#until she remembers maura likes the men

[aflawedfashion]

Maura & Jane | Rizzoli & Isles 2x03

[atinylittlepain]

Apothecary - Chapter Seven

joel miller x witchy!reader

series masterlist

the town of Jackson comes together for a meeting, and truths are revealed.

wordcount: 4.8K

warnings | 18+ smut, significant angst, dramaaaaa

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The irony isn’t lost on her. What now serves as the Jackson town hall had been a church in its previous life, high-arched windows, wooden pews, pulpit and all. Her mother would show her pictures from history books of Salem, their ancestors, she had told her, faces steeled in cool resignation amidst a contorted hysteria. She thinks of those images now, sitting in the first pew, Joel tucking her into his side, and dozens of eyes skittering up her neck. 

“Alright, let’s go ahead and start the meeting. I think we all know why I called everyone together. There’s been a lot of talk around town and it’s time to put rumors to rest and set the record straight.” Maria’s voice echoes through the hall from where she stands at the front of the room, Tommy right by her side, quieting the low thrum of the crowd. There’s not an empty seat to be had, people relegated to stand in the back, and she doesn’t dare glance over her shoulder out of fear of what she might find, glares and whispers, jaws set in predetermined condemnation. Joel however, can’t stop looking, his head whipping around every few moments before turning back to her with a grunt until she finally gives his knee a squeeze.

“You’re gonna throw your back out if you keep twisting your neck like that.” He sighs, resting his hand over hers.

“That’s gonna be the least of my worries if these people don’t stop fucking staring.” His words come out with a huff, and she offers him what she can of a smile, giving his thigh another squeeze. Though both of their attention is drawn back to the front of the room as the meeting really begins.

“We’d like for this to be an open forum to clear the air and discuss folks’ concern about what’s been going on, so if everyone’s amenable to that, we can open the floor to whoever would like to speak first.” It doesn’t surprise her that as soon as Maria steps to the side, Mason is getting up from his seat next to Matthew and Maura to stand in front of the crowd.

“I’d like to speak on behalf of the Nichols who are too grief-stricken at this moment to talk about such things. But they need and deserve justice for what happened to their baby, and I think it’s high time that witch right there gave us some answers.” She can feel Joel’s muscles tense under her hands, and she muses that if she wasn’t keeping a steady palm on him, he’d already be out of his seat and heading for Mason. Untangling herself from him, she gives Joel what she hopes is a reassuring nod as she stands up, squaring her shoulders as she faces Mason.

“I’m happy to give you answers. But I’m afraid it’s not going to be what you want to hear.” She turns to look at Maura, sitting across the aisle with tears welling in her eyes, Matthew set in a stony glare beside her. 

“Maura, I can’t express how sorry I am for what happened to your baby. And I need you to know that if there was anything I could have done to change things, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But I don’t think anyone could have changed what happened. It was just– it was too early, and I’m sorry.” For a moment, Maura’s features soften as she looks at her, a silent understanding that’s gone as soon as it comes when Matthew opens his mouth.

“Don’t listen to her, Maura. Remember what I told you? Nothing but lies coming out of her mouth.” 

“Why would I lie about something like this? Something as awful as this?” With that, Mason takes a few strides toward her, too close for comfort as his lip curls at her.

“Oh, you know why, little witch.” “Back off.” Too focused on Mason, she failed to notice Joel standing up, now stepping between them to glower at the man just as Maria steps forward as well, looking pointedly between the two men.

“Let’s keep things civil here, shall we?” Mason huffs, nostrils flared, though he does take a few steps back. And then she glances over her shoulder, though she wishes she hadn’t, quickly realizing that this has turned into a bona fide production for the people of Jackson to watch, necks craned to catch the action at the pulpit.

“I can tell you all exactly why she’d– she’d curse us like this. It’s because I wouldn’t give her what she wanted.” Matthew is up out of his seat, turned to, essentially, play to the crowd, his arms gesticulating broadly as he mouths off.

“She tried to put me under her spell. Tried to tempt me and seduce me like she did with all those other poor men, Miller included. But I am faithful, and I resisted her temptations. That’s why she cursed me, that’s why our baby is dead. And it’s why all those other men are dead too.” The crowd breaks into a thrumming murmur as Matthew finishes his speech, and her stomach sinks at the sound of their clear assent, heads nodding along to his words. This is about when the pitchforks come out, right?

“I have heard enough!” A hush falls over the crowd, Joel’s booming voice bouncing off the walls as he turns fully around to look at them.

“Do y’all really hear what this man is saying? This-this nonsense about someone who has helped every single one of you in this goddamn room?” She’s stunned still by his outburst, and everyone else seems to be too, eyes wide as Joel points to someone in the crowd.

“You told me she cured your son’s cough after he had it for years.” She recognizes the woman, who nods at Joel’s words, glancing over to her before responding.

“That’s true– she did. It was– well, it was a huge relief.” 

“She did the same for our little girl when she was sick last year. We thought her cough would never go away, but she helped her, helped us.” Another woman’s voice fills the room, heads turning to listen. 

“And how many of y’all have gone to her looking for help when your kids come home with poison ivy? I know I have.” There’s a wave of murmurs in the crowd, heads nodding at Joel’s words as he points to someone else.

“And you told me that she helped your wife through her entire pregnancy, ain’t that right?” The man nods, just as another woman speaks up.

“She helped me too, with both of my girls– honestly I don’t know how I would’ve done it without her.” 

“Us too, we’ve got her to thank for our boy.” She turns around at the sound of Tommy’s voice, seeing him and Maria both smiling at her where they stand.

Several other people come forward, sharing their own stories of how she had helped them in the past, and she can’t help the tears that start to gather in her lashes at this, a gratitude she has never experienced before. Joel takes her hand in his, glancing at her as people continue to speak, stories of rashes cured and colds stymied, wounds tended and care given. But Matthew isn’t done speaking just yet.

“Don’t listen to this man, he-he’s under her spell! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” 

“I’m not under some fucking spell. I know the woman I love, and I know that she wouldn’t harm anyone. And I also know she wouldn’t so much as look your way.” Joel’s words shock her, words she hasn’t heard from him before, but she doesn’t have much time to consider them before Mason is butting in with his own declaration.

“So she’s helped some people. That doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s a licentious slut who’s trying to drive men to adultery!” It’s a stunning slew of words, but before she or Joel can even react, a young woman is shooting up out of her seat and bursting out with a firm exclamation.

“She’s not an adulterer! He is! I’ve been having an affair with Matthew Nichols for months!” A collective gasp washes over the crowd, and she watches the color leave Matthew’s face. The woman waits for a lull in the commotion to continue speaking, eyes darting around the crowd.

“Don’t blame her for any of this. That man is a liar– I’m so sorry, Maura.” With that, the woman lets out a broken sob as she pushes through the crowd, hurrying toward the exit as Matthew calls out a rather meek “Lisa?” In the meantime, Maura has stood up, tears no longer falling as she stares at her husband, shock mingling with ire in her eyes.

“Maura, it’s not– it’s not what it–” Maura cuts off Matthew’s stammering with a palm held up between them, only offering him one word before she turns heel and storms out of the town hall.

“Don’t.” Matthew is quick to rush out on his wife’s heels, calling after her, leaving everyone thoroughly speechless, stunned silence hanging in the air as eyes dart around, searching for answers now that the floor has all but fallen out from under them. 

Joel lets go of her hand, stepping over to a very slack-jawed Mason, nose to nose as he glares at him.

“I suggest you go on home now, son, I think we’re done here.” He doesn’t have to be told twice.

…

By the time she makes it back to Joel’s house, the sun has already pulled hazy and low over the mountains, washing everything in orange fading into purple. 

“How’s she holding up?” She sighs at his question, plopping down next to him on the porch bench and all but melting into his side.

“I think she’ll be ok. She’s gonna stay with a friend of hers until the council works out a new place for her to live, but she seems pretty clear about her decision. Wants nothing to do with that man ever again.” After the town meeting that morning, she had sought Maura out immediately, inviting her to her shop, somewhere quiet for them to talk. And talk they did, for the better part of the day.

“And you and her are good?” 

“I think so, yeah.” There’s so much more she could say. How Maura kept telling her that she knew it wasn’t her fault. How awful she felt for how everything happened. And how they both couldn’t stop thinking about that little baby girl. But with the day she’s had, it’s nothing that can’t wait, leaving it at that for now as Joel pulls her a little closer under his arm. 

“You were something else today, Miller.” His grumble thrums under her palm splayed over his chest, shaking his head as he looks at her.

“I did what needed to be done. Those people needed some fucking sense talked into them. And for the record, I’m still thinking about paying Mason a visit and–” She cuts him off with a kiss, brushing his hair back before letting her palm come to rest along his scruff.

“He’s not worth it, Joel. I don’t think he’s gonna give us any more trouble either. Not after what happened today.” Though he doesn’t seem too satisfied by her response, the second kiss she presses to his lips seems to melt some of his resolve, the crease between his brows easing up as she pulls away to look at him.

“So, the woman you love, huh?” That distracts him, his jaw going a little slack as she grins at him.

“You– you caught that?” She’s quick to stifle her laugh when she sees the clear worry in his eyes, letting her palm fall back to his chest to rub reassuring circles there.

“Yeah, I caught that.”

“I didn’t, uh– I mean– I didn’t mean to–”

“It was kinda nice hearing the man I love talk about me like that.” His brows shoot up his forehead at that, and this time she can’t hold back her laugh at his shocked expression.

“I– you– you mean me, right?” 

“What do you think?” He pulls her into this kiss, swallowing her laugh and then silencing it with the way he licks into her mouth, her mind going hazy with him.

“Innocent eyes present! Please do not scar me for life, thank you very much.” They reluctantly pull away from each other, Joel grumbling as Ellie comes stomping up the porch steps, Stevie hot on her heels.

“I heard you guys did some serious ass-whooping today. Is it true what people are saying about the Nichols?” Joel huffs at her words, and at Stevie who has leapt into her lap between them, front paws digging into his thigh.

“Kid, no one did any ass-whooping, alright? And don’t look so pleased about what happened to the Nichols either, ain’t a laughing matter.” 

“He’s right, Ellie. Things are gonna be ok, but it was a hard day for everyone.” Ellie schools her face into something like solemnity, crossing her arms in front of her and nodding.

“Although… Joel did do some ass-whooping today.” At that, Ellie’s face breaks into a grin, pumping her fist in the air before holding her palm out to Joel for a high five, which he does not reciprocate, quirking his eyebrow at both of them with a shake of his head before getting up with a grumble that he’s going to get started on dinner, Stevie mewling in indignation at the sudden shift off of his legs and onto the bench next to her. With the soft click of the front door behind him, all it takes is Ellie glancing back her way for the both of them to let out a laugh.

It feels like a relief, like something settling back into place.

…

“So much for taking it slow, huh?” Joel glances at her in the bathroom mirror, wiping toothpaste off his mouth before resting his hip against the counter and fully looking at her.

“Think we’re way past slow now, darlin.” She had rather sheepishly asked him if it’d be ok for her to stay the night, not sure if she was still welcome now that everything had blown over. Joel had just looked at her like she was crazy for even asking, pulling her into a tight hug and murmuring something about her never having to leave if she didn’t want to. And she’s not sure if she ever will, not after that rock that came soaring through the front window of her house. She had already had a faint thread of an idea that maybe Maura could take her house after she moved in with Joel, since it seems like whatever this is, it’s going to stick around. He’s going to stick around, and so is she.

“Where’d you go?” His gentle question and his hand on her hip shakes her out of her head, blinking a few times to focus back on him standing in front of her.

“Hmm? Just thinking– it’s nothing important, not right now at least.” He hums at that, shuffling closer and taking her face in his hands, his eyes seemingly searching her expression. 

“You alright?” It’s so genuine, the worry just barely creasing his brow as he looks at her that she’d probably melt under his gaze if not for his hands holding her steady. The sigh that she lets out is one she’s been holding in for a while.

“I think so, yeah. I– what you did today– for me. No one’s ever done something like that— stood up for me like that. And I guess I’m just trying to say thank you, for sticking your neck out for me.” He seems to consider her words for a moment, lips parted and eyes turned down as he strokes his thumb over her cheek. 

“I’d do it again in an instant, darlin. Meant what I said too. I love you. Fuck, I really love you.” With all the other ones, she had heard them tell her that they wanted her, needed her even. But Joel is the first to say these words to her, and she doesn’t think she’d like to hear them from anyone else, ever. She nearly laughs when the thought crosses her mind that, really, she’s under his spell. 

“I love you, Joel. I do, I love you.” Yes, it has to be magic, the way his eyes crinkle up, a smile he wouldn’t give to anyone else, the strength of his palms still so soft along her jaw as he guides her lips to his. And they get to have this, all of this, for as long as they both want it. She hopes for a long time, if not forever. 

It’s a messy affair, lips only parting for quick gasps of breath, eyes barely glancing away as they make a stumbling path for his bed. She can’t help the laugh that bubbles up, breaking their kiss when they fall in a graceless tangle onto the mattress, a quick twist of limbs that has her straddling his hips, palms splayed out on his chest as she looks down at him. For a moment, all she wants is to look at him looking at her, the little tilt of his head, amusement rounding his cheeks as his fingers squeeze and flex where they’re curled around her hips.

