#the lace is a project that i hadn't worked on for at least half a year

[reitziluz]

a farm museum of sorts has weekly open workshops that do have themes and instruction, but you can kinda just go do your own thing there. this week it was crochet, specifically whittling your own hook and making a crochet winter hat.

in practice it was a bunch of people getting the hang of the basics. and me. making black lace. because i want to use it to upsize a fancy croptop.

in hindsight, maybe it wasn't that weird that i got asked if i'm studying in this local fashion school

[angelsswirl]

Dysfunctional

FRIENDS

"For friends, real friends, better than your friends, yeah. That's them, that's them, they know all my business"

•°•°•

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

Lisa shrugged, "I heard some of it."

"What 'some' did you hear, Manoban?"

"Oh did I say some? I meant none at all."

"Lalisa! This is important. Am I going to have to start treating you like you're sixteen again?"

Lisa's nose scrunched up, she made an attempt to shove her phone in her pocket, "What? No."

"Give me the phone." Her manager waved his hand in a gesture that mimiced his words.

"No." Lisa said with a scowl.

"Then pay attention. This is important. You like making music, yes? This is how you keep making music."

Lisa sighed but set her phone aside. She hadn't been doing anything anyway. Just absentmindedly scrolling through Instagram.

"Thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief. Most days she wasn't like this. She was rather laid back and went with the natural flow of things. But that was proving to be a quickly failing business model.

"The label has some collaborations they want you to punch out early on for the next album."

"But I thought we all agreed that this next album wouldn't have any collabs."

Chris looked up apprehensively, "The projections didn't look good enough for that."

Lisa sighed. She wiped her face with the palms of her hands.

"Look, Lisa. I know you're burnt out and want to do your thing. But you want to be successful too. The label needs you to be successful. Maybe, on the album after this we can work out something like that."

"Can I at least choose who I collab with?"

Chris winced, "They've already been decided. Two of the three are still being decided but one is set in stone."

"Who is it?"

"Y/N Y/L/N."

"Nice." It was sarcasm if Chris had ever heard any.

"I didn't have a say either. Sorry, Lali."

Lisa took a deep breath but otherwise kept quiet.

"But look at the brightside of things. We'll open you up an entirely new demographic of people to your music. And I don't know, maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I may smell a Grammy."

Lisa remained silent.

•°•°•

"You love walking into studios with people you dont know and singing for them on short notice right? That's your favourite pastime?"

"I hope that was sarcasm, Ryan."

"It was....and it wasn't..."

"What did you do now?" You turned around towards your manager in your seat. He looked as though he was about to start sweating through his suit.

"I didn't do anything. The label did it. You have to collab with Lisa in about half an hour. I brought you some tea!"

"RYAN!"

"I know! But I promise this wasn't my fault. My bosses just told me twenty minutes ago. Everything was such short notice but can't be rescheduled."

You pinched the bridge of your nose, attempting to stave off a headache.

"Fine. I'm mad but I know there's nothing I can do about it at this point. Give me the sheet music."

Ryan frantically searched through his breif case. Pulling out the sheet music. He had the demo pulled up on his laptop, but sometimes you were a bit old school.

You skimmed over it. Imagining melodies and harmonies in your head.

"Okay. Not bad. Who wrote it?"

Ryan shrugged, he finally seemed to relax as you had. "Not sure. I didn't have enough time to ask. Maybe it's whoever is singing on the demo."

You nodded in agreement.

The door to Ryan's office opened and in stepped one of your favorite producers.

"Lisa is here already. Surprisingly, punctual. You ready to do your thing?" She asked with a smirk.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

•°•°•

You had known of Lisa. It was hard not to. You didn't run in the same circles but that didn't deter you from seeing her on just about every award show, every tabloid magazine, every late night show etc.

She was famous to say the least.

You weren't too far gone yourself. You were well known. Maybe not to the same extent that Lisa was but you weren't the lounge singer performing at some dingy dive bar.

You had heard things about Lisa. Things that you would rather believe not to be true, but were hard to separate from the real thing sitting in front of you.

She wasn't rude persay, but she was definitely an acquired taste.

You met her in a handshake when you entered the room and offhandedly realized that her fingers practically engulfed yours.

Well, maybe it wasn't that offhandedly if your gulp was anything to go by.

"Lisa."

"Y/N."

"Yeah, now that everyone is acquainted, lets get this show on the road because I have nail appointment in three hours."

You both chuckle at your producer.

~•~

Lisa was a phenomenal artist, but boy did she get on your nerves.

She was cocky, and loud, and really, really hot. And maybe that last one wasn't something to be pissed about but still, it infuriated you.

And the worst part about it, you're 99% sure she knows exactly how much she's pushing your buttons.

"Okay. So don't kill me. But i have another thing I need you two to do..." Ryan winced. Lisa's manager didn't look that excited either.

"I'm going to hate it, aren't I?" You asked with your arms crossed, trying to keep your glare in Lisa's direction to a minimum.

"Yes."

"Great."

"Yourlabelsthinkitwouldbebeneficialifyoutwoengagedinaprrelatinship."

"What was that, Chris?"

"We need you to fake date for publicity. Lisa's album is coming out soon and and Y/N just needs more exposure in general. Personally, I think it's a great idea."

You have the sudden urge to scream.

Lisa starts to laugh loudly, it's laced with sarcasm, and for the first time today, you agree with her on something.

"And like everything that's happened today, we don't get a choice?" You asked.

Ryan nodded solemnly.

Lisa shrugged with finality. You had a feeling she was used to this kind if stuff, "Fine."

She seemed to be over it already but you definitely weren't.

