#send some asks to folks in the east!

[kedreeva]

WIP Wednesday Game

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

Requested/Friend event mentions under the cut! If you'd like to be pinged next week, let me know!

@fiore-della-valle @redbirdblogs @greenbergsays @idkfandomwhatever @luckyspike

@obaewankenope @mad-madam-m @anonymousdandelion @geometricfractal @prettybirdy979

@eriquin @aparticularbandit @madnessfromthemountains @makeroftherunes @1attheedge

@whimsicalmeerkat @kidsomeday @lizhly-writes @skyderman @adhdavinci

@owlbearwrites @anachronismstellar @anyctibius @rilannon @lazinesswrites

@zyrafowe-sny @dreaminghour @blue-eyedbeta @candyskiez @dreamerking27

@kalira @virgulesmith @i-want-delfeur @selkies-world @exceedinglygayotter

@oitreewrites @post-and-out @writingattheedge @qqaba @ykthefancyclamwiththepearlinside

@princescar @tigerdragon1001 @@agent-p-writes

[thatmaxcontent]

East Blue Polycule, yeah? Let me headcanon-dump onto you, stranger who didn't ask for it!

They overall love one another equally (in their own unique ways), but they do have favorites (keep it a secret though 🤭🤫🫡).

Luffy doesn't favor anyone in particular, but he has the most fun with Usopp and the most 'emotional' (big quotes on that) times with Zoro.

Speaking of the Lettuce Demon, his favorite is obviously Luffy, I need not elaborate on this point. He was the first and he will be the last.

Sanji's favorites are Nami and Usopp, Nami in the more silly yet beloving sense. She'll often tease him for being such a simpy simp, but will happily give him some love every now and then. Usopp is constantly around, not just Sanji but the whole crew, and through that Nicotine Kicker kind of just got used to him being THE first one he'd go to (aside captainly stuff and such). They behave more like married folks who've been together for around 10 years most of the time, but this doesn't take away from Sanji's simpyness. Sanji simps for all his partners, but he only visibly does it with Nami and semi-visibly with Usopp. The other two are far more casual.

Nami's favorite is Vivi (surprise! I got this idea from another post, I don't remember the poster, but aaaugh I love it!!!), but out of the crew it's Usopp. Vivi and Nami are one-to-one, the blue gurl isn't dating anyone else. They keep in contact by constantly sending each other letters and SNÄILIN'!!! Usopp is Nami's crew-favorite because... well... they're besties. They bond over so much, and they're the most open in the relationship with one another (close second being Luffy and Zoro tied with Sanji and Usopp, followed by Luffy and Nami, ect ect).

Usopp's favorites are Nami (because of stated bonding) and Sanji (because of their incredible connection), but Luffy deserves an honorable mention as Usopp spends a lot of time and has a blast with him!! Sometimes they also take two-on-two time, rarely it can turn into a little bit of a quiet session, but usually they rave about future adventures and plans. Sometimes Luffy makes Usopp come up with a 'bedtime story', but it's just an excuse to see the sniper get so passionate and think about another adventure!

(This is also from that other poster, aaaaa thank you for infecting my brain with this incredible rot) Aside Vivi, Kaya is dating both Nami and Usopp! They rarely manage to talk, but when they do their sessions are long and if someone disturbs them it's game over for them!

Now onto the funsy headcanons!

Nami and Usopp browse magazines together on a daily basis (sometimes Robin joins them as the cool mother of the group), and they plan some cool and absolutely ✨️SLAY✨️ outfits none of them can ever wear.

Zoro and Sanji have a little bit of a play-competition going on constantly. They get genuinely pissed off by the other often times, but sometimes they make something a competition as an excuse to angrily make out against the kitchen wall (they definitely 'sword'fight about who tops)

Luffy doesn't completely process the relationship as a, well, romantic relationship. He's more in it for the good times, and because he loves the peeps! He's overall fine with more strictly romantically-viewed things, but sometimes he just doesn't want to. One second he will say "Zoro, crush me with your arms", the next he sees Franky and Robin (the cool parents) kissing and he goes "BLEUGH I'm going to need a shovel to transport this bullshit out of my mouth BLEHHHHHH"

Usopp is the most insecure and unstable in the relationship. He's very people-pleasery, while also trying to keep up a persona. If he ever emotionally talks it's usually to Nami, sometimes to Sanji within the relationship, but outside of it he confides in Franky (the awesome dadster) and Jinbe (the ultimately best grandpops). He tries to get better, but fails to realise how. He has fun with everyone, seeks to be around them at all times, but sometimes he can't help but disappear. If you don't see him at breakfast give him until lunch, at that point it's suitable to check-in. Who knows what the thoughts in his head have made him do.

Sanji has a dedicated notebook/ramblebook about each one of the peeps. Sometimes when he can't sleep, or someone just did something he found notable, he whips out a book and starts going "September 1st, 1989, dear diary-" oh shit, wrong fandom.

Zoro is the one that has to be dragged into things the most, he does go willingly as well but his solitude is important to him. This being said he usually doesn't mind Luffy or Usopp chilling around if he's laying back, sometimes they can ramble and do their own thing as well. A lot of the time it's just sitting and silently contemplating on things, with Usopp at least. If Luffy doesn't have stimulation for five seconds he'll gomu-gomu the ship.

Nami absolutely loves physical contact, but sometimes feels bad that she can't see her girlfriends and feel them around. In these cases she'll request some physical space until things have settled, but sometimes that can make her even more clingy. She usually seeks out Usopp, but will cling onto someone else if he isn't to be seen.

Luffy found a new appreciation for various relationship through the polycule. This also helped him think more healthily about his past, those who are gone and those who are alive. He's managed to settle some feelings, but a lot of experiences still hinder his head. He doesn't think about those things that much, and besides if he feels down he will quite literally start deflating. A quick munch of food, mention of stories or a good song will always cheer him right up.

Usopp actively leaves gifts for everyone around the ship (to the ones outside the relationship as well, but extra for the peeps). They're handmade, and they range from silly notes/drawings with cheesy jokes to actual equipment/tools and sometimes even clothing and jewelry.

I COULD GO ON FOR SO LONG, BUT IF YOU READ THIS FAR THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ENJOYER!!!! And drink some water, you're dehydrated you fucking amazing dewdrop angel baby

HAVE A GOOD TIMEZONE!!!

[kaitsawamura]

FICS FOR GAZA

I am proud to announce I will be joining the initiative created over at @ficsforgaza! They, along with all the other incredibly talented participants, are doing some really great work. Thank you to FFG for creating a tangible way for us to help those suffering in Palestine, even if some of us can't afford to offer monetary assistance <3

THIS POST WAS LAST UPDATED 6/25/24

I might open requests in the future but for now, I am accepting proof of donation to sponsor current WIPs only.

Select a vetted donation link. You can find a good list -> HERE <-

Send me a screenshot of your donation through my inbox or in a DM. Due to these factors, donations cannot be anonymous at this time. I will also be sharing screenshots/proof of donation with @ficsforgaza for their records and verification. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COVER/BLUR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON YOUR PROOF OF DONATION.

I would hope this wouldn't need to be stated but please do not reuse donation screenshots. Make a new donation for each request.

Once you have sent proof of donation and chosen your WIP, you can opt in or out to be listed as a tagged sponsor on the WIP's masterlist. Some of the available WIPs have masterlists already live (I would tag you and repost) and some are oneshots that have yet to be posted (you would be tagged as a sponsor at the time that it is finished and live).

I will label each work individually, but please assume that everything I write will be 18+ MDNI/N*FW at one point or another.

WORD COUNT PER DOLLAR (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

For every $1 donated, I will write 100 words towards your chosen WIP. I.E: If you donate $5, I will write 500 words.

Current Word Count Cap Per One Request: 1000 Words (You can show proof of a larger donation, but this is currently the most words that can be requested per person ☺︎ )

Current Total Word Cap: 500/5000 words (This is currently the point at which I will pause proof of donations until I catch up ☺︎ )

MONEY RAISED: $15.75

Thank you for reading and respecting my rules!

THIS IS CURRENTLY A PLACEHOLDER

SERIES

East of My Heart (West of My Soul) | Estimated WC: 50K | Current WC: 25.5K | Chapter WC: 5.1K/12K | BNHA Folk Tale AU | Prince!Izuku Midoriya x Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: Your life is one that is abundant with family and the magic in small things.  But when a great white bear comes rumbling at your family’s cottage door one winter’s night, you are obviously taken aback.  Even more so when he speaks to you in a language you can understand and asks for your help.  Come away with him, live with him in the ice castle he calls home for a year and day and release him from the curse that blights him.  You agree to go with him even if as time goes along, it is very apparent that there is more to this polar bear than meets the eye.  There is more to a lot of different things as you learn to love the polar bear as friend and companion during the day but are visited by a mysterious man who insists on sleeping in your bed every night.  Can you last a year and a day to save the bear from this strange enchantment?  Will you learn the true identity of the man you’ve come to care so deeply for?  Will you find yourself (and maybe love) along the way?

