#Especially Sharon! (;v;)

[ravenromanova]

Mine

Pairings: Bucky x Female avenger

Warnings: Mentions of self deprecating, Sharon carter (she’s always a warning) Smut 18+ (breeding kink, metal arm kink, daddy kink, fingering, oral, p in v)

Summary: Bucky cant stand the thought of his girl flirting with someone else other than him.

Word count: 3.3k+

Main masterlist - Send me requests!!!

If looks could kill let’s just say John walker would’ve been dead the second Bucky saw you with him. Was it Bucky’s place to be jealous? No especially after he broke off your little fling a few weeks ago. But that doesn’t stop him from getting jealous at the sight of his girl with that insect.

You had been flirting and talking with walker for the past hour much to your displeasure. In all reality the only reason you had even came up with this plan in the first place, was to piss off a certain super soldier. He deserved it after he had broken your heart and left you a broken mess of a person. So even though you despised walker you flirted as if you loved the man.

*Flash back to two weeks ago*

You had just come back from a three week long mission and you were exhausted. But you were also really excited to see Bucky again. You and him and started kinda seeing each other a few months ago. At first it wasn’t much other than just sex but it quickly became more than that… at least for you.

When you had gotten back to the compound you immediately went to take a shower before going to see him. You had done all your normal things before you slipped into Bucky’s favorite black lingerie set of yours on. Once you were satisfied with how you look you sauntered over to Bucky’s room on the same floor.

You softly knocked on the door and heard a soft ‘come in’. When you opened the door you saw him sprawled out on his bed in nothing but sweatpants.

“Hello solider” Your voice was seductive as you crawled on his bad and straddled him. Bucky didn’t say anything as you sit on his lap he didn’t even touch you like normal. A frown formed on your face at his lack of affection. What came next surprised you as well as broke your heart. Bucky put his hands on your waist and moved you off of him.

“Not in the mood Y/n” He said harshly as he sat on the edge of his bed with his back to you. Your heart tightened at his words and you felt like your world just came crashing down.

“Did something happen? Are you okay my love” The words came out a little more shaky then you would’ve liked as you spoke. You sat next to time and tried to hold his metal hand and he ripped it away from you. Tears formed in your eyes as he stood up and got off the bed leaving you there alone.

“Did i do something?” Your voice cracked and he turned to look at you. His demeanor was stiff and his eyes are dark. He scoffed as he looked at you and ran his hand through his long hair.

“You’re just too much” Bucky blurted out and that’s when the dam broke and the tears fell.

“What?” You choked out as you covered your mouth to muffle the sobs.

“You’re too much for me and i cant do this anymore” The bluntness of his words cut you deep. In that moment you didn’t know what to say or do so you just left his room in tears. You ran to your room and locked the door. You didn’t know what to think or feel all you knew is that you were broken.

What you didn’t see though was how Bucky broke down when you left the room. Truthfully you weren’t too much and he knew that. The reason he broke it off was because no other than Sharon got in his head. She had come up to him after you left for your mission asking him what you two were. He responded with ‘we are just hanging out for now. But when she gets back im making it official.’ To which Sharon scoffed.

She proceeded to tell him that if he thinks a sweet and innocent girl like you, would love a man like him that he was insane. Sharon went on for fifteen grueling minutes about how much of a monster he was and you deserved better. And he believed it and so that night he swore to himself that he’d step away from you. No matter how much it hurt he couldn’t break you and taint you.

And that was the last time you had spoke for two weeks

*End flashback*

That day haunts Bucky like a ghost haunting its old home. He knew he had hurt you by what he did. But in his mind he did the best thing he could for you he set you free. It’s not that he thought he was a bad person now he knew he wasnt, it was his past. Bucky thought that if you truly knew all the evil things he had done like Sharon said then you wouldn’t love him anymore.

His time in Hydra was awful and the things they made him do were worse. How could anyone move past that? How could anyone love the broken man he’d become? How could you love him?

Bucky’s self deprecating thoughts were cut off as he saw walker get a little too close. He had placed his hand on your waist and brought you in closer to him. That simple and small movement was enough for the solider to see red. He knew he shouldn’t, he knew he had no place but he wasnt thinking clearly as he approached you and walker.

He was silent as he approached but you noticed him out of the corner of your eye. You can see the metaphorical daggers he is shooting to the man in front of you. You dont pay Bucky any mind as you continue your conversation smirking ‘cause you know what lies ahead.

He comes up behind you and wrap his metal arm around your waist. A smirk is quick to form on your lips as your turn around to face the solider.

“Can i help you James?” You ask playing dumb looking at with dumbly. His hands find your hips and he squeezes them and brings you closer.

“Мой” (mine) He husks out in russian and you smirk up at him. You both are quickly reminded that John is still present when you hear him clear his throat.

Bucky looks up at walker and shoots him a look that tells him to get lost. John doesn’t say anything as he just grabs his drink, nods and walks away.

“Это был довольно грубый солидер. Я был в середине разговора” (That was quite rude solider, I was in the middle of a conversation) The words are taunting as they come out and you earn a grunt in response. He doesn’t say anything as he takes your hand and leads you away from the party.

His grip on your wrist is firm but not hard since he doesn’t wanna hurt his girl..yet. Bucky leads you up the stairs and down the hallway to his room. You don’t have time to ask what he’s doing as you’re suddenly pressed against his door.

“Bucky wait-“ You breathe out as his hips find their way to your neck. He doesn’t stop as you weakly plead.

“Bucky stop-“ And that’s what gets him to stop what he’s doing and back away a little too worried of hurting you or scaring you.

“What? What happened?” He asks almost as if you two hooking up is still normal. You look and him and roll your eyes before even attempting to speak.

“What do you mean what?” You scoff at him as you sit on the edge of his bed looking up at him. “You tell me i’m too much and that you dont want me but then go and do some shit like this” Tears form in your eyes out of frustration and Bucky looks like he’s just been stabbed.

“Doll- i know i fucked up” He sighs and he gets on his knees in front of you. “I pushed you away and made you think i didn’t want you because i was scared” His hands land on your soft thighs and then he softly kisses your inner thigh. “I was scared that you wouldn’t be able to love me for my past, That the things i’ve done would turn you away from me” His words come out a little broken as his blue eyes meet your gaze.

“It also didn’t help that i had someone telling me i wasnt good enough for you” Rage filled your veins at his confession.

“Who” You cut him off before he got the rest of his words out. His grip tightens on your thigh as he lets out a deep breath.

“Sharon, She had asked me what we were when you had left for the three week long mission. Short story short when i told her i planned on making us official when you got back she told me that you deserved better. That you might think im a good person now until you heard about the things i was forced to do. She also made a comment about the arm” His eyes move to his metal arm as he makes a fist with it.

Anger, Sadness and Love fill your body as he finishes speaking. Anger because Sharon really thought that this beautiful man was a monster. Sadness because he believed her words and thought he was a monster. And love because this was the first time he has ever been vulnerable and open like this with you.

You reach your hands out and cup his cheeks and bring him up to your face. “I dont think you’re a monster. Then or now. I think you’re the most beautiful soul in the world Bucky. I wish you would’ve told me about this because i would’ve put all those fears to bed. I know some of the things you did in Hydra. But i also know that you didn’t have a choice, that you didn’t want to do those things” Nothing but love and honesty laces your voice as you speak.

Bucky looks at you like he just might melt at your words. He finds the courage to slowly close the gap between you two with a passionate kiss. All the love you two have for on another is poured into this one kiss.

After a few minutes you break the kiss and come up for air as you both pant. “And as for the arm” You say grabbing the dark grey and gold arm and smile at it. “Is the sexiest thing i think i’ve ever seen” His metal arm whirs as he makes a fist and grunts at your words.

“Dont say things like that Malysh” He husks against your lips. You get a surge of confidence and grab his metal hand and place it on your inner thigh.

“Why not?” The faux innocence drips off your tongue as you look at with with doe eyes. You can feel the grip of his metal hand tighten on your thigh as you groans. What you don’t know is he is fighting an internal battle right now. A part of him wants to absolutely devour you and the other part doesn’t want to hurt you and wants to cherish you.

“Because i wont be able to control myself if you continue” He says honestly as all traces of self control slowly fade away as you grip his hand.

“What if i dont want you to? What if i want you to ruin me solider?” And that’s all the needs before his head is dipping under your dress and slipping off your panties.

