#it’s been so long sage!

[mossytrashcan]

behold… the alina sketch that was promised

[aether-weather]

SAGESUNE MIKU >:DDD

[phoenixcatch7]

Loz fandom stop being angsty and give the daydreaming kids on big fun adventures with a cool glowing sword some actual whimsy and joy challenge

[whosthere54]

Thinking about the duality of endstone reset Icarus “I don’t need to be fixed” Morningstar and third reset Icarus “after learning about me not being, entirely, me I need to work to fix everything I do wrong and fix myself to make up for the fact that it’s me” Morningstar

Just thinking about in the first reset Icarus when under corruption would always insist that they don’t need to be fixed. That this is how they were and nothing could change that. In the third reset, Icarus generally keeps that same mindset- but theres also that theme of fixing. Of them needing to be fixed because something was wrong with them. Of them needing to be fixed because their eye wasn’t *theirs* and that blood wasn’t theirs and-

And their death- being something fixing them. Fixing- getting rid of- the problem. Because they were a problem, and they were supposed to fix those. Icarus’s whole thing about fixing everything they’ve done just proceeds to extend to themself- thinking they need to be fixed that they’re broken or wrong because something in their head doesn’t seem to be quite right even if you ignore the eye not being theirs.

I just. Care. About Icarus and thinking they need to be fixed in particular.

[kenneduck]

Twitter posts about Bazz and Kenne while I get ready for an IRL wedding. 🌸💕

[quilleth]

Bioware made a mistake bringing Isabela back for da4 because like hell she wouldn't tell the entire da2 crew about what's happening with Solas which means they'd all show up ready to curb stomp him about Varric. Even moreso if hawke was left in the fade. That's two of their number down because of this fucker. Also Merrill should get to deck him specifically while also being like "what, like it's hard?" about fixing the eluvian that was blighted and cost her two of her closest childhood friends (potentially), her place in her clan, and her home. Again, going back far enough, because of him.

I just miss them 🥺

[sagesolsticewrites]

Love’s Light Wings: Chapter 3 (“There stays a husband to make you a wife”)

John Brady x Juliet Thompson (OFC)

The day has finally arrived! You are cordially invited to the wedding of Captain John Brady and Juliet Thompson— complete with an abundance of tears, joy, nerves, and Jean Crosby’s infamous martinis.

Word count: 6.2k

Warnings: none, I think? As always, please let me know if I missed anything!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

Hugest of huge shoutouts to @winniemaywebber and @blakelysco-pilot for reading this many many times before I posted it I love y’all 💕 here’s to our girlies!

Masterlist | Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 

Juliet is already up and bustling about her room when her mother peeks in on the morning of her wedding.

“Oh sweetheart, you’re up already!”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Juliet grins sheepishly, fiddling with the pearl necklace laid out on her vanity, “I was too excited.”

That, she thinks, and the pounding headache she’s had since she woke up several hours ago prevented her from going back to sleep— she’s sincerely regretting that last lemon drop.

“It’s a big day,” Her mother smiles knowingly, “just remember the girls will be here soon.”

“Everything’s set up at the hotel, right?” 

“I just called, they assured me everything’s ready for you girls.”

“And the church—”

“John’s mother and I are going to stop in to check everything before we join you at the hotel, yes.”

“But what about—”

“Sweetheart,” her mother steps forward, taking one hand in her own, “breathe.”

Juliet wants to ask about the rest of the preparations— everything has to be perfect— but she closes her eyes, does as her mother asks, and lets her voice wash over her.

“I know that you have a thousand things running through your mind right now,” she says gently, “But I just want you to take a moment.”

Juliet swallows, feeling pressure build behind her eyes as her mother’s voice grows thick, no doubt becoming teary-eyed herself.

“My baby girl’s getting married today—”

“Mama!” Juliet lets out a watery laugh, tears threatening to overflow as she opens her eyes to see tears streaming down her mother’s cheeks, “No, if you cry I’ll cry, and then we won’t get to the hotel at all!”

“I’m sorry, honey, I’m sorry,” she laughs, brushing her tears away, “I just…”

She trails off with a sigh. “I remember how scared you were when he was gone, sweetheart. How terrified you were the day we got that letter… I was so scared of what it would do to you if your boy didn’t come home.” 

“But,” her mother takes a steadying breath, trying to compose herself, “Now here you are. Ready to build a home of your own with him. A life. And I…” she blinks rapidly, and Juliet can’t help but laugh at her attempt to hold fresh tears at bay, “I’m so, so happy for you, honey.”

Juliet throws her arms around her mother, holding her tight as she tucks her face into her shoulder, curling into her like she did as a child.

“Thank you, Mama,” she murmurs into her robe, crying and smiling and feeling a thousand things at once that all culminate into one fierce spark of love.

With one final squeeze, her mother pulls away.

“I’d better let you get dressed, the girls will be here soon.”

Juliet nods, her hand moving to fiddle with the pearl necklace once more. The long list of things she’s worried about, everything that needs to be done on time for today to run smoothly, is nagging at the back of her mind, but she pushes it back for just a moment.

She’s getting married.

The smile on her face still hasn’t faded by the time cars start to pull up to their driveway, and she can’t hold back a squeal seeing her friends make their way to the front door.

There’s a chorus of greetings between Juliet, her friends, and her parents as they’re ushered inside, her mother rushing off to get coffees for everyone as they settle in the living room.

“How are you feeling after last night?” Olive whispers once Mrs. Thompson is out of earshot.

“Like I need lots and lots of black coffee,” Juliet admits, and her friends’ eyebrows shoot up collectively.

“That bad?” Vika asks, frowning sympathetically at her nod.

“It’s getting better,” she assures them, adding with an excited giggle, “Especially once it hit me what today was.”