“Staring ain’t very polite, darlin.” 

“Neither is being a smartass, baby.” The laugh he lets out is more of a disbelieving huff and she’s quick to swallow it, dipping down and bringing them back together in a kiss that stings sweet, teeth scraping skin as her fingers skitter down the buttons of his shirt. Her mouth follows her hands, meeting every new inch of exposed skin with a drag of kisses, and when he sits up just enough to shrug out of the sleeves of his shirt, she can’t help but nip at the soft swell of his stomach, eliciting a grumble from him.

“What’s that about, huh?” She grins against his skin, palm splaying in the middle of his chest to push him back flat on the mattress, nosing at the trail of hair just below his navel.

“I happen to really like this part of you, that’s all.” The quirk of his brows at her words makes her laugh, simply leaving another smattering of kisses over his belly in response as she works open his belt. 

She learned early on that Joel’s something of a giver, always wanting to be the one in control, the one who decides what and when and how, and it only makes it more satisfying when she gets him like she has him now, giving it all up to her. A quiet “hips up, baby” is all it takes to get his jeans shimmying down his legs, tugging them off before settling back between his legs, her palms resting on the tops of his thighs. 

“You look perturbed.”

“You’ve still got a lot of clothes on, darlin.” He says it with a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth, sitting up on his elbows to look at her as she peels her shirt off over her head. But that’s all she’ll give him for now.

“Lay back down, Miller, I wasn’t done with you.” His grumble dies in his throat when she slips her fingers under the waistband of his boxers, nails grazing the soft skin there. That gets him on his back real fast. She supposes she’s teased him enough, tugging his boxers off with little fanfare, his cock resting flushed and hard against his stomach. 

She knows what he likes. He likes her eyes on him when she lets her tongue drag along the underside of his length, and he likes it a touch messy, spit pooling in the corners of her lips when she takes him into her mouth. He likes when her nails graze over his belly, holding him still as she works him over, taking him into her mouth as far as she can before pulling back to lap at his swollen tip. She likes all the little sounds she can coax out of him, harsh breaths turning into clipped grunts that eventually give way to moans thrumming low in his chest as she continues her ministrations. 

“I– Jesus– that mouth of yours– gotta– gotta stop, honey. I can’t– I want you. Want you now.” With that, he sits up, fingers tucked under her chin to coax her up for a devouring kiss before his hands fall to the button of her pants. His mouth doesn’t stray far from her skin, grazing over the tops of her breasts as he works her out of her remaining clothes, a close shuffle that leaves her just as bare as he is, coaxing her thighs to frame his hips. He holds her steady, hands an insistent bruise on her hips as her cunt drags over his length, a heady pull that has her nails digging into his chest. 

“Shit, darlin– you ready for me? Wanna take it like this?” It always makes her brain stutter to a stop, the absolute mouth he has on him, usually such a gentleman, so quiet, suddenly turned sharp and demanding. It’s obvious to her that he doesn’t realize what kind of effect his words have, only earnest anticipation in his eyes as he looks up at her, and it only makes the heat grazing up her spine raise another pitch. He’s all soft murmured encouragement, palms a steady sweep up her thighs, the curve of her ass, fingers firming up on her hips as she guides his cock to her entrance.

Relax for me, darlin, that’s it.

Fuck, that’s good. You’re so good like this. 

Move for me, honey. Just like that, so fucking perfect.

It’s a brilliant mingling of sighs, clipped moans with every pass of her hips, Joel bending his knees and planting his feet into the mattress to meet each bounce with his own thrust. His eyes are a hot drag on her skin, the pull of his gaze trailing every curve before sweeping back up to her face. She’s trailing along the edge of too much, so full of him that each tilt of her hips has her gasping with the way his cock is spreading her open, grazing so deep every time she sinks back down. But when he brings one hand to rest at the crux of her thigh, fingers smearing a sloppy rhythm into her clit, too much washes over her like a wave, spine curling in an arc of pleasure until her chest is pressed close against his, face buried in the juncture of his neck as she mouths a quiet cry into his skin. His hands draw a slow circuit up her spine, keeping her full, but not moving as she crashes down around him.

“I’ve got you, easy, easy, I’ve got you, darlin.” A kiss to her temple coaxes her face out from his neck, hazy smiles shared between barely brushing lips. 

They move like liquid. He stays, warm and throbbing inside her, as he turns them over, his hips slotting between her thighs, forearms framing her face. There’s no use for words. She gives him a nod and a kiss to the corner of his mouth, enough communication for him to slip back into movement, hips a steady and strong roll into hers. He’s beautiful like this, a pink flush creeping up his chest into his cheeks, his brow pulled down in pleasure, eyes a continuous wave from her face down to where she’s taking all of him over and over again. And it’s her turn to coax, to murmur, to press and press and press until he cracks.

Feel so full, baby. Always fill me up so perfect.

So good like this, Joel. Doing so good for me.

I want it, baby. Want it so bad. Let go for me, please.

He comes with a crackled groan, her name leaving his lips on a punched out exhale as he curls over her, spend smearing warm over her stomach. She props herself up on an elbow, her hand on his jaw drawing him down for a kiss shared between harsh breaths. 

“Was that– was that good for you?”

“You’re always good for me, Joel.”

…

Her overalls are back, hanging off the corner of his bathroom door. There’s a stack of her books on his nightstand, thick tomes full of latin names he won’t even attempt to pronounce. And her plants are back too, she and Ellie hauling them over one afternoon, shuffling back and forth between her old house and theirs. A few pieces of her furniture made the move as well. A dark blue armchair that now sits in the living room, what has become Stevie’s designated lounging area. A cabinet that had been a bitch for them to move, huffing and puffing across town, Joel nearly throwing his back out with the effort, though his reward that night had been worth it. And a high-backed bureau now sits in the corner of his bedroom, a spot he finds her sitting at most mornings before they both head out for work, writing meticulous notes about the people she cares for. 

“Gonna see you over lunch today?” He can feel the curl of her smile where his lips rest against her cheek, and she turns around on her stool to steal a proper kiss from him.

“Mmhmm, I’ll be there. I’m guessing I’m gonna have to share with you again, huh?” 

“Well, if you’re offering I ain’t gonna turn you down.” He didn’t get to have her laugh for a while there, and now whenever she does give it to him, it’s like he tries to gather it up in his mind, every crackling smile, every tilt of her head, every peel of relief committed to memory. 

“Fine, but I’m not leaving tomatoes off this time. You’ll just have to eat around them.” 

“I guess I can live with that.” Another smacking kiss before he pulls away to let her stand up.

“You gonna walk me out, Miller?”  

“That’s the least I can do, darlin.” 

No more whispers, no more stares, they move through town easily now, first walking Ellie to school, who tells her and Stevie that she’ll be around the shop this afternoon before offering Joel a clipped “later, old man.” But he doesn’t even have time to be annoyed by it, not when his woman is taking his hand and tugging him along toward her shop.

She still moves a bit tentatively, glancing over her shoulder at him as she unlocks the front door before stepping inside, her shoulders a slight hunch as she moves through the shop. He’s been keeping her company in the mornings before his own shifts, staying out of her way but close enough that he hopes it eases some of her worry. 

“Ellie’s already asking me about Halloween, you know.” His brows raise at her words, watching her rest her elbows on the butcher block across from him.

“Is it– is it an important day for your, uh, your people?” Though he can see the amusement in her eyes at his stumbled-out question, she spares him any teasing, lazily stirring her tea before letting the spoon rest in the mug.

“Mmhmm, though we call it Samhain, not Halloween. I’ll tell you more about it when it gets a little closer.” They’ve figured out a gradual give and take, when to ask and when to answer, when to let things rest and when to reveal a bit more, and Joel can tell she’s making such a calculation in her head right now, offering him an easy smile. But his attention is drawn down to her mug, spoon now languidly stirring all by itself, though she’s quick to catch it, bringing her palm over the rim of the cup, her smile turning sheepish as his eyes widen at her.

“That– how– how am I just seeing that now?” That makes her laugh.

“I may have been trying to hide that particular, uh, quirk. Didn’t want to freak you out too much.” 

“Darlin, at this point, I don’t think you could freak me out if you tried.” 

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[rudnitskaia]

This note was supposed to appear in a Christmas fanfic, but after @acesandocs sent me an ask about RoMaunce "Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?)" with an art request, I made a decision to post both the fic and the note much earlier. The fic is under the cut, enjoy the Christmas spirit in the middle of summer. :D

Bonus: the fic also tells the story of The Most Ridiculous Scarf's creation. x))

The Winter Wonder

Working until the last client was an awful practice.

Mau couldn't remember when she had gotten a good night's sleep. Hiding behind the storefront window, she rested her head on her hands folded on the counter and tried her best to keep from falling into slumber. She might have fallen asleep for real if it hadn't been for the cheerful music that was playing from the radio.

“Let's not disturb Miss Maura,” a cheerful whisper sounded barely audible next to Mau. A few coins tinkled quietly as they fell onto the counter, and two visitors headed for the exit.

She didn't instantly realize what was happening, and raised her head too late. Before the front door slammed shut, all she could see was Rocky wrapping a threadbare blue scarf around his neck with one hand, and gently pushing his cousin toward the street with the other.

The two young men who frequented the eatery, and who were different from most of the visitors, were constantly drawing a lot of suspicious stares. When Rocky had first brought his redheaded cousin to the place a few months ago, it had been noon on a workday, and the workmen who lunched at the eatery had become strangely quiet when the two young men had taken the only available table near the exit. Until that day, Rocky had always sat at that table for some reason, but every time he had been lucky enough to come to the eatery when there were few or no other guests. On his first visit with Calvin, though, it was as if he had deliberately chosen the busiest time of day. Like he wanted them to be noticed. But Rocky had guessed, apparently, that they had attracted too much attention, and since then, alone or with his cousin, he had shown up at the eatery either when honest people were busy working or at closing time, when honest people were getting ready for bed.

Such was the case to-day.

“And the following composition will immerse you…”

With a click of the switch on the radio panel the main room fell into silence. Despite the approaching Christmas, Mau was in a horrible mood, and even with all her love of music, she had no desire to listen to another sickeningly festive song. It was a cloudy, unusually snowy day in St. Louis, and Mau was apparently infected by its grayness, so even her usual chores were draining. Mau's father and the owner of the eatery, Mister Augusto Venza, had been away for a couple of weeks in Chicago on extremely urgent business, so Maura had to serve the clients alone and, moreover, had to meet 1928 all by herself. Though she was rather glad of the latter.

There will be no fuss.

Slowly, one by one, Mau counted the coins that Calvin and Rocky had left as payment for the coffee, and was surprised to find a piece of paper folded several times next to them. Unfolding it, Mau saw some amusing, almost childish, drawings in red crayon. On the first one, she herself was sleeping with a terribly sullen expression in a daisy field under a big, angry raincloud. In the second, Rocky held a sheep, which resembled a cloud of cotton candy and was eagerly munching on that raincloud, above his head, while the cartoonish Mau was already smiling. Next to these sketches was a wry caption:

“Don't be sour! Let sweet dreams eat all the bitter thoughts. R.”

Chuckling, Mau shook her head. She scrutinized the drawing for another minute or so, then sat down on the floor behind the counter and pulled one of the wooden baseboards towards herself.

“Come on, stop being stubborn…”

Finally, the baseboard gave way, revealing a narrow gap at the bottom of the counter that Mau used as a stash for part of her tips. She folded the sheet tighter and put it with the notes Rocky had sometimes left on his previous visits.

The front door suddenly swung open, letting cold air into the room. Mau's heart leapt, and she hastily pushed the wooden flap against the gap, then hastily stood up from the floor and shook off her knees.

“What is it, my dear? Are the spoons running away from you again?” the old Missis Bruno creaked in Italian.

“A keen eye you have,” Mau answered her also in Italian and added: “The usual for you?”

The woman nodded and headed for the far table. As she looked at her, Mau noticed the bright green knitted scarf under her coat and walked to the kitchen to serve Missis Bruno her favorite cheese ravioli.

“You have such a lovely scarf,” she said as she passed by. “Where did you get it?”

“Knitted it myself,” the woman's eyes flashed with pride. “There's some wonderful yarn at Scaffidi's now.”

“You're such a talented needlewoman,” Mau said, putting the pot on the stove. “I can't knit at all.”

The eatery became awkwardly quiet for a moment. Maura's revelation made Missis Bruno squirm uncomfortably in her chair. The mere thought that a woman of Mau’s age could not knit not only disturbed her, but appalled her. From the kitchen, Mau couldn't hear the old woman muttering worryingly to herself:

“Poor girl, there was no one to teach her…”

But even that wasn't enough of an excuse for her. She had friends, neighbors, and yet Maura Venza, at the age of twenty-two, could not knit! It's not a long way to ruin one's fate, thought Missis Bruno, nervously rubbing her napkin in her fingers. No, she could not let it go! A little while later, she said loudly:

“This is just unacceptable. What's your father thinking about? Certainly not that his daughter is so mature and can't knit. That's embarrassing,” her tone changed from condemning to admonishing. “Tell you what, Mau, honey, I'll teach you how to knit. It's easy, you'll see. Mama left you needles and yarn, didn't she?”

