#I'm not very familiar with laws in other countries

[anavilante]

I don't know why the writers ignore the amazing quality that Callum brings to his character - the ability to look at his counterparts with an unblinking gaze in intense moments, because I'm completely blown away by it and it drives me crazy. But I have never seen any emphasis on this in the fics I read. 🙁

If you pay attention, you'll notice that Callum blinks very little. It makes his gaze more intense, more challenging, more animalistic.

I want to turn off my Clegan fan for a while and talk about this scene seriously. I don't know how familiar you are with the military and the rules of war and how much you realize that what Bucky does in this scene is a BIG "NO." And you can clearly see this in the faces of those around them.

A HUGE "NO".

GALACTIC-SCALE "NO" DURING WAR. Here a low-ranking officer PUBLICLY (not one-on-one) allows himself to contradict and be familiar with a higher-ranking officer (with that slap on the chest that is not shown in the gif), almost humiliating him in front of other soldiers. For what Bucky did (even as a reaction to Harding's words) he deserves a demotion, the guardhouse and possibly a court-martial (depending on the laws of the country). The way this scene is depicted also adds special flavor. It is simply absolutely ANIMALISTIC. This is a young wolf challenging the alpha in front of the pack. The way Harding and Bucky look at each other during their verbal duel is not civilized, these are two wolves who are ready to tear each other's throats to shreds in a fight for dominance in front of the astonished pack, each member of which has their own feelings about what is happening. Bucky and Harding, each of them needs to impress others and is ready to die trying to do so. Fortunately, Harding is a little more civilized than Bucky is animalistic, because he, understanding the mental state of the pilots who risk their lives every day and mourn the loss of their friends, he retreats (!!!), wanting to turn aggression into a joke. This is, in all honesty, an almost incredible thing in times of war, when a superior officer must take care of the morale of the group and their faith in the orders given and cannot allow anyone to doubt his authority.

It's Harding who's backing down, and Bucky who's going to go all the way. That's why non-dancing Gale starts dancing, that's why he starts worrying about Bucky being okay, because Bucky's in a not-so-latently-aggressive state.

PS Comparing Bucky to a harmless dog like a golden retriever or a cute puppy really makes me laugh.

Dog Coded Bucky my ass.

[blackbackedjackal]

What are some actual problems in the animal product industry?

I'm mostly familiar with fur farming so that's what I'll comment on.

A big concern of mine is that because ARA campaigns against people using or farming fur there's been a decline in the public's trust of fur products in countries that traditionally had good animal welfare standards. This has caused an uptick in fur being farmed in places where the animal welfare laws aren't as regulated, so you're seeing many more unethical farms being able to sell furs cheaply to markets that buy fur for textile. The quality of the fur doesn't matter as much as in the clothing market, so the animals are raised to be as big as possible, exceeding thier healthy sizes and weights to produce as much fur on one animal as possible.

Simultaneously, these unethical farms and businesses are aware of the bad press that ARA groups have spread about the industry, and will sell off other byproducts that aren't as heavily scrutinized or regulated as fur. Many mislabeled blue fox skulls are being sold worldwide (often illegally) by oddities dealers that come from these farms as well as oils and fertilizers and other byproducts of fur farming. It's easy to tell if an animal was unhealthy due to the condition of the pelt, but when the fur is processes as wool or part of the animal people may not recognize came from a fur farm is distributed, it still funds these poorly regulated places.

Meanwhile, the farmers and workers who are being harassed are ones who are generally compliant with WelFur standards, meaning that their farms are up to the current welfare codes in place. It's causing many good farms to go out of business or in some cases close down due to entire states or countries banning fur farming or the use of fur products.

So now good farms are being held accountable for bad practices done at other farms, and it's becoming more and more difficult to find places that do hold up to ethical animal husbandry standards. It's also promoting the use of plastics to make faux fur products which are far worse for the environment then just using fur. And due to the scrutiny many farmers face, it's becoming less worth it for them to sell thier animals as pelts and instead sell them to the exotic pet trade (i.e. people like saveafox who buys foxes directly from an unethical fur farm with bad breeding practices).

It's bad because it feels like there's very little room for changes and improvements to the fur industry because of the chokehold ARA groups have on the public's understanding of fur farming. For example, I'd like to see more ethical breeding practices done based on studying certain color generics and how they effect the health of certain species (we know some color mutations also cause genetic issues with certain species and I would like to have more information as to why that happens and how it can be avoided). However, it's difficult to discuss topics like that and push for change within the industry because most fur farms have to be extremely cautious with who they discuss thier practices to. ARAs will often lie to them to infiltrate thier farms to "expose" them by fabricating lies or stealing and releasing thier animals.

[aspartame-parent]

Random X-Men Headcanons!

Me and my friend have compiled a lot of headcanons for the X-Men (mainly formulated from jokes) so I wanted to put some here! A few of these are headcanons, most are jokes lol

Kurt listens to really peppy music when he's upset, the main one being the Beach Boys. Just imagine him, poor little German boy, singing Surfin' USA tiredly, trying to turn his mood around.

Erik listens to girly pop music, mainly Katy Perry and Ke$ha. Why? Because it's funny. Let him be girly pop.

Scott tells a lot of jokes but he's deadpan so people can never really tell. Like sometimes he'll just say some insane shit, plain faced, and see how the others react.

Dancing headcanons! Remy is a very good dancer, being particularly prolific in swing dancing. Logan somewhat refuses to dance, but he can line dance. Morph doesn't know how to dance, but they act like they can, dancing like a drunk white girl. Scott and Jean like to dance in private, but Scott gets nervous to dance in front of others. Ororo can bust that shit down.

Scott tries not to laugh when he, or someone else, is doing a bit. Like he tries not to break as he jokes along, to the point where he has to stop talking to not smile, biting inside of his mouth.

Furthermore! He also has a loud laugh, and people get a little caught off guard when they hear it. Me and my friend have described his laugh as a goose honk sound.

Kurt gaslights for fun, and he can get everybody pretty good, except Scott and Jean. You may think "oh because Jean's a telepath, right?" No, because--

Scott and Jean gaslight each other for fun, and they formulate these fake, big arguments, just as a bit. So, they're very familiar with gaslighting tactics, being they lie to each other as a joke, so when Kurt tries to, they immediately meet him-- A little too well, because Kurt is used to just messing with people.

Scott will occasionally freak people out by lowering his glasses (keeping his eyes closed of course). Like someone says "Hey, take a look at that." and he'll lower his glasses and go "Where?!" as a joke.

Everyone loves Kurt. Like, everyone. If Kurt doesn't like someone, everyone has a distaste for them as well.

Jean refers to her own psychic abilities as her "Jedi Mind Tricks"

This one isn't really a headcanon, just a running gag me and my friend do, but something bad will happen, or something inconvenient, and Remy will go "Don't worry.", insistently. Like a loud explosion can go off, and Remy will just say "Don't Worry." Occasionally this will be lengthened to "Don't what? Worry!"

We don't call Leech by his name. We call him Gneep Gnorp. That's it.

Kurt and Remy are super close (as pseudo brother in laws) and they hang out a lot, also doing that guy thing where they flirt with each other as a joke.

No one likes Emma. That's it.

Scott is autistic.

Warren is well manicured. He always has his hair just as he likes it, his wings always preened, his clothes always ironed. He'll a snazzy lookin' fella.

Rogue is a great singer. This barely a headcanon, her voice actress literally put out a song "Mojo Man (Ode to Remy LeBeau)", go listen to it.

Kurt's very coy and playful. Like, "Staaahhppp, hehe!" He also laughs at his own jokes all the time, like he cracks himself up.

Music headcanons! Here's just a few of the ones we made-- Scott likes dad rock obviously, mainly soft rock and folk rock (The Beatles, Hall & Oates, The Beach Boys, CSNY), Logan likes harder rock (Metallica, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden), Morph likes new wave and glam rock (Oingo Boingo, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Tears For Fears), Remy likes a fun mix of jazz, country, and soul, with a little rock sprinkled in (Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Queen), Jubilee likes a lot of pop, pop-rock, that sorta thing (Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, ABBA, Wham!)

Kurt has a lil hyperfixation on pirates and ships-- this is kinda canon in the comics. But he loves talking about pirate history and ships and misconceptions.

I'm sure there's a bunch of ones I can't remember but there ya go lol

thanks to @the-death-defying-night-crawler for being funny and making these with me lol

[indigovigilance]

Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the Bookshop

Credit to @flameraven for scripts

Read on Ao3 at: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the Bookshop (1702 words) by indigovigilance Summary: The rules regarding who may enter the bookshop, and who may give others permission to enter the bookshop, are revealed by events rather than exposition. Parallel themes surround the Bentley. In this meta I generate a theory of sovereignty and citizenship as it pertains to the Bookshop, and what that implies about a statement Crowley makes and Aziraphale's final decision in S2E6.

What actually is the Bookshop?

First, Aziraphale explains to Crowley:

S2E5: AZIRAPHALE: We're perfectly safe in here. Technically, this bookshop still counts as an Embassy.

But then, speaking to Shax, Aziraphale further defines the bookshop:

AZIRAPHALE: Out of the question. Might I remind you, that this bookshop is technically an independent embassy. Being a former outpost of Heaven, and as such…

Which doesn't actually make any sense.

An embassy, by definition, is a satellite of another larger nation. It is usually the residence of an ambassador, and is considered the "soil" and jurisdiction of the home country, regardless of where it is in the world: "An embassy is considered “foreign soil,” meaning that it operates under the jurisdiction and laws of the home country, not the host country (the country where the embassy is physically located)." [ext source]

So an embassy, by its basic definition, cannot be independent. It's an oxymoron. I'll interpret this to mean that the Bookshop constitutes its own nationstate (and that Aziraphale just doesn't say it that way because he's a funky little guy).

Bookshop: A Sovereign Nation of Two

There has been extensive discussion about why Crowley seems never to have told Aziraphale that he was living in his car, and why, if/when Aziraphale figured it out, he didn't say anything about it. (I wrote a meta discussing how we know that Aziraphale knows by the beginning of S2E4 that Crowley is living in his car. Additionally, in S2E6, Aziraphale doesn't seem to look particularly surprised when Crowley announces to the room that he's tired of living in his car; you can interpret this as being distracted and phased out but I don't think Aziraphale is ever so dissociated that he would miss a statement like that and simply not react. So by then, he certainly knows.)

I posit that Crowley did not ask to move in and would have refused to do so even if offered for one very simple reason: moving in would have made him a citizen of Bookshop, and therefore a point of vulnerability for Aziraphale. Because as he explains to Shax in S2E3, he can't technically invite her in:

SHAX: if you won't let me in… CROWLEY: Not technically something I can do.

Of course, Crowley is a demon: he could be lying. But let's take the statement at face value, since Shax, also a demon, who seems reasonably familiar with the rules of entry, doesn't question it. So Crowley, by never establishing citizenship, ensures that he can never be coerced or tricked into letting anyone into the Bookshop. He maintains his foreign entity status on purpose to protect Aziraphale.

One more note, in passing: Crowley stays at the shop in S2E3 and S2E4, but he has been charged by Aziraphale to "mind the bookshop, and Gabriel." His role is more akin to a house-sitter than a houseguest. He's there on work visa, and it does not establish citizenship.

So Crowley isn't a citizen of Bookshop. But someone other than Aziraphale is.

S2E1: MAGGIE: I can be out of here in two weeks. AZIRAPHALE: Out of here? Why? Don't you like it anymore? MAGGIE: Oh, Mr. Fell, I love this shop! I've loved it since I was a baby. But I know how behind I am on rent. (…) MAGGIE: You can't just forgive me eight months' rent. AZIRAPHALE: Oh, I can. I'm very good at forgiveness. It's one of my favorite things. Now, you have paid your rent, I have my music, and I know exactly what I'll be doing for the next 21 minutes. [he giggles and leaves] (creepiest most disturbing giggle in all of cinematic history BUT ANYWAYS)

We've established that Maggie not only is a tenant of land owned by Aziraphale, but that her accounts are all paid up. Her citizenship (or at least, permanent residency) is secure. If simply renting out the space wasn't enough, we learn that she is a fourth-generation resident of the space owned by Aziraphale, which started inside the bookshop itself, and so Maggie may have been born into citizenship. Either way, the consequences of this arise in S2E6:

AZIRAPHALE: Maggie, what just happened? MAGGIE: I… I think I might have just told them they could come in.

