#i know she can snap me in two

[empresskadia]

you ever just lay on the floor and think about Kelly? Bro she’s so cool

Also it’s totally the nerd and bias in me but I feel like she’d love to have a scientist as partner. But more like the mad scientist type that goes out and does field work. May I make request for that???

*DRAMA GASP WITH SLOW TURN OF HEAD* oh, boy, do I. Kelly is one of the best girls. I think you will enjoy her chapter of Gentle Touches when it comes out, but in the meantime, it would be an honor to write this-

Of course, she wouldn't say no. Sure, any of the ODSTs or Marines would have been given the mission, but what was she supposed to do with downtime if you weren't around? Draw on John's face while he slept? Push Fred down the ship's air vents to see how far they went? Those were all good for a laugh, but she couldn't just let such precious cargo be left to the non-spartans, what if something happened? Regardless of whether the area was clear or not, she'd learned the hard way that everything could go wrong in seconds.

It was one thing to trust the ODSTs and Marines with a secure area, but the Covenant were unpredictable, and surprises were a given. So, when you asked for her company on the surface, there was no way she would refuse.

"I appreciate you being willing to come," Your voice carried through the pelican as you sat by her side, fiddling with the datapad in your lap. Kelly adjusted her armor, double-checking the seals and running through a mental checklist. It was muscle memory by now, but habit kept her thorough.

Every mission was critical, and every movement had to be precise. No matter if this was a route fieldwork assignment, she had to be prepared in case something was to happen or to protect you. "I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble without me. Who else is going to keep you out of it?" Her voice held a lightness to it, one she only ever used with the other Spartan and now you.

Spartans weren't known for their jokes, but Kelly had a way of keeping things light, even when things got heavy. It was one of the reasons you liked having her around. She kept the tension at bay while still being razor-sharp when it counted.

Plus, it was a bonus to have your girlfriend interested in your work, especially when you outfitted them with semi-banned explosives. Kelly glanced at you as she finished her armor checks, her visor reflecting the dim light in the pelican's interior. "Remember, if anything goes wrong, just follow my lead," she said with a grin. Not that you could see but had the feeling she was. "And try not to blow anything up until I give the signal."

"Can't make any promises," you replied, a smirk playing across your lips. You knew your girlfriend had a penchant for being fast and stealthy, while you leaned towards big and explosive. It made for an interesting dynamic, to say the least. Especially with your head being in the lab most of the time creating things to give the UNSC the upper hand, you had made an impression on the Spartans. One that got Linda-058 to lovingly name you a 'death tech' as they liked to say, and Fred-104 never let you forget it.

The Pelican jostled as it entered the planet's atmosphere, its engines flaring as it made its descent. The slight turbulence made you grip your datapad a bit tighter, while Kelly seemed unfazed, her armored hand reaching over to give your thigh a gentle squeeze and left her hand resting there. It was a small comfort, but it helped.

"You alright?" she asked, her voice crackling through the internal comms. Her visor was angled toward you, and even though you couldn't see her eyes, you could sense the concern. You gave her a short nod and a thumbs up, closing your eyes for a moment as the Pelican swiftly descended.

"Touchdown in three," the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. Kelly released your thigh and stood up, her movements fluid and controlled despite the heavy armor. You secured your datapad and double-checked your sidearm, more so to ease your girlfriend's mind. "Touchdown," the pilot announced as the Pelican settled onto the ground with a soft thud. The ramp lowered, letting in a rush of cool, humid air. Beyond was the dark, dense forest that surrounded the drop zone, it was eerily quiet, minus the occasional bird chirp and humming of bugs.

"Ready?" Kelly asked, checking her weapon one last time while extending a hand to help you off. You nodded, sliding the datapad into your pack and taking her hand. She pulled you to your feet with ease, her hand never leaving yours as she did a quick sweep of the area.

"Lead the way," you replied, squeezing her hand. She nodded and stepped off the Pelican, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. You followed close behind, your eyes scanning the treeline for any signs of movement but ultimately felt relaxed.

After all, if anyone would protect you with their life, it was her.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

MARVEL RIVALS NEW SEASON DROPS ON MY BIRTHDAY LETS FUCKIGN GO????????

[acourtofquestions]

Rowaelin Chapter 41 Kingdom of Ash:

She'd rebuild it—what she had been.

Perhaps one last time, perhaps only for a little while, but she'd do it. If only for Terrasen.

Rowan swooped from the mast, shifting as he reached her side at the rail. He surveyed the night-black sea beyond them. "You should rest." She slid him a glance. "I'm not tired." Not a lie, not in some regards. "Want to spar?" He frowned. "Training can start tomorrow."

"Or tonight." She held his piercing stare, matched his dominance with her own.

"It can wait a few hours, Aelin."

"Every day counts." Against Erawan, even a day of training would count.

Rowan's jaw tightened. "True," he said at last. "But it can still wait. There are ... there are things we need to discuss." The silent words rose in his animal-bright eyes. About you and me.

