#sharon family photographer

[danbusler]

Embrace Your Inner Quantum Physicist

The right time is now.

“Life is strong and fragile.It’s a paradox. It’s both things,Like quantum physics; It’s a particle and a wave at the same time.It all exists together” – Joan Jett So, embrace your inner quantum physicist and be fluid baby!Because the right time for your portrait was then and now. 😊

[whereireid]

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐍 | masterlist

pairing: senator!steve rogers x fem!reader

⍟ — nsfw content ahead. soft!dom steve. married life. housewife kink. oral [f receiving]. degradation of reader.

Summary: Your husband, Senator Steve Rogers, has been acting strange recently. He makes it up to you after he catches you snooping.

You don’t want to snoop on your husband.

Honest, you don’t.

Sometimes, though, duty calls. It feels like a crime to be in Steve’s office, perched at his desk, attempting to hack into his computer.

You’ve tried three different passwords, now. The first, the name of your daughter, and her date of birth — BeauRogers2012. The second, your anniversary — 19October2007. And, finally, the name of the family dog — CooperRogers.

Nothing. There’s nothing. All to no avail, the screen lighting a shade of red with each incorrect guess, your lips tugging down into a frown as you try to pinpoint exactly what his password could be.

If it’s not Beau, and it’s not you, and it’s not the family dog… then what is it?

Your eyes scan his office, desperate for a moment of realisation. You want something to click, your eyes dragging from a photograph of him and Bucky, to the miniature American flag which sits on his desk.

That’s it.

107thInfantryRegiment.

The computer lets you in. Steve’s desktop background is a photograph of you, him and Beau — baby Beau, curled in her daddy’s arms, asleep, in a pumpkin patch.

You pause. You feel bad, snooping, hesitating as you stare at the pixelated desktop background.

You feel awful, but you have to know what he’s getting up to.

Your lips press together as you swallow away the tightness in your throat, dragging the mouse towards his emails. Before you press down, you hesitate — Steve has never given you a reason not to trust him.

Yet, you’re in, now. You might as well look whilst you’re there, and you’re glad that you do, because a particular name piques your interest as you snoop through his emails.

Sharon Carter.

Steve’s ex-assistant, although you’d always assumed she was more than that. She helped your husband climb to the position of Senator — she was his number one fan, more obsessed with him than you.

Your brows knit together. Steve had told you that him and Sharon no longer speak, as a result of her switching to the Republican to spite him. This — these emails, which go back for months — is unfathomable evidence that he’s been lying to you. Your throat feels cotton dry as you frantically scroll, unable to comprehend that they’ve been communicating for months without you knowing.

“What are you doing?”

Fear cracks through your body like a whip. You feel like a thin sheet of ice, cold flooding through your body as your eyes dart up from the computer screen, focused on your husband, who appears unamused by what he’s found.

“So, what are you doing?” Steve repeats when you don’t answer, his lips pursed as he stares at you. The suit he’s wearing is somewhat tight on his arms, and you can see his muscles flex beneath his clothes. “Be a big girl and use your words, honey.”

“You’re — you’re messaging Sharon Carter.”

His eyebrows quirk upwards in amusement. “You went through my emails,” he comments, “without my permission.”

“You’re messaging Sharon Carter,” you repeat, your voice coming out a whisper.

The look that he gives you is degrading. It’s a look of pity — his jaw ticks slightly as he cocks his head, his tongue darting over his plump, pink lips, leaving a glistening sheen in its wake. “And you’re going through my emails,” he reiterates, pushing himself off of the doorframe. “Without my permission.”

“Are you cheating on me?”

An amused expression flitters over Steve’s face as he approaches you. You feel timid in his chair, his large frame overbearing as he looms over you, the blue irises of his eyes impossibly sheathed by his black and blown pupils.

“Cheating?” He asks, beginning to lower himself to your height. You brows furrow in confusion as he kneels in front of you, his hands placing themselves on your knees. “No. Why? Did you think that I was?”

“Yes.”

“Liar,” Steve whispers from beneath you, your skin prickling with goosebumps as his fingers run over the pleated fabric of your skirt. “You just wanted to know what I’ve been doing.”

You push at Steve’s head, forcing him to look up at you. You frown, a twisted warmth pooling inside of your stomach as his hand caresses the plump flesh of your thighs. “Yeah. You’ve been doing her.”

He snorts. “If I wanted Barbie, I would’ve had Barbie.” His hand beckons your thighs apart, and you flush as his hums in content. “No underwear. Whore.”

Your face flushes with warmth. "That’s what you like, isn’t it?”

Steve grins, his fingers parting your folds softly, his knuckle pressing against your swollen clit. You try to kill the moan which climbs up your throat before it can slip past your lips, but it refuses to die. “Like music to my ears,” he comments, his stubble grazing your skin as he peppers deliberate kisses to your thighs, his tongue a cool stimulant to your hot skin, “you’re a naughty girl, you know? Going through my things and then getting all worked up over what you find.”

You can’t bare to look down at his smug face. His blue eyes twinkle as he gazes up at you, and you force your eyes shut, the delicious, dirty feeling of desire brooding inside of you. It pulls at your heart and burns wildly inside of you, only to be smothered by the feeling of his fingers gliding through your folds.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what you found?”

You shake your head, your eyes scrunching shut as his tongue finally makes contact with your heat. “Oh, God,” you whimper as he glides the muscle through your folds, his fingers pushing inside of your cunt.

“Not God. Just Steve.”

His lips twitch, tugging upwards with a smile. Pleasure rides through you in a gentle wave as his tongue makes contact with your clit, his motions gentle as he suckles on the sensitive bundle of nerves.

It feels so deliciously wrong. You’re in his office, sat in his chair, with him between your legs. He wasn’t even meant to find you here — you were supposed to be in the kitchen when he got home, but you’d lost track of time.

“Since you won’t tell me, I’ll make an assumption, and I want you to tell me if I’m right.” His voice is gravely, rumbling against your cunt, and you shiver as his fingers curl inside of you. “You went through my emails. You saw Sharon Carter’s name and you had to click, and you read them in detail and you found information.”

“Yes,” you say shakily, groaning as his nose nuzzles into your pelvic bone, his tongue rolling small circles into your sensitive bud. “Yes, I read them. She’s — she’s a bitch and I don’t want you talking to her.”

His brows quirk upwards, his fingers carefully scissoring your tight cunt open. You clench down around him, the pointed look he’s shouting you making you tense. “She’s my spy. Why else would she have switched to Republican last minute?”

“Because you married me and she wishes it was her.”

A wave of pleasure ripples through you as he suckles on your clit, his fingers heavenly as they roll inside of you. “Is she the one getting her cunt eaten in my office, honey?” When you don’t answer, he hums, his voice muffled as he continues to roll his tongue up and down your sticky, wet folds, “no, she’s not, so stop being a brat and let me finish speaking.”

As if to make a point, his fingers still inside of you, and your chest burns with disappointment. “Okay. I’ll stop being a brat,” you submit to him, your voice shaking slightly as you buck your pelvis towards his hand.

“Good girl." His praise makes you shiver, a delicious pleasure crackling through you as his fingers contain their steady motions, his lips peppering soft kisses against your heat intermittently

“The information that you found is very important people, only meant to be seen by people in government.” A delicious pleasure cracks through you like a whip as his fingers glide through your glistening folds, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he rolls his thumb over your sensitive clit. “And, honey, you're not in government. You've got too much of a dumb baby brain for that."

You whine, your legs trembling involuntary as Steve licks up a deliberate stripe up your cunt, his tongue flattening against your clit. "I'm not dumb," you protest weakly, your thighs tensing as his fingers curl inside of you, the lewd squelching of your cunt echoing around his office walls.

Your body becomes electric with sparks, exploding with ecstasy as his tongue licks stripes up and down your slick. It's so intimate, so gentle — his movements are precise, your legs jolting at every movement, every lick.

"Really? You're not?" Steve pulls away, tutting from below you. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought that only dumb wives went through their husband's stuff without permission."

"I'm sorry," you say.

"You're not," he replies, his tongue flat as he swirls his muscle around your swollen bud, "but that's okay, honey. I don't expect my wife and her dumb, baby brain to feel sorry for me. I'm the man of this house. I don't need feeling sorry for."