Crowley can't tell demons that they can come in. But Maggie can. My explanation for this is because she actually lives (and is up on her rent) in a territory of the nation of Bookshop. It could be posed that Maggie can invite demons in because she is a guest of the ball, and so this is a temporary power, but Crowley was a "guest"/house-sitter and didn't have this power, so I reject this explanation and affirm it as a citizenship/residency power.

The Metatron's Offer

At time of writing, the fandom has spent two months trying to figure out why Metatron offered Aziraphale the job of Supreme Archangel. Was it to get him back into Heaven where he can keep a closer eye on him? Was it to get him away from Crowley? Did Metatron realize that he is a wellspring of power and wants to tap into it for nefarious purpose?

I'm going to propose a different, much simpler reason: he needed to get Aziraphale out of the bookshop. To explain that, we look to a line that Crowley delivers during the Conversation:

CROWLEY: I mean, if Gabriel and Beelzebub can do it, go off together, then we can. Just the two of us. We don't need Heaven, we don't need Hell, they're toxic. We need to get away from them, just be an us. You and me, what do you say? AZIRAPHALE: Come with me… to Heaven. I'll run it, you can be my second in command. We can make a difference. CROWLEY: You can't leave this bookshop.

Hang on, didn't Crowley just say that they should run off together? Why is he now saying that he can't leave the bookshop? These statements seem contradictory, but through the lens of sovereignty, they're not. You see, if Aziraphale goes off to Alpha Centauri without rejoining Heaven, the Bookshop still belongs to him and constitutes the sovereign nation over which he rules. It is the anchor and touchstone of his independent status. What ever new residence they establish will, in turn, be an embassy of that "independent embassy." The Bookshop then (I hypothesize, and posit that Crowley does too) grants Aziraphale protection from Heaven and Hell no matter where he is in the universe.

A Brief Aside on the Mechanics of Satellites

We have some evidence that Bookshop rules extend to wherever Aziraphale happens to be "residing," in that when Aziraphale borrows Crowley's car, Shax must trick him into giving him permission to enter (S2E4):

HITCHHIKER: I'm so sorry, can you be an angel and give me a lift? Only m-my car's broken down and my phone's dead. Just to the next town, there's a garage there. AZIRAPHALE: Oh… yes, well… I suppose you better climb in, then.

Thus establishing that, theoretically, Crowley and Aziraphale could "go off together" and still have the protection of the Bookshop.

The Consequences of Aziraphale's Final Decision

Crowley tells Aziraphale that he cannot leave the bookshop, but then we know that Aziraphale takes the job and ascends to Heaven. Metatron looks extremely relieved. No sooner do they ascend than Muriel enters the bookshop, where we know Metatron has placed them. Let's take this point by point.

The Bookshop is no longer a sovereign nation

By rejoining Heaven, Aziraphale has reclaimed his citizenship as an angel of Heaven. I'm going to go ahead and say (for sake of argument and because it is thematically consistent) that Heaven does not honor duel citizenship. Therefore, Aziraphale has given up his citizenship of Bookshop, but as it still belongs to him, it is now territory subject to the jurisdiction of Heaven. Muriel has been placed there as a representative of Heaven. Having been (we can surmise) the only "independent embassy" in existence where both angels and demons had to ask permission to enter, it is once again a good and proper embassy of Heaven.

This is important because now, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley have any place to go that is protected from both Heaven and Hell.

Muriel has unfettered access to Aziraphale's collection of books

My very simplistic theory for why Metatron went to so much trouble to get Aziraphale to cede control of the Bookshop is that he needs access to his collection of books. Specifically, he needs a certain Scrivener who enjoys reading to set up camp there and peruse every single book. This is because he is looking for something.

Gabriel left Heaven with a large box; he arrived at the Bookshop with an empty box. We can punt around all sorts of possible reasons but let's say, for sake of conjecture, that Gabriel stole the Book of Life on his way out to protect himself and Beelzebub from erasure. We don't know where the Book is now, but Metatron (who doesn't know the box was empty) has good reason to believe that the Book of Life is somewhere in the bookshop. But it's too dangerous to admit that they've lost track of it, so the best way to find a Book in a bookshop is to get the owner out of there, install an avid reader as steward, and wait patiently.

Other consequences of this theory of citizenship

We are given to believe that Crowley and Aziraphale are both outcasts of Hell and Heaven, respectively, yet Aziraphale seems to be the only one of them that benefits from the protections of independence. We could say that it is because Aziraphale owns land, and so that allows him to establish a nationstate, whereas the Bentley does not, but since Aziraphale brings the protections of independence with him when he borrows the Bentley, that seems flimsy. I find it more likely that in S3 we're going to learn something about Crowley that explains why he lacks these protections, and if I dare to make conjecture, it will be the subject of another meta.

I didn't get around to a discussion of the consequences of Aziraphale throwing his halo and "declaring war," or that war declaration being maybe-cancelled by Crowley; suffice to say, that may again be it's own meta.

~~~

If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy: Honolulu Roast: the story of a coup

another meta on the topic of ownership re the Bentley by @ineffable-endearments can be found here.

~~~

edit: I was reminded by @rekishi-aka to note that in S1, Gabriel and Sandolphon walk right in, because at that time the bookshop is an embassy of Heaven. For all of S2 except the final 30 minutes, celestials all have to ask permission to enter, including Michael, Uriel, Saraqael, and Muriel, because the Bookshop is independent. After Aziraphale throws his halo, celestials just appear inside the Bookshop: by declaring war, Aziraphale has relinquished his protection. It's unclear whether it would have been reestablished by Crowley cancelling the war, but it's a moot point because then Aziraphale agrees to become the Supreme Archangel.

[scrollonso]

First Kiss (Break 1)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1.2k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys] {filler chapter? I just felt like Lance and Nando getting closer would make more sense if they spent break together + Mark}

last part - masterlist - next part

They had two weeks off and Lance had absolutely no plans, Nico was on vacation with his family to god knows where, Fernando had probably already arrived in Australia, and Lance didn't have any other friends on the paddock to worry about.

He had thought about going back to Canada but he just ended up back at his house in Switzerland. Spring had started by the time he got home so it wasn't like he could distract himself with snowboarding so he just ended up at home on his couch for the past five days.

Being alone was nice, but a part of him missed Fernando, oddly enough. They'd only ever hung out on the paddock but Lance had grown to look forward to the time they spent together, whether it was actually sitting and talking or just exchanging glances while in the middle of interviews.

As if it was fate, his phone began to rang. It was an unknown number but he figured it might be important, his dad had a history of calling him from random places just to check up on him, as if the 18 year old hadn't been left alone before.

"Hello?" He said, holding his (very small) phone to his ear

"Lancito, I am so glad you answered!" a voice on the other end spoke, a very familiar voice

"Nando?" Lance questioned "How did you get my number?"

"Is not important!" The Spaniard said, brushing off the question "Lancito, are you busy? If you are, cancel, come to Australia."

"No, I'm not busy." Lance responded, wondering if Fernando was really inviting him to Australia, wasn't he with Mark? Wouldn't that be awkward? "Is something important happening in Australia?"

"Si, You are coming, is important."

"Nando, I-" The younger boy laughed, not being able to wipe the smile off his face just from hearing the other mans voice "Sure, I'll come."

"Perfect, I'll send you the information, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay Nando"

"Bye, Lancito! Have a safe flight"

And with that the call ended and Lance wasted no time in buying the tickets to Australia (idk how people bought plane tickets in 2006...)

Lance got off the plane, trying to pat down the hair he could feel sticking up, he always slept on long flights and this one was no acception. It was weird being in Australia a week before he had to but he wasn't going to turn down Fernando is he wanted Lance there so bad, for whatever reason.

It was a Sunday morning and the airport was surprisingly busy, he eventually found his way out and got a taxi headed towards the address Fernando had texted him

"Just landed, headed your way now!!"

Lance stared at the screen before sending the message, just now wondering why exactly he was there, he wasn't blind to the media, especially when he was constantly being interviewed and asked questions fans were dying to know, he had heard the rumours, people saying Fernando was only talking to him to scare him, he was going to embarrass him, he had some ulterior motive, Lance hoped it wasn't true but now that he was blindly following Fernandos orders in another country while he was visiting his friend (who's seat he took) a part of him started to wonder if Fernando was planning something. He hit send.

They'd hadn't texted much, just Fernando sending him the information he needed and Lance thanking him before he got on the plane and turned off his phone, he wasn't too fond of it anyways.

"I am glad you made it"

"Is exciting"

"Tell the driver to go faster"

Lance smiled at his phone, excited to see the Spaniard again, even though he saw him not even a week ago.

"I shouldn't break the law yet"

"I just got here and my dad isn't here to bail me out!"

"I will do it, no worries Lancito"

He shook his head at the text, turning off his phone and waiting to arrive, not too far away from the location

He stepped out of the car, paying the taxi fare then walking up to the house, hesitating to knock. Maybe texting would be better? Or calling? Or anything besides knocking? Before he even had the chance to decide the door opened, revealing a slightly-taller-than-him Mark Webber and Fernando standing by his side, the two closer than he thought they would be

"Lance, welcome, so sorry about making you come so randomly." Mark spoke first, stepping back to invite Lance in

"It's no problem, I wasn't doing anything anyway" Lance smiled as he walked into the house, scanning what he could see

"I told you Lancito didn't mind" Fernando said to Mark, hitting his arm slightly "Is good to make sure you two get along before people start to speculate, ay?" Fernando smiled at Mark then at Lance, reaching up to flatten the hair still sticking up on his head

Lance wasn't sure why he was surprised Fernando was still calling him his nickname, he didn't know why he expected anything to change with Mark around, Fernando seemed the same, if anything he seemed happier around Mark. It made him feel bad, he was the reason Mark lost his seat, the reason Fernando's friend was no longer on the paddock, the reason Fernando had to settle for him instead.

"Well, Lance, I don't mind that you took my seat" Mark laughed, closing the door before putting an arm around Lance's shoulder "I was done with travelling all the time anyway, so don't beat yourself up over what people say"

Lance nodded, Mark was right, and he was pretty old so it made sense for him to be smarter.

"Now, how about we have fun now that we've dragged you to the land down under?" That made Lance smile, he was looking forward to spending the rest of his break actually doing stuff besides binging TV shows.

The next week went by so quick Lance was surprised when he actually had to go to the paddock, almost as surprised as fans when he showed up with both Fernando and Mark.

He hesitated when Fernando suggested all of them going together, worried about what people would say, but the older men made it obvious they couldn't care less so thats how they ended up going together, Mark having plans of doing interviews around the paddock and spending his free time in sither the pink or blue and yellow garage.

Being in Australia a week early was great, they were busy the whole time but Lance enioyed it, loving the time away from his phone and especially away from the media. It made him notice how close Mark and Fernando really were, he felt jealous at times but it was probably just because he was used to having Fernandos attention on him after quali and races, he felt selfish for feeling that way so of course he never addressed it.

"Where are you going first?" Lance asked, looking at Mark, both of them on either side of Fernando

"I was thinking of interviewing people first, it's gonna be weird being the one asking the questions"

"As long as you stay far away from me, we're good"

Fernando shook his head, pulling the taller man closer "We really need to get you used to the media, eh? All you do is complain" He sucked his teeth after he finished teasing Lance, earning nothing but an eyeroll from the teen

"Yeah, yeah." Lance smiled, not able to stop himself when it came to Fernando "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

And with that the race week started.

[crowandmousewritingco]

Death Row

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x gn!Lannister!reader

Words: 6.1k

Rating: T (more for violence and angst. Think like a PG13 movie)

Summary: The Red Viper is finally brought to justice, but to you there is more than meets the eye.

Warnings: Murder, implied past rape (not the reader), implied past child murder (both off screen) The Lannisters being the Lannisters, use of poisons, hanging, death. (I might have missed a few)

Author: Mod Mouse

Notes: I wrote this fic for the #almostfoxgloveangstchallenge put on by the wonderful @almostfoxglove. The song I was given with this prompt was Death Row by Chris Stapleton so if you want to listen along to get you in the mood go right ahead! I'm actually super proud of both 1) writing a pretty angsty fic since I'm a solid member of the fluff committee and 2) I usually don't write this long of fic. So I hope you all enjoy this work.

