#and also maybe as an examination of Caesar. but also I don’t want to think about any of that for too long bc I have to start

[brother-emperors]

Could I ask for your thoughts on why you say that Cassius should have been Crassus' political heir ?

so largely I’m half referencing this collection of quotes and the various attempts to fill in the space/grave with a body (like Cicero! Cicero was a contender for this!) and I’m sort of taking shots at Antony for fun and whimsy.

like in sports!! I gotta root for my man Cassius over Antony, especially because no one can actually fill the space left by Crassus after his death (literally, the political landscape makes this impossible), but Cassius assumes a command position due to everyone else (notably, Crassus) dying (so: inheriting Crassus’ leadership position) and wouldn’t be a bad follow up to Crassus in the realm of military command since they have a similar (strict, as opposed to friendly in a way is commonly associated with Antony) relationship with the men under their command.

& also bc Marcus Crassus jr seems to be disinterested in taking up space in the political spotlight on his return from the Gallic Wars otherwise I’d be advocating for him on the basis of family tragedy compounded. it’s time to fill the space/memory/grave of your father and brother, buddy!

[leucoratia]

My take on JJBA characters’ sexuality (Part 1)

These headcanons are livng in my head rent free anyone feel free to disagree

Includes :Jojos, Jobros and jovillains from part 1 to 3

Part 2 here with part 4 to 5

Please enjoy.

TW: mentions of sex and male masturbation, swearing, not proofred we die like men

PART 1: PHANTOM BLOOD

Jonathan Joestar: Repressed Bisexual/Biromantic

Just. Yes. My man was born in the fucking 19th century what did you expect. Desperately tries to convince himself that he is very much heterosexual and that pussy is the only thing he likes. Unfortunately Dio exists. And Speedwagon. And maybe Blueford- 

DIO Brando: Pansexual/Panromantic

I examine canon and elevate it to a higher plane. See: Pucci. Dio fucked this one through and thorough and he very much gives me nonbinary vibes. I’m also convinced his castle in part 1 was just a giant sex dungeon.

 I raise you: DIO does not give a rat’s ass about gender he just wants to shag. He’s interested in ALL boobs. Inclusivity bitch.

Robert.O. Speedwagon: Straight

I won’t elaborate he’s just fucking straight man.

(A/N: after an enlightening discussion in the comments, I am requalifiying Speedwagon my boy as GAY AS FUCK. Apologies to Jonawagon shippers I did not see the light, but I repent. Keeping the initial headcanon as a memento, but here. Change and growth is real folks).

PART 2: BATTLE TENDENCY

Joseph Joestar: Bi-curious

Also works for oldseph. He’s actually bisexual but identifies himself as bicurious so we will respect my man’s labels. Slay. Joseph likes men and women and is unaware of the existence of other genders. Don’t worry he learns. 

Caesar is def the one who made him realize that he might like men. Or maybe...one man....rest in rocks Ceasarino

Caesar Zeppeli: Male-leaning bisexual/homoromantic

We all know Caesar fucks hard. But if gay marriage was legal in 1940 you bet this man would have an italian husband named fucking Luigi or shit and twelve foster kids. He’ll eat pussy sure but the man course is always dick in Italy. He wanted that Joestarussy but rocks caught up to him :((

Suzie Q and Lisa-Lisa: lesbians

2 in 1 post because I make the rules. They like WOMEN and only got married bcs they’re either repressed (Suzie) or were really just bored (Lisa-Lisa). Anyways slay.

The Pillarmen: GAY

All three (4 if you count Santana but I forgot about him and am too lazy to re-edit the pic) love MEN. Kars is the king of pillar gays bcs seriously he massacred his entire race and only let men survive instead of perpetuating the species with pillarwomen. Hence he’s officially gay as FUCK and gay married with Esidisi.

PART 3: STARDUST CRUSADERS

Jotaro Kujo: aro/ace

Ik I ship Jotakak but in my personnal little brain Jotaro is AROACE. This man is immune to the matters of the flesh and generally puzzled by human interraction so I don’t expect him to be interested in romance ever. Wdym he has a wife and daughter? Compulsory heterosexuality!! He wanted a calm and quiet life after the fucking trauma-inducing nightmare that was part 3 and thought that settling down was the way to go but uh. Sorry man. Didn’t work out.

I HC him as sex-indifferent bcs well. I mean I do have to integrate Jolyne in my canon so there. But yeah he would enjoy sex I think but wouln’t ever initiate. He’d just go with the flow. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t jack off enough to break both wrists tho. He hides the sex-drive in his hat.

Noriaki Kakyoin: gay

Listen. Listen. I know I enjoy all the Kakyoin MILFhunter memes immensely but look at him. He’s a twink. He likes men. I will simply erase this moment with Holly from my mind.

He’s a power gay though (I’m SO tired of ppl hc-ing kakyoin as pissy-baby uwu soft weak boy nah my man breaks BACKS and spits in yo mouth). Anyways yes Kakyoin is a refined homosex enjoyer. Prefers the rainbow flag because it fits his vibe better than the blue one.

Jean-Pierre Polnareff: female-leaning bisexual biromantic

Polnareff is cursed with bisexuality but gets absolutely NO GAME I’m sorry but it’s facts to me. He gets NO BITCHES, absolutely ZERO PLAY. He may be a flirt but no one wants him (Except Muhhamad-). Likes women more but will not pass on the opportunity to flirt with a cute guy. 

Muhammad Avdol: Demiromantic/demisexual gay

Muhammad does NOT hit me as the type to fall in love/feel sexual attraction out of the blue. He needs his time. Plus i don’t think he thinks about it all that often. Destiny will do the job yadayada. Only attracted to men though. Women work in ways too mysterious for him to handle. He would start to feel something after like. A year or two of knowing intimately the person (go Jean-Jean we believe in you-). This king will probably ask his tarot before making any moves tho (shhhh he just wants to be sure)

[melisusthewee]

WIP Wednesday - Let’s Talk Music

Thank you to @cleverblackcat @kittynomsdeplume @noire-pandora and @morganlefaye79 for tagging me!

I don’t have any writing to really offer today.  I’ve been trying to work on that Haven fic but unfortunately Aloysius hasn’t been co-operating with me despite all my best efforts to make him speak.  I may take a break from writing and pivot towards completing some art memes, but Wednesday just sort of crept up on me and here we are.  So instead, I’m sharing something that both is but also isn’t a work in progress?

It’s “in progress” because while I’m happy with where it currently is, I’ve said that about playlists and soundtracks before and later changed them.  I’ve worked hard on this and talked several friends’ ears off about songs I’ve heard or artists that seemed to work and thanks to their feedback I think this is a really good one.  It’s gone through several edits as well, and may potentially even go through more down the road.  So I’m saying this counts for today.

If you give it a listen (and I hope you do because I’m very proud of it so far), I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover an artist you didn’t know before.  It clocks in at around 51 minutes and features 13 tracks which span Quinn Trevelyan���s story and important events of the main game through to Trespasser.

If you are interested, below the cut is a list of tracks and a brief blurb or description about who or what they’re meant to represent.  I was going to go into things in more depth and talk about how I built it, why I picked the songs I did, and the B-Sides that were left on the cutting room floor, but after realizing I had written nearly 4 pages about just as many songs, I realized it was too much for anyone to read.  So below is just a very brief summary and I think that most of the music would speak for itself, but I’m happy to expand more on anything that anyone finds either interesting… or confusing.  (There is also Solas content because I knew a few of you love that.)

You have to click on this sentence to go to the playlist because Tumblr’s coding for “Read More” seems to be conflicting with the HTML code to embed a functional playlist.  Because of course it is.

Quinn’s tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune as his story is a series of unpredictable highs and lows.  What the Maker giveth, He also taketh away.  The playlist follows that trend of highs and lows with upbeat songs followed by darker or more mellow ones.  Whenever I create a playlist, I try to think of a general tone or sound that I want to be carried through the soundtrack.  I want the overall genre or sound to tell the story as much as the individual songs.  Because of that, you’ll see artists repeat a couple of times, and when they do it’s always intentional.  You’ll also notice that most of the vocalists are male.  This was again intentional because this is Quinn’s story, and he’s a man.  They are his songs and I wanted the vocals to reflect that.

The Cult of Dionysus - pre-Conclave Quinn

Quinn at his most basic and stereotypical before any character development happens whatsoever - poppish, upbeat, and maybe just a little obnoxious.  He smokes, he drinks, he fucks, and nothing else matters.

The Sound of Silence - Aloysius’ Theme

I like Aloysius as a more practical view and examination of Quinn and the cult that grows around him.  He affords an opportunity to look at Quinn both as the Herald but also as just a person.  He is stoic and mild-mannered, a dutiful soldier, and an excellent foil for Quinn.  This is also absolutely a reference to an Arrested Development joke.

Isle of Dogs - Quinn’s true theme

Quinn is a walking disaster constantly falling victim to his own hubris.  There’s a morose sort of resentment to the lyrics, of someone who is constantly struggling against the tide.  In a lot of ways, this is basically a reaction or push back to all the crap I have put him through.

Providence - “In Hushed Whispers”

There are no Templars here.  The first few lines relate a lot to the dismissal the fledgling Inquisition receives from what remains of the Chantry, but the rest of the lyrics are very much about the mages and Fiona’s dealings with the Venatori.

Seven Devils - “In Your Heart Shall Burn

No male vocals in this one to symbolize the change in perspective.  This is both a bit of an easy and obvious choice for this story beat.  Female vocals for Corypheus might seem strange, but when I created my Warden’s soundtrack I tended to use powerful choruses and female vocals for anything related to Blight, Archdemons, or the darkspawn.  I carried that idea over to this as Corypheus is one of the seven Magisters.

Caesar - becoming the Inquisitor

This is a softer and quiet interlude in the wake of the loss of Haven and struggle through the snow.  If the previous song marks the end of the first act, this song marks the beginning of the second.

King - “Here Lies the Abyss”

In my written world state, Alistair is both the king and the Grey Warden contact (this goes back to that longform fic I am working on).  I suppose it’s a bit unfair because in the end that has a major impact on why Quinn makes the decision he does at Adamant (a rather threatening letter from the Warden helps too).  Think of this as a duet between Quinn and Hawke.

My Type - the love interest

“Here Lies the Abyss” was completed first, then a romance triggered, then “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts”.  This is that sort of inbetween interlude and is very much inspired by how I may have flirted with multiple characters a little too much and basically triggered several romances at once.  I also went into Quinn’s playthrough having no idea who I was going to romance and just let him shop around.  And it came down to a coin flip in the end, so “you have a pulse and you are breathing” is pretty much the only standards he has.

Boheme Supreme - party at Halamshiral

All I have to say is that I love techno swing, every single lyric in this song is perfect, and I want you all to picture Quinn Trevelyan walking into the Winter Palace with his Inner Circle entourage around him, dressed up in that outfit I drew with that peacock feathered cap and having a drink in his hand throughout the entire night’s affair.

Hell’s Coming With Me - “Doom Upon All the World”

This is the climax of the main game, the rematch between Quinn and Corypheus which I have to imagine is more impressive in concept than it was in game.  I chose the dialogue option when Corypheus calls Quinn an imposter, “I am the Maker’s chosen” as his final challenge.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this main is actually very Andrastian.  But he is, and the lyrics, “I am the righteous hand of God/And I am the Devil that you forgot/And I told you one day will see/I’ll be back I guarantee/And that Hell’s coming with me” are the perfect declaration.

Paradise - Jaws of Hakkon & The Descent

Another interlude song.  If the previous one is triumphant than this one is the beginning of a bad turn.  In the interim between the events of the main game and the Exalted Council, things begin to go wrong in little ways.  His relationship with Cassandra begins to break down, eventually ending in the two of them having frequent spats and going their separate ways after returning from the Frostback Basin.  This song is deceptively sarcastic about how good things are.

I Still Love You, Judas - Solas’ Betrayal

Solas… oh, Solas.  Does this song indicate a very complicated and layered relationship between Quinn and Solas?  Yes! Have I attempted to unpack any of this?  Nope!  Have fun with this one!

Tagging for this week: @kita-lavellan @silvanils @nivenor-krosis @drag-on-age @rosella-writes @inquisitoracorn

Battle Cries - Quinn and Cassandra

I saved this one for the very end because it is a story within a story.  It is sad and bittersweet, but also not.  This entire thing feels to me like a duet between Quinn and Cass on what was good, what could never last, and that it’s all over now but that’s okay.  Because “this isn’t a breakup, dear heart, it’s a season finale.”  Does this mean that Quinn sounds like Joey Batey when he sings?  Sure, why not.

[nanagoswife]

For You? Always.

Chapter Fourteen

Summary: After Ben taught you something, it's now your turn to teach him something.

A/N: I've been on a huge writing spree of this specific story. I started this story during the summer of 2020 and I still haven't finished but we're still in the pre-written chapters. As for the other stories, I'll get around to it soon. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this story and supporting it. (It’s probably the story I’m proudest of)

- P.S. if you want to join a tag list for a specific story or for all, please feel free to ask. It's open to anyone :)

Opening your eyes, you saw the spot beside you was empty. You turned onto your back.

“Well good morning, sleepy head,” Ben said from the chair in the corner of the room. In his hand was an open book, “I already got you coffee.” He gestured at the table beside you where a steaming cup of coffee sat. Going back to his book, he grabbed his own coffee to take a sip.

Turning over to pick up the mug, you said, “Thank you.” He smiled as he kept his eyes on his book. The sight of him brought a warmth to your heart.

From the small break in the curtains, enough sun shone through to light up the area for him to read. You hardly noticed that he was wearing his reading glasses as well. He rested a leg on the other to give him something to rest his arm on as he scanned the pages. On top of it all, he was still shirtless, his skin glowing from the sliver of sun.

When Ben had finished reading his page, he placed a bookmark and closed the book. Embarrassment flooded your cheeks when he looked up and caught your gazing at him. All he did was smile before getting up to join you on the bed.

“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked when you rested against him.

Nodding against him, he chuckled as your hair rubbed his skin.

“It’s just you and me for a while. Claire and Derek went out to get something for lunch.”

Looking up at him, the two of you smiled at each other, then a question popped into your mind. “That's okay. It means I get you to myself.”

He chuckled, "What were you thinking of doing?"

"Right now? Just stay here cuddled up to you. I do possibly have an idea for later tonight, though."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he looked at you.

“Have you ever gone fishing?"

The question took Ben by surprise, but he shook his head in response. “My mom tried to take me, but it wasn’t something she knew too well. Is that your plan?”

“My plan was to do it after dinner. Claire said she has some rods and she told me that the lake is a good place for it.” His smile grew warmer when he met your gaze. After a moment, he nodded. Excitement filled you at the thought of teaching him something.

You reached up and cupped his cheek. The now thicker stubble tickled you skin in a way you liked. Leaning in, you gave him a brief kiss.

Keeping your hand on his cheek, you rubbed gentle circles with your thumb. It let you marvel at the feeling. "Have you ever thought of keeping your facial hair?" you asked quietly.

Ben raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Why? Do you like it?"

"Maybe," you said playfully.

"Maybe?" His amusement was growing.

"There is a way that we can get a more determined answer."

He smirked playfully, "I think I know how."

You watched as he leaned towards you. Instead of meeting your lips, he ducked down and rubbed his cheek against you neck. You started to giggle uncontrollably as the hairs tickled your skin.

"Ben!" you managed to get out through your laughing. In return, he chuckled in his moment of silliness. You continued to squirm and giggle until he finally pulled away after placing a kiss on your throat.

Then, after letting you momentarily catch your breath, he kissed you. Once again, you brought your hand to his cheek. This time, you pressed your thumb to the beauty mark just under his right eye. When you did, he slightly shifted to where he was partially on top of you.

