#scheming bitch

[eldritchcoffeefiend]

Random Head Canon - Post Hoover Dam, Caesar's Legion Aligned Courier

The golden laurel leaf crown was carefully placed on the Courier's head. No. No longer the Courier. Years ago she had another name, a name that had been erased by two bullets, and was replaced by that apocryphal epithet. At least, until Caesar bestowed another new name on her. Now she was Bellona - named after an ancient Roman warrior goddess who, according to Caesar, was known for her bloodlust and madness in battle.

Bellona's attendant was silent and carefully made the final adjustments to the wreath, nestling it amongst the curls and securing it with bobby pins. Once satisfied, she dabbed perfumed oil behind her mistress' ears.

The final touch was the Mark of Caesar, tied around Bellona's neck, the burnished gold dully glinting. Although it wasn't necessary to wear it now, her reputation preceded her now, she did so out of habit and, perhaps, over the years it had unwittingly become a good luck charm for her, evidenced by how the relief of Caesar had been smoothed over time from idle touches.

"Thank you," Bellona said, dismissing the girl and not a moment too soon. From somewhere in the apartment, there was a crash followed by the sound of shouting boys, a barking dog and the annoyed voice of another servant - most likely the cook - telling them all to clear off and let her work.

Bellona smiled to herself and considered going to the rescue, but a knock on the door stopped her. Stepping into the foyer, and opening the door, she found a Praetorian on her doorstep.

"Bellona," he greeted with a nod. "I am to escort you to Caesar for your weekly audience with him."

Smiling, she fell into step next to the young man as he led her out of the Ultra-Luxe and into the glaring midday sun.

"How is Lucius these days?" she asked, resting a hand on the Praetorian's forearm.

"My father's as well as can be expected," he replied. "His eyesight has declined further. Caesar has been generous enough to allow him to serve as an advisor to the new head Praetorian. At the very least it's stopped him from being such a grumpy bastard to my mothers."

Bellona's step faltered. Even after all this time, occasionally she forgot that many of the high ranking officers had multiple wives. For those who served most loyally and faithfully, it wasn't uncommon for them to have at least four. Lucius had, if rumour was to be believed, six at one point. It had also become common, now that the Legion had settled in New Vegas, for these multiple wives to oversee their households in conjunction with one another, raising their children (at least until they reached the age to start schooling and training) and seeing to their husband's needs.

She, however, had been the exception to that rule. Bellona did not like to share at the best of times and had vehemently argued with Caesar that as part of her reward her husband would be hers and hers alone.

"I'm sorry, Gaius," she replied. "He was always patient with me and my ceaseless questions when I first became part of the Legion. I've always highly regarded him. When you see him next, could you please let him know that I asked after him?"

"Of course," he succinctly replied. Gaius had grown up hearing tales of his father's bravery and fierceness, but to hear Bellona speak so fondly of him was odd.

Along the Strip, drunken gamblers milling about had been replaced by rushing slaves, citizens and Legionaries. Tired whores, dubious weapons merchants and hawkers trying to lure customers into the casinos were long distant memories of a different age. Now the Strip was a giant marketplace, the casinos serving as barracks for troops with the penthouses were reserved for the upper echelons of the Legion. The only other exception was Gomorrah, which had been given to the priestesses to be repurposed as a temple.

Bellona held her head high as they approached the Lucky 38, ignoring the whispers and stares. She'd grown used to it, to a degree, as she'd essentially become a living legend - further proof of the divine become flesh , according to Caesar himself and now preached by the priestesses.

Now inside the Lucky 38, the doors sliding closed behind them, allowing the deathly silence of the disused casino to settle over them like a blanket. It had always made her shiver, the darkness, the mustiness - and if she stood still for too long, she was sure she could hear the ghosts of a long dead era whispering in her ear. And, while she didn't trust the creaking elevator, she was relieved to hear it ding and it's doors rattle open.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

"Ah, Bellona!" Caesar warmly greeted, smiling broadly at her.

She paused long enough to press a closed fist to her heart and bow deeply.

"My Lord, Caesar," she returned the greeting.

"It's always good to see you," he said, waving her over while a Praetorian brought a chair near to Caesar's throne.

