#she gave it to her saying it was for her eventual funeral i guess

[frottica]

yeah ok the script implies that galinda actually likes the hat her granny made her, but i wanna know why granny thought black was her colour

[arcadekitten]

Hello, arcadekitten! I've recently been grabbed and dunked headfirst into your games and am currently hyperfixating on them(First hyperfixation that hasn't been my ocs in years lol!) and am currently on the grind of trying to figure out Reginald's weird plot! I've only got about a page of notes so far in my doc, more questions than answers but I thought it would be neat to share, so here are some things I've noticed! **Spoilers for My Wishmaker and Cemetary Mary for anyone reading lol** Reginald strangely isn't affected by bad injuries too much? Seen in My Wishmaker as he has his whole arm chopped off and can walk seemingly ok without a tourniquet or anything to stop the bleeding? Ik having your arm chopped off doesn't affect walking around but my goodness he's awfully chill in this situation. In Cemetary Mary in Twylas good ending when he is shot in the leg and eventually stands back up on both of his legs to walk over to Mary(But I guess this could be explained by him having adrenaline from the whole ordeal, or if you're my friend ''it's because he's crazy and has uber demon warlock time god powers'') Also at the end of the prologue, he is shot twice and(seemingly maybe) gets back up again after the purple text(Eye fellow most likely) I don't have an explanation for this, as I could very well be overanalyzing it and it could be cartoon/game logic or the characters having different anatomy but I think maybe it has something to do with our purple eye fellow, whether it just some strange effect/gift they have/gave or if Reginald is born with some crazy pain tolerance lol, or if he maybe he asked for it(After rereading this I am definitely over analyzing but we'll leave my crazy rant up LMAO) Reginald says the eye has an affinity for objects like the clock, which makes me believe that our purple-eye fellow was definitely in Cemetery Mary the same way he is in My Wishmaker. The scenes that come to mind immediately are Reginald's vanity(I think that's what it's called) and (less likely maybe) the coffin at the church funeral. Obviously whatever it is makes Mary feel not too great so I wonder why it's only her and (seemingly) not Reginald(Although again maybe it's that crazy pain tolerance lmao). Mary is definitely connected in some way to the eye but I don't know how yet other than maybe her just being around Reginald, he says he doesn't want her to ask about that silly stuff as she could end up in a similar position to him and it wouldn't work out for either of them. So I wonder what that means. Eye fellow says they thought Reginald was better at this(Killing people maybe? Reference to Cemetary Mary?)(The eye looked forward too when he responds with ‘’Oh yknow..’’ which like..fourth wall break?) Idk just smth I thought was neat There is so much more stuff I can talk about and I will probably go back and scream because I've put more points together or I forgot to mention smth but this is all I'll put since I've already written a lot and I don't want this to be too long aa so ill end my midnight ramble here But anyway I really enjoy your games and I can't wait to see more from you in the future!! (Tho one last question does the eye have pronouns I feel as if I'm misgendering the purple eyeball lmao)

So many observations and notes, I am so fllattered! I miss I could say more but I don't want to spoil anything! You'll just have to wait and see for more answers! ♡

As for the eyeball character, they go by any pronouns but will most consistently be referred to as "they" and "it" !

[some-1writes]

something’s missing?

The umbrella academy x f,platonic reader

warnings : female reader, TUA!sibling, swearing

i don’t know if this should be a series, i may decide after seeing if this one does good, it’s based after the first episode of the first season, if i messed anything up constructive criticism is welcome,hope you enjoy reading it, much love 🫶

Being the eighth child that Reginald Hargreeves adopted was never easy, especially with the gift that the young lady had, her gift was cloning herself which is super cool and fun but the downside was that she never aged, so currently she’s stuck in a fourteen year olds body with the mentally of an adult.

Saying that she never got to move out of the luxurious place she calls a home because no one would sell her an apartment, they always told her ‘your to young sweetie’ ‘ you don’t have a stable income’

she never pushes it.

So here she stands in her blue cargo jeans, complemented with a lavender purple long sleeved shirt, with her black high top converse, completed with her brown leather coat that reached just above her knees, her soft brown hair was in a half up half down style to show off her pierced ears filled with golden jewelry, this day she didn’t put in her contacts so she wore her glasses to complete her ‘funeral’ look.

She looks up from the book she’s reading as she heard the door open and close, she got up to get a closer look and as she did she saw her sister, well adopted sister, Vanya. She walked up to her and said “haven’t seen you in a while musician.”

Vanya looked at her and gave her a small smile “seems like we’ve all been busy, right?”

Y/n walked to her and gave her a small hug showing how much she missed the girl. “Crazy how the old man signed out, am i right” she said while chuckling. No use of crying over someone that was a shit person.

“ya it-“ before she could continue both the lady’s saw Allison.

“you came” allison said in basically a whisper because of how low she was speaking

“ya i did, i should probably go though, i don’t think anyone wants me here” Vanga had replied in the same tone, as she said that Diego walked by and said “you don’t belong here, not after what you did” as he began his walk up the stairs.

“Your seriously doing this today?” Allison replied

Diego didn’t reply but carried on his walk upstairs “ way to dress for the occasion by the way.” Allison scolded “At least i’m wearing black” Diego responded with

“i’m sorry he’s a grumpy little bitch.” y/n said to Vanya all she got back was a ghost of a smile

y/n left the hall as Vanya and Allison continued to talk. she walked back to the library to sit down and wait for the rest of her siblings

——————

eventually the rest of the siblings joined her, but the atmosphere was tense it was as if everyone had knives in their throats and if they spoke it would cut their necks open, slowly but surely, everyone was doing their own things, Diego looking out the window, Allison drinking something.

Luther was the first to break the silence “um… i guess you we should get this started. So i figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown say a few words, just at dad’s favorite spot.” after that Y/n decides to zone out not wanting to hear the oncoming agrument.

——————

it’s been a few minutes until Y/n decided to tune back in just as everyone started walking out, she joined not knowing why but went to her room. locking the door and ignoring the music that started playing coming from across the hall in Luther’s room.

After a few seconds there was a bright flash of blue light that filled her room she looked out the window looking at the courtyard seeing the blue looking portal thing, she rushed out her room to get there before anyone else, soon they all joined her.

The heavy wind was making all the leaves on the floor lift and move around the area as everyone stood dumbfounded and the blue light

“What is it!?” Vanya exclaimed

“Don’t get to close.” Allison replied like the mother she is

“yeah, no shit, looks like some temporal anomaly, either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two” Diego reported to Allison

Y/n looked at him as if he was stupid and replied “black holes are only in space dipshit, we are not in space, never have been never will be. excluding Luther of course.” Diego gave her a look as if he’d just been insulted.

Klause came running out with a fire extinguisher and put it on to blow towards the blue thing, nothing happens so then he threw it into the hole, the fire extinguisher just disappearing “what is that going to do?” Allison said to him

“i don’t know, do you have a better idea” Klause said while rasing his hands in a defensive way, just as he said that a face appeared in the middle of the hole, a familiar face as he was pushing himself out of the floating thing, he managed to do so but fell from said height and landed on his stomach.

“Is it just me or do you all see a mini Five?” as Klause said that, the suspected lifted his head looked at everyone and exclaimed “Shit.”

——————

we’re all inside now looking at Five with looks of curiosity. wondering where he’s been all this time, Five walks around getting stuff for his famous peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

“what’s the date? the exact date.” Five said while sighing

“the 24th” Vanya replied

“of what?” Five said slightly annoyed

“March”

“Good.” Five said

“So are we gonna talk about what just happened?” Luther said

Five remanded quiet after what was said, Y/n didn’t think this was going anywhere so she walked out to the library and looked at Fives portrait.

a little while later five walked in and stood next to her, giving Y/n a small shove and said “Now tell me why the hell your still so young?” Y/n giggled as he said that “my gift, apparently it has a downside.” Y/n replied, she looked up a little as she was a bit shorter than the boy standing next to her. “i’ve been this age for 16 years, just after you left. Been a bitch to buy my own apartment, or getting a job, but i won’t get wrinkles anytime soon” she laugh out, Five letting out a small chuckle with her. “why do you look so young?”

“i’m actually 58 but coming back i got stuck in my 13 year old selves body, kinda a shit deal, don’t you think?” Five responded to the question, while looking at Y/n he noticed how little she’s changed, sure she was a bit taller but other than that she still had her long brown hair and the same sense of style with her gold jewelry and her outfits have barely changed too.

Y/n looked at him and pulled him into a hug which he reciprocated and she whispered in his ear “ i’m glad your back Five, missed annoying you.” Five pulled back and gave her a smile “Glad to be back”

Y/n then walked around him to go back to her bedroom as Five watching her retreating figure, he wonders how much he’s missed out on by being away.

Five shortly leaves the library after Y/n 

[wonderboygenius]

quick blurbs of some of the 10 plus jax teller x ofc fics i have saved; tell me which i should go with to fully flesh out.

Untitled (Jax Teller/OFC; Main female character is Latina, Her oldest brother is Latino, and her other brother is Black)

Our FMC, along with her two older brothers, move into Charming and open a few businesses. What the club doesn't know, is that these three newcomers are Zobelle's children...only they're his soliders. Zobelle had mixed children for their genetics and trained them each in the typical underground jacket of violence.

He uses them as a last resort to take over a place. Zobelle installs his children before moving into town. First few chapters cover moments in Season One involving the new three characters before getting into the arc of Season 2. AU. Deals with the complicated race issue in Charming, and the MC. Juice's secret may come out more earlier. This is the Zobelle plotline extended. Psychological, racial, familial bonds are all questioned and explored.

---

2. 2 Fast 2 Untitled (Jax Teller/OFC; Latina)

Our FMC (Sunny) is Luann and Big Otto's adopted child who grew up with our normal players. When Donna is murdered, Sunny comes back into Charming after two years away to help with her godchildren. Tara only remembers Sunny as the little quiet girl, not the confident women who seemed to have a history with Jax, much to Gemma's pleasure. AU. Complex love.

Blurb: Tara waited for Jax to stand behind her as all of the club members who were family did to their Old Ladies. But her face dropped as he walked past her. She was even further shocked when she saw him stop to stand next to Sunny, both facing opposing directions, Sunny facing the funeral, and Jax facing away from everyone. Her stomach churned as she saw Jax place his hand on Sunny’s deeply curved hip. She watched the rest of the scene play out like a bad television show. 

Jax leaned down and kissed Sunny’s temple, walking away without looking back. 

Sunny looked at Opie, an apologetic look on her face.

Opie nodded in the direction Jax walked. 

Gemma squeezed Sunny’s hand that she held. 

Sunny leaned down and kissed Gemma’s head. She turned and walked towards Jax. 

Jax, without looking behind him, held his hand out, knowing she would take it. 

Sunny, like she always did, caught up to Jax, her hand resting in his. 

Tara was fucking confused. She knew she had missed so much, she knew that everyone was keeping so many things from her. But she had no idea what the fuck just happened. She leaned over to look at Gemma, knowing she would have something to say. 

Instead, Gemma just gave her a quick nod and sly smirk.  Tara didn’t like the feeling she got.

----

3. Guess what? Untitled as well. (Jax/OFC, Angel/OFC, Juice/OFC; Our three MFCs are Latina with an Indigenous background, Mexican with an Indigenous background, and Black with a down South, Texan background.) AU. This eventually will see the truce with SOA and the Mayans through the women.

