#the anticipation to see if the goat survives is like

[thefloatingstone]

btw I would just like to point out that Gävlebocken wasn't burnt down in 2019 nor was it burned down in 2020.

And you saw how that went for us.

BURN THE OFFERING TO APPEASE THE OLD GODS!!!!

[thebadboyfanclub]

What Are You Waiting For Then? (Daemon x Reader)

Hey guys sorry for keeping you waiting, one of my friends was visiting so I was all day doing tourist activities, this was actually so exciting and refreshing to write!

-

“Nathaniel! Mother come quick Nathaniel is back!”

All Daemon saw was young woman ran barefoot heading towards his fellow soldier, Nathan was a man that got recruited to fight alongside Daemon to the Stepstones, he was a brave and honourable man that was shipped to the Stepstones under the fellow banners of the noble house resided in Lys named “Fyresteel”, they were the first to respond to the call for aid, the young strong man truly embedded their words

“None shall be left behind”.

The woman crushed her body to the knight almost knocking him over, she had wrapped her arms around him like her life depended on it, her clothes were semi tarnished and the hem of her dress dirty from the mud.

A few moments after she pulled away in arms length, examining Nathaniel with her eyes, the look she had on her face showed how close of a bond they shared, tears clouded her eyes as she gripped on to his biceps.

“You are back, safe and sound”

“If I died there would be no one to mess with you dear sister”

The woman did not respond, she only hugged him one more time to which the knight responded with the same warmth. Daemon was astonished by the tremendous declaration of emotions, he loved his family yet he had never been that close to his brother, if Daemon were to be back Viserys might share a hug however there would be no engulfing nor tears shed for his safe return.

“My boy! Oh my boy is back!”

A middle aged woman paced in their direction with her arms wide open. The younger woman reluctantly pulled away from her brother to make room for what Daemon guessed was the boys mother, she wiped her tears with her hands as she sniffled.

“I apologise, it is just we have not seen our brother in such a long time, I am (y/n)”

“Daemon and no need to apologise, you should be proud of your brother, he fought fiercely and was one of the most trusted soldiers in battle”

“You should thank me for that, Nathaniel always liked to wrestle with me in the mud when we were children”

“Come on, don’t stand there they are probably hungry, come inside”

Daemon was stunned by their hospitality, they had no idea who he was, no clue of his heritage yet they welcomed him with open arms to feed him just because he appeared with their family member.

It was a small cottage, mostly made out of wood and stone, it was warm from the fireplace that burned under a big pot, the smell of home made food hit Daemons nostrils like a brick, his stomach rumbled with anticipation and his tastebuds begged for something warm.

“Does your friend like goat?”

“Goat is excellent my lady”

“Oh bless you young man, I have not being called lady since I gave birth to Nathaniel”

“Mother please!”

“What? This tall handsome boy was at the same size of a little kitten when he was born, he gave us all a fright we thought he would not survive”

Daemon chuckled at the comment that made Nathaniel hide his face behind his hands. Nathaniel was the only man that followed Daemon at his crazy plan of invasion, now he had to withstand his mother ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks with endearment.

To be honest Daemon did not care much about that, his eyes were set on (y/n), the girl had the same energy of her brother, noble, altruistic, bright, as supper was served he got caught in a trance that was her voice, he could listen to her speak about anything all day, the affability that radiated off from her was addictive to say the least, if you combine it with the earthy scent he was in true bliss, surrounded by people that took care of one another and honoured the word “family”.

Daemon had stayed with them until the moon turned, he would go around the farm with (y/n), not allowing her to lift a finger or doing her daily chores, to see a Targaryen prince milk a cow and gather chicken eggs was truly a surreal sight for anyone, Daemon felt at peace with being just Daemon, he was not “the rogue prince” nor “prince Daemon Targaryen”, his name sounded the best when it rolled off (y/n)s tongue.

“I will marry you one day”

“Will you take me back to the castle? be a princess of the seven kingdoms while I twirl in pretty dresses?”

“No, I will give you your own castle, you will be the queen of my heart and the ruler of our family”

“What are you waiting for then?”

-

Daemon flew to Kings landing at dawn, to bend the knee in front of the iron throne and beg for his marriage to be annulled, to humbly request to wed another now that he proved himself worthy and honoured the kingdom.

“Annulment? I thought you were a bit loose in the brain but this is a new type of madness even for you brother”

“I won the war against the crab eaters, I led the army to victory”

“And you assumed that it would make you invisible, you swore to be with this woman until the end of your days”

“Your grace, I am sure you are aware that the wedlock I am under was not a burden I chose to carry”

“Burden!? The lady Rhea is a respectable lady, you stand there and ask me to make Runestone our new enemy so you can marry a common beggar?”

“She is not a beggar”

“She is nobody!”

“She loves me! I do not know why but she chose to love me”

-

“My starlight, you are ravishing”

“Daemon, we are to attend a funeral”

“You will be ravishing at the funeral”

“I hope so, this is the only dress that fits me”

(Y/n) had given birth to 5 children already, to squeeze out children one right after the other meant her body had changed since they got married, her breasts had swell from breastfeeding their youngest son and the weight had managed to get comfortable.

Daemon could not keep his hands off of her, he found her new curves to be tempting, she looked like a well taken care of woman, the woman that blessed him with creating a home and children inside her, the goddess that put herself in danger to expand their family.

After moving to Pentos to elope against the kings wishes Daemon wanted to fulfil his promises, give her a castle and make her his queen.

(Y/n) was a marvellous wife and confidant, Daemon had spend all his life fighting for a place at the table, to be seen as worthy as his noble brother, the heavy weight of competition was suddenly lifted by (Y/n)s magical touch that showed him what it truly is to be accepted, to be nurtured and cared for with compassion and respect, Daemon would often watch her sleep while she rested her head on her pillow and just admire her, how could she be so… good to him?

“You are the most wonderful woman I have ever laid eyes upon”

“Seems like you are the only one that thinks like that, they are all eye balling us like we are their lunch”

With that mention from how beloved wife Daemons focus shifted from the diamonds (y/n) held for hues to observe what was behind him, to his displease he found the people from his bloodline gawking at his family, to the point that the eldest son Maelor of theirs clung a little closer to his mother, grasping her clothing with his fist for comfort and protection.

“Listen to me, stay close to your mother and myself and everything will be fine, understood?”

“Yes father”

The second born child, their first daughter Melody responded, Melody had a soft spot for her father, ever since she could walk she would wobble behind her father and wait for him to pick her up and spin her around. Daemon pinched her cheek before he took his wives free hand -since she was holding their youngest babe Aelor with their other arm- to lead his family to the place the ceremony would be held.

Daemon had promised his wife that he would not leave her alone, he guarded his partner and offsprings during the whole ceremony, choosing to stay far back than get close to his immediate bloodline members Viserys and Rhaenyra, he was content with sitting down on the bench and play with their fourth child their daughter Hera on his lap.

“I know my sweetling, I know”

(Y/n) cooed at the babe that was starting to get fussy, (y/n) had done her best to keep the babe comfortable however no one can predict when the babe wants to feed, only thing we know it’s babes are hungry often and they do not like to wait.

“What is the problem starlight?”

“I must feed him”

“Go on then”

“Daemon we are not home, if I start feeding him-“

“You will be a mother that is taking care of her babe and does not scoff in the natural way by having other woman nurse your kin”

“We know that stands true, they do not”

Daemon puffed out a breath before he reluctantly let his daughter off his lap to stand up and take (y/n)s cape to create a little curtain around his wife, as a way to assist her with putting her mind at ease so she can breastfeed that youngest member of their family.

“What is happening?”

“She must be feeding the babe”

Ottos face squirmed up in disgust at the sight of the babes own mother pulling her breast out for the babe to suckle on and in such a prestige setting, Alicent on the other side was certainly intrigued to say the least, not for the feeding part but to how attentive the rogue prince was to her, the man that had a heart made of steel was now pulling silly faces to make his children laugh and shielded his lover from invasive looks of disapproval like the one her father had.

“I think he is finished”

“Let me do the rest starlight”

Daemon had done this multiple times, their children had been very close in age so sometimes Daemon had to do the digestion process while the older one was in their “I only want my mother” time of age, so in order to relieve his wife he gracefully took his youngest son in his arm to pat his back so he can digest his food.

“Father, why is mom a starlight?”

“Often times I had to travel at night with Caraxes, the light that came from the stars gave me hope and guided me to safety”

Their daughter was a sucker for fairytales, so to listen to her father talk in such a poetic way for her mother compelled a weak smile dance on her lips, (y/n) reached to tuck a small strand of the toddlers dark hair out of her face until Melody wrapped her arms around her mother to hide her face in her mothers neck.

“What a beautiful scene, you have grown to be a wonderful father”

Viserys interrupted the precious moment by slowly approaching with his cane. Daemon instinctively took a step to stand in front of his wife, his natural need of protecting her kicked in and even though Viserys was his brother he did not take the chance.

“You honour me your grace”

“we are brothers Daemon”

“Mayhaps, long time ago we were”

“Daemon”

“Maelor why don’t you take your mother and siblings to play at the shore? I’ll be with you in a moment”

“Oh yes! Come on mother let’s go”

Maelor was smart but not witted enough to figure out why his father allowed him to lead his mother away from this interaction, the young boy was too excited to notice the stern look (y/n) shot to her husband as she took the small babe from Daemon to give him and his brother some privacy.

“I know we had our differences howbeit I come with good intentions”

“I am sure you do, until Otto whispers accusations against me”

“We mustn’t hold grudges, I am here to offer a sumbol of peace”

“Which is?”

“Your children are unfortunately considered illegitimate, I own up to the mistake of not treating your lovely wife as equal, after the funeral I shall announce to the court that we affirm your wife and children as such, let us become a family again”

“My children are my family, my wife is my family”

“And your brother is willing to acknowledge that”

Daemon let his gaze fall upon his children, (y/n) was chasing around their children while they laughed along, all of them adored their mother, every time he would watch their faces light up and (y/n) smile it was equivalent to floating around the clouds, that was the reason he took them to Pentos, to ensure they were safely tucked away in their own world, no harm, no ill minded people, just pure and utter bliss.

“I would deeply appreciate that, I however have nothing to offer you in return of that favour”

-

Daemon was rudely awakened by his wife bursting in their room, clearly disheveled she stared at him as tried to catch her breath, (y/n) would often wake up in the middle of the night to make sure her children are alright, this time it seemed she was right about it.

Daemon was on his feet in no time, silently he followed her and she was making it difficult since (y/n) was basically running.

“Maelor!”

“I am alright mother, I cannot say the same for Aemond”

“What happened?”

“I wanted to go for a ride and I found them fighting so I called for help, I did not get involved I promise I just called the guards”

“I am not mad at you sweetling you did the right thing”

“Right thing? He ran away when my son was been beaten”

“He called for help”

“It was too late for that”

“What would you rather have him do? Fight off all the others and risk his own life”

“So it is better than my son is the only one that got injured?”

“I did not say that-“

“Stop! All of you. We are family”

“It was my sons that were forced to defend themselves your grace”

The young woman spoke up as she stood in front of the two brunette boys and one of them was also stained by blood. If she had to be honest she did not care about what happened, only that her children had no part in any of it.

“He called us bastards”

The young one explained, the room grew cold all of a sudden, like someone had stolen the light out of everything. Daemon stepped a tad bit closer to his wife, the word scratching his heart enough to irritate him, it stand true but unfortunately his children could technically be called such ridiculous words.

“Where did you hear such lies Aemond?”

“It was Aegon”

All eyes were on the boy with the king white hair who was somehow dumbfounded by the accusations. The king, even though he was frail and had almost withered away approached his son, Daemon could detect some type of fury on his weak and dissolved face.

“Now you tell me… boy, why did you say that? Aegon!”

“We know father, everyone knows. I do not understand why is there a problem with it, prince Daemons children are also bastards”

“Careful now young man, we do not want you to miss an eye as well or a tongue”

Daemon was taken back by his wife threading a prince, he also noticed how her hand clenched Maelor shirt compelling him to get closer to her. (Y/n) was his wife, his love, his body, mind and soul belonged to her, she was aware of how devoted Daemon was to their family, still to hear such vile insult made her blood boil.

“My father offered for your children to become legitimate, so for the time being and the past few years they were considered b-“

The only thing that interrupted the prince was Daemons footsteps that approached Aegon, he did not touch him, he just stood right in front of him and eyeballed him right into his soul. Aegon by just pure instructed had shrunk as much as he could and avoided making eye contact with Daemon.

“Finish your sentence, go on”

“Daemon I can handle my son”

“I disagree brother you can allow your children to dig their claws into one another until the only thing that is left of them is bones but I refuse to let this idiot speak like that about MY children. With that, we shall bid you goodnight, we will be departing at dawn and hopefully we will not hear from you ever again

Requests are open!

[vintagerpg]

H2: The Mines of Bloodstone (1986) calms the connection to Battlesystem. There are still a couple mass combat scenarios, but this isn’t a box, there are no chits; it is mostly a standard, if unusually high level, adventure module. It’s mostly a dungeon crawl, in fact, exploring the Deepearth laid out in the Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide (the module uses some of the rules from that guide, and the wilderness guide, as well; lots of synergy happening here which, I gotta say is both unusual and surprising for TSR).

The dungeons and caverns are…OK. The monster selection is all over the place. It feels much more like a fun house than I’m really used to seeing from this period of TSR’s history. You’d think it would settle down somewhat at the end, with mostly thematic encounters in a temple dedicated to Orcus, demonic lord of the undead. But no. It turns into a zoo of sorts, a kind of greatest monster hits playlist that includes a frickin’ Tarrasque. And Orcus himself could show up in person, if things go really badly. It’s a lot, but then I guess the module IS rated for levels 16 to 18.

Graham Nolan does the interior illustrations, which are pretty solid throughout. Keith Parkinson cover. Always loved it. I’ve been enamored of the priests of Orcus, with their goat headdresses, almost as long as I have been into D&D. The color palette is classic Parkinson and the composition anticipates some of his later work for Rifts. I also like his skill flex with the mirrored surface of the statue. A+ cover painting.

[13thunluckyjinx]

Unfortunately I've been consumed by @lunarcrown and the HTP au so I decided to write some angst for Tango because he deserves it //slapped

----

It was just a fun side project, Tango had been told. Things had been a bit slow in Hermitcraft, and to be quite honest he’d been a bit more than a lot burnt out on his citadel and Decked Out.

Not that he didn’t adore the big project, and the game was progressing at a nice pace, so he was having fun in that regard. It was just a bit of a slog, really.

So when a handful of the other Hermits got together for a fun little side project in a fresh modified world, he couldn’t really turn up the opportunity.

There were spinificators! How could he say no to that?

It was a lot of grind work, same as any survival world to begin with, but it didn’t take Tango long to start fiddling with some of the more interesting aspects of the modding here.

A complex array of gears and drills were hooked up and set to work under their own gravity. Now that was a fun thing to extractamicate with. Who needed to go mining by hand when you could just litter your area with a handful of OSHA violations?

He was on top of his drill array doing a bit of tinkering to make sure the glue holding them all was secure and all the pieces were set together well when Zedaph came to visit.

“Hello Tango! I was hoping to pinch a few things from you, if you have the resources to spare of course?” Zed grinned widely, excitement obvious on his face.

The Blaze hybrid pulled his goggles from his eyes and leaned back, nodding. “Of course! Help yourself to anything in the chests, I’ve got all kinds thanks to this baby.” He patted the top of the drills fondly before swinging his legs over the side and hopping down, following the sheep hybrid to his stacked chests.

Zed was already pilfering a few things, muttering to himself. “Ahh, this should be perfect! Wonderful, thank you Tango.”

