated soon and can speak with her more easily." 

Ruthar nods. "If I can be of any assistance with all that, do let me know. Speaking of," he says as he picks up the now-empty bottles. "Where are you staying?"

Ina'thia puzzles out Ruthar's question, to which the answer seemed quite obvious. "...Tonight? Here. I can't be fucked to travel anywhere else right now. Tomorrow, I'll be laying in the years of dust in my apartment in the city." 

Ruthar looks around the dusty office, noting the distinct lack of comfort. "To Argus with that, you're not staying here." He gathers the bottles and takes the glasses. "Come on, I'll put you up in the inn across the way. They've got some nice beds."

Ina'thia had already started leaning on the table like she was going to curl up and sleep there. She groans loudly, but ultimately follows Ruthar. "Fine, if you insist... I guess it'd be nice to not be stiff in the morning..." 

Ruthar gathers the bottles and glassware and throws them in his pack before assisting the inebriated Ina'thia out of the former Guard headquarters. Fortunately, none of the Shattered Sun pay them any mind, most likely due to the tabard Ruthar still sports as they move toward the inn. After a quick discussion with Inaara, a nice room overlooking the Isle’s scenery is prepared for Ina’thia for some well-deserved rest.

Ruthar departed once Ina’thia was settled, returning to the former Phoenix Guard headquarters, his head beginning to throb in the wine’s aftermath. He climbed the stairs once more, making his way to the top of the building to look upon the meeting room where so much happened. As he walked around, faces and images danced through his mind, memories, both fond and painful, swirling around his head as he recalled his many companions within the Guard.

He moved over to the broken office door, the latch cracked by Ina’thia’s gusto. With the security of the office compromised, Ruthar rummaged for a dusty box to collect the paperwork left behind. He overturned the decommissioning notice with a sigh, placing it in the box first as he stared down upon it. So much had changed with one simple parchment.

After the contents of the office were collected, he scribbled a note that he left with Innkeeper Inaara for when Ina’thia rose the next morning.

Ina’thia, With the lock and latch of your former office broken, I gathered the Guard documents and will place them in a secure location for the time being, most likely with the other high-level Farstrider records in Silvermoon. Do let me know if you need them. I do find it difficult to put in words how great it is to see you returned, so I’ll leave it there. Looking forward to more enjoyable evenings. Thank you for the opportunity to speak freely - it is an unfortunate rarity of late. Rest well, you know where to find me. Ruthar

Ruthar thanked Inaara once more for her efforts and informed her of the broken door - he didn’t want anyone thinking that the office was ransacked. He left a sum of gold with her to ensure that it was taken care of, as well as a few pieces for her troubles. With a nod of appreciation, the Ranger Captain departed Quel’Danas to return to Silvermoon.

@inathia

@thefugitivemango @syrielle @arosesrambles @raynellalaria for mentions