#and after all that. they are STILL terminal liars.

[intyalote]

Never trust a hug. It’s just a way to hide your face.

#screams again #death in heaven aka microexpressions that stab you in the heart #and after all that. they are STILL terminal liars. #but it's okay because lying is a love language too #doctor who #dwedit #twelfth doctor #clara oswald #whouffaldi #dw #dw rewatch #wouldn't die of anything else

[the-common-cowgirl]

Greater of Two Evils - Part 4

Summary: Reader makes a decision and goes home only to be met with a new type of monster.

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Dark! Modern Aemond x Reader

Warnings: DD;DNE, Manipulation, PTSD elements, talks of abortion, pro-life/pro-choice debate, cursing

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: This chapter is HEAVY. I apologize in advance. It’s uncomfortable, however, essential to this fic. Sorry in advance!

Masterlist

The apartment felt cold when you arose from your disturbed slumber. With an aching body, you had pulled yourself from the bed and searched the rooms for a sign of life; There was none. Aemond must have left, which meant this was your chance to slip out of his apartment and go back to your shared apartment with your brother without an immediate objection from Aemond. Or maybe, you’d just catch a flight or train and get out of Drone completely; go back home to your parents. The enticing idea danced around your mind for quite some time. You stared at the hardwood floors in contemplation.

Would he chase me all the way home?

Would he ruin my family?

Would he ruin my brother?

You found, rather unregretfully, each of your prior fears were becoming less prevalent in the wake of understanding that you were in true danger. Dorne wasn’t safe for you; not with your brother and not with Aemond. At least in the Riverlands, your father and mother could protect you. Save you from your brother’s wrath; and Aemond’s. 

Your eyes lit up with a newfound vigor and you set to work bagging up what little belongings you brought, calling an uber to your location and buying plane tickets for Riverrun. You were out of that apartment before Aemond could return and although it was lost on you, there was a vase of 8 red roses with a card that simply read “Stay” on the counter in the kitchen. You hadn’t noticed it…unfortunately.

Your plane landed late into the night and you were grateful your father was still waiting for you at the airport. His arms were spread wide, his smile genuine as he embraced you in a warm hug. You missed this, you missed genuine kindness from men; however, the last few years living with your brother and the last month or so knowing Aemond had left you a bit scarred, marred with trepidation, making you pull from the hug quicker than you’d like. Your father noticed, you could tell by the sideways smile that had appeared on his face.

“Hey dad,” you offered a tired smile while taking a step back and grasping the straps of your bookbag. 

Your father reached around you and took the bookbag from your trembling hands. “Traveling light, my little trout?” He put a hand on your back and the contact made a phantom wave of chills go through you, making you grimace as you began to walk out of the airport and toward the small parking lot of this two terminal airport. 

“Yeah, just wanted to see you guys while we were on break.” You forgot how cold it could get this far North and wrapped your arms around yourself.

“Weird time to have a break in University.” He commented but didn’t pursue. “How’s your brother, we never hear from him anymore.”

Your eyebrows furrowed and you continued to look at the ground as you walked, “What? I thought he was sending some money each month and-”

“Your mom told him to stop that a few years back, made her feel greedy. No, after he quit sending money, we hadn’t heard from him. I guess he’s real busy down there in Dorne?”

You nodded, trying to understand why your brother would lie about something so small as sending money each month to help your parents pay the bills.

“Don’t mention it to your mom. Makes her upset. I was just wondering-”

You nodded again as you two reached the car. You hopped in the passenger’s side as your father started the vehicle. “So he’s not even talking to you guys anymore?”

Your father shrugged, as he backed out of the parking space. “Nope. Your mother thinks he’s just busy is all.”

Your father had always been a terrible liar and you just caught a hint that he didn’t necessarily believe what your mom did. You wouldn’t push the issue yet.

“How are you guys doing on your bills if I might ask?”

Your father rolled his eyes, “That’s nothing that should concern you.”

“I’m an adult, I can handle it-”

“Hey, I was talking to Mrs. Tully the other day,” he changed the subject, “And she said that there will be an opening for an Early Education Teacher at the start of the next school year if that’s something you’re interested in?”

Your heart dropped, you hadn’t told him your brother forced you to change majors. Your dream of being a teacher for littles crushed. You swallow your self pity and lie to your father, “Thanks dad, I’ll talk to her.”

The drive home is filled with more small talk, mainly your father telling you the gossip of small town life. Who married who, who’s cheating who, and who died. You remind yourself that this is why you took a chance on Sunspear and moved in with your brother but then again, the gnawing feeling of ‘I brought this upon myself’ creeps back up into your throat and you have to remind yourself that you’re a victim and you are not the bad person or persons here.

The victim guilt doesn’t seem to leave you, even when you pull into your childhood driveway. 

Stepping through the threshold of the house, it smells like chocolate oatmeal cookies and home; you feel tension leave your body and finally smile.

Your mom comes around the corner with oven mitts on and you laugh, rushing to embrace her. “Oh my darling,” she says into your hair, “I’ve missed you so much.”

And that’s how the reunion goes, late into the night, catching up at the kitchen table, eating cookies when all three of you should be sleeping. It feels good to be home but you are awaiting the inevitable and it happens an hour in.

“I know you’re not on break,” your mom starts. She could never be fooled, even when you and your brother were kids, lying about who hit who first; it was always you…even when it wasn’t. Okay, maybe it was only you that couldn’t fool her. “Why are you here in the middle of the semester?”

You looked down to your cup of tea, it had gone cold with very little left in the mug. Could you really tell them, did you have a choice?

“Does it have something to do with that gash on your head? Or the wrapping around your wrist?”

You nodded, sighing a shaking breath. “That’s part of it.” Your voice was small, like when you were a kid taking your brother’s punishment.

“What’s the other part?” Her voice was stern and soft, coaxing the truth you could never hide from her, out.

“I-um- I-” How could you tell them? How could you explain to them that you’re pregnant? How would they react? Your body shook with anticipation and anxiety.

Your father put his hand on your back and you felt cold chills again. “It’s okay, it's okay to tell us.”

No it isn’t. You two will not understand. How could you understand? Is it not enough to have lived it but now I have to recount what fucking happened to me? I have to speak out loud the atrocities sinned against me by my own brother and a fucking demon of a human when I myself, havent even come to terms that I’ve been wronged? How can you understand when I don’t even understand?!

And so, the root of your pain fell out of your mouth without your brain deciphering your words, “I’m pregnant.”

Your father sighed deeply, your mother sat back in her chair, you continued staring at the little bit of tea left in the bottom of your mug; hoping the little bit of residue left from the tea bag would tell you something uplifting or helpful like the ancient art of tea leaves reading. Then the irony donned on you and you almost laughed.

Here I am, looking for comfort in my tea instead of my own parents. I had to leave Dorne for tea?

“Well,” your mother spoke up, “who’s the father?”

You nearly laughed again, “Someone you don’t know.”

“Is he willing to help you with-”

“I don’t want to keep it.”

Your mother scoffed, “You don’t have a choice in that now do you?”

Your eyes lifted from the cold cup to your mother’s eyes, warm and inviting; deceitful. “I do, actually.”

“Oh you do?” Maybe in Dorne but not in the Riverlands-”

“Then I’m not staying here, I’m going back to Dorne. I just wanted to let you guys know before I-”

“Before you murdered my grandchild?”

Your father scolds your mother for being so harsh with a hand lifted from the table, her name and shaking his head and there you are again, feeling like you brought this on yourself.

Why did I even come here?

“Does your brother know,” your father asks, breaking you from your trance of self-loathing.

You shook your head; unable to speak. Staring down at the tea again.

“What’s your plan? Drop out of school and move here? You could work at the elementary school as an aide until you finish your degree here?” Your father’s voice is kinder than your mother’s but not any less incessant.

“I don’t- I think I’m done. I can’t afford it.”

Your mother shifts into the table, closer to you and suddenly you feel put off by this proximity. “Well, that’s fine. You can get a job here, we will help pay for medical expenses and the baby’s care. If-” she starts, grabbing one of your hands with both of hers, they’re warm. “If you don’t want this baby after you give birth- that’s fine. I’ll accept full legal guardianship, no questions asked. But please, don’t rob us of a grandchild. Don’t be this person. You always loved kids, that’s why you went into early education.” She pauses, looking across the table to your father with tears in her eyes. “But give yourself the chance to look at your baby and make that decision.”

You chuckle, a tear falling from your eyes. “Yeah mom, but what if the eyes looking back at me are his?”

As always, comments, reblogs and likes are always appreciated but never necessary!

Taglist: @croatianprincess @toodlesxcuddles @drwstarkeyy @gemini-mama @iloveallmyboys @boofy1998 @ammo23 @zenka69 @lokiofasgard12 @moonlightfoxx

(Bold means I cannot tag you) Comment or message me to be added to the taglist! Sorry if I missed anyone!

#house of the dragon #a song of ice and fire #fanfic #aemond targaryen #smut #dark aemond targaryen #dark modern aemond #modern aemond #hotd modern au #modern Aemond Targaryen #aemond x you #house of the dragon aemond #aemond fic #aemond x reader #aemond fanfiction #dark fic #dead dove do not eat #ptsd #abortion #tw cursing

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

Could you do one with 4,31, and 38

Context: Adam, Lucifer and the rest of the gang are having dinner and someone (maybe alastor) puts angelic poison in Adams tea in an attempt to kill him. Lucifer is quick to “accidentally” knock it over before Adam could drink it, leading it to spill on adam.

(Bonus if Lucifer has a stern talk with alastor, all protective style)

-🐊

4. “When did you fall out of love with me?” “That’s the thing: I never fell out of love with you. You’re the one who fell out of love with me.”

31. “You need to stop being such a dramatic bitch.” “It’s the only way I can entertain myself, okay? Now piss off and leave me be.” 

38. “Remember when you said you’d catch me when I fell? Well, you’re a fucking liar. Figuratively and literally. Now I’m hospitalised and also emotionally scarred. I hope you’re fucking happy about that.” 

Oh ho ho!! I love me some protective Lucifer and Alastor being an antagonizing little shit >:)

Charlie had prepared a beautiful meal for everyone at the hotel. She made a roast with all the veggies you could eat.

Adam was waiting on water to boil so he could have tea with his dinner. "Come on and eat Adam, it'll get cold before the kettle is ready." Lucifer said as he walked with his own plate.

Adam looked between him and the food and yeah, he didn't want to eat cold fucking food. He grabbed his dinner and sat down beside Lucifer and Angel. After a while if eating and talking, Adam remembered his tea. "Shit, my tea."

"No worries, I made some for myself as well. Here you go." Alastor handed Adam a mug of green tea, his smile anything but innocent.

Adam looked at him questioningly. "Um, thanks I guess?" Since when did this Bambi freak go out of his way for Adam?

"Oh don't thank me. Just drink up before it's cold." Like your corpse will be, Alastor thought sinisterly. He hoped he used enough angelic poison.

Adam couldn't feel any heat coming from the mug, he stuck his finger in it and frowned. "It's already cold asshole." He sucked the tea off his finger and grimaced. Did he put fucking sugar in it? Cause it was super sweet.

Lucifer got to looking at Adams tea, his eyes shifted to Alastor who was just waiting for the fallen angel to drink it. When he looked back he saw it.

It would be nearly impossible to see, but the way the light hit his tea Lucifer saw the golden shine that sat on top of the liquid. Angelic poison.

Lucifer's eyes widened in horror as Adam lifted the mug to his lips. "Don't!" He slapped the mug out of Adams hand, making the tea spill all over Adam.

"AHH! What the fuck!?" Adam jolted up and glared, the cold liquid soaking into his clothes.

"Dad!"

"Look, I'm sorry but there was posion in your fucking tea!" Lucifer said as he handed Adam a napkin.

Adam snatched the napkin and tried in vain to clean himself up. "Poison, the fuck are you...." He suddenly felt dizzy, the room started to spin. Adam sat back down and held his head in his hands. If there was poison in his tea, he licked his finger which meant....

"Don't feel well?" Alastor mocked, he may have only gotten a drop but it could be enough to make him terminally ill.

"Fuck off." Lucifer hissed as he put his arms around Adam. "I gotta take him to the fucking hospital. Come on ba- buddy." Lucifer corrected himself. When Adam only groaned and didn't move, he cursed and picked the sinner up in his arms and ran through a portal to the hospital.

Adam didn't know how long he was out, but when he came to he was in a hospital bed with all the tubes anyone could possibly have sticking out of him. "For fuck sakes."

"Thank fuck you're awake." Lucifer sighed in relief from his seat beside Adam's bed. "The doctors weren't sure when you'd wake up."

"Don't you mean 'if' I wake up? Angelic poison is no fucking joke. One big gulp and my insides would have fucking melted and poured out of all my holes." Adam ranted, yeah okay maybe not that bad but still!

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “You need to stop being such a dramatic bitch.”

Adam scoffed and folded his arms. “It’s the only way I can entertain myself, okay? Now piss off and leave me be.” Adam shifted to look away from Lucifer, Woah what medicine were they giving him everything felt funny, like he was kinda high.

"I'm not leaving you alone Adam, you could have died."