His kisses grow sloppy, his nose pressing heavily into your pelvis. You let out a shaky breath, your stomach flipping as Steve's fingers glide in and out of your cunt. A moan catches in your throat, and you're unsure of whether or not it actually escapes your lips or dies before it gets to do so.

Steve's movements are skilled, deliberate. You melt into the office chair, the leather fabric growing slick beneath you as you softly behind to grind against his face. He's slow and teasing, his tongue swirling around you bud, nipping at it softly. The pinching pain makes you gasp, your breath hitching in your throat as he groans against your cunt.

"Come on, honey. I know you want to let go," he purrs against your cunt, the sensation sending shivers up your spine. "I know you're not holding that much of a grudge against me that you're denying yourself of an orgasm."

You pout. He's right — of course he's right, he's your husband and he knows what's best for you. You finally allow yourself to relax, fully, a soft whimper slipping past your lips as Steve's movements makes your stomach tighten.

And then, it happens. You grow tired of holding back, needy and desperate, and Steve's fingers curl inside of you again, and you let go. Your slick paints his face, your legs trembling as he laps at your heat, his groans sending sparks to your core.

By the time he pulls away, you feel weak. The sight of him only makes you grow weaker, his chin glistening with your slick, his eyes black and blown, a sultry grin tugging at the corner of his lips. His hand runs over his lips and he hums, satisfied with the orgasm that he drew from you.

"I'm sorry, honey. You should have never seen those emails, or the documents attached to them. They're not for you to be concerned about." His hand runs over your thighs, his motions gentle and soft as he caresses your skin. Steve's lips purse, his voice dropping dangerously low as he speaks. "But if you ever go through my emails again, you'll be in serious trouble. You got that, honey?"

Your body grows stiff as he reaches past you to turn the computer off, his lips nestling against your head in the process. The kiss he plants to your forehead is soft and gentle, and you smile up at him.

“Yes, Steve.”

You nod your head like an obedient little wife, and he smiles down at you as he does so.

Domesticated bliss keeps him sane.

[simply-sharon-tate]

Sharon Tate, photographed in July 1959 with her fellow contestants prior to the August 1959 Miss Richland pageant which took place during the Atomic Frontier Days celebration in Washington State.

Sharon won the pageant, but was forced to abdicate the title when her father was transferred by the US Army a few days later. Patti Stewart was then awarded the title. The Tate family briefly returned to Texas while her father received additional training before they moved to Italy. It was while doing film extra work in Italy that Sharon met Richard Beymer, who suggested that she move to Hollywood after graduating from high school.

Photo 1: Tri-City Herald (July 21st, 1959)

Photo 2: The Spokesman-Review (July 25th, 1959)

Photo 3: Tri-City Herald (August 3rd, 1959)

[buckyscrystalqueen]

More the Merrier: Part 3

Pairings: Henry Cavill x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers x Sharon Carter

Warnings: Swearing, Polyamory

Word Count: 3,041

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey Henry.” Natasha said as she walked into your room where he was hanging out, waiting for you to get back with Bucky from both your bi-weekly therapy session. “I have something for you.” He looked up from his phone and smiled as Nat climbed on the bed beside him and handed him a medium sized wrapped box. “Just a little something to say thank you for saving (Y/N) from that horse.”

“Oh, it was nothing.” He said as he looked down at the box in his lap. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“But I did.” She said as she sat down against the headboard beside him. “She means the world to me and I would lose my mind if something happened to her. Same with my husbands.”

“Well it was my pleasure.” He sighed as he flipped the box over and started to unwrap it. When he got to the box inside, he froze. “Natasha…”

“You can accept it.” She said as she took the wrapping paper from his hands and balled it up to throw out. “It’s the least we can do as thanks for saving our girl.”

“It’s too much.”

“It’s your passion, right?” She asked as he opened the box to reveal a gorgeous Canon digital camera. “Bucky told me you wanted to be a photographer.”

“I do, but I can’t accept this.”

“Yes, you can.” She insisted as she put her hand on his arm so he would look up at her. “I’m not good with words like Bucky, Steve and (Y/N). My love language is gifts. Please take it.” He stared at her for a moment before sighing and nodding his head. She visibly relaxed and nodded her head as well. “Good. Now… do you want to get to know the rest of the family or are you just here for (Y/N)? I can either leave you alone or get to know you…”

“I’d like that.” He chuckled as he set the box down on the bed beside him and turned toward her more. “I am here to do a… what did (Y/N) call it… a vibe check with everyone?”

“Yea, that sounds like my wife.” She laughed as she crossed her ankles and reached up to play with her long red hair. “So what do you want to know?”

“I’m guessing everything is too vague?” He chuckled as he sat back against the headboard and folded his hands in his lap. She nodded and he realized that he was going to have to do most of the heavy lifting when it came to the head of the household. “Alright, start with your childhood. What was that like?”

“Oh, you hit the nail on the head there.” She huffed as she stopped her fingers through her hair and gave it a gentle tug. “I had a decent childhood but I lived in fear. My mom had me young and we lived with my grandmother, who was always afraid that her family and her betrothed would come after her after she left Russia. It instilled a lot of paranoia into me at a young age and that still sticks with me to this day. I keep my people close and have a hard time letting people in. I do let people break down my walls but I’m not the easiest to get a long with.”

“I know that feeling.” He said when she stopped. “I am an introvert by nature and like a lot of nerdy things so making friends that like the same thing as I do isn’t easy.”

“You’ll get along with Steve then.” She said with a smile and a shake of her head. “He’s our little nerd if he can get his head out of Sharon’s ass long enough to meet you.” Henry stayed quiet for a moment as Nat looked at the curtain covered window for a moment before shaking her head and looking back over at him with a smile. “Sorry, I’m salty.”

“It’s understandable.”

“I don’t get it.” She sighed as she flopped her hands down in her lap. “She knew he was in a polyamorous relationship and yet she constantly tries to take him away from the family.”

“Insecurity maybe?” Henry tried with a shrug. “Who knows. You’d have to ask her.”

“I’d have to get close to her without killing her to do that.” She laughed as she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Lord know how much I want to just shoot her in the head to get my husband back.”

“Well your sister-in-law does have a lot of land to hide a body.”

“Oh!” She laughed as a gorgeous smile lit up her face. “I knew I liked you for a reason!” The pair of them laughed as you pushed open the door to your room with a smile of your own. 

“Well look-y here.” You giggled as you dropped your bag on your dresser so you could crawl into bed between the pair. “What have we here? Little snack and a tall drink of water in my bed?”

“You are a dork, solnyshka.” Nat laughed as she leaned down to give you an upside down kiss. You instantly deepened it but only for a moment before pulling back to look up at Henry. 

“How was therapy?”

“Therapeutic.” You teased as you pulled him down for an equally hot kiss. “Hi. You feeling better after talking to Bucky?”

“I think I am.” He said with a nod. “I can let this money thing get between us or I can figure out a way to pave my way with you at my side.”

“If you stick around, we can give you access to the family bank account where all of the bills come out of.” Nat said as she hesitantly reached out to brush a strand of his curly hair back from his forehead. He met her eye and smiled as she dropped her hand back into her lap and shrugged. “Everyone is responsible for a bill, whether that be cable, electric, water, HOA, etcetera. Currently, we all split streaming services down the middle because we all use them but if you would like that to be your family bill, we can make that happen.”

“I own this place outright.” Nat continued with a shrug as you put your fingertips on his shin and started to brush them back and forth. “We all own properties all over the world that we all travel to frequently. I was just the one to find this place so I got to buy it for the family.”

“My houses are in Como and Rome, Italy.” You chimed in with a smile up at him. “They are both these adorable condos right on the lake and the Trevi fountain, respectively.”

“Don’t forget the condo in Hawaii.”

“No, I gave that to Bucky, remember?”

“I did not remember. We still own that one though, right?”

“On Maui? Yea, it’s Bucky’s.”

“As long as we didn’t get rid of it.” She said as she looked up at Henry. “So your job, should you accept it, is to find a four to five bedroom condo in the location of your choice, we buy it outright out of the family account and then you’d pay the mortgage for it to the family account until it’s paid off. So however long it takes, no matter how long it takes.”