The Farmer and The Wizard | Estimated WC: 50K | Current WC: 3.2K | Chapter WC: 1.2K/3K | JJK Stardew Valley AU | Wizard!Gojo x Farmer!Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: You need a change, a big one. When your estranged grandfather passes away and bequeaths you his farm in a little town just south of the middle of nowhere, you take it as the sign you needed to make a change instead of waiting for one. The farm, while having fallen into a state of disrepair, is just the thing to cure your modern-world ailments. The people are kind and always ready to offer help, if a bit unusual. They have old superstitions, a haunted community center, and a resident wizard. Spoiler alert: those last two on the list take some getting used to. Yes, things are different here but you have a sneaking suspicion that the slow pace and a certain alchemical practitioner are going to remind you that sometimes, all you need is time and a little bit of magic.

that's just wasteland, baby | Estimated WC: 15K | Current WC: 2.2K | BotW/TotK!Link and Zelda x Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: Calamity Ganon has finally been vanquished for good, Link and Zelda have finally managed to break the wheel. But things are not as either of them had hoped they would be. Zelda is soon to be Queen with all the duties of such a position. Link would remain her knight and yet, he is restless. When he hears of the restoration efforts in Lurelin Village, he decides that he must go. He can’t stay cooped up within the castle walls, not after so long in the wild. Zelda and Link are unsure of the new direction their lives are taking but maybe they’ll find that their true north is you.

ONESHOTS

a shrike and a thorn | Estimated WC: 3K | Current WC: 1.2K | Priest!Kento Nanami x Congregant!Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: You save everyone but who saves you? You don’t know what makes you step foot in that church.  But you do and you spend the next year a dutiful congregant to Father Nanami.  Devoted and kind, he’s exactly the kind of man you would expect to be a priest.  And none of this would be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that you can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to see him lose his religion between your legs.  Unbeknownst to you, the good Father is having the same kind of thoughts.  Will the two of you build a new altar at which you might worship?

They Say It's Your Birthday | Estimated WC: 3K | Current WC: 1.6K | Pro Hero!Eijiro Kirishima x Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: Strangers to lovers (they meet in the club), birthday smut for the Birthday Boy, I've had this in my drafts for literally three years to post on Eiji's birthday.

The Indomitable Human Spirit | Estimated WC: 2-3K | Current WC: 366 | Modern!Sukuna x Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: No description for this yet either, just wanted to explore the idea of Sukuna putting his claim on you but not in the way you'd think he would, more in like the thing about how a warring alien race comes to earth and is baffled and fascinated by the enduring human spirit.

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All works marked as such belong to Kait of kaitsawamura © 2020-PRESENT. Please do not alter, repost, or copy my content.

[thatmexisaurusrex]

If you're still doing 1-2 word Bucktommy prompts, how about blizzard conditions 🙂

Hey! Sorry it took a bit of time to get to this. I'm on and off overwhelmed by asks 😅 I love them and I love writing ficlets and microfics and answering questions and thanking folks for kind words, but at the same time, I get a little overwhelmed sometimes. Great prompt! I hope you enjoy this 🥰

Blizzard Conditions

Tommy had never been on the East Coast before. He hadn't really been north of San Fran. So, going along with Maddie, Evan, Chimney, and Jee-Yun to visit some old friends of theirs in the New England area had been a bit of an adventure, to say the least.

Well.

An adventure he enjoyed until he and Evan found themselves on a snow-covered road.

"Shit. The car really isn't moving anymore," said Evan as he tried a fourth time to drive with no real results.

"9-1-1 did say they were sending someone," offered Tommy.

Evan sighed as he slumped back into his seat.

"This really isn't going the way I wanted it to go."

"Oh, you hadn't visited specifically for the blizzard conditions?"

Evan snorted.

"I visited specifically for them," said Evan sarcastically.

"It's really not that big of a deal," Tommy said, but Evan didn't look all that convinced.

"This weekend. It was supposed to be - I don't know. Perusing Newbury Street. Taking goofy historical walking tours around Boston. Not blizzard conditions. Not getting stuck in the snow after turning around from trying to head to Salem. We didn't even get to Salem."

Tommy wrapped his arms around Evan, pulling him close.

"I'm going to tell you something I didn't know before we came," whispered Tommy into Evan's hair, "I hate the fucking snow."

Evan.

Let out a laugh.

"What?"

"I hate the fucking snow. I hate the snow. I hate how cold it is. I don't like how it keeps fucking up every wonderful plan you try to enact. I hate how you just look so sad when the snow ruins another thing. I hate it. If I could punch it in the face, I would."

Evan.

Evan just kept laughing.

"You don't need to hate the snow on my behalf," wheezed Evan.

"Too bad. I hated it already," laughed Tommy, "This has just solidified my hatred. I'm going to be the Kendrick Lamar of hating snow."

"Not the Kendrick Lamar of hating snow," laughed Evan.

Just.

Just grinning.

And looking at Tommy.

And.

"Next time, less snow. Okay?" said Evan, as if he could promise that.

"Yeah. We'll come in the summer or something," said Tommy as he gave Evan a peck on the lips.

Which.

Turned into more.

Maybe a little more than more.

Until.

They sprang away from each other at the sound of tapping on the car window.

"9-1-1 first responders!" called someone from outside, "Heard you might need some help?"

And.

Okay.

They could continue that later.

"Yes, we do!" called Evan, and Tommy snorted at how Evan had to clear his throat.

[daitranscripts]

The Crossroads Conversations

Corporal Vale (Vale’s Irregulars)

The Hinterlands Masterpost

Pre-IYHSB Vale: You're with the Inquisition? Corporal Vale. Thanks for your help. The mages and templars don't seem to care who gets caught in their war. The refugees here are in dire need of help. If the war doesn't kill them, cold or starvation will.

Post-IYHSB Vale: Inquisitor. I'm honored by your visit. The refugees will also be grateful. Even with the mage rebellion settled, there are still people causing trouble.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Any other concerns? [2]

Investigate: You said people might starve. [3]

Investigate: People are cold? [4]

Investigate (pre-IHW/CotJ): Tell me of the templars. [5]

Investigate (pre-IHW/CotJ): Tell me of the mages. [6]

Investigate: Tell me of the horsemaster. [7]

General (after obtaining “East Road Bandits”): Tell me of the bandits. [8]

General: Goodbye. [9]

2 - Investigate: Any other concerns? PC: What other problems do these refugees face? Vale: We've got some injuries that go beyond stitches and elfroot. I know healers are in short supply, but if you can find someone in Redcliffe to help us, it would save a lot of lives. [back to 1]

3 - Investigate: You said people might starve. You were concerned about refugees starving. Vale: Yes. Many of them brought food, but they expected to be home by now, or safe in a city. There's a hunter up the hill who had some ideas. [back to 1]

4 - Investigate: People are cold? Is there anything we can do to help people deal with the cold? Vale: I asked the Inquisition to send blankets. You'd think I was asking for a wagon of raw lyrium. A recruit named Whittle is trying to make what we can bring in last. If you have any ideas, talk to him across the road. [back to 1]

5 - Investigate: Tell me of the templars. What can you tell me about the templars? Vale: All the templars were called to Val Royeaux not long ago. These bastards ignored the order. Now they're killing rebel mages, along with any refugees they think are mage sympathizers. Every templar I've ever known has wanted to protect the common folk. These men defile their Order's good name. [back to 1]

6 - Investigate: Tell me of the mages. What can you tell me about the rebel mages? Vale: The real rebels are up north in Redcliffe, dug in and taking care of their own. The ones out here are just apostates. Locked up in the Circles all these years, and now they've gone mad with power. The ones out here are just apostates. Locked up in the Circles all these years, and now they've gone mad with power. The rebels in Redcliffe have washed their hands of them. I wish we could do the same. [back to 1]

7 - Investigate: Tell me of the horsemaster. What can you tell me about the man who’s supposed to be getting horses for the Inquisition? Vale: Horsemaster Dennet? He lives on a farm to the west. Tough old fellow. We haven't heard from him. Best we can tell, he's holed up until the mages and templars are done killing each other. [back to 1]

8 - General: Tell me of the bandits. What can you tell me about the bandits blocking the road? Vale: Only that they're making it hard to get supplies or reinforcements to these refugees. They're better equipped than I'd expected. They must have gotten lucky picking off them. [back to 1]

9 - General: Goodbye. PC: Farewell. Vale: And you as well.

—

After all quests are completed

Vale (pre-IYHSB): You've done amazing work out here. Vale (post-IYHSB): You've done amazing work, Inquisitor.

Vale: Thanks to you, these refugees are safe, with warm clothes and food in their bellies. The Inquisition might be able to make use of them, if you had a mind to.

10 - Dialogue options:

What are my options? [11]

General: Recruit the skilled. (Capable volunteers will join the Inquisition as new agents.) [12] +Blackwall Approves +Cassandra Approves +Iron Bull Approves +Sera Approves +Solas Approves +Dorian Slightly Approves ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: They can bring in gold. (Refugees will bring in coin for an immediate gold reward.) [13] +Sera Approves +Dorian Slightly Approves ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: Grow our reputation. (Refugees will spread tales of the Inquisition's work for a gain in power.) [14] +Cole Greatly Approves +Blackwall Approves +Iron Bull Approves +Solas Approves +Varric Approves +Vivienne Approves +Cassandra Slightly Approves +Sera Slightly Approves

11 - What are my options? PC: What are you suggesting? Vale: We could ask the best and brightest to join the Inquisition. They would serve well. Just as easy to put them to work… or look at the whole thing as an act of charity.

Party comments:

Cassandra: The Inquisition can always use skilled volunteers.