They did it. The Red Viper was finally captured after avoiding different law enforcement across dozens of counties. He could hide in plain sight and only peek out of his burrow when he was ready to strike. There were many reported deaths tied directly to the outlaw, and they were always closely tied to the Sherriff which caused a stir in this section of the country. 

But now the region didn’t need to worry about this mysterious man any longer. He was brought into local custody when he was detained at the scene of the murder of Sheriff Tywin Lannister’s Gregor Clegane aka The Mountain. By the time the Sheriff got there The Mountain was already dead and the Red Viper who, surrounded by a group of the Lannister’s men, was just staring at the corpse of his victim. He didn’t put up any sort of fight when he was arrested, nor did he defend himself during his very short trial. 

You were there despite your dad’s attitude towards you. Considering you were his bastard child he didn’t want you anywhere near the judicial area of town, but that still didn't stop you. Your other siblings were regular attendants so you would be too. 

 You took in the man on trial. The Red Viper was someone to be feared and brought nothing but death in his wake. But when you looked at the golden man on the judgement stand you saw the expression on his face. He was calm and even a bit cocky as he leaned back in his chair with his feet on the table. 

Of course he was sentenced to death by hanging. The evidence against him was undeniable, and soon he would be left to rot in his cell until the day they called up to the gallows. You lingered in the courtroom that day, staring at the door the guards let him through long after he was gone. Something about his expression made you want to visit him. 

That day you came up with a plan. Luckily you had your father’s schedule down to a science. After he left in the morning you knew he wouldn’t be back until supper giving you plenty of time to sneak into the jails. The only problem was the guards. Unfortunately they were all too aware of who you were, so going in the front door wasn’t an option. Behind the prison would be your best bet. 

With your plan in motion, you set out to discover who this man was. You peaked out the backdoor of the house making sure the coast was clear. When you saw no one you quietly ran across the street. Taking the familiar alleys and backways you found yourself at the back of the holding cells. As you thought there were only two guards at the front which meant no one would be inside. The building was top of the line, but you knew the backways into the cells thanks to your years of sneaking behind your father’s back. 

You approached the barred window and gave each of the bars a tug. Just like you thought a couple of them were loose from the recent rain and you were able to pull them just enough to shimmy inside. You really ought to tell your father about this escape route, but you also weren’t too keen on your father. 

The holding cells were as musty as you remember. There were hardly any windows so the air felt heavy and old. Years of prisoners breathing the same air as they awaited a similar end created a sense of weight to the area. All of the cells were empty save for the one the Red Viper was held in which from the clinking of stones being thrown was the last one of the left. 

Slowly you approached being as quiet as you can be. Despite this though a rough accented voice flowed through the quiet hallway. “I told you I had no intention of giving you a statement.” 

“I apologize I’m not the press.” You reply and step out of the shadows. 

The Red Viper leaned against the far wall, hands in his lap picking absently at his nail, the pile of tossed stones at the edge of the bars. What little light trickled into the jail beamed against the prisoner’s bright yellow outfit. But the luster of the outfit was damped by the dust and grime that gathered on the material over the course of time. His face matched his clothes. What was once a well trimmed and care for beard was ragged and well past its shave date. 

When you came into view, he raised his eyebrows confused at your presence. “Well you are not what I was expecting to waltz through those doors.” His dark eyes raked over your body curious about the creature in front of him. 

“It seems I’m not the only one visiting the infamous Red Viper.” You comment. 

He rolled his eyes. “If you are here to spit and drag my name through the mud. I’m not interested.” 

“How can I drag your name through the mud if I don’t know your name,” You quip back. 

The Red Viper smirks. “Smart mouth on this one. I quite like that. Makes you different from the other rats of this town.” 

“Well unfortunately some of those rats are my family so I’m supposed to be offended for them,” You sigh and sit down in front of the bars. 

The prisoner leaned forward taking a better look at you since you were more in the dim light. “I recognize you from the trial. You sat with the other sheriff's children. Since when did Lannister children converse with criminals?” 

“Just now. I guess one of us has to break tradition.” You shrug your shoulders. 

“And I am the one you’re breaking tradition for? Truly an honor.” He gently tips his head to you. 

“Well you are infamous in this area. A lot of people hate you,” You tell him bluntly. 

“They hate me for all the wrong reasons.” 

You look back towards the doors. Still as silent as when you came in. “I don’t hate you.” 

He scanned your face looking for anything that would give you away. “Why?” 

You took a deep breath. “I saw the way you held yourself at the trial.” You turned your head back to him. “There’s more to you than meets the eye.” 

“Clever thing you are,” He muses dark predatory eyes raking up and down your body. “You are correct. I’m not just some senseless killer.” 

You leaned forward bracing your forearm across your knee. “Then tell me.”

He was quiet for a long time and you almost thought he fell asleep, but his voice spoke again. “Come back tomorrow and I will tell you my story. But there will be an equivalent exchange.” 

You mull over his words. “And what are you looking for in exchange?” 

The Red Viper leaned his head back against the dirty bricks and gazed at your form. “Bring me something that is dear to you. It will be enough to match the importance of my story.” 

You were quiet for a moment thinking over his offer. There was something that was near and dear to your heart that you knew that would satisfy the stranger, but was this story really worth the possibility of losing your precious item. A soft sigh escaped your lips and you smirked. “Your story better be damn important.” 

The stranger smirked and nodded his head. “That will be determined by you.” 

Carefully you stood up and brushed off the accumulated dust from your pants. “Fine, expect me around the same time tomorrow.” 

“I’ll be waiting with baited breath for your return.” He replied, that cocky smirk returning to his lips. 

You gave him a small nod before quietly retracing your steps out of the escape route. Just as carefully as you arrived you returned to your house. It was silent as a morgue, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Gods only know what would happen if you had to explain where you’ve been all day to any member of your family. 

You returned to your bedroom and sat down on the familiar furniture. The silence allowed you to ruminate on the day. A stranger walks into your life and you had no idea how this was about to change your life. Thoughts kept rolling over in your head, leaving your appetite less than ideal. Your family wouldn’t miss you for dinner. This was your safe haven. 

Carefully you lit the candle beside you bed and grabbed the book you had been reading opening it up to your saved spot. Though you only made it a few chapters. The weight of that story made your eyes drowsy making the idea of a nap sound like the best idea. You kicked off your shoes and let yourself curl up on your bed. The thoughts in your head drifted but you soon found yourself in a deep sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun slowly filtered into your room adding a warm glow to everything. The light hit your closed eyes and pulled you from the land of dreams. You grumbled annoyed to be awakened in such a manner, but the events of yesterday trickled back into your mind. That was enough to motivate you to get out of bed.  

Slowly you went over to your water basin and cupped the water in your hands splashing it into your face. The feeling of the cool water woke you up more allowing you to take a breath. You took your wash cloth and gently rubbed the sleep from your face wanting or rather needing yourself to be fully awake today. After you finished your morning routine, you traveled downstairs. 

The remnants of breakfast were on the table and an array of meats and breads were left messily on the counter, but yet no one was around. You sighed. This was the usual. Your father and Jamie always left at the crack of dawn, and Cersei couldn’t be bothered to talk to you. Who knew where your other brother was which gave you too much time to yourself. 

You sighed and gathered what you could for a meal, and luckily they had left enough for you to eat your fill. Staring at the empty chairs in front of you really did solidify what you were about to do. It was obvious that your family didn’t give two shits about you. A “bastard” claimed as a Lannister so their name would be smeared through the horse’s shit they rode in on. Why would it hurt to hear the story from this man.The Mountain had only done harm and it was under your father’s command that he committed such actions. With those thoughts you were resolved. 

Leaving the table how you found it, you hurried back up to your room to find the item the stranger wanted. With some effort you pulled the chest from under your bed and with the sleeve of your shift gently wiped the dust from the lid to reveal the pattern underneath. With familiar ease you traced the name that was etched into the wood. 

You missed your mother. Another victim of this wretched town. You popped the lock open on the trunk and rummaged around until your fingers hit the familiar cool metal. Carefully you pulled the necklace out from underneath the pile of her clothes. The heart shaped locket rested easily against your palm. Tears pricked at your eyes and you gently pressed a kiss to it. 

Emotions stirred in your chest, blurry memories coming to the forefront of your mind. But you didn’t have time for that. The stranger’s story was waiting for you. You took a deep breath before gathering the chain and setting it on your dresser. You made sure the chest made it back under your bed before you got changed for the day. Carefully you slipped the necklace into your pocket giving it a gentle pat.

Without losing another moment you hurried out of the house. Following a similar path as you did yesterday, you sneaked your way back to the holding cells. Everything seemed the same as yesterday and plopped down from the bars, falling harder than you were expecting.

You froze for a few seconds making sure that the guards didn’t hear the sound. When there was no indication of the guards sensing your presence, you tipped-toed your way back to the holding cells. Just like you left him yesterday there the stranger was against the wall with his head against the bricks. 

His head tilted towards the sound and the corners of his mouth tipped upward  when he saw it was you. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” 

You rolled your eyes but there was a grin on your face. “You just met me.” You comment as you sit down on the dirty floor once again. 

“And yet you came back all for a little story.” He mused his eyes following your movement. 

“I did.” You answered and reached into your pocket. While holding the chain you held the locket in front of you. The Red Viper sat forward in interest and for the first time since meeting him he got up and sat in front of the bars. With well worn and bruised fingers he caressed the metal with a surprising gentleness for a so-called ruthless killer. 

“Who did this belong to?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of the metal. 

“My mother.” You whispered 

The stranger looked up at you. “I’m sorry.” He whispered understanding the situation and yet no words were exchanged. 

He opened the locket. “To my beautiful child. May the fawn protect you from the wrath of the lions.” You quoted the inscription from memory. Everynight when you were growing up you fell asleep with the memento under your pillow. You didn’t know your mother, but you knew she would always protect you. 

With curiosity etched in his expression, the stranger looked back at you. “I take it the Lannisters aren’t good to you either.” 

You scoffed. “You could say it. My father decided to bed a daughter of a man whom he wanted for his land. So he had me as blackmail and took what he thought was his. My mother was ruined and I’ve never seen her.” You were quiet for a moment. “It only seemed fair that a story about the Lannisters be met with a similar fate.” You let the chain slip from your hands letting it hit the floor with a clink. 

The Red Viper watched where the jewelry hit the ground for a moment. “Yes, unfortunately our stories are not that different.” He said as his fingers brushed the metal of the fallen memento. 

You leaned your weight against your arm. “Tell me what my father did against you.” 

 “I hope you didn’t have plans to go anywhere else. For this is a long story.” He answered, tilting his head. 

“I am here until you finish your tale.” You reply honestly. 

The Red Viper took a deep breath and released it slowly through his nose. “Okay then you shall hear my tale.” 

Flash Back 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fires of the town were still smoldering by the time he arrived. Heat blasted his face as he frantically searched the town. Many were screaming and running away from the danger, but he was racing into the flames. “Elia!” He yelled over the crack of the ignited wood. The sweat from the heat kept his hair in place as he whipped his head around to get even a glimpse of his sister. 

“Please where are you?” He whispered to himself as he desperately ran from building to building hoping that they were okay. His chest heaved with each pant and would’ve kept running forever, but a sound as loud as a thundercrack bellowed across the crumbling town. 

He whipped his head around and saw what he had been dreading. The familiar house where his sister and her children resided in past familiarity was all but rubble under the broiling flames. Ignoring any sense of safety, the stranger hurried up the broken sign hoping of the slim chance he could pull them out. 

Smoke filled his mouth and burned his eyes, but a simple pain like this wasn’t going to stop him. His family needed him. Without a care for his own wellbeing, he barges through the charred door. 

“Elia!” He screamed over the fire’s roars as he once again tried to find his sister desperately searching every charred nook and cranny. Until his eyes landed on something, and it wasn’t the smoke that caused his tears this time. With shaking legs, he kneeled in front of a fallen beam. Peeking underneath it was a charged hand. On that hand was the ring he recognized all too well. He was there when that ring slipped on his finger when she married Rhaegar. He was there when he held his first nephew and she was exhausted from giving birth. He was there when she told him of her husband’s divorce, and subsequent cheating. 