As she rose to her full height, her eyes flicked in the direction of Vulpes and, as much as she hated it, she could feel a blush creep into her cheeks. Even after all these years, after everything they'd been through, he still had this effect on her.

A quick quirk of the corner of his mouth, a distinct gleam in his eye - all subtle signs that most would miss. Bellona didn't. She knew her husband too well. She also knew that look in his eye meant that tonight, once the evening meal was done and the children were sound asleep, Vulpes would drag her to bed and ravish her. Although, in all truth, she was happy to acquiesce to him, relishing how he kept her lingering between pleasure and pain until they were both spent and exhausted.

"Everyone out!" Caesar demanded, breaking Bellona's train of thought.

There was a long pause, some uncertain shuffling of feet and finally the men started to file out of the room.

"Wife," Vulpes quietly greeted as he passed by.

"Husband," she replied, practically purring.

And, unnoticed by others, their little fingers briefly linked before Vulpes exited, leaving Bellona alone with Caesar.

Pretence dropped and as she took her seat, she chuckled, "I thought they'd never fucking leave."

Laughing, he shook his head, always amused by the blunt nature of the former Courier.

"I hear that congratulations are in order. Again," Caesar eyed up Bellona's barely there baby bump. "How many is this?"

Resting a hand on her belly, she smiled, somehow looking embarrassed, and said, "Six. Unless we have more twins, which I swear I'll throw myself off Hoover Dam if that happens. It's fucking awful carrying twins."

"The rate you two are going, you're going to have a Centuria of your own," Caesar laughed.

"Not if I can help it!" she exclaimed. "I've... told him no more after this one."

Caesar arched an eyebrow at her in question.

Bellona sniffed and shrugged, "I'm getting fat."

Caesar burst out laughing, pounding a fist on the arm of his throne, but then went into a coughing fit. Producing a cloth from seemingly nowhere, he held it to his mouth until the coughing subsided.

As he sat there wheezing, trying to catch his breath, his hand fell limply into his lap revealing bright red streaks of blood on the cloth.

Bellona stared at it wide eyed.

"Fuck," he gasped. Watery eyes looked into hers and he bluntly stated, "I'm dying."

She gave him a crooked grin and exclaimed, "Well fuck, Eddie, ain't we all dyin'? You ain't nothin' special."

"Fuckin' insolent bitch," he rasped and tried to not laugh. "Should have had Vulpes crucify you ages ago."

"Well someone's got to try and keep you humble. Also, what would have been the fun in that? Besides, do you think he actually would have done it?" she asked, a wry grin on her lips.

He huffed, staring at her, trying to ignore the niggling paranoia in the back of his brain, wondering how many times she and Vulpes may have plotted against him.

And, as if she was reading his mind, she placed a hand on his arm and quietly said, "He would have simply because you commanded it and Vulpes has always loved you more."

Caesar slumped on his throne and stared unseeing into the distance.

"Thanks to you, my Legion has it's Rome. It has gone from strength to strength, growing and thriving more than ever. However..." Caesar looked over at Bellona, his brow furrowed, "I hear that Lanius grows anxious. He's no longer content to sit within our own borders, that he's eager to conquer more lands, more tribes. His eyes are firmly set on annexing the NCR."

"Does anyone else know?" she asked.

"No, only you."

They stared at each other for a long time before she offered him a broad, toothy grin.

"Well, Old Man, let's talk succession."

[linusbenjamin]

#agatha harkness serving right before she's running a scam to steal other witches’ powers

[destielmemenews]

"District Judge Matthew Barrett told former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters — after earlier sparring with her for continuing to press discredited claims about rigged voting machines — that she never took her job seriously.

“I am convinced you would do it all over again if you could. You’re as defiant as any defendant this court has ever seen,” Barrett told her in handing down the sentence. “You are no hero. You abused your position and you’re a charlatan.”

Jurors found Peters guilty in August for allowing a man to misuse a security card to access to the Mesa County election system and for being deceptive about that person’s identity.

The man was affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell, a prominent promoter of false claims that voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from former President Donald Trump. The discredited claims trace back to Trump himself, whose supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol because of them and who still hints at them in his third run for president."

source 1

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[the-dragon-girl-27]

been rereading Pokespe I forgot just how cool of a character Blue is

[tad-hg]

how tf do you draw this dudes hat

[idontmindifuforgetme]

Kind of ridiculous that it’s a ubiquitously held notion that if you don’t start a hobby while you’re literally a developing embryo then you can never go pro at it. I have all this TIME to live am I supposed to just lie down and die

[leglessstreetlights]

fleshing out my Relativity Au some more, i fujking love these guys, they're so-

part 1/ part 2

[parab0mb]

Sick gaming setup.

