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presidenthades · 4 months

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Once again, I am doing a series of my behind-the-scenes thoughts for The Golds while I do light edits for formatting, typos, and continuity. Here’s Chapter 3!

For this chapter’s title, I chose the Smith lyrics from “The Song of the Seven” because Jace is so busy busy busy with her work, even though she is suffering horrible from morning sickness.

I didn’t set out intending to make the entire chapter one scene, but it just ended up that way, and any scene breaks would’ve felt forced. I like how it ended up though. We basically get “a day in the life” of a pregnant Targ princess, and I end up mirroring the one-scene-only style in Chapter 6, where we get “a day in the life” of a Targ detective prince (only it’s the worst day of Aegon’s life 🥲).

I’m pretty sure I’ve rambled about ladies-in-waiting (LIW) before in other commentaries, but you’re getting another ramble, sorry not sorry. We don’t see Alicent or Rhaenyra with any LIWs on the show, except Elinda Massey (and only book readers would know she isn’t an ordinary maid, since she dresses like everyone else). The show probably has to cut extras like this for cost reasons, but Rhaenyra definitely has more ladies in the book and I presume Alicent does as well. Still, GRRM doesn’t go into a lot of detail about LIWs, so I can headcanon as much as a want 😎.

I think it’s reasonable to presume show!Alicent was one of Rhaenyra’s LIWs when they were younger. We know Rhaenyra felt very betrayed when Alicent married Viserys, so I imagine Rhaenyra didn’t want to hang out so closely with any of her other LIWs afterwards. She still has LIWs because it’s expected, but she doesn’t confide in them like she confided in Alicent, so her LIWs act more in a service than companion role—and I think Rhaenyra comes to deeply value her privacy, so she doesn’t want LIWs always hanging around and possibly spreading gossip about her. So I imagine her LIWs are all from smaller houses like the Masseys, who wouldn’t even dream of being buddies with the princess.

Meanwhile I think Alicent uses the LIW system as a way of securing her position at court (nobody expected her to become queen) and winning friends/alliances. She probably picks ladies from powerful houses like the Lannisters, so in contrast to Rhaenyra, Alicent’s ladies act more in a companion than service role (handmaidens like Talya would do the servant stuff like helping Alicent dress). But none of these friendships can compare to the friendship she once had with Rhaenyra, so there is still some distance. Alicent would have these LIWs attend to her at formal events, charity outings, and embroidery circles, but she probably isn’t inviting them for private hangout sessions.

Jace grows up with a bunch of sisters whom she’s close to, so she has all the intimacy and confidantes she wants. There are a lot of princesses at court in this universe, but if anyone is expected to have LIWs, it’s Jace as the future queen and a newly married woman. So she needs LIWs. She sees how Rhaenyra and Alicent use/fail to use their LIWs and learns from their actions. LIWs are very useful for soft alliances, but they have access to their mistress’ personal life so they have to be chosen with care.

Rhaena is an obvious choice. It’s not uncommon for relatives to be LIWs, and as much as I hate to say it, Rhaena is lower status despite being a Targaryen. She’s super far down the line of succession, and even if Daemon had anything to bequeath to his children, Baela would inherit. LIWs can certainly be highborns (they SHOULD be to serve a princess), but they’re serving their mistress so they shouldn’t be equal status (e.g. it’d be iffy if Helaena, the king’s daughter, were asked to be LIW to Jace). Rhaena has a lot of traits and skills valuable in a LIW (organized, knows fashion and etiquette), and Jace trusts her deeply. In return, Rhaena gets status and income (LIWs get paid by their mistress I think) independent from her father, and she enjoys doing LIW things so it’s a win-win.

There would be an unspoken expectation that Jace picks a Baratheon girl as a LIW. They’re her cousins (second cousins once removed, not too close but still a relation) and a great house, and Borros is easily offended, so Jace does her best to pick a daughter. Birth order is important in this society, so the eldest Cassandra is the obvious choice, especially since she’s the same age as Jace. But as mentioned in Chapter 9, Jace knows Cassandra is vying for Aemond, and as a Luce/Aemond shipper, she doesn’t want to give Cassandra potential opportunities to get at him. Maris is second oldest but she was very rude to Jace at her wedding, and Jace doesn’t want that unpleasantness in her life. I believe Floris is the third daughter (she marries before Ellyn in the book, and usually you marry daughters oldest to youngest) so she’s next in line. She’s only 9/10, but young LIWS are fine; Margaery in ASOIAF has an 8-year-old LIW (or somewhere around that age). Also, you don’t want all your LIWs to be the exact same age. If they all get married at the same time and ask to leave your service, you have to be quickly replace all of them. So a mix of ages is better, and Floris proved herself to be very pleasant at the wedding.

