#untwist of fate

[hathousehappenings]

89. Untwist of Fate.

I've been waiting an embarrassing long time to do this episode. ^^; I think I need to explain...

To ME, this episode is clearly an homage to The Wizard of Oz. There's a twister, a guy who needed to be convinced to help because he's cowardly, someone who is trying to get the heart of his character, a man behind a curtain... I'm gonna put all my thoughts below a cut at the bottom of this post because there's a lot!

When I had finished the sketch for this one I showed it to a couple people to see if it was too weird an idea for me to complete. They looked like I was insane that I would even ask them. ((It was then that I realized that the people I live with are no fun and just don't get me...))

I also decided to do a bonus picture of Queenie as Glinda just cause. I wanted to let her dress up too.

OKAY, and now here are the thoughts of a crazy person...

It's been obvious to me that from my first watch of this episode this all based off Wizard of Oz (the movie, not the book).

For instance, Hare is the Wizard because he’s trying to run the show, Alice is obviously Dorothy because she gets swept up in the twister, Dum is the Cowardly Lion because he was cowardly about helping test out cures for Alice, Rabbit is the Tinman because he’s trying to figure out his motivation (aka: get to the heart) of his character in the play and Queen is Glinda because she floats in at the very end and solves everything easily.

But, as I started thinking about it, more connections made themselves aware to me. And then I watched the episode!

First off, when we get to Wonderland there’s a little tune that plays as Hare’s back is to us in the director’s chair. That tune is very reminiscent of a tune in Oz called “Optimistic Voices”. It’s the song we hear as Dorothy and her friends come out of the poppy field and make way to the gates of the Emerald City. I actually caught that on my first watch through, so that wasn’t new to me. Rabbit is trying to figure out his motivation (aka: get to the heart of his character, Tinman) and Alice is just kinda there sitting around daydreaming.

Then Hare talks about how great their acting is and I start to realize something else: there are a ton of red props in this episode. I’ll brake it down as we go, but in this scene alone there’s Hare’s beret and bandana he used to mop his face, the ladder he climbs all over (I want to be that ladder) and the flowers that are thrown to them at the end of the song. This song is about Hare telling them what good actors they are and how they need to keep doing it, keep the act up. That sentiment feels very Wizard to me.

Next scene is “Throwing up Riddles”. More red props here: Hatter’s grill spatula and the writing on his apron and the plates are all a variant of red or its secondary color (red, pink or purple). They also talk about hogs/pigs a lot, which is what freaks Dorothy out in the beginning of the movie (she falls in the hog pen). Hatter is being silly and yet somehow smart with all these riddles, but he’s still acting like an idiot. Wisdom even though his head is empty? Sounds like Scarecrow! Then they get the news about the twister and run around like idiots.

Alice gets sucked up into the twister in the next scene. Obviously the twister is from Oz, but the first noises we hear while in the cyclone are chicken noises and that’s the same as in the film. You could argue that the Cheshire cat is supposed to be Toto in that he’s an animal who doesn’t contribute a whole hell of a lot to the story. I dunno. There are a ton of red items in the twister, though. A red velvet cake, red chicken, red candles, a red toad… Just because, I dunno.

Finding Alice after the twister only has the trash bucket and the chattering red teeth as the red props. All the men gather around to help the little girl character, which you could argue is like Oz. But that’s kinda low hanging fruit.

The “Interest of Science” scene is, well… interesting. We don’t have many red props here (a red velvet cake on the table and the satellite dish that Dee puts on Dum’s head) but we have some lyrics in the song that apply. Dee says “you might nearly be a hero, if you merely wouldn’t fear it” (!!!!) and the line about feeding him “to the lion”. Also, Hatter dropping random words of wisdom is odd. Like, he’s actually smart but just acts stupid. More connections to him and the Scarecrow.

Caterpillar’s story time does nothing to help my argument. There are no red props and his story is lame, kinda as per the usual. However, Caterpillar also doesn’t help them because he didn’t understand what they were asking for help about. So did it negate this scene? You decide.

This is the final Wonderland scene. We have three new red props: the red stripe on Hatter’s popcorn bucket (eeeeh?), the red curtain on the stage and Rabbit’s whole Bunny-o costume is red. Hatter is being brainless (as he does), Rabbit is still trying to find the heart of his character and Hare is still trying to keep the act up. He actually becomes the “man behind the curtain” after the how starts! And he keeps peeping out to watch everything.

Queen floats in like I don’t even know what. She’s been gone the bulk of the episode, other than to ask where Alice was during the twister. She also pulls the whole “you had the power all along" crap that Glinda pulls in the movie.

Rabbit is in red (ruby slippers) and Alice is in yellow (yellow brick road)!

The Red Queen and Alice skip through the forest in the very end, which I think is fitting because of the red and yellow symbolism.

After EVERYTHING I think the parallels are undeniable. They made some very conscious decisions about this episode to link it to Oz. I feel clever for having “figured it out”, but I might also just be letting my pride get to my head. I wouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway, any thoughts on this? Am I just late to the party and all this was supposed to be obvious?

[hathousehappenings]

Interest of Science is one of my favorite Tweedle song too! Also I was obsessed with Born to Act for a long time cause I couldn't get over Hare hamming it up and crawling on the floor. XD

I really like Alice in your picture! This came out so good!

im kinda indifferent about this episode, but i LOVE the song interest of science. idk why. its all the science-y noises in the background and how fast dee's singing it i think. also dum arguing with him throughout the song. i love that song

but yeah the episodes ok. all the songs are good. hares pretty funny in this one. i think the queen liking shakespeare so much is cute. uhhh.. the romeo and juliet outfits are cool........,.. im just trying to list off the things i liked especially. truth be told it was two weeks ago i watched this episode at the time that im writing this hahaha

[sommerbueckers]

My Brother's Best Friend

I sat quietly on my couch; my phone lay cold and forgotten next to me as I watched the pair in front of me bicker. Paige sat on the floor, her back turned to the tv as she faced the arm of the couch where my brother was sitting. Her elbows rested on her knees, loose strands of hair falling from her bun and framing her frowning face.

"Dude, you're actually insane," she shook her head, "No way Batman is better than Spiderman."

My brother scoffed, "Yes the fuck he is! Anytime he was in a fight he was using the shit around him, Spiderman's a fucking rookie."

Paige's frowned deepened, "Batman's a fucking vigilante! He's boring, old, and all his movies suck! Spiderman can spin webs out his fucking ass but Batman is so cool because he's got a fast car?!"

"Oh my fuck!" Micha yelled in frustration, "You don't get it."

"You're right, I don't" Paige shrugged.

"You're reasons lack stability. Spiderman is an ass-kisser so of course everyone is going to love him, Batman does what he needs to do to get shit done" Micha said.

Paige threw her head back in frustration, "That's the fucking problem! Batman will kill anyone and everyone if it means he gets to save the fucking city!"

Micha pressed his lips together, his head snapping toward me.

"Summer, a little help here?" he asked.

I shook my head with an amused smile, "I'm good, y'all are entertaining."

Paige sighed and got up from the floor, plopping herself down in the spot next to me as she grabbed the remote from my hand.

"We're not finished" my brother said.

"I am" Paige responded cooly.

I stifled my laugh as I heard a grunt come from my brother. He stood from the arm of the couch and seated himself across the room on the other couch. Paige and I shared an amused expression, butterflies erupting in my stomach as her leg nudged mine.

I took subtle glances at her as she flicked through the movies, trying to find one all three of us would enjoy. Her nose was a perfect little slope and slightly pointed at the end, her jawline had gotten noticeably sharper since I had last seen her. She had gotten taller, blonder, hotter. I suppose college did that to a person, made them so undeniably irresistible that you became embarrassed by just the thought of it.

Paige and I had hooked up (if you could even call it that) one time two years ago in the bathroom upstairs. It hadn't been something I liked to remember, the moment could only be described as awkward or cringeworthy. I wondered if thats how she thought of it too, I wondered if she thought of it at all.

"How's school?" the blonde asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shrugged plainly, "It's weird without you two there" I admitted, nodding my head toward my brother.

"Hmm" she nodded, her eyes not leaving mine. "I heard you're the captain of the cheer team now" she said, a smile creeping onto her face.

I couldn't stop the cheek aching smile that crossed my face, "Paige that happened months ago."

"Yeah, but I wasn't here months ago to personally congratulate you" she said. "So congratulations Sunny."

Paige ruffled my curls.

"Thank you P" I laughed.

"Put on The Fate of the Furious" Micha chimed in as Paige scrolled past it.

She obliged, clicking backwards on the remote and pressing 'Play.'

I could tell her attention wasn't fully on the movie; she kept shifting around in her seat. First it was her legs, she spread them out far enough to where our knees touched. Then it was her arms, "I think something's wrong with my shoulder" she had said as she massaged it a bit before resting it over the back of the couch. I felt her hand gently play with my hair, her touch soft as she twisted and untwisted the strands with her fingers.

I couldn't stop myself from leaning into her, my side beginning to hurt from the awkward angle I twisted myself at to feel her closer. We knew what we were doing, even if we'd both excuse it as nothing more than two friends trying to get comfortable, I knew hoped it was more than that.

DO WE LIKE THIS OR NAH ???

INSPO PICS FOR SUNNY BBY☀️

[heresthestorymorningglory]

Unfinished Business

Summary: Our boy has some unfinished business

A/N: Listen y'all this NSFW 18+ should be par for the course at this point. So like….just don’t okay?

As always, the inspo is thanks to the Goosecord and my beautiful partner in crime @ken-dom who constantly receives messages from me in the dead of night needing reassurance or "Hey what about if THIS happened?!"

Bless you my new found chosen sister for putting up with my antics!

This is a continuation of the first part Hello Nurse which you guys absolutely raved over and I am SO flattered (no really some of your messages really had me tearing up)

Like I said last time, this won't be the last you see of SIx

Enjoy my loves! <3

You let out a heavy sigh massaging your temples as you sat at the nurse’s station; the fluorescents were giving you a migraine and the phone had been ringing off the hook all night long. It rang again for the four hundredth time and you picked up the receiver 

“Fifth floor nurse’s station” 

“Hey, you” 

Your face broke out into a grin and you sat back in your chair twirling the phone cord around your finger recognizing his voice immediately. “Hi” 

“You on a secure line?” 

You scoffed with a small laugh “You know I’m not” you went through this every time he happened to call, and yet, he always asked. “Where are you?” 

“Somewhere cold” he always kept his answers vague. 

“Being safe?” you asked, reaching over the desk to take a clipboard from a coworker 

“Course” 

“Are you lying to me?” You asked, with a smirk cradling the receiver on your shoulder as you typed the information on the clipboard into the system. 

“Never” 

You stopped typing paying more attention to your call “You better come back to me” you said with an air of seriousness to your tone. “In one piece” 

He laughed softly on the other end 

“I’m not kidding, all your fingers, toes and…appendages” 

This caught the attention of your coworker who tilted her head curiously with a raised eyebrow; you just shook your head, hoping she’d get pulled away before you’d have to answer questions. 

“Hmm, well I’ve got some bad news sweetheart…” 

“You better be joking” you dropped your voice to a whisper 

“Would you love me any less if I weren’t?” 

You huffed with annoyance rolling your eyes “No, you idiot; now come home…I miss you” 

A page overhead for you caught your attention and you sighed “I gotta go, be careful, please” You knew better than to hope for that, he was never careful, everyone else came first. “I love you” 

“Me too, sweetheart” 

You hesitated holding up a finger to a coworker motioning overhead “Court”

He sighed and you could practically see the look on his face

“I’ve got all day” 

“No you don’t” 

“Then I guess you’d better hurry up” 

“I love you too” 

“I’ll see you soon?” you asked, knowing he wouldn’t give you a concrete answer 

“Soon” he confirmed before the line disconnected. 

You swallowed hard, letting out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding as you pushed up from your chair. You had signed up for this, you knew that, but the knot in your stomach never untwisted itself completely until he was standing in front of you; admittedly usually covered in blood and bruises, but here and alive. 

***

It had been six months since that fateful night on the staircase; and Six had been gone for three of them. Thankfully you had managed to keep yourself busy with work, keeping your mind off of it, most of the time. 

Then you crawled into bed, alone, or he called to check in and that knot in your stomach just tightened. 

You did have to admit that when he was just a fleeting stranger who had saved your life once, and occasionally darkened your doorstep it had been a lot easier and you worried significantly less, but you wouldn’t trade that man for anything. 

