#oh how lovely to keep finding things like these to both lift my spirits and fill me with rage

[augment-techs]

[norrisainz33]

Champ || MV33

☆ summary: Max is chasing down another wdc while his partner is competing for gold at the olympics

☆ pairing: max verstappen x olympian!reader

☆ fc: ilona maher

☆ warnings: some haters and mildly suggestive but other than that none

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ynuser made a post

liked by maxverstappen1, usarugby, redbullracing, yourbff, and 65,123 others

ynuser: i’m on the road to paris 💙🏅🏉

view all 143 comments

user1: yes y/n/n!!! you are THAT girl

yourbff: THATS MY BEST FRIEND

maxverstappen1: an unstoppable force 💪🏻

verstappencom: try not to say goat challenge failed

user2: y/n master class incoming

yoursibling: beauty, brawn AND brains 😫

user4: every 4 years i get possessed by a bald eagle and find the patriotism i never had. USA USA USA LETS GO Y/N

maxverstappen1 made a post

liked by redbullracing, verstappencom, ynuser, danielricciardo, and 345,123 others

maxverstappen1: the grind never stops! getting in some final reps before y/n heads off to paris 💪🏻🏅

view all 345 comments

redbullracing: good luck at the olympics y/n!

user3: the way she’s lifting more than him,, iconic

user4: i’m foaming at the mouth something about the max gym pics get me

danielricciardo: hot

maxverstappen1: mate don’t talk about my partner like that

danielricciardo: max im talking about you

maxverstappen1: oh 🤭

ynuser: am i interrupting something?

user18: MAXIEL MAXIEL MAXIEL

ynuser: i’m going to miss you

maxverstappen1: bring me back that medal baby

ynuser: on it 💪🏻

redbullracing posted a video

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user14: max melts every time someone mentions y/n

user5: notice how his face lights up, oh he’s so down bad

user6: MAX IS SO WIFEY MATERIAL

user8: wife? what is he.. a girl?? like ik his gf looks like a man but? this is ridiculous redbullracing

user6: did you see the part where max got offended?? yeah i didn’t either gtfo of here

user9: user8 just because she’s strong doesn’t make her less feminine. good bye loser

user10: a man can be a wife stfu!! also y/n is perfect do not even try me

user12: MAX AND Y/N ARE BOTH GOING TO WIN TODAY I JUST KNOW IT

redbullracing: that’s the spirit! 💪🏻

user14: making one of these for my partner rn

user99: whoever made this - i love you

maxverstappen1 has made a post

liked by ynuser, redbullracing, charlesleclerc, verstappencom, and 674,441 others

maxverstappen1: great job today by the team and everyone back at the factory. huge win on the board to close out the first half of the season (featuring a very important radio conversation). see you all in zandvoort!

view all 894 comments

user24: max emilian the man that you are

charlesleclerc: congrats on p1 and for being the best olympic wife

maxverstappen1: thank you, i take my duties very seriously

user88: CHARLES

user55: lestappen crumbs

redbullracing: congrats on p1 max! that’s our world champion 💪🏻

landonorris: great race mate! we’ll keep up the battle in the second half 😉

maxverstappen1: we’ll see about that

ynuser: max 😭😭 you’re crazy i love you

maxverstappen1: i love you more

ynuser: not possible!

maxverstappen1 has made a post

liked by danielricciardo, charlesleclerc, carmenmundt, ynuser, redbullracing, logansargeant and 879,057 others

maxverstappen1: y/n y/l/n - olympic gold medalist, best player in the world, love of my life and soon to be wife

view all 1,435 comments

user44: WIFE RED ALEET WHAG DID HE HUST SAY

user99: THEY GOT ENGAGED?!?!

user65: Y/NMAX GIRLIES WE RISE

user88: when her teammates pointed him out in the stands and she almost fell to her knees (i’m sleeping in the road tonight)

redbullracing: congratulations on a hard fought win y/n 💙 the red bull fam is so proud

ynuser: my maxie, my world champ and my future husband 🤍

maxverstappen1: i love it when you’re possessive

landonorris: there are kids on this app

danielricciardo: YESSSS Y/N!! that’s our girl!

danielricciardo: p.s you gotta warn a man before you publicly announce things like this

charlesleclerc: no really max when were you going to tell us?

maxverstappen1: if you checked the group chat you would know

landonorris: daniel & charles there’s even photos in the gc 🤦‍♂️

user22: quick leak the photos lando im begging

ynuser made a post

liked by iamrebeccad, maxverstappen1, redbullracing, usarugby, danielricciardo, and 101,432 others

ynuser: i won gold in more ways than one! truly an unforgettable experience - congrats to the team and thank you to everyone who supported us on our journey. it looks like next olympic games i’ll be competing as y/n verstappen 🫶🏻🏅🇺🇸

view all 783 comments

iamrebeccad: making history!! so glad we got to celebrate with you 💙

ynuser: my love , i’m so glad you made it to paris 💙

redbullracing: we’ve got two world champions now 💪🏻

user22: and one of them is not named checo LOL

user53: i know that’s right!

maxverstappen1: incredible team and an incredible effort!

maxverstappen1: you have inspired me in more ways than i can even express, congratulations mrs. verstappen 😍🤍

ynuser: thank you for the endless support mr. verstappen 🥹

ynuser made a post

liked by maxverstappen1, iamrebeccad, carmenmundt, georgerussell63, yourbff, and 87,980 others

ynuser: when he flies out all the girlies to celebrate your success and your engagement 💅🏻🏅

tagged: carmenmundt, iamrebeccad, alexandrasaintmleux, lilymhe, lilyzneimer and maxverstappen1

view all 345 comments

user20: the most iconic girl group im so jealous

user22: i want to be their friend so bad 😭

alexandrasaintmleux: so happy for you mon coeur

iamrebbeccad: there’s no place i’d have rather been

lilymhe: i am your biggest fan

lilyzneimer: i love love and you

carmenmundt: thanks for inviting us maxverstappen1

user99: max flying out all her friends omg

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a/n: another installment of olympic reader. love the olympics, love rugby so had to put them together and i v much feel like max would support tf out of his strong olympic girly.

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© norrisainz33: please do not rewrite, translate, or copy any of my works posted here on to any other platform

[crowandmousewritingco]

The Correspondence of the Contagious

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x gn!reader x Ellaria Sand

Words: 1.4 k

Rating: G

Summary: Oberyn is away for a few days and illness comes to Dorne.

Author: Mod Mouse

Notes: This is one of my entries in @burntheedges Roll-A-Trope Challenge! This was so fun to write (and thanks to Mod Crow for the help!) Hopefully I'll have the other fic out next week.

My Dearest Viper, 

I hope the Northern kingdoms aren’t dimming your fiery spirit. I know you were hesitant to adventure so far away from your paramores, but I assure you we aren’t going anywhere. Soon you’ll return to the warm embrace of your land and your lovers. On your return we shall keep you in your room drinking and enjoying the company, filling us with as much pleasure as we could handle. 

Dorne is still quite warm despite the seasons changing. Ellaria and I have been spending our days basking in the sun while we still can. We even made up a nice lunch that we enjoyed under the lemon trees in the grove that you adore so much. Once we were full of delicacies (and a taste of each other) we followed the path through the Water Gardens. We look like pies straight from the oven with the amount of sun on our skins. But it was much needed for the both of us. 

Although something must have kicked up some retched pollen because Ellaria has been stuffed up since then. She insists she is okay (you know how stubborn she gets with this sort of affair), but after some well placed cuddles, she allowed herself some rest. That’s where she is right now. Snuggled up beside me as I write this to you. She’s as beautiful as always with her dark hair spread out like crow feathers on our shared pillows. I wish I could illustrate how beautiful she is. You would delight in the sight of her my dear as I am in this moment of time.

With plenty of rest and your herbal tea mix, she should be right as rain in a day or so. No need to worry your little Prince head about. I can handle our lover’s moods while you handle your duties. We shall see you in a fortnight. I shall pray to the Seven for your safety on your journey. 

Your Dove. 

My Dearest Viper,

I know politics have kept you busy so I hope this letter finds you well. At least in a better condition than our paramore. I fear that whatever illness has graced her body has stayed longer than the foreseen time. Her sniffling has turned into a cold. Poor thing has been coughing bouts that last several minutes. Diluted wine helps in the end but only after acquiring a sore throat. 

That wasn't the only thing she received from this illness. She has acquired a bit of a fever over the last few hours and her energy has lessened. But the Maester believes it’s just the bug that has been spreading throughout the castle. He has given her more herbal remedies and plenty of rest as her medication. 

I will continue to watch her with a careful eye. Once again she is resting beside me. Even in sickness she has my deepest love and adoration. I thank the gods every day that I get to be simply in her presence. 

When she wakes I shall see if she wants to spend some time on our balcony. The Maester said that sunlight would be a nice addition to her healing. Oh and I’ll have those berries brought from the kitchen for her to snack on. She was delighted when we went for our walk. They shall lift her spirit and body. 

I’m afraid my time with you is cut short my dear. Our lover stirs beside us. I will write to you once she finds slumber again. I hope the North is treating you as well as they can. 

Your Dove.

My Dearest Viper 

I pray to the Seven that you receive this letter. I’m afraid the sickness was much worse than anyone could have expected. Her fever is at an ultimate and she hasn’t eaten for a few days. The Maester claims that she will arrive on the other side of this pestilence mountain and I am hopeful too. But it’s hard to have reassurance when your lover shakes like the leaves in the wind. Pelts have been placed on her body but they do nothing to keep her from shivering. She sleeps like a princess with a spell placed on her. I rouse her only to eat and drink. 

I pray your journey will end soon so that your presence can heal her as much as mine. I didn’t want to raise your worry while you were away, but I’m scared. Less severe sickness has taken loved ones, and my soul is in an unrest. I wish for your strength my dear. You have an aptitude for these sorts of situations. 

I wish to keep writing to you, for I feel your presence in these words, but I fear I’ve run out of subjects to discuss. Please return soon my dearest Oberyn. 

Your Dove

What you didn’t tell Oberyn was that you were suffering the same ailments Ellaria was currently experiencing. Your fever was just as high as Ellaria’s and you clung together in sickness, bodies shaking in unison. The need for food seemed like a distant afterthought, and your stomach cramp every time you coughed. 

Ellaria whimpered and your head peaked up. You had tuned your senses to anything she might need during this time even if it meant ignoring your own needs. “My love, let me get you something to drink.” You weakly kissed your head as it took all of your energy to even sit up but you had to do this for her. 