A crushing sob escaped out of his parched lips and he desperately clung to what was left of his beloved sister. Oh he wanted to stay with her as she burned away to ash, but the gods were cruel and just like the beam that took his sister, another one crashed beside him pulling him from his grief. 

Without a second thought he pulled the ring off of her charred hand and rushed back to the safety of the dark night. He stumbled along the charred pathway eventually tripping on a loose branch. There was nothing he would do but let himself fall. The stranger let himself weep as his world burned around him. His eyes blurred with the tears that continuously fell for his sister and her children. Embers rained around him leaving burn holes in his once vibrant clothing.

When there were no tears left to cry, he didn’t move. He didn’t have the energy to even think about escaping. Though something did catch his eye, something flashing with the dying flames. With all the energy he could muster, he reached out and grabbed the mysterious object. A five star badge with the infamous silver lion etched in the middle. An emblem only used by one family in the area which he knew all too well. 

Sorrow reversed to rage. A rage as hot as the fires that took his sister. The damned lions were responsible for this. He gripped the badge in his hands, the points pressed into his palm causing a slow stream of blood to flow down his arm. He would get his revenge. He would undo this wrong that was cursed upon his innocent family. He glared at the star. Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You didn’t realize but tears were streaming down your cheeks until you felt a rough hand caress the droplets from your skin. The touch pulled you out the trace and you looked back at the prisoner. 

“I’m sorry.” You sniffled as another round of tears sprang to life. 

“What are you sorry for? Did you kill me sister?” He joked tilting his head. 

“No but I carry that name therefore I carry a part of that sin.” 

The stranger shook his head. “My strange dove, you have no reason to be responsible for your bastard of a father.” 

You took a deep breath calming yourself. “Weirdly enough you're the first person to say that.” You chuckle sadly as you wipe away the spent tears. 

The Red Viper gazed at you with a glimmer in his dark brown eyes. “You really are fascinating.” 

“You’re the fascinating one. But please this isn’t about me. Continue your tale.” You shook your head hiding the heat in your cheeks. 

The way he stared into your eyes it was evident that he wanted to continue his compliments, but for your sake he continued his tale. The stranger leaned back on his hands and tipped his head back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through many sleepless nights he rode through all the cities, taking names of anyone who might have been involved. He slaughtered many who even had a chance of being involved in the death of his family. If a man had any chance of involvement with the Lannisters, they were questioned on Tywin and his monster of a sheriff, but when they offered no information they were slain on the spot. The only lead the Red Viper could glean from the loyal rats was a preacher in the next town over who was a pastor for a town the Lannisters owned. So as quickly as the stranger could, he mounted his horse and spurred the creature to gallop as fast as its legs could carry them. 

By the time he arrived at the small town, the church crowd had dispersed and were already gathering for the after-sermon meals. Most of the people didn’t notice the outlaw riding into town, but a few jumped back when he stopped his horse a few feet from the entrance. Quickly he tied a loose knot with the reins and stalked up the stairs. 

The church was nothing like the grand sanctuaries in the other bigger towns. It was large enough to house the town's inhabitants with minimal iconography with a simple altar at the head of the church. There stood the Father clearing up the remnants of the sermon. 

“I had a feeling you would find me sooner rather than later,” The man remarked not turning around to meet the stranger. The Red Viper pulled his gun out, pointing the barrel at the back of the preacher. “Shooting me will do you no good either. You can’t get information out of a corpse.” At this remark the preacher glanced over his shoulder at the outlaw. 

“Then talk, Varys. I know you who burned my sister’s town to the ground,” The Red Viper growled, cocking the gun. 

“My my my you are a volatile creature. It’s a wonder you haven’t been caught soon with the trail of bodies I hear you’ve left in your wake,” Varys turned and tucked his hands under his arms. “You seem tense. A cup of tea will calm the nerves.” He turned and ducked under the doorway leading down to the secluded areas of the chapel, unperturbed by the angry man standing in the aisle.

The Red Viper stared at the empty space where Father Varys was standing and cautiously followed him to the chambers. The priest was already preparing the tea with the two cups set on the table. “I figured you could use some chamomile to soothe that seething soul of yours.” 

The stranger didn’t respond but sat down at the empty spot across from the priest. “I swear to the heavens if you try to poison me.” 

Varys smirked as he sipped from his own mug. “You are the Red Viper. You are the king of poisons. The lowest level thug wouldn’t be dumb enough to test your prowess.”

Staring at his cup for a moment, then took the warm liquid up to his lips for a drink. A few sips weren’t enough for him until he finished the whole mug not caring about the burn down his throat. 

The priest sighed as he set the cup back down on the table. Oberyn stared at the priest.  “Now tell me when I can find the Mountain.” 

“He will be at the King’s Landing Tavern for the next few days. Tywin has a new mission for him.” 

“You know for someone who is loyal to the Lannisters, you spill their secrets like a drunken wench.” 

Varys chuckled. “Claiming I was ever loyal to the Lannisters was your first mistake.” 

“A man must have some loyalties.” 

“My loyalties lie with me and only me.” Father Varys gazed over his cup before taking another sip. 

The Red Viper narrowed his gaze. “What then do you get out of telling a wanted criminal the location of the Lannister’s right hand man?” 

Varys shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Let’s say the Mountain has also done some less than savory things to ones I care for as well.” 

The outlaw was silent for a moment. “Thank you,” The stranger answered as he turned away from the doorway. 

“Be careful Viper. The lions will writhe when you succeed,” Varys warned. He dipped his head in acknowledgment as he headed out of the sanctuary. The time was now to prepare for their fateful meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The King’s Landing Tavern was alive and music poured from the swinging double doors as the Red Viper stood outside. He had been prepared for this moment since he found his family destroyed by this man. Taking a deep breath letting the anger fuel the energy he needed to move his limbs into the establishment. 

Pushing the wooden doors open, he stepped into the saloon and everything stopped. This bar was only for a select few of the Lannister elites and seeing a stranger meant you were in for some trouble. Scanning the seats his eyes landed on the giant of the man taking up two seats at the bar. He was easily bigger than any of the other patrons, and the Red Viper had his target. 

Ignoring the stares from the rest of the group he sidled up to the bar and plopped down in an empty stool beside his target. “A whiskey dry.” The Red Viper ordered the bartender who without a word took an empty glass and poured two fingers worth of whiskey in the glass. 

With the ease of years of bartending, he slid the glass down to him, but a big arm intercepted the glass. “You shouldn’t be here.” 

“And you shouldn’t have messed with my family,” He calmly replied, staring at the shelves of dark liquor. 

“I don’t remember the names of those I’ve slaughtered.” 

The stranger had to keep his anger under control as he felt his blood boil. “I will make you remember this one.” 

The large man scoffed. “Good luck with that.” He whipped out his shotgun as The Red Viper leaped off his chair. The bullet buried itself in the wall behind him. 

The outlaw jumped, rolling as he hit the floor and pulled his own six shooter out. The rest of the bar whipped out their own guns and the stranger waved it at the crowd. “This is between me and the Mountain. If anyone else decides they want to intervene, then I shall send them to an early grave.” He swiveled his feet and turned to point the barrel at his opponent. “My wrath lies with this man.” 

The Mountain cracked his neck and shook out his limbs. “And tell me what are my crimes.” 

“Elia Martell. You were ordered to kill her by Tywin Lannister,” He growled and fired a shot at his enemy. One missed Gregor who dodged out of the way, but the other one grazed his retreating limb. But a single scrape wasn’t enough to even make the Mountain grimace. 

“I kill many people with or without the Sheriff’s command. What makes you think she was any special?” The Mountain sneered and spit at the ground beside the stranger. 

“Tywin Lannister gave the order to murder and raped her and you will confess to every person here who is loyal to the pack of lions!” 

At his words the Mountain cocked his shotgun once more and The Red Viper dodged once more as he leapt onto a nearby table. Using his own momentum he turned and fired two more shots at the giant both embedding themselves into his right bicep. This time a groan emanated throughout the bar as a thick trail of blood streamed down the curves of his arm before dripping onto the floor. 

The Mountain snarled, flashing his teeth at his opponent and went to shoot him again when an empty click. The Red Viper took the opportunity to shoot again burying the remaining two bullets this time in his left leg. Gregor stumbled and landed on his knees. 

“What did you do?!” He screamed unfamiliar with the feeling of his life draining out of him. 

“Besides shooting you five times, I laced the bullets with poison,” He answered as he swaggered forward. Out from the creases of his pants he pulled his faithful dagger. “I wouldn’t try anything.” He tipped the knife under his chin forcing him to meet his gaze. 

“Now confess your crimes.” The stranger growled down at his enemy pressing the tip enough into his skin for a dribble of blood to bubble up. 

The Mountain sneered at his face. “Fine, yes I killed your sister and her children. And you know what? I enjoyed every second.” He spit a wad of spit up at the outlaw, landing on his fine clothing. 

With a yell as loud as a thundercrack, The Red Viper grabbed the Mountain’s damp hair tugging it violently to show the crowd. “Everyone will bear witness to the man who avenges his family against the Lannisters.” He screamed, his voice booming in the closed environment. With surgical precision he sliced the blade across his vein sending waves of crimson blood pouring down his shirt soaking the material with his life force. The multiple gunshot wounds had made his opponent unable to resist. The gurgles slowed as The Red Viper watched as his sister’s murderer’s soul left his body leaving his eyes and finally stilled. 

The bar was silent for several ticks before all hell broke loose. People tore the outlaw away from his body and immediately arrested him, keeping him pinned until the authorities arrived. But he didn’t resist. He had finished what the Lannister’s had started. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So that’s why you were so calm. You completed your quest,” You concluded in a whisper not taking your eyes off of his tear stained cheeks. Unsurely you reached up and cupped his damp cheek with your soft palm. The Red Viper sighed and nuzzled into your touch. The weight of his story now shared between two instead of his own conscience. 

“Elia and her children can rest easy now knowing they have been avenged,” He said as he gazed into your eyes. 

Your heart pulled out his look. Your souls have now mingled when you realized how badly the world had treated both of you, and the pull toward him was greater than any consequences that might come of this reunion. 

Together you kissed with reckless abandon and yet a gentleness that you had never experienced before. The feeling of wanting every inch of this man you had come to care for in a matter of days and yet wanted to take as much time as you could before they called him to hang. 

The unfortunate need to breathe in oxygen pulled you aparted but you stayed close. “What’s your name stranger?” You whispered against his chapped lips. 

“Oberyn.” He replied gently, nudging your cheek with his nose. 

You pulled him in by his dirtied shirt and desperately kissed him again. Lips grazed his stubble cheeks and you whispered your name into the shell of his ear. 

A shutter surged through Oberyn. “My little dove, such a stunning name.” 

Your soft hands gently cup his thick neck, your thumb gently caressing his Adam's apple which bobbed as he swallowed, taking in your touch. Carefully you brought your lips to his once again kissing him with both fierceness and tenderness. You etched every feeling into every inch of your brain, willing yourself to keep him in your thoughts forever. 

You ached to stay by his side wishing you could touch him, caressing him like his damaged soul needed. But noises from outside cause you to whip your head away from Oberyn. 

“Go get to safety,” Oberyn whispered, stealing one last kiss from your lips.

“I’ll come back tomorrow” You promised as you took your time letting him go. With one final glance you hurried out of the cells and escaped before you could get caught. 

That night you couldn’t sleep, the vivid story replayed on an endless cycle in your mind. With each replay your soul burned hotter with hatred for the name that was forced upon you. You were not a Lannister, you were your mother’s child, and this miraculous stranger revealed to you that you could change your own fate. 

With a renewed vigor you quietly gathered your most essential items into a small pouch. You would save Oberyn and take him away from this place, away to a place where the Lannister’s influence hadn’t spoiled. The night passed as you worked away devising a plan. Just as the light filtered in your bed just like it did yesterday before you knew Oberyn’s story and the months and years spent under the glaring eyes of your “family,” you were ready for your plan. 

You tiptoed down the stairs past an empty table and hurried down the familiar path. Though when you passed the town square you noticed a crowd was forming. Peaking around the corner of the alley, what you saw sent your heart plumpting. The familiar gleam of that fabric that you had become quite intimate in knowing was standing on the crudely made structure. There your Oberyn stood atop the gallows staring out at the jeering crowd. 