You had to keep it relatively secret; it was safer that way Six had said, you were in less danger. You disagreed but he would rarely listen to reason on the topic; or he had fallen asleep before you had gotten the chance to broach it again. 

You laid in bed that night after work, wondering for the first time in a long time about Six’s past. Even though you had convinced him you didn’t need a 24/7 bodyguard and could in fact take care of yourself on occasion, and you had been….”together” for the last six months; the personal details you knew about the man were very few. 

You knew that was by design, but the thought of your parents immediate disapproval made you giggle to yourself; would be just like you ending up with the ex-convict who would end up on the wrong end of a gun one day because he showed up on your doorstep one night looking like wounded puppy.

Not that Six would even entertain the notion of ever meeting your parents so it didn’t really matter. 

***

He unlocked the door before putting the key back and quietly slipping inside before locking it behind him. 

He stumbled up the front steps, weak with exhaustion; the house was dark, but your car was in the driveway. Checking his watch, it was creeping into the one o’clock hour.

He shook the spare key out of the bottom of the ceramic goose you kept on the front porch; he had told you at least a hundred times that was an awful idea and you had reasoned if someone was going to break into the house, they weren’t going to use a key to do it. 

He slid his boots off, shedding his t-shirt as he climbed the stairs. You were curled up in bed sleeping peacefully, on his side. 

He smiled to himself, stripping off the rest of his clothes before gently shifting you to your side, you hadn’t even stirred until he climbed in behind you; arms wrapping tightly around you as he kissed your shoulder. 

“Hey,” you turned over, voice thick with sleep as you wrapped your arms around his neck “You’re home” 

He kissed you properly before you nestled against his chest “I missed you” 

He kissed the top of your head, pulling you against him as you drifted back off almost immediately and he followed suit. 

The next morning he stirred awake, the sensation of your lips across his bare chest  and up the side of his neck to his face and finally landing on his lips; your weight heavy on his midsection. 

"Good Morning," you smiled kissing him again 

He smiled, reaching to tuck a chunk of loose hair behind your ear, his large hand cupping your cheek. 

"All in one piece" you smiled, your cheeks had started to hurt from doing it for so long. 

"Satisfied?" 

"Not for months" your lips moved against his as you deepened your kiss. 

With minimal effort he flipped you on your back, pinning you to the mattress underneath; wrists on either side of your head. 

“Let's fix that then” 

Before you had a chance to respond, his lips were pressed firmly against yours, strong hands gripping your wrists as his hips made languid movements, his hard cock pressing against the inside of your thigh, your legs dropping open with ease. 

You hummed into your kiss as his tongue tangled with yours before kissing down your neck and chest. 

A small gasp escaped as his warm wet mouth enveloped your nipple. Your back arching off the bed, needing more, wanting more. 

He sucked gently, tongue grazing over the hard bud, making you shiver before trading sides and administering the same treatment to the other side. 

His hands slid from your wrists, over your sides and came to rest on your hips momentarily as he dipped lower, settling between your thighs. Your fingers pushed through his thick blond hair as he kissed the inside of your thighs. His breath hot against your core made you moan, leaning back into the pillow. 

“Court…please “ you breathed. 

Like an answered prayer, he licked a hot stripe up your centre, making you cry out, pulling hard on the hair trapped between your fingers, making him grunt against your clit before sucking you into his mouth.  

You writhed in the sheets, heels digging into the mattress. 

His hand sliding from your hip, two thick fingers pushing inside you with ease, pumping slowly as his tongue teased your clit. 

Your sighs and moans were like music to his ears. A glance up from between your thighs, your eyes were closed, face contorted in sheer pleasure, mouth open as you whined to the ceiling. 

Your entire form shuddered under the hand holding your hips steady. 

Your breathing came more laboured and shallow as he watched the flush creep over your naked body, his tongue flicking a little harder, fingers pumping a little faster, hand pressing firmer on your hip, fingers digging into your soft flesh as he kept you from twisting out of his grip. 

Your muscles clenching around his calloused fingers coated in your arousal as your orgasm tore through your body; pulling his fingers from inside you, tongue lapping up everything you had to give. Shudders wracking your entire form, your clit sensitive and overstimulated. 

You collapsed, completely spent as Six crawled back over top of you, kissing you deeply as you panted against his mouth. 

“My turn” you smiled breathlessly as you shifted, Six propping himself against the headboard as you put yourself between his knees. 

Without hesitation, you swallowed down his length, slick with precum. A loud groan of approval over your head as you bobbed slowly, sucking gently as you felt his hands find their way into your hair. 

A loud thud, what you were certain was his head making contact with the headboard. 

His hips bucking up, forcing him further down your throat. 

The soft “Fuck” assuring you, you were doing something right. 

You moaned around his shaft, relaxing your throat to take as much down as you could manage. You let him take control as much as his position would allow letting him fuck your mouth hard and fast. 

Grunts a mixture of effort and pleasure as he slid with ease between your lips. 

His massive form twitched and he stopped abruptly, the hot, thick rope hitting the back of your throat, swallowing what you could before it became too much to handle, the excess spurting from the throbbing tip as you released him to take a breath.

You moved to wipe your mouth on the back of your hand and Six’s hand snapped out, closing around your wrist. 

You looked up and he was shaking his head. “Don't”

You tipped your head curiously with a smirk as he pulled you closer, you climbed in his lap, arms draped over his neck as he kissed you harshly, tasting his release on your tongue as he was sure you could taste yours on his. 

He scooted back down, lying you on his chest as you sighed with a satisfied hum. “God I missed you”

He chuckled softly, taking a deep breath, breathing you in, your scent invading his senses, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “I missed you too sweetheart” 

He sighed, your eyes saying the things your voice wasn’t. 

Six’s time at home had been fleeting this time around; he had been here and gone again within a day and a half.

A quick kiss and he tried to fly down the stairs, unsuccessfully because of the hold you’d had on his wrist. He stopped turning to look at you. 

He pulled you against him, burying his nose in your hair as he kissed the top of your head; your arms wrapped tightly around his back as you fought to keep your composure. 

“Two weeks, tops” he whispered into your hair; you only hugged him tighter, knowing he couldn’t possibly know that for sure. 

“Make someone else go” You muttered against his chest “You just got back” 

He laughed softly, big hands rubbing up and down your arms. “I can’t…”  he pushed you back gently so he could look into your eyes “This one is personal” 

Your brow creased as your frowned “What do you mean personal?” 

His shoulders dropped as he let out a heavy sigh and it clicked “Lloyd…” you sighed

He nodded “He won’t stay in one place very long”

A strong finger under your chin lifted your head and you sighed looking up at him, the worry clear as day on your face. 

You let out a slow breath swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat; eyes  dropping to look at your shoes.

You had never met this man, but the stories were enough to never want to and even those weren’t many. He had injured someone in Six’s care, and was the reason the only person Six had even remotely considered family had died. He was a monster. 

“Please be careful” you whispered softly 

He nodded dropping his hand “Always” 

You scoffed “Not always” You reached up to cup his cheek “You better come back to me” 

He didn’t answer, just leaned forward, claiming your lips in a gentle kiss as the tears you had been fighting to hold back slid silently down your cheeks. 

He pulled back and you sighed with a sniff, wiping the tears from your face. “Promise me” 

When he didn’t say anything you closed your eyes taking a breath “Just this once, promise me, if it goes sideways, you will get out…please” 

You stood eyes locked with his, seeing that emotionless mask crack for the briefest moment before he nodded. “I promise, just another Thursday.” 

You huffed pulling yourself against him, burying your face in his chest. “No it isn’t, and you know it” 

He pulled away then and you let him go; you knew if he was going to catch this bastard he had to leave and he had to leave now. 

“Here,” he undid the watch around his wrist, holding it out to you 

You shook your head “I can’t take that; it’s too important to you” 

“Then keep it safe for me” he wrapped it around your wrist, having to do it up on the last available hole in the band so it would fit around your wrist. 

He took your face in both hands, giving you one final bruising kiss; whispering a barely heard ‘I love you’ against your lips before he was down the stairs and gone. 

You turned, going back inside, the door closing heavily behind you as you locked and leaned against it. A flurry of emotions bursting through the dam in your chest as you finally let yourself cry. You slid down the door, settling on the floor with a hard thump covering your mouth with your hand as the tears streamed freely down your cheeks. The fear, the sadness, the sliver of hope that he hadn’t just walked down those stairs to wherever, and you’d never see him again. 

You cried so hard you nearly made yourself sick before you got yourself under control and pulled yourself to your feet. 

You took a deep breath, wiping the tears out of your eyes and off your face as you made your way to the kitchen. 

You stopped halfway through the threshold, breath catching in your throat seeing the man you didn’t recognize sitting on top of your counter with his arms folded and ankles crossed in front of him. 

“Hiya Sunshine,” he smiled in a way that made your skin crawl as he hopped off the counter and your heart slammed in your chest.  

“Can I help you?” You fought to keep your voice even as a thousand thoughts raced through your mind one after the other; trying to place this man. 

“You really are easy on the eyes, aren’t you?” he asked, ignoring your question, advancing forward and you instinctively took a step back, 

“Do I know you?” you asked, mentally cursing yourself for never counting how many steps were between your kitchen and front door, but not daring to turn your back and bolt. 

“Your boy certainly does” 

Lloyd.

Your blood froze, you were sure all the colour had drained from your face then. 

“Based on the doe eyed bambi look on your face, I’m gonna take a shot in the dark and say you’ve heard of me” 

“I don’t know-”

“Oh please,” he rolled his eyes with a dismissive wave of his hand “Don’t pull the ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about’ card, it’s just disrespectful”

You didn’t answer, just kept moving slowly backward into the living room as he moved closer across the kitchen. 

Your eyes scanning his form, not seeing any blatantly obvious weapon easily within reach. 

You took your opportunity and turned swiftly on your heel and raced for the door. 

In a flash your hand gripped the doorknob and had it been unlocked you would have been free. Instead, Lloyd shoved you against the door, his body pinning you to the unforgiving surface as he laughed maniacally next to your ear; a fistful of your hair in your hand as he pulled your head back hard, making you grit your teeth and squeeze your eyes shut briefly 

“Oh no, no, no, no, no” he shook his head “We’re gonna get more acquainted; see if I can figure out what it is about our boy that you like so much” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” you asked, voice strained as you turned your head as much as his grip in your hair would allow; he was watching you with a raised eyebrow waiting for you to finish. “He’s got a massive-”  Before you could finish, your head banged hard against the wooden door and Lloyd scoffed with disgust. 

“Don’t be gross, it’s unladylike” 

You scoffed with a laugh trying hard to ignore the instant throbbing headache “That’s your mistake for thinking I’m a lady Lloyd” 

Your composure was quickly slipping away as you were running out of ideas for an escape. 

“And the lady has me at a disadvantage,” Lloyd spoke slowly, his breath hot against your ear making you cringe. “I don’t really need to know your name anyway, doesn’t matter much, you’ll scream all the same” 

You scoffed “He’s gonna kill you”

“Oh sweetheart, not if I kill you first”

That was the last thing you heard before it all went dark.

[mer-acle]

A warrior's refusal

The Trojan war is approaching... And the King of Ithaca cannot bear the thought of fighting in it.

Athena frowned as she transformed in the garden of the Ithacan palace, finding Odysseus waiting for her.

There was something tense about his demeanor that immediately made her uneasy, and she found herself automatically checking his body for injuries.

"You called for me. What's the matter?"

Odysseus erratically twisted and untwisted his fingers. He wouldn't meet her gaze.

"It's about the war, Thea. I don't... I need to talk to you about it."

She motioned him to continue, waiting for him to start walking, he rarely stayed still when talking, but he stood there, barely contained energy in his slightly trembling frame.

"I... I don't want to go, Athena."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I don't... I know I am meant to, but I can't... I have Telemachus now, and Pen needs me here, and I... I don't want to travel 600 miles to Troy and fight however long that war will take, and miss his first steps, his first words..." His voice wavered.

Athena wasn't often speechless, but Odysseus managed for it to happen a much larger than average amount.

"I don't want to anger you," Odysseus said. "I really don't. I'm sorry."

"This is everything we've trained for, Odysseus," she stated finally, voice devoid of emotion. "This war will be the greatest not only in your lifetime but that of your descendants for generations to come."

He looked away. "I know. Maybe there'll be another one where I can prove myself, when he's a little older..."

"You've taken an oath to partake in this one, must I remind you. An oath crafted and sworn by you, to protect Helen's marriage."