You swung your legs over the sides. The wind felt cold against your bare skin despite the warm summer heat still lingering. Your breath seemed to struggle to enter your lungs, but you pushed yourself up. Ellaria needed you; your body be damned. Carefully your hands braced themselves on the wall. Using the rough texture as your guide, you shuffled your feet in slow deliberate steps. 

But the pestilence in your body had made you weak, for your legs could no longer hold your weight. As you felt yourself pitch forward a strong pair of arms was the only thing stopping you from hitting the ground. The sudden stoppage of momentum threw you off and you couldn’t make heads or tails of what just occurred.

A familiar voice filled the room. “My dove what are you doing out of bed?” You glanced up despite the pounding in your head. Oberyn looked down at your body with worry. Gently he situated you so you were sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“I thought…you’re here,” You said and the weight of the last days finally made themselves known. You teared up and Oberyn guided your weak head to his shoulder, letting your body rest against his chest. 

“I’m here dove,” He soothed your anxieties. Up and down your back his hands soothed your anxieties. He could feel the exhaustion in the way you held your body. You went to speak, but a coughing fit seized you instead. 

“Easy love,” Oberyn soothed, sitting you up slightly, holding your weakened body up. You whimpered as the coughs turned into labored breathing before calming down completely. 

“I-I thought you would never return,” You whispered as tears formed in your tired eyes. 

“My dove. I left the Northern kingdoms as soon as I heard of Ellaria’s ailment,” He reassured you gently brushing your hair from your sweaty forehead. “Those clever ravens still found me. Why didn’t you tell me you were ill too?” 

Tears streamed down your hot cheeks, and with a gentle swipe of his thumb, Oberyn rid of them. “I-I…I was so worried about Ellaria.” 

“Shhh none of that now. I know you were so brave my dearest, but now let me care for my paramores,” Oberyn kissed your forehead before gently laying you back alongside Ellaria. 

Just like you had done for the last several days, you curled up beside her touching your fevered heads together. Oberyn arranged the blankets back into place. He turned around and grabbed the washcloths from the nearby water basin, wringing the excess water. With a gentleness unusual to such a warrior, he placed the cloths, one on Ellaria’s forehead and then one on yours. 

You sighed at the cooling relief of the water, and you felt your eyes drooping the weight of handling this alone dissipating. A gentle hand caressed your cheek. “Rest now my dove. I’m here now,” Oberyn whispered, leaning down to kiss your chapped lips. With your safety net here, you finally let yourself relax as a much needed sleep consumes your consciousness.

All Works Taglist

@for-a-longlongtime @romanarose

Pedro Character Taglist

@littlemisspascal @burntheedges

@carusolikey @thebeldroramscal

@morallyinept @lady-bess

@pedrostories @rivnedell

@pascalsanctuary @readingiskeepingmegoing

Thanks to the lovely @saradika-graphics for the dividers!

[nebulaafterdark]

Do you think you could write something with Aegon x velaryon or targ reader and it’s their wedding night? Plz and thank youuuuu

Yes! Here we go.

Sweet Girl

Aegon x Velaryon(Strong)!Reader

Warnings: 18+ ONLY MINORS DNI unprotected sex, loss of virginity, Targcest, soft!Aegon.

This is it. Y/N fidgets restless at the foot of Aegon’s mattress. Her uncle, her nemesis, her husband.

Aegon approaches with two cups in hand.

“No,” Y/N puts a hand out, pushing back against the gauntlet lightly. “Thank you.”

“You’re shaking.” Aegon says, pointedly. “Trust me, a drink or two always takes the edge off.”

“You don’t have to be nice to me now.”

“That’s not entirely true.” He frowns. “I have no desire to face the wrath of your mother, stepfather or the King.”

“You think my mother would be angry?” Y/N scoffs, “if Rhaenyra cared she would not have been so willing to let us marry.”

Aegon tosses back his drink. “You are her heir after all, there’s bound to be sacrifice required to pave your way. If it makes you feel any better, this was my mother’s doing as well.”

Y/N looks up at him, still standing over her with the cup.

“It is not poison, I swear.”

The brunette smirks, taking the offering in hand and chugging the liquid. It burns its way down her throat, much stronger than wine. “What is that?” She chokes out.

Aegon takes the seat beside her, the mattress shifting under his weight as he claps the princess once on the back. “Only the best for my wife.”

Y/N allows the cup to tumble from her hand and clatter to the floor. The effects of the concoction hit her fast.

“Would you like another?” Aegon asks.

“Somehow I don’t think that’s a good idea. Unless you prefer me unconscious.” Y/N muses, “on second thought-” she makes for the chalice.

“Oh no,” Aegon chuckles, catching her around the waist. “If I have to be awake for this, so do you.”

“Let us get on with it then.” Y/N tosses herself backwards onto the coverlet.

“You’re just going to lie there?”

“Mhm,” Y/N closes both eyes.

“Am I truly so awful?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“How are you meant to see anything with your eyes closed?”

Y/N peeks at him, through a slit in one eye.

Aegon moves over her slowly, leaning on his elbows. Keeping most of his weight off of her. “I’ll be good to you.”

She sighs, taking in his face above her, in full. Aegon is beautiful, she’ll give him that. And when he’s not being a twat, he can be kind. “Swear it?”

“I do.”

In a spirit induced state of willful negligence, she reaches a hand up to cup his cheek. “Could you ever love me?”

“Love,” he laughs. “What is love but a frivolous endeavor which breeds eternal suffering?”

Y/N lifts a shoulder, “I suppose you’re right. But there must also be benefits. Think of all those who live and die for it.”

Aegon shifts against her, making himself at home with his chest to hers. “I have never known love. However, lust and I are dear companions. You will find pleasure each time we lie together.”

“And when we are finished I’ll leave?”

“If that is your desire.”

“What if I stay?”

“That is my desire.”

“Then you do crave affection?”

“Among other things, yes.” He admits. “From you, as my wife, I crave affection above all.”

“I’ve never…been with anyone. I can’t say if I’ll be good at it.” Her eyes search his for reassurance.

“We could learn together.” Aegon leans in a bit closer, their breath mingling. “Conquer love and rule the Seven Kingdoms.”

Y/N pushes slightly off the bedding, capturing his lips with hers. “You’ll have to conquer me first.”

Aegon grins against her mouth, “gently the first round, then without mercy.”

Y/N inhales deeply, feeling his tongue invade her mouth. Lapping against her own, tasting her thoroughly.

As he suspected, she is sweet. Aegon relishes in this for a long moment, until her hips begin canting up against his. His finger tips grazing along the silhouette of her torso through the material of her nightgown. Squeezing the flesh of her hip, past her rib cage to the outskirts of her breasts. Cupping her soft mounds, nipples pebbling against his palm.

Y/N gasps, pressure building between her thighs. She rocks her hips against Aegon for relief, gasping at the feel of him, rock solid.

“Could you come undone like this, sweetheart?”

“I- I don’t know.”

Aegon hums, trailing kisses away from her lips, over her cheek, the corner of her panting mouth, sucking lightly at the pulse point on her neck. Rolling her peaks between his thumb and forefinger. “So responsive, I think you could.”

Y/N whines, looking for some relief from her aching core. “Aegon, please.”

“May I take this off?” He tugs at her gown, lightly.

She nods, staring up at him with glossy eyes. Following his lead, until nothing is left between them. Catching a glimpse of his length, she quickly moves her gaze away.

“You can look.” Aegon offers her a lopsided grin.

“Does it hurt,” Y/N motions to his cock, hard and pink at the tip.

Aegon kneels down between her legs, parting her thighs farther and finding her bundle of nerves. Y/N squeals, gripping his shoulders for purchase. “It wants attention, but it’s not painful yet.”

“I want you inside me.” Y/N rides his hand unabashedly.

Aegon groans, “need you to peak first, while my fingers fuck open your perfect little cunt.”

She whimpers.

“Lie back for me, dearest.” He purrs, still on his knees between her trembling limbs. He pecks a kiss to her knee. “Relax.”

Y/N’s muscles are taut in anticipation of his next move, bowing off the bed when his thumbs part her lips, making room for his mouth to connect with her pearl. He teases the swollen bud with his tongue.

“Gods, Aegon.” She cries out, desperately fisting his hair in hand. Unsure if she wants to pull him closer or push him away.

Aegon hums his approval. Sweetest cunt he’s ever had. Slipping a single finger carefully into her tight heat. Feeling her walls clench at the intrusion.

The feeling is foreign to Y/N, her husband allows her to get accustomed to it before adding a second. Curling them up to coax release from her.

He laps at her cunt as she thrashes above him. Overwhelmed with sensation. Calling out for him desperately. Three digits is a stretch and Y/N does whine a bit at the intrusion but Aegon keeps her attention on his lips. Closed around her pearl and sucking until she peaks. Hugging his fingers so tightly even Aegon moans.

Y/N nudges at his head, coming down from her high, “too much.” She cries when Aegon attempts to keep her in place.

He chuckles, licking a firm strip up her slit before slinking up her boneless form. “You alright?”

“I think so,” she pants, shuttering at the lightest touch.

Aegon steals a kiss from her lips, then the tip of her nose.

“I want you.” She repeats.

The prince has been a lot of things in his life, wanted is hardly one of them.

“There might still be a bit of pain from your maidenhead,” he warns.

“Do it all at once.” Y/N encourages, feeling the tip of him nudging at her entrance.

“Tell me if it’s too much, we’ll stop.”

Y/N nods, bracing herself.

Aegon takes her mouth once more, waiting until she is fully at ease, contented in their kiss before sliding into her. There is little resistance as he bottoms out in her warmth.

“Ah.” She whimpers, it burns.

“Such a good girl,” Aegon praises, nuzzling against her cheek.

“Aegon.” Y/N paws restlessly at his back.

“Shhh,” he slides an arm behind her shoulder blades, holding her fast against the crook of his neck. Fighting to stay still.

They remain like this for a long moment before Y/N experimentally bucks her hips upward. There is still a bit of pain from the stretch, but nothing unbearable.

“Oh, my sweet girl.” Aegon admonishes, “be still until you are ready. Do not tempt me.”

“Move,” Y/N murmurs, against the shell of his ear.

He pulls out, until only the tip of him remains, thrusting back in softly. “Alright?”

Y/N nods, her head cradled against him as he begins fucking her in earnest. All the breath leaving her lungs in short puffs.

“So tight,” Aegon grunts out. “Not leaving this room until you’ve reached your peak draped over every piece of furniture. Against every wall.”

