#so i don't know if the story addresses this later or if it's fixed now and every character addresses grell correctly

[fluffykitteninabox]

Hate it when 90% of a fandom misgenders a canonically trans character because "ThE cHaRaCtErS iN tHe ShOw Do iT tOo!!"

[simp-ly-writes]

The Comment Section (pt.5)

─────── · · A Social Media AU Fic

Pairing: Spencer Agnew x gn!Reader

─ · · SUMMARY: You and Spencer get invited to another convention and host a panel; the fans are ecstatic and you have never felt so high, so happy and truly carefree in your life that makes you do things you would have no considered doing...

─ · · TAGS: SPOILERS IN TAGS!! gender-neutral pronouns, angst, social media au, suggestive themes, attempt at comedy, alcohol consumption, slowburn, light swearing, kissing, fluff, mutual pinning, friends that act like lovers, friends/lovers.

─ · · MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQUEST | PART FOUR | PART 4.5 | PART SIX

─ · · A/N: will they... won't they...

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Much Time Later...

🔔 CreatorCon just posted, check it out!

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Liked by spennser, ianhecox, (name)s_username and others

CreatorCon please give a warm welcome to our newest additions to this years panel roster: (name) and Spencer Agnew from Smosh! 🎉

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username99 not to be the grammer police or anything but you should also put (name)'s last name if you are putting Spencer's down since they are both not married 😬

↳ username01 shhh let them join the ✨ delusions ✨ ↳ username84 grammAr not grammer* ↳ username99 shut up 😘

username32 please bring back Brennan Lee Mulligan again!! I am on my hands and knees begging you, please!!!

username22 spencer helping (name) up the stairs and (name) holding the door for them afterwards is just so sweet 🥹

username48 hopefully the V.I.P passes actually work this time around

↳ CreaterCon we are so sorry to hear this, please send us a direct message to let us know what we can do to further improve your experience. ↳ username48 fix your shit. ❤️

username10 what is going on?? what about the Theorists panel, does anyone know where that got moved to?? I can't find any info on the websites or socials 😭

username50 love the line up (so far!) would like to see even more members of the Smosh family though. But I am really looking forward to this!!

username43 those crowd questions about to go crazy, too bad though they will probs limit their personal life stuff.

username19 they about to make a whole 1000+ people crowd third wheel, now that is talent 👏👏👏

smosh thank you for having them both for the weekend, us parents need a break every now and then

↳ smoshpit yes, please take them for us. PLEASE 🙏 ↳ ianhecox (but seriously don't actually, they make us a lot of money) ↳ smoshgames wait, why am i just finding this out now 😭 ↳ username67 for once i am actually fine with company account commenting, what is going on?!?!?

(name)s_username so excited to attend, thank you for having me and my "husband" 🤣

username71 OMG after last years PAX and CreatorClash events I am SOOO READY FOR THESE TWO AGAIN. ORGANIZERS ARE IN THE KNOW ABOUT (NAME) AND SPENCER, (YOURSHIPNAME) FOREVERRRRR!!!!!!!

spennser we are never escaping the allegations...

↳ (name)s_username never 🤣 ↳ username44 (yourshipname) actually addressing (yourshipname) directly?? never thought i would live to see the day! ↳ username01 we take this as them admitting feelings... right... right? ↳ username39 touch grass.

username29 Does anyone know what they are willing to sign or if they are signing stuff this year??

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🔔 SmoshCast just uploaded! Turn off notifications here.

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What is the best movie? (definitively)

Smosh Cast ✓ [Subscribed] Like 128k | Dislike | ... 582K subscribers 488k views 2 days ago #7 on trending (name) and Spencer debate the greatest form of every media. from movies to tv shows, video games and music; listeners are in for a wild ride.

2,222 Comments

username56 2 days ago Really missing Amanda and Shayne doing the weekly episodes, but I guess I can survive on (name) and Spencer... username77 2 days ago Why is nobody talking about how outstandingly (name) preformed in their movie?!?! I just watched it this weekend and was floored by their preformance. I'm surprised it didn't get any further mention in the videos! ▼ 199 replies ↳ username62 2 days ago I am shocked that a youtuber, nevertheless a comedian could portray such range and subtle expressions- it was beautiful even with what little screen time they had in comparison to others. They took away every scene they were in! ↳ username88 1 day ago I really hope they receive recognition, I really think (name) could make it mainstream. I mean, their connections alone from starring in this but be crazy. ↳ username19 1 day ago Im a selfish fan I will admit, I wouldn't want them to leave Smosh for other projects. In all honesty I could not image not having them in front of or in the background of Smosh videos. I mean could you even think of how Spencer would react?? They are stuck to each other like glue. ↳ username33 1 day ago they both are adults, i'm sure they could work something out. (name) shouldn't be held back from becoming something greater (even though they are great now!) because of the "kinda" relationships they are in. ↳ username20 1 day ago I think time will tell us the answers. But I really hope that (name) considers all their options... username01 2 days ago I have been living for all these play fighting and argument videos of the two of them. Like they have chemistry, a degree of hate for one another in some ways (but like healthy silly hate)- i'm pulling out my hair more and more as to why they won't just kiss already!! username67 2 days ago Okay but (name)'s take are 100% based. homebro/girl knows what they are speaking about and never missed ▼ 31 replies ↳ username72 1 day ago Yeah but I think Spencer's take was more well rounded especially in the TV Shows argument. ↳ username22 1 day ago Couples Therapist Here, I just like how they can argue so civilly with one another and really show active listening with one another. Take the eye-contact, small head nods, and inclined seating with restating what they said and expanding upon it. Its beautiful really plus they both know a lot about their field so that helps too I guess. ↳ username88 1 day ago OMG please make a full video break down of one of their videos together, it would do really well!! ↳ username10 1 day ago Yes, Please!! username27 12 hours ago Okay, but we all known that the best video game is Purble Place. username50 30 minutes ago I can't wait to hear from you both in person, have it marked on my calendar!! username91 1 hour ago cringe. username43 5 hours ago Okay but now I need tier lists on them together. Video Concept #1: (name) and Spencer rank every time they almost fell in love and the one time/multiple times they really did. ▼ 10 replies ↳ username66 1 hour ago Officially am deceased XD ↳ username21 1 hour ago Video Concept #2: (name) and Spencer rank every hangout that was actually a date username74 30 minutes ago why am I crying when the video ended?? Like I want whatever this is.

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🔔 (name)s_username just posted, check it out!

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Liked by spennser, co_mill, anthonypadilla and others

(name)s_username it was awesome meeting everyone, same time next year? 😄❤️

View all 2,334 comments

CreatorCon let's make it a date? 😉

↳ (name)s_username noooo, not again! 😩 🏃‍♂️💨 ↳ username41 bwahahahhahahah!!! ↳ chickenshopdate oi!! 💢😡 ↳ (name)s_username ummm, now this is awkward... 😬

username88 was not long enough, i could listen to the two of you speak all day. defiantly worth the money!!

tomeybones i don't think florescent lighting was anyones light but you shine beautifully in it!

username48 glen powell's character should have gotten back with you at the end of the movie, you both had better chemistry!! Its giving La La Land all over again 😭

co_mill wished we could have made it but great work bestie, you killed it up there!! ❤️❤️

↳ (name)s_username aww thank u! would have loved having you there too ❤️❤️

username40 okay google, play "can't help but falling in love with you." move out of the way spenser, if you don't want them- i'll glady take (name)!

spennser good job fellow "spouse" 👍

↳ (name)s_username yes, you as well, "spouse" 👍 ↳ username01 okay, but this is just straight up cruel 😭

anthonypadilla i didn't see anything appear in the news so good work team!

damien_haas so as I was stuck in the signing booths you both were playing with paper airplanes and arm wrestleing?? What fairness is this?? /sarcastic positive

username71 OMG how did I just discover you now and miss a chance of meeting you?!?!?

username60 please tell me that there's a sequel coming out, I refuse to accept that you didn't re-marry him in the film 😭

phatchance excuse me but I know these two people packing out a 2000 person panel and they are the coolest ❤️

username31 I was too scared to ask anything because you both are just such pretty people like holy crap I love you both so much, you all mean the world to me and thank you so much for the hug. I am never washing the coat now

↳ username77 so that went progressively down hill lol

username12 Day 1.4 million of asking, just get together, or fuck, or something, anything but this (or breaking up for that matter) with Spencer. Like get it together.

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🔔 SmoshPit just uploaded! Turn off notifications here.

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Sneaking into Concerts??? (Two Truths, One Lie)

Smosh Pit ✓ [Subscribed] Like 79k | Dislike | ... 8.29M subscribers 370k views 1 weeks ago

7,889 Comments

username31 1 week ago I know I sound like a broken record but it feels weird not having Spencer or (name) in front of camera for once. I got so used to them always being part of the cast like Courtney or Ian. ▼ 10 replies ↳ username29 1 week ago I think around the 12 minute mark, Courtney said something about them both calling in sick. ↳ username73 1 week ago I mean... did you see their stories with one another last night? They both were properly wasted LMAO ↳ username90 30 minutes ago (name) is such a cute drunk, just complimenting and flirting with everyone until Spencer asks them to shut up or hugs them. Damien and Alex really had their work cut out for them hahahha! ↳ username20 4 hours ago Okay but external videos also show they dancing together and grabbing waters its so wholesome that even when heavily drunk they are constantly thinking about one another username88 1 day ago Would have never thought Anthony would have been the one to sneak into a festival! username28 12 hours ago Did anyone manage to catch (name)'s or alex's story last night or was I just seeing things before it got taken down?? ▼ 301 replies ↳ username90 30 minutes ago OMG YES! I threw my phone in shock!! Should've taken a screenshot I am kicking myself rn. ↳ username01 30 minutes ago I. am. not. okay. physically and emotionally after this. username55 4 days ago HAHHAHA "sick." hmmm sure (name) and spencer, sure...

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🔔 (Yourshipname) Updates just uploaded!

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"Drunk Minds Speak A Sober Heart:" A (yourshipname) Edit

(Yourshipname) Updates [Subscribe] Like | Dislike | ... 1.12K subscribers 499k views 1 week ago #2 on trending click to expand

14,119 Comments

⚲ Pinned by Creator (yourshipname)updates ✓ 1 week ago I will take this video down if requested by either (name) or Spencer but for now... MWAHAHHAHA they have kissed with photo evidence!! ▼ 173 replies ↳ username97 1 hour ago I think I have just ascended. This is truly one of the best days of my life. Take this all your non-believers and haters!!! Amazing edit BTW! ↳ username11 1 week ago I don't think they are going to bring it up anywhere but a small victory is a victory nonetheless. I see this as a mission success boys!! ↳ username01 1 week ago I am happier for them and their still non-relationship than my own long term one hahahhaa ↳ username27 12 hours ago I am in disbelief, I never thought they would. I don't care if they were both hella drunk, they actually kissed?!?!? Like I don't know how to process this information. ↳ username13 12 hours ago fwehd0dfygdkospfhjhgf ↳ username44 just now eloquently said. username23 1 week ago 12 years of pining for one drunk kiss, I'll take it gosh darn it! username90 4 days ago Am currently re-watching all the edits and past moments while having this picture on the side monitor. I am living in a peak moment rn. username80 2 days ago I called my mom to tell her about this and she cheered as well. usernmae32 just now (name) just confirmed on their twitter that them, spencer and the rest of the smosh crew are all going to the oscars! ▼ 4 replies ↳ username13 just now Yes!!! LETS FREAKING GOOOOO!!!! username60 4 days ago This will go down as one of the greatest love stories in the history of the internet; i need movies, more fanfiction, music, and more fanart!! username78 10 hours ago happy for them, truly.

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─ · · A/N: 😉

─ · · TAGLIST: @lisiliely @missflufffanfics @little-stitious-studios @thejourneyneverendsx @sibsteria

[theocddiaries]

Alfred: I don't understand. What are we watching? Bruce [Pointing at a camera footage on the TV]: Okay, look. I fell yesterday at the market. Dick and I have been having a little disagreement as to what happened. Just watch. I stop to fix my shoe, and then Dick… Right there. He makes way for this very attractive woman, whom he conveniently leaves out of his retelling of the story. Now, right here, Dick backs up, pushes his butt into the cart, pushes me into the cans. Do you see that? It's all his fault! Just like I said! I was right! Suck it! Cass: When did you get this? Jason: Oh, my God. That's why you wanted to come separately. Steph: You went to all that trouble just to prove you were right? Bruce: It really wasn't that much trouble. I went to the store, found your friend Jordan, the bag boy, who got me the manager. He gave me the address of the off-site security office. I filled out some paperwork. Sally faxed it to corporate. Three minutes later, I'm buying a pack of DVDs and burning a copy. Piece of cake. Tim: …It's like a sickness. Bruce: What? None of you believed me, so I got proof. You should all be sucking it right now. Kate: Please stop with the "sucking it," Bruce. They're children. Clark: Yes, children are very impressionable. You'll never know what they'll pick up. Lois: Ugh! Okay, Clark, I'm sorry that I blamed it all on you, okay? But we both need to look at our actions. I mean, if we're thinking about adopting another baby, then we need to-- Diana: You're adopting another kid? Clark: That's not the way you make an announcement! Banners! Banners! [Puts on music] 🎶Ah, let's give the boy a hand 🎶 Jason: What the hell's happening here? Dick: Is that from Footloose??? Clark [Turns off the music]: Really, Lois? You couldn't even share telling our friends. Kate: Why are you upset? This is such good news. Lois: No, we're a little on edge because Conner has been acting out, like he doesn't want a sibling-- Clark: Yeah, because Lois taught him to hate sharing. Lois: And, or, because Clark wears him like a fanny pack. Alfred: Oh, stop blaming each other. No kid wants a sibling. I remember Bruce hated his cousin so much, he stuck her in a dryer when she was two. Kate: You put me in the dryer? Bruce: …I did. But it wasn't 'cause I hated you. My friend Thomas said that it wouldn't run with a kid inside it, and I knew it would. I was right. Dick: Good governor. It's been going on since you were five? Bruce: …Oh, my God, it is a sickness. What would make me have that need at such a young age? Kate: How long was I in that dryer? Because- I-Is this why I'm afraid of tumbling? I had to quit gymnastics! Dick: A childhood without tumbling?! [Faces Alfred]. You knew this, and just stood by and did nothing? Alfred: Okay, okay. What's done is done. All you can do is learn from your mistakes. And in that spirit, I would like to propose a toast to our young master Damian. This week, he did something he wasn't supposed to do, like we all do-- Diana [Interrupting]: Like we all do!. Cheers, my young warrior! Alfred: No. Not yet. Master Damian stood up like a man. He admitted he was wrong, and he took his licks. And I'm very, very proud of him. Diana: Aaaand now we clink. Alfred: No, we clink when I say we clink. So Master Damian made a mistake, but he didn't take the easy way out. He's got guts. He's got integrity. And as far as I'm concerned, he's the best-- Damian: Okay, stop, stop! I didn't do any of that! Miss Diana broke into the locker and threw the necklace inside, and then we ran away like cowards! I'm sorry, Alfred! I'm sorry! Alfred: Aha! I knew it. I was right! I was right! Everyone: … … [In realization]: Ohhhh. Makes sense. Alfred: … [Drinks in silence].

