#they are going through a rough patch but I'm sure they'll get over it

[heavensenthearty]

“I know you didn’t mean it…” He moves his arm just enough to look at me. “But you said it because you knew it would hurt me, right?”

I… I don’t know what to say. “I seriously didn’t mean it. If there’s something I could do to take it back, I would!”

“You can’t.”

These are the most cutting words I’ve ever heard from him. “Zuko, I really, really didn’t mean anything I said last night! I’ll do anything to prove—”

“Aang.” He pushes himself to sit. “… You turned on me. It’s going to take a while for me to forgive that… Not only because of you… I’m going to sleep early. Tell Katara not to make dinner for me.”

[find-roronoa-zoro]

Roronoa Zoro X CisFem Reader

10

"I like to come here to think." Zoro murmured shutting off the engine.

"It's beautiful." your eyes swayed over the open meadow.

The field of tall grass shifted with the breeze, the usual pale blonde hue tinted blue from the big bright moon hanging directly overhead. A pond reflected the night sky like a mirror and gave way to a thicket of trees to the left. Zoro had unbuckled and was pulling a couple blankets from behind the seat. He then hopped out and climbed into the truck bed. Tugging your gloves from your coat pocket you followed and watched him drop a blanket and spread it out.

"Come on." he outstretched a gloved hand as you pulled yourself up on the bumper and swung your left leg over the tailgate.

When you were safely in the bed of the truck you laid down side by side now facing the endless night sky.

"You just come lay out here in the freezing cold?"

"It's not quite freezing," he corrected tossing the second blanket over you and laying back again, "but, yeah. It helps me clear my mind."

He crossed his arms under his head while you cuddled into the blanket you'd been given, it was made for camping so it was thick, dense and held in your body heat. Both of you settled into a comfortable quiet staring at the perfect shimmering sky above.

"So, tell me what's going on with your dad." he murmured just loud enough for you to hear.

You sighed, "He isn't getting any better, and now he's stopping his chemo."

"That's rough, is there any chance he could get better with something else?"

"Not at such an advanced stage. The hospital says we just need to make sure he's comfortable at home."

"What did your brothers have to say?"

"We aren't telling the younger three. They would want to push Pops into staying miserable, not to mention Ace tends to be destructive when upset."

"Don't you think they'll resent you a little if they find out?" he shifted to glance at you.

"Well, the plan is for them not to find out."

There was a long pause as he accepted your response.

"Why didn't you want to go home?"

You let out a long sigh, "Those guys aren't used to seeing me upset. It's funny, in a house full of men I'm the one keeping it together. Any rough patch we ever faced they've never once seen me waiver." a sad smile graced your lips, "I just needed to get it together."

He rolled over to face you as you felt the sting of fresh tears build, "It's ok to not be the strongest all the time."

And with that began to crumble. You cried for all of the built up worry and stress for your father, you cried for your brothers, you even cried for whatever this practically failed attempt at a relationship with Law was.

"I know it's stupid..." you sobbed, "but I don't want to be an orphan again."

Zoro's chest tightened as he helplessly watched you fall apart. Taking a deep breath he slipped into the blanket with you pulling you into a hug.

Rubbing soft warm circles between your shoulder blades, he lowered his head to whisper to you, "It's gonna be ok. You won't ever be alone."

You settled down but stayed buried in his chest embarrassed that you'd cried so hard. His warmth was soothing and though he hadn't said much to comfort you, you didn't think he actually had to say anything at all. This was enough.

Your phone vibrated making you jolt away from the greenette to fumble through your coat pocket.

"Shit." you breathed glancing at the display as you sat up to connect the call, "Hey,"

"I was starting to worry, you didn't answer my texts." Law calmly stated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even hear my phone." Zoro rolled back over and closed his eye while you spoke to your boyfriend.

"Is everything alright?" he asked addressing your sniffles.

"They're setting us up with hospice." You murmured rubbing your face.

"I'm sorry," he stated sincerely, understanding that meant you were preparing for the worst, "Are you ok? Do you want me to come by?"

"No, no I'm fine and its already late."

Hearing you mention the time the younger sat up and began gathering the blankets while you said your good byes to Law. Once you were back inside the truck warming your hands against the vents he sighed and softly apologized.

"For?" you turned cocking a brow.

"I probably shouldn't have brought you out here," he kept his gaze fixed forward suddenly feeling awkward, "you have a Law and it would have been better to drop you off with him."

You felt a new lump forming in your throat.

"You probably don't need reminding, but I'm thirty-two, I don't need anyone to tell me where I should be or who I should be with." he shrunk a little at your tone, "I text you because I ... "

Shit... Where were you going with this?

"... I preferred your company. I needed calm and quiet, not halfhearted comfort and the science behind the matter."

"I just..." he paused trying to find his words, "I don't want to come between you or be the cause of some sort of misunderstanding."

You scoffed.

"I'll worry about misunderstandings. So, I'd rather say thank you for being exactly what I needed."

He sat quietly focusing on the moonlit road for a few long moments.

"You're welcome." it was said lowly, as if he didn't want you to hear.

You hummed letting your gaze drift to the road as well.

Playing back the last couple of hours made you feel at ease. Every moment you spent with Zoro was effortless and relaxed, even when you were upset and feeling hopeless you wouldn't have allowed yourself to be so vulnerable if you weren't comfortable with him.

Maybe Sabo was right.

"F/N?" Zoro called breaking your train of thought, "We're here."

The truck had parked in front of your house.

"Wanna come in?" you asked afraid to enter the house alone.

"I can't," he answered knowing if he went in he wouldn't have the strength to leave, "it's late and I have to setup the dojo in the morning."

__________________

You woke up that morning feeling a bit off.

Gray morning light peeked through the split in your curtains and though the heat was on the cold December air still lingered. With a groan you rolled over trying to shake this anxious feeling. Maybe it was because Pops was home now and the hospice nurse would be making their first visit in a few hours. Or perhaps it was your coffee date with Law that afternoon that had you feeling nervous.

It wasn't a cheerful anticipation so much as a heavy dread. You'd made a mistake and dragged him into a romantic relationship with almost zero romance. You felt like an asshole and all of the excuses in the world couldn't change the fact that you'll eventually hurt this man.

The home nurse had come and gone, Pops was in good spirits giving Marco a hard time when you took Chopper out for a walk.

"You ok?" your younger brother called trotting over to from the driveway.

"Yeah why?" you answered turning to meet Sabo's concerned green eyes.

"It's just... lately you've been a little off."

"I never could get anything passed you," you winked, "just trying to figure things out and worrying about Pops, nothing out of the ordinary my sweet little brother."

"Well, ok... If you need something you know I'm always here to talk."

Your chest squeezed as you snatched the younger male into a crippling hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too sis." he coughed.

You cut the engine and sighed staring at the coffee shop sign. It was now or never, you'd made up your mind. When you entered Law was already seated in a booth waiting with your preferred order. He smiled softly as you slid into the seat not bothering to remove your coat.

The conversation started out light touching on Pops' condition and what you'd been up to the last few days. But eventually the tension began to grow as tattooed fingers anxiously destroyed the thin cardboard sleeve that had come with his cup.

You cleared your throat to speak but Law had already opened his mouth.

"I wanted to meet so we could talk," he started, "I really like you, but I feel like you're reluctant and distant. That might be because of my schedule and your father's illness." he sighed glancing up at your slightly shocked face, "This just isn't working it seems and I don't want to string you along as my schedule just gets busier."

You sat dumbstruck and speechless.

"I'm sorry." his murmured apology snapped you back to reality.

"D-don't apologize," you stammered, "I understand, and I really like you too but you're right. I need to focus on Pops and the boys now anyway. I hope we can still be friends."

A relieved sigh swept passed his lips as he stood and leaned over you.

"Of course, and if down the line no one has snatched you up I'd like a second chance." he kissed your forehead, "I'll see you around, F/N-ya."

"Yeah," you breathed watching him leave the building.

Fuck.

He took the responsibility for things not working out, let you get off scott free and you felt like shit.

"So you guys broke up huh?" Shanks asked shoving your fourth shot in front of you.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it." Benn muttered snuffing his cigarette in the ashtray at the bar.

"It's fine Benny," you chuckled downing the amber liquid and flipping the glass, "We weren't really working out anyway."

"So you were just going along with it until he decided to dump you?" Yasopp drew your attention away from Benn and Shanks.

"Funny story," you started picking up the next shot placed in front of you, "I was actually going to break up with him. He beat me by like a millisecond."

"Well, now that you're back on the market," Shanks' arms slithered around you.

"Not in your dreams, Red."

The other two laughed as you palmed the redhead's face and shoved him back.

Liquor continued to flow while the four of you told stories and you attempted to wingman for Yasopp. Shanks left with some young thing that had to have just turned twenty-one. The last thing you remembered was being pulled around the dance floor by Benn.

_______________

The sound of the shower running lulled you out of your drunken slumber. As consciousness slowly came back to you, you realized you'd never been able to hear the shower from your room. Your eyes snapped open in panic immediately regretting the action as pain bloomed from the back of your head to your temples.

Where the fuck were you?

