#he also beat the hell out of my great-grandmother

[rxmqnova]

Surprise!

Y/N: 28 years old Scar: 35 years old Rose: 5 years old Story: The Marvel cast decides to surprise Scarlett with a birthday party… ——————————————————

Y/N'S POV My girlfriend and I had been trying for a baby for months. We had many fertility appointments and attempts and it finally happened! I'm pregnant! I found out a week after Scarlett left to film a movie which was 3 months ago. It sucks, cause I want to tell her personally, so she still has no idea. However, she's coming back today and it's also her birthday, so it's a perfect gift. I can't wait to see her reaction! Right now I'm watching a movie in our bed, wearing my favorite Scarlett's hoodie and her sweatpants. I miss her so much, so I tend to steal her clothes when she's away. To be honest I steal her clothes even when she's home…

Rose's spending some time with her grandmother this week, so I'm home all alone, but Lizzie offered to pick her up today, so we'll be together soon. It's nice to have some time for myself, but I miss that little demon so much. She's not biologically mine, but we have such a great relationship. She even calls me 'mama' which melts my heart every time I hear it.

My sister Lizzie spent here the entire week. She's so excited to be an auntie to another little human. I'm surprised she hasn't told Scarlett yet, the two of them are best friends.

I stop my movie as I ran out of chips, ready to go and grab a new bag from the kitchen when I hear some noise from downstairs. It can't be Scarlett, cause she's on the plane right now. She called me a few hours ago from the AirPort… Who in the world would rob a house at 2 in the afternoon?! I quickly open my closet, taking out a bat that I'd hidden here when Scarlett left. I quietly and slowly walk downstairs, ready to punch anyone who's here right now.

My heart is about to skip a beat with every step I make and my hands are shaking like crazy. I step off the last step, putting the bat on my shoulder properly and walking to the kitchen where the noise is coming from.

I see a man standing with his back facing me. I tighten my grip over the bat, ready to hit him in the head.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A man's voice says behind me, making me jump.

I slowly turn around to be met with Robert Downey Junior. The man I was about to hit turns around, looking at me. It's Chris Evans.

Seconds later there is literally the entire Marvel cast, except my sister as she's the one picking Scarlett up from the AirPort. Great…

"What are you doing here?" Chris Evans asks me. "And why the hell are you holding that bat?"

"I-I-" I sutter, getting cut off by Robert.

"She wanted to hit you with it" Robert says. The truth is that even though Scar and I are together for a few years, she hasn't come out yet. Her friends have no idea about me, so that's why they're reacting like this. My sister knows of course, she's the only one from Scarlett's friends.

"I-I'm sorry. I… I-I thought you wanted to rob the house" I finally let out some words. I've never been more scared in my life.

"Us? Who even are you? Oh my god, is that Scarlett's hoodie?" Jeremy looks at me with wide eyes. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm Y/N" I say.

"Well, Y/N… What are you doing in Scarlett's house?" Robert asks. "I-I'm living here" I answer. Where's my sister when I need her…

"Yeah, there's no way Scarlett wouldn't tell us if someone was living in her house" Evans says. "Call the police" He orders, looking at Robert. "What? No. That's not necessary. I'm living here" I repeat, I really don't want to get into trouble. I haven't even done anything.

"Yeah. I'm calling" Robert says, already putting his phone to his ear. I sigh, pressing a palm to my forehead. Scarlett's gonna be so mad. I bet the last thing she wants is to deal with her girlfriend being taken to the police station…

"Please don't call the police. Lizzie is my sister" I sigh, looking at Robert with hope, but he only rolls his eyes.

It doesn't take long until the police arrives. I show them my documents like they asked me to and they lead me out of the house. They're really gonna lock me up for getting into my own house?? Great, really great, Y/N…

Just before I can get into the car, a little body crashes into my legs. I smile when I see my daughter looking up at me, her arms wrapped around my thighs.

"Hi" I give her a smile which she returns, mumbling a 'hi, mama' back to me.

"Rose, what are you doing? Come here" Evans says, practically peeling Rosie off of me. The little girl starts crying, immediately calling me to help her, but my hands are in handcuffs and I can talk what I want, but nobody listens to me.

I sigh in relief when I see Lizzie walking out of her car, Scarlett following her.

"Mama!" Rosie cries out, reaching her hands for me. Tears from in my eyes when I see my little one crying and I can't hold her.

"Don't you see she's crying for me?! She's my daughter for god's sake! Take off that stupid handcuffs! I didn't do anything!" I raise my voice, tears running down my cheeks. I'm so tired of this bullshit. I just want my Scarly and Rosie to cuddle and my bag of chips.

"What's going on here? Why are you in handcuffs? Where are you taking her?" Scarlett is finally here, my sister right behind her.

"I'm sorry" I say before breaking into tears. I just can't hold it anymore. Stupid pregnancy mood swings… Scarlett comes to me, telling off the police when they tell her to stay back.

"About what, honey?" She asks, cupping my cheeks with her hands and wiping my tears out with her thumbs.

"You must be so tired and you come home to see this" I cry out. "Hey, it's okay, Y/N/N" She smiles. "Tell me what happened"

"Your friends thought I was a theif and a stalker and god knows what and they called the police on me" I explain, tears still running down my cheeks even though Scarlett's wiping them out.

"Y/N/N, I'm so sorry" She sighs. "She's not a theif or a stalker. Y/N is my girlfriend, she lives here" Scar says to the police. They finally take off the painful handcuffs and I wrap my arms around Scarlett's neck.

"Mama" Rosie cries out again. I smile, taking her from Evan's arms.

"It's okay now, baby. I'm not going anywhere" I kiss her cheek a few times, walking back to Scarlett who wraps her arms both of us.

"I missed you" Scar says into my ear while we're hugging.

"I missed you too, so much" I tell her back honestly before we pull away and in a second I get pulled into another hug by my sister. "Are you okay?" She asks with a smile.

"Yeah. All good now" I smile and hug her again.

"Can someone explain to us what's happening?" Downey asks confused.

"You called the police on my little sister, that's happening" Lizzie says annoyed. She's very overprotective over me. I usually hate it, but today it feels nice.

"That's your sister?" Evans asks surprised, pointing at me.

"Don't be so surprised, I told you I was Lizzie's sister when you were calling the police" I give him a glare. I won't forget this that quickly.

"I literally told you about her last week" Lizzie sighs.

"Why is she living in Scarlett's house though?" Jeremy asks.

"Because Y/N is my girlfriend. You could have just called me and I'd tell you it's fine" Scar sighs. "Let's just go inside"

We all move inside, everybody apologizing to me and Downey immediately handing us a glass of champagne since it's Scar's birthday.

"I won't, thanks" I tell him on which my girlfriend furrows her brows, wrapping her arms around me from behind and resting her head on my shoulder.

"You're not my Y/N. My Y/N never says no to alcohol" Scar jokes, making me chuckle.

"Well… I wouldn't say no if I didn't have to but… I can't drink for a while" I smile, turning around in her arms and getting met with a confused look from my girlfriend. I take her hand, putting it on my stomach on which she seems to realize.

"No… You're… you're pregnant?" She asks, her eyes filling with tears. I smile, nodding my head.

"I found out a week after you left. We're having a baby" I almost whisper as tears are in my eyes too by now. "Happy birthday, my love" I smile and she pulls me into a kiss.

Scarlett drags me on the couch, pushing me gently to sit down. She kneels in front of me, pulling my (her) hoodie up. I laugh when she starts spreading kisses all over my stomach.

"Hey there, little one. It's your mommy. I love you so much" She mumbles between kisses. "So we're 3 months far?" She asks, smiling at me.

"3 months" I smile back, twirling my finger around Scar's hair. She rolls my hoodie back down, sitting next to me and wrapping her arm around me on which I cuddle up to her and she rubs my stomach with her free hand. "I love you so much"

"I love you too" She smiles, pressing a kiss to my forehead. --------------------

Scarlett Johansson masterlist

Masterlist

[tom-hunter-summah]

Born in the Wrong Era| pt. 2

pairing: Wally ClarkxGN!Reader

summary: wally and reader finally get to talk. but is it such a good thing?

warnings: mentions of death, reader drives a jeep, one shout and one scream but neither caused the other, mention of hallucinations, use of Y/N. 

word count: 906

a/n: hello,hello! i hope everyone is well 😊 sorry for the delay but good news is chapter three will be out at the end of this week! also this is mainly dialogue. hope yall enjoy!

also thank you to @moonchildicons for letting me use her wally icon for this aesthetic ❤️

pt. 1 

“Wally?”

He holds his hand up to catch his breath. 

“How do you know my name? More importantly; how can you see me?”

You’re too baffled to speak. This boy you’ve known through stories, pictures and tears is here. 

Maybe, You’ve finally cracked under the pressure of life which has led to hallucinations. You squeeze your eyes closed hoping he’ll go away when they open.

He waves a hand in front of your face. “Can you still see me?”

So much for that theory.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

He lets out a sigh of relief before looking slightly offended. “Unfortunately?”

“Yes, Unfortunately.” The moment you check your phone, the bell for 6th period rings. “And I need to get to class.”

You start to walk out the gate but Wally runs in front of you, stopping you in your tracks, again. 

He laughs. “So we’re just not gonna talk about this?”

“Look, Wally I don’t have time to figure out why my hallucinations chose to manifest in the form of someone I’ve never met, but I really need to get to class.”

You walk through him and that experience is one you don’t necessarily want to relive and it has you running to class. 

You hear Wally yell out after you. “You’re not hallucinating!”

Further into the hurricane, you go. 

Monday- 1:45 pm

You’ve never been happier that you have 8th period free. Stats is already hell to be in, but that thing you saw earlier didn’t make it any better. As soon as you could, you bolted from class to your car. You waited for the lot to clear from parents and students alike before you screamed (windows rolled up of course.) It felt good. It would have felt great if you weren’t started by Mr. Anderson knocking on your window. 

You roll your window down, looking guilty. 

“You alright?” 

You shrug. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

You shake your head no. 

“Understand. Well if you’re going to have a mental breakdown, please do so off school grounds, or at least in the theater room.” He gently taps the hood of your Jeep and briskly walks away.

You laugh to yourself at the ridiculousness of that interaction. 

“What’s so funny?”

Or so you hoped. 

“Jesus can’t a person decompress in peace?! What the hell Wally?”

He holds his hands up in defense.  “Sorry. Look I’ve been trying to get your attention since you stomped off the field but you couldn’t hear me in your very complicated math class–”

You cut him off. “So you thought giving me a heart attack in my car would help me not ignore you?”

He shrugs. “Well at least if you die then we can–” 

You give him a look. “Not helping your case dude. Get out of my car.” 

“Wait Y/N–”

“How do you even know my name?”

“STOP CUTTING ME OFF AND LET ME TALK!”

In the beat of silence that filled the car, you shrink. “Sorry Walls, Please, talk.”

He sighs. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for yelling. Wait, did you just call me Walls?”

You shrug. “Yeah. Bea calls you that all the time so it’s second nature.”

His brows furrow. “Bea? Like my mom Bea?”

You nod your head. “Do you remember Ceceil James?”

Wally nods. 

“She was my grandmother and you know how those two were.”

He laughs. “Wait, were? Did something happen?”