"I can get out of it, I have an idea how." It sounded almost dismissive, but she saw a plea in his eyes when he looked at her. "That's... not what I worry about. I just... I value your frie- your mentorship very deeply. I wouldn't dare ask for your blessing for this, but I couldn't do it without at least talking to you first."

It wasn't asking for permission, she knew that. He had made up his mind. She would have laughed at the possibility of getting out of the oath, but it was Odysseus, and she knew he just might, especially when he set his mind to it.

"I don't know what you wish to hear," she said. "I cannot give you my blessing for this, you are right. This goes against everything I've trained you for, and everything I stand for. You're meant to be my warrior, and you refuse the fight that is guaranteed to bring you the most glory a mortal man can earn. You're not asking for my help, certainly, you know I cannot and will not aid you in this. What is it you want, Odysseus?"

He sighed. "Nothing. I believe it is only fair you should be the first one I talk to about it. I'm sorry if I shame you with this, and I would decide differently if I felt I had a choice because I want to make you proud."

She gripped her spear a little tighter, face expressionless. She knew what her godhood demanded of her, what her fellow Olympians would have done if a student of theirs disrespected them in such a way.

"I have heard you," she said. "You know of my opinion, but I don't feel inclined to stand between you and your family. So if it's divine wrath you fear, ease your mind."

She rightened her cloak, turning to leave.

"Athena?"

She turned around, meeting his gaze.

"Will I see you again?" His voice wavered.

Athena sighed.

"That plan of yours, to get out of your contract. Make it worthy of a warrior of the mind, and I'll consider it."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I'll do my best. Thank you."

Athena turned back around.

"Good luck, Odysseus," she said. "May the fates guide your hand."

Gods I would die for these two istg I hope you like it, I got briefly possessed, I originally wanted to put this scene in FtbL and maybe I still will at some point but here you go either way :3

[underfaller]

My Doll

18+ Pairing: yan!Dottore x reader Tw: noncon, yandere, doll fetish Notes: dead dove. slightly OOC.

“Ah, is my darling awake?”

Dottore hovered over you, smiling gently. His heart swelled upon seeing your open eyes gaze back at him. He never tired of seeing you wake. He kissed you on the forehead. 

“Did you sleep well?”

You do not answer. It’s to be expected. After all, that drug Dottore gave you was a resounding success. Oh, how he loved being correct. It was almost as satisfying a feeling as his adoration for you. Though… Dottore supposed it’s quite unfortunate for you. You are unable to move now-- completely paralyzed and immobilized. You couldn’t even speak. The only thing you could do was look at him with those beautiful, emotionless eyes like water colored, glass marbles. 

Oh, how Dottore loved those eyes. 

The other versions of him loved the chase. They liked to see their prey squirm and struggle. But not him. He preferred his subjects a bit more compliant. He always thought subduing them took way too much effort to be any fun. It was a bit similar for you. He knew you wouldn’t be as willing if you had free will. It was honestly illogical. If only you knew the extent of his love, his fondness, his methodical planning-- you would know that it was better for him to control you anyways. After all, the Doctor only wanted the best for you in the end. Because of this, Dottore preferred you to be completely at the whim of his actions. You should trust him. That’s what lovers do, correct? 

He never understood love. In his many years of existence, he never believed he would experience it so he deemed it useless to strive to understand such a foreign concept. Then, he met you.

It was an unceremonious meeting. He'd simply passed you on his way to the Palace. You shouldn't have looked his way. You should not have acknowledged him. You should have kept your head down and hurried past him as everyone else did. Your eyes met his. He locked onto your gaze. In that instant, he suddenly knew what love was. Love was you. And he had to have you.

It was then that your fate was sealed-- and you were too naïve to even know it.

The Doctor sat you up, before making his way towards your closet. He rummaged through it a bit before pulling out a thin, white dress. He turned to you, beaming with delight.

“How about this, darling? Shall you wear this today?”

Silence. Dottore laughs softly. 

“Ah. I knew you would like it. I picked it out myself, after all. I do have a good eye, don’t I?” 

Dottore sits on the bed beside you, kissing your head once again. He inhales deeply, taking in your luscious and intoxicating scent. 

If he could bottle up your smell, he would keep it with him at all times. 

“Let’s get you dressed now, my little doll.”

Dottore lifted you up, leaning you against the wall. He delicately lifted your nightgown as he removed it. He does the same for your undergarments. He was careful not to harm you. You were so fragile --and he does not want to break his toy. He could actually be quite gentle when he wanted to be. And for you, he would always be gentle. Dottore pulled the dress over you, buttoning it up with nimble fingers before straightening it out. He could see the goose bumps on your arms as he did so. Were you cold? Now that he thought of it, this dress was quite inadequate for the Snezhnayan cold.

A small sacrifice for perfection.

Dottore dug into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a red satin ribbon. He picked up the ivory comb on your bedside table next to your bottle of pills. As he brushed your hair, he hummed a familiar tune before tying your long hair in a neat bow. The Doctor stepped off the bed, admiring his handiwork. He smiled widely. He couldn't help it. 

You looked so, so perfect. 

“I knew it would look beautiful on you,” Dottore simpered as he checked his watch. "Ah, I almost forgot..." He once again made his way towards you, picking up your pill bottle and giving it a small shake as he untwisted the cap and picked up one of the light blue pills. It could almost be mistaken as candy if it wasn't in its labelled bottle. Dottore carefully grabbed a hold of your jaw, squeezing your mouth slightly ajar. He pressed his fingers delicately places your medicine in the back on your throat, before closing your jaw. He watched as your throat twitched, signifying you'd swallowed the pill. He kisses you gently on the lips.

"Good doll," He cooed. Dottore sighed before carefully lifting you from your spot and carrying you out the open door. 

“Up we go. Let’s go now, darling. We have a lot of work today.”

Dottore brought you to his lab, setting you on his desk before preparing for the day’s experiments. He always brought you with him to work, even if the other segments teased him. He did not care of their opinions-- your presence was absolutely necessary and they were absolutely dim-witted for not seeing that. 

However, if any of those imbecile pieces of him even dared to look at you for too long he wouldn’t hesitate to cut them down where they stood. 

Dottore looked at you one last time before he began his work. Despite your close proximity, he hated to leave you. If he could, he’d have you by his side every second of the day. However, he did not want to get any of today’s subjects’ inferior blood on such a fine object. You would have to stay where you were, safe from any harm or filth. 

“Don’t go anywhere, alright Y/N?” Dottore winked. 

After work, the Doctor carried you back to your bedroom, bridal style. Dottore laid you back down on your bed, kissing you softly as his hands explored your body. He barely hid his excitement. He had been thinking of this all day--so much so that he was close to making quite grievous mistakes multiple times throughout his experiments. He didn't blame you, however. It was not your fault that you were so distracting. 

How could I not be captivated by such flawlessness?

Your breathing quickened as he groped your breast under your dress. His fingers twist your nipple, chuckling quietly when it becomes erect. He was pleased to know that despite your paralysis, you could still enjoy such stimuli. He does the same to the other, playfully rotating it with his finger as he looks at your eyes. They were a bit wider, now. Dottore presses his head against your chest. 

“Your heart is beating so quickly, are you excited, my doll?” He murmured.

Silence. 

Dottore’s kisses trail from your slightly agape lips to the side of your face, down to your neck. They become more sloppy as he ravenously planting kisses up and down your neck. Suddenly, Dottore leaned even closer, sinking his sharp teeth into you and instantly breaking the soft, delicate skin. He mentally scolded himself for damaging you, but he simply couldn’t help it-- it was if he needed to devour you. You were something to be consumed by him and only him. He greedily licked your fresh wound, savoring every last drop of blood and even lightly sucking it as if he were trying to coax more of that sweet, red liquid out of you. 

When he's had his fill, Dottore doesn’t even attempt to prep you, instead opting to penetrate you immediately as soon as his hardened member is freed from his pants. Your only solace is that he starts at a slow, methodic pace. Even if it was a bit uncomfortable, the Doctor relished in breaking through your tightness. Soon, your juices lubricated the painful friction and he quickly picked up the pace, pushing deep into you as his length filled your insides over and over. Dottore let out a soft groan as he gazed at you with ruby eyes. 

Sometimes Dottore regretted taking away your ability to speak. This was one such time. It would’ve been lovely to hear your lovely, lewd moans as he fucked you. But he digressed, the silence was welcome as well. After all, dolls couldn’t speak.  He bites your earlobe hard as he lets out a deep growl. 

“Look at you ...so beautiful laying there… all mine...”

Your pathetic body flaccidly lolled against the sheets with each thrust. You looked as if you wanted to cry out, but you could only clench your eyes shut, avoiding the gaze of your captor as he slid in and out of you. He could feel every groove and bump in your walls as you clenched around his dick. You drove him insane. He grabbed your hips as he continued to fuck you, his thrusts becoming less rhythmic as he felt his climax build.

You were his. His doll to dress and fuck and do as he pleased. You were his plaything and no one else’s. You would stay here until he broke you. Even then, Dottore would preserve your body and keep you in his lab. He’d pluck out your pretty eyes and keep them on his desk so he could always peer into them. Dottore groaned loudly as he finished deep inside you, spilling his hot semen in your womb. He caresses your cheek as you once again look at him. As he pulled out, he peered at your limp body filled with his cum that oozed onto the bed sheets. Dottore gave a contented sigh

You would always be with him. You would always be his. Forever.

“My toy, my little doll. This is how things should be.”

[honeyedmiller]

Fate, After All | Joel Miller —

Part Five (Finale)

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff (of course), no outbreak!Joel, Joel and reader are literally so in love it makes everyone SICK :’) , smut (fingering, unprotected piv [wrap it up y’all], f oral receiving, tongue fucking, spitting, literally just rough dirty sex [don’t look at me omg]), no use of y/n. 18+, minors dni.

word count: 9.8k (I'm so sorry omg)

series masterlist

-

Not long after you and Joel confessed your mutual feelings for one another, the older Miller brother had asked you to move in with them. Sarah couldn't have been more excited, because that meant instead of talking to you on the landline when you weren't around, she could just walk down the hall to her dad's bedroom or downstairs and you'd be there.

She never really spoke about it aloud, but she was thrilled to finally have a mother figure around in her life. She loved her dad so dearly, but there was just some things that she couldn't talk about with him. She was sure his 'papa bear' mode would kick in if she ever even mentioned boys or wanting to use tampons or anything of the sort. Not only that, but just having a woman around to guide her in life as well was something every young woman should have, and now, she had it for real.

Joel on the same hand was eager for you to start moving your stuff in. You sold a lot of your furniture pieces because you wouldn't be needing them anymore, and truthfully, you being sort of a minimalist made the move-in process easy for everyone. You always kept your space tidy and de-cluttered frequently. Joel's heart swelled at the fact that his double vanity in his bathroom and master bedroom was finally taken up halfway with someone he loved so much. He literally smiled at the sight of your toothbrush every morning, as a reminder that this was all real—you're here, you're his, and there's no one on this planet he'd rather be with than you. You were his dream woman. He'd thought he lost out forever after he chickened out and failed to ask you out in high school, you leaving for college and not keep in touch with him. Boy was he glad to find out he was terribly wrong.

-

It'd been a couple of years after your initial move-in, and you'd just gotten home from a long day of work. You closed the front door softly, slipping off your heels to the side of the entryway while hanging your coat on the coat rack. Hushed whispers were coming from the kitchen, as if you weren't supposed to hear the conversation that was happened.

"You think she'll like it?" Was all you caught before Sarah smacked her dad lightly on the arm as she heard your footsteps approaching, luckily not seeing the two of them and how quickly Joel had to slide the velvet box over to his daughter, to which she tossed in her backpack.

"Hey you two." You beam, taking your hair down from your claw clip as you approached them.

"Hey honey." Joel smiled, pulling you in for a hug and a kiss. You moved to Sarah as you kissed the top of her head as she greeted you, moving to the fridge after to get a bottle of water.

"What were you two talking about before I came in?" You ask, eyebrow raised quizzically.

Joel's face nearly turned beet red, but Sarah stepped in before he could come up with a lame excuse.

"We were just discussing if you'd like takeout for dinner, or pizza." She shrugged, and you narrowed your eyes for a split second. A headache was already brewing in your frontal, so you decided to let it go and nod.

"Either's fine. Don't really have the energy tonight to cook, truthfully. I have a headache I can already feel." You sheepishly smile, and Joel's lips formed into a small frown.

"Go lay down for a bit honey. We can wake you when dinner's here." Joel encouraged. You untwisted the cap to your water bottle, taking a gulp before recapping it and nodding.