Without a second thought you rushed to stand in the crowd. You had to get to him. You pushed and shoved trying to get to the structure but just like the world was cruel to Oberyn, the Fates decided to turn that cruelty to you. No one would budge and break. You would have to witness from afar as his neck snapped on the rope of death. 

Bitter tears stung your eyes as the executioner read out his last rights. Oberyn was tense and silent as his eyes scanned the crowd in search of something. Your eyes met his, and his shoulders relaxed. Just like that day at the trial, resolve was etched on his tired face. 

The hanging rope was slung over Oberyn’s neck with a roughness only hatred could bring.  “Does the felon have any last words?” 

Oberyn took a deep breath and without taking his eyes off of yours. “All you may hate me for my actions,” a loud boo emanated from the crowd. He raised his voice to be heard over the yells. “But I will never forget one of you,” He started and raised his palms to the crowd, “I’ve engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” A sob escaped your lips as you read the scabbed markings on his worn hands. There in bloody letters read your name. He would take your name to the grave with you and your heart clenched. 

The crowd jeered louder at him, finding his stunt to be another cruel jab at the Lannister name, but for you it meant the sad reality that a man who you had known for only a few days would take you to his grave. Your memory of your kindness would keep his soul company as the angel ascended him to his afterlife. 

The executioner spit by Oberyn’s feet a wad of shame at the crimes this man had committed. “‘Nough out of you murderer,” He sneered as he tied the wounded hands violently behind Oberyn’s back.��

But Oberyn didn’t react, didn’t say anything in his defense. He kept his eyes on you, and as the executioner marched to the lever that would take your man from this world, Oberyn smiled softly and mouthed something that would stay with you for the rest of your life, “I love you,” as the lever was pulled. You closed your eyes as his body fell through the floor and a crack boomed across the crowd. 

Sobs racked your body as the people around you cheered. Everyone could rest easy as the Red Viper was finally slain. But safety wouldn’t come to you not when your family still ruled this town. So with the cover of the cheering crowds, you darted away from the people carrying your meager belongings. You ran. It didn’t matter what direction. It didn’t matter where you were going. You were going to run until the Lannister name was just a last name, and not a name that brought blood and sorrow to everyone around it. Until then your legs didn’t stop moving as the wide vance of the country spread out before you. 

Your legs collapse from beneath you and your breath heaves. It was now when your emotions caught up with you. There on your knees in the middle of the wilderness did you finally throw back your head and wail like a wild animal letting out the sorrows of its ancestors, and yet the birds still chirped and the world spun as if the life of Oberyn didn’t matter to anyone else but you.

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[haru-natsuka]

Last step part 1 (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader)

Genre: Romance

Continuation of Chapter 1 : First step (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader)

In the vast garden near the side of the castle, two kids, a boy and girl were running around and playing together, the vibe they were making up silly and hilarious scenarios, and making each other giggle with their playful banter. They were so wrapped up in their antics that everything happening around them seemed distant and far away.

Their energy and excitement were contagious, and their deep connection and friendship was evident to all who saw them. It was just a perfect day filled with joy, laughter, and fun.

The mother of the girl was sneaking off the kids' antics in secret as she kept on giggling to herself. Clearly she was voting them to be together due to the vibe around them. Should she discuss this with Ruggie, the boy's father?

As you were too immersed in observing the kids, a hand sneakily wrapped around your waist and pulled you into a tight embrace from behind. Before you could even scream for help, another hand was clasped on her mouth and her voice just came out as muffled. The rapid heartbeat and pounding chest felt overwhelming and disorienting, making it difficult to think clearly or speak. It was a frightening experience. Was this another assassination in killing you because you are one of the royal?

"Why are you hiding yourself here, dear?" That one particular familiar deep tone and yet calming was the one that reassured you that the person behind you meant no harm. Your body's stop squirming for escape in his grips and you lean your back on his hard toned chest. You raised your head to look up at him who was staring down back at you with his usual smug smile that charmed your heart.

Leona noticed that you would not let out any scream as you know it just him, slowly release his hand on top of your mouth and gingerly stroking your cheek before placing a kiss on your forehead. A smile of delight forms on your face as you love the affection he gives you and silently want more of it.

The marital relationship between you both had progressed drastically after the first step you took. Turns out, both of you actually have feelings for each other but did not know how to show it and now let's just say you and Leona were very affectionate even in public.

"I'm just watching our daughter. The two of them might even fall in love of they spend more time with each other"

"You mean that little bastard of Ruggie?"

"Hey, don't say that. He might be our son-in-law before you know it" Leona was giving the boy his aggressive glare as if he wanted to punish the boy for approaching his beloved cute daughter.

"No, my daughter will not get married. She only needs a man who is her father. I should punish Ruggie for bringing that brat"

"Leona don't. Ruggie and his son have done nothing wrong and I will bless their relationship" You caressed Leona's arms to calm him down and divert his gaze from the kids towards you by holding his cheek. That is enough to make his anger decreased as he melt with your touch and affection.

"Alright, let's not focus on this. The future is unpredictable. Instead, you can focus on the current moment like spending more time with your husband before his expedition" He snuggled closer to her as he rubbed his cheek into her palm.

Although both couples would prefer to indulge themself in their newfound happiness, they need to put it aside for a while as their country was hit with heavy drought. In the first place, their country did not have very good land as plants would rarely grow and it was very hard to find any sources of water.

They push everything bad to the unfortunate second prince while the firstborn is raised in glory. It was very unfair and unfortunate but second on the throne barely could do anything except abide by everything. The only way to overcome this situation this time was unluckily to ask for His Majesty, Farena's help. Leona's only brother.

"Make sure you come back safe. The journey is long and tough but please come back as soon as you can. We will miss you dearly, Leona."

"I did not even think to spend a lot of time in that place. My place is beside you and our daughter only. You guys are the only ones for me, dear. I love both of you so much."

"We love you too, my husband. Safe journey"

With a heavy heart, Leona went ahead with his visit to his brother's kingdom and everyone else could only wait in anticipation for the benefit of his journey there. It should take only about a week for Leona to return but there was no news of him yet. Therefore, everyone could just wait and wait until it was already one month of a sleepless night. In the early morning, a royal carriage came into Leona's estate.

As you cannot wait any more, you grabbed your outerwear and eagerly ran down towards the carriage from your shared chamber. After a month, your husband is finally back. You would shower him with kisses and hugs and even if he got annoyed because of it you would never stop. It had been a long wait. However, no new delightful news greets you. No Leona came to greet you except for his corpse. Instead of victory, he returned back as a kingdom betrayer. He had killed Farena, Sunset Savana's king.

Next: Last step part 2 (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader)

[cree-n-jewish-thoughts]

Alright. Just so everyone knows I am very familiar with Canadian laws, and the charter of rights and freedoms we have (including the fine print).

Let me explain speech and groupings.

So according to the part 2 of the charter you do have protected speech*, you have a right to post about politics and such, you have a right to complain, you have a right to peacefully assemble (protest), and the right to associate with people and groups freely.

But let's get into what is not protected by the above.

Your speech cannot slander, defame, harass, spread propaganda, you cannot spread lies about a certain group such as protected groups like indigenous, religious groups or agencies, sexual orientation, gender, race, etc. . Essentially you cannot pinpoint a certain group with harmful speech. So, with that said how much propaganda has been spread by non Jews about Jewish ideals like Zionism. This is not protected by our Charter. You spreading propaganda about our country, our people (including certain groups), government, other countries, other peoples, and other governments is not protected according to the charter of rights and freedoms of Canada.

It's sad when a government is bending to the will teenagers and people who either can't vote, or probably won't vote (typical demographics on voting populations proves this).

It's sad when the government has such an ingrained antisemetic history and ideals that they will not literally enforce the laws that surround these peoples freedoms.

I'm tired of sending letters to the government and having no response, not even seeing them respond to all the antisemtism and the exponential rise of it within the last ten months.

I'm just done.

[gunkreads]

Wheel of Time: what’s the deal with sniffing (e.g. Hurin)? Is it a Talent that doesn’t rely on being able to channel?

I'm far from a lore expert for Wheel of Time, so I can't really give you an actual explanation. My milieu is less "How does the world of WoT work?" and more "Why is the world of WoT written the way it's written?"

The short version is that I don't know the answer. The (incredibly) long version, hidden under a cut so anyone who knows for sure and wants to answer doesn't have to reblog misinfo, is:

I'm not an expert in historical folklore, but one thing I do know from learning a very small bit about things like Arthuriana and the Edda (Scandanavian written folklore) is that sometimes, there's a Guy Who Can Do That. Frequently, there are a lot of Guys Who Can Do That, "that" being some special talent (or Talent, in the case of WoT) that's unique to them. Sometimes it's a hunter being able to completely, literally disappear in an empty field in broad daylight; sometimes it's a fisherman being able to pilot a dinghy through 12-foot seas; sometimes it's a farmer being able to snap his fingers at a pack of wolves and send them running. A lot of these talents are related to trade, with the heavy implication that the person was born with a bit of talent and has honed that talent to a superhuman degree over a lifetime's experience.

Sound familiar? The general concept behind Hurin's sniffing talent is the same. This guy was presumably born with (or developed at an early age) an exceptionally good sense of smell. Maybe he could tell when his baby sibling was about to get sick by the smell of their breath; maybe he could tell what was for dinner before he got home. Something like that.

Jordan pulled a lot of the main continent's cultures from real-life European folklore and history. Part of the world's strength is the way Jordan mixes-and-matches different cultures such that no WoT country is really equivalent to any real-life country. However, the streak of European-centric mythology present in the story is hard to ignore and foolish to downplay.

Now that I've established that, I'll start "answering" you, as much as this is a non-answer.

Channeling is MAGIC magic. It's something from nothing, ignores the first law of thermodynamics, allows for control of physical forces through supernatural means. Sure, there's a strong basis of physics themes suffusing the magic system, but it's fundamentally still magic.

Hurin's sniffing is a talent. Sure, it's a Talent, too, but fundamentally, it's just a talent. Something he's naturally good at that he's honed. Some people just have more sensitive noses than others. Remember, now, that this world is not our own, however much effort Jordan made to make that plausible. The talent of "having a good nose" can be elevated above its maximum capacity in real life. Did you ever watch action cartoons as a kid? Like Teen Titans, PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack? You know how they can kind of just jump off 5-story buildings with no problem? Sure, it's a conceit of the genre, but it's not explicitly magical, they're just very special.

Hurin falls into that category of "just very special". For the purposes of the story, he's "a very skilled tracker" and "an impetus for Perrin to further question his identity". The mechanism by which he tracks--superhuman ability to smell--is not a magical thing. It's just WoT's version of Batman surviving getting thrown into asphalt hard enough to crater it. Some people can do that in this world. Most people can't, but some people can.

It's also important to juxtapose Hurin's talent within the Borderlander, and specifically Shienaran, social system. The Borderlanders are all about utility and vigilance. Hurin is practically a walking, talking early-warning system. If the wind is bearing southwest, he can probably smell Trollocs before they hit Tarwin's Gap. He is valued at such a high level, and his talents are held up on such a pedestal, because he's part of a culture that values individual utility above all else. If you can do something that nobody else can, you're doing it as much as possible, full stop. He isn't forced to do this--he's just a member of a culture that's defined by hard work and individual contribution to the cause (of safety and being a bulwark against the Blight). He'd be a rebel, and in Shienaran eyes a coward, if he didn't dedicate his life to honing this talent that can be used to aid his countrymen.

So my short answer is "Hurin's sense of smell has nothing to do with channeling". Having superhuman abilities and being able to touch the True Source are two separate things. There's a lot of overlap, sure, but there are people (like Hurin and Perrin, to different degrees) who are just Guys Who Can Do That. This is one of Jordan's ways of illustrating that there's "special" and there's "SPECIAL"; Hurin is the former, while most of the protagonists are the latter. Hurin could be the protagonist of a less-expansive fantasy story. He's got one single talent that fundamentally sets him apart from his companions.