[kyokikikie]

✩ Second Best (T. Kuroo)

masterlist!! Bewitched masterlist(⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

—> in which Y/n slowly realises that she will never have space in his heart.

➤ genre: angst, slight cheating (?), wrong idea of ‘love’

She would never forget how stupid she was.

Jubilant. She was jubilant when the news of Kuroo Tetsuro — the guy that she had pined for since she laid eyes on him, had gotten dumped by his girlfriend. Of course, she did feel bad for him, who would even dare to let such a man slip away from their arms?

She didn’t give a second thought on why he got broken up with. Kuroo was now available. She could return to chasing after him, and soon, he would finally accept her.

That was what she thought.

Kuroo wasn’t oblivious to the way she would look at him, a look full of admiration and affection. She was blinded by love, the perfect person he could use.

So when the volleyball captain came up to her and asked her to be his girl, she was over the moon. “Of course I’ll be your girlfriend!” She beamed, holding the single rose Kuroo had given her. A sigh of relief escaped the male’s mouth, phase one of his scheme was easy. Kuroo gave a mischievous smirk.

Soon, he’ll have his ex crawling back to him, begging to take her back, and he’ll tell the girl before his eyes a lame excuse before accepting his ex with open arms.

For a few months, Kuroo was the sweetest towards Y/n. He would give her flowers every time they met up for a date, gave her the princess treatment, and always made time for her. Everyone would kill to have what she had. The school heartthrob, treating his girl how she deserves to be treated.

Everything was going well. Too well.

On a Sunday night, Kuroo was over at Y/n’s for their weekly cuddles. Unfortunately, a simple message from someone crashed the whole mood. The male picked up his phone to reply to the text, not knowing that his current girlfriend who was beside him could see every single letter being typed out.

Out of anger, she pushed the thick blanket aside and sat up from the bed. Y/n snatched the phone out of Kuroo’s hands, “You’re here enjoying time with YOUR girlfriend and yet still dare to contact your ex?” she emphasised.

“Baby, come on, she reached out first, i was going to shut her down anyways,”

“Bullshit.” She raised her voice and spat. ”Why? The words you typed out surely weren't telling me you were. Why? Am I not enough for you? Was I not enough? Do you even–” Before she had the chance to continue her rambling, Kuroo stepped closer to her and closed the gap between them.

That shut her up.

It wasn’t the first time they had shared a kiss. However, this one made her stood rooted to the ground. When his warm lips touched hers, the warmth that it was supposed to give was missing.

That's when she knew that someone else was in his mind.

Y/n couldn't react and only watched as Kuroo took his bag and left her house, “I promise you, she has no ill intentions.” was all he said. No goodbyes. No ‘see you tomorrow’ like he would usually do. Her boyfriend had left her, frozen and the comfort he gave was ‘she has no ill intentions’?

she couldn't believe it. she didn't want to. She spent all her hard work building this relationship with him, there was no way she's letting it go just because of a simple argument. When the sound of her front door banged shut, her knees gave in and she slumped to the floor, tears streaming down her eyes.

From then on, kisses from him didn't feel as comfortable anymore.

Ever since that day, Kuroo’s eyes were glued to his phone, typing away. Whenever he is out with the h/c-haired girl, his hands will always find their way to the device instead of her hand.

“Kuroo, what should we eat for dinner?”

The rooster-head male shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not hungry.” He replied, eyes darting to the girl next to him and then looked back at his phone. Kuroo was starting to replicate the image of kenma.

The radiant smile on Y/n’s lips faded, she didn’t even bother to reply to him. She knew that as soon as she opened her mouth, heated words would uncontrollably flow out. The girl simply bit the insides of her cheek and continued walking.

Where did the sweet Kuroo go? Who was this man beside her? Where was the person that would give his fullest attention to her?

”Then I’ll get going now.” Y/n came to a stop, looked into his hazel eyes and said. There was no point in spending time with him if all he did was to check his phone every second. “Ah, okay, see you at school.”