“Yes!” Jean exclaims, having experience as the one married member of their little group, “How are you feeling, honey, any nerves?”

Juliet’s fingers twist, fiddling with the emerald ring on her left hand as she tries and fails to bite back a smile.

“I just… I can’t believe it’s really happening,” she admits, “I… I had hoped for so long while he was gone, and even before that, but now that it’s finally here—”

Jo’s arm wraps around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. Her friend knew intimately how worried Jules had been for Johnny during the war— Jo’s own sweetheart Robert Rosenthal signing up for a second tour while John had been taken prisoner in Germany had led to the two bonding over their worries for their boys an ocean away— and knew exactly how long she had been longing for this day.

“You deserve it, honey,” Olive says, hazel eyes soft as she reaches for her friend’s hand.

Juliet gives it a grateful squeeze. 

“It’ll be your turn next,” she grins.

“Me and Ev first,” Val chimes in, vibrant green eyes sparkling as bright as the emerald on her finger.

Jules nods, letting out a happy sigh.

“I’m so happy for you girls.”

“Who gives a fig about us?” Jo says playfully, though her gaze is soft as it meets Jules’s, “This is your day, Jules.”

Jules opens her mouth to retort that she, in fact, gives a fig— these girls had become as good as family over the past couple years, their joys and sadnesses shared no matter what— when her mother returns with a tray of steaming mugs.

Several cups of coffee (and a slight lessening of her headache) later, they’re whisked off to the hotel in a pile of chatter and giggles.

“Vika, that color is gorgeous on you!” Val gushes as she finally emerges, the last of the girls to change into their pastel green bridesmaid dresses.

“You all look lovely,” Mrs. Brady smiles from her place on the couch, her gentle gaze sweeping over the girls. 

“Not as lovely as she will,” Olive says after the chorus of thank you and so do you Mrs. Brady, nodding over to the screen where Mrs. Thompson is helping Juliet into her wedding dress.

There’s a beat, a moment where her words hang in the air before Mrs. Brady speaks again, her voice soft.

“She’s been good for my Johnny. And for his father and I, when he was…” She trails off, blinking back tears as she composes herself. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without her.”

The room is quiet, the only sound the occasional rustle of fabric or a soft sigh as each girl listens intently.

“I’ve known my boy wanted to marry her since the moment he told me about this girl who dragged him around to every bookstore in Ithaca. Even just hearing him over the phone, I knew he was head over heels,” she laughs. “And then when I finally met her?” 

Mrs. Brady’s eyes go soft, distantly recalling the first time John had brought Juliet Thompson home.

“That’s when I knew she was the one,” she says with a soft laugh, “When I asked her about her studies, she started talking about some sort of assignment she had regarding Shakespeare, and Johnny— who couldn’t have cared less about Shakespeare, or reading anything for that matter— was hanging onto her every word. The look on his face…”

“I’ll be so proud,” Mrs. Brady murmurs, “to call her my daughter.”

“I know she can’t wait to be part of your family,” Jo smiles earnestly.

“He still gets like that when she talks about Shakespeare, Mrs. Brady,“ Olive giggles, “Even on base, we could tell when he’d just gotten one of her letters. Strong, serious Lieutenant Brady walking around with the silliest grin on his face—”

Behind the screen, the idle chatter of Mrs. Brady and the girls provides a soothing backdrop for Juliet, and their laughter brings a smile to her face as she steps into her wedding dress.

It’s not the first time she’s worn it— her mother had her try it on several times over the course of her sewing and resewing her own wedding dress to be repurposed for her daughter’s big day— but she knows down to her bones that this time is different. There are no pins, no Mama fussing about a seam here or a loose thread there.

Well, there is a little bit of that, but it’s minimal as she pins the darling pillbox hat she’d found with the girls in place, adjusting the veil so it falls just so over her impeccably made-up face. With all the fussing and preparation they've done over the past couple months, Juliet almost expects to see a stranger staring back at her from the mirror.

But it’s just… her. About to be married.

“Oh my darling…” her mother says, meeting her eyes in their reflection as hers well up with tears, “You look beautiful.”

Juliet takes in a shaky breath as she smooths down the full silk skirt, a bundle of tulle forming a sort of bow at her waistline. Her gaze follows the path of pearls up the creamy silk to an illusion neckline, a string of pearls resting at her throat, and something about seeing it through the haze of the veil over her eyes makes it feel that much more real.

She turns to embrace her mother, murmuring a soft and sincere “Thank you.”

Her mother’s arms squeeze tight around her for a moment before she steps back, not wanting to wrinkle the fabric.

“Well,” she says, “Ready to show everyone?”

Juliet and her mother step out from behind the screen, and the room falls silent.

“Juliet…”

Mrs. Brady is the first to break the breathless hush that’s fallen over the room.

“Sweetheart, you look lovely.”

“It’s perfect, Jules.”

“Brady’s gonna be speechless.”

Her heart thumps in her chest, glowing under the praise. She’s glad her friends love it as much as she does, but what she really wants to see is Johnny’s reaction. 

The girls’ voices fade into the background as that thought lingers, and lingers, and—

She blinks, and suddenly her mother is giving her a final kiss on the cheek as she and Mrs. Brady inch towards the door.

“We’ll be back when it’s time to go.”

The moment they’re gone, Juliet collapses into a chair, the full weight of what’s about to happen hitting her all at once.

“Oh gulabo,” Vika turns towards her, eyes wide, “are you alright?”

“Darling, you look like you’re about to pass out,” Olive says, frowning slightly as she peers intently at her friend. “Earth to Jules,” she urges, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Sorry,” Juliet says shakily, pushing her veil back over her head with trembling hands, because even that thin fabric between her and the world feels too confining at the moment, “I just— I’m so nervous.”

“About what, chickie?” Val chimes in, “You’re marrying your boy. Smooth sailing from there!”