You can barely stop your voice from cracking.  “Walls.”

His face falls and you see tears brim in his eyes. “How?”

“It was a car accident. S-She was alone when…”

Wally’s hands go to cover yours only for them to fall through and give you a chill. 

“Sorry, force of habit. We don’t have to keep talking about Cece by the way. God I’m so stupid I should’ve realized it would hurt to talk about it. I mean she was your grandma for god’s sake and–”

You go to grab his face but you stop right before you would make contact. 

“Sorry. Force of habit.”

He chuckles dryly. “I appreciate the thought. And thank you for getting me out of my head.”

You nod. “Don’t mention it.”

Wally clears his throat before talking. 

“Well that was fun.”

You laugh. “Alright funny boy; what questions do you have?”

Wally thinks for a moment. “I guess my first question is; how’s my mom doing?”

You clear your throat. “Well, she’s Bea. Kind and understanding. Always supportive of her loved one’s dreams.”

You look back at Wally and he’s straight-faced for all of two seconds before he bursts out laughing. 

You can’t help but laugh along. “What’s so funny?”

“I mean my mom is great but understanding isn’t exactly one of her more honed skills.”

Your brows furrow as you realize the dig Wally just made at Bea. “What is that supposed to mean?”

His laughter finally dies down as he notices you’re serious. “She’s a bit insistent is all.”

You give him a pointed look. “You mean stubborn.”

He shrugs. “I guess yeah.”

“Get out.”

“Wait Y/N, I have more questions.”

You send daggers his way. “You should have thought about that before you disrespected Bea.”

Wally goes to speak but you simply hold up your hand. You stay like that for a few moments and he finally leaves your jeep but not before leaving you something to chew on. 

“The Bea you know now isn’t the Bea I knew.”

[passionxwrites]

Best Thing (1)

Sooooo I finally built up the courage to begin my Erik Stevens fanfiction. I know no one will probably see it right now especially with me not being that active on here (I’m definitely about to start doing that) but it’s okay because there is a start to everything. This story takes place after Erik has been redeemed and is running the Outreach Center in Oakland. I hope whoever reads this likes it!! 

Noli jumped out of her sleep startled by the loud banging coming from her apartment door. "Got dammit, who the hell making all this noise?" She snatched her phone from her bedside table to check the time which read 8:30 am in big pink numbers. Begrudgingly she slid out of the bed and slipped on her house shoes and stomped to the front door. 

Swinging it open she was met with the one man who had become the biggest nuisance ever since he moved in 2 years ago. "Erik what on God's green earth would have you beating on my door this early on a Saturday like you the police!" She was way past furious being that she had just finished a shift at the club three hours ago. "Delivery man left your package at my door again," and with that he dropped it at her feet and trudged off as if she was the one who woke him up early. "Don’t beat on my damn door like again," she yelled as she picked up the package and slammed the door. "Bastard!" 

Flopping onto her blue suede sectional she stared at the package that was now on her coffee table in front of her. Wonder what he sent me this time. The packages had become a routine with her brother as he was always sending her some memento from whatever country he had found himself in. The last one contained an alabaster pyramid that he found walking around a bazaar in Egypt. "Tuh." 

Noli's relationship with Poe had been strained ever since the death of their grandmother five years ago. Being that she was there only relative still alive besides each other it took a toll on them both. However they both grieved differently and while Noli wanted to be able to seek solace in her older brother he hopped on the first plane out of Mississippi into another country. He left her a note stating their grandmother's death was the wake up call he needed to go see the world for what it truly was, whatever that shit meant. Now while Noli also decided to move out of Mississippi she decided to stay in the states and somehow wound up all the way in California. 

She had always wanted to be a celebrity hairstylist and figured going to Cali would be the best start. She ended up finding a beautiful condo in Oakland at a great high rise thanks to the money left over from her grandmother and immediately got to work. So far she hadn't done any celebrities but she was building her brand. She began working at a popular strip club called Diamond Dazzlers where she was a bottle girl/hairstylist to the dancers. The girls were always promoting her work and she was beginning to build a clientele and soon she would be able to purchase her salon and stop working in the club for good. 

That always brought a smile to her face, it wasn’t that she hated working at the club because the pay was great, the managers and the owners were cool and respectful, there would be some catty arguments between the girls but nothing that was ever too serious. The lows came from the long hours and the perverted ass men that frequented the place. There was nothing worse than serving a group of men just for one of them to grope you can just because they think they can. Noli glanced at the package one last time and rolled her eyes before shuffling back into her to get some more beauty sleep. Today was her self-care day and first on that list was most definitely rest.

-------------

I hope you all liked it and if you see it please give feedback. Part 2 coming soon

Noli (No-Lee)

[ladyimaginarium]

okay so i hate to be Like That™ but like. i kinda have to laugh at people who think it's just sooooo easy to do this cutesy witchy western cottagecore farm type beat. & that's not even getting into the historical & political context that a lot of y'all settlers in the americas (especially white queers) seem to either fail to grasp or straight up don't give a fuck about. but also from a personal perspective. lemme take y'all back through my family line.

these are my great great grandmother (who was born in 1860 & passed in 1934), great grandfather & great grandmother (who were born around 1894 & 1898 respectively) & my grandfather (on the right, born 1933, he passed when i was really small), my granduncle (he also passed when i was young when i was about 8-9) & their siblings respectively in my maternal line. my great grandfather worked his ass off to get & buy our family this relatively small plot of land (to the point where my specific family has our own street). he worked & farmed the land, & he taught his sons including my grandfather how to farm, hunt & fish. my grandfather like his brothers (& i'd imagine his sisters, too) barely had the chance to be a child because he had to work to support the family. i need y'all to understand that it was hard, backbreaking work. i can only imagine how difficult it was in my great(x2) grandmother's time. family friends & my mom would say my great grandfather was so damn tough he would straight up go into the woodstove & get wood while it was still hot with his bare hands. he died of a heart attack. my mom would talk about how hard my grandfather worked, how he worked for himself & how he'd lend out a helping hand for free to those in need & how at his funeral the church was PACKED to the brim with some people having to linger outside to pay their respects. that's how loved & respected he was.

as you can see, they're indigenous (although it wasn't ever really talked about aside from the occasional whispers, because remember, being indigenous, especially if you were back in the day — & make no mistake still is — was basically considered shameful & inferior to whiteness due to systematic racism & nobody was allowed to practice their culture and/or spirituality and/or religion and/or speak their traditional languages at risk of being imprisoned or sometimes even killed so i'd imagine that played a part on why it wasn't talked about so they assimilated, context matters). they had to work their asses off for what they had.

so when i see all these settler queers, especially queer white women or queer white men talk about how it'd be oh so nice to move away into a seemingly abandoned cottage in the middle of the forest or have a barn with their partners with conveniently abandoned lands i immediately have my eyebrows raised & im immediately sideeyeing you with wary suspicion. my ancestors were hunters, fishers & farmers because they Had to be or else they fuckin starved. & even then they didn't just give a shit only about themselves, they focused on helping others in their local communities because that's how it Works irl. i'm not saying you can't enjoy an aesthetic, hell, i love the pretty visuals & i intend to live out a similar life when i get older (you know, living on MY own traditional land) but if you can't do your own work that's required to sustain the lifestyle responsibly, if you think your queerness or your white/settler status somehow excludes you from this whole manifest destiny but its queer now bullshit, if you think there's no historical or political context behind this & you think it's completely apolitical or you don't respect the lands & the rightful stewards & guardians of those traditional lands (aka indigenous peoples) of the land you live on (because they're STOLEN land & this doesn't just apply to the americas, this applies to asia, africa & oceania & parts of europe too because let's be so ffr indigenous peoples are on every continent) then you're a fucking colonizer. tl;dr: for the love of creator just be aware of the political & historical context of your aesthetics before you start being obnoxious & listen to & center indigenous voices (& poc) in your aesthetics.

[amchara]

hey! for the prompts could you do kit and jace training?

Ahaha, why are my ficlets getting longer and longer? 😅

Anyway, I do enjoy a good Herondale bonding / training session. Although this prompt did go off in a slightly different direction than I expected...

(canon-compliant with SOBH)

-----

“Out,” Jace barked and the younger Shadowhunters scattered in front of him, with several impressive clangs and clatter as they hastily shoved weapons back into their stores. 

In the corner of the training room, Beatriz was packing up her lesson plans. Her wry glance with a raised eyebrow promised to fill him in on what had gone down before he arrived. She left, alongside the remaining stragglers. 

“Not you.” 

Kit’s face was a mess and Jace was hoping several iratzes and some good old-fashioned first aid would do wonders before Tessa returned from her visit to Magnus’ loft. He liked his great, great, grandmother and having her adopted son beat up by other Shadowhunters on his watch? Not a good look. 

“Impressive,” Jace remarked, handing over a wet cloth, which Kit accepted gingerly. “Less than 24 hours in New York and you’re already breaking noses and taking names. Granted- it’s your own nose but…”

“Can we get the wise mentor chat over with and move on?” Kit’s voice was sullen as he dabbed at the twin blood stains running under his nose. He held his left wrist at an awkward angle and Jace hoped it wasn’t broken. 

“I’m neither wise nor old,” Jace told him. “But I am an expert bullshitter.” He held Kit’s sky blue eyes for a moment before Kit broke the stare. Long enough though, for Jace to know that he was likely right in his assumption. “Like you.”

His distant cousin looked at the floor, scuffing his feet. “So, what about it?”

“What happened in training today, Kit?” Jace countered. “I’m not looking forward to explaining this to Tessa and Jem.”

“You think I’m willingly getting my ass handed to me?” 

Jace chose his next words carefully. “I think you’re holding back in some sense, yes.” 

Kit looked up angrily. “Again, you think I am choosing to lose? Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re punishing yourself,” Jace said, throwing subtlety to the wind. “For what happened with Mina in London. When you wrote to me- you said you’re throwing yourself into Shadowhunter training as a way to make yourself ready for what comes next with this whole First Heir thing.” He walked backwards to where he knew there were a couple of training sabres. 

He picked them up, weighing the balance of one, even as he continued talking. “It’s admirable- don’t misunderstand me." He snorted. "And I’ve now watched enough mundane movies with Simon to know getting a few black eyes is part of the whole ‘toughening up process.'”

Jace paused. “But you’re fighting with one hand behind your back, and I’m not talking about the fact that you didn’t go to the Academy, or started late. You’re scared to trust your instincts- and your training with Jem. Which is why all the other trainees are getting through your defenses.”

He handed a sabre to Kit. 

Kit’s face was naked with fear and he shook his head. “Jace, I can’t. You don’t understand- it’s-” He lowered his voice, even though they were alone in the large training room. “I can feel it,” he tapped the centre of his chest with the hand holding the blood-stained cloth and then held his hands out. “Whatever power let me vanish the Riders’ horses a couple years ago. It’s getting stronger. I’m worried I’m going to vaporise my opponents.”

Right. Jace rubbed his forehead. “Fair point. Well- you gotta deal with that first then.” He eyed Kit. “Why haven’t you approached Tessa for magic lessons? Or… hell, there are a few other warlocks that might help.” 

