#minimum city the return trip

[nickfowlerrr]

Would you rather:

Walk in on dbf!Lee pleasuring himself to your pictures or have Bucky go into Winter Soldier mode while he’s fucking you 💞

it's no secret

pairing: dbf!lee bodecker x curvy!reader

warnings: 18+ only. reader is at minimum 25 but there's still an age gap. male masturbation. unprotected smut. lee being referred to as "daddy". honestly not as nasty as i was originally imagining this to be, and not as forbidden as most dbf tropes should probably be lol sorry.

words: 3.7k

notes: i was gonna say bucky, i really was, but then i got to thinking, and suddenly my fingers got to typing, and now here we are lol. pls enjoy.

thank you in advance for reading! comments and reblogs are always welcome and so appreciated.

You were essentially blackmailed into coming along on this weekend trip to the family cabin by your dad. A promise that he wouldn't tell your mom about your holiday plans, and how they didn't involve you coming home this year, in exchange for your presence on this "family" trip. 

Unfortunately, your father failed to mention the last minute change of plans that included a few more people than you were prepared for staying at the cabin with you. 

Your room was yours, but all the other ones were now taken by family friends; some you knew, and some you'd only just met. As annoyed as you were at the number of people around, the presence of one in particular kept you from loading up your car and faking a work emergency to head back to your apartment in the city.

Lee Bodecker was a relatively new friend of your dad's, but his impression was lasting to say the least.

He was tall and thick, had a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones, gorgeous blue eyes and the beginnings of crow's feet around them that only added to his attractiveness; you couldn’t deny that his age and respectability were part of what held your attention. His chestnut hair was dark with gray that shone through around his hairline and the badge he wore on his belt caught your eye, too. A sheriff. Hm. He had this air about him, this unspoken confidence and a powerful, authoritative presence that had you just a little more than interested in the man.

You had met a few weeks back at your dad's birthday party. He had caught you staring at him from across the room as he spoke to a group of people crowded around him, while you were sitting on the couch alone, nursing your soda and watching the party go on around you.

You hadn’t meant to stare, didn't even realize you were, until his sapphire eyes met yours. The twitch of a smirk playing on his lips as he returned your gaze sent a thrill up your spine, but you simply looked away, taking a sip from your drink as you crossed your legs and got more comfortable on the sofa.

You felt his eyes on you for a moment longer before the heavy weight of his gaze fell away. It wasn't long after that that a heavy weight soon fell next to you on the loveseat. 

Most of the guests, and your parents, were drunk as the party continued all around you, no one paying much of any attention to you or Lee as you sat right up against one another.

You set your drink on the side table before you turned slightly with a raised brow to your unexpected company.

“Hope you don’t mind me comin over, darlin’,” he began easily, “you looked a little lonely sittin here by yourself.”

His arm moved to stretch across the back of the couch, inviting you in closer to him than you already were.

“Did I?” you questioned. “Well, I appreciate you tearing yourself away from your enraptured audience just to offer me some company.”

You and Lee spoke for a long while, his charm effortless, his hand wandering, and that damn lopsided smirk never faltering as he flirted and teased you with fleeting touches… his big, warm palm sliding up your exposed thigh, under the tight material of your dress in a game of chicken until he was reluctantly pulled away from you by the badgering of your dad and his drunken friends, needing Lee to recount the story you were sure they’d all hear a million times by now. 

You had had enough yourself for one night, so adjusted the hem of your dress that would have been riding up your thick thighs regardless, and grabbed your purse and keys.

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” you said as you moved past him to get to your dad first, needing to say your goodbyes to your parents before you left.

“You will,” Lee rumbled in his reply, his voice a little deeper now than it had been earlier as he watched you walk in front of him, the view leaving him licking his lips as he fought to keep his hands to himself.

And he was right. 

You weren’t expecting him to be here this weekend, but you definitely weren’t complaining. 

All day had been spent with you both stealing glances at one another and trying repeatedly to get close, only for someone to come by and ruin any chance you had to even speak. 

It wasn’t until that night that you finally had some alone time with Lee.

Your parents were leading a hike up the mountain to see the stars that everyone wanted to join in on. Everyone but you two.

Lee had said goodnight to the group as they started getting ready to take off while you hung back, making sure everyone had everything they’d need. You helped spray your mom’s friend’s kids with bug repellent and double checked the flashlight batteries on the bigger lights before giving your portable phone charger to your dad, just in case, before the group of them left for their hike.

You were surprisingly giddy as you watched them all take off down the path. You waited a few minutes, making sure no one was gonna change their minds about the long night hike and turn around. You did a quick look around the cabin to ensure it really was just you and Lee and when you were satisfied, you went to your room to change into something more…easily accessible. 

You fussed over your hair needlessly for a minute in the bathroom before adjusting the straps of your night slip.

As you padded down the hallway from your room to the one Lee was staying in, you slowed when you heard noise coming from his direction.

The closer you got, the more the anticipation built as you realized what it was you were hearing.

Lee’s grunts and moans filled the empty hallway and had your pussy fluttering as your heart pounded. You squeezed your thighs together in an attempt to ease the growing desire but it did little to satisfy you as his voice only rose. 

When you were at the door, you realized that it wasn’t completely closed. He’d left it ajar.

You saw the glow of his phone from over his shoulder as he sat on the opposite side of the bed, facing away from the door.

You didn’t have to guess to know what it was he was doing, his fist moving tortuously over his thick cock as he pumped himself. It did surprise you, though, when you made out what it was he was looking at; more aptly, who he was looking at.

You recognized your picture from your private instagram account, the one you kept family off of. It was for your sexier pictures, the ones you didn’t always feel comfortable posting on your main. You’d followed Lee from that account the day after you’d met, your mom had posted a picture from the party and tagged him, among others, in the group pictures, and you took the opportunity as it was presented to you.

You’d messaged each other when you got the spare chance, exchanged numbers, and talked more these past weeks. So much so, you had even told him you were going to be out of town for this trip this weekend. 

The cocky smile he wore when he saw you this afternoon let you know why he hadn’t decided to share that he’d be here too. The look of surprise on your face was exactly what he wanted to see.

He’d tried to set up a time to see you in the time between your meeting and now, but you were always busy when he was free and vice versa. Honestly, a part of him was worried if you knew he’d be here, you would’ve found a way out. 

God, was he wrong. 

You’d been desperate for this man since the night you met him.

As you pushed the door further open, you couldn’t help but admire his form. He was naked as he sat on the edge of the bed, the muscles in his solid back flexing as his strong arm moved up and down while he stroked himself.

You didn’t even realize you were breathing heavier as you inched closer, his moans the only thing you could focus on now.

Lee could sense you coming up behind him, he heard you when you pushed the door open, and now he was really putting on a show for you. He wanted you to know exactly what you did to him, with just a goddamn photo. He wanted you to hear how fucking good you make him feel without even having to have his hands on you. 

You aren’t thinking as you climb onto the bed, crawling closer to him until you're against him entirely. You take a second before you allow your hands to touch him, slipping them up his back, over his shoulders and down his chest as he purrs, leaning back into you.

You’re mesmerized by his movements, his fist pumping over his leaking cock as he keeps his eyes on his phone, your photo taking up the screen as his mind runs wild with all the things he wants to do to you. 

“As good of a picture as that is,” you speak headily in his ear, causing goosebumps to break out over his skin, “I’m sure I can do more for you in person.” You smile as he licks his pink lips, taking his phone from him before gently tossing it up the bed.

“‘Bout damn time,” he responds gruffly, turning to capture your lips in his as he lets go of his cock. He holds your head with one hand as he threatens to consume you with his kiss alone.

He then reaches his arm down and takes you by the waist as he moves to lay down on the bed in the same moment, everything much more hurried now as he urges you to move on top of him.

Lee is completely naked as you straddle him, your night slip raised over your hips to allow the position. 

“Fuck I’ve been picturing you like this since the night of your dad’s party,” he said as his hands moved from your thighs, up your hips, and under the slip to push it up your body further.

“Let’s not talk about my dad right now,” you rasped before you allowed him to raise the slip higher, finally pulling it over your head and tossing it to the side.

“How pissed do you think he’d be if he knew his precious daughter was seconds away from riding his friend’s cock in his own cabin, huh?”

“Lee, please,” you moan with a pout.

He chuckles as he reaches a hand up from your hip to your breasts, pinching a nipple meanly as you whine, moving your hips over his to no avail. He keeps you exactly where he wants you.

“You made me wait, it’s only fair, darlin’,” he smirks, clearly enjoying himself.

“You’re gonna be left waiting even longer if they get back soon,” you try to argue.

“You think I won’t still fuck you if your parents are here?” he asks as he takes hold of his cock again. You move your hips, trying to make it easier for him to position himself as he moves his dripping cockhead up and down your slit. You moan helplessly as he rubs against your clit, leaning over him as you urge him to just put it in already. His tauntings aren’t doing anything to help, either.

You can feel his tip at your entrance as you feel his lips against your ear, 

“Let your dad hear you screamin’ daddy,” he growls as he thrusts into you at last, a wanton moan escaping you as your hands find purchase on his shoulders. 

He growls again as your walls grip his length. He holds you there for a long moment as you adjust to his intrusion, his fingers digging into your fleshy hips.

“God, you feel so good,” you whimper before you begin to move atop him, his hands leading your movements.

Your head falls back in pleasure as you ride him, the way he fills you up, a delight you don’t think you’ve ever experienced. 

Lee watches you with heavy lids, his blue eyes dark with unrestrained lust. He lets you take control as you move your hips over his, chasing your own pleasure as each move stimulates your clit.

He can’t stop himself though, eventually his hips jerk up into you, causing you to clench around him, your hold on him tightening when he begins fucking up into you with abandon.

You fall onto him with a cry as he grips your ass almost painfully.

The first slap he lands is sharp and stings but has your walls gripping his shaft even tighter.

“You like that, baby?” he snickers through a moan as you babble mindlessly, his cock still thrusting into you as his hips never slow.

The second slap burns more than the first but Lee quickly follows it up with his palm massaging the sting gently as you moan meekly.

“Daddy asked you a question, darlin’,” he taunts as his pace slows. The drag of his cock is still long and deep, though. He ensures you feel every inch of him as he slides in and out of your cunt. 

“Yes,” you answer as you pick your hips up and down, wanting it harder.

Another slap has you gasping as you peer up at Lee. Your mouth goes dry at the look in his eyes as his hips stop moving entirely.

“Yes, daddy,” you murmur as you hold his stare.

A growl ripes from his throat at your words as he holds your waist tightly, flipping you so you’re on your back as he hovers above you.

The sight of Lee between your legs sends a new wave of slickness to your pussy as you relax into the bed with a pleasured sigh.

He positions himself at your entrance and slides right in, pulling you closer by your hips as he thrusts into your wet heat.

He groans as he leans over you, looking down at your exposed body.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?”

You’re stunned at his words. You knew he was attracted to you, duh, but there was something so genuine about the way he said it. It sent a flutter to your belly as you couldn’t do anything but stare back up at him with doe eyes as he fucked you so perfectly.

You reached up and pulled him down to you, crashing your lips into his as your response. He licked into your mouth and you let him dominate the kiss as you followed his lead.

He finally broke it when you were both nearly out of breath. 

“Goddamn perfect,” he husked as he leaned back up, rolling his hips into yours, his cock sliding right against the spot you most wanted to feel him. He groped your breasts, kneading them with his large hand, playing with your nipples as he growled and groaned, his touch and filthy sounds only spurning you on further.

“Lee,” you whimpered, grabbing at him as your walls tightened, that coil in your belly tightening more and more with his every thrust.

“‘M right there, baby. Right there with you,” he huffed, “just a little more.”

“Please,” you breathed, your eyes squeezing tightly as you tried to hold off your orgasm just a little longer, “please, Lee.”

He grunted, hands gripping your hips tight enough to bruise as he fucked your harder, stretching you delightfully. 

“Please come with me, Daddy, please,” you begged, earning a deep thrust and a symphony of sinful noises and curses from the man pounding into you. Another harsh thrust had you nearly squealing as you finally came around his thick length, the hot pleasure shooting through you before crashing down wave after euphoric wave as your body tensed and shook.

Cries of pleasure and his name like a prayer left your lips as your walls milked his cock, his come filling you up as he let himself burst inside of you. The hot, thick ropes of his release hitting your walls had you squeezing him tighter as you whimpered beneath him.

As you began to come down and tried to regulate your breathing, his hand on your face had you opening your eyes before they closed once more as he pressed his swollen lips to yours. The kiss was slow and deep as his hips slowed and stilled against yours while your hands found his face in return, holding him to you. His cock softened and slipped out of you, causing you to murmur into the kiss at the loss of him. He smirked against your lips before he ended it, pressing his forehead to yours instead as you breathed each other in. 

You peered into his eyes as he stared down at you.

There was a softness in his gaze that you swear could’ve had you melting into the mattress right then and there.

He smiled at you and you couldn’t help but return it as you smiled demurely back.

Your thumb mindlessly stroked his cheek before he nuzzled into your touch. Lee let his body lay down next to you on the mattress, holding your hand against his face and pulling your body closer to his with his free hand.

He sighed contentedly as you turned into him. 

“Was the wait worth it?” you asked softly.

He looked to you, squeezing you just a bit tighter, “Well worth it.”

You laughed, “Good. I’m glad. We’ll have to do this again sometime,” you simpered, pushing off of him, turning back to get off the bed.

“Where do you think you’re goin’ sweetheart?” he said, stopping you from leaving.

“What, I can’t stay in here. My mom’ll realize I’m not in my room and freak out. She’s paranoid about me being taken by some mystery monster up here, has been since I was a kid,” you reminisced. 

“Darlin’,” he drawled, rolling over you once again, “I think she already knows you’ve been taken by the monster,”

You laughed as he attacked your neck with kisses, holding you close to him. 

“Oh, and you, Sheriff, you’re the monster?”

“Mhm. Prepared to take her daughter away to his lair. Keep her all to himself,” he murmured against your skin.

“Well, for what it’s worth,” you said, running your fingers through his short hair, “I don’t foresee her putting up much of a fight.”

You could feel his smirk before he pulled away to look you in the eyes once again. 

“I am serious, darlin’. I think she already knows we may be up to something.”

“How would she possibly know that?”

He sighed, turned and layed down next to you again, “I asked your dad for his permission before I tried to ask you out the other week.”

“What? You did?” you asked in disbelief, “and he said yes?”