[teineplaysveilguard]

I first bought Dragon Age: Origins about two days after release, and I was instantly hooked. I played it six times back-to-back, just to experience every origin story. After that, I kept replaying to see every possible decision and its impact. Honestly I am not sure how many times I finished origins as it was over several platforms and accounts… but it is a LOT.

DA2 came out while I was in hospital (severe manic episode and psychosis) but as soon as I got home, I dove into it. I’ve written before on my main about how much I related to Anders, partially because of the timing, but honestly, I adore everything about DA2.

I have since finished DA2 NINETEEN TIMES! Honestly I love Kirkwall so much… I love everything about the tragedy that was Hawkes live. The tragedy of Hawke’s life, the way no amount of effort or care could fix the deeply ingrained, systemic issues—it’s gut-wrenching and perfect.

Fifthteen years later there are aspects of that game I still onbsess over, the enigma of Kirkwall for example… I had so many theories, none of which are likely to ever be addressed now…

Yes, the game had issues. All games do. Some of the writing was shallow in places; occasionally a companion says or does something that feels a little out of character. Anders and Fenris were treated like narrative mouthpieces at points. Aveline’s character development is a little questionable, and, of course, the copy-paste environments were rough. But for me, the positives—the depth of the narrative, the snippets of lore and background, the things I loved—overshadowed the negatives.

Do you know how shitty it is to know that all my left in the fade Hawkes just don't matter? Which ye I guess in some ways is fitting for the guy who accomplished nothing, who couldn’t even actually kill Meredith or Corypheus, for their final sacrifice to mean nothing… but still…

Then there was Inquisition. Once again I gain it on the day of release, I may have even pre-ordered it I can't rememeber… Anyway, I’ll admit I wasn’t sold on it at first. It felt too much like a “hero narrative”—which is hard to explain, but I couldn’t connect with it initially. The companions didn’t grab me right away either. But over time, I warmed to it, and now I’ve played it six (almost seven) times, obsessively picking up every bit of lore.

same with the books… the comics… that game in the keep that I forget the name of… I've even played the table top game and DMed it

And now we have veilguard...

I was so excited to go to Tevinter in game. Tevinter has fascinated by for so long.

And I… I cannot even put into words just how disappointed I am in veilguard…

I don’t want to be “that guy” who just tears it apart—plenty of people have already done the analysis, pointed out the retcons, and broken down how much lore feels ignored.

But I need to vent somewhere, and none of my IRL friends care.

In essence, the game feels sanitised...

But here is the crux of my issue, or at least the disturbing part:

I have zero desire to replay veilguard…

[mama2bears]

Guardian In The Night - Part 2

Warnings: A few curse words maybe, use of pet name Sweetheart

Pairings: Tyler Owens/F. Reader

A/N: Thank you for the likes! Hope you enjoying the story. I am planning on one more chapter maybe to finish this one up.

Catch up here with Part 1

Tyler was awoken later that night by sirens, or what he thought was sirens. He peeked out the window, and saw blue lights going down your drive way.

He grabbed his cell phone quickly calling your number as he ran out to his truck, still wearing nothing but his boxers.

“Tyler?” you answer your phone and he could tell you were crying.

“What happened? Are you okay? I am on my way now.” he said in one breath.

“Someone tried to break in. They were trying to kick down the door then broke a window.” you couldn't stop the tears and he heard the tremble in your voice.

“I am pulling up to your house now. See you in a minute.”

He barley got the truck parked before jumping out and running over to you, wrapping his arms around you. You were giving a statement to the police officer.

“And you are?” the police officer looked at Tyler.

“I am her neighbor, Tyler Owens.” he said.

“Any idea who could have been around here?” the officer asked, addressing both of you.

“There was a creep at the bar tonight.” Tyler said. “We got into a little altercation when he put his hands on the lady. I followed her home and didn't see anyone following us. Other then that though. I don't know.”

“Ever have trouble out this way before?” he asked.

You shake your heard, “No, I have always felt safe here. Never have had anyone prowling around.”

The officer asked for a description of the guy from the bar, which you gave. They promised to keep a patrol car out this way and would be on the lookout. Other then that, there wasn't nothing else they could do.

Once the officers left, Tyler turned to you. “They broke the window?” he asked.

You nodded, showing him the front porch window smashed with a rock. “I had my daddy's gun and told them I was going to shoot and the police were on the way.” You were shaking, “They took off running.”

“I'll get some stuff in town and fix the window tomorrow.” Tyler told you, “In the mean team, come on over to my house. There's a guest bedroom you can sleep in for the rest of the night.”

“Okay, thank you.” You wipe the tears from your eyes as Tyler pulls you into a hug. “It'll be alright.” he whispered.

You lay your head on his chest, arms tightly wrapped around him, just taking in his scent. You felt safe and protected as Tyler lead you to his truck, opening the door.

Within a minute, you were over at his place and he was leading you up the stairs to the guest bedroom, “You want some tea or anything?” he asked.

“No..I am okay. Thank you.”

“Alright.” he smiled, “My room's right down the hall. Just yell if you need anything.” he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The rest of the night, he spent sitting on the sofa, unable to go back to sleep. He felt that he needed to stay up, stay on guard.

* * * * *

Early that morning you awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. You saw one of Tyler's shirts and sweatpants laid out on the chair next to your bed with a note, “Bathroom down the hall. Feel free to take a shower and put these on. I know we forgot to grab you some clothes last night. Thought you'd feel more comfortable in something other then your nightgown to wear. Breakfast will be ready for you.”

You smile, picking up the clothes and heading into the bathroom, turning on the hot water.

Tyler hears the water running upstairs, so he goes ahead and fixes you a plate of food and pours your coffee, setting the cream and sugar out on the table for you.

“Morning.” he smiles when you walk down the stairs, “Breakfast is ready.”

“Thank you. It smells delicious.” you smile.

“Still like cream and sugar in your coffee?” he asked.

“You remember, after all this time?”

“Of course I do. Used to be three creams and two sugars. I wasn't sure if it changed, so I just put the cream and sugar on the table.”

“It hasn't changed.” you smile.

“I am going to head into town and get some glass to fix that window for you. Want to ride along?”

“You don't need to fix it. I'll file a claim with the insurance and get someone out there.”

“It will take days if not weeks to get someone out there. It's no problem to fix it. I just need to take measurements, have them cut the glass and put it in. A few minutes I'll have it in.”

“Thank you, Tyler...for last night, for everything.”

“Anytime. That's what friends are for.” he looked at you, sitting at the kitchen table in his t shirt and sweats, sipping coffee and eating a breakfast he prepared for you. He couldn't help but to think if this might have been what every morning would have looked like if he had only returned your call five years ago. Maybe you would have had a little one or two running around the table.”

“Ever wonder what could have been?” he asked softly after a few moments.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“What if you didn't leave for school? What if I didn't leave to go chase storms? What if I wasn't an ass and I returned your call or even called you. What if we didn't go five years without seeing or speaking to each other.”

You only shook your head, “There's no way to know what could have been, so I just don't think about it. Life goes on.”

“Yeah...yeah it does.” he starts loading the dishwasher, then drives you back home. He makes you wait in the truck while he runs a check though the house and around the property, making sure no one was hanging around and nothing else had been broken into.

“I'll be back in about an hour or so and get that window fixed.” he said before leaving.

“It's my turn for lunch today. Since you made it yesterday, I'll have us some sandwiches ready when you come back. Maybe make some of my sweet tea.”

“Ah, I used to love that sweet tea! It was always the sweetest.” he smiled, “Alright...see you for lunch then, sweetheart.”

You smiled, that was the second time he had used 'sweetheart' with you since last night.

Going into the house, you double check all the doors to make sure they were locked and called your dog Jack into the house before sitting down to try and read a book. You try to concentrate on the words in front of you, but every little sound was making you look. You felt like someone was watching, but you knew no one was there. You felt alone, and for the first time that you could remember, you were actually scared to be alone.

You toss the book down and turn up some music before beginning to make lunch. You kept glancing out the window, watching for Tyler's truck to come speeding down the drive way. Two hours seemed to drag on forever, until finally, you heard the music blasting and soon the truck appeared in a cloud of dust.

Finally, you felt some relief. You felt safe again.

As promised, it only took Tyler a few minutes to get the new window put in.

You brought the sandwiches and tea out to the front porch and set them on the table between two rocking chairs. “Bathroom is right in the door, to the right if you want to wash up.” you tell him.

“Thanks. Those sandwiches look amazing.” he lingered in the doorway for a moment, everything in him wanted to kiss you, but he forced himself to go on into the bathroom and wash up.

Again, he thought about what could have been. Him fixing things around the house for you. You having lunch ready for him and you two sitting there on the front porch, making small talk and enjoying the view.

Tyler sat down, taking a sip of the tea you made and gave you a smile, “Still the sweetest tea ever.” he paused looking out over your front yard, towards his house, “There's a few cells about an hour west of here into Texas. The team and I are going to head out soon as I am done eating. Would you care to put the horses in the barn for me tonight? It might be late when I get home.”

“Yeah, sure.” you say, dread filling you as you thought about night.

“Thanks. You gonna be okay?” he asked.

“Yeah..fine.” you force a smile, “I am sure whoever it was last night is long gone.”

“Probably. You got my number, if you need anything, call me, okay?” he asked.

“Will do.” you pick up the plates and glasses and carry them into the house. Tyler waits a moment before standing and opening the door a bit, “I am heading out now. See you in the morning, I'll send the money I owe you to your Venmo before I leave.” he called.

“No problem. Whenever you can. I trust you. Be safe out there.” you call back.

“Bye.” He says and walks to his truck, 'I love you.' He whispers under his breath, taking one more look at the house before driving away.

* * * *

You get the kitchen cleaned up and then run over to Tyler's place to bring his horses into the barn and feed the dog. The sun was just starting to set when you made your way back home and you quickly ran into the house, slamming the door and locking it.

Your dog, Jack laid in middle of the living room floor looking at you as tried to catch your breath. Why were you terrified of the coming night? Surely there was no one out there. They were gone. There was nothing to fear...that's what you kept telling yourself.

Going over to the sofa, you pick up the phone, seeing a message from Tyler,

“We're going live on the YouTube channel in a few minutes...this one looks big...maybe you wanna check it out?” was the message along with a link to the Tornado Wranglers you tube.

You sigh, settling in and opening up the channel. The first thing you see is Tyler's truck in middle of the tornado, fireworks shooting off the back of the truck, lighting up the twister.

This was worse then bull riding...you thought. You continued watching as the team danced around the truck hooting and hollering once the tornado was over. Somehow, not feeling quite so alone as long as you were connected to the live feed. It was like you had a connection to someone else, and weren't sitting here alone with who knows what outside.

A thump outside made you jump and you ran to turn on the lights. Your dog only glanced up at you and didn't seem alarmed, but you were. You thought you heard footsteps and you run though the house turning on lights at each room you came too. Then you dart back to the living room, turning on the TV and turning it up louder. Maybe, if you had the TV on, whoever or whatever outside would think you weren't alone...and would leave.

You sat on the sofa trembling in fear until sleep finally won out.

* * * * *

It was almost 1 am when Tyler was approaching his drive way. He slowed as he passed you house, noticing all the lights were on. He quickly turned into the driveway and sped up to the house.

Picking up his phone, he texted, “You okay?”

The ding of your phone startled you awake, once more. You kept drifting in and out of sleep, every little noise you heard or thought you heard make you jump.

“Yeah. Where are you?” you sent him a message, noticing the time. Why was he texting you at 1 am?

“I was heading home and saw the lights on.” he answered, “Everything okay?” Tyler decided not to tell you that he was sitting right outside your door just yet.

“Yeah, I just thought I heard a noise. Guess it was nothing.” you replied.

Tyler scanned the area around your house, then picked up the flashlight he kept next to the driver's seat.

He called you instead of sending another message.

“Tyler?” you answer on the first ring.

“Hey, I am just outside of your house now. Where did you think you heard the noise at?” he asked, on full alert.

“I...I don't know. All over I guess. I can't sleep. Every time I fall asleep, something wakes me up. Just jitters probably.”

“I am going to take a look around just to be sure. Stay in the house with the doors locked. I'll let you know if I find anything.”

“Tyler..no.” you protest. “I am sure it's nothing.”

“I'll call you back in a few. Hang tight.” he hanged up and stepped out of the truck, shining his flashlight around. He made a full circle around the house, checking the windows, bushes and ground then moved on towards the barn, checking in every corner he could. Once he was satisfied there was nothing there, he walked back to the truck and called you.

“Everything okay?” you asked, peering out the window, your voice trembling a little.

“All clear. No signs of anything out here. Probably was the wind.” he paused, “Wanna come crash at my place again?”

You thought for a moment then answered, “No...I'll be okay. I am just really tired. Thank you, Ty. I feel safer now that you checked out things.”

“No problem. Good night, Sweetheart.” he smiled, getting back in the truck. He sat there for a few moments, watching as one by one each light in the house was turned out.

He leaned his seat back and did his best to get comfortable before dozing off. He wasn't about to return home if you were afraid. If you weren't going to come home with him, then he was going to stay out here in his truck, making sure you were safe.

* * * * *

The sun was just peeking up over the horizon when your dog started fussing to go out. “Alright, fine.” you mutter, stumbling out of the bed and to the door. You were shocked to open the door and see the red Dodge Ram sitting there in the drive.

“Tyler?” you called.

He jumped awake at the sound of your voice, quickly looking around, then smiling at you.