Through the Grim Bastards, SAMCRO hires three women to jump Cherry and Ima; through the three women, the club is now connected to even deeper gun and drug ties causing the rift between Jax and Clay to only worsen. As some of our MCs partner up with members of SAMCRO, Gemma is pissed as she can't manipulate these three. Mixing representation, with culture and spirituality as both SOA and Mayans MC, this is meant to be more dramatic like the show(s).

----

4. Untitled Fore! (golf ref haha) (Jax/OFC, Thomas!LivesAU, Tommy/Tara)

An AU where Thomas never died. A little girl became a Cinderella story in Charming. But SOA ain't a fairytale baby. After Jax and Tara break up, Thomas and Tara go to school together, eventually falling in love. Jax and OFC are on and off. A different take of the big events of Season 1; Donna dying, creepy Kohn, sneaky Stahl, and the divide between Jax and Clay. With Tommy and Tara both facing off against Clay and Gemma, it's a race between them both to rope Jax and OFC to either side before the club gets deeper into violence.

----

5. Cinco de Untitled (Jax/OFC; OFC is Juice's sister. This is SOA from day one with my take of Juice's sister involved. David!Lives, Tara/David Hale) AU. Smutty.

Blurb:

Jo blinked. Before she knew it, she had her hand wrapped around Wendy’s throat. 

Wendy clawed at Jo’s hand, surprised at her actions. Jo never was known to her to ever throw a punch. Her windpipe was narrowing with heavy pressure and speed. She gasped for air that couldn’t be reached. 

-

David nodded. “I told you, it’s a long story. Let me get there,” he bumped Tara’s shoulder with his own. 

Tara laughed, moving with the small push. She bumped his shoulder back playfully. She giggled as she saw a small blush come across David’s face. She felt a lick in her stomach; it had been a while since she made a man do that, and it made her feel good. “Sorry, sorry, go on,” she broke the moment between them.

----

6. Still not great at naming things (Jax/OFC) OFC is a newcomer into Charming with her young daughter. AU of SOA from the beginning.

Blurb:

Soleil turned to a shaking Jax. “Jax…”

“Sol, I gotta go. Hairy Dog? They’re–” Jax stopped quickly, shaking his head. Soleil may have suspicions, but she didn’t know exactly what the Sons did. Or that she was even around the mother charter. “I gotta take care of this…I can’t be, I can’t–” his nostrils flared. He shook his head.  Soleil blinked, looking into his eyes. She nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay,” she licked her lips. “Go do what you need to do. Gemma and I will hold off DFCS until you take care of it, but that means,” she reached up and grabbed his chin sharply, making him look at her. “That means you come back. Because you heard what the doctor said. He’s stable. As long as he stays that way, he has a chance. When you come back, I’ll tell you how Selena almost didn’t have a chance when she was born either,” she breathed, watching Jax’s electric blue eyes widen in shock. “And she’s here. You held her. Just like you’re going to hold Abel. Okay?” She squeezed his chin. “You fucking come back,” she hissed at him, tears in her eyes.

----

7. 7th Untitled Hell (Opie/OFC eventual Jax/OFC)

FC dates Opie after Donna dies. Jax is attracted to her, but keeps his distance as she is Tara's one and only friend. When Opie dies, our FC and Jax both spiral down into each other's arms. Sisterhood of the traveling angst baybay.

----

8. What's four plus four? Still untitled. (Jax/OFC) Romance/Humor

Jacob Hale's very very young new wife visits Tristan in the hospital after the events in Funtown, bumping into Gemma and Jax, further complicating the already tense political and guardian relationship between the town and SAMCRO.

----

9. Lucy in the Sky (in Charming) (Jax/OFC, Happy's baby sister AU)

Happy's baby sister, who is the opposite of him, comes down to Charming for a quick trial run. Can she be the woman to settle Jax down and be the Old Lady he needs to change the club the way he wants now with Happy in his pocket? (I can probably do this as a one shot or a two parter!) Part One & Part Two

---

10. Untitled (Jax/OFC, Juice's baby sister AU.)

Juice's sister Julissa moves to Charming after tragic events; only a few months behind Wendy in pregnancy. As Julissa steps up to be Abel's mother as Jax also is the father that stepped up to Julissa's daughter, the club and Tara think they're involved, when in fact they are not. Butttt obviously that doesn't stay the same for too long. Meanwhile the normal bullshit is happening with the club.

---

11. Untitled (Jax/OFC)

The little girl that Gemma had sent away long ago comes back with a tragic story. Feeling guilty, Gemma takes her under her wing. Unbeknownst to Gemma, that once little girl knew exactly the Queen's role in her forceful exit and has a plan to take the Queen down. While its Jax vs Clay, Gemma will have her own battle to deal with FC.

----

12. Untitled (Jax/OFC)

Miguel Galindo's baby sister runs for Mayor of Charming. While appealing to keep Charming, Charming, the town is weary over her cartel connections. (I can probably make this a one shot actually!)

---

Let me know which one you guys want me to do first! I eventually want to do some of the ones on this list, but let me know which I should do first!

[itmeansiris]

The Solar System Legacy Challenge: Shopping Spree Gen 1 pt.80

When the group of women and Dite left to go shopping Kiersten and M joked the whole trip about going to the Brindelton Bridal shop to find bridesmaid dresses and fit Winter for a wedding dress. Winter protested the whole way. She'd even threatened to seal their feet to the ground with magic if they so much as set foot in the store.

Instead, they headed for the Halloween store to find costumes for the Spooky Day party. Inside, Winter and M immediately started trying on outfit's. Kiersten walked around with Dite looking but not trying anything on as M and Winter posed in front of the shop's many mirrors.

Winter: Check it out. I'm an angel.

M laughed wrapping her arms around Winter's shoulder.

M: You might be growing an angel but you sure as hell aren't one. Nice touch with the white wings, when did you learn to do that?

Winter: A trick I learned while training Adrianne on wing control.

Dite raced over hardly able to contain her excitement.

Aphrodite: Mom I think Kiersten found the perfect costumes for you guys. Hurry, Come see!

M and Winter changed out of their ridiculous costumes and headed over to the mannequins where Kiersten and Aphrodite were waiting. When they got closer M realized what they were looking at and Winter gasped.

Winter: I knew we were going to be good friends.

M: Wait. There are only 5. What about you and Rufus?

Kiersten looked at her a little sheepishly.

Kiersten: Rufus and I already have our costumes. Sorry M, we've been planning them since we got our invite in the mail.

M: It's okay. Me, Kason, Winter, Peyton. We need someone to wear the last one.

Winter: I have someone in mind.

With the costume debacle settled, they yanked the costumes from the rack and quickly checked out. Having fulfilled their immediate shopping needs Kiersten headed home. She'd gotten a text from Rufus and the boys but promised to come over to M's tomorrow to hang out again. Her and Winter shared a hug before she took off.

The rest of the group wandered the mall for a while. Winter eventually veered off, stopping in a maternity store while M and Aphrodite took a couple of graceless laps around the indoor ice-skating rank.

M eventually bowed out having spotted Winter at one of the café tables. Not wanting to risk further injury, on shaky legs, she half walked, half skated towards the exit hugging the rails closely. Aphrodite, ever the perfectionist, was determined to master the ice so she stayed a little longer.

M: Sweetie, I'll be over at the table with Auntie Winter. When you're ready we can head to the equine store.

Mercury joined Winter at the small table, the café was void of other patrons, likely due to the light snowfall that had begun outside. Winter was fiddling with a small grey box that had a clear screen and something floating inside.

M: What is that thing?

Winter: Stupid physic box they gave me with my purchase at the maturity store. Seems like a pretty useless thing to give to an expecting mother.

M: Or a spellcaster for that matter.

Winter tucked the toy away in one of her shopping bags and turned her attention back to M. The café started to fill up around them and a waiter approached.

Waiter: Hello ladies. Can I get you anything?

They politely declined. The waiter smiled and moved on to the next table greeting them with the same warm tone and bright smile to match her floral attire.

M: So are you gonna tell me when you found out you were having baby number four was it?

Winter groaned resting her head in her hand, yet she was smiling.

Winter: When you say it like that it sounds sorta crazy. We knew since your dads funeral. I was kind of suspicious, my magic was starting to stir without good reason.

M: How did Peyton take the news? I never imagined him a father of four though I guess I never imagined you with four kids either

Winter: He took it as well as the other three times honestly. He hardly blinked an eye. He just smiled and went on like it was a normal day.

M: He's grown up so much in the last 10 years. It's amazing to see who he's become.

Winter: Look at you all smiley and happy. You would never believe there was a demon terrorizing your life.

Mercury's smile didn't fade. She sat forward, arms resting on the table, and stared at them with a hint of sadness.

M: I'm just happy to see you is all. It's been far too long, I need to make it my business to come and see you more. Now that Zoh's a toddler he can handle the ride to San Myshuno.

Winter: Newcrest.

She corrected. M shook her head and huffed.

M: Right, Newcrest. It's so strange, you guys not living in the city.

Winter: It was weird at first but the kids love it and it's a better space for them to practice their magic freely without someone getting hurt or something getting broken.

M saw Aphrodite approaching, so she stood.

M: Well San Myshuno or Newcrest I'm coming to see you.

Winter stood and hugged her friend.

Winter: Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm not saying don't come but cut yourself some slack. You've been where I'm headed and traveling with 4 small kids would have been a disaster. It made since for us to travel to you. I love you Mercury.

M: Come on. I promised Dite we would go to High Horse Fashion.

Winter: Violionist and a horse wrangler. I wonder where she got that from? Spirit maybe?

M chucked and shrugged her shoulders as they headed for the door.

M: I have no clue.

Aphrodite pushed the large barn-like doors open and darted inside ahead of her mother and aunt. She ran over to the far wall staring at all the equipment lining the shelves.

M: Dite don't run in the store, please.

Winter: I'll look over here.

M stood behind her daughter when she broached an interesting question

Aphrodite: Hey mom do you think I can start getting an allowance?

M: I don't see why not. Any particular reason you're asking now?

Aphrodite pointed up at a coat hanging high on the wall.

Aphrodite: I want to buy that coat.

M smiled ever surprised by how Dite displayed her growing maturity.

M: Absolutely kiddo. Now I think we should find your riding clothes.

Instead of heading home after they finished their shopping spree, Winter suggested they hit the bowling lanes not ready to end the day. When they arrived Dite went upstairs to the kid's arcade where she would likely play Don't Wake the Llama as opposed to an actual arcade game. Winter and M checked in at the desk retrieving the overly used standard red and blue blowing shoes but never put them on. They sat by their assigned lane never bowling a single round, They sat talked losing track of time until Aphrodite complained she was ready to go home.

Winter spent the night with M. Kason always the gentlemen, offered up his place in bed and agreed to sleep downstairs on the sofa for the night. Winter tucked in that night thrilled at the time they spent with her closest friend but slightly relieved that she would be reunited with her husband and children in a few hours.

Previous Next

Beginning

Builds

Gallery ID: Abaybay514 High Horse Fashion is a retail 30x20 lot

Gallery ID: Mandykay77 Halloween Costume Shop is a retail 40x30 lot

Gallery ID: keongemini1 Brindelton Bay Mall is a retail 64x64 lot

Poses

@ratboysims sitting emotions & Parent and kid poses

@simcredibledesigns shopping bags

@plazasims Halloween set

Mods

@littlemssam Allowance Mod

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for breaking up with my boyfriend shortly after his mom died?

This was over 10 years ago, but it still weighs on me often. I feel like a terrible person for it.