Thick blackout curtains covered the window making the room still feel like night. Orange light seeped through the door jamb from the bathroom where god knows who was taking a shower. Your alcohol sloshed brain continued to play catch up as you realized you weren't wearing your clothes; just someone's oversized T-shirt and thankfully your panties. If you weren't still so drunk and clouded you would have been scrambling to gather your things and get the fuck out.

The faucet turned off.

"Fuck." you whispered waiting for someone to emerge.

[multishipperofgaydeadwizards]

*clears throat and pulls up with a powerpoint* (/jk im making this uo as i go and spilling whatever comes to my brain)

Peter/Sirius *jazz hands*

1) Plant. Dads. There is no other way around this ok? They're plant dads. Peter got Siri into it and now they're both obsessed and are at the top of the class in Herbology along with Alice.

2) They would such a beautiful dynamic omg like Sirius "I say whatever that comes to my mind/ I blatantly flirt" Black and Peter "I have a hard time coming to terms with my feelings/ I can't flirt at all but if someone flirts to me I'm dying on the spot" Pettigrew mhmm mhmm

3) The heartbreakkkk Peter pining over Sirius. And Sirius "I'm in my denial phase I'm not gay" Black going around hooking up with every woman in sight

4) ooooh wait no let's switch things up. Peter is very upfront about his feelings. It takes him time but he gets there eventually. He'll go to Sirius straight up and say "I fancy you. Do with that what you will" and Sirius is just standing there dumbfounded.

5) Sirius would make the first move tho, he would kiss Peter and then he'll move away unsure and Peter will just be like JSKSKDLSMDKDNDKNF externally and internally

6) they'll have picnic dates after they raid the kitchen and its all cute and cottagecore and fluffy

7) the betrayal oooh just imagine how heartbreaking it'll be omg like watch as Sirius spends his time in Azkaban being in denial and then slowly becoming a being of pure rage

8) he leaves Azkaban half cause he wants to hunt down Peter and make him pay but also cause a part of still believes in Pete and wants to hear it from him that he was under a spell or that it a mistake. Something. Anything.

9) ok also thinking about this now I feel like if Startail had happened then the betrayal would have happened? Cause like Peter's flaw was that he kept feeling left alone even tho he actually wasn't as much as his brain led him to believe. He felt left alone with James being Sirius's other half and Remus being Sirius's love of his life right? So now it's like- I don't see a point in the betrayal

10) oooooh wait Dark Pete mhmm mhmm. He is jealous of James because as long as James was there Sirius could never be fully his so he does what he has to for love. In his eyes, he did the right thing.

11) But he miscalculated and ended up losing everything. (And that's why he helps Harry in TDH2)

12) soft top Peter and trying to be bratty but incredibly failing cause of all the softness and care bottom Sirius

I rest my case, your honor.

welcome back to my inbox. I'm glad to see your ideas are still incredible

1) YES!!!! they have so many plants. sirius doesn't get the hype at first (he thinks it's dumb that peter named all of his plants), but then one day the love for the plants hits him like a punch to the face. he hasn't been the same since

2) delicious. they're perfect, for eachother and in general

3) yeah, poor petey :( james tries to support him through it but he doesn't help all that much. marlene tells peter to get over it bc sirius isn't worth the heartbreak (she has one-sided beef with sirius bc of it) (Sirius doesn't know why she suddenly hates him)

4) hsisbidurbo you can combine those two. peter at first waits for sirius to realise that he's not entirely straight... but then he gets tired of it and just tells sirius. the flabbergasted look on sirius's face was an extra

5) bright red peter bc sirius just kissed him. finally. only took him seven thousand years or something

6) yesss. hc that peter is an honorary hufflepuff, and the house elves LOVE him (almost as much as sirius does)

7) the hurt he must be feeling :( he probably refused to believe that peter framed him. there was no way his peteyboo would do that to him, right?

8) yeah. he'd be sure that there must've been something. peter would never do that to him. not his peter

9) maybe sirius and peter go through a rough patch and voldemort or someone else (cough cough jealous ex-lovers rosekiller cough cough) is in peter's ear telling him that sirius is going to leave him if he doesn't do something about it

10) + 11) hdbdoebaobe9ebeos sod o eow e9rbekwze9eb9r dark!peter omg I love this sm. yes, that terrible terrible miscalculation. costing peter both his childhood friend and lover

12) personally I view peter more as a bottom... they're switches. that's how easy that is. but yes, soft dom peter is so real. my boy could never be mean (he murdered people) he's a total sweetheart (he was part of a murderous and pretty much racist cult)

this amazing. I'm excited for the next time you stumble into my asks

[novankenn]

Cherry Pie - Seventeen -

(Master Chapter List)

Yang had been worried about Jaune, seeing as he wasn't home before her shift finished, like he normally was. But that was before she received a call from his mother, literally begging her to go to Vale General to be with Jaune. That terrified Yang to hear through his mom that Jaune had been attacked.

Jaune had been her rock almost six months ago, in a time before she had met Blake. It had been a rough patch for her. The long-term relationship she had been in falling apart. But Jaune had been there, a shoulder to cry on, a warm body to hold. Now it was her turn, to be his rock.

Jaune's mother Jasmine hadn't given Yang any details, she just asked Yang to go and be with Jaune. To watch over him until she could get to Vale. Yang didn't hesitate, and was out the door even before Jasmine could thank her.

The ER room was fairly quiet, when Yang arrived, so she just went straight to the reception desk, to inquire about Jaune. There was a little back and forth until the Receptionist was able to locate Jaune in her system and confirm Yang's identity, as there was a note from Jaune's mother giving Yang permission to speak to the medical staff on her behalf.

Thanking the receptionist, Yang made her way to the indicated room, only to find that Jaune was not alone. A young man was sitting in the room watching Jaune from a chair near the door. He looked familiar, by Yang wasn't sure where she had seen him.

Yang: Who are you, and why are you in here?

Scarlet: Hey Yang.

Yang: How...? Scarlet?

Scarlet: How did you find out Jaune was here? Are you his emergency contact?

Yang: His mom called me, and told me to get my ass down here. What happened? Was he jumped?

Scarlet: Yes, among other things.

Yang: What does that mean?

Scarlet: I'm not sure... ah, fuck it. He was attacked and violated. Me and some of the guys from the Oyster stop it before it went too far, but not before... he's not in a good place, Yang.

Yang: Shit. Did?

Scarlet: They did, but the VPD have them now. I spoke with one of the officers, and they'll be by in the morning to see if Jaune's up to giving a statement.

Yang: Fuck! I knew something like this... well not this... but something would... I should have...

Scarlet: Yang. Stop.

Yang: But...

Scarlet: The only people to blame are the fuckers that did this to Jaune. No one else, and you being mad, isn't going to help him. Like I said, he's in a bad place.

Yang: I'm...

Scarlet: You don't have to apologize. I understand, and I feel it too. Jaune's too nice of a guy to have to suffer through shit like this, and I ask myself why didn't I walk with him to the taxi stand. Been asking myself that all night... but it changes nothing.

Yang: It would have stopped...

Scarlet: Maybe it would have. But this still happened, so all the "what if's" in the world don't change any of it.

Yang: Ah... argh... Have you talked to the doctor?

Scarlet: No.

Yang: Why? You're here.

Scarlet: I'm not family, nor am I a family representative. So they can't and won't tell me what's going on, aside from that he's been treated and now needs to rest.

[fedorahead]

I had a breakdown earlier because I've been so overstimulated by people and I'm not reaching basic goals like "clean room over break" even though the break in reference was summer break and i'm nearly done with winter break. and i have alot of other things i gotta do to but every time i'm surrounded by people their emotions and issues and wants and needs are pasted over mine and i forget everything. i have finally stopped going out of my way to cater to unreasonable demands or expectations, like, it's not my job to make someone happy when they can't even use their words like a grown up, but since they'll still sigh and snap and do anxious things around me i'm still being totally overcome by their shit energy

so anyway ive been getting increasingly stressed

and i broke down and said i didnt want to socialize i didnt want to go to amtgard i didn't want to go to the store i didn't want to go back to work i just want to do nothing and be able to have a clear fucking thought, and that i dont have a rewards center in my brain the way most people do so finishing tasks doesnt make me feel relief.

and i brought up that my room being a mess makes me stressed every day and adds to my misery and i hate that i can't even figure out how to do that and even when i do that i'm still not even fully moved in here and so a clear room means space for living room stuff to clutter it, and then a clear living room means space for garage stuff to clutter it, and people keep giving me shit i dont need or want and it keeps building and i keep building piles of random shit arou d me and i can't even do the basics of tidying and my husband said he'd help and i started crying and said i didn't want to make him do everything for me.

and my husband said that he doesn't want to be disabled either, and he knows i would do it if i could, because obviously i care about it even if it isn't rewarding, and that it will make my life easier even if i don't feel like i succeeded by it being clean because it's making my life worse messy.

and he said he doesn't mind doing the things i struggle with for or with me, because i do the things he struggles with for or with him, and we can work together and also i do that other thing he likes which makes it all worth it anyway.

and my dudes, i have the best frickin husband in the world. i've spent my entire life not understanding why i work harder than everyone around me and get less done, and this person comes in and is helpful and actually shares a workload with me, my workload, and doesn't resent me for it. he cooks my meals and washes the dishes and helps me with nearly everything in my life. and i drive us all over the state so he can be in tourneys and i talk to people about his knighting and make sure that he has his medication and talk him through his rough patches too. and i love him unconditionally, and he loves me unconditionally. and we make sure to set time aside to be alone together and talk and cuddle every night even when he isn't staying in my room with me or is staying up for a few more hours and has stuff to do. and he takes care of our cats and i adopt more cats and pay their vet bills while he feeds them and waters them and teaches them life skills.

he's the best. and i feel so much better because we had this talk.

