#it would be an early Mother’s Day present 👀

[atombonniebaby]

I suppose this is as good a day as any to share my OCs prologue chapter! I have already done a 'War Never Changes' piece for @falloutober but it's literally the title of the chapter 👀

War Never Changes

Sanctuary Hills October 23, 2077.

Deep red leaves rustled in the crisp autumn air as the sun began to creep up over the hillside, casting a murky haze over the serene show of contemporary suburban living, America's "Homes of the Future." The residents of Sanctuary Hills lived in blissful ignorance as the world held its breath to the ever-present threat of Nuclear Devastation. Amidst the suburban sprawl, the morning sun warmed the cheeks of Nathanial Alasdair Watt, Nate to his nearest and dearest.

Nate leaned over a dusty blue cot, his eyes not quite believing that the soft and squishy bundle snoring away was his son. Months old already, how long would it be before he would be chasing after him around the cul-de-sac? With a lingering glance over Shaun, Nate slipped out of his room and stepped into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him. The house was quiet, and Nate's footsteps echoed in the empty hall, leading him to the kitchen.

"Ah, Master Nate! Good morning, sir!” Codsworth chirped, his eye stalks flitting in greeting. "Your coffee. 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection!"

"Ah'll take yer word for it," Nate yawned, a fond smile spreading across his face as he reached for the steaming mug of coffee.

"Ah, of course, my apologies, Sir. 78.61 degrees Celcius!"

Nate snorted. "I flunked maths, son. Just say it's hot."

Codsworth let out a chuckle. "Ah, I forgot, the young miss is the brains of the operation."

"Aye, that she is. But she'll no be without a proper feedin'. Could you go rouse her for me?" Nate asked.

"Of course, Sir! Right away!" Codsworth trilled, floating away towards El's room.

"Good luck wi' that," Nate muttered, shaking his head. El liked her sleep, that one.

Nate chuckled, running a hand over his head, and frowned at the resistance. Big speech tonight. He could hardly rock up looking a scruffy mess, could he? With a sigh, he set his mug down and stretched out his back on the way to the bathroom.

"Lemme Sleep, Codsworth..."El's voice drifted through her door.

Ah, to be 19 again. Nate shook his head, smirking to himself as he turned to the closed-over bathroom door, a wide smile pulling in his cheeks when Nora's sweet voice filtered through, Shaun's favorite lullaby on her tongue. Nate would never tire of it or how her voice sent shivers down his spine.

"You're up early. How's my little man?" she asked as he stepped through the door. "I'm assuming you've been in there five times already?"

Nora, even under those horrid fluorescent bulbs, looked stunning. He caught her eye in the mirror she was brushing her hair in and gave her a wink. Nate took a few steps toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips brushing her neck. She hummed and leaned back into his embrace.

"What can I say, doll? Just like his mother, I cannae believe he's mine," Nate murmured, burying his face in her soft, icy-brown hair. "I keep thinkin' somebody's gonna pinch me, and I'll wake up from this dream."

Nora twisted in his arms, her green eyes sparkling. "You're a wonderful father, Nate. You shouldn't doubt yourself!"

"I hope so," Nate said, his ears growing hot. Nora knew him too well, and his bashful side never could stand up to her praise.

"I think Beth would agree with me. I mean, you practically raised that girl!"

Nate ducked his head and pressed a kiss to her nose. "She dotes on you, ye ken? She won't admit it, but she does."

"I like her too. I'm glad she's here. Now, care to explain why you interrupted my morning ritual?" Nora teased.

"I need some pamperin'," he raised his eyebrows. "Cannae hae this 'decorated war hero' looking like common street riff-raff, now can we?"

"Hmm," Nora smirked. "I dunno, that rugged Viking look is growing on me, Nathanial."

"Ooh, using my full name, eh?" he teased. "Am I in trouble, then, Mrs Watt?"

"You're always trouble, Nathanial Watt," Nora giggled.

"Tell the truth, doll. That's the real reason you married me, wasn't it?" Nate smirked. "That and the accent, aye?"

She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove away, returning to the mirror. Nate's grin lingered, his hands sliding to her waist. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and rested his chin upon it, gazing at her reflection. She met his eyes, a warmth and tenderness reflected at him.

"I love you, lass," he murmured against her hair, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "More than I can say."

Nora didn't speak, only leaned back, melting against him, a familiar gesture that spoke volumes. Nate's arms tightened, and he closed his eyes, wishing they could stay like that forever.

"Go get your trimmer; I'll at least neaten you up a little," Nora said, her voice thick. "Then, I'll see about breakfast."

Nate pressed one last kiss to her head and drew a sharp breath. "Yes, ma'am."

"—war never changes,” Nate sighed, the steamy air heavy with the weight of his speech.

“You're gonna knock 'em dead at the Veteran's Hall tonight, hon,” Nora purred, her fingers massaging the knots from his shoulders.

"Ye think?" Nate relaxed against her touch, letting his eyes flutter shut.

"Absolutely. Now get ready and stop hogging the mirror..."

"Right," Nate snorted. He stepped away and let Nora take his place. "You might want to fix the buttons on your blouse, love."

He couldn't help a small smirk tugging on his lips as she re-buttoned her blouse, not quite meeting his gaze.

"Wipe that smug look off your face, Mr. Watt! You're the reason I never get anything done around here!" Nora teased.

Nate couldn't help bursting out laughing. "Why dae ye think I bought Codsworth?"

"Out!" Nora laughed, pushing him towards the door.

"Love ye too, darlin'." Nate gave her a mock salute and stumbled out of the bathroom.

"Miss Elspeth, breakfast was served thirty minutes ago!" Codsworth's muffled voice met him through the opposing door.

"Codsy! Bugger off!...and 'ave told ye… it's Beth!" came El's equally muffled reply.

"My, my. For such a brilliant young mind, Miss Beth, your language leaves much to be desired."

"Get tae fuck, or I'll turn ye into a toaster!" El spat back, a bit louder this time.

"By God! I don't believe General Atomics programmed me with enough patience for this!" Codsworth sighed.

"I'll handle this." Nate interrupted, opening the door.

"Good luck, that child's got the mouth of a drunkard."

"I'm weeks away from twenty ye daft bucket o' bolts!" El retorted.

Codsworth sighed, bobbing past him a little less chipper than before. Poor bugger.

Nate chuckled and shook his head. Wearing that damn onesie, she was akin to an overgrown toddler in a babygro. El glared at him, her hazel eyes flashing with a fire that reflected his own, her cheeks flushed, auburn hair still a tangled mess, reminding him exactly why he opted for a smooth dome.

"Arse. Up. Now. Or I promise you I'll cancel that comic subscription I already reluctantly pay for."

El's eyes narrowed, a defiant glint remaining, a slight smirk curving her lips. "Ye wouldnae dare."

"Try me," Nate raised a brow and folded his arms. "And to rub it in, I'll replace it with one about all the latest fashion trends, braw big frilly skirts and whatnot..."

"Fine. Ye win." El rolled her eyes, sauntering past him.

"Smart move," Nate smirked.

"Bite me!" El snapped, stomping into the now vacant bathroom.

Nate chuckled, shaking his head, and approached the kitchen, his stomach growling in anticipation.

"Breakfast is served sir," Codsworth set down a plate of eggs and toast.

"Thanks. And if ye need the afternoon off to recharge after the morning ye've had, you take it!" Nate smirked.

"A good show of humor, sir, but with a steady supply of Mr. Handy fuel, I am proud to serve!" Codsworth chirped.

"Attaboy."

"Your thoughts?" Nora's voice drifted over him, snapping his attention back to the present.

Nate blinked, glancing at his wife. She was studying him, her brows knitted. Damn. "I'm worried about her, doll. She won't admit it, but she's been having trouble sleeping again. I cannae remember the last time I saw her without dark circles under her eyes."

"She's just stressed. It's been a big year for her. Why don't you take her away for a few days? It's been a while since you two had time together," Nora suggested. "You could take a little road trip or something?"

"Aye, I'd been considering it, but I can hardly leave you with the wee one, can I?"

"I've got Codsworth to help. And besides, Shaun's not exactly a handful." Nora grinned, nudging him. "Take her. Trust me, she needs it."

Nate chewed his lip, his brows furrowed. Maybe she had a point. El had always loved his impromptu adventures.

"Okay, I'll talk to her about it—"

"Talk to me about what?" El asked, walking into the living room, her frown deepening as she looked between them. "I'm sorry! I know I've been—"

"No, stop right there! " Nate shushed her. "Ye don't go apologizing...I know you've been overloaded lately with all your projects."

El shrugged, dropping onto the couch beside him, her eyes fixed on the TV. "Yeah, I guess. It's just a lot, and I—"

"Deserve a break? Me and Nora reckon you've earned one," Nate grinned, nudging her. "So, how about we take off in a day or two? It's been a while since we've done a drive together, just you and me?"

"Wait, you're serious?" El stared at him, a smile breaking across her face, but her frown returned as she turned to Nora. "You're okay with that?"

"Are you kidding? Some peace and quiet, hell yeah, I'm okay with that," Nora barked a laugh. "And Codsworth's here to help, so I'll be fine."

"I like her, Nate. Can we keep her?" El smirked.

Nate's laughter bubbled, shaking his head. "Aye, she's a keeper, alright."

Nora gave them a fond smile, rising from the couch."Alright, you two, I'm going to help Codsworth tidy up, give you time to plan."

"Thanks, love," Nate's fingers curled hers as she pulled away, before turning his attention back to El.

"So, short-stop, any votes on where ye want tae go?"

"Laurey, Virginia—"

"The Caverns, again, lass?" Nate's eyebrow quirked.

"Come on, it's been months since we went to D.C. We could do a day trip to Laurey and then spend the rest of our time exploring the Capital!"

"Fine, but that damn mole costume is stayin' put!" Nate chuckled.

"She looked adorable in that thing. Never know, maybe she'll catch someone's eye!" Nora's laughter floated over them from the kitchen, and Nate grinned.

El blushed, her hand rubbing against the back of her head sheepishly. "I'll stick to studying, ta—"

"Quite right. I don't think there'd be many nerdy, bookworm Spelunkers out there that could put up with your pish!" He couldn't resist.

El's nose wrinkled, and her eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence—jackass."

Nate snorted and leaned back, his arms draped over the back of the couch, tuning into the TV.

The same usual shite.

A knocking came to the door, and Nora sighed. "It's probably that salesman. He's been trying all morning, insisting he talks to you."

"Oh, great." Nate rolled his eyes and lurched out of the sofa.