Me (15-19F) and my boyfriend (15-19M) who we'll call Dave had been dating for a little over four years. He was my first and to this day only boyfriend, and he was great. The only thing was that he regularly ignored my boundaries and would touch me or make me do things I wasn't comfortable with. If I didn't immediately agree or pushed his hands away, he would keep trying or guilt trip me until I gave in. It was never anything too bad, mostly just intimate touching and kissing, but it was enough that it made me extremely nervous to be around him. He also thought my shyness and anxiety were cute and would often joke that he would embarrass me in public by making out with me in front of my parents or that he was going to propose to me. Again, nothing bad, but he did a lot of things that made me deeply anxious just to get a "cute" reaction out of me, and it caused me a lot of stress to the point that sometimes I would get a sick stomach before going on dates. I ignored it though, because I loved him and I knew he loved me.

Then there was Dave's sister and friends at school. One of the girls, we'll call her Mary, was in love with Dave. But since he was dating me, she hated me, despite that she never met me because I had left for another highschool. This also meant that her friends and Dave's sister hated me. They stole my number from his phone and constantly sent me texts calling me terrible things and trying to threaten me into breaking up with Dave. I tried to reason with them and apologize if I had done anything to make them so angry but that only made it worse. Eventually I told Dave and his reaction seemed to imply he already knew, but he said he would do something about it. It stopped for a little while but went on for about a year before I guess they got tired of harassing me. Dave never said anything beyond "I'll do something" and I always wondered why he never comforted me or never said anything else. We were around seventeen at the time, maybe we were just stupid teenagers who were bad at communicating. But the year of stress around his sister and friends didn't help my anxiety around dating him.

During these four years, dates or phonecalls with Dave, which I had to tiptoe around because my dad didn't like him and didn't want me to date at all, became so stressful that I now realize it triggered anxiety attacks. I realized during the last year that I wanted to break up with him, but it was around that time that his mom, who had been diagnosed with cancer for several years, worsened. I felt I couldn't break up with him then because he had too much on his plate and I needed to support him. So I did, and when he called me to tell me she had died, I talked with him on the phone for hours, and I went to her funeral.

I don't remember how much time passed after that before I decided I had to break up with him. That time is a blur. It was several months, at least, I think, and a decision I finally made because I couldn't take the stress anymore. We were mostly long distance at that point, just starting college, and I'm ashamed to say that I broke up with him over email saying that long distance was too hard and that we didn't have as much in common anymore. I apologized and told him I would still like to be friends. He was sad about it but seemed okay, except between normal chats, he would ask me over and over again why we couldn't get back together and what he did wrong. In hindsight, I should have told him. But I was stupid, scared, and not as good as communication as I am now, so I doubled down on my reasoning, which wasn't a lie, but it was only a half truth. This went on and off for about a year until a friend at school told me I should block his number. I did. I feel bad about that too.

I don't regret breaking up with him, but sometimes I think about this and I feel like a complete monster for it anyway. I should have told him "no" more firmly when he would cross boundaries, and been more up front with how he made me feel. Maybe he just didn't know?

If I'm the asshole here, please be nice, but be honest. This guilt eats me alive some nights and I wonder if I should call him to tell him the truth and that I'm so sorry. I haven't dated anyone since because I'm scared I'll hurt them, too.

What are these acronyms?

[spiralling-thoughts]

hello!! first of all just wanted to say that i cert much enjoy all of your district 1 thoughts!! do you have any other velvereen thoughts to share? she’s still a mystery to me

also- i always refer to you as spiral but i noticed you have been using the tag #roka ramble and spiraling

is roka your actual name?? would you prefer to me switch to calling you that instead?? (or something else entirely?)

ps- loved your district 8 fashion post! any thoughts on d1 fashion??

okay i think i have asked way too much in one ask so sorry and ily <3

No need to apologise I enjoy getting asks and try my best answering them 😊

You can refer to me whatever you like I don't mind and have multiple nicknames irl, rokaya is my real name and roka is a nickname my parents and siblings refer to me as a short cut

I think fashion in D1 changed over the years I headcanon that by the events of tbosas they had 70s.80s insperd fashion by Katniss time they had a quite luxury outfits there is also alot of elements of businesses wear while they are the wealthiest distric they still would prioritize comfort and practicality and there is work uniform for every business

As for the Velvereen thoughts I have plenty

Like I said before I I headcanon her being a triplet she is the youngest out of her sisters by 10 minutes satina is the eldest twin and mullberry is the middle twin

Due to the fact that Velvereen faced alot of envy and people often tried to take advantage of her and her family because of their wealth she often has a hard time trusting people and always second guess their intentions she also has constant fear that people are judging her and constantly side eye whoever she suspects is judging her

(Sorry got to add my silly shipping headcanons)

That's one of the reasons why she befriended and eventually feel in love with facet I headcanon that facet is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn't ask for anything and is also a bad liar he Also doesn't judge anyone for being emotional , she found comfort in the fact that she can always get the truth out from facet and that he would never use her and he didn't care that she is from a wealthy family

Her favourite sweet is chocolate cake with strawberry cream and facet got her one on their first date

I headcanon that district 1 has a program to help poorer citizens of the district and Velvereen is a volunteer in this program she helps making food for the poor citizens and bake for orphans

Was closed off from friendship for 2 years when she learned that her friends only befriended her for her money when she was a kid

Is suprisingly a good Baker she Also plays tennis she is a average student her personality is more athletic than academic

People assume she is a tomboy but really she just keeps her dresses for special occasions she Also DESPISES eyeshadow satina can beg her to put some all she wants she won't add eyeshadow

She fidgets with anything around her neck wither it's her collar her zipper and even though she is not a accessories person she always has a necklace on because it's her go to for fidgeting

She absolutely hated Palmyra first it was her being late to bring food then it was her getting angry at Velvereen for sharing with facet and telling her to abounded him then throwing the biggest fit when she saw facet comforting Velvereen and making it clear she is acting that way because she hates livia and so Velvereen should hate facet wich started a shouting match another one happened when Palmyra suggested that Velvereen act more "Capitol like " and that the Capitol viewers could relate to her if they saw her like them wich Velvereen wasn't having it how could they relate to her when they don't view her as a human being and gawk at her like an animal and have delightfully watched as d1 children were murdered she called Palmyra crazy and delusional right to her face

She gave Leo's friends a hug at his funeral and the next day bought them food and toys and new clothes and they shared their memories about Leo

Her nickname is venny and she rides a bike

She was weary of panlo and terrified of lamina because it was the boy from D9 who killed jade and the girl from 7 that killed Leo despite remembering how terrified both kids were when they killed them and facet reminding her that none of the tributes are their enemies

She has a bit of temper and might unintentionally lash out and scream if someone got on her nerves

When the hunger was taking over Velvereen started biting her hand and at some point facet had to pull her hand away because she was close to breaking skin

Kinda assumed that she could fight if she grabbed a weapon and wacked people over the head with it like a tennis ball and facet was looking at her like:😑😑😑😑that won't work, and she replied with: I KNOW BUT WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

Also ofcourse she and facet cuddled every night at the zoo she was going back and forth between being like: I have to kill to survive to stupid teenage girl in love who is happy her boyfriend finds her beautiful even at her dishevelled and dirty state (sorry)

I was once doodling her and accidentally made her very tall so headcanon that she is rather tall don't ask about her hight I am bad at measuring it

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Did I spend hours going through books to collect different Jayfeather-Leafpool moments to point out how much worse the vigil scene is? Yes, yes I did.

FUUUUUUUUCK Jayfeather.

Bitch literally said "I loved her until I found out she was a liar and abandoned us. BUT WAIT YOU DIDN'T LET ME FINISH. I was also going to say that I forgave her eventually. Also I never could have loved her after the betrayal she committed. But she was a good Clanmate I guess." at her funeral.

He said she "abandoned" them, without mentioning at all that she made sure they would be raised by loving parents that she loved and trusted and only gave them up so that they could be fully accepted by the Clan, nor that she was an active figure in their lives, even if they didn't know her exact relation to them.

Not to mention he straight up lied?? "Hollyleaf died defending her lie" no the fuck she didn't?? Where are you even pulling that bullshit from????

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hold Fast (Read on Ao3 here)

I wandered around for a while, trying to make any sense of the conversation I had just had. But the more I thought about what Hestia had said, the more confused I felt. And the more angry I got. I had spent the last few weeks coming up with every possible way to take Percy’s place, made peace with the fact that dying was worth it if it meant I was saving him. But now I wasn’t sure. 

In a way, hearing from Hestia affected me more than hearing from my father would have. I knew Poseidon had been watching over me my whole life, but it was Hestia who was protecting me day in and day out. It was Hestia who took up residence in the fireplace of our home and kept vigilant watch on me. Out of all the gods, she knew me the best. And hearing her say words I knew were true but I didn’t want to hear put me in a sour mood. 

I eventually found myself on the archery range. It was empty, which was extremely odd. I had never seen it so quiet—Apollo had a lot of kids, and they were all talented archers. You could always count on someone practicing their gifts while the sun was still shining. 

But not today. I guessed that a lot of the campers wanted to go back to their cabins or do something to take their mind off the funeral. I didn’t blame them. 

I pulled out the throwing knives I always kept on my belt—four beautiful bronze blades with golden hilts that glinted in the light. 

They had shown up on my doorstep last November with my name on the package, and Percy had been extremely jealous. I reminded him that he didn’t use throwing knives, but that didn’t seem to change his mind. The only thing accompanying the gift was a small piece of pristine white paper, no bigger than a business card, with a beautiful, golden and shimmering symbol of the sun on it, almost like the one in Tangled. I looked down the empty hallway, shrugged, and picked up the package. I waited a few days before opening them, just to make sure it wasn't some sort of trap, and found that they were perfectly balanced and fit in my hand exactly. I still hadn’t found out who sent them, but I had an inkling of an idea. 

I still wasn’t fantastic at throwing knives—Percy and I were notoriously bad at ranged weapons—but I had gotten a lot better in the last year. I usually hit the target, and one out of every fifty or so times I would hit the bullseye. I considered that an impressive improvement. 

Cady had insisted I train in the weapon in case my sword ever got knocked out of my hand, she said a demigod should never be caught defenseless. I didn’t need to worry about losing my weapon anymore, thanks to the gift from my dad, and even without a sword I had learned to wield my abilities enough to always be able to defend myself, but what started practical soon turned comforting. I usually gave up on anything that I wasn’t immediately good at, but I had decided to stick with this one, and it was nice to see my hard work was starting to pay off. It felt good to have something to work at, something I had to struggle in. Something I could see improvement in—it gave me a sense of control over my life. Which, as a demigod, didn’t come often.

I had just loosed my first knife when a rustling in the grass behind me made me whip around. 

“Juniper!” I called when I saw the elfish face. “You’re lucky I didn't have that knife in my hand anymore.” 

“I know!” she squeaked. “I’m sorry, Angie.” She stood up from where she was crouched in the grass. “I shouldn’t have been sneaking, but I need to talk to you.” 

I gave her a curious look. Now that she was closer, I could see her eyes were tinged green—chlorophyll from crying, I told myself. 

“Is this about Grover?” I tried to keep my voice gentle, but she let out a small sob at the mention of her boyfriend’s name. 

“The naiads told me that you were going through Chiron’s reports this morning and there was a report from a protector in Canada and he mentioned Grover in it.” Her words came rushing out, getting closer to hyperventilating by the second. 

No secrets here, I thought. Those naiads are the worst gossips. 