“I don't think so. Even if she did, it remained in Kansas City,” Mau lied habitually, barely containing a grin. She was amused at Missis Bruno's attitude toward such things. No wonder, though; things had been different when she had been young. Mau couldn't prove to her that knitting wasn't a required skill now.

“Not good. Not good at all,” the old woman continued to wail. “Back in my days…”

Mau sincerely hoped Missis Bruno hadn't heard the low chuckle that escaped her lips. She pulled a small bag out of the freezer. Knitting. Well now! There was a book she couldn’t finish for more than a month, and today there were mountains of plates, cups, and baking pans to wash. What knitting to think of.

Listening to Missis Bruno half-heartedly, Mau soon put a steaming plate of cheese ravioli with pesto in front of the old lady and returned to the counter. With the toe of her shoe, she again tried to discreetly slide a piece of baseboard back into the gap.

“…and then on Christmas Day…” Missis Bruno persisted. The wooden part wasn't falling into place. Mau frowned and mentally cursed. Why had she even opened the stash in the middle of the day?

Oh, yes, Rocky. Rocky and his funny drawing.

…and his old worn-out scarf.

Mau looked outside the window, watching the snowflakes fall slowly. She rarely got a chance to go outside, but Rocky, given his very specific occupation, had to be out in the cold a lot. And sleeping in the car in this weather must have been uncomfortable, too… it wouldn't take long to get sick. The mere thought of that made Maura uneasy. She pictured him huddled under his coat and a thin, shabby blanket, huddled in the back seat of the car, and she clenched the side of the counter tighter. He had been taking time out of his day for so many months now to come to her and just cheer her up with something: a humorous story, a funny trinket, or a little candy. As if whenever by any means he could find a little bit of warmth somewhere, he had always rushed to share it with her. And now, more than ever, she felt the desire to return that warmth to him a hundredfold. Slipping the teaspoon to the floor, Mau ducked under the counter and pulled back the flap of the stash.

“You know, Missis Bruno… I think you're right. I really should learn to knit. Could I ask you to lend me needles until my father returns and show me how to do it?”

“Of course,” the woman said enthusiastically, obviously pleased that her story had piqued Maura's interest. “Maybe you want to make something specific?”

“A scarf,” Mau answered without hesitation.

“Oh, a scarf is quite simple,” the woman squinted her eyes, smiling broadly. “With my advices, you’ll do it in two evenings. It's the dresses that require all sorts of tricks, but this…”

After a moment, Mau sat down in the chair opposite Missis Bruno and handed her a few crumpled bills. All her tips from the last couple months.

“Good. Can you buy a couple skeins of good yarn for me, please?”

Two evenings was easy to say! A week had passed before Mau could manage to do anything right at all. And Christmas was the day after tomorrow! So little, so little time… Mau yawned. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and therefore even had stopped watching whether the rows of stitches were knitted straight or not. She finished her work only in the morning, and fell asleep, holding her knitting in hands, with the needles dangerously close to her eyes.

And overslept.

In the morning, after freshening herself up, she hastily stuffed the scarf into a bundle of paper and rushed to the eatery. She spent the whole day in anticipation, hoping Rocky would come, and every time the bell over the door jingled, her heart jumped in her chest. Until finally the young man appeared on the doorstep, shaking off the snow from himself.

“Today is on the house, in celebration of Christmas,” she told him, setting coffee and a plate of chocolate pancakes with raspberry jam, garnished with three raspberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar, in front of him. And while Rocky, as if being hypnotized, stared at this gorgeousness and tried to guess if the berries were purposefully arranged in a heart-shaped pattern or not, she shoved the bundle into the pocket of his coat, which hung on the clothes rack behind him.

When Rocky walked out of the Venza family's eatery that evening, he couldn't stop smiling dreamily. He passed by the lamppost, dancing around it, and laughed softly, putting hands into his pockets. To think that Mau had baked pancakes just for him, and damn, what pancakes they were! But… what in the world was that?

He stared in puzzlement at the slanted bundle, and immediately opened it.

Seeing… a scarf.

Or rather, it looked like a scarf, except… the blue stitches wiggled from side to side, the crookedly sewn buttons reminded two eyes, and what should have been white trim on both ends looked more like jagged teeth. If it was a scarf, it was the most ridiculous scarf he had ever seen.

“How did you knit to me, buddy?” Rocky murmured, twirling the knitted mess in his hands. But there was no clue neither on the scarf nor in the paper shreds of the wrapper. Frowning, Rocky looked over his shoulder at the eatery and bit his lip.

Could it be that it was made by Mau?

There was certainly a chance that someone had put the bundle in his coat by accident, but somehow Rocky felt like there was no mistake. It was definitely a present. A self-made Christmas present. From Mau. For him! Rocky straightened the scarf and lifted it as high above his head as his arms could reach, looking at it like at an absolute miracle. The scarf, swaying in the wind, stared up at him with its button eyes and its crooked, white-toothed grin. And Rocky, as he continued his way toward the Little Daisy, smiled broadly back at it.

“Zib, please have mercy,” he kept whimpering, clutching at the man's pant leg. Zib made another attempt to make a step, but after dragging Rocky across the stage floor a little more, he gave up again.

“Kid,” Zib sighed, “if you don't let me go, I'm just going to sit on you.”

“Oh, please! I'll even be your personal horse, taking you out to the audience every night, right under the spotlight…”

Zib gave him a confused look and snorted nervously.

“No, I think I'll pass, thank you.”

“It's a matter of life and death, Zib! What can I do to get you to say yes? I'd do anything. Give anything. Literally. Even my eye teeth.”

“Why on earth are you so damn eager?” The man flailed his arms up. Rocky pulled himself closer to Zibowski's legs, squeezing them like a vise.

“It's just Christmas. I can't resist the urge to do good deeds. What a stale dry man wouldn't be heartbroken at a picture like this? Just imagine: a poor, unfortunate soul burning with a passion for music, but locked in a prison of pots and pans… as the servants of Euterpe, it is our duty to rectify such injustices! Even if only once a year.”

Zib groaned doomedly. He looked down at Rocky tiredly, then up at the ceiling, then back at Rocky, whose blue eyes stared back at him, not even with a plead, but with an almost childlike hope.

“I'm going to regret this…” he muttered, sighing heavily.

The next bright, frosty morning, Mau went down to the eatery and began her routine. She wiped off the dust, pulled open the curtains, opened the window vent, turned on the stove and set a batch of muffins to bake, began to prepare the batter for tomorrow as usual, and then…

…heard the music.

From the street, very close by, came a jaunty jazz tune, accompanied by the singing of several male voices. Mystified, Mau rubbed her hand over the fogged glass of the window and looked outside… no, it couldn't be. She ran out onto the porch and, still not believing her eyes, stared at the whole orchestra on the sidewalk in front of the eatery. When Rocky noticed her, he stepped forward and twirled around himself, playing his violin with an unusually wide smile. Looking at him, Mau laughed warmly and outlined the musicians with her hands, as if silently asking: How? How is this possible? Rocky only fleetingly lowered his gaze, paying her attention to his new scarf, and then winked at her, continuing his improvised dance with the violin.

It was a real wonder.

Soon the music and singing subsided, and Maura, still grinning happily, loudly applauded.

“Bravi! Bravi! Oh, but please hurry inside, I don’t want you all to catch cold! Come on!”

Zib's band could barely fit into the cramped space of the eatery, but that only made the atmosphere more welcoming. When Rocky cheerfully introduced Mau to all the musicians, whose names immediately mixed in her head, she brought out cinnamon coffee for each of them and a vase of ginger cookies to bite until the cupcakes were ready.

“Mind if I smoke?” Zib asked, making himself comfortable in the old chair. Mau shook her head, locking the door. No, there will be no working until the last client today. Today will be only the celebration.

“How could I say no after such an amazing concert? How did you all even sign up for this?”

Zib chuckled, giving Rocky a sly look.

“Well, let's just say he's got a long way to work it off.”

“Oh, it was worth it,” the young man shrugged nonchalantly.

Following the cozy Christmas aromas, the tiny room was filled with stories from Zib's band's past, music and laughter. Mau couldn't remember when she had felt so alive, so it was like a dream. Such a sweet, sweet dream. In her mind, she went back to those distant noisy evenings in New York, when every holiday she and her father celebrated in the large company of the Riva family. When there was no fear or anxiety, when there was warmth and hope in everything. Mau's gaze lingered on Rocky. She didn't understand how he, with all his troubles and hardships, every time managed to do the impossible: even if only for a short period of time, but to bring her back that long-lost hope. But it was then, on that sunny Christmas Eve, when she finally heard in herself undeniably loudly: I love you.

After more than one hour and more than one cup of coffee, after a series of stories and a particularly noisy argument, Sy climbed up on the counter and began to dance and juggle apples to the lively rhythmic clapping…

When suddenly, dumbfounded, with a key in his hand, Augusto Venza appeared on the doorstep.

[domini-porter]

I Wrote You A Story: Hard Luck, Chapters 1-4

Rizzoli & Isles, F/F, Noir AU, Rated T for Tommy guns and Tommy's There, Too

You ever get dizzy for a hard-luck dame? A gumshoe with a gun on a storm-dark night? And also that they're Maura and Jane, and that they can't stop flirting? Well WELL.

Brains, bullets, bad people doing bad things; rich men found dead in their fiancées' beds; corruption, complications, and crackerjack intrigue, all wrapped up in a plot so thick you'll have to eat it with a spoon.

It's a hardboiled ode to hardboiled noir, and I offer its first four chapters to you <3

AO3 links and (spoiler-free) excerpts below!

Chapter 1: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

I haven’t set foot in a church in so long I’m sure God’s forgotten my name, but I know a sin when I see one. And I’ve never been big on prayer—I can talk to myself just fine—but I still remember the first thing that came to mind when the door swung open was my Ma, making me repeat the Hail Mary until she got sick of hearing it. Not because I needed God. No, what I was going to need—a realization as sudden and clear as the jagged slash of lightning that showed me her face for the first time—was forgiveness.

Chapter 2: Coup de Foudre

She gave me that tight, annoyed little pout again as she slowly turned around, hands sliding across the slinky black satin of her dress to prove there wasn’t any place to stash an iron. Made sure I got a good look, too, even dipping a digit into the tease of cleavage at her scalloped neckline. “Satisfied?” Literal and figurative darkness or not; if I’d been cooked before, now I was the full Christmas goose. Still. “You’d be surprised where some dames can fit a derringer.” “Would I,” she purred. “Even in a dress like this one?” “In even less than that.” One eyebrow up. Tongue flicking at her lower lip. Jesus H. Christ.

Chapter 3: Don't Let the Button Men Bite

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” she’d murmured, flickering yellow lamplight making her glow like a gilt Pietà tucked in a votive niche as she lowered her lashes, gazed down at the ground. “But not here. Please,” she’d whispered with that wobbly little quiver of both voice and lip that had me on the ropes every time. “Take me somewhere. Anywhere. I don’t care. Just . . . get me away from this place. Please.”

Chapter 4: Benny the Bunny

All that would have, should have been enough for one person to stew on, except that person was me, and I had even bigger problems. Problems thinking wouldn’t be able to solve. Problems I was going to have to face sooner rather than later, since Lomond had just slowed the Rolls to a smooth halt. “All right,” I muttered. “Let’s go.” Hauled myself out of the gleaming machine, glancing furtively for any early risers. So far, everything still seemed to be buttoned up tight. One less problem, at least.

see you next time, kid

[romana-after-dark]

In the AU where Little One lives, do her and Tommy give Caleb any siblings?

Do Tommy and Little One have kids after Caleb in the alt ending?

Yes! (smut, pregnancy, discussion of the horrors little one endured and canon typical violence etc below the cut)

It takes a while. It takes a long time for Little One to heal physically. She gave birth while fighting an infected, then has to ride several hours to get to the safehouse where she promptly passes out. They are taken to Boston on their horses with a wagon given to them to allow Little One, Caleb, and a rotation of Lorenzo and Tommy to ride (and Occasionally June when both stubborn ass men are like "I'm FINE, you rest' and June takes the time to see her friend.). Just imagine Tommy, LO and baby Caleb cuddled up on a wagon as they ride together to safety. Tommy can rest because he knows Lorenzo and Zach and Maura are watching out.

Remember that neighborhood in Bill and Frank's episode? After they get to Boston and Lorenzo get's a hold of Tess, she takes them there. Initially they all stay in one house together as two have been shot and one is recovering and there's a new baby, but as everyone heals, they slowly move out. Maura and June stay in one house to the right of Tommy and little one (Jack stays with them until the itch to get moving makes him leave.) and Zach and Lorenzo to the left. Everyone is happy. Slowly they start building security and begin farming (little one, zach and june know a lot there) (Yeah they grow weed for Lorenzo what about it. He deserves a treat.) and making trades with people in the Boston QZ, sometimes Tess but sometimes others.