“Sure thing. Have you got a project you need this junk for?”

“Sure do! I’m working on a power system and a smeltery, if I can hook it all up right. You can come round and check it out if you like! It’s pretty impressive, if I do say so myself,” Zed laughed, sounding pretty pleased about it.

“That sounds pretty cool! I’ll come over as soon as I’ve finished checking this baby over, alright?” Tango grinned, waving his wrench towards the drill array.

“Take your time! It’ll all still be there when you finish,” Zed chuckled, bounding off with his goodies from Tango.

It took a while longer than Tango anticipated to finish up, but eventually he finished up, pushing his goggles into his hair and wiping off his brow as he trekked towards Zed’s area.

Glancing around, he couldn’t spot the little goat hybrid, but the system that he’d set up for smelting was obvious enough.

Whistling to himself, he wandered over, beginning to piece together how it all worked, muttering to himself as he did.

“Input here... travels along the conveyor belt, gets crushed... then to the smelting array... I wonder how it’s—”

He stopped abruptly as he popped open the casing over the smelting system, the blaze rods circling his head dimming and dropping down towards his shoulders.

Half a dozen fans set up to push searing hot air in towards the central conveyor belt where the items on it smelted into the desired products. But in front of each fan was a cage, compact and containing a blaze, each one jammed in there with their rods pressed up against the bars and unable to move.

Tango clenched his hands into fists, claws digging into the wood of the casing he still held on to, but he barely felt it. On seeing him, the blazes ignited, only to have the fans near instantly snuff them out.

Tango let out a shaky breath, trying desperately not to spiral into his memories of the labs at Hels Tek. Reaching out a trembling hand, gripping the wire of the cage nearest to him.

His own rods flared to life as anger spiked through him and he let out an feral hiss, tearing open the metal as if it was tissue paper. The blaze groaned and floated out immediately rods flaring to life.

A few moments later and the six blazes were escaping off into the sky while Tango tore apart the remains of the cages and the smelting system, smashing the casing to pieces.

He stood in the wreckage, shaking hard and breathing heavily, a few splinters in his hands but he barely felt it. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as the rage faded and he stifled a sob, dropping to his knees.

“They aren’t like Atlas. They aren’t.”

Curling forward, he pressed his face into his knees, wrapping his arms over his head and tried not to cry.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Call me a stupid poor, but I just want the $1K per day, for life. Assuming that whatever I didn't spend didn't vanish by the next day like what happens if you forget to bank your money in Majora's Mask and one could store up what one didn't spend, it would honestly be enough to suit my needs. In a few months' time, I could get land and a house, almost wherever I want. I'm not looking for multimillionaire digs, but just something whereby I could move back reasonably close to my family and have a small rural-stead where I could have a garden, chickens and maybe goats. I could install solar panels. I could live with the people I love unbothered by most other people. I could afford food (and grow quite a bit of my own) and art supplies. Maybe I could get a very good health plan rather than relying on what I rely on now. My needs, desires and dreams are simple. I don't want to be "rich" - I just want to not be afraid all the time. In fact, I think having too much money would get in the way, become a worry for me, and certainly would make me worry about my morals as people who go billionaire seem to inevitably asshole-up. I'd definitely worry about "am I giving enough?" and the self-care / family-care / society-care and charity balance. I'd be plagued by the thought "am I donating to the right people? Or are they actually harming the world / mishandling and embezzling the funds?" Sadly, a lot of "charities" do that. If it was just... that thousand a day to take care of me and my own... that sounds like a pretty stress-free or at least vastly stress-reduced lifestyle. It would also be a way of parceling it out. What a lot of people don't understand about people who've struggled most or all of their lives is how suddenly getting a large sum of money messes with the brain. This is why lottery-winners can wind up back where they started. I've had a couple of times in my life featuring unexpected windfalls that were like, poof and gone in notime (example, the time I won a legal case and got a substantial sum of back-pay, but it all went to survival when my partner lost his job and was looking for work for a year). A lump-sum disappears surprisingly quickly if you have back-bills and other needs and even "We can finally enjoy a few luxuries!" brain. Before you know it, you've paid off a car, a few cards and you've gotten used to buying some too-expensive meals or going on that trip to see your family that was more expensive than you anticipated and your windfall has blown away in the wind. Parcelling it out day by day keeps your brain from doing the "sudden-money-brain" thing. I think it's similar to "Buffet-lock" - that mental block you get when confronted with a buffet that people talk about. I think it's different for people who are high-earners or who grew up fairly rich, and probably why the monied-class think of strugglers as idiots. If you've never had a lot of money, you know how to budget, you know how to shop and how to make creative meals and manage a house on a low-end, but confronted with a large sum of money in one drop, (at least I've experienced on the rare occasion it happens), a deer in the headlights syndrome. Or maybe that's just the touch of the 'tsm and the ADHD that persists in my household talking.

Explain your reasoning plzzz

[mmmmalo]

Spent some time sitting in the woods just seeing how many things I could notice and started laughing when I realized that's the same thing I do at home.

Disarray of obscene speculation below, antisemitism cw:

Homestuck:

Sort of suspect that "cake" is our occluded "k*ke". In Act 1, John sticks a pair of arms on top of a cake and starts giggling like mad: the arms act as horns. In that same spirit, the "caret cake" programming language summons the image of orange spires (carrots) on top of the "cake", which is the visual language of trolls horns, likewise inspired by the antisemitic tropes derived of Moses. (Funnily enough, the disputed term that gave Moses his horns was "karen", a word that sounds like carrot and survives in the present through words like Capricorn, "goat horn") The caret ^ also would then also anticipate the antisemitic connotations of the arrow ==> , which beget the various puns on "ark" (archery, archeology...)

If cake was a slur though, you'd expect it to function like Dave's ninja sword when thrown? Rose shoving the cake in Kanaya’s face during the Jewish wedding fits the bill, plugging in a (friendly?) barb to a joyous occasion feels very Homestuck. John launches a razor and a cake at Matthew McConaughey after noting that cakes are at least useful for "dead weight", recalling the ovens... but even if Matthew is a Jewish name (Mattityahu, Gift of God), McConaughey isn't Jewish, and John's initial mockery of the actor focuses on A Time to Kill's antiracism? Maybe this is more "ninja sword" / "juice" convergence, or maybe McConaughey is being ejected from whiteness on the basis of that antiracism? Like the assignment of Jewishness via cake-as-pejorative amounts to calling McConaughey a race traitor? The PDA is launched during this same sequence -- the cake is also manbro bukkake theatre for John's "gross manbro crush", a Public Display of Affection -- so perhaps "race traitor (affectionate)". Again, a friendly barb...

This would likely make the act of baking cakes in the oven into an extended Holocaust reference, if the evil baking empress is referred to as Sea Hitler... John notices the scent of Betty Crocker's baking after donning a false nose (visible noses are simultaneously black and Jewish). Dad's superabundant cakes had seemed like they served a fantasy of the racial Other's dauntingly excessive virility (like Jake's invasive pumpkin patch), but context is everything I guess... the association of cake and the Holocaust offers an explanation for why Rose describes the mass grave in CotL as having the texture of a decadent dessert... Or since the oven seems to function as a womb symbol, it's contrary symbolic function as place of death would let the oven prefigure the Mothergrub as a nexus of death and rebirth? God

And I just remembered there being a small uproar about Spades Slick (SS, Schutzstaffel, as with Cronus's scars) telling all of the Felt to get into Biscuit's oven on that year's Holocaust remembrance day... late breaking variation on having an in-comic ball drop on New Years, I guess. God

Tangential: while trying to find a verb that expresses "rendering something Jewish" (the word I wanted is "judaize"), I found a wikitionary entry for jew-as-pejorative with the example sentence (from some nutty Usenet article) "In both cases, the Jews used Blacks as political weapons to wreck healthy White countries" -- black liberation is painted as a Jewish plot. So deploying the antiracist white lawyer of A Time to Kill as an antisemitic flytrap feels less out of place now... offers an alternate explanation for Caliborn's mix of black and Jewish signifiers as well

"Cage" is one letter off from "cake", is Nic folded into this? If the carrot cake is used to invoke the horns trope, it becomes interesting that they focus on the Cage movie with the bunny... man, the literal meaning of "ark" is just "box", I found that out when trying to link Dirk box-suicide to his impulse to return himself to his essence, is "putting the bunny back in the box" about uniting two Jewish signifiers into one, sealing them to prevent proliferation? Alternatively, John brings up the bunny metaphor for "a tattered exterior concealing a heart of gold", which is more denigration of the flesh in favor of the spirit, the (Cameron) Poe? I had assumed Equius's con-air hair (haha without air, Heir of Void) was a white signifier that contrasts with his black motifs, but is it instead a Jewish signifier that complements his (attempts at) "archery"?

For that matter (this is only getting stupider) is "Con Air" being misread as "without hair", leading to Dad's preoccupation with shaving? Is that also a Jewish signifier? In the same manner that the ejaculatory connotation of launching "cake" is a slur linked to the Holocaust through baking, is the ejaculatory foam of Barbasol linked to "gas chambers" via the tube's containment of Aerosols? Would certainly account for shaving cream being so lethal...

There's no way Erisolsprite would come out of this clean if that were the case, let's check in with him... only vaguely Jewish allusions seem to come from Jake, who calls Erisol "too rich" (potential veiled reference to cake, Peter Pan uses the same description) and asks if he should put the "kibosh" on his relationship with Dirk (sounds Yiddish! but seems to more likely stem from Irish allusions to execution like caip bháis or cabos'd... both of which sound like caboose? Hm)

ERISOLSPRITE: your flu2hed quadrant ii2 a black hole and wwe are all beiing dragged 2creamiin through iit2 evvent horiizon.

Psycholonials:

Is the ass (the "flushed" quadrant with a "black hole") being construed as a "gas chamber"? The bad end in Bronya's route is obviously amenable to puns on "baby sitter", but the ass-killing of infants is also situated amid discussion of purges... I had suspected that Hiveswap's Olive bloods were ass-ass-ins as a pun on Nepeta's :33 emoji, does this recolor her pacification of Equius (practitioner of "archery") with reference to genocide? Inviting Karkat inside a little house would become more ominous... Laika's Air Conditioning (or lack thereof) was also linked to death in Friendsim. And back to Equius, do the phallic connotations of the arrow superimpose the notions of lethal "gassing" and anal sex? Is attraction to Jake's ass suicidal? Is Candy route (taking place within ur-anus's Umbra's black hole) being conceived as a gas chamber?? Ugh, I don't even know. This has got me dizzy

Not sure how much of this will survive elaboration

In less tenuous/elaborate news, I think Abby may just be a pun on Abbey, in reflection of her initial status as sanctuary from the pejoratively judaized police force. Abbey's ironic status as a mother figure to Z would be consistent with the christian encoding of white motherhood in Homestuck

[holden-norgorov]

I was wrong: an apology for Show!Kaz.

Listen, at first I didn't even want to write this post down, but as I noticed that a considerable amount of people have been showing disappointment toward Kaz not being "smart enough" in comparison to the book, I feel the need to point some things out with the hope of making you re-evaluate your line of thinking.

The thing is, Kaz Brekker in the show is a character that very much grows to book-readers with a needed careful and attentive rewatch.

I binged the whole season in a consecutive-7h-long binge-watching session during April 23rd, and came out of it feeling mildly disappointed with the way Kaz had been written (but not portrayed; Freddy was truly amazing). The one aspect that really bugged me at first was that his typical modus operandi when it came to plotting and scheming (by which I mean, keeping the big picture of his plans to himself and revealing just tiny pieces to everyone else according to each one's strengths and weaknesses, so as to make sure to reach the maximum potential of success while risking failure as little as possible) seemed to be kinda absent. I could easily make peace with Kaz not being as ruthless as he is in SoC, because the writers couldn't possibly make only-viewers willing to root for someone like Kaz without presenting at least some way in which he was vulnerable compared to other villainous characters. And to be honest, the fact that Kaz was ambushed by Pekka and forced to his knees not only nicely ties up with him wishing for Pekka to kneel in front of him at the beginning of SoC, but it also provides a reason as to why he would become closed-off and hesitant to apologize to Inej in the future. He was so concerned and willing to openly apologize to Inej in this scene that he lowered his guard enough without thinking and ended up giving Pekka access to Inej's name and revealing to him his own soft spot for her, before being beaten up.

That said, this was not my issue with the character. My issue was with the absence of his modus operandi as a masterful planner. I just didn't feel it during the binge-watch. But then I carefully rewatched the show, paying close attention to the actual succession of events more than to how accurate the characterization of the Crows was compared to the books. And I completely changed my mind.

If you pay attention, you can see that Kaz has been manipulating Arken from the very beginning, and everything Arken has accomplished was made possible because Kaz wanted it to happen, so that Arken would believe to be one step ahead of him and not see his betrayal coming. He quickly realizes that he and Arken think alike, and that he has to find a way to outsmart him.

As soon as the Conductor appears in the show, Kaz points out that he reached out to him not only because he can make them cross the Fold, but also because he smuggles Grisha who are unwilling to fight out of the Little Palace. He immediately grasps that the Conductor actively profits from the existence of the Fold and therefore that his own transport has to be constantly operative and effective. Which makes him realize that there has to be a political interest in his smuggling business for it to be allowed to flourish and survive undisturbed, and that someone has to financially back him up and subsidize the mantainance of the train and the feasibility of the crossing.

Soon after the Crows discovered that Nina had been captured and could no longer guide them to the Little Palace, Arken tries to sabotage their mission by convincing them to abandon it. This is where Kaz understands that he is actively interested in their kidnapping of the Sun Summoner to not happen, and begins suspecting he might have a separate agenda.

He purposefully risks the whole mission on Jesper not gambling everything away while looking for alabaster coal by deciding to grab the goat by himself, which is a less time-consuming task. This grants him the opportunity to attend to a quick rally for West Ravka's independence led by General Zlatan, where he sees Arken retiring with him in a private tent. His suspects about Arken are validated, and he understands that Arken has been smuggling Grisha out of East Ravka to the West with the support of Zlatan, who is also making some kind of alliance with Fjerdians and keeping a blind-eye to druskelle hunting and capturing Grisha (as we find out later on).

While they are crossing the Fold, Kaz is visibly skeptical of Arken's story about the transport being conveniently effective because of his knowledge of engineering and physics, and a chunk of luck. Arken seems to know too well how to safely cross the Fold, and the trasport seems to have worked far too many times for it to be the product of the underground, illegal practice of just one man.

In East Ravka, Kaz comes up with the Royal Archive Heist with the hope of stealing the Little Palace blueprints from the Palace of Kribirsk. But there's a very short scene here, which apparently seems unimportant but is actually pivotal: Kaz gives Arken money to make friends with East Ravkans so as to grant them a safe passage to Os Alta. Keep in mind: at this point Kaz is sure that Arken has been given by Zlatan a personal agenda to carry out regarding the Sun Summoner (I genuinely believe he also grasps that the secret plan is to kill her, so as to prevent the Fold from being destroyed and their smuggling business from being no longer profitable), so he knows Arken has total interest in making sure that they actually have a ride to the Little Palace. Which means, by urging him to "make some friends", Kaz already knows Arken will come up with a plan to be able to arrive to Os Alta and carry out his own mission at any costs, if the blueprints of the Little Palace that they are planning to steal end up being useless. And not only that: he wants Arken to believe he is being one-step ahead of them by "saving their asses" with this back-up plan, so as to easily come to the conclusion that the Crows have no reason to distrust him (how could they, when he finds them a second way-in?) and completely disregard the idea that Kaz might stab him in the back before he does the same thing to them. This is some mastermind thinking and completely IC for Kaz, because all the inner workings of his schemes go completely unnoticed on the outside.