“I did see a report, yes. It was talking about how—” 

“Can you come with me, Angie?! I can’t be away from my tree for too long.” Even though she asked me a question, she didn’t wait for an answer. She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards the woods, and I gave up any hope I had of retrieving the golden knife stuck in the target. 

She didn’t stop running until we had come to a small clearing near her tree. I could see Zeus’ Fist standing tall in the middle of it and the sight sent a shiver up my spine. It had been a full year since the Battle, a full year of tension and loss and war. The clearing was a reminder of my first few weeks at camp, and a reminder of how far I had come. But it was also a reminder of my failures. 

“Now, what were you going to say about Grover?!” Juniper looked so hopeful, I didn’t know how to break the news to her. 

“Well, the letter didn’t exactly say anything about him.” 

“What?” 

“It was from a protector, Gleeson Hedge, I think, asking for Grover’s help. It was addressed to him. I don’t know why it ended up here.” 

“But—” Juniper looked like she was about to cry again when a voice startled both of us. 

“Ah ha!” I turned to see an old, fat satyr waddling towards us with surprising speed. He had a smug look on his goatish face. “It is obvious he has run away from his duties, abandoned us all. Trust me, nymph, you are better without that traitor.” 

Juniper’s green skin took on a red hue, and I wondered what it would look like for a tree nymph to fly off the handle. I didn’t know Grover well, I had only spent a little time with him last summer, but I knew he was Percy’s best friend. I knew he was brave, and funny, and was there for my brother when no one else was. In short, I knew I wasn’t going to put up with this old goat talking about him like that. 

“That’s not true, umm, whoever you are.” I snapped at him. 

“Whoever I am?!” He sounded utterly offended. “And just who are you?” 

“This is Angie Jackson!” Juniper announced proudly. “Percy’s sister.” 

The satyr’s nose crinkled. “Of course I should’ve guessed by her impertinence.” 

If I knew what that word meant I was sure I would’ve been offended. 

“Nice to meet you…” 

“Leneus! Lord of the Wild and Member of the Council of Cloven Elders!” 

I only caught about half of what he said. 

“Oh, alright. Sounds important.” 

He let out an aggrieved huff and stuck his nose in the air. “It is important, thank you—” 

His sentence was cut off by a small boy in black jeans and an aviator's jacket appearing out of nowhere. Leneus let out a scream. 

“Whoa, am I interrupting?” The pale boy looked more tired than I had ever seen him, and the sight of him made my stomach drop. On one hand I was glad that the conversation with the angry satyr had come to an end, but on the other, I knew what him being here meant. I knew what was about to begin. 

“Hey, Nico.” 

He gave me a small smile. “Hi, Angie. Nice to see you again. Know where Percy is?” 

I had gotten used to that question in the last year. “No, sorry.” 

“Will someone explain to me what's going on?” the satyr asked in the most annoying voice possible. Juniper ran and hid behind her tree. 

“Sorry, there’s usually no one here.” Nico said in a sheepish voice. “I came to see Percy.” 

The satyr let out a huff and rolled his eyes. “I have heard far too much about that upstart today.” 

I was about to tell the old goat off when a large hellhound came bounding through the trees and barrelling into the clearing. I reached for my necklace instinctively and was about to pull on it when I saw the glimmering collar around her neck. My hand relaxed as Mrs. O’Leary ran up to Nico and began to lick his face excitedly—which is quite the sight when the dog's tongue is almost as big as the boy. The son of Hades broke into a wide smile, but Leneus and Juniper weren’t as pleased. 

I was too busy laughing at the sight to see the boy jogging behind the hellhound, but when Nico perked up and nodded to someone behind me, I spun around. My heart beat a little faster when I saw who it was. He cracked a smile when he saw me, but his expression was immediately replaced with confusion. I understood why—he was walking into a strange quartet. 

"Will someone—what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" Leneus began shouting, waving his arms and trotting on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"

"Sorry, Leneus," Percy said. I swore I could hear the faintest hint of laughter in his words. "That's your name, right?"

The satyr rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!"

Mrs. O’Leary let out another bark, shaking the ground a bit. Nico had found a tickle spot right behind her ear. 

The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"

Juniper turned toward my brother. "Percy," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus—"

"I told you!" the satyr protested. "You are better off without that traitor."

Juniper stamped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"

Percy had just opened his mouth, probably in protest, when the hellhound barked again. Leneus’ knees started knocking. "I . . . I won't answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"

Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up. "We'll walk the dog,” he volunteered, “Won’t we, Angie?" He turned towards me with an expression that told me he wasn’t asking. I pushed away the feeling of cold dread that crept up my spine whenever I was around him. 

“Umm, sure!” Percy looked uneasy as he shot me a cautious glance. I nodded at him, and he looked back to Juniper. Percy and I were getting better at communicating without words, twin stuff, I guessed, and I knew what he was trying to tell me—be on your guard. It’s not that we didn’t trust Nico…but as children of Poseidon, we had to be a little more careful around the other kids of the Big Three. Especially since Hades didn’t like Percy all that much. 

He whistled, and Mrs. O’Leary took off like a shot to the other end of the grove. Nico raced after her, and I took that as my cue to follow. 

When we finally caught up to the hellhound, she was sniffing around some boulders the way she did when she was about to, uh, relieve herself, so Nico and I gave her plenty of space.

“You’re nervous about what comes next.” Nico spoke, his voice grim. It wasn’t a question. 

“Yeah.” I couldn’t meet his eyes. 

“It’s the only way, Angie. The only way Percy has a chance against Luke.” 

I knew he was right. But that didn’t stop me from hoping. “What if there is another way? Maybe there’s something that I can do—” 

“Angie, how many times do we have to go over this?” 

I snapped my head towards him, desperation filling my eyes. “Everyone keeps telling me the same thing! But I won’t give up on him! Not until—” my voice broke and I took in a sharp breath. “Not until I can’t fight anymore.” 

Nico’s eyes softened, and he looked more sad than usual. Which was saying something. “I understand wanting to hold on to him. Trust me, I do. but you have to let go. You have to believe when people tell you this is his fight. The things that are coming…” he got a faraway look in his eye, like he was looking through me into a scary future. “We’ll need you.” He focused on me again. 

Nico was always saying strange things. Being a child of the underworld, he spent most of his time underground, talking to ghosts. And ghosts could see more than livings could, sometimes even into the future. Nico always knew more than other demigods, but he had learned quickly that most of the time, those things were for him alone. It was almost impossible to get information out of him. 

“Everyone keeps saying that, too. But it doesn’t make me feel better.” 

Nico cracked a small smile, and I noticed the way it made his dark eyes shine. When he didn’t have a permanent scowl on his face, he actually looked pretty kind. “I know. But give it time—sometimes the only way to understand something is by going through it.” 

I considered the small boy, and decided he was much too wise for a twelve year old. 

Mrs. O’Leary, finished with her business, bounded up to us and nearly knocked me over. We pet her for a little bit before Nico turned his head in a curious way before announcing, “Let’s head back.” 

I didn’t question him. 

We reached the clearing in time to hear my brother say, “I've got worse enemies than overweight satyrs." 

"Good job, Percy.” Nico said as he walked up to him and Juniper. “Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook him up pretty well."

Percy gave him a weak smile, and I could tell he knew why the son of hades had come calling. "Welcome back. Did you come by just to see Juniper?"

Nico blushed. "Um, no. That was an accident. I kind of…dropped into the middle of their conversation."

"He scared us to death!" Juniper said. "Right out of the shadows. I heard that Angie got a note about Grover when she was going through Chiron’s reports, but it didn’t say anything helpful.” She sounded so dejected, but immediately perked back up. “But, Nico, you are the son of Hades and all. Are you sure you haven't heard anything about Grover?"

Nico shifted his weight. "Juniper, like I tried to tell you…even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."

"But if you do hear anything?" she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. "Anything at all?"

Nico's cheeks got even brighter red. "Uh, you bet. I'll keep my ears open."

She nodded glumly. "I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I'm stuck here waiting. Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt—"

Mrs. O'Leary bounded back over and took an interest in Juniper's dress.

Juniper yelped. "Oh, no you don't! I know about dogs and trees. I'm gone!"

She went poof into green mist. Mrs. O'Leary looked disappointed, but she lumbered off to find another target, leaving Nico, me, and Percy alone. The atmosphere immediately shifted into something tense and dark. My brother turned to face me, putting a hand on my shoulder. 

“I think I need to talk to Nico alone for a bit. Stay here?” 

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. “Yeah, okay. Just…just don’t leave without saying goodbye.” 

His eyes got sad. “I won’t.” He ruffled my hair a bit, and this time, I let him. Nico gave me a small smile, his face still a shade of red, before the two boys turned and walked deeper into the woods. 

I sat in a small meadow that was on the edge of the clearing we had been standing in, passing the time making and unmaking small flower crowns. Katie Gardener had taught me how to make them, although mine were never as good as hers were. I knew I should be doing something more productive, like practicing my throwing knives, running sword drills, or even working on strengthening my abilities, but I couldn’t make myself do any of that. It all felt too heavy. Just as I was about to get up and walk back into camp, assuming Percy had forgotten about me, he came running back into the clearing. 

“Angie?” 

I made my way over to him quickly. “Are you leaving?” 

I could tell by the look in his eyes that the answer was yes. 

“It’s time.” He didn’t have to say more. 

I threw my arms around his neck and didn’t try to stop my tears from soaking the shoulder of his orange Tshirt. He held me close, smoothing my hair and whispering some comforting words that I wasn’t paying attention to. Before long, he pulled away. His eyes were red and wet. 

“Don’t go.” 

I knew it was selfish of me to say. I knew it wasn’t fair. I knew he didn’t want to be anyone’s martyr just as much as I didn’t want him to die. He didn’t ask for any of this—and he didn’t need any more reminders of how close to the end he was. 

“I have to, Angie.” Percy sounded exhausted. Now, just the two of us, he let his shoulders slump and there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his face. 

“You know It’s the only way to stand a chance against Luke. If he’s invincible, then I have to be, too.” He continued. “We’re no match for the Titan army. You know that. This comes down to me and Kronos.” The words sounded like they were coming from someone else, his eyes faraway and distant. I recognized them as the ones Nico had told him, almost a year ago. 

“But it’s not fair!” I sounded like a petulant child, but I didn’t care. “It’s not fair that it has to be you.” 

Percy sighed like he was disappointed I was only now figuring this out. “It’s not.” He admitted. “But the life of a demigod isn’t fair. Especially for a child of the Big Three. It’s…it’s just our fate.” 

He tried to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear, but I flinched away from him. 

“But I don’t want to lose you! I can’t lose you! I don’t know how to—” the words caught in my throat, a sob taking their place. I dissolved into tears, and before I knew it, Percy’s arms were around me. I didn’t try to fight him. 

“Can I tell you a story?” 

It was such a strange thing to say that it caught me completely off guard. 

“What?” My voice cracked. 

“A story my mom, our mom, told me when I was very small.” He began. “And one I’m sure she would’ve told you. It’s the reason why she named me Perseus in the first place.” 

“Because he was a hero?” 

Percy chuckled. “That’s what I thought at first, too. But no. Because, against all odds, he is one of the few heroes who managed to find his way to a happy ending.” I thought about that for a moment. His happy ending was living a life with the person he loved, Andromeda. I wished that could be true for Percy and me, but the thought felt too far away to reach. 