“Bucky and Steve are both still paying for houses in Tokyo and London, respectively.”

“Do you have a place in Australia yet?” He asked, which made you and Nat both short circuit for a moment to think about all of the properties you owned.

“No, I don’t think so.” You hummed as you looked up at your wife for confirmation.

“I’ve always wanted to travel there.” You smiled and rolled your head on the pillow to meet his eyes.

“That’s perfect, babe! I love Australia!”

“I’ll call Marta to start planning the trip.” Natasha breathed with a nod as she scooted down the bed to go call her travel agent.

“Wait, I didn’t mean…”

“Oh no, we take travel very seriously in this house.” You said with a smile and a nod. “So dust off your passport, babe. We’re going to Australia. Maybe we can even convince the boys to take some time off work to come with us this time.”

“Oh Lord what have I gotten myself into?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Family vacations were always your favorite. You loved spending time with your loved ones and watching them get to spend time with each other as well. You were shocked when both Steve and Bucky got a full 2 weeks of time off last minute to join you, which made this trip to Australia even more special. 

“So we’ll spend the first night in London.” You told Henry as you walked arm in arm toward the family jet. “That way the crew can sleep and be refreshed for the flight to Tokyo.”

“Only a night?” 

“We can stay longer if you’d like.” You said with a shrug as you let go of his arm to climb the steps. “But you and I can always go back or we can even just get dropped off on the way back while the jet takes everyone else home and we can just fly commercial home. That way, you can see the city the way it’s supposed to be seen. Bucky speaks Japanese so he’s our tour guide in Tokyo so we planned on spending two days there anyway so you can see the city on the way.”

“I speak 8 languages, baby girl.” Bucky said as Henry ducked into the Gulfstream G650ER. “I’m always the tour guide.”

“What languages?” Henry asked as he took a seat at the table Bucky was sitting at while you sat down on the couch across from them beside Steve and Natasha.

“Oh, um… Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian, German, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese.”

“I speak Russian, German and French.” Natasha said as she tucked her feet under your legs and snuggled into Steve’s side with a giant smile on her face.

“I’m learning Russian, Italian, Irish, and Hawaiian.” You added as you held up your phone. “Duolingo for the win!” 

“Russian and Spanish for me.” Steve commented with a hesitant smile.

“Well I speak Spanish and French at a high school level.” Henry chuckled with a shrug. “But apparently, I need to catch up.”

“Use Babbel.” Bucky commented as he shot you a look. “It’s more in-depth than Duolingo…”

“Duolingo is more fun.” You chirped as the flight attendant, Kara, closed the plane door. 

“And it also gets you speaking conversationally faster.” Bucky concluded with a smile. “I’m a language savant and can pick them up easily which is why I know so many thanks to Babbel.”

“Which is also why he is our tour guide.” Steve laughed as he ran his fingers through Natasha’s hair, looking far more relaxed than you had seen him in a long time.

“Alright, I’ll add it to my to-do list.” Henry said as the plane taxied down the runway.

“Baby, you brought your camera, right?” You asked as you gestured to his backpack on the floor at his feet.

“I did.”

“Want me to teach you what I know?”

“Absolutely!” He said, which made Bucky stand up from his seat. Kara scolded him because you were still climbing to altitude, but the pair of you switched seats quickly and buckled in for the 7 hour flight. You spent every minute teaching him the ins and outs of the camera you both owned and by the time you landed in London, you were both a little red eyed but confidant with your knowledge. 

“Alright, let’s find some caffeine and do some sight seeing.” Natasha directed, always the one in charge of your group. 

——

“This city is amazing.” Henry breathed as the pair of you got ready for bed in your London condo so you could head back to the airfield to fly to Tokyo. 

“Isn’t it?” You asked before yawning while pulling on a pair of palazzo pants to sleep in.

“Tired, baby?” You nodded and pulled on a tank top, followed by one of Henry’s hoodies so that you were comfortable on the Uber premium ride to the airport. 

“We’re almost done.” He reminded you as he pulled you into his arms so he could kiss the top of your head. You sighed and completely melted, causing him to laugh. “Not yet, baby. Soon we can fall asleep in a… well who gets the bed?”

“The bed usually goes to the girls.” You yawned as you pulled away from him and pulled on a pair of well loved slippers. “But Natasha claimed it to get some one on one time with Steve this time because it’s been so long since she’s had any personal time with him so you and I get the couch bed instead. Not as comfortable but comfy all the same.”

“Alright.”

“And don’t worry, I have ear plugs in the bathroom on the jet. Nat can get… loud.”

“Louder than you?” He teased, causing you to blush.

“You hush.” You giggled as you covered your cheeks with your hands. He stepped up toward you and gently pulled your hands away from your cheeks so he could lean down to kiss you. 

“Never.” His lips captured yours and you moaned into the kiss, but Natasha yelling at you to hurry up made you pull away before things got too heated. With a sigh, you grabbed your clothes from the day to pack away in the over night duffle Steve had been in charge of that day so that Kara could wash them on the plane while you all slept. 

“Causing trouble, Little Bit?” Steve asked with a laugh as you handed him your and Henry’s day outfits so he could pack them, which made you stick your tongue out at your friend.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.” Nat commanded, which prompted everyone to grab their day bags from the pile by the door and head toward the elevator down the hall. You all crammed in to a Uber Premium silently, exhausted from a day of walking around London to show Henry the city, and you barely made it onto the jet before you all passed out for the 14 hour flight to Tokyo. However, you were woken up ten hours later to yelling.

“What do you mean you’re not sure?!” You peeled your eyes open and looked at Henry’s confused face as Natasha kept screaming from the back of the plane. “Do you want out?!”

“What’s going on?” Bucky asked as he sat up on the single bed behind you. 

“Nat and Steve are fighting.” You told him as you sat up as well to eavesdrop. 

“Tasha, all I’m saying is…”

“No, what you’re saying is that you want someone here that doesn’t want to be part of this family!” She shouted back, making Henry, Bucky, and you cringe. “She hates us, Steve! Hates us with a passion.”

“Natasha, I’m allowed to tell my girlfriend I miss her!”

“Not when you have your wife in your arms, you’re not!”

“Even with my wife in my arms. That’s polyamory.”

“No, it’s not.” She countered as you looked over at Bucky with the hint of fear in your eyes. He quickly got up and came over to wrap you in a hug and whispered that everything was going to be alright in your ear.

“Yes, it is!”

“Steve, that woman is tearing this family apart…”

“That woman?! That woman?!! That woman is my girlfriend…”

“And I am your wife!”

“No, you are Bucky’s wife!” You gasped, Bucky stiffened behind you, and Henry whispered ‘oh boy’ as Nat got dead silent. “Natasha, I didn’t mean that…”

“No. You did.” She said evenly before she stormed out of the back room. You instantly opened your arms for her and she practically dove into your lap while Bucky got up to go talk to Steve. Your wife cried in your arms and you held her close while Henry rubbed her back and whispered reassurances to both of you. It took almost an hour to calm your wife down but Bucky and Steve didn’t emerge from the back room until it was almost time to land in Tokyo.

“I’m sorry, my love.” Steve whispered as he pulled Natasha into his arms and held her close on the couch. “I’m so sorry.”

“I just want us to be a family.”

“We are a family.” He breathed with a nod. “We are and you are my wife. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it one bit.”

“I know.” She sighed as the plane touched down in Tokyo. You wiped your tears off your cheeks and sniffled as you unbuckled your seatbelt and the moment you stood up, you were in Henry’s arms.

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” He cooed as he rocked you back and forth. “It’s alright”

“I hate when they fight.” You whispered to him as he pulled back to wipe your remaining tears off your cheeks. “Absolutely hate it.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” You nodded and sniffled again as you grabbed your backpack and headed off the plane. You silently got into the Uber that was taking you to your condo to drop off your bags for the two days you were in the city and you, along with everyone else could feel the heavy mood.

“I vote.” Bucky tried as he pulled Nat into a side hug beside him in the back row of seats. “That we head to the house and have a big cuddle pile. Order lunch?”