An all-smiles fella in a trenchcoat greeted him when he opened the door, stepping forward. "Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!"

"Sup, chief," he deadpanned, leaning against the doorframe.

"You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you," the rep explained.

Nate frowned—something about the guy's tone made him nervous.

"Alright, son, I'm here now."

"So you are, so you are,' the rep chuckled. "I'm here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault. Vault 111. I just need to verify some information. That's all! Don't want there to be any hold ups, in the unforeseen event of *ahem*...total atomic annihilation."

"But there's room for my entire family, right?"

"Of course. Of course! Minus your robot, naturally."

"Oi, Codsworth is family!" El retorted, appearing at his side, her eyes narrowed. "He's a wee gem! We can't just leave him!"

Nate's hand fell upon his sister's shoulder, squeezing it. "General Atomics promised Codsworth could survive anything, even a nuclear blast," he reminded her, her sentiment mirrored in his heart. "Go. I've got it from here."

El nodded, a defiant glint remaining in her eyes, but she stepped aside.

Nate glanced at the rep, his unease growing."All right, let's have it."

"Splendid, splendid. Let's get to it. Just need you to fill out this paperwork, and we're all done. Won't take but a moment."

The rep pulled a clipboard out of his briefcase and held it out towards him.

Nate frowned, his jaw tense, glancing down at the stack of papers. He took the clipboard and scanned the pages, his frown deepening.

"What makes me 'S.P.E.C.I.A.L?' That's a bit on the nose, is it no? And this whole damn thing seems a wee bit excessive, no offense, son."

"None taken! It's simply a matter of determining what roles you may be able to undertake in a new life underground!"

"Well, lucky for us, we have a certified vault technician in our fold. My sister just finished her Masters at C.I.T. Did a whole project around Vault safety and maintenance," Nate couldn't help the proud smile creeping into his cheeks.

"Masters? At C.I.T?" the rep's eyebrows shot up. "My, my, that's impressive."

"Aye, she got the brains of the family. I clearly got the looks," Nate joked, handing the clipboard back to the rep. "Think that's everything, chief."

"Wonderful! That's..." he skimmed over the documents, smiling. "Yes, indeed, that is everything... just gonna walk this over to the Vault! Congratulations on being prepared for the future!"

"Aye, thanks..." Nate forced a smile, his jaw still tense. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I have a wee one who needs a bit of a feed."

"Of course, have a great day, sir, ma'am!" The Vault-Tec rep tipped his hat and strolled off, the tension in the man's shoulders not lost on him.

He watched the rep go, his instincts prickling as he stepped back inside."Something aboot that didn't sit right, did it, El?"

"I didn't like it, Nattie. You don't think he's doing this because—"

"Elspeth, don't get him started," Nora interrupted, her voice strained. "It's just a precaution, that's all."

Nate swallowed his throat tight. "Maybe ye're right, doll, but just in case, we should double-check the go bags."

Shaun's wails rang through the house. Cutting through his words, Codsworth followed.

"Master Nate. Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that "paternal affection" you seem to be so good at."

"I've got 'im." Nate smiled and strode down the hall, his unease lingering. Nora's footfalls followed.

"Right, ye wee gremlin," Nate teased, sweeping a finger over Shaun's cheek. Shaun's cries grew fainter, his teary gaze fixed on Nate.

"Spin the mobile a bit. He loves that," Nora cooed, stepping up beside him.

Nate gave the mobile a gentle spin. Shaun's gaze drifted to the spinning rockets, green eyes wide, and his cries now soft whimpers. Nora brushed Nate's arm with her hand.

"Maybe we should go out later, a walk in the park?"

"And miss the World Series on TV? Not going to happen." Nate smirked. "But tomorrow, I'm all yours! I promise."

"I'll hold you to—"

"Sir? Mum? You should come and see this!" Codsworth's urgent voice drifted over them.

Nate frowned, exchanging a glance with Nora. "Codsworth?"

"I've got Shaun," Nora assured him, scooping the baby up.

Nate hurried out of the nursery, a knot forming in his gut, his blood rushing. "Codsworth? What is it, son?"

"Sir... the news..."

El was perched on the couch, her knuckles white around her backpack, its contents organized on the coffee table. "They actually did it."

"Did what, lass?" Nate frowned, sitting beside her.

“—followed by... yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions..." the news anchor caught his attention. "We're... we're trying to get confirmation…But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations."

"What? What is he saying?" Nora's voice drifted over them. "…Oh no.”

“...We do have... coming in... confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania…My God.”

The screen crackled, and the signal was lost. Nate's gaze fixed on the 'Please Stand By' screen. His mouth ran dry, a cold sweat prickling across his forehead.

"We have to get to the Vault. Now! Get all that back in the bag. I'll grab the rest." Nate blurted, his heart pounding against his ribs.

"Nattie...I'm scared."

"We're goin' tae be fine, El. We've prepared for this...You two wait for me outside!" Nate instructed, racing into their bedroom.

He yanked open the closet, his hands trembling, hauling out his and Nora's packs, followed by Shaun's. He slung them over his shoulder and hurried through the house for the front door—stopping on the threshold, glancing over his shoulder at Codsworth.

The Mr. Handy's eye stalks flitted over him, and he glided forward. "Goodbye, sir. May I say what an honor it has been to serve you and your family!"

"Ye've done us proud, son...maybe we could—"

"Now, don't you worry about me, sir! You have your family to think about. Go on."

Nate nodded, a lump forming in his throat. "Thank you, Codsworth..."

"He'll be alright, won't he?" El's voice pulled his attention.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and grabbed his sister's hand. "He'll be fine. Now c'mon, we gotta move!"

They raced down the road, Nora ahead of him, Shaun cradled against her chest. Nate swallowed hard, his hand tightening around El's. His mind raced. Vault-Tec. The rep—he knew something was up. That bastard knew this was coming!

"Nattie?" El tugged his arm, slowing.

"We're almost there, lass. Keep moving! Come on, we're nearly there—"

"We're on the list!" Nora's frantic voice greeted them, and Nate frowned as that Vault-Tec rep darted by them.

A soldier blocked their way, checking over a clipboard."Infant... Adult male... Two adult females... OK, go ahead."

Nate's heart pounded. It was real. This was really happening. They climbed the hill and clambered onto the platform, his arms circling Nora and El.

"Almost there, we're gonna be alright. I love you, all of you." Nate murmured, his pulse throbbing in his ears.

"We love you too," Nora whispered, her gaze locked on his.

The sky lit up with blinding white light, and the ground shook beneath their feet. A deafening roar filled the air. Nate's eyes widened as a mushroom cloud grew colossal in the sky. The blast waves thunder towards them, and El buried her face against his chest. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

"Send it down now!" a desperate voice shouted.

An orchestra of "Oh gods" and terrorized screams flooded his ears. The platform shuddered beneath them. His arms held tighter.

The blast crossed over them. The screams echoed, his breaths shortening, the pressure around his ribcage suffocating.

He held Nora, his lips pressed to her head, praying she couldn't hear his racing heartbeat.

The light faded, and the shockwave died, his ears still ringing.

The platform shuddered to a halt.

His eyes met Nora's, tears streaming down her face.

They had made it.

"Everyone, please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion," the Vault-Tec security guard that greeted them instructed.

El clung to him as Nate made a move to follow the others, her breaths ragged and short. He glanced at Nora, Shaun sleeping soundly in her arms.

"She'll be okay. We're right behind ye," Nate murmured. "We just need a minute."

Nora nodded, her hand resting on his shoulder. "We won't be far. I'll go find out what's what."

"Be right with ye," Nate murmured, kneeling to meet El's gaze. "Hey, hey, look at me, lass. Look at me. Deep breaths. In and out. Like we practiced."

El's eyes flicked up to his, wide and fearful. She bit her lip, nodding. Her next shaky intake of breath was longer.

"Good, lass. Again. In and out."

She followed his lead, and soon enough, El's breaths steadied as her panic subsided, her grip on his loosening.

"You're a natural," Nate grinned, easing himself up.

El didn't respond and instead stood closer. His arm circled her, guiding them toward the vast cog-shaped doorway that loomed above them. Nate's heart beat faster. This was home now, for better or worse.

"It's impressive, eh? No wonder ye wouldny pipe doon about these Vaults!" Nate quipped.

El glanced at him, a faint smirk pulling in her cheeks. Nate squeezed her shoulder, their footsteps ringing as they climbed the metal stairs.

His eyes found Nora as they crossed the metal walkway. An orderly queue had formed behind her as she was collecting something up ahead.

Nora handed him a sealed bag and another for El. He eyed it, noting the '111' matching the jumpsuits some staff were wearing.

"What, do they no' come in a braw purple or maybe fluorescent green?"

El snorted at that, a wry smile curling her lips, and Nate's heart lifted a little. She was okay.

"Just follow the doctor here. He'll show you where to go," one of the scientists instructed.

"Lead the way, doc."

As Nora chatted with the doctor, El pulled away, her steps a little firmer, her gaze still far away.

Nate was drawn to the sudden bite in the air, a shiver running through him as he followed. People chatted, residents to Vault staff. Everyone seemed as edgy as he felt. They were led to a larger room filled with 'decontamination pods,' he was told as he was led towards one.

His attention pulled back to El, her belongings dropping to her feet. She stepped in front of them as one of the staff members attempted to collect them.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you cannot take your—"

Without a word, El unveiled a lanyard from around her neck and fixed them with a stern eye.

"You're a Vault-Tec intern? Very well, but be assured, vault-tec will not be held accountable if anything were to be damaged or stolen."

El nodded, her jaw set, and Nate couldn't help a smirk. Stubborn wee devil. Nate stripped to his boxers and tugged on his Vault suit, his skin prickling.

"Could ye's no have turned on the heatin'? It's colder than a polar bear's arse in here!" Nate grumbled.

El was already suited in her's when he looked up again, leaning against her pod, shoulders slumped, a blank expression set over her feature—still not back to herself yet.

"Can you hold him?" Nora asked, pulling his thoughts. Shaun curled up against her chest.

"Of course, love," Nate scooped him up, letting Nora get herself situated. He walked over to El, her fingers brushing Shaun's cheek, a weak smile curling her lips.

"Ye gonna be alright in there? I know how you get in tight spaces."

She held up her backpack, patting it fondly. Of course, she was always packed for every occasion.

"Right then, guess we'll see ye soon," Nate tried, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Okay, I can take him," Nora's hand rested on his arm, and Nate reluctantly handed Shaun over and planted a kiss against her cheek.