“She hasn’t offered. And we’re trying to keep this whole ‘First Heir’ thing secret.” Kit shrugged. “Although- I dunno we’re succeeding at that.”

Jace thought Kit also had a valid point there but more importantly- “Kit. You’ve got to ask these things of other people.” He tried to think of a way to phrase it, to put into words he still had trouble forming sometimes, courtesy of scars from his own flawed childhood and upbringing. “You don’t have to handle it all yourself. Let others help.”

A doubtful look crossed Kit’s face. 

Jace cleared his throat. Fine, he’d have to push, though he was loath to. Kit had to get that training and he’d play the bad guy if that’s what it took. “I’ll do it then- tell them you’re a menace to the NY Institute unless you’re properly trained.”

Kit’s face changed. “No, no- I’ll ask. Promise,” he said hastily.  

Jace grinned. “Good. In the meantime-” He pushed the sabre back towards Kit, and this time it was accepted. “Let’s go a quick round before lunch.” 

Kit looked down at the sabre and then back at Jace, his face a mix of emotions. “I probably have a broken nose.”

Jace moved into position. “Absolutely. But- the bad guys won’t stop to let you apply an iratze.” He smiled. “It’ll add to your rugged charm, believe me.” He relented, noting Kit’s eyes roving past him to the exit. “One round, then we’ll stop okay?”

“Says the man who has clearly never broken his nose,” Kit retorted. He reluctantly moved into a parallel spot in front of Jace. “And I’m not sure I’m a fan of this whole pain before gain thing that Shadowhunters are pushing,” he added, wincing slightly as he touched puffiness that was developing under his eye. 

Jace spun his sabre handle before catching it again. “Then you’d better get in touch with your faerie side, pronto.” He studied Kit’s stance. “Legs wider than that- I’ll knock you over in two seconds.”

Kit’s brow knitted in concentration as he set up again. He looked uncertain. “Jace- what if I-”

“If you blow me up after all I’ve been through, I’ll probably deserve it,” Jace told him. He darted forward and Kit leapt backwards with a muffled yelp, bringing his sabre up almost too late. “Also, after Clary and mine's adventure in Faerie last year, I asked Magnus to make me a protection charm… So- do your worst, Herondale,” he said, delighted that he could throw that name back out into the world. 

At that, Kit’s eyes sparked with a rekindled fire, and he threw himself back into the fight. 

(Accepting ficlet prompts [multi-fandom] here)

[kingcunny]

(cut from last ask female!viserys au)

viserra is very different from her parents and other targaryens i think. shes sweet and bookish and almost shy, but still always has half a dozen suitors buzzing around her that she blushes and stutters around but never sends away. then causes a big upset when this unassuming girl goes and claims the black dread like its nothing.

Someone said she was ‘brave’ to go against family ‘traditions’ and marrying outside the family, and i really liked that. im thinking she like, saw what happened to her mother, grandmother, all her aunts, and doesnt want to end up like them. and since shes also in the unique position of being daddy baelons little girl, shes 'allowed' to explore other options that would not be available to her other female family members.

(The otto that exists in my mind is living vicariously through alicent.* i like to even push that idea Further and give otto/viserys a similar dynamic to viserys/alicent. making otto ~10 years older than viserys and also having moved to court before becoming hand, so he knew viserys as a younger man& before he became king. thats the version of otto im using for this au too.)

*(he Wants viserys but he cant have him because that would be gay and that would send him to hell. so viserys becomes this constant psychosexual thorn in his side and ottos attraction becomes darker and darker and more obsessive. this is where viserra would be better for him, cause shes not challenging his sexuality like viserys is.)

viserra is THE targaryen princess at court during this time. otto, this very ambitious man, constantly trying to claw his way out from under the second-son shadow, would see her as the perfect trophy wife and opportunity to advance his position and get close to the most powerful family in westeros. (and if her children were dragonriders too? if he got dragons forthe hightowers? lets see his brother fuckin beat THAT)

but as he starts courting her and spending more time with this girl, he finds himself genuinely growing fond of her. shes humble and witty and a great conversationalist. and SHE likes him back :)

and daemon growing up with the idea that he and viserra will be the perfect Valyrian dragonlord brother/sister power couple. he was made for her. and viserra loves daemon, how could she not? he was the only one shes always had, as their family dropped like flies around them. The only one she could rely on. Daemon is Hers. even though shes leaning away from it, she never dissuades him from the idea that theyll be married.

[electricrogue]

If it's not too much trouble, can you do a Teslen scene with #29 from the 35 weird AU writing prompt game? You can hit me up for one in return.

Took less than I expected apparently xD. So here you go :P One monster/mafia AU with Teslen coming up!

Nikola Tesla was many things. Stupid was definitely one of them. Though the evidence seemed to point in a different direction that day, he thought bitterly. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen the two idiot goons that had followed him into that alley. He had seen them – he just didn’t expect them to shoot him with probably the strongest tranquilizer that was on the market those days. He had come out of it in the meanwhile, but he found himself in a pair of handcuffs, being dragged down a corridor to God knows where.

“You have no idea who you’re messing with,” he growled at one of the men who were pushing him forward as he tried to get out of his handcuffs. No luck, though – what the hell were those made of, again?

“We do, actually,” the man grinned, something unpleasant in his smile. “Boss filled us in on what you are. Why she would want to negotiate with the likes of you, beats me… then again she was always a weird one.”

“Shut it, Lucky,” the other man hissed at him. “If Magnus finds out about this-“

“What’s she gonna do, feed me to her fish? Please. The broad doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. This is why she has us for.” This piqued Nikola’s interest. He had heard stories about this Magnus character, one of his victims actually grateful that he had run into him and not her, but he hadn’t imagined her to be a woman. But he could work with that, he thought. Whatever she wanted from him, he was sure he could find a way for this to work for everyone. He was just going to pretend to mind his business, to have no idea why he had been summoned, and work his way from there.

Whatever thoughts he had froze in his mind as his eyes fell on the portrait in front of him. The goons had nearly thrown him in a room, the portrait the only thing decorating his walls. It depicted a young woman, probably not even in her thirties, and Nikola found himself immediately drawn to her eyes. There was something cold in her look, in the way her blonde curls framed her face. But there was also a sadness there, and Nikola found himself wanting to know what that was about. Damn, he was being nostalgic again. Just because he had lived through the Victorian era didn’t mean he had to fall head over heels with every portrait from that era. Though considering the crimson dress the girl was wearing… there had been something about her. Something… fun, he thought with a grin. But it was too late to find out now, he supposed. More than a century too late, actually.

“I always thought they got it wrong,” a voice rang in the room and Nikola turned around as much as the men allowed him to – and froze on the spot. The woman who entered the room was the spitting image of the one in the portrait, the only difference being her hair. Her curls were dark now, her hair falling down her shoulders. Nikola found himself watching mesmerized as she walked to the chair in the middle of the room and sat down, crossing her legs as the men forced him to kneel in front of her.

“Your great great grandmother?” Nikola asked, making her frown at him. “The portrait,” he explained. “You look just like her.”

He seemed to have said something very funny, because the woman laughed at him, her smile lightening up all her features. She had a beautiful smile, Nikola noticed, right before his eyes landed on her lips. He was staring, he realized, barely noticing how she took a deep breath before talking.

“I want you to work for my family,” she said, her blue eyes never leaving his. “My organization could use a man with your talents.”

“I’m just a normal-“

“Don’t insult me, Mr. Tesla,” the woman cut him off. “I know exactly who you are. Contrary to popular belief,” she said as she shot a brief glare at one of the men, “I went to school. My father saw to that. So, I know who are. You died in 1943, and yet you’re roaming my streets today. And honestly? You’re eating habits are starting to be a nuisance.”

“You seem to know a lot about me,” Nikola grinned. “Not fair, considering I know next to nothing about you.”

“I’m Helen Magnus.”

“Magnus as in the leader of one of the most dangerous crime organizations in the town? You’re not what I expected.”

“Neither are you, but I guess we’ll have to live with that disappointment,” Helen smiled coldly. “I do offer some work benefits, for the record. And I can promise I won’t interfere between you and your food.. within limits, at least.”

“As tempting as that might be… I am afraid I will have to refuse,” Nikola said. He struggled to get out of his handcuffs, to no avail.

“I have access to things that can keep you in place, as you see,” Helen said, her tone taking a dangerous note. “I also have access to things that can kill you, so I advise you to reconsider.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“I told you we’re wasting time with this, Magnus. Gregory would have never made a deal with such a-“

“If I find myself needing your opinion, Lucky, I’ll ask for it,” Helen cut him off. “Untie him.”

“Are you mental? Are you just going to let him go? He’s gonna sell us to the cops the second he goes out that door.”

“On second thought, you’re right. Untie him, and you can shoot him after.”

“Are you sure that’s gonna-“

“One way to find out,” Helen shrugged as she settled herself in her chair. Lucky was scared, Nikola realized. They were both so in over their heads he almost felt sorry for them. Almost, because the second his handcuffs fell to the floor, he felt the cold barrel of the gun against his neck. And if there was something he hated was to be threatened. Everything after that happened in a flash. Lucky was the first to fall, clutching his neck as the blood drenched his fingers. The other man screamed, trying to jump at Nikola, but he didn’t have a chance. Nikola winced as he heard the sound of the man’s bones breaking. Then again, he supposed being thrown into a wall did that to people. He was barely panting when he finished and turned to her, expecting her to look terrified. Instead, he was met with a totally different view.

“Finally,” she said appreciatively as she got up from her chair and closed the distance between them. She took his hand into her own, a hungry look in her eyes as she watched the way the blood dripped down his fingers.

“Finally?” he asked. Any decent woman would have run away screaming by now. And yet, there she was, looking way more pleased with herself than she should have been.

“They were starting to get on my nerves,” she explained. “I will never be my father and it looked like they weren’t willing to accept that.”

“You wanted this to happen.” Nikola said in a terrified tone. “You knew what I was.”

“Even told them silver bullets will get you, yes,” she laughed. “They weren’t too smart, but you- Well. You’ll find out that I am very accustomed to getting what I want.“

“And I am a one man show. I don’t want to work for your family.”

“Then work for me,” she said unfazed.

“What’s the difference?”

“I give more interesting missions,” she smiled as she sat back in her chair. Her eyes didn’t leave him as she trailed one of her heels up her other leg, right before crossing her feet.

“Or I could kill you,” he argued.

“You could… but where would be the fun in that? Plus, you killed my men. You kinda owe me.”

“I thought you owed me for that, actually.”

“Semantics,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “Kneel.”

He was many things, Nikola thought. Stupid was not one of them. And yet, as he kneeled in front of her and kissed her ring, he supposed there were some who could argue with that. But, as he turned her hand on the other side and planted a kiss in her palm, his lips lingering there just enough to make her pulse quicken, he figured he didn’t care about that too much.

[montammil]

Awwwww, that's so sweet of Lawrence's grandmother. I instantly just love her, imagining her true and nonviolent love would definitely help the three kids get better. Thank you for answering my ask! Do you think any amount go therapy could ever fix Lawrence or make him see what is he doing wrong?