“Sounds good.” Nat agreed with a sniffle and a nod. “We can take you sight seeing tomorrow, Henry if that’s okay.”

“That sounds perfect.” He agreed instantly as he glanced back over his shoulder at her with a nod. “We can even just come back another time if that’ll be easier…”

“No, it’s okay.” She told him as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “Cuddle piles are our resets. We should be good again by dinner.”

Part 4

[fleshbarbie]

imagine .... eddie dating a girl (you) who looks like she just got a time machine in from the 60’s … with your padded headbands that all have different patterns on them, your baby blues and baby pink eyeshadows dashed across your eyelids, always paired with black liner adorning the crease and a light blush dashed across your cheeks. your closet full of miniskirts of every colour, berets, babydoll/shift dresses, coloured tights, go-go boots and your quirky accessories.

your got strange looks from people now and again, especially people the same age as the both of you who couldn’t understand why your style and taste was so old, but you never let it get to you, which was one of the things eddie loved about you. with him being the ‘social outcast’ for being so different to everyone else around him, it was a nice comfort to have you, someone who didn’t exactly fit in either, but weren’t phased by the lingering looks and hushed whispers when you glided down the halls in your 60s attire. as long as you had eddie, who enjoyed your distinctive look, then you couldn’t care less what others thought or said about the way you looked.

you were always playing 60’s music when he was around, trying to get him give into the temptation of admitting okay, 60’s music isn’t all that bad. he’d usually go home with a catchy tune in his head now and again, not finding it in himself to be annoyed at you for it when you looked so excited to share your love for the music with him. you even made him a mixtape at one point with all your favourite songs on it; mama said, shout, act naturally, be my baby, respect etc.

you enjoyed talking to wayne about the 60’s (i assume he’s like mid 40s? maybe idk if his age has already been confirmed so forgive me if this is a mistake !!) so for him, the 60’s were his prime with him being in his twenties. you could listen to him go on and on about the atmosphere back then, how different times were, for both good and bad reasons. and wayne would never be one to hold back, loving to sit back and reminisce whilst you and eddie were curled up together listening intently.

your room was littered with posters of iconic women from the 60s. twiggy here, sharon tate there, aretha franklin by your vanity, and a framed, signed photograph of aubrey hepburn on your dresser that one of your relatives had managed to pick up for you, for your birthday. he would admire the collection sometimes, whilst you were downstairs getting the both of you something to eat or in the shower whilst he got comfortable in your bed. a very big contrast to the metal posters he had scattered his bedroom, but he could see why you looked up to these women so much, they were definitely badass in their own ways.

you sat him through many 60s movies, your absolute favourites being valley of the dolls and breakfast at tiffany’s. you always compromised though, promising if he sat through the whole movie with you, you would watch the latest horror that had just been released at family video, a deal he would never turn down. an extra hour or two with you cuddled up whilst you both stuffed your faces and shared kisses ??? he’d be a fool to turn that down.

he would never admit it, but your love of the 60s was rubbing off on him quite a bit. it took him awhile to understand it, not having a clue about that time when you first met, but with the months you had been together, you had taught him a lot, and slowly, there were parts he grew to love about it too. the music mostly, though they would never compare to his beloved rock bands he head banged to every night, but he stopped complaining when you reached over in his van and pushed in the mixtape you had made for him.

what he didn’t know, was that you already knew you had won him over. his lip syncing wasn’t as concealed as he thought he was.

-

just a little something to ease me back into writing for this fandom, i've been in such a 60s mood lately & this just came to mind ! i hope you all like it :)

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

In the 18th Aug 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Two charities have donated bullet-proof Search & Rescue ambulances to Israel.

Israelis have re-engineered a parasite to deliver medical treatments to the brain.

The income of Arab-Israelis is growing faster than the national average.

Take a close look at Israeli augmented reality (AR) spectacles.

Hi-tech employees provide over one third of Israel’s income tax revenues.

Israel’s Wiz turns down a $23 billion exit offer and keeps growing in value.

A record-breaking Olympic games for Israeli medalists.

A new Torah scroll has been dedicated to the Israeli hostages.

Read More: Good News From Israel

It's good to be back in Israel after 3 weeks in the UK visiting family.  This week's positive Israel newsletter contains many news items that were collected before my "holiday" so apologies if some may seem out-of-date. There has been much positive news during this time - over 200 relevant items in my inbox which I hope to include over the forthcoming weeks.  

Thanks to Sharon for the photograph of Jerusalem of Gold.

[sodaslittleplace]

I made some moodbaords for Squishmallows I own based on their profiles.

Everyone at the spa knows Brixton! She glides over there weekly for a paw massage and facial. When Brixton really has the time, she spends her whole day lounging in different saunas and drinking barley tea. Want to know Brixton's secret to glowing fur? Ice baths!

:)

Looking for a photographer? Sharon is the shark for you! She travels the globe taking photos for Squishmallows of all kinds but her favorite place to be is usually at home with her family or playing her brand new guitar!

:)

Meet Darla. She likes to play in the snow and catch snowflakes on her tongue. She may have rosy cheeks but she aspires to have a red nose. Nothing cheers her up like a hot cup of cocoa, she prefers whipped cream and sprinkles instead of marshmallows.

[evansbby]

greek god stomega au, where steve is the son of zeus and omega is the daughter of demeter!

the wizard of oz au, where omega is dorothy and steve is the evil lion who keeps dorothy all to himself?

gossip girl au, i think you answered an ask where omega and steve were watching gossip girl but anyway, bucky would be carter baizen and i feel like bucky would also be gossip girl or peter😭

oh! baker!omega and misogynisticbusinessman!steve, he decides to go to the bakery nearby his workplace/building and sees omega there and eventually leaves his fiance(sharon)

I know this is super ooc for steve and omega but smug artist!steve x shy model!omega

well that was all i could think of, hope you enjoyed reading this!!

OMG OMG OMG you have no idea how much I love this ask! I need to answer it properly and give my thoughts on each AU!!! Bare with me! 💜💜

So firstly, Greek God Stomega AU?? YES PLS! I was a Greek mythology girlie back in the day! (Like my tweens, early teens haha). Steve would be Hades and Omega would be Persephone! Except he wouldn’t be her uncle pls. ORRR maybe Steve could be Apollo since Apollo is the Sun God 😭😭 except everyone thinks he’s this golden boy but actually he’s extremely debauched, promiscuous, MEAN and obsessed with human!omega and wants to make her his!

Bahaha Wizard of Oz Au! I can imagine Steve being the Wicked Wizard of the West hehehe

GOSSIP GIRL STOMEGA AU YES YES YES!! But I feel like it’s very similar to POYT in the sense that the privileged elite go to poyt university! But if poyt uni had a gossip girl, it would DEFFOOO be Peter lmfaooo and HE DOESNT EVEN GO THERE!!!

Omg omega as a baker would be so cute!!! She loves to bake in poyt (but dumbasses keep flinging her brownies out of her hand 🙄) I can imagine businessman!Steve going feral for her bc she’s so cute and little in her pretty apron with flour all over it, and she’s got flour on her cheek and she bakes the BEST cakes and brownies and cookies and Steve stalks her and is in love with her and she’s so friendly and innocent but she doesn’t even know who he is PLS 😂😂

I LOVE THE IDEA OF omega as a model! But it would be a really harrowing, dark story. I can imagine her being forced into modelling from a young age to support her family. She’s super shy and naive but she got scouted at the grocery store or something and landed a photoshoot which gave her a bit of money (which her mom took) so now omega had to drop out of uni to support her family by modelling. And industry people keep wanting to take advantage of her bc she’s so trusting and cute. Buttt she’s not dumb so she’s also wary of all the attention she gets and she just wants to run away from it all. I can imagine smug Artist/photographer Steve wanting to fuck this cute lil innocent omega sooo bad and he manipulates her and takes advantage of her but of course, falls for her in the end in CLASSIC POYT STEVE STYLE

Besties which au is your fav!??