“Yes!” Vika says, beaming, “This is the day we’ve been waiting for!”

There’s a clink from the other side of the room, and their attention snaps towards it.

Juliet blinks, anxiety momentarily traded for confusion as Jean produces bar equipment from who knows where, starting the familiar process of mixing her infamous martinis.

“Uhm, where did—?”

“Jo sweet-talked Rosie into convincing the barman to let us… borrow some of his things last night,” Olive giggles over the clinking of ice, “His lawyer charm worked an absolute treat.”

She still has… several questions, but before she can voice any of them, the anxiety returns with a vengeance.

“Here,” Jean says, shoving a glass into her hand, “Drink up, pumpkin. Only half an hour to go!”

Juliet focuses on the cool glass, letting the sensation ground her as Jo helps pass drinks around to the other girls.

“To the Bradys.”

She raises her glass, the words repeating around the room, smiles audible.

A thrill runs up Jules’s spine at the toast, and she smiles into her drink as she takes a generous sip, wincing slightly at the strength of it.

In half an hour, she’ll be Juliet Brady.

“Doll,” Jo rests a hand on her shoulder, “Do you need us to check up on anything?”

“If one of you wouldn’t mind walking over to the church… make sure everything is set—”

“I’ve got it, chicken,” Olive says, standing to drape the silk shawl that matches their bridesmaid dresses over her shoulders. “Anyone wanna join?”

Jules can’t help but grin as Vika eagerly volunteers, and the sound of Olive teasing her about seeing Benny fades as the door closes behind them.

“Tell us again where you’re going on your honeymoon, Jules.”

Jo’s voice cuts through the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, and Juliet feels a blush heating her cheeks as she answers.

“We’ve booked a lakehouse up near Rochester. Ten whole days.”

“That sounds wonderful, honey.” Jean smiles.

“It does,” Val chimes in with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “A whole house to yourself? And on a lake, too, very romantic. Plenty of privacy…” She singsongs.

“You’ll have lots of fun, I promise.” Jean adds with a wink.

“You’re all awful,” Jules giggles, nearly choking on her next sip. “As excited as I am for that,” she says, her blush intensifying, “I’m even more excited to see the house, once we’re back.”

“He got it?!”

“You haven’t seen it yet?!”

The girls’ questions overlap, and it takes Juliet a moment to parse who said what.

“He did. Johnny’s been working on it for a while with my father, getting as much as he can fixed up before we move in” she confirms, sliding into an almost-whine as she continues, “and he won’t let me see it! Says he wants it to be a surprise.”

“He’s probably fixing up a private library just for you,” Jo teases sweetly through a sip of her own drink.

Juliet shakes her head. “Don’t be silly,” she waves the comment away, but can’t help the grin growing on her face. What if…?

She can feel her cheeks heat and pinken as they work their way through Jean’s well-strengthened martinis, and by the time her glass is drained, her nerves are gone, replaced by an all-encompassing giddiness.

And just in time, as a soft rap of knuckles on wood alerts her to someone at the door before it bursts open to reveal her mother, Mrs. Brady, Olive and Vika. They pile into the room, all smiles and— in her mother’s case— eyes shiny with unshed tears.

“It’s time, sweetheart.”

Her eye flick to Olive and Vika, and her dearest friends grin reassuringly.

“The church looks beautiful, chicken.”

“Everything’s ready, Jules,” Vika smiles, her voice sweet and soft, “All we need is you.”

Juliet nods, pushing to her feet. One deep breath in and out as she looks around at her friends— no, her family.

She beams.

“Here we go.”

It’s a short drive to the church, and in no time she’s slipping out of the car and walking up the steps to the side entrance, the girls helping with her short train and her mother clutching her bouquet of gardenias and pink roses.

“I’ll go check in with Johnny and let your father know you’re here,” Mrs. Brady whispers as they enter, giving her hand one last squeeze. “See you later, honey.”

Juliet thanks her softly, and with one last smile over her shoulder, she’s gone.

Their little group makes their way to the small room just down the hall where they’ll wait for the ceremony to start. The church is small, small enough that she can hear the soft chatter of their guests in the main chapel, and butterflies once again stir to life in her belly.

Peeking in the mirror to make sure her makeup is still immaculate, she sees the door open behind her, and she whirls around with a grin.

“Daddy…”

Her father is in his best suit, and his eyes are wide as he takes in his daughter on her wedding day.

He steps forward and pulls her into his chest.

“My little girl,” he whispers, his hoarse voice the only hint of the emotion he’s holding back, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, hugging him tight. Juliet feels tears welling up and rapidly blinks them back as she steps out of her father’s embrace with a watery smile.

She can hear the chatter outside soften slightly, the string quartet and choir start up, and knows that Johnny’s following Father Pat down the aisle, just like they rehearsed. Any minute now they’ll be called for the procession…

Juliet turns back to the mirror for a flurry of last-minute adjustments, tucking away a stray hair here and there, fixing the way her necklace lays against her collarbones, one last affectionate twist of her engagement ring, and she can hardly keep the smile off her face as her mother looks up from her watch to announce:

“It’s time.”

Jules stays tucked just around the corner with her father as her mother brushes one last kiss to her cheek, her eyes keen as if taking in every detail of Juliet’s face before she turns and disappears down the hall leading to the main chapel. The music rises and falls as the large doors open and then close behind Mrs. Thompson.

The girls flutter around her one last time, fussing with her train and veil before they, too, line up with their respective men— Benny and Vika looking not at all upset, if a bit shy, that they ended up paired together— and disappear into the chapel.

Now it’s just Juliet and her father, and he’s looking at her with an indescribable emotion on his face— as if he’s seeing all the hers she’s ever been.

The little six-year-old begging for another story at bedtime, wide green eyes and a trembling lip drawing another fairytale out of him.