[msmargaretmurry]

I’ll say time after time for tnno, maybe after Dylan’s retired, how are Dylan and Connor doing?

it will surprise no one that i have spent an amount of time imagining a nice soft future for them. they've been through so much already, they deserve their happily every after!!

dylan plays another 5–6 years after the Events(tm) of tnno. before the Events, the prospect of retirement would have inspired a fair amount of anxiety in him, but once he and connor really settle into their relationship, he gets a lot more comfortable with the idea of it as the next stage in his life. when he finishes his contract in toronto, they decide not to re-sign him, but he feels like he has another solid season or two in him still — he does some brief hand-wringing over whether connor will be willing to move with him somewhere else, but then connor is like… buddy, i'm here because of you? obviously i'm going where you go. but if you're going to the states we should probably get married.

which is to say when dylan does retire a couple seasons later, they are: married. they love being married. they had some especially rough patches in the years following tnno as they figured out how being together was going to work for them, as they worked on healing all the hurts, but by this time things are easy and good. neither of them ever quite get over the thing where sometimes they look at the other one and think, "wow, we actually pulled this off. we actually get to have this."

they both prefer to keep their relationship pretty private, but they don't go to great lengths to keep it hidden, either, so it's basically an open secret, especially among colleagues and coworkers. it's not a secret at all among friends and family. i'm sure there are some bigots hanging around who would love to give them a hard time for existing as semi-openly gay men in hockey, but who's going to win in a PR fight, those folks or connor mcdavid? strangely there are very few people willing to pick that fight.

connor is never able to fully quit hockey, because honestly, he never really wanted to cut it out of his life entirely, he just wanted to find his joy again. he gets involved in youth hockey nonprofits, builds something of a new career around out of traveling around to give talks to youth teams, initially about mental health and supporting your teammates etc etc but he finds the kids too endearing and he pretty easily gets bullied into dispensing actual hockey advice too. eventually he will even put the skates back on and make a little skills clinic a regular part of his program. he finds a lot of joy in it.

dylan has always wanted to go into management, so he started putting feelers out for opportunities in that area in the seasons leading up to his retirement. he starts out as an agm for a toronto-area ohl team, and will fairly quickly get poached to become agm of the marlies, because he's very good at his job. eventually he'll work his way up to gm of an nhl team, but that's going to take a while. he becomes well-known for creating a team environment where players and their families feel very supported.

they're thinking maybe soon they'll adopt a kid. or two. or three. dylan thinks three is a great number of kids. :)

[tehuti88-art]

12/22/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Tree Week: Free Draw Finale." (I did regular Free Draw Friday.)

This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Sergeant Major Champere. He's the leader of the French resistance forces. He's a good guy but has rather an attitude problem and can be difficult to deal with. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding his design, he went through the wringer in the Great War, so his ears are nicked and torn and he has a burn scar over his eye; his vision was impaired but not blinded. He wears an old kepi (yes, I finally learned the name of the hat Louis Dobermann wears).

TUMBLR EDIT: Champere dates to before the circa-2000 reboot, I believe, yet his character has never been significantly developed. All I really knew was I'm not quite sure of his rank--major or sergeant major?--or if he was even truly in the military, and that he's a jerk. Although he receives advance warning of the planned German attack on Trench Rat Headquarters, he refuses to get involved or warn them--he even orders Papillon to say nothing--until after the fact. It's Didrika's partisan forces who arrive first to help the beleaguered Rats, despite the Rats being on closer terms with the French partisans. And you can bet that Didrika gives Champere the tongue-lashing to end all tongue-lashings for it. And likely tosses a few curses and evil eyes at him while she's at it. (Even Boris, who can't stand the Trench Rats, considers it a dirty move.) AND although he belatedly sends his men to offer after-the-fact aid, he never apologizes or explains himself, so for quite a while, Trench Rat/French relations are severely strained; Papillon, deeply humiliated (as well as hurt--Drake Rat, with whom he's quite close, is captured in the attack), is left to try to patch things up between the two groups. Champere mellows out a bit as the series goes on, but never quite warms to the Americans.

I always just assumed Champere--that's likely not even his real name--was a snobby a-hole. His character has never been dropped from the story, though I've never paid much attention to him either, not being interested. As I chose him from my to-do drawing list and started brainstorming his appearance--he was going to have a mustache, but how do you do that and whiskers?--he finally, grudgingly opened up to me a tiny bit. But just a tiny bit. Many details, including his life history and his reason for distrusting the Trench Rats so much, are still unknown. I imagine they'll start emerging sometime soon, now that he's made it clear he's not just a boring snob.

I've long suspected shadiness on Champere's part. Sergeant Major or Major? He's named the first on the character list, but I swear someplace he was referred to as Major. Was he ever even really in the military? Because he's not leading a military unit now--yet still goes by a military rank. Is he some kind of fraud? Is it a Red Badge Of Courage situation and he just assumed command after mistakenly being perceived as a war hero? Is he crazy? From what little I know so far, it's all kind of complicated.

You notice I mentioned the Great War. Champere is indeed originally a military man. He has the wounds to prove it. He also has the bottomless hatred of Germans. I'm toying with him having encountered Captain Himmel, who also fought in the Great War--while underage--though it's unlikely as Himmel ran into Sergeant Camo Rat back then, and it just seems like too many coincidences, but who knows. He obviously had a rough time of it however, given his scars, so I imagine some of the hatred comes from that. He probably saw a lot of his fellows die miserable deaths in the trenches and it's left him not just bitter but nationalistic. Thus, he dislikes Americans as well, even though they're allied.

I suspect as well that Champere is a little...not all there. I think maybe a lot of his paranoid, erratic behavior can be chalked up to mental imbalance. He was likely a sergeant major in the Great War...now that he finds himself with a partisan unit behind enemy lines (HOW a group of "French partisans" came to be in Germany is never explained, same as all these groups of Allies fighting on German soil--this was based on my childhood misunderstandings of WWII and I haven't retconned any explanation for it yet), he's assumed the title of "Major" although everyone knows he's not one; they humor him, because even though he obviously has some screws loose, he's still a charismatic, intelligent, effective leader. His irrational distrust of others can be a liability sometimes--as it is with the attack on the Trench Rats--yet this incident is more of an exception than the rule, and his men decide it's worth the risk.

That being said, Champere avoids fighting except when absolutely necessary, and then when a victory is almost ensured. His group seems more invested in gathering intel and doing heavy work that doesn't involve direct combat. One major incident I know of where his men aid the Trench Rats is when they find an abandoned camp in the woods and need to handle the bodies; Didrika's guys for once aren't so helpful due to superstition, so Champere sends some of his guys to carry away the dead instead. (See Reseda's entry.) They also frequently trade with the Rats and Didrika's partisans. Again, I'm not sure why any of this is, why these guys are in Germany if it's not primarily to fight...

...

...Hm.

Uh. Anyway. That particular detail needs to percolate, and indeed, you just saw my brain hiccup with a tiny bit of an idea. It only JUST peeped into my head, and may be forgotten tomorrow...but as I said...percolation. Is that a word? Well, it is now.

I'm picking this up again after sleeping and WELP, indeed, more of Champere's story is coming out. Normally I'd start gushing it out here, but it's still heavily under development, is really weird and convoluted, either needs research or for me to make it up whole cloth (considering how much of it seems based on a mix of semi-religious psychotic delusion and actual supernatural experience), and to share it while it's so nascent would be a mistake. As a teaser, some of the stuff that's begun to emerge (which is all subject to change) is: A WWI battlefront vision, Turquoise and Nixie, the earliest days of Projekt Weltuntergang, the Thule Society, a secret pledge and a mission (maybe finally explaining why/how these French guys end up in Germany?), and Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great. So...yeah. It's looking a tad bit wild at the moment.

Anyway. I mentioned that Champere does mellow out somewhat as the storyline goes on, though never completely. Despite his inaction re: the attack on Headquarters, the situation does wear on him; after an obviously aggrieved Papillon fills him in on the outcome, he doesn't bother to turn around and look him in the eye, and reiterates his decision, but then quietly adds, "I'm sorry for your loss," indicating that he knows about Papillon's and Drake's discreet relationship. He's fully committed to not intervening for whatever reason, he believes in all his heart that he's doing the necessary thing, yet he does feel guilt over the outcome. He's driven by impulses he can't explain yet believes he must follow for the greater good...a sign common to both mental illness and religion, which look like they're gearing up to be big themes in Champere's story. When Drake is finally liberated and Camo returns, Champere acts out of character in personally letting them know he's grateful that they're back. Drake is simply too worn out by his experience to harbor any anger; that's Camo's reaction. He feels intense spite over Champere's refusal to warn them, and doesn't accept his comments graciously. There's some difficulty convincing Camo to work with him to get everything wrapped up.