Iron Bull: Anybody who joined up now would be loyal for life.

Sera: I bet no one's ever asked them to join anything.

Blackwall: Having a purpose makes the troubled times easier to bear. And ours is a good cause.

Dorian: At least they'd be doing something useful.

Vivienne: We need gold more than a few more scouts or the dubious goodwill of the peasants.

Varric: These people have been through a lot. They could use a little charity.

Solas: If we spread word of the Inquisition offering help freely, we would win the loyalty of every peasant in Ferelden.

Cole: They were hurt. Let their happiness be enough.

[Back to 10]

12 - Recruit the skilled. PC: Some of these people have skills that can help the Vale: Inquisition. See if any of them want to volunteer. I'm sure we'll get some good recruits out of it. [15]

13 - They can bring in gold. PC: Give the refugees the chance to serve the Inquisition. We can use whatever coin their work brings in. Vale: As you wish. I'm sure they'll be pleased to return the help we gave them. [15]

14 - Grow our reputation. PC: All I ask is that the refugees remember we were there when they needed us. Vale: Understood. I know they'll be grateful for everything you've done. [15]

15 - Scene continues.

Vale: I'll go now and set things up with the refugees, but thank you again. These people are alive because of you. None of us will forget that.

[mariacallous]

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has reportedly selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in a move aimed at energizing the Democratic Party’s progressive base in Midwestern battleground states ahead of a tight presidential election in November.

Walz, a 60-year-old second-term governor as well as a former high school teacher and congressman, was relatively unknown on the national stage before U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris as his successor on July 21.

Since then, Walz has emerged a leading voice in Democratic lines of attack on Republicans, repeatedly referring to former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as “weird.”

Walz now faces an uphill battle of expanding his national visibility in a fledgling presidential campaign with less than 100 days to go until Election Day. The rival Democratic and Republican tickets reflect vastly different views on the United States’ role in the world, though it’s unclear how much foreign policy will be a factor for voters in the upcoming elections.

Trump and Vance have expressed skepticism toward U.S. alliance systems, and Vance in particular has become a vocal critic of continued U.S. aid to Ukraine as it fights its war against Russia, arguing that the United States should instead direct its military resources to countering China. Harris is expected to continue the Biden administration’s policy of supporting Ukraine. On the Middle East, however, Harris is facing mounting pressure from the progressive flank of the Democratic Party to reassess the U.S. relationship with Israel as it carries out its controversial war in Gaza—a driving issue for Arab American voting constituencies in battleground states such as Michigan.

Some progressive groups proactively campaigned to keep Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro—whom Harris was also considering as a potential vice presidential choice—off the Democratic ticket because they opposed his support for Israel.

Walz has hewed to the mainstream Democratic position of supporting Israel, but he has criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and called in March for the United States to push for a cease-fire. “I’ve asked for these humanitarian pauses to get folks out. … I want this thing to end; I don’t want a cease-fire to last for a week or something like that. We need a permanent solution,” he told Minnesota Public Radio at the time.

Walz grew up in Nebraska and worked as a teacher first in China, then in Nebraska, and finally in Minnesota. He also served for 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, rising to the rank of command sergeant major. During his time in Congress from 2007 to 2019, Walz served on the House Armed Services Committee, overseeing U.S. military policy and spending, where early on he became a sharp critic of the Iraq War and opposed sending additional U.S. troops there.

In 2009, Walz visited Syria and met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as part of a congressional delegation that unsuccessfully tried to pressure Syria to stop the flow of arms to militant groups in Iraq, where Minnesota National Guard troops were deployed at the time.

He later opposed then-President Barack Obama’s plan to order military strikes on Syria in 2013 in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons, citing opposition from constituents to further involving the U.S. military in conflicts in the Middle East. “This man [Assad] is a monster and the situation is horrific, but that is not compelling enough to come up with a plan that is not well thought out and in the best interest of this nation,” Walz said at the time.

Walz won his seat five more times before stepping down to run for governor in 2018.

[ktwritesstuff]

The Babysitter (a Last of Us fanfic) pt. 3

Title: The Babysitter Fandom: The Last of Us Rating: Explicit Characters & Pairings: Joel Miller x Reader Word Count: ~2000 Summary: Playing house with Joel is not all it's cracked up to be. As always, lovingly beta-read by @bs-fangirl. Additional content notes below the cut

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (below cut) | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Content Notes & Warnings: mentions of assault, depression, p-in-v sex, & violence.

I consider my personal brand to be "All your faves want to fuck fat chicks" but the post-apocalyptic setting makes that harder to convey. Given that the diet culture of the 90s and early 2000s fucked us all, be on the lookout for body talk and mentions of disordered eating.

Atlanta 2007

It was a miracle you were alive.  That was what the doctors said when Joel and Tommy managed to find a FEMA clinic nearly 48 hours later.  The bullet had hit Joel first, just grazing him, but slowed down enough that when it struck you the impact didn’t send you into cardiac arrest.  It entered a few inches below your right shoulder, missing the lung, the subclavian artery, and the bundle of nerves controlling your arm, and exited the top of your chest before lodging in Sarah’s stomach where it tore her apart from the inside.  Some miracle.

The clinic doctors decided to send you to Dallas by helicopter, where there was supposed to be a working trauma center.  Of course, by the time you got there everything had gone to shit.  But the fluids and antibiotics they had already pumped into you kept you stable.  You hunkered down for a few weeks until Joel and Tommy decided it was safe to move you.  

From there you headed east, eventually making your way to a refugee camp in Atlanta.  It was a fucking mess–most folks had fled their homes without gathering important documents, but the bureaucrats were still insisting on trying to verify peoples’ identities.  The people outside were begging and bribing for someone to vouch for them.   

With Tommy being military, the government knew everything down to what underwear he had on; Joel managed to hang on to his wallet so thankfully he still had photo ID.

“This is my daughter,” he said, pushing you in front of him at the gate.  “Sarah.”

The powers that be immediately pressed Tommy into service helping to control the crowds and guard supplies, leaving you and Joel to get settled into one of the canvas tents on site.  It wasn’t much, but you had a cot, a toothbrush, and a bar of soap, which was quite a bit more than you had arrived with.

“Why’d you tell them I was your daughter?” you asked.   

���Because I’m pretty sure it’s still frowned upon for grown men to be traveling with a random teenage girl,” Joel replied gruffly.  “It’s just temporary.”

But after four years this temporary stopover looked more and more like home and you felt more like a mother than daughter: washing, mending, cooking when there was food which there usually wasn’t.  You had lost more weight than was probably safe, but you weren’t quite as rail-thin and sallow as most of the other evacuees haunting the camp.  

Still, you regretted all the time you had spent starving yourself when there was plenty of food around, desperate to shrink down to nothing.  Your body had kept you alive in impossible circumstances and you had promised yourself you would do what you had to to take care of it. 

With Joel, it was a different story.  About a month into your stay at the camp, a man whistled at you in the breadline for weekly rations of beans and government cheese.  It was so strange and unexpected that you didn’t even realize it had happened until Joel had jumped the guy.

“Stop it!”” you screamed, helping two other guys pull him off.  “You’ll kill him!  Daddy!”

Even after one of the guards slammed his rifle into the back of Joel’s neck, he still wasn’t satisfied.

“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!  She’s mine!  I’ll fucking kill you!”    

The guards probably would have hanged them both if not for Tommy running interference, but that didn’t keep Joel from picking fights wherever he could.  He had a death wish and that made him dangerous. 

Losing Sarah had broken something inside of him, how could it not.  Keeping you and Tommy safe had kept him grounded for a while, but now that things were (relatively) stable, he had no reason to keep going.  You sympathized, of course, with the unfathomable grief of losing a child.  That didn’t mean you were content to stand by while he self-destructed.  

It was past noon and Joel was asleep, passed out, you realized as your toe connected with the bottle that had rolled under his cot.  

“Get up,” you said, pushing on his back.  “Laundry day.  Get up.”

Joel grunted, balling up under the blanket.

“Well that’s just great,” you said.  “You want to drink a week’s worth of rations in one afternoon, fine.  But if you think I’m gonna let you get a staph infection from sleeping in the same filthy clothes for weeks, you’ve got another thing coming.”

You grabbed the corner of the blanket and pulled with all your might.  Joel fought you, growling and thrashing, but ultimately you managed to wrestle it away.  Joel harumphed and turned over in bed.  You threw the blanket into the laundry basket and stormed out of the tent.

Tommy was on rounds and you passed him on your way to the little stream that ran through the east side of camp.

“You need to talk to him,” you said.  “Cause I am at the end of my rope.”  

Joel had been shutting down for weeks and things seemed to be getting worse and worse.  You knew he wished you had died instead of Sarah.  As if it wasn’t bad enough that you'd always be left to wonder if you hadn’t turned around when you did, would that bullet have passed through Sarah and killed you.  You would have taken her place if you could.  This wasn’t the life any of you would have wished for, but this was the life you had.

“Cut him some slack,” Tommy said.  “Birthdays and anniversaries are always rough.”  

“I’m sorry,” you said, as Tommy walked with you toward the edge of camp.  “I’m sorry.  I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you–I know how much you loved Sarah and we can’t even talk about her.”

Tommy shrugged.  “You compartmentalize.  Deal with it when it’s safe.”

“So never?” 

“That’s the job,” Tommy said.  