The ten-year-old listening rapt as he read A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud, giggling and starry-eyed and believing wholeheartedly in fairies.

The teenager accumulating a more impressive collection of books than even he could have imagined, carefully nurturing an appreciation of Shakespeare he’d planted himself alongside a newly-developing thirst for romance.

The near-grown woman, smiling bright as the sun at the prospect of attending Cornell, ready to take on the world and then some.

“Ready, my Juliet?” is all he says as they wait for the doors to open once more.

Juliet beams up at him, forcing back the pressure behind her eyes— she refuses to have ruined mascara on her way down the aisle— and nods.

And then the doors are opening, revealing the chapel resplendent with white streamers and fragrant with gardenias, the few modest rows of friends and family and neighbors turning to look as she enters, but there’s only one face she cares about.

Juliet’s eyes lock on John Brady standing at the end of the aisle, finding his gaze as easy as breathing. He looks… positively awestruck, an adoring grin spreading across his face, and she can’t stop smiling back, lovely, bright, heart achingly sweet happiness bubbling up inside her at the sight of him standing proud in his dress uniform at the end of the aisle.

The world shrinks until it’s just the two of them, Canon in D a sweet victorious hymn in the background— he made it out, made it home to her, made it back to a place where he could put the war behind him, they made it. 

Through separation and war and uncertainty and worry and fear, they made it. 

The tears well at her lashline, threaten to spill over, but she holds them back as best she can until she catches a slight change in the music. Her eyes flick to Olive, whose teary eyes are now bright with proud mischief, then back to her Johnny as the song shifts to something it takes her a moment to recognize.

The tears spill over her cheeks as soon as her brain fills in the lyrics to a song she shouldn’t know, but has felt a connection to since the moment her friend played it for her.

Can I go where you go?…

The world is hazy through her veil, and blurry through her tears until she blinks them away to find herself standing barely a foot away from Johnny. Surprise and fondness sparks through her when she sees that his own blue eyes are shining with tears as her father presses a final kiss to her cheek and presses her hand into John Brady’s.

She knows her boy will take care of her. She knows her father knows that too, but it warms her heart all the same to see John give a solemn nod to Mr. Thompson as his hand envelops hers, his face— for the barest flash of a moment— as serious as the day he went off to war.

She passes off her bouquet to Vika, and turns back to him smiling.

“Hi,” she breathes, a greeting for his ears alone. She wants nothing more than to kiss him senseless, but she can’t… not yet.

“Hi,” he whispers back fondly, that crooked grin she adores widening as his eyebrows lift slightly in amusement. 

The priest allows them this small moment, giving them an indulgent smile before— finally— beginning the ceremony.

Juliet does her best to memorize every detail of the hour-long ceremony, but afterwards she’ll admit it’s all a blur until the moment Benny gives John the rings.

She remembers every second after that for the rest of her life.

She remembers seeing Johnny’s smile through the haze of her veil, Father Pat’s friendly rumble faded to background noise as he asked him to vow for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?. She remembers the surety in her soon-to-be husband’s voice as he replied “I do”, the weight of the simple gold band sliding to join the emerald on her ring finger.

She remembers Father Pat asking her the same— for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?— and the “I do” that tumbles out of her almost before he’s finished speaking, prompting a titter of fond laughter to echo through the crowd of guests.

She remembers his hand, warm and strong and scarred and sure in hers as she slides on his own wedding band.

They’re pronounced man and wife, and Johnny can finally lift the veil over her head, and�� oh.

She understands now, why at every wedding she’s attended here, the bride seems to be hit by a wave of sudden emotion after her veil is lifted. There’s something that rocks her to her core about seeing the world through a haze and it only being lifted once they’ve promised themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.

Johnny’s beaming, his eyes soft as he takes her in properly. His thumb strokes gently along her cheek, his gaze almost greedily snatching at the details the sheer fabric was hiding from him. 

And then he’s leaning in, and her husband is kissing her, soft and chaste and sweet in front of all of their loved ones, and something warm blooms in her chest as she smiles into the kiss, something that tells her this is only the beginning of a very happy new chapter.

Her parents, Mrs. Brady, and the bridal party linger for pictures on the church steps after the guests file out— Juliet makes sure to get a picture of her and the girls together, demure smiles abandoned in favor of outright beaming at the camera.

Once the pictures are done, the whole group is whisked back to the Thompson home. Her mother bustles off to the kitchen, Mrs. Brady hot on her heels, while John and Juliet field congratulations from neighbors and family and friends— only a handful of people, all things considered, but everyone they deemed important.

As somewhat overwhelming as all of it is, Juliet can’t stop smiling, nodding and thanking everyone for coming. Meatball’s arrival— courtesy of Mrs. Demarco, who had volunteered to keep an eye on him at home so he wouldn’t cause any havoc at the ceremony— provides a welcome reprieve, the husky eagerly greeting the new faces as Benny’s mother offers her congratulations and goes to find a well-deserved glass of champagne.

Everyone settles at the mismatched tables in the backyard, covered with every scrap of respectable linen Juliet and her mother could scrounge up. The warm, sunny afternoon is a perfect backdrop as the toasts start.

Her father’s makes her cry, her giggles morphing into tears as he reminisces on the fine young lady his daughter has grown up to be, slipping from jokingly threatening John to wishing them the happiest of lives together. Mr. Thompson is a fairly stoic man, but Juliet can just barely see the telltale sheen of unshed tears as he raises a glass in their direction.

“To the bride and groom.”

The toast is echoed by their guests as her father returns to his seat and the groomsmen take turns speaking. Despite the tradition of speeches being limited to just the best man and maid of honor, both Juliet and John thought it was only right for all of their friends to have the opportunity to speak if they wished.