“Please.”

“Would you like that, sweetheart?”

“Yes.” Y/N is drawing near the edge again, the nip of pain from their coupling only serves to heighten the experience.

“I’ll fill you to the brim with my seed so that you might be with child on the morrow.” Aegon promises, clenching and unclenching his fingers in her dark hair. Feeling the quickening throughout his entire body. “Come apart once more for me.”

“I need you to touch me…the way you did before.” She pleads, so close to the precipice.

Allowing not an inch of space between them, Aegon snakes his free hand down to her pearl. Letting her rock against his fingers for friction.

“Fuck,” Y/N sobs, clamping down hard around his cock.

“That’s my girl,” Aegon all but growls between gritted teeth as his orgasm washes over him. “My good fucking girl.”

Y/N continues milking his length, even harder at his words. Riding out their shared high until Aegon flops down beside her, spent. He smirks devilishly; reaching down to collect the bit of his release trickling from her and forcing it back into her warmth.

He has conquered her. Or perhaps they have conquered each other.

[celabi]

What if Reader and Scara announce their engagement to Ei?

🍄

Scaramouche probably wanted to keep the engagement a secret from his mother. he’s thought about just packing a suitcase, taking your hand and running away together, far from all your friends and family, and people who would just get in the way. he’s selfish and greedy, and wants nothing more then to have you all to himself. but he knows you have a life, and want to be around other people who aren’t just him, so he stays put.

he ponders for a while on how he’ll tell her the news, that he’s not a nerdy, loner looser anymore and that he’s finally put a ring on your finger, just because she can be a little over the top with new things relating to her son. she gets way too excited and will embarrass him by telling all her girl friends whenever he makes an accomplishment. but he knows it’s all in good spirits, and that’s shes just doing what mothers do.

you’ve both most likely come back from a date, it’s late, and scara is getting a little sleepy from all the walking he did, where you find Ei still awake in the kitchen. she greets you with a wave and beckons you both to sit down at the table while she makes you a hot coco. your boyfriend, secretly fiancé, of course slips in the chair next to you and leans his head on your shoulder, his fingers trailing up and down your thigh from under the table, as he murmurs on about how lucky he is to have you and all that.

his mother watches from behind the counter with a kind smile, as you coo and play with his hair softly. she thinks you both look so adorable, and match together well. how she couldn’t imagine anyone other then you to steal the heart from her son. Ei giggles softly, and walks over with the mugs in her hands. “You look like a married couple.”

scara, in a little daze, takes the mug and brings it too his lips, nodding slightly. “Yeah… we will be soon.” he’s just so tired he doesn’t know what he’s saying. he feels you shift in your seat, and turns to face you, where you’re already looking back at him with raised eyebrows and a small grin. he blinks, and then slowly turns to his mom, who’s eyes and mouth are both wide open. he mirrors her, and places down his drink, clearing his throat. “Uh— I mean, in the fut—”

“You’re engaged?” she whispers, and brings a hand up to cover her face. he can already hear it, small whimpers falling from her lips, and he sighs. she’s crying, pools of tears streaming down her cheeks as she holds onto the edge of the table for support. Old age is catching up to her, and her little heart can’t take it. sniffling, she lifts her head up to meet your eyes, where you smile and raise your hand, where a ring sits snug around your finger. she bawls, and as much as she is a pain in his ass, scara can’t find it in his heart to just sit there and watch.

he stands up, and awkwardly wraps an arm around her shoulders. she’s quick to react, and pulls him into a hug, her body racking of sobs as she cries into his shoulder. she hardly ever gets to touch her son, with him being so closed off and territorial, so having him in her arms really feeds into her emotions. “Oh dear, my sweet boy… I’m— I’m so happy for you!” she cries, hands balling into fists around his shirt. “You’ve come so far… I can’t believe it! I’m so— so…” scara looks to you for help, but you only giggle and wave him off.

he coughs, and softly pushes her away. her cheeks are flushes and her eyes are red and puffy, but she still smiles at him so lovingly. she reaches for his cheek and holds it in her palm, sobs slowly melting into whimpers, which turn to sniffles, until she’s able to steady her breathing without breaking down again. “too be honest… i never thought you would get a girlfriend, let alone a wife… so hearing this is such perfect news! knowing my boy has found someone to love him just the way he is…” Ei looks to you and smiles, while scara stands there and thinks. ‘Just the way he is…? What does that mean?’

she wipes her eyes for any remaining tears, and clears her throat. “So then… I suppose grandkids won’t just be a pipe dream?”

[jinxedbychaos]

Echoes of Insanity Ch. 2

Bound by Chaos

No summary as I'm not good with those

Jinx (Powder) x Twin sister

Past-

Playing by the canals of Zaun, I chase after Powder, her laughter coming out as she zigzag around me, trying to stay just out of reach. The clouded water glistens in the dull light, the distant sound of Zaun's factories a familiar sound in our daily lives. Vi sits on a rock nearby, her eyes never leaving us, a small smile on her face as she observes.

vi's in charge while our parents are at work, and even though she tries to put a tough front, she cares about keeping us safe.

Suddenly, Powder darts behind me, determined to catch up to me. I try to run faster, but my foot catches on a rock hidden in the dirt. making me fall to the ground. pain stings through my knees as I land hard, scraping them raw. tears start to fall off my eyes, and I can't help but let out a chocked sob.

Powder gasps, immediately scared that she might have hurt me. "Ash! I-I didn't mean to, I was just tryin to catch you!" She speaks in a shaky, panicked voice.

Vi already besides us "It's okay, Pow. Accidents happen" Vi says, glancing at her, then back at me with a reassuring smile. "besides some scraped knees wont stop Ash, right Ash?"

you sniffle, wiping away the tears and nodding slowly. Vi grabs a piece of tissue out of her pocket an gently starts cleaning the blood off my knees. She leans in blowing some air on the scrapes like our mom does when we get hurt. "See? all better".

Powder shuffles closer, still looking guilty. She reaches for my hand, her lip quivering. "I'm sorry, Asha. I didn't mean to…" Her eyes shiny with unshed tears, and i can see how guilty she feels.

i squeeze her hand, giving her a small, watery smile. "I-it's okay , powder" I mumble, trying to reassure her. feeling a little more steady now that Vi's taken care of me.

Vi stands and offers her hand to us. "come on, why don't we go home. I'll teach you a new game on the way" she says with a smile, her tone light, trying to lift our spirits.

I grab her hand, already feeling the excitement bubbling inside me at the thought of learning something new from Vi, Powder clings to the other hand.

The scrape on my knee long forgotten, as I follow my sisters, even in the bad times, being together makes everything feel just right again. Vi squeezes our hands, pulling us gently along, and I can't help but feel safe and loved, all the pain fading away under the warmth of their presence.

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

Present-

Vi uncovers a large garbage pipe hidden in the ground and quickly scans the area for enforcers.

"Oh, man, not again! I just got this shirt-" Mylo whines, but he's cut off as Vi shoves him into the pipe with a swif kick. Claggor follows, then Powder and me, with Vi coming last.

We slide through the dirty, narrow pipe, letting out startled yelps as we descend. At the end, we tumble into a pile of garbage in an underground disposal area.

"Thought last time was the last time we were gonna do this." Mylo grumbles, pulling a piece of trash out of his hair.

"Well, this time's the last time." Vi replies

"Guys, what was that? What the hell happened back there?" Claggor ask, still looking a bit shaken.

everyone suddenly turn to face powder and me. surprised by the accusation, we both try to defend ourselves.

"We didn't do anything!" Powder blurts out. "We didn't touch anything!" I quickly add.

"you could fill a damn library with all the things you didn't do" Mylo snaps, glaring at us.

Just as I'm about to fire back, Vi cuts in.

"Guys, we just emptied a Piltover penthouse right under the enforcers' noses" She climb out the pile of garbage "so, if you're done beating yourselves up, let's get this home"

We walk thtough the dimly lit disposal area until we find a trapdoor in the ceiling Vi drags some boxes with the help of Claggor an climb up, pushing the door open. she helps Powder and me out first, Then follows.

We step out onto the streets of Zaun, unaware of the two boys following us. As we pass by a boy casually rolling a barrel back and forth with his foot, he smirks. "nice haul?" he asks.

"you could say that" Mylo replies, looking smug.

Vi shoot Mylo a disapproving glare.

"I heard there was some action across the river" the boy continues, flipping a coin between his fingers.

"is that so?" Vi replies, about to move on, but two boys suddenly appear in front of us, blocking the way.

"But now you're, you're tracking this mess of yours through my streets." the boy says

"your streets? what makes you think-" Vi starts to snap, but Claggor quickly interrupts

"listen, we don't want any trouble, okay?" Claggor says, trying to defuse the situation.

One of the boys smirks "hear that, Deckard? They don't want any trouble."

"you know, in my experience trouble finds you" Deckard say, signaling toward Vi. "There's no reason this has to get ugly. How about you share a little taste of your treasure there, and we'll call it even?"

"No, no, no We worked to hard to-" Mylo starts, but Vi cuts him off, placing a hand on his shoulder before stepping forward to face Deckard.

Taking the bag off her shoulder, Vi asks "just a taste?"

"just a taste-" Deckard begins, but before he can finish, Vi swing the bag into his face, knocking him to the ground.

I jump, startled, and I can feel Powder do the same. suddenly, Vi tosses the bag at us, Powder grabbing it.

"huh" Mylo and Claggor grunt in unison, snapping into action and getting ready to fight.

Deckard groans and pushes himself up, his expression turning fierce. one of his friends rushes to Mylo, shoving him to the ground and starts landing punches.

Powder and I watch in shock, taking a few steps back, trying to distance ourselves from the chaos.

Claggor quickly moves in, shoving the boy off Mylo, but on the other side, deckard lunges at Vi, throwing wild punches. She fights back, each hit landing with brutal force.

Powder and I stand frozen, watching in horror as the fight unfolds. I see Powder fall to the ground, sitting back in fear.

Claggor punches one of the man in the face, throwing him back. he crashes to the ground right in front of us, his eyes locking onto ours and then the bag. Panic floods through me, and I grab Powder's arm "Run" I shout. Powders puts the bag around her and we run down an alley, the thug chasing after us.

back in the street, Vi, Claggor and Mylo are still fighting. unaware that we've taken off. Vi manages to knock Deckard to the ground, while Claggor is shoved against a wall. He grabs a handful of dirt and throws it to the face of the thug. The boy stumbles, and Claggor takes the opportunity to bring him down.