“I was as shocked as you are,” he smiled. “He asked me the other day at work how it went and when I told him we hadn’t been able to set anything up, he invited me here this weekend.”

“Ah,” all the pieces were connecting now as you let out a breathless chuckle. “Hm.”

“There a problem with that?”

“No,” you shook your head, “no, I just. I don’t normally tell my parents about the people I see until things are, uhm…serious, I guess?... And I mean, this was great, I would absolutely love to do it again,” you smiled, “but, uh, what exactly are we doing? Just so we’re on the same page, so we know where we stand.”

“Sex is great,” he agreed, “but I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t hoping for more.”

“More as in, like, dating?”

He turned to be face to face with you before he spoke, “That was my intention.”

You nodded then, fighting a bigger smile from breaking out across your face. 

“Okay,” as you spoke, you could hear the front door downstairs open. Your eyes went wide as your head shot to the still open door of the room, “Shit. Well for now, I’d prefer my parents not know I desecrated their beloved cabin by getting creampied by their friend in the bed that they paid for,” you whisper ranted as you clamored off the bed and pulled your night slip back on. You were about to rush to the door, trying to beat them up the stairs as Lee sat up and leaned against the headboard, watching you, quite entertained by your frantic state before you stopped in your tracks, turned around and padded back over to him, “I’ll leave my door open, but you’ll have to wait until my parents shut their light off if you want round two,” you whispered, kissing him gently before slipping away just as fast, shutting his door behind you. All he could do was smile, still basking in the afterglow and the idea of what was still to come.

It was an hour later, after your mom had checked in on you - a habit from the past twenty something years since they’d bought the cabin - and their lights went out across the hall, that your bed dipped as Lee quietly crawled in beside you.

His arms wrapped around you, his lips pressed against your ear,

“You said somethin’ bout round two. Much as I loved hearin’ you moan for me, let’s see how quiet you can be for Daddy.”

You whimpered almost inaudibly, but Lee heard it anyway, his large hand coming up to your throat, instantly causing you to get even more wet for him as he squeezed ever so slightly.

“You gonna be a good girl for me, baby?” he prompted, a wicked smirk on his lips as he pressed his boxer cover erection against your bare ass.

Your voice was a pathetic whisper as you pressed back against him,

“Yes, Daddy.”

[justenjoythegossip]

WHAT ABOUT NOW ? DO YOU SEE HOW COMPLICIT CHRIS IS?

Very quick recap of recent events: Some very staged pics of Chris & Abba in Lisbon surfaced yesterday at approximately the same time, hours after some good old classic teasing and trolling. The previous weeks, we had a few interesting events that all seemed to point to a possible (but unlikely) separation: a sight of Chris’ doppelganger with no ring, Abba on a ski trip with her friends without her ring, Chris posting Dodger in MA for Valentine’s, Chris posting pictures of himself in LA without his wife, the very questionable Medium article about their alleged split… 

Chris’ participation in the latest silly stunt & the point of recent events..

I know a big chunk of his fandom has given Chris the benefit of the doubt since the start of this shitshow. Chris liked to joke that he is quite the “meatball” but as RDJ his frequent costar has said, he is very “shrewd”. And I believe it’s now pretty obvious Chris knows exactly what he is doing and he is more than complicit in those PR games. 

Chris came back to Instagram just in time for the Back Friday, with a very different grid and a much more professional account. When he posted that story of his beloved dog Dodger running in the snow on Valentine’s eve, it was the FIRST time he had posted a private moment since his return to Insta. The first time and it wasn’t random. He then posted 2 pics of him with the Russo brothers that were taken a month prior to their being published. A month before and it wasn’t random! 

The optics were pretty obvious, he was showing himself to be alone. He was selling a narrative. Alone on Valentine’s day. Alone at a party in a city where his wife says she lives. Oh and by the way, his kinda wife did pretty much the same thing at the same time, showing herself on a ski trip without her ring. It was a concerted effort as both sides worked IN UNISON to paint the picture of a possible separation as a misdirect. 

And to that, let’s add the super sketchy Medium article that discussed their alleged split. I wrote a post about it if people want to check it out… https://www.tumblr.com/justenjoythegossip/742890431073992704/will-albas-immaturity-racism-and-alleged?source=share

The role of that questionable Medium article in that latest stunt…

I strongly suspected his team was behind that article. But now even more so and for several reasons. First of all, that article supported the exact same narrative that Chris & Abba were selling at the exact same time. I have difficulties believing in a coincidence. Obvious plants in the fandom made such a big fuss about this article while being very adamant about not having written it. Both DM & ENTY (overkill much?) pinned this article on “crazy fans that took it too far”. Last but not least, the article was posted online 3 days before team PR blogs mentioned it. So his team knew about it. And I strongly suspect that they would have had taken that article down if they had wanted to. But they didn’t. 

What was the goal then? Well I don’t need to tell you that given how staged those Lisbon pics are, they were planned for some time & curated (oh yes, Abba’s movie is coming out soon but surely another coincidence). Chris, Abba and their teams knew it was coming, so by breadcrumbing and hinting at a separation, what they did was to ADD SHOCK VALUE to their latest stunt. To get people more excited. To have their emotions run as high as possible. 

Because let’s be honest, what they just did is basically “same old, same old”. So that narrative of a separation helped achieve maximum impact with minimum effort.

Team PR’s role in this latest stunt and the lies they are currently selling…

By drawing so much attention to that sketchy article, Team PR blogs tried to give Chris & Abba’s separation as much hype as they could. Kudos to them for still lying with a straight face. But I guess it’s easier to do that when you are sitting behind a keyboard. https://www.tumblr.com/justenjoythegossip/737798414679605248/pr-spin-credibility-of-team-prteam-real-and-the?source=share

So now after the pics of Chris & Abba in Lisbon, they are selling more lies, but the 2 key ones being that:

The pics are either old and or fake because they are photoshopped and they don’t mean anything

Abba is the one that photoshopped the pic with Chris’ side unaware of it. 

There is a lot to unpack here and to debunk so I am sorry I’ll try to be as succinct as I can. Let’s state the obvious, Chris is the powerful Hollywood star while Abba is a no-name actress from a small country. She is not in charge of anything, his team is likely in command while she is kept on a short leash. She isn’t even allowed to speak in public (remember the GQ event). So to claim that Abba is pulling the strings is absolutely ludicrous. Having said that, neither Chris or Abba is running this shitshow. CAA is most likely in charge. 

Also even if you believe that the pics in Lisbon are fake (more on that later), it doesn’t make one bit of a difference but it does mean something (more on that later as well). There is absolutely no way that either Abba’s side or Chris’ side would leak anything, especially pictures without the other side knowing about it and approving it. If either one of them made the mistake of being seen somewhere when they are supposed to be someplace else, the house of cards would fall down. These people do know how to disappear when they want to or to be seen when they want to. So again, regardless of what you believe of those sights in Lisbon (real or not), Chris was complicit. Without a question. But Team PR blogs always try to soften the blow by presenting Chris as a poor innocent victim to make him look more sympathetic and they present Abba as this arch-villain trolling Chris’ fandom. Their constant lying serves one main purpose: to distract from the actual truth. So let’s spell the truth out. Chris and Abba’s shitshow isn’t over. They lied. Once again. Chris is more than a willing participant in those despicable PR games and Abba is not in charge.

The necessary discussion about Photoshop and the reasons for its blatant use…

I definitely dreaded talking about Photoshop because this subject tends to trigger people, and also because Majorscammer has turned that topic into a complete joke. Since I’m not a tech person, I will discuss it strictly from a PR/marketing standpoint.

Digital retouching is used all the time to try to make a product more appealing to the public so that they buy it. It’s no different in PR. Sometimes, an actress might want a slimmer waistline, an actor who is super self-conscious about his age next to his teenager looking wife might want some wrinkles erased or a fuller set of hair. Photoshop does not equate fake. Sometimes they are just slight (or big) alterations but it’s still very real. 

One friend who is a tech guy did tell me that sometimes when you use AI to alter a picture, you get “weird” mistakes in the pic. So again, the weird digital retouching in a pic might be totally organic. But obviously most of the time, it isn’t organic. And indeed, a pic can be badly altered on purpose because it serves a clear purpose. And agencies do use badly photoshopped pictures as an efficient tool in a PR strategy all the time for the simple reason that it’s meant to get people to talk. It is supposed to drive traffic and feed the discourse.

So again, I won’t discuss whether one pic in Lisbon might be old while the other might be legit or not but seems to have many issues. Why? Because it’s pointless as there is no way to know the truth and more importantly it serves as a distraction. The point is, the truth is right in front of our eyes. They are still selling the narrative that they are a married couple and they use cheap tricks to keep the fandom engaged. 

Chris’ love/hate relationship with his fans and the evil/corrupt tactics in the PR strategy

Chris has very often said that he has the best fans and that he loves them. But I would argue that his relationship to his fandom is far more ambiguous that he would care to admit. We have witnessed a few hints that would suggest that Chris doesn’t value his fandom as much as he should. Scott made certain remarks where he definitely threw his fans under the bus. Even recently on a podcast this past summer. There was also an interaction on Twitter between Chris and Yvette Nicole Brown where Chris thanked her. It was right after Chris & Abba’s first papwalk. And Yvette made some very negative comments about Chris’ fans that were totally over-the-top and unhinged. 

But more importantly, I would argue that actions speak a lot louder than words. And what has Chris signed on? A PR strategy that involves teasing his fans, trolling them, toying with them, manipulating them, gaslighting them and more disgustingly villainizing them. He can claim that “the industry makes you do things you don’t want to do” all he wants but it’s a rationalization. The truth is many of his peers haven’t resorted to such despicable tactics.

Many people have claimed that he has looked ashamed as hell when he was next to her. People have speculated that it was likely because she is a fat shaming, racist, antisemitic, arrogant Nazi sympathizing yacht girl but I don’t think so. I think he has looked embarrassed because of the optics of their relationship, because he looks so much older next to her. This is probably why they were wearing masks for their first papwalk, why all the content that comes out is so heavily curated, why he didn’t want to walk the red carpet with her for the Ghosted premiere etc. Why do I say that he is not ashamed of her Nazism? Well, for the simple reason that he and his team chose her and they very likely knew who she was from the very start. Abba was in a (PR? Real?) relationship with Lucas Bravo before she was linked to Chris. And Lucas and Chris share the same publicist: Meghan. It’s not very believable that she didn’t know who Abba was when they signed on this PR. So if Chris feels any shame other than his age, hopefully it comes from the fact that he knows that this PR strategy that demonizes his fans is despicable. And it is morally and ethically corrupt. 

Laura Benanti’s hilarious sketch as she impersonates Melania Trump for the Colbert show

To end on a much lighter note, I would like to recommend this amazing comedy bit performed by Tony Award winning actress and comic genius Laura Benanti. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8crpSnfl6Hs (start video at 1’54”)

It’s both hilarious and so on point but also very informative on the strategies used in PR tactics. I won’t spoil the ending of the sketch but I think you’ll understand right away why I chose this to illustrate this post. 

[froginninjago]

What if Tomorrow's Tea went differently? (AKA my on the spot villain AU)

From what I've seen, Tomorrow's Tea is when it kind of really settled in that Lloyd was going to be a "hero". He couldn't use the excuse of young age anymore. He was given expectations that no one has met before, before he even made it to middle school.

What if the other ninja weren't ready for that? What if they got fed up with Wu's cryptic sayings and being told to save everyone? First they were supposed to put their lives on the line, but now they're throwing a child out there?

Kai was the first to go. When he saw Lloyd, forced to grow up literally and metaphorically, he saw himself. He saw his younger self taking care of Nya long before he could provide for himself, and he knew that he couldn't watch that same thing happen to Lloyd. So he left. He ran off in the night, and everyone woke up to a note assuring them he wasn't taken, but that was it.

Cole was the second to leave. He was also the one to take Lloyd with him. Lloyd had been close to Kai, ever since the incident in the volcano. When Kai left, right after he'd just had his world turned upside down? Lloyd couldn't handle it. He trained, and only trained. He'd take breaks to eat the bare minimum of food he needed, and sleep only a few hours each night. After a month of this, Cole stormed into Lloyd's room as he was waking up for more training and announced they were leaving. Lloyd, not realizing that this wasn't a trip, went with him. They set out the next morning, and found Kai on the outskirts of the city, planning how he'd return to Ignacia. They convinced him to stay in the city, and stayed with him.

Jay was next. With Kai, Cole, and especially Lloyd gone, Wu had been treating him and Zane especially harshly. It was fine for the first few days, when he could at least talk to Nya. Sure, she was a bit off, but he chalked that up to her missing her brothers. After a week though, when it came clear no one was coming back, she gave up on talking to him. He didn't know where she kept disappearing to, but now it was just him, Zane, and Wu. So he left too. By coincidence, he ran into Cole at the grocery store, who took him back to where he was staying with Kai and Lloyd.

Zane stayed the longest. He saw nothing wrong with his training. Perhaps Wu was being harsh on Jay, Cole, and Lloyd, but he was a nindroid and equipped to handle this. He was built to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, and if he didn't have help, it made sense he'd work harder. He did miss Lloyd, Jay, Kai, and Cole. It was lonely. He hadn't known that he'd formed a relationship, until it was gone. Then, one night, his door was slammed open. Nya announced that she was leaving to find her brothers, and Zane wished her luck. He informed Wu of it the next morning, and that's when he started to consider leaving. Wu hadn't showed any sign of caring that Nya was gone. He hadn't shown much concern for any of the ninja leaving, but Zane had assumed that was due to their training and elemental powers. Now though? He realized what it was. Wu wasn't trying to have them be heroes.

Wu was turning them into weapons. And Zane wasn't going to sit around and let that happen. So he left, and ran to catch up with Nya. Together they found Kai, Cole, Lloyd, and Jay. They all agreed they didn't have the money or experience to stay in Ninjago City, and decided to head to Jay's parents junkyard.

It was a long trip on foot, but they all learned something about themselves. It started when Lloyd was out of his strict training regime. They had run out of money and food, and their youngest picked the pocket of a businessman who happened to pass them. Zane was originally against it, but they all talked him out of reporting them to the police. After all, it was only a one time thing, right?

It was a one time thing. Until they found someone in an alley beating up another. Zane stepped in, defending the woman on the ground and letting her run free. He accidentally hit the offending man too hard and knocked him out. They decided to take some of his money while he was down. After all, he wasn't using it, and they still had to travel a while. Little did they know, this was the start of a new life.