"I realize that. Thank you for not letting me die a horrible death." Adam still didn't look at him.

"It would have been a permanent death!"

"Like you care!" Adam finally looked at Lucifer, eyes a blaze.

This took Lucifer aback. "If I didn't fucking care I wouldn't have brought you here, asshole! I fucking love you!"

Adam bit his lip to keep it from quivering. "No you don't...."

"Adam-"

“Remember when you said you’d catch me when I fell? Well, you’re a fucking liar. Figuratively and literally. Now I’m hospitalised and also emotionally scarred. I hope you’re fucking happy about that.” Adam spat as he held tears back. "You never fucking loved me, hell you barely even like me." Hate fucking wasn't love.

"Adam." Lucifer took his hand in his. "I've always loved you."

"Yeah right."

“When did you fall out of love with me?” Lucifer asked, fearing the answer.

Adam looked away, eyes wet. “That’s the thing: I never fell out of love with you. You’re the one who fell out of love with me.”

"That's not true! I never stopped loving you. Adam," Lucifer used his other hand to cup Adam's face and make him look at him. "I've always loved you. I'm sorry I made you feel any different." They placed their foreheads together looking into each other's eyes. "Let me prove it."

Adam searched his eyes for any trace of a lie. "Fine, but this is the last time I will ever trust you with feelings like this." He melted when Lucifer kissed him softly.

"I promise to protect you and your heart."

-

"Alastor!" Lucifer stomped over to the deer demon. The hospital wanted to keep Adam overnight just to make sure he was okay.

"Lucifer, what do I owe the-" Alastor was shoved into the wall behind him.

"You've got some fucking nerve trying to posion him like that." He growled, his eyes going wholly red.

"He's fine isn't he? What's the matter, worried your boy toy wouldn't make it?" Alastor winced when a hand wrapped around his neck.

Lucifer let his full demon form come out. "Listen here you Bambi reject, radio fucker. You so much as even LOOK at Adam wrong from now on and I'll make you drink a whole fucking bottle of angelic poison. Nobody, and I fucking mean NOBODY fucks with the people I love."

Alastor winced in pain but his smile widened. "You love him, huh?"

"Yeah I do. He's the love of my life and no one will come between us again. Stay away from him." Lucifer dropped Alastor and walked away.

Alastor held his throat and smirked. Interesting, very interesting.

#adamsapple #lucifer x adam #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lucifer #ask

[nooklingposting]

Deacon is a liar.

I hate to do this, because, ouch. But this has been floating around in my head so I need to put it forward.

We know from the railroad terminal that Deacon has been looking into Vault 111 for a long time. We even find a railroad ally symbol just outside the entrance to the vault - a common fan theory being he was watching the vault when we first emerge. We can also infer from the terminal that Deacon knows the Institute visited Vault 111 around 60 years ago.

When he sees the sole survivor emerge from the vault, he begins trailing us - we can find a disguised Deacon in Diamond City, Goodneighbor and Bunker Hill. So he knows about us pretty well, and has been with us right from the start.

Which is why this doesn't right with me. If Deacon knew the last recorded instance of Institute interference at Vault 111 was sixty years ago, and he also knows that the Sole Survivor was in a cryo facility, and had their baby stolen by the institute...

It means Deacon knows that Shaun is, almost certainly, sixty years old.

Why would he not tell us? He even tells us in one of his 'your thoughts' dialogues that we'll find Shaun and get him back. Why lie about this, even after our final affinity dialogue?

He didn't tell us because he needed us - the railroad needed us - to find the Institute.

If we knew that Shaun was already an old man, there was a real possibility we'd have given up searching. And then the Railroad would never have moved forward with gathering information.

Now, he never could have predicted Shaun was the director, but he could have easily predicted his age. He kept us in the dark for the good of the organisation. And while we know Deacon is a liar, this feels like something different.

(I'm aware this is all likely just Bethesda overlooking their own writing, and it's a big mistake. But still...)

#fallout 4 #fallout #deacon railroad #Deacon #fallout 4 companions #The institute #deacon fo4 #deacon fallout #The railroad #railroad fallout #deacon fallout 4 #shaun fallout 4

[atomic--peach]

Her Grace's Handmaiden Pt.12

(Cersei Lannister x Fem Reader x Sandor Clegane. TW: Mentions of Pregnancy and Pregnancy Loss/Termination. SMUT Touch Starved Sandor)

AO3 VERSION: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48276340

It seemed nothing short of a miracle that you had gone three days in the Red Keep without being recognized as a former handmaiden.

The Queen had fabricated a story out of thin air and instructed everyone who knew of your origins to stick to the story on pain of death.

Instead of a handmaiden born in Kings Landing's own Flea Bottom, you were the base born bastard daughter of a hedge knight who had met with the party on the way North.

The Hound, taking pity on you and your poor circumstances and entranced by your beauty, married you in Winterfell.

It wasn't a good story, if only because it begged belief that Sandor Clegane would show pity to anyone, let alone the nameless bastard of a hedge knight.

But that was the official line of the crown.

To any who asked, the handmaiden once favored by Queen Cersei was abandoned on the way to Winterfell without a penny to her name.

The ladies of the court, as predicted by everyone, did not take well to you.

Your manners were honed enough to pass for a lady, but just barely. The thing that seemed to give you way the most was your happiness. Happy to see The Hound when he walked into the room, most often tailing the prince. Happy to see the Stark girls, though Arya kept you at arm's length and Sansa never gave you a second thought outside of a polite acknowledgment.

But still, if anyone knew who you had been, they didn't say it.

All except one person. A person who made your skin crawl with unwelcome memories.

"Lord Varys" You nodded cordially.

"Ah, The Lady Clegane." the Eunuch smiled knowingly. "Taking in the air?"

"Thought I would visit the gardens; I hear they are wonderous."

"I'll walk with you."

Fuck

The two of you walked in silence, the sand on the garden path's crunching under your feet as you walked. Perhaps if you just kept your mouth shut he would leave.

"How are you these days?" He inquired.

"Well enough, settling in." You answered plainly, offering no details.

"And your husband?"

"Well,"

Varys eyed you with a sense of fond familiarity.

"It is good to see you again."

"I don't know what you mean, My Lord." you sped up your walk, "We have never met."

"Not in this life." Vary acknowledged, "In truth I imagine it's been quite a long time since I've really known you."

You turned to face him; he'd said too much.

"Not to worry" he gave a soothing smile, "no one is listening to us, I've made sure of that."

"Leave me alone" you whispered pleadingly, "please, don't ruin this for me."

"How much does he know?" Varys pressed, glad to have broken through your shell to prod at your the tender soft bits "And the queen?"

"He knows I came from Flea Bottom." you admitted, "as for her, if she knows anything she hasn't said. But she hasn't asked so I haven't told."

"Would you tell the truth if she did ask?"

"Of course."

Varys gave a look that said he knew you were lying.

"You never were a good liar, my dear. You never picked up the skill the way your brothers and sisters did."

"Well," you sighed, "There was always someone there to lie for me."

Varys approached you slowly, cupping your cheek in one hand. You did not flinch away from this familiar touch that was once such a comfort to you.

"You've really grown into a beautiful woman, you know." Varys looked almost sad, "I feared for you out in these streets. The world is not kind to pretty beggar girls who can't lie. Of all the places I could have found you, I am glad it was here."

You touched the hand softly and nodded, "I'm taking your advice. Trying to build a better life for myself."

You hand moved to your belly softly, "And those I love."

Varys glanced down and nodded, "You have settled yourself then."

"Trying."

"Do you remember what the maester said when you were 16? After you took that tea and got yourself sick?" Varys reminded you, "Don't set yourself up for failure, my girl. You're too smart for that."

"He never said I couldn't" You snapped, "He just said it would be difficult. He never said impossible."

"And that any children you had would be born sickly, possibly even stillborn. It would be cruel to allow your husband to continue expecting something that may never happen."

You said nothing, only glowering at him until he sighed in defeat.

"I must be off, there's another meeting about planning this blasted tourney. But Darling," he turned to go but glanced back over his shoulder, "He will find out, one way or another. It would be better if it came from you."

Knowing Varys was still on your side made you feel more at ease. When you were a young girl, he frightened you, but when he traded food and a safe place to sleep for information the offer was too good to refuse.

It was he who set you up as a kitchen wench in the keep when you were barely more than a child. Arys was still king then, and he frightened you even more than Varys.

Varys had always been good to you though. You weren't as skilled in collecting information like the other street children were, but he fed and sheltered you all the same, even if the information you brought wasn't always what he was looking for.

You were so young then, as you grew older Varys stopped using you to spy, but that was okay, because you could take care of yourself at that point.

You never wanted to tell Sandor this. Not because you were ashamed but because you wanted to put it behind you. You had a new life now.

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

Varys's words stayed with you well after you left the garden.

What did it matter if Sandor knew or not?

Would he have refused to marry you if he knew? Not likely, even if Robert had allowed him to decline.

As far as you were concerned, you still have the same odds of being barren as any other lady in court. It's not like you were the only woman in King's Landing to end an pregnancy.

But when highborn ladies got themselves in trouble, they took Moon Tea. It was safer, more likely to work, and had less risk of danger.

But you, you took Tansy Tea. And if your memory served you right, improperly made Tansy Tea.

It got the job done, but you still recalled those days that bled into nights, your entire body shaking and sweating on a worn mattress in the bowels of some half-abandoned sept with a half blind septon praying over you while maesters did everything they could to keep you living.

Varys had gotten you the job in the Keep's kitchens shortly after that.

No, you decided, you had a right to put your past behind you. If you got pregnant and carried to term, great. If not, it's not like Robert would grant you an annulment anyway.

Not that you thought Sandor would ask for one.

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

You had missed Southern summer nights.

Even if there was talk of autumn rolling it, you tried to ignore it. You prayed for a summer that never ends.

"Come away from there."

You turned to find your husband had returned from his rounds.

"There you are" you approached him grinning. "I missed you today."

Sandor didn't respond, moving to close the large window he found you standing in. "You'll catch a cold."

"Will not."

"Will so."

Sandor sighed, too tired to indulge your playful squabbles. His face was slack was exhaustion and his eyes trimmed with darkness.

You frowned, "Come here"

He obeyed slowly, leaning into your touch when you cupped either side of of face and kissed him.

"What trouble have you caused today?" He mumbled, wanting to at least try to engage in a conversation.

"None" you insisted. "But I met Lord Varys in the gardens today."

"The spider" Sandor grumbled. "Best to avoid that one."

"Oh I know. He and I were previously acquainted."

"Really?" Sandor pulled back at that and you frowned

"I did have a life before you," you reminded him. "Just like you had one before me."

Sandor seemed dissatisfied with this but pushed past it. Grabbing your wrist, he pulled you toward the bed.

You knew exactly what he wanted, straddling his hips and pulling the sleeves of your white shift down to expose the soft skin of your shoulders, neck and chest.

You had become accustomed to the feeling of his beard on your skin, entwining your fingers around his neck and head as he nestled his face again your chest.

"Hard day, darling?" You asked, knowing he would only grunt in response.

He wasn't a chatty man, and after your return to King's Landing you learned to appreciate that.

Everyone who met you wanted to talk, because of your novelty and newness.

Sandor just wanted to hold and be held, not even actually fuck. Not that it didn't usually lead to fucking.

"My poor old bear" you kissed the top of his head. "Shall I take point tonight?"

He nodded and you began to unbuckle and untie the fastenings of his clothes before slipping your shift over your head.

Once you were both bare you pulled him off the bed to turn it down properly.

"Come to bed, my love" you coaxed him, pressing your body against his. His response was a low rumble deep in his chest, pressing back against you with more strength than needed. You laughed, not allowing him to bowl you over and instead guiding him back against the pillows with light touches and kisses.

"My sweet husband." You purred, palming his cock and stroking it with a slow but firm rhythm. "So good to me."

Straddling him again, you pulled his chest flush with yours and sprinkled kisses on his face and broad shoulders. His mouth found the tops of your breasts, placing open mouth kisses over them and fondling the rest with rough, calloused hands.

Allowing him to distract himself with your chest, you carefully settled yourself over his cock and slipped the tip in.

Sandor groaned, face buried into your flesh as you sunk down into him painfully slow.

"There" You cooed, twisting his hair in your hands, "doesn't that feel so much better?"

After over a month of marriage, you had mastered the art of taking Sandor's impressive cock without pain. But all the same you couldn't hold back your whimpering moans as he stretched you.

"Fuck" you breathed, "you feel so good."

Encouraged, Sandor rooted around before slipping your nipple into his mouth. You purred loudly, know he loved to draw reactions from you.

The bed began to creak and whine with the motion of your bodies. The rise and fall of your ass as you bounced on his cock, slowly at first, but picking up speed and force when your husband indicated he needed more.

No words passed his lips. Not teasing or taunting to make you blush. Only moans and pants that you encouraged him to left flow freely.

"Y/N" he growled, bucking his hips slightly trying to keep up with you.

"Yes, sweetling?" You hung on his shoulders, using them as leverage to rock back and forth on him. Each movement brushed your clit against his pelvis and sent a shiver up your spine.