“When he was a very little boy,” Percy continued, “he and his mother were placed into a wooden chest and cast out into the sea by a very angry king. Alone. Afraid. And at night, his mother would whisper in his ear: ‘Hold fast, Perseus. Brave the storm that was made to break us, for we are unbreakable. As long as we have each other.’” 

Percy whispered as he smoothed my hair. My breathing began to steady. 

“As long as we have each other.” I echoed. “Don’t go where I can’t follow.” 

Percy chuckled, probably remembering the time I forced him to watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies this past year. I had always loved that quote, and after he heard it, it had become our mantra.

 “You’re such a nerd.” There was a smile in his voice. A comfortable silence fell over us as we held onto each other, not knowing when either of us would get to hug our sibling again. When he spoke again, his voice was low and gentle, but very sure. 

“So…hold fast, Angie. That’s what mom said to me when I first came to Camp, when I was figuring all this out. Hold fast. Brave the storm.”

“Hold fast.” I echoed, wanting the words he was saying to sink into my heart and find a permanent place there. 

 I had only known Percy for about a year, but in that time, he had become a part of my soul. The thought of losing him tore me apart. Every fiber in my being was screaming at me to hold onto him forever, to never let go. I wanted to beg him to take me with him, plead to take his place. 

But I knew it was no use. In that moment, I knew I wasn’t strong enough. But Percy was. 

And more than that, I knew Percy would never let me. This was a journey he had to take on his own, and I would just have to find some other time to save him further down the road.

I let go of him and looked into his sparkling eyes, identical to mine. 

“You can do this.” I put all the power I had into my words. “I’ve never believed in anyone more than I believe in you.” 

He managed a smile. “I’ll see you again.” 

“I know you will. We are unbreakable, as long as we have each other.” 

I swore I saw tears begin to pool in his eyes, but I didn’t say anything. He pulled me into another hug, tight and quick, before letting go and messing up my hair. And this time, just this once, I let him. 

Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness, only stopping to look back once. 

[thefallennightmare]

Broken-eleven

*credit to whoever created the gif. found on google/pinterest*

*credit to whoever created the gif. found on google/Pinterest*

Pairings: Barry Keoghan x Reader

Warnings: angst, swearing, fluff, smut, mentions of alcoholism, and death

Summary: A failed marriage wasn’t in the cards for Reader, she thought she found her happily ever after with Barry. While trying to overcome the heartbreak, a tragic event brings them back together temporarily. Will the devastating loss bring them back together or be what pushes them apart for good?

Authors Note: and we're back to the heartbreak.

I sat quietly on the couch in the familiar office, the sound of the ticking clock echoing loudly in my mind as my knee bounced impatiently. The warm body next to me placed a hand on my knee, halting the bouncing movements quickly. I muttered an apology, not daring to look into his eyes knowing that he’s already upset about being here, the last thing I needed to do was annoying him with my nerves.

Barry sighed and gave my knee a squeeze. “Why are ya so nervous?”

“The last therapy session didn’t go that well. I thought you were going to fight with Dr. Rogers,” I admitted with my sigh.

“As long as she doesn’t ask about our sex life again, I’ll be fine,” he gave a light chuckle.

Before I could say anything else, the door opened and in walked Dr. Rogers with a bright smile across her lips.

“I’m sorry for keeping you two waiting. How are we doing this morning?” She questioned while sitting in the chair across from the couch.

We saw the way she eyed Barry’s hand on my knee with curiosity and he quickly removed it, placing his arm on the back of the couch. The both of us chatted with her for a few moments before Dr. Rogers opened her folder, eye’s scanning over her notes from last session.

“So,” Dr. Rogers began, “How has the last few days between you two been?”

I shared a look with Barry knowing exactly how things have been between us. Ever since the night we slept on the couch together, we’ve become closer. No more fighting, just sweet moments between the two of us. Flirting whenever we could and Barry’s soft touches when he needed to move past me or when we were sitting on the couch together. My fingers would scratch at the back of his neck or my head would rest on his shoulders during those sessions on the couch.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like how Barry and I used to be before we were married.

“Uh, things are good,” I said while looking to Barry for agreement.

I would not tell Dr. Rogers about Barry’s wandering hand from the other night. The feeling of his fingers grazing the skin underneath my breast made my body shudder with delight.

“Yeah,” Barry nodded.

She smiled. “That’s good to hear. Barry, how much longer do you plan on staying with Y/N?”

“Two days.”

A pain stung my heart with his words. I always knew that our time together was going to end eventually but hearing that it was so soon made everything real.

“Y/N,” Dr. Rogers turned towards me. “How’s the sobriety going?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat while running my sweaty palms against my thighs. “Good, I guess. I haven’t had a drink since my parents' funeral.”

“Do you want to?”

My eyes widened taken aback by the question. “Drink?”

When Dr. Rogers nodded, I continued with a shaky breath, not wanting to disappoint Barry. “I mean the urge is strong when I’m alone but with Barry being around me, it helps.”

“What are you going to do when he leaves?” She asked.

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. “I, uh. I’m not sure.”

Barry shifted in his spot next to me and I knew he was now worrying about how I would do with everything once he left.

“Barry, you seem a bit upset with her words. Are you going to worry about her when you leave?” Dr. Rogers asked.

He nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the side of my head as I kept mine on my hands.

“I’m always going to worry about her,” he said.

“Right,” I snickered. “That’s why you wanted a divorce.”

The words fell from my lips before I had a second to register them in my brain and I cursed, the distance Barry and I had gone in our relationship taking a few steps back. All because of my unresolved issues between us.

A muscle in his jaw jumped in agitation. “Y/N.”

My name came out through Barry’s clenched teeth in warning but that didn’t halter my words.

“Would you even be here if my parents didn’t die?” I asked with my eyes burning into him.

The question had been burning at the back of my mind for a few days now. I didn’t bother giving Barry time to answer before spewing out another question. Our bodies faced each other on the large couch, Dr. Rogers watching intently.

“If I texted you that night, sober, telling you that my parents had died would you even be sitting in front of me?”

Hesitation weighed heavy on his shoulders, and Barry let out a long breath. “I don’t know. It’s hard to say.”

“So, no,” I answered for him.

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Y/N,” he pinched his eyes shut.

“We both know that’s the truth, Barry. You would still be back home in the states filming or with Alyi. I would be the last thing on your mind,” I said, voice wavering.

Quickly, I held my shoulders higher, not wanting to let him know how bad my own words were effecting me.

Silence fell between us with him only staring at me for a few more long moments before his gaze fell onto anything else in the room. I had known Barry for a long time and knew that everything I said was true. As hard as I tried to rebuild the wall that I had up before he began climbing over, there was a small crack that allowed a fresh tear to roll down my cheek. Barry went to reach for it, to wipe it away, but his anger for the conversation won the internal battle and he remained in place.

“Y/N,” Dr. Rogers' soft voice broke through the tension. “How are you doing with your parents' death?”

“Don’t say your fine,” Barry warned with a deep sigh. “Because I’m so tired of hearing those words.”

Turning towards her, I chewed on the inside of my cheek as if the mere question ripped apart my heart once again. On the outside to everyone, even Barry who lived with me, I seemed like I was coping with their death fine. I had a smile on my face, most days, and did my best to move on and push forward.

The truth?

It devastated me. I was broken, falling to pieces to the floor around me and refused to let anyone help me. I cried myself to sleep almost every night, wishing things were different. I yearned for my parents to be back in the house, sitting around the kitchen table as my father read the paper and my mom sipped her morning tea. Those memories were ingrained in my brain and the fact that it’s not real, not anymore, made a choked sob crawl its way out of my throat. I squeezed my burning eyes shut so no more tears could fall.

Blowing out a shaky breath, I turned my gaze up and forced a smile on my face. “I’m doing okay. It’s been easy.”

Barry sneered. “Is that why you haven’t opened their will yet?”

My eyes sliced into him. “Fuck you, Barry. I’ve already told you it’s none of your business if I open it.”

Dr. Rogers held up a hand towards Barry before directing her question to me. “Do you feel that if you open it, their death will finally become real for you?”

My mouth ran dry at how spot on she was. Deep down, I knew I hadn’t come to terms with my parents' death yet. The grief was there, but I kept refusing to believe that they weren’t coming back. That in two days, I would completely alone.

“I’ll open it when I’m ready. It was my parents, I should be alone when I open it.”

“But you don’t have too,” Dr. Rogers reminded me. “You shouldn’t have to deal with your relapse or the death of your parents by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” I almost cut her off, ready to be done with this conversation and frankly, this session as well.

Dr. Rogers let out a deep breath, eyes bouncing between Barry and I then pursed her lips.

“I’m going to change direction slightly. I’m going to ask each of you a question and I want the truth.”

When we didn’t interject, she held my gaze. “Y/N, what is the first memory of Barry you have?”

I blinked, not expecting that question. “When I first met him?”

“Yeah sure,” she nodded, a few strands of her graying hair falling into her face.

Even if it was years ago, the day was still so fresh in my mind.

“There was a party for a mutual friend of ours. We never met before this night. I was sitting on the grass in this persons back yard with an old friend. I couldn’t remember exactly what we were talking about but I remember stopping when I saw Barry running outside from the house.”

The corner of my lips pulled up in a grin. “Someone dared him to jump into the pool, naked, and Barry wasn’t one to turn down a dare.”

“Oi,” Barry’s voice cut through the memory. “It was the middle of October and freezing. I thought I was going to get frostbite.”

I let out a small laugh. “The thing was, I was sitting near the pool which meant I got soaked when Barry jumped in. The both of us were freezing, my teeth were chattering so hard I thought they would crack.”

“Greg only had one towel,” Barry said.

I nodded. “You let me have it even though you were naked.”

There was a warm grin on his face as he raised a brow. “We ended up sharing it after a few minutes.”

My cheeks reddened at the part of the memory he was talking about. When I ended up letting Barry step into the towel that night, with our bodies pressed tight against each other, his cock had hardened even though his body was freezing. The both of us spent the rest of the night warming up with a few beers after Barry got dressed and talked for hours, getting to know each other. He walked me home that night and I invited him inside, that night was the first night our friends with benefits relationship started.

There was a genuine smile on Dr. Rogers' face as she gave Barry her attention.

“Barry, what’s your fondest memory of Y/N?”

My heart pounded so hard against my chest as I looked over towards him, wondering what he would say. Through all the bad, we had so many good memories together. When he proposed, when we got married, when he brought Koda home for the first time, or when we bought our house together.

“It was shortly after we started our friends with benefits relationship. I was gone for over a month filming and had a break in my schedule but didn’t tell her because I wanted to surprise her. By the time I got to her place after my long flight, it was the middle of the night and she was asleep.”

Barry wasted no time in answering. The way he spoke, his eyes filled with so much light and adoration, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. A smile was plastered on his face the entire time he spoke of the memory.

“I can picture it vividly in my mind the way she was asleep. When she first gets into bed, she’s always freezing. Starts off with a sweater and pants then wraps herself in the heaviest blanket she has. Then throughout the night, she sheds each layer. That night, she must have gotten warm by the time I got there because it was sleeping in one of my shirts, hair sprawled out on the pillow and her mouth was wide open, snoring the quietest noise I ever heard.”

“Even though she was hot, she had the air conditioning on with a standing fan pointing directly at her. I remember leaning against the door frame just watching her for a few minutes.”

Tears pooled in my brim of my eyes listening to him and the way he spoke about that night.

“Why that memory?” Dr. Rogers asked.

“It was the night that I fell in love with her,” Barry’s answer didn’t miss a beat.