I'm not entirely sure what happens to Champere toward the end; given the turn the plot is taking, I assume he survives the war, and almost certainly plays a previously undisclosed role in Ultima Thule. If he's indeed still alive and it's not just a matter of him leaving info behind, then this means a likely collision with/culmination of events that were set in motion way back on the Western Front of WWI. Champere isn't COMPLETELY crazy. He just has a strange way of viewing and interpreting the things he's experiencing.

And that's where I guess I have to leave things for now; no point hashing it out yet when it's still so embryonic and highly subject to change. I'm not even sure if Champere survives the storyline or not, though he almost certainly plays a role in the outcome (i. e., the fall of Jäger's proposed Fourth Reich and the destruction of the Alpine Fortress). It's a conclusion that encompasses two wars and almost thirty years, so I imagine it'll need quite a bit of ironing out to see the light of day.

[Champere 2023 [‎Friday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2023, ‏‎3:00:23 AM]]

[nothorses]

As someone who has Pretty Fucking Bad Acne: sometimes products can make a difference (my boyfriend started moisturizing with an oil-free thing I gave him and it cleared up so fucking fast), but sometimes it really is like, A Condition.

Cystic acne is rarely treatable with just products. You can likely reduce it, but ime, if you're getting the like, whole patches of cysts? That shit isn't going to leave just because you wash and moisturize better now.

I'm saying this for everyone reading this post: acne is a medical condition. If it is causing you discomfort, if it hurts, get treatment. Take it seriously. Treat it like you would any other medical condition and get yourself the help you need instead of fucking around with the "maybe I'm just doing something wrong" solutions & suffering.

Even with a doctor, be persistent. PCPs often really do not take it seriously; it took me, like, 3 years or so (after over a decade of without any medical care at all) to get the help I needed. When I finally got a dermatologist, she was like, "yeah hey acne is painful and is associated with higher rates of depression and suicide. how about we medicate you immediately."

They'll usually have you go through hormonal treatments first (birth control- obv make sure they know you're on T), then stuff like tretinoin cream, antibiotics (oral and topical) etc. Isotretinoin (accutane) is the nuclear option; that's where I'm at now. I'd be surprised if you needed it after having clear skin before this, but if you do, hmu! I have some more detailed tips.

Push for antibiotics before tretinoin cream if you can; afaik they're the fastest and most painless solution, and tretinoin has a "purge period" where things get much, much more painful before they maybe improve. (I say this only bc I was put on cream first, for some fucking reason). But look into probiotics if/while you take antibiotics, if they're oral; and tell your doctor if you start having any kind of funky symptoms, including and especially Weird Rashes. Once you start taking them on a months-long instead of a weeks-long timeline, they can really fuck with your immune system.

As far as products: there's a chance they might help, and it's worth trying those things out while you try other things out. Just don't waste time if you're in pain. There are a few that my dermatologist and her nurses always recommend, though, which have also worked more than any of the bullshit $20-$40 creams and potions people have tried to recommend to me over the years.

Salicylic acid wash obv (cera ve has one that is cheap, gentle, and my dermatologist also recommended to me), a really fucking good moisturizer (I use eucerin roughness relief, at the recommendation of someone who has also been on accutane), and benzoyl peroxide gel, recommended to me by literally every medical professional. It reduces inflammation, which is like, half the problem and the pain with cystic acne. It also dries you out, so start slow and, again, moisturize.

But I cannot stress enough that acne- especially cystic acne- is a legitimate medical condition with, potentially, serious long-term consequences, and that is most effectively treated with the help of a medical professional. Some of these things may reduce or help manage your acne, but if you're trying shit and it isn't working...

I have been made to feel like it's my fault way too many times by well-meaning people who get zits if they forget to wash their face, and I'm over it. If it hurts, get that shit meaningfully treated ASAP.

pros: dark facial hair coming in.

cons: so much fucking acne.

[obeythebutler]

Hey man can I request 24,29 and 12 with Lucifer ? Thanks a lot

Dirty Talk, Hair Pulling and Lingerie Kink With Lucifer + Fem! Reader

"Be careful with not tearing it off entirely."

"So then why did you wear it for me, knowing that I would inevitably, tear it off?"

You roll your eyes. "Have some patience, love. That's the third pair you might tear, and then I'll have to go shopping again."

Lucifer presses a kiss to your back, his hands ghosting around your waist. Maybe its because of your chiding that he's careful with your garments today, usually tearing them off your frame at being teased. But again, he can always buy you new ones to wear, fully knowing they'll be torn off later.

How can he resist, when presented with temptation?

"You look absolutely divine, darling, with those garments," He murmurs, eyes trailing downwards, until a finger hooks underneath the elastic, and he snaps it against your skin.

"Testing a demon's patience is dangerous."

He says, and a finger is already circling the apex of your legs, where you're wet. He traces a thumb on your covered clit, your sharp sign spurring him further.

"Don't tease me!" You complain, and the demon chuckles lowly. "Oh?" He says, crimson eyes raking over your form. "Then what do you want me to do?"

Warmth spreads across your cheeks. "You k-know what I want!" Behind you, you're sure Lucifer is smirking, finding delight in teasing you. You feel his hands ghost over your back until they come to rest at your ass, nimble fingers gripping the soft flesh there.

But when Lucifer makes no further moves, stays there leaving you absolutely dripping, you realize you'll have to use words.

"Want you t-to fuck me," You murmur, the words muffled by you hiding your face in the soft pillow.

"I didn't hear you properly," Lucifer says, and you've never felt such a strong urge to throw a cushion at his ridiculously handsome face. "Demon," You mutter, and he smirks behind you.

"I want you to fuck me."

And, as if on command, Lucifer pulls down the sheer lace in the middle of your legs. Your core is soaked, ready, and when the demon aligns himself, there's barely any friction. "Hah," He groans, and thrusts deeply but slowly, wanting you feel you.

He leans all the way back, and thrusts back in, agonisingly slow. Lucifer does that a few times more, until he pulls and rams back in.

The action knocks the air out of your lungs, and you grip the sheets. A moan escapes, and you're sure the demon is smiling—his fangs poking through his lips.

“You're so wet for me," He grunts, one hand trailing the length of your back until it's met with the band of your lingerie. Lucifer clicks his tongue, and in a swift moment the garment is off, nearly torn in two with a sharp nail.

You'll get him back later.

The demon is rutheless in his movements—fast and hard, utterly cruel in the ways that he knows to reduce you to a whimpering, moaning mess.

Red nails come to grab your hair, effectively making you arch your neck, moans and gasps now spilling past your lips without being muffled.

"Don't hide from me," He says, and his voice is nearly drowned out by the sound of skin slapping against skin. With scary precision, he hits the one spot that has you moaning in pleasure, and unconsciously, you grind against him.

The sound that leaves his mouth is beautiful.

Your victory isn't savoured for long, for Lucifer is now snapping his hips into yours with an intensity that has your legs trembling, making wanton gasps and moans leave you.

"That's a good human, taking my cock so perfectly, like you know how to do best," He babbles, lost in pleasure as much as you. And then he's leaning forward to place a kiss on your neck, the action contrasting the rough movements of his own.

The pleasure in your core is rapidly building up. "L-Lucifer," You gasp out, and the demon thrusts hard against that one patch that makes you weak.

"I-I'm about to—hah—cum—Lucifer, p-please don't stop—"

The demon laughs lowly, the sound mixing in with your own moans. "Then cum," He orders, and you do.

He can feel the way your legs tremble, the sound that spills past your lips when you do, and he moans when he feels you clench around him.

Lucifer stays there for a moment, letting you drown in pleasure before nudging you on your back, cradling your face as he kisses you passionately.

"Ah," He moans when your find its way around his cock, hard and wet from your slick. You smile deviously at the demon, whose eyes are closed at the sensation.

"So mischievous," Lucifer breathes out, his hand grabbing one of your breast.

"Ride yourself on my cock," He says, and you oblige.

[paperdonatello]

It feels so weird posting about it, but it deserves to be said.

If you guys haven't watched Technoblade's latest video, you guys need to watch that then come back.

You did that? Good. Then you know what I'm going to be talking about.

Alex "Technoblade" has passed away from stage 4 cancer. His father read out his final video to us and I'm in shock.

For those who aren't aware, Technoblade was a Minecraft Youtuber who's content touched the lives of millions.

I decovered his content mid-2020, early 2021. I was in a such a rough patch with my anxiety and mental health that I wasn't entirely sure I was going to get better.

But, watching Technoblade's content put a smile on my face when I didn't think I could smile. Made me laugh when I couldn't laugh. He made me feel so happy, and was my biggest inspiration.

When I felt bad about myself, I would talk about myself the way Techno talked about himself. Loud and unshakeable praise about how I was the greatest person to ever live and that nothing could take me down. It was silly, but it worked. Even through the anxeity and gender disphoriya and self-hatred, emulating that pride made me feel stronger.

He was my biggest hero. I wanted to grow up and be just like him. Loud, proud, on top of the world. I wanted to hold myself the way he held himself. Talk the way he talked. Be as kind and loved and adored as he was. Look myself in the mirror and tell my younger self I did it, I was just like him.