Meanwhile, Mylo is struggling beneath another thug, taking punch after punch. Vi rushes to his aid, grabbing a wooden plank and smashing it over the guy's head, knocking him out cold. the three of them stand, bruised but victorious, ready to leave the scene.

As they begin to walk away, Deckard, clutching his side, stumbles to his feet and pulls out a knife. "wait!" he says in pain.

Vi turns around, stepping closer to him. she leans down, staring him dead in the eyes. "wanna se how that ends?" she asks, her voice low and dangerous.

Deckard meets her gaze but says nothing, staggering back as he decides against pushing further.

Vi straightens up and glances around, realizing something "Where's Powder and Ash?" she asks her voice tense.

Meanwhile, Powder and I sprint through the narrow alley, not daring to look back, our breath coming in ragged gasps as we keep running, fear driving us forward.

We threw some crates in the way, desperately trying to slow the boy chasing us. "Oh! You little…" he grunted as he stumbled but kept running.

We darted through the cluttered alley, our breath heavy and frantic. When we reached a dead end blocked by boxes, we quickly hide behind a wall, trying to quiet our panting. Powder clutched the bag tightly, just we it seems like the boy might turn the other way. we accidentally knocked over a wooden plank.

"No, no, no, no!" I whispered, trying to grab the plank before it fell but it hit the ground with a loud bang.

Making the boy tur toward the noise.

Panic flooded me as I searched for any scape. Powder, clutching Mouser, quickly started loading it with nails, her hand shaking. A few nails falling to the ground. "Come on, Mouser, I need you!" she whispered urgently, her voice trembling.

I glance back at her, heart pounding, as she throws Mouser toward the boy's feet. We both held our breath, watching, hopping for a miracle. The parts turning and clicking together… then pink smoke burst out with a small pop.

disbelief crossing our face as the makeshift bomb failed. The boy smirked and started walking toward us, his eyes locked onto the bag.

We back away scared, our backs hitting the railing. In a split second decision, I unclipped the bag from Powder and I throw it into the river, the boy goes to grab it but fails and watches as the bag sinks.

As the boy is distracted, I grab my sister's hand and we bolted, weaving through the alleys, running as fast as we could until we finally reached the meeting spot. Vi, Claggor and Mylo were already waiting for us.

"Powder! Ash!" Vi called out when she saw us, and we ran straight to into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Where's the bag?" Mylo ask, looking around, concern quickly filling his face as he realized it wasn't with us. Vi glanced at us too, frowning.

Still catching my breath, I stutter "He… he was following us" "He was going to catch us." Powder ads.

"I-i threw it into the river." i say with guilt.

"You did what?!" Mylo yelled, his frustration boiling over.

"we're sorry" Powder and I say in unison, both of us felling the weight of our mistake. Powder looked down, her voice small as she speaks "I tried to stop him with Mouser, but… it didn't work."

"Who saw that coming?" Mylo shots back, putting his arm up.

"doesn't matter. The stuff's gone" Vi interrupted "at least least you two are okay" she said softly, putting a hand on our shoulders.

Vi walks over to the building's door and pushes it open.

"Okay? what about us?" Mylo complained. "I get my face bashed in, and the just get a pass?" He continues as well all stepped inside.

"yup" Vi replies flatly, closing the door behind us.

We crowded into the old elevator. Vi lowered the lever, turning the flickering lights on as we began our descent into the Undercity.

Powder and I leaned against the railing, the weight of guilt heavy on our shoulders. Mylo still fuming.

"Every time" Mylo grumbled, glaring at us "Every time they come, something goes wrong." he pointed at our direction "They just jinx every job"

Powder and I are about to defend ourselves when Vi cuts in.

"Just drop it Mylo" Vi says, starring straight ahead as the elevator slower to a stop. The doors cracked open, and she pulled her hood up, stepping out into the streets of the Undercity.

We follow her, weaving through the crowded streets filled with vendors and people. At one of the stalls, Mylo steals some fruit from a sleeping merchant, stuffing it into his pocket with a smirk.

we continued down the streets until we reached The Last Drop. without a word Vi pushes the door open, and we all slipped inside.

✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

Ch. 1 - Ch. 3

There should be another chapter by Sunday.

Don't forget to leave likes and to repost

[idleorbitals]

OF ep 2 watch through ...part 2

(part 1)

sand he was inviting both of you *so* explicitly what is your move here. sand will complain repeatedly about this into the next scene but no one asked him to cancel his date. baby is in denial

side note ray enjoying begging sand so much?? side note also this is how we find out ray blacked out and sand left him their last night together? ouch

ohhhkay the extensive flirting in the car. "one night stand boy, huh?" sand patently enjoying himself /so/ much but whining the whole way. they are both in trouble and neither of them know it yet but sand is going to find out really soon and ray is not going to find out until they both are in much more trouble

top has trauma-induced insomnia and he's serious enough about it to make this face. I'm still proud of mew for checking if he was trying to pull one on him and then being kind about it when it seemed like he wasn't

alright tho didn't we just establish that your much comfier bed is right over there? mew no one did this to you but yourself

I like these mockumentary cutscenes more than I thought I would. mew silently smirking as he checks off boxes is doing heavy narrative lifting and I'm into it

the foreboding music the lighting the lingering on the photo of ray and mew boston what are you planning?? is he about to become a real antagonist? can't decide how I feel about this

ray is sort of into sand insulting him? is this because he doesn't have the power to hurt him yet or masochistic kink

...ray baby no. you're gonna be Learning

sand brings up the /who are you, my dad?/ except this time it's /who am I, your dad?/ convo again and ray makes this face:

alright

alright

oh here we. fokking go

sand going "what am I supposed to be, your hooker" and ray saying "sure" and sand doing soft surprised pikachu for like ten seconds. ray doubling down and sand telling him to save it. instead of saying "I don't sleep with people for money" he says "I sleep with people I like for free" and we send silent thanks to screenwriters who understand the sex industry and have the cultural vocabulary to write compelling nuanced and still quippy conversations about sex. not to be heterophobic but queer people make better tv

anyway sandray are both playing a game and they both keep getting surprised to be one-upped. this is a very enjoyable dynamic to watch and they seem to be enjoying it too

...for now

at minute 8:30 sand's last vocal sound leaves his mouth. for thirty full seconds ray smokes and asks him leading flirty questions including "am I interesting enough for you?" and "are you open to someone like me?" and for thirty full seconds sand looks from rays right eye to his left eye and back again and lowers and raises his jaw infinitesimally and just generally:

this boy is done for and I can't even be mean about it I'm right there with him

anyway at shortly after minute 9 they break the tension and kiss each other. they kiss each other! ray is the one leaning around from his cigarette to do khaotung's little smoke plume of high art but sand is very much matching him in coming in for this kiss. I love this framing so much. firstkhao have the absolutely ideal dynamic to pull this off*

*if anyone saw that one person copy pasting SANDRAYYYY SWITCHHH into the live comment box the entire end credits that wasn't me but I was there with them in spirit

they break away and sand says if they go further they won't just be friends and ray says some kinds of friendship start from sex you watched the same thing I watched I don't need to describe it but here I am. do you remember though that this was the look ray was giving sand while he said that because ho boy

sand pronouncing that ray is going to keep wanting him but they're going to stay just friends right after he says we won't be just friends after this...what level to tackle this on. narratively this definitely feels like foreshadowing and I think he's right on the money on the first bit. but we know that sand is not going to get out of this remotely unscathed whether or not it could possibly be argued that he hasn't already lost that battle. sand showing his hand by contradicting himself out loud as well as internally?

they stub out their cigarettes Significantly and start making out again. can't coherently screencap this scene. it's so excellently done. top notch dynamic again. firstkhao are getting better at this with every go.

ok I do have one minor gripe

for some reason in the middle of sand pushing ray back onto the couch they have inserted a shot of ray on top of sand. it is from the beat that comes after the last little mockumentary cutscene—it's not a double, it's the exact same shot, just colored differently. screenshots below from 10:11 and 11:02

editing mistake? intentional insert to lengthen the scene? I like this shot too but it breaks up the flow of the scene oddly and I want it gone from the first part

mockumentary cutscene: even harder to focus on when I know what's coming back on screen right after but worth mention. obviously sand is reflecting on some past mistakes here. he knows he's playing with fire and he's denying it vocally and also not changing his behavior. self-awareness level relatable honestly. do we think he fell in love with someone he didn't want to? or fell in love freely and then got screwed over? why is he mr. one night stand boy

also don't know whether to credit ray or khaotung for this longest gayest look ever at his own pants. sublime

okay back to the couch for our not-quite-ten-second final indulgence. ray's on top this time. I don't even like sex scenes that much I know what I am saying

I see, like sand's, my words are not matching my actions. and yet

*trembling* sandray.... switch....

all ofts watch throughs

[gyokujyn]

playlist title: no grave can hold my body down

bet.

I got this prompt and then immediately got pneumonia, so I haven't been conscious enough to actually write out a post well, but I have been working on this slowly. I made a hard rule of no Hozier for this one, but then I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a themed list or one of those playlists where the titles spell out the phrase. So... I did both.

Oh, I'm'a write it out for ya is the playlist that spells out the phrase, "no grave can hold my body down" but to make it a little more challenging, every song here is a(n obsessive) love song. I feel like this one is actually pretty straightforward, so I'm not going into detail here about the choices.

no grave can hold my body down is an anthology, of sorts, a playlist of ballads and bops about many different people and creatures who could not be held by their graves. More details about each of the tracks are under the cut.

Track 1 - Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash

a man vows he will be called from his grave to the final battle between Heaven and Hell, having been made an angel

Well, meet me, Jesus, meet me Meet me in the middle of the air And if these wings don't fail me I will meet you anywhere Ain't no grave can hold my body down

Track 2 - The Curse by Josh Ritter

the love story between a woman and the deathless creature which subsists on her love for him

She asked, "Are you cursed?" He says, "I think that I'm cured" Then he kissed her and hoped That she'd forget that question

Track 3 - The Woods by San Fermin

a boy is lured into the woods where his body is buried, but he doesn't stay there

The nights are lovely, dark, and deep But I'll appear when you're asleep You'll wake up with a sudden hurt With mouth and nose all full of dirt We went, the two of us into The woods behind the little school Yeah, I'm still buried in the mud Skin and bones, and brains and blood

Track 4 - My Body is a Cage by Peter Gabriel

perhaps more figurative than the previous tracks, this song talks about being trapped in a body and culminates in the release of both the spirit and the body

My body is a cage That keeps me from dancing with the one I love [...] My body is a cage We take what we're given Just because you've forgotten Doesn't mean you're forgiven [...] I realize I'm dancing with the one I love [...] Set my spirit free Set my body free

Track 5 - Dead Man's Hand by Lord Huron

the narrator buries a dead man who begs not to be laid down in a grave

"I know how to live, I don't know how to die, And there ain't no thrills in the afterlife So lift me up out of here, my friend, And I'll wander the night 'til the ages end." Lit by the moon, he walked through the sand, And he waved "goodbye" with his dead man's hand.