He lifts your dress to your hips before he dips his tongue into your wet folds. His hands spread your pussy and focuses on sucking your clit which had you screaming.

“oh fuck-“ You moan as Bucky picks up his pace and sucks at a faster pace. He looses himself in the way that you taste. Bucky eats your pussy as if he’s never eaten before, They way he devours you can only be described as feral.

“fuck i’ve missed your pussy malysh” He moans into your clit as he slowly adds two fingers into you.

“i’ve missed you daddy” You mewl as his fingers hit that spongey in you when he curls his fingers up. Bucky smirks at you as you moan and picks up his pace as he fucks his fingers into you.

“you’re mine” He grunts and brings his face up to yours. “You hear me malysh? You’re fucking mine. No one else’s. This pussy is mine and so are you” As he finishes his sentence that’s when you claw at his back and scream as you hit your climax.

“Fuck yes im yours!” You say as you try to catch your breath. He smiles he leans in and kisses you with more passion that earlier. You moan as you taste yourself on his tongue. The kiss goes on for what feels like forever until Bucky breaks it and looks at you.

His hands rub up and down your sides and he grows frustrated that you’re still in your dress. So Bucky being Bucky rips your dress off of you and leaves you naked at the edge of his bed.

“Much better” He smirks and then rids himself of his own clothes. Your eyes widen and your mouth waters at the sight of his hard cock standing at attention. He motions for you to lay against the headboard and you do as your told and wait for his next instruction.

“Now im gonna remind you who you belong to malysh.” He husks as he crawls over to you and hovers over you. You eagerly nod your head and slowly take his cock in your hand. His head flys back at the contact and he lets out a guttural moan.

You pump his cock a few times before he stops you and pushes himself in you without warning. “OH FUCK!” The moan comes out broken as it passes your lips. He bottoms out quickly but he doesn’t move as he waits for you to adjust to his size.

“move” You whisper as you pull his face towards you and place your lips on his. Bucky wraps his arms around your neck and thrusts into you at a medium pace. The both of you moan in satisfaction when he moves against your g-spot.

“You feel so good baby, i almost forgot what is like being in this pretty little pussy” His words are filthy as they come out and you can help but be even more turned on.

He continues to thrust into you and kiss your g-spot with the tip of his cock every thrust. Bucky dips his head down and grabs a nipple and starts sucking as he thrusts get harder.

“Yes-yes oh fuck” The moan that comes out of your mouth is straight out of a porno. He doesn’t say anything as he takes his metal hand as wraps it around your throat and lightly squeezes. Your mind goes blank and fuzzy as the pleasure builds in your stomach.

“Fucking shit babydoll i can feel you squeezing my cock. Keep doing that and im gonna fill you up and fuck a baby in you.” His words unlock something in you as he speaks. Were you aware of your breeding kink before? no. But you sure as hell love the idea of carrying his kids.

“Do it. Fuck a baby into me daddy” You egg him on as you feel yourself about to cum again.

“Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you baby? You’d love to carry your soldiers seed wouldn’t you? You’d love to be my breeding whore wouldn’t you?” His questions are clearly rhetorical but you nod your head in response not being able to form words right now.

“Fuck baby im gonna cum” He moans as his pace starts to get sloppier and you get closer and closer to your high.

“FUCK!” You scream as you cum all over his cock. That’s when he grabs your hips and fucks you relentlessly as he reaches his high.

“Oh fuck malysh gonna fucking fill you up.” He moans as he finishes inside of you. But he doesn’t stop fucking you as he fucks his cum into you since he really does want to get you pregnant.

“Too sensitive” You protest as he grinds his hips into you. He stops his movements and nods his head then slowly pulls out of you and you whimper at the loss.

“You did so good baby. just sit here for a minute okay?” And then Bucky leaves you on the bed real quick while he grabs a cold cloth to clean you off with. When he comes back he sees you sprawled out on his bed and smiles softly.

“Come here baby” He say as he gets in between your thighs and uses the wet cloth to clean you up. You squirm as the cold hits your core but you soon relax and enjoy the feeling of him cleaning you.

Once he’s done he throws the rag on the floor and moves to put you both under the covers. He pulls you to him so you are laying in his chest. You absentmindedly grab his metal hand and start playing with it and watching the light of the moon bounce off it.

“It really is beautiful” The words are barley audible as you say them but he heard them and smiled. He feels all his worries and fears melt away as he looks at you.

“Y/n?” He asks softly as his blue eyes look at you with anxiety.

“Yes my love?” Bucky’s cheeks go bright red at the pet name and he tries to compose himself before responding.

“I know i fucked up and i know that i dont deserve it but will you give me another chance and officially be my girl?” His nerves are starting to get the best of him as you just look at him for a moment.

“Of course i will solider” In that moment Bucky feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders as you respond. He leans your head up and kisses you in a soft and loving manner. When he breaks the kiss he just looks down at you with love and admiration.

“I love you doll” Your eyes widen at his confession not because it was too soon or anything but because he’s never said that to you before. Your heart melts at his words and your eyes fill with tears.

“I love you too solider” You whisper the words against is lips before you kiss him again.

And the rest of that night was filled with showing one another just how much love the other had. Bucky smiled down at you after you had fallen asleep and just admired you for a while before he fell asleep as well. He felt at peace with you in his arms again and he vowed to himself that he’d never hurt or let you go again.

~ Little bonus scene~

The next morning when you had woken up you were on a mission. And luckily for you your target was very easy to find. You walked into the kitchen in one of Bucky’s henley’s and walk up to your target. It took both you and her by surprise when you had pushed her up against a wall and held her by her neck.

“You ever disrespect him again and i will not hesitate to kill you and hide the body somewhere they will never find it” You spat as Sharon just stared at you with wide eyes. She immediately nodded and once you out her down she was gasping for air.

“crazy bitch” She coughed out as she rubbed her neck to soothe the pain. You smirked at her before walking back to Bucky’s room and slipping back in bed with him as if nothing ever happened.

~the end~

I do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated on other cites

[esther-dot]

what do you think about the comparisons between sansa and elizabeth i?

Traumatizing 😂 Actually, Sansa having a cult of personality in the North with a goddess like depiction in songs, well, it's what she deserves so I guess I shouldn't be too down about it!

It has merit. The LF and Thomas Seymour parallel alone feels like enough to argue Martin was influenced by her life when writing Sansa's story. But the important thing is what is says about Sansa's endgame and this was written all the way back in 2012:

Disregarded as a daughter, and later marked as the daughter of a traitor (Anne Boleyn), Elizabeth was raised to be a highborn lady. After the death of her father, brother, and the execution of Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth was held hostage by her mentally ill sister (Bloody) Mary for almost a year before Mary's death, putting Elizabeth on the throne. In government, Elizabeth was much more moderate than the previous Tudor monarchs had been. Her personal motto was, interestingly enough, "video et taceo" which roughly translates to “I see, and say nothing.” (much more--follow the link)

However, many people have made similar cases for Elizabeth of York being the inspo, especially because Martin has mentioned being influenced by the War of the Roses. I found this post from 2013 discussing it:

Sansa and Elizabeth resembled each other and their lives took somewhat parallel courses. Both bounced around various diplomatic marriage proposals. Both wanted to be queens. And, both married or almost married their uncles... (much more--follow the link)

@minitafan wrote about some similarities with Elizabeth of York for me once, and this part of a meta she wrote on it is particularly notable

This I think is a parallel GRRM took straight from the history books: Elizabeth’s young brothers were in line for the throne before her, but they “disappeared” presumably, were killed. To this day historians debate who exactly was the murderer, but for decades after that, several young men claimed to be either Edward or his younger brother, true heirs to the Throne. The story was they have been swapped for peasant boys by York loyalists, and the peasant boys had been murdered in their place. This is very similar to the story of Bran and Rickon being “swapped”. (link)

@trinuviel commented on the parallels:

GRRM has praised Sharon K. Penman’s novel Sunne in Splendour about the Wars of the Roses and it is quite obvious that it has been a big inspiration for his series, especially the first book. (link)

And @kitten1618x wrote a meta about all the parallels between ASOIAF and the War of the Roses, some of which are rather striking:

Amidst the War a King is Born [...] Edmund, a Lancastrian, was taken prisoner by Yorkist forces mere months after his marriage to Margaret, and died in captivity less than a year later, leaving behind a 13-year-old widow who was seven months pregnant with their child -whom she birthed at the tender age of 14. This sounds vaguely familiar -like a lovable bastard prince we know, who’s mother birthed him at a tender age, his father dying in a “rebellion” of sorts -War of the Roses/Roberts Rebellion. (much more--follow the link)

I think there are enough parallels to conclude both of the women were on Martin's mind, and seeing how he translates an influence into his own work is really interesting. Depending on how you foresee Sansa's ending, becoming queen in her own right a la Elizabeth I or marrying Jon as a kind of resolution to the Targ v Stark issues, and more pressingly, the Northern succession, for the Elizabeth of York parallel, one carries a lot more significance. I dislike the possibility of Sansa getting thrown at different guys for other people's purposes, being forced to marry, lusted after and molested by several adult men, without ever having a mutual love interest, so I can't really celebrate the Queen Elizabeth I parallels too much, although it’s nice they exist for QitN purposes.