I sucked in a breath at his revelation. I never really asked when Barry first fell in love with me and to be honest, never expected it was because of that night. Out of everything we had gone through together, it was that night that made him fall in love with me.

“Why?” my voice cracked.

Barry’s eyes were now on me. “Because even with everything you had gone through before that night, you still slept with such peace across your face.”

Even though my heart soared throughout my body, warmth spreading in my veins, I knew what things he was talking about; before the alcoholism, divorce, and parents' death. There was him.

The one that took my innocence, who tore me down every chance he got, used and abused me. The reason I began drinking. I needed something to numb the pain of him. It was the worst year of my life with him and when I met Barry; he brought so much light and warmth into my life. That ex destroyed me and I needed time to heal and the last thing I wanted was a relationship.

Funny how that shit works. I wasn’t looking for anything serious and ended up finding, who I thought, was my soulmate.

If Dr. Rogers picked up on the way my body had tensed, the life fading from me, she didn’t mention it. I knew that this would be brought up in a future session.

“I know it’s been another tense session and Barry, I really appreciate you joining Y/N.”

Barry nodded after tearing his gaze from me. “Of course.”

With the memories of my ex boyfriend, my body had shut down, and I sat frozen with my eyes glued to the fading carpet below my feet.

“Do you think there’s a chance the two of you could work past all your issues and find each other once again?” Dr. Rogers asked.

That brought some life back into me as I gazed over to Barry, my lips parting ready to give my answer.

He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “I think we’re better off as friends.”

I sunk into the couch, feeling as if someone dug a knife deep into my heart then twisted it a few times over.

[socialmediasocrates]

i can't believe i'm writing fo4 fic in this the year of our lord 2024

if you're here for the bg3 fic it's on its way i promise

transcript under the cut

first screenshot:

every day, filomena woke up at five in the morning to catch the casualty lists on the news.

they rolled twice a day, at five in the morning and five in the evening, and she sat on the couch watching, nursing a cup of coffee and a cigarette. there were ten nathans on the list that morning; two of the last names looked familiar, both of them nearly gave her a premature heart attack. nathan farrier, nathan feltman, nathan fielder. she finally released the breath she’d been holding. nathan fasciani never showed up. twelve more hours of planning a wedding instead of a funeral. then she’d watch the five pm news, and the clock would reset. this was the rhythm of life while he was off fighting in alaska. twelve hour cycles hoping the name fasciani never showed up, a mounting sense of dread bitter in the back of her throat in between.

(that last name did appear, eventually, but it wasn’t nate. it was his brother, gianni. killed by chinese door gunners on a vertibird run over the position where his unit had dug in, body never recovered. they buried an empty coffin. nate’s parents aged a decade in a week. there would be an empty chair with a smartly folded american flag and a photo sitting in it for gianni at the wedding.

god, was it ever worth it?)

second screenshot:

“so, at the very bottom of hell, there’s this huge lake, right? and lucifer’s in the middle of the lake, frozen from the waist down-”

“the devil’s a popsicle?”

“no, he’s the ultimate sinner, trapped in a prison that he’s constantly refreshing by beating his wings, which are attached to his chin, by the way-”

“the devil’s a winged popsicle?”

“you’re the worst.” she readjusted the phone, cradled between her shoulder and the side of her head, as it began to slip.

“i’m the worst? dante made the devil a wing-chinned popsicle.” even his laugh sounded tired, but there he was. laughing. his mom always said he’d be laughing when the bombs dropped, and part of filomena hoped he would. the world always seemed less big and scary when nate was laughing at it.

“he’s only half a popsicle, the top of him isn’t frozen. he’s got three faces, and he’s chewing on judas iscariot, brutus-”

“-of et tu, brute fame?”

“-yeah, that one, and also his brother-in-law gaius cassius longinus, i guess he was also big into the stabbing caesar thing-”

“-damn, can’t trust anyone in the roman senate-”

“-you can’t trust anyone in the american senate, either; it’s not like they’ve changed much.”

and there he went, laughing again. she stopped working on her paper for a moment to just listen and pretend he was sitting next to her, his chin hooked over her shoulder, reading it as she wrote it, making running commentary on the poem.

“i miss doing homework with you,” she admitted, softly like saying it quietly enough would trap the admission in the moment, make it private even though she was sitting at her desk in a dorm room she shared with two other young women.

“i miss you, i don’t know about the homework.” and then a shift. voice lower, “i don’t suppose you’d appreciate me asking you to worry less.”

“it’s not about appreciating the sentiment, so much as it’s just impossible. you’re in anchorage. i’m going to worry.”

“i know. but it’ll be okay, cross my heart. i’ll be back for the wedding by june.”

he was not back for the wedding by june. it happened in mid-august, a week before his birthday.

[gellavonhamster]

reading the post-vulgate, part 1 (the merlin continuation)

"The eldest was called Gawain, the second Gaheriet, the third Agravain, and the fourth Guerrehet" no fucking way they're in a different order again. When will it end

if Merlin knows everything that will happen, why does he go on about how he won't tell Arthur who the knight destined to destroy the kingdom is because he doesn't want to kill a child? A lot more children are going to die because this bitch is refusing to be specific

finally Yvain is Morgan's son again, this was Bothering me

Mordred hit his head as an infant so hard that the scar remained for all his life. This is potential for his brothers making jokes in the vein of "and that's why he is like that" later

in this version, the father of Sagremor the Unruly is also called the Unruly, making it their surname, I guess, which is funny, even though at a later point in Chapter 59 the narrator changes his mind and says that it was Kay who gave Sagremor this nickname

big fan of the fact that Mordred and Sagremor are raised together - there's something cute about a doomed-by-the-narrative goth and a reckless fun guy being childhood friends. And then one of them kills the other :)))

oh, the May babies are rescued in this one! Nice

brief glimpses of some fairy drama as the lady who was girded with the sword that Balin could remove "owed allegiance to the lady called the Lady of the Isle of Avalon" and the one that wanted her killed for killing her father was the one that helped Arthur take Excalibur from the hand in the lake

"In this place will meet in battle the two most faithful lovers of their time" sounds like Lancelot and Tristan will be each other's lovers and the battle in question will be their meet-cute

"For [King Lot] is the one in my land in whom I would have trusted most in great need, and for whom I would have done most" buddy, you slept with his wife.

Gawain is eleven years old when he swears to kill Pellinor for killing his father! And the adults at the funeral praise him for such noble intentions! God!!!

yesss this version supports my headcanon that Yvain's animal-befriending powers are a result of Morgan experimenting with various magic while she was pregnant with him

seriously, would everything that eventually happens had ever happened if Merlin wasn't walking around telling people "you will kill him, and you will kill him, and one of these two boys you're raising will kill the other", thus making everyone think it's inevitable?

you know what would've made reading this easier and more enjoyable? If I cared about Balin

according to this one, there should be 150 Knights of the Round Table

I like that Guinevere is being referred to as "valiant"

"for no adventure that may happen, unless mortal peril is to come of it, may a knight who is sitting at table stir before he has eaten" is a good custom, more contemporary jobs should follow it

Tor's mom is great (loved it when she rebuked Merlin and everyone laughed) and I can't wait for Gawain to kill Pellinor

Kay being described as "a good enough knight, but not as good as the others" lmao

my brain refuses to perceive young Bademagu. This is a middle-aged man with (at least?) two adult children

“Now come forward and see a king’s daughter wield a sword” is one hell of a line

yelling @ the maiden/mother/crone ladies making fun of Gawain being short

I imagine Gaheris here speaking in a very patient voice that simultaneously verges on hysterics because he's so fucking exasperated

I thought this text might change my opinion on Gaheris for the better, but then the matricide part came, with "But it was his opinion that the lady should be blamed and humiliated" and "Then he put his hand on his sword and wished to kill his mother, but he would leave the knight, because he seemed too handsome and valiant, and he was disarmed", and nope, still hate that guy

like what the fuck is WRONG with you!!!

oh I am seething right now

"for they were tired, although they had not yet done anything" meeee

[walder-138]

ITS ME AGAIN HELLO

So, I was thinking about your ocs and I had a few questions!

For Oz:

If he could do one thing differently in his life, what would it be?

Are there any regrets that he has, or is there something people would assume to be a regret but he doubles down that it isn't one?

For Annika:

I know that she ends up being chased by both sides of the war, but if she had to choose a side, which would it be? And what would convince her to rejoin the fight?

Where would she be if she had never been caught by Adler and brainwashed? Would she still be fighting alongside the Perseus faction?

When she was with the faction, who did she tolerate the most? Who did she tolerate the least?

Sorry for the multiple questions - I just had to ask!

Hey pookie bear no worries! I’ve been DYING for someone to ask me these questions 👀

For Oz:

1) Oz wouldn’t have gone into the Army. Simple as that. He had everything going for him; he was the star running back of his college sports team, WHICH HE GOT AN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP TO BE IN. The reason he went in was because his little brother, Johnny was drafted. Oz was raised with Old Man Clancy’s intent to go into the Army, so he felt extremely guilty that his brother had to go, when Oz was ‘supposed’ to be the one.

He gave up everything for the Army. His long, lustrous hair, his future, his relationships, his autonomy, everything. And you wanna guess what he got? An addiction, c-PTSD, scars covering most of his body, and the privilege of going to 20 people’s funerals across the country in the span of two weeks. Oh yeah, they gave him jack fucking squat.

2) Everyone swears that Oz regrets staying in Jenny’s life, especially because of her disability. Yeah, he was a bastard with a pretty bad addiction and was a fucking Casanova, but he wasn’t just gonna abandon his kid like that.

However, he does regret having fun times with Gloria and therefore bringing Jenny into the world, especially since they’re all living in an armageddon. Oz regrets signing her up for a life of war and incertitude, but will never, EVER regret staying in her life.

For Annika:

1) If she absolutely had to, Annika’d join Adler again. Mean, she wouldn’t be thrilled about it by any means, and she doesn’t miss being a part of the group, but at least they wouldn’t torture her like Perseus would if they found her. Annika’s all about survival, or dying in the least painful way, so at least Adler would make it quick.

2) This one’s a doozy. On one hand, Annika cared about Perseus for a period of time (as they basically took her off the street and gave her a new life), but on the other, her and Arash had beef since she joined, to the point they literally wanted to kill each other.

I think she’d stay in Perseus, but after a few years they’d send her into a suicide mission. She’s a misanthrope with extremely violent tendencies, eventually that’d make her more of a liability.

But, Annika’s like a fucking cockroach. She’d still be alive. And we know how spiteful she can be. Girlie would snitch after they pulled that stunt.

3) Honestly? I think Annika would tolerate your OC, Keith the most. By absolutely no means would she like him (🤢), but he stays the fuck out of her way. Keith picked up on the whole misanthrope thing she got going on relatively quick, and decided “Dawg I am NOT going anywhere near that thing.” As long as he doesn’t talk to her, she doesn’t give two shits right or left about him, which is the most positive relationship somebody could have with Annika.

Fucking ARASH. They pissed each other the fuck off since Annika was 17. When he shot her, she was going on 23. Dude was beefing with a fucking teenager for three years. The only reason she didn’t stick his head in a wood chipper was because she’d get herself killed in turn.

It started when she was still in the process of learning English. Arash was going on and on about god knows what after a meeting. Talking a lot without actually saying anything.

“Stop speaking. You are headache.”

And they haven’t liked each other since.