Track 6 - From the Ashes by ILLENIUM, Skylar Grey

pulling from the legend of the Phoenix, the narrator doesn't fear death because they will rise from the ashes

I would rather die Than for things to stay this way [...] You wanna burn down everything in sight I'm not afraid of a little fire So light your matches And I will rise from the ashes

Track 7 - A Woman Scorned by Jordan Reyne

a woman scorns her husband, once lost at sea, for returning to her a dead man

"Don't weep for me love" says your ruin faced form like I'd pine for a man who has failed me. Still I find myself wound in your seafarers clothes, and breathing the scent of your whiskey. So give me your hand, as the sea gives you breath, and you rise back up out of the salty. oh you stink like the dead, but it's what we both are and the least you can do is come with me.

Track 8 - Dance in the Graveyards by Delta Rae

why lie in your grave when you can dance in the graveyard?

When I die, I don't wanna rest in peace I wanna dance in joy I wanna dance in the graveyards

Track 9 - Love Don't Die by The Fray

a vow is made that regardless of what is done to their body, the singer will never leave their love's side

A thousand years go by But love don't die If I know one thing, that's true It's that I'm never leaving you [...] You can break it up (up) You can burn it down (down) You can box it in (in) Bury it in the ground You can close it off (off) You can turn it away (away) Try to keep it down (down) Six feet in the ground But love don't die

Track 10 - embodi3d by Montaigne

you cannot kill me in a way that matters

I'll make you a slave (slave, slave), or a zombie Come on be my grave (grave, grave, grave) like a phoenix, I'll- Rise (I wanna rise) I wanna find a body I, I wanna be embodi3d

[lastavengedarchived]

She'd given him So Much. So much more then she could Ever Know. Supposedly it went both ways, which was something that both filled him with a sort of dread, but also lifted his spirits more then any drink ever could. He wasn't sure he could ever convey how MUCH she'd brightened his life. Mostly because he wasn't very good at putting sentiment to word. He wasn't usually very good at Physically showing it either, but he was Nothing if not Creative! Today of all days especially, his mind was Buzzing with ideas!

It had started as a 'simple test' for his old wasp suit. It had needed some love and care, care that Nadia was all to proficient in providing the poor neglected thing. Now, he hadn't planed on the suit also getting a tailoring touch up, but apparently he'd waited far too long to touch it up to modern 'taste'. Yet today he could find no care in the world but for the focus on her face, the concentration as she modernized the wing system. The flick of her wrist behind every tool switch, and the steady hand between the bioenergy blasters. All the while they chatted and quipped, debated and theorized until at last the old suit had been sparked with new life.

However, once she had given her all clear, that is when his capacity to withhold his thoughts lost its grip on his tongue. Smiling with nothing but sheer unfiltered Pride he scooped her up into a big, heavy hug. Careful not to damage the work as the wings upon his back flittered up to attention and buzzed as if powered by the force of his joy alone.

" Oh Nadia, "

Nadia, not the name they had chosen for her so long ago but it didn't matter, it'd Never matter. She could change her name every single day and he'd adore each, and every one of them. Releasing her from his hold he set both his hands on her shoulders, seeing the light hit those hopeful eyes of hers as his heart Ignited with what he could only understand as pure parental love.

" Nadia you work so hard, not just on things like this old mans outdated suit but yourself, your work, The World! You keep finding ways to put your foot forward and stride into a world rife with pitfalls and difficulties and YET you keep pushing onward. Head in the clouds and eyes on the road you have forged a road that is Genuinely awe inspiring, it spurred me to pick up my mantle as Giant Man again and I've seen it spur so many others to action. "

His hands rose, cupping her face in their gentle hold.

" My dear Nadia, if you'll forgive this old man his sentiments, I am So. So Proud of You, and Knowing the world is in your hands- oh Nadia, I've never been so excited to see the future you help make. "

There's one thing that she knew was more belief than theory. It's one of the few things that she didn't need to test and that was having hope that things would work out. Partly that she would male them and partly the part that Nadia didn't need to break down in scientific understanding. She did not need to know how she got so lucky or delve into probability science; she could count this as a blessing, as a proof that the universe was inherently good. That thing that defied the need for like-minded bugs to understand was that she got to have a family. First a chosen family which that was her family, her first, and there was no putting value of less than the next onto anyone. Nadia wouldn't, couldn't, trade them.

Following that was the shock of Hank Pym in the flesh, no lingering Ultron, at the front door of her living residences. It took months to find the stride and rhythm between the two of them, but at the end of that? She got to know her hero who became not so much less than that, but truly became like a father not so much by blood or genetics (that didn't matter) but by work and effort into maintaining a bond, a relationship.

Helping with Hank's own and old Wasp suit had been a project she eagerly took on. Getting to work alongside him, not just sharing the lab space, but in the ideas and common goal had been delightful. More than delightful but English didn't have a better word. This how they bonded, science and their work. He really had inspired her own view on science as a whole, the way he wrote about new discoveries or theories, anything is possible and there was a wonder that not many dissertations could ever inspire.

They talked at a speed all their own and laughed together. One of the greatest, happiest sounds to share and hear. She had been intent upon keeping his single pair of wings design since that felt more him, but there's something fun they could do with the silhouette. A nod off to his favorite things a trench coat without worrying about a trench coat being a hindrance to Wasp mobility. Anything additional flapping could interfere with wing function.

Her hands move adept at what she was doing, engineering had been one of her most important skills and modernizing the gadgetry in the bioenergy gauntlets, head piece with the googles, and wings were a must. The tailoring being snazzed up also had been a necessity if only because she is nothing if not Janet Van Dyne's step daughter and supersuits could and should look cool!

When the final touches are done and it was time for them to move onto full body testing, with him in the whole suit and plans to go out somewhere, maybe to a park to enjoy the flowers up close or something, or head into New York and zip around between the skyscrapers together. Nadia stands up and it was not even a minute of standing, not a chance giving to put her foot forward that Hank pulls her into a hug. He doesn't realize it, but he pulls her up onto her tip-toes (luckily she's a ballerina). Then he even lifts them a little further just by the fluttering of his wasp wings.

OH NADIA and there's something to the tone of his voice that gives her pause. Nadia's only five foot, and she tucks her face into his chest at the unexpected hug and pulls her arounds around carefully to hug his torso back. It's a good hug, a nice hug, and it's been a good day spent with HER DAD. That is not the end of her father's affection as he sets her feet back onto the ground and large hands go onto narrow shoulders.

Nadia looks up a little confused, but smiling and about to ask "everything okay" but doesn't when he repeats her name. A whole speech follows that which she wasn't so sure what spawned such a moment or what she was ever so deserving, but than that didn't matter she reminds herself in thought half way through as he tells her that she inspires him. Tears well up in her eyes, for it was a lot of emotion, it's been a long journey to this and she genuinely had once been content and accepted this was a fantasy, and then once more had thought maybe she couldn't trust this or him (from her own lesson from quantum entanglement).

❝ I- ❞

Yet she did get this, and did get to trust him. They both made this dynamic a real one, built on work and trust. It felt real, nature, and it had little to do with being related (that was an added bonus). Nadia swallows a little, wants to go wipe her eyes because she gets to feel loved, and the inner child in her had dreamed of that every day until she came to America.

❝ Mhm! If you forgive, uhm, my tears... ❞ She sniffles, leans her head forward and goes in for another tight hug and rarely does Nadia not have words, but her happiest, her feelings and emotions were so much right now after the day that she had share working on a super suit and talking about anything with Hank. ❝ Thank you... thank you so much. ❞ It wasn't thanking him for his praise of her, but for being here and building her trust and teaching her, for working on being a better him and being her dad not just her biological father.

❝ szeretlek apa ❞

[zacksfairest]

Vys 📙 , Caed 🍐 , Saya 💤 ; Vaela, Lehala, and Ayala all, this is very very important, 🌸

Ask me about my OCs

OH LIZ I LOVE YOU

Vys'kydir - 📙

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

Vys is definitely the most reserved out of my little Mando group. He likes to talk about the usual Mando things: weaponry, armor, tactics, etc. He is simple to that effect.

He likes cartography, too. Maps and the like. He and Caed usually work together for any recon that needs to be done for this reason. He has an innate sense of direction, too. Even if he didn't have access to a map in his HUD, he can almost always tell North from South from East from West. It's also why Vys is usually set up as a lookout. He has the area memorized, any escape routes, potential sniper nests their enemies might take up, the best places an ambush might lie in wait—he's got it all covered.

He also likes to read. Being a lookout can get boring sometimes. You gotta have something to keep you awake when things get quiet. He usually turns to reading if he has someone else with him to help with the lookout duty. If not, he blasts music in his helmet.

Caedyc -🍐

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

GOD YOU PICKED THE PERFECT CHARACTER FOR THIS, BETH'IKA.

Caed is an OVERWHELMINGLY positive person. He is constantly the one trying to lighten the mood when things get tense, brushing off serious situations with a joke, teasing his squadmates purely to be a pest and get a rise out of them.

He is fucking insufferable, but this makes him a key member of Ayala's squad. She can always rely on him to keep morale up when things go sideways. And he's always there to make her laugh and get her to crack a smile when the pressure starts to mount. Caed is absolutely invaluable to Ayala for this very reason, even when she wants to throttle him because he won't shut the fuck up.

Caed knows this is his niche in the squad, and he is completely fine with that. He's always been the Clan Clown, you could say. And he likes knowing that when things get hard, and boy can they get hard, that his fellow mando'ade can turn to him to get their spirits lifted. Or at least distract them with the desire to strangle him. Anything that helps.

I love Caed a lot.

Saya - 💤

💤 What was your OC like as a baby, a child and as a teen? (if your OC is a teen or a child, what will they be like as an adult?). How have they changed since then? What lessons have they learned and what things about their youth do they miss the most? Do they have any general regrets?