All five of them— Benny, Ev, Dougie, Rosie, and Croz— are surprisingly sentimental, each of them taking a moment in their own way to tell the newly proclaimed Mr. and Mrs. Brady how happy they are for them— they all know how long Brady had waited for this day, and to see it realized, to be there to celebrate with him, was an honor and a joy they tried their hardest to put into words.

Seeing the grateful smile on her husband’s face as they speak, Juliet feels a wave of fondness rush over her— as awful as the war was, it gave both of them some very dear friends on the other side, and she’s sure neither of them would change it for the world.

Speaking of very dear friends…

Vika steps up first, a shy smile on her face as she speaks about their childhood friendship, reconnecting as adults, how even with how long she’s known her, she sees Juliet at her absolute happiest when she’s with John.

“I hope that never fades,” she concludes, raising her glass in a slender hand, “And may we all be lucky enough to find a love like yours.”

Olive comes next, her speech sprinkled with Shakespeare references as she talks about a friendship built on pages sent across oceans.

“Brady lit up when he first told me about his girl who shared a name with one of Shakespeare’s heroines, and I was so excited when he offered to send along an essay for me— thanks for letting me take up so much space in your letters, Brady—” the Brit adds with a wink, “I was more than happy to talk about tragedies with you, Jules, but I’m over the moon seeing you get your well-deserved happy ending.”

Jean steps up with a sweet smile as Olive returns to her seat. She talks of friendships forged in worry and wartime, and reminds Juliet that should she need anything— there’s something fierce yet soft in her gaze that tells Juliet she truly means anything— she’s only a letter or phone call away.

Jo’s next, reminiscing on their time spent distracting each other from the ever-present worry of the past couple years, building a lifelong friendship in the process, and echoing Jean’s reminder that they’re there for anything. “Especially if you’re itching for another ride on the Cyclone,” she laughs, “And that goes for you, too, John.”

(John shakes his head vehemently, still smiling, and Juliet makes it her mission then and there to get her husband on that rollercoaster at least once).

Val brings the speeches to an end, all sweet Brooklyn snark— “still can’t believe Brady landed someone as sweet as you, Jules, have you seen how grumpy he is in the mornings?”— laced with the genuine, infectious  joy they’re all feeling today.

Juliet frantically dabs away another round of tears, blowing kisses to each of her friends as the speeches come to an end. She’d left the option of speeches open to all of them, of course, but she hadn’t anticipated…

Johnny squeezes her hand, and she turns to see his sweet smile. His blue eyes are soft as he lifts her left hand to press a kiss to the back of it, and she thinks she might actually burst from the amount of love she feels in that moment.

The sweet moment is interrupted by motion out of the corner of her eye, followed by soft gasps and murmurs from their guests, and she turns to see her mother wheeling the cake over to their table, a bright, proud smile gracing Helen Thompson’s face.

Juliet’s jaw drops as she takes in the tiered confection, elaborately decorated with thick cream frosting. She’d told her mother it didn’t need to be anything fancy— the simple lemon cake from her childhood was all she’d really pictured— not wanting her to save their sugar rations just for this, but…

She scrambles out of her seat and races to her mother, Johnny following close behind as she pulls her in for a fierce hug.

“Mama, it’s wonderful. Thank you so, so much, it’s just perfect, how on earth did you manage this?”

“It was nothing, sweetheart,” Mrs. Thompson says modestly, eyes flicking between her daughter and her new son-in-law, “You deserved nothing but the best on your wedding day.”

“It’s wonderful, Mrs. Thompson,” John says, “Thank you.”

Her mother beams in thanks, and gestures them closer to the table.

“Oh, go on and cut it already— but wait for your father, he wants to get pictures!”

The newlywed Bradys take up the kitchen knife that’s been set beside the cake and— exchanging a smile— carefully cut into the bottom tier, pulling out a small slice. Juliet grins when her husband holds his fingers to her lips, accepting the small bite that Johnny pinches off the slice for her.

She happily does the same for him, and— oh, she can’t resist. 

With a giggle, she smears the bit of frosting left on her finger onto the tip of his nose. The moment of pure shock on his face is well worth his revenge when she ends up with a matching dot of frosting on herself.

Her own shock is wiped off her face as her grinning husband swoops in to kiss her. She smiles into the kiss, tasting lemon and sugar on his lips as their guests cheer.

Her mother soon reappears, shooing them back to their seats with slices of cake so she can commence distributing the rest to the guests. They happily oblige, feeding each other bite by bite until nothing but crumbs remain and Juliet’s head is deliciously fuzzy with champagne and sugar.

Which makes it that much easier for her husband to pull her onto the little section of grass they called the dance floor, Juliet fighting back a blush as she’s pulled into his arms for a slow dance. A few of their neighbors with musical talents had happily offered their services for the reception, and it's thanks to them that John can twirl his bride around the floor to his heart’s content as the tempo picks up and their friends join in.

The improvised band returns to a slow song, and Johnny’s arms wind around her waist to pull her close. Face tucked against his shoulder, she looks out at their friends— Benny and Vika chatting at a table nearby, the Crosbys, Rosie and Jo, Ev and Val surrounding them on the grass… She catches Olive’s eye, swaying nearby with Dougie, and beams, reaching out instinctively for her friend. Olive’s neatly manicured hand clasps her own, and she gives a soft squeeze, hoping that tiny action conveys even a fraction of the gratitude she feels. 

When they first started writing, she couldn’t have imagined how close she’d become to the sweet English girl an ocean away— a lifetime away— helping keep tabs on her Johnny. She adored Jo and Jean and the rest of the girls equally, of course, but Olive’s updates— even after Johnny had gone down— were a large part of the reason she hadn’t gone completely out of her mind with worry. Any news that came from Olive came in the guise of soft conversation with a friend, rather than those dreaded stoic telegrams, and it was… easier, somehow.