"We'll let you two discuss this among yourselves." Ryan, Chris, and your producer all but bolted from the room.

You stared at the wall, while Lisa stared at you.

"If we're going to do this, you can't fall in love with me."

You scoffed harshly. "That won't be hard. Seeing as I can barely stand you as it is."

Lisa only smirked, serving to irritate you even more.

[fireblaze5555]

Another quick Kastle short while I am quarantining.

------

Frank found himself beat to hell and tied to a chair, his most recent war had some unseen players that broadsided him. It was unusual for him to be caught unawares but shit happens and here he sat. His face was throbbing and he was pretty sure he had at least one busted rib but he wasn't overly concerned yet. So far, the man who claimed to be the head of this mess had just talked. Endlessly. About his 'empire' and how stupid 'the Punisher' was to have interfered.

Frank hadn't said a word since he woke up, which by his estimation was several hours ago, mostly just looking unimpressed and annoyed, sizing up the room for when he made his move. He was brought out of his contemplation when they set a laptop in front of him on a small table, the screen black. He raised an eyebrow at the man before saying, "First time I've had a complementary movie, very considerate of ya." His voice was rough with disuse and he punctuated it by spitting some blood from his mouth.

The man, Marcetti, that's what he'd said his name was, gave a low chuckle before having a henchman turn the screen on. It only took Frank a second to recognize what he was looking at and suddenly all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears.

Karen's apartment. He knew from the angle that the camera had to be in the bookshelf and he wracked his brain, trying to think of when they could have had a chance to plant a camera in her place. Or how they knew she was connected to him, he had been so careful with his Karen Page related indulgence.

Frank didn't say anything but the look he turned on the mob boss had the man taking an involuntary step back. Marcetti recovered quickly though, arrogance lacing his tone, "Are you surprised? Didn't think we would know that the Punisher has a soft spot for tall blonde legal assistants?"

An irrational part of Frank's brain wanted to correct him, she's a P.I., freelance investagative reporter and so much fucking more you piece of shit, but he knew that would only confirm to the man that he had struck a chord. So he ignored him, facing back to the screen and fast tracking his plan to get out of here so he could clear her apartment before she got back. He desperately hoped that she had made plans with Nelson or even Murdock and wouldn't be returning to her apartment any time soon.

His heart sank in his chest when he saw her come into view, carrying a clothes basket. Everything slowed down in that moment and details stood out in striking clarity as fear gripped him. She was wearing that tank top he liked, the one made of soft material that showed off the perfect shape of her breasts. It was shorter in the front so when she stood he could just see her belly button and a strip of taut pale skin on her abdomen. It was loose and flowy, granting him easy access to aforementioned breasts. She had on yoga pants, her favorite pair, and her hair was braided as it often was when she was cleaning the apartment. Karen settled on to the couch to start sorting laundry, he saw her haphazardly throwing her socks together before she came upon a pair of his. His heart ached as he saw her roll them the way he did on the occasion he was there to help with domestic tasks.

Frank's world sped back into focus as Marcetti clicked his tongue appreciatively, "My, my, you do have good taste Mr. Castle. She is lovely. I'm glad I ordered them to bring her here, I think she will be great fun to keep around once you are dead." Frank's whole body jerked towards the man involuntarily. The mob boss flinched trying to hide it by motioning for a lackey to land a few punches to Frank's snarling face. His eyes returned to Marchetti after every blow, unyielding.

"You put your hands on her and I will make sure you die as slowly and painfully as possible." His voice was low and full of promise.

"You aren't really in any position for threats. So just sit back and enjoy." His smile made Frank want to make the man swallow his own teeth. He was about to tell him as much when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Karen tense up and turn to the direction of her front door. A second later she was on her feet with the coffee table between her and two men.

Frank's breathing was labored as he watched them slowly approach her. Dread, panic and guilt churned in his chest, he was going to have to watch someone else he loved die, once again not being able to do a goddamn thing about it. When the first blow landed on her face he let out a bellowing yell that had everyone in the room step back. Frank pulled on his restraints, fighting to get his emotions under control. He had to get out of here, now, he may still be able to get there in time.

He froze though, when he saw Karen lash out with a vicious kick to the side of one of the mens' knees, collapsing it sideways. The other grabbed her by the hair but she instantly dropped to the ground causing him to lurch forward which brought him in range for her to snap her head back into his nose. As he clutched at his bloodied face, Karen stood quickly, swaying slightly, Frank was sure that the blow to the back of her head was disorienting. In a matter of seconds she had her .380 in her hand steadily staring the man down.

Pride swelled in Frank's chest, his panic ebbing only slightly, as he watched her beautiful mouth giving the man hell. Her hands were steady and her form was perfect. If he wasn't so terrified for her safety, Frank would be incredibly turned on. He knew she was telling her assailant to get on the ground, she would shoot if she had to but she would avoid it if she could. When the man lunged for her, she squeezed the trigger, two to the chest. The man who's knee had been collapsed managed to get to his feet, taking a swipe at her while she was distracted. It was his last mistake because she turned and put two bullets in him as well.

Frank heard the men cursing around him and he gave a small laugh, despite himself. People were always underestimating his girl. On the screen, he saw Karen process for a moment, his heart giving a lurch when he saw her cover her mouth and let out a sob. But then she was moving, grabbing her bag and a jacket and heading in the direction of the door, no doubt headed to the safe house, just as they planned for situations like this.

He forced his face into a smug mask, turning from the screen to meet the eyes of his captor. The man was seething, still staring at the screen where two of his men lay dead. When Marcetti did turn his eyes back to Frank he snapped his fingers at two men to his right, they instantly stepped forward, "Go find that bitch. Do what you have to, just get her here, alive." He waved them off sharply before kicking the small table and laptop out of the way to stand in front of Frank. It was just him and two other men in the room with Frank now.