Also, I am so weak for regretful Whumper, But I am more weak for Whumper turned to Whumpee. I can definitely see Nathan getting his revenge and beating Lawrence, but I am not sure about Marshall. Imagine a scenario where all three of them capture and get revenge on Lawrence. I can't see Sadie and Marshall being all too happy, but just imagine Lawrence all roughed up with Nathan holding a pipe and Sadie looking nervous but still mad at Lawrence. and Marshall looks absolutely terrified. Maybe Lawrence will try to play a mind game with Marshall because he looks so terrified, and tried to manipulate him into untying him. Or purposely taunting Nathan, and Nathan getting very very mad

Thats a tough question haha, I'd say with enough therapy Lawrence could get better if he wanted to, but the issue is he doesn't want to. I might try to make an AU where Lawrence feels guilty and gets help if that's something anyone's interested in.

Sorry this took so long, by the way! It got a little darker than I was intending XD.

CW: Parental/creepy whumper, violence, major character death (not Marshall or Lawrence but still kinda major), manipulation, electrocution, gun violence, smoking, really just a general whump warning

When Lawrence wakes up, he hears arguing.

"This is going too far... we should just call the police or something." Marshall.

"He's a fucking rich guy. What do you think will happen?" Nathan.

"We have enough evidence to be taken seriously this time." Sadie.

Slowly, Lawrence opens his eyes and groans. His head hurts, but the sounds of all his children make him persist through the pain. He sees Marshall avoiding looking at him from the corner of the room, Nathan glaring daggers at him, and Sadie frowning at Nathan.

"Sorry about the rope, I was going for the chains like you used on me, but they were too expensive," Nathan says in a falsely sympathetic tone.

Grunting, Lawrence sits upright as his headache increases exponentially. "Great job kidnapping me. What do you plan to do now? Kill me? You always were the one for senseless violence."

"You're such a hypocrite if you believe that." Nathan marches forward to grab Lawrence by the collar of his bloodied shirt, yanking him forward to stare at him closely. Lawrence's hands are tied behind his back, and his ankles are tied together as well. Nathan would enjoy seeing his tormentor tied up and bloody, but Lawrence doesn't seem phased. "I think I should kill you. You deserve to die after the hell you put us through."

"I don't think I did. Sadie got away after just a few weeks, and Marshall seemed to enjoy my attention." His gaze shifts to the younger man in the corner of the room. "Didn't you, buddy?"

Marshall hides his face further from him at being called out.

Laughing weakly, Lawrence looks around the room as he struggles against the ropes, ignoring the ache in his body. "I hate to tell you this, Nathan, but I think you're the only one who hasn't gotten over the past."

Nathan lets go of Lawrence's collar, seething. "You're insane."

Lawrence shrugs. "I've been called worse."

He glares at Sadie and says, "Give me my gun."

"Wait, no!" Marshall finally steps closer into the light. His eyes are puffy and he's visibly shaking. "Please. Let's do something else, literally anything. Just... please don't kill him."

Sadie nods. "Nathan, we'll go to prison if you shoot him. Context doesn't matter if we aren't doing it in self-defense."

He growls in frustration, but doesn't deny that. He grabs his pocket knife and brings it to Lawrence's throat, earning another cry from Marshall, a bigger reaction than the one Lawrence gives. He stares directly into Nathan's eyes, as if challenging him.

"Just because I'm not killing you doesn't mean you're getting away from this free, bastard. Got that?"

"What ever you say, bud."

Nathan yells in more frustration. "You're insufferable!" He kicks Lawrence to the side, and stomps to the table in what looks like a dilapidated barn. He shoves the pocket knife on the table and snatches the pistol on his way out.

When Nathan exits the barn, Sadie sends a glance towards Marshall. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just need to go get some air..." Marshall exits as well, only after sending Lawrence another weary glance.

Pursing her lips, Sadie sighs. "Okay then." She leaves, but unlike Marshall, she doesn't even spare a last glance toward Lawrence.

Lawrence watches the door slide shut and then the room go almost pitch black, except for a small light coming from cracks in the wooden walls, which give him just enough light to vaguely see his surroundings. He pulls at his wrists, trying to get them free, but they're tight. It takes no genius to know that was definitely also Nathan's doing.

From what he just saw, this seems all like Nathan's doing. Sadie is too smart to want to pull something like this, and Marshall is... Marshall.

He tries moving, to get the gun or knife from the table, but he can hardly crawl, let alone reach up there. He sighs internally. This isn't exactly how he imagined escaping, but hey, maybe he'll figure something out.

...

Just two hours later, Lawrence hears the door sliding back open. He expects to see Nathan back with something to torture him with, but instead he sees Marshall, the only one who can get him out of this situation right now.

"I brought you food," Marshall says quietly. He places down a bowl of ramen noodles. "It's the only thing I know how to make... okay, bye."

"Marshall, baby," Lawrence says, which makes the younger man stop in his tracks.

Tensing up, Marshall whispers without turning, "What?"

Lawrence is just glad he'll hear him out. "Can you please let me go? We can go back to what it used to be. I won't hurt Sadie or Nathan, we can just go back home and be happy again." When Marshall doesn't reply, Lawrence adds, "You've only known them for a few days at least, right? You don't know either of them like I do. Nathan only cares about himself, and Sadie thinks she knows everything. They'll both leave you after this is all over."

It seems to be getting to Marshall already, but he ends up shaking his head. "No, I can't do that. I'm sorry."

"You were crying earlier. Why?" Lawrence tries next with more worry in his voice.

Wincing, Marshall finally turns to face him. "I don't like seeing people hurt, that's it. Is that all you wanted to know?" His voice seeps of impatience to leave, but there's also a hint of fear in it. Fear he'll end up caving.

Lawrence smiles. "See, Marshie? You aren't like them. You're so sweet and caring. That's why you're too naive for this world, I'm just trying to protect you! I love you."

"I..." Marshall blinks away tears. "I have to go. I'm not supposed to even be here."

As he bolts out the barn, Lawrence sighs. It looks like this'll take some time. He looks down at the bowl of ramen. It was nice of Marshall for including a spoon, but firstly, who eats ramen with a spoon? and secondly, how the hell would he even use it?

Lawrence sighs. This'll be a fun experience.

...

The next day, Nathan comes in with a lit cigarette in his mouth and a cattle prod in his hand. Lawrence sees his expression is somewhat calmer, but that's non necessarily a good thing. Not to mention Sadie nor Marshall are there to stop him.

Lawrence doesn't normally feel fear, but this is one of those rare moments. "I didn't know you smoke. I'm disappointed."

Nathan glares and throws it to the ground, stomping it out. "It's not that I'd be worried about, asshole."

"I'll give it to you, you're more creative than I am with these things," Lawrence chuckles. "You know, it's not too late to ask for forgiveness. We could go back home and put all of this behind us."

"I'd rather die than go anywhere with you. I don't want to put any of this behind me." Nathan strides forward and grabs Lawrence by his hair, yanking his head upwards. "Now beg."

"Beg?" Lawrence laughs in amusement and fear both. "It's so cute watching you try to be intimidating."

Nathan releases him, walking backwards until he reaches the wall. He leans against it, smirking down at him. "Do you think I'm joking? Beg."

"I think you're forgetting who's the superior here."

With that, Nathan doesn't hold back, hitting Lawrence against the face with the cow prod. The electricity isn't turned on yet, but that doesn't mean it isn't painful. Lawrence grunts and looks to the ground. He knocked out one of his teeth.

"Wanna repeat that?" Nathan growls.

Lawrence spits blood out to the creaky wooden floor before his gaze shifts back up at Nathan. He smiles shamelessly, his left to front incisor tooth knocked out.

A lightbulb flashes in his head. If he can get beaten up as much as possible, it'll give Marshall more reason to let him go. "Is that the best hit you got, Nate? For someone so angry all the time, you have a pretty pathetic strength."

More animalistic rage bubbles up in Nathan and he stomps away. Lawrence thinks he's leaving at first, but then sees him grab a metal pail of water. He admittedly does wince when Nathan dumps the freezing water over him. He doesn't realize what's happening until he sees Nathan grab the cattle prod again, putting his finger over the button to control the electricity.

"This is for all the times you tortured me!" Nathan jams the cattle prod into Lawrence's shoulder first, earning the first real cry of pain from him.

It feels like a million needles pricking at him. The pain mixed with the freezing iciness of the water is enough to make his vision blur. His teeth clatter together, and he looks back up at him to see the younger man smirking.

"Apologize for all the pain you've caused me and I'll consider stopping."

"I'm not the one that needs to apologize, you--" Lawrence gets interrupted with another stab of pain, his muscles spasming and seizing. Tears prick at his eyes.

"Aw, gonna cry?" Nathan jeers. He grabs Lawrence by the hair, and Lawrence grunts at the suddenness. "Reminds me of all the times you taunted me for crying."

Lawrence grits his teeth, trying desperately to stay strong. But he can tell Nathan isn't done torturing him yet. Just as he comes up with a good response, he feels lightheaded. And then darkness swallows him whole.

...

When he wakes up, he feels a blanket being placed over him. His eyes slowly open, and he sees Marshall there, crouching down right next to him on his knees. He also notices the rope around his wrists are slightly less tight, but that could just be his imagination. Despite the swirls in his vision, he can tell Marshall has a worried frown. His heart warms.

"Hi, buddy," Lawrence murmurs. He blinks a few times and looks around to see no sign of Sadie nor Nathan. Good. "Thanks for the blanket."

The younger man nods, face still bearing a look of concern. "Y-yeah... I brought you food. Uh, it's ramen again... sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just happy I get to see you again." When Lawrence's vision clears, he notices how puffy Marshall's eyes are. "Have you been crying?" His voice softens into a coo. Normally he really is hurt to see Marshall cry, but this time is different. Marshall's crying because he's worried about him.

Marshall shakes his head. "No. It's allergies." He stands up again and seems more wary than last time.

Lawrence thinks this is perfect. He moves in a position that perfectly shows off all his bruises in the dim lighting and gives the most painful groan ever. "Can you get me a cloth or something, Marshie? I don't wanna get any blood on this blanket."

"Um, yeah, sure. I don't see you bleeding, though."

"Oh, I've been coughing up some blood."

The worry that etches across Marshall's face is perfect. "You have?"

Lawrence nods. "Yeah, but I'm sure it's no big deal,. If you're busy, that's okay. I love you, kiddo." He suppresses a grin at Marshall's quivering lip.

Marshall looks behind him at the slightly open barn door, the rain pouring outside. He looks back at Lawrence, hands still tied behind his back and on his knees. He hops to his feet and rapidly strides to the table where Nathan placed the pocket knife from earlier. He gets back to his crouched position behind Lawrence and mumbles, "Hold still."

Lawrence feigns confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Cutting your bonds free."

Lawrence perks up. "Oh, thank you, bud!"

He watches as Marshall cuts through the ropes binding him, freeing his arms, then removes the ropes around Lawrence's ankles. As Marshall carefully cuts through them, he murmurs, "Sadie is napping and Nathan is getting groceries, so let's be quick... he could be back soon."

"Don't worry, we're gonna be fine." As soon as Marshall completely frees him, Lawrence pulls him into a tight hug, kissing his temple. He lets out a relieved breath.

Marshall stiffens for a moment, but relaxes eventually, returning the embrace.