Nepotism is to be expected in this kind of job application pool. If you have a trustworthy and capable servant, the first place you look for more candidates is their families, because surely they’ll be just as trustworthy and capable. Elinda has been a good LIW to Rhaenyra, and the Masseys have been a trusted vassal to the Targaryens since pre-Conquest, so Elinor gets an advantage just for her family. She also genuinely has useful skills for a LIW, and before the sept, she is shows herself to be reliable, efficient, and averse to gossip because she’s so quiet.

Bethany is another example of family connections, as Aegon’s second cousin. Jace picks Bethany partly to demonstrate that she doesn’t want the Black versus Green divide to continue into the next generation, and as a sort of olive branch to any Hightowers who might still feel friction. Bethany has some obnoxious traits (she’s a spoiled only daughter, no surprise there), but I imagine her as the most “fun” of Jace’s LIWs. She knows all the good games, stories, songs, etc. And Jace definitely needs to have more fun.

Sabitha isn’t much older (early 20s at most), but she kinda serves as the maternal figure in the group (even though Rhaena is officially in charge of the LIWs). She already has her own child, so her experience is valuable as Jace undergoes her own pregnancy, and she’s been running the Frey household for some time. She’s described as bold, sharp-tongued, and willing to take up arms, so I think she reminds Jace a bit of Baela. This is also a way for Jace to make a connection with the Riverlands, since the Tullys don’t seem to have any eligible daughters. Sabitha’s birth house is Vypren; there isn’t much information about them, but they seem to be a less important Riverlands house. Her husband Forrest is a younger son, so he wasn’t supposed to inherit the Twins, which means he probably didn’t make a super advantageous marriage. So I imagine Sabitha never expected to become the lady of such a powerful house or holding (and the Twins ARE an important holding), and now she wants to prove she deserves to have that position. Becoming a royal LIW boosts her status immensely, and if her son is able to become friends with a prince/future king, even better.

I explain in this chapter that Jace picks Sara for several reasons: a favor to Baela, to win favor with Cregan, and because she genuinely likes Sara. This is a tricky decision because the court doesn’t look kindly upon bastards, and this is a society where the people you hang out with strongly reflect on yourself. But Jace decides the benefits of having the only Stark girl (even if she’s illegitimate) in her service outweigh the cons, and this may be the beginning of bringing the North further into the fold. I, as the writer, also wanted to drop a little Easter egg to book!Jacaerys’s purported relationship with Sara, but in this universe they definitely aren’t lovers. (I’m sure Mushroom has other thoughts.)

You can see little hints of Elinor’s secret crush on Aegon. (He’s pretty, he dotes on Jace, Elinor has probably accidentally seen him shirtless a few times, and all the ladies have overheard Aegon and Jace having really good sex at some point 🙈.) Here, Elinor reacts strongly (accidentally pulls Jace’s hair) when Bethany mentions Aegon. Bethany knows about Elinor’s crush (she’s picked up on Elinor blushing, and the two of them spend a lot of time together because they’re very close in age and have very similar backgrounds as unwed, trueborn ladies) and she teases Elinor about it sometimes, so Elinor worries that Bethany might spill the beans one day. Whatever Elinor’s other flaws, she wouldn’t actually try to seduce Aegon (despite Bethany’s angry accusation in Chapter 6; Elinor is too timid for that), but other people don’t know that, and a reputation as someone trying to be a royal mistress could be disastrous. If Jace knew about the crush, she wouldn’t intentionally hold it against Elinor, but she’d probably be extra wary about Elinor’s contact with Aegon thenceforth. If Jace were a different kind of person, she might even fire Elinor for crushing on her husband.

I made up a list of hour names besides the few that GRRM gives us in canon. Hour of the pig is 10PM. Not super late for people to still be up, especially at court where somebody is always awake, but late enough that morning people like Jace are already in bed.