You shook your head.  “The job sucks.  And we still need to figure out what we’re going to eat this week.  I already traded my last tampon for the month.”

“Don’t tell me that,” Tommy chuckled.  “I don’t need to know that.”

“Yeah, well, I figured your back was getting tired from carrying us,” you teased.

Tommy waved you off, jogging back to his post before his C.O. noticed he was gone.  

You sat down by the river, sprinkling your weekly allotment of laundry powder onto the stones.  Having to do all the scrubbing manually certainly gave you time to think.  When weekly assignments came around, you usually asked to be on the cleaning crew–it wasn’t a desirable chore, but you liked knowing that the communal showers and horrible pit latrines you had to use were as sanitary as possible.  Besides, as long as you weren’t greedy you could get away with pocketing extra hand sanitizer and disinfectant–that shit was better than gold around camp.  

But FEDRA was trying to get a factory up and running about a mile outside camp, hard work, double shifts, and shit pay.  But there were fringe benefits for those willing to take the risk.  This dude called Axel had a pot farm on the other side of the fence.  He was always looking for people dumb enough or desperate enough to move his product–they were always getting caught at the gate.        

So you wrung out and hung the laundry and marched down to the big house to sign up for the next truckload of workers leaving camp.

You worked the graveyard shift, and made it back through the gate the next afternoon with half a kilo of weed in the hidden pocket you had sewed into the lining of your jacket.  As you suspected, the guards were more interested in groping your breasts and between your legs during their pat-down.  You headed back to your tent with the most money you had ever held in your hands–before the outbreak or after.  

Your euphoria at your success was only somewhat diminished by the realization that Joel and Tommy had spent the morning tearing the camp apart looking for you.

“Where the hell have you been?” Joel said.  He looked frantic, disheveled, cold sweat, the works. 

“Working,” you said, digging the wad of ration cards out of your bra and handing it over to Tommy.  “Maybe you can find us some real food now.”

“Jesus, kid,” Tommy said, flipping through the cards.  “Where’d you get this?”

“Why? They’re good, aren’t they?”

You toed off your shoes and pulled off your sweatshirt as you came into the tent.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Joel followed after you, wiping a hand across his forehead.  “We’ve been worried sick–thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere, or worse–and that’s all you have to say for yourself?”  

“Can we have this conversation later,” you groaned, shimmying out of your bluejeans and collapsing on your cot.  “I’m exhausted.”  

When you finally woke, Joel was sitting on the folding chair beside your cot.

“So what are you a whore now?” 

“Jesus Christ, Joel,” you groaned, sitting up, pulling the thin blankets up around you.  “Does it fucking matter?”

You had considered sex work, but the truth was there wasn’t much of a market for it.  Assault was more common than toilet paper in the camp–there was hardly a woman who hadn’t been groped (or worse) or a man that hadn’t been mugged for that matter.  You figured the only reason you had been spared so far was that Tommy and Joel were so fucking scary.  

“Yeah, it fucking matters, Sweetpea,” he growled.  You had never seen him angry before, not like this.  You would have been terrified if you weren’t so goddamn tired.  

“I am responsible for you.”

“Oh, spare me the sanctimonious bullshit,” you said.  “I’m not a child.  I am grown.  I’m certainly not your daughter.”  

“You think I don’t know that!”  Joel grabbed you by the chin.  You met his gaze; for a moment, you weren’t sure if he wanted to hurt you or something else.

“Prove it,” you said, the corner of your mouth lifting into a sneer.  “I fucking dare you.”

In the space of a breath, Joel had crushed his mouth against yours.  You moaned against his lips, leaning back in bed, but Joel held the back of your neck, keeping you close.  You put your hands on his face, running your fingers into his hair.

Joel climbed on top of you in bed, the thin mattress sagging under your combined weights.  He sat up long enough to unbuckle his belt and paused.  

“Say yes,” he instructed, leaning down, planting his lips in the space where your jaw met your neck.  

You sighed, gripping his shoulder, turning your face to expose your neck to him.  

“You have to say yes.”

“Yes,” you breathed, pulling your ratty t-shirt off over your head and dropping it on the floor.  

Joel pulled down his jeans and ran his hands down your back, looping them into your panties, pulling them down.  You kicked them off to hook your ankles behind Joel’s thighs as he kissed your throat.  

He pressed into you all at once; you were so exhilarated you hardly felt anything.  Then pressure and a sharp tug behind your pelvic bone as he withdrew and pushed deeper. You gripped his arms and squeezed your knees into his sides. 

“Good?” he asked, kissing and sucking a trail down your chest, grazing the mounds of your breasts with his teeth.  

You took a few deep breaths and relaxed your face which had tightened into a grimace.  

“It’s a lot,” you said, running your hands down his back.  

“I know,” Joel breathed.  “I know, Sweetpea.  I got you.”

Joel moved one hand between your legs, to the bundle of nerves at the peak of the wishbone where your bodies met, massaging in circles with his rough fingers.  You felt something coiling inside you, hot and tight.  You arched into him.

“That’s better?”  

“Mmhm.”  You nodded, relaxing your thighs.  “That’s nice.”  

Joel moved against you, hips flicking up into the bowl of your pelvis as he massaged you.  He cupped one breast with his spare hand, pressing his mouth over the other, tongue circling the sensitive nipple. 

“That’s nice.”

He bucked into you harder; you bit your lip to stifle a cry.  You could feel the knot in your belly spreading, unfolding.  Your body stiffened and relaxed and with a low moan, Joel dropped his weight onto you, tired and spent.

You felt your heart rate slow and your breath grew deeper.  Joel rested his head on your chest and you ran your fingers through his hair.  You noticed it was damp and smelled faintly of mint.

“Did you shower?”

Joel nodded, his beard rubbing against your skin.  You smiled.

“You do listen to me.”

“Mmhm.”  You ran your hands over Joel’s shoulder girdle; felt the tight knots of muscle relax under your touch.  

Joel’s lips found the ragged scar under your collarbone where the bullet had left your body.  He kissed the scar gently, running his fingertips over it.  For an instant you felt like he was worshiping you, in awe of you.  And you marveled at your own sweet self for being able to give such pleasure.  

“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Joel said.  You pressed your eyes closed.

“I may not have a choice,” you sighed.  “Axel wants me to do another run at the end of the week–I don’t think he’ll take no for an answer.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. 

After a moment, Joel rose from the bed, pulling on his pants as you pulled the blankets up over you. 

“What are you going to do?” you said.

“I said I’d take care of it,” he repeated.

“Joel,” you warned.  “You can’t narc on him…you can’t kill him.  Don’t kill him, Joel.  Please.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, leaning over to kiss your cheek.  “Eat something.  Tommy brought you peanut butter.”

You had half a mind to try and stop him from leaving, but who could resist peanut butter.

Baby's First Taglist: @stilllivindue2spite, @amethystwonders11 & @teacupcollector

[shut-up-rabert]

I read the recent post and I hope no hate anon is approaching you because I will bring my steel tupperware bottle

Anyway I am really glad that people like you and @lil-stark didi exist. I do not have much knowledge about the political power and parties and especially about the kashmiri pandit issue who was ruling who belonged to which party so I don't speak about this but people who downplay the atrocities that happenes with those pandits deserve a special place in hell. Like think you are moved away from your land by force, by brutal killing and rapes only after some years to hear a random person on the internet say yaar utna bhayankar bhi nahi hua tha and it's a propaganda

The amount of misinformation these so called modern radical folks have is hilarious. Ghanta ramayan mahabharat padhi kahin koyi translation chipka. Not so sweet61 posted that ss of ram following manu, if they really did Vashishtha wouldn't have asked for sita to be the commander of ayodhya instead of leaving with ram.

And Manusmriti itself contradicts the vedas and upanishads. We have had a culture that promoted women scholars, encouraged debate and questioning, and lol as if one could be a brahmin just because they were born in a family. You had to have those qualities to be that and then can you be one. It's as similar to a person being a warrior. Not everybody can be one. You need to train and practice for it. It's good that if you are born in one that way you have an exposure to the respective field just like today if I am born in a house full of doctors, I would have much knowledge about the study, expenses and related stuff to medicine.

Just like every culture every community has good and bad things, sees its rise and fall, we Hindus have seen too. From an era where it was encouraged for a woman to be a brahmavadini, we became resentful at the thought of sending girls to school. We forgot how the texts told to respect each and every person irrespective of their social status to discriminating them on basis of caste and there are all so many issues that we need to address too.

But majal hai that I will sit quietly and see these random people on the internet speak about my culture and insult it. From North to south east to west, Rama and Krishna have been worshipped and always will be. We will always look upto them and learn from them.

In the recent years, the youth of today apart from some dumb idiots who have bhagwan rama in their pfp and comment women tea on every post, I am happy to see that teens are taking interest to read and learn our own Indian history and scriptures. I am not seeing them blindly accept everything. I have seen them ask questions which might be considered 'blasphemous' by the elders but the vedas themselves promote curiousity, questioning and debate as the best way to gain knowledge. And I hope the younger gen keeps going in this path.

(You can respond to this ask in private varna tere piche hate anons aa skte hai)

Seriously, why did Ram, who supposedly followed Manusmriti marry a woman who was a scholar, a warrior, capable of lifting Shiva’s Dhanush and encouraged her to remain her brave, outspoken self because that’s who she was? Why request her to stay in the palace when Manu says that a woman should always be observed? Why give in to all her requests and respect her decisions when Manu says that a woman is mentally incapable of making sound decisions? Why be happy and praise her when she slays Sahastra Raavan?