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Stalking, P in V, oral (female and male receiving), Semi-public sex, light spanking,

Summary: You get to know Jake's family better, learn few truths about your life, and try to figure out what Jake's brother's deal is.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter 9

Word Count: 2.9 k

Chapter 10: Just You

The rest of the afternoon is spent hanging around the kitchen helping Sharon with some of Thanksgiving pre-prep.

Sharon keeps the conversation going, "So, Elsa, any special Thanksgiving traditions at your house?"

"Nothing too different than most people's, we'd usually go to my Grandma's for dinner with my extended family."

"We've got that too, that's Friday night for my side of the family. You'll get to meet all of the Lucarellis."

Jake pipes up,

"That's the Italian side."

"How many people is that?" you ask trying to get an idea of the size of the get-together.

"It's about 40ish people with all the generations. I'm one of five kids so it's our kids and grandkids."

"Wow, that's a lot of people. My extended family is 10 people," you reply with my eyes widening. Jake notices the look on my face.

"Don't worry about remembering everyone's names, I'm pretty sure it took me till I was about 10 to get it all right," he reassures me.

"Oh yeah, they're all dying to meet you. Everybody is curious about the girl that got Jake to settle down," Sharon gushes.

"Mom, you're making it seem like Elsa's going to be the main attraction. Don't scare her," Jake says to his mom in a fake whisper.

You laugh, catching Jake's eye. He winks and gives you that panty dropper smile.

The conversation pivots, and moves to your work,

"So what is it you exactly do, Jake was a bit vague about that," she asks.

"Probably not intentionally so, I work for Lockheed Martin in the research and development division. The specific details are literally top secret," you answer.

"You and Jake and your top secret lives, always thought that was just in the movies."

"Where'd you go to college?"

"Notre Dame for my undergrad and Stanford for my PhD."

"You a big football fan? That's what I think of most when I think of Notre Dame."

Jake snickers behind his mom where he is chopping vegetables for stuffing tomorrow.

"Yes, I'd say Elsa is a big football fan. She sat me down and told me Saturdays in the fall were for Notre Dame football and I was welcome to join her or find something else to do."

"I had to let you know my deal breakers. Not everyone enjoys Lydia and I losing it over every play."

"Lydia is Elsa's best friend from Notre Dame, she lives with Rooster in La Jolla," Jake fills her in.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that Rooster had found himself a lady friend. Nice young man."

The food prep wraps up and you help Sharon clean up the kitchen.

She goes and sits down on an overstuffed armchair and puts her feet up on an ottoman.

"Well, I'm done cooking for the day, dinner tonight is pizza," she sighs out.

"Well earned, Mom. Do you want a drink? Make yourself comfortable," Jake asks.

"That sounds good, a glass of red, please. There's a few bottles in the rack in there, pick something out."

"Elsa, you?" he asks over his shoulder as he steps into the kitchen.

"Yes, please." you settle on a matching overstuffed sofa.

"Oh, you'll get to meet Mike tonight. He's going to stop by for dinner on his way home from the hospital."

"I was wondering when he'd make an appearance."

"Alicia and the girls will be here tomorrow."

"That was going to be my next question. Jake's mentioned them before, especially when I asked how he was familiar with Frozen. He called me Icy when we first met."

"I'll level with you, I love my granddaughters dearly, but if I have to watch that movie or Moana one more time I'm going to lose it."

"You and I will get along well. I've always liked my name, but it did get annoying after the movie came out."

Jake has reappeared with two glasses of wine and hands one to you and Sharon and disappears back into the kitchen presumably to grab his glass.

"So Jake mentioned you met at a bar, how'd that go? Did Jakey have some suave pick up line?"

You nearly snort on your wine,

"You want to tell her or should I?" you ask Jake as he enters with his glass. He sits down next to you with his arm on the back of the sofa and asks,

“Tell who what?”

You wait till he is taking a sip,

“Your mom wants to know how exactly we met at the Hard Deck and if you had some smooth pick up line.”

Jake nearly chokes on his wine,

“Hardly, I ran into her spilling her drink, which is the only reason I got to buy her a drink that night at all. We talked for a while, I apparently didn’t pick up some obvious clues nor ask her what she does for a living. I was drinking pretty fast because she made me nervous and then I tried to pull my ‘I’m a pilot and this how planes fly routine.’”

Sharon groans,

“You tried to explain how planes fly to an aerospace engineer. I’m sure I raised you better.”

“Hey, the whole pilot thing has worked pretty well in the past. Then she promptly gave me an epic ego check and left me a smoldering wreck on the barroom floor.”

Sharon’s eyebrows furrow, confused how anything could be salvaged that situation.

“I assumed I’d never see him again.” you add.

“Something about you definitely intrigued me and I wanted to see you again or at least say sorry,” Jake continues. “I got your number from a friend and invited you to a Padres game the next day, and for some miraculous reason you said yes.”

“I figured I'd get at least a baseball game out of it,” you add.

“But apparently, I pulled the old Seresin charm out and the baseball game became dinner and the rest is history.” Jake wraps up, kissing you on the side of your head.

“Your charm was not trying to be a flashy pilot, and just being Jake,” you reassure him as you pat his knee.

“You guys are adorable,” Sharon practically coos.

“Where’s Tom? I haven’t seen him around all day?” you ask.

“Oh he’s volunteering at the community health clinic. When he retired from his own practice he decided to volunteer a few days a week here and there to keep busy. He’s usually back by 5,” she answers. you look up at the clock on the mantle and it says 3 pm.

“That’s cool, what a neat way to stay connected and give back.”

Sharon has finished her wine and her busy day and an afternoon glass of wine has mellowed her out. She yawns,

“Well, I’m going to go ‘rest my eyes’ for a bit till Dad gets home.” She gets up and drops her glass in the kitchen and heads off to take a nap.

You stand up and look at the photos on the mantle and the wall. There’s the usual family portraits, some baseball photos of Jake and his brother. A large wedding portrait of Mike and Alicia, (you assume), baby pictures of the grandkids, graduations, and other family moments all line the wall.

Jake has joined you and is standing next to you.

"Your family literally looks like the fake families they put in photo frames," you tease Jake.

"I can't help that we were all gifted with gorgeous genetics."

Continuing to look at the photos each one is filled with that signature Seresin smile. The one that radiates pure joy.

"It's not just the looks, which I agree are top notch. You can feel the love your family has for each other, that comes through even though it's just a moment frozen in time."

"All family photos are like that, you probably have a wall like this at your house."

"No, they're not. A distinct memory I have is my mom smiling brightly for the camera and then her face going back neutral or RBF. She never walked around the world with a smile. My Dad was better about it, but I think that slowly faded over time by being with my Mom."

Jake wraps his arms around you, knowing how hard it is for you to talk about certain things.

"I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed by how loving your family is. When I went to meet Liam's family when we got engaged, it felt like my family. Polite and cool, when they weren't sniping each other with passive aggressive remarks."

Jake kisses your forehead, it's always at his mouth level and easy to reach.

"I get that your relationship with your parents is in the 'It's Complicated' category, but understand, and this can't make up for the past, but you're a part of the Seresin family and all that love."

"You're going to make me cry. How are you so good at all this emotional stuff? I feel like I'm just figuring this out on the fly."

"This is only an observation, but I don't think you've ever felt real love before our relationship. Not to say your parents don't love you in some way, but it's based on you being something for them, like you being an Olympian. Real love isn't like that, it's based on you being just you. Just like you fell in love with just Jake, the man, not Jake the hotshot pilot."