"I love you" he grabbed at your soft arms, holding them in place around his neck as he pressed his brow to yours. "Gods, Fuck- I love you so much."

You were breathless.

He hadn't actually said it before. You could hardly think straight, trying to keep your rhythm as your arms tightened around him.

"I love you, so much." You panted. "So much. Oh Gods Darling, hold me. Hold me please, I'm so close."

Nothing made you feel safer or more secure than when he tightened his large arms around your body, practically engulfing you, while you road out your orgasm on his cock. Feeling every jerk and spasm of your muscles as he continued to pump into you.

Your sensitive cunt clenched with each thrust, trying to catch up as Sandor gripped your hips and took control of them, forcing you to alternate rolling and bouncing on him.

Now it was your turn to become lost in the sensations of his flesh on yours. Keeping himself buried in you, he flipped you on your back and continued where you left off.

"Fuck, I-" you couldn't get a thought out. You knew after one climax you would last long before they came in droves. "Sandor, fuck."

"Sweet Wife" he echoed your words to him, kissing your neck and shoulders as he fucked you into the mattress. "So good to me. Let me be good to you."

You nodded encouragingly.

"You want to cum again for me, sweet girl."

"Yes" you breathed, gasping as his fingers found your clit.

"You want me to finish inside you again?"

"Please" you begged. "Please, please, please."

"Hmmmm" you felt his growl in the deepest part of your chest. "You beg so well. You know I couldn't deny you anything."

Your back began to arch as your hips raised to meet his hand, chasing your high with abandon as Sandor's mouth found the sensitive spot on your neck.

Your second orgasm came like a rolling tide, flooding your body and mind over and over again. Sandor growled as your cunt turned tight then relaxed, coating him in your sweet juices.

His release was also close at hand, and with a few more deep thrusts he nearly collapsed on top of you. Catching himself on his forearms, he peppered your face with hair with kisses before pulling out.

"Sweet love." You breathed. "Gods that was good."

"I needed that"

"I could tell" you nodded, crawling back to the pillows and curling up to him from behind. "Want to talk about why?"

"Fuck" Sandor rolled his eyes, "Fucking Gregor is staying for the Hand's Tourney. The whole week of it, the cunt."

"What, why?" You frowned. Gregor was the current head of House Clegane and he didn't have a legal heir. If he were to fall, he knew everything would fall to Sandor.

"Because he's a spiteful idiot,"

"Well," you thought, "You're not in the lists, right?"

"No, someone has to keep Joff alive."

"Well, then fuck him." You kissed the back of his shoulder. "If he wants to risk his life in some stupid tourney, let him. As long as I don't have to worry about you."

"He's doing this to fuck with me" Sandor grumbled. "I know it."

"Darling" You rolled him over to look him in the face. "I dont think he's smart enough to fuck with anyone. If anything, he probably just wants to bash someone skull in."

Sandor didn't answer, but allowed you to kiss his brow before snuffing out the lights.

#sandor clegane smut #sandor clegane x reader #game of thrones smut #game of thrones fanfiction #Her Grace's Handmaiden

[evilgabe29]

chapter 1 of working title

A boy ran through the streets of Artagan. His grey coat flapping in the wind a little too fast as if the air just wasn't ready for him yet and scrambled to keep up. Once he got to his destination he just barely stopped himself from planting his pace into the solid brick wall of the job centre. He entered the small building a bit winded.

The centre wasn't big, no building in Artagan was. Some felt that it made the place feel suffocating. Although those people got jobs on only their tenth visit or less, most took comfort in the cramped space. This was the boy’s hundredth or so visit to the centre despite people supposedly being in need of any Kenek they could get, bloody liars.

The boy walked over to the ticket dispenser and removed the small piece of paper from the slot, which was immediately replaced with another one. The ticket had the number one written on it meaning he got here first this time, which also meant he gets first pick on any jobs that get brought in. The boy then sat down in the lone foldable chair in the middle of the room, for a new visitor it would look out of place as if it was fulfilling a quota for having seating in public areas, but long time visitors found it as with most things exactly where it needs to be. 

The boy woke up to a voice, and a sharp pain to his head.

“Oi, Vik wake up i can't have you holding up the line” said the voice that he’d determined to belong to Hektor the caretaker of this job centre, he was a relatively big man, that's relative to Vik though who was only eleven half-feet tall and skinnier than a keno wire, Hektor on the other hand was approximately 13 half-feet by Vik’s approximation with enough mussel to make a heaver go bankrupt trying to lift him. 

“Owww” Vik groaned standing up “do ya really have to hit me?” 

“You got the first ticket, no one else can go until you do dumbass, there might actually be something for you this time,” Hektor said, dragging him to the terminal. Hektor was not only the caretaker of the centre he also delivered new jobs to the terminal every week.

Vik perked up at his words, would today be the day he actually got a job? Of course he didn't let himself get too hopeful but he was still very excited.

After plopping him down in front of the job terminal Hektor turned it on, making all the rotating letter plates whir to life, at this point Vik finally took stock of his surroundings and all the people that were standing in line. Intellectually he knew the reason, there had been a record number of ships that arrived to port this week and ships tended to hire personnel when they came to port, he still jumped at the sheer amount of people present.

The terminal made a final loud Click indicating that it was finished setting up, Vik turned to it and inserted his ticket into the terminal, it then did some more whirring as it accepted the small paper, then it clicked once again signifying that it was done with its operations and was ready for use.

Vik gingerly put his magenta tipped fingers on the keyboard, with each keypress making the terminal jump to life. he pressed the enter key with a finality that made him worry if he might have accidentally broken it, but the command he put in to filter the jobs by ones that were looking for dashers went through and he took a relieved sigh and took a step back to looking at all the rotating letters plates, once they stopped his heart did too, after his hundred visits, almost a year coming here once a week, finally, finally something popped up.

-~very cool line break, this is still the same chapter just a bit latter~-

Vik walked to the port, canvas bag slung across his shoulder, right hand resting on his Ring Spike tied to his belt and the left clutching the job printout with all his strength as if it was gonna run away from him. He didn't even want to dash with the fear of losing the paper. Vik was still half convinced that he would be turned away, maybe it was a mistake, maybe they meant to look for a dodger and wrote dasher instead but the other half of his brain noted that he did have the paper, there was proof that he accepted the job and even if they didn't need a dasher most ships found the increased speed they provide to be very useful.

Vik had intended to have one last look at his home, he did feel a fondness for the slum like city Artagan had become in the last hundred years, even if he also resented it for taking his parents from him. He reasoned that the government and companies of a city isn't necessarily the city itself but logic and reason could only do so much.

It wasn't long before he reached the port he entered, anxious that guards would appear out of nowhere and arrest him but none did, he walked over to landing pad twenty-seven which was indicated on the print out.

Two men stood on the landing pad, one clad in a yellow shirt under a thick fake leather coat and leaning his back on the railing, while the other one had on a blue dress shirt that was too clean to be from any of the slums. He stood straight backed with his hands clasped behind him. They seemed to be looking out for people. Vik reflexively took his hand off of his Ring Spike and hid it under his coat. He wasn't supposed to have one, normal people weren't supposed to have one. But he'd swiped one off a visiting ring scout intending on selling it since it was heavy enough to be worth a chunk or two but then he'd realised it was made of Keno from Armanis and worth way more to him as a battery then just some spare change.

Vik walked up to the two men incredibly nervous, possibly the most nervous he'd ever been. Vik proffered the paper to the two men though as he'd expected the blue clad man took it with gloved hands. He unfolded the crumpled piece of paper that he’d unconsciously been gripping as if his life depended on it. The man visibly relaxed as he started reading through the paper. The yellow clad man though he looked at Vik’s fingers, his eyes sparkled as he saw the deep colour of the Athos stains on them. his lips curved up slightly at the corners.

“Okay so you're the dasher eh?” Vik snapped to attention at the sound of blue shirt’s voice. It was quite relaxed, not at all how he'd expected someone who looked like he'd had a drain pipe shoved up his ass to sound.

“YES!..uhh yes that's me,yes,” Vik responded still a bit nervous

“a bit jumpy ain't aren't they Lan?” yellow shirt said nugging blue, his voice was gruffer than blue’s but was equally more energetic

“Hektor mentioned that there haven't been many requests for dashers going through his circles. So they probably think were gonna scam them or something” he muttered reading through the print out 

Once he was done he folded it up as neatly as he could given its state and put it in the back pocket of his dress pants 

“Alright everything looks to be in order Vik, Nell mind showing the new kid around? we’re still waiting on a heaver so get them all set up while i wait.”

“Sure, come with me shortstuff” yellow shirt turning to the scout ship behind him and gesturing for Vik to follow him, Nell if he wasn't mistaken. 

Vik hesitated at first but they seemed pretty trustworthy and he wasn't likely to get another opportunity like this any time soon. so he followed Nell.

-~cool lil line break just because i want to, what are you gonna do? Sue me?~-

The ship wasn't pretty well at least it wasn't in the conventional sense it had very clearly seen better days there were several patches of metal that had been welded or bolted on often both. not only that but various pieces of the ship were almost certainly mismatched. despite this or maybe because of it Vik absolutely adored the ship. 

“We call her Theo after one of the very very old myths” Nell said, running his gloved fingers through his light brown hair. 

“I haven't heard of any myths like that, what’s it about?” Vik asked, genuinely curious.

“No idea.”Nell announced proudly.

“What? Why would you name it after something you don't even know about?”

“Oh I don't know anything about it but my brother over there could give you a four and a half hour lecture on the name alone” Nell said gesturing with his thumb towards Lan “multiply it ten-fold if he ends up going on about philosophy, which he usually does”

They finally got to the ship’s entrance, it was a white rectangular metal door with four rectangular indentations like something you’d find in a house. Trials it probably was an interior door, how did all the air not escape the moment they took off?

“How do you have that as the door to your ship?” Vik said with no small measure of awe, it fit the aesthetic of the ship so well after all, even if he had no idea how it functioned they clearly had made it here so it must work somehow.

Nell chuckled as he turned the knob and swung open the door, revealing an oddly open interior, of course the ship was big on the outside but he had expected the small cramped quarters of military ships, although those also tended to use non Athos driven forms of propulsion and tended to have had much bigger crews.

Vik entered the craft stepping over the rubber lining where the door had been, this must be how they kept air from escaping, there was no way that was safe.

The ship’s interior had five rooms, four he assumed were for crew and then the last must be for the washroom? But where would the engine go? Then he saw it, a giant hunk of Keno glowing a beautiful yellow suspended by six metal spokes with a seventh going directly downwards made of a whitish-silvery material. 

“Whoa!” Vik said in awe.

“Yeah, she’s a beauty ain't she.” Nell said, still standing outside “you're free to take any of the quarters that don't have a name on the door yet, once the heaver arrives we’ll explain to you both on how to operate Theo here. In the meantime, get yourself comfortable.” He then left the ship to join his brother out on the landing pad.

Vik opened the first door he saw that didn't have a name on it, and was beholden to the ship’s washroom, it was quite…functional, it contained only a toilet and sink and they both were not the prettiest even by Vik’s odd standards. He closed the door and kept looking; he didn't need to use it right now and his bag was starting to weigh on him a little bit. There were two unmarked doors next to the washroom, he chose the one furthest away from it and opened the metal door. 

The quarters were what some would call cramped but just like the job centre he found it cosy instead, the room contained a simple bed and desk. Vik put his bag on the desk and collapsed onto the bed. When was the last time he’d actually slept on a bed? It was so comfortable. Vik Then passed out.

tagging mutuals:

@ohnoitsslime @caligusabs @beloveddawn-blog

@illarian-rambling @theeccentricraven @kaylinalexanderbooks

and per request:

@mr-orion

#creative writing #writing #fantasy #current wip #scifi fantasy #Evil's scifi-fa WIP

[distinguished-slacker]

OnS chapter 125

Today’s chapter was better than expected. Probably because they toned it down with the studid jokes in comparison to the previous chapters.

It’s interesting how Yuu and Mika knew Shikama was lying about Micha getting better. Was it because they connected the dots knowing angel Michaela died at that age based on their physical appearance in the coffin? Or did they actually know it was a lie just from Shikama’s tone and expressions? If it’s the latter that is quite impressive since Shikama is a pretty good liar and it’s hard to know when he is lying or when he is telling the truth.

Also Yuu read that “creating servant tribes and resurrecting the dead both are strictly against the law”. We knew that resurrection was a sin but what does it mean by “servant tribes”? Does it mean that their angel civilisation wants equality? Or that no one but God is allowed to be above others? By servant tribes does it refer to Shikama creating the vampires and demons? Maybe creating the Mikado no Oni a millenia ago and subjugating humans too? That part about the Sun’s power and darkening it sounds scary. I hope it means making the Sun black instead of actually reducing its light intensity, otherwise life on Earth would terminate (it’s also 150 million km away so…). Although I don’t know what a black Sun will do either…will it still be able to support life even if it’s black in colour? Will the Sun, the star, be actually black, or will it be just black from the perspective of people on Earth?