Now that Arken proudly looks like the one who managed to grant them passage to Os Alta, he has no reason to believe Kaz might have ulterior motives when he decides to be the one carrying out a preliminary exploration of the Little Palance's hallways, despite his wounded leg making it difficult for him. But here's when Kaz sees Marie and immediately understands that she's supposed to be a decoy for Alina. So he coldly plans the whole kidnapping operation so as to make sure Arken ends up trying to kill (or directly killing) Marie. Which is why he shows no surprise when Arken reveals he can actually open the Fabrikator-made door with a device he carries with himself (probably provided by Zlatan to be able to get access to Alina's private rooms, or maybe already in his possession from when he had smuggled other Grisha out previously), and shows no hesitation when saying outwardly to everyone that Arken will be the one actually carrying out the kindnapping just because "he knows his way around Grisha locks". I actually believe Inej senses that there's something going on that she doesn't fully know when Kaz so light-heartedly allows Arken to lay his hands on their 1 Mln Kruge prize, but her suspicions (likely born out because she knows Kaz too well) are quickly put to rest and given an explaination only after Arken effectively falls into his trap.

After Alina escapes from the Crows in the following episode, we are led to believe that Kaz abandons the idea of kidnapping her again because of Inej, and this turns out to be actually true (despite Inej herself being incredibly suspicious of this, because of how unseemly it would be). Inej also believes Kaz to be so calculating that she points out that he might have planned to let Alina go in the first place and to detonate Arken's transport so as to travel with the same sandskiff Alina is embarking on and kindap her there. Inej would not have such a suspicion if Kaz's reputation didn't live up to that modus operandi.

While we actually learn that Kaz was being genuine with Inej about having abandoned the idea of kidnapping Alina, we also quickly learn that Kaz has spent the last two episodes silently coming up with a whole new other plan to make sure they can go back to Ketterdam without being killed by Dreesen and Pekka Rollins.

Now, as you can see, this is actually a lot. And this whole progression of events is handled so smoothly by the writing that it's fully admirable only by rewatching the show and paying close attention to Kaz's actions, while also knowing how his mind works. All of this is internal workings, which is typical Kaz.

So, I was wrong. His modus operandi is very much present. It's just barely detectable, as it should be for it to be believable. I hope this might reassure some deluded fans who came out of their watching session feeling let down by Kaz not looking "smart enough". It's all there! And the fact that so many of us couldn't see it at first hand, if you think about it, is just further proof that Kaz's intelligence and ability to scheme were handled extremely well. They couldn't make his mental workings too obvious to the casual viewers, or the character would have lost what actually makes him brilliant, which is the ability to outsmart others without being detected, exposed or anticipated.

[morosemagick]

On Your Lips, Like a Prayer | Sihtric x Reader One Shot

Warning: References to Suicide, Minor Character Death

Words: 4449

Tagged:

@solinarimoon @emilyhufflepufftlk @magravenwrites @obipoelover @thebohemianpenguin @ivarinleatherpants

You remember falling.

Through the sky. Into a river. Drowning. They could’ve been dreams or your imagination or may you’re hell because when you wake up you don’t recognize the place you’ve found yourself in. The first thing you try to do when you wake is reach for your phone... until you remember you didn’t have it. What you had done, you had done with nothing on you. You didn’t want to be found or recognized. The plan was to scrub yourself from the pages of history. Yet from what you are told by the man and his daughter; who found you in the river half dead, it seems you did the far opposite.

Instead of erasing yourself from history, you’ve fallen through it.

And that was six months ago.

They believe you to have amnesia from the accident, but you remember every detail of what happened. It’s the ninth century from what you gathered. From what you remember from taking history in school, King Alfred the Great is the King of Wessex, but you are in Mercia. Who is ruled by Lord Ceowolf? You’re unsure. Everything you’ve known is gone or rather has yet to be. You have no idea how you’ve gotten here and you want out. So in a moment of foolishness, you try to redo what you did to send yourself back but instead you wind up stuck in their beds again for a month with a broken leg. It’s hard to run after you do that, and now you know without a doubt in your mind that you’re stuck. You cry about it for weeks, and the family who found you doesn’t understand why. You can’t tell anyone, because you’re certain they’ll set you on fire if you tell them.

Because you… you are from the future.

————————————<3—————————————

You’ve been here for a year now. Osmund and his daughter, Mildryd, are kind and loving people. They treat you like family, with love and respect. This place becomes your home and they teach you all the skills you’d need to survive these times. You learned about farming, rank etiquette, and all other manners you would need to blend into your surroundings. Soon enough, you embraced this world as your own. Not that you had a choice because every day it became more clear that this was not a dream and you were indeed stuck here.

Also, you had no desire to repeat what you did to get here in the first place… again.

“Lynne? Lynne, where are you?” You can hear Osmund call out to you. Lynne was what they called you here. It meant waterfall, from what you understood.

Which made sense, because that’s where they found you... At the bottom of a waterfall.

You come out from the stables, where you’ve just finished brushing the horses with a smile on your face, “Right here, Osmund. Everything alright?”

“I sent Mildryd into town to get grain but I didn’t realize she didn’t bring water in for the goats,” He tells you as he wipes the sweat from his face with a rag, “I hate to pass on her chores, but you know my daughter-”

“She’ll be flirting with the trader for a while,” You chuckle. Mildryd fancied the boy a lot and hopes he’d ask her father for her hand in marriage soon. She was young and full of life, the opposite of you if you were honest with yourself. You envied her spirit, “I’ll go to the river.”

“Thank you, Lynne,” The older man smiled, “You’re an angel.”

You only smile as a response. They show you so much love and part of you feels like you don't deserve it. Still, you grab your bucks and head down to the river, which is quite a walk away, to fetch some water as requested. It's beautiful here, and perhaps taking a moment to stand there and admire its beauty will be one of the moments you will grow to regret for the rest of your life because by the time you turn back to return to the farm you can see smoke.

You drop both buckets to the ground and run as fast as your post-broken leg body can take you, but you're too late.

A sob breaks from your lips as you walk through the ruins of Osmund's home. His body lays blood and lifeless on the floor, the sword he carries still in its sheath. You take the weapon from him, belt and all, and tie it around your waist. Leaving the house, you head into the rest of the small village you call yours in search of the man's daughter.

The rest of the village is no better than Osmund's home. Everyone is dead, from what you can tell, and your expectations for finding Mildryd are lowering by the second.

When you find her, she's holding on to her final breath, and her body covered by the trader she loved so much.

"Mildryd," You call to her with tears in her eyes, "Mildryd… who did this to you?"

"It… it was the Danes," She coughs and blood comes up, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Is.. my father-"

She dies before she can finish the sentence, and you sob over her dead body.

The time you get to mourn is cut short by a voice calling out from behind you, “Lord! A survivor!”

From the accent in his voice, you can tell he must be a Dane, and you ready yourself to face with your hand on the hilt of your sword. It’s heavy, and you haven’t had much practice but the one thing you have plenty of right now is rage. Rising to your feet, you pull out your sword and swing it without care as you turn around but the Dane behind you is quicker. He bobs and weaves his upper half to avoid your aimless swings and pulls out a blade of his own.

It does not take him long to disarm you, your sword dropping to the ground with a clang.

“Just kill me already,” You tell him as you lower your eyes to the ground, trying not to cry in front of him, “Please! Get on with it-”

“I don’t desire to kill you, Lady,” The Dane tells you, his voice softer than anticipated, and you open your eyes to see him put his sword away. He picks up your sword, and then lends out a hand to help you to your feet, “I am sorry to have startled you.”

You are hesitant to take his hand, but you do so anyway.

It’s his eyes; one blue and the other brown, they are mesmerizing and all but command you to trust him.

“Sihtric?” Another man calls out to him, this one also dressed like a Dane but something about him looks Saxon… like the others you’ve grown to know, “Who is this?”

The one you trust, Sihtric, turns to face you and they stare for a moment as they await your name, “I am-” You almost use your real name, but you stop yourself and continue again. Hoping they don’t notice, “I am Lynne, Lord.”

“This is your village?” He asks you.

“Was,” You replied looking back at Mildryd’s dead body behind you, “They killed my family…”

“Did you see the raiders who attacked this place?” The man asked and you shook your head no.

“My… my sister, she told me it was the Danes,” You glance between the two men, watching for their reactions, “That was all she said before she died.”

“Lord?” Another voice calls out, this one with an Irish accent, and from the side, another man appears followed by one much taller than he is, “There is no one else. If they had survivors, they must have taken them.”

The Lord sighs, and puts away his weapon, “Do you have somewhere to go, Lynne? Family somewhere else in Mercia, perhaps?”

You look between the men who surround you and shake your head no, “This was my only family, Lord. I have no one.”

“We can take her with us to Coccham, Uhtred,” The Irishman starts to say, but you are quick to jump in.

“I am not a slave!” You snap as you reach for your sword, forgetting you no longer have it.

“Nor do we wish you to be, Lady,” The one named Uhtred replies, “You will be safe in Coccham, should you choose to follow us. I am the Ealdorman there, we shall find someone to take you in.”

You nod okay, knowing you don’t have any other choice, “Thank you.”

Uhtred and his men start to walk away, and when you step to follow them your bad leg gives in and you start to fall. Luckily, Sihtric is there to catch you.

“Are you hurt, Lady?” He asks you as you wince.

He helps you straighten yourself upright, and you take a deep breath, “I broke it, six months ago,” You explain to Sihtric as he tries to help you walk, “It still feels weak some days. Just… give me a moment.”

“Should I carry you?” He asks and you blush as you furiously shake your head no.

“No, no,” You chuckle shyly as you attempt to walk again, “I can walk. I just need to go slow.”

Sihtric smiles lightly, and it brings you peace, “We’ll go your speed then.”

You nod okay, and together you walk slowly out of the village that was once your home.

————————————<3—————————————

Lord Uhtred finds you work as a stable hand in Coccham. The owners of the stable is an older couple whose children have moved away with their own families, and they are more than pleased to let you stay with them. After a few months of being in Coccham, you find yourself growing to like the place. It’s a booming town, and the people who live here all seem to be grateful for their half Dane half Saxon Lord for keeping them safe and prospering. About six months into living here, Lord Uhtred puts you personally in charge of his horse, as well as the horses of the rest of his men. The old couple tells you it’s a privilege for the Ealdorman to hold you in such regard.

You wonder why they seem to like you so much.

When you aren’t working you find yourself in the company of Lord Uthred’s men. There is Finan, his cheeky, Irish right-hand man. He’s a flirt and a tease, but you find him harmless and kind. Then their Clapa, the large bear-like Dane. He’s quiet but courteous. Last, but certainly not least, there is Sihtric. You never expected to like him as much as you do, but he makes you laugh and smile and feel like maybe you survived that fall for a reason. He visits you frequently at the stables and he tells you it’s to make sure you aren’t overworking your leg.

Part of you wonders if there is an ulterior motive for his visits.

Not that he needs one to visit you. You enjoy Sihtric’s visits probably much more than he did. So part of you finds it ironic when those around you weren’t fond of you spending so much time with a Dane. Their Lord was a Dane, too, after all.

“That Dane boy,” The stable owner, Cedric, started to say one day, “Does he bother you?”

You glance his way as you brush Lord Uhtred’s horse, readying all his warriors’ horses for their departure, “Not at all,” You tell Cedric, “Sihtric is kind.”

“You are of marriage age, Lynne,” Cedric tells you as he brings over a saddle for the horse, “Perhaps we should help find you a husband. I know some young eligible men. Hard workers,” he starts to say, and you know what’s about to come out of his mouth next before he can even say it, “Good Christians.”

“I’m not looking for a husband,” You tell him with frustration as you take the saddle from his hands and place it on top of Uhtred’s horse.

“My wife and I are only getting older, Lynne,” The old man tells you, and you keep your eyes away to prevent yourself from making a face, “It is not good for a Lady of your age to be unwed. This is your prime. You should be having children, starting a family.”

Part of you is ready to tell the old man off, but before you can say anything a familiar voice interrupts the conversation, “Cedric, Lynne! How are our horses?”

“Lord Uhtred,” Cedric smiles, and you can’t help but hate how hypocritical he is, “They are almost ready, Lynne ready the other saddles please.”

You nod at the two men and make yourself scarce as you go to prep the other horse. Your first stop is to Finan’s horse; because you know the mare can be fickle some days, and as you reach down to pick her saddle, you don’t see Finan and Sihtric sneak up behind you.

“Lynne!” Finan all but shouts, giving you a fright and making you drop the saddle to the floor.

“I swear to God, Finan, one would think you are the heathen and not Sihtric,” You scold with your hand over your heart as the two men laugh.

“We are only teasing, Lynne, I swear,” Finan tells you as he picks up the saddle you’ve dropped.

Sihtric leans up against a post and nudges you with his elbow, “Cedric does not push you too much, does he?”

“No, he does not,” You tell Sihtric as you go to ready his horse, but he stops you, carefully taking the saddle from your hands, “I do not need your help, Sihtric.”

“I want to help,” He tells you with a smile, and you can’t help but smile wider.

“She says she doesn’t need your help, Sihtric,” Finan teases from close by, and you both blush, momentarily forgetting he was there, “Hate to ruin the moment, but we need to get goin’.”

“Where are you riding for?” You ask them as you stand back and let the men finish readying their own horses.

“Mercia,” Sihtric tells you and a small part of you feels anxious, “Dane’s have taken Lundene."

“And King Alfred has decided he does need Uhtred, after all,” Finan chuckles and Sihtric smirks, but both of their calm demeanors don’t make you feel any better, “Don’t you worry, Lynne, we’ll be home before you know it.”

Finan passes by, rubbing your shoulder as he goes, and then leaves you alone with Sihtric. You sigh, folding your arms over your chest, “Be careful out there, okay?”

Sihtric chuckles as he takes a step closer to you, “Will you pray to your God for my return?”

“You know I don’t pray,” You lie with a smirk. You pray every single time Uhtred and his warriors leave, and you do so every night till they return. Reaching into your pocket, you pull out a thin gold cross on a blue, beaded string. It’s the only thing you own, from before, and you hand it to Sihtric with a weak smile on your face, “But just in case.”

He takes it from your hand so slow, the feeling of his fingertips lingering even after they are gone, “I will take good care of it.” Sihtric pulls you closer by the back of your head and kisses your temple as he moves around you.

Your cheeks stay a rosy color even long after he is gone.

————————————<3—————————————

They are back sooner than expected.

Or at least, that is what you hear when the crowd gathers to greet their returning warriors. You overhear the Lady of Coccham, Uhtred’s wife Gisela, make mention of returning too quickly for men holding a city under siege. Lord Uhtred is the first to walk through Coccham’s gates, looking surprisingly clean for a man coming from war, then Finan comes in close behind him… and then-

Wait.

You feel your heart pick up its pace when you realize Sihtric is not with them and for a moment you find it hard to breathe. As the crowd lets its lord through, and Uhtred and his men reach the stables, you rush over as fast as your legs can take you to meet them. You feel your bad leg ready to give up as you reach the stables, but this time Finan is there to catch you.

“Slow down, Lynne, you nearly killed yourself,” Finan tells you as he holds you steady with one hand.

“Where...,” You start speaking but you can't, instead you’re huffing and puffing trying to catch your breath, “Where is Sihtric?”

Finan sighs, wiping at his mouth with his free hand, “You’re not gonna be happy, Lynne.”