I wanted to meet him someday. When I was famous and the "talk of the town", I wanted to shake his hand (virtual or otherwise) and tell him how much he meant. Tell him that I achieved my biggest dreams because of him.

But that can't happen anymore. Because he's gone.

I hate myself for that small part of me that wanted it to be fake. A weird fever dream I could wake up from that I could tell my friends about and laugh it off. I guess a part of me still wants that dream to hold true.

But this is actually happening. And it feels so weird to greive over a man I never met, and realistically could never meet, but I can't help it. He was such a big part of my life, and I don't think I'll ever truely move on.

I'm not a religious man. But, I pray for Techno's family. I pray that they'll be okay and will be able to live the rest of their lives stress free and happy. Because after everything they've had to deal with, they deserve that more than anything in the world.

I pray for Techno's friends. I know how much they cared about him, and how much he cared about them. And I pray that they'll be okay and greive. That they'll be able to be as happy as they can be, despite everything.

And I pray for Techno's fans, for the community. Drink some water. Have a snack. Take a nap. Cry to your hearts content. We lost a great man, and it's okay to greive for someone you've never met.

Rest in peace Technoblade. You will continue to touch and inspire lives, even in death. You were the strongest and funniest man to ever exist. Your legacy will never die in the hearts and minds of the millions of people you've inspired. And even though you're a godless man, I hope you rest easy in Heaven, and kick God's ass on the way in.

And if I see ANY of you fuckers trying to pry into Techno's family's privacy or make jokes about his death or even place a BIT of disrespect on his name, it's on SIGHT. Because we're NOT talking about his character or his persona, this is an actual tragedy and it's the LEAST he deserves.

[thedarklightwithinus]

Part One; Avengers MC

Summary; The beginning. 

Series Masterlist.

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The day had started out just like any for Y/N. She had awoken from her slumber in the passenger side of the car she and her sister were using for their road trip around America and switched seats with her sister whose turn it was to sleep while she continued the drive along the lone road.

They had taken to driving through the night until they made it to the destination in which they had picked out when they had last sopped for a few days. The pair would not plan their journey outright but rather plan their next move once they were settled from the previous long drive.

Around midday, the two sisters had pulled in to a small town with a population of three hundred people, give or take. At least, that's what the sign welcoming them had said.

Y/N pulled in to the only bar she had managed to find, parking up a good distance away from the door. She let out a breath, turning the engine off and slouching in her seat for a moment. While she relaxed, she took in the structure of the bar.

The bar didn't look to be brand new but then, it didn't look to be run down either. It looked as though it was maintained enough to where the owners were happy with the rustic look it gave off. The longer she looked at it, the more Y/N came to like the look of it.

Y/N sighed once more, turning to look at her sleeping sister. Even while she slept, Peggy looked as though she had stepped straight out of a magazine cover. Her brown hair sat in casual curls that framed her face to perfection while her lashes fluttered as she slept.

With a quick glance at the bar, Y/N pushed herself forward and pulled the key from the car ignition. She turned her body, resting her hand on Peggy's thigh and shaking it slightly. "Peg? We're here."

The brunette mumbled something, beginning to awake from her slumber. Y/N gave her a moment to shed to sleep from her brain. "What time is it?" Peggy mumbled, pulling the car sun visor down and checking her appearance in the small mirror.

"Just gone one." Y/N told her, nodding out Peggy's window at the bar. "This seems to be the only bar in town. I drove around for a little while. just to be sure but I suppose it doesn't look too bad. I kind of like it."

"Yes. I suppose the longer you look at it the more welcoming it looks." Peggy nodded, tilting her head as she took in the building.

"Right?" Y/N nodded, agreeing with her older sister. "We going in then?"

"Of course. My bottoms starting to go numb from being in this car for so long."

Y/N chuckled at Peggy, shaking her head as she opened the car door and climbed out. She waited until Peggy had closed her door before she locked it with the key.

She moved around the car, walking alongside Peggy as they advanced on the bar, taking in more of the structure the closer they got. Y/N could hear the steady beat of rock music that she knew would dominate the atmosphere once they were inside

Peggy reached out, gripping the door handle and pushing it open. The hinges squealed, almost as a warning to those inside. Once the door was open enough for the two women to enter, they quickly did.

"Jesus..." Y/N trailed off, not expecting the bar to be so welcoming.

Almost instantly, she felt as though she wanted to soak in the laughter and the chatter that was barely audible over the sound of the rock music. The lights were slightly dim, illuminating that of the bottle stacked up behind the bar while the neon signs that were screwed to some of the walls added to the wonderful colours.

"Bar or booth?" Peggy tore Y/N from her own thoughts.

"Bar." She answered, not wanting to take up a whole booth for just the two of them.

As she followed after her sister, Y/N kept her eyes on the back of Peggy's head. She didn't want to risk looking at someone within the bar and have a re-play of the events that happened weeks prior because she 'looked at a man funny.'

Although she initially felt that she and Peggy didn't belong within the walls, she knew that as the time goes on, they'll be more comfortable in the bar.

The two made it to the bar and took the two stools that wouldn't cause them to be out in the open and easily bothered. The bartender, a tall thin man with dark, shoulder length hair was cleaning a pallet of glasses at the other end of the bar. He spotted them and called to someone through the opening behind that bar that lead to somewhere Y/N was unsure of.

Seconds later, an even taller man came out, smiling politely at the sisters. Compared to the first guy, this one was much different. He had muscles enough for him and two other men and long blonde hair that was pushed out of his face by a blue bandana. "What can I get you both?"

"Can we get two gin and lemonade's please?" Peggy politely asked, returning the smile.

"Coming right up." He nodded, turning on his heal to grab two glasses. He filled them with ice before moving over to the spirit's and choosing the one he wanted.

"Can you make them double's please?" Y/N asked after a second thought.

"Rough day?" The blonde chuckled, looking at the time with a raise of a brow.

"Long day." Y/N said, thanking him when he handed over the two drinks. "You take card, right?"

The man from before suddenly appeared from behind the blonde and held out a card machine. Y/N took it with a small thanks and shoved her card in it, waiting or it to read her card.

"I'm just going to pop to the bathroom a moment." Peggy all but whispered in Y/N's ear who nodded.

"You two aren't from around here?" The blonde asked the obvious question.

"We're travelling through America." Y/N answered politely. "We're from England. Peggy's always wanted to see America for herself. Ever since we we're little girls so we've both decided to finally do it."

"It sound's like fun." The blonde grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to speak. "So, you're sisters? Full sisters? Adopted?"

Y/N frowned, taking a sip of her drink and eyeing the blonde as though he really wasn't all there. The silence seemed to pull the other guy back over as he looked at Y/N's awkward face while the blonde continued to grin.

"We're full sisters..." Y/N said after another moments silence.

"Ah, he's adopted you see, still brothers though." The blonde added after a seconds though clearly realising his awkward mistake. "Loki and I are as close as can be."

"That's debatable, Thor."

"I'll go ahead and assume your parent's were big on mythology?"

"Our great-grandparent's actually." Loki said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the card machine and walked away.

"Don't mind him, he's a lone wolf."

It was as Loki walked away that she finally realised that he was wearing some type of leather vest. She had never seen one in the flesh but had seen them on pictures and shows. "Are you guys in a gang?" She found herself asking, regretting it almost instantly.

Thor laughed, a full belly one as he chucked his head back and grinned. "Not a gang no. A club."

"A... Motorcycle club?"

"Indeed." Thor nodded, motioning to the picture on the wall beside his head. Y/N stood up from her stool and moved towards the wall to get a better look at the picture.

Stood in three lines were men of many different shapes and sizes all grinning or laughing at the camera and all wearing the same leather jackets with different wears and tears. Y/N looked out the corner of her eye at the patches on Thor's and read the tope one.

Avengers MC.

Before she had a chance to say anything, the doors flew open and loud laughter filled her ears. She looked over her shoulder to see a group of well built and overly tall bed enter the bar with grins that matched that of the picture.

"Boys!" Thor grinned, welcoming them into the bar instantly.

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[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Their Doll 11

Silent scream

B.Barnes x Stark!Reader, S.Rogers x Stark!Reader

series synopsis:  y/n Stark, all records of her non existent, and yet Hydra still find her. When she is kidnapped by a certain super-soldier and no one believes her, she finds herself searching for unexpected familiarity in her not-so-distant past.

Series Warnings: smut, violence, torture, swearing

Chapter Summary: y/n gets shut up

Warnings: mentions of violence, swearing

A/n: The timeline in this has been altered, as there I things I wanted to include but I also wanted this fic to follow the storyline/timeline of Winter Soldier and Civil war.So for purposes of this fanfic, Peter Parker was discovered by Tony at a much younger age - when he was bitten - and has been an intern with him since, almost like a protégée.(For the purposes of this story Peter was bitten much younger too - more like when he was 9 or ten rather than 14/15)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

"Fuck you." I snapped, mustering all the saliva I could before spitting it at his face. He flinched back when it splattered over his cheek, his fingers swiping through the spittle before he was shaking it from them and standing back to his full height.

"It appears this one is never going to cooperate. If she won't give us information, why let our experimentations on her possibly...benefit the girl the the future?" The general spoke menacingly to the guards behind me. "How about way find a way to shut her up?"