Olive squeezes back, hazel eyes glinting with happiness, and with one last knowing smile, they each return to their respective partners. 

Goodness, she can’t wait for their wedding.

Her husband catches her attention with a gentle squeeze of her waist, and Juliet pulls back to look up at him questioningly.

“I’m glad I got to introduce you two,” he smiles, nodding towards Olive, “Even if those essays did take up far too many of my letters.”

“Me too,” Juliet replies, adding teasingly, “And you hush, I know you read them too.”

“Maybe a few,” Johnny admits, “Still didn’t understand a word.”

“Better get used to it, sweetheart,” Juliet beams, “You’re stuck with me now.”

He leans in, smiling against her lips.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Mrs. Brady.”

Their guests slowly trickle out after the cake and dancing, and soon it’s just her family— both biological and found— milling about to clean up the backyard. She can’t help but giggle at the various scoldings from the girls to “Be careful!” as the boys gather what the Thompsons deem their “good plates” to be returned to the kitchen, and something warm settles in her chest, seeing all of her friends milling about her childhood home— all the people she loves in one place. 

Once the last of the tables have been put away (that is, returned to their various neighbors, with profuse thanks for allowing them to borrow them), Juliet finds herself standing beside the gardenia bush she’d planted below her bedroom window.

“Everything okay?”

She turns to see Johnny making his way over to her and smiles in spite of herself.

“I’m fine,” she assures her husband, “just… taking a moment before we start getting ready to leave.”

He nods, looking up at her window as he stands beside her.

“Good thing you won’t have me tossing rocks at your window to sneak you out of here anymore.”

She blinks, unsure of where that came from. Yes, that was something that had happened when they first started dating… more often than she cared to admit, but what did that have to do with now?

John turns his gaze to the blooming gardenia at their feet.

“This poor fella would’ve been trampled to bits.”

Juliet giggles, “I’ll admit I wasn’t thinking about that when I planted it here. I just liked the smell— I couldn’t bear the thought of it being gone when we converted the garden.”

He smiles, leaning down to gently pluck a blossom from the bush.

“We’ll plant as many as you want at the new place,” he murmurs, tucking the flower carefully behind her ear.

She beams, a thrill running through her at the thought that after the celebration, after their honeymoon, they still have a home to set up —to make their own.

“I can’t wait.”

Soon Juliet is whisked off to change, her dress tucked carefully into a garment bag to be kept safe at her parents’ home until after the honeymoon.

Her husband— husband, husband, husband, the word fills her with sunshine every time she thinks it— stands smiling at the bottom of the stairs as she descends. She slips her hand into his, and together they run out of her childhood home in a shower of rice. They pause before entering the car waiting at the end of the walk, and Juliet turns back. Grinning, she tosses her bouquet blindly, a few stray petals fluttering to the ground as it sails through the air and is caught by Val.

Her friend beams, a wide red-lipped smile stretching across her face as she glances towards Ev, green eyes sparkling like the emerald on her ring finger.

Juliet blows the girls a kiss, squeezes her parents tight one last time, and slips into the car, John closing the door for her before running around to the driver’s side.

Waving frantically until their friends fade from view, the car is silent as they drive unceremoniously past the tiny town limit sign. Juliet turns to look at Johnny— and beams when she sees he’s already staring at her.

She’s already said it a thousand times today, but she can’t resist repeating again.

“I love you.”

His reply is the same as it’s been the other thousand times, as though he’ll never tire of saying it— though this time there’s something tacked on at the end that makes her feel warm all over,  like she just swallowed sunshine.

“I love you, too, Mrs. Brady.”

[serenhob]

I did.....something

[britishchick09]

welcome fern :)

[leftysage]

Fnaf movie was so freaking good you guys. It wasn't perfect, but it was everything I wanted as someone who's been a fan since the beginning.

[trans-rights-coastalmangoes]

always kinda frustrating going on dating apps seeing people describe themselves as crazy/insane or looking for crazy/insane ppl

like ok do you mean you can come over and hallucinate in my living room while i cook you dinner and we can play video games even when i can't stop talking/yelling at myself or we can leave a function early if one of us is starting to have an episode and it'll be fine actually

or do you mean you're abled and looking for someone who likes going out a lot or youre looking to violate each other's boundaries unapologetically and ew you're not actually crazy like those rambling weirdos

[fiepige]

Hobie Brown variant OC:

I finally decided to make Symbiote!Hobie (nicknamed SH by Hobie, which over time turned into Sage) his own thing, cause I've made so many changes to him that I've decided he's just gonna be another version of Hobie from another dimension.

I basically came up with him when thinking about what it would take for Hobie to truly bond with a symbiote and this is what I came up with.

While he's technically Hobie too I'm gonna refer to him as Sage in this post to avoid confusion <3

Gonna start with his appearance and then move on to his origins and how he got involved with the Spider-Society:

Disclaimer: I cannot draw so I haven't even attempted at drawing his face cause I know I'd never be able to draw him in a way I'd like- So I did the next best thing:

(He has a normal face I just tried to find a way for me to draw him without drawing his face lol)

Pictured above is Sage and his symbiote K.A.T (and their symbiote form- yeah it's the same as Venom!Hobie cause I like the design lol)

He looks like Hobie but younger- he's around 11 when he's bitten by the spider and fused with K.A.T - he's around 12 when he gets introduced to the Spider-Society

He's got short hair as it was completely shaved off when he got caught by Oscorp - more about this under his origins - he wants to let it grow out after meeting Hobie and being inspired by his approach to his looks (he really looks up to Hobie but don't tell anyone I said that!)