[sunshine-and-christmas-caryls]

So, I’ve been thinking about some of the plot holes from season 4, and a little of the ones from the series as a whole. And I’ve come up with a few headcanons that help my brain make sense of some things, without actually contradicting (I hope!) something stated in the final season.

Those headcanons rely heavily on the fact that there was a lot not explicitly stated, plus creative license and the “resets” though. 😂 Spoilers below for anyone that is also interested in brainstorming ideas!

Sorting out the timeline:

So after the Kugleblitz, my headcanon is it reset towards middle of April 2018, (for no reason other than it makes the timeline make a little more sense to me). Lila was roughly 1 month pregnant by then, which would have Grace be born somewhere around December 17 +/- a week tops (birthday parties aren’t always on the same day, but for my headcanon, her birthday is the 17th).

That would make her 6th birthday party occur late morning or midday on the 17th of December of 2024 (which is a Tuesday). I’m working with the assumption that Grace is in one of those school districts where they have 1 month off for summer break in June, 1 month off for winter break between December and January, two weeks off for Fall break around October and two weeks off for spring break in March.

Because it seems like the keepers meeting, Viktor’s rescue, and the spiked sake all happened that same day (based on clothing & assuming Lila and Five changed clothes for the keepers meeting, then back into what they were wearing earlier that day).

Then the next day outside the laundromat Diego mentions it’s Wednesday (which would be the 18th). The drive to New Grumpson has to be at minimum 17 hours one way (the road trip had a 1-hour and 3-hour time skip before Luthor mentioned that there were only 13 hours left to New Grumpson). But it was likely longer than that, because I don’t know how long it takes to get from the laundromat onto the highway that the overhead shot of Wanda establishes (it could be as quick as 10 minutes or up to 2+ hours depending on if they’re in the city or the suburbs, how populated it is, and how bad the traffic is at the time they leave) and I don’t know how long a stop they would need to get and cover the broken windows and -assumedly- clean the vomit out of the car floor.

Then they drive overnight and get into New Grumpson on December 19th, and after escaping they’re at the repair shop for Wanda at 3 pm, assumedly that same day.

In episode 4 Jennifer mentions that she and Ben met roughly 36 hours ago, and it was bright out. When Ben rescued her in episode 3 it was dark out. Also in ep. 3, Reginald mentioned that it could take “hours, or even days” to get the mind machine up and running.

So, I take that to mean that everyone back at the Hargreeves mansion probably met up the night of the 20th to talk to Reginald and Abigail. Then maybe they stayed overnight, (and had their clothes laundered + a shower!😆) whilst Reginald prepped the machine. Also on the 21st, Klaus is kidnapped sometime midday or afternoon, and Ben rescued Jennifer in the evening.

The machine is ready and run the morning of the 22nd, Ben and Jennifer have their conversation, and then they arrive at Jean and Gene’s farm and find all the damage Ben left. Episode 4 ends with Viktor and Reginald in the diner, Klaus buried at night, and Ben and Jen in the motel; so episode 5 would take place on the 23rd.

Five and Lila could have left the night of the 22nd and returned midday/ in the afternoon of the 23rd. But I headcanon that they left the morning of the 23rd, because Five mentions it’s only been a few hours since they left (I’m pretending the scenes are just shown out of order so they didn’t just have the focus on Five and Lila for half an hour straight). I’m also taking creative license to say that for whatever the reason Diego either doesn’t have a suit, or his suit didn’t fit him and that’s why he borrows one from Luther’s coworker.

Then the rest of the season finishes out by the end of the night on the 23rd. (I’m thinking they were all at Lila’s house for dinner after the craziness of the past few days, and when Diego said “Not during Christmas” he meant it in the general sense of being close to Christmas time, not that it actually was that day). The reset from the cleanse brought us to where the timeline was supposed to be, which was when the show aired on August 8, 2024.

Summary Timeline:

-Lila 1 month pregnant when the reset occurs.

-April 2018: Hotel Oblivion reset

-December 17, 2018: Grace born

-December 17, 2024: Grace birthday party

-December 18: drive to New Grumpson

-Dec 19, late morning- midday: arrive in New Grumpson

-Dec 19 at 3pm: Wanda is getting repaired

-Dec 20: family meets up at the Hargreeves mansion.

-Dec 21: Klaus kidnapped, Ben rescues Jennifer in the evening.

-Dec 22: Memories are restored and the group finds the attacked alpaca farm

-Dec 23: Lila & Five return, Ben & Jen merge, and the Cleanse resets the universe

[It could also work if the Oblivion reset to April of 2019, but the drive to New Grumpson would have needed to take two days (for them to arrive on the 19th) or you go with the assumption that New Grumpson is a small town and they put the flier up sometime before the 19th in order to garner attention, and all the subsequent dates get pushed back by one (arrive on the 18th, Cleanse on the 22, etc).]

So that’s my headcanon to make sense of the timeline. It’s far from perfect, not least of which because their clothes don’t change much and I play fast and loose with a lot of the details, but it’s the best I’ve got to make it make sense. 😂

A few other head canons I have:

- Jen is from a different timeline and she got pulled into this one & accidentally appeared in a giant squid. Reginald erased her memories of anything related to the cleanse shortly after her squid introduction scene.

- The subway was made from the creator of the universe, but various Fives helped to make certain parts (like the deli or the Commission) and the map & notebook which they left for other Fives. It’s out of space/ time and each stop is a reflection of the timeline (old & broke down = apocalypse already happened, or the severity of the apocalypse). It’s got openings naturally (think season 3 when Reginald spots the door) throughout all the universes, which is why small animals, objects, etc occasionally make it into the subway system. But Five’s power is what momentarily summons the nice little entryway into the subway.

- The Oblivion reset took the closest matching timeline and then pulled in people/ things that were customized by Reginald (& Allison’s requests). This is based off Klaus saying Allison “set up this whole timeline, and stole her daughter from another one” in the deleted scene of him at Grace’s birthday party.

- Allison had requested her brothers all got to stay family and that she could have both Claire and Ray. That’s why Reginald had set Luthor’s death to be undone & he appears with everyone at the closing scene in season 3.

- Claire was from a different, but nearly identical timeline as the one set up by the reset, which is why she looks or actually is older. (In season 1 she was only 4 years old, right? So she should be about 9/10, but in season 4 she looks like she’s somewhere between 13-15)

- Ray is not the same one she was in the 60s with; he was born and grew up in a more modern era and as such his personality is different than it was. OR he is the same one from the 60s but he’s been pulled into this new timeline and is struggling to reconcile the Allison he knew in 60s with the one she is in the modern era and all she has done. One of those is the underlying basis for why he left, and I also headcanon he was Claire’s stepfather.

- Reginald’s customization points included Abigail being alive, and the marigold never being released. Allison killed him before he “pressed go” so to speak, but he had already input all/ most of the settings, so either his death was reset to fit into the timeline and he’s Sparrow Reginald, or the timeline was built off a universe that he didn’t release the marigold and it pulled that Reginald into this timeline.

- The 43 immaculate births would all have happened naturally in their own time (different birthdays). The moms all were kissed at the time of inhalation of the marigold that caused their conception, and the marigold gave life to them by taking DNA from both people to form the body of the babies and accelerate their births.

- Sparrow Ben stayed because Allison asked for Ben to be alive and the universe reset just kept Sparrow Ben to meet that criteria. Sloane was not specifically asked to stay together by Reginald or Allison so she ends up the same way other “immaculate births” kids did and was born into a family normally, which is why, if she had been found, she wouldn’t remember any of the umbrellas or sparrows.

- The Hotel Oblivion reset also erased/altered memories that people had in order to fit into this timeline, which is why there’s so many keepers. Additionally, it either accelerated or worsened the different universes bleeding into each other. It also input a “background” for all the Umbrellas which is why they all had homes/ IDs/ etc. (They could then choose to keep with what they had or switch from there.)

- Five’s background included making him older then he physically was so that he didn’t have to go through high school, or he wasn’t “aged up on paper” but took a GED and went straight to college before getting into the CIA.

- Lila’s family was from a different timeline and have mixed memories like some of the keepers. She and Diego end up talking to them closer to the five or six year mark about everything. And that’s why the ask so many questions to Klaus in the deleted scene.

- Lila wasn’t formally working with the CIA. She found out about & went undercover with the keepers of her own accord and was only “working with the CIA” once she and Five started to collaborate. OR she was formally working with them, but under a different sector that wasn’t headed by a keeper.

- The first year after the Oblivion reset, all the siblings were in the same general vicinity of each other and they all met up again at least once to talk with this world’s Reginald about what happened, which is why they knew their births were a product of the marigold, what the marigold even looks like, who they are in this universe, etc. Also, because Allison asked that her family all be in this universe, maybe they were all adopted by Reginald in this timeline too but are “estranged” from their father. And Abigail find out later that these were alternate versions which is why she never met them before this season but knew them? Or she was newly appeared in this timeline too and Reginald just filled her in on the details.

- little girl on the bike = creator/ God

- Abigail had died but was brought back because of the reset. Whilst dead she spoke to the creator/ little girl who told her about the cleanse.

- The Marigold creates, the Durango destroys, and when mixed together it does both, hence “resetting” the universe. They also react somewhat to intention, but are like a computer program or a genie/ jinn. You technically get what you ask for, but it’s not how you wanted it or it’s not quite what you thought it would be, and that’s why none of them were truly happy at the start of season 4. And it’s also why their moms got pregnant and they just regained (if slightly differently) their powers.

- The ending meant one of the following:

- 1) The cleanse really did fix everything and so the universe was reset to what the timeline should have been, which is our world as we know it. The idyllic field with everyone was heaven/ the void/ wherever it’s called that Klaus goes to, and the siblings plus Lila were reduced down to marigold flowers from the effort of the reset. Which is why the kids were able to exist without a kugelblitz forming, and why we see so many people from the original or previous timelines (they would all have already been dead without the marigold in the world).

- 2) the cleanse, did not in fact, fix everything, perhaps because it missed the guy Klaus splashed with the shot he never took. So it erased our umbrella academy and their kids, but we see the kids from the naturally born versions of themselves had they been born & the marigold hadn’t existed. But because it didn’t fix everything the remnants of their marigold resprouted as marigold flowers, leaving room for them to come back in the future or for new super-powered kids/ people to emerge.

So while there’s a ton of holes still, that’s what I came up with to make sense of some things that weren’t really explained in the final season. I’m curious to know what other might have come up with though, if any one wants to let me know what they think/ headcanon!

[thomasschabot]

here comes your man

elias pettersson x director!fem!reader

great loves come around only once in a lifetime, and if you’re lucky enough they come back

word count: 3.6k

warnings: cursing, light allusion to sexual activity, alcohol consumption

a/n: this is my piece for @selfindulgentpoorlywritten in @antoineroussel’s winter fic exchange!! i hope you like it andi, i had a blast creating this angsty little world that eventually gets wrapped up with a hopeful little bow 🤍 as always, a million hugs and kisses go out to demi for organizing another majorly successful event!!!! props to @matthewtkachuk​ i guess for proofreading 0.5 seconds before i posted (love u b xx)

⭑⭒⭑

He’s impossible to forget, no matter how much you want to.

Elias Pettersson was the love of your life from the moment you laid eyes on him. It was a normal day, filled with redoing shots and redoing their blocking over and over because athletes are notoriously horrible listeners, until he came in and rocked your world as soon as he stepped in front of the camera to introduce herself. All kind eyes and confident smirks, Elias shook your hand and invited you to get drinks after finishing up so the pair of you could get to know each other better, seeing as you’ll also be following up north in a few weeks to shoot another promotional piece. The night had ended well into the morning, and you were inseparable from that moment on. Everyone around you was pleasantly surprised, knowing how much it took for you to let people in, but something about Elias just made you feel safe.

Things progressed quickly, but naturally, and eventually you moved in with him because his salary allowed for a much more prolific and comfortable lifestyle. You fit together naturally, like two sides of the same coin, and you loved him with every fibre of your being. Elias reciprocated, protecting you fiercely from overbearing Canucks fans and doing everything he could to show just how much he cared. Moments where hockey didn’t take precedence were rare, but he made them so special every single one was impossible to forget. Brock and Nils did their best to keep teasing from the team and other family members to a minimum but neither of you minded much — you were so in sync and had each other to get through whatever was going to get thrown at you.

Everything changed after the Canucks failed to make the playoffs for three consecutive years, though you understood why to a point. While the situation had been hard on you, watching him dissolve into a frustrated mess, it was excruciating on Elias — after all, he was the face of a rapidly sinking franchise. You did all you could to support him through the ups and down, taking time off work when he needed extra care and making sure he didn’t do anything that could cause too much stress and decrease the value of his sparse point production. Elias wasn’t shy about letting you know much he wanted to be back on top, picking fights when you would return from all-day shoots and giving you the cold shoulder for days when he returned from lost road trips. Despite his pain and hostility, you thought the pair of you were working through the issues, and you had been waiting for the perfect time to do the conventional and pop the question to your love.

The plan disintegrated after Elias left, crumbled like dust in the wind. You had been away on a promotional shoot with the rest of the team to hopefully quell discontented fans, with only him and a handful of Canucks staying in Vancouver to focus on recovering fully from their injuries before scattering to every corner of the world. No one had alerted you to his strange behavior, his recession into himself  — whether it had been intentional or not you’re still not sure. When you entered the condo upon your return to the city there was nothing but silence and darkness instead of Elias’s laughter and excitement bouncing off the walls. He didn’t leave a note — just packed a bag and left. You tried to call him, but the number was out of service, and no one in his family responded to your panicked messages in haphazard Swedish. Elias’s close friends in Vancouver provided no details, and you were forced to live in a paid-off unit that used to belong to the one solid person in your life but now belongs to you. You assume he came back to the city at the start of the season, but you begged for a transfer to another department and no longer work on the sports media side of the firm, so you’ve got no way to be sure since you vowed to never engage in hockey again.

Time certainly hasn’t made it easier, despite your friends endearing statistics to prove the common saying, and you spend hours every day reliving what you once had. He’s everywhere — travel mug in your office from when he used to slip away from training to eat lunch with you and the commercials you did with him over the years replaying on television so you can never escape him and the love you’ve lost. He’s still in the apartment you once shared, trinkets and books and clothes left for you to pack up and donate. Elias Pettersson made it difficult for you to move on, no matter how desperately you want to.