You try really hard not to cry as he explains to you what has happened at Lundene and how the King’s daughter has been possibly taken as prisoner. In fact, you do relatively well at holding it all in and keeping yourself together for most of his explanation. That is… until he gets to the part where Lord Uhtred has sent Sihtric and another warrior named Rypere to Beamfleot to spy, and you suddenly forget how to breathe again. You go to reach for your cross in your pocket until you remember you’ve given it to Sihtric for good luck and almost immediately you begin to cry.

“Lynne,” Finan puts his hand on your shoulder as you sob, covering your face with your hands, “Lynne, he’s coming home… okay? Sihtric is good at what he does. The best spy we have, and I know he’s got a good reason to come home in one piece.”

You shake your head okay, and furiously wipe away all your tears away the best you can, “How long do you think he’ll be gone?”

“I cannot say for certain,” Finan shrugs, “But he is coming home, I promise.”

Finan’s words only give you some reassurance and you spend the next few days feeling absolutely miserable. You continue on with your workdays with the best fake smile you can muster, and at night you find yourself at Church. Usually, you pray in your room, partially because you feel like you aren’t really doing it right and you feel too embarrassed to pray in public. You weren’t a very religious person before, but now that you are here in this church, you pray to every God you can think of that Sihtric comes home safely.

“Lady?” A voice from behind you calls, and you jump to your feet in a moment of fear. You weren’t expecting anyone else to come to the Church that night, coming late enough in the night to certainly be alone for as long as you wish, “I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you.”

His words remind you of the first time you met Sihtric, and you can't help but smile.

“It’s okay, I’ve just been… jumpy, lately.” You tell him as you sit back down on the bench, “I haven’t lived in Coccham for long, but I know I don’t recognize your face.”

“Ah, yes,” His smile is kind as he joins you at the bench, “I am Osferth, Lady. May I join you?”

“Of course, Osferth,” You smile back the best you can, but you’re tired and it’s late so it’s hard to put on your usual fake face.

Osferth takes his seat next to you, making sure not to get too close, and keeps his eyes on the altar ahead of you, “What are we praying for?” He asks, glancing your way.

“My-” You paused, not knowing what to call him. Your friend didn’t sound like a good enough way to explain what he meant to you, and you definitely didn’t think of him as a brother. So you go with this, “My family. Someone very important to me has been sent away on a dangerous mission for Lord Uhtred.”

"If he is a warrior for Lord Uhtred, he must be very brave," he tells you, reassuringly

"Only a special kind of warrior is lucky enough to serve a Lord like Uhtred," You agree with him, "And I have been told Sihtric is good at what he does, but I can't help but worry."

"Has prayer helped?" Osferth asks you and you look his way with a chuckle.

"Not at all," You tell him, and you both laugh.

"Sometimes it is hard to have faith in something we don't see," Osferth tells you as he looks forward again, "I try to put my faith in people. Lord Uhtred is a good warrior. So are his men. Having Faith in them… it's much easier."

So that's what you. You put your Faith in Uhtred and all of his men that will do whatever it takes to bring each other home.

————————————<3—————————————

More time has passed.

Rypere eventually returned to Coccham, and with his arrival, Uhtred and his men rode for Winchester to bring his findings to the King. You hear that men are sent to Beamfleot to bargain for the Princesses return. They are gone for a long time, longer than you anticipated. The days that pass make you increasingly more anxious.

You don't want to say your faith in Uhtred and his warriors is wavering but… it hasn't been as strong as you hoped it to be.

Cedric and his wife have been pushing the marriage thing. They aren't your parents so they can't just sell you off, luckily for you, but it's gotten annoying just how many single men they've tried to introduce you to in the last month.

None of them are Sihtric, so you do not care.

You're in the Church again one night, and you've been there longer than you wanted due to your bad leg. It's been aching something fierce in the past few days, and you think maybe you have been overwhelming yourself. You can't help but smile at the idea of Sihtric yelling at you to take it easy, and just as quickly as the memory comes to you so do the tears that start to cloud your eyes.

"You lied to me, Lynne," That familiar voice you've been hearing in your head speaks out loud, and you gasp when you turn around to find Sihtric standing behind you, "You said you do not pray for me."

You chuckle as the tears fall from your face and your lips curl up into a smile, "You're all I pray for." It stings to stand, but you push through the pain anyway and rush to greet him.

Sihtric catches you as you jump into his arms, and the two of you stumble back until he falls to the floor with you in his arms, "You need to be more careful," He smirks as he moves a hand to your cheek, "What would the people say if they see us in the church like this?"

"To hell with people," You laugh as you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. Sihtrics' free hand pulls your body closer as you sit there on the floor of the church, all but devouring each other with each kiss.

"Let me carry you home," Sihtric tells you when he breaks the kiss, and you nod okay. He moves to stand, taking you in his arms as he rises. Making sure to be careful with your bed leg.

Being like this makes you feel so safe. So loved.

You giggle and kiss his neck as he carries you back to his house, and whispers things in your ear that send shivers down your spine all the way back to his house. Your sure people saw him carry you, and they are more than likely to gossip about you but you don't care.

You've never felt more alive than you do right now.

Sihtric lays you carefully in his bed, his lips reconnecting with yours as he hovers above you. He tastes sweet and your heart is racing in anticipation of what is going to happen next.

That is until you hear him moan out that name.

"Lynne," He starts to say as he breaks the kiss, "Lynne, I-"

"Wait!" You cut Sihtric off with a finger to his lips, "Before you say it, there is something else I've been lying about," Sihtric raises a brow and you take a deep breath, "My name is not Lynne."

You expect a poor reaction, but instead, Sihtric smirks, "That doesn't surprise me."

"Really?"

"Yes," He tells you as he places a kiss on your lips, "The day we met, you stuttered when you told Uhtred your name." You chuckle at the fact that he remembers that, and his smile is soft, "So tell me, what is the real name of the woman who has stolen my heart?"

Your smile is wide when you get to finally speak your real name out loud for the first time in almost two years, "My name is Y/N."

Sihtric smiles, leaning in to kiss you again, "Well, Y/N," another kiss, and then another, "It is nice to truly meet you," one more kiss, and then he leans up a bit and you can see the smirk on his face, "Is it too soon to say that I love you?"

You shake your head no as the tears come back to you, "Not at all."

"Good," Sihtric replies as he leans his forehead against yours, "I love you, Y/N."

Sihtric whispers those words for what feels like a hundred times that night. He whispers it as he strips you out of your clothes and as you remove his. It comes out as a moan when he slips himself inside of you, and it sounds like a prayer on his lips as he chants it in your ear as you reach your climax with your back arched and his lips on your neck. And it's the last thing you hear when Sihtric reminds you one more time before bed.

A few months later on the two year anniversary of you finding yourself here, on this page of history, Sihtric tells you he loves you again when the two of you return to the place where Osmund and Mildryd found you, and you tell him all about what brought you to this world. You can't help but feel this is where you were meant to be when Sihtric tells you he prayed for you, too.

For someone who could love him, more than he could himself.

It seems… you were exactly what the other was looking for.

[niamh-sims]

Welcome to Iolrath, the setting of a New Foundations challenge!

Iolrath is set in the world of the Elder Scrolls. I’ve chosen to start in the 10th era, as none of the Elder Scrolls games have made it that far as yet, so I can basically make up my own rules and lore.

Iolrath is a small uninhabited island located in the Padomaic Ocean between the continents of Tamriel and Akavir.  The challenge begins with a small group of ship wreck survivors, who decide to make the best of their dire situation and build a settlement.

I am essentially using @princesspiratecat‘s New Foundations 1.8 rule set and the associated ROS.  I will be playing on the hard settings, except that I made an error with the starting families, so am starting with five instead of four (x3 families and x2 couples).

How I play:

- I’m using Almighty Hat’s Gestational Ageing mod, so my lifespan is significantly increased.  As such, I’m using a range of skill limiters (toddlers are restricted to 3 points per skill and children are limited to 5, with the exception being if they have the ‘genius’ trait) and harder skilling mods. 

- I’m playing with a 12-day Season’s mod, mainly so I can stick to the Elder Scrolls calendar.  I have a seasons configuration of Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter, and each ‘month’ is 4 days long.

- I’m also playing with the traits, from hexagonal-bipyramid, cedanyblee, mortia & Fire_flower.

- I’m playing with an 8-PT mod, with those PT’s being the Aedra, Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr & Zenithar .

- I’m also using Hat’s G-Rated Religion mod.  I’m starting with only two religions, The Nine Divines (Aedra) (Talos will be the figure head of this religion), and The Anticipations (Daedra) (Azura will be the figure head of the Daedra).  I may add more religions as the game develops.

A few changes I have made to the original challenge:

- I feel like one day to make friends and determine who is the Builder/Squire Sim is not enough, so the Sims will spend 4 days gathering items for survival and making friends (I feel like this will work with the challenge due to the extended seasons I’m playing).  The family with the most non-family friends after 4-days becomes the Builder/Squire, and from that point the competition is on to gather supplies and skills to see who will be the merchant family, skilled professional family and food suppliers.

Above rule changed back to one day only on free-will to make friends!

- The original challenge stipulates that Sims are allocated two skill points according to their aspiration.  I changed this to two skill points specific to race: Nords (+2 body), Bretons (+1 logic & +1 creativity), Imperials (+2 logic), Redguard (+1 logic & +1 cooking), Altmer (+1 logic & +1 creativity), Dunmer (+1 cooking & +1 creativity), Bosmer (+1 body, +1 mechanical), Argonian (+1 charisma & +1 logic), Khajiit (+1 cooking & +1 charisma), Orsimer (+1 mechanical & +1 cooking).

- New settlements will be started on different maps, as I’m trying to keep the neighborhoods small to avoid pink soup.  The rules state each new settlement should have a unique style and build materials.  I also like the idea of each area having their own regional specialties.  Therefore, Iolrath will specialise in lumber, carpentry, pigs, hunting, and forraging.  Other settlements will specialise in (metalsmithing, mining, goats, cheesemaking), (fishing, salt production, basket weaving, poultry) and (vegetables, fruit, honey, candles, cattle).  I may also add another settlement to be the royal neighborhood if I eventually get that far.

Founding families will be posted shortly.

[monkey-network]

The Howling Wonderment of Wolfwalkers

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD    

Yeah, this film was enjoyable and I loved it. “Cuz you’re a furry?!” *BANG!* ...Yes, but there’s certainly more to my love. Next to Pixar’s Soul, this was one I was anticipating because of its unique style as Cartoon Saloon has been one to be far different from what you could call the norm in animated films lately. It’s up there with Laika and Aardman as a studio where after enough time, you really get their style. With its stunning visuals, Mebh existing, and yeah it being about wolves, this felt like a film worth watching. And it was worth watching. Hell It was worth seeing with however beautiful it is and can be...

The environment work is the MVP of this film’s visuals if not the character designs. The visible difference between the compact, sharp angled town of Kilkenny and the more wavy, rounded shapes of the forest stand out remarkably. This is indeed of the best looking films I’ve seen in a long while where just seeing the effort that went into every background would satisfy my day. Then again, much as it’d be nice to end it here, looks aren’t everything. Unfortunately, and I’m getting this out the way, it certainly ain’t flawless in terms of story.

For one, it is really cliched where communication is stubbornly walled, it’s necessary but in hindsight I nonetheless felt annoyed by how things wouldn’t have as escalated as it did if one or so moment of miscommunication didn’t happen. I can forgive it for having plot elements that I’ve seen in other places, but this really stood out. And my major issue, the one true stain on this otherwise smooth pair of pants, is our villain. The Lord Protector can look intimidating, and is thematically necessary, but really was a one-note imitation of Judge Frollo where God is all it takes to be the worst ever. I say it would’ve worked better if he had more eccentricity to his motives but no, he’s just unmovably evil and pompous, distractedly like Ratcliffe from Pocahontas. And I don’t care if Ratcliffe was funny and the two films can be similar in some areas,

I should not be reminded of Pocahontas in any light

But honestly, that’s it. While the villain didn’t leave a good impression, the conflict doesn’t feel hindered by the cliches. Really, the movie outside what I wanna say is a very long final act runs at quite a brisk pace. I’ve paused for screenshots but I never felt like the film was jogging for time. We certainly get to take in the environments, the juxtaposing sense between constriction and freedom. I mention that things could’ve been resolved more smoothly but the film has a great sense of escalation where yeah, that final fight did feel long but justified in every moment. It all makes things count, be it the increasing rift between Robyn and her father to the roller coaster friendship of her and Mebh. The latter, speaking of which, is the GOAT.

BEST. GREMLIN. WOOFCHILD!

Mebh exhibits the most lovable energy as a character, has as perfect a design, and this film is as much her story as it is Robyn’s. I’ll get to something vital in a moment, but the friendship/sisterhood in this film is so refreshing to see. Mebh honestly was everything I wanted for this character and more because how in her element she can be vs when the situation gets drastic. They give her the range and overall, she is an amazing child character and that really is what makes this film work so well regardless of its hiccups. As much she appears as an alpha, she is still just a child and we see that, no punches pulled, in the film’s latter half which leads into my takeaway.

The fear of the unknown can lead to the unbalance of control. Of course Robyn and Mebh are two sides of the same coin if we’re talking responsibility. One who wants to claim it in being a wolfhunter and one who has to in being the alpha wolfwalker. Both of which do so for the sake of their parents, who themselves didn’t want to put their children in harm’s way. They’re mainly surviving, and what they actually desire is to live. Both girls come to understand what they want for themselves and come to fearlessly face what’s kept them along the wall, so to speak. That’s what makes the moments of the two running as wolves so liberating, what makes Mebh’s emotional journey over the fate of her mother so naturally emotional, and what makes the finale come together so well.

I don’t like The Lord Protector as you know, but he does serves as a necessary evil for everyone involved; a man who tries to absolve any responsibility for what he does yet seeks to have absolute dominion over everything. Which is why it adds up that Robyn’s father, who for the runtime has been under his thumb, becomes a wolfwalker alongside Robyn. Goodfellow isn’t a bad father for his overprotectiveness, nor a terrible person for being a hunter given those times, but his arc about being there for his daughter to where he takes finally control, following her daughter in going against his previous outlook, to defeat the villain and make up for his actions by being the final one needed to save Mebh’s mom after turning into a wolf himself is the most poetic to say the least. But ending with Mebh, Robyn, and their parents heading elsewhere and the two children get to run once again, free from the weight of everything before and enjoying each other’s company as the closest of their new found family?

Like I wouldn’t happily tear up at the thought

This film can appear simple, but the heart of it is definitive in every step. From working through conditioned prejudices to kiltering responsibility with ambition, Wolfwalkers makes so many good notes with a very complimenting artstyle, good pacing, and compelling characters especially. I mean, the fact that it’s about wolves was enough to lure me in, but I stayed well enough for one of the best Cartoon Saloon provided.

Again, I love this film.

[subbing-for-clones]

She Who Walks the Line Between Part 3

Maul x GreyJedi!Reader

Word Count: 2682

WARNINGS: blood, fluffy fluff starts picking up

PREVIOUS         NEXT          MASTERLIST

       The few hours of sleep he was able to achieve were filled with nightmares that consisted of his memories returning. His life played out behind his eyelids charging his sadness, terror and his fury. Yet before his mind could plummet to unreachable depths, he sensed a calming presence in the back of his mind. A hand that reached out for him to hold onto. He had no idea that during his rest he became quite vocal and Y/N stood in his doorway using the force to ease him back into a relaxed state. Pulling him further away from the unseen dangers that threatened to pull him down and drown him.

    He woke with a start, not remembering where he was. His first thought was why it didn’t smell like fire and burning fuels mixed with humid gasses. When he felt his legs shift under the blankets the events that took place yesterday flooded back to the forefront of his memory. He smelled the sweet sugary aroma of a plate towering with baked apples and honeyed meat sitting on his night stand but before he indulged his groaning stomach, movement from outside the window caught his eye. It was his savior.