Nate climbed into his pod, and with a hiss, the lid descended, his breath misting the glass. His eyes locked onto Nora's, her gaze locked on him as her own pod closed, and she bounced Shaun in her arms.

"Just try to relax," the doctor reassured.

Nate nodded, pressing his hand against the glass. "Time for a whole new life."

"Resident secure. Occupant vitals: Normal," a robotic voice filled his ears.

A rush of cold flooded his pod. Nate's pulse spiked, his next breath shuddering.

"Procedure complete. In 5... 4..."

With every beat of the countdown, his vision whitened. Frost intertwined his eyelashes with every blink—everything faded.

Nate blinks away the frost that clings to his eyelashes, stretching his jaw to loosen the remainder of his beard and whiskers. It was a cold that hung as heavy as iron chains. Every breath stung his chest like swallowing broken glass as violent coughs wreck through him.

"...Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All vault residents must vacate immediately," The computerized voice echoed through the intercom, and a hiss filled his ears.

As the pod door lifts away, Nate's still-thawing limbs do nothing to prevent him from stumbling forward. His knees crack against the slick steel floor, a haze of mist following him. He didn't dare look up, unwilling to face the truth that the nightmare was real. But there was no escaping the memories that assaulted every fiber of his being: Nora's please, Shaun's cries as they tear him from his mother's embrace. Nate's own screams—lost in the deafening Gunshot that silenced Nora and continued to echo as Shaun's heartbreaking wails faded away—the face that mets him and the words that followed:

At least we still have the backup.

"That scar-faced bastard! Why did he have tae—"

"...Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All vault residents must vacate immediately,"

"Oh, shut up!" Nate yelled as he snapped his head back. "Can ye no see I'm havin' a moment, ye pushy cow!"

Blissful silence filled the chamber once more, and Nate breathed a sigh of relief. As if another entity had taken control of his body, he stood to his full height and ambled forward. His steps were clumsy, and fog engulfed the room as he moved toward Nora's pod. The faint glint of gold caught his eye. Her wedding band shined through the condensation. His fingers trailed over the icy glass.

Nora, his best friend, the woman he pledged his entire life to. Her rosy cheeks were now dusted blue, fear still painted in her expression. Her arms were so painfully absent—Shaun. He's just a baby, and they tore him out of her arms. Nate's knees buckled some, jolting him forward, and he braced himself, breaths coming out in rasps, his lungs constricting, the very walls closing in. His eyes opened over his wedding ring, a matching piece—he'd be dammed if he was leaving her's behind.

"C'mon! C'mon! There has tae be a release!" Nate barked, desperation bleeding into his brogue as he stepped back to take in the pod, reaching for the lever at its side.

His breath held as Nora's pod opened to him. Slowly, reverently, he slipped the ring off her finger, ignoring the spiderwebbing of frosted blood that now decorated her jumpsuit. Together, he joins their bands onto the chain around his neck, keeping them safe with his dog tags, holding them tight in his grasp. The mere sentiment of having them together offers a measure of comfort.

"I'll find who did this, and I'll get Shaun back. I promise."

With a brush of his lips against the cool metal, Nate tucks the chain securely behind his vault suit, and the fog clouding his mind subsides some. All he had to do was get El and get the hell out of this godforsaken ice box.

Shaky hands grip the lever release to El's cryopod, and he is met with an immediate sharp, jolting buzz that has him staggering back.

"Malfunction in Cryo Pod manual release override." A robotic female voice announces over the intercom.

"No-no-no! C'mon! I need tae open this damn thing!" Nate pulls the handle harder. Again, the error noise frays his nerves, not releasing. "Come on!" He presses a palm to the frost-covered glass, feeling the cold sting on his hand. "El!" Tears stream down his cheeks, warm against the cold fog surrounding him. "No. This can't-" His forehead rests against the pod. He closes his eyes tightly and sobs. “Ye cannae do this! I just need tae get El!"

His mind falls back to the terminal those scientist-looking folks were working on when they were after Shaun, how they opened Nora's pod. Nate spins on his heels and sprints forward, almost pummeling into the console as he slides to a halt. Fingers still stiff from his suspended animation, rattle the keys. Nate squints at the screen with a shaky breath, jumping through the entries as quickly as his frozen digits allow.

******** Welcome to ROBCO Industries (TM) Termlink ********

Thank you for choosing Vault-Tec!

>Cryogenic Array: Offline. Premature termination resulting in system failure. Isolated manual and remote overrides detected. Controls disabled.

>Life Support: Offline. Premature termination resulting in system failure. Isolated manual and remote overrides detected. Controls disabled.

Pod Occupant Status

POD C1: Miss Watt

>Occupant status: Deceased. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure.

********************************************************************

It takes several moments for him to comprehend the words laid bare.

Every occupant record painted the same picture: Cause of Death: Asphyxiation.

Nate collapses, his knees slamming on the steel, fingers clawing at the frost-covered ground, and a scream rips through him, a blood-curdling wail that echoes out in the empty chamber. Every cell in his body is alight, a sickening, bitter cold fire. His shoulders shake violently, and he balls his fists, pounding them to the floor until his knuckles are raw. He barely feels the biting pain as the fight seeps away, leaving him drained, tears frozen on his cheeks.

Nate doesn't move for a long moment—left alone with his thoughts and the steady Drip. Drip. Drip. of frost melting. His little sister is dead. They're both gone. It would be easy to submit to his grief, crumple over, and lose himself in the pain—but they have his son. He has to find Shaun, even if all he has left is a warped image of a man who ruined his world. A scar-faced bastard whom Nate committed to memory. His fingers curl around the chain of his dog tags, fidgeting the wedding bands between bloodied knuckles, the cold metal grounding him, and as Nate grits his teeth, steeling his heart, and sets his jaw, he stands.

A silent vow plays on his lips: For Shaun. For Nora. And for El. He would rain fire upon whoever took them from him, even if it meant tearing whatever world awaited him apart, one bullet at a time.

He vows it as he looks upon El's face. Russet frost-bitten curls drape across her forehead. A picture so peaceful she may as well be sleeping.

He vows it as his lips graze Nora's cheek before resealing the pod, committing his love's image to memory.

He vows it as his fingers trace Shaun's name, etched in ink within the tan line of his wedding band.

As the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, he has nothing left to lose and everything to fight for.

War Never Changes, and Nate was ready to wage it.

#falloutober2023 #fallout day #fallout fanfic #fallout 4 #fallout #fo4 #A little tie-in to MacCready in this one 👀 #fallout maccready

[actual-bill-potts]

tell me about trans fingolfin 👀

ok so!!!!!

- finwë and indis have 3 children. their first child they name findis: a living symbol of their love. findis is followed closely by irimë, their laughing middle child, and finally their little arafinwë.

- (fëanáro does not care for his younger siblings. but—the eldest of them follows him with adoring eyes. they none of them look much like finwë, findis and irimë small and willowy in the way of the vanyar and arafinwë with his golden hair. he, fëanáro, is finwë’s eldest and most beloved son. they are no threat. slowly he warms to his new playmates, and soon they all four are rampaging through tirion and beyond, fighting dark shadows on a Great Journey of their own—always led by fëanáro, of course.)

- meanwhile, findis has never felt quite comfortable, always feeling as though something is missing. but it’s a trip to valmar and meeting a little Maia who looks first like a ner, then a nís that changes everything.

- (the maia says, "your name is not findis, i think," and findis realizes with a lurch that—no, not findis.)

- (then who?)

- upon returning, findis goes to indis and says, "i need a new name."

- and indis looks deep into the eyes of her eldest child and says, "you have come early to knowledge of the self." and with the touch of foresight all those of her line possess, she looks beyond and says, "this knowledge is but the beginning of your wisdom." and so she named her son nolofinwë, for she saw that in wisdom he would surpass his father.

- upon learning of this, finwë insists on throwing a party to celebrate his second son and unveil the name his wife had given him.

- fëanáro has long departed tirion, cleaving to nerdanel and leaving behind the crowds who saw in him only his mother long gone. leaving behind the siblings who should not have been. but he doesn’t leave them in anger; the memory of being their leader in play, their beloved older brother, still pierces his heart.

- when he comes back, he sees nolofinwë in richly arrayed robes similar to those fëanáro wore when he was presented at court. he sees his brother named wise finwë, when he himself is only skillful; is his father prouder of nolofinwë than of his eldest? and worse, the worst blow of all: nolofinwë looks like his father. if not for his small stature, nolofinwë could have been a mirror of fëanáro. and this fëanáro cannot bear.

- he storms up to his father, heedless of his audience. "i see that a skillful son was not enough for you; wise your second son may be, but the works of his hands will never surpass mine. why then do you seek to replace me? have you fully forsaken therindë’s memory at last?"

- finwë is struck dumb, bewildered by his eldest’s sudden rage. behind, nolofinwë speaks up: "fëanáro, i love thee and would never seek to replace thee. why do you speak thus, when i have ever loved and followed you?" but he was hurt, to see a much longed-for change greeted by such anger.

- fëanáro is past reaching. he snarls at his brother, "son of finwë you may be, but brother of mine you are not. a half-brother only, and if my father seeks to replace me with a pale imitation then he is welcome to take nolofinwë to make up for his folly."

- from then on, things are tense in tirion.

- and when nolofinwë says, that fateful day, "two sons at least thou hast to honor thy words," fëanáro can barely restrain himself from running his (half)-brother through.

- nevertheless in his grief, the wisest of the children of finwë remembers the young, hurt playmate he had as a child, and swears that he will be a full brother to fëanáro, willing or unwilling.

- in endórë, much goes wrong.

- nolofinwë, thinking bitterly of two sons at least thou hast to honor thy words, names himself for the first time: finwënolofinwë.

- but grief-stricken, he thinks of full brother in heart i will be when he is staring down at the ruined form of maitimo.

- and when maitimo barely recognizes his own form and wants to rip his own skin from his bones—nolofinwë can speak from experience.

- when finwënolofinwë is about to be crushed beneath the heel of morgoth, his last thought is of his mother. ammë, he thinks wryly, am i wise still? what would you say, what would you name me now?

- (but indis was right, and when she someday sees her lovely wise son again, she will tell him so.)

#nolofinwe #fingolfin #bullet point fic #feanor #Silmarillion #my scribblings

[bookishtheaterlover7]

Where did the baby rumor even come from?

Honestly, An🫶n, it stemmed from a lot of people saying that Albitch was pregnant.

I think it dates back to the early days of their confirmed "romance". But they've been repeatedly shut down, because it's impossible to be pregnant for over a year, with nothing to show for it.