[okimargarvez]

13x1 - detailed

In this episode we have some micro-scenes and one true garvez scene. Penelope called Matt, to help her find the team. They saw the crash. Rossi told her to help the others and she ran to JJ and Luke. Here we are.

Scene 1-

Luke is helping JJ, who can't able to see. Garcia offers her help. They don't answer her. Then Penelope notices something else. And this is the moment we understand that she is still Luke's priority.

Luke stops taking care of JJ and looks at the same direction of Penelope. She says, with a crying voice "Stephen?". Then, she starts walk away, in shock, and he looks directly at her.

She reaches the car with Stephen body. Luke takes less than 10 seconds to decide leaving JJ and running to Penelope. We can guess that JJ is wondersing if he is really doing what he is doing.

Penelope is crying when Luke reaches her, taking her in a confort way by her arms. He tries to calm her moving his fingers on her body like light caresses. You can see the way he is taking her, so close. I think that he did it both because he knows she needed some concrete physical contact, and also because he needed it. Luke is not only a former manhunter, he is also a sensitive person.

Luke then says “He’s gone." and repeats, almost whispering "He's gone.”. Penelope voice is so broken when she replays “I can’t leave him alone like this”. And this breaks Luke, as you can see in the last frame. He closes his eyes, in his typical "I can't accept this situation" expression (he makes the same face when he discovers about her stalker, 15x4).

He is ready to stay in this way forever. He is getting closer, when we hear Matt voice, calling his name "Luke!" in a urgent way. The poor man is in conflict. He looks in the direction of the voice, maybe to try to understand if he really needs him. Then looks back at Penelope, still crying. He knows that he has to go. He was a military and, in my opinion, he is a dutiful person.

He eventually leaves her, cyring and screaming inside. He takes off his hands from her body at the very last second. And he runs to Matt, who is helping Tara.

-

Scene 2

Luke is worried for Spencer, when the second notices that there is someone inside Rossi' office. They go to check.

They discover that it's Penelope and Matt. The first gestures to stay silent, then mimes a phone and stretches out her hand.

Here you can see that Luke is (understandably) confused.

Spencer gives her a piece, Luke gives her the another, that she places in the cigar box. Then she starts explain: "Okay. Now that we are secure…”

While she says that the cigar box is also a Faraday cage that Rossi gave her last year, Luke listens carefully. His expression passes from "what the fuck" to "amazing as always". You can barely see a smirk that want to show up on his lips.

Luke understands that this also explains Rossi behavior at the hospital, and looking for the tickets, as the old man told him to do.

At the end of the scene Luke is so angry. He calls Scratch "bastard". He is angry for the team, for Walker (dead), for Emily (missing), JJ, Rossi and Tara (injuried), for himself... and for Penelope, because the whole situation made her cry and sad. And he can't stand, he hate that. Do you remember 12x17, when he went to talk Shaw? Here we are again.

-

Scene 3

It's not a scene, but a particular that has to be at least mentioned.

After Stephen funeral, Emily tells the team that they have 6 weeks of break, and that what helped her to survive, was the fact she knew they were outside, looking for her, repeating a mantra "Wheels up". They all say it, even Penelope and Luke, one after the other.

-

We can guess that something changed between them, with Walker death. I think, and I already said it a lot of times, that Penelope finally considers him like family. She still "gives him crap", teases him, etc, but in a slight different way. You can see it in ep 13x3, when they talk with Spencer. But also in 13x7, with Phil. There is something more, between them, the cheerfulness, the tranquillity that there is only between people you can call friends. Their friendship is a particular one, but is there.

Analysis of garvez scenes

[redactedgoose]

hello. guess what time it is? it's bully Vlad hours, featuring tropes such as 'get out-billionaired, idiot' and 'Maddie's type is genius idiots; Bruce Wayne's is hot people who could kill him'

~

He's done it, he's finally done it! Jack is dead! And Daniel is none the wiser. His little badger glares at him, clearly warning him not to start anything at his misbegotten father's funeral.

Vlad just smiles back, just barely not smug enough to tip him off, and goes off to find his Maddie.

She's going to need support, after all! My, maybe he'll even offer her a shoulder to cry on, an arm to support her, and then eventually help her through her grief before she-

Vlad draws up short.

No. No, impossible.

His Madeline, his Maddie, is already in the arms of another man, crying quietly against his suit- which, he notes sourly, anger beginning to flare in his core, is more expensive than the one he's wearing.

The man could even be Jack himself, if smaller and more lithe. A cousin, perhaps?

He forces a mournful expression onto his face, rictus in its falseness, and approaches them.

"My dear..."

The man turns his face to Vlad as Maddie does, allowing him to finally place him.

No. No.

Bruce Wayne? The Bruce Wayne? Air-headed playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne? Here, holding his Maddie at Jack's funeral?

"I am so sorry for your loss," he finally continues a a beat later, blinking slightly faster as if his pause was from sorrow and not rage. "Jack... he was..." he trails off before he has to utter any kind words about the fool.

Maddie sniffles; Wayne proffers a handkerchief from nowhere, which she takes with a small, tender smile.

"Thanks, Vlad," Maddie says. She sniffles again, daubing at her eyes. "I still can't believe it..."

"Neither can I," Vlad says, bowing his head instead of staring daggers at Wayne. He does glance at him, though, once he raises his head, hoping to subtly prompt an explanation.

"Vlad Masters, right?" Wayne asks, cracking a wan smile at him and offering his hand. "I don't think we've met before."

"Indeed not," he says, giving Wayne's hand a firm, quick pump. "How did the two of you meet, if I may ask?"

"Oh, so long ago," Maddie says, a ghost of a smile on her face. "We were both much younger... Bruce was learning some self defense at the same class I was, and it spiraled from there."

"Oh, I definitely did," he jokes, that wan smile turning stronger. "Spiraled straight down onto the mat! She put my on my back so many times!" He laughs.

Maddie's smile strengthens, legitimate mirth in her expression now. "You gave as good as you got, Bruce! Your pins were the worst to wriggle out of!"

They laugh in concert, facing each other. It's the only reason why they don't see Vlad's eye twitching. He's suddenly very grateful that he didn't pick up a drink to keep appearances- it would have shattered in his grip by now.

The next fifteen minutes are agonizing. She hangs off of him and he lets her. They laugh together, they cry together, and every advance of his, dressed in best intentions and veiled in concern, is rebuffed.

"Oh, Vlad. You don't need to worry about me," she says wetly, mere minutes before the eulogies are about to start. "Bruce is here for me."

Vlad very quickly comes to the only sensible conclusion: Bruce Wayne must die.

[princesssszzzz]

Hold me

Pairing: Rhaena x Jace Warnings: Incest

Summary: Rhaena's life gets turned upside down with the death of her mother Laena. A realistic take on how she would feel after the funeral. Jace helps her navigate her new life and makes it easier. I guess the Rhaena x Jace ship name would be Jaena....Read on a03

Moondancer was still seen peeking out of Baela’s arms but she got harder to see the more they flew away. Rhaena was watching her older sister, and her only friend, leave her.  

“Your grandmother wanted Baela to come live with her”, that’s what her father told her. Rhaena asked why she wasn’t allowed to come with, and she didn’t get an answer. All she could do was stand there alone, watching her sister and grandmother fly away on Meleys. Before, she loved how fast the red dragon was, now she just wished the Queen would slow down before they disappeared. 

If she had claimed Vhagar, she would have something of her mother. She could easily jump on the large beast and fly far away, going to be with Baela. Vhagar would save her from this place they called Dragonstone. Instead, she was stuck on an island, with no way to leave. 

If she had claimed Vhagar, she would have something of her mother. She could easily jump on the large beast and fly far away, going to be with Baela. Vhagar would save her from this place they called Dragonstone. Instead, she was stuck on an island, with no way to leave. 

She noticed her father walking away, going back inside the castle and he was alongside his new family. He did this often, walking away without saying anything because he knew she would follow after him. Starting to trail behind in the long walkway, she purposely moved slow, she didn’t want to be at this island and she wanted her sister back. 

He walked fast, her boy cousins right behind him wearing black and red. They looked like they wanted to be mini versions of him, instead of their own father. One of them had his hatchling in one hand and grabbed her father’s hand with the other. Rhaena watched closely, as she expecting the usual. When she was younger, she used to grab her father’s hand but he would never grab hers back. Eventually she took the hint; he’s just not that kind of person and she would go to her mother instead. She stared in awe, watching as her father looked down at the boy and his dragon before he accepted the child’s hand. 

She stopped walking, and all she wanted to do is watch them walk away. They got further and further, she wanted them all to disappear instead and never see her again when the oldest boy turned, looking for her. At the funeral, she thought he was funny looking. She hadn’t paid too much attention to him because he hadn’t paid attention to her. She thought it was funny, even to a boy with brown hair he was just like her father. Baela was the only one of interest. His face was always serious and his brown hair often went into his eyes. She wondered why it just wasn’t cut shorter.  

The boy had been walking closely behind them, but he stopped when he noticed Rhaena was so far behind. She wondered if they would notice his absence, and to no astonishment, his mother immediately turned and called to him. Rhaena saw the boy wave at them, telling them to go ahead without him and he turned running back to her. 

She wasn’t sure about him. After the funeral, they walked into High Tide together. Baela introduced herself and her sister, but the boy only gave a lazy smile. He told her that he knew exactly who they were, and that his name was Jacaerys. He had raised one finger at them, emphasizing that he only wanted to be called Jace. That was the name she called him hours later. Somehow, in the midst of a midnight sprawl with Aemond, she remembered his specific nickname.  

That was the name she called out when the knife appeared, and it was no surprise to her the boy just ignored her. It was as if she didn’t exist, and no one called his name. For minutes after she watched him swinging a blade, she thought Jace was insane. The craziness of that night settled down, and she eventually realized he’d just had an erratic moment. He ran slow, he didn’t seem too athletic, and finally approached her. 

“Cousin.” She greeted him in a monotone voice, she wanted it to be known she didn’t want to be there. Just in case he had come as a messenger for her father, but he gave her the same lazy smile he had given Baela. “We're more than cousins now.” 

Rhaena just stared at him and didn’t move, she almost felt disrespected. They couldn’t just uproot her like this, and now here he was trying to replace Baela. “Baela is my only sibling, the other one died when my mother burned alive.” She walked forward, passing him and not wanting to hear his response. This time she wasn’t moving slow, she marched. 

If they wanted her to live in here, she would. She was already planning on how she would get into her chambers and lock herself inside. They would never see her again, and she heard footsteps following behind her.  

“Rhaena.” Jace’s tone was softer, he seemed to have realized how sensitive she was to her new situation now. He reached to grab the smaller girl’s hand, moving his feet fast to keep up with her. Rhaena didn’t know what to do except stare ahead at her father while his figure disappeared inside the castle. She barely knew this boy other than his hatred for his uncle. She could feel him looking at her, wanting her to say something. He expected her to be like Baela, take initiative and speak her mind. Instead, she stayed quiet feeling his warm hand squeeze hers and they walked inside in silence. 

- 

For the third time that night, she wiped her tears and flipped her pillow over. Rhaena had finally been settled into her chambers and put to bed. It was cold, just another reason why she didn’t like this place. The dinner they had given her that night was strange, she realized then she didn’t like the food in Westeros. If she was in Pentos, her mother would have given her something tasty and sweet. Rhaena wiped her face on her pillow before getting frustrated and throwing it down on the ground and plopping herself back down.  