⭒⭑⭒

“I call dibs on the left side!” Elias shouts, pushing past you and running full speed into the hotel room. It’s All-Star Weekend, and you’ve joined your boyfriend in sunny Southern California, ready to soak up some rays when not inside the chilly arena. You needed a break from work after months of near constant shoots, and Elias was all too willing to enjoy more time by your side, even if he technically had a job to do.

You frown, upset with him for picking the side you always sleep on. “But I always sleep on the left,” you whine, before realizing you sound like a child. Instead, you square your shoulders and enter the room while doing the best you can do pretend like it doesn’t bother you.

Elias laughs when he sees you, bright and bubbly in stark contrast to your broodiness. “Oh baby,” he coos, closing the distance between your bodies and wrapping his toned arms around your waist, “I just want to be able to protect you, stay between you and the door. These young guys are like dogs and I don’t trust them.”

His concern is endearing, and you’ve never been great at staying angry with Elias. Any and all negative emotions vanish the moment he kisses you. It’s tender, loving, but with a gentle buzz of electricity humming underneath to let you know her his intentions. You’d risk your life a thousand times over if it meant you got to kiss Elias whenever you wanted.

“Okay,” you sigh breathily when he finally pulls away, breathless and moving to deadbolt the door, as if preparing for a night with no distractions whatsoever.

“Okay?”

You look at him confused, as if he couldn’t have possibly forgotten what made you upset in the first place. “You can sleep on the left side of the bed, but only if I get to be the big spoon while we watch our show.”

Elias smiles. “That’s my girl.”

⭑⭒⭑

You’d do anything to have him call dibs on part of the room right now.

Instead, you open your hotel room door to find two double beds placed a perfect distance apart. You’re bunking with Emily, your new assistant, and while she’s friendly enough and the two of you get along well, she’s not the one you want to be sharing a hotel room with in Wisconsin in the middle of January. She isn’t the one you want to brush your teeth with and make small talk about the upcoming shoot with.

There’s no real reason for you to slam your duffel on the floor beside the bed left to you, but you do. Elias isn’t here, isn’t coming back, and you need to get the fuck over yourself. Knowing doesn’t make it any easier, and when you face plant into the stiff mattress and let out a gravelly scream Emily gets incredibly concerned. She’s noticed you’ve been off since arriving at the hotel — it wouldn’t take anyone remotely close to you to realize something’s got you down in a major way.

“What’s the matter?” she asks tentatively, worried her words might set you off further. “The idiots we’re going to film over the next couple of days stressing you out?”

Emily doesn’t see you roll your eyes because they’re tucked so close to the blanket it’s suffocating, but you can’t help it. Of course she’d think your issue was the job you both came here to do — she didn’t know Elias besides him being a superstar athlete or the fact you once loved him so much it made it difficult to breathe when he was around. You remind yourself it isn’t her fault and manage to muster up a response.

“It’s nothing, I swear. Sorry for making you think there was an issue, especially about the shoot. I’m excited to do it.”

There’s no way she bought the lousy excuse, but Emily is also smart enough to leave well enough alone. If she hears you sobbing in the shower she doesn’t mention it. When you eventually step out of the bathroom and walk towards the left bed Emily gave you without a fight, you can’t help but notice she doesn’t watch television to unwind. Instead, she’s set up a puzzle on the small coffee table in the room and is working in complete silence. It was something you did with Elias as a sort of grounding exercise, to distract you both from the horrors of the real world, and you’re confused why it isn’t common practice.. The silence in the room suddenly makes your ears ring and you cover them in an attempt to block out the pain and loneliness the sound represents because Elias isn’t ever going to pressure you into watching some fishing show ever again.

She isn’t clueless and refuses to believe there isn’t something seriously wrong with you when you refuse to even look in her direction. “Okay, what the hell is going on? If you don’t want to room with me just say so. They’re other crew members I can stay with, and they’ll probably be much nicer than you.”

“No,” you sigh, so exhausted by the weight of your emotions, “I don’t have an issue with bunking with you. This is just the first time I’ve had to stay in a hotel since breaking up with my boyfriend, and we spent a lot of time together in rooms pretty much identical to this one over the years. I guess I’m struggling more than I thought.”

Emily nods like she understands, and while you don’t think she really gets the gravity of your confession, it’s nice to know someone is there for you. When she asks about him and what he was like you laugh — how do you encompass Elias Pettersson into a single sentence? The task seems impossible but Emily is patient, letting you talk as much as you want. Once the words run out and you’ve cried enough tears to fill a swimming pool the two of you turn out the lights and try to sleep. There’s still an Elias sized hole in your soul, but having someone not skirt around her in conversation because they’re afraid to see your face fall is refreshing.

⭒⭑⭒

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You close your mouth, open it, and close it again, but no sound comes out. Elias is standing on the doorstep in a sharp all-black suit, red pocket square contrasting the darkness and knocking the breath out of your lungs. He had insisted on getting ready for your firm’s yearly charity gala separately, to ‘keep the mystery alive’, and you’re glad he left early this afternoon to get ready at Brock’s. If he hadn’t, neither of you would have made it to the event

“Shut up,” you grumble, pulling him inside and kissing him with the fire of a thousand suns. “You look like a classical sculpture.”

Elias giggles, runs a hand through his hair to tousle it to perfection, and reconnects your lips. “Me? This old thing? You’re the real smokeshow here, baby.”

The deep green long-sleeve dress you found in the back of your closest pales in comparison to what he’s wearing, but the way Elias is eyeing you makes it seem as though you’re wearing a tiara gifted personally by the Queen. A warmth creeps up the back of your neck and wraps around to your cheeks, fueling the fire for Elias to continue to marvel at you.

“Come on, you,” you sigh, looping an arm around Elias’s waist and leading him out the door. “We were supposed to pick up my boss nearly fifteen minutes ago.”

He doesn’t speak, knows you’re right, and follows you willingly. Elas does the driving, always has, and when he opens up your door he steals another quick kiss. Your laughter bounces off the roof of the car the entire way to the next destination.

⭑⭒⭑

The knock doesn’t belong to Elias. There’s no plan for him to accompany you to the gala this year. Hell, you don’t even know if he’s in the country. The Canucks schedule no longer takes up space in your mind given the split, and you don’t really even know if it’s technically hockey season anymore. You know all that, and yet you can’t stop yourself from hoping Elias will be on the other side of the door when you open it. He isn’t — it’s your friend James, looking incredibly dapper in a tuxedo that must be from his high school prom but somehow still fits. A corsage rests gingerly in his hand, and you could cry at the sight of it. The small bouquet is made of lilies and baby’s breath, known by everyone as Elias’s favourite flowers because they remind him of home.

“I thought you might want a piece of him with you tonight, even though it hurts a lot,” he says tenderly, and slips it onto your wrist. Tears well in your eyes, but they’re mostly the happy kind. Of course you wanted Elias with you, in any capacity you could get though your romance has long since gone cold, and the fact James didn’t hesitate to make it happen makes you cherish him more. Before his hand can leave yours you raise them both towards your face, placing a chaste kiss to the back of his in thanks.

He’s patient as you lock up and opens the car door for you like a true gentleman. Though you adore James Taylor and would probably follow him to war if he asked, he isn’t the person you want beside you. Your heart and soul yearns for Elias in a way no one else will ever understand. It’s sort of ridiculous that you’re still hoping because there’s been no contact for nearly ten months, but you’re a hopeless romantic at heart and want him to come back so badly. James doesn’t pretend to share your pain, which you’re incredibly thankful for, and is the only person in your life who isn’t pressuring you to get past the monumental loss that was Elias leaving.

“I miss him so much,” you sigh when the car stops at a red light.

There’s a beat of silence before he responds, as if he’s letting you feel just how much you miss your long-lost love at this very moment. “I know, kiddo. I know.” When you turn to face him, James offers a smile and turns the radio up a little louder. It takes a moment for the sound to reach your ears, but when it does you begin to cry again.

Through the crackling speakers of the old truck is the song you and Elias shared your first kiss to. It had happened on the make-shift dance floor of the wrap party for the third shoot the pair of you collaborated on , in front of everyone, but it had been absolutely perfect. You still remember the cheering from Quinn and a couple other teammates he brought along, and your friends’ fond smiles because they were relieved you finally let your guard down enough to love somebody. Time eclipses you, and you’re thrown back to that night for the rest of the song. You’re a little shaken up when the car jerks into park at the event space, and James gives you a moment to compose yourself before he leads you inside and stays close the rest of the night, always there to cheer you up when the loneliness begins to hover a little too close.

⭒⭑⭒

The years pass, torturously slow at first but then at a rapid-fire pace, and the pain of losing Elias turns into a dull ache that only flares occasionally. A passion project that started in your living room turned you away from sports related content and into the world of the silver screen, relocating you to Los Angeles and into one of the most in-demand directors for action movies that manage to still pack a gut-wrenching punch. Rarely do you have a spare moment to think these days, and almost never do you let the thoughts drift to your ex-boyfriend. 

It’s been nearly five years since he walked out, smashed your life to smithereens without a second thought, and while you’ve healed from the trauma of it all there’s still the occasional moment where something reminds you of Elias and it makes it hard to breathe. Tonight, it’s the sight of a hockey game on the television of the dive bar you frequently haunt when you’re home for more than forty-eight hours. Shallow puff of air float through your mouth as you look for him on the screen, realizing that it’s a stupid idea because Vancouver isn’t even playing. You then remember how much fun you had watching Elias’s games, and you curse him for taking something joyous away from you. Another round of drinks is ordered, the bartender eyeing you wearily but complying, and you wallow in silence for longer than you’ll ever admit to anyone. 

Hours pass and midnight is rapidly approaching. While you don’t have an early morning, not having to be at a table read until the late afternoon, you know you can’t hold your liquor the way you could when you were younger and staying out much later is going to cause more hassle than it’s worth. 

“Could I trouble you for one more and the bill?”

It’s getting increasingly loud in the dive, and you have to yell to be heard. However, it still isn’t working, and the bar staff can’t seem to understand what it is you want. Damn them for making you spend more time here. You clear your throat, about to try again, when a voice you never thought you’d hear again speaks from behind.

“Combine her tab with mine and close it out, if that isn’t too much to ask?”

The hairs along the nape of your neck bristle. “I can pay for my own drinks, thank you very much.” You refuse to turn around, knowing that if you do your resolve will crumble. Anger is the primary emotion when you think about Elias, but you also miss him so goddamn much. Never getting any closure makes things tricky. 

A chuckle fans out behind you. “Never said you couldn’t. I do, however, think it’s the very least I could do for you.”

It’s true, and you let him know it. Still facing away from him, you don’t utter another word, even after the final drinks are brought around and everything is squared away. Elias doesn’t push you, knows your stony resolve still after all the time away. The silence is deafening as you wait for him to finish his beer before downing your cocktail. Not a word is uttered between the two of you, but the air is slowly losing its tension. 

Eventually you turn towards him, haphazard and full of spite, though it’s lowering considerably. You hate the way he destroyed your life when he left, and you hate the way looking at him in the dim makes your heart soften considerably. 

“I hate you.”

“You should.”

“Are you going to apologize?” you ask, unsure why it wasn’t the first thing out of his mouth. 

Elias cocks a brow. “Will it make anything better?”

“I suppose not.”

Silence. It isn’t uncomfortable, but it isn’t like it used to be either, and you aren’t exactly sure what to do next. Elias decides for you. “I’d like to maybe work towards being friends again,” he speaks cautiously, as if he’s terrified of your reaction. “I don’t know many people in the city, or in southern California for that matter, and seeing the occasional friendly face would help out a lot.”

He explains that he was traded to Los Angeles in the off-season, and that though he knew you were around sometimes he didn’t want to reach out after all the pain you experienced because of him. You like that he doesn’t try to apologize or make excuses, just acknowledges he did a horrible thing and is content to sit with the consequences for the rest of his life.

You consider his proposal, thoroughly mull it over in your head, but you can’t find any logical reason to turn Elias down. Your parents taught you to give everyone a second chance, and it seems like you’ll be in complete control of whatever happens. 

“We can do that. Just slowly.”

A nod of understanding comes from him, and with that he stands from the bar stool he’s occupied for the last little while. “I’ll see you around then. I kept my old number for convenience, so just give me a call when you’re ready.”

You nod, mimicking Elias’s previous action, and offer a short wave as he retreats into the busying street. Los Angeles is a city that comes alive in the night, and you can’t help but wonder if the universe sent Elias to you for a second chance because it knew just how much you still loved him. Maybe you find yourself hoping this proposed friendship drifts back to the way things were, but you’ll never tell a soul.

⭑⭒⭑

enjoy this fic? give it a reblog :) <3

[secretsandwriting]

Comfort Streamer

Part Two: Gatekeeping

When a sick Dream goes searching for a stream to watch. He stumbles across a viewerless stream and decides to join, finding a new comfort streamer for himself and others and maybe play a little matchmaker in the process.

Starting up your stream waiting screen, you started stream and went to fill up your water bottle and make sure you have everything you needed for the stream. Once you had everything and it was put in its proper place on your desk, you glanced up to see 6 viewers. The most you had ever had in a stream. Taking a deep breath you prepared yourself before putting Minecraft up and turning your cam on.

“Hello!”

Dream: Hello! Finishing the mining trip?

“Hopefully, but if I get blown up by a creeper and die only to be immediately cornered and killed by a skeleton and zombie again I will be leaving the caves and not returning for a while.” Despite not being killed by a creeper and cornered by other mobs you did stumble into an ancient city and summoned a warden in less than 30 seconds.

“No no no no no no no no I just want out of here. I just want to go home. Please leave me alone Warden. I promise I’m not here for you or your city. I just wanted Diamonds. Oh my gosh I’m going to die.”

Sapnap: Just keep moving

“I’m trying but it would help if I knew where the warden is!” Suddenly you saw blue swirls going past you and a death message appeared.

Dream: o7

Sapnap: o7

Punz: o7

Foolishgamers: o7

Awesamdude: o7

GeorgeNotFound: o7

“This is why I play with keep inventory..” You muttered to yourself as you clicked respawn. “And this is why i live close to spawn.” Running to your house you put all your things into their proper chests and reset your spawn. “I guess we’re exploring now because fuck that."

Emptying out your inventory to the bare minimum you set out in a random direction.

Previous -- Masterlist -- Next

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Exhaustion - Josh Anderson

Summary: Tired and overwhelmed reader limits her contact with Josh. He finds her asleep after returning home from a trip.