The purpose this serves in the story is twofold. For one, it's using Jordan's favorite way of deepening his world: creating unsolvable or incompletely-solvable mysteries. For two, it creates an important contrast against the main characters, who are special in much more extensive and concrete ways. It shrinks the gap between the main cast and the average person by establishing that, before the Emond's Field kids were released into the world, there were people who were already special or skilled beyond the average. Shit, look at Juilin! Look at Bayle! Look at Aludra! Look at Thom! These people are exceptional in some way before they meet the protagonist; it's pretty clearly established that that's why the ta'veren pull reels them in. These are people for whom there is a right place and right time, because they're exceptional. There are problems they're uniquely (or at least especially) equipped to solve. It doesn't make much sense for a ta'veren to have a one-in-a-million chance run-in with a thoroughly average person that has zero meaningful effect on their life. By god this is making me think about Gawyn so fucking hard. I won't digress that hard.

So Hurin exists in the story because he's a little bit special, and he only exists to be a little bit special.

The hole in this is that you could argue that literally everything in the WoT universe is channeling. The Wheel of Time is turned by the power from the True Source, so literally everything in the Pattern is fueled by the True Source and is therefore a result of some application of the Source. Of course, that's not what Channeling means--it's specifically a person accessing and manipulating the True Source--but there's still a connection, sorta.

JUST LIKE THE FUCKING PIPE

Again, I don't actually know this. I'm just putting together some conclusions based on what I remember and focusing more on the "why" than the "how".

[minniiaa]

Hehehe, I was hoping you'd like that idea though I don't think I ever saw your puppy Law post, I'll look for it at some point lol

As for the reason behind Law's sudden shift in affection… I didn't think about it until now. I woke up with a mission and nothing more! But now that you mention it, I have formulated a few of my own theories and also have chosen to take one of yours and run, sprint even.

I really like the idea of Law, who's been surrounded by death since he was barely double digits, suddenly gets hit with the weight of mortality. He never got the time for a grieving process, his parents and little sister died while he was trying to survive exactly what killed them and I doubt a 10 year old of any academic achievements could process that by himself. Cora died as soon as he was given a chance, a reason to hope again, Law was beaten and scorned at 13, he was tired but he couldn't bring himself to disrespect Corazone's last wish by allowing himself to die. He lived for years not for himself but for a man who risked it all for him, for parents who never got to see their son become a doctor, for a sick little sister who waited in a closet for her big brother, Law grew up living for anyone but himself because if he did he would find no reason behind it. So while he sits in a secluded corner of the hospital after that day's butcher's bill surpassed yesterday's, his mind slows down to try remembering some of those faces and names he couldn't save but for some ungodly reason all that comes to mind is Lami, Cora, his parents and suddenly the familiarity of death is no longer *just death*. Now it's a crooked smile that would need braces in a few years, grey hair, and that welcomed, looming figure behind him no longer being so tall, but none of that happened and Law, for the first time in 18 years, realizes he was robbed. Maybe it's a bit silly for a doctor to feel the weight of mortality at 28 years old, it's a feeling he needed though, that feeling sending him into an upward spiral quicker than he ever thought possible.

My own first thought, however, involved a play on the interaction between Law and Sengoku at the end of Dressrosa. Law's a surgeon known for having direct correlation with one of the most cruel crime families in the country, and while he has earned the legal trust of the police, one too many of them remember Law when he was that dickhead teen, so Sengoku tries saving as much face he can with his fellow officers by catching Law alone and briefly (Sengoku is holding back a lot) tries to bestow some grandpa wisdom onto him because his boy died for the one in front of him now. Sengoku wishes he could invite Law to his empty home for rice crackers and tea, or maybe coffee, Cora preferred coffee too. Law wants to know the man who raised the one who saved his life. Did Cora get his smile from Sengoku? They could both talk each other's ears off about one man but only Law gets answer before parting ways because above all else, Sengoku wanted Law to know that his son, his Rosinante, did not save him to fulfill a mission or some savior complex, he saved Law because he saw the life in a dying boy's eyes.

Second thought features, get this, living Cora!! I actually don't care much for angst, I want angst the way I want a bandaid on my arm. I know ripping it off is more beneficial but has anyone ever considered that I'm a little bitch? I digress though. Cora is fucking estatic when Law, very begrudgingly, admitted to be seeing someone. Sure Law has been in relationships before, however Law never let him know about said relationships until well AFTER they broke up, so to hear Law talk about his current partner at all automatically has him rooting in this mystery person's corner. The long awaited question finally can be asked, “When can I meet him?”. First of all, how did he know Luffy's a guy, Law hadn't said his name yet, second, never ever in the history of ever. He can't give up though, and Cora pushes Law to introduce him, saying he'll even wait a few months into the relationship so they don't feel rushed. Luffy and Law had been dating for AT LEAST a year at that point. Cora chooses to ignore that in the moment when Law breaks that news to him. Law is, honestly, a little flabbergasted by Cora’s investment in his love life, probably tries joking about showing Cora how to use tinder before it boils down and Law has to genuinely ask Cora why he's being so “weird” about Law's romantic life. Cora… Cora kinda just deadpan stares at Law out of complete shock at the realization that Law is being serious. With a tone akinned to one you would use when explaining to a child why Fido had to go to “the farm”, Cora absolutely dumps everything Law has done that's made him worry since learning of Law's romantic life. He recognized some of the names of Law's past partners, and he recognized them for a reason. It wouldn't have taken much from Cora to make Law realize just how stupid his question is, but Cora also wants Law to know just how special this person is for them to be having this conversation now. Law has always known how special Luffy is in comparison to his past relationships, but he's never had the right words to describe such facts, thanks to Cora of course.

Overall, the idea is that someone/something happens to make Law actually process his life/mindset which in turn makes him see clearly just how much Luffy has always meant to him. I dunno if I properly expressed just how little introspection Law has had to have done for him to break at 28 but my hands hurt from typing so I pass the baton to you in this relay race.

-💫💀💫

Yes, amazing anon! This is my personal favorite of the three (probably due to the expansion of my previous idea). I love your description of Law's relationship with mortality through the deaths of his parents, Cora, and Lami. How he doesn't realize until he's so much older and instead of making him feel downtrodden and even more sad, he almost feels relieved knowing that death is no longer looming behind him. Perhaps he's realizing his own mortality and knowledge that his life can be taken from him just as quickly as theirs. Now that this has finally clicked in his head (he knows it should have years ago he's a surgeon for fucks sake he watches people die everyday) he wants to live his life and love Luffy the way they both deserve to be loved because it could be over tomorrow.

This conversation with Sengoku is something I always wanted to incorporate into one of my stories and will probably do one day when I find the right one. I wish we knew more about Cora and Sengoku's relationship, they are both such fascinating characters and perhaps Law is understanding that Sengoku helped Cora grow some of his more admirable traits, like his desire to do the right thing and his ability to love so deeply. I firmly beleive Sengoku is a good man he just is not on the side of the story that we root for in One Piece and thus we see him as a villain but that's a topic for another day. But yes, the revelation of Cora saving him simply because he wanted to see Law live and be happy is something that can allow Law to truly move on. He's always been worried about making Cora proud and doing something with his life that is of value but maybe he realizes now that all Cora wanted for him was to be happy. Now he has someone in his life who makes him happier than anything in the world and it's high time he makes sure Luffy knows it.

Living Cora is the best and I used a conversation with him in one of my fics to help Law overcome his fears and tell Luffy he loves him so I am on board with this idea fully. Cora's totally invested in Law's love life, he wants him to be happy and knows that his little guy needs more love than even he can give him. He's been quietly watching from the sideline as Law dates and doesn't even tell him. He sees Law was in clearly unfulfilling relationships and he kept his mouth shut because he knows Law needs to experience life and that some people can't find their prince unless they kiss some frogs. However, now he sees the small changes in Law since he's been in this new relationship. He's less angry, he smiles more, he just overall seems more relaxed than Cora's ever seen him even if he is still the same uptight cranky Law. So he wants to meet Luffy not just to get to know him, but to thank him for finally being the person who can make his adopted son happy. As Cora explains how different Law is from Luffy and how he can just see how much he cares for him, Law sees it too. With a little encouragement from Cora about letting himself bask in the glow of this beautiful love he gets to experience and allow it to overtake him, Law finds himself seeing his point. There's no use in trying to hold back anymore, Luffy is already his and he knows more than anything Luffy just wants Law to give him every piece of him in return. So he does. Shout out to Cora for making Law's blockhead ass stop being so stubborn.

I think Law definitely needs SOME intervening person/event he's just a man so set in his ways whose mindset rarely gets changed. He cares about Luffy more than anything but he's never allowed himself to just let go and embrace what it really means to love and be loved. Once he does, there's no going back. :)

[i-am-still-bb]

FiKi Week by @gatheringfiki - Day 3 - 06.24.24

Never have I known a soul more familiar than yours, more worn into softness, more moulded to the very shame of my fingers, so that they may curl in it and hold you fast and steady. 

A/N: This isn't quite finished, but I'm not going to finish it tonight and I need to get tomorrow's piece done tomorrow... so... I ended it at what felt like a good point. It will continue in a couple of days when I have the other prompts filled. Until then... <3

--

Fast Car AU - Before

Fili’s house was quiet. His mother was out of town for the day. She had driven down to Fresno to see a show with some friends. They were even going to be staying the night in the city. She told Fili that she wouldn’t be back until around noon the next day. She had reminded him to take the bins to the curb in the morning, left $20 dollars on the fridge of pizza, and told him to behave himself. 

“Why would I ruin my choir boy reputation?”

His mother had rolled her eyes with a smile before she backed the SUV out of the driveway. 

//  Want to come over? - FeeD  //

// What’s on cable? - KiliO  //

//  Law and Order. American Dad. Movies featuring spiders. James Bond. The history channel is doing a Roman Empire weekend again. - FeeD  //

//  Hmm… Tempting… I’ll have to check my planner. - KiliO  //

//  Did I mention that the house is empty until tomorrow? And I’ve got pizza money? - FeeD  //

//  You mean that you have garlic bread knots money. - KiliO  //

//  So? Or do you have a better offer? - FeeD  //

//  Now that you mention it Max did say something about having a fifth of tekela… :p - KiliO  //

//  If that’s all it takes… ;) - FeeD  //

//  I’m not _that_ easy. - KiliO  //

//  Don’t I know it :p - FeeD  // 

//  Rude. - KiliO  //

//  Do you need a ride? - FeeD  //

//  I’m at the library. I’ll just bike over when I finish up here. - KiliO  //

//  Can’t wait. - FeeD  //

They had settled for the Law and Order themed reruns. It was warm outside, but the house was dark and cool with the curtains drawn and the A/C running. Kili was stretched out on the chaise lounge of the couch. He was wearing jeans—he hated the way that his legs looked in shorts—and a dark band t-shirt, but he still had an afghan pulled over his legs. He also had a Fili draped over his lap. Fili had stretched out on the main body of the couch. He had his head on Kili’s lap and his arms around Kili’s waist. His face was pressed to Kili’s belly.

A commercial came on flooding the room with light and always being a bit louder than the show. Kili adjusted the volume down and dropped his head back on the couch cushion. He slipped his hand down the next of Fili’s shirt and absently massaged the muscles there.

Fili groaned and shifted to provide better access for Kili.

Kili chuckled. “I thought you were asleep.”

Fili stretched, toes pointing, legs stiffening, back arching before he relaxed again. “I was,” he nuzzled his face against Kili. “That feels nice,” he hunched his shoulders. “Dwalin’s been killing us at practice on the field and in the weight room. I’m just so exhausted. And sore,” he winced when Kili’s fingers worked over a particularly sensitive spot.

“That sounds like a you problem. You chose to do football again this year. You could have been a bum like me and done cross country or nothing.”

Fili grumbled. “And be the guy who didn’t get the pin his senior year?”

Kili rolled his eyes.

“Still sounds like a you problem.”

Fili retaliated by biting Kili’s stomach through the blanket and Kili’s shirt, but Kili still shouted in exaggerated pain.

—

The pizza box was open on the coffee table and the bread bites were balanced on the arm of the couch waiting for an errant arm or leg to knock it over. The two litre bottle of Sprite that they had been sharing sat where the two parts of the couch intersected. It was almost buried by the blanket when it had been pushed aside.

Neither of them knew what was playing on the television anymore.

“I forgot to ask earlier—are you staying the night?”

“I don’t know. Do you want me to?” Kili looked uncertain.

“Only if you want to,” Fili assured.

“I didn’t bring any of my stuff.”

Fili shrugged. “We’ve always got spare toothbrushes and stuff in the bathroom.”