My heat thudded so hard in my chest it was like someone was punching me from the inside, all air knocked from my lungs before I was being hoisted up to my feet again with two rough grips on my upper arms. My chest heaving, I coughed a ragged breath before composing myself. The glint of the silver blade in the corner of my vision sent my eyes bugging out of my skull and my mind into a flat panic.

So, I did what any rational person with my capabilities would do. I began to hum the deep melody - one a seldom sung - and a smirk crawled its way onto my now curved lips. Clearly, the general was prepared, but the two guards behind we weren't so lucky.

A desperate cry pierced my tune, harmonising with my voice as I heard the havoc I was causing. This was the first time I'd enjoyed a kill, the very first time I'd wanted to use my powers for such a horrific reason. I'd only ever used this part of my power a few times, but this was the only time I'd been fully lucid whilst doing so.

Some people want nothing more than to blow their enemies' brains out, and trust me when I tell you; It felt good.

However, luck was never on my side, and the General had come full prepared. He wasn't even affected, it must've been something to do with the funny earpiece he was wearing.

As my eyes met his, the General's face held non of the cocky, smug tones that I'd expect. No, the only word I could use to describe his old and crinkled features was pure ire, and it was directed at me.

"You conniving, vile little bitch!" He snarled, the flash of silver weeding a sense of utter and complete dread, tangled with fear inside of me, uprooting my confidence. I don't remember a lot after that, to tell you the truth. I know the blade sliced along my throat. I know everything was rained black. And that's about it.

...

Awakening with a gasp was the last thing I expected to happen. The sight of the blade risen in front of the general burned into my mind, almost as if it'd been scorned against my flesh. But here I was: awake, gasping for breath, completely surrounded by doctors I'd never seen before.

My hand instantly flew to my neck, a stinging sensation pulsing from the delicate skin. I hissed as my sweaty palm made contact with the bandage, the material corse and scratchy against my skin. As a doctor waddled over to me, needle in hand, I flailed desperately, a silent scream ripping from my throat.

Hang on a second-

Silent scream? I tried again, the shrill noise that should be tearing from me simply vanishing as it hit my throat. My eyes widened with the realisation, my bottom lip wobbling as I suddenly pieces together what had happened.

He said he'd have to shut me up, didn't he? The thought made me want to scream loudly, that the blade had touched my skin and left me with no defence.

They took away the hell they'd reigned upon me, something I'd wished I could be rid of for years, and now I was disappointed. Maybe this was their plan all along, that little voice in my head sang. The tears pricked at my eyes, which rolled back lazily as the scratch of the needle poked at my neck.

...

My calloused fingers ran over the cut tirelessly, trying to itch somewhere that I could never seem to find. I don't know how long I was sedated for, but since waking up the bleeding had stopped and there was now an offensive red line that slid horizontally across my neck.

Every time I touched it, it coaxed a wince from me, and yet that's all I seemed to do. It was like poking a bruise, I guess. The more it hurts the more you want to do it.

They'd returned me to my cell, clearly very little need for restraints against my weakened, starved and dehydrated body. I could see the flesh thinning on my arms, my ribs pressing painfully against my skin. Not only could I see the hunger, but I could feel it.

Manifesting, biting, gnawing hunger. The type that are you from inside out, devouring everything of you until the only thing you could think about was eating. Huh, I guess I was already at that stage then.

My eyes remained locked in place, glossy with the endless tears as I stared at the floor. If I really looked hard enough, the still wet blood smeared over the floors of the hallway resembled something close to strawberry jam. The thoughts of the sickly sweat substance spread over a perfectly toasted piece of bread, accompanied with a big glass of fresh orange juice and washed down by a large coffee made my mouth water. The booming rumble in my stomach made the groan, even more drawn out than expected when I remembered all I'd get to eat today: a small bread roll and a tiny glass of water.

Sadly, the sink in my cell did not contain drinking water. The liquid was so discoloured that I purposely avoided washing me hands, preferring to possible have my own germs coating my hands than whatever they were giving me. I'm not kicking you about, I genuinely think the water was filtered through a clump of fucking horse shit, mixed with fish guts and complimented with a hint of rotting fruit. If I could help it, I'd be dodging that water like the plague (if it didn't contain one already) for the rest of my life.

I'm not really sure why, but my head snapped up in surprise why the door sprang open, a single guard entering.

"The general requires your presence." He deadpanned, eyes cold as eyes and sharp as a knife as they stabbed through me. I wanted to fight back, stay glued to the spot and snap back some snarky remark, but in my current condition I almost couldn't bring myself to care where I was about to be taken, or why for that matter.

I stood without a word, silently following the man until we reached an unfamiliar metal door. I found it almost laughable, really, that they'd reduced my strength so much, that no one even considered putting me any sort of restraints anymore.

The door was pushed open with a child-like whine emitting from its rusty hinges, the metal scraping over the concrete floor painfully. The guard simply grabbed my arm before tugging me into the room, letting the door shut behind his with a hollow thunk.

"Ah, she has arrived!" The general's voice exclaimed, a deviant smile spreading over his thin lips. "And just in time to meet Mr Pierce, too." He said menacingly.

I felt embarrassed, exposed, stood before the room of men. My hair was a mess, tears streaking my reddened face, eyes puffy from crying and the only clothes a wore was a now-battered hospital gown. My eyes darted around nervously, trying to avoid the blonde man sat before me, chin resting in his palm as he surveyed me.

"Why is this one...important?" The man asked, eyeing me up and down before his eyes seemed to fixate on my neck. The scar.

"This," the general spoke, but Mr Pierce kept his eyes on me, "is Miss y/n Stark." Mr Pierce's eyes widened ever so slightly, but it was barely noticeable.

"As in Tony Stark?" Pierce pondered.

"The very same." The general smirked.

"She seems awfully...quiet, for a Stark." Pierce said with almost a hint of disgust, eyes still glued to my shaking frame.

"That's because we shut her up." The general snapped, awfully harshly.

"Is that the scar? How fresh is it?" Pierce jabbed his questions, curiosity clearly becoming him in the moment.

"Indeed. Our doctors here are very good, Sir. They had her all patched up and out of bandages in just three days." The general bragged, shoulders back and head held high as if he was posing for a portrait.

"I see." Pierce mused, brows furrowed in thought. "What do you plan to do with her? Now that she can't tell you anything?"

"Oh, trust me, sir. She wasn't giving anything up either way," he paused, striding over to me and yanking my head back with a fistful of hair, my back mow  pressed to his chest and his mouth at my ear, "isn't that right, sweetheart?"he clarified, and I didn't hesitate to nod my head as much as his grip would allow.

"So why isn't she dead?" Pierce gritted, seemingly annoyed. "It's not like Tony's attached to her, he never looked for her and I've never even heard him mention her."

"But then they'll keep coming. I don't want the avengers on my back, and I'm sure you don't either." Pierce hummed in agreement. "She's with them - her and that Captain America guy arrived together - so why not use her to send a message?" The general suggested.

...

That's how I found myself tied up, wrists bound and gun to my head as I sat shakily in a chair in the middle of the quinjet. I had no clue how long I'd been since that day, but I do know that I had been sedated once again. The flimsy hospital gown allowed a shiver to chill me, skin  forming goosebumps as I sat before the open door or the quinjet.

"You will tell them exactly as I just did. Got it?" The general pressed, pushing the gun into my head hard enough to make by head throb. Tears biting at my eyes, I nodded furiously, now determined to live with the promise of being free again. "Good. Soldat, make sure she gets back to New York without being seen, I'd hate to have to spill more blood than we intended." The general demanded, a figure rustling its way out of the shadows at the edge of the room. A gasp tore from my throat at the sight of him - clad in black leather and arm as silver as the moon. The soldier - my soldier.

But he simple stared through me, eyes blank and clouded in a coldness I'd never had directed at me from him before.

"And make sure you don't fail this time, soldat." The general snapped. The soldier nodded solemnly, the echoing of boots thudding filling both their ears as the general walked off the ship.

[rjcollinsauthor]

Chapter 8

Classes, dining hall, and home were my new schedule since that night with Noah. I've probably called myself every name in the book, which sent a wave of depression through me, causing me to stay in bed, eat my weight in snacks and watch reality tv. I'm caught up in another episode of Love Island when I hear a knock on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked around a mouth full of Cheetos.

"Henry." a deep voice said.

I shivered. It now hits me that I haven't been updating him on my progress in a week.

"One second, I'm just getting out of the shower."

I closed my laptop and jumped off my bed. I do the quickest clean-up humanly possible. And by clean up, I mean stuffing everything under my bed and covering it with my comforter. I used a rag to wash my face, spa some water on my body and changed my clothes from pajamas to jeans and a tv shirt. I took my bonnet off and freed my curls. When I looked decent, I walked over and opened the door.

Henry is standing there and looks as powerful as ever. Dark brown skin, almost black eyes, shaved head, and tattoos all over both arms.

"Henry! Why didn't you call?'

He walked in without an invitation, and I closed the door. I watched as he looked around the room,

"I did. Several times, in fact. Why haven't you answered? I had to get someone else to check in on you to make sure you were alive.".

"You have someone spying on me?" I asked in horror.