"Alright." You nod, smiling softly as you move past them both to make your way upstairs.

"Alright, give me the thing back before you lose it." Joel whispers when he thinks you're out of earshot, but again, the headache you have is growing by the minute so you couldn't be bothered to even think twice about what he just said.

You plop yourself down on your side of the bed once you reach your shared bedroom, right after changing into a long sleeve and some sleep shorts. You snuggle under the brown comforter, drifting off into a much needed rest to alleviate the your headache. It felt like you'd only closed your eyes for five minutes before you heard Joel's rather heavy footsteps—loud enough even if he was trying to be quiet—approach the bedroom door.

He shuffled to where you laid, peaceful and silently begging him in your mind to let you rest just a little longer. "Baby, wake up. Food's here." Joel softly brushes loose strands of hair out of your face, cupping your cheek gently. Your eyes flutter open to meet his, and he has a sincere smile on his lips.

In a sense, Joel was grateful that you went to go lay down. He was disheartened that you were in discomfort, but glad he had enough time to elaborately plan out the night he was going to ask you to marry him. He'd already talked everything through with Sarah—you and her were going to have a 'girl's day' to get your nails done and have her help you pick out an outfit on Saturday, and then Sunday, if all went well and according to plan, he was going to take you to surprise you with three things before he popped the big question.

Sarah'd helped him pick out the ring about a month prior while you were at work, and they both came to an agreement that the beautiful teardrop ring with tiny diamonds surrounding the front of the band was the perfect ring for you. Classy, elegant, and beautiful.

You sat up from the bed slowly, breaking Joel from his thoughts. You stretched and yawned, the feeling of your headache significantly subsiding.

Joel stood up to his full height to offer you his hand, and when you took his, he brought yours up to his lips to kiss the back of it. You smiled sleepily and dragged yourself up, bones cracking in the process.

You both silently made your way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Sarah was starting to pile her plate with the yummy local Chinese takeout down the street.

“So, I was thinking,” Sarah starts, looking at you pointedly. “What do you think about a girl’s day Saturday? We haven’t had one in awhile.” She offers, and you realize it’d been a few months since you’ve had one with her.

“I’m in.” You nod, and she grins at your agreeance.

The three of you ate dinner with Sarah chatting for the most of it, but you never minded. You loved to hear her talk about her day or the funny things that happened at school. She was a junior in high school now, and you just couldn’t believe how fast time flew. She was sixteen already and on the varsity soccer team. She had really good grades, a good group of friends, and had a boyfriend (with a little protest from Joel, but you had to remind him of how you two were when you both were her age).

She was a really good kid with a good head on her shoulders, and as you’d told Joel multiple times he did a wonderful job raising her, he insisted on saying you helped to contribute. He told you that she saw you as a mother figure, and she couldn’t have been happier with who her dad had picked to start dating those few years ago.

It’s funny, because Joel did always think you were the most mesmerizing person, even back in high school. He always thought you were smart, sweet, funny, and just downright beautiful—and if someone told him he’d been planning on proposing to said person in just a few days? He would’ve never believed them. He always thought he’d pretty much just end up alone, which of course made him a little sad, but he’d finally accepted that truth. And then, you came into his life. Just when he was content with being alone, you showed up and bewitched the older Miller brother mind body and soul, and he fell head over heels fast.

A few hours after dinner, Sarah had gone to bed and you and Joel were enjoying some time to yourselves in the living room. You were laying down on the couch with your legs tossed over Joel’s lap, as both of you read in silence—you, Pride and Prejudice, and him, a potential new client and their contract they’d want to discuss with Joel sometime within the next week. Joel and Tommy’s contracting business really took off after a big investor saw their handiwork and what they could both do, and started giving them bigger projects to work on in Austin. Financially it was amazing for both him and Tommy, but sometimes Joel would be gone for nearly the whole day. You and Sarah both missed him dearly the times he was gone longer than usual, but you both understood that his bigger clients needed his full, undivided attention. He was working on hiring more people to take over some of his responsibilities so he could free up his calendar, because every time he was on the job, he’d open up his wallet to look at the picture of you and Sarah he’d taken one winter day when the three of you decided to go ice skating downtown. His heart would ache with the fact that he couldn’t just be with you two all the time, and he knew you both understood his disposition, but he still missed you both so much nonetheless.

Joel was running his fingertips softly over one of your shins when he cleared his throat, and you dog-eared the page you were on before closing your book to look at him.

“Would you ever want to have any kids?” Joel asks you, and you sit up on your elbows to look at him. His eyes were soft yet curious, and his hand movement on your shin halted so he could rest it on you.

“Sarah feels like my own kid too.” You explain, and he chuckles.

“I love that you feel that way, baby, but I meant have another one. A baby. With me.” His grip on your shin tightened in the slightest, gaze never wavering from yours.

“Oh,” You paused, thinking it over for a second. You pictured yourself having a kid or two when you were in your early twenties and figured you’d have them by now, but given your previous track record for dating before Joel, nothing ever worked out. Since Joel came into your life and introduced you to Sarah, having a kid of your own hadn’t ever really crossed your mind… until now. “Yeah, I would.” You answer, sitting up completely now and setting your book on the coffee table.

“You don’t sound so sure.” Joel smiles softly, but you can tell there’s a sort of sadness in his eyes.

“I just really hadn’t thought about it recently, until just now.” You move your legs off of Joel to maneuver yourself, taking the contract gently from his hand before setting it down on the coffee table next to your book. You swing a leg over his lap so you’re straddling him, and his hands instinctively rest on your hips. He starts to rub small circles into your skin, and you push your body flush against his so your face is mere inches away from him.

“Is that something you want, Mr. Miller?” The playfulness in your tone seems to shift his mood into a slightly happier one.

“Yeah, actually, I’ve been thinking about it and I really do miss having a little one running around.” He kisses the corner of your mouth, before pulling back to gaze at you once more.

“Do you think Sarah would be okay with it? That’s a big age gap. I know she’d be the best big sister, but you know.” You say, raking your hands through his soft curls.

“She’s been hinting that she wants a little sibling for some time now. Not sure she’s hinted to you, but to me, she certainly has.”

You laugh at that piece of information, because it’s something Sarah would definitely do.

“Alright then. I guess when the time comes, we’ll talk to her about it.” You nod, moving down to kiss him. He immediately responds to you by molding his lips to yours, hands moving up so they press against the small of your back.

“I love you, sweetheart.” Joel murmurs against your lips.

You smile softly, cupping the side of his face. “I love you too, handsome.”

-

Saturday had seemed to have come at a snail’s pace, but when it did, Sarah wasted no time in getting you both up and out of the house in record time. It was ten in the morning when you both got to the nail salon, and since it was rather early for the weekend, you and Sarah got taken in right away.

The kind nail technician asked what design you wanted for your nails, and just as you were about to pick a color, Sarah piped in.

“You should get your nails round with a French tip.” She suggested, and you contemplated. You’d never gotten French tip before, but it was cute and looked nice. You went along with her idea, and the nail tech got to work. After an hour and a half, you were both done and out of the chairs. You were about to pay when Sarah stopped you.

“Dad said this one was on him.” She smiled, pulling out a card that she used for a joint account between him and her.

“That’s very kind of him.” You say to no one in particular, putting your wallet back in your purse.

After she swiped the card, she looked back at you with a grin. “Let’s go shopping for a new outfit!”

Her ecstatic nature made you smile, loving that she didn’t think she was ‘too cool’ to hang out with people older than her. She had many friends, yes, but she also valued spending time with Joel, Tommy and you as much as she could.

After driving to the mall, she insisted you both go into a fairly new boutique with gorgeous clothes that were unfortunately on the pricier side.

“Sarah, honey, this place is a little out of my budget.” You confess sheepishly, because you didn’t like to tell her no. Joel told you it was okay to say no to her, but she genuinely never asked you for anything ridiculous or out of the ordinary.

“I know, but let’s just look around for a bit to see if we can find anything.” She smiles softly at you, and those green eyes of hers were so bright and hopeful that you couldn’t resist.

You’re such a sucker for her, Joel’s words rung in your head. You shake your head slightly, looking through a couple of racks before your eyes landed on the most beautiful dress—floor length champagne color that flowed beautifully. It had a slit where the right knee was, and it was fitted on top with spaghetti straps.

Sarah caught you staring at the dress and nodded in encouragement. “You should try it on.” She suggests, and you break your gaze away from the dress to look at her.

“Honey, this dress is over a hundred dollars. I don’t know…” You trailed off, never to be one to spend that much money on one piece of clothing.

“I just wanna see what it looks like!”

“Fine.” You knew you couldn’t argue with her because she was always firm on her stance.

You took the dress off the rack and went into the dressing room, trying on the delicate material. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t fit like a glove. The dress was perfect, like it was made for you. You couldn’t help yourself, so you fished your phone out of your purse to snap a picture (which was poor quality, of course, given the technology of flip phones), and sent it to Joel with nothing but a heart emoticon.

Joel rarely checked his phone while he was on the job, so you hadn’t anticipated a speedy reply. You tossed your phone back into your purse and stepped outside of the dressing room so Sarah could get a look. She gasped in awe, motioning for you to do a twirl.

“You look so beautiful. Wow.” The look in her eyes was telling you to get the dress. You suppose it could be worn for a fancier date night out with Joel, though you could literally be wearing a burlap sack and he’d still think you were the most beautiful person in the room.

“It does fit me good, huh?” You ask, gnawing at your lip. You sigh, giving in and deciding to get the dress. You change back into your regular clothes before bringing it to the front counter to check out. You were about to get your wallet out of your purse, but again, Sarah beat you to it and swiped her card instead.

“Sarah!” You gasp, looking down at her with furrowed eyebrows. She looked up at you sheepishly, shrugging.

“Dad said!” She held up her hands in defense, and you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“Please don’t be mad,” She started as you thanked the sales associate as they handed you a bag with the dress inside. “Dad told me he wanted to treat you.”

“I’m not mad, just… he shouldn’t be spending this kind of money on me.” You sigh, getting back to the car. You were definitely going to have a talk with Joel, because he loved to spoil you and Sarah both, but you felt bad when he spent a lot of money on you in general. You and Sarah both got lunch, which you made sure you paid for, before driving home. To your surprise, Joel’s truck was already in the driveway.

You both entered the house, only to find Joel in the kitchen once you both made your way through the living room.

“Hey dad.” Sarah greets him, giving him a hug.

“Hey babydoll. How was girl’s day?” He asks, looking between the two of you. The Millers both gave each other a certain look, as if they had a secret to hide, but you figured it was another insider between them so you brushed it off.

“It was great. Got our nails done and found a pretty dress for her,” She poked your arm, causing you to smile. “But I’m tired. I’m gonna head upstairs and take a nap.” She bid you both goodbye, before marching herself upstairs and closing her bedroom door.

“I have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Miller.” You cross your arms over your chest and raise an eyebrow at Joel, who’s looking at you with a smug smile.

“And what would that be?” He trapped you between the kitchen counter and his body, both arms flexing to cage you in on either side.

It was hard to concentrate when his tall, broad frame was just yearning to be touched in front of you. He had already taken a shower, so he smelled like fresh pine, cedar and mint.

“Why’d you spend so much money on me? Sarah tricked me twice and swiped her card before I could even get my wallet fully out of my purse.” You huffed, gaze never wavering from his.

“What, I can’t spoil my woman?” He asks, dipping his head to kiss you on your exposed collarbone.

“That was a lot of money, Joel. I love you and appreciate you wanting to spoil me, but–”

“No buts. I wanted to pamper you a little and make sure you had an outfit for our date tomorrow night.” The smug look he had on his face never faltered.

“We’re going on a date?”

“We’re going on a date.”

-

Sunday evening rolled around, and as promised, you and Joel went on said date. Joel took you to the nice Italian restaurant you two had rekindled at. You’d realized then that you hadn’t been there since that day, so you thought it was sweet he was bringing you back there. Although you were enjoying the food and the company you were with, you felt a bit overdressed. Joel even swapped out his usual plain t-shirt or flannel for a nice black button-up shirt with some slacks. You’d never seen him so dressed up in all the years you’ve known him.

He seemed to be really fidgety too, like he was nervous. His eyes kept averting every which way, and when you asked if he was okay, he’d just say “‘M fine, darlin’.”

After dinner, Joel took you to your favorite street market where they had the best crepes. He ordered you both one to share, and luckily, you were able to capture the moment he had whipped cream on the corner of his mouth with a huge smile, looking so handsome under the warmth of the string lights above. You’d brought your digital camera with you just in case you wanted to capture memories like that one in particular.