Soon Lawrence stands, nearly stumbling over if not for Marshall to help him. Lawrence gives the younger man a thankful smile and puts his arm around Marshall's shoulders. "Give me one sec, kiddo. It's been a while since I used my legs."

"Okay, just be quick. I really don't want either of them to see us."

"I said don't worry. Do you have a phone?"

"W-why?" Marshall's frown deepens, mostly afraid Lawrence will take it away for the sake of taking it away. Basically like a repeat of what happened when Marshall was first taken by him.

Lawrence laughs quietly. "I just want to call a friend. He'll come pick us up and we can get out of here."

Reluctantly sighing, Marshall grabs his phone from his pocket.

"Thanks, kiddo." Lawrence dials in a number and puts the phone to his ear, waiting for it to connect.

The entire time, Marshall keeps looking at the entrance of the barn, nervously anticipating for either Sadie or Nathan to step through. Maybe with Sadie he can try negotiating with her (even if he doubts it'll work), but if Nathan finds them... Marshall is sure Nathan will kill Lawrence, and might as well him too.

"Hey, Flint! It's Lawrence... I know, I'll explain everything later, I just need you to pick me up, I'll send you my location... yes, I'm fine, my son's with me. It'd be nice if you could schedule a dentist appointment for me soon, though."

Marshall hates how casually he speaks, and he hates it even more than he just did this. Did he betray Sadie and Nathan? He didn't mean to... but it does sure feel that way...

"Let's get out of here, I don't want to draw any attention to us," Lawrence mutters. He grabs Marshall's hand and leads him out the barn door. He's having trouble walking, Marshall notices.

Lawrence and Marshall both stop in their tracks when they see Sadie standing just a few feet from them, shocked. The bandages she were holding drop to the floor along with her jaw. Marshall's throat goes dry.

"You're letting him go." Sadie's voice wavers in disbelief. "Marshall..." She steps closer, reaching out toward him, but stops herself short. Her gaze turns cold and hard. "You're seriously going to take his side after what he did to us? To you?"

"Sadie, I-- I'm not taking anyone's side, I just--"

"You know what? Fine. If you really think he makes you happy, go. Never talk to me again." She glares at Lawrence. "If I ever see you again..." She trails off and can't find the correct words, opting to storm off instead.

Marshall has never hated himself more than he does now. He's shocked Lawrence just let her walk away, but when he sees how urgent the older man looks, he can assume it's because of the bigger threat: Nathan. If Nathan finds them, they're done for. Mostly Lawrence, but Marshall wouldn't be shocked if Nathan decided to end his life too.

"How long ago did Nathan leave?"

"Um... maybe forty minutes ago?"

Lawrence curses under his breath. "Alright. We're going to hide in the woods and wait for Nathan to pass by. What does Nathan's car look like?"

As they walk across the gravel road and into the woods, Marshall thinks for a moment. "I don't know the brand, but it's small and dark blue. I think it's hard to miss."

Marshall helps Lawrence walk through the rain and mud as it only gets worse. Maybe it's for the best this way, since it'd be harder to spot them. He's starting to have regrets as he crouches behind a bush with Lawrence. The look on Sadie's face, the pure betrayal... that's something he'll never forget. Ever.

And now, here he is, hiding with his kidnapper. With Sadie and Nathan's kidnapper. He just wanted a father-figure. He just wanted the unconditional love from a parent...

Lawrence must notice the change in Marshall's mood, because he whispers, "Everything's going to be okay, buddy. Everything's gonna be alright."

His tone is soothing, and Marshall tries to believe him. But right now, nothing feels okay.

They both start to hear tires against wet pavement. Marshall glances from the bush to see Nathan's car. He's sure Nathan won't see them, so when the man's car comes to a stop, his face falls. He looks over at Lawrence to see he has a similar expression.

"You're a fucking moron if you think I didn't have a tracker on you, Lawrence!" Nathan calls. He slams the car door shut, and they can hear his footsteps against the gravel, and then the mud. He stops in front of the bush. "Get out before I shoot you in the head."

Lawrence grits his teeth and obeys, and Marshall does too. Marshall doesn't miss the look Nathan has when their eyes lock. A mix between shock and disgust.

"You let him go..." Nathan's hands shake with rage that are holding the gun. "You fucking let him go?! I knew you were desperate, but I never thought you'd be this desperate. I can't believe you."

"We'll leave you alone for the rest of your life," Lawrence tries bargaining. "Just let us go."

He barks a laugh. "You're only saying that because I'm the one holding the gun here. Do you know how much you messed me up? I can't sleep most nights because I'm paranoid you're gonna come back. Not anymore." He clicks the safety off.

Marshall gasps. "Nathan, please don't! I'll do anything, just don't do this!"

"No, I should've killed him from the very start." He aims the gun at Lawrence's forehead.

Lawrence pushes Marshall out of the way, Marshall cries out, and then the gun goes off.

But not Nathan's gun.

Marshall stares in shock as Nathan's body hits the ground. He just stares in a trance-like state, unable to comprehend what happened.

"Lawrence! Are you okay!?" a voice calls.

Marshall doesn't care about their conversation. He stares down at Nathan's limp body, the blood pooling from his head, how his eyes are still open but... lifeless. No.

He drops to his knees and shakes him. "N-Nathan. Nathan, hey. Wake up."

Nathan's limp body falls into a large puddle of mud when Marshall tries pushing him again in desperate attempt to wake him.

"Please, please don't die."

Lawrence pulls Marshall away from Nathan's body, and pulls him into his chest. Marshall doesn't cry at first. This is all a dream. It has to be a dream.

He let Lawrence out. He's responsible for this. He's responsible for Nathan's death.

Oh god, what about Sadie? If she didn't hate him now, she'll certainly want him dead as much as Nathan wanted Lawrence dead.

He can't breathe. He needs air. He opens his mouth wide, trying to gasp in some fresh oxygen. His lungs burn with each inhale, but he manages to suck in enough to keep breathing.

"Oh, sweetie... I'm so sorry..." Lawrence picks him up with a grunt.

"Lawrence, you're hurt--"

"I'm fine, Flint. Let's just get out of here."

The entire ride home, Marshall is silent. Before he knows it, he's being carried inside a small cabin-- likely one of Lawrence's many properties-- and as he's placed on the couch, everything comes crashing down on him. He breaks down. Sobbing uncontrollably, he clings onto Lawrence's shirt tightly.

Lawrence strokes his hair gently, whispering comforting words in his ear. "It's okay, baby. It was for the best this way."

Marshall mistakes the relief in Lawrence's voice for sadness, and wraps his arms around his neck. Lawrence must be sad too... after all, it seems like he was obsessed with Nathan to a similar degree as he was for him, right?

In reality, Lawrence couldn't be happier it's over.

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 12

I forgot how dramatic Geoffrey can be. But I guess with a best friend like Bastian, he would have to be a little dramatic.

I love how Ike continues to value his work as a mercenary above everything else. Of course, I don't think this high level of integrity is common amongst mercenary groups, but the Greil Mercs have always been different. Like how Greil himself would take work without pay, if it meant helping out someone in need. They fight for people, not for ideals such as honor or glory.

Now, I remember this map giving me so much trouble when I was a kid. This was the map that had me give up on not losing any units. I remember sacrificing Calill here, back in 2007, just so I could finally advance to the next chapter.

So when it came time to face this map again, 16 years later, I was feeling rather nervous.

Turns out I had no reason to be nervous, because I wiped the floor with all the enemies without issue. The boss gave me a scare at first, when I realized he was activating a skill in battle. I was afraid it was Resolve, but it turned out to be Parity, which was far less intimidating.

What a gorgeous scene! I love this moment between Elincia and her retainers. Their friendship is so great, and I'm glad that they got to be reunited.

This may be my shipper goggles blinding me again, but... was there something in that letter you don't want others seeing, Tibarn?

I understand where he's coming from, but it is jarring to be see a young boy say "Kill 'em all!"

Love this base conversation. Ike cannot be bothered to figure out what the hell Bastian is talking about half the time. And we learn that, though Ike's not a fan of desserts, he does drink tea! Unsweetened, I imagine, but still. Idk why, but I really love the idea of manly man Ike sitting down and having a cup of tea. Maybe he even used to have tea parties with Mist as a child. Too cute!

Here comes Largo. I do think this entire conversation is hilarious enough to justify Largo's existence as a playable unit, but otherwise I have never used him and probably never will. That being said, I love his character development in Radiant Dawn, where he goes from a fame-seeking beserker for hire to a humble restaurant owner and doting father.

I made Jill another custom javelin, and I named it Diablo because of how much it cost. Plus it's red, to match her armor!

Funniest NPC? Funniest NPC.

They don't go into it, but I can imagine that Soren must be really nervous at this moment. He's about to lead a discussion in front of an army that includes judgemental Begnion knights, beast laguz, and hawk laguz, including the king of the hawk laguz. That's a lot of pressure, especially for a character who doesn't feel comfortable talking to anyone that isn't Ike. He did a brilliant job, though! It probably helps that he has an A rank with Ike now, so his biggest insecurity has been put to rest.

Kudos, Soren! You're going to need that growing confidence when you're promoted to chief strategist of the Laguz Alliance.

I love how Ike is just so taken off guard here. This conversation also raises some questions for me. Namely, how long do pegasi live? Didn't Elincia say that this one belonged to her great-grandmother? Are they just like... immortal?

Time to seize Fort Pinell! This map is a little intimidating due to its sheer size, especially it doesn't have many choke points. However, I managed to beat this map on my first try. Luckily, they let you take a ridiculous amount of units, so I managed to just cross the field by lining up my defensive fighters in a long vertical wall to keep my squishies protected. Meanwhile, Ike, Soren, and Ranulf destroyed the entire upper right section of the map all by themselves.

The Black Knight fight is coming!! I'm so nervous ahhhhhh

It was also around this point that I realized that it would be nearly impossible to achieve one of my goals. I intended to get Ranulf to level 20 with as many capped stats as possible. Unfortunately, after doing the math, it looks like the only stats it's possible to cap are strength and defense, because you get him so late in the game, and his stat caps are so ridiculously high.

For example, you get him at level 9, which means he will only level up 11 times. In order to cap his strength, he has to level up strength 10 times, which is possible, but not without a lot of resetting. Meanwhile, in order to cap his defense, he has to level up his defense 13 times, which is only possible if you get him to level up defense Every Single Level, plus give him a Draco Shield for that +2 defense.

As much as I love Ranulf, I want to use that Draco Shield for someone else if I can. So in the end, I only capped his strength. And I was only able to do so by burning through the rest of my bexp. Ugh!

Was this worth it, or a massive waste of resources?

Probably the latter, but what's done is done.

Either way, Ike's 1v1 match with the Black Knight is imminent. I would like to save Nasir if I can, so I'm hoping that I get lucky with triggering Aether.

[gburph]

Sorry, but my country was a little too busy to be imperialistic. But the funny thing is that the Nazis and Soviets who invaded us had a big ol' smiles as they burned us to the ground. There are still bullet holes in some of the buildings in my town. But not many buildings. There wasn’t much of the city left after the war. Not only did the Nazis destroy it, but the Soviets destroyed it twice. Once after they won.