He waved it off like it was no big deal that someone was watching me without me knowing. He took a seat on my bed, and I cringed as we both heard the loud sound of one of the chips bags I forgot to stuff. He pulled it out and looked at it, then at me.

"Lena, do you need to be pulled out? Because we could always have someone else do this."

I shook my head. "No, I'm finishing this to the end."

"Then what's going on? This isn't like you. You haven't checked in with me, and you know your initiation is coming up?"

"Yeah, I know."

I've gotten dozens of reminders programmed on my phone.

"This was too much for you, wasn't it?"

"No!"

"Look at you, Lena; you have bags under your eyes, and I can smell whatever food you have under your bed."

"I'm not giving up. This is just a rough patch. It won't happen again, I promise. I'm doing this for us. Your sister and I. What they did to her...." I shook my head, not even daring to finish it.

Henry stood up with grief written all over his face. He walked over and pulled me into his arms, and I hugged him back. It took everything in me not to cry into his chest. Although he wasn't my real father, he was everything I needed and more.

"I love you, kid."

"I love you too." I let him go. "I need a favor before you go."

****

After that visit from Henry, I kicked myself into gear. I was wearing a white floral dress and braiding one side of my hair when someone knocked on the door. I opened it and found Jessica in a strapless white dress that goes to her ankles.

"Hey," I said and returned to the mirror to finish my hair.

"Hey?" she said, and I heard the door close. "After you literally saved my family, all you can say is 'hey'?"

I looked over, confused. "Would a 'hi' be better?"She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

"You should be making me thank you on my knees."

"Not necessary, but you can pay me back by letting me go because I have serious issues with intimacy."

"Right," she said and let me go. I felt her taking in my outfit. "What are you getting dressed for?"

"The same thing as you."

"It can't be the same as me."

"It is. I'm officially going to be a new member of the Blue Rose."

"Bullshit."

"Bulltruth."

I finished my hair and applied some makeup as Jessica stared at me with her mouth wide open.

"You can't."

"But I am."

"If they find out-"

I cut her off. "I'm joining as Lena Warren. No one knows who I was other than you and the boys."

"They'll tell on you."

"Nope, because that would mean explaining to the High Court how the poor foster girl was able to get over on them multiple times. Especially since they are supposed to be these future badass leaders."

"What about Noah then? You haven't done anything to him."

"Haven't I?"

She raised an eyebrow, and I didn't explain as she followed me out of the dorms and towards the football field. We took seats on the bench and watched the scene unfold. Noah was on the field with the rest of his teammates as his coach was shouting at him, and as if he could feel me there, he looked up at me. It wasn't anger I saw, not even sadness, more like he was tired. He walked off the field, never sparing a glance back at me.

"What did you do?" Jessica asked.

I was still looking numbly at the field. This should feel good. I should be jumping with joy, and yet I just felt numb. I should have never slept with him. It's messing me up.

"All the players had to take drug tests this year because of the steroid epidemic from last year. Turns out he's been pumping steroids all this time. His results have come back. Guess he's kicked off the team. His teammates will definitely be pissed because they have no chance to win any game this year without him."

"You scare me and turn me on."

I laughed. But I understood the feeling. It was the same one I had for Noah.

"You know I only paid your dues, so you wouldn't be indebted to them, right?"

"Yeah."

"That means this is your chance. Don't show up tonight. Make yourself the last Ross there."

"But my mom-"

I waved her off. "Already taken care of. She'll be getting even better treatment, but this time with only the string of leaving Blue Rose forever."

She gave me a quick hug.

"But what about you? You can't do this alone."

"Yes, I can."

"Well, I don't want you to. Let me join. I'll help you on the inside. We can work together. It shouldn't all fall on you. Please, Lena. I know you said no strings attached, but I will go the rest of my life feeling like I owe you."

I sighed and looked over at her. "If you screw me over-"

She shook her head. "I won't, I swear."

"If you screw me over, Jess. It won't be like last time. I'll ruin you. I promise you that."

I heard and saw her visible gulp, and she nodded her head in fast motions.

"I'll do whatever you want."

I nodded. I was unsure about bringing her in but having her there would take some of the edges off. We watched the rest of the game to pass the time until tonight. And when the game was over, we got in my car and headed to the edge of town where the Blue Rose society was being held.

Tonight's event was held at a hotel that was fully booked out for only members of the Blue Rose. We got to the hotel, both got out of the car, and I handed my keys to the valet.

"You ready for this?" Jessica asked.

"Hell yeah."

[hyunsuks-beanie]

So I know I'm late (exams kept me busy, again), but I just wanna thank these 13 boys for making my life so much better with their presence. Their songs have been pure healing for me, and their smiles have made me crack one too, even when I felt I didn't have it in me to smile again. They were the ones who picked my pieces up and fixed my heart during that one rough patch, and they were the ones who told me I'm Not Alone, just when I needed it.

I spent my free time yesterday just rummaging through their old videos and MVs, and I can't even tell you how many times I shed tears, during Smile Flower, during Lie Again, during Aju Nice, during Together, during All My Love, and during Darl+ing.

And the special video that they posted yesterday? I really loved seeing them be raw and open about the possibility of not always being together. Groups usually just go with "We'll always be together, forever," but it was nice seeing them open up about how they're not sure about the future. And the way Mingyu said that they don't smile as much as they used to, it broke my heart. They've given me so much happiness over the last few years, and I can only hope they'll get a thousand times more in return💖💙

I really am in this ride till the end, happy 7 years and looking forward to many more😭

Also, tell me you guys watched the MV it's so hot?? Pun intended lmao

[irepookie]

Infinity Chapter 4-

Meet The Family (PT.1)

Summary: QUEEN AU where Rog (aka Rowan Queen) is a young single dad struggling to make it into music industry.

Warnings: not really. Just fluff, sappiness and swearwords here and there

Disclaimer: I don't own the pictures. The boys are based on Queen, but Piper, Gina and Callie are mine

John: Rick Lincoln (Cause he is John Richard Deacon born on August 19th 1951™™™™™)

Brian: Terry Garrett (Cause my uncle used to have a black puddle named Terry and I had no choice)

Freddie: Len Mars (Yea I couldn't help myself)

Chapter 4- Row opens up with the boys about the raisin.

“I'm a dad”........

"Okay, let's... let's get over this again: A daughter?" Terry, the band's guitarist couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes, Terry. A daughter" Row repeated for the 19th time from the other side of the phone.

"A baby." Len said, taking another sip of his tequila.

"No, a 30 year old alpaca." Row said sarcastically. "Yes, a goddamn baby. Fucking gorgeous, just so you know"

"And you're gonna keep her." Rick, who had been quietly plunking his bass' strings, added. "Are you sure?"

"It's done. I've already kept her. And it's not like I'm rescuing a shelter dog. She's mine. Period."

"Sorry, was just trying to... Wrap my head around it"

To be honest, Row still couldn't quite believe it (that he was a father). Not even now, as he tried to convince his best friends while holding his girl with the other arm.

"And is your mom okay with it?" Terry asked

He scoffed, clutching his Lil raisin close at the thought "My mom has no say in this".

"But she knows" Rick said.

He sighed "Yes, she knows. And she was a bitch about it, okay? She can disown me for all I care". It's not like there was much to inherit, anyway.

There was a general sigh from his three best friends.

"And what are you gonna do?"

" 'bout what?"

"Um, I don't know, man. About School? Maybe about your life in general?"

"School ain't something I'm worrying about".

"What a surprise" Rick rolled his eyes.

"But you're still in the band right?" Len said

"Oh, of course. Of course. You guys are gonna be the only ones keeping me sane"

They chuckled

"But we ain't gonna babysit for you, huh?"

"As if you knew anything about babies"

"Well, the same as you." Terry said

"Just what I was saying: nothing at all" Row grinned

"Her future looks bright, then" Len half teased.

"Incandescent, in fact" Row could pretty much hear Terry's arched eyebrow.

The youngest member could only roll his eyes and try not to take it as an insult. He knew this was a lot to process all of a sudden and that in the inside, beyond the sarcasm and teasing, they were happy for him.

"Whatever, guys" he replied, as Pips began to frown. He sighed, knowing that meant smelly treat was on its way "Gotta go. By the way, she just told me she thinks you guys stink" he grinned, before hanging up.

The other three men exchanged a confused glance, and stayed in silence for a minute, until Len broke it:

"I say he'll go completely nuts in seven days".

"That long? Nah, I think less than 24 hours after they leave the hospital." Terry said

Len smirked "Bet?"

"I'm a bit tight at the moment, pal"

"Then not money. If I win, you'll be my model for the midterm design project. It's 30's fashion. For ladies, of course".

"Ok. But if I win you'll do my chores for a whole weeks."

"A whole week?!"

"Seven days, if you prefer it."

They shook hands "Deal. Rick? Join us?"

"I actually rather believe that they'll be alright" Rick got up and stretched.

"Well of course they will. Eventually. Row always figures things out." T said

"The fun part is to watch him go crazy in the meantime" Len chuckled "Like when he first moved in and left a fork in the plate when first using the microwave"

They laughed, remembering how their friend had called them at 9 PM in panic, screaming the microwave had exploded.