After dessert, you and Joel took a stroll down to a little gazebo overlooking the creek. This time, though, you noticed there was rose petals on the ground that led to the gazebo. This couldn’t be for you and Joel, could it?

“I think someone decided to have their romantic evening here.” You laugh, and Joel closes his eyes in bliss at the sound, but also in nervousness as it coursed through every part of his being. Joel’s hand was in his pant pocket fidgeting with the velvet box restlessly.

“Let’s go see.” Joel pulled you gently into the direction of the gazebo.

“Joel, I don’t think—” You were cut short when he pulled you up on the platform, engulfing you in such a loving and heartfelt kiss. You were weak in the knees when he pulled apart, and the look in his soft, loving brown eyes held so much emotion you couldn’t even begin to comprehend. If it was anything similar to what you felt for him, then, well, you’d definitely have a clue.

“My sweetheart,” Joel started, taking a small step back as he intertwined both of his hands with your own. “Out of all the years I’ve known you, from when we were just teenagers until now, I’ve gotten the absolute privilege of get to know what a wonderful person you are. You’re so kind, caring, loving, and god, so patient. I always thought I’d never get to have a love like we do, but then just when I’d about given up on love, you walked into my life. You’re the love of my life; my soulmate; the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know bein’ with me hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows, but you’ve loved me through and through nonetheless. I want to spend the rest of my waking days for the rest of our lives showing you and telling you what a beautiful soul you are and how much you mean to me.”

Tears were already in your eyes at his speech, and when he let go of one of your hands to dig out a velvet box from his pocket, you lost it. He got down on one knee, and with teary eyes and a hopeful smile, he asked you the big question.

“Will you marry me, sweetheart?” His voice trembled ever so slightly, and truthfully, you didn’t even look at the ring because you were nodding your head vigorously, tears flowing freely down your cheeks.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Joel.” You choked out, and he stood up again to slide the ring onto your finger, embracing you into a tight hug. You kissed him feverishly, raking your hands through his neatly done curls.

You sobbed against him, trembling from the adrenaline. He kissed the tears off of your cheeks and cupped your face with his hands.

“I love you so, so much darlin’.” He kissed the tip of your nose, and your hands moved to slink together around the back of his neck.

“I love you too.” You sniffled, pure bliss overtaking your features.

You stared into each other’s eyes for a few more seconds, not wanting anything to ruin the perfect moment. Right now, you two were the only ones that existed.

“Wait, let me take a picture.” You smiled softly at him, and he nodded in encouragement. You got your camera out of your purse, holding up your hand with your engagement ring. You sported a huge smile with teary eyes, and Joel kissed your temple as you snapped the photo. This was definitely a memory you both would never forget.

-

About a year later

The wedding was nearing in just twelve hours. Your parents had kindly offered their couple-acred backyard for the ceremony and reception which was perfect, because a small intimate wedding is exactly what you and Joel wanted.

“Can you believe in less than a day I’ll be able to call you Mrs. Miller?” Joel murmured into your shoulder, kissing your soft skin a couple of times before moving his gaze to you.

“It seems so surreal,” You caress his face, shifting your weight on top of him. “You’ll be my husband.” Your heart rate picked up at the thought, butterflies soaring through your stomach.

“I don’t wanna say goodbye for the night.” Joel fake pouts, embracing you even tighter. You’d been lazing with him in bed all day, enjoying each other’s company before you both had to get ready for your bachelor and bachelorette parties. Joel wanted nothing more than to just have a few beers with his brother and closest friends (which funnily enough included your father and brother) at the house, while your mom and sister were throwing you something cute and intimate at your parent’s house. Sarah was coming with, and although Joel was a little apprehensive, he figured he needed to loosen the reigns a bit. She was turning eighteen soon and heading off to college, so he figured if she was going to be around any ‘adult’ things, he’d rather it be with you.

“I don’t either, honey. But you’ll have fun tonight. Hopefully my dad doesn’t give you too much of a hard time.” You sweep the curls off of his forehead, and he grins at you.

“C’mon baby, you know your dad loves me… now.” He teases you incredulously, earning an eye roll from you.

“Yeah yeah, Miller. You and that damn Southern charm, hm?”

“Got you to where you are with me now, didn’t it sugar?” He rolls you both over, grinning boyishly down at you before moving to leave a trail of soft kisses down the pulse point on your neck.

You sigh in pleasure before gently grabbing his face and holding it before yours, “That’s right.” He leaned down to you to capture your lips with his, pleasuring you one last time before he can call you “wife.”

-

Today was the big day, and fuck were you nervous. Not nervous in the sense that you were getting cold feet, but it was moreso having multiple people’s eyes on you watching you walk up an aisle and marry the literal love of your life. Little anxieties also crept up as well, like tripping while walking down the aisle or not being able to say your vows correctly.

You were surrounded by your bridesmaids and your mom, as they were putting the finishing touches on you. You felt like a literal princess—you had the dress of your dreams, all of your family and friends around you on yours and Joel’s day, and the man of your dreams waiting for you at the end of the aisle.

“You look beautiful, honey.” Your mom said, holding you at arm’s length with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, mom.” You chuckle, bringing her in for a hug.

“I love you baby. I can’t believe you’re getting married today.”

“I can’t believe it either. It’s finally happening.” Tears start to form in your waterline, and Sarah fans your face.

“None of that! Can’t ruin your makeup.” She exasperates, making everyone laugh, though she had tears in her eyes herself.

“You ready, babydoll?” Your dad knocks on the door, pausing to take you in. A proud and sad smile forms on his lips. “My little girl. Can’t believe you’re gettin’ married today.” He sighs, and you move to give him a hug.

“You and mom are two peas in a pod.” You offer him a soft smile as your bridesmaids line up, moving downstairs to meet the groomsmen.

“Let’s get you married, babydoll.” He offers you his arm, which you take before you hear the music start to play—a soft, sweet melody to introduce the groomsmen and bridal party. Your dad led you down the stairs before Sarah and Tommy could walk down the aisle, and you took a deep breath. This was it.

The melody you chose for when you walked down the aisle started to play, and your dad led you to the beginning of the soft white runner. Your eyes immediately locked on Joel’s, who was already teary eyed with the widest smile on his face.

It’s like your feet were floating off the ground as you made your way to him. His tall and broad stature was clad in a crisp tux, hair neatly combed to the side, sporting an unwavering smile on his face. You kissed your dad on the cheek as he presented you to Joel, who took your arm carefully and led you to the very end of the aisle before the officiant.

Joel kissed you on the cheek, lips lingering by your ear for a second. “You look absolutely breathtakin’, my love.” He kisses your cheek one more time before standing straight up, looking down at you with nothing but love and pure adoration. Those big brown eyes that held a galaxy of emotions in them have captivated you for eternity. You smile up at him, tears forming in your eyes again.

“You all may be seated.” The officiant says, and you and Joel join hands as listen to his ‘we’re gathered here today’ speech. Truthfully, almost everything in the world was drowned out to you in this moment. It was just you and Joel.

“I believe the couple has agreed to exchange vows.” The officiant said, turning to Joel who curtly nods before clearing his throat. He gave your hands a small squeeze before smiling down at you.

“Sweetheart,” He starts, a slight nervous edge to his voice. “When we were just teenagers, all I could think about was how pretty you are every time I was around you. You always lit up a room without even trying. Always had me at a loss for words, which is why I never spoke much around you to begin with,” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Just like you lit up a room when we were measly teens, you did the same thing to my life once you walked right back in it all those years later. Though I never had the courage to ask you on a date in high school, I’d say things worked out pretty well considerin’ the fact.” The audience before you both laughed, and a happy tear slipped from your eyes.

“You’ve been such a light to not only me, but to Sarah and Tommy as well. Thank you for loving my girl like she’s your own. Thank you for teaching me such patience, making an honest man out of me, and provin’ me wrong when I thought I’d be alone for the rest of my life. You’ve changed my life for the better, have bewitched me body and soul, and there’s no one else I’d rather be standin’ up here with right now. It’s you, darlin’; it’s always been you. I vow to love you for eternity in this crazy thing called life, until my last dyin’ breath. Through thick and thin, trial and error. I love you, sweetheart.”

You wanted to sob like a baby at his words, but kept your composure as you sniffled and took a deep breath. The officiant turned to you, signaling it was your turn.

“If anyone told me four years ago that I’d be standing at this altar right now with the love of my life, I would’ve laughed right in their faces. I was so content with being independent and ready to give up on dating, until you showed up at that restaurant in all your glory. From that point on, you’ve turned my life around in the best way possible. You had me hooked from the start. You’ve been nothing but kind, supportive, nurturing, and most importantly, you showed me how to truly feel loved. I thought I knew what true love was before, until you proved me so wrong. I’ll spend the rest of my waking days thanking you forevermore. I was half the person before you came back into my life, and now I feel like you’ve made me whole again. You’re my person, Joel. My soulmate. I’m so grateful that that one blind date ended up not showing up, ultimately working out in my favor after all. Thanks Ma,” You glance at your mom, and everyone chuckles. “I love you, Joel Miller. Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of eternity.”

The glint in his eyes was nothing short of pure love, and you were certain they reflected the look in your own.

“Joel, repeat after me,” The officiant starts. “I, Joel Miller, take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

Joel repeats his exact words, gaze never wavering from yours.

“I promise to love you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold for as long as we both shall live.”

He repeats the words once again.

The officiant says your name, and tells you to repeat after him.

“I take Joel Miller to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to love you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold for as long as we both shall live.”

Joel pulls you closer to him, wrapping his arm around your waist. The ring bearer presents the rings, and you slide Joel’s ring onto his finger. He replicates your actions as he slides your ring onto your ring finger, giving your hand a small squeeze.

“By the power vested in me and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you as husband and wife. Mr. Miller, you may kiss your bride.”

Finally.

Joel wastes no time as he dips you down softly, kissing you so gently yet passionately. You had your hands wrapped around the back of his shoulders, clinging onto him as he continued to kiss you. The guests cheered for you both, and he pulled away to murmur “I love you, Mrs. Miller” against your lips. Heat flooded your body at your new name.

Mrs. Miller.

Mrs. Miller.

“I love you too, Mr. Miller.” You reply breathlessly, a tear slipping down your cheek. Joel was quick to wipe it away as he stood you upright again, pecking your lips softly.

“Why are you cryin’, baby?”

“I’m just so happy. I love you. I love you so much.” You cup his face, kissing him again. You nearly forgot about the people that were watching you both in this intimate moment, so you shuffled back a little until he grasped your hand and you both made your way down the aisle.

You stepped back into your parent’s house with Joel, both of you laughing breathlessly. You take a second to stop and look into his eyes, enjoying your first moment alone as husband and wife.

“I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be able to call you my husband.” You murmur, running your hands up his biceps.

“I think you got it twisted, sweetheart. I’m the lucky one. I’ll remind you of that every single day until it’s my last.”

-

The next day, you and Joel hopped on a flight to Hawaii. As a wedding present, your parents gifted you an all-inclusive trip to a beautiful resort. The only thing your mom said when you asked her how you could repay her was ‘give me some grand babies!’

So that’s why Joel carried you over the threshold to your resort room just mere minutes ago. You made your way to the balcony which overlooked the resort, and the Pacific Ocean. After Joel got the bags from the bell hop, he caged your body between the balcony and his own.

“It’s so beautiful.” You whisper, nodding your head out to the ocean. The bright sun was glistening down on the ocean, making it sparkle.

“Not as beautiful as you, darlin’.”

You huff a laugh at Joel’s words. “Ever the sweet talker, Mr. Miller.”

“Only for you, Mrs. Miller.”

You turn around so you’re facing Joel, a beaming smile on your face.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing that name.” You reach up and run your fingers through Joel’s soft hair, hands knitting together at the base of his head.

“Good, ‘cus I’ll never get tired of saying it,” He pulls you in for a soft kiss, cradling your face gently. “Now c’mon baby. Let’s get ready for dinner.” He ushers you back inside, and you rummage through your luggage that you brought for a pretty, bright colored dress to wear to dinner.

You spent a bit of time doing your hair and makeup, wanting to make sure you looked good. You wanted to make yourself irresistible to Joel, because you’ve been secretly pining to have your hands all over each other. You both held out last night and didn’t have sex, mainly because you both were dead tired.