Things are better. Little one had severe nightmares of course, so does Tommy. He constantly dreams that Joel finds them and takes his family away, either by force or by killing them. He knows that despite what he said, he can't kill Joel.

Little One, however, could. If Joel ever showed his face she'd shoot him, because Zach made sure she can shoot now and is always armed. If Joel tried to hurt her, hurt Caleb, hurt her family or take her away from her son, he was dead.

The psychological damage was a lot longer of a healing process. She told June once she'd never be the same... June asked what the same was. All LO had ever known was abuse and violence. So she wouldn't be the same. But she got stronger for Caleb. Tommy was blessing. She wanted for nothing, ever, but especially while healing and the way he raised Caleb was as his son, not his nephew, not the child of his girlfriend and later, his wife. No, that baby boy was his.

Tommy was nervous to approach her about another baby. LO had told him everything, over the course of a several months. It took a long time, because part of Joel's game was humiliation. LO told Tommy not only the violence of the night he beat her while pregnant, but the gritty details. She confessed the things she had 'allowed' Joel to do to her, the sexual humiliation, the sex of her period where he smeared blood and cum all over her face and paraded her out in the open for anyone to see. She also told him the details of what Nick did to her, how he made fun of her for "cumming on her rapists cock" and how she internalized that guilt with Joel. And of course, she told Tommy about what Joel had screamed at her while throwing her around and hanging her.

She told him that she was his 'breeding bitch', how that made her feel like more a baby making machine than a person, how it had hurt to realize Joel saw her as an object to fuck, someone to do chores and someone to bring his sarah back.

Understandably, Tommy didn't want her to feel like that's what she was to him. If she didn't want anymore kids, Tommy would respect that, absolutely... but he wanted more. He also didn't want her to think that Caleb wasn't enough. That little boy was Tommy's son, through and through, little Caleb Thomas and his mom was everything to him, a perfect little man, his buddy. And that was just it. It wasn't that Caleb wasn't enough, it was that he loved Caleb so much, that love made him want more.

Caleb wasn't the only kid in the group. A few stranglers has come and moved into the area, Tommy and Maura taking on leadership in that aspect. Most were families with children. Additionally, Maura and June and Lorenzo and Zach had done a DNA swap of sorts in order for both of them to have children. June had been a surrogate for Zach and Lorenzo to have their son, Mateo, while Lorenzo had provided sperm twice for June to give birth to three children, Alexandra and then twins, Lucas and Lily.

It was years before he brought it up. When he did, he prefaced with an anxiety ridden rant about how she was perfect and Caleb was perfect and how Tommy would be perfectly content and happy the rest of his life without another child but he just wanted her to consider it... and to his surprise you agreed. You told him you trusted him, and you loved him, and you too wanted this while it was still safe for you to have children.

*

"So beautiful, honey. So fucking beautiful." Tommy was panting in your ear as he thrust rapidly; it had been about 20 minuets since the conversation about having more children, and the two of you wasted no time. "Wanted to fill you up for so long, get this pretty pussy just dripping from me."

"Want it too, Tommy, want you to fuck a baby in me" You whine for him, eyes pinched closed until Tommy caressed you face, prompting you to open your eyes.

"Look at me, sweet girl. Look at me." His deep brown eyes stare lovingly at you, hips thrusting in to fill you over and over again. "Want you too look at me when I cum in you, okay? Wanna see those eyes when we make this baby"

You nod, only holding off your own orgasm until after he cums. June had said it helps with conception.

Eyes locked together, bodies connected, hearts bonded forever, Tommy cums inside you with a low groan before chasing your lips for a kiss, still thrusting. You cum on his cock, Tommy whispering gentle praises, hoping it took.

*

You had brought up Sarah first. Tommy had talked about her from time to time, the thought of her painful but he wanted to keep her memory alive. June had taken up drawing and promised when she was good enough, she'd work with him to try and try and sketch of her. Tommy didn't like to talk about Joel, but the reality of it was that Joel is why you met Tommy, Joel was his brother, Joel was the reason you had your son... Joel would always be a part of your story. The agreement became that you and him would talk about Joel from before, Tommy's life before... a different Joel that what he became after Sarah died. Of course, you'd talk about what happened at that house, but that was lead by you.

Kathrine was the name you had agreed to for her first name if it was a girl, but middle names you two couldn't decide. There were plenty you liked but there was one name you wanted, but weren't sure how Tommy would react. Would he be upset by the suggestion?

It wasn't until after delivery from a full-term pregnancy that you brought it up. Tommy had you wrapped in his arms with Caleb sleeping on his lap and little Wren in yours, staring at your beautiful daughter. You did have a lot of feelings about having a girl- this is what Joel wanted... but Tommy wasn't Joel. Tommy was good.

"Well baby, she's here. We better pick a middle name. It's up to you, I don't even care.... she's just perfect as she is. Whatever you want..." Tommy stared at him daughter in wonder.

"What about... Kathrine Sarah?" You ask, tentatively, feeling Tommy turn to you.

"You... you want that? After everything?"

Sarah's death is what caused Joel's first psychotic break. Joel's obsession with her loss is the reason he forced you to carry the pregnancy, throughout which his psychosis only grew to the point of calling the baby Sarah instead of Dolly. Sarah was the reason for a lot of things. "Sarah was an innocent girl who was killed too young. She had nothing to do with Joel. She was your niece, my step daughter, Calebs cousin and sister... She's a part of our family and she deserves to be remembered."

And just when Tommy though he couldn't love you more...

*

You had two more boys after that, Ian and Soren. Caleb was a great older brother to the boys and Wren, he loved his role and was very protective of them and his cousins. Tommy absolutely doted on you during pregnancy, June joking that's why you stayed knocked up. It was so different from Joel, you didn't have to have dinner on the table or have sex when you were sick... you were cared for, your older children were cared for, and you had a community around you, a community you helped support in turn.

You and Tommy had decided this was your last baby. Soren's delivery had been rather difficult, and your blood pressure had started to go up during this pregnancy and although Maura assured you that you had many years of healthy babies left, you just didn't want to risk it, not with the lack of technology; although your community had grown and Lorenzo's connections with Tess had made you all have at least more access to things like prenatal vitamins. At a little after 30 and four wonderful children, it was decided that this would be the last one.

It was a good choice in the end. The baby came 3 and 1/2 weeks early and a long, hard breech birth. The baby was short and slightly underweight but over-all a healthy baby. You wouldn't trade it for the world. Her difficult labor cut out a tough little girl, a spit fire that would give you a run for your money but a brave and compassionate heart. Natural born leader.

Your Ellie June Miller.

@k-ra @koshkaj-blog @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @rubyfruitjungle @pimosworld @the-fox-den

(hey I wrote a sub raider joel x dark reader y'all might like)

[itsalongwaytotipperary]

ok so I rewatched Krester’s first appearance in the show for research purposes (I forgot what he sounded like) and here’s some notes about what I observed! (it’s a lot and also rambling lol) (let me put this under a cut it's a bit long)

Maura moves to help Krester, yes, but she’s standing up before the men even grab him. She senses the danger and immediately wants to help

Ángel moves forward when Krester is grabbed, I know we all know this but djasjhfvakkasllflfdhd!!!! (is it because he feels an innate need to protect him from harm? Does the body remember even if the mind forgets? What does Ángel think is happening?)

Ramiro and Ling Yi seem to have similar plights; they’re both scared for Krester and themselves. I think Ling Yi is more scared for herself (which makes complete sense, she’s in a bad and strange situation and i think the entire time something along the lines of 'what if this happens to me?' is going through her head and that's a scary thought), and Ramiro is probably more worried for Krester. Idk, his eyes just have more sad in them while he watches Krester being dragged away, while Ling Yi’s have more fear

interesting and also something I didn’t notice before: Lucien also moves, not when Krester is grabbed, but just as he’s being dragged away. I can’t tell whether he’s moving forward, shifting in his seat, or sitting back from moving forward, but I think it says something about his experiences or his character. Idk

another thing about Ramiro vs Ling Yi in this scene: even before Krester is grabbed, and then later as he’s being dragged away, Ramiro’s leaning forwards, towards Krester, while Ling Yi is leaning away to try and distance herself from the situation

Virginia (Mrs Wilson) is also uncharacteristically (at least I think so) disturbed at the scene. She's an intriguing character all around and doesn’t show a whole lot of emotion up until she almost jumps of the ship(???) and is pretty unsteady for the rest of season 1. I’d say the emotions on her face are fear, confusion, and maybe a little disgust? Idk, I'm not the best at reading emotions and also disgust might just be her normal face

also to support my Ramiro/Krester agenda: Ramiro is so worried for Krester in this scene? He cares so much for the people around him, even if he doesn’t know them at all. Truly a good man. But also: good ship material

also I want to talk about the costuming of the extras in this scene? Almost everyone is wearing something I also would like to wear. Kudos to the costuming department

also also just want to mention the mural thingy on the wall in the dining room? That’s… an interesting choice for somewhere where people are eating breakfast and chatting

also how smooth the transition is from Krester being dragged away to Ángel’s face as he watches it? cinema

[doodles-with-noodles]

*There is a weird voice in your home that suspiciously seems to come from the fireplace*

I AM BACK! AS A... a... a... A GHOST!!! FEAR ME! (don't check your roof please)

Oh yeah and also I have more questions!

Any characters that are scared of each other?

What are the limits of magic?

Those that have magic, where did they get them from?

Stupidest and/or funniest thing that someone sincerely believes?

Most likely to accidentally join a cult?

How did you get the idea(s) to make these specific characters and stories?

What would any character(s) say if there was a doppelgänger of them and they had to prove they were the real deal?

Alternatively, how would they react to suddenly finding out that they were a doppelgänger and there was someone out there who was them? That they were the one who's not real (so to say)?

If they were animals, what would they be?

Does anyone have any pets?

To finish this totally real job interview, where do they see themselves in ten years?

*I lean forward so far that I fall down the chimney into the fireplace and get up, wiping the ashes off my very professional suit I bought at the dollar store.*

Thank you in advance and you will be hearing from us.

I DIDN‘T INVITE YOU IN *sprays you with holy water* 1. Hilariously enough, Norna and Cecil- at least before the team splits up and they are stuck with each other and become funniest best friends ever. They both think the other is quite intimidating, but working together brings them around.

2. Basically you can go on until your body is destroyed or you konk out. For example, if Mathildis wanted to die he could achieve the same effect as the bombs in the mistletoe project and destroy whole cities, and in theory he could make his light collapse into itself- probably ending a whole lot more than just a city. If we’re talking about stuff he can do without dying it’s making some pretty and very, very hot light. They often put restrictions on users that don’t pass psych exams (although they’re very amateurish).

3. Magic can often be inherited, but there are sometimes also people that just. get them. Religious people say the gods gave it to them. Scientist look at the people’s blood, which have a substance that is called signasteini in them. It also exists as larger magic stones. Research was largely stopped and even lost when the war came- during both, magic users were mostly used for science and warfare.

4. Morris, that he gets spared from marriage just because both of his brothers also aren’t married yet (he isn’t)

Rose, that she just can waltz into Mathildis‘ lecture and ask him about his whole fucking life after and just get a short answer

5. Treeve. He’s just one of these people that’s so fucking used to do whatever they are ordered to.

6. I take a whole looot inspiration and throw it in a blender. Mostly it starts out pretty recognizable, but the longer it mixes and the more ideas I have, the more it becomes my own. Sometimes I just see a cool looking person- sometimes I go „Hey, wouldn’t that be fucked up and cool?“ I also like to make men that don’t have tragically dead wives lol. And flip some stuff on its head in dynamics. AND STRONG WOMEN THAT ACTUALLY HAVE FLAWS. And I go: „Hey, what do I think is horrible and want to talk about (but not directly)?“ and make it into a concept.

7. Mathildis (his one‘s sounds so eerie): the Preusheim disaster.

Maura: Do you remember our first time working together? *launches into a story w information only she could know*

Jules: I know where you carry your amulet.

Lachlan: *describes a baby blanket one of his little brothers had in extreme detail and still almost gets shot (it’s one of his brothers)*

8. Mathildis: COLLAPSE INWARD

Maura: Mental breakdown

Jules: Would probably be terminated by a team

Lachlan: already shot and thrown into the river

9. huhhh hmm……

Mathildis: Raven maybe? Treeve: snake. U get it.

Lachlan: a ram, Morris: bunne, Cian: a dog.