Words: 1675

It was Y/n’s first instinct, a natural reaction she hardly ever noticed but it happened every time. Each time life was getting a little too overwhelming she distanced herself from people she loved. The explanation was simple. She didn’t like it when her loved ones worried about her, and it was always something that passed away on its own. Sooner or later anyway. Her issues were her own, her worries were her own and so on and so on. There was no need to bother someone else with it. People around her saw through it, of course they knew something was upsetting her. They tried to help, cheer her up. But she avoided them, declined all offers. Too stubborn to accept a helping help. And so, they learnt to give her time and space, to check up on her occasionally to make sure she was doing okay and to wait for her to get back to them.

This time was no different. As soon as the first leaves turned yellow and started covering the streets of the city the time started to go fast and she felt behind. Behind her work, behind her studies, behind her personal and social life. There was simply not enough time. And when all the work and studying piled up into one big mess her body gave up. Y/n tried to ignore the feeling of hopelessness for as long as she could. But one Friday afternoon after yet another bad day at work, after forgetting to turn in her essay it all broke inside her. She came home and cried for hours, staining the pillows of the living room’s sofa with mascara.

Josh was in the US with his team and Y/n felt lonelier without him than usual. He was a tough guy on the ice, tough guy in front of his teammates but to her he was the nicest person she’s ever met. He knew what she needed better than herself. When to cuddle her, when to surprise her with ice cream, when to give her space and when to just listen to her venting for hours and hours. She wanted him back more than anything. If only he was home, he would know what to do to comfort her. But he was far away with the team, doing exceptionally well with three wins in a row and she wasn’t going to ruin it.

Sure, she could call him or text him to complain a little. Get a little bit of steam off her chest. But he would get too worried, he might stop focusing on the game. No. She wasn’t going to be a distraction. She can deal with it on her own.

And so, for the following few days Y/n limited her interactions with everyone to minimum, focused purely on finishing everything that needed to be finished. Every day she became more exhausted and by the end of the week she could barely walk. She didn’t even know where the strength to carry on was coming from.

She limited her interactions with Josh as well. She didn’t answer his FaceTime calls because he would see how tired she was and hardly ever picked up a call because he’d tell just from the tone of her voice there was something wrong. The excuses came easy to her: once she was in the shower, then she was stuck at work, other time she forgot her phone in the car and didn’t notice. Even her texts were as short and as simple as possible. Josh spammed her phone with sweet messages and voice notes daily and it made her both unbelievably happy and sad. She felt bad for being so cold to him, he in no way deserved it. But it was for his own good and for the good of his team as well.

Josh noticed the change in her behavior immediately. Most guys wouldn’t notice the tiny changes, but he did. And he was sick worried about what was going on back home. 

“For the millionth time Josh, “Y/n sighed during one phone call. “Everything’s fine.”

“If you say so,” Josh answered with a hint of disappointment. He knew he was getting nowhere with his questions, but he didn’t know what else he could do since he was away. Maybe it was nothing, but what if it was?

And not only he was worried, but he also missed her. He was used to traveling, being away from people he was close to, but when she came into his life everything or rather, he changed. And sleeping without her in his arms meant a bad night’s sleep. A day without seeing her meant an okay day at best. Going without her touch or kiss for longer than a day could drive him insane. He needed her. More than he would admit to himself, to her or anyone else.

The days kept on passing and Y/n completely lost count of the days. She didn’t know if it was Monday or Thursday, if October ended already or not yet. She had no track of time. Every single day she woke up and went either to school or to work, survived until it was time to leave and then kept on working at home until she passed out. She didn’t remember the last time she had a proper meal or a shower longer than 5 minutes because she was too tired to stand there and wash herself. She rushed personal care to have more time to focus on what she needed to focus on.

Another Friday, two weeks later after Y/n’s issues started was spent at her desk studying. Writing three essays at once while also making notes to study for her exams. It also happened to be the Friday of Josh’s arrival which Y/n completely forgot about.

On the other hand, Josh couldn’t wait to be home finally to check on her.

As soon as he landed in Montreal, he wasted no time and rushed to her apartment. His heart was beating fast with anticipation. He was overjoyed with the results of the last couple of games, but he was most happy about being home and to be just a few minutes away from seeing Y/n after such long time. He didn’t know what news were waiting for him, how bad or serious it was going to be, but he felt relieved anyway. Relived because he would soon know, relieved because he could take care of everything now.

He unlocked the doors and entered the deadly silent apartment. He saw a light in the living room, but the tv wasn’t playing and Y/n wasn’t running to greet him like she usually did. He continued from the hall to the living where he finally saw his girlfriend. Fast asleep on the desk surrounded by papers and post it notes. He stopped for a moment just to adore her face. She was in a deep sleep, most likely a very needed sleep. Her hair was slightly messy but that just made her look cuter in his eyes. He slowly came to her; with gentle touch he removed a piece of hair from her face and tucked in behind her ear. He sneaked his hands around her waist, kissed the top of her head and just as he was about to lift her up, she woke up. Her eyes opened slowly, she looked around trying to figure out what was happening around her and when she realized Josh was standing there just few inches away from her, she gave him a surprised look.

“I’ll punish you for not greeting me later,” he laughed. “But right now, I just want to go to bed and cuddle.”

Y/n didn’t say anything, but she wrapped her hands tightly around his neck, he hugged her even tighter and kissed the side of her face a few times. He then took her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom where he tucked her in. His heart could just melt seeing her so sleepy.

“I couldn’t wait for you to come back,” she mumbled into his chest when she snuggled next to him.

He pulled her closer to his body, making sure she was safe and sound and kissed her again and again. At that moment it felt like a single kiss could fix all her worries. His fingers gently ran through her hair, occasionally scratching her head and each time he did that Y/n let out a quiet whimper of enjoyment. His other hand caressed the skin of her back. Y/n for the first time in over two weeks relaxed, she wasn’t tense anymore, all worries disappeared from her mind as soon as his strong arms wrapped themselves around her body.

“Don’t you wanna tell me what was going on, baby?” Josh whispered into her ear as he kept playing with her hair.

Y/n snuggled even closer to him, took a deep breath and thought for a moment of what to say. She realized now how scared he must’ve been and for what? For nothing more serious than a little bit of stress. “There was just too much going on,” she said quietly. “Too much work and studying. I felt very behind everything.” She then added and stroked the palm of his hand with her fingers.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked although he already knew the answer.

“Didn’t want to worry you?” she answered. “And yes, I do realize now I made you more worried by not telling you.” She admitted.

“It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re safe”. He kissed her. “I love you so much, I couldn’t wait to be back home with you. To hold you and fall asleep with you beside me. And most importantly I couldn’t wait to figure out what was going on with you.” Josh paused for a moment realizing he was getting no reaction from her. “Baby?” he whispered and looked at her. She was asleep with a smile on her face, clinging onto him.

“Good night baby.”

[thethief1996]

Even if Israel concedes to a ceasefire, construction materials are still considered dual usage items and barred from Gaza under the blockade. A ceasefire doesn't change the fact there's a 40 mile long wall fencing Gaza by land and sea which Israel has extensively used to starve and corner Palestinians. A ceasefire doesn't change the fact that Israel has turned hospitals into the sites of mass graves. A ceasefire is the bare minimum. Even while we discuss ceasefire, Israel destroys and bombs kettled Palestinians in Rafah, the only route for Gaza not controlled by the occupation.

Will the assassins simply go home? Will preachers sell pilgrimage trips in their churches and the murderers will walk us through occupied Jerusalem while they subdue Palestinians and Armenians out of sight? Is that what peace looks like? A world in which an army has the power to kill so many parents and children and siblings at whim with no repercussion?

I keep thinking of Rachel Corrie's letter to her mother, in which she argues so wholeheartedly in defense of the resistance: "This is not at all what I asked for when I came into this world. This is not at all what the people here asked for when they came into this world. This is not the world you and Dad wanted me to come into when you decided to have me. This is not what I meant when I looked at Capital Lake and said: “This is the wide world and I’m coming to it.” I did not mean that I was coming into a world where I could live a comfortable life and possibly, with no effort at all, exist in complete unawareness of my participation in genocide." I beg you to read it in full.

Rebuilding Gaza is not fully possible under Israel. The return of refugees is not possible under Israel. Justice for the martyrs and the survivors can't happen under Israel, because acknowledging the size of the violence commited is to admit Israel should not exist. How come Israel can execute hundreds of public workers and our newspapers hazily dismiss it because they were Hamas workers? Can you imagine if hundreds of government workers were slaughtered in your city and the local news dismissed the tragedy because they worked for the government which has ties to... the ruling party? This attempt to cloud our judgements and to cause apathy is transparent. The New York Times had a memo decrying any words that might cause sympathy to Palestine. Their goal is to desensitize us.

We have to do everything in our power to stop normalization. Deny as loudly as you can this insidious narrative that others Palestinians. We can't call ourselves free if we can't make changes. The occupation is a gaping wound in our world and we can't live in ignorance.

Donate to a vetted fundraiser to help families escape Rafah. Ask your friends to match your donations. Help save these lives.

If you have Israeli citizenship and wish to denounce it, a group of Jewish anti zionists have organized a guide on how to.

Keep yourself updated and share Palestinian voices. Muna El-Kurd said every tweet is like a treasure to them, because their voices are repressed on social media and even on this very app. Make it your action item to share something about the Palestinian plight everyday. Here are some resources:

Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency, Mondoweiss

Boycott Divest Sanction Movement

Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing protests and direct action against weapons factories across the US

Muhammad Shehada (twitter)

Hind Khoudary - reporting directly from Gaza.

You can participate in boycotts wherever you are in the world, through BDS guidelines. Don't be overwhelmed by gigantic boycott lists. BDS explicitly targets only a few brands which have bigger impact. You can stop consuming from as many brands as you want, though, and by all means feel free to give a 1 star review to McDonalds, Papa John, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks. Right now, they are focusing on boycotting the following:

Carrefour, HP, Puma, Sabra, Sodastream, Ahava cosmetics, Israeli fruits and vegetables

Push for a cultural boycott - pressure your favorite artist to speak out on Palestine and cancel any upcoming performances on occupied territory (Lorde cancelled her gig in Israel because of this. It works.)

If you can, participate in direct action or donate.

Palestine Action works to shut down Israeli weapons factories in the UK and USA, and have successfully shut down one of their firms in London.Some of the activists are going on trial and are calling for mobilizing on court.

Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing direct actions to stop the shipping of wars to Israel. Follow them.

Find your local BDS chapter on this website and check out the ways to help them.

Columbia students are organizing in coalition with Jewish Voices for Peace to divest from Israel. Support them if you are on site.

Educate yourself. Read into Palestinian history and the occupation. You can't common sense people out of decades of propaganda. If your arguments crumble when a zionist brings up the "disengagement of Gaza", you have to learn more.

Read Decolonize Palestine. They have 15 minute reads that concisely explain the occupation (and its colonial roots) and debunk popular myths, including pinkwashing.

Read on Palestine. Here's an amazing masterpost.

Verso Book Club is giving out free books on Palestine

Call your representatives.

FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA: USCPR has developed this toolkit for calls, here's a document that autosends emails to your representatives and here's a toolkit by Ceasefire in Gaza NOW!

FOR PEOPLE IN EUROPE: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace targeting the European Parliament and one specific for almost all countries in Europe, including Germany, Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Greece, Norway, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Austria, Belgium Romania and Ukraine

FOR PEOPLE IN THE UK: Friends of Al-Aqsa UK and Palestine Solidarity UK have made toolkits for calls and emails. London Students for Palestine is also organizing encampments across Britain.

FOR PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA: Here's a toolkit by Stand With Palestine

FOR PEOPLE IN CANADA: Here's a toolkit by Indepent Jewish Voices for Canada. You can also email Ottawa Municipality asking for an amendment to the noise bylaw that's been used to target pro-Palestine protests.

Join a protest. Here's a constantly updating list of protests:

Global calendar

Palestinian Youth Movement's Canada chapter is organizing buses for the Nakba Rally on May 11th in Toronto, which you can sign up to here.

Another global calendar (go to the instragram of the organizers to confirm your protest)

USA calendar

Australia calendar

Feel free to add more.

[dyrewrites]

Before Deluca -- a taste of city life

Due to our last trip, and rumors of larger Council presence, we wouldn't return to the Americas until the late 19th century.

We weren't headed to the Americas—Chicago, specifically—for a particular reason, but there were rumors of grander magic springing up.

A whole new existence on the horizon.

They were on the cusp of an industrial revolution—Europe had one quite a few years prior, but kept much of its magic regulated and small-scale—which pushed more boundaries in sigil-power and led to our present. A present powered by Council secrets and teeming with cities grown too fat to keep what feeds on them at bay.

Worrisome for mage involvement, my optimism was catching, and Lucient reveled in it with me. So as we went into that new world, we do so with giddy glee, simply looking for more free and delicious fun.

But there were worries all the same, for the reactions not to what we were—novelty to see one in person, and live, all knew vampires existed—but who.

Or, more specifically, how, as in how we loved.

It wasn’t accepted, you see, not truly. There are countless things one can blame for bigotry, but in the end they’re all meaningless. Pointless. Stupid and cruel.

So I won’t be trying.

I will point out that tolerance existed in most places. Not acceptance, but arm in arm we were ignored. So long as our sweet nothings were whispered, our kisses private, our lustful gazes kept to a minimum...we were left alone.

It was enough. It was.

Stolen kisses were a delicious treat, a secret decadence.

Of course not everyone took so well to even our tempered intimacy, our whispered epithets…

And they were delicious too.

→Before Deluca Taglist<-

// feel free to ask to be added or removed ^.- //

@watermeezer @starbuds-and-rosedust @thespacelizard

@your-absent-father @mr-orion @cowboybrunch @olliexwrites

@rowanmgrey-author @the-golden-comet @wyked-ao3 @leahnardo-da-veggie

@lychhiker-writes

[thatblackravenclaw]

That Night On The Ferris Wheel

(Images above are from Pinterest)

Blog Details | Let’s take a trip

Dean Thomas x black!fem!reader (no y/n)

warning(s): reader hinted to have a fear of heights, cursing, reader hinted to have anxiety, smut, fingering in a public setting

word count: 1.2k

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.

.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Dean grips my hand as he pulls me to the Ferris Wheel.

“What if it gets stuck?”

“It’s not gonna get stuck.” He says with an eye roll.