Joel had the same thing in mind when he got dressed for this dinner in some khaki pants and a white linen shirt, leaving the first few buttons undone. He was planning on having some mind-blowing sex with you, and he was getting restless just thinking about it. He had to keep himself in check though and remind himself that you both also came here to enjoy the romantic side of being newlyweds. All those thoughts went straight out of the window and drowned in the Pacific when you stepped out of the bathroom.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away—you were simply the most breathtaking woman. The dress you’d put on hugged your curves, and with slits that exposed most of your legs, it made Joel even weaker. He wanted to drop to his knees now and worship the ground you walked on. Your makeup enhanced your features more than it usually would, but it looked stunning. You had a certain glow to yourself that Joel couldn’t get enough of.

You felt the same way about him, too. You stopped in your tracks when your eyes landed on the man you loved, khaki pants fitting him perfectly with the white linen shirt that purposefully had a few buttons undone. The white cloth contrasted beautifully against his smooth, tan skin. The shirt clung to his biceps in the right places, easily showcasing the muscle that he had. He was wearing nice brown boots too, which added an inch or so to his height. You could feel yourself nearly drooling, panties dampening the longer your stared at him. He looked delicious. You almost wanted to cancel dinner and just jump his bones right then and there.

“You look…” He trailed off, moving to stand in front of you.

“Yeah, you too.” You said breathlessly, and you both chuckle.

“Let’s get outta here. Dinner starts soon.” Joel takes your hand after double checking he has the room key card, and you both make your way downstairs.

Dinner ended up being really delicious with a beautiful show, and to your surprise, Joel asked you to dance with him after. Joel wasn’t much of a dancer, and this wasn’t slow dancing. This was more like being in a club, so he had your body pressed up against his and your back met his front. His strong hands held your hips firmly as you swayed them to the beat of the song, and Joel could feel himself getting harder by the minute.

Truthfully, you were grinding yourself on him to tease him, but he knew exactly what game you were playing at so he did the same to you. You nearly moaned as he pulled you into him, the feeling of his hardness evident through his pants. Usually, you’d both be stubborn to see who would break first, but you couldn’t wait anymore. You spun around in his arms, eyes filled with lust and body buzzing with sexual tension.

“Joel,” The tone in your voice was surprisingly not as needy as you expected it to be. He looked down at you, eyes nearly black as he studied your features. “Let’s go upstairs.”

He didn’t need another word of confirmation as he clasped your hand and practically dragged you up to your room. You had to nearly jog as his long strides to the room didn’t let up. He fumbled with the key card, opening the door to the room swiftly before you both stumbled inside. He wasted no time as he tossed the key card and his wallet onto a table near the front door, grabbing your face and smashing his lips to yours. He pushed you up against the door, moaning into your mouth. Your hands found purchase in his soft curls, tugging teasingly.

He moved his hands to the back of your thighs, signaling you to jump. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he caught you, bringing you over to the bed. You traced his neck with hot, wet, needy kisses before he set you down. He released you, and looked down at you as he towered over you. The look in his eyes was very telling that you two weren’t going to get very much sleep tonight.

Your chest was heaving up and down, body nearly trembling with need as Joel loomed over you, taking you in. You reached out for him, wanting to feel his body on top of yours. He happily obliged as he slotted himself between your legs, caressing your cheek before kissing you again. Your hands trailed down the front of his chest, nails slightly scraping his hot skin. You unbuttoned the rest of his shirt before discarding it onto the floor. You ran your needy hands all over him until they made their way down to his belt buckle.

Joel chuckled at your eagerness before pushing your hands away. You protested with a small whine before he nipped at your neck, just below your ear. “Let me take care of you first, darlin’.”

Joel slid the dress slowly up and over your head, making sure to trail his hands over all of your curves as he did so. He moaned at the sight of the pretty white lace set you had on for him.

“All for me baby?” He asks, dipping his head to kiss the soft flesh of your breasts right above the bra you were wearing.

“Yes.” You’re breathless. It would be embarrassing to you in any other instance, but fuck’s sake, you needed your husband desperately.

Joel’s eyes trail down your torso until they settle on the thin white lace underwear that covered you. His hooded eyes looked back up to yours as he rubbed circles into your thighs.

“I promised myself I’d say my vows twice. Once at the altar, and once with just my tongue buried in your pretty pussy. Word. For. Word."

You gasped at Joel's bluntness, feeling your arousal pooling quicker into the only thing that separated you from his sweet tongue. You stared at him, doe-eyed and wanting, just waiting for him to take the leap. Maybe you should make the first move. Your arms could move quicker than your brain could process your own actions, and you started to reach out for him.

"Mm mm, baby." Joel stops you, grabbing both of your wrists in one of his hands, holding them above your head.

"Fuck." You whine softly, hips involuntarily bucking up into nothing.

He wickedly grins at you as he moves down to kiss you, easily moving his free hand to cup your mound before pressing his thumb to your extremely sensitive clit. You inhale sharply at the feeling, instinctively closing your eyes.

"Look at me, baby. Wanna see those pretty eyes on me when I make you feel good." Joel's voice is soft and loving, but has a stern edge to it. Your eyes peel open to look at him as he moves the thin lace of your panties to the side. He looks down, seeing you already covered in your slick. He groans at the sight and takes his middle finger, swiping up and between your folds. He moves his slick-covered finger to his mouth, eagerly tasting you. He hums in pleasure, and you can see clear as day that he's rock solid in his khakis.

He releases your wrists from his hand, but you don't dare to move. He skates his hands down your body gently, kissing your soft flesh along the way before grabbing either side of your panties. He gently taps your hips, so you lift them up for him as he slides the white lace down your legs. He discards them somewhere on the floor behind him, his focus solely on you.

He maneuvers his face between your legs, biting some spots on your inner thighs softly before kissing the spot after. He continued to move at a slow, torturous pace, making his way up to your aching pussy.

"My beautiful wife. I love you." He says, and you run your fingers through his hair as you look down at him.

"I love you t-oh," You start, but were cut off by Joel poking his tongue out to circle your clit, dragging it down to your entrance, then back up again. "Fuck!" You gasp, gripping his hair slightly. He moaned into you as he got to work, and god, he wasn't fucking kidding when he said he'd say his vows twice. His tongue moved slowly, carefully finding a rhythm that drove you insane.

You started to grind your hips upward, writhing beneath him. He hummed into you, moving a hand to press down on your abdomen to keep you from moving.

Joel shifted himself in the slightest to bring his ring and middle finger up, slowly entering you as his skillful tongue never broke contact. A broken cry left your mouth, eyebrows threaded together and breathing labored. His tongue flicked your clit continuously as his fingers languidly pumped in and out of you, reaching that sweet spot every single time. If he kept this up, you knew you wouldn't last long.

You felt the crescendo of your orgasm building up rather quickly, heat in your lower abdomen tight with anticipation. Both of your hands flew into Joel’s hair when the his hand on your abdomen pressed down, applying more pressure. He truly went to work on you and ate you like a starved man, not letting up once. He wanted you to come all over the lower half of his face, wanted to feel your legs shake as you cried out his name for mercy.

And oh, what Joel wanted, he got.

Your orgasm rushed over you, internal flames licking you from your head to your toes. Joel lapped you up, fingers slowing down until they came to a halt. He pulled them out of you slowly, but his tongue was unforgiving as he kept slurping and licking at your sensitive heat. Your body jerked in overstimulation, trying to wriggle away from him, but he clamped his hands down firmly on your hips.

“Jesus Christ, Joel– f-fuuuuck.” You whined loudly, tears springing to your eyes. Just as quickly as your first orgasm came, a second one was already building up. Joel felt it with the way your body was tensing, and to add to the pleasure this time, he moved his tongue down to dip inside of you, moving at a deliciously torturous pace. He moaned against you, feeling you flutter around his tongue. He brought a thumb over one of your thighs, rubbing tight circles over your clit.

If you thought you were seeing the stars above before, you were seeing the whole fucking galaxy this time around.

“C’mon sweetheart, give it t’me. Let me see my beautiful wife cum on my face again.” His dirty words came and went quickly as he got right back to tongue fucking you, your release right on the edge.

You moaned so loudly as your second orgasm coiled tightly and snapped like a cable right through you, your whole body shaking with pleasure as Joel’s name rolled off your tongue like a prayer on Sundays. Joel cleaned you up once more, kissing your oversensitive pussy before dragging himself upwards. Pure lust clouded his eyes and his overall expression. His pupils were blown, eyes seemingly’ve gotten darker.

He moves a hand up to tug your chin down. “Open your mouth.” His demanding tone sent tingles down your spine, only adding fuel to the fire. You obey him immediately, and he spits directly into your mouth.

“Swallow.” Was all he said, and you complied. Your eyes nearly rolled to the back of your head with how dominating he was being right now. You tasted yourself as you swallowed what he’d given you, eyes glossy as you awaited his next move. He stood up from the bed briefly, only to discard his shoes, pants, and boxers.

His erection sprung free and hit his torso, precum smearing as his tip was leaking and begging to be touched.

“My handsome husband.” You praised, only mirroring his words of affection to you earlier. He offered you a soft smile, climbing over you again. He rested his elbows on either side of you, face hovering mere inches above yours.

“Tell me now, baby. Do you want to make sweet love? Or do you want to be fucked roughly? You choose.” You laugh softly that he’s giving you an option, but there was all the time in the world for sweet love making on this trip. You wanted to be fucked senseless and take advantage of this domineering side of Joel.

“The latter, baby. Into oblivion.” You flash him a wicked smile, and that’s all you need for him to get off of you and reposition you so you both were facing the mirror that hung on the wall.

“Want you to see yourself getting fucked, sweetheart.” His voice is dangerously low. He climbs onto the bed as you arch your back, giving Joel a perfect view of your plump ass. He leaned down to kiss you on one cheek, before his hand cracked down on the other, giving it a fairly harsh slap. You gasped, eyes wide and mouth agape as you stared at his hungry expression in the mirror. The sting of the slap only added to your arousal, making your toes curl in the slightest.

“You ready, darlin’?” He asks, rubbing your ass tenderly. You nod in the mirror, but he shakes his head.

“Words, honey. Lemme hear you.” He presses, and you swallow thickly.

“I’m ready Joel. Please, fuck me.” Your begging alone nearly made him come undone, but he sucked in a breath as he positioned himself with your slick entrance.

He grabbed your hips, sliding into you with ease, courtesy of your arousal. You both moaned loudly, being filled up from this position always hitting deeper than usual. Joel’s cock felt heavy inside you as he gave you a minute to adjust to him. After all these years together, it still took a little time to adjust to his size. In doing so, this was the first time you both didn’t use any form of protection, so you could feel every single ridge and vein on his swollen member.

Joel had to concentrate on not cumming right there as he was buried in your tight warmth. The feeling of no protection was heavenly. You started to move your hips forward, giving him a silent signal he was good to go.

Joel moved almost all the way out of you, before snapping his hips forward to fill you completely again. You cried out at the pleasure as he set an unrelenting pace, fucking you senseless into the mattress.

“Look so fuckin’ pretty getting fucked dumb on my cock like this, sweetheart.” Joel grits, voice strained with pleasure.

“Feels—” You gasp for air, choking your words out. “Feels s’good. Y’feel so good, Joel. So good.” You praise him, fists clenching the fabric of the white comforter beneath you.

“Eyes up here, honey.” He moved a hand away from your hip to wrap around the front of your throat, pulling you up while applying the tiniest bit of pressure. Your eyes met his in the mirror, and you’d truly never seen such a pornographic sight in reality. You both looked so fucked out, so ravenous, so hungry and desperate for each other as his hips collided with your ass at an unrelenting, brutal pace.

Joel had an idea to add more pleasure to the mix, but it was borderline teetering a limit for you. You told Joel awhile ago that you’d try anything (well, almost anything) once, and if you didn’t like it, you’d let him know. He knew what he was about to do was truly obscene and filthy, but it was worth a shot. He moved his hand up your jaw and ran his thumb over your bottom lip, tugging at it. His thumb made its way into your mouth and you eagerly sucked on it, giving him the lubrication he was seeking. After a minute, he let his thumb out of your mouth with a small pop.

He looked into your eyes through the mirror, and then looked down, where your other hole was completely exposed to him. He was hesitant for a moment, but bit the bullet and spit right onto it. Your eyes widened and you gasped, wondering what the hell he was going to do… but then it clicked. He moved his hand down to your ass, resting it tenderly on your cheek as his thumb swiped over his spit there.

“Can I? If it feels like too much you can tell me to stop.” He said, thumb hovering right over the spot you both became so curious about. You trusted Joel and knew he’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.