Roscoe: BIGASS BEAR, Maura: BIGASS YAK, Ed: Honey badger, Anthony: BIGASS MOOSE, Cecil: Bleeding heart dove, Norna: Little eagle

Jules: Long eared owl? I think?, Malik: cat (gatito), Charlie: Tiger or smth

10. I was thinking about the museum owning a cat. He’s big and orange and his name is Mr. Whiskers.

11. Mathildis: trying to discover more and more and more and teaching, Treeve: exactly where he is now, Rose: Author

Lachlan: married and kids (and safe from the family crimes), Morris: just doing more on his own, Cian: floating face down in the river after being shot in the head

Roscoe: having a basis for other mind burglars, Maura: taking down corporate shitheads, Ed: doing the same shit with the bonus of being married to Anthony (he’s hearing the wedding bells), Anthony: chemistry teacher, Norna: ENGINEERING, Cecil: working as an astronomer in an observatory

Jules: working as a guide, Charlie: Historian and researcher, Malik: getting his team the credit they deserve

[freydheim]

1889, 1.02- "The Boy"

Hoooo boy was I wrong about the horror vibes. Jumping right into that, Eyk's plotline this episode messed me up. Don't get me wrong, his acting was incredible, and I felt his pain and loss so strongly, but I was on pins and needles throughout the entire sequence down in the ship, when he was following Nina. Until this, the scariest thing I'd seen was the film Crimson Peak, given that horror really isn't usually my thing. I found it really interesting how Eyk also had the triangle in his eye when he first woke, and now I'm wondering if somehow this is an attempt to make these characters remember some past trauma? Maura with the mental institution and Eyk with losing his wife and daughters to that fire?

Speaking of trauma, I'm super convinced that Krester's got something. I'm sure it has something to do with the scar- that sort of thing has got to be traumatic to start with- but I noticed he really didn't respond well at all to his sister walking so quickly toward that side of his face. Was he jumped and ambushed somehow? Attacked for some reason? Not to mention how threatening Ángel has come off in each of their interactions. I could almost get the feeling that he knows something about Krester, and that's why he's so strange toward him. But then, what promise was Tove referencing, and what did Ángel's presence do to make her bring it back up?

Which, Ángel surprised me this episode a lot, to be fair. When he went into that scene with Ramiro in their quarters, I messaged a couple friends who've been getting my live reactions to these episodes, and I told them I thought Ángel was going to kill Ramiro, especially after the scene where Tove threatened him- which I also found interesting. Either that, or they were about to make out, though I figured it would be the former due to the confrontational manner of the scene. Obviously, I was beyond surprised when it was the latter! But, there's nothing in this series so far that's unimportant, and what turned into a sex scene revealed the many scars on Ángel's back. How did they get there? Are they the reason it seems Ángel and Ramiro have run away together? I still don't trust Ángel- especially not with Krester- but I do want to know more about him now.

Turning to the place now where I did suspect there was something not very heterosexual going on, I think I'm changing my mind about Clémence and Lucien. Lucien, for his part, seems to be rapidly growing an interest in Ying Li, and if that is so then the issue with Clémence isn't with his lack of interest in women, but rather something else- perhaps the revelation she does not love him. Likewise, Clémence seems to rapidly be growing an interest in Jérôme, leading me to believe she is interested in men, just not Lucien. So, this is likely still some sort of marriage of convenience, and I stand by the fact that I don't think Lucien really knew this until he tried to sleep with Clémence. Now that he knows, however, he is opening himself up to the idea of another woman. I'm very interested to see how this will play out, and what the reason for their marriage will be revealed to be.

Now... again, the elephant in the room- the mystery at large. It unfortunately appears that we've lost young Ada, Krester and Tove's little sister. Following the beetle seems to be a bad idea on this ship, as it led her straight to Daniel, who apologises to her. Later, it looks as though they've found her dead body. But this is the same beetle that lead Maura to find the Boy, and lead Eyk to his vision about his family. So perhaps the beetle is not an ill-omen, but what if it leads those who follow it to some sort of truth? I theorized above that perhaps these characters were being led to recall past traumas, and now I wonder if this beetle has something to do with it. I'm still not sure that I trust Daniel, especially given what happened to Ada when she followed the beetle to him, but I am intrigued by him- and whatever that WandaVision feeling stuff was at the end. Security cameras on a ship in 1899? We may be in for some wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, folks. Stay tuned!

But now, I want to know what you think! Drop your thoughts in the replies below, or feel free to reblog with your own commentary :) You know I always want to hear from you, and I hope I will! Until next the next one- skål!

[thetearlingqueen]

Beneath the Keep Ch. 10 Thoughts

Below there will be spoilers for the Tearling trilogy as well as up to chapter 10 of Beneath the Keep. Please do not read this post if you haven’t yet read all that. :) 

This chapter was very sad. I think what made it the most sad for me is that so many people in real life die the way the unnamed woman died. So many people are abused or live in horrible conditions that lead them to substance abuse that causes them to overdose and die or kills their body slowly until it just gives out. I know it’s often intertwined with sex work or trafficking and this story is all three of those things.  Hearing Ms. Evans refer to the young woman as “property” multiple times was also a special kind of infuriating. Sickening, again because there are people in real life who view other people that way.  The mention of the little girl Gwyn (If I remember correctly, E.J. loves to give me names I can’t spell or remember haha) was again, sickening. Lazarus’s thoughts about how she would live her life “on her back” was just, gut twisting. I can’t even imagine a little child having sex, let alone her whole life being forced around that with older men she doesn’t even know. I think these chapters bring out all the very most sensitive sides of me and I know I have expressed these feeling before in these little chapter “reviews’. (They aren’t real reviews let’s be honest haha)  Lazarus getting ahold of his iconic mace was satisfying. I was also surprised by the concern Ms. Evans and the enforcer seemed to show for him, even as incredibly shallow as it was. It was probably just because everyone is terrified of him. 

This chapter confirmed that indeed something terrible is going on with Maura. I still don’t think it will turn out good for her. I think her character is going to be sacrificed to develop Lazarus’s own character but I still find it rather sad. And I am sure that’s the point. I wonder if we will find out what has happened to her or if it will be a mystery, like in real life when people go missing. 

[neon-nocte]

Arielle re-reads The Dream Thieves (via audiobook)

I literally don’t care if anyone reads this, it’s fun. Also to set the scene 90% of the time I have been listening to this audiobook I have been playing animal crossing

Declan’s Aglionby dorm door reads “effervescent.” Yes ma’am

Declan pointing a gun at the grey man!! God I am excited for more badass Declan in mister impossible

“Ronan, a sinner himself, wasn’t as struck by the transgression as he was by Gansey’s insistence that they continue to pretend Adam was a saint.” (Ch 3) — and earlier in the chapter, the narration reflected that Ronan’s leather bracelets smelled like gasoline, which Ronan found sexy. I love me some “Ronan Lynch is in love with Adam Parrish” foreshadowing!!!!

Also, just the way Ronan Knows Adam. Adam’s “unknowable” arc, and the above quote, and when Blue says she doesn’t know Adam during their breakup scene, and in TRK when Adam talks to Gansey about his first kiss with Ronan, Gansey says that Adam knows Ronan better but Gansey has known Ronan longer.

“Blue was a fanciful but sensible thing, like a platypus, or one of those sandwiches that had been cut into circles for a fancy tea party.” (Ch 10) — omfg I cannot believe this quote isn’t more famous in this fandom. I’m obsessed[[more]]

The way that Maura & The Grey Man have instant chemistry... could’ve been Blue & Gansey’s dynamic if she wasn’t so stubbornly “choosing” Adam

The way the Adam-mask-dream scene parallels & foreshadows the Adam-choking-Ronan scene from TRK....

The entirety of 1) Ronan writing on the rock in Cabeswater 2) Ronan dreaming of Adam in the mask and 3) the gang visiting the barns for the first time scenes are soooo good

Gansey in a t-shirt and jeans and both Ronan and Blue are a little ☺️😮 at seeing his collarbones

Ah yes the Classic “Ronan wasn’t a fan of lamps”

How Gansey holding the sleeping mouse reminded Ronan of being at the barns with Matthew as a kid.... Ronan Lynch has 3 brothers and that’s canon 😭

Adam finding the mask in the house at the barns and Ronan knocking it put of his hands, then hating everything about the house and his father and himself. 😭Cant really tell Adam “don’t mess with this particular dream object because it fucked you over in my dream and I can’t stand that because I’m in love with you, which is the whole reason why you were in my dream to begin with.”

Do you ever get that strange sense of deja vu when rereading a book and getting to a scene you don’t remember well until you read it again?

Blue going back & forth on whether Gansey was “oblivious” or “enlightened” during the argument about tarot & religion. I forgot how fun it is to watch Blue’s opinion of Gansey evolve in real time. She wants to hate him, to find him annoying, but he just keeps surprising her

Ronan cracking up at the obvious show of “men being attracted to women” when Adam & Gansey are all awed over Orla during the lake scene always sends me

Some things want to be found. !!!!!!!

I had forgotten that Ronan had dreamed about Adam tracing his tattoo on his bare back with his fingers! Foreshadowing to TRK!!!!

Seeing Adam incredibly nervous for the event with Gansey’s family one moment and then cracking the fuck up at the conversation about the pigeon show with Malory the next moment made me happy!

Mmm Blue admitting to herself that she is crushing on Gansey and NOT on Adam, finally we can get this show on the road. And by show I mean both Bluesey and Pynch

It’s the Blue picturing the dreaming tree vision of kissing Gansey to get in the mood for her kissing practice with Noah for me

The Adam/Blue breakup scene is so fucking iconic... for some reason “it’s not gonna be you” has always been hilarious to me

Adam, honey.... we should all be raging feminists. regardless of whether we are dating blue sargent.

I loveeeeeeeeee the Adam & Persephone dynamic and I’m so excited to see more of it in BLLB even tho :/ happens

I cannot stop myself from grinning like a fool during chapter 50 as Fully Psychic Adam refuses the narrative that his 3-card spread tells and pulls a 4th card. The magician!!! Yes boo!

When Adam asks Persephone if he’s different and she tells him that he already was but not the others won’t be able to stop noticing. Makes me think about Ronan, and how this is really when his & Ronan’s friendship changes, so it’s interesting that this occurs literally the very next scene after Adam’s breakup with blue

Scholar Gansey is my favorite Gansey too Blue

Blue & Gansey’s “let’s just pretend” scene 😭😭😭😭

Blue just trying to remain sensible the one time it actually fucking matters, he’s gonna be dead within the year! But she can’t resist! Because Gansey is canonically her soulmate 😭😭😭

Sometimes I get so into pynch that I forget how fucking tragically beautiful the Bluesey story is. They’re so good I love them so much

If I’m ever in a situation where I’m like “I’m not sure if I’m meant to be with This person or That person” I just need to reread all of the Bluesey scenes in this book for clarity

disregard all of the above my favorite ship in the series is blue Sargent/pink switchblade

“Gansey, who had looked aghast at the idea of the Grey Man having to abandon his books...” (ch 54) — god I love Gansey

Thinking about the TDT Ronan who is just learning how to control what he takes from his dreams vs CDTH Ronan who is like Hennessy’s Dreaming Professor

In other words, Ronan is to Hennessey in CDTH what Persephone is to Adam in TDT/BLLB. Or what Kavinsky is to Ronan minus literally everything about him besides his knowledge of how to dream

I remember when I first read this series I was lowkey shook at the “Ronan’s second secret was Adam” part even though it was obvious by then that Ronan was 1) gay and 2) gay for Adam. But as a lesbian who has been burned by queerbaiting so many times I was like yay! The bar is so low I stg

BLLB is the Book of Pining within the series so that will be extremely fun to listen to

[typicalmidnightsoul]

We want spank scenes please boo❤️️ (All Nessian) and a cute possessive after scene but I ain't picky.

you got it nonnie (i just wrote this so its probably bad)

Possessive much?

contains spanking. NSFW do u want part 2?

this is also a The Raven Cycle crossover 

esta walked down the steps of Rita's, Adam Parrish resting on her arm.

She was mad, but not the spitting rage that usually consumed her, no. This was Nesta Archeron's signature rage that got her the title of Ice Queen. This was rage was dark blue velvet sliding across ice. It's the euphoric burn as freezing hands meet scalding water. And thank god she dressed the part too. A champagne satin dress clung to her curves, as diamonds glittered on her ears.

"Pobre princesita..." Ronan said from Nesta's other side, "need us big boys to help you get revenge on your darling beau?"

Nesta shot her head to him, "Since when do you know how to speak Spanish?"

Adam cocked a brow, "Why? What did he say?"

"The bastard called me a poor little princess." she muttered to him.

"Staying with you since we were kids has an effect Nessie." Ronan answered Nesta shoved him playfully. "Why are we here anyway? Aren't you an independent woman?" He asked while laughing.

"Gansey told me to take you two away because you're not giving Gansey any alone time."

Adam snorted, "Sounds like him."

Cassian finally spotted her from across the side of the hall and walked over. She nodded her head at Adam and Ronan who dispersed straight away. Cassian crossed over to her, "Baby I told you I was busy tonight, why are you here?" She gave him a clandestine smile, "I did not need to hear you talk to me for a few seconds to know where you would be, mi amor. I’m here to have a good time. Not be your side line cheerleader.”

He sighed, “Nesta I’m doing a favour for Mor and Rita I won’t be able to pay as much attention to you as I normally do. I’m here on a job you need to understand that my team needs me to-“

“Get over yourself, Cassian” she shrilled in a sing-song voice. He looked as if she struck him then. And Nesta smiled in a way her abuelita would be proud: “Rip out his fragile ego with freshly manicured nails, mi nieta.” She always said.