If Manusmriti was truly being followed, why did the biggest scholar in that entire story, Janak, have his daughters educated, that too by a scholar woman like mata Gargi? Why train them in warfare? Why Did Dashrath bring Kekayi to war with him? Why did Dashrath request the hands of women, who impressed him by thier knowledge, for his sons? And like you pointed out, why offer a woman the position of commander??

If caste was the way Manusmriti says, why was Shabri, a lower caste woman, visited by the lord and sent to heaven? Why did he make a big show of letting the arrogant priests who looked at Shabri with scorn know that she is purer than them by making her touch clean the pond?

Why did Shri Krishna say that a true pandit (knowledgeable person) would see a Brahmin and a Chandala equally? Why did he say he resides in everyone equally, women and Shudras included? Why did the Vedas that are supposedly off limit for Shudras say this?

Manusmriti is not a scripture, it condradicts the Vedas themselves, when it comes to women’s education, the position of women (there is an exceprt where a warrior queen is mentioned), and being for everyone. Apparently women cannot read Vedas even though the Vedas speak to them directly in multiple excerpts? (Oh men and women, oh women etc,) Shudras Cannot read Vedas even though the Vedas say they are for everyone, Shudras included?

Even if you look at other works of the time, like Kamasutra, which technically is somewhat of a scripture in some parts where it discusses philosophy, because its prologue says it was first written by lord Nandi. Manusmriti thorughly contradicts that aswell.

Oh, and Kamasutra was written after Manusmiriti, And Ramayan and Vedas before it, and all of these except Manusmriti are now engraved on temple walls, so you can clearly see which ones of the restrictive and liberating philosophy was preffered by Hindus at large throughout.

If Casteism was so prominent and rigid, how did a shudra become the partriarch of the biggest empire in mainland India?

Chandragupta Maurya was either clanless or a Shudra, and the current existence of Maurya tribe in Bihar enforces the second one. How did he make it to the top, that too with the help of a Brahmin, if things were as dire? Same can be said for

How was Queen Durgavati’s Father in Law able to change himself into a Rajput despite being a tribal?

How was Vishwamitra, a born Kshatriya able to be a Rishi? How was Lord Parshuram, a born Brahmin revered on a higher level than most Kshatriyas in warfare and was able to put the fear of lord in their hearts?

How was rishi Matang able to be a brahmin despite being born a Shudra?

How was Mātang blessed with goddess Saraswati as a daughter?

How did Lord Gorakhnath become such a prominent saint?

How was VedVyas, son of a Fisherwoman, able to be a sage? How were children of Satyavati able to be kings?

How did the founder of Raghukul become a Kshatriya after becoming a king when he was born a Brahmin?

How was Lord Krishna happily doing the physical labour of a cowkeeper, like a shudra, while living in a vaishya community, despite being born a kshatriya?

I honestly have no more questions to ask that I can think of right now, and I honestly cannot agree more with everything you say. Slay girl💅🏻

I think its better if I make the answer public, simply because I ranted in public so the follow up doesn’t change much, and this is something people should see. But girl, thankyou so much for being worried <3

[jeanjauthor]

Okay, gonna send this one out and ask you folks to reblog it, because it's an important area to consider when trying to practice a second language.

If you've been studying a second language, and have at least some proficiency, but want to learn that second language...have you considered translating webcomics & webnovels?

It's not going to be for the brand-new language-learner, but it will help you to immerse yourself in the culture (or cultural assumptions), and learn how to translate from "how they say things in Language X" to "how they say things in Language Y."

While some are free "for the love of it," many of these are paid positions, especially if you can prove you do have some translation chops. There are a LOT of manga, manhua, manhwa, however you want to spell it or say it, etc, that are coming out of East Asia, so you'd be dealing with Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc.

There are also a lot of these webcomics coming out of South America, which would involve Spanish, Portuguese, and even Dutch (Suriname).

And there are webcomics being produced in many other areas of the world, various European countries/languages, various ones in the many nations of Africa, etc, etc, and there are a lot of folks who would love to read these stories, but cannot due to language barriers. ou can also try your hand at translating from English to another language.

The things I would strongly recommend is to first read a lot of these stories, both in their original language and in the translated versions. Then, when you feel confident you can give it a go, try to either contact the creators directly to ask if you can do it (often something you'll need to offer to do for free; creators rarely make any money themselves), or you will want contact the translation teams doing it (many have Discord chats). I recommend the latter, to ask how to get into this sort of thing. They already the have the experience, and hopefully can give you good advice.

Now, being paid would be nice, but what you want here is to practice the other language, and practice translating into or out of the other language. Webcomics in particular are a fantastic medium because you can often see what is going on, and infer the intended meaning...though sometimes cultural uniqueness may trip up a person.

Either way, it's fantastic practice. Plus, it can add positively to your list of work resumé skills.

(And yes, I freely admit this gets me even more stories to read, in the long run, lol...but then that counts for a lot of us out there!)

[lorelune]

(scaramouche/wanderer is referred to by the name zerah, modern au, hurt/comfort, reference to trauma, codependency, spirals/panic attacks, zerah threatens to spank the reader (once), self deprecation, abandonment issues)

you and zerah exchange comfort like the way a cat chases a sunbeam from east to west. slowly, sleepily, and with warmth that waxes high and wanes low. you both cherish moonlight.

the first time zerah crawl into your bed, it's late. early morning, perhaps, though the city light has hidden the stars. only neon spills through the slits in the blinds. you toss and turn, half-awake, a bit too cold with the winter chill.

a knock on your bedroom door startles you, pushes you to rise and regard zerah in your doorway.

"can I sleep with you?" he asks, abruptly, not looking at you but instead examining your floorboards with rapt curiosity.

the questions sends heat to your cheeks, "... just sleep?"

"yeah."

you like to think you know his moods well, and you're too tired to parse this one. zerah is a mildly avoidant, somewhat foul-tempered folk with a personality befitting a recently captured feral kitten, rather than someone of his title, stature, and lineage. you find it cute, really. his lack of eye contact, the shifting from foot to foot— his nervousness is almost charming.

you scoot to one side of the bed and pat the other. "you can."

zerah visibly deflates, slipping under the sheets with you. he fusses with the duvet and you turn to face him. watch the shadows that slope with his nose and cheekbones. you link your pinky with his, hidden under layers of bed linen. something secret, just for you and him.

you trust zerah in a way you don't anyone else. it's hard to admit, sticky and honeyed in your mouth in a way that makes your teeth feel glued together. so thick on your tongue, that you couldn't possible form a proper verbal statement about it. to him. you try show him in little ways.

(linked fingers. the way you linger closer to him than anyone else. meals in the fridge. allowing him in your bed at all. the occasional kiss you'll press to his forehead. leaning against his shoulder during sleepy movie nights.)

you face each other and zerah frowns, "come closer."

"why?"

"i need to hold you. come. on." he knows better than grab you and pull you close. you're easy to spook, in that way.

you shimmy over yourself, hovering an inch or two away. the heat of him radiates into your skin, better than a sunbeam. zerah wraps an arm around your waist, becomes you a bit closer with it. your head tucks just below his chin, lips against his sternum through his worn sleepshirt.

he rubs little circles on your back, let's you relax against him (it's just me. it's only me. no need to be wound up.) it takes you some time, to loosen up as he wants you too. to roll forward to press your weight into his own, and he meets you.

"are you okay?" you ask zerah.

he grumbles, pressing his face into your hair. digs his nails into the small of your back. you refrain from asking him further.

(he's not fine. clearly. you don't mention how he shakes against you. he's fragile, really. precious thing.)

it takes bravery, fighting through a screaming thing in your chest to press closer. your palms lays against his back, under his shirt, skin-to-skin so he knows you won't waver. you rub into the muscles.

"we can sleep in tomorrow." you tell him, tilt your face against from his neck and racing pulse so your breath can mingle with his. "go get pastries from that cafe i like. you'd like their matcha."

"would i?" zerah asks, an edge to his voice. you wish he was sleepier.

"yeah, and if you don't, i'll drink it. you can have mine instead."

it's the assurance. the thing in zerah that throbs and aches and fears that you'll slip away, turn your back and leave him to shatter like a porcelain doll. he used to shove you away so violently, you couldn't have imagined his truer nature was so needy. grabby. you'd say possessive if you weren't intimidated by the word.

he squeezes you, hard enough that it hurts but you revel in it. the tips of his toes trace the top of your foot beneath the duvet. you chew your lip.

"fine."

...

the first time you seek zerah out past sunset, it's in desperation.

religions worship society, they say. that's why the old desert religions worship thirst, hold starvation and suffering as the pinnacle of faith. if all you have is scraps and the dredges of a drying well— you will make it your god.

you suppose, that's what happened to you. lesser than religion, but a exhalation all the same. when it happened is harder to place. you can't recall when you started to white-knuckle your hardships so fiercely on your own. reaching out became a last resort. something to do if you could sense yourself on the ledge of 'doing something really fucking stupid' (as zerah would say.)

you clung to your own suffering because it made things make sense. however painful. however truly awful and probably wrong it was. in your worst moments, you dug your fingers into your own wounds and pulled until you saw blood.