Pulling away ever so slightly, Ben said quietly against your lips, "So, what's the conclusion?"

"I like it," you returned against his lips.

He smirked, "Maybe I'll keep it then." He pressed another kiss to your lips before turning back to laying on his back. When he did, you followed and laid your head in the crook of his neck.

The two of you stayed like this for a while. You didn't know how long it was for. That is, until you heard Claire call up to the two of you that she and Derek were making lunch.

When she did, you dug your face into Ben's neck. All you wanted to do was stay here in his arms.

Ben pressed a kiss to the side of your head, "We should probably get ready." You whimpered as he started to pull away.

Chuckling he moved back and pressed another kiss to your head. "We'll have more time later tonight," he whispered against your hair.

Finally nodding, you reluctantly pulled away.

For now, the two of you dressed in something simple and quick. Sure, Ben still wore his dress clothes, but he didn't tuck in his shirt or do anything he usually did when dressing for the day.

When you had finished getting dressed, you walked over to him and fixed his hair from the bedhead that he had. He bent down so that you could get a better look and reach the back of it as well. A smile spread across his head while he watched you focus, trying to make sure there were no loose hairs. You knew how he would be driven crazy if there were any loose hairs.

Giving him a quick kiss, you both left the room to see the other two.

Claire and Derek had cooked together for lunch. Watching them weave through the kitchen trying not to bump into each other was almost comical. It gave Ben a good laugh as well, prompting the story of when he used to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. Which explained why he was such a good cook.

What made you laugh the most, was that Derek and Claire were only making chicken caesar wraps. The reason they had to move around so much was because they didn’t take all the ingredients out of the bag before starting. So it was a process of going back and forth to that bag that made this scene chaotic.

Once the meal was ready, the four of you ate then talked at the kitchen’s island. In the middle of it, Claire had only just noticed the necklace that Ben got you.

“Did he give you that today?” she asked with genuine interest.

“No, he gave it to me last night.” Her jaw dropped as she stared at the topaz.

Asking if it was okay, she came over and examined it closer. “It’s beautiful. What is it?”

You looked over at Ben who answered, “A Swiss blue topaz with a sterling silver chain.” Claire looked up from the gem mouthing the word, “wow,” as she let the necklace carefully fall back into place.

Derek also gave a compliment when Claire sat back down, giving him the chance to look at it. Your smile grew big. Everyone saying they like it made it seem so much more special. Just like that, Ben had brought back your old trend of always wearing something blue. The necklace was just that.

All of you then stayed gathered around the kitchen island and carried many different conversations. Going from one large conversations, to seperate ones, back to the group conversations. This lasted up until you all had to get ready for the night.

Claire had told you that this was more of a formal restaurant. So, you elected to wear a dress you bought while here. It was a beautiful shade of teal and stopped just below your knees.

You pulled the straps over your shoulders and tried to bring the zipper.

"May I help you with that?" Ben suddenly asked. Smiling over at him, you nodded.

Lifting your hair away for him, he grabbed the zipper and pulled it up. A chill went through you when his finger grazed the skin of your back. It didn’t help when he grabbed the fabric just under the zipper, that laid at the small of your back, to help the slider reach the top.

Letting your hair fall back down, you turned to face Ben. His face was red with shyness, a smile appeared as he was trying to break it up. Raising a hand, you rested your hand and felt the small hairs that were on his jaw. He tilted his head to press more into your touch.

For a moment he closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he said, “I have another gift for you.” Giving you a quick kiss, he turned to where his bag was.

From under his clothes, he pulled out another wrapped box, the same colour scheme as the other. This one was bigger though, and was in a cube shape. When Ben handed it to you, the weight was surprising, causing your hand to drop as the weight shifted to your hand.

This one seemed to get him more excited for your reaction. You watched his impatience as he urged you to open it. Chuckling, you opened it and you were met by a white box. Then, you flipped the top open to remove the few pieces of tissue paper.

Until you pulled it out, you were very confused as it only looked like a block of glass. When you lifted it out, you saw the acrylic block was attached to a white base. In the middle was a picture that Siara took of you and him, with genuine smiles, at Rick’s before you left for this trip.

“I knew someone that made these and he got it fast tracked for me. Here,” he stepped forward and felt around the bottom. Finding the switch, he moved it, causing the block to light up with a soft white. Awe filled you as you looked as the picture glowed brilliantly.

“Ben, I-” you couldn’t find the words to describe how you felt.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything.” Your heart was bursting with happiness. Looking into his eyes, you saw a glimmer in his eye. He shifted his hand that was still on the base up to your face. "I love you."

As he did earlier, you leaned into his hand, "I love you too."

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when you heard a knock at your door. It was Claire. You found that out when she yelled out asking if you were ready.

Replying that you were, you looked at Ben with sorry eyes. With you placing the picture on the bed and him grabbing his coat, you left the room together.

Dinner tonight was rather uneventful. Other than the extravagance of the place, it was any usual meal with your usual flow of conversation.

Ben had held your hand that rested on his knee almost the whole time. You occasionally would glance down at your interlaced fingers and smile.

After you had arrived back at the house, you and Ben went to your room to get ready. You had to get fully changed, whereas Ben only untucked his shirt, keeping his jacket on.

Instead of asking this time, Ben immediately helped undo your zipper. Chills once again shot down your spine when he lightly pulled the fabric back to let the zipper separate easier. Slowly, he dragged it down, once again exposing your back. Ben took in a shaky breath when he reached the bottom, then moving his hands back to your shoulders.

He slid the straps of your dress from your shoulders. His hands were delicate as they touched your skin, causing goosebumps to form on your arms. With the fabric of his shirt against your back, you could feel his rapid heartbeat.

Putting his head where your neck and shoulder meet, he stepped back to let you finish changing. Even though you didn’t want him to stop, you had a plan. You knew that he didn’t want you to miss something that you had been wanting to do, either.

So, you finished getting ready and the two of you made your way out. Before heading towards the lake, you grabbed two rods and a tackle box that you made sure had everything you needed.

On the way down, you made sure not to trip again. Ben was still close behind you either way, ready to catch you if you did. It was a kind gesture, but unneeded as you stepped out onto the rocks.

Since you were going so fast, Ben only just caught up when you placed the box on the ground and handed him a rod. Swiftly, you tied hooks onto both of the rods with the only light being the moon. Doing this was almost second nature, as you and your dad used to night fish often.

Ben was thoroughly impressed at this skill, watching dumbfoundedly. His face made you laugh when you looked back up at him. Explaining your days doing this with your father still didn’t ease the impressed look on his face.

Once you had tied them, you took out a little bit of bait and put it on each hook. Even though you didn’t need to, you thought it would increase the chance of catching a fish. Also, you got excited and forgot about that fact.

You explained how to cast the rod while demonstrating for him. You didn’t have the same confidence he had to physically go through the movements.

The awkwardness that he had before he casted made you want to laugh. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t know how to do it, it was mainly the facial expressions he exhibited when he was lining up. The cast itself was a relatively good one. Making it far enough that it wouldn’t be too shallow.

“That was good,” you said, putting your rod into the beach's rocks to hold it up. Taking the few steps closer to him, you helped him reel the line back in so that he could get a better cast. When you had, you gave him a suggestion for where to let the line go, taking his hands to show him the position.

Slowly stepping back, you watched Ben carefully draw back then cast it in the area you showed him. His smile flooded back to his face as the hook dropped close to where yours was.

“Nice, now we sit and wait,” you said, signalling him to stand his rod up in the rocks like you had.

Though it wasn’t the most comfortable surface, you and Ben settled yourselves in the space between your rods. He leaned back on his hands and you brought your knees in to your chest and wrapped your arms around them.

Before either of you could say anything, you were distracted by the sound of one of your lines being pulled. It was Ben’s. He grabbed it and hesitated before reeling the line in. The look of pure excitement was flooding his face as you guided him through the process.

Leaving Ben where he was, you walked to the edge of the water to get the fish. Out of everything there was, you forgot to grab a net for this scenario. Stepping up, you saw the fish and carefully picked it up out of the water. Keeping a good enough grip so it wouldn’t slip out of your hands, you brought it up to Ben.

“Would you like to hold it?” you asked while taking the hook out of its mouth.

“Uh, sure. We are going to release it, right?” You nodded in response, telling him you’ll show him how. Carefully, you handed the fish over, making sure he grabbed it correctly without touching the eyes or squeezing too hard.

As he went to put the fish back in the water, you guided his hands to the best place for it to swim away. With the swish of its tail, the fish splashed water into Ben’s face causing him to flinch back from the cold droplets. You couldn’t help but laugh when he dried his face with his sleeve, causing him to chuckle as well.

Standing back up, you saw a glimmer of water that he had missed on his cheek. You wiped it away from his skin with your thumb, keeping your hand there as you looked into his eyes.

In the moment, your heart seemed to swell when looking at Ben. His hand grabbed your free one, his palm still wet from the water. The breaths he had began to waver when he also looked into your eyes.

You smiled when he pulled you closer with his free hand placed on the small of your back. "Tell me you love me," you whispered close to his lips.

"For you?" He paused, smiling, "Always. I love you, Y/N." His smile turned bright before you lunged into his lips.

Wrapping his arms around you, he pulled your body to his. Embracing it all, you moved your fingers through his hair, messing it up. But he didn’t care as he was with you. All he wanted was your embrace, and all you wanted was his.

Not being able to help it, you giggled into his lips at the feeling of his stubble. Ben laughed as well, being unused to the scratchy feeling as well. Letting your lips fall away, you kept your foreheads pressed together. Smiles spread across both of your faces as you looked into each other's eyes.

A few minutes went by before you both decided to head back, collecting everything first. You walked side by side up the path to the house. The fishing was short, but it didn’t matter.

Making your way inside, you slipped by Claire and Derek, who were talking, without them noticing. There was a mutual agreement that you hadn’t wanted to get dragged back into a conversation with them. Not at the moment, anyways. All you wanted was time together. So, you went straight to the room.

Like the night before, Ben read to you as you laid in his arms. He wore his reading glasses again that fit his face well. In the light of the lamp, he read until you fell asleep. To not wake you up, he carefully placed the book to the side and turned the lamp off.

@stardancerluv @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @where-fantasy-meets-reality @wintersoldiersthings

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Tokyo Tower (Part 2) The New Head of the Japan Branch

ITT: Caesar gets taken to task by Ruri Kazama and a familiar face appears before his eyes. @rurifangirl

Ruri Kazama had expertly hidden in plain sight, acting as a waiter right in front of the men. Now he sat down next to you, occupying the spot between you and Caesar, playing with a silver spoon in his hand.

Lu Mingfei was so shocked that he almost jumped up. The bar was located near the dance floor, illuminated only by a few bright green LED lights, and as a waiter, Ruri was in the darkness, his eyebrows picturesque, his clean brow reflecting that green light. He looked just like Chisei Gen, the leader of the Hydra in this light.

 Caesar pressed on Mingfei’s shoulders and slowly lowered him back into the seat: "It's okay, this isn’t the brutish one, this is the more delicate one. Do you need me to introduce you to him? Or would he like to introduce himself?" Caesar was looking at you, suddenly cut off by a man who had expertly escaped his notice. 

You sip your tea but your black eyes glitter with resentment. Did he really think you were still on his side?

 "Ruri Kazama, my real name is Chime Gen, the Dragon King and number two in the Devil Clan. Chisei Gen is my twin brother." The waiter said slowly, "Everyone should still call me Ruri Kazama, as my stage name.”

This was actually the first time you had heard of him as the twin brother of Chisei. But you weren’t exactly surprised.  Chisei mentioned that he had a brother that was ‘probably dead’ before.  After all, you were able to pick up on the close relationship between Z and Mingfei. But twins… that was even closer than ordinary brothers! You glance up at him, examining his face for even more telling similarities. It turned out that Chisei and Chime did look exactly alike, but it was Chime’s expressions and mannerisms that were completely different. Other than looks, there was nothing similar about the two.

The atmosphere at the table instantly cooled to freezing point. And no one broke the silence. The back of Chu Zihang's hand was so tense you could see the veins popping on his fingers. The palm of Caesar's hand hovered over the Desert Eagle at his back. The mixing spoon spun into a shifting silver light between Ruri Kazama's fingers. The speed of it was threatening.

You’d seen only a glimpse of Chime’s power on the street and he was no less of a monster than his brother. Even this spoon could be turned into a deadly weapon in his hands.

Kazama Ruri suddenly flipped his wrist, grasped the silver spoon firmly in his palm, and gently placed it on the table.

 "I… can I continue to eat?" Fingel said warily.

 Caesar froze for a few seconds, and his face turned furious as Ruri just turned back to Fingel, ignoring him.

 "Of course. You want soy sauce?" Ruri smiled and put the porcelain bottle containing soy sauce in front of him.

 "And are there fried garlic slices?" Fingel cautiously requested.

Caesar silently leaned his forehead on his hand.

Chu Zihang put the glass jar containing garlic crisp in front of Fingel. A few moments later the sound of someone eating noodles and drinking soup in a big bowl echoed around once again. Lu Mingfei reached out for a fried shrimp tempura only for Caesar to slap his hand away.

“Show a little professionalism and pay attention!" Caesar whispered.

The sudden display of temper out of Caesar made you look up. Caesar no doubt felt humiliated by Ruri Kazama’s ability to hide in plain sight. But there was more to it. By sitting between you, Ruri silently staked his claim and blocked his view of you. Caesar mentioned that he felt annoyed by the ease by which Ruri Kazama had been able to reach your heart. Now Kazama was physically separating you.

"It’s fine, let Heracles-san keep eating so we can get to the point." Ruri Kazama smiled, smoothly honoring Fingel as a member of the male escort community. As the King of such a community, his word was law and Fingel was officially knighted Heracles from now on.

Caesar and Chu Zihang looked at each other, the veins on the backs of both hands slightly subsided, and the frozen atmosphere melted soundlessly at the mention of food.

"The throne of the world of performance came to the store to do the waiter's job? How many days have you been here?" Caesar stared into Ruri Kazama's eyes.

 "I'm helping out in the kitchen, and this is the third day. I'm good at acting. With a simple change of hair and makeup, I can transform myself into another person." Ruri Kazama said, "Mr. Whale and the others didn't recognize me."

 "You were spying on us?"

"No, this way it’s easier to contact you guys. My brother knows I'm back, and he's looking for me, ready to send me back to hell. I have a famous face so if I come and go openly in Shinjuku district, there will be Hydra members ready to greet me, right?" Ruri Kazama laughed, "That wouldn't be good."

 "You were able to find Fingel. I guess the Devil Clan has long been aware that the principal had sent someone to infiltrate the Japanese, right?" Chu Zihang said.

 "Yes, but we can't conclude exactly how many people Principal Anjou sent." Ruri Kazama said, "I asked Mr. Fingel to come to the store to confirm something. The principal of your school has also been preparing to make a move against the Hydra. He realizes that there is some kind of instability within the ranks.”

"Tachibana Masamune?" Caesar asked.

 "Soon we'll know the truth," Ruri Kazama glanced at his wristwatch, "Three hours ago, the King General made a move. That viper is coming out of its hole, and our chance to join forces has come. So we need to show a united front." He looked back up. “Don’t you have something to explain to MC?”

The look in his eyes was always cold, but now that temperature has reached absolute zero!

Caesar’s expression became guarded and he glanced at you. “I will talk to her in private.”

Ruri Kazama let out a small breath. “I’ve been here three days. So I was here for the finale of the MC contest and heard her words at the end of the contest. You were working so perhaps you were distracted when she declared me the winner. What you say to her, you can also say to me.”