Jace doesn’t react well to people hiding information from her “for her own good.” We see it here with her LIWs and later with Aegon. TBH she does stress and catastrophize a lot, so the occasional information diet is a good idea, especially when she’s pregnant (and it ends up being a high-risk pregnancy). But everyone has flaws, and this is one of Jace’s.

I deliberate set the scene so it’s “obvious” Aegon is visiting brothels, and I was very happy when so many commenters had faith that my version of Aegon wouldn’t cheat on Jace and there had to be another explanation 🥰. Quite a few people guessed about human trafficking and helping the girls at the brothel, which was very close to the truth! I had fun setting up the “mystery” of what really happened, and I hope people enjoyed picking up on the details on rereads.

Ah yes, typical Jace blaming herself and her lower libido for Aegon potentially straying (although she never seriously thinks he did). If she can blame herself for something, she will 😛.

Helaena loves her bug references (fireflies, buzz), but that’s nothing new.

“If Aegon hunts for green snails, so can we.” Green snail = Green Tyroshi (Tyrosh is famous for its dye made from snails). A reference to Aegon’s current adventure rescuing Gyles—but maybe also Jace’s kidnapping later?

In this verse, Jace and Helaena are one year apart, so they’re rather close. Helaena seems pretty isolated as the only royal girl in canon, but she has Jace and Luce, and eventually Joff, in this AU. So I like to think that with more female companionship, Helaena comes out of her shell a bit more 🥰.

The reason Joff blushes, which is revealed in Chapter 4: Daeron accidentally steals her first kiss 🫢. I actually wrote out the scene for the “sisters’ reactions POVs” I originally planned to include. I might recycle it for when I eventually do a Joff and Daeron POV fic. But basically, Daeron has been acting weird around Joff since she kissed his cheek at the end of the Handbook, Joff got really fed up and told him to kiss her cheek to make it fair (and so he realizes it isn’t a big deal), but he accidentally kisses her mouth instead. Then she pushes him into the garden pond. True romance ❤️.

If you’ve read the modern Yule AU, you know that Joff comes out as demisexual, and I think that’s true in this verse too, even though they don’t have the word or concept in Westeros. If it were anyone besides Daeron, I think Joff would’ve been very annoyed by being kissed but moved on fairly quickly. With Daeron, she’s actually flustered.

Laenor shipped Jace/Aegon. He was a romantic (he never really moves on from Joffrey Lonmouth), and he wanted his children to have the marital love he could never have. I also think he genuinely liked and identified with Aegon: they both like adventures and partying, they aren’t fond of responsibility, and they feel like they’re always disappointing their fathers. Laenor and Rhaenyra generally got along in their marriage, but I think they clashed a lot over Rhaenyra’s resistance to a Jace/Aegon match. Jace is aware that Laenor supported her and Aegon, so I think that’s another reason Jace wanted to try honoring her father when she was picking baby names.

But Joff! Poor Joff never got to experience that indulgent side of Laenor 😢. There IS a reason Laenor treated her so differently, and that will be revealed in Joff’s fic. Laenor got her gifts like her sisters so he was trying not to show favoritism (or lack thereof), but he was more awkward and less cuddly, and Joff noticed 😞.

Joff is also aware she only exists because Rhaenyra and Laenor were hoping for a boy 🫤. In this verse, they needed help from Harwin to have kids, so there was a lot more family planning involved. They had Jace and Luce pretty quickly because they needed an heir for the throne and Driftmark. If it were up to Rhaenyra and Laenor alone, they would’ve been content with just daughters, but this is a society that strongly favors males so they felt pressured to try again for a son. When Joff comes out as another girl, they take it as a sign that they’re only getting girls and three is enough.

Helaena compares Rhaena to a flower because many insects (especially butterflies) are attracted to flowers 🌸. And Rhaena loves looking pretty and colorful, like flowers, so she enjoys this comparison.

Notice that Joff asks “what about Aegon?” when Jace and Rhaena start talking about out him. If only they paused to ask Joff what she knew, she probably could’ve saved Jace a lot of stress and heartache that night 🥲.