[heavenlyyshecomes]

The reason behind Israel’s engagement with Lebanon was justified at the time as based on national security grounds, with other nations admiring the Jewish state’s actions and wanting to learn from them, but there was something more existential at work. In his 1998 book on the Middle East, From Beirut to Jerusalem, the New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman gave an anecdote from 1982 about the real, less acknowledged mission of Israeli forces: “Two targets in particular seemed to interest [Ariel] Sharon’s army. One was the PLO Research Center. There were no guns at the PLO Research Center, no ammunition and no fighters. But there was something more dangerous—books about Palestine, old records and land deeds belonging to Palestinian families, photographs about Arab life in Palestine, historical archives about the Arab life in Palestine and, most important, maps—maps of pre-1948 Palestine with every Arab village on it before the state of Israel came into being and erased many of them. The Research Center was like an ark containing the Palestinians’ heritage—some of their credentials as a nation. In a certain sense, this is what Sharon most wanted to take home from Beirut. You could read it in the graffiti the Israeli boys left behind on the Research Center walls: Palestinians? What’s that? And Palestinians, fuck you, and Arafat, I will hump your mother. (The PLO later forced Israel to return the entire archive as part of a November 1983 prisoner exchange.)” It is not hard to see why this attitude was and remains so appealing to some governments. It is a desire to militarily destroy an opponent but also erase its history and ability to remember what has been lost. When surveillance technology is added to the mix, tested on unwilling subjects, it’s even harder to successfully resist.

—Antony Loewenstein, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World

[karimwillia]

Part 12

Warnings: Homecoming. They say I love you.

Homecoming was next month which passed in no time. “Mother! Mother!” “Yes my Daughter.” “I need your help. I can't pin this! Stupid Flower.” With a warm laugh Romanda steps into Shuri’s room as she gets ready for the dance. “You look Amazing my Dove.” Romanda pins Shuri’s boutonnière with no trouble. Shuri blushes, her Mother is her best friend and so to have her home for this occasion means a lot.

“Mother, thank you for coming home for this. I know the conference was important.” “Nothing is more important than YOU. Meeting the famous Riri Williams was enough for me to fly home also.” Both of them laugh as Shuri is now fully dressed. Riri is to arrive soon with her Mother and Sister to meet Romanda and allow the girls to take photos. Shuri is in a deep red velvet blazer that perfectly matches the tone of Ri’s gown. Underneath she has a black turtleneck paired with black flare dress pants. She has on gold accent jewelry she has on severals rings and ear cuffs. Her newest set of bottom row grills and two small rope chains. She decided to wear very light makeup to highlight her eyes. She also has one of her nail’s painted to match Riri's; it's one of their things.

The relationship has matured since the whole internet issue. As a couple they promised to communicate openly and honestly about everything. Meaning the good, bad and ugly. They call them “truth truth” moments and it allows them to be completely vulnerable with no judgment.

Rohan announces the arrival of the Williams family from the foyer. Romanda quickly moved to meet them to allow Shuri a reveal. “Hello, welcome Ronise and Sharon. I have heard such wonderful things about you.” They all hug and get acquainted as the girls are being photographed separately.

“Hi Romanda, thank you for the warm welcome, your home is so beautiful. Please call me Ronnie.” “I can do that and thank you so much. I appreciate that. From what I hear your home is better.” Ronnie and Romanda joke. “Oh please, she just likes the supply of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She swears they are world famous.” Sharon quips. “That sounds like my daughter for sure.”

After a few separate shots Rihanna and Shuri come from either end of the landing. Seeing each other for the first time they have to do a double take. Riri in her dress with her hair flawlessly braided and styled up. Her skin glows the same hues as the gold jewelry she is wearing. One or two of the ear cuffs she has on maybe Shuri’s. Her makeup is immaculately done to highlight her high cheeks and gorgeous eyes. She stands a little taller in her heels giving her legs the illusion of being longer peeking from the slit.

“Baby you look astounding.” The statement was matter of fact for everyone to hear. Shuri leans over to whisper in her ear next. With a hand low on her back. “Sexy too.” “You are stunning yourself.” Riri affirms in a soft tone and sultry smirk. Staring at Shuri’s lips but keeping in mind they have to keep it G. No one else in the room matters if you ask Shuri but she respects that there is a time and place. They stage a few more shots together like the placing of the corsage and some really lovely shots. All being documented by the photographer.

They descend the stairs and allow Romanda and Riri to meet formally. Shuri greets Ronnie and Sharon with long hugs. Their connection was instant after they met. “Rihanna, you are a work of art.” Romanda beams, embracing Riri in a hug herself. “It is so nice to finally meet you.” “You also Miss.Scientist extraordinaire. My Dove never stops raving about you so I had to make the point to be home for this. It is an honor.” “Dove?” Riri is inquisitive about the nickname. “It stands for Dear Love. I have called her that since she was a baby.” Ri grins. “I love that! The honor is mine. Meeting the woman responsible for Shuri is a Queen in my eyes.” “I thank you for that but Shuri is her own person. Headstrong and stubborn you are the only one Dear Heart who calms her.” Ri can’t believe her ears. This is a beautiful first meeting.

Not too long after the chatter dies down. Shuri and Riri leave to enjoy their night. The curfew is set a little later than normal which they are grateful for. Shuri takes a hold with Riri’s hand as she drives, lacing their fingers as the car speeds forward.

“My Mother was so impressed with you today. I am excited you got to meet her.” Shuri kisses the back of Ris' hand. “I’m glad Daddy. She's so easy to talk to. We spoke about you, then school and stuff.” “Oh yea? What did you say about me?” Rubs her thumb across the palm of Ris hand “I mentioned you snore when you nap together. I asked her why?”

“You did not.” “No I didn't. I just said that I was glad to meet the woman responsible for you. But she told me that she was just a guide. You are uniquely you. Which makes sense now.” “Hey now you like this unique me.” Sighing playfully “I do. I suppose.”

Shuri parks the car and makes her way over to open the door helping Riri out of the car. Several classmates ooh and ahh at them. The public opinion has swayed needless to say. They stop for the cheesy school picture and they go on to do some dancing.

MJ finds them with some random guy in her heels. “Hey Y’all. I want you to meet Peter.” “Greetings, all.” “Pete, can I have some punch?” Peter turns to leave for the errand leaving MJ. “He’s cute, MJ. You two look good together Friend.” Riri chimes in. “No it’s you two looking almost royal to me. Shuri your cousin is going to have to do my prom dress. Her work is so well done.”

“I will let her know M. But what is the word on the rumor mill about tonight’s prom court nominations?” “I am so glad you asked Friend. Tonight you and Miles Mason are on the King short list. Your Princess is on the Queen list with Tiana Thomas. This is an easy win for you all but we will see.” “I will be glad with whatever result M.” The music changes to slower songs.

Snooze starts to play over the speakers. Taking Shuri’s hand, Riri leads her to the floor and dances slowly face to face. Ri has her hands around Shuri’s neck. While Shuri’s arms are wrapped around her lower back. They breathe deeply and smell nothing but each other. “This is perfect. Thank You Baby..” Shuri runs her hands up Ris back some. “Baby why are you thanking me?” “For this amazing year. You didn’t have to be with me.” “I love you Rihanna so there is no one I would rather be with.”

Did she just say she LOVES ME? Riri runs her hands down Shuri’s back looking into her eyes. “I love you too.” They dance the remainder of the night holding onto the moment.

@somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi @shuriris-stuff @dominiquesheart

[danbusler]

Home is Where We Belong

Family is the foundation we stand upon.

I sustain myself with the love of family. – Maya AngelouIt was my honor to be asked to photograph the O family on the grounds of my studio as they came together from across the globe to welcome the latest addition to their family.Where ever you may go“Home is not where we live; home is where we belong.”

[etruatcaelum]

On Summer Being a Faunus.

[Hat tip to @onlyheartaches, whose wolf Ruby headcanon is what got me thinking about this.]

Eglantine Vermeil, Summer’s father (and only grandson of the last King of Vale through his illegitimate daughter Sharon Vermeil), was a human with silver eyes. Her mother, Ginger Rose, was a Vacuan faunus whose parents, once slaves in the Mistrali occupation, had become crucial informants within Sharon’s network of spies during the Great War and became close personal friends to her afterward.