    Not covered in the same make of dress she wore yesterday. Today she adorned a fitted white cloth binding across her chest and beige trousers that bagged around her thighs but were tight just below her knees. Barefooted, she dual wielded white lightsabers in the Ataru style. Dodging quickly and lunging aggressively toward an invisible attacker. Gracefully she connected the two sabers so they appeared to be a single double sided weapon. Twirling them so quickly and dancing on her feet so lightly his eyes had trouble keeping up. She was working through forms he both recognized and ones he had never seen before. He could see a light glimmer of sweat slicked across her form catching in the early morning sunlight. She must have been training for hours already. Strands of hair falling out of the bun she had tied up to keep the majority of her locks out of her eyeline.

    He took and ate the breakfast she prepared slowly, studying her through the glass with admiration. Obviously satisfied with her efforts she hung her now sheathed sabers from the gate and tended the goats and chickens within the pen. Despite her hostile training they were calm and trotted up to her as she passed through the gate. He watched her feed the animals and her mouth form words he couldn't hear, assuming they were praises as they danced around her.

 ~~~~~

      The next two weeks were more of the same every day. You meditated and trained in the mornings before tending to your animals. You knew his eyes were on you while he ate the food you always left for him, always watching. You feigned ignorance and never mentioned that you caught him staring, surprising yourself with the fact that you kind of liked the attention. When you had finished your morning routine you would find him dressed in his room practicing the basic movements and exercises you assigned to him for his physical therapy. Satisfied he was actually doing them you would go shower and dressing in your usual slitted dresses that you preferred.

    You would eat again together and continue helping him work his legs. After the first few days he joined you in your afternoon meditation followed by more exercises or flipping through one of your many books, light music always on in the background. The longer he was in your care the softer his eyes looked, the stronger his legs got and he came to be more comfortable in your proximity. You had both gotten used to one another's company. You had spent so much time alone on this planet you had forgotten what it was like to have a companion. A rather agreeable one at that. It was nice.

 ~~~~~

      Now able to walk on his own with only the help from a cane he joined Y/N outside every morning. Still unable to train as she did, he practiced walking around the pen surrounded by the animals. He could see a smile grace her lips when he interacted gently with them. When she had finished, she strode over to him leaning up against the fence with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed.

"What is it?" He asked, honey eyes filled with concern that he had upset her somehow. He tended to revert back to the frightened apprentice she realized he had been at one point in his life if she wasn’t careful. Despite the fact that he had never one been the cause of even a slight frustration within her.

"I have to leave for a day or two, stock up on some things this planet doesn't have. I need you to stay here, I fear a storm is coming and I don't want to leave the animals unattended. Would you be alright with that?”

Sighing with relief he agreed and watched as she boarded her ship and took off.

      The next day after she had left, he must have looked up to the sky every hour impatiently waiting for her to return. He ate much less without her, swearing to himself that it didn't taste as good if it didn't come from her hands. He did however keep up with his exercises and spent much of his free time with the goats and chickens. That night he had even more trouble falling asleep than he usually did; missing her company. After tossing and turning until daybreak he made a daring move, striding toward Y/N's room without his cane for the first time.

    He had never been inside of it but he had caught glances after noticing she had been sleeping with her door open, starting a few days after his arrival. Sheer white curtains hung in front of the transparasteel panes that overlooked the garden. Like the rest of the house, not a single chronometer in sight. The need to keep time didn't really exist in this place, he enjoyed that small detail over the past few weeks. It was starkly different from how he was raised, every moment of every day planned down to the second. Even a slight deviation always resulting with a beating. He had to keep reminding himself that she was not his master. When he did forget she would always lend a kind reminder she was master of nothing and no one.

    The pine-colored rug under foot was exceptionally plush and extended across most of the floor, the polished dark wooden flooring peeking out only around the edges of the room. A long desk was situated beneath the large viewport. Atop it lay several data-tapes and empty books. She must be copying the information by hand he assessed. Actual paper writing was extremely rare and her home was filled with paper sheeted books bound in various leathers. One of the books sat open with a pen resting on it, the entry was short but he loved seeing her handwriting nonetheless. Without lifting the journal, he stood and read the page entry, curiosity getting the better of him.

Maul- Day 17:

‘He is recovering faster than I had originally anticipated but I am also not surprised. He has to be strong to have survived as long as he did on his own in the condition he came to me in. Already walking on his own supported only by a cane by day 10. He is gaining weight slowly but is starting to look healthier. He will snap back quickly once he can walk on his own again, unaided by a crutch. His eyes aren’t nearly as blood shot and the lighter shade of color in his horns and nails indicates he is getting proper nutrients and that his hormones have balanced out.

His mind seems to be healing as well, I haven't asked about his memories but I know they come in the form of nightmares. He responds well to my attempts to calm him in his sleep. They still come every night but he has gone from an excessive number of fits to only two or three a night. He is still wildly unbalanced but the scale is starting to tip in the right direction. I have come to realize that I enjoy his presence. He seems to be more comfortable with small talk. I like his voice, alas my mind wanders.’

    Maul hobbled over to her bed and hesitantly laid down on top of it not daring to mess up the bedding too much. Several realizations crossing his mind. One, she had actually come to care for him as he was starting to care for her. Two, he learned why she slept with her door open now. His hearts raced at the thought of her standing in his doorway calming him while he slept. Three, she liked his voice. He had always been scolded if he spoke unnecessarily, taught to be silent as shadows. But she liked his voice. He could smell her on her pillows, a sweet earthy scent that lingered in his nose. Very quickly sleep took him.

    He awoke that evening as the sun was starting to set to the sound of thunder ripping through the sky. His belly growled, he had grown accustomed to several meals a day and his hunger had caught up to him. Being sure to straighten out the blankets on her bed he stood and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the cooler for the first time, he found a plate with a large cooked steak and a note.

‘You had better eat this before I return. You have to eat even if I'm not there. -Y/N’

    He smiled at her sentiment. As usual with everything she made, it was like ambrosia in his mouth. The moment he finished eating he sensed the animals were distressed. Not bringing his cane he made his way slowly outside to the barn. The rain came down almost violently, lightning streaking across the now black sky while thunder crashed angrily.

    He was soaking wet by the time he got inside to check the animals who were immediately calmed when they saw him. Sighing he sat in the middle of the floor and began his meditation to stave away his and their anxiety of the storm. He had hoped she wasn't flying in this but she was already away longer than she said she'd be. That didn't help the knot of worry growing in his belly.

 ~~~~~

      When you came out of hyperspace and entered the atmosphere you realized you must have put the coordinates in a digit off. You were on the wrong side of the planet, jungle stretched out as far as you could see. This wouldn’t be the first time you had accidently come home in the wrong hemisphere. You sighed at your own antics. It was too dangerous to fly back out to space so you had to navigate through the storm down here. Your ship seemed to attract the lightning but you managed to sense it a split second before it struck, narrowly dodging the persistent bolts. Before long you could just make out the break that gave way to the grasslands. You started lowering out of the sky but were distracted to see Maul coming out of the barn. It was just a moment of distraction but an important moment, you didn't sense the lightning. You were struck and it killed the power sending you nose first straight into the soil with a loud crash. Your vision blacked out after hitting your head on impact knocking you unconscious.

 ~~~~~

 No...NO... fuck.