Dying of childbirth was a lot more common historically, but again GRRM really dials it up for the shock and tragedy. I won’t get into it too much because there are already a lot of theories out there about Targaryens, magic, and childbirth. People have the usual concerns about Jace’s pregnancy, but if she and the baby die, there’s a high chance the Black/Green conflict resurges. In this sad alternative universe where they die, if both sides wanted to continue making peace, one “obvious” solution would be to marry Rhaenyra’s new heir to Aegon…but that new heir would be Luce, and Aemond would have a lot of thoughts about this, and honestly Aegon would probably try to drink himself to death after Jace is gone. Rhaena and others are aware of the major issues that could arise if Jace dies (other than the personal tragedy to them), so it’s doubly important that they ensure the pregnancy goes well.

If Jace hadn’t gotten pregnant so quickly, I do think she would’ve had a better work-life balance. Pregnancy can take A LOT out of you. But it is what it is, and both she and Aegon are trying to figure out how to adapt after the honeymoon period. They have a solid foundation for their marriage, but they’re still young and they’ve been apart for three years. No marriage is perfect. The important thing is that they figure out how to communicate better and adapt together to change 🥰.

Rhaena is confident that Aegon isn’t cheating because she’s had to deal with so many of Jace’s ruined clothes thanks to Aegon 🥲. Aegon’s also probably given Jace a lot of hickeys that Rhaena had to cover up. She’s pretty sure a man like that isn’t going to just waltz out on his wife. But “men are strange,” so who knows?

Jace’s feast dress is strongly influenced by Cersei’s early season dresses here and here. The costume designer Michele Clapton describes them as kimono style, so I added it to my headcanon of Essosi fashions seeping into Westeros. Jace’s signature color is gold but she also likes other warm colors, like pink and red. Black makes her think of mourning, so even though it’s a Targ color, she tries not to wear it unless she has to. Rhaena shares this preference for color; growing up in Pentos, I think she would’ve been very used to vivid colors in clothing. Daemon wears this in Pentos, and I suspect it’s brighter in person than it looks in that still.

Jace’s jewelry is usually tasteful, but Aegon couldn’t resist giving her an over-the-top Sunfyre necklace. Only for bedroom activities though 🙈.

If you decoded the anagram, you know that the smutty author is actually Saera Targaryen. The Septa Lucinda story is her dramatized version of her own story after she was sent to Oldtown. But I LOVED people’s theories that Aemond wrote it about Lucera and I’m tempted to write a cracky scenario about that 😂.

As for who left the book behind, I have two scenarios in mind. One is that Elinor secretly enjoys reading trashy smut, forgot it one day, and was too embarrassed to take it back. The other is that Bethany wanted to share the book with the other ladies (except Floris who’s too young) and purposely left it so the others could take turns paging through it.

The LIWs are eager to incorporate gold into their wardrobe to show that they’re part of Jace’s faction. Still an unofficial and fledgling faction, but a newlywed princess in line for the throne is always going to be popular at court.

Alicent first noticed that Daeron was nowhere to be found, then quickly discovered Aegon and Aemond were also gone soon after that. So she’s been trying to find her sons for a while, and then Rhaenyra sees Daemon’s note, because Daemon is experienced in the art of sneaking out and has learned by now that it’s best practice to let his wife know he’s gone out of the castle.

I think Daemon has his web of informants in the castle, so he knew when all three of the Targbros left. He probably also knew Aegon previously took Joff out, and that Aegon has since gone back to the docks a few times. By this point he doesn’t automatically suspect Aegon is out whoring (especially with Aemond and Daeron going along), but he definitely suspects mischief, and Daemon hates being left out of mischief. He’s also not fond of formal feasts so he doesn’t mind missing the event, and he figures if anyone gets in trouble for being absent, it’s Aegon.

I made Rhaenyra and Alicent’s dialogue about what to do about the absences intentionally ambiguous re: who’s saying what, again to highlight that they’re more similar than they think. Right now, they’re both in exasperated “what are the menfolk doing” mothering mode.

I felt sad excluding Luce and the Velaryons from the feast, but I wanted to save Luce’s big return for later. So I manufactured the fire in Hull to keep them in Driftmark. And who knows, maybe Luce will encounter certain Hull residents while she’s there 👀.

Jace has always been aware that Viserys ignores his children. In this verse, she’s very compassionate and cares about Aegon, so this bothers her a lot more than in canon. But she still has a relatively rosy view of her grandfather, who indulges her, until Chapter 9.

The feast and the aftermath are supposed to contrast with the wedding in Chapter 1. At the wedding, Aegon is by Jace’s side, but here he isn’t. Jace leaves the wedding feast feeling very happy, but leaves this feast feeling humiliated. When she undresses after the wedding she’s very meticulous, but here she rips everything off because she’s too emotional to be careful.