The tears are pricking at the corners of your eyes, I take a deep breath.

"You realize you've made a better assessment than my therapists ever did. I really had to be in love to understand what was missing. Have I mentioned how much I love you?" you laugh, wiping at the tears with you hands.

"Yes, but I love hearing it.'

"Okay, I think we've made some good progress here today," you joke.

Jake looks confused.

"It's literally how every therapist, I've had has wrapped up the end of a session," you explain.

"Are we wrapping up this session?"

"I think so, I'm going to have to absorb that truth bomb and just bask in the love your family is lousy with."

He laughs and pulls you back into a deep hug. The tension in you melts away. You and Jake end up back on the couch snuggled together.

"So, here's your chance to preempt any embarrassing stories your brother might drop on dinner," you tease Jake.

He groans,

"Oh Lord, there's a few."

You spend the rest of the afternoon with your head on his lap as tells you stories about growing up.

Around five, as promised, Jake's Dad arrives home. You and Jake greet him and Sharon reappears to give him a kiss on the cheek. They discuss when Mike will be over to time the pizza delivery. Jake's dad calls out to the living room where Jake and you are still on the couch,

"Elsa, Jake tells me you like a good gin and tonic."

You sit up and respond,

"I do in fact like a good gin and tonic, got to prevent malaria."

Jake and you walk into the kitchen.

He responds with a good laugh,

"It'll be nice to have another g&t drinker in the family, these two," he points at Sharon pouring a glass of wine and Jake getting a beer from the fridge, "Are very anti-gin and tonic."

"I know, Jake has made his opinions known about gin, he said it was like kissing a Christmas tree."

"It is, it's so piney," he whines. You lean over and kiss his cheek.

A gin and tonic is slid across the counter to you, which you gladly accept.

"Thanks, Tom."

He holds his glass up in a cheers motion and you mimic him. The first sip is exactly on point, you let Tom know,

"Perfectly done."

"I've had years of practice," he responds drolly.

Sharon cuts in,

"Why don't you folks make yourself comfortable in the living room while we wait for Mike. I'll be there in a second."

You follow Sharon's suggestion and Jake and you take the loveseat opposite the armchair. Jake instinctually puts his arm up on the back around you. You wait for Tom to lob out a question.

Which he does, but not to you,

"How's the teaching gig going, Jake?"

"I really like it, I was a little unsure of how teaching would be versus active duty but it's so rewarding to get these pilots in, devastate them the first day and then have to be flying at my best to win at the end of it."

Jake and Tom keep talking about Jake's work for a while. Sharon comes in and joins the group. There's a knock at the door, Sharon jumps up to answer the door,

"Oh, it's Mike, I was wondering when he'd get here."

She opens the door to a similar looking man a few years older than Jake with a bit thinner build, but the same crazy green eyes and blond hair. Sharon takes the pizza boxes from Mike and Jake jumps up to greet his brother with a big bear hug.

A mix of each other's name, "Good to see you", and "It's been awhile" emanates from their hug. Everyone migrates to the kitchen and soon pizza is served up and everyone is seated.

Again you wait for a question to come your way and this time it does.

"Elsa, I hear you're a PhD aerospace engineer who went to Notre Dame on a gymnastics scholarship and works on top secret aircraft. Knowing Jake, one of those has to be untrue," Mike asks in more of an interrogative way than friendly. Like he's checking out your cover story.

"Nope, those are all true," you answer.

"If you're all those out of the world things, why did you pick my brother of all people to be with?" His tone is so serious that you can't tell if he's joking in a brotherly way or if he's being mean about it.

Your brain wants to go with the snarky response, which is "Because he has a very big cock," but luckily your filter is working and instead you say, l

"Because he is a very good man whom I love very much and who loves me just as much."

Sharon and Tom look at each and lift their eyebrows, communicating in that way old married couples do.

Mike rolls his eyes,

"Yeesh, you really are gone for him."

"Yeah, I think it's past the point of no return," you look over to Jake and he is watching the exchange between you and his brother like a tennis match. His face alternates from an adoring to annoyed look with each volley.

"Yeah, but I still can't believe he landed someone as high caliber as you."

Jake interjects himself to the conversation,

"I think we covered that enough, moving on Mike."

He does with surprising ease and pivots to his next question,

"So, how long have you lived in San Diego?"

"A little over four years and I, we actually live on Coronado Island, if you're familiar with the San Diego area."

The rest of dinner goes relatively normal and the get to know you conversations flow easily and feel less like you're a spy caught in enemy territory being questioned.

Mike excuses himself after dinner to get home before the girls have to go to bed.

That night as Jake and you are settling into bed, you ask Jake about his brother,

"Is your brother usually that aggressive to new people, or was it just me?"

"It was just you, I think it blew his mind that someone like you is actually in love with me."

"That I don't get."

"He's always been the do good of our family, he's a doctor, married, and kids. All things my parents are rightly proud of. I don't know if he feels like I one upped him on a partner or he's actually jealous."

"What about his wife, Alicia?"

"Alicia is lovely, I don't doubt those two are crazy in love, I just think he's put out that he's not the golden boy right now. My mom has been waiting for me to settle down for so long I'm surprised she isn't picking out wedding colors right now, so she understandably is excited and he feels a lack of attention, I guess."

"So the usual siblings vying for their parents' attention, like when you were kids."

"Yup, are you close with your sister? I know you call her fairly regularly."

"We're pretty close, my sister has always gone her own way, she didn't have the need to get approval and validation from our parents. She just did what she liked to do and that was art. So we weren't competing with each other in the same realms and could be friends. I think she liked that my parents were so over involved in my life that she had more freedom. But I think I've thought about family dynamics enough to today."

"Agreed."

Jake rolls over to spoon you and pulls you back into his embrace.

"I love you," you whisper.

"Love you too," he answers.

It doesn't take long to fall asleep.

Chapter 11

@kmc1989

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered

@mayhemmanaged

@callmemana

@dempy

@hangmanscoming

@lanie-k

@callsign-viper

@senjoritanana

@djs8891

@atarmychick007

@memoriesat30

@midnightmagpiemama

[sweetteaandpie]

Hi! A, K, O, and V please for the ask game : )

Thank youuuuu.

A - Helen Magnus/Nikola Tesla, Laura Roslin/Bill Adama, Sharon Raydor/Andy Flynn, C.C. Babcock/Niles, Ava/Deborah Vance, Crowley/Naomi, Imelda Rivera/Hector Rivera....there are so many but those are my current faves.

K - I think Laura Roslin had my favourite character arc. I love flawed characters, especially characters who are good but make questionable decisions. Seeing here going from the dying Madam Secretary whosr hands were shaking as she took the oath of office to the last scene where she peacefully slipped away was a roller coaster ride.

O - "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons reminds me of Nikola Tesla from Sanctuary. Every time it comes on I see his scenes in my head like a music video.

V - Right now, it's Deborah Vance from Hacks.

[teresiel]

Favourite Character Bingo - 2023

Characters I first encountered in 2023 (not necessarily part of media released in that year).

These are intended to be ordered loosely according to genre, moving from classic to contemporary horror, sci-fi horror, thriller horror, on to drama, comedy, then comic/cartoon and fantasy. Naturally, plenty of these don't quite stay in their own prescribed mould and could be considered fitting for another genre, but this is MY PARTY and I make the rules >:(

The hardest thing I've ever done may just be forcing myself to choose only one Baldur's Gate 3 character. If this was ordered by fondness for the characters, Astarion would be up top, but it's not and I'm petty so he's last and least.

As may surprise no-one, the prevailing trends are trickster archetypes, gothic looks, autism coding, and sympathetic or misunderstood status and/or rebellion. Also Billy Crystal is there.

Listing below the cut!

Countess Marya Zeleska - Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Mrs. Danvers - Rebecca (1940)

Lady Sylvia Marsh - The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

Nevena - You Won't Be Alone (2022)

Kim Diamond - Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

Brynn AND the Aliens - No One Will Save You (2023) (as an interacting set of characters, not necessarily as interesting actors singularly)

Violet and Corky - Bound (1996)

Andrea "Dre" Greene - Swarm (2023)

Gunther - V/H/S/85 (2023) - Goth boy who saves the day through his prescient lucid dreaming and rebels against being falsely cast as the villain, hell yeah.

Willard - Willard (1971) - would be in the top three if this were sorted by level of favoritism.