As was common practice under the occupation, both Ginger’s parents had been forcibly subjected to amputation of their ‘bestial’ traits by their Mistrali master; Ginger belonged to the first generation of fauni born into a world in which this vile practice was outlawed, not just in the newly-sovereign state of Vacuo, but in every country that ratified the Vytal Accords. For faunuskind, it was a period of both searing hope and the aftershocks of profound cultural trauma, and although many fauni chose to celebrate their newfound freedom and proudly display their true selves, many others felt safe only if they could pass for human.

The Rose family belonged to the latter category. Ginger’s most pronounced trait were the ears of a tanuki, the raccoon-dogs of Kuchinashi: possible to hide under a carefully-draped headscarf, and of a dusty auburn color close enough to her hair to blend in from a distance.

(While fauni generally have features corresponding to the local wildlife, this pattern is less pronounced in Vacuo—where an unusual proportion of native-born fauni instead have the features of Animan fauna, particularly animals endemic to the Palash region and the Taiyin Steppe. This is due in part to Mistrali settlers having brought their slaves with them to the Vacuan colonies, but mainly a result of the Ruakhian diaspora. Similarly, Menagerian-born fauni more often bear the features of wildlife found in the region whence their parents emigrated.)

Few people knew that Ginger Rose was a faunus, and throughout her life, she worked very hard to keep it that way. Eglantine and his mother were two of the only humans she ever trusted enough to show her ears, and she appears human in her only surviving photograph—a grainy group picture of the miners of Visage, taken just two years before the calamity.

Her daughter’s trait is even subtler: Summer’s eyes have a tapetum lucidum, visible in photos and when light hits her eyes at the right angle but otherwise almost impossible to discern. Indeed the only reason Summer knows she’s a faunus at all is because a medic happened to remark upon it during a routine check up, about a year after Visage collapsed: the month-long coma she suffered after that calamity had left her with almost no memories of her parents, and none of the other survivors had known Ginger to be anything but human.

Summer, nine years old at the time and a ward of the state—which in practice meant being a ward of Shade Academy, raised with minimal oversight by a medley of huntsmen and huntresses who largely treated her as they would have a trainee twice her real age—didn’t have any idea how to respond to this discovery and hated her eyes in any case, so for three more years, she simply shoved it to the back of her mind and tried not to think about it.

Then she enrolled at Oscuro Academy, twelve years old, and met Silvester Kellas: the stealth and infiltration instructor; a tall, severe black man with the striking honey-brown eyes of a desert cat. Summer had seen plenty of fauni living openly before, of course, but she’d never met another who bore animal eyes. His were more obvious than hers—the irises larger than a human’s, little of the whites visible, though humans who didn’t expect to see a faunus often took him to be one of their kind—and for that alone Summer felt drawn to him.

Sil noticed her eyes right away. (He’s always liked to say that infiltration begins with the art of noticing, and stealth is the ability to see what others do not.) He took a special interest in her, becoming her personal mentor—really, the closest thing Summer had to a parent.

Together, they pieced together a little of Summer’s family history. Identifying her fraternal grandmother as the late Sharon Vermeil was straightforward. Her maternal grandparents were trickier to find, and turned out to be deceased: Canton Rose had died only a few years after his daughter’s birth after a long struggle with illness, and his wife—a woman who’d renounced her Mistrali name after the Great War and called herself only Sorrel—had lived to be eighty-two before she passed away just six years earlier.

In the course of this investigation, Summer learnt what her mother’s animal had been; and hence, that she is, in all likelihood, canine herself too. Of course, with a trait as subtle as hers, there is no way to be certain what animal she takes after; and if not for Sil, she might have left it at that. Sil, however, encouraged her to choose an animal anyway. It was an important aspect of fauni culture, he told her, knowing what animal had marked one’s soul, and it didn’t really matter if she couldn’t empirically prove her answer, if it felt right.

After giving it some very serious philosophical consideration (as fourteen-year-olds do), Summer decided she had the eyes of a golden jackal, because she saw packs of them loping along the wadis during the wet season sometimes, and they were pretty. She’s a bit tongue-in-cheek about this identification nowadays, but she’s never changed her mind.

Unlike the Roses, Sil’s parents had never been enslaved; during the first conquest of Vacuo, centuries ago, their ancestors had fled north, crossing the Paludéen Strait to settle in the grimm-infested swamps of southern Alukah. Life in this wilderness was harsh, rife with constant danger—although (unbeknownst to the people desperate enough to call such a difficult land home) it would have been far worse for them had Salem not chosen to regard them as refugees seeking asylum and let them be—but they were free, and the grimm stymied Mistrali expansion into the region.

Though centuries passed, these scattered, stateless settlements never stopped considering themselves Vacuan, and when the Vacuans living under occupation on the mainland gathered themselves for rebellion and threw in their lot with Vale during the great war, the Alukite Vacuans leapt into the fray too.

(In the ‘World of Remnant’ spots, these were the settlements marked in red on the unnamed continent and the reason for the battles implied to have been fought on that continent during the Great War; all were ultimately lost to that conflict, but the people who’d lived there survived, returning to their ancestral homeland after Vacuo reclaimed its sovereignty.)

This had, naturally, given Sil a rather different outlook than those fauni whose parents and grandparents had been enslaved or survived the brutal persecution of Mistrali rule. He felt there was a time and a place for trumpeting pride in one’s non-human features, and a time and a place for being discreet, and of course it was important to know which was which; but the most important thing was not to define oneself by the perception of others.

He did his level best to impress that lesson upon Summer, with only marginal success: against his lone voice urging her to be curious about herself and make her own choices was an overwhelming tide of everyone else who saw a only a young warrior with silver eyes.

In the short term, the only thing Sil did manage to impart was his faith. He was a devout Faunalian: monotheistic worship of the God of Animals influenced by orthodox Draconism, with whose Light the Faunalian God had become heavily syncretized over the centuries. (The ‘Judgment of Faunus’ creation myth is a Faunalian tale.) Summer is more of a feast-days-and-the-Vigil type of Faunalian, not all that spiritual, but she keeps the tenets.

Going to Beacon ended up being tougher than Summer expected. There were way fewer fauni living in Vale than in Vacuo, and the culture was quite different: the faunus she’d known in Vacuo never kicked up any fuss about her being passing, but that was suddenly a problem. Didn’t matter that she could see in the dark or smell a grimm upwind from miles off. Didn’t matter how her pupils glowed in every photograph. Didn’t matter what god she worshipped. The type of human who went around snickering behind their hands at a little girl’s antlers or ‘accidentally’ grabbing tails left her alone, and in the eyes of a lot of Valean fauni, that made her materially not much different from a human faker.

Which struck Summer as really unfair, because it wasn’t like she didn’t collect uncomfortable looks and rude comments from humans when they noticed—half the time there’d be dark grumbling about her ‘tricking’ people—and it wasn’t like humans didn’t also get weird about it when she disclosed upfront, or else just outright start treating her worse than they did other humans. Even the headmaster had given her an odd, evaluating look that she did not like at all, the first time he caught the eyeshine.

Damned if she did, damned if she didn’t. She felt isolated, stuck in between two kinds of people who didn’t want her… and it didn’t take her long to decide she’d keep the faunus thing to herself and go all in on silver-eyed warrior. That, at least, no one could argue didn’t really count. Summer had been honing her mastery over the light since she was ten, and she was pretty damn good at it.

Even that was an imperfect solution, because it didn’t fix anything with her team.

First problem: Summer had mortally offended the Branwen twins on day one by getting in the way of their scheme to partner up with each other during initiation. Raven’s semblance was a lot weaker, back then; her bond to Qrow let her know where he was and helped her find the fastest possible route to get to him, but she didn’t have her portals yet. The twins had planned for Qrow to find a hiding place and sit tight while Raven slipped unseen through the forest. Both of them had been scouting for the tribe for years—avoiding their classmates in the forest was a cakewalk.

Except for little miss Blinding Mirror, who just had to be using her semblance to make herself completely imperceptible until Raven walked straight into her. So, Summer hadn’t gotten off on a good foot with the twins to begin with… and then about two weeks after the initiation ended, they’d realized she was a faunus.

Neither of them were exactly okay with that, as it turned out. Tight-lipped though they were about where they’d come from beyond “rural” and “west of Mistral,” Summer figured out pretty quick that they were from the Animan heartland: a vast agricultural region dotted with free towns and family farms, notorious for being the kind of place where faunuskind was violently unwelcome.