But she did have a job to do while she was here; Colin Greenmantle was a man who often troubled Blue and her mother. He also had ordered the killing of Niall Lynch, and Nesta coming from a family of Spanish mobsters and considering Niall as a father figure to her wanted revenge. She needed to know his weak spots and who the man underneath that coat of charisma was.

Ronan subtly pointed her in the direction of a man on the bar. She nodded and walked over.

She took a seat a few feet away from him.

“Can I have a virgin mojito please?”

Colin’s aquamarine eyes slid to her, “No alcohol on an opening night?”

She cocked her head sensually at him, “Alcohol makes me forget my nights, and I have no intention of forgetting this one.”

He chuckled, “Indeed. What’s your name darling?”

She opted for her middle name and her mother’s maiden name, she didn’t know if this man knew Gansey but if he did then he would know of the friendship between Gansey and Nesta

“Adelina Donahue.”

Her eyes slid to his hand, “Shame you’re married. I’d have made some memories with you. Who’s the lucky girl and why isn’t she here?”

Colin smiled, “Woah little bird, slow down, you’re chirping a bit too much. Slow down, live in the moment.”

“Oh? And how would I do that?”

“By letting me buy you a drink.”

She made a show of tipping her head back and considering letting her layered dirt blonde hair dance in the golden chandelier lights.

“Alright, I’ll bite. But remember no alcohol.”

Colin smiled pulling out a card that stated, “VIP Rita’s Gold member.”

She smiled, “Oh you have a membership here.”

He nodded handing it over to the bartender. Nesta was beside herself with glee, all she had to do was hack into the database to find out all his personal information. Hopefully Blue and Maura would feel safer having some leverage over him.

A tap on her shoulder, “A word Lady?”

Nesta inwardly groaned, it was Brady one of Cassian’s team members.

She smiled at him seething and excused herself.

“What do you want Brady?” She sniped.

“You have a death wish, flirting with men in front of Cassian. Do you want Cassian to start? He was this close to beating him black and blue and Raynard managed to drag him to the back. Could you please go talk to him and explain-“

Nesta was still mad at him. He’d been off for the past 3 weeks, coming home and not talking, going off with the likes of Raynard and Brady to different posts helping out with this bloody grand opening. She understood that he is the owner of a multi-billion dollar security company and they have big clients like MI6 and CIA but that never stopped him from at least smiling at Nesta and telling her he loved her.

And in true Nesta fashion, instead of crying and sulking she tried to show him that she didn’t need him, but every time she tried to hurt him she ended up hurting herself. It wasn’t her fault that whenever she tried to talk to him he closed up or left.

So she came to the conclusion that he was preparing them both for their break up. But then why was he jealous-?

Nesta shook her head and said to Brady, “You go and tell your boss that all I’m doing is a background check for a friend. That man is dangerous and instead of looking at me he should do his job.”

“With you swaying your hips in that dress he can hardly focus on anything, least of all his job.”

She tightened his bow, “Oh sweetie, he can. He’s been doing it for the past 3 weeks. Possessive mode has just been turned on as soon as someone else has their hands on something that is his.”

Brady rolled his eyes, “Nesta please just…”- she walked away.

She walked over to Adam who looked at her, “You ok?”

She smiled to herself. Nesta had found that since she started dating Cassian and had been introduced to Feyre’s circle she was unknown. But with her friends…they knew what was going on so they never left her alone with them. That had pissed Cassian off on many occasions because it wasn’t abnormal that she’d spend the whole day in his friends presence but she’d be talking to Gansey.

Cassian had been really insecure about Gansey at first. But Nesta would never sacrifice her friendship with Gansey and Cassian never made her choose. Gansey was Nesta’s ‘backyard boy’, he’d told her which car to buy, they’d gone to school together, he could always count on Nesta to go on last minute hiking trips with him.

Adam, Noah, Ronan, Blue, Henry, Cresseida, Eris, Audrey, Clare.... They stuck to her.

Nesta smiled at Adam, “No but I’ll get through.”

Adam chuckled, “It isn’t easy with Blue as a girlfriend either.”

Nesta hesitated but knew to keep her mouth shut. She knew that there was something going on with Gansey and Blue but she chose not to say anything. She also wandered if Ronan and Adam-

She couldn’t think about that now.

“I’ll be coming back tonight and finish this.”

Adam’s smile died, “No Nesta-“

“You’ve got to cover for me Adam, I promise if anything happens you’ll be the first person I call but this is for Blue.”

Adam hesitated but he knew this was better than Nesta doing it and not telling anyone. He nodded.

She nodded too, “Tonight, then.”

Nesta had tucked her long hair into the back of her black full length bodysuit. The bodysuit itself had a single chain down the middle.

She walked to the bar, her red bottom heels clinking slightly. Ok, ok she had no reason to wear her heels but it could prove to be a good weapon if her training failed her plus she looked hella hot.

She  opened the door on the counter top and started typing on the computer-

The lights flicked on.

She twirled on her heel knowing who exactly was there.

She rolled her eyes at the hulking figure with a body sculpted like a Greek god. She pulled her hair out fluffing it around her, clicking her heels toward him.

"Well, well. What do you want Cassian?" she crossed her arms the thin bodysuit not fighting and pushing up her cleavage.

"You know this is illegal right, Nesta? You know that, for this exact reason, Rita asked me to look after the bar for tonight? So people don't go prying into her more prestigious customers personal accounts." Nesta was shook. Cassian rarely called Nesta by her name but when he did...

Nesta flipped a lock over her shoulder, "So what are you gonna do? Cuff me?"

Please do.

His long strides ate up the distance between them until Cassian was standing a breath away from her. His fingers lightly played with the zip near the base of her throat.

Too long, she had been waiting for this for too damn long.

She looked up into his golden eyes and balked. He was angry. If Cassian pulled down that zip she knew she was going to be begging tonight.

And that's exactly what he did.

The zip clearly gave way to her ample cleavage, showing off the the lacy underthings in the deepest shade of red.

Her patience snapped as she moved closer to him grabbing his other hand and shoving it into her back pocket. His nails dug into the soft flesh of her ass as she pulled his head down kissing him with the ferocity of almost a months worth of sexual tension.

His hand came up and curled around her throat. She gasped. She shouldn't have riled him up.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Wrong. With. You" He snarled his hands wrapping tighter with each word.

She ignored him trying to soother the dull roar in the back of her head by rubbing her thighs together. His eyes flicked down to what she was doing and a muscle flickered in his jaw. One of his big hands slid down her body and pried her thighs apart.

"Baby please..." she whined. Her nickname for him had no effect on him whatsoever. His face didn't shift at all.

He raised a brow. "What?" He stepped closer to her. Close enough that Nesta had to fully tilt her head back to look at him. His hand still hadn't moved from her throat. She loved getting him worked up to the point where he decided what she needed. Where he decided what she'd get.

"I-I need you..."

He used his other hand to pull her hair tilting her head back to look at him even more as a look of mock consideration took over his face.

"Hmmmm do you though?" He fisted her hair in his hand as she nodded.

He saw the look of utter desperation in her eyes and relented.

"Let me make a call. Then we leave."

That was all the warning he gave her before he let go of his grips and she almost tumbled. He smirked going into the backroom and bringing out his phone.

Nesta slowed her breathing to her his conversation,

"Yeah Mor, I can't really do it today don't worry I'll send Brady over."

Those names alone made her see red, as she gathered herself unknown to the fact that Cassian could hear the click of her heels.

He chuckled on the phone, "Yeah Nesta is demanding my attention," he said to Mor.

"Wasn't she talking to another guy today?" She asked.

Cassian slowly walked over and leaned against the doorway his eyes lining her curves as she bent over the table typing on the computer again.

"She was trying to figure out his weaknesses since she has issues with him." He answered.

"MAKE HER PAY, sexually of course." he heard Rita say in the back.

"babe Nesta was just talking-" Mor started.

"MAKE HER PAY!" Rita said again, laughter lining her voice.

it wasn't until Cassian said in full seriousness,

"Will do." That Rita went silent, Mor chuckled nervously saying-

"I'll text Brady." Cassian said watching as Nesta hacked into the database. And ended the call.

Nesta was about to click on Colin Greenmantle's name when she felt hands pulling her hair.

"I thought I had made it very clear what I wanted Nesta." He snarled in her ear.

Nesta shivered, her hands becoming slack as Cassian pushed his bulge into her ass.

"Wait in my car."

She zipped up her bodysuit, not giving Cassian a single look before strutting off to where his car was.

The car ride home was tense.

Nesta's head was digging into the back of the seat as Cassian gripped her thigh, playing with the flesh moving closer and closer to where she wanted him.

The expression on her face was cold but she could tell from Cassian's face that he knew what the fuck he was doing.  

She knew very well what was going to happen. And damn if she wasn't looking forward to it.

He pulled up in their driveway and jerked his head motioning for her to go upstairs.

Fine if he didn't want to talk to her then she could piss him off even more by getting angry with him.

She slammed the car door and ignored his questioning look, slicking her heels onto the gravel and chucking the front door of their large house checking that the cook, maid and pool cleaner had gone home she strutted upstairs. And soon heard heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs. He was fuming.

"Nesta." He growled.

"yes?"  She said patronizingly.

His rage took over him slowly as he sat down at the edge of the bed. Then in one smooth motion he grabbed her wrist and slammed her onto his lap.

She gasped as he slowly peeled her bodysuit off her revealing the lacy underwear she was wearing.

He hooked a finger through them as she squirmed,

"You won't need these any more." He pulled them down.

HIs hand came on the back of her neck as he said,

"You're gonna count every time I spank you."

"Fuck no." She sneered still trying to squirm out of his grip.

He chuckled disbelievingly folding his sleeves back.

"For every one you don't count, the amount you get is going up by 5"

She gasped and was about to look at him in disbelief before his hand fisted her hair making it impossible for her to move.

"Let's start with 5."

The first hit came down with a crack as she moaned her face scrunching up a pain tingled up her spine. she still refused to count as he squeezed her flesh.

He chuckled, "10"

He slapped her ass again, and she knew that he had taken up the intensity tenfold as she also knew her ass was probably rosy now. She felt her own cheeks warming up.

"15." He counted as her numbers went up.

His spanks now became hard enough to make her jerk forward involuntarily, her bra shifted from it's original place and she begged Cassian to fix it.

"I have a better idea," he said as he unclipped the back. He ran a finger down her spine.

"Have you noticed how you immediately arch your back when my finger runs down it?"

She shivered as his hands went over the red flesh of her hands, "Perfect for my..." Slap "ministrations."

She cried out jerking forward again her tits bouncing against his thighs.

"C'mon Nesta, you won't be able to survive more than 20. Count."

She ignored him and just to prove she could she didn't count. The next spank was so hard though that she would've slipped out of his grasp if it wasn't tight enough.

He said, "30" and then waited.

She begrudgingly said, "1"

She could practically feel the ego rippling off him.                                                                              

His hand came down on her again.

"Ohhhhhh" she wined as he tugged her hair once and she remembered, "2."

The rest of the time had been filled with her humiliating whines and mewls.

As she neared the end she could not hold back the whines begging him to fuck her, fuck her now.

"29, please, please, please, Cass, baby please I'm sorry."

She gasped as his hand came down on her one last time she let out, "30" in a whisper and dropped down limp.

He rubbed and squeezed her ass slowly working her through the pain. Breathing deeply as he picked her up cradling her close. He pushed them both back on the bed, under the sheets as she smiled against his chest. He stripped his clothes and pulled her close.

"baby" he whispered, "Are you-"

"Too tired for sex baby. Wake me up at 4am when I regain energy."

He chuckled, "I was gonna ask if you were ok?"

She nodded snuggling closer. "I love you." he said.

"I love you Cass." She said.

Her phone dinged multiple times and Cassian picked it up.

25 messages from Blue❤️️ ❤️️❤️️ ❤️️:

Nesta are u still fighting with Cassian?

NESTA DON'T DO SOMETHING FOOLISH

NESTAAAAAAAAA

omg adam just told me

I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU I WILL CALL CASSIAN.

ive called him

Can you text me and tell me if Cassian has killed you or not or vice versa??

PLEASE ANSWER

Cassian chuckled taking a picture of him and Nesta.

'ALL covered'  he said.

-------------------------------------

@skychild29

@aesthetics-11

@perseusannabeth

[aflawedfashion]

Two episodes in a row where Maura has a potential romantic interest and Jane gets jealous

Jane, ask yourself why you are like this

[puzzle-piece-angel]

So have finally written a complete backstory on who are Maura’s parents, how they meet and why they moved. It’s going to be a long post so I’m sorry if it’s too long.

Maura Ni Iceadha

Her homeland:

    Maura was born on the Island of the Gales. A giant island nation with lots of nature all around them. From the Mountains to the ocean, the people treasure their land. The people celebrate all of nature’s blessings, including magic for it is a part of nature.

    Maura was born into a clan of healers, druids that focus on healing those they serve and they serve the high king of their clan.With this background, Maura had a very good upbringing. However this upbring will affect her in the way she sees the world.