“Morning Sweetheart.” he smiled.

“What the hell are you doing sleeping in your truck in front of my house?” you scold him, hands on your hips.

“I didn't want to leave last night. You seemed worried and if you were hearing noises out here, I wanted to stay here and makes sure everything was okay.”

Your heart was filled with love. Actually, the love you had always felt for Tyler Owens never did go away. It always lingered, and maybe that's why you never got too serious with anyone. Your heart always belonged to him. Even if you would never be anything more then friends, the thought that this man would willingly sleep in his truck outside your house... just to make sure you were okay, made that love grow ever more.

“Well come on in and I'll make us some coffee. Want some pancakes for breakfast?” you offered.

“Sounds great.” he smiled, hoping from the truck, giving the dog a pet on the head before following you in. “Let me help with something.” he offered.

“You take the plates out if you want, after you wash up.”

“Yes, ma'am.” he grinned, washing his hands in the sink, “Where's the plates?” he asked? “Right side of sink, second cabinet, first shelf.” you direct him, pouring the pancake mix in the skillet.

“Wanna go for a ride today? We can load the horses up on the trailer and take them to one of the trails around. I am sure the dogs would like to come too.”

“No storms to chase today?” you asked, standing to clean up the dishes.

Tyler puts his hand on your arm, then stands. “Nope...sit back down. You cook, I clean.” he grinned, “And no, don't look like there's any storms until maybe next week. There might be some over in Oklahoma.” he stated, taking the dishes from you and loading them in the sink.

“You don't have to wash my dishes. My house, my dishes, I clean.”

“Don't work like that, Sweetheart. Not with me. I'll get these washed up and run home to tend to the horses. Maybe we can pack a lunch and have a picnic up at the state park...if you wanted to go. I could help out with any chores around here before we left.”

“That sounds great.” you smile. It sounded like the perfect date to be honest...but it wasn't a date. You both had already established that you were friends...best of friends, but friends all the same. “I don't have much here to do. A quick shower and feed the dog. I'll get us some sandwiches and chips put together for a picnic.”

“It's a date then. I'll pick you up in two hours.” Tyler said causally, but hoping that maybe...just maybe it could have been the date that he wanted to take you on fifteen years ago...back when he first carved your name in that old oak tree. He walked to the truck with a skip in his step. He knew he had some work to do, but maybe...just maybe, he could make up for his past mistakes.

[love-byers]

Hi! Not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed that you believe the birthday gate stuff... The Duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case. And most of all, it would've come up in volume 2! Now if something happens in S5 it would just feel like they came up with it during the 3 years between S4 and S5. They can say it was planned all they want, people would call bullshit, and rightfully so. I'm sorry I can not believe how anyone can think birthday gate could be a real thing. Not to mention it doesn't even make any sense. Please bylers let's just accept the Duffers made a mistake!!

i disagree with everything you said

1. "the duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case"

they lied.

the duffers are sneaky snakes who want us to analyze and always be looking for little details. they have literally said there are no coincidences in the show.

so yes, i completely believe that they would go out of their way to lie in order to save the surprise for s5. i mean actually think about it, if it really was just a mistake, why would they not just fix it?? they have the full power to just do a little voiceover edit and boom, problem solved. they explained exactly how they'd do it. but they didn't. 2 years have passed and they still haven't changed it when that little tweak would literally solve all their problems if it really was a mistake.

they lied. they're liars.

2. "it would've come up in vol 2"

since when does every single problem have to be solved in one season?? do you know what show you're watching??

there are hints and foreshadowing all over the seasons. vecna is foreshadowed in s1 ep1 when will's door was opened with telekinesis, and we had no idea he existed until 6 years and 3 seasons later.

in s1 they don't fully explain how will was communicating with joyce. but after s4 everything clicks into place.

they show us that will can clearly hear her and is finding a way to make the lights light up. then in ep 8 they show joyce and hopper making the christmas lights light up as they walk through the byers upside down house. jonathan sees this and asks if it's joyce, and joyce hears him.

that isn't addressed AT ALL in s2 or s3. it is fully explained and explored in s4, when nancy steve eddie and robin are stuck in the upside down. they fully show us how it works and acknowledge that it was how will communicated with joyce.

the creators knew exactly how the light upside down stuff worked the entire show. but it wasn't time for it to be explained just yet. it was meant to come up later on. it's a masterful way to write a story with longevity.

stranger things teaches you to never just write something off. everything is important. don't let it go just because it hasn't been fully explained. there will be payoff.

3. "now if it comes up in s5 it would just feel like they came up with it the 3 years between s4 and s5. people would call bullshit."

respectfully i think you're projecting a bit.

the average viewer who does not spend their time on forums is not going to think that whatsoever. the average viewer is going to think "wait what?!", go back and watch s4 ep 2, and think "holy shit it was planned all along that's so cool!"

like that's such a dumb way of thinking. you have to be a master level hater to see a well written plot twist and think "they just did that to cover their asses" like that's some next level hating

and i guarantee you once s5 comes out the duffers will be like "yeah of course we had to lie you guys were too close to figuring it out!"

david harbour has talked about how hard it was for him to flat out lie to people about hopper being dead. it's really not that crazy to think they lied

4. "it doesn't even make any sense"

....it does.

i don't know how you could think it doesn't make sense

rink o mania day was march 22nd. will's birthday. they have not changed his birthday. his official canonical birthday is still march 22nd.

but no one mentions it. even will doesn't seem to know it's his birthday.

s4 is all about memories and trauma and feeling isolated from others. we also literally learn there is a powerful monster man who can read minds and enter other people's memories, just like el can. so i don't see how it's so outlandish to think there's some memory fuckery going on.

of course we can't explain exactly why or how, because it hasn't been adressed yet. you have to wait for the pay off.

5. "just accept the duffers made a mistake"

i would accept that they made a mistake if they actually fixed the mistake LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. they said "we are going to edit the episode and change it to say may 22nd" and then DIDNT. EVER.

and not only that, they wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah schnapp posted a bts photo on march 22nd 2024 with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. - Joyce Byers"

they are saying "yes it's still his birthday so get hyped for s5 where it'll be addressed" every way they can without spelling it out for you.

i really don't know what more you need

[brawlite]

some horror fic recs for october 👻

i wanted to put together a rec list of my favorite horror fics for the spookiest month. there are a bunch of different flavors of horror in here as well as a number of different fandoms, so hopefully you can find something that tickles your fancy (though ngl i would still rec reading these bad boys even if you don't know the fandoms at all).

i tried to tag tumblrs when/where i could find them, but if i couldn't, the author name links to ao3.

a reminder as always: this is horror—please read all the tags.

thanks for reading and i hope you find something to enjoy!

also, pretty please feel free to reblog and add your favorite horror fic recs.

👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪

the ghost apple tree by @thefearofcod

10k words, rated m song lan/xue yang/xiao xingchen (the untamed/mdzs) summary:

Fixing up a decaying house in the woods is the same as addressing your problems. (sxx is haunted)

brawls' notes: i think about this fic a lot; i'm haunted by it. this is by far one of my favorite horror stories i've ever read—the vibes are off-the-charts and horrific in a very visceral, tense way. made me feel weird (positive). i hope it makes you feel weird too (this is a threat).

—

convergence by @astrophyllitely

33k words, rated e lan zhan/lan xichen, lan zhan/jiang cheng (the untamed/mdzs) summary:

Lan Wangji regains consciousness in a crashed spaceship on an unfamiliar planet. He is not alone; Lan Xichen is there. He is not alone; Jiang Wanyin is there. But never both at once.

brawls' notes: space horror? check. psychological horror? check. uneasy and tense alien vibes? also check. beautiful push and pull of the narrative, paired with an an intense feeling of claustrophobia. there's a particular moment that had my heart right in my throat. stunning.

—

mockingbird by MarInk

82k words, rated e stiles stillinski/peter hale (teen wolf) summary:

Stiles works tirelessly to keep the roof over his heads and longs for a proper challenge for his brains. Peter chafes under his sister's authority and nurses big, bloody dreams. One day, the two are connected by a mistaken text message. One never knows who is on the other end of a wrong number. Sometimes it's somebody one will come to cherish and adore. Sometimes it's a ruthless, unapologetic monster. Sometimes it's both.

brawls' notes: sometimes you read something and are just blown away by it, forever altered. that's what this was for me. want a type of monster-au you've never seen before? this is it. also: ostensibly a wrong-number au, but don't be fooled. (i was.)

—

never meant by nonhicsumus

3k words, rated m alex krycek & dana scully (the x-files) summary:

Sometimes the past isn't worth digging into.

brawls' notes: whump and psychological horror? plus alex krycek?? my favorite. every word of this is perfection—i instantly wanted to read it again for the first time. you can.

—

fais do-do by @moku-youbi

18k words, rated e will graham/hannibal lecter (hannibal)

summary:

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (this fic does not have a summary, but begins with this quote)

brawls' notes: a different-meeting au packed with everything you need for the perfect horror story: violence, blood, a chase scene, and an unreliable narrator. delightful.

—

blackbird, fly by @acroamatica

19k words, rated m kylo ren/armitage hux (star wars: tfa)

summary:

One sunny afternoon in the mountains of Washington state, Ben Organa-Solo walked out into the woods. He never came home. Six years later, a journalist specialising in missing-persons cold cases decides to follow his footsteps and see where they might lead.

brawls' notes: a masterpiece of vibes. this reads so much like a spooky mystery novel, but with a creeping, anxious dread. perfect for the season if you want that true autumnal sort of chill. i've carried this fic in my heart for nearly a decade now—it has inspired me in my own writing so much over the years.

—

grey stars on the rise by @iodhadh

4k words, rated e song lan/xue yang/xiao xingchen (the untamed/mdzs) summary:

Xiao Xingchen comes back. Xiao Xingchen comes back wrong. It takes too long, maybe, for Xue Yang to realize something is wrong with Song Lan too.

brawls' notes: the exact embodiment of: be careful what you wish for. brutal and crushing and so deeply, utterly satisfying. absolute yi-city perfection: the vibes are wretched but strangely romantic (chefs kiss).

—

half your life you've been hooked on death by @whatever-you-can-give-me

4k words, rated m vash the stampede/nicholas d. wolfwood (trigun) summary:

Wolfwood is cornered in an alleyway. Things get worse before they get better.

brawls' notes: and what's a horror rec list without a little bit of gore? whump and blood and near-death-experiences—oh my. this is brutal and feverish and exactly the right flavor.

—

black rock mountain by @bokuno-jinsei

24k words, rated e will graham/hannibal lecter (hannibal) summary:

Will is a hitchhiker with questionable hobbies. Hannibal is a man who has questionable motives. When Hannibal drives by Will who just so happens to need a ride, things quickly take a turn from the questionable to the downright depraved.

brawls' notes: you know That Fic that is really the epitome of that pairing for you? yeah, this is it for me. perfect alternate first-meeting fic. lives rent-free in my head.

👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪

and hey, why not be a little self-indulgent: i can't help but rec a few of my own horror fics here, too:

old growth

21k, rated m song lan/xue yang/xiao xingchen (the untamed/mdzs) summary:

There’s something in the woods outside of their hometown. Xue Yang and Song Lan are going to find it.

brawls' notes: i tried something new with the formatting on this one and i think it panned out solidly and was a desperately fun way to tell the story. this is full of spooky, sleepless forest vibes.

—

what's real or isn't

57k, rated e kylo ren/armitage hux (star wars: tfa) summary:

Hux's new house is not haunted. It isn't.

brawls' notes: i honestly love playing favorites and this is one of mine. this was a load of fun to write—it's chock-full of vibes, personal experiences, local history, and love notes to my favorite horror stories.

—

acquiesce

16k, rated e original luo binghe/original shen qingqiu (svsss) summary:

After seeing the gentle and loving Shen Qingqiu of the other world, Luo Binghe returns to his own with a hunger that can only be satisfied by one thing—a Shizun of his very own.

brawls' notes: this isn't spooky or haunted, but it is psychological horror—packed with nightmares, flashbacks, dread, and manipulation. enjoy!

👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪👻👁️🎃🔪

and that's it! hope you find something fun to read for this october 🖤

and again—please reblog and add your own horror recs if you are feeling so inclined!

[chibigaia-art]

Do you have any favorite webcomics?

oh boy, do I

ok, addressing the elephant in the room immediately: homestuck. just read it. don't read anything after the main webcomic ends, don't get into the epilogues, or the sequel, but hs? fun, still love it dearly.

now for the others!!!!

Paranatural - middle schoolers with supernatural powers fight supernatural entities, it's one of the funniest thing I ever read that also managed to punch me in the gut and make me want to draw even more

Sleepless Domain - magical girls protect the city at night from monsters. Everything is fine until things happen :)

Heartstrings (18+) pop star/punk lesbians :]

webtoons:

Public U. Art Club - it's an art club. liloth my beloved

Cursed Princess Club - story about self love and acceptance, I just really really love this comic and I am still so happy I followed it while it was updating. It's finished so it's a good binge read!

Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell - this one is also finished, idk how to pitch it, just read it, it's so fucking funny, also read Vampire Family from the same author

also on tapas:

Fantasy x Grounds (I'd say 18+ for this one too) - the summary on the page just says "A funny fantasy comic with nameless characters". This is true but it's also a lie, it's also a fantasy comic full of heartaches and characters that feel like real people This one is from an italian author and I've been following it for years, I'm so in love with the story, the characters and their arcs it makes me unwell. There is an english translation and that version has updated art on old pages, some fixes for colors and redrawn sequences that are very very cool - the translation itself is also kinda rough at first but it gets better. I will also say, the earlier parts of the comic didn't age super well BUT. IT'S SUCH A GOOD COMIC. YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT FUCKERY HAPPENS LATER, YOU HAVE TO SEE THE INSANE THINGS THEY FIGHT. YOU HAVE TO READ THE [MOONANGEL KING] ARC BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE MY FAVOURITE GUY STARTS BREAKING FOR REAL

edit also if you read any of these pls let me know what you think

[diminuel]

What r ur thoughts on Crocodile being Whitebeard's biological child AU? I read few of these theories online and on fanfics.

I think for the angst potential it's an interesting concept to think about.