His stride gets us to the line in half the time it would’ve taken me. My heart beat is in my ears and the world turns into a kaleidoscope. I’ve never been on a Ferris Wheel. I never wanted to. They’re high and barely safe. You’re putting all your safety in the hands of a teenager who barely knows how to work the mechanical box and are just here to earn minimum wage, if even that.

The line goes faster than I would like.

“It’s going to come off of the hinges.”

“The box will malfunction and the wheel will speed up.”

“You’re gonna be stuck at the very top for hours.”

Why are my thoughts so loud? I’m going to throw up.

“Hey.” Dean’s voice pushes through my thoughts. The world silences, but his voice.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.”

The line moves. Halfway there. His words slow my heart beat back to its normal rate. I give him an acknowledging nod while praying that the line slows down.

It doesn’t.

Soon we’re second in line and my nightmare is coming true. I could tell Dean that I’m uncomfortable with this and don’t want to go on. He would say okay and we’d go on another ride. That simple. I don’t want to though. I want to do this. I want to overcome this fear. Prove that I can do it. Not for Dean, but for myself. That’s why I don’t say anything.

The Ferris Wheel comes to a stop and the previous couple walk out of the car, bright smiles across their faces. The sight doesn’t ease me any. The only thing that eases me is the smile on Dean’s face when I look up at him. He looks down at me and I can’t help but return the smile. He squeezes my hand and we walk up the stairs to the car.

There’s not much space. Our thighs squish together as we both sit in the car. There’s a slight rocking as we get settled and my heart rate picks up again. This cannot be safe. I quickly grab his hand and squeeze it along with my eyes.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.”

I take an inhale as his words echo through my head. As I exhale, the Ferris Wheel starts to move. I don’t open my eyes, not trusting my calm demeanor to last long. I allow myself to loosen my grip on his hand and stretch mine out on my thighs.

The Ferris Wheel creaks as it rises. Children and teenagers scream and laugh as they ride the other carnivals attractions. Dean is going on about something going on with his flatmates. All I can hear is Seamus… Kitchen…, and boy toy. I love him, but his roommate is the last thing on my mind right now.

“Sweetheart,” He asks.

“Mhm?” My tone is squeaky.

The wheel comes to a sudden stop. No. No, this can’t be happening.

“Why are we stopped?” My eyes stay closed as I ask the question. It’s stuck. I bet a million pounds that it’s stuck.

I feel his upper body shift away from me. The car creaks with his movement. I accidentally open my eyes and realize just how high we are.

“Holy shit.” My voice barely above a whisper.

“Damn, I think the mechanical box stopped working.” I open my mouth to give him an ‘I told you so.” when he quickly tells me to shush.

Tears prick in the corner of my eyes. I feel myself start to hyperventilate. I avert my eyes to the sky and work on the breathing exercises that my therapist gave me.

The sky has transitioned into an astronomical twilight. The stars are dimly lit due to the city lights, but I can vaguely point out Spica shining bright next to the first quarter moon. You can just make out the Mare of Serenitatis clearly. The more I stare at it, the closer it seems to get. The change of focus only works for so long. Then, he starts speaking again and I’m reminded of the predicament we’re in. My eyes widened with realization as I looked at Dean.

“Hey, what did I say,” he asks softly.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.”

“Here, I wanna try something.” I raise a quizzical brow as he puts his hand on my thigh. His nimble fingers grazes my jean zipper before moving up to the button.  

“Right now?” A wave of nervous shakes roll through my body as I look around. You aren’t able to see the lower parts of our body due to the design of the Ferris Wheel car, but that doesn’t ease my nerves any.

“Do you trust me?” He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled down the zipper.

“Yes,” I responded without hesitation.

He grabs my leg closest to him and pulls it over his thigh. His fingers slip through my pants and trace from my clit, down across my folds, and back up again. He does the teasing motion until my clit is throbbing with need. I tried my best not to moan, but a whimper slips through every now and then. He proceeds to lay his palm on my lower abdomen while the tips of his fingers play with the band of my underwear. I shiver as his fingers touch my bare skin every so often.

“You gotta be nice and quiet for me, okay? Can you do that for me?” His voice now deepened. Arousal dripping from his tone. I lose the ability to speak any words and just nod my head. I can hear my heart in my ears, but at this moment it is only him and I.

He reaches inside of my underwear and completely bi-passes my clit. My look of confusion morphed into a calmed look with a satisfied sigh. His middle finger slips through my folds and gathers the slick on the pad of his middle finger. You can hear the squelching but not loud enough to cover the noise from the carnival. His finger then moves up my folds until it gets to my clit causing my thighs to twitch. The begging died in my throat as he circled my clit. I lean my head back but don’t let a sound slip out my lips so as not to alert other carnival-goers.

He puts a little pressure on it, just how I like it. I grab on to his arm to ground myself. He’s worked me up to a point that I feel like I’m floating. The pleasure was so far away. Now, my arousal grows and seeps through my underwear while he brings me closer to my impending orgasm.

“Dean,” I gasp out.

“Sshh. It’s okay. I know. I got you. Let go whenever you need to.”

His finger speeds up and slightly more pressure is added. My grip tightens on him. The world blurs as my eyes roll to the back of my head. I cum with a hushed curse and melt into the seat beneath me. Dean removes his fingers and lightly pats my clothed over-sensitive clit.

“Still scared?” He chuckles at my now weak figure.

“Fuck you.” I match his playful tone while attempting to zip up my jeans.

“Oh, I plan to.”

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.

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Dean Masterlist | United Kingdom

[ferrocyan]

FFXIV Write Day 1 - Envoy

(AU: Canon divergence)

I come as the envoy of the Crystal Exarch, who wishes to exchange in martial knowledge between the Crystarium and Eulmore.

Well, of course saying something like that wouldn't work on Ran'jit. Neither the general nor Vauthry gave much mind to the Exarch's warrior, brushing her off to be assigned with Eulmore's city guards. The Exarch had told her that she should just go along with their bidding--he likely has predicted Eulmore's disinterested response--so she does. Makes a trip down the city's enormous staircase towards the guards' base at the Understory.

Lack of interest is good. Means it'll be that much easier to snoop around and gather information. Shame that she has to waste time keeping up the facade, too, but... nothing to be done for that. Keeping out of the general's eagle eyes is important, after all--

"Aha! So you've arrived, soldier of the Crystarium!" She's only cracked the office door open when the voice calls out. A young miqo'te man sits on the largest desk in the room. He pushes himself off with a huff, looking pleased with himself. "Welcome to the headquarters of the greatest military force in Norvrandt! We're glad to have you here," the man exclaims. He approaches her with a grin, and extends a hand.

She looks around the room. Empty save for the two of them. The young man is of stocky build, but has a boyish cut to his dusty blue hair. He stands about half a head shorter than her. "Is this... the Captain's office?"

"Er, yes? I just told you that." The young man's smile wavers as she sizes him up, then quickly adds, "Oh, no, I'm not the captain of the guards, if you're wondering. That would be my father. But I am his second-in-command, and thus, your partner for the rest of your time here!" He offers another handshake. "I'm the first squad leader, Lue-Reeq."

She takes it. "Ash-Tart," she tells him, because it's the mystel-like name the Exarch told her to use during her time there, "but just Tart is fine."

"Oh? Then you can call me Reeq too!" he says, excited. "Though maybe that wouldn't be necessary since I'm your superior... no, no, we're partners. It's better to be familiar," he muses to himself. Then to her, "Pleased to make your acquiantance, Tart."

She smiles at his exuberance. "Looking forward to working with you. So. What's it you guys... do?"

Reeq grimaces. "Currently? Not... much. Not that that's a bad thing, of course! Ever since Lord Vauthry rose to his rule, the sin eaters around the city has fallen under his absolute control. Eulmore has become the perfect city of peace. It's a great thing, really! His Grace does an amazing job of keeping this city peaceful."

The city of peace. That was what Vauthry said in their meeting, too, she recalls. Despite formerly being Norvrandt's greatest military force, Eulmore is now defined by its peace. Ran'jit, the relic of its martial past, said nothing to contradict his liege either.

That peace is certainly evident. Lue-Reeq explains the duties of the city guards and shows her around to their stations around the Canopy and Gatetown. They clearly don't have much to do. The officers are doing the bare minimum of their job, and most points in Gatetown are unmanned, and the majority of Eulmore's military force seems to have disappeared altogether.

Don't like it, she thinks. It feels wrong. Like when Ishgard play-acted at achieving "peace". As a part of the Vigils, peace just isn't where Tart belongs.

And it seems that the same applies to Reeq. He covers it up with excitement and praise for Vauthry, but his words ring false. He's the only one showing interest at the arrival of the Crystarium's envoy. There must be something more to this man.

Her suspicions are confirmed at the end of the day. When they return to the Understory, Reeq announces that their work is finished.

"Already? It's only one bell past noon." Good thing, though. She can start the recon early. "Then, thanks for your hard work today. See you--"

"Wait, you're really leaving first before your superior? We're not quite done yet, you know!"

Highbloods everywhere are the same, she sighs. "Sorry, Ser. What do you have in mind?"

Reeq motions her to take a seat at the side of the main desk. He goes over to the other side and settles comfortably on the seat next to the Captain's. "So, since I've fulfilled Eulmore's side of the deal for today, isn't it time for the Crystarium to do the same?" He tries to be professional, but a devilish grin can't help but sneak onto his lips. "I hear the Crystarium still does regular sorties to cull sin eaters around Lakeland, is that correct? Can I ask where you were stationed before? Have you killed eaters yourself?"

Tart nods. "Was at Ostall Imperative for a while," it's not a lie, really, "and yes. I have killed a few."

"Oh come on, no need to be modest, I want to hear all the details!" Reeq reaches into a drawer and pulls out a journal. "I have a few questions to ask, if you don't mind. But you must spare no details! This is the point of our arrangement, yes? So please, talk my ears off!"

His excitement is contagious. Tart feels herself smile as she discusses the few clashes with eaters she's had after coming to this world. Then continues with stories of her other exploits, disguised as sin eater hunts. She gets more animated as she goes on, in response to Reeq's rapt investment.

They're the same, she thinks. He doesn't belong in Eulmore's peace either. She didn't know she hungers for his interest, in her, in warfare, in her knowledge of it, until she has it. It doesn't matter if this exchange is a sham to Vauthry and the Exarch. It's real to Reeq, so being here is worth it. This is no longer a waste of time, Tart concludes.

Being the envoy who brings war back into the city of peace may be the best assignment she's had yet.

[msommers]

leave, education, kill, wish for riya, maeve and meredith!

muah i place kees on ur nose // oc asks: firsts

LEAVE: What was the first time your OC left home? Why? If they've never left home, do they want to? Where would they go?

RIYA — victor had been killed and she was ((sebastian voice) allegedly) framed for the crime and there were a few too many people eager to make an example of a mage/noble who wouldn't be let off easy this time, so her family broke her ass out of jail, handed her a bag of supplies and told her that she had to get the fuck out of the city until it was all resolved. she wouldn't have made it past city lines if she hadn't gone to beg bastian for help tbh.

MAEVE — when c- 🤢 when card- 🤢 when carden swept her off her feet, right into a carriage that would take her out of white orchard. she was excited about it at the time and later on in life would certainly prefer to never return to that place, but damn. if she doesn’t wish it had been under any other number of circumstances that helped her out of there.

MEREDITH — she has no memories of it because she was far too little, but almost certainly meredith’s first trip was to denerim when she was still a toddler because of some duty or other her father had to maintain. she was definitely one of those babies/kids that was great during travel and she got brought along to most everything because of it.

EDUCATION: What was your OC's first experience with school or education? Were they homeschooled? Apprenticed? Sent away to study? If they didn't have any kind of schooling, where did they learn about the world or pick up the skills they have now?

RIYA — answered xoxo

MAEVE — very basic lessons from her mother while she was still with her parents, learned the fundamentals of reading and writing because fanette couldn't stand the idea of her own child Not having those minimum levels but she also hated being the one to actually teach her. after her move to vizima, carden would have thrown all kinds of tutors her way so that she would be a Presentable and Proper Lady when he took her places. if there's one good thing that man ever did for her it was providing the resources to make her one of the most knowledgeable ladies around in his haste to up her intelligence score, i suppose. she also developed a very lovely handwriting style due to a particularly detail-oriented tutor. she absolutely could not stand the woman who taught her politics of the continent but no amount of complaining had her sent away smh

MEREDITH — she would have had multiple tutors and trainers i’m sure, being the daughter of the second most powerful family in the kingdom lmao. perhaps more lonely of an education than she would have liked as her brother was already in his studies and she wasn’t sent to learn with the other children in the castle, but she excelled nonetheless. i actually think she would have really liked the historian we saw in the cousland origin, old ass aldous who tutored the kids of the castle and surely taught meredith her histories aka one of her favorite subjects.

KILL: When was the first time your OC killed someone? How did they feel about it then, and do they still think about it now? If your OC has never killed before, would they? Under what circumstance?

RIYA — answered xoxo

MAEVE — we've stumbled across a rare maeve question i don't think has been considered, at least in default witcherverse. it would happen a few years into her time traveling with witchers, and likely while with one of them because that's when she's in the most danger (usually). she'd be fucked up about it no doubt. the panic to wash herself clean, the guilt over ending a life, the fear she could have torn apart a family somewhere, the stress of her own life being disrupted by a constant reliving of the entire event. you know, all that fun stuff she didn't sign up for. give it a few years and she'll probably still be sad about it, some amount of guilt will always linger because her heart is so gentle, but her own life experience and learning that of others will have helped her come to terms with it. (especially because it was likely in some sort of defense??? i don't see her just popping up on the kill feed for fun)

MEREDITH — when homegirl opened her bedroom door to find one of howe’s men standing there with a weapon drawn and she was forced into immediate combat. panic is all she felt then, and a rising anger the further she and her mother pushed into the castle during their search for bryce and an escape. she has never felt guilt for that first kill—or the dozen or so that came after it that night—because they displayed no guilt for the murders they took part in and showed no mercy in going after her next, but flash-forward some years and she feels a sorrow over it all having taken place. it wasn't fair to have such horrors forced upon a young girl who had done nothing wrong, merely had a father who perhaps needed to reevaluate his friendships more often 🤷‍♀️ sorry bryce that was uncalled for, you're already dead about it lmao

WISH: What's the first thing your OC ever wished for or wanted? Do they still want that, or have their desires changed? If so, what changed them? If not, how far would they go to fulfill their wish?