“I don’t have clothes for tomorrow or pyjamas.”

“For tomorrow you can just borrow one of my shirts, but for tonight what makes you think you’ll be wearing clothes?” Fili asked with a lopsided grin. He caught his fingers under the exposed waistband of Kili’s underwear and gently snapped it.

Kili’s cheeks flushed even in the dim and flickering light of the television screen. He pulled away from Fili and looked over Fili’s shoulder before asking, “Do I… can I… do I have to…” he looked down. He pushed himself off Fili’s lap. Fili’s eyes were wide with concern.

“Hey…” Fili reached for Kili’s hand.

“Can I wear pyjamas?” Kili asked quietly.

“Of course you can!” the word rushed out of Fili. “I was just teasing. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I—”

“I know you were teasing,” Kili took Fili’s hand. “I just…” he sighed. “I don’t want anyone else to see me… I guess.”

“But we’re the only ones here?”

Kili looked away. “I know. I just…” he shrugged. “What if like your mom came home early or your uncle let himself in or… I don’t know…”

“Pyjamas it is.”

Kili’s smile was weak.

Fili pulled a pleading face. “Will I still get cuddles?”

Kili pushed Fili’s foot with his own. “Only if you let me have the last of the Sprite.”

“Deal.”

—

“Uncle Dwalin, can I ask you something?” Fili asked. He was watching Dwalin work on someone’s second-hand chopper. 

“I’m not letting you skip out on fifty 40s just because I know your uncle,” Dwalin replied without looking up.

“Good to know. But that wasn’t what I was going to ask.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know if Uncle Thorin is going to be using the cabin this weekend or next?”

“I dunno, why?”

Fili glanced to the open door of the work bay, “I’m just trying to help Kili feel more comfortable with… you know,” Fili lifted his shoulders. “And I thought hanging out at the cabin would help him feel safer, you know, less like his fuckhead dad’s going to walk in any minute.”

Dwalin rubbed a wrench with a rag, checked to see if the dirt had come off before resuming the motion. He looked at Fili. “And why are you asking me instead of Thorin?”

The tips of Fili’s ears turned pink. He stuffed his hands in his jeans. “I just… I figured you would know, I guess…” he kicked at a patch of dirt with his boot. “And thought you’d be less likely to tell my mom?” he finished hopefully.

Dwalin laughed at that. “Kid, your mother busts my balls about that stuff and has given more sex talks to more guys in the club than I can count, she’s not the one I’d be worried about finding out about you using your uncle’s cabin as a love shack.”

Fili’s flush deepened. “It wouldn’t be a love shack,” he said defensively. “Kili’s just a bit jumpy, and I think it’d be nice for him.”

“And you,” Dwalin teased.

Fili scowled.

—

The key for the cabin was hidden in a birdhouse that was shaped like a motorcycle’s fuel tank. 

Kili crossed his arms, his sweatshirt that was at least two sizes too big hung from his sharp shoulders, and looked around. “Why are we up here again?”

Fili shrugged and fiddled with the lock. “I just thought that it’d be nice to get away from everything… everyone for a while.”

“It’s just going to be us up here?”

Fili looked over his shoulder, “Is that alright?” 

“Yeah,” Kili grinned. 

They had been up here many times before, sometimes with just Thorin, sometimes Dis, Thorin and Dwalin, Thorin and Dis, sometimes whole groups of the club. When that happened the area around the cabin would be filled with brightly coloured dome tents. They would roast marshmallows, hotdogs, toasted sandwiches in pie irons, chase each other with sparklers (depending on the fire warnings), play in the trees, and star gaze. All things that they remembered fondly.

“Can you get the cooler?” Fili asked, tossing his bag inside the now open door. “I’m going to open the windows, it smells like Thorin and Dwalin hotboxed it last time they were up here.”

They’d brought some basic sundries for the nearly two full days they’d be here—milk, cereal, materials to make toasties, energy drinks, boxed mac and cheese, chips, and packaged snacks. Kili busied himself putting things in the fridge while Fili did some dusting and pulled out the linens that had been sealed away from the dust.

The cabin was small. You walked onto a small porch before turning into the main living space. There was a couch to the left, a coffee table, and low bookshelves with games. Beyond that was a small kitchen table, the far wall had a fireplace with built-in bookcases. The books were mostly old thrillers, and books about the Sierra Nevada. The two chairs in front of the fireplace were well worn. There was a narrow kitchen, only room for one person, a cramped bathroom, and then a bedroom that was mostly filled with a king sized bed. The cabin often served as a base for hiking and backpacking, but all of that gear was stored in the  shed that was nearly as large as the cabin itself....

TBC

--

Tag List @silvermoon-scrolls @metztlilua @I-am-pinkie @dubhlachen

[inhurtandincomfort]

Meet the cast! (aka my OCs!)

Finally time to introduce my OCs! I'm sure I'll be making more in the future and will keep this updated. You will notice I have a lot more to say about my fantasy OCs - this is because I've been working on their universe for some years now and though I'm very indecisive and there's a lot of changes, a lot of back-and-forth, it is much easier for me to develop these ones I'm familiar with. The Vampire OCs were created like a week ago - they're still very early in development! We will surely be learning about them together :) I hope you enjoy them regardless! Please feel free to ask questions, I love my OCs more than life itself

MY FANTASY WORLD

Eldwin Wishtmane (he/they)

(Neka)

Age: 22-24. An illegal sorcerer free from the governments grasp and a "warlock" - someone who has conspired with demons - Eldwin fled home at a young age and was captured and sold to the Black Syndicate, the most powerful criminal organization in the country. Naturally he has many enemies, from the court of law to the dregs of the underworld; an Unmarked mage is a rare and valuable thing, and a warlock is a sinner who threw away their humanity the moment they made a pact. 

He is 5'4 with a slender build, a little underweight due to high stress and poor eating habits and a youthful face with soft features. He has pale silver eyes and short-to-mid length black hair that develops streaks of white. He has a tattoo-like sigil on the back of his right hand which is the mark of his demon pact with a scar running through it, a brand on the right side of his neck that is a mark of the Syndicates ownership, and a crudely carved scar below his left collarbone. He favours formal clothing in dark colours and hates showing much skin. He wears gloves to hide the sigil. 

He is very stoic and reserved, unwilling to get close to people or show any vulnerability. He develops some very unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Destrian Advyre (any pronouns)

(picrew)

Age: 22-24.  Half wood-elf, half Dragonkin, an ancient race descended from the Goddess of Dragons. Both elves and dragonkin possess keener senses than humans.. Destrian is the deputy leader of the Supernatural Detective Agency, or the SDA, a private mercenary agency that deals with anything from private investigations, fighting monsters and retrieving rare items from dungeons. 

5'6 with a lithe build. Has brown hair with a russet undertone xe wears in a braid that falls almost to his knees, and golden brown eyes. He has gold-coloured horns and smattering of golden spots rather like scales across his arms, shoulders and neck. The gold on her face is facepaint worn for ceremonies. She typically wears sturdy but comfortable clothes in brown and purple tones, but loves dressing up for occasions in elegant clothes in rich colours, namely reds, golds and purples. 

She is a kind and gentle soul, seemingly carefree but harbors growing feelings of guilt and inferiority inside. She always puts everyone else before herself, and buries her own feelings deep in order to not cause trouble for others.

Ancassius Lailicci (he/him)

(picrew)

Age: 24-26. He is part-selkie - his maternal grandmother was selkie and the children and grandchildren were blessed with exceptional swimming and diving ability, can hold their breath for about 30 minutes, and can tolerate cold better than most humans. Despite that his favourite countries to visit are warm ones, and he never spends a winter in Aenora if he can help it - he refuses to be seen without his tan. He doesn't like to spend too long in one place anyway; his heart longs for the sea and he's never happier than when he's on his own ship surrounded by a loyal crew and sailing the ocean making new discoveries and riches. 

He is about 6'3 with a strong, board build with hazel eyes and dyed-red hair that he keeps long, either loose or in a low ponytail. (His natural hair colour is brown). Curiously, he also appears to have slightly webbed fingers. He is rather vain and takes great pride in his appearance. He tends to wear open shirts and grand jackets with equally grand hats and favours gold jewellery - lots of jewellery.

He is boisterous and passionate, and tends to make friends wherever he goes. He claims to be a pirate and while he does sometimes plunder some wealthy merchant ships, most of his time is spent travelling the world looking for treasure and smuggling illicit goods - maybe attack a slaver ship or two. But just because he's not overly violent doesn't mean he isn't to be respected - he went from a deckhand to the feared pirate queen Shao Yijun to a Captain in his own right. He can be just as ruthless as his mentor when necessary. 

MODERN VAMPIRES

Liana Coleman (she/her)

(picrew)

Age: 27.  A struggling freelance artist. It's a cold winter night when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Faced with either freezing to death in her car or potentially freezing to death on the road trying to find someone who can help, she makes the trek and ends up at an old manor house...

She is 5'7 with a rather average build and black hair that falls to her shoulders in springy coils. She wears casual, comfortable clothing and favours a more neutral palette.

She has a curious nature and a habit of getting involved in business she shouldn't - but she does have everyones best interests at heart. She's friendly if a little awkward and clumsy, and keeps an active social life.

Adelia Morgan (she/her)

(picrew)

Age: 210.  She lives in an old mansion with other vampires, lead by the Elder. When a shivering human woman arrives at her door one stormy night, Adelia has a decision to make. She was turned into a vampire in 1844 at the age of 30. She was an aspiring writer and had a husband and three children. When she was turned she murdered her family in uncontrollable bloodlust and facing persecution, fled to her vampire clan where she lives to this day.

5'9 and slim with dark hair in tight curls around shoulder length. Her brown skin holds a vaguely unhealthy complexion, her eyes are a deep red and she has dainty looking fangs. She typically wears glamorous floor-length gowns in deep colours, usually black or red, and is also fond of jewellery. Except silver. 

A once loving woman, over the years her heart hardened, haunted by the guilt of what she did to her previous family and trapped under the thumb of her master, the Elder who turned her. 

[schro4444]

About the Kaito keeping his secret ID through Refuge In Audacity do you think Conan stuck with his first guess that KID was younger than 20 or later dismissed it as KID wearing a mask? (Ik this isn't relevant to the kuroba sitcom but I had Ditto in the brain haha)

I personally hc that he logicked it away as "he can't be THAT young, learning all those skills he has would take time" and then Kaito TOLD HIM his mom was Phantom Lady who did crazy gymnastics so she couldn't have been very old and dissappeared a scant 20 years ago and Conan went "welp"

Ik that Hakuba figured KID's age through DNA and then compared to highschool databases across the country, but first that's not how DNA tests work, the length that tells how old someone is changes from person to person, and second, I'm not familiar w Japanese laws regarding privacy and DNA databases but I'm fairly sure that what Hakuba did was like. Super illegal. Probably why Hakuba hauled ass back to London after that case actually, I bet he only got away with it bc nepotism (IT'S SURE ILLEGAL IN THE UK)

I still rlly want to know if Hakuba sat KID down w an optometrist board and an IQ test though, HOW did he get that data. Like I bet Toichi and Chikage never even got Kaito tested bc they thought it funnier to keep people guessing just HOW smart he was, plus Kaito wanted to share class with Aoko and Nakamori wanted her to be in a class where she could make friends her age, and that was the end of the topic

(oh man this ended up long, MY BAD)

first of all, omg im honored, tysm for reading ditto :D <3

GREAT QUESTION I think conan kept it in mind, but became less sure of himself over time. conan/shinichi has a pretty skewed idea of what kids are capable of doing, and I think he knows this about himself, so it’s reasonable for him to think “...nah, it would be insane if a high schooler was doing all this… right?” and if he was basing his original age guess off of what he could see of kid’s face and body shape, well, he learned very quickly that kid can change any of those traits at any time. who’s to say that kid wasn’t wearing makeup/a mask/anything else that might change his silhouette? …left to his own devices for long enough, conan can become a victim of his own overthinking, lol.