WB always wanted a family, but even as he kept collecting stray sons, there must have been a falling out with his own biological child. If Crocodile had been loved as WB loved his sons, then he probably wouldn't have turned out as he did and they might not have clashed when Crocodile was a newly appointed warlord, so what happened? Did WB not want him on his ship? Did he treat him differently than his adopted sons? Was Crocodile just jealous and cranky and there was nothing WB could do to fix it?

(If we go with Crocodile was a woman, then we can of course go the trusty "the sea is no place for girls" route, though of course WB would have sailed with at least three other women while he was still part of the Rocks Pirates so wouldn't that have been hypocritical? Did he not want him on a ship so he would remain "safe"?)

Was he kicked off the ship, abandoned, trust broken? I think the break with WB would have had to happen when he was still young, a teen maybe I have no clear reason for this apart from having some doubt that Crocodile was on WB's ship in the scenes we saw in the Wano flashbacks. Teach and Crocodile doesn't really seem like they once served on the same ship from the interactions we got between them in Impel Down? And Teach joined WB when Crocodile would have been around 18.

But then again... those of the WB crew who fight Crocodile during Marine Ford don't seem to show any restraint or remorse. Which means either they've never been "brothers" or the falling out (and the challenge back in Crocodile's 20s that ended in Crocodile's defeat) was so bad that they won't forgive him? *scratches head*

I don't know which theory of Crocodile's past I find most intriguing. I mean the story with WB is over now (apart from the Weevil stuff that's not been resolved yet as far as I know), if Crocodile had been his biological child, I think that would have had to be addressed at some point, I don't know if the reveal 10+ years later would still pack the same punch (even though we still need to figure out what issues they had with each other... So who knows!)

[pomefioredove]

Black cauldron event, you say??? Go on!

How would that look?

grins. call me sebek the way I'm really interested in briar valley lore/history and want to know everything about it

so this is how the WHOLE event goes. it's long. and a little macabre, of course. I don't have a name for our twisted Horned King, I've been calling him Corry, short for Cornelius (get it. cause horn)

the characters in this event are Yuu, Grim, Malleus, Lilia, Epel, Rook, and Jamil. weird combo? yes. but I have my reasons and that's the perfect amount of characters if you'd ask me. I don't have little outfits in mind for them but REST ASSURED they'd be getting them

see my vision:

it's October. during preparations for the NRC annual Halloween event, Malleus receives a mysterious invite to a rural part of Briar Valley from an unnamed cousin. Lilia recognizes the address on the letter and goes "Hm, that's strange. That castle hasn't been lived in for thousands of years," but shrugs it off, since he hasn't been keeping up with the politics in Briar Valley, and a noble fae taking up an abandoned castle isn't unheard of. plus, Lilia recognizes the coat of arms and can say for certain that this is a distant relative of the Draconia family. and Malleus, of course, is beside himself with joy for being invited to something, so he couldn't possibly refuse

Lilia insists he go along since it's been "a while" since he's visited the backwoods of Briar Valley, and it's, according to him, beautiful! he assures Sebek and Silver that it's only a weekend, and he can look after the Prince himself

Malleus, with the other Diasomnia boyz, invites Yuu. obviously. and they tell Yuu they can bring whomever they please

...and, believe it or not, no one Yuu asks is exactly into the idea of visiting a random ruined castle in rural Briar Valley

Lilia is, of course, shocked at the disinterest. "Kids these days can't go without their electricity and running water for a weekend?" and then Grim is like, what's the big deal anyway? what's so great about it? do they have food?

and Lilia goes, well, kids, lemme tell you a very popular very old children's story from Briar Valley, possibly one of the only with human heroes

~long, long ago, before even the Thorn Fairy ruled, there was a king, who lorded over this quaint kingdom in what is now modern Briar Valley. he was distantly related to the Thorn Fairy, but he was greedy and cruel, and wanted to conquer the rest of Briar Valley with an army of the dead. he was stopped, however, by a group of brave young humans- a pigkeeper who became a great hero, a scullery maid who became a powerful mage, a minstrel whom everyone disliked, and their hungry, fuzzy friend~

...and THIS sparks some interest. Epel is captivated by the story of the weak boy who eventually became a strong and powerful hero, Rook likes the minstrel (because he's Rook), Jamil is intrigued by the scullery maid, though he doesn't show it, and Grim is hungry. these guys agree to come along with Malleus, Lilia, and Yuu, who promise them a great time!

let's say, for background, that Kalim had relatives in town and doesn't need Jamil for the weekend so he's free. oh, and Pomefiore has a big event coming up, so Epel and Rook are on a strict diet- EVEN AND ESPECIALLY WHILE ON VACATION, as put by Vil

(I think Lilia would also level with Yuu abt the trip being more for Malleus' social skills, because it'd be good for him to make more friends his age, and this "distant cousin" likely isn't scared of him if he felt brave enough to send an invite)

I haven't put like. a LOT of thought into the twisted horned king, but he's definitely around Malleus' age (like 170 or something) and probably just as tall. obviously also has horns but they look different ofc. I need to think of a better name than Corry for him but I'll do that LATER. I'm sorry welsh speakers </3 I'll find a good one

noww!! they arrive at the castle and it looks like ASS. like Lilia was saying that someone might have fixed up the old place, since it is, again, VERY OLD, but nooope. it's barely standing. but there are fires lit and warm food, so no one really complains. they're given some local drinks first thing (Epel indulgences bc fuck you Vil isn't here, but Rook brought his own snackies), and then they do the usual event stuff, exploring the castle, the surrounding woods and fields (full of beautiful ruins mmmm) and talking to this freakish cousin of Malleus', who, to everyone else, is noticeably. strange

there's just... something off about him. almost like he's never really interacted with people his age? or this is his first day on earth? Malleus doesn't even notice cause he's lowkey the same but Jamil, at least, is side-eyeing him. at some point, Jamil pulls Yuu and Lilia aside and is like "is this guy not extremely suspicious to you" but Lilia wants to believe that he and Malleus are getting along, so he brushes it off as "social awkwardness" and leaves Jamil with Yuu, who is now like. I Do Not Trust the Tall Man. later on Jamil and Yuu see some of the castle staff hauling in these huge wagons full of... something. but they're covered. highly sus

Malleus, however, is glowing. like, SO happy. he's geeking out about all the ruins, the gargoyles on the castle, he feels so at home here and he's just trying to show Yuu how great Briar Valley is!!!1!1 whilst Jamil is giving his weird cousin a deadly side-eye. "Yuu get behind me" vibes

at some point something tips off Epel, too. Jamil is like THANK YOU can we fucking LEAVE. but again he gets shot down by Lilia, who is blinded by his paternal instincts (his Achilles' heel). Malleus and the cousin are getting along, talking about the architecture and whatever other freaky Briar Valley stuff, after all, and he really wants this to be a positive experience for his son. nothing's been poisoned, the staff are friendly, and besides, this is the great Malleus Draconia we're talking about! no one would even dare step to him

at dinner the question of how exactly Malleus and Corry are related comes up, and this cousin gets very. VERY quiet. Lilia recognized the coat of arms, after all, but couldn't exactly place which noble family it belonged to

someone (lowkey probably Rook whose just been dicking around uncovering secrets this whole time) changes the subject and the conversation moves on, but Corry is sort of quiet and serious for the rest of it

later on, someone mentions feeling tired and the others agree and so they return to the banquet hall to rest (nix Rook he wandered off again), and they see this... cauldron. like a big one. THAT definitely wasn't there before

NOW Lilia is like. okay I think we have to go. I don't like this even one bit. and Jamil is like "So NOW you see reason, over some random cauldron?" and then we have our villain reveal

Corry had lured them to his family's ancestral castle because he needed to use their magic to find the place of the Cauldron which his ancestor, the king from the story, had used to try to conquer Briar Valley thousands of years before. being a powerful mage himself, he had enchanted the DRINKS* that were served to the guests to use their power, and once he found the cauldron, he had it brought to the castle. and now, with his soon-to-be living dead, he's going to fucking kill all of them and add them to his army to conquer Briar Valley as his ancestor set out to do a millennia before. he claims that HIS family is the true royal lineage of Briar Valley, and the Draconias had stolen their throne from them, and he's only reclaiming his rightful place as heir, and as a god amongst mortal men

oh btw those wagons Jamil and Yuu saw earlier were full of skeletons for his army. as if this couldn't get any more insane

so Corry sends the NRC gang to the dungeons deep under the castle while he raises the dead. they're like welpp we're fucked. drained of their magic from eating and drinking the food they were served, they basically have no hopes of stopping mr. crazy before he KILLS THEM

then, of course, as he does, Rook crawls out of the floor from a stone trapdoor, scolds Epel for indulging (if he had listened to Vil then he wouldn't have drank/eaten anything and would be able to defend his friends LMAO vil win), and then frees everyone

much like how they had to ascend the bell tower in Glomas or scamper across the park in Playful Land, the boys now have to play dungeon escape, fighting the literal undead, to get back to the banquet hall. you guys know how the gameplay goes. final boss battle, whatever, Corry's on his crazy monologue about how the people of Briar Valley should be worshipping HIM, how long he's thirsted to rule, etc, obviously the NRC boys kick his ass

I'd like to imagine that it's Grim who manages to stop the magic of the cauldron. gurgi-style (traumatizingly)

everyone's okay though, the evil is defeated! I have no idea what happens to Corry but nothing good! he definitely gets more than the slap on the wrist that Rollo did. and nothing like Fellow did. and then they escape before the whole castle comes crumbling down LMAO

then everyone's like. well. that happened. and they leave.

THE END!

*this is a confusing part I just want to say that it's referencing Hen Wen's powers in the movie. the pif. the pig. she drinks from a water trough and the ripples of the water shows visions. this makes sense in my head

[theamityelf]

(Most of this post was made before I finished the movie. It gets addressed later.)

"Does it really count as being a good person if you're getting a reward for it?" This movie has an interesting attitude toward the activity of goodness where hardship is inherently moral and nothing you do actually counts; only the circumstances around it.

We are encouraged to feel sympathy for Red and ignore any wrongdoing because of her circumstances, and we are encouraged to ignore anything Chloe does right because her circumstances make it easy.

Which...I mean, I guess it's not the worst exploration of Attribution Theory, but it sets up this world where the only lesson to be learned is that anyone who does harm has a good heart and a sympathetic reason, except high school bullies I guess. There is no reason to feel any sympathy for school bullies. They are bullies because they are fundamentally unkind, and you are being bullied because you are fundamentally kind. The worst thing you can be is a school bully, and the meanest adults in your life are probably mean because they were bullied in school. Good news; because you're unhappy now, you're morally in the clear to make someone else's childhood unhappy when you grow up. They'll feel bad for you when they hear about how hard you had it.

Ella had a bad childhood and made sure her daughter's childhood was happy. Her daughter goes back in time to meet a young version of Ella who feels disdain for her privilege. Not inherently a bad thing; just maybe a weird zag on the happy scene from the beginning. It's like they wanted to teach Audrey or Chad a lesson but couldn't, so instead they used her.

If they wanted to teach Chloe some moral lesson other than "You should feel bad for having nice parents," the line Ella gave Red about how her mother is kind when others are unkind to her would be a much better choice! Instead of showing us a version of Bridget who is this angelic being who tolerates all manner of mistreatment, make that Ella. Because that's the actual story of Cinderella?!

Let Chloe react to Red's rudeness with dislike, the way she already did. She was nice to Red, Red was rude, Chloe immediately formed a negative judgement of her character. She goes back in time, sees her mother constantly taking the high road with mean people, hears that line about how hard it is, learns a lesson. That's so much more coherent with everything we already know than making Ella really wry and condescending toward pretty much everyone and giving Bridget the halo.

But I'm not going to post this until after I've finished watching the movie, in case they turn it around. If you're reading this, I've finished the movie and I still agree with myself, lol.

Okay this is me after the movie, and they did manage to pull something together as far as Chloe's arc being that she abandons her legalistic view of the world to a more utilitarian morality. There are aspects of the execution that I don't love, like I feel like they didn't do enough to set it up before the payoff, but they definitely did something coherent with her character. I might do a how-I-would-rewrite for this one.

I will say, the vase scene is the one my mind keeps going back to. Chloe breaks the vase. She does accidental harm. She apologizes and doesn't seem to fully understand that apologizing isn't going to fix it, because she was raised in a positive environment where intentions matter. Ella, angry about the vase, basically explains that her intention doesn't erase the harm. Okay.

But neither does penitence. The resolution of this scene is "Let's give her some space because she's mad," not "Let's do anything to make things better for her." Maybe helping her with her chores later was supposed to count as that, but it more reads as a learning montage for Chloe than any attempt at atoning for the accidental wrong she did.

Bridget is wronged and turns that into a dictatorship and abusive parenting. She has no agency in the harm she does; she is just a machine where if you input "unhappy school dance" she will output "evil queen". I kind of thought that preventing this one thing from happening to her in her teens was going to prove an ineffective way to change who she became, and maybe they were going to address some deeper issue with her worldview that would resonate with one of the protagonists. Maybe connect her lesson to Chloe's, since they seemed like they wanted to connect Ella's situation to Red's.

But no, this one incident at a school dance turned her from a cheerful, nice person to an evil queen, preventing it makes her nice again, there is nothing else to it.

For the record, I'm not mad; I'm fascinated.

That was a first watch, so who's to say how I'll feel later, lol.

[thebestofoneshots]

WOLFSTAR X READER SERIES

Gilded Constellations | THE INTERLUDE Part 2

Summary: You meet Sirius and Regulus at a family vacation in the Caribbean, but things don't go as planned and you end up losing contact once the trip is over. Years later your family moves to England and you get accepted at Hogwarts where you finally see Sirius once again, along with all of his friends. One of them with a mysterious secret, that you'll uncover as you embark on your own Hogwarts adventure. Mostly canon-compliant. This IS a wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it.

Series Masterlist | Previous episode | The first Interlude

You guys know I wanted to make another interlude, but upon lack of time, and because I don't want to have you wait another week to read the next chapter (darling @aremuslupinsimp for sure needs someone to vent about the absolute rollercoaster of emotions that it is) I've decided to make it a WEEKL-LONG EVENT!

But Lilly, What does that mean? It means you can send as many questions as you might have and I'll try to address all of them within the week. Including anything related to last week, this week's, and the next week's chapter (although I will not spoil that one).

Adding a few questions here, just as a start:

Have you always known where the story is going or have you kind of figured it out along the way? do you have the ending planned?