It's only recently that people have started saying, she's been MIA for 9 months that it's taken a stronger hold. But then again, it wouldn't make sense, because if she was indeed pregnant, her body would have shown signs that she was pregnant and had recently given birth.

So, unless she has the same HMU team as the British Royal Family, who manages to make any and all Royal Mothers shiny and presentable just hours or days after giving birth, our favorite clout-chasing Nazi slut, was never pregnant. Nor will she ever be, unless she manages to get pregnant by one of her sugar daddies... Which I wouldn't put it past her...

Cause it might actually give her what she's been sorely lacking... Boobs 👀☕🤭 (sorry. I couldn't resist 😅)

In all seriousness, I hope I managed to make it a little clearer for you, An🫶n... 🤗

#An🫶n asks #booky reacts #booky answers #chris evans fandom #chris evans #Pregnancy rumors for Albitch are more bullshit #just like the entire narrative!!!

[billyhargrovesupsidedownshadow]

HI PLS YES TELL ME ABOUT IT 👀👀👀👀👀👀

Okay since you asked and I take everything seriously here we go

The story would be this: Jonathan broke up with Nancy a couple of years ago, now he's renting with like Argyle, never really did college, works a low paying job

We know form canon that he isn't very social, and we also know that he was kind of always responsible for Will, we might also guess that while Will was missing and Joyce was clearly not doing well, Jonathan was the main carer for his mother as well. Plus, there's the fact that Lonnie was abusive as well, and while Jonathan, unlike, say, probably Billy, knows he shouldn't be treated like this because he had the example of Joyce, it doesn't necessarily mean that he wouldn't get trapped in a relationship like that

Neil moves back to Cali after Billy's death because he at least knows the town (they have to be in the same place though)

The thing is, the fact that he abused Billy doesn't exactly mean he didn't love him, because people are fucked up like this. From canon, we know that he couldn't cope with the loss too well, so even though I really get kind of a "put you shit together and look presentable no matter the cost" vibe, his son's death might have actually broken him

Now here it's going to be a reach, because there's no reason to assume either of them Neil would be into a man, but you really never know what kind of shit is hiding repressed under someone's skin, especially as a most likely army man from 70s, maybe this was what was burning him on the inside enough to abuse his wife and then his kid and even call him a slur despite Billy not necessarily giving any reason to, it's just when you are a spy you suspect anyone, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So Neil a broken man, and Jonathan is a socially awkward early twenties guy who went through parentification and now has no college, no girlfriend, no plans, and not even anyone to look after since Joyce has Hopper and Will is old enough now

He sees Neil in the cafe he works at one day, and comes over to say hi (no one knew Neil was a piece of shit, so Jonathan has no reason to be outright rude, and he did recognise him since Hawkins is a small town) as a polite person would. So they talk about nothing for a bit, and then Neil comes back the next day, and so on, and eventually Jonathan sees exactly how broken and miserable he is, how while Jonathan still has his family, Neil has no one now, so his reflex kicks in, and he kind of befriends Neil (which is a bit strange, but like, you actually are allowed to be friends with people of different ages, and it's good actually), and he comes over and sees how little food Neil has, so he brings over groceries, and cooks sometimes and everything

It starts of alright, like all of these relationships do

Jonathan thinks that well this person needs help, I can help, I absolutely have no idea what Neil thinks because I don't know how abusive people think, so yeah, if he doesn't realise he's doing something wrong, than probably not much

Slowly, it evolves into an affair. Jonathan doesn't tell anyone because like yeah his family would be okay with him dating a man, but like... This man is literally his father's age...

Eventually, of course, Neil gets angry at something. It's little things at first. A bit of yelling here and there, nothing too bothering, because even of Jonathan had seen and remembered Lonnie and Joyce, no one actually believes they are going to end up in an abusive situation, and I can help him mentality is strong

It gets worse though. Jonathan has to lie to his family, to his friends, and Joyce doesn't really believe him, she went through abuse and came out on the other side a winner, she know what it looks like, but Jonathan continues to refuse to talk to her, because trying to fix Neil was actually filled the hole in him that was left when he didn't have anyone to look after anymore because it's often how it it with parentification, you just don't know how to proceed without anyone who needs you to pick up their shit, and Neil is filled with inner hate because of homophobia that is very deep-rooted in his mind, but also he is desperately trying to see his dead child in Jonathan and takes the fact that Jonathan isn't like Billy on him, and also all the grief for his son, his wife, his second broken marriage, his broken life, and generally about everything only finds a way out in anger for him because that's what men were raised to be like actually (still are really), so he takes all of it on Jonathan

Yes I did just write a huge Neil/Jonathan post what y'all going to do about it

#the fucked up byergrove #ask billy's shadow o'clock

[lady-morrigen]

Hey baby!

Congrats on the new job and happy early birthday 💕

Can I request Davey boy with the prompt “We really shouldn’t be doing this” 😏👀

Oh god... alright. I finally finished this. I don't even know anymore lol Dave scares me. I hope you like this!

PAIRING: Dave York x Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.8k (because I'm trash)

RATING: Explicit (18+ ONLY! NO MINORS!)

WARNINGS: mentions of separation, p in v ~sEgGs~, fingering, Dave turns reader into a toaster strudel, and uh... idk maybe don't bang your friend's estranged husband. or do. yolo.

BIG thanks to @acrossthesestars for gently bullying me into working on this every day, being the best beta, and fleshing out ideas with me at 2am. I love you more than "gummies" and vegan crunchwraps.

You’d known him for a couple of years now, having been in Carol’s book club for some time. You’d spent several evenings at the York’s; whether it was a casual dinner or one of the girls’ birthday pool parties, you were there.

You pretended not to notice any time Dave’s intense gaze lingered on you for just a few seconds too long, his expression unreadable. Attention from Dave was inconsistent at best. Sometimes an innocent touch would linger for just a beat too long but when you looked into his eyes, there was nothing there to indicate that it was anything more than a friendly gesture. On book club nights, you’d sometimes find yourself alone with him as you refilled your wine glass, so caught up in conversation with him that you’d forget why you’d even come to the kitchen in the first place.

That month the book club had decided on something that Carol had already read and she loaned you her copy so you didn’t have to buy your own. It had been a few weeks since the two of you had last spoken, and she’d cancelled the club meeting, which was unusual.  So you decided to return the book to her, figuring it a good enough excuse to make sure she was okay. You picked up coffee on the way to keep it casual.

You pulled up to the house, book and two coffees in hand, and knocked twice on the door. Expecting to see Carol, you were taken aback when Dave answered, as he was never home in the middle of the day. The state of his appearance only added to your surprise.

He looked like he hadn’t been feeling well; eyes bloodshot, tee shirt wrinkled from sleep, and rocking a serious 5 o’clock shadow. He had answered the door with a huff, but straightened a little upon seeing it was you that had interrupted his fifth straight episode of The Price is Right.

“Oh hi, Dave. I was looking for Carol. She around?” You peeked your head in the door a bit, no sound indicating that your friend or the girls were present. Dave cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“No she’s uh… she took the girls to visit her mother in Virginia for a bit. That for her?” He motioned towards the book and spare coffee, stepping back to invite you in. You turned it over in your hand as you entered the foyer and placed one of the coffee cups on a nearby table.

“Oh! Yeah, she loaned this to me a few weeks ago so that I could get caught up before next week’s meeting. I just wanted to return it.” Rocking back and forth on your heels, you took in the sight of him. There was something so jarring about seeing Dave York in his sock feet, wearing pajama bottoms so thin that you could practically see through them. You did your best to look anywhere else, deciding to focus on his face.

“Well, you could leave it here. I’ll make sure it gets to her.” There was a flash of pain behind his eyes that dissipated quickly, but it was enough. Enough for you to realize that maybe Carol wasn’t just away on a weekend trip.

“Dave?” You stepped forward, trying to catch his gaze, but he deliberately looked away. “Is everything okay?”

He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, roughly exhaling before tilting his head to look at you. He paused for a minute, just taking you in. Your eyes were wide with concern, but there was a tenderness there that would hopefully let him know that it was okay to talk to you about whatever was going on. Tossing his hands up in defeat, he relented.

“Carol left me.”

Despite your best efforts, you let out a gasp. You’d known their relationship had grown strained over the last year, but you didn’t think that it was bad enough for her to leave him. You didn’t know what to say, so you just stared at him open mouthed, head shaking in disbelief.

“I- what happened?”

“Eh she had enough of my shit, I guess…” it was meant to come out as nonchalant, but there was an unmistakable sadness to his tone. He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck again, peering at you with a half-hearted smile. “Do you want to come in for a minute?”

You nodded, grabbing the other coffee, and followed him to the kitchen. You set them down on the counter offering Carol’s now-useless drink to him and he accepted with a grateful nod. The two of you leaned against the same side of the kitchen island, facing each other; a pregnant silence hanging in the air.

“So,” you started, sipping your coffee nonchalantly. “What happened?”

Dave’s body tensed, clearly still uncomfortable at the idea of discussing it. He toyed with the plastic lid of the drink in his hand as a distraction. He couldn’t tell you every detail and he knew you’d still have more questions than answers by the time he was done. Regardless, he took a deep breath and began.

It turns out an old threat from Dave’s past had resurfaced and dealing with it caused him to have to leave town for a while. You vaguely remembered hearing about that from Carol. He had begun sneaking around, so she thought he may be having an affair. When he returned and still provided her with half-truths, she had decided that she'd had enough.

You couldn’t blame her, really. The two of you weren’t particularly close, but she had confided in you that their relationship had been strained for years. This seemed to just be the last straw for a woman at her wits end. The man standing in front of you looked to be handling it quite poorly. You stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on top of his.

“I know this can’t be easy, Dave,” you said softly. “I wish there was something I could do.”

His face softened, eyes locking on your hand as your thumb danced cautiously over his knuckles. Your breath hitched when his other hand rested on top of yours, enveloping it in his warmth. He grabbed your hand, slowly bringing it up to his mouth as if he was going to kiss the back of it. He stopped short, closing his eyes and breathing in the lingering scent of perfume on your wrist. The gesture made your heart beat wildly in your chest.

Was this happening?

Dave’s lips pursed gently against the delicate skin of your wrist and it felt as if electricity shot down your outstretched arm and straight to your core. The heat that was pooling in your belly betrayed all logic as you stepped forward and leaned into his touch. You felt certain that your pulse was visible through the thin skin of your neck, eliminating any chance you had of hiding how much his presence excited you.

You ran your fingers through the hair over the curve of his ear, gripping the base of his neck, and leaning your forehead against his. You stood like this for a moment; sharing breaths, your hearts pounding in rhythm as you each willed the other to make the first move. After what felt like a lifetime, Dave’s hands found your waist and he began to gently nudge his nose against yours.