Frank shook his head slowly, a corner of his mouth tipping up smugly, "You probably should have done more research on her. I mean, it's really never good to underestimate a woman, especially not one with such good aim." He forced his voice to stay even in the hopes it would further rile Marcetti. He was half sick with worry, at the very best Karen was going to be frantic when she couldn't get a hold of him, at worst she could be attacked again. So he needed his captor to make a mistake soon.

Thankfully it only took another minute. Marcetti stepped right in front of him bending to speak right into Frank's face. Perfect. Before he could get a word out Frank headbutted him as hard as he could in the face. Frank had taken a lot of blows to the head so he only saw stars for a split second, recovering much faster than his victim. Taking a page out of Karen's book he lashed out with a powerful kick to the man's knee, collapsing it backwards. There was a flurry of movement at that point, the two remaining men hurrying to pull their boss back out of reach. It was enough time to allow him to finish slipping the zip ties around his wrist completely off.

When one of the lackeys pulled back to punch him, Frank was ready, quickly breaking his arm and taking the firearm at his waist. The man was dead before he hit the ground, the second guard had barely gotten his hand to his waist before he was also felled by a headshot. Frank rolled his shoulders, ignoring the twinge in his side, checking the magazine in the stolen gun. Four bullets left.

Marcetti had started to crawl away but Frank kicked him over onto his back, promptly putting a bullet in the remaining good knee. He let him scream for a second before Frank put another in his right shoulder and another in his left shoulder. Stepping over the prone man, Frank leaned down, grabbing him roughly by the jaw, forcing him to stop screaming.

Frank let all of the pent up rage show on his face for the first time since he saw Karen disappear from the camera feed. His voice was deadly quiet when he started to speak, "You're lucky, that she got away," he shook the man's face as his weeping got louder, "Shut up. Like I was saying, you're lucky she got away because now I don't have time to make this as painful as I wanted. You really shouldn't have messed with my girl, asshole."

Frank stood to his full height, giving Marcetti a second to start begging before putting the last bullet in his head. The beast in Frank wanted to make him suffer. He could have spent hours dragging out the man's death for bringing Karen into it but he had to make sure she was okay. She was his priority now.

Grabbing the gun off of the second man he shot he held it at the ready as he moved through the building. Thankfully it was abandoned and he only had one more person to shoot before he was clear of the building and striding as quickly as he could towards a main road. He wasn't sure where he was so the likelihood of him being anywhere near where he left his van was slim to none.

Luckily his captors had not stolen the money in his pocket so he was able to hail a cab to get him within a couple of blocks of the designated safehouse. Thank God for NYC cabbies, there wasn't a word or even a backwards glance as Frank climbed in, beat to shit and covered mostly in his own blood.

He was planning as he stepped out of the cab, where to go next if he didn't find Karen in the safehouse? Maybe she would have gone to Murdock's place. If she hadn't, maybe Murdock could help him locate her faster. His busted rib was giving him hell for the pace he was setting but he needed to know she was safe.

It seemed like an eternity but Frank finally came to a halt in front of a rusted door at the back of an apparent abandoned warehouse. He had been watching his surroundings and didn't have a tail so he punched in the code to the door, sliding in quickly. Out of precaution he had a gun ready in his hand before calling out, "Karen? It's me."

For a moment he didn't hear anything and his heart began to sink in his chest. Then he heard the subtle click of a safety being clicked into place and she was rounding the corner that served as a makeshift kitchen. He was lightheaded with the relief that flooded him, she was here, she was safe.

Before he could process more she was right in front of him, her slender hands on either side of his jaw as she looked him up and down, "Frank what happened? Are you okay?" Her hands were roaming over him, searching for injury, "I tried calling you a dozen times and you didn't pick up, I didn't know where you were. These men...they.." She let out a hiccoughing sob that had him instantly pulling her to his chest, murmuring comforting words into her hair. She recovered quickly though, wiping the tears away harshly and pulling him towards the first aid kit.

"Are you okay, you're not hurt anywhere are you?" This time he was the one running hands over her, voice rough, eyes resting on the bruise that was blossoming on her cheek.

"No, no I'm fine." She rested her hand over his on her cheek before steering him to sit down. Frank closed his eyes as she ran a cool cloth over his face, wiping away the blood. Her voice was quiet as she worked. "How did you know I was here?"

His eyes opened quickly, rage and panic suddenly burning hotly through him again, remembering watching the men attack her, remembering his own helplessness to stop it. Without thinking Frank brought his hands up to cradle her face, to reassure himself that she was here, that he wouldn't wake up to find she had been taken from him too.

As if she could sense his rising panic, which she probably could, he could never hide anything from her, Karen wrapped her hands around his wrists and gave them a reassuring squeeze. She pressed a soft kiss into his palm before she continued to slowly wipe the blood from his face. She knew he would answer when he was ready.

Frank grounded himself by watching her eyes as she worked. Every once in a while her clear blue gaze would meet his and he would see them crinkle reassuringly at the edges before she focused on her task again.

Finally, when he felt most of the remaining adrenaline drain out of him, he spoke slowly, his voice full of gravel, "This last mission, I almost had them all wiped out but I missed something and they blindsided me. I woke up and they had me tied to a chair, giving me the usual bad guy speech, ya know?" She gave an amused huff but he saw the worry creep into her visage as she cleaned out a gash she found in his scalp.

"They pulled out a computer that had a live feed to a camera into your living room."

Karen froze, meeting his eyes quickly, "You saw them attack me." It wasn't a question, she was always one step ahead of him it seemed.