You said that I’m a Nazi because I hate communists. And I say that in my country you can throw a stone and hit a person who knew someone who was in a death camp or their family member was in one. The Nazis burned my grandfather’s village when he was 7. My other grandfather was old enough to have fought in the resistance. He was almost killed by the Nazis and was disabled after the war. When you live in country like mine, you hear stories like this all the time. About family members killed in the streets or thrown into death camps. About houses abandoned until refugees family arrived and started living in them, because it was either that or life on the streets. I’m not going to spit on these people’ memory and be a Nazi no matter what you think. This is not only a matter of principle, but also a simple self-preservation.

But why would I hate the communists if I’m not a Nazi, you ask? When the Soviets attacked my country, they didn’t care if they were shooting civilians or soldiers. They didn’t care if someone surrendered. They killed people and forced their families to watch. And when the Soviets and Nazis met, they shook hands and congratulated each other. Of course they lied about it later when Hitler attacked the USSR and forced Stalin to switch sides. My great-grandfather fought in resistance. He almost died while fighting the Nazis. 11 pieces of shrapnel had to be pulled out of his body. He had to flee when Nazis put a death warrant on him. He also had to flee from the Soviets when they tried to send him to gulag. And after the war, when my country was left torn to pieces, the communists hunted anyone who had fought in the resistance during the war. They recognized that if people fought for freedom during war, then those same people would also fight against them after the war, to be free again. So when my grandmother was a child armed men would come to her house in the middle of the night. Banging on the door with a rifle butt to take my great-grandfather away. To beat, torture and break him. Sometimes he was with them for a day, sometimes several. And then he had to go home on his own beaten and bloody. Eventually, my family had enough, so they fled. After the war they were left with nothing and again had to start a new life from nothing. I said that communists lie. And they do. They painted every person they killed as a Nazi, a parasitic landlord, a fascist war criminal, a selfish hoarder, and a reactionary capitalist. Almost like something you tried to do with me. And you can call me that or worse, but I also refuse to spit on my great-grandfather’s memory and join the communists. My great-grandfather didn’t have to be a communist to kill more Nazis than you ever could. Nor do I need to be one to oppose them. And what they did to my country after the war? What did your beloved communists do to my people? When they lied, repressed, controlled, censored, beat and killed people for opposing them. For wanting to be free in their own country.  And now you believe the communist propaganda that they did nothing wrong, or what they did was necessary because reasons. Maybe you’re right that being a social-democrat isn’t the best way to go. But I sure as hell won’t become a communist. And the difference is that I don’t justify the deaths committed by imperialistic countries. Socio-democratic or not. I don’t look into the eyes of the victims and say „you deserved it”. And communists do it constantly to the people of Eastern Europe.

And I know that Putin isn't a communist. I don't know what your opinion on Ukraine is so I'm not going to pretend that I do.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #120

When was the last time you spent over $100 in one transaction? What did you buy? Uh... I don't remember? I'll do that soon though for my first tattoo appointment.

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Would you judge a grown adult for doing so? No to both.

Would you rather read an erotic novel or watch an erotic film? I mean, honestly neither, but if I had to pick one it'd be a novel.

Do you still have both of your parents? Thankfully, yes.

Do you play video games? Yeah, but not nearly as much as I did as a kid and teenager.

Does your significant other boss you around a lot? Hell fucking no, he knows I wouldn't allow that and I also know he doesn't want to do that to me.

Have you ever been put to sleep for surgery? Twice, yeah. I recently learned that I WON'T be able to be put to sleep for my wisdom teeth extraction because it is just impossibly expensive for us, and one especially HAS to come out because it has a very deep cavity that is going to kill the tooth and cause me hell if it stays in.

[TW: SUICIDE] Have you ever attempted suicide? Yes.

Have you ever skipped class before? No, not just one specific class. I'd rarely skip school by staying home, almost only ever because of mental health or more rarely being absolutely insanely tired, but Mom normally wouldn't allow that. Oh, I think I also usually did get to stay home on my bday.

Who, in your life, makes you feel discouraged? Myself, more than absolutely anyone else. I don't let (other) people stay in my life anymore that do that to me.

Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Well, my grandmothers died of different cancers, but neither I was very close to at all (I actually hated Mom's mom) for multiple reasons. Did Dad's dad die of cancer too? I can't remember, but I barely knew him either.

Have you ever been in a car accident? Yeah, when I was way younger. We actually got real close to big trouble on the road Friday; we were the first in line at a stop light and across from us, an 18-wheeler carrying some metal stuff turned in front of us, but way too sharply, and he tipped entirely onto two wheels, very barely managing to get back upright. Both Mom and I nearly had a fucking heart attack and both of our anxieties were very elevated for a while, like she was about to shift the car into reverse to back the hell up.

What was the last film you watched, that made you feel emotional? I have no idea. I basically never watch movies.

Does anyone you know ever recommend books to you? No.

What traits/behaviors do your pets have, that you find cute? Strongest is Cookie's tendency to get EXTREMELY excited when she merely suspects Mom or both of us are leaving. She is crazy for car rides, and she'll immediately start running between us, pushing our legs, doing this weird hyperventilation thing chihuahuas do when they get so excited their tiny bodies basically can't handle it haha, and will jump right into her carrier and stare at Mom, waiting to be picked up. Cookie also tends to prefer toys that are bigger than her, and watching her try to beat up like her big sloth or cow is the cutest shit. As for Roman, when we get home, he'll saunter into the living room and just plop down onto the floor in this uniquely content way, like he's just happy we're home and wants to chill with us. He stretches out and will frequently start rolling around/playing on the floor basically, lol. Also since being a kitten, he loves to sleep like as close to my face as he can get, normally. Lastly, Venus. This isn't exactly super unique to a snake, but it's still cute: when I handle her, oftentimes she loves to try to go into my shirt to be against my skin and stay warmer (I'm very convinced this literally saved her life once in a power outage we had), and back when I used to use my laptop in bed, she was great about snuggling up against me and just chilling there for basically ever, lol. She's a sweet girl.

Is there anyone who "likes" a lot of your posts online, but you don’t talk? Yeah, ig.

What was the last song that you recall singing along to? Pretty sure it was "Love Stuck" by Mother Mother the other day.

Have you ever been in your kitchen naked? No.

This time last year, what was your relationship status? I was still with Girt.

Did you reject or accept your last friend request? Reject, I think. Pretty sure it was some random guy I'd never met and had no mutuals with, gotta love those.

Are you sure of your sexuality? I AM sure I'm at least queer, and while I'm quite certain I am specifically pansexual, I don't think I'd ever truly know until I had a legit sexual experience with a feminine person.

What was the last compliment that you got? The person who worked with me for PT today told me I did great.

Do you know anyone with a really weird name? In almost all cases, I don't like to think of names as "weird," because generally they are given with great love and consideration and are important to those who named them, so I think it's pretty mean to consider someone's name weird. Now yes, there are exceptions, there are rare cases where names are given carelessly or even as a "joke," but generally, you get my mindset.

Has a boy/girl ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend for you? Basically.

What’s the worst hangover you’ve ever had? I've never had one, actually.

Who in your family are you closest to? My mom.

Ever sat in someone’s lap because there were no more seats in a vehicle? I remember doing this with Jason once.

What do you tend to drink a lot of? Flavored carbonated water.

If you were going out for a meal, what restaurants would you typically AVOID going to? Seafood and foreign, generally. There are times I'm fine with some foreign food, but on your average day, if you ask where I wanna go, I'm gonna pick American cuisine.

Name a song you enjoy that’s in a language other than English. Basically Rammstein's entire discography lmao but for this question I'm gonna go with "Zeit," I think the vocals are fucking fantastic and sincerely beautiful in it. I feel like German has a rep for being an ugly-sounding language, which I don't agree with in general, but I cannot imagine someone calling the vocals "ugly" in that one.

Did you ever have head lice as a child? Quite positive no.

Do you like/listen to Queen? Do you have a favourite song by them? I adore Queen; Freddie Mercury is my favorite vocalist to ever live. This is probably like, EVERYONE'S answer, but I adore "Bohemian Rhapsody," but also "Killer Queen" and "Headlong" are high up on the list.

Do you have any idea when you’ll next attend a wedding? Whose will it be? Nope, but if I had to guess I really do think it's probably gonna be my own lmao. Girt visited his grandmother two days back and she's officially joined the party of asking when we're getting married haha.

What was the best job you’ve ever had? I've never had a job I even liked.

Do you have a troublesome medical condition? Above all, severe depression and anxiety. My AvPD is also very noteworthy with how it affects my life, and I still deal with the effects of relationship trauma. OH, I was so focused on my mental stuff that I almost forgot uh hey, my leg health also MAJORLY affects my life and what I can do, etc. Lastly, my weight plays a massive part in my poor self-image and super severely contributes to my depression.

Magenta, aqua, or coral? Coral; I consider that my second-favorite color. I love all of these, though.

Do you like the color orchid? Yes! I love basically every conceivable shade of pink, haha.

Would you rather be a wedding photographer or a nature photographer? It's my literal dream to be a nature photographer. Once upon a time I was aiming for wedding photographer, but only for the pay; I'm just not social enough for that shit.

Have you ever had an ulcer? None other than those you sometimes get in your mouth from like, biting your cheek.

Do you enjoy writing essays? I actually do, quite a lot.

What is your favorite name that starts with a "Z?" Probably Zane.

Do you believe that God’s plans for you are better than you could ask, think, or imagine? "God's" plan involves giving kids cancer and allowing pre-teen girls to be knocked up by rapists, fuck his "plans."

Would you want your first child to be a girl or a boy? If I decide I want children, I want a girl so much more than a boy that I'd almost be tempted to do IVF so long as my husband was still the biological dad, I've no idea how the rules of that process work. Super unlikely I'd actually do it though because I don't care quite enough to invest money in that.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a good salesperson? I've been in this position and I can ASSURE you I am the worst salesperson imaginable lmao.

Which name do you like better: Jessica or Jennifer? Jessica.

To you, what is especially distracting? People talking when I'm trying to count something. I physically cannot do it. Numbers just DO NOT store in my damn brain.

Have you ever contemplated cheating on anyone? Nope.

Who do you go to when you need comfort? Mostly Girt or Mom. Sometimes Tez and Mazzy.

Has anyone you know started a new job recently? Do they seem to enjoy it? Uh I feel like somebody has, but idr who.

Have you seen a butterfly at any time recently? No.

Have you drunk any fruit-flavored beverages today? Yes; the water I drink is usually strawberry-flavored.

What carbonated beverages do you have in your fridge at the moment? None, not even my aforementioned waters right now.

Has anyone you know got into a new relationship lately? Um maybe, idk.

Do you have any sisters? How is your relationship with them? Ashley, Nicole, Katie, and Misty. Katie and Misty don't live here and I barely ever see them, but I am A LOT like Katie (more than any of my other siblings) so connect to her a lot, though we don't talk enough. I like Misty enough, but she can also be incredibly fucking stupid and self-important as hell. I get along fine with Ashley and Nicole too, but we also don't talk a lot and I've never in my mature life known how to properly interact/connect with them. Nicole and I were very close as kids, but not anymore.

What was your favourite class in high school? Art.

Do you have any plans to buy any furniture in the near future? No.