Qrow could’ve been worse. He didn’t get outright hostile, at least, just kept his distance and didn’t talk to her much—not that he’d been all that chatty before, either. But Raven.

Raven didn’t speak a single word to Summer for the remainder of that semester and half the next, just alternated between staring her down with simmering disdain and acting like she didn’t even exist. If she had to communicate with Summer, she addressed Taiyang instead—even going as far as leaving the room to fetch him if he wasn’t around, sometimes—and flatly pretended not to hear anything Summer said to her until he repeated it.

Summer could’ve handled that. It was degrading and infuriating and hurtful, sure, but, whatever—the twins couldn’t help how they were raised, and she thought Qrow seemed kind of uncomfortable with way his sister was acting, once he’d had some time to process the initial shock of “wait, you’re one of those animals!?”—at first, Summer figured she’d tough it out for a couple weeks, maybe catch Qrow alone for a serious talk about how not okay this was. Clobber them in training a few times if she had to. She wasn’t about to let it get under her skin.

Only.

Second problem: Taiyang actually went along with it.

He had… not made a great first impression, even before the faunus thing became an issue. Taiyang Xiao Long was a Vale kid from the affluent part of town who’d attended the prestigious (and pricey) Pharos Academy, and it showed; Summer, who had never in her life met someone who owned so much stuff, felt herself bristling from the jump out of pure knee-jerk Vacuan dislike of Foreigners With Money. (Not that Taiyang was rich-rich, but like—his dad owned a car.)

Then there was the weird prank he’d pulled on the twins for their first day of classes, mixing up their uniforms. Summer hadn’t thought much of it when Raven skulked into the classroom wearing trousers—lots of girls preferred pants, whatever, who cared—but she had seen the flicker of discomfort on Qrow’s face when Tai and the rest of the Pharos boys started laughing at him in his skirt, before he’d thrown on a mask of cool indifference and slid into a desk beside his sister.

But still—Tai wasn’t some bully. He was friendly enough, an easy go-with-the-flow type of guy, just… kind of stupid sometimes. Finding out Summer was a faunus hadn’t fazed him a bit; he thought her flashy eyes were cool, and when he made a dumb comment about his semblance all she’d had to do was give him a withering look before he coughed and went okay, yeah, I hear myself—not cool, sorry.

So Summer could not understand why he didn’t get that playing interpreter for Raven was also a fucking problem. He just wanted to help, he said. It was less annoying than the alternative, he said. He felt bad for her when Raven ignored her, he said. After the fourth conversation that went nowhere and changed nothing, Summer gave up and resolved to just grin and bear it until Raven got the fuck over it—because surely, surely Raven wouldn’t keep it up once they got out in the field for the first time, come next semester.

Raven kept it up once they got out in the field.

Their first mission as a team would have been uneventful had Summer not, after asking who wanted to take first watch while they camped for the night and hearing Taiyang dutifully repeat it to Raven, gone ballistic.

Most people, in the heat of the moment, probably would have turned around and started shouting. But the Branwens weren’t the only ones on Team STRQ who spent their childhoods at war—Summer did, too. She’d been trained, not parented, and the first time her notional guardians put her up against real grimm in the wasteland, she was only ten years old. The real difference between her and Raven was what they’d been taught to kill.

So when she lost her temper then, she just drew her axe and lunged.

Raven really did not expect her to do that. In her estimation, Summer was a pathetic, freakish little weakling who whined about people not being nice enough to her and had probably never been in a real fight before in her life—pitiful creatures like that weren’t supposed to just go for the kill with no warning.

The first blow ruptured her aura and knocked her on her ass. The second would’ve taken her head clean off if her own battle instincts hadn’t kicked in fast enough to deflect it with her gauntlet, and that was the moment Raven knew that she had, to put it lightly, made a critical miscalculation; because she looked Summer Rose in the eye and felt the force of that blow break her wrist through the gauntlet and understood, beyond any doubt, that this girl was either going to kill her or die trying.

Of course, Raven wasn’t about to make that easy for her; Qrow wasn’t about to sit idly by and let his sister get hacked to death either. Taiyang tried for about half a second to pull Summer away from Raven and de-escalate the situation before finding that his options were to get out of the way or get minced.

Being the only normal person on the team, he panicked briefly, then bolted to get their supervising huntsman, who’d gone a way ahead of them to establish an outer perimeter.

It took him perhaps one minute to reach their huntsman, half another to babble out an explanation, and a minute more for both to race back to where Summer was now furiously holding her own against both twins.

The huntsman waded into the fray and broke up the fight with relative ease… and it was right about then that the grimm turned up.

Quite a lot of grimm.

Whether because of the intensity of the fight or simple bad luck, they’d lured in a pack almost a hundred strong—way more than one huntsman and a quartet of first-year students could’ve dealt with even if three of them hadn’t just spent the last few minutes doing their level best to kill each other. If they’d been any other team except Summer’s, the night would have come to a tragic end.

As it was, Summer glanced over her shoulder, snarled, and evaporated every single grimm in her sight with a single glare.

Their supervising huntsman hauled them back to Beacon after that and marched them straight up to the headmaster’s office. Taiyang was fuming, sure they were all going to get kicked out; Raven quietly nursing a broken wrist and, mainly, trying to work out what the fuck Summer had done with her eyes, and how, and if that was some sort of Faunus Thing or if their team leader had two semblances somehow or what; Summer was cool as a cucumber.

She’d met Ozpin personally, the night before the initiation. He had wanted to know about her eyes, if she knew how to use them. Summer knew a man in search of a weapon when she saw one; she had a feeling that she, at least, wouldn’t get worse than a slap on the wrist.

She was right.

Ozpin asked her to explain. She did, sparing no detail in describing the semester-and-a-half of abysmal treatment that had pushed her until she snapped. The other three received a lengthy dressing down, gentle in tone but merciless in taking each of them to task for behaving in such a disappointing manner (Ozpin was unnervingly good at that, Summer thought, way better than any of the teachers at Oscuro), and—as she anticipated—a symbolic slap on the wrist for her, for not going to a professor for help long since.

Then Ozpin sent them all to bed, with a steely warning that he expected better of them all from now on, and that was that.

Raven cut the bullshit (whether because she was a little bit scared of Summer now, or because she genuinely respected that Summer had tried to kill her, Summer wasn’t… entirely sure, but, whatever); both twins seemed to act as though Summer had passed some sort trial proving that she was alright, actually. Taiyang made it his singular mission to teach his three clearly deranged teammates how to Be Normal, with mixed results. Nobody apologized to anyone for anything, but they did crush it at the Vytal Festival a few months later, so really, it all worked out fine.

The Faunus Rebellion broke out in Mistral during their second year at Beacon, and raged for the next four years; by their final year, Team STRQ had been inducted into Ozpin’s inner circle, and he sent them off to Kuchinashi the minute they graduated to bolster the counter-insurgency.

Summer did not… feel great about that, but at the time, she trusted Ozpin’s suspicion that Salem had stirred up the rebellion to advance some nefarious end.

After that war ended, they went back to Vale. Summer still didn’t feel at home there, but thinking of going back to Vacuo just made her feel bad, for reasons she couldn’t yet articulate. Finding community with other fauni in Vale didn’t appeal, not after the way she’d been treated by the handful of other fauni at Beacon; and human attitudes sure hadn’t gotten any better in reaction to the rebellion on the other side of the world. So she stuck with her team, who’d become her family, and the rest of Ozpin’s most trusted colleagues, and the Vale Huntsman Guild, where her silver eyes had enough heft for her peers—even the ones who never failed to find a polite reason not to like any other faunus—to pretend they didn’t see the eyeshine.

None of it felt great, but what can you do?

In the present,

Summer’s a lot more comfortable in her skin than she was in her early twenties, working for Ozpin, and that includes her eyes. It took her a long time and a lot of work to get herself to a point of feeling like ‘silver eyes’ and ‘faunus eyes’ are features that can coexist without being in competition, or as if one negates the other, but she did get there. She doesn’t bother telling people she’s a faunus these days, and has zero patience for people who make a thing of it if they notice.