But probably what picked my interest the most was Micha behaving as our Yuu while eyeball Yuu was looking at Micha. I’ve been bothered by how much our Yuu changed midmanga, specifically after Guren came back in Osaka arc and told them he will resurrect everyone. Since then Yuu became like a different person, goofy. He had goofy moments before too but got serious when he was required to. But after that, it’s like he became like a child, being too happy-go-lucky, not thinking things through, speaking in gugu gaga language and saying the weirdest jokes at the most inappropriate times. I tried to find reasons for this like maybe the drugs frying his brain but after reading this chapter I have the feeling that our Yuu’s mind has been merging with eye Yuu’s without people knowing, and therefore our Yuu is behaving like the person eyeball Yuu saw the most and spent its time the most with, angel Michaela. After all, angel Michaela was presumably a kid and seems very innocent and optimistic, just like current Yuu (minus Yuu’s dark crazy moments).

Overall, solid chapter. It’s also nice to see that Kagami is still writing the chapters from where the previous ones left off instead of changing the setting but still I must say I really miss the complex conversations between different and multiple characters at the same time. That’s where Kagami’s writings fails the most so until I don’t see the other characters again having well-written conversations I can’t really say Kagami’s writing has improved.

#I hope I didn’t miss anything #owari no seraph #seraph of the end #yūichirō hyakuya #mikaela hyakuya #shikama doji #sika madu

[rottingraisins]

Please make the list of tales if you can I always need more things to read on the wiki and it's so hard to find them

Ok ok. Clefdraki insane homosexual moments comp. Putting it under the cut cause this might get hefty, I’ve thought about those shitty old guys way too much over the past year here we go

So 1st of all this is of course set in resurrection bc its me, but also bc kondraki is a really fun character to play around with in that context; he’s not around anymore, he got shot by gears in 2006, his termination marks a drastic shift in foundation doctrine so he kind of becomes a stand-in for the “olden days”, the ones that are dredged back up in light of the A-9 project. He hangs over the foundation in his own way, this mythic figure whos death is wrapped in all kinds of intrigue, this horrible precedent as to what happens to those who go rogue. He haunts that narrative so hard, Light directly compares him to a ghost at one point. I think he should get to haunt his old rival too.

Also, the choice of Adams being the one Clef is telling this to isn’t incidental; Her and Clef compromise Tav-666, the kill switch for if Alpha-9 goes rogue, i.e. there is a very real chance that they are the ones who’ll have to put down Iris at some point, so Clef isn’t a fan of how much sympathy Adams is extending her here, for her own sake but also bc hes a shitty asshole who loves being right.

Resurrection in itself is aimed at being a sequel/thematic continuation of the “main” storyline of the SCP wiki written ca. 2008-2010; this is what constitutes all of the flashback scenes; in order they are The king is dead, The liars confession (technically a newer tale but still very in the vein of the other ones), Termination order, Incident 239-b and The king is dead again. I don’t have much to say abt these, they all focus on Clef and Kondrakis relationship in one way or another already, I just kind of took them and put them in an order that was dramatically satisfying and made them. Marginally gayer cheers.

(Also wasn't sure where to put this as it's more alluded to rather than referenced directly but resurrections weird little prequel tale Yesterday has its part to play here too)

I have a tendency to clefdrakipost very sappily on here at times but my fav take on them forever is that it began and ended in like 2006 when clef had these Big Feelings about his coworker that he had no idea how to deal with and that were wholly at odds with his self perception. And then after the kondraki termination he proceeds to spends the rest of his life trying rlly hard not to think about them while continuing to very brazenly suck as a person. Thumbs up!

also tldr bc i like to think im funny:

#not art #sry this took so long 4 me to get to i have a hard time explaining my thought processes tehe #citing SOURCES for my old man yaoi

[fuzzydreamin]

politely requesting Deacon bingo👀

🕶 Deacon! Wee!

I have a bit of a love/hate with Deacon, but it always ends in love. He's just so infuriating sometimes, but also it's all the stuff that makes him great. He's just so interesting as a character.

For one, he's a terrible liar. Your Sole has enough charisma and they can see through him like he's a sandwhich bag. I know his whole point is the "you can't trust everyone" bit, but he really makes it hard to trust him despite that being the goal.

There's also the thing where, despite needing your trust for his plans to work, he doesn't actually want it because he's afraid to be trusted. And he knows he sure as hell doesn't deserve it.

You see, his small lies are dumb and easy to catch - but his big lies aren't. Hell, even after all these years I hardly see the fandom talk about his biggest lie - or rather, a lie by omission. The game gives you the information, but it doesn't let you call him out on it, so I think that's why people miss it. You read it, probably not because it's not required, maybe skim over it only, and move on.

That lie of course being that Deacon very likely already knew Shaun was an old man, and the leader of the Institute. It's all vaguely laid out in the Railroad's mission terminal, which the player can't access until visiting the Institute for the first time and already having to experience that shock without preperation. So, why say nothing? Well, because you can't trust everyone. Who's to say the shock wouldn't make Sole give up and run off, to stop helping the Railroad with their goals? Or even side with their evil asshole of a son? Is he wrong? No. But he's not kind to hide it. He's not your friend for doing so.

Deacon is the kind of person to put his mission first, always. And he should. But it ends up hurting people. There's a reason the level-headed companions all tell you not to trust him - he gets people killed. Hell, he's probably killed old partners and potential double agents before. He'd try to kill you if you turned into a threat - that's canon if you go the Institute route. He's right, of course, but he's not a safe person to befriend for that reason. Because he doesn't have friends. He can't.

But Deacon does have kindness in him. He's a very kind person truly. Just one that is capable of doing terrible things for his goals. The line between Deacons kindness, what he's willing to do to get a mission done and ensure the safety of the Railroad, and the facets of him that aren't kind, are all so interesting.

Did you know he's robophobic? He enjoys Sole telling robots that their place is below humans -like telling the Greygarden robots that they simply need humans to be successful. He doesn't like or trust PAM, and wanted to deactivate her. All of his interactions with robots are him using them as a prop in one of his jokes, sometimes not even actually acknowledging them at all. A directors note within his dialogue reveals that he doesn't think Gen2's should be saved. When he kills them he's just upset that Glory will be sad. It's not about them and their potential feelings or rights.

It makes his history with Barbara more likely to be true - because he does hold bigotry, even still, and he didn't choose to change on his own. Not fully. Not because he was already a good person, or to help altruistically. He was scouted out after revenge-killing his gang, and had nothing else to do with his life aside from getting lost in chems and alcohol. A big part of it is him making up for being one of those bad people in the first place. For the harm he's done. For the harm he's sure he can never repay. But that still makes it about him, not the people. He has a selfish reason for being selfless. He's still helping, of course, but the mentality behind it is what's so fascinating. Does his true motivations lessen the end result? What makes a person good? Can a person ever make up for their bad actions? It is for anyone to decide? We can forgive him, but would his victims? Would the sentient androids and robots that he casts aside for not being human enough think he's a good person?

There's also the fact that he's given his whole life to the Railroad. If he's John D then he likely joined the Railroad in his 20's and is currently in his late 40's. The person he was before joining is gone - hell, he's hardly any person at all currently. He's just an agent. Whatever he needs to be to get the job done. Even when the Institute is taken down, he's going to need years to unpack his past and find out who he is now. How he's meant to move on from there.

He's not romancable because he isn't a real person. Because you can't date someone who doesn't exist. Who doesn't even know who they are, who could change what they are in an instant. Or turn on you because he's sunk everything into his goal and won't let anything destroy that -not even love. You can't properly love someone without also loving yourself enough to allow it, and he just doesn't know that person. So he won't. Even if he feels a connection, he'd sooner sever it and run, because that's a liability.

He wanted kids once, his dialogue implies he's still rather fond of them, but he's probably never going to have them, because his time for that is running out. At best he gets to play fun uncle with synth Shaun.

Deacon literally has nothing after the story is done. If the Institute is gone and the synths are free, is he a hero? Or just a ghost? He could stick around with the Railroad and help the remaining synths find safe homes, but that was never his role in their organisation. He has a name and a face that aren't his, but is he willing to change them now that he might finally have a friend in Sole? What will that mean to him, if he's just living for someone else then? Is he still not himself if he does? What will he do? Will he become a teacher? Retire somewhere quiet and raise molerats? He doesn't know, there's no time to think about it until it comes - and that's a lot to think about. That's his whole reason for being gone.

He's all mixed up like a ball of yarn, and I think it's fun to pull at the threads and see what comes loose or tightens up elsewhere.

#fallout #fallout 4 #deacon #fuzzy.post #went on a bit of a rant for this one #I do like Deacon quite a bit #just wanna punch him sometimes then bundle him up in blankets with warm cocoa others

[bazhowletts]

Full Name: Baz Howlett.

Nicknames: Baz.

Age: 38.

Pronouns and Gender: He/Him, Cis Male.

Birth place: Aurora Bay.

How long have they been in town?: His whole life / various leaves of absence but he always ends up back one way or another.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Housing: Fisher's Cove.

Occupation:  Front Desk @ Titanium Gym.

tw crime, drugs, death // @aurorabayaesthetic

QUICK OVERVIEW:

tearaway teen yup yup yup

only child to perpetual disappointment pipeline

fell into a bad crowd with very little prompting in high school and got involved in some dodgy dealings

shit stirrer since birth

not a violent guy (unless pushed) but he got a little too big for his boots when money started rolling in and pissed off the wrong people in increasingly more creative ways

was with his best friend when he was ended up being killed over a drug dispute that got out of hand and escalated from an argument to a shooting

took off when he heard sirens

still wonders if he could have done something more that night to actually save him - kind of shut down for a long time over that and has done absolutely fuck all to process it really

hasn't told many people about that incident or his actions in the aftermath despite both being there when it occurred and being one of the coffin bearers at andrew's funeral

joyriding since before he could even drive properly (or legally), was the fastest fucker around when it came to stripping cars for parts which is why when he ended up going straight becoming a mechanic was about the only thing he could think to do that didn’t make him want to die of boredom 

broke his mothers heart tbh his dad always likes to remind him that that's what killed her (more aptly it was illness, but it do be getting in on him) 

very much uncomfortable with everything about himself and his life and i don’t think he’s felt genuine joy in years 

suffers from a terminal case of seeming out of place and disinterested 

after working as a mechanic ran its course for him he tried his hand at being a mailman

that lasted all of a year and a half before he was let go after suspicion of mail tampering and not delivering to people he has petty vendetta's against

absolutely justly let go but he'll never acknowledge that

currently working the front desk at titanium and finds amusement in telling gym bros they're looking tiny and questioning the nutritional value of protein aloud

if he cares then he cares but he’s just not the best at making that translate 

a ghoul!

PERSONALITY.

+ funny, confident, indepedent.

- abrasive, disinterested, petty.

FUN ADJACENT FACTS.

ocean crest apartment anti even though he doesn't even live there anymore, can’t stand the ruckus that’s always being caused and has several lifelong enemies in the form of long-term residents who he's beefed with

drives a shitty car, especially for someone so formerly into cars, but he's spent too much time under the hood of other people's cars to care much about that

pathological liar. no real reason for it, it just gives him a giggle

thinks grace and frankie is the greatest show ever made 

known harasser of local politicians

thinks taxes are optional

voted most likely to tell you to get off his lawn

CURRENT CONNECTIONS.

ex-husband of @kaylatullz

employee of @ecchs

friend of @clint-bennet

friend of @peterbasara

cousin of @tabithaxking

sometimes mechanic to / goblin co-kings with @marsmoran

friend of @calinxsava

went on a vday blind date with @the-nelson-quinn

SPECIFIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

ocean crest residents -- any of the folks he's got absurd beefs with. can range from nonsense to legit, let's goooo!

ex-gf from high school -- someone who knew him before andrew's death and saw that massive shift in him after it that's carried through to this day. pre-plotting required.

people who's cars he's worked on/will take a look at cheap -- from back in the day when he was a mechanic. hasn't much of an interest these days but will do nixers if it's into the hand

ride or dies / friends -- u know u know.

past exes/flings/fwb -- lets get messy.

neighbours @ fisher's cove -- can be positive or negative vibes

just all of it 

GENERIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

connections wise he’s pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:

friendly.

a best friend / ride or dies / close friends / childhood friends / pseudo-siblings / friends / drunk friends / new friends / former roommate / people he met on his travels (hasn't been outside of america but anywhere within can be plotted).

romantic

flirtationship / friends with benefits / one time hook ups / tinder matches / unrequited crush (can be either way) / exes from high school / exes on good terms.

antagonistic.

enemies / former (best) friends / exes on bad terms / frenemies / rivals / negative influence / tbh he's an acquired taste so most antagonistic connects would work for him.

#intro. #aurorabay.intro

[spiderh0rse]

freeman's mind noted part 5, e21-25

e21

images just come to him like a prophet for an angry god

a lil scared of big blue lobster out in Power Up

could solve all his problems by exploding things with his mind

wants marshmallows....