Before your brain had a second to catch up, his lips were on yours, prying a delicate whimper from between them as you allowed yourself to melt into the softness. He moaned, low in his throat and broken; a sound you would replay over and over in your mind, committing it to memory. His fingers were digging into the flesh of your hips with such ferocity that you knew there would be bruises later.

It started slow, a little hesitant and unsure as the two of you found your rhythm. Any self-control that Dave was holding onto flew out the window as your nails raked over the planes of his back through his t-shirt. With his lips still attached to yours, he leaned in, pinning you up against the marble as he reached behind you, sweeping an arm across the counter. A bowl of grapes clattered to the floor along with the coffee you had long since forgotten. He gently tapped your hip and signaled you to push yourself up, seating your ass on the counter as he settled between your legs.

Finding the hem of your tee shirt, he yanked it up and over your head unceremoniously, exposing your chest to the chilled air. Your nipples were pebbled and clearly visible as he reached up to pinch one between his thick fingers. He leaned down, pulling the other into his mouth through the thin fabric of your bra. You tilted your head back in pleasure, exposing your neck to his hot mouth as he trailed his way from your jaw down to your collarbone.

Splaying his large hands against the small of your back, he pulled you in tight. You could feel him, hard and wanting, through the thin fabric of his pajama bottoms and you gave a roll of your hips, testing his reaction. He groaned into the shell of your ear and bit down on the lobe, causing you to wince as the sharp pain melted into pleasure.

"We shouldn’t be doing this,” he husked, his deft fingers betraying his words as they quickly unfastened your jeans. His hand slipped into the front, pushing your underwear to the side and teasing a finger over your slick folds. “But… ahh fuck... you’re so wet for me.”

“Dave, please…” you were begging, having lost all sense of composure the moment his lips met yours. You quickly slipped your jeans and underwear over your hips and down to your ankles, kicking them off, to give him better access. His mouth had resumed it’s attack on your neck, his slick fingers rubbing gently over your clit. Your hands were gripping his forearm as you wiggled your hips, desperate for more friction.

“So needy,” he tutted gently, smiling against your skin.  “I’ve seen the way you look at me. You’ve been waiting for this moment, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Yes, Dave, I-” in one swift motion, he pushed a finger inside of you. He swallowed your cry, tongue swirling in tandem with his finger as he continued to pull delicious moans from your throat. When he pushed in a second finger, you gripped the edge of the counter hard as you began to work your hips, creating friction against his palm.

He had one firm hand on the back of your neck, keeping your lips pressed together as he began to move his fingers inside of you; curling to hit the spot that made you weak in the knees. He moaned against your mouth, the sound muffled, as he relished the feeling of your walls clenching around him. When he moved his thumb up to circle your delicate bundle of nerves, you cried out in pleasure; laying yourself back against the cool quartz of the countertop.

He leaned over you, his features dark with desire and a hint of something else; something dangerous. You felt a twist in your gut as you looked up at him; sweat beading on his brow and a lust blown expression on his face. You reached up to cup his chin, the intimacy of the act not missing either of you as you got lost in bliss, tilting your head back and closing your eyes once more. You reached for him, fingertips ghosting over his length, now evident through his thin pants.

"Dave…” you were breathless, panting his name like a prayer, as you practically begged to have him inside of you. You began to palm him gently, heart rate quickening as you felt the sheer size of him. He let out a growl, dropping his head into the crook of your neck and quickening the pace of his fingers as he panted, hot and needy into your skin.

“Tell me what you want, pretty girl,” his voice was low and gravelly, shooting straight to your core as he began to lave his tongue over the column of your throat.

Your hands found the dip of his hips, trailing to the dimples at his spine and under his waistband to cup his ass. You dug your nails into the soft flesh, pulling him toward you slightly and rolling your hips as if to answer. Immediately, he pulled away. His hand, now covered in your slick, came to rest by his side and you whined at the empty feeling. He shook his head, tutting under his breath with a glint in his eye.

“No. I asked you to tell me what you want.” His tone was commanding, almost cold. Your eyes snapped to his and you nodded, eager to please. He slowly untied his pants, shifting a little to allow them to fall to the floor. Gripping his length with his slicked hand, he gave himself a few pumps before stepping forward and lining up at your entrance. He pushed forward for a split second, a moment more, and then began to pass the tip through your folds, gently slapping it against your clit.

“I - oh shit - I want you to fuck me.” He did as he was told, pushing himself in slowly and shattering the “please” as it tore from your throat. When he was fully seated inside of you, he paused, allowing you to grow accustomed to the stretch of him.

He tested a roll of his hips, nearly losing control at the feeling of you clenching around him. He tested another, then another; agonizingly slow and deliberate as he relished in the sight of you laid out beneath him, broken and wanting. His hands began to trail their way from your sides, up the length of your arms, as he brought them together above your head. He crossed your wrists, one large hand coming up to pin them in place as the other snaked down to where your bodies met, drawing slow circles over your clit.

“Oh, you look so pretty like this,” he whispered against your jaw as he thrust into you, punctuating your moans with each snap of his hips. He kissed your temple, a gesture so intimate and comforting, in direct contrast to the way he was fucking you into the countertop.

Dave returned to standing, hooking one of your legs over his hip to get a better angle. His free hand came to rest on your waist, fingertips digging a bruise into the soft skin as he struggled to hold himself back. He slowed his pace, allowing you to feel each and every inch of him before slamming into you with purpose. The coil in your stomach pulled tighter with every thrust until you were sure you were about to snap.

“You’re doing such a good job,” he said, splaying a palm over your stomach. “I always wondered what this would be like. What you would feel like.”

You were keening under his praise; the words working to push you closer and closer to the edge. He reached up, pebbling one of your nipples between his fingers and you nearly tipped over right then. He could tell you were close, so he hiked your leg up higher on his hip, angling himself to hit the perfect spot.

“That’s it, baby. Come on,” his voice was strained from the effort of holding back his own release. He began rubbing frantic circles over your clit and you fell apart, your walls fluttering around him as your hands scrambled for purchase against the countertop. When the last of the aftershocks had coursed through you, he pulled out with a groan; quickly stroking himself as he painted your stomach with his release.

The two of you froze for a moment, the weight of what had just happened settling over you like a blanket. You looked from him down to the mess on your stomach, then back to him and giggled lightly to break the tension. Soon enough, you had both erupted into a fit of shy laughter with Dave using the leg you’d propped on the counter to hide his face. He placed a gentle kiss on the soft skin of your thigh before bending down to pull the thin pants back on.

He busied himself with getting a warm dish towel as you propped up and surveyed your surroundings.

“Damn, Dave… we made a mess,” you laughed, motioning toward the bowl of grapes on the floor as well as the forgotten coffee, now creeping inky black across the tile.

“I’ll get it later,” he said, gently wiping the remains of his release from your skin. He helped you to your feet, handing you your discarded underwear and jeans to redress. When you were finished, he pulled you against him, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and tenderly kissing your forehead. His lips lingered there as he spoke barely above a whisper.

“I think I owe you another coffee.”

#dave york #the equalizer 2 #pedro pascal #suburban murder daddy #prompt fill #mesmorales birthday celebration #look i tried here... #but Dave scares me sometimes #so i write him a little soft #and that's OK

[jellyfishloveletterghosts]

Hello! Has anyone asked you to talk about Beauty and the Beasty yet? I also have 👀 on that a/b/o one haha which ever you want to talk about <3

(💗neonponders)

Hi 👋 I answered the Beauty and the Beast one in a different ask so

A/B/O Billy hired to keep an eye on Steve and protect him

So I don't have any bits from this that are presentable to share but I've been thinking about it for a while and am glad to finally be really working on it. So let's talk about some of it 💜😁

Warnings for child abuse and injury 

This one starts with Billy waking up in the hospital after crashing his car into the Harrington pool. Annette Harrington offers him a deal. She will forgo pressing charges if Billy comes and takes a live-in job keeping an eye on Steve. 

Billy is confused by the offer Steve doesn't need a keeper, doesn't need an alpha around to make sure no one bothers him but Mrs. Harrington seems confused about what her beta son needs and Billy knows a good deal when he hears one. He takes her up on the offer, she right after all when she reminds him he won't be welcome home after this stunt, not now that he's eighteen and Neil can use it as a reasonable excuse to be rid of him. 

Billy understands her worry a little more when he actually sees Steve. Everyone around town has talked about the accident but no one actually knows what happened. Looking at him now Billy understands a little better and sees where there might be some similarities in their lives. Why Mrs. Harrington specifies he's not to let anyone she hasn't approved off into the house, especially not Mr. Harrington. She underlined his name three times

The "I fell down the stairs." Steve mutters when Billy eventually asks after he's settled in and he catches Steve in a moment alone. 

Billy is kind of surprised Steve doesn't punch him when he skims his finger over the bruising on his neck and points out "Stairs don't have hands, pretty boy." Steve runs off instead, well hobbles away, running isn't in the cards for Steve anytime soon. He avoids being alone with Billy until his mother leaves for her trip and then it's just the two of them learning to live together. 

It’s an adjustment Billy is still an asshole and Steve is a brat as far as he is concerned. There's a lot of snipping and learning to live together. Steve has quirks, some of which drive Billy a little crazy like the fact that he never leaves his room unless he's already made up for the day. No early morning pajam look, no middle of the night glass of water and Billy absolutely isn't allowed in his room. Something Billy would have immediately gone against our the sake of things but it’s not like he's actually had the chance. When Steve isn't in there he's with Billy. 

The one time they split up at the grocery store Billy got to meet Mr. Harrington. The man had a tight grip on Steve’s already hurt wrist and Billy lost his cool. Hopper got called and Billy got yelled at by both him and his sister Annette for doing a poor job. Steve had gone up to his room and stayed there for two days Hopper making sure he ate and drank and growling at Billy ofr when suggesting he bring Steve something instead. 

Billy is a little easier on him after that, more teasing, less actually digging to get a rise. It's still another month before Billy finds out why he isn't allowed in Steve’s room when he unexpectedly goes into heat and Billy has to adjust his whole world view of the pretty boy he has definitely been thirsting after.