Gerd Wiesler - The Lives of Others/Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

Primo - Big Night (1996)

Walter Tattersall - Yellowjackets (2021-) - of call the cast and I fixate on THIS GUY. Got me again, Elijah!

Willie Jack Sampson - Reservation Dogs (2021)

Barabara Howard and Melissa Schemmenti - Abbott Elementary (2022-) - My god these two gripped me. Just give them an entire season. Gregory can be there too.

Gregory Eddie - Abbott Elementary (2022-)

Sally Albright and Harry Burns - When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Raven - Teen Titans: Beast World (2023-) - solely for her design; I am practically floating at the departure from emo/punk Raven and a return to a more whimsical gothic look. Another artist draws her looking like Billie Lourd and I'm into it.

Sharon Apple - Macross Plus (1994/1995)

Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

The Medicine Seller/Kusuriuri/薬売り - Mononoke/モノノ怪 (2007)

Astarion - Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) - He's my best friend, he's my pal, he's my homeboy, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good time boy, and I've been so excited for you all to see his whole schtick since way back in 2020.

Runner Up's: Shin Hati (Ahsoka), Mirror Woman (The Art of Mirrors) - don't ask, Nearly everyone else form Baldur's Gate 3 but especially all the companions and the Emperor oopsies I'm a sucker, Padraic (Banshees of Inisherin), Mary (Carnival of Souls), everyone from Dungeon Meshi but esepecially Marcille and Senshi, Lorne Malvo (Fargo), Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell), Brigitte (Ginger Snaps), The Harppy (Harpya), Joel and Ellie (The Last of Us; kept out because of the Zionist higher plot), Dracula and Clemens (The Last Voyage of the Demeter), Martin (Martin), Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death), Father Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist), Deer Lady (Reservation Dogs), Elora Danan (Reservation Dogs), Adam (SAW), Carl (Skyman), Kris (Solaris), Kurt Kunkle (Spree), Sammi Curr and Eddie (Trick or Treat), Bitch Cat (V/H/S/94),

[quarklynx]

Here it is folks, the long-awaited Genshin Impact Birthday Cake Breakdown, Episode 3: Sumeru Cake!

Details below the cut!

For a filling between the two layers, I’d recommend a Swiss meringue, stabilized whipped cream or another kind of frosting flavored with Saffron, Caramel, Coco, Vanilla, Tahini, or another nut/seed butter. If you want to try something a little different, you could try making an Iranian/Persian Halva (comparable in consistency to a fairly dry fudge) to add in a thin layer between the cakes, with or without additional frosting layered in. 

Jumping right into it, the cake has inclusions that appear to be a nut of some sort and judging by the color and theme I believe that Pistachio would be an appropriate choice, though Almond is one of the few nuts canonically in Genshin Impact (according to the english translation) so that would also work. Cardamom, Rosewater, or Orange would be an excellent flavor accompaniment, especially since pistachio doesn’t have a super strong flavor on its own if you choose to go that route. If you use almonds, use blanched and halved ones, if you use pistachios make sure they're shelled and broken into pieces.

In the countries/regions of the world that Suemru is analogous to I found one kind of cake that stood out to me: Basbousa (also known as Revani, Namoura, Shamali, or Harissa) a kind of cake typically made with Semolina and yogurt that is then soaked in syrup, it can even be made with almond, coconut, or pistachio included in the batter. But if you’re feeling less adventurous, or simply want a consistency that is more expected of a western-style layer cake, then I do encourage you to at least find a recipe that includes your nut of choice in the ingredient list.

If the type of cake you choose allows for it, a syrup soak could enhance the flavors of the cake and keep it moist since it’s not frosted all the way around. Any of the flavors I suggest for other parts of the cake would be suitable for this, especially Rose, Citrus, and Cardamom.

Swiss meringue, stabilized whipped cream, or any other kind of frosting would be just fine for the piped star dots on the top, and the ring of dots around the filling as long as it has the correct consistency to make large full blobs. 

Now for the decorations. 

The berries on the side would likely be easiest to craft with fondant (which you can diy with marshmallows), but you could take that extra step to make the berries shiny by brushing them with egg whites or vodka and letting them dry. They also bear a resemblance to Goji berries, Cape Gooseberries, and Strawberries if you squint, so you could use some of those to decorate the cake instead. And though they do look quite a bit like tomatoes, I do not suggest putting tomatoes on your cake. 

The Sumeru roses do not seem to have a real world counterpart, though Columbine, Dendrobium Orchid, Lisianthus, and Rose of Sharon flowers seem passably similar. Gum paste or fondant may be your best bet here otherwise. Crocus, Hibiscus, and Lily flower tutorials in your chosen medium would likely help you to best put together an accurate looking Sumeru Rose. If you plan to use real flowers, always check to make sure they’re not toxic before putting them anywhere near food.  

The musical score and bird standing up in the back could easily be done with fondant or gumpaste adhered to dowels or skewers to keep it upright, but Chocolate would be an elegant option as well. The technique used in this video would work to create the large shapes and the bird, and this one would be suitable for the music notes and the treble cleff. 

The leaf behind everything is large enough that fondant or gum paste might be too heavy without substantial support, so I would recommend using Wafer Paper/Rice Paper. This video should help in the creation of a big leaf (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOI-I0IhUHY), though it may still need some support to stay in place. Synthetic lilypads and monstera leaves are available for purchase online and in some craft stores if you would like a simpler but inedible option. 

That's a wrap! Good luck, and if you try to bake it be sure to share your efforts with me, I'd love to see!

The Aranara heads and hats would also be easiest to accomplish with fondant or gum paste, though it could be possible to make the heads themselves out of buttercream like the frogs in this tutorial, or to make them like cake pops. The hats would be doable if you follow a morning glory or leaf tutorial for fondant or gum paste, use whichever substance you’ve already used for the other elements. Just don’t forget the glasses, tiny leaves, and the little bow!

Finally, there appear to be blanched almonds, small pistachios, pine nuts, or lotus seeds placed around the edge of the frosting on the top, and scattered flower petals and more crushed nuts. Rose, violet, pansies, or edible orchids would work here, though I'd recommend orchids if you can get your hands on them.

[nattiegrey]

The Chicago Med Characters as Care Bears

- Because why not combine two of my favourite things. :D

Connor

Used to be the leader and supports the crew from a far is way to accurate because he left :.(

Will

Need i say more on this one? The only difference is Funshine Bear is yellow and not red. XD

Ok... I lied... Funshine Bear is wayyyy less fond of breaking the law... this guy is just way too confident that he won't run out of lucky charms and end up in jail XD

(which most definetly falls under "blissfully sure everything will be fine" )

Natalie

Ok not going to lie this was the last one i had left but she is really supportive and who know maybe she is full of people wisdom -v •_•v-

(As you may be able to tell she's not one of my favourites but i could not leave her out lol)

Maggie

These all fit super well, especially because i have this clear image in my head of her absolutely destroying Will at any video game under the sun ;D

April

I love this one for her because she always try's to help everyone be their best self!

I can see her using that motto as well!

Ethan

Well this is all true, he will get his way one way or another. But i guess you gotta hand it to him his determination is 11/10.

Sarah

Because she is just the most caring loving person toward absolutely everybody, we need some form of update on her!

+ She's an amazing LGBTQ+ Ally

Daniel

This one is sort of funny because he always has a story to tell he seems like he's a big reader!

And everyone always goes to him for advice before anything else!

Sam

Sam is just a grumpy Care Bear and you can NOT change my mind XD

- Always worried someone is going to kill someone with their stupidity or worse he'll have to un-do their mistake

- "Flippant and smart-alecky" this man will just destroy you for so much as looking at him in the wrong tone but he's so slick about it you'll probably thank him and apologize.

- "tone deaf to his own words" yeah one may be slightly inclied to believe that... XD

- I have decided that Sam's favourite colour is Blue so this is not a coincidence

But all in all he's a good hearted guy and is actually super sweet and caring, he just has no time for drama

+ I am convinced that he's a soft, nerdy, very cuddly, little marshmallow when he's alone with someone he really trust

(You can probably guess who my favourite is right? He is my little marshmallow and im not sharing XD <3 )

Credit to @travellermp3 for this hilariously awesome screen shot of Sam 😂💙

Sharon

This women is a mom to everyone in that hospital in every sense of the word! Including putting up with their drama and settling their little fights. She is also the voice of reason more often then not and that requires a good amount of communication skills.