(there's something wrong with you. you're cursed. cursed. something's wrong with you. something is not right with you. that's why it keeps happening. it's the only answer, isn't it? that something is intrinsically amiss with you. it leads to the same conclusion, over and over, unescapable like a song you know the melody and harmony too, but forget its a canon. the song cannot exist without both parts layered.)

you muffle a scream into your palm. drag your nails over your scalp. your nail beds are bloody and picked raw. you shove the meat of your thumb into your mouth and bite hard enough to leave indentations.

(why try? you know how it ends. you'll be left bloody with only your own hands to pick up the pieces.)

tears dribble from water line and paint your cheeks sticky.

you should get zerah. you don't want to, you don't, but you probably should. the tv hums from the living room, and you know he's posted up or dozing off by this point in the evening. he'd help. he'd ground you better than tearing at your own flesh.

(but, what if you bother him? what if he hates you? what if you trouble him so much he leaves? he'll leave you. he'll do something awful and leave you. everyone will. you should go. hide. bite any hand—)

you're already up, stumbling, tripping into the living room.

"zerah."

he turns to you with a pinched brow and a scowl deep enough to show the dimple that carves his cheeks. a documentary plays, bathing the room in fluorescent light that burns your eyes. the sound of it turns into white noise as his expression hits you.

(bad. you bothered him. he's going to leave. he hates you—)

he says your name sharply, pulling you from your thoughts, "what the fuck is up with you? you there?"

you open your mouth and all that comes out is a gasping wince. no words bounce around between your eyes. you can't feel right. numbness echoes from your fingertips, and the world looks blurry. glassy.

you vaguely hear zerah curse before he rises drags you to the couch, tugging you down into the cushions and up to him.

"fuck, what happened?" he asks. you don't have an answer for him so you just shake your head.

(you're bothering him—)

the thought makes an apology burst from your lips, then another, and a few more. you start blubbering out half-baked 'sorry's for things you don't need to apologize for. taking up space, time, air.

zerah grabs you by the waist. hauls you closer and into his lap. his hand claps over your mouth and your eyes go wide.

"stop talking. you have nothing to apologize for." zerah placates. his expression hardens. "i'm not letting you go until you calm the fuck down and talk to me. get comfortable."

it's demanding. rude. maybe in a normal circumstance it would've scared you off. instead you pitch forward, bury your face against the side of his neck and clutch at the back of his shirt.

"'m sorry," you tell him again and he nearly growls, pulling you back by your hair.

"if you apologize one more time, i will put you over my knee until i see bruises. and stop. i don't know what the fuck is up with you but i know it's nothing you need to be sorry for." says zerah. it's an edge you need, he opts for threats of pain and you grasp at it.

"... 'kay." you slur. you feel woozy. nauseous.

when you stop talking, he lets out of a sigh of relief. you both relax, him into the cushions and you into his chest. your lips brush his throat, make it warm and moist with your breath.

zerah's hands run up and down your back, squeezing your hips and thighs, up to your shoulder. he tugs on the hair at the base of your skull when he feels you get too slack and close to sleep. he wants you there, with him, as present as your state will allow. you swear you feel his lips brush your temple and forehead a few times.

it's an overwhelmingly safe feeling.

safety as a concept isn't one you dance with often. you never feel safe, no matter how much deep breathing and coping you do, you never feel truly safe.

but this— this—

it's close. it's as close as it gets and that sets off alarms bells in your skull that are loud and violent. you struggle against zerah suddenly, but he holds you chest. he spits a curse or two at you, demanding you hold still while he squeezes you to his chest until the air is forced out of your lungs.

"i d-don't wanna be bad and fuck this up." your words crack. shatter with your lack of breath. you suck in air when zerah lets up. you holds you tighter, but less restricting. you ball your fist in the front of his shirt.

"you're not bad. you're not fucking this up." zerah tells you, blunt and a bit abrasive. "it's fucked that you think that to begin with. how the fuck could you think you're bad? what does that even mean to you?"

"it- because—" you bite your own tongue. the flood of panic driven reasons stay locked up by your sheer will.

zerah pokes at your side. "tell me why."

"no."

"tell me."

you hesitate. zerah coaxes your face up to his and leans so your foreheads touch.

"not right n-now." you tell him. meet his eyes even though its like pulling teeth. "another time, when i'm not so unwell. please? you feel good. please let me be close to you."

zerah considers, sharp-eyed, then relents.

(you're not aware you're tugging at his most tender chords. more lucidly, you could've identified it, perhaps. but then you're too foggy. you don't put together that begging for zerah is the easiest way to make him melt. he wants nothing more than to be wanted, and you're nothing if not earnest in your state.)

he tugs you back into his neck and you adjust yourself in his lap to sit comfortably. even just saying the root of your spiral helps release some of the tension. you're exhausted by the time you lap your cheek against his chest, and he clicks around for something to new watch.

he presses a firm kiss to your forehead.

it's zerah, so you accept. it's zerah, so you let him pull and poke and prod you because you trust he would leave you broken. despite all of your instincts and traumatic conditioning, you believe zerah won't obliterate you. his bed will be just a bed, not grave or a mattress to be thrown away.

"can i sleep in your bed tonight? with you?" you ask.

zerah freezes, then squeezes you so hard, it hurts. you like that it does.

"yeah, you can."

[ludinusdaleth]

hi I’m from Australia and I’m just wondering if you can explain the phenomenon of people from “blue states” seemingly wishing death on people from “red states/southern states” cause alot of people I follow are queer/bipoc communist folk from the south and I keep seeing “do not dehumanise us just because we are a red state” and “do not celebrate the hurricane just because it’s happening in the south” and like… do people do this??? I’m almost scared to ask. Cause here in australia even when it takes place in the most conservative part of idk, deep north queensland, something like a bushfire is nationally mourned as a tragedy and people rally to fund rebuilding and rescue efforts. I don’t think ive ever seen someone say “those damn liberal-national voters had it comin” so im so lost at the concept that this is something that apparently happens in USAmerica. Can you possibly explain this? What makes supposedly “progressive” folks so cruel? All the love to you by the way I hope your friends and any family in hurricane affected areas are safe, totally understand if you don’t want to answer the question at this time ❤️

yeah, ill try to explain. thank you for the well wishes, though i am currently fine. im in texas (and not on the coast), so i barely get any hurricane brunt at any time, but i have close friends in the current affected states who i am sending all the love & support i can to. ill put this under a read more because there's a lot to cover.

all americans im sure are the exact same to non americans, but basically due to the civil war about a century and a half ago, there is a big cultural rift between the north and south states - mostly in the east, but western blue (liberal) states definitely fit the northern mindset, and some more northern states along the appalachian mountains are considered southern. because of the grip of slavery on the south before that war, we in the south have never really escaped that history (many songs cite the south as being full of ghosts of history, and god, it is). we are also stereotyped presently as racist dumb redneck hicks. combine those two and you do not garner sympathy.

the thing is that the south is the most diverse area in the entire usa, and there there are a multitude of factors that lead us to being "less advanced" than the north, many of which hinge on that fact. the south has always had a more conservative grip due to the slaveowning elite just evolving to be right wingers nowadays. because we had worse building blocks to start with than the north with its better weather and an economy not built on slaves, we had work to do anyway, but conservatives in office refuse to fix or change any infrastructure. because they want to stay in power, our politicians purposely cut any and all educational funds and preach evangelical teachings so many of us grow up deeply propoganized - though some of us dont or work to break free of that thought process. we are not a monolith. you will find some of the most stalwart leftists here as well as the most violent ring wingers, almost like, we're a massive & diverse group of people. what we believe barely matters though when our politicians gerrymander and ensure county/town lines are drawn in such a way that priveleged votes always matter statistically more than oppressed ones do.

that's where the whole cruel progressives thing comes in. folks in blue areas, the north & canada especially, are blue, yes, but generally neoliberal when it comes to others beyond their purview. there is a smugness that they were born somewhere not haunted by a history of enslavement (ignoring the norths own racism - everyone i know who's moved north says their bigotry is highly noticeable, and slavery is legal everywhere in the country due to an exploited loophole in the 13th ammendment), and born in an area not as "punished by god" (a phrase used by southern pastors often) by natural disaster. every time there is even a modicum of news about a tragic event in a red state - a tornado, a hurricane, a shooting, things that can all happen in their lives too if less often - you will not be able to go near any comment section online or some northerners in reality who will not mock it. we deserve it for choosing to live here (as if we are not the poorest area of the country or as if the south is not also beautiful) and for choosing to vote red. there are occasional times this reverses - southerners love to jump on california's hypocrisy about this when they have earthquakes and fires - but it's not an equal balance. especially not when northern blue folk, who claim to be leftist & therefore compassionate, actively cheer on the deaths of those who could not evacuate because they were poor or desperate, and who make up our largest bipoc & queer populations in the country.

that is where bitterness, anger, and begging others to see southerners as human stems from. there is a lot more history & nuance to it than i can comprehensively express early in the morning, but that is the beginner gist of it. feel free to ask more if something wasnt clear or similar. my home is a mess, and i love it all the same, and my heart aches for my neighbors, and burns at others dehumanization of them and us as a whole. i know it will only get worse as climate change does and i wish we could all stick together instead rather than still drawing these boundary lines like our leaders want us to.