Family:

 Maura is an only child. She would have had two older brothers but they would never meet each other. Maura’s two brothers were still born babies. However, their short presence on this earth wasn’t erased. Her parents would talk to Maura about how she wished she could have met them but it just wasn’t their time yet. Maura thinks about how cool her brothers could have been and wished that they were ok in the great beyond.

Maura’s Father, Dean, was going to one of the best field doctors in his clan. He wanted to fight the enemy and heal his friends/family in battle. But when he met Maura’s mother, Anne, he changed his mind. He fell in love with her by just the sight of her. He remembers it will, Anne was dancing in the street at one of the festivals. 

“She was a foreigner in the land but she moved with more grace then any woman I ever knew. But what attracted me more to her was her passionate enegry. Every move she made was with a smile. A smile that can brighten a whole room.” -Dean

Anne doesn’t remember that at all. She was just focused and enjoying herself. Dean did ask her out that night and Anne turned him down right away. Anne wanted to focus on her career as part of her family’s traveling dancing trope. She wanted to see the world (at this point she saw a lot but she still had wonderlust) and she didn’t want to settle down yet. Dean respected her wishes and hoped she had a good time at the festival. Anne was surprised at how cool he was being turned down. Most men that she has met won’t give up and keep trying to pursue her. Yet he didn’t. She thought that he was very strange.

Later that night, the two ran into each other again. This time at the local pub. It was awkward until Dean broke the ice and asked if she liked the town so far. She was on guard because she didn’t know if he was trying to ask her out again. But he never did. He gave every ounce of respect and apologized if he was out of line. Anne never had experienced a man just trying to be casual with a woman that turned him down. She was very curious about him.

Soon they became close. Sharing stories over some beverages, laughing at jokes, exploring the land together, and learning each others passion (Anne is in Jewelry making and for him is playing the bagpipes). Anne didn’t fall in love with Dean until Dean stopped a deadly monster encounter on their way to drop off Anne to her family’s camp. Not only did he save her life but after that he didn’t want to leave the camp. He wanted to  help protect her family if more monsters came around. His devotion to helping people even though it would put him in danger. 

Anne finally asked him out. Shocked him but he happily accepted.

“I can’t believe how kind and noble he is. I never really attract that kind of person. And him wanting to help and protect my family, the people that I hold dearest, just tipped the scales. He’s a great person no matter what, but helping a family of Gypsies is too low for some people but not him.” -Anne

Moving to a new country:

Maura’s family decided to move after they heard of rumors of rebellions and invaders coming to the Gales. Anne and Dean didn’t want to raise a family in a war zone, if it happens. Thankfully,Anne has family in Vesuvia. Being Vesuvia is peaceful is a good place for Maura to learn more about different kinds of magic and choose her own path. After some thinking and talking about it, they got all they could bring and moved to Vesuvia.

[libralita]

April Wrap Up | 2018

So, this wasn’t the greatest month. The past few months I was getting better at reading books that I’ve already own for a long time. This month I didn’t really do that. It also doesn’t feel like I’ve read that many books. I know I read 11 books but it still feels like I haven’t read that much. There were also some books that I didn’t really enjoy and I also got sick in the middle of the month so that hindered my ability to enjoy the books. By the end of the month, things started to pick back up.

The first book that I read was Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa:

This was a bind up of the first three volumes in this series. I really liked it! I loved the characters. Even the side characters like Roy and Armstrong were amazing. I love Armstrong more than life itself. I also like Edward and Al. Their backstory and their relationship is great. The world is fascinating. The humor is amazing. I laughed so much in this book. The visual humor to the jokes were so great. I cannot wait to continue on with this series. I gave it five out of five stars.

The next book I read was Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater:

This book was pretty good. We starting to get very close to figuring out the mystery of the raven king. We get more development of Ronan and Adam. I’m glad that Adam finally realizes that Gansey doesn’t do what he does out of charity but out of friendship. Ronan is starting to soften. We found Maura but Neeve is gonna fuck shit up with Piper. So onto the last book.

Then I finished the Raven Cycle series with The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater:

Like all the books, this book was about the same quality as the rest of the series. Like there was nothing that really shocked me or wowed me. I did bump this down to three stars because Gansey didn’t die. I’m starting to realize that I really hate it when authors build stuff up and do a boring fake out. I think this book would have been much more powerful if Gansey had just died. But nope. We had to have the happy ending. It’s so annoying. The rest of the story was fine. I don’t know if I’ll read any more Stiefvater books. All Crooked Saints looks interesting but after this series I’m not really eager to read it. We’ll see.

Then I did a 24 hour read-a-thon so if you want to see those books then go here: link

I did a read-a-thon and the only book that I completed was Vol. 1 by Joe Keatinge:

This wasn’t my thing. The art was unappealing to me. The backgrounds were generally pretty good but the people just looked so ugly. The main character’s face was too gaunt. Her brother looked weird. Everyone just looked ugly. Sometimes the flashbacks looked nice but even then there were moments where it was just ugly. The story was boring and I wasn’t invested for in the main character. Not for me. 2 out of five stars. So that read-a-thon didn’t really work out.

Then I picked up Turtles All the Way Down by John Green:

It’s been many years since I’ve picked up a John Green book. I struggled with book, because I have anxiety and reading about anxiety makes me anxious. So feeling like I was choking was not fun. I also found Daisy really annoying. Like I didn’t realize how much I didn’t care about Star Wars until this book. Like holy shit did I not care and as far as I can tell it’s just there to be quirky. I enjoy some moments. It had some good lines like when Davis says how when you’re lonely you think about all the times when people were bothering you. And I also really enjoyed the stuff about Aza drinking soap. It just felt easier to separate myself from Aza so I could actually enjoy the plot. There are other things I could go into but overall I gave this book three out of five stars.

Next I read Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 2 by Hiromu Arakawa:

This one was really cool. We got to see a lot of Al and Edward’s backstory. We see them growing up and losing their mother. Then training with Izumi. Ed becoming a state Alchemist. The love of my life, Hughes, died which is depressing but the great thing about this series is that every character is the love of my life so it doesn’t matter. I’m starting to have conflicting feelings about Mustang because he was a bit of a jerk to Ed but…he’s still great so we’ll see. I know my thoughts are a bit all over the place. Point being that I really enjoyed this book and I gave this book five out of five stars.

Then I slogged through A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab:

Y’know how people say “Ugh, men are so bad at writing female characters?” these people have never read a V.E./Victoria Schwab book. Oh my god, I hated Lila so much. The world and Kell were super interesting characters. I liked the other side characters like Rhy and Holland, even Rhy’s parents. But I was hoping that someone would slit Lila’s throat throughout the entire book. She was so insufferable. She sunk this book from a four, maybe five star book to a three. I’m not going to continue on with this series.

Next I read Tokyo Ghoul: re Vol. 4 by Sui Ishida:

While there were a little too many plotlines for my liking I still really enjoyed this book. I’m happy to see Shu and more about his backstory. He’s even more of a crazy fucker. We got a cute Christmas short and a new character named Hairu who’s cute and awesome. Touka is gonna murder Shu in the book. I gave this book five out of five stars.

Then I picked up the third bind up of Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa:

Ahhhhhh this was so good! Volume seven really ended with a bang revealing that Bradley is a sinner. Then it’s later revealed (and I called it) that he’s Wrath. Holy shit that’s such a good plot twist and I loved it. Volume eight was a little meh but still good. And then volume nine was back to form with an epic action scenes. Then it hits you with the feels with Roy killing Maria. And the kids confronting Mrs. Hughes about her husband’s death. It’s sad and amazing and I loved everything about it. God this series is amazing.

Next I randomly reread Cinder by Marissa Meyer:

This held up better than expected. I remember being annoyed that the book was predictable. There’s a missing princess and female protagonist. Two totally unrelated things. But it actually wasn’t that bad. The politics are a little…questionable but it honestly is still a solid four star book. I really enjoyed this one and happy I decided to finally reread this book.

For my critical thinking class I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy:

It was a really good book. It was so depressing and horrifying at times because cannibals but it was also hopeful. I really enjoyed it and teared up at the end. It was just so interesting. I can’t even describe it. Five out of five stars.

This wasn’t the worst month for reading but I think it could have been better. Hopefully next month I’ll read more and better books.

[deathsteel]

This Ain’t a Scene Its a Goddamn Drag Race

A RuPaul Drag Race AU ft your favorite gay angel and bisexual himbo

~Part One~ 

“It’s starting!” he called, wiggling deeper into his usual spot on the couch as he pulled the afghan his brother had knitted for him tighter over his shoulders. “You’re gonna miss it!” 

The commercial on the screen ended and the familiar logo for the show flashed across the screen. 

“Previously on Drag Race…”

“Goddamnit, we have a DVR,” the other man said, skidding into the room with a gigantic bowl of popcorn in his hands. He flopped down and tugged on the corner of the afghan until the first man relinquished a corner of it to him. “You coulda paused it. Did you start the recording? I told your brother we’d record it.”

“Yes, I’m recording it,” the first man sighed, reaching over to snag some popcorn. “It’s not like we didn’t already see all this happen anyway.”

“It’s all in the editing, gummy bear.” the smaller man snarked right back as the intro segment went through its familiar rigamarole on the screen before them. “Now, shush up.”

The other man grumbled in reply, but smiled around his pilfered popcorn. 

Holly Cummunion didn’t bother to hide her smile when she waggled her fingertips at Maura Less as she was sashaying away. She knew the camera would catch her acting like a shady bitch, which wouldn’t win her the crown for Miss Congeniality, but she couldn’t help celebrating the fall of the two-faced monster  that was ‘Destraura’. The fact that the other contestant leaving would make Tasha happy too was just an unintended consequence. 

“Ladies,” Gabby Reale called, garnering the attention of the five remaining contestants after Maura had finally dragged her saggy ass off of the runway. “I hope you take the judges' critiques to heart going forward. You’re my final five, so if you’re still thinking that less is more, well...”

Gabby ended the subtle dig at the eliminated contestant with a coy twist of her shoulders that made the sequins on her deep red ball gown sparkle. 

Holly swallowed hard as she remembered that she had been critiqued heavily by the guest judge for not wearing enough makeup to cover her five o’clock shadow and nodded along solemnly with the other queens. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been in the bottom two, at this point even the littlest things could mean you were lip syncing for your life. 

“And remember, if you can’t love yourself then how in the hell are you gonna love anybody else? Can I get an ay-men?!” Gabby recited, raising her hand up like Sister Mary Clarence feeling the holy spirit move her. 

“Ay-men!” Holly recited along with the other girls, waiting for Gabby’s call of “Now let the music play!” before rushing over to gather Kim Chi  close to her in a celebratory hug.

“Girl you slayed it!” Holly whispered in her ear, referring to the lip sync battle that the other queen had just won against Maura Less. They’d sung Britney Spears’ Toxic, which was poetic because Maura had been bragging about her Britney skills the whole damn competition, even done a passable impersonation in the Snatch Game. 

Kim just showed her teeth and pulled Holly out onto the runway to dance with her, filming the scene that would play with the end credits of the episode when it aired on T.V. She didn’t have to force a smile as she danced, despite how tired she was, after all she was one step closer to becoming America’s next drag superstar. 

The quintet made it back to the workroom to find ‘You betta werk, E! #Destraura4Lyfe’  scrawled on the mirror in bright pink lipstick. Holly just rolled her eyes at that because no surprise there, trust Maura to be a fucking troll to the bitter end. 

“Well it’s sweet she left us all personal messages,” Kim said sarcastically, snagging up the spray bottle of glass cleaner that had been left on the workspace for her and spraying it liberally over Maura’s parting words. “Bye, bye bye, bitch.”

The other four queens watched in relative silence as Kim finished her task; Dianne Tawank started fidgeting with the tape that was holding up her strapless dress and Holly couldn’t wait to kick off her heels even if wandering around the workroom in her hose would ruin them. 

“Sorry your incestuous little clique got broken up, Momma,” Tasha Salad drawled in Eva Destruction’s direction as the other queen watched Kim’s cleaning with a despondent look on her face. “Guess you’ll have to groom another kitten to play with.”

“I’m not your ‘Momma’, Potato,” Eva Destruction snapped, using the derivative nickname that she and Maura had been calling Tasha behind her back since the beginning of the competition. 

Holly was pretty sure it was the first time the other queen had heard it used to her face because Tasha’s mouth dropped open in pretty genuine looking shock before her expression morphed into fury. 

“Just being respectful to my elders,” Tasha retorted, glancing over at the now clean mirror before storming towards her area of the work room that held her wigs and gowns and many, many trunks of shoes. “But I guess the opera gloves are coming off, Evil.”

Dianne snorted into her hand and rolled her eyes at the other two queens before she dismissed them both and started gingerly tugging at the tape on her dress so that she could take it off. Though her chest was waxed, the other queen still winced as she rolled her skin tight purple dress down her body; revealing angry red marks from the tape, painted on cleavage, padding attached to the inner lining of her dress, and a toned body that Holly couldn’t help but spare a glance at as she moved towards her own makeup kit that held her cold cream near the mirror. 

She’d been single for almost five years, she was fucking allowed to look. Dianne just winked at her in the reflection of the mirror before she swanned over to her where her wig styling head was and started tugging at the edges of her ginger, lace-front wig. 