Maul watched as the bolt hit her ship and she crashed out in the field. Eyes wide with panic he ran as fast as his new legs would carry, almost giving out several times before he reached the fallen ship. He raised his arms, using the force for the first time in weeks he opened the door and lowering the ramp. It didn't reach the ground due to the crafts hazardous angle. Force jumping inside he landed on his feet with a shocking pain that radiated through his torso. Snarling he made his way to the cockpit where he found her starting to wake up.

 ~~~~~

 You felt strong hands on your arms gently squeezing, you sighed into the touch rubbing your head and your eyes. When they finally opened the first thing you saw were two brightly glowing golden orbs. Rubbing your eyes again, your vision fully returning, you realized they belonged to a very worried looking Zabrack. Who was covered in...straw?

    Remembering what distracted you in the first place you burst into laughter. Hard, rolling laughter.

    The worry on his face shifted into confusion. He slowly wiped the blood off your temple from where you hit your head. Then he lifted you bridal style and started walking out of the ship. Finding a new reserve of strength and determination he carried you all the way to your home. Although you stopped laughing you still giggled, picking pieces of straw off the back of his tunic. Finally realizing what you found so amusing he smiled, "the storm scared the goats so I meditated with them. I ended up falling asleep out there."

    He now stood in the living room, still in his arms you replied, "I kind figured as much." You pressed your forehead to his for a moment, butterflies dancing in both of your stomachs. He set you down on the couch slowly and fetched a cool wet cloth. Tenderly, he dabbed at the cut. You watched him closely, a slight blush fanning across your cheeks. He was so soft, so careful in this moment, so near you, a stark comparison to the man who had first landed in your field not long ago.

    He heard your heartbeat quicken and saw your blush, causing his face to deepen slightly along with yours. Quickly he stood, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck looking anywhere but at you. "I think you'll be alright," he stammered. "It's just a shallow laceration."

    You also stood, inches from him. He was taller than you were, not by much, but it was noticeable when you were this close to his body. "I could've told you that but noooo you had to cast aside your cane and come to the rescue... Thank you." You batted your long eyelashes at him and he gulped, gaze not leaving your own this time.

"I have a present for you."

"You do?" He asked now distracted from your devilishly plump lips.

"Yeah, quick stop on Naboo, few broken necks, spines and bribes later aaaaaaand.." you reached behind your back unclipping a third lightsaber from your belt. Still rough where it had been sliced in half you presented it to him. "Tada!"

"You did this for me?" He asked slowly taking it in his hands. It seemed.. heavier than he remembered. But it was his.

"Yes I did,” you stated matter-o-factly. Now that your obviously strong enough not only to walk but to carry me across the field, like the damsel in distress that I was, covered in straw no less. We will start training together. But for now, I'm exhausted. It's the middle of the night and I've had a maker damned day." You took a chance and leaned up into him, pressing your lips against his cheekbone with your hands on his chest, holding them there for a few seconds you felt him go ridged.

    Turning on the ball of your foot you wandered back into your bedroom. "Goodnight Maul." You called without turning to see his reaction.

    He held the place on his cheek where your kiss landed just before, mind reeling and melting at the same time. "Goodnight Y/N," he murmured. Not leaving his spot.

[disgruntledspacedad]

Exit Wounds

pairing: Steve Murphy x Javier Peña, buddies or pre-slash, up to you. Not part of the Better Love ‘verse.

summary: Steve comes to several realizations all at once. Steve Murphy POV.

words: 1.9k

warnings: 18+ - violence (beyond canon-typical), GSW, ambiguous ending, ANGST. You really probably shouldn’t read this one at all, my dudes.

a/n: unbeta’d. For those sharp eyed readers, there’s a slight canon change regarding Brady’s murder.

“Stay back,” Steve mouths, lifting a hand to Javier’s chest. Behind him, Steve can damn near feel Javi rolling his eyes, but he keeps still, both of them hardly daring to breathe as they pause at the corner of the stairwell. 

Feo is waiting for them. Steve just knows it.

Dread and anticipation are rising in him, age old instinct and adrenaline converging into a single minded awareness that sharpens every sense. Steve’s heartbeat thrums in his ears. Reality glitters around him. Javi huffs softly at his shoulder, eager, impatient. 

It’s like having a superpower. 

Carefully, Steve edges his gaze just around the corner, and leaps back as a single round grazes just past his left ear. He feels the zing of displaced air before he’s even aware of the crack of gunfire. 

“Shit,” he hisses. 

That had been close. 

“Think you found him,” Javi supplies helpfully. 

Above them, there’s a scuffle, receding footsteps. Javi doesn’t wait - he’s already tearing around the corner, glock extended, giving chase.

Steve leaps at his heels.

He’ll never admit it, not to anybody and especially not to Connie because she worries, but this is Steve’s favorite part of the job. There’s something primal and evocative about chasing a bad guy through the streets of Medellín. It calls back to that little boy in Memphis, playing cops and robbers with the neighborhood kids until long past the streetlamps had lit. It awakens that visceral sense of masculine justice that’s simmered just beneath the surface of Steve’s thoughts since he could remember; the burning need to protect, to avenge, to do the right thing.

And fuck, it’s just fun.

He grits his teeth and digs in, running for all he’s worth. Chases in Medellín are all sticky heat and creaking rooftops that pop beneath a grown man’s weight, the smell of spices and gunpowder and unwashed bodies. The air is thick like soup. It stagnates in his lungs, stifles his breaths. His heart pounds wildly. Sweat pours down his back and clings to his shirt, and Steve basks in it all, loving every second. 

Javi ducks into one of the zócalos, taking a short cut on a hunch. Steve follows. The world narrows, the entire cramped room smelling of tortillas and goat milk. The darkness inside is a stark contrast to the midday Medellín sun, and Steve barrels into the tiny kitchen table before his eyes can fully adjust. A child shrieks, and Javi pauses just long enough to wince toward her mother as Steve staggers to his feet. 

“Sorry,” he bleats, already stumbling out the door.

Outside, they are faced with a choice. Stairs going up to the rooftops. Stairs going down into the alleyway. Absolute silence. 

Steve takes the street and Javi takes the high ground. There’s no discussion, no pause to consider, no flicker of eye contact and a question. Steve and Javi move as one unit in two bodies, working in seamless tandem that comes from surviving and thriving together in countless life or death scenarios.

Feo is not in the street, it’s apparent immediately.  Steve has gone the wrong way. 

Well, win some, lose some. The comuna is built into a slope, like so many comunas are, and Steve makes for the top of it, determined to get a better view. Maybe he can cut Feo off while Javi herds him forward, though it’s unlikely. 

He reaches the top of the hill and whirls, shading his eyes against the sun as he glances over the rooftops, searching. 

Javier shouts in Spanish. Steve cranes his neck toward the sound. He’s close.

There.

A shot rings out. That’s nothing new - shots are always ringing out in Medellín. It’s practically how the sicarios say hello. 

But this time, it’s different. This time, Javier staggers back like he’s been punched in the solar plexus, and Steve’s world converges into two undeniable facts - dread, and absolute certainty.

Javi’s been hit. 

Somehow, Steve has the sense of mind to radio for backup with medical, an instinct honed from years of beats in the shadier neighborhoods of Miami. He doesn’t bother listening for the garbled response, he’s just running, tearing down the hill with one ominous thought replaying through his mind. 

He can’t see Javi anymore.

Steve shakes away the implications and focuses on what he can remember - where Javi had been standing, the direction of his voice. His lungs are burning, heart pounding painfully in his chest, but Steve’s totally unaware of that. It shouldn’t be possible, but he’s flying, feet hardly hitting the ground as he tears through the comuna, making his way once again toward the rooftops.

His best friend’s life is on the line.

And isn’t that funny? If you’d have asked Steve an hour ago, he’d have laughed in your face at the idea that Javi was anything more than his work partner. Javi’s an asshole. A self-righteous, arrogant, hypocritical, sell-you-to-the-fucking-cartels-on-a-whim cuntstain of a human being. Yeah, Steve can admit that Javier Peña is a decent agent. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t. There’s also the fact that Javi knows all of the best dives in town, and that he’s always good for a drink after a long shift, and sure, maybe he’d stuck up for Steve that one time with Messina, but friends? Yeah, that’s a long shot.

Except now, it’s not.

The stairwell Steve’s been climbing ends abruptly. He’s standing on a three foot square platform, looking up at a ten foot wall.

Shit, shit, shit.

Javi is right there, just on the roof above him.

Steve doesn’t think, he just leaps, the tin edges slicing his palms as he scrambles for the ledge. He kicks his feet hard, banging his shins with enough force to bruise as he rolls gracelessly onto the roof. Later, when Steve tells Connie that it was a feat of athleticism that would put the best of his college buddies to shame, he’s not lying.

And there’s Javi. 

Steve drops to his knees beside the body. Javi’s lying crumpled on the ground, curled on his side in a fetal position that is far more vulnerable than Steve is comfortable witnessing. 

“Javi?” Steve calls, shaking his partner hard as he hauls him over onto his back. “Shit.”

Javi doesn’t answer. The concrete beneath him is a pool of red blood. It’s smeared all over Javi’s pink shirt, an ominous, dark stain originating from somewhere near his shoulder. 

And it’s still pumping steadily from the wound. 

Steve catches a breath, reminds himself that this is a good thing. Dead people don’t bleed. 

Automatically, he presses one hand over the most saturated part of Javi’s shirt. Hold pressure. It’s basic first aid, but basic first aid is prioritized in the academy because it saves lives. Steve punches his palm into Javi’s shoulder for all he’s worth. 

But Javi’s still not moving, not responding. Carefully, Steve cups his free fingers gently over Javi’s mouth and nose. Soft, quick breaths pulse hot against his skin, and a tight bubble of tension bursts in Steve’s chest. 

Javi is breathing. Thank fuck, Javi is breathing.

Blood spurts through the cracks Steve’s fingers, warm and deep crimson, and Steve has a sudden, wild thought that it’s much more slippery than he’d have thought, more like motor oil than water. He’s seen blood in this quantity before, many, many times, but never this close, never fresh and red on his bare hands, never gushing in slick rivulets from the body of his partner and friend. 

Steve flashes back to that one sting gone horribly wrong in Miami, to being held at gunpoint in the doorway while Brady bled out onto the dirty motel carpet. 

He shakes it away. Not this time. Never again.

He shifts his position, tilting Javi’s head to the opposite side so he won’t choke and exposing the wound so he has better access to it. He can’t see the edges, and hell, he’s definitely not looking, but the blood seems to be coming from the juncture of Javi’s neck and shoulder, just to the edge of the kevlar strap of his tac vest. 

Fuck.

An inch to right, and Javi would have walked away with a massive bruise, maybe a broken clavicle. An inch to the left, and it would have all been over.

“Of course it would be your shoulder, Javi,” Steve bites out between gritted teeth. It it were an arm or a leg, he’d have already used his belt to make a tourniquet. But that’s not an option here, and by the way Javi’s breathing - fast, quick little pants that are quickly turning his lips blue, Steve wonders if there might be something wrong with Javi’s lung, too.

Fucking Christ. 

“God, get here already,” Steve mutters under his breath as he presses both palms into Javi’s chest. Shit, the bullet’s gone all the way through. Steve can feel the heat of Javier’s blood seeping into his jeans. 

‘All bleeding eventually stops,’ he remembers Connie saying after a terrible shift at Ryder. Her tone had been flippant and thoroughly blasé, cynical like the humor of all nurses who work trauma call is cynical. At the time, Steve had brushed it off as a one-off, a ruthless, humorless joke made out of frustration. 

With a slow dawn of horror, he suddenly understands exactly what Connie had meant. 

“Fuck,” Steve mutters desperately, pinning Javi’s body between his knee and his fists, locking his elbows and pressing both hands as hard as he’s able into the wound in a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding. 

His wild thought of ‘where the hell are they going to land the chopper?’ is cut off as Javi shifts and groans.

Steve panics. Javi’s lost a lot of blood, far, far too much blood. It’s all over Steve, all over Javi, all over the concrete, and Steve has just now gotten it under control. 

Javi needs to be still, dammit. 

“Don’t you dare fucking move, Javi, you hear me?” Steve’s voice is brittle as he leans in close to Javi’s ear. 

And oh god, somehow, the situation is suddenly so much worse now that Javi isn’t completely out, now that Steve knows that in some capacity, Javi is aware of what’s happening to him. 

Fuck.

But Javi just huffs one shuddering breath, and then goes so completely still that Steve’s heart lurches in his chest. 

“And don’t you fucking die, either, you hear?” Steve shouts into his ear.

Really, that’s more important than anything. 

Javi grunts something in response, a word that Steve, in his frazzled state, doesn’t quite catch. Later, when he relives this day over and over again, Steve thinks it might have been “asshole.”

The ensuing silence is stifling. They lay there on that rooftop for an eternity, Javi sandwiched between Steve’s fists and his knee, Steve’s back and arms burning with tension. Javi’s breathing speeds and shallows. His entire face is ashen now. Little beads of sweat have broken out on his forehead. His blood is cooling, congealing dark between Steve’s fingers.

“Please, god, please.” Steve hasn’t prayed in years, but this is different. Important. He’s not asking for anything for himself. Not for Connie, even.  

He’s begging for Javi’s life.

In the distance, the blades of a chopper are beat, beat, beating against the wind.

LINK TO SPACEDAD’S MASTERLIST

[shimmershae]

My thoughts on Episode 11--Rogue Element

As always, placed behind a cut for those of you that would rather escape my babbling, lol.  You’re welcome.  

Welp.  Somebody, someone on the grapevine, said there was minimal Carol in this episode and a whole lotta Eugene and Connie.  And while I genuinely like each character and wish them well, neither inspires any kind of excitement or anticipation for me.  So that, and AMC+ being kinda a shitshow, is why you’re getting these thoughts so late.  

Anywho.  Shae’s thinky thoughts in 3-2-1.  

“What in the name of little billy goats are you doing?”  LMAO.  Maybe I should use that one in RL.  

Okay.  But Fake Stephanie almost has to actually like Eugene at least a tiny bit because the manbun coupled with the Kansas City BBQ tee-shirt and the socks doesn’t exactly scream sexay, lol.  

Aww.  Eugene’s smile when she said “I love you, too” was actually lowkey adorable.  This girl better not break his heart.  

Eugene using Princess as his romantic sounding board only makes me want her to offer Carol and Daryl unsolicited love advice even more, lol.  

No!  She stood him up.  Poor boy’s ice cream and smile melted away and his world drained of happy color.  Just who do I have to speak to to rectify this situation?  Ugh.  

Where’s Fake Stephanie running off to?  Hmm?  Walking Dead mystery.  M’kay.  

Connie being suspicious and a thorn in Pamela Milton’s side already. You love to see it.  

Can I just say?  I love Kelly.  Because I do, lol.  

Ohhh.  Mercer’s in Trooper Davis’s room.  

Rosita/Christian is so pretty.  But how in the holy hell is that hair practical for a soldier?  

The micro look of pity that crossed her face when Eugene said he wanted to make a statement.  Like our girl Rosita doesn’t want her friend’s heart broken.  

Damn.  That was one ugly mug to be presented with after a would-be commercial break. 

My beautiful brainy girl getting her sleuth on and doing reconnaissance. 

Lancy recognizes intelligence at least.  He still slimy though, lol.  

I just wonder, what part of herself did Carol reveal in her file to impress this ambitious weasel?  

Drug dealers or smugglers?  TWD Breaking Bad?  ;) 

Mercer looks so effortlessly badass.  Like no wonder Princess is such a smitten kitten.  Same girl.  Same.  

LOL at Princess bringing Eugene an empty dish because people have to let people in if they’re carrying food.  

Eugene’s detective work on that board looks an awful lot like Caryl shippers trying to figure out how TF anybody but Carol can be Daryl’s love.  Like all roads lead back to Carol for the dude even if you don’t “ship” them.  Don’t believe me?  It starts and ends with her.  

Roman Calhoun--what a name, hahaha.  

Not gonna lie.  I almost expected the Law and Order theme to start playing.  Or the Castle theme.  

LMAO.  Sorry.  Sorry.  Eugene is going all Fox Mulderon Princess.  If he starts sporting a red speedo I may not survive.  

Melissa McBride’s eyes are one of the wonders of this world.  I swear. 

Carol’s spidey senses are clearly tingling.  

Are those Walkers hyped up on speed or something because they fast and aggressive?  

Whoa!  Mercer giving that piece of stanky meat a banana split.  Okay, okay. That’s lame AF, lol.  Cool shot, though.  

Max, aka Real Stephanie, is Mercer’s sister?  Ooohhh boy.  

Listen.  Listen. There was 10,000% more tension between Connie and Mercer than she and Daryl have ever had, PERIODT.  If y’all gonna crackship?  Crackship Connie and Mercer.  Notice I said crackship.  Because ya boy is already quite taken with Princess.  Prior bonds matter.  And anyway.  I still maintain that in her short time with us, Connie showed the most depth of feeling with Virgil.  I know.  It shocked me too.  I know not many wanna hear it.  But it’s 100% true.  

Eugene being a conspiracy theorist rings 100% true.  

So does him dreaming of being a science fiction novelist.  

“You can’t wait ‘til after you’ve lived through it because ready or not?  Right now’s all we got.”  

And this, lovelies, is why Carol and Daryl waiting for the right moment, unable to open up to one another, hurts so freaking much.  Stop torturing them, AK.  Us too.  

I love Princess being Eugene’s partner in crime, lol.  

“I gotta little job, I gotta little bed, might get a little cat...”  And my love for Princess grows leaps and bounds.  

Carol is brilliant.  Canon.  

Mother Puss Bucket?  Well.  That’s certainly a new one.  LMAO.  

So is this Calhoun dude some kind of merc?  I’m sorry.  This feels kinda comical to me. 

Who moved Trooper Daviss?  Mercer’s pissed.  

Okay. Princess deserves all the good things.  Make that happen for her, AK.  

I played it back several times and still can’t figure out the piece of data Eugene told Princess he was privy to that she was not.  Help? Who can tell me what he actually said?  I usually only have this problem with NR/Daryl.  

So. Do all of the Team Family members look at the Commonwealth as a temporary fix or? Because Kelly saying that to Connie has me wondering.  

Okay, though.  That list of names.  FIrst of all, who did Mercer send to deliver it?  If it was Mercer.  If it wasn’t, who was it?  Because I halfway think it was.  Also?  April Kelly.  Why, for the life of me, do I think Fake Stephanie is April?  I can’t explain it.  I just do.  Probably because that would turn out to be way more interesting, IMHO, than what they actually have planned. 