Frank gave a slow nod, feeling sick as he remembered watching the men advance on her. How she almost died because of him. Again. He attempted to shutter his expression, he needed to create distance between them, he had to push her away. He knew that this would happen and yet he kept selfishly pushing himself into her life. He was going to get her killed. He-

He let out a growling curse as Karen abruptly and none too gently pressed gauze covered in alcohol to the cut in his scalp. His gaze returned to hers sharply and she was waiting for it because her expression was defiant.

"I already know everything you are thinking Frank and we've been through all of it before. You're not pushing me away, I'm not going anywhere and so help me God if you even THINK about telling me 'I'm not safe' or 'I'm not good for you Karen' I will beat you within an inch of your life. Do you understand me Castle? Yes, people came after me. Yes, they did it to get to you. But they didn't get me, I got them."

Her voice was strong but he felt the small tremor in her fingers as she began applying the butterfly sutures to his head. Gently, he grabbed her hand, pulling it down to press a lingering kiss to her knuckles before he replied, "I know you can handle yourself, I've seen you do it more than once and I was damn proud of what you did today. But Karen," he leaned down to catch her eye again when she looked away, "You shouldn't have to. You're good. I'm tainting your life, forcing you to make decisions you shouldn't have to make."

She stared at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head, like she thought he was incredibly dense, before she stepped in to stand between his knees. Her hands came to rest on either side of his strong jaw as she tilted his head up to look at her. Slowly she lowered her head and gave him a soft lingering kiss, one that made his chest swell and his arms ache to wrap around her. A kiss that made him realize just how foolish it was of him to think he could walk away now, after she was so deeply a part of him.

After another slow press of her lips, this time to his forehead she spoke softly but with all the authority of the goddess she was, her words full of steel, "I would make that decision over and over again if it meant I got to keep you in my life. We're a unit now Frank. We deal with things together. I don't always agree with the wars you wage but I will always be there once you are done fighting them. I'm not going anywhere. I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it."

Frank stared up at her, both wanting to take her to the bed in the back and show her with his hands and mouth how much he worships her and wanting to shake her until she sees sense and runs in the opposite direction as him. Though the latter would tear him to pieces.

He settled for a happy medium, once he was patched up, he had Micro set up focused surveillance on this safehouse and then called in a favor to have the two bodies removed from Karen's apartment as discreetly as possible before settling them both into bed and tucking her securely against his chest. She was out almost instantly, her fingers securely wrapped around his as she slept.

Frank was a monster, he killed people, deserving people, but it was killing nonetheless. He constantly made Karen worry and he most certainly didn't deserve her love. But as he watched her sleeping in his arms, her blatant trust and care for him evident in the way she gripped his hand, he realized he was also a man. A man that needed Karen Page as much as the Punisher needed his war. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, drifting off as well. Maybe one day he will be strong enough to push Karen Page out of his life for her own protection...but he doubted it.

[dachi25writes]

The Long and Winding Road

Sansa I

"A raven has arrived, my Lady"

Sansa's eyes immediately went to the Maester. A shiver passed through her, but she managed well enough to supress it. She didn't want to make Lady Cersei cross. She had been as kind and supportive as the circumstances allowed, and she was right she had to be stronger, she was the oldest Stark. She couldn't flinch every time a letter was delivered, no matter how much it reminded her of that awful letter that brought the news.

The boat where mother, father and Robb traveled had sunk, they searched for them on nearby towns and ports to no avail, the bodies had not been retrieved either, a part of her (a foolishly naive part of her) hoped against hope that somehow they would one day return, alive and unscathed... But there was no use in dreaming. They were dead and the dead never return.

[[MORE]]

"Are you unwell Sansa?"

Myrcella's voice snapped her out of her grim thoughts. She looking at the embrodery in her hands, she had stopped stitching and had even dropped her work in her lap. It was not good, she wanted to finish this handkerchief to send it to Bran before his nameday.

"I'm just fine, it seems I got lost in my thoughts. I apologize if I made you worry" she gave the younger girl a shaky smile which Myrcella returned, despite them being nothing alike she was suddenly reminded of her sister, she always wondered how was Arya doing. Sansa sighed and looked around the room to find almost half the ladies were gone including Lady Cersei.

"Myrcella, where are all the ladies?"

The small girl frowned "Mother said she had to discuss something with father and left, the other ladies went after her, they wanted to eavesdrop surely. Are you sure you're feeling fine Sansa?"

"Yes. I just haven't slept very well"

"M'lady, if you are feelin' tired perhaps it would be best if we went back to your room so you can take a nap before supper" said Shae coming up behind her chair.

"No, it would be terribly rude of me to leave Myrcella alone" she protested feebly.

"Don't worry about me Sansa, you should go take a nap, I was just thinking on playing with Tommen in the garden, so I will take my leave first" Myrcella stood from her chair and made a small curtsey in her way before leaving the room. Her ladies and septa all trailed after her.

Sansa eyed her work with sadness, and left it in it's place promising to advance on it on the morrow. "It seems I will take that nap after all Shae. Let's go back to my room."

.

.

Back in her room Shae helped her undress, all the while telling her the town's hottest gossip. It seems ser Leonyd Lannister was thinking of marrying the daughter of a poor fisherman so his Lord Father wanted to send him away... Some old Maester was seen entering a brothel and some said Lord Robert had just had a bastard son with the inkeeper's daughter...