Saya lost her mother very young. Like, baby young. Young enough that she has no memory of her birth mother. Not entirely uncommon amongst Mandalorians, mind you. And this was not a loss she felt too keenly. Raising a child is pretty much a community effort for Mando clans even under normal circumstances, but when your clan head loses his wife? You best believe everyone steps in to ensure the child doesn't feel that loss, and to take the onus off the grieving widower.

But Saya was your typical Mando child. Relatively adventurous and plenty brave, constantly seeking whatever trouble she could get into with the other kids. Things changed a bit once Ayala came into the picture. I'd say that Ayala might have been? 5? Ish? When Aran adopted her and brought her and Eliava back home with him, putting Saya at 4, though pretty close to 5 herself.

Once Ayala was in the picture, Saya was enamored. She had a big sister now! Just like so many of her friends! I'd say that, even though there are definitely other alien races amongst Clan Ger'Mana, Ayala and her mother are the only Twi'leks, so Saya was entranced. She would tug at Ayala's and Eliava's lekku a lot, which hurts like a bitch because it's not like tugging on hair. She would get gently scolded a lot for that, but it's a habit that's continued into her adulthood when she decides she wants to be a brat to her big sister—or perhaps when Ayala needs to be humbled a bit. It happens.

Saya definitely went through a bit of a bratty phase as a teenager, especially once it became clear that Ayala was the one being praised for her prowess in all things Mandalorian. Like, Saya was by no means forgotten or Not Good Enough, but it was always clear that Ayala was just Better.

There was a lot of feelings of inadequacy there for while, and sometimes Saya would take that frustration out on Ayala when sparring and such. They do eventually work this out, but it remains a quiet rivalry between the two of them until they are on the cusp of their 20's I'd say. Saya came to see that, though Ayala received a lot of praise and accolades for her skills and training and leadership, it came with a lot of pressure and expectations. Ayala took it all in stride, but Saya could see the way it weighed her sister down, and decided to, instead of adding to that weight, support her. If her sister was going to be their leader one day, the least she could do was help her bear the burden.

Ayala also saw how unfair it was that she, who had been brought into the clan, was overshadowing her younger sister, and so basically became Saya's number one fan and training partner. She sparred with her, took her on patrols, and trained her. It's part of why Saya is a part of her squad. What better way for Saya to learn than by example?

And Saya is a truly stellar Mandalorian, truly. Ayala makes sure she knows this. And Saya comes to accept it as truth as well, especially once their squad starts going out into the galaxy and starting all sorts of trouble.

Vaela, Lehala, and Ayala -🌸

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

Genuinely shocked you did not ask this of Vys. But that can be a question for another day.

Vaela:

We all know what Vaela sounds like. I have no shame when I say that she sounds exactly as she does in the campaign. She has a heavy city-going accent, and I'd say her vocal timbre is pretty middle of the road for a woman. Not super deep, but not the high pitched cutesy bullshit out of an anime.

Vaela personally hates her laugh. She thinks it's loud and obnoxious, but her friends and family alike have said it's infectious and an absolute joy to hear.

And yes, she can sing. There. I said it. Maybe Zaresh made her sing sometimes for him. Shut up.

Lehala:

Lehala's voice is powerful. Not that she is loud, but her voice has an air of authority and surety to it. Her voice is also on the deeper side and has a slight accent. It's a weird one; you can hear bits of a typical tiefling accent in there, or at least the kind of accent you'd expect a tiefling to have, but it's not quite right.

A fact! This is because, as the Namda are not a mono-racial species, they all live and exist among many accents and ways of speaking. So their accent can be a weird amalgamation of their species' accent combined with others.

Lehala's laugh is usually a bit reserved. More of a low chuckle. Sometimes she can be made to really bark out a loud laugh, but that's kind of rare.

Alas, Lehala cannot sing. A pity. Imagine how nights around the camp would be if we had that. Traditional Namda ballads every night.

Ayala:

My darlingest girl! Ayala has a similar air of authority to her voice that Lehala does, but her voice is of a bit of a higher pitch. I'd say maybe ever so slightly higher than Vaela's.

Ayala has an absolutely delightful laugh. It is almost musical. You could almost call it girlish, if I had to sum it up in a word. One of those damned Disney Princess-esque laughs.

I am giving the ability to sing to Ayala, if only because she WILL sing in mando'a around Thrawn, goddamnit.

She doesn't have much of an accent, though. If Mandalorians had an accent, I'd give her that, but we are going to go with the same explanation I gave to Lehala. Mandalorians are not a monolith, there are so many different species that make up the people, so their accent is not really able to be placed.

[waitingforwinterwinds]

A Clash of Kings - 60 SANSA VI (pages 763-769)

Sansa and Cersei dine with the highborn women and wait for news of the battle.

-

The torches shimmered brightly against the hammered metal of the wall sconces, filling the Queen's Ballroom with silvery light. Yet there was still darkness in that hall.

Oh that's some good metaphor. The room is filled with an illusion of safety and security, but they aren't safe, and the room isn't actually that secure and that possibility is hanging over them as much as the death of the men on the walls.

"I would sooner face any number of swords than sit helplessly like this, pretending to enjoy the company of this flock of frightened hens." "You asked them here, Your Grace." "Certain things are expected of a queen. They will be expected of you should you ever wed Joffrey. Best learn." ... "- So it behooves me to give their women my protection.If my wretched imp of a brother should somehow prevail, they will return to their husbands and fathers full of tales about how brave I was, how my courage inspired them and lifted their spirits, how I never doubted our victory even for a moment." ... Sansa was horrified. "These are women, unarmed , and gently born." "Their birth protects them," Cersei admitted, "though not as much as you'd think. -" ... "Were it anyone else outside the gates, I might hope to beguile him. But this is Stannis Baratheon. I'd have a better chance of seducing his horse." She noticed the look on Sansa's face, and laughed. "Have I shocked you, my lady?" She leaned close. "You little fool. Tears are not a woman's only weapon. You've got another one between your legs, and you'd best learn to use it. You'll find men use their swords freely enough, Both kinds of swords."

Sorry, I've been taken out of The Horrors but the realisation that Sansa is Cersei's only friend. Like it's very easy to accept at face value that this is just Cersei flexing her limited power to feel in control by lashing out at Sansa, but damn if this doesn't read like Cersei genuinely thinks of Sansa as her protege, the closest thing she has to a confidant.

Ii mean yes, Cersei has other people she can talk to, but none who she can be honest with without the fear that they'll be able to use that against her. In a weird and twisted way, for Cersei at this moment: Sansa is her only friend.

This is very emotionally conflicting for me because on one hand ^ that ^ and on the other: The Horrors and the Lurking Doom Waiting the Eventuality of Failure.

"Another lesson you should learn, if you hope to sit beside my son. Be gentle on a night like this, and you'll have popping up all about you like mushrooms after a hard rain. The only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy." "I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If i am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.

Oh! It's the line!

"Would that I could take a sword to their necks myself." Her voice was starting to slur. "When we were little, Jaime and i were so much alike that even our lord father could not tell us apart. Sometimes as a lark we would dress in each other's clothes and spend a whole day each as the other. Yet even so, when Jaime was given his first sword, there was none for me. -"

Well hello Arya|Cersei connections.

No but, I've mentioned before, Cersei represents the "sold child bride" narrative Dany and Sansa both have going on, or at least a potential outcome for their narrative, but Cersei also has "Arya's path/Lady warrior: Denied" going on in the back story.

...I've just realised this has basically become a Cersei chapter review, whoops. XD

"- I know all about your little treason in the godswood." "The godswood?" Don't look at Ser Dontos, don't, don't, Sansa told herself. She doesn't know, no one knows, Dontos promised me, my Florian would never fail me. "I've done no treasons. I only visit the godswood to pray." "For Stannis. Or your brother, it's all the same. Why else seek out your father's gods? You're praying for our defeat. What would you call that, if not treason?"

Well handled! Never confess to a crime, especially if it hasn't been directly stated which crime, and there is no evidence, you will only end up condemning yourself. Sansa did really well not to look at her partner in crime, cause that kind of thing is a reflexive action, very hard to avoid. People will often look to accomplices or hiding spots or move to hide those things without thinking, only to end up exposing them because people notice.

I've actually exploited this habit myself to trick my dad once, he was looking for the candy stash years ago, so I "subtly" moved in front of the broom closet, and he ended up spending several extra minutes looking in there for the stash that had never been there in the first place because he'd become convinced I'd been trying to hide it. >:3c

"He's here for us, he says," the queen said. "Stannis may take the city and he may take the throne, but I will not suffer him to judge me. I do not mean for him to have us alive." "Us?" "You heard me. So perhaps you had best pray again, Sansa, and for a different outcome. The Starks will have no joy from the fall of House Lannister, I promise you." She reached out and touched Sansa's hair, brushing it lightly away from her neck.

"Cersei brushes Sansa's hair away from her neck." Yeah, no, we get it Cersei, matching haircuts with a little too much off the top.

Cersei: I'm not letting them take us alive! Sansa: wait what? Cersei: we are gonna Thelma & Louise right of this edge! Sansa: Can I unsubscribe to this plan? Cersei: Beheadings

I was very distracted for most of this chapter by the "Cersei's only friend" realisation, but it's very much Sansa doing an amazing job of keeping it together under increasing pressure while Cersei slowly lowkey loses her shit in the face of their potentially unfortunate fate.

[via-l0ve]

🕯️ #11 with andrew’s peter !!

side eye. (TASM! Peter Parker x reader)

a/n: i love this. enjoy ml!!!

“waiting in line at the grocery check-out, rolling their eyes at each other because the person at the front is starting drama.”

all you wanted to do was get pretzels. it was the ONE thing you came to the grocery store for and it was supposed to be a quick trip. grab the pretzels, maybe a drink, and go!

but, of course, the universe said you were wrong.

you looked around to find two lines open. one had at least seven people in line, the other, two.

so, you sat in the shorter grocery line. two people ahead of you and, as you got in, two people came behind of you. Still, you tried to keep spirits high. it shouldn’t have taken too long!

You lifted your head up from looking at those very tempting chocolate bars when you heard some loud voices.

“i just don’t understand how these pecans can be $1.90!!! and i think you have very poor service! only two registers open…”

you looked ahead, unamused, as an old woman started arguing with the young, teenage cashier. you watched, head tilted in slight annoyance. of course there had to be a fight in your line.

the old woman wouldn’t let the price of those stupid pecans go. she kept telling the cashier off, as if they could help it.

you shook your head, looking anywhere but her. your eyes met with a boy who was two people behind you. he was only holding one thing, apple juice. he tilted his head towards the old woman and rolled his eyes. a small smile formed on your lips as you did the same.

after what felt like three hours, the old woman gave up and paid for her pecans and left. you were finally up. you could pay for your stupid pretzels and go.