His left iris is white as a result of the symbiote DNA being fused to him. He can make it match his right eye if he concentrates but only really bothers to do so if he feels it draws too much attention

After meeting Hobie he helps Sage get a few piercings of his own

He usually wears a hoodie and/or a mask to hide his face - he's super paranoid and does his best to hide himself from others

Never goes anywhere without his noice cancelling earmuffs - he's got enhanced senses due to his spider powers but they can be a bit of a nuisance since he's also sensitive to loud noises due to his symbiote...

He also usually wears sunglasses to shield himself from sensory overload as he was subjected to it a lot as part of the experiments he was put through at Oscorp - and thus getting his senses overstimulated can result in panic attacks, so he does what he can to avoid it + it hides his eyes as well

K.A.T (Killing Authority-opposing Targets) is Sage's symbiote

It usually stays hidden unless they're alone or around people they trust/already knows about its presence.

If it does show itself it'll usually stay on Sage's shoulder or sit in his lap, it's still tethered to him so it can't go that far without him - not that it really wants to anyways

The reason K.A.T takes this form is that Sage is a cat person and it used it as a method to make him like it more when they first "met" + petting it helped Sage calm down and still does

K.A.T is still made of the same goo as regular symbiotes so it does not feel like petting a cat at all- Sage doesn't mind but most other people get suprised when they first touch it

If it likes someone it'll rub itself against their legs and mimic purring noises - if it dislikes someone it'll hiss and arch its back at them

K.A.T is a more animalistic symbiote and mainly communicates with Sage by letting him feel its emotions instead of speaking to him

To avoid making the post even longer than it's already gonna be I'll link to this post where I go into more detail about the design of thier Symbiote form instead of describing it here too ^^'.

This was originally supposed to be a short summary but I've realised I'm incapable of making short posts when it comes to stuff like this:

Origin:

Sage is a younger version of Hobie Brown. (11 years old when bitten by the spider and fused with his symbiote)

Sage and K.A.T "met" at one of Oscorp's labs

He was living as a homeless kid (having escaped an abusive household a few months prior)

He was bitten by a radioactive spider while looking for a place to spend the night.

He got very sick from the bite and was easily captured by Oscorp goons looking for new test subjects in the streets

Despite his young age Sage is a more ruthless Hobie variant, in part due to his upbringing and due to his symbiote (and the trauma they both go through at the hands of Oscorp)

K.A.T was a new kind of experimental symbiote that was set to be terminated due to it killing all its previous hosts - Sage was their last attempt at fusing it with someone

They decide to fuse it with Sage as he was deemed indisposable due to him seeming more dead than alive - suffering from the venom of spider bite at the time - and thus it wouldn't be a problem if the symbiote killed him too

Since the spider bite was still changing his DNA as he got fused with K.A.T some of its DNA got fused with him as well as a "side effect" during the process

Due to this it's incredibly hard (if not impossible) to seperate the symbiote from Sage without severely hurting them both

His body develops organic web shooters when it fuses with K.A.T - the webs are black and can be shot from either of his 4 arms when in his symbiote form (they can also be shot regularly while in his human form)

Sage develops enhanced senses and a taste for human flesh after being fused with K.A.T - he also has enhanced senses from the spider bite - making it easy to overstimulate his senses and overwhelm him before he learns to get it more under control

Since Sage's gotten powers from both the spider bite and the symbiote they quickly become the subjects for many inhumane and painful experiments as the scientists futilely try to figure out how to replicate the symbiote (as they're unaware of the spider bite, thinking the symbiote alone is behind Sage's new powers)

The main scientist behind the experiments is this dimension's version of Peter Parker!

Sage eventually manages to escape the lab during one of their many tests- killing as many guards and scientists on his way out as possible - and eating some of them as well

As a result of their treatment at the lab + his past with his abusive foster family, both Sage and K.A.T have developed a deep distrust to other people - at this point they both consider the other their only friend

Sage goes back to living as a homeless kid, avoiding people as best as he can, but he's also got an insatiable taste for human flesh as well!

He will usually target anyone associated with Oscorp when he's hungry (if none are available cops are the next best thing- his dimension is just as corrupt as -138 Hobie's dimension)

He doesn't feel bad about killing but will still try not to harm civilians (emphasis on try- sometimes the hunger gets the best of him)

Due to his senses being extra sensitive + his paranoia from his experiences at the lab and his foster homes, he tries to avoid crowded and noisy places - This all leads to him being more active at night while he usually tries to lay low and hide during the day.

He lived like this for months until a certain event changed that:

First encounter with the Spider-Society

Sage's dimension is blacklisted meaning people from the Spider-Society aren't allowed to go there (cause a spider-person who's embracing their symbiote instead of resisting it is deemed unsafe by Miguel and thus best to be avoided)

Sage does still get introduced to the spider-society albeit through a rather unconventional way:

- One day a portal opens up and pulls Sage through it, sending him to another dimension as an anomaly

Having no idea about what's going on, and being scared and confused about the whole situation, he does his best to lay low and avoid other people.

Because of this he spends a lot of time in the other dimension before the society discovers signs of an anormaly - glitched objects like seen when Kingpen uses the collider in itsv, or the museum that the Vulture appears in in atsv

Sage eventually has his first run in with other spider people when his hunger gets the best of him and he becomes more careless as he turns into his symbiote form to go look for prey

Here he encounters Gwen and Peter B as they're looking for the anomaly causing things to glitch out in the dimension

Not knowing he's a spider person and an actual child, Peter and Gwen attack him as they always do with anomalies - it also doesn't help that Sage doesn't exactly look friendly when in his symbiote form.

He fights back cause these masked people attacked him for no reason so they must be bad guys and of course he's gonna defend himself - it also doesn't help that he's starving and thus not thinking clearly at this point.