Sansa slipped on her sheets and let her mind wandered back to Winterfell. She thought of Arya with her wild hair and big grins, of her scabby knees and loud voice. She hoped she wasn't giving Old Nan and Ser Rodrick too much trouble, though part of her hoped her sister was just as she remembered even the annoying infuriating sides. She thought of Bran, so small and so full of energy, always climbing the walls and fighting around with Arya, now he was Lord of Winterfell and how boring that must be. He should be outside playing on the snow all day and at night he should hear Old Nan's stories curled up on his furs beside baby Rickon an Robb.

Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. She let the tears travel down her cheeks to fall on the pillow. She wanted to go back home, no matter how ungrateful and selfish her wish, it was her heart's only desire to see the snowdrops fall outside her window, to play with her siblings in the snow til' all their cheeks were flushed and their hair messy and wet, to swim in the termal waters beside the Wierdwood tree, to have Robb muss up her hair, to fight with Arya, to read stories to Bran and to carry Rickon in her arms.

.

.

Shae woke her up gently. Sansa washed her face, and dressed in a simple grey dress, it was a bit old but she had wanted to wear something that made her feel closer to home.

She had just finished getting her hair done in a braid like Mother usted to wear, when Joffrey knocked at the door to escort her to dinner. A pang of guilt twisted in her heart. Joffrey had been so patient with her all this time, all those times he had invited her to go ride with him or to walk around the gardens and she would excuse herself (she just hadn't the spirits to go with him and have fun) , he never got angry just kissed her cheek sweetly and said they would go next time. And there she was selfishly thinking of going home without him. She hadn't been thinking much of him at all lately, and that was wrong he was going to be her husband as soon as she turned six and ten, and he loved her so much, she had to be a better bride for him

Shae oponed the door. Joffrey was always so serious and dignified, with his golden hair always perfectly arraged around his face.

"My Lady" he kissed her hand and took on her appereance "Sansa why are you wearing that old dress? I believe just last month I gifted you that black dress with the gold embrodery stag and that red velvet dress with gold myrish lace."

"I'm sorry my Lord, it's just that those dresses are all so fine that they deserve to be used on most special ocasions."

"Well, you better go change, my grandfather is here and I want you to look your best before you meet him"

Sansa nodded, and bid Shae to help her change the grey dress for the red velvet one with golden lace. Lord Lannister was here, the King's Hand, it was surely important, perhaps ser Jaime had finally gotten engaged or they wanted to call Myrcella to court so she could be a Lady in waiting to Princess Rhyella.

Joffrey had gallantly waited for her outside, he looked her over and smiled "My Lady looks beautiful as always" then he leaned in a pressed a small kiss to her lips that made her hands clammy and her face red as the dress she was wearing.

Sansa found Lord Tywin just as wise and fearsome as people said, but at least she was right about his visit for Lord Jaime was getting engaged to Lady Brienne of Tarth, and he would be holding a ball in Castle Rock in a months time to celebrate the occasion, he wanted Lord Robert's permission to allow Lady Baratheon to go there immediately so she could overlook the preparations. Lady Cersei, kind as always had said it would be her pleasure, and excused herself from the table as she wanted to pack immediately.

The dinner went on as always and once it was done Joffrey escorted her back to her rooms, bid her a good night and stole another kiss leaving her dazed..

While Shae brushed her hair and wondered if they would order a new dress for her to wear at the Lannister's engagement party or if the black dress would be fine someone knocked on the door.

"It's me little dove" said Lady Cersei from outside

Sansa hurriedly put on her robe while Shae opened the door. Lady Cersei's face was flushed and her eyes shined, she looked anxious and way too pale.

"Don't be so skitish Little Dove, come sit by me" Lady Cersei said putting the corner of the bed

"Is something the matter?" she asked confused.

Lady Cersei unexpectedly buried Sansa in her arms and started to sob uncontrolably all the while strocking her hair and murmuring words that Sansa never catched. After a while Lady Cersei seemed to calm down enough to let go of her. Sansa's mind was a whirl of confussion, Lady Cersei was always so composed she never imagined to see her in this state.

"Would your maid be so kind as to fetch me some water Little Dove?" Asked Lady Cersei in a weak hoarse voice. Sansa nodded in Shae's direction.

"Can I do something for you Lady Cersei?" she asked.

Lady Cersei shook her head, and drank from the cup Shae had poured.Then turned to look at Sansa again.

"Poor Little Dove, such terrible things you have gone through and still you ask if I need help" Lady Cersei caressed her face affectionately, still Sansa felt startled because this voice and her eyes were the same as when she told Sansa of her parents and Robb. " I have some things to tell you my dear" Lady Cersei took her hands and squeezed them " You have to be strong dear girl"

Fear gripped Sansa's chest, something happened. Something horrid.

"Pirates attacked Winterfell." said Lady Cersei at last " It was so sudden, they never go that farther up land. They killed everyone in the castle, and then burned the place down after they robbed it"

No! This had to be a nightmare, it couldn't be like that, Winterfell was strong and so were Ser Rodrick and his knights, there is no way something like that could happen.

"I understand it must be quite shocking my dear, but well, Lord Bolton wrote this letter, he was the first one to arrive at Winterfell, it seems the Maester got to send a few ravens but no bannerman could have possibly traveled that fast.–"

Sansa knew Lady Lannister was still talking but she couldn't hear anything, her own heartbeat muffled the sound of everything else, it was so loud and quick, the world went out of focus and darkness enveloped her. Sansa welcomed that sweet nothingness, because once she woke up this horrible nightmare would be over.

.

.

Sansa woke up hours later, Her neck was hurting and the bed seemed to be moving. She rose and immediately realized she was not in her room at Storm's End, she was in a carriage with Lady Cersei and Shae.

"Where are se going?" she whispered. Her throat was almost closed.

"Oh Little Dove, we thought you would sleep all through the night. You are coming with me to Castle Rock, the Maester said a change of scenery and some seaside air would be good for you"

She frowned "What happened to me?