What the hell, you thought. Worst thing that could happen is you tell him to stop. You nodded slowly, and heat rose to your cheeks as he kept bucking his hips into you. His face displayed pure concentration, eyebrows threaded together as he slowly pushed his thumb into you. It felt really odd at first, but that bit of pressure alongside the weight of his cock pounding into you was pure fucking bliss. Your pussy clenched down on him, and you both moaned in unison once more.

After Joel gained his full concentration back, he used his other free hand to wrap around your throat once more. You couldn’t believe how much Joel was holding back before you two got married, because fuck, this was truly some of the most mind blowing sex you’ve ever had.

The only sounds heard in the room was his hips slapping into your ass repeatedly, the wet squelching noise of you taking him so well, and your heavy breathing mixed with a couple of scattered moans. Your head was completely empty from every thought you’d ever had, except for Joel. Your mind was just Joel Joel Joel.

“Fuck, baby, you feel so fucking good around me. You were made for this cock,” Joel groans. “I’m gettin’ close.”

He moved his hand from your throat down to your clit, rubbing tight circles again. You cry out at the sensation, one of your hands moving to grip Joel’s forearm. You dug your nails into him unintentionally, causing him to hiss. He truthfully didn’t mind the slight pain that it brought though.

“Fuck Joel, I’m gonna cum.” You choke out, and he moans in response.

“Me too, baby. Y’gonna cum with me?” He rasps, but before you could even answer, you were clenching down on him as your orgasm shot through you once more.

“Fuck, sweetheart, where do you want me?” He asks, his own release just seconds away. He removed his thumb from you to steady himself against you with his hands, his face contorting into absolute pleasure.

“In me, please, baby– fuck.” Bliss takes over the course of your whole being as you cry out his name. A string of curses comes out of his own mouth, mixed with your own name, as he painted your insides with his seed. Your eyes were trained on him the whole time, so turned on by your husband blissed out because of you, that it elongated your orgasm. Your legs were shaky and done for as he stopped moving completely, his tan chest rising and falling rapidly to catch his breath. He wrapped his arms around your torso as he slowly pulled out, making you groan at the loss of fullness.

He brought you down on the mattress with him, tucking your head gently beneath his chin. You both spent a few minutes trying to catch your breaths, enjoying the peacefulness of being wrapped into each others arms.

“You did so good for me. I love you, baby girl.” Joel kisses the crown of your head, thumb stroking a spot on your arm softly.

“That was incredible, my love. Didn’t know you were holding back on me.” You chuckle as you kiss his chest, nails scratching his beard.

He huffs a laugh, clasping his hand around your wrist gently. He kissed the palm of your hand, resting it over his heart when he was done.

“I’m so fuckin’ happy, darlin’. So happy I get to call you my wife, and so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so, so much.”

You tear up at his kind words, pulling his face down for a sweet kiss.

“I love you too, my sweet husband. Forever and always.”

You’ve thought it and said it a million times before, and you’ll think it and say it a million times again—the universe really had a funny way of aligning things in life.

It really was fate, after all.

[haunted-whisperings]

when i look in the mirror i never trust what i see having trouble realizing me told what to do, what to feel where do i begin to find what is real i said no, “you mean yes” i guess not so sure anymore an uneven score wanting more do i deserve such i feel i have been missing much caught in a web of lies unheard for years, my many cries chains stay the course do you think he feels remorse overactive emotions dysfunctional neurotransmitters i’m not a quitter not even bitter i just need to know how do i go from here to there care self-distrust do i matter much it’s not a crutch i’m struck by a twist of fate stalemate maybe someone help me figure this out untwist my brain serotonin lost my mood the cost depressed on a quest to find my true mind real emotions presynaptic collapse my body reacts self-harm moving to my arm sound the alarm imperfections now found on my body’s sacred ground tell me the truth show me what to do is this true as tears drop shocked mediating tension hand is wrenching stainless steel again appeals to the theory of invalidation

[overkill-max]

Escaping Fate: The Gales (4 /4)

This idea, of what if Kit had run away, wouldn’t leave me. So, this is what I came up with. It is very loose with canon and has a lot of made-up crap, for the plot.

——————

Summary: Everything is different, and yet, fate will find a way to get what it needs from you.

——————

Jade has the same dream where Kit is ripped away from her arms. It makes her wonder if last night was just another fantasy.

With daylight breaking through her window, Jade is ready for Kit to have slipped through her fingertips, just as she always does when her eyes open.

Taking a small breath, she braces herself for that disappointment. For that constant heartbreak that refuses to heal.

Instead of an empty space, Kit is still asleep next to her. In her bed. Jade can’t tamp down the joy she feels as she takes in Kit’s messy hair. The way their fingers are almost touching between their bodies. As if even in sleep, Kit seeks her out.

And just like that, Jade feels something bitter inside of her start to untwist. Letting go of her lungs.

She can breathe.

She takes another deep breath.

Reassuring herself that she can breathe..

Read it on AO3

[hathousehappenings]

2-Week Hiatus Announcement!

My sister is getting married tomorrow and I'm out of town the weekend of the 4th. The final 12 episode stretch will begin on May 17th with Untwist of Fate and Queen's Best Friend!

Home stretch, babyyyy!!~

[rosethornewrites]

11/25-12/8 T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Teen:

Darkest time, by LilacNeko (7 chapters)

Lan Wangji dies and the cultivation world is left to live with the aftermath.

stillness was my comfort, by sami (9th in a series)

There was a funeral. They buried a casket containing eighty kilograms of ballast in his grave.

Guide Me Home, by geethr75 (14 chapters)

When Wen Qing realises that being in the Burial Mounds is killing Wei Wuxian, she decides to approach Jiang Wanyin for help. Little does she expect the result of that decision.

EXTREMELY JIANG CHENG FRIENDLY.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Whatever you do, by apathyinreverie (2 chapters)

During the attack on Cloud Recesses, both Jades of Lan are captured. It changes everything. Not so much by way of their capture. But rather by way of who ends up coming to their rescue.

(Or, a Wei-Ying-is-appreciated fic. ‘Cause, there can never be enough of those.)

General:

Disliking Seperation, by SallySPT (4 chapters)

Nearly a year after the events at Guanyin Temple, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian return to the cultivation world to participate in the Cultivation Conference. Many things have changed in the year that they were gone.

Or Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian adopt a child while traveling and the cultivation world doesn’t know how to react.

When Fate Opens a Window, Let Us Fly Through It, by JaimeBlue

Nie Mingjue wakes up during one of the Lan visits to Qinghe with his best friend in his arms, something tied to his wrist, and someone knocking at his door. He finds out the hard way just what it means when a Lan's forehead ribbon is tied to someone else's wrist.

Fate Strikes Again - Come Fly With Me, by JaimeBlue (2nd in a series)

In Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji wakes up hungover with his forehead ribbon tied between him and Wei Wuxian. He knows exactly who is behind it, but before he can even think of speaking the truth, he discovers Wei Ying isn't as averse as he thought he would be. Things go much better than he expected... and Lan Wangji manages *not* to kill Nie Huaisang.

Unfinished

Teen:

Talking is Better than Silence, by KuroiWrites (blackcatkuroi)

"This path harms the body. Harms the nature of one's heart even more." Lan WangJi spoke those words upon first seeing Wei Wuxian alive after the Burial Mounds, unknowing of the truth.

Wei Wuxian, though, didn't need to be told, and he accepted that he'd lost whatever he might have once had with Lan WangJi. Several nights later, in a moment of drunken weakness under the melancholic light of a full moon, he tells Lan WangJi the Truth. He'd never needed Lan WangJi to spell out his fate for him - he'd known since he walked out of the Burial Mounds alive.

But one small bit of honesty can go a long way, and Talking is far better than Silence.

Shards of Hope, by Dreaming_Days

He had built his life with the coldest calculation. Clawed his way to power with unhesitating ruthlessness. Destroyed anyone who would impede him. Betrayed even the few who had truly cared for him. And, in the end, utterly forsaken, Jin Guangyao died.

Then, 25 years earlier, Meng Yao woke up.

The Twin Ghosts of Yunmeng, by sandupommelfrog

After months of planning to resettle the Wen remnants and stop Wei Wuxian’s terminal decline from demonic cultivation, disaster struck, and Jiang Cheng was left alone, throwing away everything to try to save his brother including his life and his sect. But, he can’t let his own death stop him from his duty to his people or his love for his nephew, and Jiang Cheng breathes again to begin the slog of rebuilding. The years are long, the world is dangerous, and his own health is a daily battle, but Jiang Cheng is not alone this time.

Even with Yunmeng Jiang destroyed, the outside world still fears the vengeance the Twin Ghosts of Yunmeng will wreak upon them, and they will rise again as snakes writhe in Koi Tower and the tangles of deception gradually untwist.

Also a mer au :D

Familiar Stranger, by weavingBlue

Already worried about Wei Ying after he fled Qiongqi Path with the Wen prisoners, Lan Wangji feels driven to distraction by a brilliant and oddly familiar cultivator who keeps popping up everywhere.

In the mean time, the Wen remnants and Wei Wuxian start stumbling across mysterious gifts and supplies when they least expect it.

...Clearly it must be a plot.

Alternate Headcanons, by nirejseki

Random assortment of MDZS ficlets in response to a request for prompts for alternate headcanons for characters

from my paintbrush to your lips, by stiltonbasket (5th in a series)

"...we noted that Emperor Chifeng's consorts left a well-preserved paper trail, as did his sole empress, Lan Xichen (posth. Empress Zhangxing). The highest-ranking consort in the harem was Empress Zhangxing's younger sister, Lan Wangji (Imperial Noble Consort Rui), who attained the rank of huang-guifei during a period of political unrest coinciding with the birth of her first nephew, Emperor Tianjing. Her diaries indicate that she was brought to the palace to serve as the infant Tianjing’s foster mother, and that she likely did not share an intimate relationship with Emperor Chifeng. Her closest relationship seems to have been with Imperial Concubine Ye, born Wei Wuxian in late ----.

"Below, we have compiled a partial collection of Lan Wangji's letters, written over the four years preceding Imperial Concubine Ye's entry into the harem.”

Rabbit Charm, by aoeros

“You gotta promise me that when you’re back home and settled in, I’ll be the first you come to see. Because I’m going to miss you more than anyone else will, Lán Zhàn. Except your brother, of course.”

“Of course. I promise to come find you first after I’ve settled back in.”

“Great! Then I promise to call you whenever I can. And, I will definitely not forget you.”

Instead, by apathyinreverie

Wei Ying is found by someone other than Wen Chao after the Core transfer.

Or, the one where Wei Ying is never thrown into the Burial Mounds, never invents demonic cultivation. He still manages to become the lynchpin of the Sunshot Campaign anyway.

Making Different Choices (For A More Hopeful Future), by Preludian_Staves (locked to signed in ao3 users)

Through a bout of unexpected time traveling, they decide to usurp Fate's plans and do their best to make different choices to create a more hopeful future.

General:

he, who died, is ignorant, by Maxciel_99

Jiang Cheng is thirteen when his eyes lose the shine that has always mirrored Wei Wuxian’s wild spirit. And then no longer is he a shadow of anyone but merely a shell of himself.

Here is a man who is served the world, for once, but he has turned a boy who finally stops wishing and wanting all at once.

_

Or basically, JC time travels somehow and he's acting strange. Likely depressed? Who knows?

What's Your Truth?, by xxxMiaHikarixxx

Lan Qiren brings in class a cursed object for his students to examine thinking its curse can't be triggered since no students in his class hold any romantic feelings for each other. However, the item is triggered. What happens next is quite unexpected.

[sinclair-scrambles]

[ID: Header text saying "COMMON PET EMERGENCIES"

IF YOU HAVE (BLANK) A YOU SHOULD KNOW (BLANK)

If you have a male cat, you should know about urethral obstruction

Male cats can often develop blockages in their urethra that prevent them from urinating. This becomes life-threatening quickly, so any straining to urinate in a male cat is concerning! Treatment involves a procedure to clear the blockage and hospitalization on fluids.

If you have an older large breed dog, you should know about hemangiosarcoma

Older dogs can often develop tumors on their spleen that grow so large they rupture and cause internal bleeding. The only intervention is emergency surgery to remove the spleen. About 70% of the time these tumors are cancerous, most often a cancer called hemangiosarcoma.

If you have an unspayed female dog, you should know about pyometra 1

Female dogs that have not been spayed are at risk for contracting a deadly hi infection of the uterus called Pyometra. This condition becomes much more common as the dog ages and requires expensive emergency surgery. This can be prevented by spaying your dog once she has reached maturity.