Her mouth went dry. But Aelin nodded In silence, they strode into their spacious quarters, its only decoration the wall of windows that overlooked the churning sea behind them. A far cry from a queen's chamber, or any she might have purchased as Adarlan's assassin.

At least the bed built into the wall looked clean enough, the sheets crisp and stainless. But Aelin headed for the oak desk anchored to the floor, and leaned against it while Rowan shut the door.

In the dim lantern light, they stared at each other.

She'd endured Maeve and Cairn; she'd endured Endovier and countless other horrors and losses. She could have this conversation with him. The first step toward rebuilding herself.

Aelin knew Rowan could hear her thundering heart as the space between them went taut. She swallowed once. "Elide and Lorcan told you... told you everything that was said on that beach."

A curt nod, wariness flooding his eyes. "Everything that Maeve said." Another nod.

She braced herself. "That I'm-we're mates."

Understanding and something like relief replaced that wariness. "Yes."

"I'm your mate," she said, needing to voice it. "And you are mine."

Rowan crossed the room, but halted a few feet from the desk on which she leaned. "What of it, Aelin?" His question was low, rough.

"Don't you..." She scrubbed at her face. "You know what she did to you, to ..." She couldn't say her name. Lyria. "Because of it."

"I do know."

"And?"

"And what do you wish me to say?"

She pushed off the desk. "I wish you to tell me how you feel about it. If…"

"If what?"

"If you wish it wasn't so."

His brows narrowed. "Why would I ever wish that?"

She shook her head, unable to answer, and stared over her shoulder toward the sea.

It seemed like he would close the distance between them, but he remained where he was.

"Aelin." His voice turned hoarse. "Aelin."

She looked at him then, at the pain in his words.

"Do you know what I wish?" He exposed his palms, one tattooed, the other unmarked. "I wish that you had told me. When you realized it. I wish you had told me then."

She swallowed against the ache in her throat. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Why would it ever hurt me to know the truth that was already in my heart? The truth I hoped for?"

"I didn't understand it. I didn't understand how it was possible. I thought maybe ... maybe you might be able to have two mates within a lifetime, but even then, I just ….." She blew out a breath. "I didn't want you to be distressed." His eyes softened. "Do I regret that Lyria was dragged into this, that the cost of Maeve's game was her life, and the life of the child we might have had? Yes. I regret that, and I wish it had never happened." He would bear the tattoo to remember it for the rest of his days. "But none of that was your fault. I will always carry some of the burden of it, always know I chose to leave her for war and glory, and that I played right into Maeve's hands."

"Maeve wanted to ensnare you to get to me, though."

"Then it is her choice, not yours."

Aelin ran a hand over the worn wood of the desk. "In those illusions she spun for me, she showed me variations on one more than all the others." The words were strained, but she forced them out. Forced herself to look at him. "She spun me one dreamscape that felt so real I could smell the wind off the Staghorns."

"What did she show you?" A breathless question.

Aelin had to swallow before she could answer. "She showed me what might have been—if there had been no Erawan, if Elena had dealt with him properly and banished him. If there had been no Lyria, none of that pain or despair you endured. She showed me Terrasen as it would have been today, with my father as king, and my childhood happy, and..." Her lips wobbled. "When I turned twenty, you came with a delegation of Fae to Terrasen, to make amends for the rift between my mother and Maeve. And you and I took one look at each other in my father's throne room, and we knew."

She didn't fight the stinging in her eyes. "I wanted to believe that was the true world. That this was the nightmare from which I'd awaken. I wanted to believe that there was a place where you and I had never known this suffering and loss, where we'd take one look at each other and know we were mates. Maeve told me she could make it so. If I gave her the keys, she'd make it all possible." She wiped at her cheek, at the tear that escaped down it. "She spun me realities where you were dead, where you'd been killed by Erawan and only in handing over the keys to her would I be able to avenge you. But those realities made me ... I stopped being useful to her when she told me you were gone. She couldn't get me to talk, to think. Yet in the ones where you and I met, where things were as they should have been ... that was when I came the closest."

His swallow was audible. "What stopped you?"

She wiped at her face again. "The male I fell in love with was you. It was you, who knew pain as I did, and who walked with me through it, back to the light. Maeve didn't understand that. That even if she could create that perfect world, it wouldn't be you with me. And I'd never trade that, trade this. Not for anything." He extended his hand. An offer and invitation.

Aelin laid hers atop his, and his callused fingers squeezed gently. "I wanted it to be you," he breathed, closing his eyes. "For months and months, even in Wendlyn, I wondered why you weren't my mate instead. It tore me up, wondering it, but I still did." He opened his eyes, and they burned like green fire. "All this time, I wanted it to be you."

She lowered her gaze, but he hooked a thumb and forefinger around her chin and lifted her face.