aaaand then kaito dropped the Phantom Lady tidbit. that, if anything, seemed to me like a peace offering of some kind? possibly meant to even the playing field between them? as always, it’s hard to tell what shinichi and kaito actually Know in canon, though I’m of course personally a fan of them knowing the least amount of information possible while still being as intelligent as we know they are. because shenanigans >:D

if we want to have fun with it ;) , I think the phantom lady reveal only narrows down kid’s age to,,,,, younger than 30? ish? it mostly gives conan an upper limit, since he doesn’t know whether kid was born before or after her retirement, and she easily could’ve retired in her early 30s. what it Does confirm is that this kid isn’t the original one, but that only narrows his identity down to “probably a protege of kid #1.” from there, the biggest bit of provable evidence against kaito is that his father died right when the original kid disappeared, but that’s still a pretty big logic leap to make when you aren’t around kaito all the time (like hakuba is). and toichi had students, too! who knows who else he taught besides yukiko and sharon? who is more likely to be kaitou kid: an undercover protege of toichi’s, or his teenage son who has an alibi for multiple heists?

best I can tell from some brief research, in Japan, DNA collection isn’t regulated for law enforcement, but hakuba isn’t law enforcement, he’s a consultant at best. I think other DNA tests for ppl age 16+ require consent of the person, and 16 or younger require the consent of a parent. hakuba has NEITHER. hakuba was saved from being a juvenile criminal by nepotism and the fact that nakamori laughed in his face instead of charging him with obstruction of justice or something. and yeah, that’s Absolutely Not How DNA Tests Work adjfksjdj

FR THO!! now I’m imagining hakuba chasing kid through a museum yelling “WHAT NUMBER LOGICALLY FOLLOWS THE SERIES ACCORDING TO THE GIVEN PATTERN” while kid answers with, like, extremely confused perfect accuracy. “400 iq” honestly sounds more like something hakuba made up to explain the fact that kid could answer the iq test questions while rappelling down a skyscraper lol. and I totally agree, kaito’s probably never been officially tested—it’s important for kids to be with their peers, especially when you’re already likely to have child prodigy syndrome. also because kaito and aoko get along so well, they would run the risk of never making other friends (cough shinichi cough). plus, the kurobas probably like to avoid official records as much as possible, and scoring even in the 160+ range would gather attention that their family of internationally-wanted criminals does Not need

[olderthannetfic]

I know this is only marginally related, but the anon post about dating your boss in the military raising eyebrows and people's prioritization in shipping wars made me immediately think of "In The Navy" by Village People and of "YMCA" (because my brain thinks since YMCA has cheeky subtext and is considered a gay anthem if I'm not misremembering, In The Navy might have some cheeky subtext, too), and it reminded me of the musical Hair and within it of the song "Hair" in which Berger is asked if he's gay (supposedly because of his long hair and homophobic stereotypes IIRC?), which I thought was a reference to fraternization regulations (due to working with a lot of other guys I guess?) and to homophobic regulations (if I haven't misunderstood it, specifically the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy?), and it reminded me of the songs "Black Boys/White Boys" which always seemed a little tongue-in-cheek about attraction between military personnel to me (and only partially subtext, some of it seems to downright be text with no subtlety found, now that I'm rewatching the scene from the film lol). It's been years since I've been to the musical though, so my memory probably forgot 99% of the musical. Gotta watch the film some time.

(BTW I'm not from the USA or an English-speaking country, so I'm not very familiar with US American laws and military culture stuff or with US American LGBT+ history and culture, though I am even more unfamiliar with it in my country apart from a few things because I'm from germany and I know for example that gay people were also targeted and murdered by the nazis - one thing that comes to mind immediately is "Aimée & Jaguar", which is a film based on a book that's about the actual lives of two real people and which I recommend watching very much, though you might want to prepare yourself for seeing horrifying violence and for crying a lot - but I don't know much more about other things in german LGBT+ history, which now makes me pretty sad... Then again, I only realized I was bi less than 10 years ago when I learned about the existence of the term bisexuality, so it's possible that I've just somehow managed to overlook tons of things I've heard and read and that they never registered in my brain, which is very likely TBH.)

Sorry for babbling in your inbox, I shall be off to research more queer history.^^

--

I guess YMCA doesn't literally say "Stay there to suck cock", but it's still sung by a bunch of dudes in intentional camp stereotype outfits. There's subtext and then there's those pieces of art that are like 99% subtext with one tiny fig leaf of text as cover.

Germany had such an interesting history immediately prior to all that death, Magnus Hirschfeld and his Institut für Sexualwissenschaft being particularly obvious examples. Most of the research materials and art from that era were destroyed, but a few things escaped, including a copy of Anders als die Andern. Good luck researching, nonnie. Germany actually has a lot that was once recorded compared to many countries/societies even if it was systematically purged. It was the birthplace of modern sexology, after all.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a second chance

10:30pm, sunday, may 12, 2024

wow oh man i have forgotten how to do this!! but it's spring, it's the end of the term, it's the start of a new season and a new burst of creativity and, perhaps, a different routine-- so let's try again.

reading audio-books and ebooks have been my absolute constant companions all winter, but shout-out to the stack of paperbacks on my bedside table, which i am slowly but surely working through. finished italo calvino's if on a winter's night a traveler (a loan from @hematiterings), part of my now intentional quest to read calvino's whole oeuvre, and basically loved it. the whole 'first chapters of various novels you'll never get the rest of' was such a good way to showcase a bunch of cliches from, like, mid-century literary fiction. very meta, and very fun. the connective frame narrative, in second person, was a little more of a stretch (again, very mid-century literary self-referential/ironic/whatever, which unfortunately i did find amusing)-- and calvino's female characters are not great, except for in the nonexistent knight's narrator who i loved)-- but there was a section addressed to a female reader which did, in fact, feel like it read me for absolute filth. other finished reads from the last few months which i will mention here briefly: the angel of the crows, katherine addison; our wives under the sea, julia armfield; the bell in the fog, lev ac rosen; the nutmeg's curse, amitav ghosh; the ruin of kings, jenn lyons.

listening this would have been different if i'd written this last week, but have y'all heard beyonce's album cowboy carter?! i know i'm a few months late but i actually feel like i'm years late, like i haven't responded to a beyonce album this strongly maybe ever. i love the covers, i love the vocal layering and harmonies, i love the samples from old timey radio and everything familiar and texas and country about it...i keep thinking i have a favorite track, but genuinely i like listening to this one all the way through, as a cohesive album, as a work in itself. have a pitchfork review. pull quote:

"On Cowboy Carter, Club Renaissance is swapped out for KNTRY Radio Texas, an AM station hosted by an ever-hazy Willie Nelson. Here she re-contextualizes roots music—Americana, folk, country—for a contemporary moment, reminding listeners that Black artists were the genesis of these forms and never stopped playing them, despite what Hollywood or Nashville might have on offer....Despite drawing from the kitsch and fun of ’70s and ’80s country music, Cowboy Carter has an air of melancholy to it, a quality that reverberates through the scores of songs in minor keys about loneliness on the range.

^^ this is a playlist of the whole album on youtube, if you're into that. AMERIICAN REQUIEM, the opening track, is what hooked me-- i was in from the opening notes. but TEXAS HOLD EM' is also great. fuck yeah, rhiannon giddens.

watching so in addition to rewatching the entire sixth season of dropout's game changer today, last week we finished a truly wild show out of netflix italy: la legge di lidia poët / the law according to lidia poët, which is a historical mystery-romance like only netflix can make. is it bridgerton but for ninteenth century italian lawyers? is it the girlbossification of an actually interesting historical figure? yes, maybe, but everyone is very attractive and the costumes are bonkers in a satisfying way. she has insect themed jewellery, rides a bike, has a lot of sex, finds a decent relationship with her brother and, god help me, i do want a second season.

featuring, hey isn't that pasquale from my brilliant friend? and wow, they probably think this song choice is really cool but it is so on the nose in english it is almost distracting.

playing hollow knight! hollow knight. hollow knight. it's become a problem, actually, since i have quite literally turned my evening yoga time into gamer time, and would you believe, i am less flexible and have higher anxiety levels lmaoo. but i'm getting so powerful i don't care. i probably can't promise myself to beat this game any time soon, and should stop thinking i can, but look! two dreamers down?!

making patched the inner thighs of some jeans-- they will probably remain weekend pants, but they're further from dead than they were. similarly, clumsily darned a hole in my sweater. baked a caffeinated cake courtesy of a b. dylan hollis video (coffee loaf from 1959) . glued a wooden salad tong back together and i feel like the seams are actually quite subtle.

(this wood glue claims to be food safe after curing, pray for me etc etc).

working on ooof. i am done teaching but still owe two-three students emails. i survived my committee meeting but have done nothing to follow the schedule of deadlines we set me, despite being so excited to back on may 2 / so energized to do All the Things back on april 26. i have an article to prep to submit! a chapter to finish tweaking (reworking? reframing? changing from the ground up? lololololol)! not to mention a newsletter to draft and copy edits (almost done) to send back on a friend's article! but i can't stop playing hollow knight in all my free time, and really, what's more important here.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Spiderwebs Part 6: Master of Puppets

I know I let this fall by the wayside, but I didn't realize it had been almost a year. Wild. This series was about trying to nail down how Dressrosa thematically ties in with where we're at in Wano to Egghead. Particularly the through line that passes through Kiku's quietly significant story. For Doffy himself, the idea is quite simple; if I'm making the argument that many of these New World women have built a space for a sensible final member, whoever it may be, then Doflamingo is the display of how vexing it can be to face someone with this skill set.

For all the love some other lines get, the best one from Doffy is right here as he's revealing he played Law like a damn fiddle. I swear I have thoughts when I go looking for this stuff and it never ceases to impress me how the story always seems to up the ante when you finally do. The best illusions rely on the simplest tricks. He's right, especially with the follow-up:

I want to be 100% clear, when I talk about the way Kiku & Yamato play off each other in Wano...this logic is what it runs on. It's that simple trick that spins a grand illusion and it works because it doesn't feel very battle shonen. Kiku does way more in terms of bonding with the crew and contributing to the plot, not to mention the deeper connections, but the story plays along with both you not liking it when people dote on you as well as Yamato's bluster. If nothing else, Doffy shows Eiichiro Oda is familiar with the concept. The assumption this series wouldn't rely on a kinda meta plot like that for something big because it hasn't before is exactly why it'd work.

What makes Doffy different than the Paradise warlords? Crocodile and Moria lost in the New World but stayed their own men. They just had to retreat and lower their aims. Learn to take things slower. The hard version of the growth we like seeing out of Luffy in early Wano. Doffy on the other hand takes the other route for survival in the New World. He works with the Emperors. But as a broker. Someone who is working his "benefactors" to his own ends too. To me there's a logic there; finding someone like Doffy to fill these gaps is a way to move ahead where the others failed, not have to learn that lesson the hard way. But the wrong person can use those same skills to instigate infighting and manipulate you.

Getting there though, gotta love how Doffy takes over the country. I just adore the design of him lounging in King Riku's window like that. It's such a well executed plan he gets by with open, horrific evil and the people cheer him. Twice, the people cheer for a "hero" that destroys the country. He doesn't rule the same way Kaido will, if you play by his rules Dressrosa actually becomes wealthier. At a cost of contributing more to global suffering as an arms dealer. A lot of the people give in though, indulge their bloodlust in the Colosseum and even with his Birdcage game.

Speaking of, full display of the strengths someone like this relies on. For so much time he was able to sit up there with his executives and make the country fight itself. Promise of money, fear, someone who understands people understands how easy it is to motivate them.

If the main villains are all manifestations of what Luffy could become...that makes Doffy interesting. See I actually think Luffy could become this type of person. Jaded and cynical enough he justifies atrocities through the idea he's protecting his family. Perverting his natural charm and charisma to manipulate those with nowhere else to go. It's why Oden is a great cautionary tale too. Gets me to Baby 5 here. I love this little interchange where Doffy & Luffy show how different they are. Baby 5 immediately steps up and blasts this guy who laughs at Pica's voice. Any of them would, it's cool though how Baby 5 wasn't really a major part of the scene and it feels so sudden. Luffy immediately does the same after, and it isn't long after that we see him learn Doflamingo killed Corazon.

That's usually Luffy's big line, he hates leaders who abuse their subordinates and honestly I chalk that up to the likely (to me) idea a big part of his motivation was growing up a lonely kid sitting in a small town bar. The story makes them natural enemies, which comes up in what we learn of the big D. But we learn a lot from our enemies and that's what I feel gets carried over into WCI/Wano/Egghead.