All she could do is cry harder, but she tried not to be too loud. Her father was just 2 rooms away and she didn’t want to be heard. He would be annoyed, Rhaena knew he doesn’t like weakness. She took deep breaths, trying to remind herself that it was late and she should be asleep already. Laying with her eyes closed, she heard the large door creaking open.  

She stilled, making sure not to make noise and heard footsteps approaching her. It couldn’t be the servants; she already knew they would have the loud clinky steps she heard earlier.  

“Rhaena.” Lifting herself up, she turned and looked around the dark room. Jace’s figure was all she could see, he was standing by the window with poufy hair. It was obvious he had been tossing and turning all night, and she figured her hair looked just as wild.  

“What are you doing?” 

He huffed a breath, crawling into the open space on her bed and getting under her covers. “I couldn’t sleep.” Rhaena couldn’t believe the boy’s audacity, he didn’t ask her permission and here he was laying in her bed. She could barely see him but saw that he was pressing his face into her bed.  

“It’s wet.”  

“So? You shouldn’t be here.” 

He lifted his head back up, facing her but she knew he couldn’t see her tear-streaked cheeks.  

“Everyone else is sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb them.” 

“So you come to disturb me instead?” 

He lowered his head, hair falling into his face again. “I just figured you would be up also.” He looked at the bed again, where he’d been pressed against, and reached out to her face. 

“Are you crying?” 

Rhaena ignored him, turning around and covering herself back up. Maybe if she hid under her blankets, he would just go away. 

“I’m going to sleep. Good night.” She didn’t want to talk to Jace. She doesn’t know him and he shouldn’t assume that defending her sister was enough for him to get so comfortable. The bed moved, Rhaena could feel Jace shifting his weight and felt his frame behind her, one arm slinging around. Again, she ignored him thinking eventually he’ll go away. 

If nothing else, at least her father would have to care about this. She frequently eavesdropped on her parent’s conversations. Occasionally, her mother could be heard responding to rants about Hightowers and Harwin’s brown haired sons. From the letters from uncle Laenor and her father's rants she knew the boy Jace was a bastard. Surely her father wouldn’t allow a bastard to run about the Targaryen fortress, sleeping wherever he wanted and encroaching in her space. 

She reminded herself, that he probably wouldn't care. Like everything else, she had to come to terms her father wouldn’t give any reaction and she felt her tears coming back. Rhaena thought back to Baela. She wouldn’t be staying up all night crying, and it only made Rhaena more emotional. She sniffled, trying to hold back and not wanting to cry in front of Jace. He might report back to his mother, who would tell her father.  

She expected him to get up, call her a whiner, and give her the same look that her cousin Aemond had. The older silver haired boy had been disgusted by her delicacy, seeing her as weak for not claiming Vhagar. Just like her father.  

Jace didn’t move, he didn’t jump out of the bed to run and tell. Instead, she heard a quiet sniffle coming from behind her. His sniffles quickly turned into a sob, and she felt the back of her shoulder getting wet. Rhaena couldn’t believe he was crying, especially not in front of her. Didn’t he know he was supposed to be the next heir in line? Did he really think it was appropriate? She laid there listening to him, not wanting to move and recalled Baela telling her about Harwin Strong. 

She didn’t want to turn around, as much as she wanted to comfort him. It hurt, listening to someone else cry but she didn’t have the energy. She stayed still, realizing he would never leave and let her own tears fall freely. 

- 

For the next couple of years, it was on and off when he showed up. It seemed at random and she eventually realized he’d only leave his room at night for his own solace and for hers. When Baela visited, everything was brighter. Rhaena was able to spend all day with her sister, showing off all her paintings and throwing meats for the growing Moondancer to gobble. Jace and Baela raced their dragons, and Rhaena enjoyed watching. It was the only time she didn’t feel bad for not having a dragon.  

It was at least entertaining to watch everyone else have fun, but that happiness would die down when Baela had to return to Driftmark. Rhaena would feel alone again, her distraction from her father and deceased mother gone. Nightmares would come, and she’d wake up right before the dream monster burned her alive. It looked like Vhagar, a twisted version merged with Caraxes and the disappointed face of her father.  

Even after waking up, she could hear the monster growling and she would lay in bed crying. Suddenly, Jace would be there lying next to her. The first couple of months, she wouldn’t tell him why she was so terrified. Instead, she would stay up all night talking with him, smiling and shaking her head whenever he asked what the problem was. He knew she was lying, and only let her get away with it for a short time. Rhaena couldn’t change the subject with stories of Pentos anymore. 

“I’m going to ask you what’s wrong, and I want you to answer me honestly.” Rhaena broke down, Jace holding her when she sobbed and told him about the nightmares. Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. It was almost as if she had a backflow of words, since she spent her days in Dragonstone quiet. She was still speaking when it was almost morning, telling Jace how she didn’t want to live there and how she felt about her father. The worst part was when she described the dream monster to him. 

“It’s okay to be afraid.” He rubbed her back, chewing on snacks he stole from the kitchen. When they finally fell asleep, a weight was lifted from her shoulders and she drifted off smiling. Living in that dark castle felt slightly less miserable. 

- 

By the time they were older, Rhaena saw Jace in a different way and she knew he felt the same. They never admitted it out loud, but they constantly sought out each other’s company. Before they only spent nights together, but now he would sit next to her at breakfast and check in when he took breaks from his trainings. She’d long since stopped calling him cousin, but she didn’t want to call him brother.  

Rhaena saw Jace as her father’s step-son by day, but her intimate companion at night. She didn’t want to be needy and bother Jace, but more and more she wanted him to visit her during the hour of the wolf. Trying out different hairstyles and making sure her dresses were flattering, she was excited to show him how she was blossoming into a woman.  

Jace was learning Valyrian, training to fight with his brother, and running errands to other houses. He was always busy and with his growing pile of responsibility, she looked forward to her time near the painted table. Always in that large room, she could find him trying to prove himself and she enjoyed watching him. She loathed being made a cup bearer, remembering her grandmother’s words about the position in passing. Being in there, listening in on discussions were only mildly interesting until Jace entered.  

There were whisperings about her uncle’s illness and her aunt’s growing power in King’s Landing. Jace seemed bothered when Aegon was mentioned, and Rhaena’s first instinct was to cross the room and grab his hand. That wouldn’t be appropriate, so all she could do is throw him a soothing look and smile. Her father had mentioned betrothals, his men starting to list all of the unmarried lords and ladies.  

Rhaena quickly filled everyone’s goblets, rushing to finish her duty so she could leave. She wasn’t interested in hearing about marriage, especially not with a stranger. That night she stared up at her painted ceiling, thoughts swirling about the tension growing in her family. She had just sent off a letter to her grandmother, knowing it would be shared with Baela that she’d heard the murmur about proposals. The door opened, Jace walking in with a smile. 

“Sorry it’s late, I lost track of time.” He walked to the window lighting a candle before joining her in bed. 

Rhaena sat up smiling at him, “That’s ok. What were you doing?” 

A loud laugh erupted, the bed shaking from him grabbing his chest. “A squire was telling me and my brother they saw a wild boar wandering around the Riverlands.” 

He laughed even louder, absentmindedly circling a finger on her arm. Confused, Rhaena tilted her head, trying to understand the joke. 

“What about it?”  

He sighed, “Nothing, just a prank we played on Aemond. Aegon had this silly looking pig with wings, and we brought it in the pit. It’s silly.” 

The sound of his laughter died out in her ears, Rhaena staring at the fireplace on the other side of her room. Her unhatched egg sat in its cradle, untouched and she’d already given up trying to open it. She thought back to the day she met Jace, when Aemond told her that riding a pig would suit her.  

Suddenly, Rhaena wanted the circling finger off her arm. Her large bed felt small and Jace’s presence no longer seemed comforting to her. She lowered her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. He’d never treated her bad, always trying to include her in activities when they were growing up. But now she wasn’t sure, did he really still find it funny? 

“Do you think I should ride a pig?” Jace looked up, his smile fading.  

“What?” His finger stopped, hand grabbing her arm to pull her towards him. “No Rhaena, you know I didn’t mean that.”  

The animation she’d felt when he came in had disappeared completely and she felt tears sting her eyes. He turned to grab her face, his large fingers covering her cheeks.  

“I didn’t mean it I’m sorry. I just forgot about Aemond.” He shook his head, cursing himself under his breath for even telling her about the prank. 

Using one thumb, he wiped the one tear that escaped before looking into her eyes. 

“You’ll be a dragonrider one day, I promise.” Jace gave her a reassuring smile before speaking again. His breathe grew more shallow, and Rhaena looked at him with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing again and shaking his head. She didn’t know what she was anticipating, but he didn’t give it to her. Rhaena lowered her eyes again, feeling juvenile for being so emotional. 

Jace looked up and his were hands firmer, gripping her face. “I’m gonna kiss you now Rhaena.” Glancing up, she didn’t get a chance to lock eyes with him again before Jace’s full lips were on hers. A long, long kiss and they both had their eyes closed. Rhaena instantly fell in love with the dreamy and pacifying connection that they got only from this simple touching.  

She heard him moan into her mouth, and his hands left her face roaming down onto her waist. Putting one hand on his chest, Rhaena pulled back to catch her breath.  

“Jace.” He leaned back in to kiss her again, this time rougher and squeezing her before breaking the kiss. 

‘Lay down.” Rhaena nodded her head, tossing a pillow out of her way and splaying herself on the bed.  

He moved to lay on top of her, pulling her blanket over the both of them in case anyone walked in. A ping of nervousness hit her, and Rhaena blinked fast trying to calm herself. 

Smirking at Rhaena, Jace soothed her as she felt his hand going under her dress. “I wouldn’t take your virtue. You’ll have to be married soon. But I want you.” 

Her breath hitched when she felt him reach her slickness. He had taken to kissing her neck, giving her calming shushes when one finger entered her. Rhaena panted, she was shocked at what Jace was doing and the pressure she felt.  

“Unh Jace, that’s hurts.” She almost moved to grab his arm, stopping his invasion. He didn’t say anything, only pausing his fingers movement and using his thumb to rub her pearl. Continuing his kissing, Jace waited a beat before moving his finger deeper inside her. She was glad that she was so soft spoken. The moans that filled her room would likely be heard by her father if she’d been a touch louder. 

His kisses worked their way back up, reaching her mouth again and Jace grinded himself on her hip while he continued fingering her.  

“Jace, Jace.” She panted his name, getting louder each time. 

 Another shush, “Shh Rhaena, we don’t want Daemon to come and find us like this.” He looked behind him towards the door before turning back, “He wouldn’t be happy with me.” 

The pleasure from his ministrations became too much for her and she felt her spine tingling. Rhaena couldn’t stay quiet, so Jace covered her mouth with his own again. Moaning into each other’s mouths, he curled his finger and moved faster to chase her release. 

Her hands went to his back, immediately scratching him through his night shirt, and she moved her hips up trying to get more. It happened so quick, the orgasm that ripped through her and she clung to him when her body shook. Jace followed right after her, Rhaena’s soft moans in his ear seemed to have pushed him over the edge. 

For 10 minutes, they laid in the same spot breathing deeply. Jace didn’t want to get off of her, their bodies melting into one but eventually kissing her cheek and rolling to her side. 

He sighed, having caught his breath before speaking. “We’ll do that again tomorrow.” Rhaena didn’t respond, instead she stayed completely still, wanting to remember the feeling of Jace laying atop her. The stickiness between her legs dried slowly, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t worth it to get up and clean herself, and she felt impatient already counting the minutes before the next night came.