Unfortunately for him, these guys have high frequency equipment to deal with symbiotes and thus they manage to subdue him, but not before he manages to fight back, revealing his organic webbing which tips Gwen and Peter off to him having spider powers as well

He's subdued and forced into an electric cage (which brings back a lot of unpleasant memories from his time at Oscorp) and sent to the Spider-Society afterwards

When he arrives at the Society he quickly gets overstimulated and has a panic attack and lashes out in a desperate attempt at escaping his electric cage - also seeing the face of the scientist who tortured him for months everywhere certainly didn't help

Gwen then uses a high-frequency device made to combat symbiotes to force him to revert back to his human form

She immediately recognises him as a young version of -138 Hobie

Her and Peter both panic cause 1. They realise they basically beat up a kid and locked him up. 2. That kid has a symbiote! 3. That kid is a younger version of another spider-person they both know (and who they both know has a very long and strained history with symbiotes!)

Miguel gets involved and a discussion begins about whether they should try and seperate Hobie (Sage) and his symbiote

- The other spiders mean well by this but Sage and K.A.T both panic at the thought of being separated - at this point they really view the other as their only friend as it's been them against the world ever since they fused

Sage, still panicking, tries to protest but they won't listen as they view him as a kid who doesn't know what's best for him

Sage is taken to the room with all the villains while they discuss what to do with him

Here Margo sees Sage and K.A.T comforting each other, K.A.T manifesting physically in Sage's lap, being hugged tightly by Sage as he promises it he'll never let anyone separate them

Seeing this, Margo takes pity on them and 'accidentally' sends them home before the other spiders get a chance to try and remove K.A.T from Sage.

Relationships with other spider-people

Some time later Sage has an encounter with Hobie who found out about the whole mess - despite Miguel ordering Gwen and Peter not to tell him

While Hobie isn't exactly a fan of symbiotes he first and foremost sees Sage as a traumatised homeless kid in need of safety and stability

Hobie offers Sage to stay at his boat whenever he wants (as long as he promises not to eat anyone while he's there), he also gives him one of his bootleg watches so he can come and go as he pleases (and explains that he can also use it to get home to his own dimension if he's ever unwillingly sent to another dimension again)

Sage declines at first but over time he slowly opens up to Hobie and begins to trust him

(He also secretly looks up to Hobie once he trusts him, cause who doesn't? He's an older version of himself who's got a place to call his home, one that he opens up to strangers in need such as himself, he uses his powers for good and not just to survive. He's not afraid to be who he is and draw attention to himself - something Sage has been too afraid to do ever since his time at Oscorp. He's got friends and people he trusts. - all things that Sage wants too but doesn't believe he'll ever have) Also he'll never admit that he looks up to Hobie but he can tell anyways

Hobie's the one that gives Sage his nickname, it started as SH but over time it turned into Sage instead, though he doen't mind being called Hobie as well, it's just easier to go by Sage when both he and Hobie are present.

He still doesn't trust people, especially not the Spider-Society after their first meeting, which made it very awkward when Gwen showed up to visit Hobie while Sage was there - luckily Hobie managed to interfere before they beat each other up too much...

(He trusts Margo a bit as well since she 'saved' him from the Spider-Society - also it's nice to be around someone who doesn't smell like food since she's an avatar and not made of flesh and blood)

He currently lives at Hobie's boat, switching between it and his own dimension as he pleases

Hobie did his best to hide it but he was rather freaked out by K.A.T's presence in the beginning, he did his best to supress it cause he genuinely wants to help Sage

Hobie mentors him in how to use his Spider Powers and tries to give him a moral compass to at least prevent him from eating civilians when he gets too hungry - He usually targets cops or people working for Oscorp but the hungrier he gets the less picky he is

Another reason Hobie took him in is because he knows ostracising someone won't make them a better person and while Hobie doesn't believe in deciding what's best for others he still knows life will be a bit easier for Sage if he doesn't just kill whoever he wants whenever he wants - impulse control is important when you have a cannibalistic symbiote in your body.

- Hobie still dislikes symbiotes but he respects Sage's choice to keep his and does his best to help him control some of the more violent urges that come with a symbiote.

Hobie introduces Sage to his punk ideologies and slowly introduces him to the punk community

Hobie also introduces him to some of his friends but it's a slow process due to Sage having a hard time trusting people - especially spider-people after his Spider-Society encounter

Some of the spider-people also have a hard time opening up to him because of his symbiote

But Hobie's good at making a safe space for Sage to feel like he can slowly start to open up to others

For the first time in years Sage feels like he has someone (besides K.A.T) he can trust and over time he starts to view Hobie as his older brother

And that's that folks! (at least for now)

To the one person who actually bothered to read all of this - know that I'm infinitely grateful that you took your time to read about my boy <3

- I initially tried to keep this short but I gave up cause Sage has been living rent free in my head for weeks and it feels so nice to finally flesh him out and write about him!

You know I couldn't resist making my first oc angsty - but at least he ends up doing better than where he started.

Hopefully you guys like him too! If you have any questions please let me know, I could talk about him forever <3

[pnsge]

so… moving day, huh?

[mantisclass]

2024 self shipping community is just 2017 kin community but for your comfort characters instead

[xiiistruggle]

holy water, 25000 gold worth of diamonds, and a ninth level spell slot? a small price to pay for astarion being able to walk in the sun.

[sage-reads-things]

She's still blushing like crazyyyyyy I love it <333

But genuinely, this must be such a sweet gesture from Mutsumi's point of view. The whole date, she was having fun with Taiyo by doing couple-y stuff at the amusement park, but she was also spending most of it taking charge: she showed up to save him, worked around his bumbled attempts to be romantic, and generally guided him through the whole thing. She probably had the same goal as Taiyo (have fun on a date), but unlike Taiyo, she went in assuming that it wasn't a DATE date. So the rose catches her completely by surprise because she wasn't expecting him to do anything overtly romantic. When was the last time she was able to be caught by surprise, and by something so endearingly mundane at that?