Thanks for the ask babe 💜😊

#harringrove #Harringrove A/B/O #jellyghostask #secret omega Steve Harrington

[teruthecreator]

You got me curious about the Berdly family post 👀

alright i've been putting off this post long enough. thank you anon for the bait, i will now be taking it since my dumbass body hates sleeping so damn much.

without further ado, my Berdly Family Headcanons

(chucking this under a readmore bc it's gonna get LONG)

starting off, i don't have a last name in mind. giving characters first names is already enough of a challenge, so the expectation that i would have a family name is beyond my paygrade (note: toby fox is not paying me). but i think with the last name conventions we've seen from the deltarune cast (dreemurr, holiday) it's probably something bird-related??? i honestly can't think of anything so i'm skipping right past it and onto the actual people

starting off with peter, berdly's father! yes, he has a normal name. he's allowed. (but also because i tried to keep the names within the realm of birds that are blue, and my dad used to have a blue parakeet named petey and i've always thought that was a rlly good bird name. so now berdly's dad gets it).

peter works in marketing for a reputable pharmaceutical company and has been for Years. in the early years of his marriage to berdly's mother (who will be named in a moment), he tried to keep his traveling to a minimum (traveling is a BIG part of that line of work) so he could be with her as they built their family. but as time went on, kids were born, and bills piled up; peter eventually had to sacrifice being an incredibly-present father to climb up the corporate ladder in order to make ends meet. he's become quite successful over the years!! but this has come at a cost of him not being the most in-tune with his children, which will show more as i explain. he's very Goal-Oriented and, because his goals are all so high, he has a tendency to pass that high demand onto his children. in his eyes, you go into Two Fields: Science or Business. this means that he has a very low tolerance for "frivolous pursuits" such as the arts, english, or the humanities. he used to be Very on top of his children about this, teaching them about how they can succeed through these avenues and these avenues Only. again, since he's so goal and business oriented, his idea of "success" means "wealthy".

berdly's mother is quite the opposite. or, was lmao. sorry to spoil my own post. ANYWAYS her name is jayne and she's a lot softer, in comparison to her more hard-headed husband.

jayne is a stay-at-home mother and a poet. she made sure to fill the bookshelves with alllllllll the classics, and she began reading to her children as infants. because of this, they were raised with a love for reading (especially berdly, who i've explained in another post is a Big writing nerd) as well as a deep love for jayne. when gerson boom was alive, the two would talk literature after church and gerson would even collaborate with jayne in some of his novels! jayne is published herself, but her works are all on a lot smaller of a scale. she didn't achieve the kind of fame and notoriety gerson did, but she was never really looking for that anyway. to her, a good day was spending as much time with her children as possible, then winding down with her beloved in bed as she wrote whatever ideas came to mind before sleep. she often pushed back against her husband's harsh dictations on what success means (and, really, how could he have such thoughts when his own wife is an artist? the answer is: his ruling on that wasn't always So strict) and encouraged her children to express themselves as they saw fit. as long as it made them happy, then it was fine. she was also close with toriel (i imagine her, toriel, asgore, rudy, and carol all went to college together and then followed each other back to hometown) and spent a lot of time socializing their kids together while they chatted over tea (this is the start of berdly's "rivalry" with kris). generally, jayne was well-loved by the community and by her own family, which made her the happiest woman in the world.

but before i finish her story, why don't i suddenly and randomly jump to berdly's older sister, who is Also named jayne (though she goes mostly by "jay" or "janey" Or "jj" if she likes you well enough).

(jayne is actually her middle name, but she goes by it for Reasons I Shall Get To)

jay is Much older than berdly. like, i'm imagining around 8 years older. so when berdly is 16 (which is the age i put him at in canon), she's 24. because of this, there relationship wasn't always the best... she just had a lot of trouble adapting to having a new person in the house, especially since she was the only child for so many years!! she's not as loud as berdly, but she isn't shy either. she just knows how to assert herself at a normal volume/intensity LMAO. she was never a Bad sister, she just kind of acted like a surrogate parent most of the time since her dad couldn't always be around. which, as a baby child myself, i Know caused some deep resentment to build up within berdly, which would bubble up when he got a bit older. but when he was Little he mostly just pouted and whined whenever jay would try to make him do his homework or eat his brussel sprouts.

in canon times, she is in grad school for biology (primarily microbiology). science just kind of was her Thing--regardless of her father's assertions--so it worked out that she went into the field that would get her the most praise from peter. she hasn't been back to hometown since she moved out for undergrad, though, so needless to say it's not like she's really looking for her father's approval. she's had several papers published on her findings with her fellow graduates, and she's on-track to end up with a research facility studying the microbiology of monsters and how "determination" affects their chemical makeups, in the hope that it creates better treatments for those who have fallen down. she's definitely softened over the years and deeply regrets leaving her little brother all alone, but she doesn't really see a point in reaching out. berdly has made it Very Clearly that he Doesn't like her, and as much as that pains her she doesn't want to give him anymore grief.

okay, Now i will talk about the mom stuff again

so this family could've been perfectly normal, right? perfectly healthy, perfectly happy, in a perfectly perfect world....

but then how would that explain berdly's current demeanor? and why he so desperately craves the approval of the adults around him? and why "being smart" is so damn important to his image?

well, jayne dies. that's how this perfect family (with some minor flaws) falls completely apart.

berdly is probably around 9 or 10 years old. he's decent friends with kris, but quickly becoming close friends with noelle (who lives a bit closer and also is coming over a lot because jay babysits them both when dess is busy during baseball season). jay is 17 or 18, about to graduate high school and start the rest of her life. peter is out on a business trip, where he's been for about two months.

jayne is watching her children from the back porch (berdly, noelle, and jay are playing cops and robbers--with jay as the cop and the other two as the robbers) when she suddenly collapses. jay notices immediately and rushes over to her mom, obviously concerned for her well-being. jayne is unconscious and doesn't look to be that responsive, so an ambulance is called and she's rushed to the local hospital. rudy holiday comes to pick up berdly and noelle to take them back to the holiday home, but berdly is too upset to be separated from his big sister so he ends up taking them all to the hospital. peter is contacted and immediately books a flight home for that day.

"i'll be there by midnight," he tells his oldest daughter. "just keep mom alive until then."

jayne dies within a few hours of her being admitted. peter's flight had just taken off. jay holds her brother in a kind of stupor, listening to him whimper and whine about why they won't let him see mommy.

it was so sudden, doctors barely had enough time to diagnose her with anything before she was gone. all they know is that it was a sudden illness, it could have been lying dormant in her for years but they'll never know for certain, and whatever symptoms it had were virtually untraceable to the average person.

peter comes home to his shell-shocked children and holds them tight, barely able to comprehend his own grief.

jayne's funeral is widely attended. pretty much all of hometown is packed into the church. jay holds her brother's hand while he cries uncontrollably for the entire ceremony--all the way up to them burying her ashes in the cemetery.

what follows after jayne's death is a bunch of messy arguments between jay and her father; born somewhat out of jay's distaste for her father's decision to return to work so quickly, but primarily out of the grief that is rapidly consuming her. she resents her father and accuses him of turning her into a surrogate mother so he wouldn't have to raise his own son, which sends peter into a rage and has him blurt out "well, you share her name for a reason!!!" which is the exact moment jay decides two things:

1. she is going to start going by her mother's name, to honor her memory and carry on her legacy of kindness

2. she is going to carry this legacy on her own, far away from her family

berdly is a mess for a while. he doesn't know why his sister and father are fighting, he's confused, he's sad, he misses his mommy, he misses her stories, he wants everything to be normal, he's just lost. doesn't help that dess disappears not too long after jayne dies (like a year or so, so jay is Already At College by this point), so his best friend is going through the same thing and is, therefore, unable to help. they both form this unbreakable bond mostly through being traumatized by early tragedy, which is why--even when berdly is a Dick--noelle could never truly hate him. they understand each other better than anyone in the whole wide world, and these moments are the basis to that friendship.

when jay moves out and stops returning peter's calls, berdly becomes the target of his father's expectations. not only is berdly expected to become a scientist or a business mogul, but he's also expected to be mature enough to watch over the house whenever peter leaves for work (he actually Does take another pretty lengthy break from his business trips, but he still has to drive an hour away to his office every day so berdly's alone a lot). berdly starts to become isolated and retreats into himself, growing quiet in class and almost fearful of meeting new people. this is probably when his insecurities are at their Highest and he feels the least self-worth.

then, there's the spelling bee, where berdly gains his new character trait: being smart

unfortunately, this meant he basically started following his father's ideologies to a t. he threw himself into his studies (as elementary as they were for a literal 12 year old) and tried to block out the part of himself that loved reading just for the joy of it. he put all of his favorite novels on the highest shelves in the house so he wouldn't be inclined to pick them up, replacing them with mathematics textbooks and encyclopedias. alongside this change, he also makes himself more independent, which gives his father the excuse to start going back on business trips. this isn't good because it isolates berdly once again, but this time he has a coping mechanism: video games

he inherited his sister's old ds when she moved out, but he didn't start doing a lot of Serious Gaming until the christmas he received his first playstation. from there, he became a gaming nerd and basically began to form into the berdly we know presently. are these coping methods healthy? certainly not! does he need therapy? definitely! but we're not even done making berdly's life worse because i haven't even brought up his STEPMOTHER yet!!!!

when berdly is 14, she meets ember, his father's new girlfriend. she's a flame elemental (like the flame people in undertale and deltarune) that peter met on a dating app. he's not particularly a big fan of her; in his opinion, his mother was is and will continue to be the best woman on earth. but his protests are ignored and, before berdly knows it, he's attending the wedding of his father and...this lady. she moves in immediately after and berdly detests every moment he spends sitting next to her at the dining table.

ember isn't a bad woman. she's just...easily distracted. she doesn't have experience raising children, so she falls back on peter for his opinion. which basically means berdly is Still on his own, only now when he comes home he can't blast his favorite game osts while he studies. berdly has the very stereotypical reaction to his stepmom--doesn't like her, doesn't want anything to do with her, just calls her "ms. ember" and That's It. he just wants to get through this chapter in the visual novel known as his life as quickly as possible, so he can go out into the world and become a...science guy, or whatever. DEFINITLY NOT AN AUTHOR!!!! NOPE!!!! OUT OF THE QUESTION!!!! THAT DEFINITELY ISN'T HIS SECRET DESIRE, FUELED SOMEWHAT BY WANTING TO CARRY ON HIS MOTHER'S TORCH!!!! HE WILL DO SCIENCE OR BUSINESS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SMART PEOPLE DO

but berdly can't even escape the tragedies of high school before another curveball is thrown his way: better known as robin, berdly's new baby sister.

robin is half-bird monster, half-fire elemental. this translates to her looking like a red bird, instead of a blue bird (also the ends of her feathers sometimes smolder and smoke??? which is cool). hence the name robin.