She bakes the most awesome cookies and you can't change my mind XD

✨i don't own any of these pics, i found them all on google as well as the care bear web site✨

[sierra6x]

------now that i'm starting to get my groove back, i'm going to try and put a little verse section on my carrd and maybe expand upon it in individual posts. which is a big undertaking, so we'll see. but verses include:

main verse (you are here!) - the gray man, post film. movie canon with book influences

main alt. - young court growing up in tallahassee. private to @medicbled

drive - the premise of the movie drive ... but driver is six. still mysterious and quiet, tho.

indiana jones / the mummy - post ww, six is former military (spec ops) and hired as muscle to accompany a ragtag band of treasure hunters. feat. @medicbled, @executiioner, & @e1igius

hunger games - previous victor turned district 13 muscle. six couldn't be threatened because he had no family left to pimp him out. angy man. tied to @e1igius' hunger games verse

the boys - contracted by vought for security purposes at their HQ. they're interested in testing their "temp v" on him, but he'd rather eat broken glass repeatedly

cyberpunk 2077 - notorious for his ruthless efficiency, former mercenary and even former to that ... millitech solider, six is the only man on afterlife's menu whose still alive. these days he can be seen as muscle for sharon's fixer operations, to whom he's been working beside for a great many years. tied to @thirt13n's cpunk verse

detective gentry - six is a homicide detective in a harlem precinct. partners with gloria. private to @medicbled, open to discussion

preternatural - six is six, but he occasionally runs into and hunts supernatural beings. inspired by threads and lore from @executiioner, open to all.

werewolf, modern - six is six, but also a werewolf. hijinks ensue ... especially when you're a para-military murder machine who also happens to be a giant fucking werewolf.

blood moon - fantasy inspired. court is a cursed werewolf tied to an ancient blood curse influenced by the royal family. private to @stingslikeabee

ny band scene - six ran away from home after killing his father and has hidden out in nyc ever since. music has inspired him, he's covered in tattoos, and his band is his family. private to @vigilantebullshit

there's ... so many more. but just a reminder for me.

[hide-in-imagination]

Olaa (estaba intentando escribir antes y se me mando 😭) hace tiempo estuve pensando en que hubiera pasado si en el incendio de la mansion tipo despues de la escena troste de sharon y ambar, que hubiera pasado ai sharon se hubiera muerto 💀 me refiero a como hubieran reaccionado todos (especial mente ambar) y como simon la hubiera ayudado con el proceso de superar a sharon, siempre me imagino eso pero como no se escribir solo me lo imagino 😝

Holaaa!

Okay, mi yo feminista quiere decir que si muriera Sharon sería sumamente incorrecto girar la trama en torno a cómo Simón ayuda a Ámbar porque es un duelo por el que Ámbar está pasando y muchas veces pasa en media (películas, series, etc) que las mujeres pasan por un momento traumático (como una v*olación por ejemplo) y esto termina tratándose de cómo esa situación afecta al hombre y no a la mujer que lo vivió. Por supuesto que tener una red de apoyo es sumamente importante en momentos así, pero varios autores han cometido este error a lo largo de los años. (Se podría decir que yo también lo hice en One More Night, no estoy 100% segura, pero aprovecho de tirarme una autocrítica porque nadie es perfecto)

Habiendo dicho lo anterior, me parece que claramente Ámbar necesitaría terapia. O sea, ya de por sí la necesitaba, pero que justo la persona que le hizo tanto daño muera antes de que ella sea capaz de siquiera procesar y dimensionar todo el daño que le causó debe ser super nocivo porque te deja sin un cierre esas emociones, onda, nunca tuvo la oportunidad de hablar con Sharon al respecto, y antes de siquiera poder enfrentar el abuso que sufrió de su parte, todo esto queda medio en segundo plano porque en primer plano viene el dolor de la pérdida, lo que podría hacer sentir a Ámbar quizás culpable por hablar mal de Sharon o estar enojada con Sharon porque está muerta, o quizás hacerla sentir frustración porque quiere estar enojada con ella y tiene razones para estarlo, pero ahora que está muerta, lo único en que puede pensar es en lo mucho que la extraña.

No sé, no soy psicóloga, pero me imagino que sería un proceso muy confuso, muy doloroso, con sentimientos contradictorios, y vivir en la mansión no ayudaría porque hay muchísimos recuerdos por donde sea que mire, y Alfredo (si es que no se murió del puro shock) estaría de luto también, lo cual causaría que toda la energía de la casa esté deprimente.

Probablemente Silvana haría una aparición al enterarse, lo cual sería aun peor para Ámbar, porque imagínate la bomba de emociones con las que tendría que tratar, onda, realmente espero que Silvana tendría al menos un poquito de tino y tacto en vez de causarle más problemas a Ámbar en un momento tan difícil.

No sé qué más decir la verdad. Sería un proceso muy largo. Y Simón estaría ahí para apoyarla, obvio, pero no es fácil, porque no es la típica situación de "tu mamá, a la que querías mucho y todos querían mucho, falleció" si no que es "tu mamá, que le causó mucho dolor a todos, en especial a ti, que nunca fue buena con nadie y que honestamente iba a ir a la cárcel igual, falleció", entonces, ¿cómo consuelas a alguien con toda esa información de por medio? Simón no lo sabe. Hace lo que puede. Trata de distraerla y mostrarle las cosas buenas de la vida para que se hunda en un hoyo de depresión. Pero en general, yo creo que la terapia es lo que más la ayuda.

Saludos, anon! Espero que estés teniendo un buen fin de semana ^^

[zerogate]

We heard more about this shift in perspective during our interview with Sharon Salzberg, a master teacher of Buddhist vipassana meditation. For Salzberg, like many of the teachers and writers we spoke with, transformation is a fundamental shift in perspective:

A transformation in consciousness is something that opens a door for us. It’s almost as though we are in a small, enclosed, dark room. We feel constrained, we feel limited in some way, and then the door swings open— and suddenly there’s a sense of possibility where there might have been none before. There’s a sense of having options where we didn’t perceive any before. And there’s a change in perception, especially in terms of scope.

I think maybe the best example I’ve heard was a story of the late Tibetan lama Trungpa Rinpoche, who once took a white sheet of paper and drew in the center of it a floppy V-shaped object. Then he held it up in front of his class and said, “What is this? What’s this a picture of?” And apparently everybody responded, “That’s a picture of a bird.” And he said, “No it’s not. It’s a picture of the sky with a bird flying through it.”

You know that sense of fixation, when we narrow our focus and feel locked in? A transformation of consciousness is the awareness, “Oh! There’s a sky there.” There’s more context. There’s more openness than we have perceived before. There’s a sense of boundlessness. This is not something that we maintain. This is something that if we’re fortunate, we experience, we can renew, and we can reenter—and that changes us.

-- Marilyn Mandala Schlitz (ed.), Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life

[pudding-parade]

4 and 27 for the ask;)

I just woke up like 10 minutes ago, but I'll try to be coherent…

4) Do you sleep on your back, stomach or side?

I sleep on my back, except sort of sitting up. I can't lay completely flat or else I can't breathe because of conditions that I have. So, I have an adjustable bed, and the head of my side of it is raised by about 45 degrees, and I raise the feet, too, especially when my knee is a little swollen. I can also sleep on my side that way, but eventually it hurts my back, so I always end up on my back.

Adjustable beds are the best, y'all. Soooooooo comfy! Everyone should have one. Like, it should be a law and the government should provide them for free to everyone. The cats love to sleep in the "v" created by the raised head and foot of the bed, too. All four of them pile in there, and it's adorable af.

27) What’s your favorite book? Or just one you’ve read a few times?

My favorite book is The Sunne in Splendour which is a historical fiction novel (but not a stupid, heavily-romanticized one; I hate those) about King Richard III of England, written by Sharon Kay Penman. It's 1000 pages long, and I love every page of it. Her When Christ and His Saints Slept is a close runner-up. That one is about Maude, Countess of Anjou, who was the rightful queen of England when her father, Henry I, died in 1135, but her throne was usurped by King Stephen. She was an awesome, powerful woman who should have been England's first queen regnant, but she was truly robbed by a man who turned out to be one of England's worst kings.