"I know you are tired, Fireheart. I know that the burden on your shoulders is more than anyone should endure." He took their joined hands and laid them on his heart. "But we'll face this together. Erawan, the Lock, all of it.

"We'll face it together. And when we are done, when you Settle, we will have a thousand years together. Longer."

A small sound came out of her. "Elena said the Lock requires—"

"We'll face it together," he swore again.

"And if the cost of it truly is you, then we'll pay it together. As one soul in two bodies.

Her heart strained to the point of cleaving. "Terrasen needs a king."

"I have no intention of ruling Terrasen without you. Aedion can have the job."

She scanned his face. He meant every word He brushed the hair from her face, his other hand still clasping hers to his chest, where his heart pounded a steady, unfaltering rhythm.

"Even if I had my choice of any dream-realities, any perfect illusions, I would still choose you, too."

She felt the truth of his words echo into the unbreakable thing that bound their very souls, and tilted her face up toward his. But he made no move beyond it.

She frowned. "Why aren't you kissing me?"

"I thought you might want to be asked first."

"That never stopped you before."

"This first time, I wanted to make sure you were ... ready." After Cairn and Maeve. After months of having no choices whatsoever.

She smiled despite that truth. "I'm ready to be kissed again, Prince."

He let out a dark chuckle and muttered, "Thank the gods," before he lowered his mouth to hers.

"You're my mate." Her words were a breathless rush. "And I am yours."

The world might have been burning around them for all she cared, all he cared, too.

"Together, Aelin," he promised, and she heard the rest of the words in every place their bodies joined. Together they would face this, together they would find a way.

Together we'll find a way, their mingling breaths, the crashing sea, seemed to echo.

Together.

[todayisafridaynight]

plane scene is so funny cause why is mine a sleeper agent that wakes up whenever daigo is mentioned

can’t wait to see it in dragon engine :3

mine has been the winner for Funniest Character Imaginable for 15 consecutive years and i have yet to see anyone come close i fear

[cyarskj1899]

They done found the man from Meg’s documentary who said that Tory should’ve aimed higer ! He said that in his work uniform and what’s crazy is, that video didn’t even have that many views so the fact that Meg & her team still saw it and put it in the doc😗. His page is locked now! Fuck him up and make his life miserable 😏😂

[cyarsk52-20]

this is nice and all but mind you last week he was defending deshaun watson bc ppl booed him for being a serial rap*st. you don’t care about women.

[loumauve]

I snapped today at work, and by snapped I mean I politely commented on a help desk ticket by summing up an mess of an (type of) issue that's come up for at least the fourth time in the 2+ months I've been managing user accounts, and asked the person responsible to fix it (himself for once) because last time I fixed his mess-up it took me two whole days to work out the details with at least four other colleagues from different departments and I really don't want to do it again. there's other shit that needs doing, I've been working 10+ hour days for most of this week already, so I need to cut down not add on more.

(good thing tho - at least we managed to fix the issue where the dataset of a newer employee got mixed up with another one of the same name and therefore wasn't able to apply for any of the access/accounts she needed. technically not entirely my area but it does impact us not being allowed to create an account for her so I figured I might as well track that issue down. took three days and at least three other people, but hey - it should all work out now. yay for that)

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Thinks about how Anti-Mabel was kicked out of her dimension for being 'so evil'. Thinks about how desperate she was to take over the life of the original Mabel. Thinks about how there's a Dipper out there who was created as a means of replacing the original and just thinks Mabel is the coolest ever, and would probably adore and support any version of his sister, even the most evil version of her.

Thinks about how they're both. Like. Thirteen-year-old kids. Sure, one's apparently the most evil Mabel in existence and the other's just hated for his cool guy swag, but they're kids. Do you think either of them thinks about their twin in passing, and realizes how much they miss them and will probably never see them again? Or if they do, they won't be the specific version of themselves that the twin actually cares about?

Is anyone listening to me??

[liazrad]

GRRRRR I HATE IT HERE I HATE LIVING WITH MY DAD AND STEPMOM IT'S THE WORST!!!!! I AM FUCKING MISERABLE.

[dreamydadie]

axel who isn't into dancing and probably isn't really all that good at it (with how she was the only one not doing it compared to everyone else in that one scene lmaoo). and then there's julia who probably has all the popular dances memorized and follows all the trends of it on tiktok.

[scarletwitch1918]

Today was the second birthday this year of a friend that I thought I was really close with that i didn’t get invited to

[cyarskaren52]

[xxplastic-cubexx]

friend notoriously bad at videogames said shed play marvel rivals with me tomorrow chat if i never post after tomorrow night its because a blood vessel bursted

[whereisthedamndaddymanual]

Look I don't know what the fuck antarctica is.

It's like stuff your ass ain't surviving past though

[todayisafridaynight]

i have to drive for like two hours tomorrow and all i can think of is old people

[cyarskj1899]

The producers knew they ate when they added that in there. and in both of these losers are still locked up. as we say, won’t he do it?