Hey love! I do have a base idea of where GC is going. I've had these big plot points thought out from the very beginning to the part where they all start dating. Having said that, a lot of things that happen in the story, and that are in between those points, are just me letting my imagination soar, and a lot of those chapters end up being some of my favourites.

I wanted to end the story either before they end school or before 1981, but now that I've gotten so attached to the characters, I've honestly thought of writing past that, and "fixing" some of the things that happen in canon. But who knows, that's like a whole other fic just on how much plot it would have.

SoIi can’t really remeber if the ‘prank’ that Sirius pulled on Snape had already happened in Gilded Constellations, if it hasn’t will it be happening or will it just get skipped over?

It's happened already (in 5th year). That's the reason Snape is weary about leaving Vixen in the Shack in "Bad Moon Rising". He knew she would be in danger because there was a werewolf inside. He couldn't say anything to them because of the young twisting charm Dumbledore put on him, and he's never been brave enough to stand up to the other Slytherins, so he went straight to Lily and told her Vix was in danger.

That's why Lily knew about Vixen being in danger when Sirius showed up with a fox in his hands and was livid about it.

Tu penses prévoir combien de chapitre pour GC si tu sais sinon si tu sais pas une estimation de chapitre que tu aimerais écrire pour GC ?

I'm terrible with estimations, originally it was going to be a short 5 chapter-long series. And then I wanted to end it at thirty, and then at forty. So far I've written 55 chapters, but I'm thinking of ending before chapter 70. (That's IF I don't get carried away).

Do we get to know if Sirus ever got that necklace back from the first few chapters?

Oh, the necklace is still on Vix's neck and it's going to be HUGE in the next couple of chapters. I've been building on is for a while and I'm really excited about it finally happening.

How is it going with Remus' and reader's fireworms?

They are amazing! They've implemented a whole system that helps them get fed automatically. They're probably going to ace that test.

Are we seeing more to Nina?

Definitely.

After they come back from winter break will the study group start again?

I mean, there're going to be a LOT of things happening after the Winter Break, but I assume yes. Also the reading club, the reading club is going to happen.

How long do we have to wait 'till Remus, Reader and Sirius go out?

I think I'm about one or two chapters away from writing that, but I'm a few chapters ahead. But it's waaay less than before.

Does Nina have a little crush on Reader or is it just me?

I mean, there's a reason why the ribbon she tied on her quidditch gear was enough to defend Vix from Barty's spell. And why, more than once, Nina's love has proven to be a strong protective spell over the reader.

Are we getting more lessons like some of the first chapters?

Yup, not very soon, since the next few chapters will all be happening over the winter break, but once they're back in school, certainly.

Further questions will be answered directly on asks as they come.

I'm really excited about the questions I might get, also a bit terrified about the questions I'll get after Chapter 44, but of well, the show must go on.

Love ya lots, Lils xx

Series Masterlist | First Interlude

Taglist: @rayrlupin @callmelovergirl @warcelia @ireneop @endversewinchester @moonyunebi @smuttysluttybitch @mazzymoons @drugs-for-memes @sofiacblair @vmpir3lvr @remuslupinisbae @rabluver @willgrahamisalesbi4n @thatobsessedreader  @itskailey24 @hell0-kittie @belovedmoony @blacksgarden @loving-and-dreaming @cassie-love20 @starchaser-lily @zucchini-queenie @springflwer07 @sseleniaa @cometsghost @orkwardx0 @imdoingbetternow  @sbrewer21 @remuslupinsbae @maxinehufflepuffprincess @wifiatthetrainstation @unstablereader @msblacklupin @oliversaurus @jaylienpotter @remussbitch @hermionelove @izuoyarmin @themarauderswife7 @keira-kaz2y5 @lampthemacarenagod @bugg06 @a-n-1-m-3-f-r-3-4-k @darlingeels @kissmeunicornbaobei @xluansstuff @boo8008 @angelmixer @voteforintensedreams @allons-y-molly @aremuslupinsimp @imaginexred @writingshae @nyanwyn @poetrypirate @crazyhorseforgot @saturnhas82moons @ryeyeyer @mothraantics @maqqiekwon @desikudisworld @pastelorangeskies

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Read more Marauders Fiction

[shiredwarf]

i'm gonna rant a bit about veilguard for a sec, spoilers behind the cut but honestly, it's just anxiety-fueled speculations and I need to write this down because I feel like I'm going insane. aptly titled:

WHAT THE FUCK VARRIC (aka please god no, please no)

i've done everything i can do up to recruiting davrin.... so I'm not that far into the game, I think, and I have no idea, I might be wrong about all this, and it's just weird writing but things are feeling off guys :(

so.....my thoughts.....

Did Varric survive the opening sequence?

chat.... I don't think so :( I really thought he did but I started growing more and more suspicious with each cutscene and I think it's time to prepare myself :(

Maybe this is preferable to him surviving and then being corrupted by the same lyrium idol that corrupted his brother but yeah, I don't think varric is really there because:

NO ONE TALKS TO HIM, no one visits him, no one talks ABOUT him in any way that would suggest he's recovering in the infirmary

NO ONE LOOKS AT HIM during cut scenes, or talks to him, or acknowledges his existence in any way :( Rook is the only one who talks to him/visits him/addresses him/looks towards him when varric talks :(

both harding and neve have talked about varric in a strange way. not confirming he's dead but in a sort of wistful way you might use when talking about someone who died and you're just at the edge of being able to think about them the way you remember them rather than as a corpse

neither bellara nor lucanis have spoken to varric AT ALL as far as I know, nor have they mentioned him??? wouldn't that be the first thing you do once you've been recruited?

the "power transition" was really weird to me because at first it did feel like they were just putting varric on bed rest so they could make me the main character. and I wondered why not harding? why not at least include her in that conversation.... unless of course it's all not real and varric was dead to begin with

that one line harding says at some point that goes sth like "if only I could have saved...." AND SHE STOPS TALKING! GIRL WHO! WHO!

solas seems very convinced he killed varric :( and then gives his typical cryptic non-answer when rook suggests he might not be dead :/

i really hope i'm wrong but honestly, i'm convinced now he's dead and no one but rook can see or hear him :( maybe he's a fade ghost, maybe he's a hallucination because we got our brains turned into scrambled eggs, maybe he's an echo? bound to bianca? maybe he died but left a piece of himself inside rook when we were knocked out and thrown into the fade?

or maybe..... it's not even varric :(

Is it even Varric???????????

varric guiding us through the story bit by bit really fooled me :( how could he be dead when he's telling the story :( but one thing I noticed very early on is how different his tone is from how he told the story in da2? again this might just be a writing choice but it's strange how he almost sounds gleefully foreboding at the end of each sequence :/

He has not told us anything we don't already know..... his dialogue is full of varric-like quips but whenever he talks properly he's like "remember how I told you...remember when you did this.... remember when we did that"

he never once mentions bianca's status! he never once looks at her even though she is broken right beside him. he never once made an attempt to fix her BUT I did get one quip from him that went sth like "can't wait to get out there, bianca is getting impatient"....SIR SHE IS BROKEN WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ARE YOU JUST REPEATING COMMON VARRIC PHRASES WITHOUT CONTEXT?????

man I'm reaching but when solas and varric struggle there's a chime sound? as if the dagger went through the veil? and then there's like a fade tendril attached to the tip as solas pulls back???

and then there's all the fade light coming from the wound with the dagger still in it as if the fade itself was now inside his chest. when neve draggs him away later you can still see the green shimmer around his neck

varric looks very dead in the first scene in the lighthouse ... in fact he looks a lot like justice did .... but that could just be an artistic choice????.... his looks do improve after all.....dunno but it struck me as so familiar when I first saw it

and then when harding comes in and starts explaining where we are he gives you this look??? which is just a weird look? he looks like he's worried she might say too much right??? doesn't he???? that's not varric is it????

and lastly: WOULD VARRIC LET A BANDAGE STOP HIM FROM SHOWING OFF HIS CHEST HAIR! NO! :'(

so.... what if... we're being manipulated? something latched on? or maybe it's the dagger itself? we've been told over and over again in the last games that lyrium might be alive... maybe it was stuck in varric's chest long enough to learn about him and now we're the one carrying it around.... i dunno, seems strange because we already have two (three) antagonists but... i can't shake the feeling this is not varric :(

[bellobambino]

bad user interface kills people

i have worked with insurance and the government and lawyers and estates and hospitals for my whole life and I have some stories about how fucking terrible these institutions are.

Here's one of them.

I used to have Medicaid under Aetna while I was considered in the same 'household' with my ex boyfriend at the time. I was the head of household just for administrative purposes.

Anyway. Things didn't work out with him. I moved across state lines, and I had to remove myself from all other accounts that were accessing my medicaid benefits.

I called up Aetna and explained the situation. I told them please remove me from the account, and transfer the head of household to my ex, who was still living in the state and reliant on the benefits.

He said there was no way for them to remove me from the account (he reeeeally tried) and the best bet to keep my ex's healthcare coverage was to simply change my mailing address on the account to match the address I had on file with Medicaid. He said once that's updated, I just need to notify Medicaid that the change was made and it should be all good to go!

He must have pulled that idea out of his ass, because I don't hear anything about it for a week or two, and I'm assuming it's fixed and I can move on with my life.

And then my ex calls me. He was beyond furious. Because he went to his audiologist appointment just for them to say ... yea your insurance isn't effective anymore. And he assumed i hated him so much that I went through the trouble to forcibly terminate his Medicaid coverage. (we did not end on good terms and that would be kinda par for the course for me but i digress)

anyway, I spent the next 3 days on hold with Aetna and Medicaid.

Turns out, if you change the Head of Household's (HoH) address, it automatically applies that address to everyone in the account. So my ex's address was changed to out of state, their system database immediately considered him ineligible because of it, and ceased all coverage.

I know this is getting long, and maybe boring, but bear with me, it gets worse.

When he called, they wouldn't let him change his address to regain coverage. Because he wasn't head of household.

I called and told them to transfer him to head of household. They said they can't transfer HoH within the account, they can only add and remove members from the account. I said dawg... I first thing I tried to do to solve this shit last time was to simply remove me from the account. Now its possible?

They pulled some convoluted policy out of their ass to blame the confusion on. They said they'd look into the issue and call me back.

Well a week later (without either of us having any coverage due to this madness), Aetna Man calls me and says okay so i figured it out. In the program we have, you have to actually assign another member the Head of Household role before you're able to remove the existing Head of Household. It's a system issue, it seems.

I almost walked into the river. I spent 2 entire weeks PLUS with a lapse in healthcare coverage for me AND an innocent party. Because Mark or whoever had Boomer's First Computer Interface disease.

Still took an entirely separate series of phone calls to get them to change his address back to the one he lived at after their mistake.

im very much filled with hate.

[burrowbaddie]

Moving On

Joe Burrow x Female Reader

Series Summary: Childhood friends to lovers to nothing. You and Joe had history, you were each others first and then you were nothing. Years later, you guys rekindle the flame but with more obstacles in the way this time.

Chapter 6 Summary: You and Joe try to move on from the scandal.

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: Afab!reader, smut, swearing. Oral (female & male receiving), vaginal fingering, penetrative sex, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, cheating! (You are the side girl, sorry.), the small fight scene, jealous Joe, mild violence, stalker

Series Masterlist

You lock yourself in your office, trying to avoid co-workers and patients. Your phone is blowing up with texts from family, friends, and random people who have your number somehow. All of it was sending you into a panic. Joe's name flashes on your phone.

"Joe." You cry.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'll fix this. I promise. I'm going to fly home right now."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't look at any of your social media accounts, and don't answer phone calls. I'll see you when I get home. I love you." Joe hangs up, leaving you alone again. Tate knocks on your door, but you're too ashamed to open it. He uses his master key and opens the door, locking it behind him.

"Mya is calming things down out there." Tate walks over and hugs you. You can't stop crying; people have already been texting you hurtful things. Tate takes your phone, so you can stop reading your IG comments which are flooded with hateful words.

"What am I going to do?" You can't stop crying. Your chest is so tight that you begin to hyperventilate.

"Hey, you have to calm down. Think about the baby. Hey!"

Tate's words are muffled together and unheard because of your rapid heartbeat. All you can hear is the blood pulsing. And then everything goes black. When you wake up, you're in a hospital bed with your OB next to you.

"Relax. You're okay. You started having a panic attack. Tate came to get me. I'm taking you off the rest of your shift. Tate is going to take you home." She says. Mya is sitting next to you with an apologetic look. You comply with your OB's ruling. Tate takes you home, and Mya promises to come by after work. When you get home, Tate turns off your cell phone and takes it. You argue that Joe might call, but Tate says he will handle it. George is on high alert because your new address was also leaked. You know that your parents must be blowing up your phone, so you cry yourself to sleep. a few hours later, Tate wakes you up to eat and let you know Joe is on his way home. You refuse to eat, but he drags you from bed downstairs to Mcdonalds on the dining room table. You take a seat, picking at the fries. The front door opens. Joe rushes to you, and you immediately break down. His eyes glare at Tate as he rubs your back. He knows this isn't the time to be jealous, but the thought of someone else comforting you pisses him off.

"I'm going to fix this. I promise."

"Joe, I don't think you can fix this," Helen states, making her presence known. You try to calm down and wipe your eyes.

"There has to be something. I won't deal with the media talking about her like she's a side piece."

"Joe, when you started a relationship with her, she was one. I told you to leak the story first; now the ball is in Nicole's hands. I don't know how you will be able to fix this." Helen looks at you with a frown.

"Sorry to step in on this, but you should come clean about Nicole. Do an interview and tell the truth."Tate says, making everyone turn to him.

"I'm not doing an interview. I never have and never will do one about my personal life. It's no one's business." Joe's intense, and you hold his hand to calm him down.

"The kid is right. This might help clear some things up."

Joe lifts you and takes you upstairs. He doesn't want to hear a thing from anyone else. For the next few days, you hide out with Joe inside your home. Joe misses practice, but he doesn't care. Your health and sanity are far more critical. Today, your parents are coming over, which sends you into a further spiral.

"I don't even know what to say! What were you thinking!" Your mother shouts, pacing the living room. Joe's parents and your father sit quietly to the side while your mother spends the next 10 mins chewing you and Joe out.

"You don't even want to know what the people at my church have been saying about you!" Your mother directs her anger toward you this time.