FUNNY NOISES. "HERE'S JOHNNY". MANNNN

thinks headcrabs would make cool lawn ornaments

"rubble rumble rubble rumble rubble rumble" he just likes saying words real quick together

he thinks he's a good liar

doesn't want green slime on his suit :(

not amazed at the orange HEV suit but admits it's good otherwise

THE SUIT DENTS WHEN YOU SHOOT IT SO STOP SHOOTING IT

(not sure why the formatting is doing this.)

e22

"pyew!"

has seen The Terminator

"what's the point of being an honest citizen if I'm just gonna get shot at anyways" FUCK THE TROOPS

has seen Rambo

concerned about accessibility!! :D

"lasers!" Said in the samw done in laser/caution

urgh the electron measurement nonsense. I hate that. Particle and wave. Depends on what you know about it

new sport? Houndeye killing?

Gordon I don't think the soldiers care about fixing the generator

had an old apartment where the basement got flooded because he did a cannonball so sick his bathtub sunk into the floor

"bbbrrrrrrp!"

"NYYYAAA"

hey if you survive the electricity you'd have a sick scar

high five Death!

e23

yes the military is incompetent we all know this

doesn't know how to play guitar

is very polite asking people to not kill him

thinks the radio chatter is dissing him

stresses to the soldiers that he graduated from MIT

seems less bothered by having killed a bunch of people now. Interesting difference from earlier

beepbeepbeepbeepbeep

"I don't like to beep too much" YOU HAVE BEEN BEEPING. ALL SERIES

thinks radios are how The Man finds you

grey map? Haunting.

smushing more words together without proper words to put them apart,, man after my own heart

smuggling an elephant almost wouldn't surprise him

would love rubber on the HEV.

cheery about leaving behind the dying guard

he is not happy right now

e24

may believe cavemen had to deal with gargantuars and HECU. May be ironic

wants to go up

he's a CAT. (meows multiple times) (hisses)

says out loud that he's scared

straining noises,,,

karma strikes him often

thats why the dinosaurs went extinct! Him!

expert in atomic level electricity

has frequently had to sit through family members shitty photo albums

one of the perks of killing everyone: no one can yell at you

he's in great shape! and has been exercising all day! please give this man some food!

likely not forklift certified

would like henchmen throwing switches for him

would sacrifice minions for good parking

threatens someone and then says he won't actually do it because it's be gross

wants to hit the clubs after a good shower

slur count four.

e25

could climb over the concrete but wants a nice ride

thinks a train derailment (shakes violently bnsf derailment-) would look cool

talks about some story about one teacher of his asking if crashing a motorcycle into a haybale or concrete divider is more dangerous at 60mph. My bet is on the haybale. Lots of little things that'll run you through. Nasty stuff. Straw impales telephone poles sometimes. Wear a helmet.

if he were a conductor killing his passengers would be his idea retirement

since no one can see him confused he's still a genius

barnacles now dubbed "string things"

he's covered in BLOOD again

cant emulate turtles and hide in his bright orange shell

expects to find a cult in On A Rail. string theory crowd......

ongoing commentary about if the aliens are demons or not

percussive maintenance does do wonders

pro slavery. not racist somehow. Gambling instead?? I have no idea where he gets these ideas from.

there are just. Unholy screams btw. in the background.

doesn't have a bandolier :'(

hey a switch!

poor guy is Not getting paid for this. Community service.

continues to be grossed out by the barnacles. Reminds him of the summer he worked fast food

"QUIT BEING METAL"

If he were a wizard he says

#freeman's mind #gordon freemind #every time i have to tick up the slur counter i wail in despair #rmanotes #mindverse

[tomtenadia]

Meet the Whitethorns - An ALB outtake

Here I am again to the world of ALB. I honestly miss the gang at east station pretty badly. For a wee while I have been working on some outtakes and this is the first one. It’s set three months after their wedding. This is a 6.8k monster with Rowaelin honeymoon in Wendlyn.  A few notes: In modern AUs my Rowaelin first girl is called Maya. I did a bit of research for this fic and apparently in Maori culture it means bravery, courage and well...now I think the name is even more perfect.

Secondly, they visit Mistward and in my head I have an exact image of how it looks like. There’s a castle in Italy near Genova. this place is called CASTELLO DELLA PIETRA the stone castle and this is Mistward for me.

Enjoy ❤️

“Why can’t we fly like all normal human beings is beyond me,” Aelin closed up her hiking backpack and turned to her husband who was finishing preparing the few bags needed for their trip.

They had three weeks of honeymoon and had decided to go to Doranelle and meet his family. She had been excited. Alas, her hubby refused the idea of flying commercial so they were going to drive to Rifthold, take a ferry to Varese for the six hours trip and then drive all the way to Doranelle. His excuse was that she was pregnant and she might find driving more comfortable. Aelin knew better. As an ex airforce pilot he could not suffer having other people flying and he did not trust commercial pilots. So in the end she had caved. It was going to be two long days on the road, but they had an hotel booked in Varese for the night.

“I am not trusting the life of my pregnant wife in the hands of one of them,” his strong hand slid on her hips and moved at the front on her baby bump. They had been married for three months already and they had to wait a bit before going away. Aelin was going to take officially over at the academy after the honeymoon. Until that point she did a lot of training with chief O’ Neill and had spent her days learning the ropes of her new job. She was excited. Stepping down as captain had been hard, her team had organised her a big shindig on her last day and at the same time she had appointed Manon as her successor. Asterin was going for the lieutenant exam so that she could then take over on truck. Luca had officially transferred to hazmat and they were now looking for a new candidate.

“Liar. You hate commercial pilots.”

He kissed her neck “Come on fireheart, stop stalling.”

He grabbed all the bags and started walking towards the door. They were still getting used to their new house. Actually, they were still getting used to being married. Aelin still had a flutter in her stomach whenever she referred to him as her husband. It still felt so unreal. They were married and they were going to have a baby too. A deep grin broke on her face.

“Wait for me, buzzard, you cannot leave without your trusted navigator.”

His laughter echoed from outside. She grabbed her small backpack and locked the door behind her and joined him.

“Go in the car, I am done here.”

She took a seat and adjusted the special seat belt adapter that he had bought for her. Apparently he had done extensive research and had found the safest way for her to wear a belt without risking hurting the baby. 

“Here I am, the bag with the snacks is behind you,” he placed the two water bottles in the cup holders in the middle “and plenty of water.”

Aelin leaned towards him and kissed Rowan on his lips “what type of music do you want?”

“Rock?”

Aelin connected her phone to the car’s bluetooth and started the music while Rowan fiddled with the sat nav.

“Let’s go, fireheart.”

*

They arrived at the ferry terminal in Rifthold three hours later. They had stopped a few times to allow Aelin to stretch her legs and have small food breaks. The ferry terminal for Varese was in the south of the city and it was massive. It had a lot of destinations. Rowan followed the signs for the ferry to Varese and queued with all the other cars. They had arrived early and they could now relax.

“Have you updated your uncle?”

“Yes, they are expecting us. Our cottage is ready and told me that they will keep the family at bay for a couple of days so we can adjusted first.”

Aelin patted his leg “I want to meet your grandma. They stew lady.”

Rowan laughed “Grandma Ciara will love to cook for you.”

She turned to him and kissed his jaw “thank you for doing this.”

He chuckled “I love the idea of showing off my wife.”

Twenty minutes later the cars in front of them started to move and they knew they had finally started loading the vehicles.

Aelin was excited.

“See? The ferry is far more fun than the plane.”

“The jury is still out.”

Car deck crew directed them to where to park and Rowan followed the instructions. Once settled, he got ready “just grab the small backpack.”

Aelin got out and he grabbed his hand.

Once on board, Aelin dragged him on the outer deck. It was July and it was a beautiful summer day. Her hoodie was tied around her waist, she had her TFD baseball cap and sunglasses. They walked stern of the ship and Rowan was fascinated by the loading operations. Aelin, leaned against the rail at his side, her head gently against his shoulder. As on instinct Rowan’s arm went behind her back and pulled her closer.

“Is the weather going to be nice in Doranelle?”

Rowan nodded “yes, uncle says they are having a great summer. They are very much inland but he has prepared the swimming pool.”

She looked at him and smiled brightly “can we have some lazy days in the pool?”

He kissed her head “of course, we are not going to explore everyday.”

She squealed “I have a new bikini.”

“Fireheart, we are guests, do not scandalise my family.”

She buried her face in her husband’s chest “I am five months pregnant, I am getting fat and horrible, I can’t afford anymore tiny bikinis.”

Rowan groaned. No matter how much he kept repeating her that he still found her attractive and no matter how much he showed her at night, she still did not believe him.

“You are gorgeous.”

She scoffed loudly.

His hand landed on her bump and caressed it gently “I love all of this. You are carrying our child. You are stunning. Our girl agrees.”

They had discovered the previous week that they were going to have a girl. Rowan had been over the moon and Elide had told her he had showed up at the firehouse with the picture of her scan and attached it to the fridge with pride. 

The safety announcement over the tannoy broke the silence and they watched the stern ramp closing and felt the engines becoming alive.

Soon the ropes were removed and the boat pushed away from the pier.

Rowan pushed Aelin to one of the chairs and they both sat down enjoying the sun and watching the city slowly disappear.

“As soon as we loose sight of Rifthold, there is nothing but sea for a few hours, we might want to go inside, it will get cold.” In response she snuggled against him.

It was six hours later when they finally docked. Back in the car they disembarked and Rowan set the sat nav for the hotel in Varese. It was evening already and were both starving.

They still had a couple of hours before sunset.

Rowan skilfully drove away from the harbour area and as they got closer to the city Aelin was speechless. Varese was not like she had imagined it. She could see skyscrapers and it looked much bigger that Rifthold and made Orynth look like a puny place. 

“Varese is the capital and it’s probably the richest part in the continent. It has a huge financial district and an extensive city centre. We will have a proper tour one day.”

“Did Ends work here?”

Rowan shook his head “No, but Micheal did. Enda told me that Micheal worked for three years with a super famous company and that for all that time he lived in a luxurious flat in the city centre and had a salary that was huge. All expenses paid and work trips in first class and all those perks.”

“Why did he leave?”

“Such jobs have a downside. Enda told me that he started to be unwell, suffered from ulcers and so many more stress related issues. So he resigned and moved back to Doranelle and got another high paying job but not as high end.”

“And now they have a restaurant, far more relaxing.”

Rowan chuckled “Neither of them have any regrets. Micheal said that investing all the money he saved from his fancy job, in a restaurant, was the best decision he ever took.”

The restaurant had become a success in a very short time. Most nights it was fully booked and Aelin and Rowan or any of the firefighters could get a spot just because they knew the owners.

Very recently a famous food magazine had placed them in the spotlight even more after a renowned chef reviewed their food.

“They have done such a good job.”

Rowan brushed her hair “We have arrived.”

Aelin looked outside and gasped at the tall building in front of them “Fancy.”

They checked in for the night and Aelin was heading for the stairs but Rowan grabbed her wrist “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Buzzard, baby girl and I are not going in the trap.”

He sighed “Aelin, you are pregnant.”

“Exercise is good.”

Rowan shook his head in resignation “Fine, I will see you in an hour.”

Aelin scoffed “We are on the seventh floor. More likely less than five minutes.”

“Not going to happen.”

She glared at him “I can do seven floors with 30kg of equipment in a run. A baby bump will not stop me.”

“I will have the oxygen ready.”

She stuck out her tongue and started walking to the stairs, with her backpack on to prove a point.

Rowan took the lift with all of their luggage and chuckled at how stubborn she was. Had they ended up at the topmost floor she would have climbed to it.

The lift was slow and picked up a few people along the way. He had a look at his watch and wondered where Aelin was. Probably panting halfway through and cursing her stupidity.

The lift pinged at he finally reached his floor. The doors opened and he froze. Aelin was leaning against the wall with a smug face.

“How?” he asked as he egressed the lift with the bags.

She walked to him and gave him a kiss “Training,” her hand brushed his long hair “many years of training, although I doubt I will be able to pull it off once I am much bigger. I was a bit slower than usual.”

A few hours later after a shower, they were getting ready to hit the town for dinner. They had decided to leave the car and use public transport. The hotel was near a subway station. Rowan was familiar with Varese and was the one in charge. He was taking her to his favourite restaurant from the southern continent. According to him this was an institution and had been there for a long time, passed down the generations in the family.

The place was a good six stops away and she loved they had been lazy and took the subway. She had been amazed that it had nine lines. Orynth had three and Rifthold five.

Once they re-emerged Aelin looked around her. They skyscrapers were gone but they still had a lot of modern building around them. They turned a corner and she spotted a firehouse. On instinct she pulled Rowan towards it. It had four rolling doors and Aelin rose on her toes to look inside and see how many vehicles they had.

“I thought you were hungry.”

She told him to shush while she stared. A moment later a woman came out “Hi, can I help you?”

“Hi,” she walked to the woman “I am a fellow firefighter from Terrasen and I was just admiring your firehouse.”

The woman laughed “come in, have a look.”

Aelin grabbed Rowan’s hand and followed.

They stepped inside and Aelin gasped in amazement. The firehouse was huge, it had four vehicles and an ambulance. She was so jealous.

“I am captain Isobel McKenzie.”

“Captain Aelin Whitethorn-Galathynius.” She then paused “Sorry, I mean chief. I am an instructor now,” and she patted her belly “My husband here is a paramedic at east station.”