If you have an older cat, you should know about saddle thrombus (FATE)

Undetected heart disease is very common in older cats, and it can result in the formation of a clot that leaves the heart and travels to the back legs. This cuts off circulation and the cat is no longer able to use the hind legs. Treatment is controversial but involves aggressive care in hospital.

If you have a deep chested dog (ESPECIALLY a Great Dane), you should know about bloat (GDV)

Bloat is a condition where the stomach of a dog flips around on itself and begins to rapidly expand. This condition is life-threatening and requires emergency surgery to untwist the stomach. Bloat can be prevented with an elective procedure called a gastropexy. /end ID]

One of the hardest things about working in a veterinary ER is delivering bad news. I feel like at least once a shift someone is blindsided by their pet being diagnosed with a condition they’ve never heard of before. In many cases this is unavoidable but I really feel that some of the most common critical emergencies I see would be easier for owners to process if they had prior knowledge about the illness.

The following infographic is far from a comprehensive list and truthfully I have a LOT more to say about diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of each of these conditions. However, this image shows just a few of the major points that I wish owners had been able to prepare for prior to hearing about them in the ER. Some of these conditions are preventable and some are not but they all require an owner to make difficult decisions in a crisis situation. If your pet fits into one of these categories, please just do a quick google about the condition, and maybe discuss with your vet signs that you can watch for at home.

[donaldtrumpforanonwin]

If it’s rigged, if it’s righteous, if it’s ridiculous—all that underworld shake-up and celestial maneuvering, the weight of fate, the looped destinies—none of it halts a figure like Trump. He’s etched into the American drama with that strange echo of permanence, each election another chord in his relentless symphony.

Whether systems crumble or flourish, laws twist or untwist, there’s that immortal energy, the unyielding heartbeat of his character stamping its way forward. And if 2024 crowns him yet again, it’s not just politics; it’s myth in motion, a character returning, with purpose that the world may still be blind to, yet always feels pressing at the edges of sense and the surreal.

[lagoonsmoon]

day twenty-one: the problem of death

alexia knows that the problem of death is not death itself. it is not the action of dying the causes issues, pain, for those involved. it is not the end that will hurt the most. it is the moments before, maybe months before, where she will sit and expect it. where she was await the train with baited breath and packed suitcases, sitting to the side of the tracks in the station. she’s tapping her toes, pacing sometimes, counting the minutes, the moments until the train pulls in. her oncologist has informed her that the timing can be her choice, if she wants it to be. if she wants to set up a time with her family and friends, say goodbye, and leave painlessly, she could. but what family, what friends, what mourners, what pallbearers, what funeral attendees. the slots are blank and thinking about that any harder makes her sobs more overwhelming, which only causes further pain.

she will await the day. she won’t tempt fate by dragging it closer to her. she will rot and she will grit her teeth till the end. it’s not what she wanted three years ago, it’s not what she planned for the end to hold on like this, she planned to untwist her digits from the pole that she gripped so tightly.

the end, the death, the actual passing isn’t what’s painful for alexia, it’s everything else involved. where will her money go, where will jinx, her kitten live now, who will mow the lawn and water the plants.

who will find her body.

[oliolioxenfreewrites]

Let's untwist the depths of Briarwisp together, where every shadow tells a story, and every light promises renewal.

🌟Enter the Enchanted Realm of Briarwisp🌟

In the magical world of Briarwisp, mystical tales are the currency of the soul, and the fate of the land rests in the hands of three lost princesses.

👑 Imani, the eldest, with wisdom as deep as the forest.

🌿 Jade, twin to Jasmine, her spirit is one with the earth.

🔥 Jasmine, baby sister and twin to Jade. She dances with the flames of courage.

Their stories are not just legends, but lifelines to a world waiting to be discovered. This is your invitation to journey with us, to uncover the mysteries and magic woven into the very fabric of Briarwisp.

Are you ready to answer the call of adventure? To walk in the footsteps of princesses and see the world through eyes touched by magic? Subscribe and join us every Wednesday for a new tale, mystery, and enchantment.

[✨Subscribe & Embark on the Journey✨]

Let's unravel the history of Briarwisp together, where every shadow tells a story, and every light promises rebirth.

[neverhangd]

“Untwist yer knickers, Shady One,” Anne replies almost immediately. Gods above—is this what dealing with her is like? Unpleasant and mean without a real reason? …what a stupid fucking question. Of course this what dealing with her is like, right down to the dismissive assumptions. Anne isn’t used to dealing with someone like herself; James and Jack were loud, brash arseholes, and Read was a serious, quiet shadow at her shoulder. She doesn’t miss James, or Jack, or any other shit-dick excuse for a sailor on the Ranger save Read. They were always a good sort. “Didn’t say I would stop ye. Hells, didn’t say I wouldn’t help ye!” She also didn’t say she would, but that’s another matter. “Just lookin t’understand. Ain’t met something I’d risk my everything for like that.”

She thought she had, twice.

Both times she’d been sorely mistaken.

Anne rolls her eyes when she’s accused of jabbering. Leaves crunch underfoot and a breeze stirs the trees, but without the sound of canvas snapping against it, it just doesn’t seem like real wind. These others, except the elf, they all seem so…unbothered by it all. Like they’ve spent their whole lives traversing woods and caves and what all else, likes midges and flies and mosquitoes and goblins are just run of the mill nuisances one must suffer to continue living. She’d known the sea was a world apart from any other, but the unexpected loneliness of that truth keeps driving Anne to do stupid shite she wouldn’t normally.

Like all the talking. She usually enjoys being reticent, closed off, let alone—but maybe Read’s broken something in her, because now being totally alone feels…lonely. She has to choose between horrible hyper-awareness of the leech in her skull, being alone with her thoughts and unoccupied hands, or making an arse of herself to distract from it all. It’s an easy choice to make, despite looking so out of character for her in the face of it.

Besides, she isn’t jabbering. The Blade fella jabbers. A never-ending source of sound, that one! Always on about his exploits or trying to woo one of the women in the party. He reminds her of Jack in that way, and she can’t trust herself to go ply him for talk. Might end up with her blade in his belly out of reflex.

Anne scoffs at the idea of rotting her gut the moment they make port. “Is that yer best? ‘Sailors are drunkards, har-har’? Pull yer head outta yer arse.”

Truthfully, Baldur’s Gate is only her destination because that’s the heading her companions have taken. Anne isn’t from these parts, wasn’t even before she turned pirate; she’d been born and partly raised in a different country of Toril altogether, and hadn’t spent more than a few years in Faerûn before marrying James and running off. She has no home here, no home anywhere as of ten minutes prior to ending up kidnapped by the squids. The question of her fate is an uneasy one. The uncertainty and the terror of it threaten to choke her: frankly, if it weren’t for the whole becoming one after part, letting the little bugger in her brain finish its bidding might just be a mercy for her. No more living in lesser men’s shadows.

“I done more drinking at camp with you lot than I done in all my life, gods’ honest truth.” There was always something to be done on the ship, after all; knots to check, tighten, tie, supplies to be accounted for, training to be had, navigation, mending, polishing, cleaning, and in the few stolen moments she’d allow for it, Anne would bury herself in more shameful pursuits. Read aside, the things she misses most about the Ranger already are the books she’d so unexpectedly left behind. Jack would toss them overboard if he found them, and only him and Read actually know that Anne can read at all. To be a woman at sea is already to be considered cursed, and each thing Anne is after that is another curse compounded upon her: not just a woman, but a learned woman. Not just a learned woman, but in fact the captain’s whore wife. And more! The result of an illicit inter-class affair, red-haired and left-handed, a murderer, a law clerk—all of it too much! All of it that could be hidden away kept just so. She forced herself to use her right hand until that became an easy, unconscious ruse. She’s disguised herself as a boy and, when that was discovered, quit her place as a law clerk. She left her father’s name so it would never be tied to her and feigned ignorance in the face of arithmetic and literature. The first murder was swept under the rug, the rest justified as battle.

And now she’s hiding one more thing. In a world where it isn’t as bad to be a woman, or even a learned woman, it’s considerably worse to be a pirate.

Anne stretches her arms over her head and tries to relieve the pain in her back. These fucking packs are awful. (That’s another thing; no need to carry all of your effects with you at sea.) In all the ways that Shadowheart can sense the sea on Anne, Anne is all but insensible to the Sharran influences on Shadowheart. Like her father before her, she isn’t sure if she does or even can worship a god, though also like him and her mother she knows them all to be real. Her mother instilled a fear of the gods into Anne before her passing that her father only plastered over with his indifference to them. Though unaccustomed to the company of other women, Anne is confident that the things she does sense in Shadowheart are more telling, anyway. Aside from being a fellow utter twat, Shadowheart’s hiding a hurt in plain sight. The strange black mark on her hand she sometimes rubs as if it pains her when she thinks no one is watching. Anne doesn’t need to know its story to recognize that it’s nothing, in the same sense that the scar on Anne’s own back is nothing. She knows better than to pry uninvited into nothing.

“S’pose I’ll figure out my fate when it arrives.” Anything’s better than what she’d had, and even has now. She pretends she doesn’t feel the tadpole shift, but her small flinch at the sensation says otherwise. It’s less subtle than the waver in Shadowheart’s voice, making it harder to ignore. “’Less it gets figured out for me before then.”

@neverhangd sent: “So…let me get this straight. Ye’ve got a magical doohickey in yer possession of foreign origin and unknown purpose, and it just so happens t’be keeping the tentacles at bay…and ye still plan t’hand it o’er when we get t’the fucking Gate? Does that apply even if the wriggler’s still present for ye?” She isn’t judgmental of the religious aspects of the cleric’s plans—that’d make her one hell of a hypocrite, her own sordid past considered—family’s family, whether that family’s a torture cult or a band of thieves—but the lack of self-preservation continues to astonish her. Especially seeing as Shadowheart’s yet to present such an astonishing lack of care for the self, both in battle and in camp.

The plan was intended to be simple. Horrendously dangerous and almost certainly liable to result in her own death, but simple.

Steal Retrieve the prism, keep it safe and out of unsafe hands, and deliver it personally to the control of her sacred enclave. This changed the moment she discovered its true capabilities. The moment she learned it was all that stood between them and their agonizing mutation. Not just a permanent end, but a resurrection into something monstrous and unfathomable. A mindflayer.

She still intends to carry out her mission in its entirety. Failure is not an option she is willing to consider, but she's not immune to doubt. To the grim reality of what obedience means for both her and her fellow companions. To choose between thoroughbred faith, and the atrocious violation of body and mind to live onward as illithid, well, such a decision is beyond what she's prepared to handle.

Still, if there's anything Shadowheart can rely on, it's faking it. And she will fake it until she makes it, or, until it breaks her.

"There is no outcome that ends in me forfeiting my duties. I will deliver the artifact, with or without help, and will face whatever consequences as they come." It's nearly imperceptible, almost invisible, but her voice wavers. She is scared. "… if you intend to stop me, I won't show mercy. Anyone who stands against me will be brought to their knees, through force, if necessary." A well-placed, violent threat might add a bit of credence, and she was eager to prove herself worthy of the responsibility placed upon her shoulders. Not that she needed to prove anything to anyone, of course.

The group treks onward, carving a route through a mountainous forest. Sun speckled polka dots filter through the canopy, still hours away from dusk. The day had been long, and it only promised more to come. Their journey's been anything but peaceful, and more than anything, Shadowheart just wanted to go home.

"We're a long way from the Gate, though. Might want to conserve your strength and focus on the more pressing matters at hand. There's a decent chance we won't even make it that far, especially with you jabbering my ear off." A rather abrupt plea to end the conversation. Shadowheart isn't chatty even in her sunniest of dispositions, and much less so when she feels cornered and probed.

"... and what of your fate? I can only imagine you'll find the nearest leaking tap and drown your gullet in pints of ale." Or rum. Or mead. Or whatever it is that seafarers seek to fill their barrels. That's what Anne is, no? Either a caster of nets, or an explorer of tides, or a castaway sailor seeking glory. Her story is sealed away, hidden behind chapters unopened, perhaps permanently. Shadowheart has pieced together a small bit of Anne's heritage, based on the odd off-hand comment or educated observation of the redhead's wardrobe. She smelled of the sea, as well. Whiffs of salt breezed water and a sun-kissed complexion. All the trademarks of a seasoned mariner.

Baldur's Gate is a port teeming with much of the same breed, and the Sharran would recognize their stench a mile away.