robin is a baby. there isn't much to say about her. she's a baby and she's very cute and very lovable, and as much as berdly wants to hate her he can't. a part of him wants to stick around robin out of spite of his older sister, who he hasn't been in contact with since that one time she called and he screamed at her over the phone to never speak to him again (which he Maybe regrets. just a little bit). but it doesn't quell the pit of jealousy he gets when he sees ember dote over robin, giving her all the attention she could never bother to give him.

which brings us to the present: where the berdly family is Right Now In Canon

peter is on a business trip and won't be back for another month

jay is in grad school, having not spoken to her family in years and is starting to regret that

berdly, ember, and robin are all home; ember spends her days watching robin, and whenever she's out berdly takes over and helps.

so, uh, yeah!!!! i could probably keep rambling about these guys forever because i love building characters, but i'll leave it here!!! lemme know if you wanna hear more!!! i have satisfied the dark beast within, so now i can rest maybe hopefully god i hope so i have my 9 AM tomorrow

#deltarune #berdly #berdly deltarune #deltarune berdly #berdly's family #family headcanons #ignorance cloud on #deltarune chapter 2 #remember to like comment and subscribe for more insane person ramblings #long post #almost forgot that one LMAO #i have such a fuckin weird relationship w my siblings so yknow i had to give berdly my issues :-) #sorry buddy. it makes for good worldbuilding <3 #also i just realized i gave TWO shitty dude ocs of mine the name peter. LMAO #unfortunately the name is fitting for both in different ways so im not changing it

[professorthaddeus]

📚📖 👀

yall know i love stylized ~introspective~ fics, and i really want to write one that explores laudna’s connection to her humanity after coming back from the dead

basically, it would take place during the early days of imogen and laudna traveling together; during laudna’s first time comforting imogen after a nightmare, she’d start thinking back to a memory of her mother. imogen, with her mental blocks relaxed, accidentally drifts into laudna’s memory. laudna finds that imogen’s voice in her memory is grounding, and for the first time since waking in the sun tree, she feels solid and present and real, and her past actually feels like it’s a part of her

(and ofc i’d get to play with laudna and imogen being each other’s lifelines after years of being alone etc :D)

#this one will probably get written at some point since i've already drafted a scene? #but definitely on the backburner for now so no promises :p #also unrelated but i have a hc that luc's connection to the mortal plane is also a bit tenuous since he died at such a formative age #and i just think he and laudna should meet 👀 #also bc luc would think she's the absolute coolest ofc #tysm for the ask! #my ramblings

[q-iilin]

Now to my Darren question of the day... (Yep, I'm apparently making this a daily thing..?) Do you have any info to share about relationships in the past and how he is in that regard? How he feels about / is around friends, family, romantically. Or even sexually if that's Darren's thing. Basically, I'm curious about the different dynamics in his life, I guess? 👀

This is a fun question :o Truthfully, I haven't thought about it in depth. Just bits and pieces what what might be. But it's also been a while since I did think about his past relationships, so maybe this question will help me put it all together as I answer it!

Darren has had interest in others before, but he doesn't act on this unless the feelings sit longer than a short period of a few months. Which they never did, most of the time. It wasn't until he was in his early 20s that he felt romantically about another person. Could have been another assassin when he began his training, someone he met by chance out in the city (like his mother to his father) ... he won't really say. None of it really panned out because, despite his confidence in everything else, relationships that are beyond platonic or familial are hard for him.

He grows up in a time period where it's dangerous for him to fully express himself. As a result, Darren doesn't fully open up without a long grace period of gaining trust and learning the other person's stance on, in this case, sexuality. Which is why when he had the opportunity to essentially "start fresh", he moved out to London where no one knew him.

In short, Darren's never had a relationship in which he devoted himself to a single person for a length period of time. It's cheesy to say that Jacob is the first, but for someone to also unabashedly still want him despite learning about the more secretive parts afterwards, it's hard not to give himself over fully.

On a lighter note, Darren finds heavy PDA embarrassing LOL. For no other reason than he doesn't like being flustered and not in control of his composure. Granted, seeing two men displaying any kind of romantic (implied or otherwise) gesture in public isn't great during the era, (I'll use Ashefrye as subject matter out of ease from here on out) so neither he nor Jacob would where people could see. On the train, on rooftops, or where they are only around people they trust, well, that's another story. Darren won't do more than hold a hand; Jacob is less restrained about that, even when Darren says something about it.

-- Mildly nsfw talk beyond this point --

I actually briefly wrote about this in an OC questionaire that my partner sent me so I could continue to develop Darren as a character. So I'm not fully in the dark when it comes to answering this part.

And full disclosure: Seeing Ned as a trans character in the game handled so pleasantly gave me the confidence to put Darren out into this universe.

Sex definitely becomes part of the relationship, but it’s also something that would have to be carefully approached because of Darren’s cautiousness with how people would take his physicality. It would only be presented as a possibility if and only if he's confident in knowing that his partner won't react poorly. Darren probably has had one or two prior no-strings-attached experiences, though he would say they were lackluster or poor. He’s far more comfortable with working himself off otherwise.

His views on sex as a concept doesn't line up with society's "only after marriage" idea. But then again, he as a person doesn't line up with conservative society at all, so who really gives a shit? Haha.

#ashefrye #i promise i'll provide more art and not as much writing/talking soon LFSDJKLSD #answers

[warwickroyals]

👀 who’s your least favorite?

I present to you the WARWICK TRASH list:

Shelby: She really is petty and hypocritical. For someone who really struggled with press criticism in her early royal days, she is far too willing to use the press in order to hurt the vulnerable members of the family. Her own family. And after the events of chapter three . . . she's gonna need a talk. It's sad because I think she would have been a very sweet person if she didn't marry Henry.

Louis: If being the head of an imperialist empire wasn't enough, he's just . . . not a very ethical person in regards to his personal life. He's not evil and he's redeemed himself a bit, but he just frustrates me.

Nadia Whitley: Bullied Kamryn in high school, sold her own sister out and has ever since has just been a massive ass-licker in the aristocratic scene. She doesn't appear in chapter three, but she will in the distant future.

Louise Irfan: Lady . . . I get it . . . you want to meet your biological father now that your mother is dead. You want some closure. But chill. Chill . . .

#warwick.answers

[meduseld]

👻👀📥🖋📊🧠💭🌈[Been Here Too Long (Trying To Get Along)]

Oh boy starting off strong! Thank you :)

So

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

The fact that that happens is why I never post incomplete work, the guilt would kill me, even if I've finished some up years after dropping them. So looking over the ones on pause right now I think, sadly, it's the one AU I have where Birdflash broke up in their early twenties but turmoil in Wally's life pushes them back together and past the issues that made them break up. Namely, Wally being emotionally unavailable due to his personal history...

Not autobiographical at all!

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

I don't know if they count as WIPs as such, but just very adolescent attempts at novels and such. I mean it's work I had to put in and looking back and realizing how much further ahead you are but. Yikes. They're all kind of clumsy reskins of popular media too. Other than that no, I don't think there's anything in my draft folder I wouldn't publish if I ever took it up again.

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

Fics without any comments! I still think about the one (1) comment on this one https://archiveofourown.org/works/14839766 which had been up for six years at that point. You can always make a writer's day by being the first.

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

Going by the fic you chose, have one from one of the NickxZiggy ones on my stove at present:

Ziggy���s probably the first. The only. Good Sunnyvale girls don’t, but Ziggy wasn’t either.

📊 Current number of WIPs

So there's 59 files in my WIP folder, but some of those are not fics directly but "mother" documents to organize others. I'd say I'm usually actively working on around 16 of them, give or take...

(Hence why I joke that some are on the stove, some in the fridge, and some in the icebox)

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

Something something, Ash Z's Daniel Buckley character from Four Stars is the 911 Daniel Buckley something something relevant military connections bc he's a doctor at Walter Reed or something (I googled and they have civilian doctors bc this Daniel wouldn't be able to be a soldier) something something family strife and reunion?

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

I'm not 100% what this question is getting at. I'm guessing it's suplementary info to the fics that aren't in them? Like imagined backstory I'm building on and so forth. So I guess the ones I get most use of lately are: Nick has only ever had relations with Ziggy, if at all. His mom died young after a long depression induced and maintained by Joseph under suspicious circumstances (aka Nick always wondered if Joseph did it directly). And in the latest ones: Zach also hit on Robert Langdon and made it awkward and per the show's implication, his dad was a shit dude in that continuity and died when Robert was young leaving a lot of unresolved issues. Which I'm trying to shove to the surface in a fic.

🌈 What inspired you to write Been Here Too Long (Trying To Get Along)?

A few things came together. First, that for some reason I enjoy making characters uh, "fly solo" in order to further character study *and* what and how they feel for other characters. I've used that tag three times now. The other that Nick was a fascinating guy and I wanted to get into his head and study him like a bug. When the reveal hit in Part 3 I was like "wtf makes this guy tick to make him do what he's done?" including the crimes and the note and such. The last was: I wanted to play around with the Pact as a semi-sentient "living" thing in his head. That voice that he hears directly. Add to that I wanted to explain why he might want to target the mall teens and that's the stew that produced it.

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

👀

end of year WIP meme!

send me a 👀 and i’ll post a snippet of art/writing that i never got around to finishing this year (r.i.p)

********************

Thanks for asking! I posted that and then things happened. Children needed things. Anyways, at least I’m answering before the end of the year?

This one is from Spellbound, chapter 14, which I’m working on but is most definitely not going up before the year is out.

********************

The first day of the fair dawns hot and muggy. I change my clothes twice before I grumble to myself that I’m being ridiculous and just put on what I wore last year. My usual tan pants in breathable fabrics and a plain green button down.

“It’s just hanging out with your neighbor,” I mutter as I rebraid my hair and attempt something fancy, like my mother would have done.

I have to pause and press a hand to my chest. Wait for the pain to pass.

“Heartburn,” I say, even though I barely ate any breakfast. I untangle my hair and finally just braid it the way I always do. No reason to make a fuss.

It’s early still, and the sun is barely peeking up over the horizon when Peeta knocks on the door.

“Hi,” I say to him, slipping through the door and shutting it behind me, presenting him with a travel mug of tea. “It’s just a little pick me up, as thanks for getting up so early to help us.”

“You kidding? This is sleeping in for me,” Peeta says.

“Oh, right.” I knew that, of course. How many mornings has he already been up and moving before I stir from his bed? I just thought… well I don’t know what I was thinking. And I guess some of the odd embarrassment I feel at the reminder registers on my face because he immediately looks appalled.