They all shook hands and the captain showed the vehicles and Aelin was fascinated by the truck for the rescue squad.

“Every company has a rescue squad.”

Aelin was really envious now. In Terrasen for now they only had them in the regional areas but Dorian was working with the commissioner to get them one.

Rowan let the two ladies chat and he walked to the paramedics and introduced himself.

It was a good hour later when he managed to drag his wife out of the firehouse and towards the restaurant.

“Twenty seven houses, Ro. That’s awesome.“

He squeezed her hand “Varese is much bigger than Orynth. That many would be an overkill.”

“Ten, I am not asking much.”

The restaurant was not far away from there and once they arrived Aelin realised a pit had opened in her stomach and was ready to polish off the menu.

And that she did and Rowan joked that he had to apply for a mortgage.

“Rowan, this was amazing.”

He nodded happily “this place is incredible.”

“But now we are walking, I ate so much that now I look seven months pregnant.”

He kissed her head “We can start, but if you get tired we take the metro.”

In the end Aelin begged him to take public transport and rode the last four stations back to the accommodation and she also took the lift and Rowan celebrated internally.

*

The following morning they had a massive breakfast at the hotel and set off for Doranelle. They had a good five hours journey ahead of them. Aelin had her face attached to the window and was staring at the landscape passing by. Rowan explained to her that they were bypassing Doranelle altogether and were taking a more direct route to his uncle’s place. She saw the city in the distance and her mind went back to when she visited him. When they broke every rule.

Her hand landed on his thigh “I was thinking about when I came to visit.”

He chuckled “Feels like a lifetime ago…”

“A different life… different us.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed it and placed it back on his thigh.

The more they drove away the more civilisation got scarcer. They were surrounded by farmland and forests.

She then looked at the sat nav and saw an ETA of three minutes and excitement started to rise.

“See that in the distance? That’s uncle Ellys’ farm.”

The closer they got, the bigger it was becoming.

Rowan drove along the driveway and a couple was outside waiting for them.

He got out of the car and she followed. The man, his uncle, had hair as silver as Rowan’s and the eyes of a deeper green. The woman at his side had grey hair and deep brown eyes.

“Rowan, darling,” his aunt ran to him and Rowan and she giggled. They really were huggers and he was the odd one. He exchanged a manly pat with his uncle then he turned and grabbed her hand “May I introduce you my wife? Aelin these are my uncle Ellys and his wife Morwenna. They are Enda’s parents,” he explained “His brother was my dad and his sister is Sellene’s mum.”

Aelin extended her hand but she was enveloped in a hug by the family.

“Welcome you both, come in you must be exhausted. I have lunch cooking.”

Aelin followed the woman happily while Rowan and his uncle took care of the bags. Ellys had given them one of the cottages he rented to holidaymakers. They had tried to complain but he had been adamant that they needed privacy.

The house was beautiful and very tasteful. All around the living room there were photos and Aelin started pacing until she stopped at one in particular.

“That is Rowan, Enda, Sellene and Rowan’s dad at one of their camping trips. Rowan and Enda were fifteen, Sellene was seventeen.”

She stared at the image. He had a huge grin while he lifted proudly a fish on a spike. His eyes bright and alive.

“That was their last camping trip. Rowan and his family moved away the following winter.”

“He was a cute teenager.”

“They all were.”

Morwenna took her around a few more photos and Aelin almost burs out of cuteness when she saw a picture of a five year old Rowan and Enda “He is adorable, I know I am hormonal and all but he is so damn cute.”

“Who’s cute?” Her husband decided to arrive in the house in that instant. Aelin grabbed the photo and shoved it in his face “You. You are such a cutie patootie.”

Ellys burst out in a boisterous laugh and Rowan’s ears turned red.

Then on another wall she spotted a photo with a lot of people and the majority had silver hair.

“That was the last clan reunion,” explained Ellys “Yes, the Whitethorn is a big clan.”

“You really all have silver hair or almost.”

Morwenna giggled “It’s a family trait apparently. We found photos of very old ancestors and they had silver hair. The green eyes are not that prominent but a lot of us do.”

They finally took a seat on the large sofa and Morwenna brought iced tea and a few appetisers. Aelin was ravenous. The effects of the big breakfast were disappearing.

“Here, lunch will be ready soon but this will keep hunger away for a bit,” the woman winked at her “I also made chocolate cake for dessert.”

“Rowan, I love your aunt already.”

“It doesn’t take much. Promise her food and sweets and she is yours.”

Aelin lightly punched Rowan and he yelped in protest.

“So, Rowan how is being a paramedic going?”

Rowan had discovered that both Enda and Sellene had kept uncle Ellys informed about what was happening.

“I love it.”

Aelin leaned towards him and kissed his cheek “he is really good too. He finished top of his class and also was kept at my house as a reward. I am so proud of him.”

Morwenna smiled fondly at her nephew “your parents would be proud too.”

Rowan squeezed her hand and in that instant uncle Ellys cleared his voice “have you planned what to do while you are here?”

“I want to explore as much as I can. I want to go back to Doranelle and I need to see Mistward and of course I need to see all Rowan’s stomping grounds.” She grinned deeply.

Aelin stomach grumbled quite loudly and the group laughed and aunt Morwenna stood “I think it’s lunch time.”

*

“Damn buzzard, do all the Whitethorn cook that way? Because your aunt’s meal was incredible.”

After the meal they had gone to their cottage and while Rowan was unpacking, Aelin was sprawled on the bed in a t-shirt and shorts and her hand was caressing her bump “we are so full.”

Rowan chuckled “It’s a family thing. Wait for grandma…”

She sat up “I want the stew even if it’s in the middle of summer.”

He walked to his wife and kissed her neck and Aelin hummed and in that instant she felt something flutter in her belly and froze “Ro?”

At the panic in her voice he dropped the clothes and sat at her side “what is it?”

Aelin moved her hand once more and then squealed in delight and grabbed his, placing in a precise spot “she is kicking.”

Rowan waited and his expression morphed in one of pure joy as soon as he felt a kick from their daughter.

“She is here, she is really here.” He sat down and pulled Aelin to him, while his hand never left the bump “Thank you fireheart for all this.”

She looked into his green eyes and caressed the face of the man who held her heart. Even after three months Aelin sometimes was still incredulous at the idea that they were finally married. They had been through so much that it felt at times that happiness was not in their futures, but now, looking into her husband’s eyes she realised that they just needed patience “I love you, Rowan,” a gentle kiss on his lips while her hand joined his on her belly “and I am so looking forward to meet our daughter.”

“Motherhood is making you cheesy.”

In response she gently punched his arms and Rowan fell on the bed and pretended to be in pain “You violent woman…”

Aelin then kissed him and straddled him “can I make it up to you?”

A deep laugh escaped Rowan’s lips and he pillowed his hands behind his head “I am all yours.”

*

The following morning aunt Morwenna welcomed them with a gigantic breakfast and had packed food too for their excursion.

“Ro, three weeks at this rate and I will have a food baby too.”

He grinned at her “I told my aunt you eat a lot.”

It was their first day of exploring and Rowan had decided to start easy and a bit later to allow Aelin to relax a bit. 

He dumped the backpack in the car and the food bag too and made sure Aelin was properly settled.

“Do you have everything? Last chance for a quick bathroom break.”

“I think my bladder is behaving at the moment.”

“Good,” a quick kiss and he went to the driver’s side. They had decided to start with Mistward fortress on that day.

The road towards the fortress had started with lowlands until peaks had started to appear in the distance “those are the Cambrian mountains, Enda and I loved hiking there and dad would take us there for our camping trips.”

Aelin grabbed her guide book and started reading more info on the area “is there a long climb to Mistward?”

Rowan shook his head “no, less than a kilometre. They had to place the car park south of it because it was the only location and you will see why.”

Aelin squealed excited and went back staring at the landscape around her.

It took them a good forty minutes to reach the base and start the climb with the car. At the car park she looked up and gasped in amazement. The fortress was perched on the rugged edges of the ridge of the mountains and spread along it in a structure that seemed almost too fragile.

Rowan got out and took her hand “we are climbing slowly. They have steps.”

Aelin grinned “I am a pro at steps.”

Turned out that pregnant Aelin was not as good as she thought and they had to stop a few times. She complained but Rowan just waited at her side and passed her water without saying anything.

Once at the top, Aelin sat on a bench and cursed mountains and steep staircases.

The fortress lay in front of them and she stared at it in amazement.

“It’s a stunning place.”

Her husband grinned “wait to get to the lookout point to be truly amazed.”

Aelin grinned and she patted his leg “I am rested, let’s explore.”  

They walked around the grounds and Rowan stopped in a room “There are legends connected to Mistward and Doranelle in general,” his arms went around her waist landing on her bump “It is told that Doranelle was the land of the immortal fae,” he started and Aelin sank back in his chest “The castle in Doranelle was the residence of the fae queen and Mistward was were all the demi-fae would end,” he explained, remembering all of the stories his father had told him “They would have to prove themselves to be admitted into Doranelle.”

“That’s mean.”

“She was a cruel queen and hated all the non purebloods.”

She turned in his arms “are all these stories in books?”

Rowan nodded “in Doranelle we can go book shopping and buy you a book with all the legends from Wendlyn.”

“You are the man of my dreams,” Aelin grabbed Rowan’s hand “Let’s keep exploring…”

He finally took her to the outpost and Aelin gasped at the amazing view. They could see all around them and as far as the Great Ocean. The sight was breathtaking.

Rowan pulled his wife to his chest and his jaw landed on her head “over there there is home, you can’t see it but Terrasen is in that direction,” then he turned their bodies and they stared at the Cambrian Mountains, some of the highest peaks still had some snow “they are almost just as stunning as the Staghorns.”

Rowan chuckled “I love them but nothing beats Oakwald and the Staghorns, they are too majestic.”

“That’s why I said almost.” After their exploring Rowan took her to the gift shop where Aelin ended up buying a book about the actual history of Mistward, then one about all the legends of Wendlyn and one about the fae and the immortal lands.

“You bought the entire shop?”

“They had interesting titles.”

Slowly they made their descent back to the car park and once back down Rowan took her exploring some of the surrounding areas until he noticed Aelin getting tired and he took them both home “You can finish the day in the pool.”

“Whitethorn, that is an amazing idea.”

*

The following morning they started a bit earlier. The day before they had spent the rest of the day at the pool and in the end his uncle and aunt had suggested a barbecue and the four of them ended up having a great meal near the water. Now they were back in the car and Rowan had decided to spend the day in Doranelle and Aelin was excited at going down the memory lane.

“I want to go inside the castle this time and join a guided tour. The first time I was too busy trying to spend all the time I could with you. This time is different and I want to do all the touristy things.”

Rowan grinned “as my lady commands.”

Rowan left the car at a park and ride just outside and then they took the subway all the way into the centre of Doranelle. As they exited Aelin spotted the castle standing tall in front of her, with all the rivers behind it. The place was just as stunning as she remembered it. Aelin walked to the ledge and stared at the rivers joining behind the castle and her hand brushed her belly “Dad and I started our journey here in Doranelle,” 

Rowan’s arms sneaked around her frame and joined hers on the bump “your mum bought a dress that made your dad melt.”

“Shhh… she doesn’t need to know that, we are just sharing interesting moments.”

Rowan kissed her head “This is where I think I started falling hard for your mum.”

Aelin hummed and leaned against his hard chest and closed her eyes, letting his scent envelop her.

They both remained in silence until Aelin pushed away and grabbed his hand “come on buzzard, your wife and daughter want to play tourist.” He grinned and took her hand. He was still getting used to their status but he loved how the word wife sounded on his lips. They had done it. Somedays he still had to shake his head incredulous.

“Using our daughter it’s very unfair.”

She walked to him and grabbed both his hands “because I know that you’d do anything for your favourite women.”

That was true. They were his everything.

Aelin had loved the tour and had been fascinated by the history of the country. She also had fun glaring at a few women eating Rowan with their eyes and making comments that had now been appropriate. Rowan had managed to rein her in and avoid bloodshed.

After the tour he had taken his wife for lunch on one of the river cruises. He chuckled as they queued and Aelin started scanning the boat to make sure it looked safe. He was now used to her firefighter mode kicking in at the most unexpected moment. 

“I hope the boat is safe and properly maintained.”

Rowan groaned and apologised to the other people. It was Orynth tower all over again.

Turned out the boat had been safe and they had an amazing small cruise with a superb lunch. Rowan’s phone was filling up quickly with Aelin’s pictures and some with him too. He was going to plaster his locker door at work with their pictures.

It was only later on in the afternoon when his super energetic wife had started complaining about behind tired. He bought her ice cream but eventually he dragged her home with the promise of massages. Aelin had caved very quickly.

The following day Aelin was relaxing by the pool, suntanning and enjoying the peace of the countryside. Rowan had gone out with his uncle on some mysterious errand. She had spotted the two men busy in hushed conversations a few times and was now curious to know what they were planning.

She was engrossed in her book when Morwenna joined her on the long chair at her side, a glass of iced tea in her hands too.

“Mind if I join you?”

“No, please.”

The woman relaxed in the chair, releasing a deep breath “that’s all the morning chores of the farm done.”