That’s all? He didn’t stop her, didn’t ask what was wrong. Not even a kiss goodbye?

The h/c-haired girl scoffed and walked away while her boyfriend continued in the opposite direction.

It was on and off. they would get into arguments almost every week then make up the next day. her friends told her that it was unhealthy and she should just give it up. she couldn't.

So there she was, lying beside him as he let out snores that vibrated down his throat. A smile spread across his face as he slept, a smile that Y/n had been longing to see. She had almost forgotten that he was capable of making such an expression.

She wanted to know what had made him smile like that. How could he sleep so peacefully when their relationship was on thin ice? He didn’t know that on the night of every fight they had, she would always toss and turn on her bed, countless thoughts ran through her mind as she did so.

What was he so happy about? Was he satisfied that her heart was aching the whole time?

Kuroo’s phone buzzed next to her, a notification lit the dark room up. As soon as the h/c-haired girl read the contact name, she knew. She knew the reason behind that lovely dream that he had.

It was none other than the person he told her not to worry about. Ironic isn’t it?

The realisation had stung her heart like a bee, it ached. She wanted to confront Kuroo but the thought of him walking away again held her back. It was just a friendly message asking to meet to catch up, nothing wrong, nothing fishy.

Y/n took a deep breath, she shut her eyes and diverted her thoughts away from it. If only she could warn herself about the future that bestowed upon her.

One of Nekoma’s school gyms was lit up with LED lights from the inside. The colourful lights illuminated the whole gym. It wasn’t too bright, yet it wasn’t too dark. Students chatted away at every corner of the gym, the dance floor was filled with couples and groups of friends that danced like there was no tomorrow.

It was finally the school dance, the event that everyone had been looking forward to.

Loud music played from the large speakers as Y/n made her way to Kuroo whose spikes on his hair made him recognisable through the crowd. He was chatting with his volleyball teammates, taking sips of the cup of punch in his left hand. The boys immediately shifted their gaze to Y/n who was approaching them, “ooh, Kuroo, you’ve got company!” They teased.

Kuroo spun around to see a h/c-haired girl tilting her head slightly to meet his eye.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked, placing the cup back on his lips while waiting for a reply. But before Y/n could even speak, the volleyball team started chanting. “Dance with her! Dance with her!”

A small smile formed on Kuroo’s lips. It wasn’t as genuine as the one plastered on his face that night, but it was something. Y/n bit the insides of her cheeks and gulped. “Well, what do you say, babe? Care to dance?” Kuroo extended his arm for her to hold onto.

Who was she to deny him? She would do anything for him. It wasn’t an understatement, it’s just how much she loves him.

The couple made their way to the dance floor when the song “Lover” by Taylor swift played. Soon, the dance floor was once again filled with people.

Y/n placed her hands on Kuroo’s shoulders and he placed his on her waist, their feet moved to the rhythm. Her e/c-eyes looked into his hazel ones, Y/n’s lips quirked upwards. To her, it was just the two of them. Everyone in the background disappeared as she focused on the music, she was mesmerised.

But to him, he paid no attention to such details. His eyes wandered across the gym, searching for something to focus on instead of the girl in front of him. A pair of familiar eyes met his, the ones that he had yearned to see.

It was his ex-lover. And she was smiling at him, as if she was saying, “I see that your having fun without me.”

A wide-eyed Kuroo could only stay silent and remain where he was. His guts and his heart wanted to break away from Y/n’s embrace and run towards her, and say “No, never. Not without you, so please, come back to me.” It took all of his willpower to remind himself that it isn’t time. There was a girl, so in love with him that she stayed even when he was clearly using her. He wasn’t that type of person to throw someone away once they’ve done their job, right?

‘Soon,’ the said male reminded himself, ‘Soon, everything will go back to normal.’

The thought of his ex-lover standing by his side again made the corner of his mouth twitch up. He imagined that the h/c-haired girl in front of him was her. Kuroo pulled Y/n closer, resting his chin on the top of her head, they were practically hugging instead of dancing.

Taken back by the sudden intimacy, Y/n finched. Was he finally back to his normal self? The music continued as they spun around, Kuroo was now where Y/n was when they started, his back facing his ex-lover. The couple let the rhythm of the song control their movements. Finally, after months, Y/n felt a sense of comfort.