“But if you’re still hesitant, I’ll tell you what I know. Last night, there was a report of a rampaging Deadpool, A-rank level. I was in the area at the time, so I went quickly to investigate, but MC was already there. Her ability to dispatch a deadpool nearly ten times her size was a wonderful sight to see. But her fearlessness was extraordinary even among Elite members of the Execution Department. Unfortunately, my brother's men arrived and I had to pull her out of the fire. Which I was happy to do.”

“Before we get started on the current situation, I’d like to know… where were you?” Ruri Kazama turned to them and waited.

Chu Zihang hung his head. He looked devastated.

You can’t even look at Caesar. Your hair was up, so you couldn’t hide the hurt in your angry eyes. And that anger only grew as Caesar’s silence grew.

After a moment to give him a chance to explain, Ruri added. “If you don't answer, I will have to accept her impression of matters. To use her words: ‘You and Chu Zihang couldn’t bear her presence any longer.’”

Fingel’s spoon clattered as he dropped it and Ruri kindly patted his back as he choked, all the while, not breaking eye contact with Caesar Gattuso. “In that case, I will be happy to accept her as a member of the Devil Clan, if you’re going to relinquish custody and let her wander the street to die. She seems ready to go.”

Caesar sighed deeply. “Fine. MC, I had no intention of abandoning you on the boat. It was an act. In truth, I wasn’t sure what to do then. But Lu Mingfei had a look in his eyes. It wasn’t a look of someone who had any intention of doing anything so crass as leaving you to go to China.” 

He took a cigarette from his pocket and lit up, leaning against the table. “I was curious what he had in mind, so I decided to push him. Make him believe that I was serious, even to the point of giving him a gun to do the deed himself. The last thing I expected, though, was for you to turn on me too.” He grinned bitterly. “You were right. I was acting like Herzog. I read the files you gave me and, given the assholes in my family, it wasn’t hard for me to get into the head of someone like him. I thought, ‘MC knows me well enough by now to see through it as a bluff.’ But by the time I realized my mistake, I was already committed to the act and had to see it through to the end. I knew I was hurting you and ticking you off. I figured it would work out and we could talk later.”

He exhaled a puff of smoke. “But… I may have miscalculated that as well.”

Silence descended again.

Ruri Kazama finally looked down at you. His voice was very quiet. “Did he?”

It was always like this with Caesar. He established a little trust with you and then would simply break it, either intentionally or by accident. You’d seen this behavior before, particularly in the elevator when he pretended to be ready to shoot Chisei Gen for being a White King descendent who was more dragon than human. You really believed he would pull the trigger. So much that Chu Zihang had to whisper in your ear that he was bluffing.

You took a breath and speak. “After Lu Mingfei took me to the mountain and I calmed down, I figured you had some sort of plan. Maybe the boat was going to just stay off shore, or there was some secret scientist on the boat that would help my bloodline problem. But I still believed you would send me.” Your voice was low and sad. “I imagined those things to comfort myself so I wouldn’t focus on the fact that if I left Japan, I would die. So I reconciled in my heart that you really meant at least some of what you said. After all… I have never been anything but betrayed by every other man in my life. Why not you too?”

Caesar bit down hard on his cigarette. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to stay with them? Or come with me?” Ruri Kazama asked softly.

“We’re both staying in Club Takamagahara right? Can you arrange a room for me? Since we’re dating, I shouldn’t stay with them any longer. Instead, I should have my own place.”

“I can do that.” Ruri nodded.

You take a shaking breath. “We can talk a little more Caesar. Once I get a little sleep, I should be ready for that.”

“Sure… take your time.”

Ruri lifted his hand and traced it down one of the hanging strands of hair next to your face. When you get back to your room, the red ribbon that you tied to your thigh was gone and your face flushes as red as the ribbon was.

Because he was such a well known performer, he was able to provide you with one of the premier suites in the professional quarters of the Takamagahara. You went back to the old stuffy closet to collect your clothes, jewelry and shoes in a box. You then picked up the Sailor Moon doll still unopened in the box. Caesar had always been extremely kind to you. But he hadn’t been able to completely wash away the lingering distrust in your heart. It was probably going to be a lifelong battle against it and perhaps now, he learned that he couldn’t be so careless.

He knocked softly on the door and you nod to let him in.

“I wanted to apologize again, for hurting you.” He said. He was still in his work clothes, but he looked nothing like the suave debonair Basara King. He was just a young man. 

You were all young.

“Thanks.” You say and put the doll away.

“There’s more to it. I wanted to tell you before you made a decision. I was… extremely impressed by your defense of Erii.”

You lift your head again to him. He was leaning against the door frame and staring at the floor, his bangs shadowing his blue eyes so that they sparkled in the dark.

“With so little information and time, you came at me with all the force and fire of a true defender of justice. It was extremely hard for me to stand up to it. I was actually relieved when you left the room.” He huffed a laugh. “So I wanted to change our proposal that we talked about in the Sushi restaurant.”

You raise your eyebrows in surprise.

“I know the original plan was for you to run off with Ruri Kazama and his little traveling circus, but now, I’ve changed my mind. I want you to convince him to at least stay in Tokyo.” His face is full of sincerity as he speaks and his voice is soft and firm. “And I want you to take over the Japanese Branch.”

Your jaw drops. “Are you serious?”

“Hear me out.” He raises a hand. “I know you’re just a freshman and you haven’t taken a single class and, technically, you shouldn't even be allowed in the Academy. But none of that matters! What matters is that you were willing to take all three of us on to defend a girl who was dying and who you never met. You never met her, MC, but you immediately understood that what I was telling Mingfei to do was wrong. You said it was cruel. That we should know better.”

He paused and his voice dipped to a near whisper. “You have no idea how rare and precious a quality like that is.”

You’re speechless in shock. You thought Caesar was abandoning you. But he was admiring you!

“This place sorely needs someone who can stand up in defense of the weak and the helpless against the deep seated bloodshed and corruption. You personally know the men responsible for turning this place into such a hellhole… your qualifications speak for themselves.”

“But what about my bloodline problem?”

“I’ll write in the report that you don’t have one while we investigate a solution.” He said. 

“Everyone will know that’s a lie.” You chuckle.

“Who cares? I’d like to see them tell me to my face that I’m a liar.” Caesar raised his chin up.

You slide off the bed and walk over to him and pull him into a hug. “I talked to Erii. I already know the solution.”

He broke out of the hug and looked down at you with wide eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yes. It’s the deadpool. The blood of the deadpool fetuses has a purifying effect.”

Caesar grimaced. “That… will be a little difficult. But I’ll see what I can do.” He huffed. “Alright, I’ll finish helping you pack. You really like that Ruri guy huh?” He looked over to the shelf and then he stared. 

The photo of Renata was still pinned where you left it. He stared at it for a long time.

“That’s Renata.” You say. “She’s pretty right?”

“Yeah.” Caesar shrugged. “It’s funny. She looks a lot like a girl I know in the Student Union so I did a double take. When this is all over, I should introduce you.”

[mikrokosmos]

“Beethoven Sucks at Music”

A Response from a Classical Geek

So this video by the ever insightful 12tone channel came up in my YouTube recs, and I knew from the clickbait title I had to respond. To be fair to him, the argument is much more legit than the title would give off, but there are still some points that I want to comment on

“Can you name a Beethoven tune?”

He starts off saying most people can maybe hum a few melodies, but probably don’t know most of Beethoven’s work. Bee’s one of my favorite composers, and I have listened through all his major works. But sure, there are many classical fans who either haven’t listen to much of Ludwig, or don’t even like what they have heard so they listen to others. However, the general public? Well how much of the general public can name a Van Gogh other than Starry Night? How many know the name of the painter of The Scream? If you showed a random person on the street a set of Renaissance paintings, could they tell which artist painted which? What about impressionist paintings? Or have they read anything by Flaubert or Ibsen or Woolf? I’m not trying to gatekeep or be a snob [I couldn’t name the Renaissance painters, and I haven’t read any of those three], but rather to point out that “greatness” in art doesn’t have to equate with popularity. And Beethoven is definitely more popular than most classical ‘greats’.

The Canon

This is a pretty big insight that more people should reflect on. Why is Beethoven programed so much? Because he sells, and he sells because of people who like his music, but also people who want to be the people who like his music because Beethoven is a mark of cultural capital. Doesn’t mean they don’t “really” enjoy it, but that there could be an subconscious [or maybe deliberate/weaponized] desire to show others “I appreciate fine art”. Again, not trying to gatekeep, but think of the difference between...I don’t know, a random teenager who comes across Beethoven online and falls in love with the power of the scherzo from the 9th and wants to hear more, and someone like Ben Shapiro playing a Beethoven violin sonata after making a podcast about how Rap isn’t real music or that today’s music is “worse” than the Western greats. You see what I’m getting at? There is unfortunately a vocal minority of classical fans that want to use the music as fodder for their reactionary arguments.

Next, he does a great job covering the history of “the canon” and the cultural factors that created it.

We say Beethoven is good because of German-centric nationalism

Partly true. It’s especially funny to look at what composers of the 19th and early 20th century were thinking and saying about Beethoven and the Germans. Both the French and the Russians were annoyed by the German superiority being pushed in the music world and wanted to make their own cultural standards for ‘greatness’. And famously, both Debussy and Ravel were sick of Beethoven and were “anti-Wagnerian” in their aesthetics, and most of the “classics” of the Modern era were reacting to and against Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner. Of course it doesn’t mean that Beethoven’s music isn’t great, rather that German nationalism and also ethnic pride coming from the German immigrants of 19th century America has a lot of cultural dominance. Ask a French person who the greatest composers are and they’re likely to say Couperin before Bach, Berlioz before Beethoven.

He then points out that, while the Canon is a cultural agreement, it is kept fixed and fossilized.

Focusing on Beethoven keeps music students from focusing on what they care about

You don’t have to love Beethoven. But if he’s saying that schools should only focus on what is ‘culturally relevant’, then are we throwing Shakespeare out of the curriculum? I don’t live in the same culture and time as him, but I still find Macbeth compelling, and Julius Caesar, and Othello...they are still great stories, and forget the idea of ‘high art’ because they’re full of lowbrow death and murder plots, sex jokes, fart jokes, and have a lot of badass moments [the witches of Macbeth, the ghosts of Hamlet, the assassination of Caesar, the sword fights and taunts of Romeo and Juliet, etc.]. I don’t live in Beethoven’s time either, but the Eroica pounds in my heart. I don’t think that the old classics should be the only thing we look at, but I don’t think we should only look at contemporary popular culture either. And frankly the best academic courses and professors are those who examine both with a similar eye. We always draw cultural parallels across art through time.

Who gets left out of the Canon?

This is a legit thing to look at. Lately there has been a greater shift at performing and looking into the music of otherwise ‘marginalized groups’. Though it may be too little too late, especially when the zeitgeist of today is knowing that there are so many stories and perspectives that are ignored or shut out from a canon. How often do you see the distinction of “women composers” instead of mentioning people by name? The same happens with “black composers”, or composers from non-European or non-”Western” countries. It’s important and overall a better thing for our culture to highlight these people, but there is still the connotation of them as a footnote to the “real” canon that doesn’t need a modifier [I mean, how often do you hear someone call Beethoven a great German composer, instead of just “great composer”? Lili Boulanger is a great composer who is almost always called a great woman composer…]

I also agree that there is the issue with the idea of teaching only what’s “important” for understanding a class, especially with art since it is cultural but usually it is taught like a forward thinking narrative. The major influencers are mentioned while great artists who can’t serve the narrative are left out. An interesting example would be Schopenhauer and his philosophic influence on classical music for his time, even though his major ideas are from Hindu and Buddhist theology filtered through 19th century German philosophy.

The Invisible Hand of the Canon

Also a great point. Why do we assume that the music of black composers isn’t “good enough”? Or “women composers”? Or “Turkish composers”, “Mexican composers”, “Filipino composers”, etc.? Where are these standards coming from? Let’s bring up two other greats, Mozart and Debussy. Who is better? Really, it falls down to opinion, because the music aesthetics of the two are so different, that you cannot make a real judgment without admitting that you’re assuming one set of standards over the other. Now, the music of Boulanger is much closer to Debussy than Mozart, so why would we judge her against Mozart to determine if she deserves to be sanctified into the Canon?

And I hate to be a gatekeeper, but I love out-snobbing the snobs, so when someone takes the conservative position of the Canon’s greatness, I wonder are they able to listen to a piece by Schoenberg and explain its relation to the German romantic tradition, regardless of if they enjoy it or not? Because I have seen ignorant defenders of Beethoven and Mozart call his work “random noise that a cat could play” and I want to know if they actually engage with the music beyond listening to 30 seconds and getting a rage wedgie

Does Beethoven suck?

He admits no, it was just clickbait. But his attitude or proposed attitude toward Beethoven is much more honest. The ‘greatness’ of his work is the experience you get from listening to it. Or, you can respect his art without really caring about it or listening to it much. But yeah, the more we acknowledge the artifice of the Canon, the easier it is for us to look at more music with a more critical eye, and I think that’s much more engagement than passively agreeing with the assumption of greatness for cultural capital. No, Mr. Shapiro, you don’t look smart or impressive for talking about Mozart instead of Lamar at a cocktail party. And if you do, it’s because you’re trying to impress stick-in-your-ass dull rich people who have no taste.

The End :D

[autumnblogs]

Day 44: Preoccupied about the same things as Trolls, revisited

Welcome back y’all! Before we get into this, I want to talk about the Condesce/Meenah as a parallel character to Mom Lalonde/Roxy. You can read a bit about @mmmmalo​‘s takes on Openbound, and why they think that Meenah is symbolically Roxy’s Doppelganger here.

I want to call attention to some specific similarities between them, and while I think it’s a bit of a stretch, Homestuck draws parallels between characters all the time.

Both the Condesce and Mom Lalonde are matriarch figures estranged from their potential offspring by dire circumstances and servitude to a patriarchal authority and his time-spanning plan - for the Condesce, that’s English obviously, but for Mom Lalonde, that’s Grandpa Harley - servitude to his design renders her a wreck of an alcoholic forced to endure the end of days with no means to stop them from happening, living with a daughter who wants nothing to do her.

Both Meenah and Roxy are rebels against a repressive order, inclined to shirk their assigned Role in service to someone else’s master plan, but ultimately, through some roundabout means or another, give service to it anyway (for Meenah, scratching the game, and ultimately ending up English’s glorified slave for eons in the end; for Roxy, at first refusing to play Sburb in hopes of spiting the Batterwitch, but ultimately ending up playing into her schemes anyway).

They are both rebellious spirits who are repeatedly forced to participate in Paradox Space’s Alpha Timeline all but against their will by hegemonic forces, slaves to a system that they exist in perpetual rebellion against, and by the end of the comic, they both get to help strike a decisive blow against the ultimate foe. Unfortunately, unlike Roxy, Meenah is ultimately the kind of person who chooses at practically every occasion to continue cycles of abuse instead of breaking them. There is ultimately no possibility of reconciliation between these estranged sisters.

So, I see a lot of the Alpha Kids in the four Alpha Trolls who appear in this flash. As the Faux Heroic Himbo, the parallel between Rufioh and Jake is obvious. I don’t think that it’s fair to characterize Jake’s relationship with Dirk as being “cheating on Jane,” though that’s probably how Jane feels about the whole situation; I’ve always gotten the impression she feels entitled to him.

More after the break.

The imagery here is an obvious parallel between Jake and Dirk’s big damn kiss, and Rufioh and Horuss’s - but between Rufioh’s bravado and general obliviousness, and Horuss’s clear triangular parallel with Dirk and Equius, we should expect that the situation is switched here - Dirk = Horuss, Rufioh = Jake.