And then there's Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, which I read in 1976 when it was first published, looooooong before it became popular. That book was my sexual awakening because I was 12 at the time. LOL

[mirandamckenni1]

WITHIN TEMPTATION - SPORTPALEIS (AMBERES) 2012 El 9 de mayo de 2012, la banda anunció oficialmente un concierto especial titulado "Elements" en el Sportpaleis, en Amberes, en celebración de su 15 aniversario. Il Novecentro Orchestra acompañó a la banda entre otros invitados especiales, incluidos ex miembros de la banda y el ex vocalista del orfanato George Oosthoek. El espectáculo se agotó con la asistencia de seguidores de la banda llegados desde hasta 50 países diferentes. Un show espectacular, sonido perfecto, iluminación y efectos visuales brillantes, es una banda que recomiendo ver en directo incluso aunque no te guste demasiado su estilo, pero si realmente eres un amante de la buena música esta banda te va a encantar en directo, tiene buenas canciones, una puesta en escena con proyecciones de video, un juego de luces muy estudiado, efectos especiales, pero sobre todo es una banda que siempre da la talla en sus directos. Sharon es una vocalista que siempre da el máximo en sus directos, la presencia que tiene, su elegancia en su indumentaria y esa voz increíble, nunca desafina, no para en todo el show, lo pude comprobar en un festival en el que estuve en primera fila. Setlist: 00:00 Elements Intro 05:44 Iron 11:20 In the Middle of the Night 16:37 Faster 21:09 Fire and the Ice 25:20 Our Solemn Hour 30:20 Stand My Ground 34:50 Angels 39:00 Sanctuary intro 41:00 The Last Dance 45:30 Say My Name 49:55 Candles 56:45 Sinead 01:01:10 The Promise 01:09:10 Mother Earth 01:14:55 Ice Queen 01:19:40 Starway to the Skies Suscríbete: https://www.youtube.com/user/kamelot6... Facebook: https://ift.tt/XOmJFYz...... Mi Blog: https://blogdekamelotsohail.blogspot​​​​.... Twitter: https://twitter.com/kamelot_sohail via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1l7tUCGeSs

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to singer-songwriter and champion of mandolin and slide guitar, Bryn Haworth. He may not be a household name, but deep-followers of guitar virtuosos, British rock, and Christian music know him well. I’ve been bowled over by his albums, especially THE GAP. In addition to his prolific solo catalogue, his guitar-slinging career has intersected with Joan Armatrading, Chris de Burgh, Jackie Lomax, Ian Matthews, Gerry Rafferty, and Cliff Richard. As a songwriter he’s been covered by Mary Black, Sandy Denny, and Lulu. He was also part of the “freakbeat” psychedelic-soul band Fleur de Lys (coming into the group as Chris Andrews was heading out), which was the British house and touring band for Isaac Hayes, Barney Kessel, Sharon Tandy, and many others. Check out Bryn’s bandcamp page https://brynhaworth.bandcamp.com

Also, check out this video I made of a rare Rupert’s People track w/Bryn in the footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYbrxbXH5bs ...Meanwhile, HB Bryn and thank you for your years of graceful and grace-filled music. “If we are to have God-rock, then let it be Bryn Haworth. . . you owe yourself a listen.” (John Ingham, SOUNDS magazine).

#brynhaworth #chrisandrews #fleurdelys #birthday #slideguitar #mandolin #Christianrock #bluesrock #singersongwriter #gap #joanarmatrading #chrisdeburgh #jackielomax #ianmatthews #gerryrafferty #cliffrichard #maryblack #sandydenny #lulu #rupertspeople #soundsmagazine #johningham

[digestsbymarianpurpleink]

Dacasin v. Dacasin, G.R. No. 168785, February 05, 2010

Doctrine

Article 213. In case of separation of the parents, parental authority shall be exercised by the parent designated by the Court. The Court shall take into account all relevant considerations, especially the choice of the child over seven years of age, unless the parent chosen is unfit.

In case Atty. asks WON Art. 213 is bias for favoring maternal custody.It could very well be that Article 213’s bias favoring one separated parent (mother) over the other (father) encourages paternal neglect, presumes incapacity for joint parental custody, robs the parents of custodial options, or hijacks decision-making between the separated parents. However, these are objections which question the law’s wisdom not its validity or uniform enforceability. The forum to air and remedy these grievances is the legislature, not this Court. At any rate, the rule’s seeming harshness or undesirability is tempered by ancillary agreements the separated parents may wish to enter such as granting the father visitation and other privileges. These arrangements are not inconsistent with the regime of sole maternal custody under the second paragraph of Article 213 which merely grants to the mother final authority on the care and custody of the minor under seven years of age, in case of disagreements.

SUPER SUMMARY

Herald, an American and Sharon Dacasin, a Filipino, got married in Manila in 1994. Sharon obtained a divorce decree from an Illinois court in 1999, which granted her sole custody of their daughter, Stephanie. In 2002, Herald and Sharon signed an agreement for joint custody of Stephanie, with the Philippine courts as the exclusive forum for resolving disputes related to the agreement. However, when Herald sued Sharon in a Philippine court in 2004 for violating the agreement, Sharon sought the case's dismissal, claiming that the Illinois court retained jurisdiction over the divorce decree. The trial court ruled in favor of Sharon, citing the "nationality rule" and lack of jurisdiction. Herald appealed the decision, questioning the validity of the agreement. Is the agreement contracted in 2002 giving the ex-spouses joint custody over Stephanie valid? 

HELD: No. The Court ruled against the validity of the agreement, stating that it violated Article 213, which grants sole custody to the mother of children under seven years old. The court also emphasized that private agreements cannot override this provision. 

The case was remanded to settle the issue of Stephanie's custody based on factual and equity considerations.

FACTS

Herald Dacasin (petitioner), American, and Sharon Del Mundo Dacasin (respondent), Filipino, were married in Manila in April 1994. They have one daughter, Stephanie. In June 1999, Sharon sought and obtained from an Illinois court a divorce decree against Herald. In its ruling, the Illinois court dissolved the marriage, awarded to Sharon sole custody of Stephanie and retained jurisdiction over the case for enforcement purposes. 

In 2002, Herald and Sharon executed in Manila a contract (Agreement) for the joint custody of Stephanie. The parties chose Philippine courts as exclusive forum to adjudicate disputes arising from the Agreement. Sharon undertook to obtain from the Illinois court an order "relinquishing" jurisdiction to Philippine courts. 

In 2004, Herald sued Sharon in the RTC of Makati City to enforce the Agreement. Herald alleged that in violation of the Agreement, Sharon exercised sole custody over Stephanie. Sharon sought the dismissal of the complaint for, among others, lack of jurisdiction because of the Illinois court’s retention of jurisdiction to enforce the divorce decree. 

The RTC granted Sharon’s motion and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction and ratiocinated that PH court is precluded from taking cognizance over the suit considering the Illinois court’s retention of jurisdiction to enforce its divorce decree, including its order awarding sole custody of Stephanie to respondent and that the divorce decree is binding on petitioner following the "nationality rule" prevailing in PH jurisdiction. Herald sought reconsidered to no avail. 

Hence, this petition.  

ISSUE/S

Whether the Agreement executed in 2002 on the joint custody of the parties’ child is valid.

RULING

The Court ruled in the NEGATIVE.

The trial court has jurisdiction to entertain petitioner’s suit but not to enforce the Agreement. However, factual and equity considerations militate against the dismissal of petitioner’s suit and call for the remand of the case to settle the question of Stephanie’s custody. 

At the time the parties executed the Agreement on 28 January 2002, two facts are undisputed: (1) Stephanie was under seven years old (having been born on 21 September 1995); and (2) petitioner and respondent were no longer married under the laws of the United States because of the divorce decree. The relevant Philippine law on child custody for spouses separated in fact or in law (under the second paragraph of Article 213 of the Family Code) is also undisputed: "no child under seven years of age shall be separated from the mother x x x." (This statutory awarding of sole parental custody to the mother is mandatory, grounded on sound policy consideration, subject only to a narrow exception not alleged to obtain here.) Clearly then, the Agreement’s object to establish a post-divorce joint custody regime between respondent and petitioner over their child under seven years old contravenes Philippine law.