I’m getting total X-Files vibes here.  Why? 

Instead of flashlight, Eugene’s got a spray bottle and it’s cracking my shit up, LOL.  

My poor Eugene.  Fake Stephanie really out there kung fooing him in the gut.  

Ofc, she’s sworking with Lancy. 

Lancy is such a slick slimeball.  I’m gonna take infinite pleasure in Carol eventually ending him because you know it’s coming.  

Welp.  There’s goes that theory about Fake Stephanie, hahaha.  

The way they broke Eugene’s heart before he got a chance to really meet real Stephanie.  Way to go, AK.  We love pain, don’t we?  

Eugene burning his book manuscript is him burning his dreams of love and acceptance and success and I am cry.  Josh is really dealing this episode.  

Omigosh!  He met the real Stephanie, er Max!  I wasn’t expecting that reveal that soon.  

Okay.  Carol + Daryl in the previews + Aaron and a possibility of Lydia makes Shae a happy girl.  

Neo-noir, AK?  Definitely.  Surface story and what lies beneath is oh-so-appropriate.  

They determined to make Eugene a sad sack, huh?  

Both sides of Lancy being true?  Interesting.  

Transactional relationship, indeed.  Literally the only relationship for the sake of Carol loving a person soul deep, the relationship for her?  Has been Daryl.  Fight me.  

Overall impressions?  

I enjoyed the episode much more than I thought I would.  

There wasn’t enough Carol, there never really is, but what there was of her? Was impactful.  

Eugene/Josh broke my heart and tickled my funny bone a few times.  

Princess remains a delight.  I’m loving everything about her.  

The Mercer/Real Stephanie, aka Max connection was a nice surprise.  

I’m so happy Connie has an actual story and purpose now.  It’s long overdue and I enjoy her and Kelly working together.  I do regret, though, that Kelly seems to have stepped back into her sister’s shadow somewhat but I trust she’ll emerge eventually.  

I’m looking forward to next week. Here’s hoping with good reason. \

[greekgrad12]

there’s no time to unpack all of that

remember now i said i wanted to write my hc

lol guess what i did?

********

"So, Annabeth, are there any cute boys at your school in San Francisco?"

Percy was choking on his drink before Annabeth even had the chance to consider his mother's question. He felt the hand of Sally Jackson patting him on the back as he practically coughed up a lung. The only sound louder than himself would be the obnoxious laughter of Grover from right beside him. Percy managed a glare at his best friend, but he didn’t dare look towards Annabeth.

Annabeth finished school a week before Percy, so she was able to come to New York and spend some extra time with him before camp started. She had arrived that morning and spent the whole day with Sally while Percy was in class. He would have assumed that all the girl talk would be over by now. He would be wrong.

“Percy! Sweetie, are you okay?”

What’s more embarrassing? Surviving hundreds of monsters only to let a sip of Coke choke you to death, or having your mom call you sweetie in front of her boyfriend and your two best friends?

With one final clearing of his throat, Percy was able to answer, “Yeah, I’m fine. I uh, think it just went down the wrong pipe s’all.”

Much to his annoyance, Grover was still laughing, “Bhahaha! Sure, buddy. Can you imagine? The son of the sea- ow!”

Percy kicked his friend’s shin -do satyrs even technically have shin’s?- to shut him up. Grover looked back at him with soft bewildered eyes that could make even the cutest of puppies pity him. Still, Percy stared back with a hard look and subtly moved his gaze in the direction of Paul who was sitting on the other side of his mom. Grover seemed to understand where he’d messed up when he noticed everyone but the man in question staring back at him with nervous anticipation. Paul himself just looked confused, obviously waiting for Grover to elaborate on his last comment.

The relationship between Paul and Sally was still a new one, but from the very beginning, the mother-son duo thought it would be best to keep everything demigod related on the down-low. Percy was hesitant to invite the man over for dinner tonight, not because he didn’t like Paul, or that he was scared the truth would come out -although, that was definitely a rational fear now. No, Percy was just nervous about introducing Paul to his friends. Somehow that made things seem more real. Percy didn’t know if he was ready for real yet. He didn’t know if he could trust real with his mom yet.

Percy wasn't even sure whose idea it was. He remembers a vague conversation between himself and his mother. Sally had been planning for Annabeth to arrive for weeks. Some things in the woman's schedule had to be tweaked a bit, including her date night with Paul. Date night was usually on Thursdays, but the two teenagers had made plans to spend that Monday together after Percy was let out of school. Grover had even agreed to take the night off from his search for Pan to get dinner with them. Percy remembers suggesting they change their date to Monday this week so that Sally wouldn’t be stuck home alone all afternoon. However, it seemed that his words gave the woman a different idea. Maybe if he hadn't mentioned that they would all be together, then her eyes wouldn't have perked up, and the thought to have them all over for dinner wouldn't have occurred to her. Then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“I mean, the uh-” The satyr stammered out, “Y-you know, I meant s-son of the sea as in… as in like uh, figuratively! Cause, he swims- on the uh, swim team, that is! Of course, I mean where else would he-?”

“Grover, honey,” Sally came to the rescue, pitcher of water in hand, “Would you like some more water?”

“Yes, please,” The boy practically begged as he held out his cup.

“You didn’t tell me you were on the swim team, Percy,” Paul spoke up after Grover regained his composure.

“That’s because I’m not,” He muttered sharply, all the bitterness aimed towards the goat sitting beside him who was currently wearing a sheepish look.

“He isn’t, but it’s all he’s been talking about over the summer,” Annabeth’s voice broke him out of his bitter state. Had it not been for the pink shade on the blonde girl’s cheeks, Percy would have forgotten all about his mother’s previous comment. It was obvious that she was just as flustered by the question as he was. And yet, here she is now, acting as calmly as ever, getting the two boys out of their -Grover’s- mess. Although, that was nothing new for the trio, “I think he wants to join the swim team at… what’s it called again? Goode High School?”

Paul nodded at Annabeth, as both an answer and encouragement to go on, “You should really talk to whoever the swim coach is at the school, Mr. Blofis. Percy is a talented swimmer, I’m sure they’d be lucky to have him.”

“Oh, Annabeth, that’s a wonderful idea!” Sally gushed over the girl, causing her blush to return.

“Well, I’d love to introduce you to the coach at orientation,” Paul offered, eyes bright as he talked about the school. It was obvious the man was passionate about his job. That was something Percy liked about the man. He didn’t spend his life laying around and complaining about the world around him. Paul actually had a life, a career, hobbies- things that he was excited to share with Percy, and anyone willing to listen, really, “Goode has an incredible athletic program, I know you’ll enjoy it.”

And maybe Percy would enjoy it, but he was barely listening as his mom’s boyfriend went on about the school. His sea-green eyes were too busy staring at Annabeth, who was now wearing a soft smile as she listened attentively to the man. Like most days, Percy dreaded being at school, but that morning he was even more anxious to get out of class. Right when he got home, the boy was greeted with blue cookies and a pair of sparkling gray eyes looking back at him. At the time, Percy wasn’t sure which of the two he was more excited to see. Looking back now, he realized that the hug Annabeth gave him made Percy feel warmer than any plate of fresh cookies ever could.

read more on ao3 :)

[snkpolls]

SnK Episodes 73 & 74 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 135 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

---

RATE EPISODE 73: SAVAGERY 129 responses

As expected, this highly anticipated episode didn’t fail to deliver and fans absolutely loved it, with over 95% giving it a 4-5 star rating. 

I loved the episode 73. The fight between Levi and Zeke was spectacular! The animation was 10/10, definitely worth watching. Good, old Kenny's theme brought memories back. I have to admit that Mappa made Levi look hundred times better and definitely more masculine. 

RATE EPISODE 74: SOLE SALVATION 128 responses

While episode 74 generated slightly less enthusiasm across the board, it still managed to garner a high rating from respondents. 

when i read the manga version, i wasn't that much moved by zeke's backstory. but with the music, voice and color additions... it's fucking heartbreaking. mappa did an outstanding job. and the tension when he activated the thunder spear???? the animation? we were blessed. ALSO! the movement of the bodies when they threw the ball looked so realistic! it's a tiny detail that i loved. 

Zook

WHICH WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF EPISODE 73? 128 responses

Levi vs. Zeke 2.0 got the largest piece of the pie, getting 23.4% of the vote. Behind that was the moment when Levi had to kill his comrades in titan form (14.8%), Armin punching Eren in the face (14.1%), Eren disparaging Armin and Mikasa (11.7%), and at 8.6%, that one screenshot of Armin the entire fandom was thirsting over. Shoutout to the person in the comments who wanted Mikasa to pin them down (the pollster writing this feels the same!).

💥🐒 mOnKe and Lebi 🍄and Jean go BOOM 🐎💥

For me, the real gem of EMA talk isn't that one Armin frame that everyone's going crazy about. It's the frame before it, that low angle of Mikasa half sitting on the table holding Armin down. Holy...I wanted to be Armin so bad right at that moment.

WHICH WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF EPISODE 74? 127 responses

35.4% felt the most memorable scene from this episode was the ending scene where Zeke triggers the thunderspear and sends Levi flying. Behind that was the moment where Zeke listens to Grisha yelling through the door (18.1%), Zeke and Ksaver coming up with the euthenasia plan together (8.7%) and Ksaver telling Zeke to sell out his parents (7.9%).

EPISODE 73 IS TITLED, “SAVAGERY.” OF THE OPTIONS BELOW, WHICH CHARACTER DO YOU THINK BEST EXEMPLIFIED THIS WORD? 128 responses

In an episode filled with both verbal and physical violence, we asked which character you thought best exemplified the episode’s title. 35.2% felt that Eren was the worst offender with his words and actions against Armin and Mikasa. 29.7% felt that Levi’s violent acts against Zeke were deserving of the title “savagery.” Only 22.7% felt that Floch most suited the episode title, while just a small handful, 12.5%, felt that Zeke is the one most deserving of the term.

HOW BADLY DID YOU FEEL ABOUT LEVI HAVING TO KILL HIS OWN SQUAD? 127 responses

The majority felt, on at least some level, sorrow for what Levi had to do in order to survive and catch up to Zeke. Though a small handful didn’t feel too bad for our Captain.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW WOULD YOU RATE LEVI VS. ZEKE 2.0? 127 responses

In general, the fight received positive reception. Though it wasn’t all hype, as the highest ranking was actually a 4 and not a 5. It was hype, but not quite hype enough for us manga readers. 

I loved Levi vs Zeke 2.0 but they really should have used the instrumental version instead of K21, I laughed out loud when I heard that beacuse I felt like it took all the seriousness from the scene

levi and zeke goat

WHY DO YOU THINK FLOCH MADE THE RECRUITS BATTER INSTRUCTOR SHADIS? 128 responses

The majority of respondents feel that Floch’s motivations are a mix of factors. For those who did think there was a more specific reason, though, 16.4% felt it’s simply a matter of Floch having a massive ego trip. 10.2% feel that Floch truly believes what he says about taking out the old and bringing in the new, and 7.8% believe Floch simply wanted to make an example out of Shadis (presumably alluding to the fate of those who resist the Yeagerists). 

He was testing if the recruits can go this far

He wants to intimidate people into joining his cause by using violence and threats of arrest and also make them feel empowered by his ideals.

Standard protocol when there's a change of regime, you'd want to eliminate the old guards' influence ASAP.  

That's how fascism works

All of the above and the fact that he's a fascist.

HOW CUTE WAS BITTY ZEKE? 130 responses

After a long time waiting, we finally got to see child Zeke in animated form. The vast majority think he was cute as a button, ready to pinch his little baby cheeks! Only a small handful think bby Zeke is anything but cute.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GRISHA’S TREATMENT OF ZEKE? 130 responses

This chapter created more controversy surrounding Grisha after it’s publication. In general, fans still aren’t particularly proud of Grisha’s behavior. 36.9% felt that Zeke didn’t deserve any of the treatment he got from his father, and 24.6% outright want to give Grisha the award for worst parent in the entire series. 24.6% don’t approve of Grisha’s behavior, but they do empathize with the way Grisha must have felt. 10.8% feel that while he could have treated Zeke better, he also could have been much worse. 

Zeke was a sweet child but no child deserves to be treated like that regardless of how nice or well behaved they are. Grisha is disgusting.

Grisha was a large dick and asshole and he deserved the all punishment he got. 

Grisha is a terrible father but such a well written character 

it's crazy to me how people really thought grisha wasn't that in the wrong in terms of how he raised zeke.

DO YOU FEEL THAT ZEKE WOULD HAVE GROWN INTO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT KIND OF PERSON IF GRISHA HAD TREATED HIM BETTER? 129 responses

Just over half of respondents think it’s possible Zeke could have become a different kind of person if he’d had a brighter and happier childhood, though they didn’t want to say for sure as they feel that Grisha’s treatment wasn’t the sole reason why Zeke sees the world the way he does. 41.9% believe that the outcome of Zeke’s mindset would have been completely different. Only a few think that he would have come to the same conclusions about the world either way. 

Unless Grisha gives up being a restorationist I don't see it as better treatment, if he does then yes

Yes. The whole point for the euthanasia plan was that Eldian children don't have to go through what he went through.

WHO DO YOU THINK HAD A BIGGER IMPACT IN SHAPING ZEKE’S WORLDVIEW? 126 responses

When it comes to “father figures” in Zeke’s life, 65.1% believe that Ksaver holds much more responsibility than Grisha does when it comes to the way Zeke views the world.

WHO TURNED OUT MORE LIKE GRISHA, IN YOUR OPINION? 128 responses

Between Grisha’s two sons, 68% of respondents feel that Eren is the brother who turned out much more similarly to Grisha, leaving only 32% who feel the opposite and think Zeke ultimately turned out more like Grisha in the end (For those who are curious, 81% of anime-only fans feel that Eren is the one who turned out more like Grisha).

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO PUNCH IN THE FACE AFTER THESE EPISODES? 129 responses

There was a lot that happened in these episodes that could have bred resentment from fans. From the options provided, 35.7% of respondents would most like to punch Floch in the face. 22.5% wish to channel their inner Armin and give Eren a sock to the face. 14.7% felt more visceral toward Grisha. 11.6% don’t want to punch anyone at all. For those who wanna punch the pollsters, meet us out back at 16:00 hours.

Floch sucks

HOW DO YOU FEEL FINALLY GETTING TO SEE THE PAINFUL EMA CONVERSATION IN ANIME FORM? 127 responses

A lot has happened since chapter 112 published, but the chapter still continues to stick with us and spark conversation. With such a highly anticipated scene finally being animated, we wanted to know how you felt seeing the scene reimagined with music, voice acting and color. 29.9% just felt that the chapter hits much differently now after the contents of chapter 138. 25.2% had a much harder time watching the scene in anime form than they felt reading the manga. 12.6% felt even more strongly, expressing extreme heartbreak over E/MA’s breakup. Only a handful of respondents felt the scene hit much harder in the manga.

I'm over it, I felt nothing. Props to Yuki Kaji though, his voice acting is as amazing as ever.

I liked both manga and anime versions, but hearing Armin's sharp intakes of breath from being hit ;~; MY POOR BABY!

M M G H, boi

mmgh

There is no pain, only support for whatever horny animator drew that shot of Armin.

I love EMA emotionally destroying each other and Mappa made it SO FUCKING GOOD, I watched this scene like 100 times

Eren = me | Armin's fist = EMA scene punching me across my expressionless face | Mikasa = my anime-only gf

BEFORE THE FINAL CHAPTER HITS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS EREN’S “TRAIN OF THOUGHT” IN REGARDS TO HIS WORDS IN THIS CONVERSATION? 126 responses

With the last chapter just over a week away, we’re hoping to finally get some closure in terms of Eren’s characterization and the choices he’s made. 42.9% believe that Eren chose to be cruel to his friends in the hope it would drive them to be willing to put an end to Eren’s life. 24.6% felt the opposite, hoping that Eren would push them into a corner where they wouldn’t interfere with his plan at all. 18.3% still aren’t sure what to think. Will we get answers, Isayama?!

He wants to "free" Mikasa and armin from himself because he knew he was gonna die

Probably the first option but there might be some truth to what he was saying.

He definitely wanted to push them away and antagonize them but I'm still not completely sure why. I don't feel we've gotten a satisfying explanation. 

He chose to be cruel to Mikasa and Armin in an attempt to make it so they wouldn't mourn him when he was dead and could be free of him entirely.

Eren still has heart warming feelings to Mikasa and - by being cruel - he wanted her to let him go (and most likely) kill him. His feelings to Armin however are much colder and they don't seem to like each other anymore. They are way too different. Armin and Eren are like two deities who will always fight each other.  

Like he said in 138, he wanted to push them away so they would move on from his death and live happily without him.

SOME DIALOGUE FROM THE EMA CONVERSATION WAS CUT OR SHORTENED. WHICH PART(S) DID YOU MISS THE MOST? 125 responses

Due to time constraints, the EMA conversation took a big hit in terms of how much content was cut from it. Of the cuts we noticed, the dialogue snippets that were most missed by manga readers were; Eren bringing up Armin’s good judgement when they were younger, Eren telling Mikasa that the “real her” disappeared in the mountain cabin, the mention of Ackermans being a “byproduct” of titan science, and the mention that Ackermans manifest the power of titans in human form.

OVERALL, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AFOREMENTIONED CUTS? 123 responses

When it comes to how manga readers actually felt about the cuts in the EMA conversation, 35% agreed that they felt bitter about them, while still understanding that there was probably little other choice. 22% think it was just too watered down and cut down the impact significantly. 14.6% didn’t care, 11.4% felt the cuts were actually a positive thing, and 10.6% feel that the manga is simply just the superior medium for this series.

I find it interesting that the titan science stuff was cut and wonder if maybe Isayama agreed to those cuts bc he knows he won't have time to really explain in the last chapter of the manga.

Oof, too many important informations have been cut. 

I'm okay either way!

Although I would've loved to see all of those aforementioned cuts animated, I understand why they had to be cut in the first place, so I'm not bitter by it at all. I still think the conversation still had the impact it was intended to have.

I kind of understand why some dialogues would have to be cut but it lessened the impact of how Eren tried to hurt his friends which I personally think is too much even if he might have good intentions in doing so. I also like how MAPPA rearranges scenes to better fit the airtime limitation of each episode.