While it could easily just be a bit of extraneous characterization, I’m inclined to regard Rufioh’s characterization of the women in his life as “Dolls” especially because of his symbolic proximity to Lord English. (He is at best one degree of separation from him, as Jake English’s Alpha Troll Doppelganger) - and the fact that Puppets and Dolls are pretty much synonymous with each other in terms of the way that English interacts with them.

More extremely obvious parallels.

Both of the Zahhaks have hangups about dating down the Hemospectrum, and as long as we’re examining Dirk through the lens of the Zahhaks, allow me to speculate; I think that part of the reason Dirk chooses not to directly identify with the label of gay is less aloofly progressive futurism, and more that he is uncomfortable with his own sexuality.

As a guy who repeatedly appeals to reactionary ideals and rhetorical devices like “Western Civilization,” “Reason,” “Logic,” maybe there is a degree to which we can read Horuss and Equius’ self-repression through the haemospectrum into Dirk suffering from internalized Homophobia.

This is a real long shot, but I’ve always gotten the impression that Dirk is a bit of a bottom. Maybe his desire in building up Jake into a powerful counterpart, like English’s desire to transform Jake into a powerful rival, is built out of a desire to be Oedipally usurped by a former pupil - to have his Eromenos turn the tables, and become the Erastes in turn, in power-dynamic terms.

In Classical Civilization, homosexual relations weren’t unheard of, and were pretty reasonably common, but it was seen as shameful to bottom, especially for someone of a lower social standing than you were (Julius Caesar was mocked as the Queen of Bithynia when it was rumored that he bottomed for Nicomedes IV, which was a serious attack on his political career).

Wild speculative tangent over.

Now this is interesting; Meenah is unwittingly drawing a parralel between Damara and Vriska. The main commonality between them is that, like Vriska (and also like Rose, and also like Jane - who is the fourth and final character in this particular set) her spite and resentment is used as the vector for English’s manipulation of their setting.

Like Vriska, Damara deliberately sabotages the ability of her session members to win, helping to create a powerful foe who forces a session to be scratched.

Like Rose, Damara descends into nihilistic substance abuse to cope with feelings of emptiness.

Like Jane, Damara’s actual feelings of emptiness come about as a result of feelings of rejection in relation to betrayal from within her close friendship circle.

Ironically, while Damara’s reaction is far worse than Jane’s, her anger is actually probably far more understandable - Jane is not entitled to Jake.

The situation between Horuss and Rufioh is also similar to what will resolve between Jake and Dirk shortly - they are just basically incompatible, or at least they will be until both parties do some work on themselves, but a combination of an oblivious party who can’t stop talking about himself, and social timidity on the part of the other prevents the situation from resolving amicably.

“As Long As I Know That I Am Free”

Sometimes, encountering our ancestors doesn’t have to be a source of tension, anxiety, expectation, and fear. Porrim models parental love for Kanaya in a way that, unusually for ancestors in Homestuck, is purely beneficial for her younger counterpart.

It’s okay to identify with roles and identities that have been corrupted or hegemonized by our culture. There’s nothing intrinsically bad about being a man, or about being a woman, as long as our embodiment of those roles is emancipatory to us.

Kanaya can still be a Mom, if that’s what she wants to be. Violence and money aren’t the only form that power can take.

Sometimes, learning the right lessons is just a matter of pausing for a second and being critical of all narratives; deciding for ourselves what we want to be. It’s the lesson that Porrim has to teach Kanaya.

This is just objectively true.

Aranea positions Rufioh as both a foil to Cronus, and to herself, further strengthening the Jake as Rufioh parallels.

What I think is really interesting about all this, is if we want to read the other three trolls as Jake, Dirk, and Jane, that makes Meenah the Roxy of this group! And while Roxy has never been vicious or deliberately cruel, there’s a certain resonance between her persistent hassling of Jane, her meddling in the Jake English Sweepstakes, and the disaster that it provokes, and Meenah’s bullying - I even early on in my first readthrough took a disliking to Roxy because of what I viewed as exactly that - bullying her counterparts, assertively trying to get them to behave the way she wanted.

https://homestuck.com/story/5401

Oh man, where to even begin with Karkat riding off into the Penis Sunset. Like, the Sun in relation to Dave is persistently an icon of Bro’s surveillance of him, and then there’s his burgeoning affection for Karkat (he mentions story time with Karkat in the third Openbound suggesting that he actually took Karkat up on his offer to read through trashy Troll Romance).

Like, there’s probably something in Dave’s troubled psyche that’s on display here but damn if I know what it is. Maybe he’s ruminating on the fact that Bro would probably not be too accepting of his relationship with Karkat, hence the juxtaposition of the symbol of Bro’s hostility with the imagery of Karkat riding a dick?

https://homestuck.com/story/5404

I don’t really need to explicate much on what Rose is trying to say, I think but just in case, here’s a little rundown of what she’s trying to explain.

The apple is a symbol of an irreducible idea. Many ideas are reducible - as molecules are reducible to atoms, and atoms are reducible to quarks and stuff, so are ideas reducible to increasingly more abstracted and basic units.

The closer to notionally irreducible a thing becomes, the more difficult it becomes to express an idea, until at last, that which is truly irreducible resolves, and reveals to us the true, intrinsic nature of reality. For every complex idea, we can refer to more fundamental ideas, until at last, we arrive at an idea, which when probed, responds back simply, “It just does that.”

This, I think, is that to which we ought to give the name of God; that force so fundamental that it truly does just do that.

In the world of Homestuck, Symbols, and with them, Rituals - stories! Are manifestations of the primeval and irreducible ideas. Everything else is a universe in orbit around the Divine - the Aspects themselves, perhaps, or something more fundamental than the Aspects even.

What makes reducing these stories to the irreducible principles that they allude to so difficult is that you’re effectively trying to explain the electromagnetic force by comparing it to rubber bands, when in fact, the electromagnetic force is what makes the rubber bands behave that way in the first place.

As a Ritual, Rose’s drinking is pretty similar to John’s Dad roleplaying - an attempt at unity with Her Mom. Another empty signifier.

https://homestuck.com/story/5405

Dave is already really embracing his new role as the actually most sincere and straightforward member of the party. Lovin’ it.

It’s kind of nice that Aradia and Vriska are getting along now. That’s gratifying for personal reasons.

Ah yeah, I forgot that was ever addressed officially.

https://homestuck.com/story/5435

The man

HASS the ring.

https://homestuck.com/story/5440

And with the depressingly empty Void session established via a single flash, we shall conclude for the evening.

Tomorrow, we’ll get to know our little villain.

For now, it’s Cam signing off, Alive, and a little Annoyed that I wasted a couple hours playing the Outriders Demo this afternoon. Seriously, what an aesthetically bleak and kind of mediocre-looking class-based cover shooter.

[babieyangyang10]

violent ends (chapter 6)

(chapter 6)

series masterlist

genre: hunger games!au

pairings: huang renjun x oc, na jaemin x oc

warnings: kissing, language, violent deaths, fighting, angst, fluff, + nsfw

previous | next

Athena’s POV

Every night since I've arrived to the Capitol, I would go and sit out on the balcony after training. It's calming and sobering to rewind the events of the entire day.

For example, I had just finished telling Taeyong about my plans with Jaemin in private. I made sure that no one else, especially Renjun, knew what was going to happen. Of course, Taeyong wasn't too happy about me being with a boy. Or at least pretending to be with one. However, he said it doesn't matter to him, just as long as I win.

I also thought about how we were gong to be evaluated and given rankings tomorrow.  Rankings, ranked from one to twelve, are assigned by the Gamekeepers to tributes, after they are given fifteen minutes to show off their best skills. These are very important, since these are televised to the public and show people who they should sponsor.

I hear the door slide open from behind me.

"You here to kill me, yet?" I joke, seeing Renjun.

"Maybe." He shrugs, sitting down beside me.

We both stare down at the Capitol below. Watching as a group of citizens are walking, having the time of their lives. For them, the games were the most excited part of their whole year.

I speak up, "They look so happy"

"If I lived like this everyday, I would be happy too," Renjun says, matter of factly, "The food. The apartments. Who wouldn't be happy?"

Frowning, I state, "I wouldn't. Do you wanna know why?"

"No, but your probably going to tell me anyway." Renjun rolls his eyes.

I wonder what he truly thinks about the Capitol and the games.

"Haven't you seen the kids from twelve? They look so small and malnourished. I would feel bad for living like that, when there are others, like them, who can't." I shake my head.

"Where'd you get those ideas from? Jaemin? They look fine to me."

I begin to throw a pebble off the roof. However, a invisible force causes the pebble to bounce back into the balcony.

"Do you know why they have that? It's so the tributes can't jump off." I try to make a point.

He plainly stated, "I don't get why they would do that."

Frustrated, I ask, "Have you ever even thought about all the things you might not ever get to do?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. There's so many things I never got to do. You know, all the things teenagers are supposed to do. Like first kisses and love and all that stuff." I shake my head.

"Probably cause no one has ever wanted to be with you like that." He laughs at me.

Sharply, I just reply with, "Jaemin would."

"Of course," He repeats to himself, "Of course, he would."

Taken aback, I inquire, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He just shakes his head.

"Okay, fine. Then, have you ever kissed someone before, Renjun?" I interrogate.

His nose wrinkles in disgust, "Ew, how did this conversation get so long and gross?"

"Renjun, it's just a simple question." I state, nonchalantly.

"Fine," He answers quickly, "I never got the chance to. So, no."

I let out a laugh of relief, "Well, now I feel better about myself."

Renjun just shrugs, "I just don't get why it's such a big deal."

"How can you know it's not a big deal if you've never tried it?" I suggest.

He stares at me blankly. After pausing to think about my words, a little smile appears on his face.

"Lee Athena, it sounds a little like your trying to get me to kiss you right now."

My eyes widened in denial, "No. I'm really not."

He just chuckles to himself.

Without carefully considering the weight of my next words, I speak, "Although, you did say you didn't think it was a big deal."

"And?" Renjun pressures.

Out of my mouth slips, "So I guess it wouldn't be weird if you did."

He looks at me like I'm dumb, "Are you even listening to what you're saying?"

"I guess not. Never mind, then. I think I'm really tired and delirious. I'm going to bed." I quickly muster out, before practically running back into the apartment.

"Wait."

I run back into the living room and up to my own room. I really think I'm going crazy. It's only after shut the door to my room, that I realize the weight of what I just did. How messed up must I be to basically come on to Huang Renjun?

Huang Renjun!

Someone who's going to be trying to kill me in several days. I just tried to get him to kiss me, even though I'm about to have fake relationship with another boy. Which, Renjun can not know is fake. Otherwise, my whole game will be jeopardized and I could lose all the sponsors.

Knock. Knock.

"Who is it?" I play dumb.

"Lee Athena, open this door." Renjun commands, sternly.

I let him in the room, before beginning to plead with him, "Can you just for-"

Suddenly, he just quickly started leaning in.

Closer and closer.

Then, he just paused from hesitation. It was almost as if he was thinking, am I really about to do this?

However, the next thing I did was the result of no thinking on my part.

I grabbed his face and closed the gap. Oh my god, why are his lips actually so soft? This is so wrong. Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Our lips just slightly touched for about eight seconds, before I moved away.

"Oh my god, did I really ju-"

Huang Renjun kisses me hard. This time, our lips began moving. He set a pattern and I just followed his lead. This time it felt less foreign,  almost natural.

If I had to describe the feeling, it felt like I got punched in the stomach, just without the hurt. Instead, it just felt really warm. I almost felt like I could melt into a blazing inferno any second.

It was one of the best things I've ever felt in my life.

He pulls back, studying my facial expression.

"See, I was right. Not a big deal." He coldly shrugs before quickly leaving. I don't stop him, either. This is what I deserve. I'm the one who walked myself into this situation. Maybe it's better, if I just block it out of my memories.

However, as I'm waiting with the rest of the tributes to be called in for examinations, it's the only thing I can think about.

"You look like you're about to throw up. Nervous?" asks a concerned Jaemin, sitting next to me.

"Just a bit," I lie, "I really don't want to mess up."

"Hey, it's okay. I know you're going to be great." He comforts, sweetly.

A mechanical voice comes over the speakers, "Lee Athena."

"Please, just don't kill anyone." Jaemin trys to ease my fake nervousness with a joke.

"No promises." I wink before entering the gym.

I look up to see the Gamemakers, where they had watched us during training. Luckily for me, District 2 is one of the earlier groups they see first. That means, they are more awake and still excited.

I walk over to a table, where I see a large assortment of weapons to choose from. I grab multiple throwing knifes and place all of them in my left hand.

I inhale and look at the human-shaped targets in front of me. There were two targets on the head, chest, and stomach. I inhale, before I finally begin my rampage.

One target after the other, hitting with perfect precision. Even after I completely finish the target directly in front of me. I continue randomly throwing knifes, all precisely hitting the fake-humans.

I stop after there are no more knifes left. Peeking up, I see the Gamemakers clapping in awe.

Although, I'm not done yet. No, I need to give them something that they have no choice but to remember.

I return to the table and pick up an axe. I look up and gave a sweet smile to the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane.

Without looking at the target, I hold the axe behind my head, then throw straight at it.

Once hearing a thud, I smile in delight once I see it has hit the designated spot.

The groin.

With one last innocent smile, I make my exit.

"Oh my gosh, that was absolutely everything!" Doyoung gushed to me, sitting down on the couch.

"What happened?" asked a confused Renjun.

"I hit the target in the dick." I explained.

Doyoung cried out, "Language, Athena!"

"Oh shit, my bad.  I meant the no-no square." I tease. Doyoung is one of those people who are fun to purposely stress out.

"Athena, quit bullying Doyoung." said Taeyong with a hint of playfulness. He came in from the kitchen and turned on the television. Surprisingly, I see Seulgi following him in.

There’s a small part of me that wants to score high for her. Especially, since her outfit is the reason I have gained any support so far. I really don’t want to throw away the opportunity she helped provide me.

On the screen appears the host, Caesar Flickerman. One of the things he was known for was changing his hair color for the games every year. This year, his powdered-blue hair was styled in a low ponytail.

“As you know, the tributes were rated on a scale from one to twelve, after 3 days of careful evaluation. The Gatekeepers would like to acknowledge that it was an exceptional group.

From District One, Jeno with a score of 10. Also, Haechan with a score of 9."

Those were really good scores. Although, nothing unexpected from a Career.

“Then, we have District 2. First, we have Huang Renjun with a 10.”

“Wow!” Doyoung claps loudly. Renjun just cringes at the man.

Caesar’s voice becomes more high pitched, “Then, we have Lee Athena with an 11!”

Well, I guessed they liked my little stunt. Although, I can let this go to my head. Especially, since this means I have to be prepared for a huge target on my head.

“Well done, both of you.” Taeyong praises, content.

We pay attention to the rest of the scores. Jaemin received a ten, which I know he worked hard for. Compared to the Careers, the rest of the tributes were not as high. However, this doesn’t mean they’re not as much as a threat. Many people like to use a strategy of hiding all of their talents until they step into the arena.

We all head back to our rooms. Renjun, of course, avoiding any sort of conversation with me. I lay down on my bed and sigh.

Tomorrow, everything’s going to change.

[concealeddarkness13]

WHG Prompt 8 Skylar

Tagging: @ratracechronicler, @nightskywriter, @merigreenleaf, and @maple-writes!

“I want a black, oversized sweater and black cargo pants. I’ve got to complement these!” I twirled my sunglasses in my hand, and Official Stylist nodded. She didn’t even hesitate. She just left the room and came back with what I had demanded. She wasn’t too bad.

I grinned at my reflection after I changed. This was so comfortable. And if Caesar was stupid enough to ask for an explanation, I would gladly oblige.

I was first for my interview for my district, so I sauntered onto the stage, wearing my sunglasses and making finger guns. They couldn’t stop me now.