[decafdino]

Wip Wednesday

thanks @sanjuwrites @heartstringsduet and @lemonlyman-dotcom for the tags! I don't remember if I've posted this snippet before, so whoops if I have!

Dread pools in Carlos' stomach as TK is escorted into the hall by Marjan. He looks utterly exhausted, which mirrors how Carlos is feeling on the inside. It was foolish of them to stay up so late, but Carlos isn't about to complain when he sees TK shoot him a small smile.

"Welcome, Your Highness. I'll get right to it," Rayburn says, standing up to lean over the table. He takes military markers and places them strategically on the map spread across the table. "We have border patrols currently here, here, and here," he points, "though we've had reports of increased bandit strikes along this eastern path."

"Are they organized? Or are these separate incidents?" Pauls asks.

"From what we've seen, there are multiple groups, though they all seem to bear the same allegiance." Rayburn pulls out a scrap of parchment with a crude drawing of wings on it.

Mateo tilts his head. "Is that a butterfly?"

Almost imperceptibly, Rayburn glances at TK. "No. It's pixie wings." He clears his throat. "The majority of the people they've stolen from report this symbol somewhere on the mens' armor or belongings."

Carlos finds himself shifting slightly in front of TK, as if to shield his gaze. The wings, upon further inspection, have tendrils of blood running down the sides and tears along the edges. "Have we determined their motives yet?"

The priest TK was arranged to greet a few days prior, Father Walters, barks a laugh. "Isn't it obvious? They've been sent to do the Lords' work."

"And that would be?" Carlos asks.

Rayburn steps in. "We haven't confirmed anything at this point, but they seem to be trafficking the magical." This time, he pointedly does not look at the prince. "They mostly target peddlers with exotic merchandise and the wealthy. They take anything even slightly magical, things the victims themselves aren't even aware hold magic."

"Do we know what they're doing with these items?" Marjan asks.

"Who cares?" Father Walters says. "They're getting rid of it, Lords and Ladies thank them—"

"We don't know that for sure, Father," Rayburn points out. "Now, we have a plan to increase patrolling along the east, but that would mean deriving manpower from the north and west areas around the town. That's where you come in, Your Highness," he says, turning to TK. "These bandits are smarter than we'd like to give them credit for. They're quick to pick up on our weak spots and exploit them, and shifting our patrols never fixes the issue for long. Frankly, we don't have the manpower needed to handle this mess. I'd like to put in a request for the King to send some of his men, so that we can properly protect our citizens and round up these criminals."

TK nods, and Carlos feels a surge of pride over how far he has come and the professionalism TK now exudes. "I'll send word to my father and let him know. Is there anything else?"

When Rayburn hesitates, Father Walters jumps in. "Come on, Lieutenant. You're so forthcoming about the bandits, you might as well tell them about the disappearances, too."

"Disappearances?" Carlos questions. His mind flickers to Maria. A number of terrible images appear in his imagination of Maria lost and starving and bloody.

Rayburn shifts uncomfortably. "There have been…a few people that have disappeared. Only a small number over the last several months, and spread out enough that we only noticed until recently. Mostly oddballs, folks that many didn't even know were gone." He turns to Carlos. "General Reyes was the one who put it together, alongside the generals of neighboring cities. The more we ask, the larger the scope of the disappearances."

"Why did no one think to alert us?" Marjan pushes. "This seems serious, especially if it's across such a large landscape."

"We didn't want to raise a false alarm in the case that it truly was nothing, and honestly, it was Gabriel's intention to discuss the matter here today."

Carlos squints. "Then why do you seem so hesitant?"

"Because the people going missing are magical," says Father Walters. He sneers in Carlos' direction, "Which would seem to include your fiancée, Sir Reyes."

I am currently way more focused on my wips for class, which has not lent itself much to writing fic like I want :( boo. at least there's spring break!

[lady-a-stuff]

Nina and Inej being best friends forever throughout the duology

Nina crossed her arms. “I’m mad at you, too.” “Me? Why?” “I don’t know yet. I just am.” Inej gave Nina’s hand a brief squeeze, and after a moment, Nina squeezed back

Six of Crows - Chapter 6

“Who’s watching Inej?” “Rotty,” she said. “I’ll go back in a minute. I just needed some air. And don’t feign concern for Inej when you’re planning to send her climbing up six stories of chimney with only a rope and a prayer.” “The Wraith can manage it.” “The Wraith is a sixteen-year-old girl currently lying unconscious on a table. She may not even survive the night.”

Six of Crows - Chapter 15

“Talk,” she said to Nina. “Your eyelids are drooping. You should sleep.” “Don’t like boats. Bad memories.” “Me too.” “Sing something, then.” Nina laughed. “Remember what I said about wishing you were dead? You do not want me to sing.” “Please?” “I only know Ravkan folk tunes and Kerch drinking songs.” “Drinking song. Something rowdy, please.” Nina snorted. “Only for you, Wraith.

Six of Crows - Chapter 16

“Tell me something good anyway.” “It will be all right,” Inej said. “You’ll survive this. And then you’re going to be very, very rich. You’ll sing sea shanties and drinking songs nightly in an East Stave cabaret, and you’ll bribe everyone to give you standing ovations after every song.” Nina laughed softly. “Let’s buy the Menagerie.” Inej grinned, thinking of the future and her little ship. “Let’s buy it and burn it down.”

Six of Crows - Chapter 42

They watched the waves for a while. “Ready?” Nina said. Inej was glad she hadn’t had to ask.

Six of Crows - Chapter 42

But the days until Van Eck’s deadline were dwindling, and Matthias knew Nina would allow herself no comfort until Inej was safe.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 3

Nina would never let Kaz abandon her. She’d fight with everything she had to free Inej even if she was still in the grips of parem.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 4

She couldn’t afford to let it get the best of her, not when they were this close to rescuing Inej. Be all right, Nina willed silently, hoping her thoughts could somehow cut through the air, speed over the waters of the Ketterdam harbors, and reach her friend. Stay safe and whole and wait for us.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 6

She’d forced herself to think of the shame on the boat, the future she might be able to make with Matthias, but the thought that had brought her back to sanity was Inej. She owed Inej her life, and there was no way she was leaving her stranded with Van Eck.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 6

The five people inside rose, guns and fists raised, and Inej skidded to a halt. Nina shrieked, “Inej!” She flew across the room and crushed Inej in a tight hug. Then they were all around her at once, hugging her, clapping her on the back. Nina would not let go of her.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 11

“Those silos are nearly twenty stories high! Is Inej going to go up and down ten of them in one night?” “Just one,” said Kaz. “And then what?” said Nina, hands back on her hips and green eyes blazing. (...) (...) Nina threw her hands in the air. “And all of it without a net, I suppose?” “A Ghafa never performs with a net,” Inej said indignantly. “Does a Ghafa frequently perform twenty stories above cobblestones after being held prisoner for a week?” (...) "Inej, make a list of what you’ll need. We hit the silos in twenty-four hours.” “Absolutely not,” said Nina. “Inej needs to rest.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 11

"If I’m going to do this, I want us to get the rest of the Grisha out of the city.” “Forget it. I’m not running a charity for refugees.” “Then I’m out.” “Fine. You’re out. You’ll still get your share of the money for your work on the Ice Court job, but I don’t need you on this crew.” “No,” said Inej quietly. “But you need me.” Kaz rested his cane across his legs. “It seems everyone is forming alliances.” (...) “They’re called friendships, Kaz.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 11

She gave Nina’s shoulders a squeeze. “And I know no fiercer warrior, powers or not.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 17

And then Wylan knew just how much trouble they were in, because Nina hadn’t argued. She’d simply put her head in her hands and gone silent. “They’ll be all right,” said Inej, placing an arm around her shoulders. “He’ll be all right.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 23

Inej gave her a tight hug. “Come on,” she said. “We’ll get Colm to order us something decadent.” “That’s your answer for everything.” “You’re complaining?” Inej asked. “I’m stating one of the reasons I adore you.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 28

Kaz said, emerging from behind the wine crates. “Where’s Inej?” “I’m fine,” said Inej from behind him. “But Kuwei—” “You’re bleeding again,” Nina observed as she slid behind the high stacks of crates to join them. There was little traffic on the canal now, but it didn’t do to take chances. “And what happened to your eyes?” “I’d tell you to ask the White Blade, but…” Inej shrugged. “I hope she suffered.” “Nina.” “What? We can’t both be merciful and serene.”

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 39

They laid him down on the blanket. Nina sat beside him, saying nothing, his hand clutched in hers. Inej brought a shawl that she tucked over Nina’s arms, then crouched silently next to her, head nestled against her shoulder.

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 42

Inej placed her hands on Nina’s shoulders. “We’ll see each other again.” “Of course we will. You’ve saved my life. I’ve saved yours.” “I think you’re ahead on that count.” “No, I don’t mean in the big ways.” Nina’s eyes took them all in. “I mean the little rescues. (...)

Crooked Kingdom - Chapter 42

Wylan played the piano and Jesper sang the dirtiest sea shanty Inej had ever heard. She missed Nina painfully. There had been no letters, and she could only hope her friend had made it to Fjerda safely and found some peace on the ice.

[tickledbreathless]

Hailing from the east coast, ladies gentlemen and nonbinary folks, here comes an introduction post!

What’s my name? I’m gonna go by Ame (pronounced “Am”). Sound good? I think so too. 😊

Age and Gender? Currently 24 and a guyy so hit me with those he/him pronouns!