MAPPA CHANGED EREN’S EXPRESSION AFTER HE WAS CALLED OUT BY ARMIN. THOUGHTS? 127 responses

A small change can impact a lot… or perhaps not. 34.6% felt let down by the change in Eren’s facial expression after Armin calls him out for hurting Mikasa, feeling that his original expression spoke volumes about his true feelings about what he’d done. 28.3% didn’t notice any change at all and so are unaffected. 15.7% are on a similar page and feel that there really wasn’t enough of a difference to gripe about anything, and 9.4% actually preferred the way MAPPA handled Eren in this snippet. 

as they did when mikasa calls him out in liberio, they harden his expressionstry to make him look like a heartless monster with no empathy for his friends. this expression hinted that he was hurt by telling all of that to his friends, so his self sacrifice motivations can be misunderstood by anime onlies, or worse: they may even think it comes out of nowhere.

The manga was just superior here, from his expression to the fact that Armin did manage to make him bleed. It was disappointing.

I read this chapter way too long ago, I don't remember this stuff 

He looks a lot more hurt and regretful in the Manga. Anime just looks annoyed.

Not a big deal to me. Manga is definitely superior though.

In the manga Eren was more human, while here we can clearly see his anger towards Armin's words.

THE ANIME ADAPTATION CUT OUT A BIT OF CONTEXT IN REGARDS TO LEVI STATING THAT THEY WILL FEED A YEAGERIST TO HISTORIA AFTER SHE GIVES BIRTH. DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES THINGS CONFUSING FOR THE ANIME-ONLIES? 123 responses

Historia’s pregnancy plot continues to get the shaft (for better or for worse), with the mention of her eventually eating the Yeagerist that eats Zeke being cut out entirely. 39% of respondents felt that this was a poor choice on MAPPA’s part, feeling that it will make things confusing for anime only fans (“why would they feed Zeke to a Yeagerist?”). 26% feel the opposite, and think anime only fans should be able to put 2 and 2 together to realize where Levi was going with his idea. 22% aren’t sure if it actually makes things confusing, and 10.6% just don’t care. 

I'm not sure how confusing this makes it for anime-onlies but them cutting out mentions of her pregnancy makes it seem even less important than it already does.

That plan was shut down so quickly it doesn't matter

I don't/didn't really understand this. None of the Yeagerist have royal blood... maybe I'm missing something. I figured he was just joking? Bc, tactically, what does Historia eating a Yeagerist do or have to do with anything?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ADAPTATION OF THE ZEKE RUNNING PANEL? 124 responses

When Zeke ran from Levi in the manga, the scene was memed to death. 46.8% of respondents weren’t disappointed in MAPPA’s adaptation and felt it was just as enjoyable as it was in the manga. 29.8% felt even more strongly, thinking MAPPA did an even better job than Isayama had done. 17.7% still prefer the manga version. 

It was funny in the manga but not in the anime and that's probably for the best given the weight of what's about to happen.

I  honestly don't remember the running panel lmao

Funny monke

HOW WELL WAS ZEKE’S BACKSTORY ADAPTED, IN YOUR OPINION? 126 responses

60.3% felt that MAPPA did an incredible job with executing Zeke’s backstory in the anime, with the impact feeling even greater than it did in the original manga. 37.3% agree to a lesser degree, simply being pleased that it was faithful to the source material and feel thankful enough for that. Only a sliver of the pie felt that MAPPA didn’t deliver well on this or didn’t care. 

Made him too sympathetic/made grisha look even worse

MAPPA REPLACED THE MONKEY PLUSHIE WITH A RAM PLUSHIE IN KSAVER’S VISION. THOUGHTS? 125 responses

We got a couple of Easter Eggs in this episode, with one of them being the inclusion of a ram plushie in place of the monkey doll that was in the manga. Knowing now that Ksaver’s Beast Titan was a ram, we were curious how many of you caught this. 55.2% absolutely loved the easter egg, and 31.2% just felt that it was neat. A few were confused, missed monke, or wanted to squish the adorable plushie. Baa!

I jumped out of my seat seeing that little fecker. I was literally like "...!!!! THE RAM!!! WE KNOW KSAVER'S TITAN NOW SO THEY PUT IN A RAM!! YOU..!!! ISAYAMAAAAA!!" It was hilarious XD

THE DOLLS IN KSAVER’S VISION APPEAR TO RESEMBLE ARMIN, MIKASA AND HISTORIA. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS? 121 responses

Aside from the ram plushie were also dolls that some thought seemed to resemble Armin, Mikasa and Historia. We got very mixed responses on this question. 20.7% felt that it was simply just a fun easter egg and didn’t hold any kind of narrative meaning. 19% were unsure what to think at all. 16.5% think the third doll actually represents Ymir Fritz and not Historia. 15.7% felt it was meant to represent the three people Eren is working hardest to protect, and 9.1% didn’t think they represented anything. 

i thought that was ymir fritz, zeke, and either eren or levi

I think the two dolls inside the box look more like Gabi and Falco but I'm not sure who the doll with the pink dress is, Ymir Fritz maybe?

I didn't even notice this, lmao. I'm bored of overthinking things like this, there's one chapter left y'all.

Oh, I thought it was Eren, Zeke and Ymir lol.

Reminds me of the Eren doll in the Lost Girls OVA. 

The box represents those who we will see in the final chapter. Sorry Historia :'(

All of the above xD

The doll isn't Historia - It's Ymir Frtiz - and her position under the wagon means that Eren values Mikasa and Eren more than Ymir/anything else. I think the wagon is also significant to that bit where Eren confessed to the squad that they were the most important people in his life, and that he doesn't want anything bad to happen to them.

EREN TELLS ZEKE, “I’LL PUT AN END TO 2,000 YEARS OF TITAN DOMINATION.” EVEN AFTER EVERYTHING, DO YOU BELIEVE IT’S POSSIBLE THAT THIS WAS HIS TRUE INTENTION, AND THAT HE CAN STILL BE THE ONE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN? 122 responses

Will there be a final twist in the series finale? 34.4% seem to think so, hoping that Eren’s words will ring true and he will somehow abolish titans from the world. 23% feel similarly, though they think he knew his actions would lead to the catalyst to rid titans from the world, rather than him doing it himself. 12.3% feel the opposite, and think Eren was simply just lying to Zeke about bringing an end to the titan power, and 9.8% think he’s just too dead at this point to accomplish anything. 19.7% aren’t sure what to predict. 

Yes, ending the era of titans and setting Eldians free is one of Eren's goals.

GIVEN THAT ZEKE’S FLASHBACK ELEMENTS FROM 115 WERE ALSO ADAPTED IN THIS CHAPTER, DO YOU THINK THE FINAL EPISODE WILL HAVE ANY ANIME-ONLY SCENES? 124 responses

The episode has already aired and we can now confirm that there were no additional scenes. 41.9% were correct in their hunch that the remaining contents would be enough to fill an entire episode - in fact, they didn't even end up animating all of it! What about Levi and Hange?!

Since we won't reach Ch. 121 or 122 I don't really care. 

Since Mappa took over, not anymore :(

What tou MEAN ”the final episode”?!

HOW DO YOU FEEL KNOWING THAT ANIME ONLY FANS WON’T HAVE A SOLID ANSWER ON LEVI’S FATE FOR MONTHS? 127 responses

We didn’t expect this question to come off as cruel as it now feels after MAPPA didn’t even throw us a bone in episode 75 about Levi’s fate. That being said, 29.1% are ready to snack on their popcorn while they watch anime onlies worry and theorize over Levi’s fate. 21.3% are simply feeling mischievous. 9.4% think it’s cruel to take any delight in anime watchers’ woes, as we also had to experience the same thing for several months. 33.9% think it will be next to impossible for anime only fans to avoid being spoiled about Levi’s fate. 

It should be fairly obvious he's alive when they show Hange jumping in the river with him next episode.

Good. I think most of them will assume he's not dead yet though.

Maybe it will inspire some of them to read the manga to find out.

Ugh, I hope they won't be complaining as much as the manga readers did even though it was obvious he's not dead.

THE PREVIEW ONLY REVEALED ONE SCENE TO US. SO INSTEAD, WHICH MOMENT FROM CHAPTER 115/116 ARE YOU MOST ANTICIPATING? 126 responses

31% of respondents were most looking forward to the moment where Pieck declared Eren as the enemy. 23% had most anticipated seeing Ymir revive Zeke (rip) and 19.8% were most looking forward to seeing Hange dive into the river with Levi’s injured body (double rip). 10.3% were most anticipating the scene with Eren, Pieck and Gabi in the jail room, and 7.1% were most hyped about Marley’s airships showing up onto the scene.

WE’VE ONLY GOT ONE EPISODE LEFT FOR THIS RUN! HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT IT? 125 responses

59.2% were feeling hyped to get an announcement about a part 2 of the season. 24%, on the other hand, are bummed out and have a new void to fill in their heart while they wait. 11.2% feel similarly and on a greater level… the seasons between the SnK anime seasons are just the worst anime seasons of all!

Too distracted by manga-ending-anxiety to feel much about it

Disappointed. It's not actually the final season.

I'm ready for this season of heartbreak to be over thank you just put me out of my misery and stop dragging me along behind the car

I can't believe it's near ending already

DO YOU THINK WE WILL GET AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE NEXT ANIME INSTALLMENT NEXT WEEK? 122 responses

54.1% of respondents were hopeful for a part 2 announcement and the good news is that MAPPA didn’t let them down. 19.7% were right on the nose with this one!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODES?

GOAT

The scene with Levi's comrades turning into Titans was one of the most visually stunning moments for me; the whole panning out throughout as they all started turning sort of gave me chills. Levi's reaction to it all, and ultimately having to kill them too was heartbreaking. Honestly that entire scene was quite gripping. I hate to admit that watching it in anime form has sort of solidified me resonating with Zeke in regards to his relationship with Grisha. Dude just wanted to spend time with his freaking dad and instead went through all of that, I don't blame him for the resentment at all. Still a douche for some of the stuff he's done. And ersonally I prefer him over Eren. Eren never went through that kind of treatment from Grisha and ended up... like that. Also!!!!!! Love me some Bertholdt crumbs, thank you Mappa! God, I miss him. :(

The removal of mostly anything mentioning titan scientists/research and Ackermans being a byproduct of titan science makes me wonder if Isayama regretted introducing that. I was already disappointed the manga didn't expand on that and the anime made it worse. Almost nonexistent tbh. Loved seeing Zeke's backstory, like all the other children in this series, he deserved better.

The ost during Floch's speech was brilliant. Young Zeke and Grisha VAs also. Makes me want to adopt Zeke right there. Not sure if Pieck and Porco already appeared as background characters (in ep 13&14) there were some figures that looked like them so I can't wait for the next episode! 

Nah, I just loved them 

These were one of the best of the season!

i just want more, also i loved MAPPA's style so far

In those episodes, the emotions weren't as strong as in the manga. I didn't feel much. And for the EMA talk... well, I liked Eren's neutral expression in the manga better, it was more fitted. And the animation of his "fight" with Armin was absolutely terrible, and it's sad to say that when you know that Mappa can do so much better.

*points at Zeke* WITNESSED!! 

MAPPA stans Armin, it shows, and I am 100% here for it. 

Being aware if latest chapters, I see young Zeke with different eyes

Mappa has done a fabulous job so far. The only thing I hoped for is that they should not have made the face difference so obvious from previous seasons to the last one, for the benefit of anime-only people. Yes, they stayed true to the manga, but their animators had to have control over it, which is what happened in S1 where girls had some sort of gloss on their lips and Yams requested for them to be removed in succeeding episodes.. that tells me that the animators/mappa have some semblance of control over how the characters look 

I think MAPPA is doing a good job with the episodes.

Feels. That is all.

I really loved how Mappa executed that scene wint Ksaver's wife's murder/suicide. In the manga, they just outright depict it happening in the room. In the anime, they blended it in with the present surroundings. It literally gave me the chills. I do worry that the missing dialogue from the EMA scene, especially Eren explaining how Mikasa's dedication to him is nothing but science. I also worry about him not mentioning the slave/freedom thing, bc afaik the dialogue in the leaked panel of 139 says ""you are free"", and I always thought it was gonna be related to that. 

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 118 responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We will post the poll for episode 75 soon!

In the meantime, please feel free to send us up to 5 of your favorite characters via ask or submission for our ongoing popularity poll - that poll will close on the 10th of April! :D

[love-of-fandoms]

Don’t Tell Ryder; XX: No Chance, No Way, I Won’t Say It

Chapter 20 of Don’t Tell Ryder (Master List)

Pairing: Evfra de Tershaav + OC

Words: 1195

It was a rare, treasured slow day at Resistance HQ on Aya. There were no major missions for Evfra to supervise, his usual heaping pile of reports to finish was almost depleted, and the only “pressing” thing he had to do was approve some sort of festival for morale Paaran Shie wanted to throw. He signed off on it with a grimace, knowing that she would incessantly bug him to attend despite everyone knowing he was never one for parties.

His tool pinged, and Evfra raised his wrist and was pleasantly surprised to see a message from Jaal. 

Jaal: Cassiel just killed 4 kett with our ground transport, there was a camp we couldn’t get around in time for life support so she drove down a hill straight into a group of kett!

Evfra’s eyes widened as he read the message, for a moment being concerned about the recklessness of the action, before remembering that everyone on the squad was capable of combat, and since Jaal had messaged him everyone was alright, at least he hoped so. He found himself being begrudgingly impressed. He looked up when he noticed a couple of curious fields nudging at his own, and he scowled, pulling his own field back in close to his body like a second skin. He typed out a response to Jaal.

Evfra: I am assuming everyone survived this excursion?

He didn’t need to wait long for a reply.

Jaal: No one was hurt

Evfra: Good.

Around 20 minutes later, Evfra’s tool pinged once more. He raised his wrist, and nearly jumped in surprise seeing the name accompanying the message. He quickly opened it.

Cassiel: So how’s Narnia going?

Evfra allowed one corner of his lips to quirk up in a small smile as he began to type out a reply.

Evfra: It is amazing! I have never read a story like this where children have so much responsibility! And the talking animals! It is incredibly different but in the best way!

Evfra’s fingers hovered over the send button, before he scowled and erased the whole of his message. He was gushing like a child. He typed out a more tempered reply.

Evfra: It is amazing! I have never read a story like this where children have so much responsibility! And the talking animals! It is incredibly different but in the best way! Narnia is going well, though I cannot figure out what a faun is. All the articles I have found are very confusing.

This was a lie. He had spent an hour that morning researching what a faun was and had eventually pieced it together after reading all sorts of different interpretations and looking at different images. He just couldn’t think of anything else to say that didn’t make him seem like a naïve young boy.

He sat waiting for a couple moments, though moments turned into minutes and eventually he began to go through the miniscule 10 remaining reports he had to do for the day. They were all relatively simple, and as he was pulling up the last one almost an hour later, he jumped when his tool pings. He took no pride in how quickly and eagerly he opened Cassiel’s message

Cassiel: A faun has the the upper body of a human, and the legs of a goat. Picture a flanjaak’s legs on a human torso

Evfra hummed, realizing for the first time that an Earth goat’s legs looked almost identical to a flanjaak, except instead of green and blue fur they had brown, white, and black fur.

Evfra: What’s the point of that?

This was something he hadn’t found during his research. It took another minute or so for Cassiel to respond.

Cassiel: Fun. Fantasy gives us fantastical creatures and epic battles that inspire us and let us escape our own reality!

He found the response cute, in its own way. Storytelling was a tradition across species, after all, and everyone did it to escape reality in some form. But boiling its purpose all down into one word: ‘fun’ was something he hadn’t anticipated. In fact, he found himself at a loss as to how to respond. After another minute, she sent him another, completely unrelated message.

Cassiel: You know, you should watch Hercules, it’s an animated Disney vid

His brow ridge furrowed, and some of the others in HQ looked over at him in confusion at why he was suddenly so frazzled. He ignored them, instead leaning over his tool and quickly typing in: Hercules Disney. A vid immediately popped up, and his eyes widened at the cover image.

Evfra wouldn't even know how to begin to explain how bizarre the image was. The animation was simple, and it was full of bright colors. There was a human in the center with extremely broad shoulders and he appeared to be… glowing? Next to him was a woman with seemingly gravity defying fur-hair, he reminded himself. And her waist was so narrow Evfra was… concerned. A very short man was on the other side of the glowing man, and he looked like… a faun! Evfra grimaced, raising his tool once again.

Evfra: I found it on a database.

He sent that single sentence before contemplating how to begin letting her down and saying he didn’t think he’d watch it. After a moment, he typed out another couple words and hit send.

Evfra: I don’t think I would understand any of it

It barely took a minute for Cassiel to respond.

Cassiel: Then next shore leave on Aya I’ll have to watch it with you and explain it!

Embarrassingly, when Evfra read the message his field let out a pulse of aranj before he could reign it in, and the few people in HQ looked over at him, their fields a mixture of curious and amused. Evfra ignored them with a scowl, though he was only able to keep the facade of the scowl up for a moment before his lips uncontrollably turned up into a smile. She said she wanted to spend time with him! Watching a vid! On Aya! 

Evfra: I would enjoy that

Later, after Evfra had finished up his reports and gone back to his apartment, his tool pinged as he popped the cap off a tube of nutrient paste. He began to eat as he opened the message.

Jaal: Have you been in contact with Cassiel today? 

Evfra’s eyes widened at the question, and he coughed, barely preventing himself from choking on the nutrient paste. He quickly swallowed before Jaal could send another message to catch him off guard, typing out a curt response.

Evfra: yes

It barely took 10 seconds for his tool to ping with Jaal’s message.

Jaal: So that’s why she was smiling so much today… 

Evfra wanted to ignore the comment, or maybe say something like “I don’t like what you’re implying”, but he shook his head at himself. He did like what Jaal was implying, far too much.

Evfra: She was probably smiling because she likes snow.

Again, Jaal responded almost eerily quickly.

Jaal: Did she tell you that she likes snow?

Evfra rolled his eyes. His right hand man was grasping at straws (or so he told himself).

Evfra: yes

As had become almost normal when it came to Cassiel, his scowl didn’t stay on his face for long.

Next Chapter

TAGLIST: @sauce-pansexuals