Caesar faltered in his usual stupid laugh when a tribute came on the stage and just stared at me for a little bit. It was enough time for me to sit down and stare at him with the best attentive expression I could muster.

He finally regained his composure and grinned. “Skylar Tresting! Your stylist certainly went for…unique this time! Could you tell me what your outfit is supposed to symbolize?”

He was probably trying to put me on the spot and make me stumble so the audience could laugh at my outfit, but actually he gave me the perfect opportunity. I laughed. “I picked it out myself, Mr. Stabbed 23 Times.” I paused and put a hand over my mouth as if I hadn’t meant to say that. “I’m sorry. I like to make nicknames for people in my head, but I didn’t mean to actually say that out loud. How about I call you Pettifogger?” (It’s a real insult. Look it up. It doesn’t work perfectly, but it still insults him.) Before he could try to contradict me, I held up a finger. “But that’s not important. We were talking about my fabulous outfit. This lovely thing here is completely black to mourn the countless lives that have been lost because of the contemptible idea the Capitol thought was brilliant. It is also a testament to the diabolic, nefarious, fiendish, and depraved ways the Capitol will be treating us, seeing us as pawns in a fight against people who can’t even fight back. And what about you, Pettifogger? You’re acquiescent in their villainous schemes. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Mr. Stabbed 23 Times just stared at me. “I…I do not understand…”

I patted his hand. “Of course you don’t, Pettifogger. You’re just one of the pigheaded masses that can’t see past their own voluminous plates to see the rest of this country is starving. You see, my family is just like you. I’m so glad that I could get away from them. They won’t open their eyes, and you won’t either. You think that the Capitol is infallible, and therefore anyone who speaks out against it has to also be a villain. You know about how I’ve played the villain against Holt for a few years now. Have you ever noticed what the villain of this play has done? Help feed people. Examine yourselves and think about why a person like that is painted as the bad guy. Maybe that’ll happen to open your eyes.”

Before Mr. Stabbed 23 Times could say anything, I smirked out at the crowd, bowed, and walked off.

*

I had considered my options, and this was the best I could think of. Whenever I did have to help Holt and anyone else part of the heist to escape, the blame would only be laid on me. And with carefully placed words that explained that I didn’t like my family, the Capitol wouldn’t use them against me. So, I had to fully slam the Capitol and show how rebellious I already was to take away from whatever anyone else could say. They’d keep their eyes on me alone, and that would keep everyone else safe. If I did happen to be captured, I would make sure to insist I was the one who did it all. Everyone else would be safe.

[pennylanefics]

Acting? - Taron Egerton

a/n: another taron imagine!! thanks to @peculiareunoia for the idea/inspiration, otherwise i wouldn’t have even thought of this 😂❤️ also, i started crying while writing this bc UGH SO SOFT!!!! i hope you like it!!

warnings: spoilers?? idk, if you haven’t seen Kingsman: The Golden Circle, maybe 🤷🏼‍♀️ mentions of sex (no smut)

summary: you and Taron spend the weekend in a cabin outside of the city, and you help Taron run through his lines for his upcoming sequel

•••

“Come on, it will be fun!” Taron tries to persuade you to go on a weekend getaway together. As much as you wanted to, work was piling up, considering a huge deadline for your team was coming up, and you couldn’t really take a day off until that is finished.

“T, you know I have a huge project to finish. Can’t it wait until that’s done and out of the way?” You reply. He sighs and grabs ahold of your hands.

“Just hearing you say that tells me you need a break, love. It’s just three days. We’ll leave Friday, get there around sunset, spend Saturday and Sunday doing whatever, then drive back sunday night, be home in time for you to go back to work on Monday. I also need to just get away from the city and social media and just spend a few days with the girl I love.” Your heart flutters at his hint of affection, looking up at him. His eyes are so captivating and beautiful, you couldn’t say no to him.

“Fine,” you exhale, giving in. His lips curls into a huge smile and he picks you up in his arms.

“Yes! We are going to have such an amazing time and we are going to have so much fun!” You giggle loudly as he spins you around the living room happily.

“Okay, Taron, you can put me down now!” You try speak out, but your laugh continues to fall from your lips. He finally puts you down and brings you in for a sweet kiss.

“I also thought it would be good to find a nice, quiet place to practice for the new Kingsman, since that shooting is coming up soon,” he adds. You nod and caress his cheek softly.

“I’ll definitely help you run lines, babe. Now, should we start packing?” You ask, pulling him towards your bedroom. He smirked raised an eyebrow.

“I can think of something better to do than packing,” he says suggestively. You roll your eyes playfully and release your hand from his.

“Save it for the weekend, T.”

“Oh I definitely will, baby.”

—

Two days later, you and Taron are driving out of Aberystwyth, and into a more secluded part of the country, to a huge and modern-looking log cabin.

“T, what is this?” He laughs lightly, looking over at you.

“I rented the place for the weekend. Thought it was nice enough,” he says. You reach over to hold his hand, but that soon is forgotten about when Taron parks the car. You practically throw the door open and run up to the front steps, your jaw dropped as you examine the fancy house.

“How much did it cost to rent?” You question your boyfriend, who is unpacking the car.

“Not worth mentioning, darling. Now, you wanna help me bring our things in?” You run over to help him and grab one box of food that he had packed to make dinner for the next three nights. After a couple more trips, everything is finally inside, so you begin to put the food away while Taron takes your bags upstairs.

“Everything put away?” Taron asks as he steps into the kitchen.

“Yep,” you reply, shutting the fridge once you set a bottle of ketchup inside the shelf. You spin around to face him, and jump back a little when you notice he’s right behind you.

“Jeez, Taron. Warn me before you sneak up on me,” you joke, laughing lightly. He chuckles and presses a soft kiss to your cheek.

“You wanna just rest and settle in for the night? I prepared dinner already, it’s in the containers. It’s just caesar salad, without the dressing on it. But there should be a bottle of it,” he explains. You turn around, feeling his hands settle on your waist as you retrieve the containers you just put away. You grab the bottle of caesar dressing as well and hand him one salad. He grabs two forks and guides you upstairs.

“Wow,” you breathe out as you take in the decorated master bedroom.

“You like it?” Taron questions with a small smile on his face.

“It’s beautiful up here.”

“Well, go look out on the balcony,” he points to the double doors leading out to a large balcony, overlooking the large lake and green hills. You gasp and look around. The sun was already set but there was still a light orange hue in the sky.

“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Taron appears behind you once again. You nod and lean into his touch.

“We’ll have dinner on the couch right over here,” he says, pulling you over to the outdoor furniture. You sit down next to him and open the tupperware, pouring some dressing over the lettuce, chicken, and croutons. As you two eat, you converse quietly as to not disrupt the peaceful setting of the wooded area.

“Any movie in particular you want to watch tonight?” Taron asks as you two settle in the king bed. You had finished dinner a while ago, and took showers, separately, and were now getting ready for the night in.

“What about Kingsman: Secret Service, considering you’re getting ready to shoot the next one?” You suggest, cuddling up to his warm body. He chuckles but agrees, getting up to put the DVD into the player he brought, and hooked up to the TV. The opening credits appeared and he hops back into bed with you.

“Will you help me run lines tomorrow night?” He asks against your forehead. You hum quietly in response and nuzzle your face in his neck, pressing a light kiss to the mole right on his throat. You feel vibrations under your lips from him laughing and pull away to rest your head on his shoulder.

“Always, T.”

—

The next day is a blur. You woke up to the smell of a full breakfast, including bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Taron even brought it up to the room so you could have it in bed, which you appreciated.

Taron then decided to spend the day on the small beach a few feet from the house. Beach meaning a small area of sand leading into the lake. You two splashed around in the water, sunbathed after the water became too chilly, and enjoyed lunch with your feet in the water.

You two were now back inside for the rest of the day, the sun was almost setting, and you and Taron have already eaten dinner. Now, you were in the bedroom, sitting on the bed as Taron paced around, running over his lines for Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

“Okay, can we run over the scene where I get married now?” He asks nervously. You notice his demeanor change, so you stand to join him.

“Hey, what’s up? Why are you suddenly nervous?” You ask him quietly. He shrugs and takes a deep breath.

“I just have a much bigger role in this film than the last one. I’m scared I’m going to mess it up, or be so nervous that I can’t get my lines right, or something-”

“Taron! You are an amazing actor, please don’t put yourself down, okay? You are going to do great, I guarantee that.” His expression softens as he smiles down at you, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight still shining through the windows.

“I love you,” he whispers. You blush lightly, his words still having this effect on you three years later.

“I love you too, T. Now, let’s run through your lines, yeah?” He nods and looks down at his script again. He then hands it to you, returning to pacing the room. You take your place back on your bed and nod for him to begin.

“Babe I’ve got a bit of a ‘save the world’ situation. I’ve got to sleep with the target.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” You say the line of Tilde, the princess he is set to marry.

“You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Taron delivers his line perfectly. You stare down at the paper to read the next line.

“Is that a proposal?” You ask, a small smile on your face as you continue to read through the rest of the dialog. You are confused when you don’t hear a response from Taron, so you look up, only to gasp and cover your mouth in shock at what you saw.

Taron was down on one knee, a small, black, velvet box open in his hands, and tears in his eyes.

“Taron…” you whisper, not believing this was happening.

“It is a proposal. I love you with my entire heart, (Y/N). I do want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I would be so honored for you to become my wife. So, will you marry me?” You are at a loss for words, your throat felt so dry, and you so badly wanted to scream out. But, all you could muster was a nod. Tears fell freely from your eyes as you threw the script aside and jumped into his arms.

“Yes, yes I will, Taron,” you finally whimper out against his shoulder. You felt his tears on your head, but you didn’t care. After standing in the middle of the room, in each other’s arms, you pull away to bring him in for a kiss. You smash your lips against his, your salty tears mixing together.

“C-can I put the ring on your finger?” Taron wonders adorably, pulling away from the kiss. You nod and wipe your tears away. He takes the beautiful, delicate diamond ring from its spot and with shaky hands, slips it onto your ring finger. You stare down at it as it shone in the golden sunlight of the sun setting over the lake. You were still crying uncontrollably as Taron brought you in for another hug.

“I love you so so much, darling. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” he whispers against your temple. You rub his back with your fingertips, trying to calm his shaking body down.

“I love you too, T. I can’t wait either.” You share another kiss then decide to sit on the balcony to watch the rest of the sunset. You were laid in between Taron’s legs, resting against his chest. His arms were wrapped around you, one hand of his playing with your ring absentmindedly. You could feel his gaze on you instead of the sky, so you turn slightly in his grip and look up at him questioningly.

“What is it, Taron?”

“You are so unbelievably breathtaking right now,” he breathes out, his eyes roaming every inch of your features. They finally land on your lips, and you smirk before leaning up to kiss him. You turn around and straddle him, grabbing both of his cheeks with your hands to keep him close. He hums happily into the kiss, pulling away to stand up. You remove yourself from his lap as he grabs your hand, dragging you back inside.

“You wanna practice on getting back into Eggsy’s mindset?” You ask suggestively, referring to the cockiness and dominant personality of his character. He smirks wildly and pushes you down on the bed, immediately hovering over you.

“Yeah? You would like that wouldn’t you?” You bite your lip and stare up at him as his lips trail from your neck down your stomach.

—

“Damn!” Taron gasps as he falls onto the bed next to you. Both of your chests were rising and falling quickly, trying to regain your breath after your recent activity. You laugh lightly through your gasps and turn your head to face him. He grabs your left hand in his and twirls your ring around your finger with his thumb again, staring down at your entwined hands.

“I’m so happy you’re in my life,” he murmurs softly. You felt more tears well up in your eyes, but you try to hold them in. You shuffle closer to your fiancé , making him wrap his arm around you to keep you close.

“I am too, T. I couldn’t see myself going through life with anyone else. I love you,” you reply in a hoarse voice. It was silent for a moment before Taron speaks up again.

“At least I’m going to have a practice run of a wedding before I do the real thing,” he jokes, referencing the scene in the upcoming sequel he is soon to begin shooting. You laugh loudly and shake your head.

“Only you would say that, Taron,” you say, pressing a kiss to his sweaty neck. He chuckles and sighs contently.

“But I’m not wrong!” He defends. You laugh once more and stare up into his beautiful green eyes.

“No. If anything it’ll make you less nervous for ours, yeah?” He thinks for a moment before responding.

“No. I’m still going to be nervous as hell,” he laughs. You grin and rest back against his shoulder, drawing shapes on his chest with your fingertip.

“We’ll be alright. You’ll be great, and I can’t wait to marry you,” you whisper, eyes closing for a moment.

“Get some rest, love. You deserve it,” he says, running his fingertips up and down your bare back. You hum and allow yourself to fall right asleep, your legs tangled with his.

“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life like this,” Taron whispers against your forehead, to himself, a small smile on his face as he stares down at you.

“I love you with all of my heart and I’m so happy you agreed to marry me.”

•••

taglist: @stfxlou @onexlittlespark @babebenhardy @loveharrington

[neverwatchedonepiece]

625: "Tension! Aokiji vs Doflamingo!"

One a scale of one to Kuzan, how bad is Doflamingo’s day going?

Only have time for one episode today but luckily it was a good one. 625 was crammed with intrigue and plot acceleration - not to mention adorable slice of life moments.

I know the next three episodes are filler (the thumbnail at the top corner of each video gave it away). Are they worth watching? I think I spied the Kung Fu Dugongs in the preview to 626. Those little guys were brilliant. xD

Mmmm... Dat Delicious Peril

Must confess I was hyped for this episode. The action continued were 624 left off: Doflamingo astride Smoker with Kuzan at his back.

“I need you to get off my friend.”

The way Doflamingo reacted to the imminent danger was interesting. The slow creep of ice towards him was a warning. He didn’t move. Slasher smile fixed to his face, he glanced about, considered: am I calm enough to retreat and let this slide?

Doflamingo served a large helping of Hell No.

He decided, “Screw it,” and went for the kill. Smoker almost went to the Big Cigar Shop in the sky. Luckily, his awesome friend had his back and froze Doflamingo’s feathery ass.

I knew Doflamingo wasn’t beaten because the cheeky little glint of his frozen shades told me so. He broke out of Kuzan’s ice casing and just stood there, staring at Kuzan, chuckling like a madman. (Also I love how Kuzan’s Devil Fruit lets opponents escape with all their clothing and accessories intact. He’s a good guy, really.)

For a second, I thought there might be a fight. Dramatic music kicked in. Kuzan and Doflamingo stared each other down. Then Doflamingo sauntered straight past Kuzan like it was nothing.

“I don’t want to fight you,” he said. “But if I can’t keep Smoker’s mouth shut, I will have to change my approach.”

Straight up threat there. Smoker now knows he can’t go blabbing about what Vergo has done. It’s probably in Smoker’s best interest, to be honest. If Vergo infiltrated the Marines, there might be more of Doflamingo’s agents crawling about the woodwork. Then again, Akainu is now in charge, and I’ll bet he’d love nothing more than to detect and crush any hidden pirates in the Marine ranks.

Doflamingo’s next dig was more interesting.

“But could you tell me one thing? Just what are you now, Kuzan? The things I’ve heard about you aren’t cool. The face of a vagabond is different from one who has a purpose.”

Now I’ve watched Film Z, Doflamingo’s comment “What are you now?” echoes what Kuzan said about himself. At that point, Kuzan wasn’t sure and even asked himself, “Just what am I now?” He sort of answered his own question, referring to himself as “an ally of justice.” Maybe. 

I still don’t know the full significance of Doflamingo’s pointed dig at Kuzan, but from the way Kuzan reacted once Doflamingo, Baby 5 and Buffalo flew off and Smoker said, “You’re not connected with the underworld, are you?”.... well, it got me wondering.