RIYA — i mean, for two decades i’m sure all her wishes were dumb as hell because she was a spoiled, sheltered girl. wishing her birthday celebration would be bigger than the last each year, wanting a new dress in the style of one she saw at a gala or smth, etc etc. her first genuine wish would have come during her time on the run, curled up next to bastian, wishing with a desperation that she'd never felt before that they could just go home.

MAEVE — any answer i think of is sad as hell. i imagine that the earliest thing she can remember wanting so terribly would be the approval of her parents because it always seemed Just out of reach. if she tried hard enough on the next task then she’d get the pride and affection she craved! surely that’s true!! it wasn’t tho, we know that. the only memory maeve has of her mother looking at her with pride was on that day carden took her away, which was a comfort for a few years while she still believed she’d finally done something good enough in their eyes. but then the “wait, she was just happy that i Sold To A Man for a fantastic price” reality hit and she’d do anything to forget that final day together.

MEREDITH — probably something cheesy like wanting to one day be like her father. the desire changed a bit over time, though not by much, spurned on by her witnessing too many moments of people being treated horribly because of how they were born. she wished to one day hold enough power and influence to make changes for good in the world, to care for others and make their lives better. historians and scholars are gonna debate for who knows how long about what schemes she enacted to take that power but like. it was right there. sitting out in the open. was she Not supposed to take it? c'mon now 🙄

[maireadralph]

Is the plan with MCM London still standing? And if so how many of us Entrapdaks are surely coming? Thinking about coming, but London isn't cheap, its somewhat of a trip from Germany and also I hardly ever traveled alone, so I need to know more details.

Amazing that you organize stuff like this btw, I love it.

Yes indeedy! I’m just waiting on MCM to open applications for Fan Meets their website but the MCM London May SPOP meet is still in the works!

Well currently there’s me, my hubby (the photographer for this meet), @kuurankaiho , @grot-bag and friend, with the possibility of @lisshstuff. Other than that it’s whoever feels like showing up on the day, everyone who is interested is welcome to attend…and if anyone is being an arse I WILL get venue security to throw them in the river.

The plan is:

Gather everyone

Take photos

Have fun

Oh yes London isn’t cheap I’ve lived here for over 10 years now 😅 …actually I did a write up on Cons a while ago which might be of help here. I’m not 100% certain on the pricing of flights from Germany but if it helps the most useful London airports for this event are:

London City Airport (very near the venue but expensive)

Heathrow (travel in via the Elizabeth Line)

Gatwick (lot of trains and connections but doable)

Luton (no never Luton, Luton is never useful)

I would not recommend this as a day trip, make this a weekend trip at a minimum - London is really draining when you’re not used to it.

I will admit that cheap/er hotels for MCM tend to sell out as soon as the dates are announced so please keep that in mind. MCM London is currently held twice a year in May and October. As it’s my local Con I keep returning!

As for more details currently I’m working out meeting points but it’s looking like the dry weather one is going to be this: found on Google Maps Street View (yes it still looks the same to this day) - there is a view to going up the Royal Victoria Dock Footbridge (party mobility access pending as the lifts are usually out of order) to get some epic photos with Canary Wharf in the background. The wet weather meeting point is still pending and will be dependent on what indoor space is available during the event.

I love organising stuff like this actually, it’s so much fun when it all come together!

I’ll also be looking towards running another SPOP Meet at MCM Birmingham (it’s currently TBD but usually November time)? This Con has the added benefit of having everything and I mean EVERYTHING in one handy dandy location and it’s currently becoming one of my favourite Cons. I’m not even joking the airport is genuinely on top of the NEC venue

[umbracirrus]

Some writing simply to try and start building up Ingja and Edwyn's story :)

Technically a prequel to The Perfect Storm, but I'm not going to post this on AO3. This is just the first chapter of it. It's also unnamed at the moment, and no doubt likely going to be subject to editing at some point down the line.

Arrows were carefully bundled up, bow string was sufficiently taut, and most importantly of all, her aim was as true as it could get. The bare minimum which she needed for a brief hunting trip.

She wouldn’t be venturing too far from home, but she had some rations in a satchel tied to her waist as a ‘just in case’ – something her father had put her in the habit of doing following on from the nightmarish tales he would tell of his experiences in the Great War which had ended little over a year and a half earlier. She didn’t want to dare getting stranded out in the wilderness if conditions grew too bad... And this was Winterhold they were talking about – bad conditions were practically a given.

“You’re hunting? Again? For the love of the Ni- Eight, Ingja, this is the third time this week. Your father and I are worried that you are pushing yourself too much.”

Ingja looked up from where she was preparing, and frowned at her mother. “It’s just practice, you know that! I find it easier to practice hunting out in the wilderness instead of in the village.”

Her mother, the stern woman that she was, frowned at the given response. Her thin eyebrows narrowed as her lips curled downwards. “City. The City, Ingja. You, of anyone, should know this.”

“If this is a ‘city’, then what the fuck would you call Windhelm? Whiterun? Markarth or Riften or Solitude?”

Red flared up on her mother’s face. “Language! Watch your language! You will never find a suitable husband with such a filthy tongue, and your father is fretting enough that you are spending too much time on hobbies-“ A pointed glare was given towards the bow in her hand. “-than your future responsibilities.”

“And that is an issue which he can talk to me about himself, if it is his concern,” Ingja retorted, knowing full well that it was more of an issue to her mother than her father, given that he knew the necessity for skills beyond properness and manners in the current state of the world. “Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to make a prayer to the Divines before I leave. I will be back by evening, if that will reassure you any.”

The look on her face clearly said that no, it did not.

Nonetheless, that wasn’t going to stop her.

Grumbling under her breath in an attempt to ask the Nine for protection – because screw the new rules which came into place since the signing of the Concordat the other year saying that there was only Eight, she had spent twenty years of her life praying to Nine and that wasn’t going to change – she made her way over to the door and slammed it behind her as loud as she could. Sure, it would likely earn her a telling off when she returned, but she simply wasn’t in the mood. Her mother always knew how to get on her nerves, and this was no different.

The only way in which she could really calm down was when she was surrounded by the cold and snow, making it all the better that she was going out to practice hunting. There wasn’t exactly a surplus of places in which she could do so in Winterhold, especially given that any sort of forest or woodland was scarce if not non-existent due to the conditions there, but for some reason, wolves seemed to thrive locally in the ice plains nearby. Mudcrabs too when she got close enough to the Sea of Ghosts, but her arrows never did much to their shells, so she never bothered with them unless she brought a mace with her too.

As she navigated through the city which was clearly more of a village than a city, she allowed her brow to furrow as she looked between the houses. It had been just over fifty years since the Great Collapse, and consequences were still being felt to that day. Just a few weeks earlier, a few households had to move to elsewhere – she believed Dawnstar due to it being one of the closest cities following an agreement being made with Jarl Skald – because their homes had ended up too close to the cliffs which were still crumbling. It was an absolute disaster and a tragedy that the effects were still being felt, and that those foolish mages in the College never acknowledged their part in the incident.

Once more under her breath, she addressed the Divines, giving her thanks that at least she and her family lived in one of the furthest buildings from that cliff. With luck, the collapse would have been stabilised or it would be beyond her lifetime when it reached the point that it would reach her home.

The wind around her began to pick up once she had made her way past all the buildings, a clear sign that she was now in the open beyond seeing as such. One of the corners of her lips turned up as she tightened her grasp around the grip of her bow, starting to feel much more in her element. It was a shame that the weather wasn’t the best though, the distance looking little more than a pale grey haze of snow and mist. On an ideal day, the skies would be clear and blue, the snow crisp and unmoving to allow her to follow any tracks and trails towards her prey, and there was a shipwreck not too far from the coast which would be visible if she dared to get close enough to the ledges and cliffs. However, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. If it were a blizzard, then she would be in trouble.

Her footsteps began to slow down and become much more careful and calculated once Winterhold began to get lost in the mist behind her. She didn’t want to get too far just in case conditions took a turn for the worst, and she needed to make sure that she left a trail for herself to follow back. The feeling of the snow beneath her feet compressing with every step was always one of comfort, but also one which made her incredibly glad for her fur-lined leather boots.

A shiver went down her spine at the thought of the snow melting because of her body heat through linen or cotton akin to some of the more formal boots which she had for when there were guests visiting her family. At the very least what she was wearing now was warm and both water- and snow-proof.

Suddenly, a flash of white moved past her, almost completely blended in with the snow, and she snapped to attention. That was a rabbit. A decent amount of them lived out in the ice fields, and were very peaceful creatures. She once actually tried to tame one of them, or at the very least befriend one, but had ended up in trouble – unsurprisingly with her mother. ‘Vermin’, she had said. ‘What if it bites or kicks your little brother’, she had complained. It was always about how things would impact her brother, and she had never been allowed a say in the matter.

There was something which she couldn’t help but note about the rabbit which had just gone past her though… It was rushing. Trying to move away from something. A predator.

A wolf.

She turned in the direction that the rabbit had come from, and instinctively reached behind her shoulder to grab hold of an arrow before nocking it in her bow.

What she hadn’t expected though, was a wolf which looked so vastly different to the ones often found in that area. What was typically shades of white and silver were instead blues and purple. It looked almost… ghostly. Ethereal, even.

She needed to get that wolf.

The mere thought of showing that to her mother to show that she was not wasting her time by hunting – and no doubt also showing her father, given that he was often much more approving of her activities – brought an elated smirk to her face. She was not the delicate little thing her mother wanted her to be, she was no fucking milk-drinker – how would she ever face her ancestors in Sovngarde otherwise?!

With determination now fuelling her every action, she began to follow the wolf in its own pursuit of the rabbit.

It didn’t take long for her to notice that the route which she was taking was steadily starting to descend, meaning that she would have to take particular care with her footing from there on. Lower ice levels meant that there were likely to be slippery patches, and the last thing that she wanted was to injure herself by being too reckless. However, it seemed that the wolf was not being so cautious about its own movements. It was rushing, as though desperate to get its prey. It almost felt as though it had never actually hunted prey before, its behaviour was so reckless in comparison to the wolves which she would normally encounter in the area.

Eventually though, she found the wolf stood at a ledge, looking around. It appeared to have lost its prey, and most importantly of all, it provided her with her chance. She raised her bow, then focussed in. Slow, steady breaths, hand stable, arrow positioned just right.

Perfect.

She let her arrow loose, and her heart skipped a beat when it hit its mark dead on. Pride was quick to give way to horror though, as the wolf simply… dissipated. Her arrow fell to the ground with a clatter, and her entire body froze.

It was as though the wolf had never even been there, but how?!

Clenching her teeth together in frustration, she walked over to the arrow and picked it up to look it over. Not a trace of blood, or… anything, beyond the snow which it had fallen into.

But then...

Crack.

Time seemed to almost freeze, yet completely paradoxically, move too fast for Ingja to properly process what was happening around her. But she knew one thing…

She was falling.

A scream of pain tore through her lips as she hit the ground, her leg colliding with the rubble and ice she had just been stood on when she landed.

And. It. Hurt.

----------

“O… Okay. It’s time to show them. I’ll show them that I can tame one of my conjurations. I can absolutely do this…” A flicker of violet magic began to form in the mage’s hands from where he was stood on one of the lower layers of the Winterhold ice plains. He slowly held them out, and inhaled deeply. “Come on Edwyn… you can do this…”

A flash and accompanying sound of magic crackling and whooshing formed in the direction which he had held out his arms, making him squint momentarily as his spell came to fruition. He then blinked a few times to clear his vision, before letting out a loud sigh. It had worked, and there was now a wolf familiar before him, staring up in his direction. That was as far as he had gotten all of the other times he had attempted this pursuit, so he knew that this was his chance to finally make progress.

It definitely helped that he was away from the College grounds. He could have sworn that somebody kept sneaking around in there and catching his eye every time he attempted to practice, and it always seemed to come from whichever direction Enthir happened to be in. No doubt he was sneaking somebody who wasn’t a member of the College inside. That… or one of his classmates were playing tricks on him with illusion magic. Or he was just being incredibly paranoid that he would be mocked for attempting to tame a conjuration yet again.

Here though, he was alone. Aside from the wolf. Obviously.

Carefully, he took a step towards the wolf, and watched to see its reaction. After nothing happened, he took another one and slowly raised his arm. Eventually, he was close enough to it to be able to place his hand on its head. It continued looking up at him in the process, and once a few moments passed, he let out a shaky breath.

Progress.

“Wow… Aren’t you an impressive beast?” he whispered, now starting to kneel down. It continued watching him as the snow crunched beneath his knees under his robes, feeling his heart starting to race as a flurry of thoughts went through his head about what he could say and write about what had happened. He would certainly have to make an emphasis about suitable environments being needed in order to prevent immediate hostility of the wolf. “Should I name you? I think that I should name you, I can’t keep calling you ‘beast’ or ‘wolf’ all of the time, can I?” He hummed quietly in thought, then nodded. “I am going to call you Spectre.”

Spectre’s tail started slowly swaying side to side after that, and he took that as a good sign. Or at least he hoped that to be the case – he’d met a few dogs before whose tails would start moving when happy, and wolves were close enough to dogs…

But then there was a quiet noise, almost like a grumble which came from Spectre. The wolf’s eyes were no longer on him, but had darted to the side. He moved his hand away from it, then decided to observe what Spectre’s next actions were going to be.

He never expected a sudden snarl and growl, teeth flashing. It gave him enough of a fright to send him onto his backside in the snow, and what was worse, he didn’t know if that was directed at him.

Until he caught sight of a rabbit.

Another thing he would have to add to his notes and report back – that natural instincts appeared to take precedence if the opportunity were to arise. He would have to keep an eye on Spectre to make sure that he was correct in his assumption though… but by the time that he was on his feet once more, the creatures – both natural and conjured – had vanished from his line of sight. He could only hear the loud growling of Spectre getting quieter as they moved further away from him. There wasn’t a single chance that he would be able to catch up.

Groaning disappointedly, he dragged his hands down his face before turning around to where his slightly damp notebook and pen were resting in the snow, and picked them up in order to make some quick notes about the situation before backtracking to the College. Spectre wouldn’t last long enough to catch the rabbit, he was certain of that because his conjurations never lasted more than about five minutes if he didn’t intentionally dispel them, and if there were rabbits in the area, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to try again just yet.

As he was in the middle of scribbling down his notes though, now that the sound of Spectre was completely absent, a new sound echoed around from in the distance. A cracking noise. He had to remind himself that it was completely natural to hear such things in this area of Skyrim’s coastline…

But shrieks of pain were not.