In the show, Viserys tells Corlys and Rhaenys that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s firstborn child, regardless of gender, will sit the throne. In contrast, when Rhaenyra tries to get Rhaenys’s support for the Driftmark petition, Rhaenys says Jacaerys and Baela’s sons will inherit the throne. I’ve seen some people say this means Viserys is more progressive than Rhaenyra, or that it’s a writing continuity error. Currently, my belief is that Viserys said what he said to Corlys and Rhaenys because he wants to shore up Rhaenyra’s position as heir, which means outwardly supporting absolute primogeniture—but in reality, I think he would’ve expected Rhaenyra’s firstborn son to inherit. Meanwhile, I flesh out Rhaenyra’s stance in this chapter: she was more idealistic in her youth, but like many people, she becomes more pragmatic and a touch cynical as she ages. And in this AU verse, as a mother to all girls, she’s even more conscious of the sexism they’ll face (whereas in canon she was more worried about the perceived bastardy). Rhaenyra wishes for a better world for her daughters but knows they’ll have a hard time getting there.

We get more Aegon & Rhaenyra interactions later, but here we glimpse Rhaenyra’s lingering doubts as she double-checks that Jace is happy. I think Rhaenyra has a particular grudge against Aegon specifically that she isn’t entirely aware of, because deep down she still has that feeling of Aegon being the son that her father truly wanted, and maybe some lingering resentment from when he was a baby getting the attention of Viserys, Alicent, and other courtiers. I imagine when Jace was born, Rhaenyra had a blissful period where she was Jace’s entire world (guest-starring Laenor)…and then one night toddler!Aegon suddenly usurps all of Jace’s attention 🥲. So yes, I do think Rhaenyra has been harboring some petty animosity against Aegon for most of his life 😂. Then he grew older and she became concerned about him going out on the town. She has no brothers her age to compare him with, and the only time she went out to party with Daemon, she almost ruined her reputation and position, so I think she feels strongly negative about Aegon’s partying ways.

Yes, that brothel madam worked FAST to get her money from the Red Keep. But it’s a life-changing amount of money, so why wouldn’t she?

Baela and Rhaena are confident Aegon wouldn’t cheat on Jace, but they have reasonable grounds to doubt after everything that happens today.

Jace trying but failing to take off Aegon’s necklace is definitely symbolism 🤭.

I can’t find the citation for it, but I’m pretty sure I picked marjoram as Aegon’s bath oil scent because it’s traditionally believed to lift spirits, and that sounded like the kind of aromatherapy Aegon would go for.

In the original draft, Rhaena sleeps on the sofa in Jace’s solar to help keep Aegon out, and she threatens him with a fireplace poker when he climbs through the window. But I realized Jace would prefer to be alone while she’s recollecting herself, so Rhaena gets to sleep in her own bed in the final draft.

Jace has never locked the door to her chambers before, so Aegon is very alarmed when he can’t get inside, especially when she doesn’t respond to him. He’s also just been in some very exciting and dangerous situations so his blood is still running hot, and the kidnapped women are definitely on his mind.

#my writing #meta #house of the dragon meta #hotd meta #fanfic meta #aegon ii targaryen #female jacaerys velaryon #the golds

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blackcatreadstarot · 4 months

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Henry Cavill Future Spouse Tarot Reading Part 1