Kuzan sent the nosey G5 guys away while he had a quiet word with Smoker.

“I’m still the same person, Smoker.”

“That’s good then.”

I wonder if this means Kuzan *is* operating in the underworld, but that he told Smoker he was “the same person” means Smoker is no longer above dodgy dealings as long as Kuzan is still on the right side.

“At any rate, don’t take your eyes off Doflamingo. He is both a Shichibukai and a king of Dressrosa. He is an extremely dangerous pirate.”

Well, the king status explains why he has a massive house and a ton of servants. But this further complicates matters. Is Doflamingo an actual king, like one of the World Nobles? Or is this something lost in translation, like a kingpin, drug lord type of a banana republic?

“Tell Sakazuki to get the admirals moving. In the worst case scenario, the cogs will be destroyed and this will become the biggest threat that Sakazuki’s new Marines will have to face. I’ve warned you.”

Laying aside the whole aura of menace and the existence of important (metaphorical?) cogs, the fact that Kuzan is still willing to work with Akainu (Sakazuki is his real name, right?) speaks volumes about his character. I’m still not certain if Akainu knows Kuzan is still supporting them or whether this is a voluntary thing on Kuzan’s part and he continues to help from the shadows because he feels he must.

Either way, I like it.

Also laughed a lot when he forgot he was going to ask G5 to keep what had happened a secret. Lol, he’s still absent-minded. 

Still, the escalating sense of imminent conflict is great. Glad the plot is building towards something again. I wonder if the Marines know about Doflamingo, Kaidou and SMILE? Maybe Kuzan knows and that’s why he’s secretly warning Akainu to mobilise?

Maybe it’s something completely different.

Either way, I place some of the blame on this guy.

Hi, Caesar!

Aww, look. He’s thrilled to be the cause of it all. xD

On board Sunny, Law explained the trade relationship between Doflamingo and Kaidou. For some reason, he was cool explaining the plan to Foxfire and Momonosuke, who were hanging around listening in for no real reason. Still not sure why Law was cool with the alliance’s secret plan being heard by a pair of randoms from Wano, but I’m sure there is a reason.

I loved that even Foxfire and Momonosuke were shocked at the Alliance going after Kaidou.

Law also explained the plan in greater detail, which is great for us fans.

“To defeat Kaidou,” he said, “we must whittle down his fighting force. Kaidou has been buying many Zoan SMILEs from Doflamingo. There are many risk to SMILEs, but despite that, Kaidou now has over five hundred Devil Fruit users in his crew.”

First off, holy crap. Five hundred Devil Fruit users in his crew? That is a number, it really is.

Secondly, I was wrong about Kaidou wanting to use the SMILEs to boost his own beastly strength. He’s creating stronger crew. That’s definitely better. Much more of a threat if you have strong crew as well as being an absolute unit yourself.

Thirdly, there are risks to SMILEs. I wonder if these risks will give the StrawHearts (my new name for the Alliance) an in with Kaidou’s crew? As in, the ones SMILE didn’t work on will be injured or bitter and willing to betray Kaidou? Hmm...

“But Kaidou won’t be making any more,” Law added, and looked straight at Caesar.

Caesar was like, “Who me? Ehehehehe.”  I loved that moment when Chopper was like, “Omg, you create the ingredients for SMILE? That’s really impressive!” and when Law said, “Nah, he just improved Vegapunk’s work,” Chopper was like, “Oh.”

Totally don’t get why no one is impressed by that, to be honest. Science is all about improving and refining others’ work, even things that seem to be completely new. If Caesar adapted and improved SMILE, that’s still a legit achievement, I think. (I can’t believe I’m sticking up for Caesar. xD)

At any rate, Law also revealed there is another SMILE factory on Dressrosa. Their mission: find and destroy. Once that’s done, Kaidou won’t he able to increase his forces. The only caution (and a significant one at that) is that Doflamingo is a total pro and will not sit idly by while the StrawHearts mess up his business.

Luckily, Dressrosa is also where Foxfire and Momonosuke need to go. Apparently, they’re off to rescue a comrade who is imprisoned there. (Maybe that’s why Law was okay for Foxfire and Momo sticking around. It seems like Oda is going to include them in next arc’s plotline too. I think this is the first time this has happened in One Piece. And not only to them, but a villain too!)

This Was Just Great

Once Law was done explaining the plan, clouds gathered overhead. It was slice of life time. I know I love plot and intrigue but I also cherish those little peaceful moments between arcs, when the Strawhats are just hanging out on Sunny, enjoying the freedom of the sea.

There was a hair-raising moment when Sunny was almost crushed by a single giant hailstone (thanks Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Franky for timely avoidance tactics.) Momonosuke was super impressed by the Coup de Burst and Nami offered him a tour of Sunny.

I was like, “Yes! Give him a tour so I can see it too!” xD

Nami spent hours taking little Momonosuke round Sunny. He saw the fish tank, the library, got some lunch from Sanji, was examined by Dr Chopper - complete with hilarous tache - and sort of spoiled it with that moment in the bath with Robin but... meh, it’s Oda’s humour so whatever. :)

The nighttime scene was nice too. Usopp and Chopper dressing up in samurai armour and messing about on deck. Luffy fishing in armour (lol). Foxfire and Zoro sparring because Foxfire thought Zoro was the zombie swordsman from Thriller Bark because he had Shunsui (lol). Foxfire’s fiery sword slashes waking up and almost frying Caesar (double lol).

Brook said some pretty smart things about Doflamingo right at the end, which I am eighty-five percent certain no one will have heard because he was half talking to himself.

“Between losing his place as a Shichibukai and fighting a Yonko. I rather expect him to do neither and come after us.”

Me too, Brook. Me too.

And there was a rabbit turtle thing plus a guy with flowing cape, top hat and scary, shiny monocle. I’m guessing he is the filler bad guy?

Listen to Broooook. He knoooooows.

[thecapturedafrique]

Conquering Gaul

Series: ACoR

Pairing: Marc Antony x MC (Tamara)

Word Count: 2099

Description: Tamara confronts Antony about the match he’s orchestrated between her father and Syphax. The result is unexpected.

Author’s Note: Today is the day, folks! Seriously PB, today had better be the damn day. But just in case it wasn’t the day, I wrote this fic. I planned to initially post a second half before ACoR’s chapter went up, but it took a lot longer to get to the diamond bits than I’d planned lol. So unfortunately like PB, this fic will leave those thirsty Antony stands bereft. But who knows? Maybe I’ll finish it one day. For now, I hope you guys can content yourselves with another battle of wits, but unlike the previous fic I wrote, I decided to try this one from Antony’s POV. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Marc Antony examined his reflection in the impluvium. Wearing the red linen scarf and laurel wreath, he looked every inch the senator. His face rippled in the nearly still waters of the pool, an impassive facade that revealed nothing of his true thoughts.

He was ready for the games to begin.

“Tamara of Lena’s scholae is here to see you, domine.”

“Let her in.”

“I’m already here.”

The voice was tightly laced with anger, but he was already prepared. Antony turned around, shooing the servant girl away with a flick of his wrist before facing Tamara.

Her dress was a rich crimson-violet that reminded him of wine and blood, fitting the mix of pleasure and pain he felt at the sight of her. It clung to her figure enticingly, revealing every lush curve while hiding most of her skin, as if offering a hint of what was underneath. Lena had done well, as always.

But instead of the short black wig with the golden diadem that she usually wore, her hair was pulled back in a loose bun. Aside from the gold torque around her throat, she wore no jewelry and few cosmetics as well. It was reminiscent of the last time he’d called upon her, the surprise visit where he’d gotten to see what Tamara looked like when she wasn’t on display. Perhaps she was trying to echo the guilelessness of that previous moment, a moment which Xanthe had interrupted and then destroyed.

As he’d silently examined her, her eyes had narrowed further and further until she finally demanded, “Are you just going to stand there staring?”

Antony raised his eyebrows. He’d been expected her approach to be more flirtatious like it had been the previous day in an attempt to further ensnare him in her spell, but he could work with anger, too. “Your visit is unexpected.”

“You know why I’m here, Antony.”

“I have some guesses,” he admitted as he crossed his arms. “But please, enlighten me.”

Tamara’s jaw visibly clenched, and she took a deep breath before she answering in a marginally calmer tone, “I’m here because Xanthe told me about the match that’s been set up between Syphax and my father.”

“The crowd is sure to love having their two favorite gladiators face off against each other.”

“Now who’s the one playing games? This match has nothing to do with the crowd and you know it! Did Xanthe put you up to this?”

Antony couldn’t keep the frown from escaping at her words, regardless of whether or not they were a taunt. “You should know by now that no one puts me up to anything, let alone a well-used courtesan.”

Tamara barely flinched at the insult, but the fire in her eyes grew. It was the same fire that had led him to first catch note of her, a fire that no other woman in Rome seemed to hold. Yet he steeled himself against its effects as she scathingly replied, “Well, it’s not like you haven’t been led by Xanthe before.”

This time, it was clear that she was baiting him, and he threw her a bored look in return. “So it was jealousy that spurred your visit.”

“Ha!” she scoffed. “You think I care that she warmed your bed last night?”

“Is that what you think she did?”

“I—” Tamara paused, clearly thrown off guard, and Antony took care not to smile. “I don’t care about that! What I care about is the execution she’s planning to have you carry out!”

“Do you truly think so little of me?” he asked with a sigh as he began crossing the room towards her. Her frown softened into a look of confusion as he reached out and gently hold her chin.

His thumb stroked her lip, and her eyelids grew hooded at the motion despite the air of wariness that remained. “What are you saying...?”

“I’m saying that Xanthe had no part in playing this.”

For a moment, Tamara just gaped at him, and—close as they were—he caught the barest flash of pain before it was swept aside in lieu of rage. “You bastard!”

She wrenched away from him, and he only let her go in order to catch her wrist when she tried to slap him.

A brief hint of fear arose in her gaze before it too was quelled, but Antony had already seen it. Now he knew the two truths that laid beneath her fire, but he still had to uncover the reason why they were there.

“If this is your attempt to request another favor from me, then I must say that you are doing terrible job.”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? You wanted me here, supplicant, willing to offer anything for your mercy. You wanted to turn me into the beggar.”

“So they’re both worth that much to you?”

“Just because your father may not have been worth such a thing doesn’t mean the same is true of mine.”

His grip tightened automatically at the jab, but Tamara’s glare never wavered. He pushed her hand away just enough to see her still open palm, free from callouses yet marred by a single scar. “I’ve always been curious about the meaning behind this ‘injury’.”

Antony released her wrist to interlock their hands just as she started to curl hers shut, and she began to protest, “Wh—”

“See,” he interrupted with a cold smile, “I’ve fought Gauls before, and I know that this scar means you made an oath to take revenge. I ignored it at first, believing it to be an old vow taken in haste when your circumstances were different. But now it seems my earlier assessment may have been incorrect.”

“If all I wanted was revenge, then I would have killed Aquila.”

“But instead, you sold him out to me, even though he was a traitor to Caesar.”

She looked at him incredulously. “So what? Aquila may have been the ‘enemy of my enemy’, but that didn’t stop him from being mine.”

And there it was: the root of the issue. “If you declare yourself an enemy of Caesar, then you are declaring yourself my enemy as well.”

“I’m not your enemy, Antony,” Tamara said as she squeezed his fingers. “Yes, it’s true that I won’t ever be able to forgive Caesar for what he stole from me, but my oath was about getting that back, not taking revenge.”

“Then what of Aquila?” Antony asked, unmoved. “You told me yourself it was vengeance.”

“For both of us. When you told me during the Vulcanalia festival that loyalty to Caesar was loyalty to you, I realized that the opposite also holds true. So I made a choice...but it was clearly the wrong one.”

With a sharp movement, she pulled her hand free from his grasp, and he cursed himself for how low his guard had fallen. But she merely spun around so that her back was to him as she continued in an even tighter voice than before.

“Everyone warned me about you: that you were dangerous, cruel, not to be trusted. And it was easy to believe them, at first, because you were Caesar’s right hand. Yet as time passed, I saw there was more to you than just a thirst for power, that you had convictions not dissimilar from my own. So I started to believe that...that perhaps, despite Caesar, you could be more to me than another enemy.

“But it’s clear that I was mistaken. Our roles have already been defined. I’m the ‘Princess of Gaul’, and this time you shall be the one who gets to play conqueror.”

Antony had stood stock-still throughout Tamara’s speech, a story wherein she had been the one to trust him, and he the one who’d betrayed her. But when he heard her breath hitch, he finally found his voice again enough to hoarsely order, “Turn around.”

Squaring her shoulders, she did as he bid, and he was careful to keep his face blank when he saw the tears that had spilled down her face. Her eyes were now dim as they stared at the mosaics on the floor, and he took a moment to consider his next move.

“If you truly believed everything that you said, then why did you come here today?”

She shrugged helplessly, still refusing to look at him. “I...I thought that maybe you—what does it matter? I was wrong, so I should take my leave—”

“Hasn’t the time for hiding ended?”

Tamara bit her lip hard, and he resisted the urge to pull it free. Instead, he watched as she closed her eyes while finally answering, “I thought that you cared for me.”

“That seems a foolish belief for a courtesan to have.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” she snapped, the spark returning briefly until she slumped in defeat. “Xanthe was able to turn you against me too easily.”

Antony tutted before he allowed himself to reach out and lift her face so that she’d meet his gaze once more. “You haven’t been listening, Tamara. I already told you that Xanthe plays no role in this.”

“I don’t understand. If it wasn’t Xanthe, then what other reason could you have?”

“You told me before that your role would be the one at my side,” he said as he ran his finger along her jaw, tracing a path to the tattoo that forever branded her. “But what neither of us mentioned at the time was how it meant you’d be on Caesar’s side as well.”

Hesitantly, she lifted her hand, placing it against his cheek when he made no move to stop her. “As I said before, I’ve already made my choice. To ruin Caesar would be to ruin you as well, and I could never accept that.”

“And what of Cassius, who is set against us both? You admitted that you like him.”

”I do,” she agreed with a small sigh. “But his naïveté is distinctly less charming. I did speak to him after he learned of Pompey’s defeat, but Xanthe lied about the advice I offered him, which was to concede defeat.”

“And how did he take your suggestion?”

“Not well.” Tamara rolled her eyes slightly and continued in a bitter tone, “It’s only now after his friends were the ones who were killed that he believes in revenge, and he was shocked when I did not support him.”

“I have to confess that I would have been surprised as well...given what happened to Rufus Glycia.”

“That was a mistake.”

His fingers rose from her collarbone to circle her throat, and hers fell to his shoulder as he warned, “I hope you’re not trying to lie to me, Tamara.”

Antony felt her swallow, but her voice was steady as she peered up at him through her still damp lashes. “I know better than to do that. Yes, I was the one who confronted Rufus, but I wanted to question him as to the whereabouts of my family. He proved to be more...uncooperative than I expected, which resulted in his death.”

“Yet your bodyguard took the fall for you. What reason does he have to remain so devoted?”

“Eight years is a long time to know one another. Syphax is family.”

“Syphax is in love,” he corrected. “Not that I can blame him. After all, he had to spend eight years watching but never being allowed to touch.”

He moved his hand to grip the back of her neck and pull her body against his, and she gasped at the abrupt movement, staring up at him with those impossibly deep brown eyes. “Antony…”

“You didn’t come here to beg, Tamara; we both know you’re too proud for that.” Bending his head, he watched in triumph as her eyelids began to flutter shut. “You came here to win. And your ‘family’ is just an excuse to hide what you’re truly after: me.”

As she opened her mouth to reply, Antony hauled her forward and slipped his tongue inside. His teeth tugged at her lips, determined to take from her everything that he wanted. She linked her arms around his neck, pressing herself even more fully against him even while surrendering to the force of his punishing kiss.