“Oh, can’t we all just get along, girls?” Holly asked Kim rhetorically, earning a girlish giggle from her as she bounced around in her platform heels causing the tutu she was wearing to flutter prettily. 

Holly presumed the other queen was running on leftover adrenaline from her near-miss with elimination, but her excess energy could also be due to the fact that Kim was about ten years younger than her. God, she made her feel old. 

“What-ever,” Eva scoffed, kicking her heels off without a care to the fact that one of the size 13s almost caught Kim in her shin. “You can’t even be bothered to scrape off that sandpaper on your chin so excuse me if I don’t think you’re the best person to be leading a kumbaya drum circle.”

“Just cause I live on the west coast,” Holly replied evenly, leaning in close to the mirror so she could start smearing cold cream over her jawline. “Doesn’t mean I’m a hippie, so fuck you. And my jaw may be rough, but at least it doesn’t rub as bad as watching my girlfriend get sent home by a teenager. Does it, Mother-dear?”

“Bitch, what’d I just say?” Eva started, rounding quickly on Holly until the older queen was looming menacingly behind her in the mirror.

“Now, now, ladies,” Dianne chided in her clipped British accent as she shimmied the rest of her way out of her dress; draping it carefully over a dress form before she started scratching her painted nails through her short blonde hair that had gotten flattened to her head with sweat while under her wig. “Can you please save your bickering for tomorrow? When I’m hungover enough from celebrating my win to tune you all out?”

There was a tense silence that Dianne must have taken as agreement because the queen just nodded to herself and started tugging the hip padding out of her tights. Holly focused her own attention on getting off as much of her makeup as she could for now and then started the arduous task of getting her own tight, structured dress off without ripping out the boning in the bodice; that shit was a bitch to fix and her fingers already hurt from helping Kim stitch herself into her own dress for the evening. 

Within half an hour the five glamourous women who had entered the workroom had been defrocked down to the five average, gay men that made up their cores. It wasn’t until one of the show’s production assistants was going around to remove their microphones for the evening and the cameras were shut off that one of them spoke up. 

“Anyone down for pizza tonight?” Kevin asked, scratching at a stray smear of his bright green eyeshadow that had somehow ended up on the back of his hand. “My treat?”

“I’m in,” Castiel replied, earning a quick smile from the short Asian man as the group began to head out of the studio; back to the hotel rooms that were their home away from home for the time that they were filming the show. “Balthazar?”

“As long as I can drink as well,” the British expat replied, twitching with the collar of the leather jacket he was wearing over a tight Henley as they emerged into the brisk evening that was San Francisco in early November. 

Balthazar always seemed to be dressed to impressed even though when off camera the contestants spent most of their time playing cards in their hotel, forbidden to go out for even a nightcap by their contracts and an ever watchful security team. They also couldn’t have cell phones, web access, watch the news, or have any contact whatsoever with their family and friends; which was a whole separate bitch in and of itself. 

One thing that all of the contestants had agreed on though was that their rooms had great mini bars, an even better porn selection, and more than enough take-out menus to suit every possible taste. 

“Well, jailbait can’t drink any of it,” Raphael answered in a bored tone as he picked at his chipping nail polish. The other man looked up when his remark was met with silence and it was then he saw the scathing look that Castiel and Balthazar were giving him as Kevin blushed down at his feet. “Whaaaat? You bitches know I’m joking.”

“It’s fine,” Kevin muttered, flinching when Luc shouldered impatiently past him to climb into the backseat of one of the black town cars that was waiting for them at the curb. “You want pizza, Luc?”

“Fuck your pizza,” Luc growled back, his eyes noticeably red-rimmed. “Can we go now?”

The four men looked meaningfully at each other, but it was Castiel that broke first; letting out a deep sigh before he pulled his old college hoodie tighter around himself and climbed into the empty seat beside Luc. Kevin, Raphael and Balthazar would take the other car, unwilling to ride with the sullen man since his friend had just been sent home. 

Castiel suspected (and apparently others did too) that the pair were more than ‘just friends’, but since romantic relationships between contestants were forbidden they had kept mum about Luc and Michael’s closeness while in front of the producers; allowing them to think it was a harmless clique that had formed as they tended to do on reality shows. But it was obvious by how upset the other man was, sniffling into the cuffs of his long sleeved red shirt, that something more had definitely been going on between the two queens. 

“I put him in drag for the first time,” Luc said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled between them on the short drive from the studio to the hotel. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Castiel questioned, unable to hide his concern for the other man, even though it smacked of an overreaction. Hell, it's not like Michael had died or anything; just gone back to New York for a while. 

“Bite me, cum-stain,” Luc replied and Castiel rolled his eyes at the unimaginative nickname. 

He was willing to bet money that that particular gem had been Michael’s idea of a parting shot; not $100,000 of course, but at least a tenner or something. Castiel was pretty certain either way that he’d win it back. 

[ericvick]

Phone calls increase in Mass. to take out Trump from place of work

Phone calls to eliminate President Donald Trump from business office right after he incited a violent riot in the U.S. Capitol swept across Massachusetts on Thursday, coming from the state’s Republican governor and each member of the all-Democrat congressional delegation.

Gov. Charlie Baker opened a press meeting on Thursday by contacting the upheaval in Washington D.C. encouraged by the president “a dim moment for our country,” and he explicitly joined the chaos to Trump’s recurring lies that re-election was stolen from him.

“Yesterday’s gatherings were appalling, disgraceful and depressing, but it really is vital to remember that they ended up the fruits of months of President Trump repeating over and above once again that the American electoral technique is a fraud,” Baker stated. “Immediately after he stoked the flames of outrage for months major up to the functions of yesterday, he refused to adequately prepare the U.S. Capitol for the chance of violence and left it approximately defenseless.”

Baker, who has confronted criticism from state Democrats since Wednesday for not contacting for Trump’s removal from office environment, did not to begin with mention the 25th Amendment that Trump’s Cabinet can result in or impeachment in his prepared remarks. However, when requested if Trump should really remain in business office, Baker explained Vice President Mike Pence must be given the authority to lead the nation by way of a tranquil changeover of electricity to President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

“I imagine it is vital at this place that there be an orderly changeover, and it really should be led by the vice president,” Baker mentioned.

Baker reported it must be left “up to the men and women in Washington” no matter if that suggests invoking the 25th Modification, or making use of a different mechanism. “I think men and women ought to pursue regardless of what they believe will make it doable in the most expeditious way feasible for the president to action down and the vice president to presume the powers of the place of work for the next 14 times so that an orderly transition can get put,” Baker claimed.

The development is a important move for Baker, who has commonly criticized Trump throughout his presidency but in no way endorsed possibly of Trump’s Democratic opponents or vocally supported the 2019 impeachment proceedings.

Less than the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Structure, the vice president and a greater part of the Cabinet can declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his business office.” A president can challenge that ruling, but if two-thirds of Congress agrees the main executive is unfit, the vice president can just take about as acting president.

U.S. Lawyer for the District of Masachusetts Andrew Lelling, a Trump appointee, declared Thursday that his business would prosecute any one who traveled from the Bay Point out to the nation’s funds “with the intent to dedicate” prison violent protest.

“Yesterday’s activities in Washington have been surprising and, once peaceful demonstrations turned violent, they turned prison,” Lelling reported in a statement. “The Constitution protects the suitable to flexibility of speech and assembly. What is does not guard is a violent assault on federal government establishments. Us residents on the right and still left must re-understand the change.”

All nine House associates as well as U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey introduced late Wednesday night or Thursday early morning they help Trump’s forceful elimination.

There are only 13 times remaining right until Biden normally takes business office, but the unparalleled insurrection attempt in Washington while Congress was certifying the election outcomes Wednesday — visibly fueled by Trump’s repeated fake accusations — prompted calls for for action.

“I have mentioned it right before, and I will say it all over again: the Cupboard need to halt hiding powering anonymous leaks to reporters and do what the Structure demands they do: invoke the 25th Amendment and take out this President from business,” Warren Tweeted Wednesday night time immediately after some stories that users of Trump’s Cupboard experienced begun original discussions about attempting to remove the president.

“This horrifying work to subvert democracy just isn’t just just one very last Trump tantrum — it’s an work to knock out the basic pillar on which democracy is established,” she claimed.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley explained the violent protests, which were connected to four deaths, as “acts of domestic terrorism.” So, as well, did U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, who branded it “an assault on our incredibly Democracy.”

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, who on Thursday early morning became the final member from the delegation to simply call for Pence and the Cupboard to invoke the 25th Modification or get ready articles or blog posts of impeachment, stated he was “stunned by the conduct of the President” that provoked the rioting at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Lynch said getting the remarkable measures — which could be hard in this sort of a small timeframe and may well will need a two-thirds vote in both of those branches — would be truly worth it even if they do not final result in Trump’s eviction from electric power.

“Whilst it is exceptionally unlikely that this method could realize success within 13 days, it would even now mail a apparent concept to other government agencies to resist any questionable or momentous guidelines President Trump might give that would set the lives of Us residents in peril or threaten our National Stability,” Lynch claimed.

The violent riot specific the Capitol on the working day that Congress worked to certify Biden’s electoral victory, a procedural procedure that a lot of Republican lawmakers prepared to obstacle on baseless and unsupported accusations of election fraud — 147 of whom however did, albeit unsuccessfully, several hours immediately after the chaos.

Trump and other speakers dealt with large crowds who collected previously Wednesday in assist of overturning the presidential election, exactly where he recurring lies that he experienced won the race, pressured that “we will by no means give up” the obstacle, and encouraged attendees to wander above to the Capitol, where Congress was certifying the outcomes.

“We are likely to try and give — the Democrats are hopeless,” Trump reported. “They’re never ever voting for nearly anything. Not even a person vote. But we’re heading to try and give our Republicans — the weak ones, for the reason that the strong ones will not require any of our assistance, we are likely to consider and give them the type of pleasure and boldness they have to have to acquire back again our state.”

Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama started off the rally by urging attendees to “halt by the Capitol” and stated Republican U.S. senators who did not be a part of the unsuccessful work to contest the election effects have been voting to “flip America into a godless, amoral, dictatorial, oppressed and socialist country on the decline.”

Brooks later on explained to the ralliers, “Today is the working day American patriots commence getting down names and kicking ass.” He then shouted, “Now, our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat and their tears, their fortunes and occasionally their life, to give us, their descendants, an The us that is the finest nation in earth history. So I have a question for you. Are you inclined to do the same? My respond to is indeed.”

Trump did not explicitly condemn the protests as they turned into riots, and has appear under hearth for not preserving the Capitol. He urged contributors to “continue being peaceful” in a tweet about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.

“No violence! Keep in mind, WE are the Get together of Regulation & Get – regard the Legislation and our excellent gentlemen and girls in Blue. Thank you!,” he tweeted.

In a video clip afterwards in the afternoon that wound up removed by Twitter, he urged them to “go home” though stressing that “we really like you” and reiterating the conspiracy idea that the election was “stolen.”

Ultimately, during the overnight several hours, Trump launched a assertion acknowledging that Biden will become the next president adhering to an “orderly transition.”

“Even even though I fully disagree with the end result of the election, and the details bear me out, nonetheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” he stated.

Though the scores of Trump supporters were being storming by means of the Capitol and reportedly engaged in armed standoffs with police, Massachusetts Lawyer General Maura Healey termed the violence “an tried coup.”

In a Thursday morning joint statement, Healey and fellow Democratic Lawyers General Association Co-chair Aaron Ford of Nevada termed it an “lively assault on our democracy.”

“Just about every member of Congress and each and every chief who thinks in the rule of regulation really should condemn the violence and publicly reject the President’s lies about the election that fueled present-day gatherings,” they reported. “Now is evidence of the risk that comes with endorsing conspiracy theories and misinformation for political get as we have observed much also many Republicans do this election cycle.”

Massachusetts Republican Social gathering Chairman Jim Lyons, whose vocal assist of Trump has contrasted with Baker’s method, condemned the violence in Washington without the need of creating any reference to Trump.

“All Individuals must stand together for our Constitution, for our representative sort of federal government, and for our legal guidelines and regulation enforcement officers,” Lyons stated in a statement Wednesday evening. “As chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Bash, I unequivocally condemn any endeavor to disrupt our precious and irreplaceable Constitutional purchase. Sadly, we are witnessing a breach of lawful get on Capitol Hill that is entirely indefensible underneath any instances.”

Another contact for Trump’s elimination arrived from Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, a Democrat who is reportedly poised to be part of the upcoming cupboard as Biden’s labor secretary. Like Baker did, Walsh opened a COVID-19 push convention Thursday with a very long information condemning the violence.

“We watched in horror as mobs stormed the United States Capitol, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction,” Walsh said. “That was not a protest, it was an insurrection.”

He pressured various periods that Americans require to arrive alongside one another and “decide on unity about division,” particularly amid a raging public overall health disaster. While lesser-scale protests erupted in some state capitals throughout the nation, Walsh explained he does not foresee “any threats” in Boston.

Trump really should “completely” be eradicated from place of work, Walsh said.

Michael P. Norton contributed reporting.

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