“that’ll be $17.99” the tired teenager mumbles.

damn. the old woman was, unfortunately, right. that was pricy for your bin of pretzels. and you only brought $10.

“oh, um..” you sighed, digging in your wallet.

“it’s okay. i don’t have enough.” you said, defeated.

you handed the pretzels back and started to walk off. so much for your simple and quick grocery trip for your desired pretzels.

“um, i’ll pay for those.”

you turn around and see the cute boy from earlier. he slid ahead of the man in front of him and set his juice down.

“how much was it?” he asks you with a smile.

you froze momentarily. not only was he cute, but he was seriously going to pay for your pretzels.

“oh! they’re um… $18.” you said, handing the pretzels to him.

he smiles, paying for both his apple juice and your bucket of pretzels.

“here.” he smiles at you, handing you your food.

“thank you.” you smile big.

he walks out with you, smiling and talking about the older woman earlier.

“so, i hope you enjoy those.” he smiles again.

“i will definitely be enjoying them.” you grin.

“how can i repay you? i don’t have much money on me right now.” you smile.

“ummmm..” he thought for a moment.

“how about i give you my number and we can share those pretzels?” he asks with a slight chuckle. you go red in the face and grin again.

“i’d love that.” you say softly, handing him your phone.

he smiled, taking your phone and putting his number in. he handed it back to you, accidentally touching your fingers.

“see you soon.” he said, cracking open his apple juice and walking back to his car.

you open your phone and see his contact.

“Peter💕 (pretzel guy!)”

[yhwhrulz]

Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening" Devotional: October 5th

Morning

“If any man open the door, I will come in to him.”

Matthew 26:1-5 , Matthew 26:14-16

Matthew 26:3 , Matthew 26:4

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed.” Oh, that the friends of Jesus were half as earnest to concert measures for glorifying him, as these men were when they resolved upon his death.

Matthew 26:5

The enemies of Christ’s cause have never ceased to oppose him by meanness and treachery; the truth fears not the day, but evil is underhanded and works by secret plots. Still do the opponents of the gospel conspire to take Jesus by subtlety. Let us, like our Lord, oppose to their cunning nothing but holy courage and truthful simplicity.

Matthew 26:14 , Matthew 26:15

The price of a slave. This showed the contempt of the rulers for Jesus and the avarice of Judas, which permitted him to sell his Master for so small a sum. How strikingly does all this correspond with the voice of prophecy in Zech. xi. “So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver; a goodly price that I was prised at of them.” It is to be feared that thousands are selling Jesus for a less price than Judas received. A smile from the world has been a bribe sufficient to seduce many.

Mark 14:12-16

Mark 14:12

They knew that their Lord observed all the commands of the law, but as he had no house of his own, and it was usual for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to lend their rooms to strangers, they wished for his orders as to where he would keep the feast.

Mark 14:15

Among his friends he had a secret foe, but in the city of his foes he had also a secret friend: the time was come for both to be discovered, for the death of Jesus is that by which the thoughts of many hearts are revealed. The directions given to Peter and John, whom he sent, must have established in them the full conviction that he knew all things, and this would deepen their belief that his prophecy of his death would be fulfilled: thus they would be led to see how voluntarily he submitted himself to the death which awaited him.

Mark 14:16

The room in which Jesus was entertained is the emblem of a heart into which the Lord comes to sup; such a heart is enlarged by grace with love and joy and gratitude; it is an upper room lifted up from the world and sin, it is prepared and furnished by the Holy Spirit, and is freely opened to the great Master, who comes to feast with his beloved. Lord make our hearts such a room and we will receive both thee and thy disciples into our truest love.

If still thou dost with sinners eat,

Let my poor heart thy chamber be,

With gladness such a guest I’ll greet,

And keep the paschal feast with thee.

If thou wilt come to me below,

My heart shall purge out sinful leaven

And every day more meet I’ll grow

To keep the paschal feast in heaven.

Evening

“He loved them unto the end.”

Luke 22:14-18 , Luke 22:24-30

Luke 22:14

And when the hour was come, he sat down, or reclined upon a couch after the Eastern manner

Luke 22:15

Strong was his longing to commune with his beloved ones, as also to finish his great work, and to become the lamb of God’s passover.

Luke 22:16

The passover was now to cease. Our Lord observed the outward sign one night before the proper time, because it was to be fulfilled on the morrow. This change was a sign that it had waxed old, and was ready to vanish away.

Luke 22:17 , Luke 22:18

While the thoughts of the Master were thus taken up with his sufferings, it is painful to find that the apostles were disputing about pre-eminence. Alas, poor human nature!

John 13:1-19

How sweetly did he end their envious disputing by his words, but he went further and dealt it a final death blow by the condescending acts recorded in John 13:1-19.

John 13:1-19

No comment is needed, and we have given none. Let us practise what is here so clearly taught.

Copyright Statement This resource was produced before 1923 and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

[thegreygale]

AU Concept Ghostbusters 2016 adopt a ghost:

Working title: Get Ghost

Concept: The Ghostbusters get called out to the Mercado Hotel, which after the portal opened has become a hotbed for paranormal activity, to the point where they are leaning into it a little and allowing paranormal investigators to come in and investigate, for a big enough wad of cash. Despite being used to the activity for the most part recently a new occurrence has been reported, the appearance of a mysterious figure dressed in white alongside the strange sounds of weeping on the top floor. The Ghostbusters arrive at the top floor and find a little girl in a white dress huddled, crying in a corner of one of the rooms. Erin attempts to comfort her, assuming that she is scared of the ghost only for her hand to pass through and realizing that this child is in fact the ghost. While the other Ghostbusters are debating on how to handle this, because of course this isn’t the first time they’ve come across a ghost who looked seemingly innocent and harmless only to be attacked Holzmann starts asking the little girl a series of (slightly psychotic) questions and eventually decides to attach one of her new invitations, the proton whip(name not codified only temporary) to the child like a child harness and sets off back to the firehouse without the other Ghostbusters where she learns that this child is in fact a very powerful spirit(and informs the other ghostbusters of this through a text (which is mostly emojis). However when the other Ghostbusters arrive expecting to have to try and contain what they understand to be a threat they find Jillian explaining a very complicated, and potentially dangerous, device to the child. Upon asking what the hell is going on Holzmann simply says, “Oh hey guys, I assume you’ve already met my daughter Ginette, Ginette say hi.” The other Ghostbusters stare in shock as the child waves at them before the two return to the device.(This interaction gives very strong Spencer with the ostrich vibes)

(In other words this is the Holzmann adopts a ghost for science AU)

Relationships:

👏HOLTZMANN👏IS👏HER👏MOM👏. Unlike my other AU where Egon, Ray, and Winston all share the parental role in this one Ginette only sees one of the Ghostbusters as her parent. Jillian encourages Ginette’s newfound love of science and goes out of her way to teach her everything she knows (including some of her slight disdain for lab safety much to the other Ghostbusters’ concern). She also encourages Ginette’s innate love of chaos(this version of Ginette is a bit more of a chaos gremlin than in the previous version). Ginette wants to be just like her mother and tends to emulate her behaviors (again much to the other Ghostbusters’ concern). Holtzmann created a device to keep Ginette’s ectosignature stable enough for her to appear human, this is worn as a cuff bracelet on her wrist.

The other Ghostbusters take a little while to get comfortable with Ginette but Erin and Abby are the first ones to really form a bond with her. They both become her,slightly overprotective (for completely valid reasons), aunts. The best way to describe her relationship with them is the “What have you got there?” “A knife!” “NO!” Vine. Since her mom encourages Ginette to use pretty dangerous tools an procedures with little to no lab safety Erin and Abby often have to go in and stop her from doing very dangerous things with the Ghostbusting equipment (usually by lifting her by the armpits and running out of the lab yelling at Holzmann for leaving her child unsupervised.) They also separately teach her different fields of education, mostly different fields of science and math in a less destructive environment (needless to say Ginette barely listens unless there is some kind of chaos or danger involved, as such she loves asking questions that she knows they don’t agree on and watching them fight)

Meanwhile Patty is the one who Ginette goes to to learn about the history of the city. Sometimes Patty gets a little concerned when “the ghost child” as she calls her asks REALLY SPECIFIC questions about the city’s infrastructure in certain areas but ultimately brushes it off (she ends up being thrilled when she finds a scrapbook that Ginette made with the specific information that she asked her for entitled “Cool places to see when I grow up” this did however also raise the question as to whether or not Ginette could actually age and who would tell her if she couldn’t. Ginette thinks that Patty’s stories about the city’s history are really interesting and fun so she tends to essentially grill her as much as possible.

Ginette doesn’t like Kevin, don’t get her wrong he’s really nice but he doesn’t really seem to understand that she’s a kid. She also does however consider him a statistical anomaly because of just how dumb he is (she also doesn’t understand what it is about him that makes Auntie Erin act so weird with him and believes that this phenomenon needs to be studied more thoroughly (even though Auntie Abby says no). Ginette actually tends to answer the phone for Kevin instead while he works more on transporting the equipment(this is framed as a promotion instead of an attempt to say that a literal child can do a better job of being their receptionist (though she does get a little too slap happy with the firehouse’s alarm button on the desk).

Characters (between ghostbusting):

Holzmann spends most of her time experimenting and making new tech for the other Ghostbusters and herself, often with Ginette’s help in some form. She also had a YouTube channel where she posted videos about her experiments but it was taken down because she kept encouraging bad lab safety (also some of her experiments exploded and now she’s on a LOT of watchlists)

Erin and Abby have a YouTube channel called “Ghost Girls” on which they answer questions about their paranormal research and how it pertains to science (also occasionally telling people’s stories about their own experiences with ghosts to help them feel heard.)

Patty runs ghost tours throughout the city, including a Ghostbusters exclusive tour where she travels to places that they have been since becoming ghostbusters(this one is often sold out).

[lenbryant]

LONG RE-POST (NYT refrigerator magnet)

Lost in the Froth Oh, to have sycophants of one’s own. by Heather Havrilesky

My husband Bill and I were lying around in bed, reviewing the big blunders made by the second richest man in the world, previously heralded as a genius, now suspected of falling far short of that term. Bill was trying to figure out how a thing like this could happen. “It’s like you initially succeed by surrounding yourself with smart people,” he said, “but once you get super rich you surround yourself with sycophants.”