What can I say other than I’m a nerd. I like nerdy stuff (ahem… minecraft, mario, pokemon, mha, marvel, more), so I might go unskippable cutscene on you if you talk to me abt the right thing 😭

Tickling. Yep, I like it. You can call me a switch as one might do!

It’s a kink blog. Sure, I’ll post/reblog about forms of tickling that can considered nsfw, tickling that does or does not show intimate areas, or possibly outside of the realm of a kinky context (such as tickle scenes) , BUT this is still a kink blog.

NSFW will be tagged. I occasionally post or reblog nsfw/sexual material. You’ve been warned.

What kind of tickling? Whatever tickles my own fancy, I suppose. Teasy posts, tickling gifs, drawings. Probably some non-tickling stuff as well if I’m just feeling silly 🤭

18+ so minors and ageless bios DO NOT INTERACT !!!! Have your age in your bio. If you aren’t of age or don’t have your age in your bio and you interact with me, I’ll just block you immediately, so get it right the first time even if you’re of age.

Asks are allowed and encouraged! Keep is respectful and uncreepy or I’ll put rocks into your cereal.

Sending Teases/Tickle Talk? In DMs, i prefer to get to know people before tickle talk becomes involved. However, teases sent in asks are alright, but I reserve the right to not respond to them and no RP in asks pls!

I do enjoy DMs as well! As long we respect each other’s boundaries, we’re good to go, but also don’t immediately start off about tickling, man… but if we get along good and have gotten to know each other, tickle talk, teases, and rp are fine by me. ✨

Other kinks? W-well… yes… Gentle femdom, post orgasm, cnc, and tummy fetish /////

Also I may not always respond quickly to messages. I can get p busy some days, won’t respond to DMs while at work, and i guess when im Soooometimes touching grass. Please know that I may not be open to meeting every person who comes into my dms. I’m one person and I don’t have the time or energy to establish new connections all the time. Sorry.

I decided to come back to the community while limited how much time I spend here cuz then I spend all the time here 😭

It should go without saying but racism, homophobia, transphobia, whatever form of brainless hatred that festers like the disease it is is not allowed on this blog. You’re Not welcomed here. Discrimination doesn’t deserve a seat at any table. Your personal beliefs decide what you yourself should or shouldn’t do, your beliefs do not decide whether other people should be allowed to exist or whether you get to invade their boundaries.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I’ll edit this post if necessary. For now, I’m taking it slow here and I’m unsure as to what I’ll do with this blog.

That’s all I got for you all! Feel free to ask me questions if you’re curious about me or this blog! Enjoy your day, giggly people 🪶

[wall-legion]

Shiverpeaks Sylvari PS: Drink Deep

This is the first quest for any sylvari who has aligned themself with the Spirit of Rain during CC. As a reminder, your character awakes at the base of the Pinefather, and is greeted by your season's esus. The following cinematic happens after you have loaded into Ochtachtoft: Esus: Newborn! At last. I was starting to think you might sleep the whole day away under Father's branches! PC: My apologies, sibling. This is my first time waking up. I'm still new to it. Esus: So you are. My name is (PC's season's esus). I am the esus of (PC's season). Welcome to the world, young one. PC: Thank you. It is a wonder, isn't it? Esus: Indeed, it is. Pinefather's roots truly took hold in a beautiful spot. PC: I must ask you a question, though. The Spirit of Rain has made a request of me. Esus: Is this true? How remarkable. What was asked of you? PC: Rain told me that someone named Svanir has sons, and those sons have poisoned a spring near here that we use. Esus: I see. I will warn you that these Sons of Svanir are dangerous, and should be approached with caution. Your elder sister Maeve usually hunts near there, and is familiar with this group. You should find her and speak with her before you go to the spring, to make sure it is safe. PC: I will. Thank you, esus. Esus: Of course, newborn. We are family. We aid our own. Open World Upon leaving Ochtachtoft, you enter the Verdant Haven and have a quest marker directing you north towards Garrdha Linn. At Garrdha Linn, you find the spring: its surface is murky between brown and black, and it smells unsafe. After your character investigates the spring, there's sounds of a fight behind you. Another sylvari, a hunter, is fighting a Son of Svanir. Your character jumps in to help and the enemy is quickly defeated, which leads to the hunter speaking to your character. Hunter: Tassels and cones! You must be newly dropped to wander out here by yourself without paying attention to your surroundings like that! Did you fall off the tree this morning or just on your head? PC: Erm... actually, I did. Come off the tree this morning, I mean. Hunter: Strip my bark! I'm Maeve, Winterborn. What's your name then? PC: I'm (character name). The Spirit of Rain told me that this spring was poisoned by something called the Sons of Svanir, and it wants me to fix the spring and to stop them from doing it again. Maeve: Spirit-picked, eh? Not many of us get the honor of that. Maeve: First thing you need to know is this is a Son of Svanir. They aren't the sons of one person: they're norn. They pledged themselves to a wicked spirit. PC: Like Isolation? Maeve: Something like that. They're seeking power and glory from it, and it changes them so it has an army. Now follow me. They have a camp near here. PC: What is us going to their camp going to do? Maeve: Well for starters, they're out hunting for food right now. So we get to sabotage it. PC: Isn't that... impolite? Maeve: Not when they're trying to poison our water, sprout. Now come on. You follow Maeve to the east, where you find a Sons of Svanir camp that is currently unoccupied. You and Maeve have five minutes to knock down the tents and put Maeve's Special Powder into the fire pit before anyone will return and initiate a fight. Cinematic: Maeve: Well sprout, you're smarter than you seemed! Now, there's a few things we'll need to restore the spring to its glory. I'll need to talk to some folk, and I'll send you a letter as soon as I know what's needed to reverse what those Svanir did. PC: All right. I wish you luck in your research, Maeve. Maeve: Thanks, sprout. Take care. At the end of the cinematic, there is an explosion: someone at the camp has found out about Maeve's Special Powder.

[ncisfranchise-source]

You can’t go wrong with a classic. For the shortened 21st season of NCIS that premieres February 12, “All we wanted to do was get back to doing what we do best, which is tell really great stories,” says David J. North, a longtime NCIS writer who has joined Steven D. Binder as co-showrunner. With only 10 episodes, due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes, each hour is a stand-alone story with smaller character arcs.

The opener picks up with the vengeful Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), last seen in the cliffhanger finale promising to pull the trigger on a man from his childhood who’d devastated his family.

“Torres does something to the mystery man, Maurice Riva [Al Sapienza, who played Mikey Palmice on The Sopranos], that threatens to end his career as an NCIS agent,” North reveals. “The team rallies around Torres, but it may be too late to save his badge—and his freedom. The evidence is so overwhelming against Nick that the team is left to wonder [how well they know him].”

CBS

Despite that foundation-rocking incident, the agents pull together in the second episode (February 19) to tackle a case that their late colleague, Dr. Ducky Mallard, was working on in secret to clear someone’s name. This is the first season without the beloved medical examiner turned NCIS historian, played for 20 years by David McCallum, who died in September 2023.

“The case was important to Dr. Mallard. In [investigating it], they’re going to relive their memories of a coworker and a man who meant so very much to them,” North says. These recollections make the grieving crew ask, “What would Ducky do?” and the answers lead to a solution. The episode was co-written by Brian Dietzen, who plays Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Ducky’s longtime assistant and now chief medical examiner himself. “Brian shed tears writing it; the cast and crew shed tears shooting it,” North says.

Emotions also run high for Jimmy in a later episode when his girlfriend Jessica Knight’s (Katrina Law) critical but loving dad, an NCIS agent in the Far East Field Office, comes to visit.

“Like most dads and daughters, Knight and her father share a loving but complicated relationship. His sudden appearance will dredge up some unresolved arguments. He’s the reason she wanted to be an agent, but she feels like she can’t get out of her dad’s shadow,” North says. “It will force Knight to confront delicate questions about her life choices, including how Jimmy fits into her future.” Jimmy will also be disappointed in the greeting he receives from Papa Knight, whom he is meeting for the first time. It’s going to be a hurdle for the bullpen couple. Notes North, “As much as we love [Knight and Palmer] together, relationships are hard.”

Luckily, NCIS always throws some quirky humor into the mix. In the third episode of the season (February 26), team leader Alden Parker (Gary Cole) institutes a “Walk a Mile in Someone’s Shoes Day” at work. “Where Mark [Harmon as Gibbs] was the father figure, Gary is more the crazy uncle,” says North.

To better understand the inner workings of NCIS, the agents switch places with colleagues we don’t usually see on the show, like folks in maintenance and accounting. The results are initially funny, but the agents learn some new lifesaving skills. Reveals North, “Kasie [Diona Reasonover] is sitting in with dispatch when she gets a call that’s going to send the team on a manhunt.” In another episode, Parker, who has posed as a lawyer and a psychiatrist in past cases, will face his toughest acting job yet. “He’s going to be forced to go in undercover as a surgeon, kind of like Leo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can,” North spills.

This season also brings the 1,000th episode of the franchise on April 15. (The landmark number refers to all the NCISes combined.) “It’s going to be huge to try and embrace the entire NCIS universe,” North suggests. “One of our most beloved characters will be in grave danger.” We’ll be right there with the team we’ve missed so much as they fight to save someone who feels like our own family.