The Agreement is not only void ab initio for being contrary to law, it has also been repudiated by the mother when she refused to allow joint custody by the father. The Agreement would be valid if the spouses have not divorced or separated because the law provides for joint parental authority when spouses live together. However, upon separation of the spouses, the mother takes sole custody under the law if the child is below seven years old and any agreement to the contrary is void. Thus, the law suspends the joint custody regime for (1) children under seven of (2) separated or divorced spouses. Simply put, for a child within this age bracket (and for commonsensical reasons), the law decides for the separated or divorced parents how best to take care of the child and that is to give custody to the separated mother. Indeed, the separated parents cannot contract away the provision in the Family Code on the maternal custody of children below seven years anymore than they can privately agree that a mother who is unemployed, immoral, habitually drunk, drug addict, insane or afflicted with a communicable disease will have sole custody of a child under seven as these are reasons deemed compelling to preclude the application of the exclusive maternal custody regime under the second paragraph of Article 213.

It will not do to argue that the second paragraph of Article 213 of the Family Code applies only to judicial custodial agreements based on its text that "No child under seven years of age shall be separated from the mother, unless the court finds compelling reasons to order otherwise." To limit this provision’s enforceability to court sanctioned agreements while placing private agreements beyond its reach is to sanction a double standard in custody regulation of children under seven years old of separated parents. This effectively empowers separated parents, by the simple expedient of avoiding the courts, to subvert a legislative policy vesting to the separated mother sole custody of her children under seven years of age "to avoid a tragedy where a mother has seen her baby torn away from her." This ignores the legislative basis that "[n]o man can sound the deep sorrows of a mother who is deprived of her child of tender age."

[Side note: The case was remanded to the RTC to settle the question of Stephanie’s custody. Stephanie is now nearly 15 years old, thus removing the case outside of the ambit of the mandatory maternal custody regime under Article 213 and bringing it within coverage of the default standard on child custody proceedings – the best interest of the child. This disposition is consistent with the settled doctrine that in child custody proceedings, equity may be invoked to serve the child’s best interest.]

[rockanrolario]

#Rola | Sharon Bates | Flor, Volcán y Precipicio

Sharon Bates es una banda de indie rock de Valladolid, España, formada por Cristian Haroche, Daniel Peñalba, Javi Hernández, Rober Hernández y Sergio Villar. La banda vallisoletana, con una trayectoria que arranca en el 2010, presenta su nuevo trabajo “Flor, Volcán y Precipicio”, producida por Juanma Latorre (Vetusta Morla) y grabada y mezclada por Juanjo Reig en Estudio Silencio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPC9YO3jjPA Un tema muy en línea con la primera época del pop luminoso, guitarrero y experimental de Artic Monkeys, en el que se mezcla una melodía pegadiza, unas guitarras protagonistas con un tinte folk muy especial. Es una canción con un discurso muy actual que habla sobre el feminismo, la diversidad y el inconformismo, evitar el rebaño y pensar por uno mismo. La canción es el cuarto single de Sharon Bates en 2023, avance de su próximo LP que verá la luz en 2024. Un disco que irá acompañado de una gira de directos en diferentes puntos de España y México marcando un camino firme lleno de beats bailables, sintetizadores, guiños de folk y guitarras contundentes. Este viaje musical promete estar lleno de ritmos irresistibles, sintetizadores envolventes y poderosas guitarras que marcarán un camino firme en el universo musical. Sharon Bates ha marcado una destacada trayectoria desde sus inicios a finales de 2010. Su evolución musical ha sido una amalgama de logros notables y colaboraciones significativas que han consolidado su presencia en la escena musical nacional. En 2012, Sharon Bates dio su primer paso con el lanzamiento de su EP inaugural titulado "La Tercera Guerra Mundial". Este hito marcó el inicio de una carrera que prometía grandes logros. En enero de 2013, el grupo inició la grabación de su primer álbum completo bajo la dirección de Adam Smithee. Este debut homónimo, que finalmente vio la luz en 2015, representó un momento clave en su ascenso musical. A lo largo de los años, la banda se alzó como ganadora en diversos concursos en Castilla y León y Madrid, cimentando su reputación como un talento en ascenso. En 2015, Sharon Bates participó en la décima edición del festival "Valladolid Latino", compartiendo escenario con luminarias de la música como Loquillo, Rosendo y Mikel Erentxun. El año siguiente, en junio de 2016, la banda realizó un memorable concierto acústico "unplugged" en el Teatro Zorrilla de Valladolid, presentando una interpretación en formato big band con colaboradores notables. Este evento fue registrado en audio y video, anticipando futuros proyectos. Uno de los momentos cumbre tuvo lugar en septiembre del mismo año, cuando actuaron ante una multitud de más de treinta mil personas como teloneros de John Newman en la Plaza Mayor de Valladolid, durante las Ferias y Fiestas de la Virgen de San Lorenzo. Su rendimiento en formato big band cosechó elogios tanto del público como de los organizadores. En el otoño de 2016, la banda incorporó al bajista Rober Hernández y se embarcaron en la creación de su siguiente LP. La grabación tuvo lugar en los estudios Eldana de Dueñas (Palencia) con la producción a cargo de Carlos Hernández, reconocido por su trabajo con destacadas bandas. El resultado, "Hawaii Quizás", vio la luz en el primer semestre de 2018. En septiembre de 2019, Sharon Bates regresó a la Plaza Mayor de Valladolid, esta vez como teloneros de la banda escocesa Franz Ferdinand, actuando ante miles de entusiastas espectadores. El segundo semestre de 2020 marcó el inicio de una nueva etapa creativa para Sharon Bates. Bajo la producción de Juan Manuel Latorre, miembro de Vetusta Morla, la banda comenzó la grabación de su próximo proyecto en Estudio Silencio (Madrid) y Eldana Estudio (Dueñas), liderados por Juanjo Reig y Jorge Calderón respectivamente. Dos sencillos, "Kilimanjaro" y "Mejor", han sido lanzados con gran éxito hasta el momento, que han generado un gran interés en el público mexicano. Esta notable trayectoria pone de manifiesto el compromiso y la excelencia artística de Sharon Bates, estableciendo un sólido legado en el panorama musical contemporáneo. "Flor, Volcán y Precipicio" es su último sencillo, un himno a la diversidad y la igualdad que promete cautivar a oyentes de todas las edades. Read the full article

[mr-independent]

more, you said? well I would hate to disappoint the whole 4 people that read these ramblings lol. Once more unto the breach, yall

s2e6: The Signal aka Pricks. Pricks everywhere.

-- Rebecca believing in bigfoot? its more likely than you think.

-- ever just walk into your daughters house unannounced to the sight of a very naked man half your daughters age making tea? and then proceed to flirt with him right after leaving your husband for the 10 thousandth time?

-- the whole H.R. Pufnstuf reference is just. That show had one singular season. The main character was technically a puppet but in reality a big Barney-like "dragon" that looked like the rejected member of the McDonalds characters. I get the whole stranger-in-a-strange-land thread there, and the human boy was English, but still that's such a niche reference

-- Steve Wieb v Billy Mitchell as a David-Goliath example. Again with the niche references, expecting two English football coaches to know about a 2010's ongoing battle of fucking arcade style Donkey Kong.

-- the premiere of the Jamie Pooh Bear style.

-- "Best advice I've received is to leave people well" well we better hope that idea is in Ted's head in the finale, yeah?

-- I will absolutely be incorporating the "poor little cake! soggy bottom!" song into my bakeoff watches from here on out. If you know me irl and come to those, I apologise in advance.

-- Ted trying so hard to learn from Roy is adorable. Ted knows the coaching bit, Roy knows the football bit, Ted knows they have to mind meld to get this to work and is not afraid to show it.

-- Rebecca's childhood nickname was sausage. Why.

-- This is a pattern, actually. A mom coming in, calling her child an adorable nickname, and promising to make their favourite meal. I've connected the dots. I've connected them.

-- Ted trying to hide himself giving Jamie the bird by moving his coat like there isnt a camera right in front of him?

-- they are really starting to hammer in the fact that Ted actually does often overlook Nate, especially since Roy joined as coach. Like yes, its often natural and justified, but from Nate's perspective its pretty noticeable

-- Nate mispronounces Richard's name. idk why that bothers me but it really does.

-- they easily could have had Rebecca find Ted, but they didn't. I appreciate the narrative weight that holds.

-- Beard's backstory really shines through often even in the earlier seasons, like when he hugs Higgins and says he gets it when Higgins questions his and Jane's relationship

-- ted has his jacket on when hes in dr sharons office later that night, after rebecca found it earlier. Ted hid somewhere else, went to his office, got his jacket, and then went up to Dr Sharons, if anyone needs that for timeline purposes.