Do you know anyone who has a matching tattoo with someone? (including yourself)? I'm sure I know more than I think I do. I know Ashley and her husband Nick got each other's first initial tattooed on their ring fingers on their honeymoon. Colleen and I each got "ohana" tattoos dedicated to each other (which I now want to rip directly off my fucking skin, especially when you consider I don't even believe in unnecessary loyalty to family just because they're family), but they were styled entirely differently and in different spots.

What type of milk do you like to drink? Either 1%, 2%, or whole.

Do you have a first aid kit at home? Yeah.

Are your parents dog or cat people? Is that different or the same as you? I know Mom's a dog person, and I think Dad is too. Since leaving us though he's never owned another, just cats because of Kim, and he's loved both of them very much.

Are there sounds that bother you on a visceral level? Vomiting.

Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone? I will never, ever, get another tattoo that will lose meaning if that person leaves my life. It's a terrible fucking decision. I'm perfectly fine with getting one with somebody that will still be a perfectly relevant, important tattoo to me if our relationship spoils, though.

What would be worse for you, unplanned pregnancy or cancer? Gah, I guess cancer, but both would fucking suck. I'm pretty sure the abortion I would inevitably get would traumatize me, but cancer could straight-up kill me.

Have you ever popped another person’s zit? oh my fucking god no

Have you ever told a friend to dump their SO? Did they? Yes, and eventually, yes. She was my best friend and her boyfriend (who I knew via school) was an ABSOLUTE piece of shit. Summer's always had a thing for people who aren't good for her... Even now, her partner she's been with for many, many years is complete trash, but it really does look like they're staying together no matter what.

What do you think is the coolest piercing on someone else? Generally lip kinds.

[narwhalsarefalling]

My great grandma immigrated from Romania shortly after ww2 officially ended in Europe. Her and her husband met in a hospital and were under the impression that their family was dead, so figured "what the hell," and got married and moved to a country where they didn't even speak the language. (they would later find out that my grandmother left behind 2 sisters who were separated from her but that's not what the story is about).

So, obviously, they eventually get settled in, move around a few times, and get to the point where Grandma is comfortable shopping at her local grocery store without a friend as a translator. Milk, Eggs, and Butter was all she needed. Because both the rationing system in the US was just being lifted, plus the new abundance of wonderful stuff being sold in America that was just never present in her Romania upbringing, she decided to spend extra time looking at unfamiliar things. Things like buttermilk.

Now, buttermilk sounds fantastic if you know nothing about it. It sounds delicious, smooth. The taste of butter with the sweetness of milk. Or perhaps a bottle of liquid gold with the thick and creamy texture of fresh milk. The closet word in Romanian for buttermilk is "zer", which means whey. Not exactly accurate, and if Grandma's translating friend had been present she would have turned up her nose and walked away.

But. Buttermilk. Sounding it out in the store, it sounded like a new and wonderful American dream. Butter and milk combined into one, that could be used as the same.

So she bought it.

That day she also tried a new american product as well, Cereal. Sources conflict on what type of cereal it was, as she claimed it was Cinnamon Toast Crunch (she had dementia later in life and would have a bowl of CTC every day for breakfast) but it was more logically assumed to be some sort of cornflake or the like. According to my grandma, her daughter, it was probably a sort of granola brand that's discontinued now, as that's what she ate every morning.

So she goes home, and pours herself a bowl of cereal with this American product of Buttermilk.

And promptly spits it out.

Assuming she got expired stuff by accident, she promptly drains it in the sink and keeps the glass bottle to reuse. She tells my Great Grandfather what happened that night over dinner. I never had the honor to meet my great grandfather, but everyone's memories of him always seemed to be that of a huge former soviet soldier who would stand super intimidating next to his very tiny wife, ready to beat up anyone who sent her so much a dirty look. He goes with her to the store the next morning, because he wants to see the buttered milk and this amazing American product, and/or yell at the guys responsible for selling his wife expired stuff.

They find it, and grandpa says "Hey, lets open it up and make sure it's OK this time." because you could just do that back then apparently. They do that, and its also "spoiled." They open up three more bottles. All spoiled. They are WONDERFULLY stopped by some lady asking what on earth they were doing with the buttermilk, explained their story, and were HEARTBROKEN to discover that buttermilk is not, milk and butter combined into one fantastic product, but just whey. The image of my great grandfather, the huge man he was, looking highkey disappointing in the letdown of buttermilk always brought a chuckle to anyone listening. The mom and my grandparents share a good laugh at the whole situation, and my grandma buys regular whole milk for the rest of her life. She had her first real bowl of cereal later that day and it tasted much much better.

Grandma passed away 4 years ago yesterday. Her stories of her first 20 years of life weren't always happy ones, but this was one of the few that she would tell to me as a child. Later I would learn unhappy stories, of her family being split up in front of her to free persecution for being a g*psy, for exchanging sexual favors to survive persecution from nazis, to backbreaking work in a work camp in which she sewed textiles. But she would always finish her stories with this one, to make the sorrow sting less.

[the-timeless-founder]

pleaaaseeee i need to know more about the kang sanguine kids (anything you have time for though, no pressure)

AAAAA of course! Talking about those kids always makes me so happy because me and @secretarykang think about this family so much and a lot! I have some headcanons for all of you ❤️

Silas is so proud of having inherited his mother's blonde hair and otherwise looking exactly like his father. Especially since neither of the twins got the blonde hair.

That also means he's super protective of his hair. The one time Dante managed to get under his skin was when he attempted to cut Silas' hair. And then he got the hell beaten out of him by his older brother.

Dante came rushing to his parents late that evening, limping a little from the beating and grinned from ear to ear about having finally angered Silas.

But the fights between these two aren't always this lighthearted. Nor do they end this sweetly.

Dante believes in the new order of things - and as a young lad, he overlooked the importance of his Sanguine blood's knowledge of ancient arts and magic, as well as histories and places.

He and Silas once got into a vicious fight:

"Very well then brother - make due with the writing of history as you can't make it of your own." Dante spat, blind malice dripping from his words in his fury. "I can rest assured you see - that while I'm out there making history, you will be in the halls of the library, writing of my greatness."

Silas' voice was ice itself as he spoke back. "Oh, if only there would be anything worth recording of you, Dante."

It was the worst fight they ever had. Also the one that resulted in them maturing more than ever before.

Needless to say, Saeclus and Devyn intervened before things got out of hand. And both of the boys were grounded. Saeclus was the one who spoke to them individually and had them gain an understanding of each other's situation.

They would reconcile afterward - exchanging silent apologies.

You might be wondering, where does Aurora fit in all these politics? And the answer is nowhere.

Aurora has no interest in family politics - she behaves honorably and proudly as is expected of her, but she wants nothing to do with petty politics. She gladly leaves the handling of politics to her two brothers and instead pursues her true interest: science.

That makes her want to exhaust every resource in her reach for scientific studies. And one of those sources is the Vampire King himself, Karl Heinz.

Silas is the most talented with magic, having inherited his father's attribute for it, and his preferred weapon is a spear. He also rides his own stormbird, Artessa, who's named after his late grandmother Arterailla.

Dante is a natural swordsman, and would easily defeat Ayato in a sword fight. He also has a natural survivalist's instincts and is fiercely protective. He rides his own dragon, Walberg, named after his other grandmother.

Dante's dragon, Walberg, is an exceptional breed between an Adlerland dragon and Vibora one. He tamed him himself - though he had some help from his father - and is really proud of it.

Aurora also rides a pure silver she-dragon named Zola. Her ride isn't as impressive as Silas, nor is it as rare as Dante's, but Zola is everything Aurora likes in her ride so she isn't complaining.

All three of them go riding together sometimes, and they joke around in the air too. Silas and Artessa gracefully dancing around his younger siblings in the air, Dante having Walberg shoot fire at nothing in the sky, and Aurora riding through the flames just because she can.

It's one of their favorite bonding moments. And it gives Saeclus and Devyn a chance to breathe too, so they really encourage it.

Despite all their differences, the three of them are really tightly knit as far as family is concerned. And they love each other and their parents before anyone else.

[fairykukla]

My uncle couldn't read. My grandparents had no idea what to do about it, so they beat him.

It's one of the reasons why my mom became a teacher; she spent her childhood trying to teach her older brother so that he wouldn't get the belt. Her younger brother became a career criminal.

On my father's side, my other uncle was the Bad Seed; he went on to be drafted into the Vietnam war. He later died from complications due to alcoholism. My grandfather was a WW2 vet who beat his 10 kids, drank away his troubles, and died horrifically in a fire he accidentally started while passed out.

My father became a math teacher at his former high school, with a niche interest of computers. He didn't get his autism diagnosis until he was in his early 60s. The family was "shocked." My response was a total lack of surprise.

If he'd gotten the accommodations he needed, he might not have put me through hell.

I do not even want to get into what they did to both of my grandmothers.

My great grandma was a painter who won an award, and was described by her progeny as cold and distant. She was also indigenous, but we don't have information on that at all.

These aren't hypothetical. These are real people. In the 90s, my mom finally got on medication for her anxiety and depression. It made a huge difference.

[cardierreh15]

Unexpected Outcomes

What would you do if your grandparents put you up in an arranged marriage?

**I do not give permission to copy and/or repost my work

Warning 18+: Cursing , Alcohol Usage , Death , Angst .

Pairing: Henry Cavill(Amadeo Alessi) x Nicki Minaj(Anya Harris) No POV

Description: While the Harris family suffers from a huge loss, Anya & Amadeo is less than thrilled to hear about their fate.

Word Count:

"In the beginning…"

The day was beautiful. The sun was shining so bright and not a single cloud were to be found. This was suppose to be a beautiful day. A day that was suppose to be spent sharing laughter and joy. Crisp afternoon air filled the area as tears and dread corrupted the atmosphere. A beloved and staple member of the Harris family would be laid to rest today. Charles Harris. Patriarch, Mob Boss, and father. A vampire of legendary status. The list goes on. Things weren’t the same after his wife passed on before him. They tried to prepare for this day. They just didn’t think it would come so soon.

Anya was standing there, looking down as the beautiful black casket sat at the very bottom of the grave. She let out a shaky sigh as her delicate thumb ran over the soft petal of the rose. She hadn’t cried the whole service, but now— her emotions hit her like a ton of bricks! Thick hot tears filled her eyes and flowed out like water falls. She had brought the rose up to her face and placed a gentle kiss on the petals. ‘I love you papa. I hope you have a safe journey to the afterlife. May you find grandmother and you spend the eternity together.’ And she carefully tossed the rose into the grave.

She had stood there a little longer, pulling out her tissues and dabbing tears to keep from smearing her make up. She still had to make an appearance at the repast. So she had to look presentable.

‘Anya?’

A deep familiar voice called out softly, ‘Your family is about to head to the Estate. Would you like to ride with them or ride with me?’

Her boyfriend of 2 years, Joseph, was standing a great distance from her, but with her vampiric hearing, it was as if he were standing right beside her.

She then turned around halfway, with her hands in her trench coat pockets. It was then where he saw that her cheeks were covered in tears. Joseph let out a soft gasp in surprise and rushed over to her aid. ‘Anya!’ Honestly, in the past 2 years that they’ve been together, he maybe saw her cry a handful of times. So this was surprising for him. But he did also know how much she loves her grandfather.