Then we both lay there silently, staring out the one very small window in our bedroom at tall oak trees shivering in the autumn wind, and tried to imagine smart people leaving and sycophants taking their places.

“I want that kind of money,” I said, finally.

“What would you do with it?”

“Surround myself with sycophants.”

I meant it. I would make the world’s best tech bro. I would build an office complex that looks just like that ice castle on the mountaintop in “Frozen,” and I would pack it full of yes men and flatterers and panderers and yes-yes-yes men. I’d wear an ice princess gown to work every morning and I’d glide through the corridors of my ice castle offices, singing Italian opera in my searing ice-princess voice.

Amarilli, mia bella,

Non credi, o del mio cor dolce desio

D’esser tu l’amor mio?

And even after my soul-lifting, world-altering technologies flopped and the kitchens in my glass offices were no longer stocked with kombuchas and microgreens and microbrews, and none of my 15 remaining yes men had the energy for micromanaging or microblogging or microwaving the last remaining lunch items in the glass kitchen cupboards, I’d still put on my gown and glide through those glass hallways and sing my morning KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP! team-building, world-building memo in the form of an Italian opera:

Credilo pur: e se timor t’assale,

Dubitar non ti vale.

Aprimi il petto e vedrai scritto in core!

You might not know this, but ball gowns and Italian opera and a castle packed with fawning minions are the only surefire cures for burning out and losing it. If you think about it long enough — if you really meditate on how you, too, deserve to be flanked by a gaggle of sycophants — you might start to wonder how anyone puts their pants on in the morning without them.

This is why people get married and have kids: to create their own thriving microcosms of sycophants. Any spouse worth his weight in microchips doubles as a fawning yes man, a microanalyst dedicated to forecasting the microvariations in the microclimates of his betrothed’s micromoods, micromanaging every microscopic dip and variation in his true love’s micromindsets.

Later that day, at around 5 p.m., I find myself waiting in the very, very, very long drive-thru line at the Starbucks with my two teenagers. We have been sitting in the car for 30 minutes and counting. The line is barely moving. And suddenly I’m having one of those weird out-of-body, Talking Heads experiences where you look at yourself from a distance and you ask:

What bad life choices led a glorious ice princess to this sad fate?

Which brings us to the moral of our story: Anyone who aims to be flanked by sycophants eventually becomes one of them. Because what else explains landing in an eternal drive-thru line just because my teenagers experienced a few microseconds of unpleasantness in their brick fortresses of public education today, so now they’re craving pointless, expensive, frothy comfort? Why else would a former demigoddess willfully subject herself to such indignities, just to send a KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP! team-building, world-building memo to her moody teens in the form of overpriced sugary foamy decaffeinated multi-flavored froth?

And what is it with froth these days? Why is froth so sought after? What warped values led us to this frothy crossroads in human history?

Well. It’s the emptiness, of course. It’s the bubbles of nothing that turn us on so much. Because even when you know your mommy is just a yes woman, micromanaging your micromoods with microscopic microbubbles, the emptiness of the gesture is what makes it so reassuring. Your mom is doing something deeply stupid and completely worthless for your benefit, kind of like when she lost track of the major plot points of “Attack On Titan” somewhere in the middle of the fourth season, but she still sang the theme song at the top of her lungs, every single time, in order to signal her total allegiance to ultraviolent cartoon sagas about gigantic cannibals.

Loyalty is perhaps best expressed in empty microgestures, bubbles of nothing, inside the volatile microclimate of family life and also inside the microcosm of friendship. “Tell me every pointless detail,” you say to your kid or your spouse or your true friend. “Let’s do something absolutely worthless together,” you murmur over a drink that ideally has froth on top of it.

This is the sweet sound of the sycophant. And everyone craves that kind of reassurance. Everyone wants to know that even when they’ve got absolutely nothing to offer, even when the world feels broken and they’re starting to lose it completely, they’ll still be adored like a gatekeeping gaslighting girl-boss in a sparkling ball gown in an ice castle on a snowy mountaintop. Everyone longs to gate-keep, gaslight, and girl-boss their way into complete isolation, the kind of isolation that can make you super stupid and deluded about your own importance.

Sitting in the Starbucks line for 30 minutes with the rest of the complete idiots in my town is sort of like turning myself into froth for the sake of love. I am saying, “I will take this utterly fruitless and impotent action, an abject waste of time and money and brain cells, to secure foamy inorganic chemical compounds devoid of nutrients, lacking any redeeming value or function, in order to signal my love for you.”

That’s devotion. You can show up empty-handed, feeling less than your full self, and you can trust that I will love you fiercely anyway. Take these empty microbubbles of nothingness and drink them as a symbol of my love for you. Enter my glass house. Put down your stones. Drink in the froth of my love. I’ve got nothing, and it’s all yours.

Heather Havrilesky writes the Ask Polly advice column on Substack and is the author of four books, most recently the memoir “Foreverland.”

[flightfoot]

Swallowing Rings Is Bad For Your Health

So I read part 34 of @buggachat Bakery Enemies AU and was inspired! Thanks to @khanofallorcs for betaing!

AO3

Marinette thoughtfully chewed on her croissant. Maybe Adrien wasn’t so bad? And he’d looked so eager to have her try his baking, like a puppy that’d just been told he was a “good boy!”

Or a Chat who’d just gotten a compliment from His Lady…

She shook her head violently. NO NO NO BAD MARINETTE DO NOT THINK ABOUT THAT. What was up with her subconscious connecting Chat with Adrien lately?! NO, subconscious, she did NOT have a crush on Adrien, STOP CONNECTING HIM WITH THE BOY SHE LOVED.

“Are you looking for something?” her dad said, somewhere behind her.

“I- I can’t find my-”

Marinette bit into something hard.

“GAAAAH!”

She whipped around, holding the hard, round thing between her teeth.

“MY RING!” Adrien screamed, tearing out his hair, looking at her wildly.

As she made to spit the ring out, it slipped sideways. 

Between her teeth.

And near the back of her throat.

Reflexively, she swallowed.

They both froze, staring at each other in abject horror.

“NOOOOOOOOO!” A guttural scream ripped from Adrien’s throat.

He seized Marinette’s shoulders “I NEED HI- IT BACK! I HAVE TO GET THAT RING BACK OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT!”

“IS THE RING SAFE AM I GONNA DIE OH GOD IT’S TOXIC ISN’T IT I’M GONNA DIE!” Marinette screamed back, hyperventilating nearly as badly as he was.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Tom said, putting up his hands. “Look, swallowing metal isn’t good, but this isn’t time to panic. Your mother swallowed the first engagement ring I tried to give her when I hid it in the bread I baked for her and she’s still alive. It should pass in a few days-”

Mom had? Okay, so maybe things would be ok-

“I CAN’T LOSE THAT RING!” Adrien screamed, not having calmed in the slightest. “SHIT SHIT FUCK WHAT IF IT’S TOO LATE WHAT IF IT’S DESTROYED WHAT IF I KILLED HI- IT! KILLED IT!”

Tom gently put an arm around Adrien, rubbing his back. “It’ll be okay, son. Things’ll work out. Let’s just sit down for a bit and rest…”

He led Adrien away towards the living room, Adrien staring straight ahead, clinging to her father for all he was worth.

--------

A ring slowly began glowing, pulsing with light, getting brighter and brighter.

Until…

*FWOOSH*

A small black cat spiralled out.

And promptly hit a wall.

Green slitted eyes blinked. “Eugh, where’d that kid put me?” Plagg grumbled, reaching out a paw to feel the obstruction.

It was weirdly soft, stretchy, and damp. Though at least not as wet as the “floor” of wherever Plagg was - his tail would’ve been soaked if he hadn’t kept it insubstantial.

No light, either. Even with his night vision, he couldn’t see a thing.

With a jolt, the surroundings moved, taking Plagg with them. Weird shrieking noises emanated from nearby, though he couldn’t tell from where exactly - it felt like everything around him was vibrating.

Nope, not staying here. What was Adrien thinking, leaving the ring in this weird place?

Plagg turned insubstantial, phasing out of the weird container just enough to take a peek at his location-

“DIE CHESTBURSTER DIE!” 

“AUGH!”

-and found himself unceremoniously whacked into a wall (a non-moist one this time) by a rolling pin.

Plagg blinked up from the ground.

An irate Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood over him, holding a rolling pin aloft. Slowly, her expression softened, turning from ‘I’m going to murder you where you sit’ to ‘Oh crap, what’ve I done’.

“Plagg?” She called out hoarsely, as if afraid that saying his name would make him disappear. “How- What- I’m so so so sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you oh crap what if he’s dead oh cr-”

“Camembert…” he groaned.

Marinette abruptly stopped panicking. “What?” 

“Camembert… will heal… all my injuries… I’ll die without it… I need three wheels of cheese…”

“Yeah, you’re fine,” Marinette concluded.

Plagg shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

“What were you thinking?!” Marinette said. “Poking around like that and then sticking your head out through my torso - I almost had a heart attack!”

She froze. “Wait… how’re you here? Where’s Chat Noir?!”

“You tell me, you’re the one with my ring inside you.”

The blood drained from her face. Fumbling around, she shakily made her way to the nearest chair, collapsing in a heap. “Your ring. I have your ring. Inside me.”

Plagg tilted his head to the side. “Yessss…?”

“I swallowed Adrien’s ring,” she said dazedly, staring straight ahead. 

“You know, I don’t care if you play tonsil hockey with my kid, but could you not use my Miraculous as the puck?” he said conversationally. “I don’t enjoy ending up inside of creatures as much as you do.”

Marinette’s eyes bulged, “I- WHAT- I DO NOT!”

“You end up leaping into mouths a lot…”

“AS PART OF MY PLAN TO DEFEAT THE SUPERVILLAIN!”

“But you’re always smiling-”

“SHUT UP.”

--------

Adrien trudged to work. 

What else could he do?

Keeping away wouldn’t bring Plagg back.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I be so careless,” he muttered to himself, throwing open the bakery door. It slammed into the wall. He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Marinette greeted him, looking unusually upbeat. Adrien’s spirits lifted a little, despite himself.

“Morning, kitty,” she said, sauntering over to him. He blinked, his brain trying to process what that meant, as she dropped his ring into his hands. “We have a lot to talk about.”

His mind spinning, coming to conclusions that he couldn’t comprehend just yet, he latched onto anything that didn’t disrupt his world, anything solid, as he gazed down at his Miraculous.

“It looks pristine! How did you-”

“THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT.”