Not caring in the slightest that he would be losing what he had written about what he had uncovered over the past few minutes, he was quick to drop pen and paper onto the ground and run in the direction of the scream. He cursed his low stamina levels as he moved, it not taking long for his muscles to scream at him for the sudden exertion, but he didn’t care. If somebody was injured, he needed to help!

It was barely a minute before he had found the scene of the incident, and his breath caught at the sight. There was a woman lying in the snow, her breathing heavy and erratic between sobs as she attempted to move. Not too far from her was a bow, and arrows were scattered around. She was clearly a hunter of sorts, and had clearly fallen from a nearby ledge.

“T-T-Talos f-fucking damn- damn it-!” She cried out as she attempted to pull herself up, but by the looks of things, she was in too much pain to be able to do so properly.

He ran over to her, and was quick to kneel at her side. “A-Are you okay?!”

Her eyes darted towards his, their sharp blue almost paralysing him momentarily, with the look on her face seemingly uncertain and flickering between annoyance, relief, and excruciating pain. “No- L- Leg,” she hissed out between clenched teeth, during which he moved an arm to beneath her back in order to sit her upright. “D-Do you… Potion, do you have a- a potion?!”

“No, I- I don’t, but I know a little bit of restoration magic. Where exactly on your leg did you-?!”

A noise which almost sounded disgusted slipped out from her as she seemed to try and wrest her arms out of his supportive hold. “Y-You have got to be fucking kidding me… A fucking m-mage-?! Argh, shit-“ She winced, but the resistance to his presence faded just as quickly. “Left leg… knee. Shin. J… Just be- be quick about it.” Her eyes clamped shut then, clearly an attempt to blink away the tears in her eyes. “Please.”

[ciryze]

Butterfly Effect turns 1 year old today :D (I pushed the release date on AO3 back in the day but it counts!)

For all 3 of you actually following the story, have a cute family picture <3

Also some Butterfly-Funfacts under the cut :)

The actual "Butterfly Effect" is actually not Raine turning to look for her mother in the prologue, but Kloitz holding Genis instead of Virginia doing so.

The flashback chapters are intentionally scrambled through the actual timeline as Raine doesn't exactly remember the order of events herself

Zelos did return several times to the spot where he met Raine for the first time. However at that point, she was already with Pronyma

Presea is still alive in this story. However she is held in the underground research lab in an isolated container, making her crystal grow under similar circumstances as Expheres do in human ranches. She dies during Raine's first test-run with Odin in Sybak.

Regal is also absent in this story. Mithos has him executed in order to take over his company

The spelljammers (both Tethe'alla and Sylvarant) are made and built by Lezareno company. The ones in Sylvarant are brought over by Cruxis and built by Desians

There's a total of 6 human ranches in Sylvarant (the original 4 as well as one in Triet and one in Hima. Both these locations were suggested by Raine

Sylvarant is much heavier regulated by the Desians. With several large borders, it's harder to manuver around, so most rebel groups are local to their respective city.

Raine manipulated the Cardinals enough so that they raised the minimum age for new recruits. She also made them offer childcare and education in their ranches. Kvar thinks it was all his idea though

Raine still caries a scar on her back where the flames of the Broken sprouted originally in The Broken Ones. It looks like a shard of broken glass.

Zelos made several trips to the Meltokio slums in his life, disguised under rags and looking for Raine

Both Zelos and Colette have elvenblood in them

The higher ups in Tethe'alla have their children operated on if they turn out to have even slightly tipped ears. It's common procedure, although it was made less painful after a few years. Zelos had a particular bad case of tipped-ear-syndrom which is why his ears seem unnatural if you look close enough

Raine in this story is nonbinary, preferes the 'she/her' pronouns though. She occasionally goes around as "Ray" having he/him pronouns

Raine is also demisexual

Zelos is pansexual. He's also the only one thinking of Raine as nonbinary, thus avoiding any pronouns for her as well as he can, which is also the reason he calls her 'Master' instead of 'Mistress'

Kratos is genuenly interested in Raine up until the Altamira incident

Although not explicitly said, Sheena tries to convince Zelos to leave several times while they are still in Sylvarant

The heavy accent Raine has naturally is a mix between her growing up with elvish and the accent they carry in Sybak. It sounds remotely like russian

[mariacallous]

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned from the Middle East with few tangible results in his diplomatic pouch.

With his visit coming just after several days of violence between Israelis and Palestinians—including an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin that killed nine Palestinians, some of whom the Israel Defense Forces said were Palestine Islamic Jihad members implicated in past terrorist attacks, as well as a shooting outside an East Jerusalem synagogue by a Palestinian that killed seven Israelis—there wasn’t much hope, let alone expectation, of progress.

At a minimum, progress would have meant getting both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take concrete steps to de-escalate and work together to prevent terrorism and violence in the future. Through no fault of Blinken’s, this could never have been achieved.

Blinken’s public remarks made clear that he had raised concerns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his government’s proposed judicial reforms that, according to many jurists, would impinge on Israel’s democratic system. Blinken advised reaching a national consensus before undertaking partisan change.

There wasn’t much to show, however, on efforts to contain the violence and rebuild trust between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority has suspended security cooperation with Israel in the West Bank, leaving everything in the hands of the Israeli army. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet proposed measures on Sunday to retaliate for the Jerusalem terrorist attack, but it is hard to see how the policies, which include destroying the homes of terrorists’ families or deporting them, will help deter future attacks; there’s scant evidence that it has worked when carried out in the past.

Coming almost immediately on the heels of a flurry of back-and-forth U.S. and Israeli trips—Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to Washington and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns to Israel and the West Bank—it was clear well before Blinken arrived that his visit would be part of a broader piece, with particular focus on Iran. Never before had a U.S. administration engaged with a new Israeli government as early, as often, and at this high a level.

Clearly, that engagement reflected the Biden administration’s real concern about the new right-wing government’s direction and offered an opportunity to lay down some markers, especially on issues related to Israeli policies toward Palestinians and on the judicial reforms that might erode Israel democracy. At the same time, judging by the tone and tenor of the Blinken visit, the Biden administration has clearly decided to embrace the new Israeli coalition publicly and not confront it. We wouldn’t be surprised if an early Netanyahu visit to Washington is in the offing.

The administration surely is aware of the risk that this flurry of high-level visits will be perceived as legitimizing the most extreme government in Israel’s history. But Joe Biden—a preternaturally pro-Israel U.S. president whose initial instincts were never to confront Israel but to work with it—seems willing to take that risk. Biden has other priorities, not to mention his likely decision and announcement to seek a second term. Fighting with Israel is risky business, especially in light of a Republican Party that has set itself up as Israel’s sole stalwart friend. Biden might be persuaded to get tough with Israel and the Palestinians if there were realistic chances of achieving a breakthrough that would make a fight worthwhile. But there simply aren’t.

There are no easy choices for an administration facing this Israeli government. Here are five suggestions the Biden administration could follow to have any chance of successfully navigating what’s likely to be a very fraught road ahead.

1) Hang it on the prime minister. Netanyahu has said repeatedly he can control the more radical impulses and actions of his ministers, and the Biden administration ought to hold him to that commitment. Palestinian terrorism and the predisposition of some of Netanyahu’s ministers to use the violence to advance their narrow political agenda in the occupied territories present Netanyahu with a test that will be difficult to pass. The decisions made by the Israeli cabinet on Sunday indicate how difficult it will be for Netanyahu to rein in the radicals.

Netanyahu crafted this coalition to meet his immediate need to defer, nullify, and escape prosecution in his ongoing corruption trial. He is now saddled with it and needs to manage the coalition’s worst impulses, including by maintaining the status quo at Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, not gutting Israel’s Supreme Court, and avoiding a full-blown conflict with Palestinians in the occupied territories. Indeed, a functional U.S.-Israeli relationship depends on it. As Blinken emphasized throughout his visit, this relationship depends on a confluence of both values and interests.

2) Make the relationship more transactional. Netanyahu looks after Israel’s interests first, and so should the Biden administration tend to the United States’. Allies trust one another and do for one another. There’s reciprocity, not just free-riding.

Israel wants U.S. help in normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia (an interest the Biden administration shares) and in toughening up an approach toward Iran. And the Biden administration wants any number of things from Netanyahu, including a tougher Israeli policy against Russia’s war in Ukraine. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, the United States’ closest ally there, and the only country in the region whose history is linked to genocide. It’s not unreasonable for the United States to expect more when it comes to Russia’s brutal invasion.

Biden isn’t pressing Israel on a two-state solution—but he does want Netanyahu’s government to avoid taking actions that could make the situation in the West Bank far worse than it already is. The United States also has its own set of problems to resolve with the Saudis; Israel can exacerbate both the U.S.-Saudi relationship and its own future relations with the kingdom if it continues to take provocative actions toward the Palestinians.

At this point, though, it’s hard to see the Biden administration explicitly laying out precise quid pro quos and trade-offs to Netanyahu (e.g., if you ratchet up pressure on the Palestinians, we’re not going to work with you to maintain and broaden the Abraham Accords), largely because there’s no guarantee countries such as the United Arab Emirates would play along. And Netanyahu would likely reject that approach. Nor is it politically viable with the U.S. Congress. Israel has yet to respond definitively to the U.S. request to supply vintage Hawk missiles to Ukraine. And given Israel’s refusal to supply military assistance to Ukraine, the answer is most likely to be no.

3) Make Iran the priority. As volatile as the Palestinian situation may be, Iran’s nuclear program is the only issue that might trigger a wider regional confrontation, replete with rising oil prices and falling financial markets.

The Biden administration and Israel still disagree over the virtues and drawbacks of reviving the Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but they do not disagree about the danger that Iran poses in the region, whether through its drive toward becoming a nuclear threshold state or its aggressive behavior in Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere.

Iran’s brutal efforts to suppress its current domestic protests and Tehran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine have made the prospects of a renewed nuclear agreement unlikely, which should reduce some of the tensions with Netanyahu (unless, by some miracle, a renewed diplomatic opportunity with Iran arises on the nuclear issue). And major tensions could arise if Israel makes an assessment that it must use military force to respond to Iran’s ramped-up nuclear program and the United States disagrees.

But diplomacy, containment, and smart, demonstrable deterrence—certainly including but not limited to a credible military option—will be the key to dealing with Iran in the period ahead. That will require close and nuanced diplomatic and security cooperation and coordination between Israel and the United States. The recently concluded joint military exercise involving thousands of U.S. and Israeli forces in the Mediterranean Sea was clearly intended to send a signal to Iran of combined U.S. and Israeli resolve, and it won’t be the last of such coordinated initiatives in the months ahead.

4) Sharpen the almost nonexistent current focus on the Palestinian issue. Even if the prospects for serious progress on the Palestinian issue are almost nonexistent now, the Biden administration must continue to press both the Netanyahu government and the Palestinian Authority to prevent further deterioration on the ground. White House and State Department words and hand-wringing are not enough.

The raid in Jenin and the terrorist attack that followed showcased two long-standing truths in the Israeli-Palestinian drama. Some Palestinian groups, including Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and some within Fatah, remain intent on violent resistance. The Palestinian leaders lack a political strategy for advancing toward their stated goal of self-determination and statehood. The terrorism and violence inflict pain and suffering but do not move the dial closer to a resolution of the underlying conflict. Indeed, even the most serious outbreaks of violence and war are followed by a return to the status quo ante, or worse, with nothing having been accomplished.

For its part, Israel has pursued a counterinsurgency strategy for decades designed to disrupt Palestinian terrorist operations and inflict pain on the Palestinians as a means of trying to end the terrorism, but it, too, has no political goal. At best, Israel can make costs to Palestinians very high for engaging in terrorism, but as long as Palestinians see no political avenue out of the occupation, they appear willing to absorb those costs. For Israel, this has meant short periods of calm interspersed with short periods of terrorism and violence. It’s a strategic cul-de-sac with no way out.

The Biden administration must continue to press Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume security cooperation with Israel and to do more to preempt terrorism and violence in the West Bank. Abbas must also develop a diplomatic approach that responds to past Israeli and U.S. diplomatic initiatives. And he must invigorate Palestinian politics by calling elections for parliament and the presidency so that the Palestinian public can make clear its choice: a process of peacemaking or continued terrorism and violence under the slogan of resistance. The half a billion dollars the United States has provided to Palestinians since April 2021 provides some leverage in these discussions; more significant U.S. leverage would be a commitment to revive serious U.S. diplomacy in peacemaking, something that has been absent since at least 2014.

As for Israel, even as it takes security steps to protect its population, it must also take steps to shore up the Palestinian Authority. This includes pushing aside efforts to speed up or legalize creeping annexation; improving economic living conditions on the ground; ending rampant settlement activity, including the legalization of outposts that are illegal under current Israeli law; and avoiding actions that seek to permanently bind the West Bank to Israel. Even if the question of using aid as leverage with Israel is off the table—it simply will not fly in Washington, where Israel has become a domestic political football—the United States carries enough weight to persuade Israel to pay attention when it sees seriousness and determination on the part of the most senior U.S. officials.

5) Make it clear that the United States will stay out of Israeli politics—but Israel must stay out of U.S. politics, too. Israel needs to understand that the bilateral relationship thrives when U.S. policy toward Israel enjoys bipartisan support in Washington. It may be tempting for Israel to game U.S. politics and decide to throw its weight behind the Republicans, as Netanyahu has done previously, especially as the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign begins this year to shift into high gear.

But Israel needs to be reminded that the United States has one president at a time and that blatant interference of the kind that Netanyahu engaged in on Iran during the Obama administration will be called out as an unfriendly act with consequences for the personal relationship between the U.S. president and Israeli prime minister.

The new Israeli government presents the Biden administration with some very unpalatable and inconvenient choices. It is a democratically elected extremist coalition led by a very skillful and willful prime minister whose primary goal isn’t stopping Iran from getting a bomb or normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia but finding a way to escape his ongoing corruption trial.

For that, he needs the cooperation of his coalition partners. He may be able to control some of what they want, but because they have leverage over him, Netanyahu can’t block everything. This virtually ensures rising tensions with the United States, unless of course some deus ex machina intrudes, such as war with Iran, a third intifada, or the collapse of the government and its replacement by a more centrist coalition.

But more likely, if the worst of the right-wing extremists’ agenda comes to pass, the Biden administration and Netanyahu will enter a bad patch far worse than the Obama years. And Biden—with no choice but to push back—may well find himself in the middle of a nasty fight that he doesn’t want or need.