He’d wrapped her up in a tender hug. And she did not hesitate to hug him back. ‘Are you alright?’ He asked softly as his chin rested atop her head. Her eyes were closed as she let out another shaky breath, ‘Just take me home.’

***

Anya was checking out her outfit in her full body mirror. She wore silky black pants, and a white dress shirt that was cropped a little shorter than the average dress shirt with all black Louis Vuitton stilettos. She gave herself a nod in approval with a smirk before she heard a knock at the door. She listened closely to the other side of the door, she knew that slow heart beat anywhere. And finally, a full smile curled on her full lips. ‘Come in!’

‘Well it’s about time you let me in this door chile. I was ready to get the hell away from those folks downstairs.’ The woman giggled as she walked in, closing the door gently behind her. ‘Well, you’ve invited them mama,’ she turned around to fully face her mother, ‘How are you?’

The woman had seem to be taken back by the question. Like she had to think about it. And honestly, that hurt Anya. It showed her that no one was really concerned about her mother— they should be! It was after all her mother and father that she’d lost. ‘Hmm,’ she looked at her daughter with sadness written in her eyes. ‘I don’t know honey. But I know I will be OK,’ she walked over and placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder in reassurance, ‘Eventually.’

The two women looked at one another before Anya embraced her mother in a hug. They didn’t get to do this often. Anya was always too damn busy helping with the family business, it was a miracle she even had a boyfriend in the first place! Shareese pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on her daughters head. ‘Thank you sweetie. I needed that,’ she sniffed and wiped the corner of her eye. ‘Come on now. Our guests are waiting downstairs. We’ve got some pretty important people showing up today.’

Little did she know, this day— would be the day that changed her life forever.

The pianist was playing All I’ve ever needed by Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed. Everyone had seem to be in higher spirits. Old friends of her grandparents came to pay their respects and tell stories on how they had met so long ago. Laughter traveled from throughout the Estate! From the backyard and the inside of the house. And all of a sudden, Anya didn’t feel too sad anymore but, grateful to have known and loved such a wonderful man. Sure, he was a Mob-boss, and he had enemies— but she knew his heart more than she knew her own. He had made a difference in many lives.

The woman was sipping on a glass of Jack Daniels Honey, when she felt the energy of the place shift. Like people who weren’t suppose to be there… were there. She turned her attention away from Joseph and her siblings to sniff the air. The Estate was 4,700 SQFT, all roaming with vampires and a few humans. But these vampires didn’t smell like the rest.

‘Anya? Are you alright?’ Joseph asked, leaning over to check on her.

She rapidly blinked herself out of a thoughtful daze and looked up at him, ‘Yes. Here, can you hold this for me? I need to go check on something.’ ‘You sure you don’t need me to—‘

‘It’s fine. I got it.’ And she carefully place with drink in his hand, before giving him a soft smile and quickly turning away.

The girl’s smile had quickly vanished as she begun to make her way towards the back door. And as soon as she walked inside, she was hit with a great whiff of their scent. She immediately stopped in her tracks, hissing at their dreadful scent.

The scent of a vampire only grew foul when their diet consisted of majority human blood. You could say, the Harris’ were “vegetarian” and preferred to feed on wild animals. But still, the thought of drinking human blood, was inevitable. It made you stronger. Faster. Smarter. But this way was working for the Harris’.

‘Mmmm,’ she hummed angrily before she started walking again. Her vigorous footsteps could be heard throughout the Estate! It was a miracle she didn’t create creators and cracks with each step. When she finally cut around the stairs, she saw the 5 of them standing in the corridor of her parent’s home. She stopped in her tracks, surprise written on her face.

The Alessis. The Harris’ rival family.

Celestia, the mother of the family, hesitated before walking over to greet Anya. Her long legs carried her fast across the marble floor. The woman took Anya’s hands in hers, and she could tell that there was something— off about all of this. ‘Anya. I am terribly sorry about your grandfather,’ she swallowed before continuing, ‘Even though, our family feud had been something that hadn’t been touched by time— he was a good man. And we saw that, just like your family saw it in Pedro, as well.’ Celestia gave her a gentle squeeze, ‘Where are your parents? I’m afraid business doesn’t stop here,’ and her hands suddenly dropped to her sides.

That probably had to be the kindest thing she had ever heard from the Alessi family. Hell, she was under the impression that they couldn’t be nice at all! ‘Thank you Lady Alessi,’ she bowed her head once before looking back up at her, ‘My parent’s are in their study. You could go there if you please.’

Celestia gave her a simple nod, ‘Thank you,’ and then she turned halfway, ‘Nathan. Come, they’re in their study.’ She then cut her bright blue eyes at her sons and daughter, ‘Boys, — Francesca! You behave and you treat this mourning family with respect while we’re gone!’ The oldest son, the one known as Amadeo Alessi, sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. He looked to the side but I’m just that moment, his father elbowed him in the ribs. He whimpered softly, and snapped his head at him, ‘Obey your mother boy. You 3 better behave, or I’ll cut that damn trust fund!’ And their parents walked up the stairs, and disappeared behind the wooden double doors.

Francesca, was beautiful— she had a smile that was to die for, Dimples and big, blue doe like eyes that could get any man to break for her. The woman favored her mother. From the way she spoke with elegance to the way she dressed. It reminded Anya much of the relationship she had with her own mother. ‘I’m going outside for a drink. You guys comin’?’

‘I’ll go! C’mon. The tension is too damn thick in here!’ The middle child, Anastasio, didn’t look much like either one of his siblings or his parents but deathly favored their grandfather before he passed. His hair was brown, but not as dark as Amadeo’s and Francesca’s, green eyes — he was a bit more light hearted that his older brother and younger sister. Honestly, if it was anyone that Anya did like in that family, it was him.

The two younger Alessi children had walked past her towards the backyard to join the festivities of the repast. So Anya and Amadeo were just standing there alone.

He had made himself comfortable and leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his broad chest. And she had shifted her weight to one leg so her hip was popping out, and her arms were folded as well. They glared at one another. Them disliking one another would’ve been an understatement.

Anya decided to be the adult and speak up first, but her attitude came out before her words did, ‘I guess you still lack manners?’

‘And I guess you still lack sense? Don’t start with me Princess, I’m in no mood for your attitude.’

The sudden bite back caused Anya to let out a soft gasp, ‘Watch your tone. You’re still in my house.’

Amadeo stood up straight with a sarcastic yet, surprised look on his face, ‘Oh? Oh— your house you say?’ He looked up at the ceilings and pressed his lips together.

‘Thats right! My house, and I demand the upmost respect. As I have treated your family when your grandfather passed.’

His sudden laughter, only infuriated Anya more! ‘Girl, this is your late grand father’s home and your parents have opened the doors onto me and my family to come pay our respects. I’m fact, I’d prefer not to be here in the first place—‘

‘So why are you still here?!’ Anya folded her arms across her chest as her brown eyes glared at him with fury.

Amadeo had paused for a moment, clearly uneasy about something. ‘Because I need to find out what’s going on. Our parents have been strangely friendlier than usual. Not cordial, but — too friendly. There’s something going on and I need to get to the bottom of it!’

Well he wasn’t wrong. It was a little bit strange how her mother had embraced his mother in a hug and how their fathers shook hands as if they were long time buddies at the funeral. But then her thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous laughter from upstairs. Her father had walked out of the office and looked down at the both of them. ‘Amadeo, Anya. Come. We have a few things to discuss.’

Anya swallowed her spit and looked back at Amadeo in a worrisome glare. He then gave her a nod and held his hand out, ‘After you. After all, this is your house.’ He teased. Anya rolled her eyes and started to make her way up the steps towards her family’s meeting room.

It was strange, as if this was some kind of dream. His parents were sitting in the two chairs facing the large leather office chair with a glass of whiskey in their hands. They looked more than comfortable. And with the laughs that were echoing around the room, you’d never even think they were enemies at one point.

Anya tried to scope out any clues that would give away their parent’s plans for them. She wanted to know what it was that was so important that made her father invite them in his office like this. His sacred area that he barely even allowed her in. Drinking his aged whiskey in his crystal glasses.

Then her brown eyes flickered to the scattered papers on the mahogany desk. The words that stuck out the most: “Last Will and Testament.” And right beneath it was her grandfather’s name. Before she could ask, Amadeo had spoke up.

‘What the hell is going on in here? VIP party?’

‘For once I’m actually with him on this one.’

The room had seem to shift, with energy. It was unsettling and Anya felt it immediately. The more she stood in the office, the more anxious she had become. It was quiet for what had seem to be forever but really for only 7 seconds.

‘Do you know the history of your grandfather’s kids?’

History?

[heyitsduff]

it's been a week, now, and i think i've probably got my thoughts together well enough to make this post.

i didn't start watching techno or any dsmp member until around early 2021, when the first episode of the great potato war popped up in my recommended box. i watched it. and then i watched the next 2 parts. and soon enough i was neck deep in skywars commentaries and watching a man beat minecraft with a steering wheel.

needless to say i was completely hooked, and i continued watching techno's videos frequently throughout the year. c!techno was my favorite character on the dsmp by far, his was the only pov i even watched most of the time. something about him and his content was just so captivating, it could make something as fickle as my horrible adhd brain settle down and focus for a while, just to watch his vods.

when he told us he had cancer, i was worried, but i convinced myself everything would be fine. after all, he didn't seem too concerned about it, so i shouldn't be either, right?

and that feeling was only strengthened by the next update. they got the tumor out, and he got to keep his arm! of course it'll take a while to recover, but he's in the clear now, right?

i was in the shower when that last video dropped. i went in feeling good, i'd had a pretty nice day and was getting ready to relax and veg out in front of my computer until i decided to go to bed.

instead i, a whole 17 year old male (almost a grown ass man, as my dentist would say) spent the next two hours hunched over sobbing in the bathroom over a minecraft youtuber.

now, i've been lucky enough to not have experienced a death in the family, at least not someone i actually knew, since my great grandmother died when i was in first grade. but that also meant that i hadn't really experienced grief like this before, and i didn't know what to do with myself.

i ended up texting my mom. she was just downstairs, but i don't really like being seen when i'm vulnerable, and i was honestly afraid she'd judge me for getting this emotional over someone i didn't know personally.

but she didn't, thankfully. she said i might not have known him personally, but i knew part of him, and that part was important to me, and its okay to grieve for that. which is the way i've tried to think about this whole thing from then on.

after i was sure i was done crying, i went back to my room and didn't talk to anyone in person for the rest of the night. i needed the time to process, now that the shock was over and i'd gotten the immediate feelings out.

i ended up having a short text conversation on discord with a friend of mine who was also a fan of techno. he said he'd managed to avoid crying, but only because he knew if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. i think that's the most genuine emotion i've ever seen from him. that's how much our minecraft pig man affected people.

i delivered the news myself to my other friend. that was rough.

i think i've let a few more tears flow, a sniffle here and there, since then, but i've been able to return to functioning like normal.

i'm gonna really miss techno. he was someone i looked up to, who i could always count on to cheer me up when i was having a rough day. but i know he wouldn't want me to just sit here in a puddle of my own tears, no matter how much i want to sometimes. hell, he'd probably call me a nerd for getting all choked up again writing this post.

good game, pig man.

gg.