Tamara was panting by the time he finally pulled away, her pupils blown wide with desire, and he grinned fiercely as he lifted her into his arms. “You want me.”

It wasn’t a question, but as his hands slid along the fabric of her skirt to clutch her backside, she answered with a groan, “Yes.”

“Good.”

[leonthecardboardunicorn]

Land of Agreement Chapter 3

You ever have one of those theories that’s just like ‘this may not be canon, but you’re gonna have to pry it out of my hands’? This chapter features one of mine. As always, this chapter contains major spoilers for Hugo’s route- AND for Caesar and Lucious’s routes!

Alfonse came by the next day to check on Vain. Although I wanted to let the doctor do his business, I couldn't help but hover. I stood in the doorway, watching him.

“It seems like you've regained conciousness, that's good,” Alfonse said as he took a seat at Vain's side. He nodded. “May I ask your name?”

“..Vain.”

“I'm Alfonse Goldstein, and that's Liz,” Alfonse said warmly.

“I didn't get a chance to thank you for rescuing me. If I had been alone in the forest, I don't know what I would have done.”

“Don't thank me, I was just doing my job,” Alfonse said, as cheerful as ever. “Besides, I'm not the one who found you. Liz and Hugo found you, not me.” Vain's expression softened at Hugo's name, and my heart tightened.

Vain's gaze shifted to me. “Then I suppose I have you to thank, miss.” I nodded, unsure of what to say, but it would be easier to pretend I didn't know him.

“And, as for Hugo,” Alfonse went on as he started to examine Vain, “he's not here right now, but you can thank him when he gets back.” Vain was uncharacteristically quiet. “I'm sure he'll want to see his brother, after all.”

I stiffened at his words, and I wondered if I should speak up. Maybe if Vain didn't say anything, Alfonse would let it go-

“How did you know?”

“I know a thing or two about brothers,” Alfonse said gently. “Besides, the resemblance is unmistakable. Not to mention, I doubt Hugo would've gone so far for a complete stranger.”

Vain nodded. “He is my younger brother. I had heard that he was living in this area now, and I came by to see how he was doing. However, things fell apart, and I ended up injured..” Well, I suppose, it was close enough to the truth. “I believe I've heard of you as well; it's practically impossible not to have heard of the famous Goldstein family,” Vain said smoothly. “You are an older brother yourself, aren't you?” Alfonse nodded. “Then you can understand how worried I was. I am.. always worried.”

I decided to give the two of them some privacy. And whatever they discussed, they did not tell me, and I didn't ask.

The weekend passed. Vain was still recovering from his wounds, and there was still no sign of Hugo. I returned to my duties, but.. when someone asked me how my weekend had been, I didn't know how to answer.

A week had passed since the fight, and I was heading up to the village to check on Vain again. For a moment, I thought that he might have fled, but I saw a familiar figure standing in the path.

“Hello, Mischa!” I smiled as she brushed against my feet. “Is Vain still here? I brought him some food.” Mischa nodded, and I couldn't help but playfully add, “I'm surprised! I would've thought he would've tried to run away by now.”

“Oh, believe me, he's tried,” she said with a sigh. And I stopped as I heard someone else coming up the path, turning to face them. I felt Mischa go tense at my feet.

Klaus was standing in the middle of the path, looking at some sort of device in his hand, mumbling to himself. “No, that can't be right...”

“Hello, Klaus!” He looked up at me, startled. “What brings you here? Is there another mission from the Ministry?” In all of the chaos, I had forgotten about our missions for the Ministry.

“Ah, Liz. This is a.. delicate situation,” Klaus said; it was rare that I heard him so serious. “Do you know if there is some village up ahead?”

“As far as I know, the only place up ahead is Liz Village,” I answered.

He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair and muttering in frustration. “Could it be- no, that would be impossible.” I tilted my head, feeling a chill run up my spine. “Liz, if I tell you, you cannot tell anyone about this.”

“On my word,” I said quickly.

He was quiet for a long minute, and then, at last, he said, “There have been reports of a suspicious figure lurking near the mines, and we believe it to be Felix. However..” He sighed. “An important figure in the Ministry has gone missing, and we cannot investigate without his permission.”

“Are you sure that he's not just taking a sick day or something?”

“He's not like that. There are times that he will go quiet for a few days, but never for this long. And this silence is rather.. abrupt. It's as though he's vanished off the face of the earth. The Ministry has sent me out in search of him.”

“So then that device in your hand can help you find him?” He nodded.

It just wasn't adding up. Klaus's device was pointing him in the direction of my village, but, as far as I knew, the only person currently in the village was-

And then things started making sense. I remembered a mysterious figure who never showed his face, almost as mysterious as the one currently crashing in my house. If they were one and the same..! To top it all off, I suddenly noticed Mischa was nowhere to be seen.

“What about you? Are you heading up to see Hugo?” I couldn't just lie to Klaus, but I'm fairly sure Vain would kill me if I gave away his secrets-

“No, Hugo's been away for a few days. On a mission of some sort,” I said, putting on my most serene smile. “But he was expecting some guest this weekend, so I was going to go ahead and get things ready.”

“Perhaps I could go with you then?” Klaus asked. “If we are headed the same way-”

“Only if you would help me carry these,” I said, gesturing to the bags in my arms. Normally, Hugo would've helped me carry things; I hadn't realized how much I relied on him.

Despite my instincts telling me to run into the house, Klaus and I made small talk as we came up the road and arrived at the village. He looked confused at the doors, but I took the bags from him.

“I need to go and unpack these. But feel free to have a look around the village!” I hurried into the house, setting down the bags. I heard voices from the other room, and I rushed inside- and stopped at what I saw inside.

Vain was up and about, pulling himself up to the windowsill- half of his body sticking out of the window. “What.. are you doing?”

“I need to return to the Ministry,” he said. “It is imperative that I get out of here before Klaus finds me.”

“So then, you are-”

“Obviously,” he snapped. “Now's not the time to discuss that.” As he tried to pull himself up, it was clear something wasn't working. He tried to pull himself through, but it seemed like he just couldn't make it through-

“Are you stuck?” The absolute silence told me that I had hit the nail on the head, and then I heard a knock on the door.

“Liz, are you in there?” Klaus called. “I would like to ask for your help-” Vain tried one more time to pull himself through the window- and landed in the other direction, falling flat on his butt.

I rushed to Vain's side; he was still quite injured. “Are you all right?” I asked, and only then realized that was a lot louder than I intended!

The door opened, and there stood Klaus. How was I gonna explain this one?

“Well,” Klaus said at last, “this is.. not quite the way I was expecting to meet, Thanatos.” Vain let out a snort at that. “But I have to ask, what are you doing here?”

“Klaus,” I blurted out, “I can explain-”

“I am recovering from a series of injuries,” Vain said, his voice suddenly calm. “Liz and Hugo found me in the forest and have been helping me recover.” He slowly got to his feet, and I was reminded of the terrifying figure I met back in Solomon. “I instructed Liz not to tell you as I was planning on heading back to the Ministry soon, but it appears that I am not as fully recovered as I thought.”

“This is all a bit much to take in. You got injured?”

“If you don't believe me,” Vain said curtly, “ask Alfonse. He'll verify my story.”

“I-I see.” For a moment, even Klaus looked like he didn't know what to say. “Well, sir, I came here to inquire about the-”

“Felix situation, yes,” Vain said. “You have my permission to investigate. As for me, I will return to the Ministry in a few days, when I have sufficiently recovered. Is that all?”

“I.. I suppose I'll be on my way then.” With that, Klaus shut the door and left. As soon as I could no longer hear his footsteps, I spun on Vain.

“You know, you could have given me a little warning that you were Thanatos.”

“I didn't expect it to come up, but I underestimated how long I had actually been gone.” He sounded awfully calm for someone who had, moments ago, been stuck in a window.

“This still doesn't make any sense. If you were Thanatos, how come Hugo didn't say anything?”

“Hugo didn't know,” he answered. “There's a lot that I haven't told Hugo- told anyone, really. In my experience, the less people know of you, the better.” I remembered Mischa's words about if their enemies found out. Of course it would make sense they were so guarded.

“Being so high up in the Ministry must've given you a great advantage,” I said at last.

“It allowed us to access a great deal of information. Key details on the Labyrinth.. We were also searching for the Star Sapphire, in case your friends were unable to reach it.” He let out a snort. “Though there would have been little that we could do if the young Baroque hadn't found the good doctor in time.”

It boggled my mind to think of how much he and Hugo must've been doing behind the scenes. All of the time that Mischa had traveled with us to break Caesar's curse- and Lucious's too- all the while, Vain and Hugo were running around trying to break their curses by any means necessary. “You really were trying to do anything to help, weren't you?”

“Indeed,” he said with a bittersweet smile, pressing a hand to his side, “and, in the end, it still lead me here.”

[cwnerd12]

Silas and his advisors sit listening to a voice recording from David: “I, David Shepherd, and the Army of Free Gilboa, cannot condemn Friday night’s attack strongly enough. I have repeatedly forbidden any and all attacks on civilian targets. Any AFG member found carrying out such an attack will be punished accordingly. The AFG is not responsible for the attack, and I personally vow that suicide attacks will never, ever be used by us,” the message pauses, and David changes tone, “I don’t want anyone to die for me. I want my followers to live. This isn’t what I’m fighting for.” The message ends. Silas: “What a load of bullshit, of course he’s behind the attack.” Reinhardt grimaces slightly. Silas: “What, do you believe him?” Reinhardt: “A suicide attack is very strongly out of character for Shepherd. He places too much on this notion of being noble. As much as I’d like to believe he’s responsible, logic tells me that he isn’t.” Silas: “If it wasn’t Shepherd, who the fuck was it?” Reinhardt, “We’re investigating the perpetrator as thoroughly as we can, and, thus far, we haven’t found any connection to Shepherd or the AFG. In fact, I…” he hesitates. Silas, “Yes?” Reinhardt, “The remnants of the bomb recovered from the scene don’t align at all with the bombs previously made and used by the AFG. The earlier bombs were made with precision and skill, and this one was very rudimentary and haphazard. Previous bombings were all based on opportunity, whereas this attack was carefully planned. It doesn’t make sense to me that they would use well-made bombs for attacks that might now work, and a shoddy bomb for a major attack right in the palace.” Silas, “It doesn’t make sense to me that a dumbass like Shepherd could have his own army, but here we are.” Abner pipes up, “The first bombs were made in Gath. They may not have had the same materials to make the suicide one.” Reinhardt, “I’ve examined Isaiah Clemens’s doctorate work- he is good. The bomb materials weren’t poor, but the construction was. Clemens wouldn’t make a bomb like this.” Silas, “Maybe it wasn’t Clemens.” Reinhardt, frustrated, “But Clemens is so fucking good, why would they put something so important on someone else?” Silas, “I don’t know how Shepherd works all the time, I just know that he works. What do we know about the bomber? How did he get into the palace?” Reinhardt, slightly crestfallen, “Jacob Finn was a waiter at the palace for seven years, long before Shepherd showed up. We’re still examining his online presence, but his social media profiles show no signs of ongoing radicalization. In fact, there’s no evidence that he even so much as liked Shepherd. There was one final message, however. ‘Society is falling apart. The Amalekites will conquer.’” Silas raises an eyebrow, “Amalekites? Like the biblical Amalekites?” Reinhardt shrugs. Silas shakes his head, “It’s Shepherd.” He rubs his eyes for a moment, thinking, “I want you to work with Thomasina to conduct a thorough review of all palace employees. If anyone shows the slightest hint of sympathy towards Shepherd, they will be dealt with as security threats,” he looks back and Reinhardt, “Or if there’s any further mention of these Amalekites, whatever the fuck they are.” Reinhardt, “Right away, sir.”

(everyone arrives at Chez Iggy in the desert)  Out behind the trailer, everyone sets up their tents. Jack and Shay assemble logs for a bonfire. David sits in the shade, talking on his phone. David, “Hi.” On the other end, Robert stands in the living room of a safehouse, “Shit, David, where are you?” David, “In the desert.Near the border with Ammon, where are you?” Robert, “Safehouse in Dora. James and Ethan are here, too.” David, “Who else is with you?” Robert, “Uuuh, a few other people, trying to not be conspicuous. Your buddy, Doug, is here.” David, “Good.” Robert, “What’s the plan now?” David, “I dunno, I have to talk with everyone. I think we want to keep moving toward Shiloh, we just got diverted.” Robert, “James and I wanna be there with you. How the hell’d you get all the way into the desert?” David, “One of Joel’s prison buddies has a plane, he can probably get you guys out here. I dunno if it’s a good idea for you two to be traveling together, I mean, two guys who look like me traveling together is pretty much just begging to get arrested.” Robert, “We’ll risk it.” David, “Okay, I’ll talk to Iggy. What about Ethan?” Robert, quietly, “The raid’s got him pretty messed up. I dunno if it’s a good idea for him to be in combat.” David, “Plenty of non-combat shit that needs to get done. We’ll find something.” Robert, “Also, Mom wants you to call her.” David rubs his forehead, “I’ll do that when I get a chance, I-” Jack appears beside him, “Hey, David, we’re all meeting inside.” David nods, “I gotta go, okay? I’ll text you the details when I set something up with Iggy. I want to get you two here, too.” Robert, “See ya, man.” David, “See ya.” Inside, everyone gathers around a table. David enters and sits down, “Okay, so I guess we need to figure out what the hell happened back there.” Jack, “We could have been tracked. A whole bunch of us converging on one place, it would get noticed.” Iggy, “Yeah, I can’t have too many of you guys camping here, shit looks suspicious.” Shay, “There’s other possibilities.” Betty, “Can I say something?” David looks at her, “Yeah, go ahead.” Betty: “I know I’m not a leader or anything like you all are, but I think we got found out in Nob because someone snitched.” David, “Like a mole?” Jack, “Sounds like something Reinhardt would do.” Shay, “We haven’t exactly been vigorous about background-checking our recruits.  David: “Okay, so who was it, then? We had a lot of people gathered there, and it could have been any one of them.” Shay: “If Silas has intelligence, we need counter-intelligence.” David: “How? We can’t just plan a mole ourselves. I guarantee you they’ve identified everyone who’s in the AFG, nobody’s going to be able to just leave and go get a job in the palace.” Isaiah: “I’ve got a brother who works for CrossGen in IT. I thought I’d go work with him once I got my doctorate, but then Samuels contacted me. I tried to get him to join us, but he said it was crazy. After everything that’s happened, I don’t think he’ll be eager to join, but, I’m pretty sure that if I contact him, he won’t tell anyone.” Asher: “They’re monitoring all our families. I guarantee you that.” Shay: “Should we be doing more to protect our families? My mom raised me by herself, if anything ever happened to her…” David: “I can contact Laura and see about getting them moved to Moab.” Asher, bitterly: “Honestly, I think the only thing we can do right now to protect our families is to stay the fuck away from them.” David: “We’ve got time, as long as we’re here. We can think of something.” Jack: “What about an emergency escape plan?” David: “What about Ammon?” Everyone looks at him in silence. David, “I know it’s a shitty choice, but it’s an option.” Monique, “I can’t go to Ammon.” David: “I know! I’m not taking your safety, and everyone else’s safety, lightly at all. But we do have to keep every single option we have open.” Shay, “We can figure something else out. The plan is still go head towards Shiloh, right?” David, “Yeah.” Asher, seriously: “They don’t like Jews in Ammon.” Abby: “They don’t like women, either.” David: “I swear, I will protect all of you! I will do my best to protect everyone, but if we want this to work this may be what it takes, so I need people to make a decision. Right now. You just have to trust me.” Everyone is silent for a moment. Monique: “I trust you, David.” Asher: “I trust you, too.”