Lady Lannister shook her head "Let us talk tomorrow dear, you need your rest. Joffrey was most worried about you he didn't want to let you out of his sight but the Maester and his Lord father calmed him down"

The nightmare came unbound to her mind, she willed it away with toughts of Joffrey and of the ball, it would surely be beautiful, she and Joffrey would dance the night away bathed in moonlight with the sweet music blending with the sound of the crashing waves. Sansa closed her eyes, fabricating in her mind beautiful and sweet stories to keep at bay those dark awful thoughts that wanted to choke her mind.

[vipstarlight1990]

Super Junior Reacts

To you getting hurt while they are away

Kim Heechul - Heechul

It felt like time had slowed down as you lost your balance. You hadn't expected the floor to be so wet. You didn't see a sign that warned you. But in an instant your body fell over and you hit your head on a nearby bench.

You didn't cry, you couldn't cry. Because after that moment everything started to go dark. All you could recognize was warped noise that sounded like your name but you weren't sure. The moment everything went dark the pain went away.

The filming had just finished as heechul thanked everyone for a good job. He had turned his ringer off while he was working as to not be rude to his co-host. As he unlocked his phone he noticed multiple text messages and missed calls. Confused he read through one message. Feeling his his heart collapse as he quickly gathered his things.

A few people tried to calm him down see what was wrong but he tried to be polite as he could.

You sat there while the doctor checked your eyes to make sure everything was okay. A bandage covered right above your eyebrow. "Did you feel light headed, or dizzy before you fell?", he asked. "No I slipped.", you said softly as you heard your name being screamed through the halls. "(Y/N)!", you heard a familiar voice echo as his reached your door. "Oh god.", you muttered as the door to your room slammed open. " Jagiya!", he said checking you over. " What happened?", he asked obviously worried. "I fell.", you reluctantly muttered. "You fell?", he asked as you looked away from his judging eyes. "Have you not eaten?", he inquired. "I slipped.", you say under your breath. "But you are okay?" He asked softly. "We are keeping her for observation but yes she should be okay.", the doctors said taking his leave. You looked down as the door closed and heechul turned his focus on you. "Why must you always be so clumsy.", he said kissing over you as you pushed his hand away. "I'm not clumsy the floor was wet.", you say as he helps you sit back. "So blind then...has your eye sight gotten so bad that you couldn't see a bright orange sign?", he teased.

"I'm not listening to this anymore.", you said as he tucked you in. Almost like a captive audience. "Well you either blind or clumsy either way I have to take care of you I just need to know if I have to get a service dog or not.", he teased again. "You can go home now.", you groaned. "Home...not while you are here.", he said fixing a chair next to the bed. You looked over to him and smiled while he started telling you about his day.

I put a lot of shit talking but to me I feel like heechul would check on you first. Once he was certain you were okay he would tease you so you weren't worried to much. This also may be for his benefit since he will worry until your healthy.

Lee Donghae - Donghae

You looked outside you window and saw a light flurry of snow. You had to run to the store for food but it was far to cold to simply walk. Your boyfriend had left you the keys to his car for emergencies. But the more you thought about it, the more driving right down the street seemed insane to you.

Regretting not going shopping after work yesterday you grabbed your jacket and walked downstairs to where your bike was chained up. You could ride it and balance a few light items. No problem you've done this before. You unlocked your bike and carefully rode it to the small family owned convenient store. Making it their without a problem you parked your bike in front of the store and walked in. "Small items.", you muttered to yourself since you only had to last a few days. Grabbing some soup and a half a gallon of milk, you paid for your purchases and walked out the store. Balancing your bike you wished now you had never decided to make a craft project with the basket that use to rest on the front of your handlebars. Lacing one bag on the other you slowly pushed off and gently peddle your way down the street.

Donghae checked his phone to see if you at least saw his message. "Still no answer?", hyukjae asked. "No...I'm worried.", he said about to call but he was signaled by a producer. "Dammit.", he muttered putting his phone down and going towards the stage to perform. He tried to focus only on his performance but a nagging bug sat in the back of his mind. No matter what he did he couldn't relax until you sent him a simple hey or good luck. Anything at this point since he hadn't talked to you all day. After performing their first song the group went backstage to change. Donghae rushed to his phone and was relieved to see you had sent him a message. 'Hey, didn't see your message...good luck talk to you tonight.', he read it once, twice, then a third. He was happy you messaged back but it seemed....off. He shook the thought from his head as he changed and went to perform his second song.

The rest of the tapping lasted a few more hours. It was well past dinner time when he got back to his hotel room. Plugging his phone up he sat back and called you as quickly as he could.