“I didn’t mean… thanks, Katniss,” he says, and takes a sip, blanching as it hits his tongue.

“It might still be hot!” I warn, too late and Peeta places a hand over his mouth, his eyes watering and his cheeks reddening.

I rush back inside and grab some ice. By the time I get back to the porch, Peeta’s face is completely red.

“Here,” I offer it and shove it in his mouth without waiting for him to take it from my hands. His mouth opens wider and he makes a pained gargling noise, then turns his back to me.

Oh my god this is a disaster. The day has barely started and I’ve already burned and frozen his tongue off. So much for trying to make things up to him.

After a round of odd noises, Peeta turns back to face me, his eyes watering.

“Well, I’m definitely awake now,” he says, his voice odd as he works the words around his injured tongue. I can’t help it. I laugh.

#bye bye 2020 #so many unfinished wips #it's actually shameful #how few things i managed to finish this year #thegirlwhowokethedreamer #look at that ask

[deducingcircumference]

Curious about the shinran AU one! 👀

Ahahaha it’s the hatesex AU. But since you asked, here’s a draft of the first scene:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Wow, that’s incredible, Takagi-tantei! To think that duct tape can do that!”

The voice is sincere, star-struck, emotive, and touches every single one of Shinichi’s nerves. On the other side of the door, Takagi is humbly demurring, but he sounds pleased all the same.

The woman’s voice changes to eagerness. “Of course, if you don’t mind, would you mind going on record with this?”

A reporter. Takagi is a little clumsy with the media even on his best days — it’s not something that’s improved since Shinichi poached him from the MPD — so Shinichi swings the door open to rescue him, just as he’s sputtering, “Ah, of — of course, but it was Kudo—”

The woman on the other side is younger than he expects, brown hair bound up in a long ponytail, semi-professional attire of a blouse tucked into slacks. She’s holding a notepad and a pen, and currently has shining violet eyes turned toward Shinichi’s partner. Shinichi’s irritation spikes.

“Press isn’t allowed here, whoever you are. Besides,” he adds snidely, “he’s married.”

“Here he is now!” Takagi says unnecessarily. To Shinichi, “Be nice.”

He doesn’t have to say that. Shinichi can handle the press. Shinichi is amazing with the press. But this overeager, cloying reporter sets Shinichi on edge.

She swings around to face him, and Shinichi sees she’s only his age — and that she is absurdly, unacceptably beautiful.

She asks angrily, “Do you always assume the worst of people?” as his mind almost blanks.

He rallies. “I don’t assume,” he says simply. “I know. For example,” he begins, taking in her neat but old clothing, her bare fingers, the faint scent of bleach in her clothes, “you live with your father, who is a habitual drunk, and do most of the housework.”

Her eyes widen as he steps closer. The usual response. He puts his hands in his pockets, remembering the way her gaze skittered around the chalk outline of the corpse.

“You’re terrified of dead bodies, which brings up the question of why you’re here.” She’s wearing an expensive wristwatch, at odds with the rest of her person. “Your mother is the wealthy one, but she walked out on you when you were young. She never had time for you and blows you off with expensive presents. So,” he muses, “she can’t care about you much—” and it’s then he realizes he’s missed something big.

Professional-level martial artist, his brain supplies, as the room rushes past and agony bursts from somewhere around his solar plexus. His back smacks into a wall.

“Kudo!” Takagi exclaims, as Shinichi doubles up on the floor. What wounds Shinichi’s pride — besides being sprawled out gasping and unable to form coherent sentences — is that his partner is on the verge of laughter.

He hears stomping footsteps, and looks up to see the reporter looming over his sorry self.

“Apologize,” she demands.

Shinichi wants to argue, but it kind of hurts to breathe, and the prospect of a prolonged discussion seems as impossible as summiting Mount Everest right now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Aaaaand something something scene closer.

I don’t know how much I’ll keep! I have a habit of drastically rewriting scenes, especially early scenes, as I go along. But this is what it looks like right now!

#shinran #dcmk #sr-etl-au #circ makes words

[lawrencedienerthings]

Littwin: Day 1 of the Republican National Convention — dark and darker

#republicannationalconvention⚠️ 👀 🌘 👍

Colorado News

For those of you who insist that in these polarized times Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on even the most basic of issues, the national conventions are here to prove you wrong.

After watching the Democrats last week and the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, I can assure you that both parties believe this is the most important election in modern history.

And, more than that, both parties believe the other presents an existential threat to the American way of life and to our very democracy.

You remember we were told this would be the uplifting, optimistic Republican convention, in contrast to the Trump-attacking Democratic convention? Maybe they’ll get to that on Day 2.

Mike Littwin

The very first Republican speaker of the night, Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, said Donald Trump is the “bodyguard of Western civilization” protecting us against “vengeful mobs.” He said the choice was between Trump and eliminating “everything we love.” You think “Western civilization” might be a dog whistle? 

Rep. Matt Gaetz must have thought that was a wee bit moderate and left us with this horror-story notion that Democrats would “disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home and invite MS-13 to live next door.” 

All night they called Trump the law and order president, even as the ink on Steve Bannon’s arrest warrant — for allegedly scamming MAGA supporters in a border-wall scheme — was yet to dry. Bannon, of course, is the latest in a series of Trump 2016 campaign advisers to have been indicted or to have gone to prison.

Get Mike’s columns early! Become a Colorado Sun member for an exclusive Mike Littwin newsletter and support local journalism. Click here to join.

That was pretty much the tone of the night until Republicans found their moderate, diverse voices in prime time, calling on the South Carolina dynamic duo of Nikki Haley — born of Indian immigrant parents — and Tim Scott, the only Black person to have served in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, to offer a degree of uplift.

Haley told of how America was changing and referred to the fact — without quite naming it — that, as governor, she was responsible for taking down the Confederate flag from the state Capitol. That came after the massacre of Black congregationalists by a white supremacist at the historic Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston. Strangely, she didn’t mention Trump’s support for the Confederate flag.

Scott told the clearly uplifting story of his grandfather, who had been forced to leave school in the third grade to pick cotton but who had lived long enough to see Scott elected to Congress from an almost entirely white district. He also invoked the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Scott would then make the Republican case against Biden on race — although of course, it was Black voters, more than any other single factor, accounting for Biden’s nomination. 

But, by the end, Scott, too, would fall back on the Joe-Biden-will-destroy-you mode. I guess someone must have told him that it was obligatory. And so he would go on to say that Biden wants to “permanently transform what it means to be an American” and would bring about a fundamental change leading to a “socialist utopia.”

Does anyone outside the Trump base believe that Biden is a radical socialist utopian who doesn’t believe in democracy? As I said, Scott’s was the most moderate voice. But this night wasn’t for moderates. 

In between, you had Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kim Guilfoyle, who seemed to be in competition for who could paint Biden in the darkest colors. In an upset, Guilfoyle won, saying Democrats “want to destroy this country” and “steal your liberty” and “control what you see and think” and “enslave you.” It was only because she was on video that the arena didn’t explode.

But give Don Jr. credit. He may not have been as loud, but he did have better material. “It’s almost like this election is shaping up to be church, work and school versus rioting, looting, and vandalism,” Don Jr. said, “or in the words of Biden and the Democrats, ‘peaceful protesting.’ ”

There were a few themes of the evening. One was to rewrite Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Republican telling, Trump was on the case from the start, saved millions of lives by banning travel from China, and then delivered ventilators and PPEs as soon as they were needed. I didn’t hear anyone mention the 177,000 people who have died or that more people have died in America than in any country. You also didn’t hear much empathy for the victims of the disease or their families. In the GOP world, if not anywhere else, Trump’s courageous battle against the pandemic has been a wild success and everyone, victims or otherwise, should be thrilled.

MORE: Read Mike Littwin’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention and other columns.

Another theme was that Trump is not a racist, and that, in fact, you could find the real racism in mayors of “Democrat-controlled” cities who have allowed protesters to run riot. No one mentioned, of course, the latest police shooting, seven shots to the bof Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. 

Meanwhile, Herschel Walker, the African-American Heisman Trophy winning football player and longtime friend of Trump’s, said he took “it as a personal insult that people would think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist.”

Several other African-Americans spoke, including Vernon Jones,  a Democratic Georgia state legislator — the answer I guess to the prominent Republicans who supported Biden at the Democratic convention — who said, “The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave their mental plantation. We’ve been forced to be there for decades and generations.”

Another theme was that of the so-called “mobs” coming for the suburbs. That’s why Republicans called on Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who had pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their luxurious home. The McCloskeys, who have been charged with felonies, warned that these mobs could be coming to your “quiet” neighborhood — “quiet” being yet another dog whistle — and that Democrats wanted to “abolish the suburbs.”

Since the polling shows Biden leading in the suburbs, I’m guessing Democrats don’t want to abolish them just yet.

Strangely, the calmest person on the broadcast was probably Donald Trump himself. He was on screen for two videotaped segments from the White House, where, traditionally, you’re not supposed to do politics. But, hey, this is Trump, and the Hatch Act, which covers this issue, doesn’t apply to presidents. 

Earlier in the day, Trump had appeared live in Charlotte, N.C., for the GOP roll call, with Ken Buck getting some air time. Remember when Charlotte was supposed to be a live convention site? It seems like so long ago. In accepting the nomination, Trump delivered the usual red meat, warning that Democrats were using COVID-19 to try to “steal” the election and saying that if you want to make Democrats mad, don’t say four more years but say “12 more years.” The crowd that was there chanted in reply.

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But during the interviews — talking to first responders, who weren’t wearing masks or socially distancing, and talking to hostages the Trump administration had gotten released — Trump made every effort to appear genial, as Biden had during taped interviews at the Democratic Convention. 

Let’s say the odds are still against anyone named Trump winning the convention’s Mr. or Ms. Congeniality Award. But who knows? There are three nights and many Trumps yet to go. Someone, I guess, could mention the 177,000 who have died of COVID-19. Someone might have a kind word for the millions of unemployed. Someone could even mention Morning in America. But after watching Day 1, I’m thinking it may already be too late.

Mike Littwin has been a columnist for too many years to count. He has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow.

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggested writers and more to [email protected].

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#Straight News

[raysofcrosby]

So I need to know…. Does Matt buy care a new washer and dryer???? I feel like he needs to

mother’s day IS in may and matty’s last day in st louis is april 30th so…. 👀👀👀

#the odds of caroline coming home from work one day to see her mom already at the house #and talking to the people installing the washer and dryer…seems very very high 👀 #don’t you think? 👀 #it would be an early Mother’s Day present 👀 #like matt said 👀 #anon #answered #wltay