"Let's just hope for the best. I mean he seemed quite sure of himself this time. And who knows, maybe being a dad is the best way to grow up." Rick defended

"Yea, well a bit radical, don't you think?" Len said

"Like sock therapy. If smokers quit when diagnosed with lung cancer, maybe Row settles down now he has a baby"

"I just still don't get why he didn't just put her in adoption" T said

Rick shrugged "Would you if you were in his shoes?"

"Absolutely"

"That's exactly how Row would've answered, say, a week ago. That's what we all answer. Until it really happens. I think it's one of those situations where you can't really picture until you live it."

"But this is Rowan Queen we're talking about. Rowan <<Made out with both Jones Twins at the same party Cause I didn't remember which was which>> Queen. I mean, he does know that a kid is gonna freeze his sex life for indefinite time, right? What the hell was going through his head?" Terry said

"I can't believe you think that." Len interjected "I mean, I'm the one who's never gonna be a dad here, and the one who failed biology, but even I get it. He met her right? Before any decision was made, he met her. Once you meet your kid, you're tangled up forever. And you might think you're not but if you give them away you'll never get rid of a feeling of remorse."

"Wow, Lenny, that was deep"

"Yea, where'd you get that from?"

"Just common sense."

"Funny, considering you're the one who's started the bet" Rick grinned

"One thing doesn't prevent the other. And out of the two of us, I'm the optimistic! He gave him one day, I gave him seven! I trust him"

"Well I'm not sure if I do. I mean, I love him, he's a great guy, a great musician, and everything else, but he's not reliable. Remember his first job as a waiter? I'm still waiting for the fish and chips I ordered last April"

The other two chuckled "I once lent him a t-shirt, and I swear I saw Liz Michael's wearing it" Len said

"See what I mean?"

"Yes, well, we can't do anything about it, T. It's his life"

"But this affects us too, one way or another. This affects the band. And he didn't even consult us"

"Well what did you expect him to do? Call and go <<Hey guys, are you fine with me having a daughter? No? Okay, just checking. Bye>>?" Rick imitated a phone with his hand, doing a decent impression of their friend's high voice.

"A head's up would have been nice"

"Terry, just chill for fucks shake. I mean, this is unexpected, but Row's our best friend, our brother, and we have to support him. Because, if he's a dad, that's makes us her uncle's. And it'll be fun having a little niece we can spoil" Len smiled at the idea.

"Spoil? With what money?" Terry, always realistic, put his hands on his hips

"With the upcoming tour's, of course darlings" he twirled majestically around the room

"First, that's in four months" Rick reminded

"If it does happen at all"

They still had one last song to arrange And record. Plus, they didn't know how Row was gonna make it work now he had a baby. But nobody addressed that concern out loud.

"Oh don't be so goddamn negative, fellas! C'mon! We're uncle's! Row's made a very important, life-changing, mature decision, and we should be proud of him. So" he went to the fridge and returned with three beers "I say we toast for him and the lil Queenie"

The other two grinned and accepted the cans, opening them.

"Oh, I say we Split a fourth beer in his behalf, cause parents shouldn't drink while breastfeeding" Terry mocked, earning a laugh

"To the Queens" Rick raised his can "For our little bro to take this seriously and not fuck this kid up"

"To the Queens" Terry and Len crashed theirs as well.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Meanwhile, in the hospital...

"Goddamn it, raisin! How can someone so small produce so many colors of something so stinky?" Row exclaimed, holding his breath as he clipped the fresh nappy on his daughter "We only feed you milk! Like... Like white milk! How can you turn a white liquid into rainbow pudding? Holy shit" he held the dirty one at arms length and threw it in the bin "It's a damn good thing I love you, cause I won't do this for anyone else" he told her, lifting her up to his chest again before walking around the room

"You gonna be a good girl for me for the next eighteen years? Huh?" He kissed her chubby cheek "What am I saying? You're my daughter, of course you're gonna be a trouble maker. But we'll get along, you'll see. I ain't gonna be like my parents. Don't worry. I won't be a bloody pain in the ass like mom, and I will never ever do anything my old man did. That I can promise. But I gotta admit I do want you to be like Gina. Yea, she's a control freak sometimes, but let's face it: she's gotta be the strongest person I've ever met. You should've seen her kicking the bastard out the house. She took no shit."

He smiled somewhat proudly at the memory, and for a second forgot how mad he was at her for turning her back on them.

"You wanna be a badass gurl like her? Huh? Yes you do. Yes you do" he cooed, craning his neck so he could brush his nose with her little button one. Her fist chose to close around the nearest strands of blond hair on reach, which he found secretly adorable.

But a part of him did wish he had mom's support. After all, despite the rough patches through his teens, they had always had each other's back; through thick and thin. She had have to raise him all alone, and although he hadn't even begun with Pips, he already knew it hadn't been easy. She may be stern, and a bit inflexible when it came to negotiating allowance. She could come across as rude if you caught her in the wrong mood (which many neighbors had) but above all she was a good person and a good mother.

And looking back, he hadn't been such a great son. He could have been more responsible, less handful and more obedient. Less rebellious, too. He could have thanked her more often for the thousand things she did everyday. For the meals. For all the jobs she had taken to provide for the two of them. For the surprise birthday gift she had got him with the money she had been saving: a real drum kit. For helping him move out her house into that one room crappy appartement which would be Pip's home.

But still she had rejected Piper without a second thought, regardless of her anger towards him; Pips was her granddaughter, she had done nothing wrong and as her father, Row doubted he would ever forgive Gina.

He sighed, untangling the hand of his hair and bringing it to his lips "But you don't have to worry about all that. Just concentrate on staying strong and growing up. And I promise I'll focus all of me on being the best dad. That you'll never miss a mom cause you don't need one. You've got me and I swear I'll be enough. Even if I'm still young: I'll have it all more fresh won't I?" He grinned "You're the one person who's never judged me yet, and I don't wanna let you down"

That a was vow. And he was determined to keep it.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

This one goes to my mega-paragraphist @definitely-darcy who's got my engine going through the usual inspiration blocks, and who's reviews help me improve. She's made me believe in this fic, and encouraged me to keep going despite the one digit notes.

Xx- Pookie

[rosebudcosplays]

Tools pt1

alright starting with scissors

the pile of scissors on the left I ONLY use for fabric. The silver ones are my favorite bc they stay sharp the longest, but they're also super expensive so don't go buy them because you think you HAVE to have them. The orange ones are what I looked for when I did costuming and had to replace the scissors. They're cheap, easy to find (walmart, fabric aisle), they work very well, and they were distinct so I could put a sign up saying "orange scissors are for fabric only!" and the actors would leave them alone. 10/10 would recommend the orange scissors.

The pile of scissors on the right are my genral every day scissors. I don't use these on fabric bc they're duller and don't cut as well.

The weird black thing at the top is a scissor sharpener! I have no idea where my grandma got it but I love it. The reason why you want scissors specific for fabric is because every time you cut something the scissors dull. To cut fabric, especially some of the weirder stretch fabric, you need the sharpest scissors you can get. Fabric scissors tend to stay sharper for longer. I know that grocery and craft stores do knife/scissor sharpenings occasionally, just keep an eye out for those. It's usually a few bucks, but if you have a good pair (cough like the orange ones) you wont need to sharpen them often.

The last set at the bottom are actually pinking sheers. When you're working with fabric that shreads easily those are the scissors you use because it'll help prevent the fabric from falling apart.

they basically give the fabric some room to shread without falling apart.

next needles

The first one is a sack needle. I have no use for it but it comes in the weird needles packs so I have accumulated some.

The next ones are my sharp needles. These come in a bunch of sizes but generally any of them but the thick one will work for you.

The middle ones are dull needles. I have no idea why I have so many but I don't use these if I can help it.

The second from the right are my leather needles. I honestly use these the most. The tips are triangular shaped. I have cut myself just brushing across the side of the tip... But if you're working with tough fabric like leather or vinyl or sewing patches onto a jacket these are your best bet.

The last ones are "carpet" needles. (Thats what the pack called them.) I really only use these for book binding.

Yes! You will prick your finger! Just keep bandaids nearby.

These are my thimbles. THEY DO NOT PROTECT YOUR FINGERS FROM THE NEEDLE. The point of a thimble is to give your finger a little extra padding to help push the needle through. I usually have a couple on my fingers at a time bc I switch between my thumb and my fingers. The metal ones and the brown one with a coin in it are my favorites.

ngl i hate needle threaders because I snap them so easily. The silver ones usually come with needle packs and in handfuls because they just snap so easily. You push the wire through the needle, thread the thread through, and pull.

These are both your best friend and worse enemy. They're seam rippers and they'll undo the stiches... but that usually means I messed up (bc I was rushing!!! bc I'm impatient!!!) and so I have to take out the whole line and start over.

various marking tools. Honestly chalk or a B/2B pencil works best for me. Markers I use on leather/ vinyl. My gran only used fabric markers (the four little stubs on the left) It's just personal preference, just make sure it'll wash out if you need it to.

this stuff is magic. It stops fabric from fraying. It's cheap. You can find it at walmart. Your ribbons will never fray apart again. It does leave the edge feeling rough compared to the rest of the fabric. Test it on a scrap of fabric first bc it can change the color of the fabric.