Though, her smile slipped when she looked over Kuroo’s shoulders.

There, Y/n saw her.

Of course it was her

The way her dress would online her curves, showing just a little cleavage that would still make anyone drool over her. Including her boyfriend, Kuroo. Kuroo and her were once the school’s best couple before they broke up. School heartthrob dating the school heartthrob, a match made in heaven. Y/n could see why Kuroo dated her, she was just as beautiful as the karasuno’s volleyball manager, Kiyoko.

If they stood side by side, Y/n would look like a complete mess beside a goddess.

Y/n’s lips quivered. It was as clear as glass that Kuroo’s sudden attitude towards her was all because of his ex-lover. Heck, was it even towards Y/n?

Her heart had finally shattered. It hurts so much that she finds it humiliating. How could she not notice this earlier? The reason why Kuroo and her were fighting every week was because of his ex. It was sickening to the point that she wanted to burst out laughing right then and there. She was being used.

Kuroo was never hers. His heart only had space for one.

And that one person will never be her.

It had been months since they broke up. The nights were peaceful for her as she no longer needed to worry about their constant fights. She had graduated high-school with scholarships to Tokyo University. Life was better than what she had imagined it would be.

she had moved on. It didn’t bother her that Kuroo got back with his ex-lover weeks after they parted. Y/n expected it and couldn’t care less about Kuroo.

So why? Why was she lying down facing the ceiling and unable to get out of bed?

After being accepted into Tokyo University, her days were like a cycle. She would get out of bed, brush her teeth, and go back to bed, eyes glued to her phone. She would only leave her house if she was hungry.

Y/n scrolled through social media, watching her high-school friends spend their day with each other. Her eyelids were about to fall shut till she saw a familiar rooster head.

It was Kuroo. She had forgotten to block him from her socials…

The hazel eyed male’s lips were split into a grin, and beside him — the one taking the photo, was no longer his ex-lover. It was the love of his life. They were having the best time of his life and the look on Kuroo’s face was something that Y/n had never seen before.

with a sigh, she dropped her phone on the soft mattress of her bed and turned to face the wall.

She was sure she had moved on, so why was she the only one bedridden?

[barbrububble]

Another detail is, Curly is a captain/pilot of the freighter spaceship, which aren't being manned anymore. Sure he probably has the highest paycheck out of the crew (how high tho? it's fucking Pony express) and probably better qualifications (again, by Pony express standards) but he's not automatically "moving towards bigger and better" after this layoff, Jim is fucking delusional from envy (Jim is not primarily worried about money like others, he wants to be capable of being good at something and dealing with life and problems, he sees these as innate qualities of Curly that he, Jim, simply lacks)

[themoonofblueside]

it's just so funny that ned is like "sigh i hate southron politics there is no one to trust i miss winterfell i belong to the north" while in adwd the north is like. fifteen different conspiracies for a different heir, at least two houses with associated with cannibalism or flaying people, everyone hating each other, not a single family united for the same cause or even same side, vengeance ideas that would make oberyn martell weep-

[dykedvonte]

I love that the Chairmen are like the lameos of The Strip. Like it just says so much about how the Boot Riders were that they are just so fine being like Vegas cool guys.

Everyone at The Tops sans Benny is content, happy and fine with how things play out. They just like having food, women and something to do. Like occasionally they have to use some of their tribal warrior skills when threats like the Courier pop up but they are like if you took mountain lions and gave them a kitty spa day and now they refuse to leave.

Of course, the other families think they’re boring like one of them is literally eating bitches and The Tops just has the worst Wasteland’s Got Talent contestants as premiere acts.

[jonasiegenthaler]

cgy@njd | 08.02.24

[francy-sketches]

I think aemond might be one of my least favorite greens rn (not that I dislike him I just like the others more) which is crazy bc I started out ready to be a hardcore aemond stan and I'm gonna be honest I think a good part of it is that he's too popular 💀 like it's not as fun to justify the crimes of your evil little gremlin guy when there's one gazilion other people doing the same. I need to be #notlikeothergirls or whatever idk

[temperamentalaquarius]

Menace

[alicentflorent]

He watched the parent trap once and thought this would definitely be a foolproof plan to assassinate the queen