She’s aware of most of the particulars of Salem’s historical relationship to the faunus. The God of Animals Summer worships, at least notionally, as a mostly-secular Faunalian holds very little resemblance to Salem and no relation to her in Summer’s view. She has referred to Salem as ‘her goddess’ exactly once, as a joke, and Salem was so sarcastic about it that Summer felt obliged to promise never to do that again.

Unless otherwise discussed (and obviously, not applicable to Ann’s Ruby), I’ll default to Ruby having been born apparently human with no obvious visible trait and leave it at that—in the case of Ruby not being visibly a faunus, Tai would not tell her that she is or might be, and he’d ask Qrow to do the same.

In his mind this is a way to protect her from the discrimination she’d face if she identified herself as a faunus: after all, hey, if she doesn’t know and nobody can tell by looking at her, that’s basically the same thing as being human… right? Practically speaking?

(<- how to get defenestrated by your ex wife in one easy step!)

Otherwise, if Ruby has a visible trait, obviously that can’t be hidden from her, but Tai would be kind of… uncomfortable. Not in a bigoted way exactly—he is legitimately supportive of faunus rights and gets along fine with fauni in general, and while he might make an out of pocket jokey remark now and then, there’s not anything deeper there than him being just… the type of guy who means well but doesn’t spend a lot of time reflecting or thinking about what he says, and grew up in a pretty homogenous environment. But… because of that, he’d feel way, way out of his depth as the single parent to a faunus child. Knowing she’ll be discriminated against for what she is, and there’s all this cultural stuff Summer could have shared with her that he doesn’t really know anything about… he’d find that overwhelming even under the best circumstances, and pretty much impossible in the midst of his depression after Summer disappeared.

So he’d tend to be just… awkward about it, and a bit reluctant to acknowledge her trait unless she specifically brought it up.

(Summer and Raven did end up becoming really close after Summer beat the shit out of her, and Raven’s long since left the vile attitudes about faunuskind in the past—for whatever ‘the bandits who raided your town are equal opportunity killers and thieves!’ is worth, which isn’t much. Details pertaining to Qrow here are all flexible, obviously, since I don’t write him.)

[cherienymphe]

also i just have a quick question about Basic Training! I’m assuming they have kids (you mentioned a photograph of steve and sharon holding a baby) are the children kept in the house? how many are there? is there some expectation on the women to produce a certain number of children? i was just curious :) thank you!!

No expectations on how many kids the women have. At least not as a general rule. Each husband of course has their own goals for their own family though and yes! The house is large and each family basically has their own wing so the children are kept in the house

[barkingbonzo]

Sharon Tate photographed by Frank Bez for Valley of the Dolls, 20th Century Fox 1967

Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances, Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers, being compared favorably with the late Marilyn Monroe.

She made her film debut in 1961 as an extra in Barabbas with Anthony Quinn. She next appeared in the British mystery horror film Eye of the Devil (1966). Her first major role was as Jennifer North in the 1967 American drama film Valley of the Dolls, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. The role would help her to become a rising sex symbol of Hollywood, appearing in a Playboy photoshoot where she would be shot by filmmaker Roman Polanski, Tate's future husband. That year, she also performed in the comedy horror film The Fearless Vampire Killers, directed by Roman Polanski. Tate's last completed film, 12+1, was released posthumously in 1969.

On August 9, 1969, Tate and four others were murdered by members of the Manson Family, a cult, in the home she shared with Polanski, while he was away. She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant

[azareeart]

In Full Bloom: A Zen Pinktober with Azaree was a multisensory art experience to celebrate nature and women’s wellness. Pinktober events are typically centered around fighting breast cancer, but we decided to host an evening highlighting the healing effects of being in nature, stimulating nature photography and the nurturing essence of sisterhood and female friendships, a cherished part of our culture that we very much like to hold dear. After all, we’re lovers not fighters.

As an immersive art experience, Theia Coffee house couldn’t have been a more perfect venue. Nestled in a corner of airport residential area surrounded by lush grape vines, it felt like we had been transported to a healing garden, the source of wellness itself. Framed within the exhibit were captivating photographs showcasing the beauty of yellow, vibrant tickseed flowers, flaming red hibiscus, striking fuchsia dahlias, a cool orange rose, a bright yellow sunflower, and the bold Egyptian star cluster. Arranged within metallic grids adorned with interlaced green vines and fresh yellow roses, the display itself was a masterpiece, setting a perfect backdrop for capturing fabulous photos throughout the entire evening.

The event began with a nostalgic coloring session using crayons and color pencils. We collaborated with our very talented artist, Aba Wallace, and created a vision board inspired art work. It included a variety of goals any modern woman dreams of achieving: physical and emotional wellness, financial success, healthy family bonds, and the virtues of spiritual and mental wellbeing. The ladies dived into coloring these dreams, forging new friendships while subtly imprinting these aspirations. Who knew coloring could be a gateway to both new bonds and goal-reaching power? Well psychology did, and we listened!

Following the coloring, we delved right into a thrilling mix and sip session. Here, the ladies learned the art of crafting their own cocktails; armed with fresh homemade honey, mint, sliced kiwi, zesty lemon, and a medley of juices like watermelon, pineapple, and orange. They created their own delicious, all-natural mocktails! This session was so immersive and the girls loved every bit of being mixologists for the night. Proud of their masterpieces, we were totally delighted to have been a part of such a unique and creative experience.

Finally, we had a cozy and incredibly insightful conversation with some of the ladies, focusing on diverse holistic methods to enhance our health and overall well-being. Kicking off the panel was Ivy Enyonam, an avid plant lover. Our chat centered on the surprising similarities between our lives and plants, highlighting how tending to them can mirror our self-care practices. Indoor plants go beyond mere decoration! They purify our air, enhance our breathing and sleep quality, and even bring a soothing touch to our mental and emotional balance. Our simple advice? Start with a small potted plant and witness the positive impact it can have on your life – it's a gentle step towards a healthier lifestyle!

We had Sharon, a dietitian, and Maame Yaa, a medical doctor and aesthetician, join our panel to dive into discussions about healthy diets and proper skincare. They emphasized the importance of hydration and shared some very practical tips. They suggested drinking around half a liter of water every two hours to maintain good hydration, totaling around 3 liters daily. Sharon also shared a nifty trick to check hydration levels: pinch the skin on your arm, if it bounces back, you're good to go! But if you're regularly sipping your water and minding your business, then I don’t think you have anything to worry about!

We also had an in depth conversation about healthy eating and to summarize, a simple way to envision a healthy plate, would be to think of dividing it into four equal parts: one for grains, another for vegetables, one for protein, and the last for fruits. In terms of skincare, we learned to prioritize good hygiene, avoid harsh oils and skin-lightening products, and always conduct thorough research before trying new products. Understanding the impact of genetics on our skin also helped us ease up on unrealistic expectations and potential damage. Oh, and never forget: sunscreen is your friend!

Finally, we had Ama, our fit and flexible yoga instructor, who enlightened us about the phenomenal mental and physical benefits of regular body movement and stretching. Our bodies thrive when they're in motion, and even simple stretches during our workday can make a remarkable difference in our overall health.

It was an incredible Pinktober event, radiating vibrant feminine energy through the sea of pink hues and flowing silks. Throughout the night, we absorbed a wealth of knowledge, shared laughter, and felt rejuvenated. The focus on holistic living, guided by discussions with the experts left us eager to embrace healthier, cancer-free lifestyles while nurturing our connections and friendships. It was a delight to witness everyone enthusiastically embracing the journey toward wellness and forming stronger, more supportive bonds with one another in this empowering all-women event.

[nebris]

Sharon Tate (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements, small television roles and as an extra in films, before appearing in her first major role as Jennifer North in the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. That year, she also performed in the film The Fearless Vampire Killers, directed by her future husband Roman Polanski. On August 9, 1969, Tate and four others were murdered by cult members of the Manson Family in the home she shared with Polanski. She was eight and a half months pregnant at the time of her death. Her last completed film, 12+1, was released posthumously in 1969. This publicity photograph of Tate was released by 20th Century Fox for Valley of the Dolls.

Photograph credit: 20th Century Fox; restored by Adam Cuerden