You jumped at the sound of your ringer going off. "Hey.", you said as you answered the phone. "Hi...did you watch me tonight?", he asked you knew he liked sending you little flirts when he performed. Especially if he wad promoting and you weren't going to see him for a few weeks. "Um....No I didn't get a chance to watch.", you said looking down at your bandaged hand and wrist. "Oh...were you busy with work?", he asked as you sighed. You knew how he would react and you really didn't want to tell him. "No I was just preoccupied and that's it.", you hated being vague. Because you knew he wasn't buying. You could hear the wheels turning in his head. "Did something happen?", he asked. "Well....", you stalled. "(Y/N)!", he yelled over the phone. "Okay, okay.....I rode my bike in the snow to get some groceries and hit a slick patch on the way back and got into a little accident.", you spoke quickly. The line went quiet, you knew what he was doing and you were trying to figure out how to phrase the next sentence in a positive light. "Okay....how bad of and accident?", he asked you could hear his tone starting to change. "A car hit my bike.", you mumbled under your breath. "What?", donghae asked. "I said a car hit my bike.", you still muttered just as low as before. "(Y/N) I know you have a louder voice then that.", he said obviously worried, though slightly annoyed. "My bike got hit by a car.", you said still trying to make it sound like nothing bad happened. Then there was that silence again. "I'm coming home.", he said quickly as you tried to calm him down. "Whoa...No you will be home in two days I'm fine.", you said as you heard him fumbling around. "Are you hurt?" He asked in a panicked voice. "A few scratches but I'm fine.", you reassured him. "I still want to come home.", he saidf as you satg back with your eyes closed. "You can't leave...", you said simply as he sighed heavily. "What if you come here.", he asked softly. You looked at your hand shook your head. "I don't think that is a good idea I'll see you on tuesday.", you tried to reassure him but you knew he wasn't having it. "Tuesday...No riding the bike...use the car if you must go out.", he said sternly. "I honestly c ouldnt use the bike if I wanted to.", you muttered under your breath as he popped the phone on his end causing you to laugh a little. "Its not funny (Y/N), you could've been hurt.", he scolded. "I know, I know I'm sorry...I'll be more careful.", you said as he sighed. "Let me go get a shower and then I'll call you back.", his voice was filled with stress. "Okay...", you said softly as the two of you hung up.

Do I have to even explain why an army couldn't keep donghae away from anyone he loves getting hurt. He is an emotionally attached person so he does not play about the people in his life. If you are lucky enough to be in his life then you better prepare for donghae randomly checking up on you. He is not going to hide it, or play down his feelings. If you got seriously injured donghae would already be gone before that conversation ended.

So I've decided that since the request asked for two types of post imma do both. Hopefully this short reaction will be okay for now while I go and watch bout you a few more times.....for research. Since it may take a little bit imma post a few thing in between but know it's coming thank you for the request and I hope you enjoyed the reaction 💖

/The masterlist/

[queerdeerskates]

Skating Journal: Days 21-23

These last few days have been a lesson in the importance of trucks… and laces… and knees…

Lord I've been having an adventure of it lately. I recently embarked on a pretty big project with my skates (post about it to come soon) that kept me off wheels most of last weekend and involved tore or less taking the whole danged things apart. Even though it was only a couple days, compared to the two weeks I had just spent off skates while on vacation, it felt like an E T E R N I T Y. Partly because the weather was SO nice during the days I couldn't skate, and all I wanted to do was get on wheels and fly. (And partly because this project went in some unexpected directions that left me feeling super anxious about being able to use my skates at all… Spoilers, everything turned out fine.)

I was FINALLY back on wheels on Sunday morning. I headed back to the park and oh my god, putting my skates on was the happiest thing in the whole entire world. What I hadn't accounted for was that I'd gotten the tightness on my trucks pretty wonky when I was putting my skates back together, so I was having all kinds of trouble thanks to that. In addition, I was trying a new lacing pattern that I was struggling to get quite right, and to top it all off there was some kind of vendor fair on the patio that started not long after I got there. All told I spent more time messing with my trucks and laces than I did actually skating, but honestly it felt so good to be on skates at all that I didn't even care.

I had planned to take a nice long skating session on Monday, but wouldn't you know it, that was the one day it rained alllllllllll day long. I'm starting to get why this sport is more popular in socal where it's dry. I fixed my trucks and did a little bit of living room practice, but it really isn't the same. Tuesday I had work that kept me from skating. But on Wednesday I had time for a good session in the afternoon.

Instead of going to my usual park on Wednesday, I went to a different park that had a hockey rink. It's actually a place I've been to before - I love the walking trails there - so I was excited to get to enjoy it in this new way. It wasn't the same kind of scene as the park I visited at the end of my trip, but there was one other skater there! They had on such cool skates - they were inline skates, but they had a toe stop on them, and this person was using them to practice artistic/figure skating techniques. I wonder if they were an ice skater, and this was supplementary practice? I didn't ask, but they were so completely mesmerizing to watch.

I had a fair bit of trouble on Wednesday. I was struggling to get in the zone, and my turns weren't feeling great. I think part of it was the new location, part of it was nerves from having messed with my skates so much so recently, part of it was being out of practice, and part of it (I would later learn) was how tight I'd made my trucks when I evened them out after my Sunday session. My left skate in particular was feeling difficult. Despite this, I managed to make some progress. I've been struggling with skating on one foot, but I worked really hard to figure out how to place my weight in order to balance. First of all, it's much easier to balance when you've got more momentum (skating folk knowledge that I know in my head, but always struggle to translate into practice), so having a big old rink to skate around in made it a bit easier to get to a spot where I could stay up. Second, I really focused on keeping my weight over the balls of my feet. I have a tendency to lean back on my heels, which doesn't work very well when skating forwards and causes weird balance and momentum issues. Correcting that, I was able to stay on my right leg for at least half the length of the rink - a little less on my left leg, because I'm right-side dominant, so that's definitely something to keep working on. I also did a little bit of practice skating backwards. It's still an area for a LOT of improvement, especially to be able to turn and look behind me without going way off course. It's important to turn your head and watch where you're going while skating backwards, but the problem is that, as we've discussed, turning your head turns your shoulders, which turns your hips, which turns your feet…

I didn't skate for a super long session on Wednesday. I fell and managed to scuff my left lace in just the wrong place, so it was only holding together by a couple of threads. I kept skating a few minutes longer because I like to go out on a high note - it was not my best idea, but it didn't end in disaster, so don't worry about it everything's fine. Even so, I didn't feel super confident when I went home.