In the gutted and soot-stained ballroom, Silas and Thomasina stand watching construction workers and engineers take measure of the damage. Thomasina, “There’s no major structural damage, but obviously, there’s quite a bit of cosmetic damage. It’s going to be expensive.” Silas, “I want everything restored. I want it more than restored, I want a new ballroom, one that’s fancier than the old one.” Thomasina, “I’ll have the best people put on it.” An aide comes up to Thomasina, “Ma’am, there’s a situation You need to address.” 

Up in an office, a group of MSS officers try to arrest and young assistant, Gina. Her boss, the minister of education, Marissa Chowdhury, argues with Reinhardt, “This is ridiculous, Gina is an excellent employee.” Reinhardt, “I have orders from the king, this is an issue of national security.” Thomasina enters, “What is this?” Gina, “I’m under arrest!” Thomasina looks at the officers, “Let her go.” Reinhardt, “I have orders from the king-” Thomasina, “You had orders to consult me. Why is miss Brooks being arrested?” Reinhardt, “A review of her social media history suggest that she may be sympathetic toward terrorist causes.” Gina, “What?!” Thomasina, “Gina doesn’t support Shepherd, Caesar. She’s loyal.” Gina, “Oh my god.” Reinhardt, bristling, “I have evidence to the contrary.” Thomasina, “Such as?” Gina, “Okay, I might have likes some of his selfies after the tank thing but shit! Every red-blooded straight woman and gay man in Gilboa has liked one of his selfies at some point!” Thomasina, not fucking around, “Let her go, Director, you do not want me to bring this up with the King. I have served him since you were a child, and he will take my side.” She looks at the officers and in a sharp voice, says, “Let her go!” They let her go. Thomasina, “You will consult me before any further arrests, director.” 

Silas approaches the door to Helen’s apartment, and knocks. She answers. Silas, “Are you and Seth coming to dinner?” Helen looks at him apologetically, “I already made something, I- growing up, whenever I’d have a bad day, my mother would make me butter chicken, so I made some for Seth. I think it’d be good if tonight it was just him and me.” Silas, “Is he all right?” Helen, “He’s alright, at least, I-” she thinks for a moment, “The palace got bombed last night, Silas. We’re all doing as well as we can, but that’s not an easy experience.” Silas, “Fine, then. I’ll have dinner with Rose.” Helen, “Silas.” Silas, “Yes?” Helen, hesitantly, “I think it might be better if Seth and I went back to the country, at least for a little bit.” Silas, “You’re staying here.” Helen, “I don’t ask this lightly.” Silas, “It’s important for Seth to see all this. He has to know what his responsibilities are going to be.” Helen, “He knows! I just think he would appreciate some peace and quiet.” Silas, “That’s one luxury a king can’t afford.” Helen, “He’s not a king yet. He’s a child.” Silas, “You’re staying here. We’re not arguing about this.” He turns around. Helen, “Please, Silas!” Silas doesn’t listen, and walks off. Silas enters the residence, where Rose waits for him, “Seth and Helen won’t be joining us tonight.” Rose stands up, smiling happily. She goes over to Silas, “Wonderful. It’s been to long since we’ve had a romantic dinner by ourselves.” She puts her hands on his shoulders, “The chef told me he has a wonderful cut of Kobe beef, we can enjoy it with a nice cabernet.” Silas, “I’m not hungry.” Rose, “You’ve had such a long day!” Silas steps back, “I’ll get a sandwich later!” Rose, “Don’t be stubborn, Silas!” Silas says nothing as he turns and exits. Rose stands there, alone, smarting and quietly simmering with rage. 

In Vesper’s cell, Silas sits down, “Tell me about suicide bombers.” Vesper, “Is that the noise I heard last night?” Silas, “They attacked a gala. The ballroom’s a wreck. Palace employee, no previous signs of radicalization. Somehow Shepherd got to him.” Vesper shakes his head, “I’ll be honest, I have trouble seeing him as capable of that sort of thing, but of course I have no room to speak.” Silas, “Tell me about who you chose.” Vesper grimaces and thinks for a moment, “Warner was the one who advocated for suicide bombers, at first, but I’m the one who ended up using them. He always saw something noble and romantic about it. Dying for a future you’ll never see.” Silas, “This wasn’t noble or romantic, five people died.” Vesper, “Our bombers were our most devoted. The truly fanatical. Shepherd’s followers must really believe in him.” Silas thinks for a moment, “There was something else, a something somewhere… The Amalekites will conquer. That’s not something you and Warner ever said, is it?” Vesper, “I'm afraid not.” Silas shakes his head, “Not that it matters. I’ve already got a good hit agains Shepherd. Won’t be long before I wipe him out.”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer III: “I Believe You” Redux

Only a few minutes left until mission start.

I examined myself in the tiny mirror wearing the hightech diving gear. 

I’d already thrown up twice. 

It was the worse nerves I’d felt since my early days of ballet school. They made me dizzy, shaking, sweaty and nauseous. There wasn’t just a performance on the line. I could lose my lover, one of my last remaining friends, and hundreds of thousands of innocent people on the shore. Including Lu Mingfei.

My stomach turned. “Mingfei... Mingfei...” I said over and over, leaning against the latrine. The thought of his dying because of my decisions rocked me to my core.

Master List

I reached into my pack to text Johann when he knocked. “Meixiu.”

“That’s right...” I didn’t need to tell him when I was feeling this badly.

I opened the door and held on to him tight. “I don’t... I can’t do this... I can’t do this...” I said over and over.

“You have to!” Johann rarely raised his voice, but the echo in the hallway told me he did.

He whispered. “Listen to me...” He tilted my head up. “I received a message from Schneider. The dragon will defend itself using an illusory barrier. Only those with the highest purity bloodlines can pass through it without being overcome. That’s why we have to do this.”

“In the whole school, the highest purity ones are in order: Mingfei, you, me, Nono. Mingfei’s out. So that leaves you to lead as the one who’s least likely to fall prey to this tactic.”

He loosened his grip on me as I started to relax. “I can raise my blood purity if needed... but you know how dangerous that can be. You can stop my conversion into a servitor... but that just makes you more necessary.”

“You’re not the only one in this position. Chisei is here because he’s the last of his clan. He understands how you feel. So if you need reassurance just talk to him. Alright?”

“Okay.” 

He held me close to him and stroked my hair. “You can do this. I know you can.”

A buzzer rang on the PA system. “Trieste passengers report to deck!”

“It’s time to go.” His hand was light against mine until I took it. 

“Caesar always focused on what he was going to do after the mission was over. What will you do, Meixiu?”

“Um... I think... I think I’lll cook Chisei a very nice meal in the galley kitchen.”

“Oh! Uh...  you will?”

“Yes. Something to really make this moment memorable.”

“Your dishes certainly are memorable.”

I giggled and held on to that thought. After the mission, maybe a seafood boil. Hopefully they had enough spices on board!

The Trieste may have been small as far as submersibles go but it was still huge to me, hanging here in itsinternal dock, waiting for me. Chisei immediately approached. 

“I’m okay.” I said.

He halted. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “It’s sweet that you’re worried.”

Chisei laughed a little and didn’t acknowledge my words. “The bomb you’re carrying is a high density sulfur bomb, specially formulated to kill a dragon fast. It will deliver a high enough dose to kill in about three minutes. But to keep the ocean floor stable, the strike must be precise. The bomb only has a range of about one kilometer.”

“That’s very close.” I thought about what Johann had told me. I really did have to do this.

“It’s a safe distance don’t worry.” He reassured me.

I forced myself to agree. “Right... Okay.”

“The submersible has been preheated and everything is inspected. All systems are green.”

“I’ll show you to our systems experts and they can further explain.”

While Chisei was going out of his way to reassure me. Nono was entertaining the rest of the crew, sitting on a desk and flirting with half a dozen blushing men. Was she making up for lost time? Or was this filling a hole? Both? She did look something special in that skintight wet suit.

Johann was on the phone. Probably with Schneider. I turned my attention to instructions I was given. The Trieste was small, it was old... but it was mechanical. There wasn’t a lot of computer technology when it was built, so everything was adaptable, fully testable and not reliant on software. Like an old car, so long as you had a part, it could be repaired with simple tools and it was not hard to understand even for someone like me with little training.

I looked to Chisei and nodded. “Okay, I understand.” 

He put one hand on my shoulder. “Good.”

“Meixiu. Schneider wants to talk to you.” Johann called out.

Nerves returned. Talking to that guy was never a fun time. I separated reluctantly from Chisei to take Johann’s phone.

“Agent Meixiu, we are now using an encrypted Channel. The following information is for your ears only. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“The task is simple. Descend, launch the bomb, ascend. I will be your support contact. Chisei Gen is your assistant. Rely on us for advice and direction. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“You can trust him.”

“Yes.”

“I understand that this is a heavy weight on your young shoulders. One that they simply were not built since childhood to bear. However, they can bear it. In the event of an unforeseen complication, Chu Zihang is well prepared to handle himself.”

“Nono is also experienced and can read a situation. Trust her instincts.”

“Okay...” I felt myself calm down again. 

“You have the best dragonslaying army in the entire world behind you, Meixiu. Hold your head high. And charge!”

“Yes, sir!”  I took a deep breath, smiling. I looked at Johann, hope stoked by the Executive Department lead. He gave me a return smile and thumbs up.

As we walked out to the Trieste, the entire staff stood up and started chanting. “GANBATTE!”

It was overwhelming and I struggled to contain tears, waving at them all.

The hatch was opened but before we climbed in Chisei shouted, “One more thing!”

When we stopped he said: “Do you know about deep sea pearl divers?”

“These women will dive hundreds of meters deep, with a rope tied, one end to them, one end to their relatives. They believe that if they’re in trouble, their relatives will pull them to safety.”

“You’re our pearl divers!” He said, looking up at me with a paternal smile.

“Yes!” I agreed shouting back down at him. “And I believe you!”

[thorne93]

Curious Conundrum (Part 5 - Repost)

Prompt: You’re John Watson’s sister. One day you decide to visit your brother for lunch, only to meet the infamous Mr. Holmes…

Word Count: 1094

Warnings: language, flirtation, sexual innuendos (maybe? idfk), murder/crime/case related stuff, angst, jealousy…

Notes: Another repost - keep reading isnt/wasn’t working

Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong Not only did she beta, but I literally couldn’t have written half these scenes without her help. She contributed majorly, even wrote some parts of scenes. I am forever in her debt.

Also, this starts AFTER Season 2, episode 1. I don’t follow all the episodes, but it does follow the timeline and hit some major events : )

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

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

Three days had passed, which meant three puzzles, which meant three nights with just you and Sherlock. The puzzles got harder each time, the second being a Caesar cipher, and only harder after that. It wasn’t just the puzzles that excited you though. It as the quality of time spent with your new friend.  But now, the real world had gotten in the way of your fun. Or rather, it was a different kind of fun.

A case had arrived for Sherlock and John, and of course, Sherlock asked for your eyes to be fresh on the scene with him. The three of you strolled up to the crime scene. All of you examined different things on the body, the clothing, the positioning, the possible cause of death, any key indicators who could’ve done this poor soul in. Story was, he got in cab twenty minutes away, asked to be dropped off at this abandoned warehouse parking lot, and no one had seen or heard from him in over a day’s time.

Problem was, there were no real clues on this man, at least not to your eyes. Sure, his clothing, his hair, his stature, it told all about him. But the events in what lead up to his death were still a mystery to you.

“Got anything?” Lestrade asked when he wandered up, nodding to you briefly.

“Six theories so far,” Sherlock mused. He went on to decode every tiny detail that you knew about the dead man, all of them lending themselves to a theory of his. Finally, he came down to two possible solutions, to which Lestrade sent his team off to go investigate. The entire time, though, you couldn’t help but feel…aroused. Every time Sherlock exercised his brain power around you, it reinforced those schoolgirl-like feelings for him.

“We’ll need to take his saliva to Molly, of course, for me to test theory number two,” Sherlock stated to Lestrade, who conceded.

“My god, this is fun, isn’t it?” you asked, trying to hide your thrill.

Sherlock smirked. “Oh, just wait until we get to mass murders.”

“For God’s sakes, you two. A man is dead,” John chastised angrily.

“And us not talking about him will bring him back?” you questioned with narrowed eyes at your brother.

This statement seemed to make Sherlock grin widely, something you wanted to make happen more, and often.

The three of you gathered the physical evidence you needed and went over to St. Bart’s hospital. John had mentioned the place a lot, even a few people who worked here, just as he had for his residency when he became a doctor. You hadn’t been here in ages though it seemed.

“Molly, I need you to run a test on this,” Sherlock requested as soon as he got in the lab with you in tow. He didn’t even bother saying hello to this girl.

“Right. Uh, what test?” she asked as she took the little bottle with the cotton swab.

Sherlock began listing them and she nodded.

“And uh, who’s this?” she questioned, almost as if she were nervous.

You smiled and extended your hand. “Sorry, I’m Y/N, John’s sister. I’m just…observing this case,” you informed.

“Nonsense, you’re assisting,” Sherlock insisted with a smile that Molly seemed to notice.

She stared at the two of you smiling at each other for a long time before Sherlock turned his attention back to her and said, “Molly? The tests?”

“Oh, right.”

With that, she turned and began her work, while Sherlock began tinkering with the other chemicals in the lab.

“What are you doing now?” you asked as you stood next to him, so close that his body heat was radiating off of him.

“I pulled some of the dirt from under his nails,” he informed slowly as he worked. “I’m going to see what was under them.”

“Oh, what are we testing for?” you asked excitedly.

“Glad you asked, John never seems to care,” he noted with a look towards your brother.

“That’s because you’re going to tell me anyway, you show off,” John retorted.

A small giggle came from you as Sherlock echoed the action, much softer. “There, see how the chloride reacted?”

“It fizzed,” you said. “But what does that mean?”

As Sherlock went on to tell you, Molly ran all of her tests. Meanwhile, you and Sherlock were laughing, smiling, and joking about grim humor, as you always did. Finally, when Molly’s tests were done, she showed the three of you the results. This left Sherlock to conclude his deductions and he began working things out in his head trying to piece things together. He realized he needed to run a couple more tests.

Just as he started to run the test though, Molly suddenly blurted out, “Why her?”

The three of you were taken aback by her sudden question and you turned to face her.

“What…what makes her so special?” Molly asked, a sort of…desperate plea in her tone.

Sherlock frowned though, he wasn’t sure what she meant.

“What do you mean?” Sherlock asked, lost at what she was saying.

“You chose her…over me…why?” Molly demanded. Your cheeks began to blaze as you realized she’d caught on to the chemistry between you and Sherlock. She even decided to bring it to light … in front of your older brother.

Again though, Sherlock simply frowned. “On this case? I chose her help because she’s insightful, brilliant, quick, and helpful. She doesn’t prattle on unnecessarily. She doesn’t talk to me when I’m trying to focus. She isn’t as transparent as you in many ways.”

The room filled with an uncomfortable tension as Molly stared at you, a look of disbelief and hurt in her eyes, and shame and guilt in yours. It wasn’t your intention to embarrass this girl, you had no idea she had feelings for Sherlock. If you’d known, you wouldn’t have flirted with him right in front of her.

“Right…I see. I’ll just be going out then,” she said before she quickly walked over to the door.

“I’m sorry, what was all that about?” John questioned as he looked at you two. Sherlock went back to his work while you cleared your throat.

“I think she meant, why am I, an amateur on this case,” you lied, trying to cover up what she had just nearly exposed.

John’s eyebrows shot up in agreement as he nodded. “Ah, yeah.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, you hoped that bullet had been dodged… at least for now.

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

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