"Ma'am-"

"Boy, do not even fix those lips to interrupt me. I am speaking to my daughter."

"I understand that, but I'm not going to let you speak to my wife like that." Joe stands up in front of you protectively. Your mother's eyes widen along with everyone else.

"Your what?" Robin speaks up, this time entirely shocked by this news.

"What we did was wrong. I know that. I ended this with Nicole. I know I should have been upfront about everything, but I wasn't. That's on me. I kept telling Cheeks things with Nicole were over, and she believed me. So don't put it all on her. We love each other, and I'm going to be with her. I'm going to marry her. She is the mother of my child and future children. I'm not going to let you or anyone on this Earth disrespect her, ma'am." Joe's words take the room by surprise, and shut your mother up. Your dad coughs. Mr.Burrow comes forward.

"Joe came to me some time ago and told me about them."

"You knew?" Robin's voice is filled with disappointment. Your dad stands up.

"I think we all knew deep down. Look at them. The kid's been in love with my daughter since he was 12. Our daughter has been equally in love with him too. Right now, all we can do is support our children. I don't care what the media or church says about my daughter. Because she is my daughter, and I know her." Your dad kisses your head, and Mr.Burrow nods. Your mother leaves the room, and Robin stares at you and Joe.

"Dad." You whisper, hugging him.

"Your mom will take some time, but she will get over it. You and Joe are adults. What choices you make do not define the whole picture." He says, kissing your head before going off to find your mother. Mr. Burrow pulls Joe away, and Robin finally gets up. She puts her hands on your belly, smiling with tears in her eyes.

"That's my grandbaby."

You nod your head.

"I'm happy. I wish you would have said something to me. You or Joe, but I get it. You're not little kids anymore. No one wants to run to their parents." Robin continues rubbing your belly until your mother comes back. She won't even look at you. You don't blame her. Your mother grabs her things and leaves with your father behind her. Joe's parents stay awhile talking to the both of you; they leave an hour later when Helen comes.

"So here's the thing we need to take this thing head on."

"What are our options?" You ask, biting your lip.

"Interviews. You need to do one or Joe." She says, staring at you. You look at Joe for an answer.

"I can't. Doing an interview like this is too personal. There's nothing else?" Joe stands, running his hand through his hair. He's flustered and pissed, so you try your best to keep him calm by holding his hand.

"I-I'll do it." You whisper. It's been days since you've heard your own voice outside of crying. Joe shakes his head.

"I'll do it. Baby, I want you to rest. You don't need to be in front of the camera for them to ridicule you even more. I will come clean about everything."

"This is good. You two need to go out on a date. Show the world how in love you guys are. Your parents need to be on board with this too. A family outing. That's good." Helen claps at her brilliant plan. You give Joe an uneasy look. There is no way your mother would agree to this. Helen tells Joe she will take care of the interview and let him know when it is all set. The object is to get in front of the TV before Nicole. After Helen leaves, you're left alone with Joe. There hasn't been much talking between you two since the story broke up. Joe follows you to the bedroom, contemplating what to say. You sit on the bed staring out the window. Joe squats in front of you, rubbing your legs.

"I'm sorry about all of this. I should have ended things with Nicole right away. Talk to me. Please?" He begs. Your eyes look down at him, but you can't bring yourself to acknowledge his words.

"I need to go to work." This is your only response. You push his hands off your legs and walk to the bathroom. Joe stands up and follows you, but you slam the door in his face. You know you have no right to be mad. This is just as much your fault as his. But it hurts, and being pregnant fuels every little emotion inside you. So the only way you know how to cope is to ignore Joe and go to work, burying yourself in something you love.

You don't know why you thought work would be the best place to be because half the staff keeps asking you questions. People you've never met from the other departments. Tate protects you from most of their comments and questions, threatening to beat them up.

"Mr.Cove? Tell me where the pain is?" You ask, checking on a patient.

"Uhh, my right."

You look at the chart, which said his left side was the trouble area.

"Your right?" You question, walking to the other side of the bed.

"Yeah. I think. I need to ask you a question."

"What's up?" You ask, lifting his shirt.

"How long was the affair with Jie Burrow, and is that his child?" The man asks, pulling a tape recorder out of his pocket. You smack it out of his hand and call security.

"Come on! The silence is killing everyone! It has to be his child, right?" The guy shouts as security removes him. You return to the office, where you find Mike and the Hospital Director, Max. The board called a meeting to determine if you are eligible to remain head of the ED. You stand in the room watching everyone vote.

"All in favor of removing her as head of the ED? Raise your hands." Elaine says. Seven out of nine people raise their hands. Max looks around the room, shocked.

"We don't have a choice. The scandal will only cause further donations to stop. We're sorry. Mike will be named head immediately." Elaine states.

"What we do in our personal lives has nothing to do with work. She has worked her ass off-"

"Max, it's fine. I'll get going." You whisper, walking out. Mike wears a big victory smile. You don't burst into tears until you get home. Joe pulls you into a hug apologizing again. He was going to practice but said he would miss it and stay with you. You shake your head.

"I'll be okay. Quinn is coming this evening. Go to practice. you missed enough days." You whisper. Joe kisses your lips and grabs his bags. At practice, not much is said to him about the scandal. Everyone is focused on going to the championship and then the Superbowl. In the locker room, Ja'Marr sits beside Joe, shaking his head.

"How's Cheeks?"

"Not good." Joe looks down at his phone. Helen was able to get him an interview for 20/20.

"If there is anything we can do, let me know. It's really shitty how Nicole went about this. Like there is no way she didn't know the story was coming out." Ja'Marr says. Joe nods his head.

"Good looking out. Right now, Cheeks is struggling. They fired her from the head of ED."

"That's crazy. She's an amazing doctor." Sam chimes in. Joe nods his head. Dj walks by, not saying a word but making sure Joe hears him chuckling. Joe stands up, and Ja'Marr jumps and stands before him.

"Don't let him get to you. Focus on taking care of Cheeks and getting this ring." Ja'Marr tells him. Joe grabs his things and leaves the locker room. Leaning on his car is a young woman.

"I'm not answering any questions. Get off my car." Joe says, throwing his bag in the backseat.

"I didn't want things to get like this, Joe. It was honestly a huge mistake. I just wanted things with you and Nicole to be over. I thought she would end things. And the other girl, I thought if I scared her, she would stop too. I'm sorry."

"What? Who are you?"

"Your biggest fan. Here this is for you." She tries to hand Joe an envelope, but Joe reaches over to grab her hood. The girl drops the envelope and runs. Joe picks it up and empties the content in his hands. Inside are photos of DJ and Nicole from when he first got drafted. Joe looks around for the girl but can't find her when he gets home. Quinn is in the kitchen for the first time in days; he hears your laughter. Joe walks in and leans against the door frame watching you and Quinn.

"Joseph!" She waves him over. Joe stands behind you, rubbing your belly. You lean to the side so he can kiss your cheek.

"How are my babies?" He whispers into your ear. You nod. You were actually feeling better because of Quinn. Dr. Brian called you, telling you it wouldn't let this slide and would have it handled by Monday. Quinn walks away to answer a phone call, and Joe tells you about the interview. He shows you the photos of Nicole and DJ. You place the photos down on the counter.

"So this all came from that stalker. Your fan. Joe, that's scary. What did they want from this?"

"Me to be single, I guess. I didn't look at her face well, but I think we'll be okay right now. I will figure something out about it next week." Joe holds you and sighs. He asks you what he should do with the pictures. You tell him not to leak it. You don't want to fight dirty with Nicole. The next day you build up the strength to speak with your mother. She sits across from you while your father and Quinn stay in the kitchen.

"I don't hate you. I'm not mad, just disappointed. Everyone is saying such nasty things about you. They called you the new age Monica Lewinsky." Your mother shakes her head. You try to cover your laugh, but you can't. You start laughing hysterically. Your mother looks at you like you have two heads and laughs. Both of you are laughing so much that tears are rolling down your faces.

"Monica? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard." You wipe your eyes, and your mother smiles. She stands up and takes a seat next to you.

"I had to say unholy things to the women at the church. I will never let anyone disrespect my baby or my grandchild. I love you both so much, and Joseph. If you are happy, all I can do is support you. I hope you learned from your mistake."

"I mean, I have the man of my dreams. I don't plan on cheating or being a side piece again."

Your mother frowns.

"Don't talk about yourself like that."

"Mom, it's true. I've come to terms with what our relationship was. But we're past that, so we will focus on our family now and growing." You rub your belly, wearing a big smile. Your mother kisses your head and rubs your belly. Your father joins you with Quinn. Before you know it, Friday arrives. You and Joe have been seen out and about without a care in the world of what people think. While in LA for the interview, Paparazzi followed you guys, and you did your best to ignore them and their questions. You sat behind the scenes watching Joe sit across from the host.

"So, How about you tell us about her? Just the story between you two."

Joe smiles.

"We met in 6th grade during this meet new sixth graders event. She is allergic to bees, so when I met her, her face was swollen. She had just got stung by a bee. That's where the nickname Cheeks came from. In the back of my mind, I've always loved her since that moment. I couldn't really put my feelings into words." Joe chuckles.

"But you knew it was love. You guys dated?"

"We dated in college, yeah. We broke up because I went on to LSU, and she stayed to start her internship. We just kind of fell apart after the breakup."

"So things with Nicole. Why cheat?"

Joe sighs. This was hard for him; you knew it and gave him an encouraging smile.

"I wanted to end things with Nicole, but she was going through a lot, so I didn't want to add to the heartache. In the long run, I was a fool for that. I hurt both women in the process. I've apologized to Nicole many times. I completely understand if she doesn't accept my apology." Joe states. You told him not to bring up Nicole's threats because it would only look bad on his part. To the world, Nicole is the only victim. Joe continues answering every question thrown at him. He responds with honesty and with ease. It warms your heart every time he talks about you and his daughter.

"I'm excited to be a father. I'm excited to marry my first love, and I'm excited about everything in the future."

"What would you like to say to the fans who feel like you've let them down?"

"I would like to say I'm sorry. At the end of the day, I am a human, and I have flaws. I love this woman, and that is not one of my flaws, and I would like everything to pass and to move on. I know it will take some time for people to forgive me, but I am working on being a better man." Joe's words are soft-spoken.

"Anything you want to end on?"

"Cheeks, I love you. I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this because of me, but if I had to do it again, I would love you each and every time. In every life, In every world. I promise I will find you and love you every time." Joe is now looking at you. You wipe your tears and whisper you love him back. The guy ends the interview and shakes Joe's hand wishing him the best of luck. When Joe takes off his mic and makes his way over to you, you waddle as fast as you can to him, meeting him halfway and kissing him with so much love and passion. Everyone in the room smiles, looking on.

"I love you so much." You cry. Joe smiles in between kisses.

"Yeah? Enough to marry me tonight?" He asks. You nod your head.

"But My parents and-"

"Already handled that," Quinn says, showing her phone. You guys finish up on set and leave for a tiny little chapel where Joe's parents and your parents are waiting. Fran and Quinn stand to the side as you walk down the aisle. And in that tiny little chapel, you guys get married. You guys fly back to Cincinnati so Joe can get ready for his game. After the interview, people seem to have a better picture of you and Joe. And the weeks go by quieter than that scandal-breaking week. Joe is going to the Superbowl, and everyone is in a better place. Nicole does an interview that doesn't add on to your hate but doesn't make people like you more. But recently, you've come to terms with not caring about the outside world's opinion about you or Joe. You post Joe all over your IG and limit the comment sections for your mental health, and so Joe doesn't start cursing people out because he has twice already on his backup, of course. Joe posted you one time on his story, and the majority of people loved it; maybe because you are pregnant, no one wants to bully a pregnant person.

The night before the Superbowl, Joe's attention is focused on the game, which is driving you crazy. You'll be nine months soon, and your hormones have been through the roof, so you sit on his lap, cockwarming him. Joe rubs your back and turns rewinds the play. You want to move badly, but Joe only allowed you in this position if you stayed like that for 30 minutes. You shift, causing him to groan.

"Has it been 30 mins?" You whine. Joe kisses your neck.

"It's only been 10 mins, baby. Stop." Joe warns, his voice getting deep. You smirk and shift in his lap again. Your belly was preventing you from being close to him.

"You've been studying this same footage all week. Philly this, Philly that. fuck me right now." You moan, circling your hips. Joe groans and presses pause. He holds your hips and starts bouncing you on his cock.

"You are so needy, Cheeks. Begging me all week to fuck this pretty little pussy. Why?"

"I miss-mm-mm you." You moan, stuttering, when Joe's tip touches your cervix. Joe speeds up, bouncing you on his lap like a rag doll. You take every inch and begin sobbing as you feel your walls breaking; an orgasm follows after.

"Feels good. So good." You cry as you cum on his dick. Joe smirks and lifts you with his dick still inside of you. he carries you to the bed holding your legs up as he fucks you into the mattress. You awakened a monster because you knew before a big game Joe enjoyed fucking pretty much all night. During college, he would fuck you all night only to wake you right before 6 am practice to fuck you again. And just like college Joe takes you all night, but this time he lets you sleep in, cooking you breakfast in the morning.

"Nervous for tonight?"

"A little, but I have a good feeling," Joe says as his phone rings. You look at the name. Both of you are shocked.

"Nicole?" Joe answers, putting it on speaker.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"Thanks," Joe replies. The line is quiet.

"Why didn't you leak anything about my bullying or my threats? Why would you take all the heat? You found out about me and DJ, right? I mean, it was only twice better than what you did to me."

"It wasn't worth it. I hurt you, and I was going to pay for it. Whatever happens next for you is on you. You can't live your life being nasty to everyone you meet." Joe answers. Nicole is quiet again.

"I hate you, and I don't think I will ever get over how you made me feel, but I hope you win."

"Thanks. Goodbye, Nicole." Joe ends the call and gives you a what the fuck look. You laugh and lay back on your bed. Joe kisses your naked body before picking you up to shower with him. After the shower, you dress and get ready to meet his parents for lunch and game time. Quinn sits next to you as you get ready to cheer Joe on. He finds you in the crowd and blows you kisses during warm-ups. The game is neck and neck, with the Eagles scoring, then the Bengals. Usher is the halftime performance, and you and Quinn lose your mind during the set. During the third quarter, you start to feel uneasy and slight pain.

"Are you okay?" Robin asks with a worried expression. You nod, but then another pain rips through your belly.