“Is the farm busy?”

She nodded “all our cottages have a constant turnaround. It’s rare they lie empty.”

“Now I feel bad that Rowan and I used one.”

Morwenna patted her arm “don’t even think about it. I haven’t seen Rowan in a very long time. When he called us I could not believe it. Ellys and I have been counting down the days to thsi visit.”

Aelin sighed, after the wedding they had discussed honeymoon ideas and she had pushed for Wendlyn, she wanted to meet his family. He had caved, admitting that he wanted to resume contacts once more.

“I know about Lyria, about his past. Sellene told me, but promised not to tell him. It broke my heart when she told me.”

Aelin looked at the woman in surprise.

“We are a big family, we look after each other and Sellene was very heartbroken when she came back from Orynth and told us of his situation. I think she was looking for a way to help him.”

Aelin’s hand went on her bump where she could feel her daughter move lightly “he was…” a deep sigh “when I met him, he was in a very dark place. The woman was ready to divorce him and pregnant with another’s man child. She lied to him,” anger rose in her “and he kept blaming himself. Those two women destroyed him. It took me a while to convince him he was worthy of being loved.”

“I have never heard Sellene being that mad at someone.”

Aelin chuckled, Sellene had been such an amazing support.

“Thank you for looking after him and making him happy.”

Her thumb brushed absentmindedly her wedding band “we helped each other. He is caring and sweet and I can’t wait to see him being a dad.”

Morwenna chuckled “I bet he will be like his dad. Involved in every aspect of the child’s life. It pained Alistair greatly when he had to deploy,” she looked at Aelin “he reminds me so much of his father.”

The two women remained in silence for a while, pondering of those words.

“Are you ready for the big gathering tomorrow?” Morwenna was the first one to break the silence. 

“I am absolutely excited at the idea of being surrounded by the whole clan.”

Morwenna laughed happily “Nana Ciara is already preparing the stew and apparently a massive feast. She had learned that Rowan married a woman with an appetite and she is delighted.”

“Apparently she is a legend. Sellene, Enda and Rowan filled me up on her.” “My husband might be the head of the clan, but she is the heart.”

The baby kicked hard and Aelin laughed “my daughter is excited too apparently.”

The two women spent the afternoon outside and Aelin indulged in a swim too.

It was later on in the evening when the two men came back to the estate and Rowan joined Aelin. Morwenna went back inside and Aelin was alone soaking in the pool.

“Fancy some company?” Rowan towered from the edge of the pool and at her nod he  pulled off his t-shirt, remaining in his swimming trunks. He had probably changed before joining her.

“Come here, your daughter loves to be a little fish.”

Rowan swam to her and stopped between her legs and his hands landed on her bump “you like, swimming?”

He felt a kick and leaned forward to kiss his wife.

“Where did you and your uncle do?”

Rowan chuckled and sat at her side, pulling her closer. He had spoken to his uncle and told him of his plan and Ellys had helped him right away. “We went to see a cottage.”

She turned her head with curiosity.

“What about us buying a house here in Wendlyn? Like a holiday place.”

Aelin squealed in delight “Really? I’d love to.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“Uncle helped me. There is one place not too far from here. I can take you see it.”

“Please.”

They soaked in the pool until dinner time and Rowan told her all about the cottage in the countryside.

*

When the day of the clam meeting arrived, Aelin was excited and woke up early too. She was giddy and apparently her daughter felt her happiness too and had been a little hellion. Rowan made her a very light breakfast claiming that lunch was probably going to be quite substantial but Aelin ignored him complaining that he could not let his daughter and fat wife starve. Rowan replied with a resigned sigh and a gentle roll of his eyes.

Slowly the clan had started to trickle in later on in the morning. Aelin and Rowan were at the centre of attention and wether he was eager to keep to the sidelines, Aelin transformed in asocial utterly and made friend with all of his relatives. Within an hour she had collected their phone numbers and exchanged social media profiles. He shook his head. He was amazed at her easiness at social interactions, a skill he envied her a lot on some occasions. 

“Looks like Aelin is already one of us,” uncle Ellys voice reached him as he stepped closer “Nana already loves her.”

Rowan stared at his wife and chuckled as he noticed her and nana Ciara involved in a deep discussion, probably about food.

“It will be nice to have you and your family here from time to time.”

Rowan smiled at his uncle “Yeah, I want our daughter to learn half of her roots and it’s very important for Aelin too.” “Come on, I can see nana calling everyone to battle station. I hope you skipped breakfast.”

The two men joined the big table that had been prepared outside in the garden. Rowan joined Aelin and together they walked to the main table with nana Ciara, and uncle Ellys and his wife.

Before the meal started Ellys rose for a speech “It gives me great pleasure to have the clan gathered on such a joyous day. We Whitethorns are a big family but it’s always a great moment when we can add one person to this clan,” he indicated Aelin “You are officially one of us now, and so is your daughter. Welcome.”

Aelin nodded and sniffled then stood slowly, a hand on her swollen belly “My daughter and I are very happy to be part of this. I have lost my family a long time ago and I am left with a cousin whom I love like a brother. But being part of this makes me very happy,” she turned to her husband “And I hope to have in the future many more of these gathering as Rowan and I have decided to buy a place here too for holidays.”

Rowan stood at her side with a grin “Aelin and I are in the process of acquiring a cottage not far from here. I have been far away far too long, but no more. I want my daughter to know the rest of her family.” His arm sneaked behind her back and pulled his wife closer.

All the participants cheered and nana Ciara walked to Rowan and Aelin and hugged them both “now let your wife sit down and let me feed her.”

Aelin burst out in a loud laugh and took her seat once more and the old woman arrived a moment later with a gigantic dish full of her stew.

The woman’s green eyes landed on her in expectation and Aelin took a first spoonful of food.

What she was nor expecting was the explosion of flavours in her mouth. Her eyes closer to savour it and images of woods, nature and snow hit her. The stew brought back memorise of summer adventures with Aedion in the Staghorns, the feeling of home. Enda had done a grand job on his version but this, the original, was completely different experience.

“This is the most amazing stew I have ever tasted in my life.”

The old woman nodded in approval and then every one started grabbing a helping.

Rowan kissed Aelin’s head “Told you.”

The meal had gone on for hours and Aelin realised she had missed that tradition. Family really was important for the Whitethorns and she loved it. 

She was walking around the garden to shake off some of the food when she spotted Rowan walking towards her with nana Ciara in tow.

“Nana has something she wants to say to both of us…”

The woman smiled deeply and took Aelin’s hands “You are having a girl, isn’t it?”

Aelin nodded and brushed a hand on her bump.

“And have you two settled on a name?”

Rowan looked at his wife “Nothing that we like, we have read a lot of options…”

Nana smiled then her hand went on Aelin’s bump and in that instant the baby kicked hard “There is a name which is local to here in some of the more remote communities, that I think it will be perfect for your little girl,” the woman paused and stared at both of them “It’s Maya. In the language of one of the tribes deep in the Cambrian mountain it means courage, bravery.” With that she left and Aelin looked at Rowan “It’s perfect.”

He pulled his wife close to his chest and kissed her head “It really is…”

*

The honeymoon had passed in a breeze, far too quick for Aelin’s taste and now they were in front of the farm where uncle Ellys was helping Rowan to load the car. They had explored all they could, Rowan had taken her to some of stomping grounds in teh woods and he went down the memory lane with her.

Now, three weeks later they it was time to say farewell and Aelin stared at all the boxes and extra bags.The family had inundated them with gifts for the wedding and the baby and Rowan had stocked up in foods and spices from home that he struggled to find in Terrasen. Those three weeks had been perfect and she was happy at the idea that they will soon have a cottage all for themselves to get back to. Uncle Ellys had promised Rowan to keep him updated on the works. They were giddy and excited  for this new adventure in their lives.

It was a few hours later when they were back on the ferry. The boat had pushed away from the pier and Rowan and Aelin were standing on the stern outer deck and watched Wendlyn slowly gliding away. Rowan moved behind his wife and his hand reached at the front, including Maya in the embrace “thank you for making me do this.”

“I love your family, Ro.”

His face disappeared in the crook of her neck and in that instant their daughter kicked hard, probably to make her opinion heard.

Rowan looked at the sea ahead. Looked towards home and to a life that he had searched for, for a long time. He chuckled, he would have set fire the hangar himself if he had known it would have brought him his dreams and the woman in his arms.

The love of his life.

*

On a wall of their home, now hang now a picture of  the clan Whitethorn with a smiling Aelin in the middle beside nana Ciara and uncle Ellys.       

TAGS:

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck​ @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee

#rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #alittlebraver #a little braver #aelin x rowan #rowan x aelin #domestic fluff #rowaelin fluff #rowaelin fic #rowaelin fan fiction

[garycxjk]

Second chances

Let's get this out of the way. Throughout this post, I will not name one certain individual, not because she has done anything wrong, but to make ego searching this post a lot harder for her. This also means that this post will not be easily found. The thing is, I don't really even need to mention her to make a point, as her situation isn't a big part of it, it only serves as the backdrop. So I will neither name her previous life nor her current.

Second, I'm not gonna shit on Nijisanji EN. Too many have already done that before, and it's getting a bit tiring. Plus, again, it doesn't serve the point I am trying to make, however, it does serve as a backdrop.

So, basically, to keep it short, recently a certain person had been terminated in a pretty fricken dumb way which I'm not going to get into, which involves them self-exposing their own incompetence. This termination also came after the person who was terminated made two attempts on her own life, fortunately she's still with us.

But that's not the point of this story. Recently, three of the talents have released a not really smart video, basically digging themselves deeper into a hole, if I may so personally, those being Elira Pendora, Vox Akuma and Ike Eveland. Now there are theories going around, but let's keep it as a fact, they were used as spokespeople, either against their will or otherwise, we don't know. We'll get back to the three.

Now, out of all of this mess, one thing was clear. Zaion LanZa, also known in her current life as Sayu Syncronisity, was right. After her termination a month after debuting at Nijisanji as Zaion, she was terminated, and she wrote a scathing expose about how her experience at Nijisanji was, and spoilers, it wasn't great, and later, it turned out a lot of it lined up with what the most recent terminated member experienced.

The thing is, at the time, she was mostly ignored. Not by everybody, but by too many, in my opinion, mainly because she was only there for a month. I know, I was there when it all happened. People either ignored her, or just said that she was salty or straight up called her a liar. Her reputation as Sayu therefore tanked, and it was only after a week after the most recent termination that people slowly began believing her completely.

The thing is, her reputation only improved almost a year after it happened, and from what I understand, her offenses weren't even that severe. People called it mistakes, yes, but not bad enough to warrant a termination. But okay, maybe Nijisanji didn't think she fit into the Nijisanji ecosphere, so she was let go. I'm not going to go into how she got terminated, that's a whole different can of worms, all I'm going to say is, she got terminated, and her reputation didn't exactly recover.

But, and excuse me for repeating the same phrase but, here's the thing. After almost a year, people should have forgiven her. She had already apologized, I'm not sure if she's done it multiple times, but she did at least once. She had admitted she made mistakes.

I'm a firm believer of second chances, everybody deserves one. Now, I do have to say, people don't deserve second chances from everyone, depending on how bad the offense was, but, look. If we can forgive James Gunn for his tweets he made when he was dumb and stupid, we should be able to forgive Sayu for the dumb shit she said, right?

It's as if people don't actually believe in second chances. Now, I'm gonna be honest, I'm not really willing to give Nux Taku a second chance, not after he did Coco's graduation notice dirty, essentially acting like a rrat. But that's my personal issue, I've been betrayed too many times in my life, taken advantage of too many people that my flight response gets triggered quite easily. Fuck, it's why I stopped associating myself with the Steven Universe fandom, despite me still liking the series. It's not that they're inherently bad or that I think they're bad, it's that they're bad for my mental health, which is why I distance myself from them.

And if you ask me what my opinion is of Charlie (penguinz0) or Asmongold, I don't talk about them at all. They just give me too much of an I-don't-trust-them vibe. Not that they're untrustworthy, but I just don't want to burn my fingers on them.

The thing is, yes, the SA jokes were in bad taste, I agree. However, it just feels like people were looking for an excuse to hate on her. And now that all this shit with Nijisanji EN is going on, she's suddenly being hailed as someone who was right all along. It just doesn't sit well with me.

The thing is, we all want second chances, but we don't all want to give them. I personally believe that everybody deserve second chances. Not just one, but many. People continue to make mistakes in their lives, and yes, if it's better for your own mental health, you can decide not to give that person another chance. Maybe there are some people who just don't deserve second chances because they never take them, they never learn from them. As cynical as I am in life, I still believe people can change, either for the worse or the better.

Which brings us to Elira, Vox and Ike. No matter whether they're guilty of whatever people accuse them of or not, their reputation is toast. In the short term, they won't be able to recover it. However, let's look at another case.

Mikeneko. Amemiya Nazuna. Yes, even Uruha Rushia. Her reputation has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. However, I don't think it'll remain that way. In time, there will be people who will give her a second chance. Remember, it's forgive, not forget. People may forgive her, but they won't forget. Honestly, I've decided to stay away from that drama, as I really do not care about it, but I do believe she can, in time, recover her reputation.