Thursday I went back to my usual park after work. I swapped out the lace I had been using on my left skate for one of the laces I'd saved that came with my skates when I bought them. It's a much narrower lace, which actually is much easier to work with than the wider Derby Spark laces I've been wearing. I think at some point soon I'll buy a pair of narrow white laces - they won't sparkle, which isn't as fun, but the ease of use will make up for it. I also loosened my left front truck a tiny bit (less than a quarter turn) before going out.

Loosening the one truck was definitely helpful, but turns were still proving difficult. After a few minutes of struggling, I loosened my remaining trucks - again, less than a quarter turn each - and holy WOW did it make a difference. Everything became so much easier, instantly. It really helped me get out of my head and into just skating and having a good time.

I was still trying to be a little in my head, though, because I was doing my best to keep my weight distribution correct over my feet, as well as making an effort to rely on my hamstrings rather than my quads to maintain a correct posture. My hamstrings and hip flexors are weak, and the up-and-down motions of skating are pretty rough on my knees, especially when I'm turning. Trying to keep my body weight forward didn't exactly help. My left knee was in a lot of pain for a full day afterwards, and neither one is completely back to normal… But this is the price of skating, I guess. I'm working on strengthening my hamstrings & hip flexors so that I can mitigate these problems.

I skated so MUCH on Thursday. After going around one section of the patio for a little while, I took a couple of laps around the whole L-shaped structure, and then skated the other side for a while. At some point things started to click in that really satisfying way, and where before I had been struggling to feel balanced/in control/relaxed, I suddenly was able to be a lot looser and more chill, which was such a good feeling. I had been a little worried that I'd lost that ease of motion, but I think I just needed time to get my groove back after the various ordeals my skates and I had been through. It felt like getting to know an old friend all over again.

I'm still struggling a bit with lacing - my heels kept slipping just a tiny bit inside my boots, so that I was getting a little pain on the backs of my ankles. I couldn't quite find a way to lace them that prevented that without cutting off circulation to my toes. Honestly, I probably should've gotten skates that were a size smaller but the wide option… But I have these skates, and I love them, and I've put a lot of work into them, so I'll happily keep searching for just the right lacing pattern. It would help if I could use my bottom hooks, but I can't at the moment - the outside hook on my left skate got bent out of shape in a fall, and I haven't yet managed to get it back to a place where I can put a lace through it. But I've got a few other ideas I can try, and honestly, it wasn't so bad compared to the agony of not skating. (Dramatic I know, but you have to understand just how much I love this sport…)

I was pretty tired by the time things started clicking, but I was so happy to be able to skate more easily that I didn't want to go home. (Plus, last night was one of a relatively few times when both my roommates had other things going on, so I didn't have to be home for dinner at any particular time.) I got brave enough to skate around the parking lot a little bit. Not the super rough stuff, but the kind of middlingly smooth blacktop. It was a much bumpier ride than my beloved patio, but I know I'm going to have to get used to that kind of thing if I ever want to skate on trails or around town. I thought about skating home, but I'm still a little nervous about it - there's an incline between the park and my house that I don't even notice when I'm walking, but would be really scary on skates. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get my confidence up in the next few weeks and then give it a try.

Even after the blacktop I still didn't want to stop skating, so I went back to the flatter portion of the patio to practice transitions. I hadn't expected to do that during this session, since I was trying to get comfortable on my skates again and feel more confident. But I was feeling it, so I went ahead and gave them a couple tries. I actually learned a lot! I've been having a problem where my body doesn't want to follow my feet when I transition, so I end up stumbling forward and having to hit my toe stops. That's fine for turn-around stops, which is one thing I'm trying to learn, but I'd rather be doing it on purpose than by accidental necessity. Part of the problem, I've realized, is how I put my left foot down after turning it. If my heel is pointing out, I fall forward. If my heel is pointing in, I can't make a smooth transition to backwards skating. So I need to be able to put my foot consistently parallel to the direction I'm moving if I want to nail this. I did manage to do it a couple times - and honestly, I'm pretty happy with myself for being able to diagnose the problem. I was also happy with my progress in completing the transition with my right foot after putting down my left. I was able to do so much more quickly than I've done in the past, which made the whole transition much smoother. It's still an area for improvement - and I fell out of the zone after a while and lost it - but I'm honestly really excited about the progress I made!

As I said I like to end on a high note, so after transitions practice I spent some time cruising around, both going around the whole patio and sticking to the section I was on. I was pretty tired by that point (I could feel the difference in getting up the little hill between the two covered sections of the patio), and very thirsty. I keep forgetting to bring a water bottle when I skate… sigh. Anyway, after some fun cruising laps, I took off my skates and went home, where I drank about a gallon of water and nearly made myself sick.

All told I skated for about 2 hours on Thursday - it's not that long compared to some people's skating sessions, but it was I think the longest I've ever skated. I'm really proud and happy about it, both in terms of the skill progress I made and in terms of getting comfortable on my skates after my misadventures. I feel like I'm back in the thick of things, which is such a good feeling. I can't wait to go skating again soon!

I've been in more of a music mood than a podcast mood lately. I've been listening a lot to one of my RPG character playlists which has a mix of jpop, video game & anime music, and violin techno (shoutouts to Lindsay Stirling for making music that makes me feel the same way that skating does). I'd listened to that particular playlist enough that it wasn't super exciting to me anymore, but on Thursday I put on one of those personalized playlists that Spotify makes for you which was based on those genres. They'd mixed in a few of my faves from my character playlist as well as some bangers I hadn't heard before, so that was exciting. Fast-paced music always makes me feel excited and want to move, but I found I actually did some of my best skating with the slightly chiller but still upbeat music in the background. I'm thinking of building my own skating playlist soon :D