"Something is wrong with the baby." You cry, buckling over. Quinn jumps up.

"Honey, you stay here. Quinn and I will take her to the medical unit." Robin says, helping you out of the area. From the Medical unit, you are sent directly to the hospital.

"You're going to have to baby today or the wee hours of tomorrow."

"But I'm not due until the end of February. I really can't have the baby. Joe's playing. I can't give birth." You cry. Robin holds your hand, trying to get you to calm down.

"You are in the right time frame to give birth, and your blood pressure is very high, so the best thing to do is to induce labor." The doctor says. You nod your head.

"Can you at least turn on the game?"

"Of course. Let's get you started." The doctor says, leaving. Robin calls Joe's dad to tell him the news. Your mother and father hop on the first flight to Vegas. They induce labor as you sit there watching Joe battle for his ring.

"Ouch! I need the-"

"On it!" Quinn jumps up to get the nurse. You find out you are 7 centimeters dilated and ask for an epidural. After you get it, you are doing much better and can enjoy the game.

"Touchdown!" You, Robin, and Quinn shout as Ja'marr scores a touching putting the Bengals in the lead with only 30 seconds left in the game. Joe goes off the field feeling amazing. He watches the next 30 seconds praying for the defense to hold it down. And they do. The Bengals win 24-14. Joe cheers with his teammates, forgetting to look into the crowd. A few people grab him for an interview. Helen grabs him before he can get caught up.

"She's going to be giving birth soon. You need to go!" She shouts, smiling. Joe looks at the crowd and doesn't see you. He takes off his pads and sprints to the back. Joe gets to the hospital in record time.

"You did it!" You shout. Joe kisses your lips.

"Today? We're having a baby today?" He asks. His mother nods her head.

"I'm dilating pretty fast. Joella is ready to come out and see us."

Joe doesn't leave your side for the rest of the night, and at 5:15 am, you give birth to a healthy baby girl. Joe tries to hide his tears, but he can't stay calm. When he makes skin-to-skin contact, he breaks down. You cry, staring at your husband holding your daughter.

A/N: Well lol This chapter is blah! But I hope it was decent enough. I'm sorry if it sucked! If you guys wanted more drama sometimes I hate dragging the story out too long and I felt it was time to wrap it up! There will be a short follow-up chapter! For sure! What kind of series would you guys like to see after this?

Tags: @joselyn001@savii999@lostaurorax@simpgirl-lat@edenhess @blinkloverx3 @dboanalooaa @nm112495 @mhm-ok-sure@katiehud@blu3jeanbaby@mrosales16@wineauntharry @Cosmolover96 @loviingjihyo @hrlzy @spideybrina @wickedfun9 @dessxoxsworld @Tjb113 @heartsml @munsonrry @blu3jeanbaby

[depressedbagpipe]

A Heartrender's Fire: ch. III

Tolya Yul-Bataar x Lantsov!ofc

Words: 5199 Warnings: canon-typical violence and language, volcra, poor descriptions of grisha powers, grisha powers following the show's logic and not the one in the books, me making up names and titles. also justice for kovu cause the guy straight up disappeared mid-episode. also i don't speak ravkan (russian?) so let's pretend i know what I'm doing A/N: this took way too long because i essentially had a surgery performed on me last month and I'm *still* recovering. anyways, this is way too fun to write so don't worry, i am continuing this story. we're getting some backstories here, too, which i think is pretty neat.

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III: Like calls to like

The day woke up cloudy, but the spirits at the Volkvolny were as bright as the Sun Summoner’s light. Sturmhond had been preparing the ship for the trip to the Fold all morning, giving concise directions to the crew. Only a small group would be coming with him and his clients up in the air, and his sister quickly pointed out that she wasn’t staying behind, no matter how much her brother wanted to keep her safe on the ship while he returned to their homeland. 

“Anything happens on the Fold, you’ll need me,” she had argued, once again before Tamar and Tolya’s unimpressed faces.

“I have a Sun Summoner now. I think I’ll be fine.”

Ouch, Irina didn’t let the reaction show in her face. Tolya did feel her heart beat just a tad faster, though. Not that he was actively seeking her heartbeat out. He would often find himself listening unconsciously and could distinguish it from miles away. Not even metaphorically. 

“It’s my country too, Nikolai. Anything happens on the Fold, you’ll need me,” she repeated.

Sturmhond looked at his sister. Few times she ever addressed him with his name, right in the open, and he realized that no matter how much he wanted to keep his little sister away from danger, she would always find her way to it, face first, full charge.

“Fine,” he sighed. “You’re buying kvas later, though.”

“Deal.”

He still scowled when he took her in, smiling her victorious smile as she high-fived the twins, the three of them chattering amongst themselves as the ship took them closer to the black void that had haunted and fascinated the second prince for so long. Irina was fully aware of the danger, and despite her best efforts, a chill went through her spine at the thought of her first passage through the darkness, afraid, and alone. 

I have a Sun Summoner now. Sturmhond could lie to himself all he wanted, but his sister knew he was just as scared as her. Only now they had a living Saint with them, able to wield the power of two amplifiers and the hope of an entire nation. 

The Volkvolny sailed through the waves seemingly faster than ever. Irina almost wished the ship would stop and trap them on the sea forever, anything but returning to the one place she had been miserable at. No matter how many dirty taverns, war camps, and smelly docks she stepped on, the image of the Grand Palace was enough to fix a permanent frown on her otherwise peaceful manner.

But she was a big girl now. Whatever was waiting for her on the other side should fear her, too. She was powerful, not as much as Alina, or as intelligent as Nikolai, but she still had royal blood in her veins, which coincidentally pumped enough fire to bring down the whole palace with just a flick of her hand. She felt the warmth on her cheeks at the thought, and with a small smile, she looked up, finding Tolya’s gaze.

The giant was looking at her with an all-knowing grin, which she quickly replicated. He noticed her fingers had been absentmindedly tracing her own amplifier, barely taking it out of her clothes. He had noticed that little quirk of hers after she got it, almost a month into joining them on the crew. A failed smuggling operation on the Fjerdan border ended with Sturmhond almost decapitated by a wolf, and Irina melting the snow around them as she protected him from the pack that was sure to attack. Tolya had known Irina’s heart marched to a different beat than her brother’s, but it was only after seeing the flames around her body that he fully knew what was different about her. He had eyed her closely after that, always finding something new about her to stare at, from the way her eyes seemed to come alive in the sun and radiate warmth in the night. Or how she was grounding herself as her fingers danced down the wolf’s fang as if she too needed a reminder of the fire she carried in her soul. There were many things about Irina Lantsov that could be admired, according to Tolya. Not that he would ever tell her. 

Simultaneously, Alina was also stroking her wrists, feeling the amplifiers without looking up. Irina glanced at her, noticing the way her face lit up when Mal approached her again. For a second she longed for it, that love out in the open, despite the dire situation the young couple was in. Their conversation was soon cut short by her brother, perched nearby, waiting for his big entrance as he always did. His voice was loud, demanding, and powerful–everything he had been raised to be.

“Who says you’ll be on your own?” He raised his leg on a box and casually leaned up front. “I want a front-row seat to the light show, thank you very much. Plus, the King’s on the other side of the Fold, ergo, so is my payment.”

“We could definitely use your arsenal,” Mal reckoned.

“Maybe some kind of fortified carriage?” Alina thought.

“Carriage? Land travel is so boring. And that’ll take days!” Sturmhond walked away from them, giving Irina the silent indication she needed to brace herself for takeoff. “Come along! Prepare to decouple!”

Tolya and Tamar quickly jumped to the section, their faces glistening with anticipation.

“Kovu.” Sturmhond nodded at the Squaller behind Alina and Mal. He pulled the lever that engaged the sails. “Secondary mast released!” Kovu shifted the position of the sails so they stood horizontal to the ship, all of it under the astonished eyes of the Sun Summoner. “Engage secondary sail!”

And with another push upwards, the Hummingbird flew out of reach as the rest of the Volkvolny stayed on the water. Alina stumbled over to the wooden bench Irina had fallen asleep just a day prior and looked around in disbelief and fear as the air grew colder and purer the higher they flew in the sky. Tamar chuckled at the girl, enjoying the sight of the Sun Summoner scrambling to stay sitting. Even Irina grinned, feeling somewhat superior for a slight second.

Even the Sun Summoner feels fear.

She couldn’t help but comment. “It’s like watching a newborn discover the world.”

Tolya laughed, who had casually stood beside her, looking at the sea below them and enjoying the sight of the horizon. Irina felt a warmth in her cheeks that she was sure wasn’t because of the chill that settled around the Hummingbird. Instead of looking in Tolya’s direction, she faced her brother, who was also staring at Alina with amusement, only his eyes were kinder and curious, a sight Irina knew too well was only reserved for very few women out there. 

Yet Mal was the only one who got her to open her eyes and walk with her to the edge. Mal was the only one she trusted to catch her if she fell. Irina wondered what that would feel like, should the moment come. Who would come to her rescue, not for who she was, but because they cared about her. 

Kovu kept working the sails as they rapidly approached Ravkan soil, the sea blending with the land. Irina’s heart drummed in anticipation, looking back as they left the sea behind.

“How are you holding up?” Tolya suddenly spoke. He seemed nearer, their arms barely touching.

“Meh.”

He shook his head, his eyes shifting from the sky to the ground below them. “Why haven’t you told them about you being Grisha?” He lowered his voice. Irina looked around, sighing in relief once she saw her brother keeping his guests entertained. “It’s bound to happen, anyway.”

“And give away the big reveal? No way.” Irina scoffed, looking back at him for a second.

“Don’t be like your brother.” Tolya’s seriousness would’ve caught her off-guard, but she was used to his sudden tone changes. 

“I’m not like my brother. In fact, I’m better.”

“Something Sturmhond would say.”

“Something Ainthe would say, too,”

“See?”

“Shut up,” she giggled. He smiled too, missing the sound of her laugh. After the prior day’s events, he wouldn’t admit he would miss her laugh if she was gone. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m so used to hiding amongst Ravkans… I can’t tell how they’ll react.”

“They’re good people.”

“How can you tell?”

“I happen to have a way with hearts.”

“You don’t say.”

“Captain! The Fold’s in sight!” Tamar called, effectively interrupting the banter between the two Grisha.

“Next stop, destiny.” 

“For Saint’s sake, Sturmhond,” Irina groaned. 

“What? I’m trying to add dramatic effect here.”

“We don’t need it.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Children.”

–·–

The Hummingbird entered the pit of darkness in complete silence. Thunder rumbled as the flying vessel tore through the barrier, and Irina took one last big gulp of fresh air before her body was completely surrounded by obscurity. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the black, and she released a silent breath, moving her head around as soon as she heard the first creature’s wail in the distance. Kovu kept the flying skiff afloat, his arms tiring but without complaint. Alina stood at the front, arms ready, while Irina gripped the ropes, looking wildly around. 

The crew seemed to gather behind Alina, with narrowed eyes, trying to find some hope to hold on to.

“I hate this place,” Mal commented in a low voice.

They all knew they had to be very silent if they wanted to make it out alive.

“Eh, it’s just a bit of pitch black and bloodthirsty monsters,” Sturmhond joked. He ignored the unimpressed faces of his clients and faced his family. “What’s not to love?”

He gladly received in his open palm his firearm which Tamar had thrown at him, never losing his mischievous smirk.

“Seems like a good day to kill some Volcra,” Tamar growled, getting her own weapons ready as well.

Tolya sighed. “I’d much rather a hot bath and a book of sonnets.”

Tamar stared at him in disbelief. Tolya was looking at the darkness with a longing look, picturing himself in the warm water, and Irina had to glance another way just to stop those thoughts from wandering elsewhere. She rolled the sleeves of her red coat up, her hands tense and ready to summon. Should Alina fail, she would become the first line of infantry. Irina stood next to Kovu, guarding the Squaller at the back while the rest of the team remained at the front.

“All good?” she asked the man, noticing the faint line of sweat on his forehead.

“Could be better,” he replied.

Irina sighed. “It won’t take much longer, don’t worry.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

The girl couldn’t say anything else, for she too felt the tension rising with every passing second. She knew it hadn’t been that much time since they entered, but any time spent inside the Fold felt like an eternity. 

Alina stood up near the edge, and the light show quickly began. With heavy breathing, the Sun Summoner created a light barrier that first extended around the Hummingbird, and then expanded into the black void. Irina stared around in amazement, a hole opening itself in front of them where the ancient mountains of Tsibeya stood at the horizon, welcoming them home once more. Light and heat overwhelmed Irina as beams of light danced on Alina’s arms. 

The barrier only got bigger from then on, and just as they were about to exit on the other side of the hole Alina had opened, things spiraled down. Alina’s light flickered, her arms flailing wild as she tried to call on her power once again, but nothing responded.

“Alina!” Mal kept calling her, but whatever made her stop had also thrown her off on the deck, the protective barrier of light gone with her.

The Volcra didn’t take long. Their growling was near, angry and ferocious, as the last beams of light extinguished around them. The Fold swallowed them whole again, and Sturmhond didn’t waste any time.

“Kovu!” he yelled at the Squaller as he took some steps back. “Get us out!” he stood before his sister, guns ready.

Kovu quickly rearranged the sails, making the ship fly faster at his mercy. Irina’s relief was short-lived, for one of the haunting monsters was now perched right beside them, ready to launch itself at its first victim.

Sturmhond quickly fired his revolver at it, making it stand back. The twins stood at the rear of the ship, the five of them standing in a circle as they protected each other’s backs. With Alina still on the floor and Mal perched over her, they weren’t the primary victims of the giant creatures.

Another one tore the main overhead sail open and landed on the deck right in front of the twins, who quickly got to work to end the monster’s life. The skiff was tilting dangerously, having lost its main support to stay afloat, but Kovu was doing everything in his power to get them out of the Fold on the other side while keeping the Hummingbird in the air. Irina didn’t need to be a genius to know they would not last long.

Sturmhond helped Tolya with a shot to where the Volcra’s heart supposedly was, and the giant quickly cut its head off. Irina assessed the damage, noticing the big hole in the fabric right above her head. She saw Alina finally stand up, still looking out of it, and because Mal only had eyes for her, neither of them saw the monster that was coming at a rapid speed to them.

Alina barely had time to look up before Irina stood protectively over them, firing a big and scathing flare up towards it, almost bursting it into flames as it fell through the void, fire following the Volcra as it sunk deeper into the Fold. 