I mean, fuck, if Logan Paul can come back from that Aokigahara controversy, as much as I still think there should have been more repercussions from it, anyone can.

So, as a closing thought. Elira. Vox. Ike. Your reputations are pretty much toast, at least at Nijisanji EN, but possibly also in your PLs as well. However, it's not unsalvageable, it never is. As long as you're willing to change, as long as you're willing to better yourselves, as long as you want all of that, you can come back on top.

Tanking your reputation isn't the end of it all. You'll probably have to start over from scratch, and you'll most likely never going to go back to the reputation you had before. But it's not the end. Just live and learn.

But I do think Nijisanji EN is practically done.

#nijisanji #nijisanji en #kurosanji

[pandorias-box]

[ESTABLISHING STABLE INTERDIMENSIONAL CONNECTION. CURRENT CONTACT: PANDORIA CHLORIS. PROCESSING REQUEST]

Please let this work…please let this work….

[SIGNAL FOUND. COMMENCING CONTACT.]

“Hey, Pandoria? Is the connection working? It’s me, Seira. I just wanted to know what you’re up to. Where are you, exactly? Wait a second. Is that Hyperion? Are you flying right now?”

“Seira, I… I had no idea you would call.”

“Of course I would! You haven’t contacted me in days!”

“I had some…connection issues.”

“Pandoria, I know you’re a bad liar. Please, just tell me what’s going on.”

“I…just…just promise you will not freak out about this, okay?”

“I stared death in the eyes and lived, Pandoria. Of course I won’t react irrationally. After all, we made a promise to stay with one another no matter what happens, right?”

“Alright. It is going to be a lot to take in, but I will try my best to explain myself. So, you know how I’ve been having those dreams, right?”

“Yeah… The ones where you’re drowning. You’ve told me about them a while ago.”

“Those weren’t dreams.”

“What?”

“They were…memories. Memories that I repressed or were forcibly forgotten. I am still unsure which of the two they actually are. I wasn’t drowning, Seira. I was in a chamber of amniotic fluid. I was being stared down by scientists. And the screams…that was my mother.”

“Pandoria, what in the worlds are you talking about? This doesn’t make any sense. Why were you in a test tube in some random lab? Unless…”

“…”

“You were a test subject for something, weren’t you.”

“…”

“Pandoria. Please. You have to tell me what’s going on.”

“I…I am a genetic hybrid. An amalgam of Naganadel and Ultra Space denizen genes. Something that should not exist, yet does. Something that did not ask to be like this…”

“Who did this to you?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Who did this to you? I don’t care that you’re a genetic hybrid, stars damn it. You’re still you, Pandoria. Like sure, you have scales and horns now, but that is something that is out of your control. I just want to know who would do such a thing to someone like you.”

“I…I do not know. But I do know one thing that may be important: my father of all people was among these scientists.”

“Stars above…that’s just cruel. I. Sorry. I’m still trying to process everything.”

“It was. I never want to recall those painful memories ever again. But it may be inevitable that I have to come to terms with them.”

“Just promise me something, Pandoria.”

“What is it?”

“Stay strong for me. For you. For the Recon Squad. I don’t know if I should tell them about this, but I have the feeling if I leave out this information, they’ll find out eventually.”

“Right…”

“You never told me where you’re headed, did you?”

“I am currently on my way to Akala Island. The same island where I procured those healing scales. I wanted to seek sanctuary with another URS member stationed there since I know not how humans would even react to seeing me like this. They knew I was alien before, but now even more so…”

“It doesn’t matter. But what does matter is that you’re safe. I wish I was there to help you out, but it’ll take a while before I even consider going out on a mission.”

“Right.”

“Forge ahead, Pandoria. Nai ikal eru.”

“I love you too, Seira.”

[CONNECTION TERMINATED]

#long post #pokemon irl #rotumblr #pkmn irl #pokeblogging #irl pokemon #pokeblr #rotomblr #arc: revelations

[docholligay]

So, as I was just incessantly yammering about, there are two American Wests.

1) The actual American West: A Victorian-era time and place in American (and Canadian) history, after the Civil War, where the combination of new lands being brought into the US and Canadian fold, the instability of America after the Civil War, and the rush of technology created a truly unique historical place and time whose only real ‘competition’ is Australia, but it very very mild as compares.  It was a very difficult, boundary pushing, emotionally complicated and constantly churning place and culture. People often found the measure of themselves, and sometimes had to be disappointed with what they found. Other places have ELEMENTS of the Am-Can West--cattle ranching and driving as we understood it came from South America and Mexico--but the unique socio-historical elements really have no parallel, which is a large part of why for many years, European and Asian ‘audiences’ really got into it, which I think is neat. I always regret that I never met Jetty’s grandfather because he would have been so fucking delighted that I can ride a horse and shoot a revolver and have branded cattle.

2) The West(tm). This is Bonanza, this is John Wayne, this is the Dollars trilogy. This is the idea of the shootout at high noon. This is good sheriff versus bad gang. This is lone gunslinger coming to save the town, which is itself, given its popularity in the 60s and 70s, a cultural view of America AS gunslinger, coming in to save others from threats (communism). Watching the old Mag 7 against the new is fascinating because it really accurately portrays the changing American ideas of anxiety and evil, as well as good*. This is where the phrase white hat black hat COMES FROM, is the very old Westerns had sheriffs in white hats, and villains in black hats. Where Doc was clever and erudite and likeable and tragic instead of a short-tempered, endlessly bitter, alcoholic, terminally ill, racist for his TIME motherfucker**.

Where Martha Jane Canary*** was Calamity Jane.

We are CLEARLY in option two, and let’s be clear I really don’t expect different in a children’s cartoon. I mean, the damn thing is CALLED “the LEGEND of Calamity Jane” not “The mostly sad and pathetic reality of Martha (Calamity) Jane Canary). I am chuckling at the fact that she apparently uses a whip instead of a gun I mean not sound like a complete American here, but what is even the point of a western if you aren’t using a gun? Especially because apparently the naughty bads use guns. If you bring a whip to a gun fight you are just going to get shot, kids, mark my words. I mean, I’m not suggesting the kiddies pick up guns but I’m also not suggesting they go after the guys with guns, so.

Also I love that they have her as sexy. This is Calamity Jane:

Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t wear men’s clothes all that often. That became a part of her legend, and she wore them for photo opportunities as part of her shtick. It’s actually why she became famous. Actually perhaps that’s ungenerous. She was a wild, interesting, charming and funny woman, who was a rampant alcoholic and fantastically fun liar. But, she got her start because she was with a camp and happened to be in men’s clothing for practicality’s sake, and he snapped her picture because it was such an odd thing, to be a woman wearing men’s clothes, and not trying to hide anything about that. Jane was just...pragmatic to a point, but not pragmatic enough to realize passing as a man was 87 times safer, which is why that’s what many women who dressed in men’s clothing for whatever reason did.

My favorite fact about Calamity Jane is that when she died, the Gardiner, MT, newspaper’s headline was “Calamity Jane Finally Does the Right Thing” which is so darkly hilarious to me, please don’t let anyone tell you people had a sense of propriety back then, at least not out West--the East was still trying to impress Daddy England and so the social rules were different there.

*Also I really wish that had done better, it was really, really fantastic to see a movie by a black man about the American West that showed a lot of understanding of, and love for, both the American West and the American Western, and imagining his place in it. And it was just, fun. It was a fun fucking movie.

** People always assume I ‘like Doc’ which I suppose in a sense I do because I find him fucking fascinating, and he is fairly unique among Western figures in his background, his education, his aims and history. LOVE reading about him, I just think he’s NEAT. But uh....don’t make the mistake that I LMM him and want to suck his dick or nothin. He was terrible. Like, pretty much irredeemable, if I were to believe in the concept of a person being so. he certainly never got his shit together before he died.

***this is pronounced kænərɪ, or, to be less precise, closer to cannery, not like canary (the bird).

#Doc watches Legend of Calamity Jane #Calamity Jane ep 10 #'as I was just incessantly yammering..' *continues to incessantly yammer* #sorry y'all this is my fucking trap card

[waheelawhisperer]

Okay so, analyzing Winter's fighting style, I have to say this: WEISS is more reminiscent of someone who's trained their whole life to wield the Maiden Powers than Winter.

Like, the Maiden Powers are based on elemental magic, but Winter never used elemental attacks until V8C12, she always fell back on her Summons.

So her sudden expertise in the Maiden Powers when her only showings with elemental glyphs have left much to be desired feels like a major case of TELLING us that she's been training her whole career to be a Maiden rather than SHOWING that she's been training her whole career to be a Maiden.

It just shows the hand of the author a bit too much for me to buy that she knows how to use her powers at all when the one time she used anything remotely resembling the Maiden Powers she was completely and utterly curb-stomped.

I think it's true that Winter hasn't really brought out much of her Dust manipulation, but I also think it's worth mentioning that every time we see her fight onscreen, it's in a situation where cutting loose with ice shards and fire blasts or whatever has a lot of potential for collateral damage - her fight with Qrow has an audience of teenagers just kinda standing there watching with popcorn in hand (and she still actually uses glyphs more than her summons and I think uses Dust at least once when she creates her mist cloud), her fight with Weiss is a spar that I think is specifically meant to help Weiss get better at the aspect of her Semblance she struggled to master the most (though I don't think that's specifically confirmed) and she does use her glyphs there effectively, her fight with Penny against Cinder took place in an enclosed area near sensitive equipment and a terminally ill patient whose life she could not risk, and she was running on fumes during round 2 with Cinder and round 2 with Ironwood. She has good reason not to cut loose with her Dust before the fight with Ironwood, and once she does, she pushes Ironwood's shit in with minimal effort.

Frankly, it's pretty easy for me to accept that Winter is trained for the role of Winter Maiden and trained to use Dust effectively in ways that mimic Maiden powers, given that, as you said, Weiss's fighting style seems like it would translate well to Maidenhood and the narrative puts a lot of emphasis on positioning Winter as Weiss's primary mentor and maternal figure. It does not feel like a leap to assume Winter knows what she's doing with Dust, given that someone had to teach Weiss how to use it properly and incorporate it into her fighting style, and I have no reason whatsoever to believe it would have been anyone other than Winter.

There's also precedent for her picking up on how to use the powers quickly, given that both Cinder and Penny are able to use their Maiden powers at a high level of effectiveness very quickly after acquiring them (Cinder hasn't quite mastered them, obviously, considering her struggles in Volume 4, but by the time she fought Pyrrha on the tower, she'd clearly figured out quite a bit). In fact, the only person who just... hasn't been able to use her Maiden powers effectively is the nameless Spring Maiden Raven murdered, and we only have known liar and hypocrite Raven Branwen's word that she couldn't master them. As far as I can tell, mastering the powers on at least a basic level seems fairly intuitive, though everyone we've seen do so so far has at least some prior combat training.

I think Winter focuses on her fundamentals more so than her Dust manipulation for a couple reasons:

First, unlike Weiss, who wants to redeem the family's reputation, Winter seeks to distance herself from the Schnee name. To her, a Schnee is just something she happens, regrettably, to be, rather than a core aspect of her identity the way it is for her siblings. The Schnee name is indelibly associated with Dust, so Winter using it more strategically makes sense for someone who doesn't particularly want to be a Schnee.

Second, Winter is a soldier. While she's still a Huntress and a member of an elite unit, she's reliant upon the Atlesian military's bureaucracy and logistics to keep her supplied, unlike Weiss, who is an independent Huntress and can just buy her own Dust without worrying about rules or regulations. Weiss isn't accountable to anyone for the resources she uses, whereas if the Atlesian military under General James "Control Freak" Ironwood almost certainly tracks every speck of Dust anyone uses and requires reports in triplicate.

Third, this is... actually a good strategy for a Maiden, because every successful Maiden we've seen has combined good fundamental combat skills with their powers. Even Amber worked in some martial arts when Cinder and her lackeys managed to close the distance. We've seen that it's absolutely possible for a skilled fighter (or group of skilled fighters) to circumvent the advantages elemental magic offers. Having skills that are applicable even when you can't blast the enemy with lightning seems to be an outright necessity for surviving as a Maiden.

Winter has not been utterly curbstomped at any point in the series, and certainly not when she brought out her Dust usage, unless you count Round 2 vs. Cinder, when she'd already lost her Aura and was fighting a Maiden to buy Penny time. The one time she actually made serious use of Dust, Ironwood got his shit rocked and Winter hard carried the gank.

That said, I would've loved a scene where an uninjured Winter actually got to go all out without worrying about collateral damage. I just don't think it was necessary to sell the idea that Winter's career was groomed toward making her a Maiden, especially since that type of preparation doesn't necessarily have to include direct Maiden power training. It could easily just be making sure she had plenty of experience in combat, got access to prime assignments, had the best equipment, etc, especially since Winter apparently didn't know she was specifically being prepared to assume the powers of the Maiden until after the Fall of Beacon.

#rwby #analysis #winter schnee #cinder fall #weiss schnee #penny polendina #raven branwen #james ironwood #amber #does amber even have a last name idk