Irina smiled at the sight, her fingers itching for more, standing tall and proud at her own display of power under the stunned faces of Alina and Mal.

“You’re Grisha?”

“No time to explain, Sol Koroleva,” Irina said.

The Hummingbird hit the exit of the Fold with a strong thud, nothing in comparison with their previous smooth entrance. The ship kept descending, gaining speed as it did so. One of the engines didn’t survive the attack, and the smoke was quickly turning into a well-spread fire at the front of the skiff. Irina was almost sent back flying, and would have crashed into the ship’s barrier if it hadn’t been for Tolya’s extended arm, catching her and bringing her closer to him, pinning her to the same rope he was holding on to for dear life as gravity pulled the crew down.

“Kovu, begin descent!” Sturmhond called, balancing on two feet, even though there wasn’t much Kovu could do. “Brace yourselves for landing!”

They were hurtling straight to the ground, and the Squaller could only do so much to prevent them from crashing completely. Everybody was trying to grasp at anything that could keep them up, bracing for the incoming impact. Irina felt helpless once again, but she didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself, because, with another jolt, the Hummingbird finally crashed, sending everybody down on the ground, impacting with the walls as the ship swept along the flat land and continued forward. Tolya kept a hand on the rope and another slithered around Irina’s waist, keeping her in front of her as the ship continued in motion through the meadow. Irina could only count the seconds until the movement stopped, closing her eyes in a silent prayer. 

Fortunately for her, it wasn’t long before it did.

Everybody was grunting and breathing heavily. Irina felt the burn on her hand from groping the rope for dear life, but Tolya didn’t take his arm off her.

“Is everyone okay?” Sturmhond asked loudly, quickly getting up.

Irina felt Tolya’s arm tensing slightly before finally releasing her, going to check on his sister who was still panting but seemed otherwise fine. 

“You good?” Sturmhond asked Irina, placing a hand on her back as he checked for any injuries on the younger girl. 

She nodded. “Yeah. You?”

He nodded too. That was all confirmation they needed before they both jumped over the deck onto solid ground, assessing the damage.

“Another one gone.”

Irina frowned. “This one worked. It was the Volcra.”

“It’s always the Volcra.”

But none of them could even breathe in relief before a bugle blew nearby. A regiment of the First Army had so lovingly decided to welcome them back to their land, with raised firearms ready to shoot at them, and its Colonel walking up front in a menacing stance.

The twins didn’t even shudder at the sight.

“Well, looks like we’re about to enjoy a traditional Ravkan welcome,” Tolya joked. 

Irina smiled, feeling the air charging with her brother’s boastful ego, about to make his big entrance. Maybe she was a bit like her brother. Not that she would ever admit that.

“You’ve crossed illegally onto Ravkan soil. Identify yourselves,” the Colonel called.

Sturmhond jumped down, standing in front of his crew with a straight back. He took off his bag, giving it to Tolya. “I’ll handle this.”

Irina stood back, repressing a smile.

“What are you doing?” Alina whispered at him but shut up at the look Irina sent her. She hid back slightly behind Mal, mainly because she was still the country’s number one fugitive.

“Identify yourselves at once or be shot.”

“Have I really changed so much, Raevsky?” Sturmhond, very slowly, started undoing his blue captain coat, leaving behind his fake persona and embracing his birthright before the Colonel’s own eyes. “I know it’s been a number of years, but people swear I remain boyishly handsome.”

He was wearing his First Army uniform underneath, and just as the green attire caught the Colonel’s eyes, he smiled.

“It can’t be.”

Tolya was being used as a coat hanger by that point, with Nikolai Lantsov standing proud and tall, with a devilish grin as he walked closer to the regiment.

“Yes, it is.”

“Moi tsarevich,” Raevsky mumbled before kneeling, the rest of the troop doing the same. “My prince. We’d all but given up hope.”

Nikolai chuckled as he shook the Colonel’s hand. Raevsky didn’t waste any time and turned around, facing his regiment and presenting the prince with a boisterous speech.

“I present Nikolai Lantsov, Major of the 22nd Regiment, Soldier of the King’s Army, Grand Duke of Udova, and Second Son to his Most Royal Majesty, King Pyotr the Third, Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne,” the Colonel called.

Irina mouthed the titles as Raevsky went on, and even the twins shared impressed looks at the many names their fearless captain bore.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Mal whispered, both him and Alina frowning. 

“Saints.”

Nikolai continued. “And in your own words, as I recall, ‘the greenest and most useless grunt you ever had the misfortune of commanding.’”

“Now, that sounds like you,” Irina spoke out loud, only noticing her mistake when the Colonel’s eyes glanced at her, also opening wide as he kneeled once more.

“Moi tsarevicha.”

The regiment, once again, copied their Colonel, kneeling as she walked closer to her brother, already regretting the attention she was receiving, but knowing the longer she stood without saying a word about her identity, the harder it would get later.

“I, once again, present Irina Lantsov, Grand Duchess of Mydrov, and First Daughter to his Most Royal Majesty, King Pyotr the Third, Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne.”

Nikolai chuckled when he noticed his sister's discomfort. “Thought you could get away with it?”

She groaned before motioning the Colonel to stand up. He took a step forward and bent down to kiss her hand, while Irina forced a smile onto her face.

“At your service, Your Highness.”

“We wanted to return sooner, but not without her,” Nikolai looked back at Alina.

Irina grimaced, knowing what was coming.

“May I present my esteemed traveling companion, former cartographer and sometimes Saint, Alina Starkov!” he extended a hand towards her, yet looked back at Raevsky. 

His sister shook her head, seeing how Alina was taking fast steps towards her brother. Despite her protectiveness over him, she knew he had it coming.

“Sol Koroleva. We heard you were dead,” Colonel Raevsky spoke with fear evident in his face, but his words died as soon as Alina yelled.

“You lying bastard!”

The punch to Nikolai’s face was met with utmost silence. The sound of betrayal was too loud to say anything else in return.

–·–

“That was fun,” Tamar said as they rode toward the Spinning Wheel.

“It was terrible,” Irina groaned, closing her eyes momentarily.

“You looked so cute there, like all stiff and stuff, and all the soldiers in awe like ‘Saints, the princess’,” Tamar kept going.

“I didn’t know where to look anymore! Everything was so awkward.”

Tolya joined. “Were they curtsying the right way?”

Irina groaned. Tamar laughed. 

The twins loved teasing the princess about her royal status every time they were on Ravkan soil. And while Irina pretended she couldn’t stand their banter, she knew she wouldn’t last a day without it. 

“How long do you think she’ll be mad at him for?” Tolya wondered.

The three of them looked back at where the Sun Summoner ignored the prince, looking at everything except the blond next to him. The three of them rode at the front, followed a few feet away by Nikolai and Alina, the rear of the party finished by a brooding Mal and a silent Kovu. Alina was still ignoring Nikolai, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t seem to get on her good side. 

“No one can stay mad at Nikolai for long, but she seems stubborn enough to try,” Irina commented. 

“You know what he’s planning, don’t you?” Tamar said as she looked ahead again, fixing her posture on her horse as she looked around, searching for anything dangerous that could find them on their route.

The princess nodded. “Yup.”

“And she’s not gonna like it.”

“Nope.”

Tamar groaned. “Did he tell you?”

Irina shrugged. “It wasn’t necessary. I always know what he’s thinking. I mean, when you grow up with him, it’s easy to read his mind. Heartrender or not,” she winked at her friend. 

“It reminds me of this poem by a Kerch author, about the bond between brothers–” Tolya started, but his sister interrupted him.

“Is he dead?”

Tolya stopped. “Yes?”

Tamar shrugged. “Then I don’t care. I only vibe with the living.”

“In which case, last time on Novyi Zem there was this street artist who…”

The three of them continued with their playful chatter as their party rode on, leaving behind Raevsky’s regiment and the Fold. The Spinning Wheel was already in sight, and Irina felt a shiver set permanently in her bones as she gazed at the fortified mountain. She had spent years sneaking up there with her brother, perfecting her techniques, helping him build the place from the ground just to create something that would somehow resemble her ways. It had been her personal sanctuary once, and it was now full of Grisha displaced by General Kirigan’s torment and greed. Irina wasn’t truly the patriot that her older brother was, she too felt the tug in her heart at the thought of all the families that had suffered at the mercy of a pointless war, and the generations of both Grisha and Otkazat’sya that had been divided by the envy of the few. Her own life had been a constant lie because of it. And she was about to face it all over again, no matter how much she had convinced herself that she wouldn’t ever have to.

Those thoughts lasted long enough to reach the Spinning Wheel. Irina was still frowning as she got off her horse but forced a relaxed grin as soon as her brother appeared next to her.

“Welcome to the Spinning Wheel. My inventions workshop. It’s become something of a refuge for Grisha,” Nikolai spoke, introducing the place to Alina. He made sure to wink at his sister at the last bit of information, which the Sun Summoner clearly caught.

“Is that why you care so much? Because of her?” Alina asked the prince.

He simply shrugged, suddenly not caring about boosting his ego further. He looked at his sister, who was looking at him with a knowing smile.

“She’s my family above all. And as I already told you, you do what you have to do to protect the people you love.”

Irina shook her head, yet warmth spread across her chest. Nikolai finding out about her being able to summon fire had been an accident, much in the same way she found out. They were both playing outside the Grand Palace borders, sneaking around their older brother, their nanny, and the two guards who followed the small party into the outer world, as the princess liked to call it. The storm found them sitting on top of a tree, and suddenly, Vasily and the rest of their chaperones were running towards the palace again, leaving the two lesser children to fend for themselves. Nikolai was gripping Irina’s hand tightly as they made their way down and followed the path they had taken out of the woods when lightning struck a nearby tree and cut it in half. The trunk was about to crush them when the girl raised her hands in a terrified scream, and the next thing she knew, a huge chunk of ash was dissolving into thin air. Nikolai, wide-eyed and drenched, only took his sister’s hand once again and ran with her back to the palace. Without saying a word they sneaked past the guards at the entrance and escorted her to her quarters, helping her dry off. He sat her near her chimney, and with a silent nod, they both agreed no one ever would know about it. When she woke up the next day, Baghra was sitting by the window in her room, looking at the poor unfortunate royal soul with a sad expression on her pale, aging face.

–·–

“We’ve received accounts of First Army units found massacred, here, here, and here,” Nikolai pointed at the map. The improvised war room stood on one of the balconies overlooking the main entrance, and his most trusted advisors –namely, his sister, Alina, and Mal–, looked down as his fingers traced the old ink on the yellowing parchment.

“Too far from the border to be Shu incursions,” Mal commented.

“Or Fjerdan.” Alina kept her hands close to her, her hands almost itching to touch the intricate patterns on the paper, suddenly missing her simple life as a cartographer, before the entire world fell down on her shoulders.

“There’s good evidence that these units were holding Grisha captive. Some reports say soldiers were mutilated. Some… cut in half.”

Alina sighed. “It’s Kirigan, isn’t it.” But she didn’t even have to ask to know the answer.

“We haven’t been able to find his base camp–”

Mal shook his head in disbelief. “There’s no way he survived the Fold.” 

“He survived it before,” Alina cut him off. “Besides, he’s the only one who can do the Cut. Baghra, yes, but this is him.”

Irina shuddered at the mention of her old teacher. The only Grisha who knew about her back at Os Alta. The only one who never treated her as a porcelain vase, but instead built her up to become strong and fierce in her abilities. With a frown, the princess realized she had missed the old hag. She could only pray the General had spared her.

“If he’s alive, it’s only a matter of time before word reaches him about your attempt in the Fold,” Nikolai voiced it carefully, but his statement stung Alina.

“‘Attempt,’” she repeated. 

“No disrespect meant.”

“No, you’re right. That’s what it was. An attempt,” she still sounded defeated. “You three saw my light. It was… strong and angry and dangerously off-kilter. I can try to master what I have, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

“We need to find the third amplifier,” Mal finished for her.

“The firebird,” Irina spoke, surprise laced in her tongue. 

Nikolai stepped away from the table, turning around as if to follow his train of thought, his head orchestrating their next steps as they continued the meeting.

“The more we search for it, we are at the mercy of your protection in this country.”

Alina searched Irina’s eyes, desperate to get her point across. And Irina already knew what her brother was about to say.

“Well, until then, a proposal.” Nikolai turned around. Irina closed her eyes. “We can try to stop this country from falling apart and tell the Fjerdans to shove their bounty up their ass in the process.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Alina asked.

“I bring you under the wing of the Royal Family, our name becomes a shelter to you, and a banner under which we can enact change.”

Mal frowned. “Your name?”

Nikolai nodded. Irina shook her head.

“Wait,” Alina caught on. “This is a ‘proposal’ proposal. You’re suggesting marriage.”

Mal looked ready to throw himself off the balcony at that point, whereas Alina seemed she was going to be sick any second from then on.

“Alina, I’m not proposing a love match. Just a political alliance of Grisha and Otkazat’sya.”

“Well, that’s just what royal marriages are, aren’t they? Strategy,” Mal was looking everywhere but the future royal couple.

“Precisely. Maybe we never get to marriage. An engagement signals a strong commitment to cooperation and it will allow us to enact meaningful change for Grisha and Ravka,” Nikolai explained. 

“Don’t you have a Grisha sister, too?”

“Leave my sister out of this, Mal.”

Irina stepped forward. “Mal, I know Nikolai’s plan sounds crazy but it’s our safest bet. Nobody knows about me being a Summoner and the court will not take likely to the revelation. There’s never been a Grisha on the Ravkan throne and I certainly will never be the first one.”

“I’ve seen what you both mean to each other. I understand if you decline, but I hope you weigh the options and consider the benefits,” Nikolai nodded his head in silent farewell, and both royal siblings left the couple to talk it out.

On the way down, Nikolai grabbed her arm. “How long have you known?”

She frowned. “About the proposal? Since you saw her face on the posters.”

It was his turn to frown. “Not even I thought about that then. It was after she got on the ship.”

Irina smiled mischievously at her brother. “Guess I’m smarter than you now.”

He pinched her side, making her giggle.

“You should rest before tonight. Gotta be patient enough not to punch Vasily in the face.”

“How did you know I was thinking about doing that?”

Nikolai smirked. “Guess I’m still smarter than you’ll ever be.”

“You little piece of shit.”

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