Does Henry Cavill has a FS? 6 of cups + the fool + 4 of pentacles yes Did he meet his FS? 3 of swords + the judgment + queen of cups reversed No What can cards tell about his FS? What kind of person FS is? 7 of pentacles + 3 of pentacles reversed + the devil reversed + knight of wands + 9 of pentacles + 6 of swords reversed + 9 of swords reversed + ace of swords reversed FS is doing well financially, they gained financial security. They are hardworking, successful and have long-term vision in life, but also might have a fear of failure. FS is energetic, confident, charming and has a free spirit, might be a little rebellious and hot tempered. Also might like travelling and adventures. Career wise FS is competitive and prefers working alone rather then to be a team player, they are type of person that get things done. I feel that now FS is stuck in some negative patterns or addictions. It gives them pain and suffering, they understand that it will not cease until they put effort to leave it, but there are some obstacles infront of them. They feel trapped and stuck and don't have a clarity on what they should be doing. 8 of pentacles + the hanged man + 3 of pentacles. It feels like situation above relates to work. 8 of pentacles talks about having very demanding job and a lot of responsibilities. This cards advice not hesitate to ask assistance of your co-workers and also to work as a team (3 of pentacles). There's a need for hard work and determination (3 of pentacles). Again, the hanged man tarot card talks about feeling trapped, having no direction. There's a need to make critical decisions. What else cards can tell about his FS? 2 of pentacles + king of wands + 6 of pentacles + 3 of wands reversed. They try to stabilize things in their life, they are multi-tasker, flexible and adaptive. FS is bold, energetic and a leader, she has control over her life. Again, 6 of pentacles card indicates someone, who's financially secure and gained wealth. FS is supportive, generous and kind, might be involved in charity. Again, 3 of wands reversed talks about having obstacles and delays. Also 3 of wand is travelling and emigration card, so FS emigration is failed or delayed. I decided to clarify this card and ask if FS has different culture than him: wheel of fortune + 2 of wands. I feel that she's mixed cultures or races. What is FS job? What FS does for a living? king of pentacles reversed + 2 of wands + 9 of cups + the moon reversed Here's two possible interpretations of the cards: 1) FS might work in a bankruptcy field, that involves planning and maybe travelling across the country or abroad. FS is releasing fears, anxiety and negative energy and gains more clarity of their future. 2) There are problems at the work place (big problems - there's a possibility of closing the firm), FS is trying to decide to stay or to leave and now her anxiety is over the roof. What is definite is that FS is successful career wise, FS gained respect and recognition. The energy is always changing. Some time later there will be a need for an update. Also remember, that people have a free will. There are examples when people married not the ones who were predicted to them. Part 2 - https://www.tumblr.com/blackcatreadstarot/741565815990681600/henry-cavill-future-spouse-tarot-reading-part-2?source=share Used tarot deck: tarot de carlotydes

#celebrity tarot #tarot #tarot cards #tarot love reading #henry cavill tarot #henry cavill #henry cavill fs

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hannahmanderr · 1 year

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DannyMay Day 17 - Temper

lol I've got so much to catch up on

Words: 1,730

Summary: Jazz has never had the ghost-fighting skills that the rest of her family has. So what's she to do when a ghost attacks and she's left defenseless? (FFN)

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temper (n.): (1) a particular state of mind or feelings; (2) habit of mind, especially with respect to irritability or patience, outbursts of anger, or the like; disposition

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Jazz grunted as she braced herself against the force of the gale being created by the newest ghost attacking her house. Around her, the curtains whipped violently, threatening to rip off of the rod, and books and papers whirled around the room, forcing her to duck occasionally. The ghost in front of her - who reminded her of a misty version of the Pilsbury doughboy - knelt in midair, sobbing loudly into its hands.

As the winds buffeted against her, she mentally cursed. Mom and Dad were out on a call. Danny was with Sam and Tucker in the Ghost Zone, checking in on Sidney Poindexter after he’d had some sort of run-in with a particularly nasty pack of ghost wolves. Her Peeler and thermos were upstairs, under her bed, and every other possible weapon or means of defense - including the house’s security system - was out of reach. In other words, she was alone and unarmed. Two things she did not want to deal with when encountering an unfamiliar ghost.

“I-it’s gone…” the ghost blubbered. “Lost it… c-can’t…”

A particularly strong gust crashed into Jazz, causing her to stagger backwards. An armchair was knocked over and pushed towards her. Barely able to open her eyes because of the winds, she didn’t see it coming, and it swept her legs out from under her. She landed on the carpet with a thud and a bolt of pain up her arm. The ghost, upon seeing this, only sobbed harder.

“What - did you lose?” she tried to shout over the noise, but she could barely hear her own voice.

By some miracle, though, the ghost noticed and looked at her with watery purple eyes. “G-gone…” it said between sobs. “I-I hurt… hurt it…”

Jazz hoped she was actually frowning. It was too difficult to tell. “Hurt what?” she managed to gasp out.

“Th-the tower! I-it’s gone!”

Her mind raced. She had no clue what tower the ghost was talking about, but it was obvious it held some importance to it. What would Danny do with this information? Well that was a silly question. A ghost like this might have put up a little bit of a fight but wouldn’t stand much of a chance against him. He’d have already captured it by now.

What about her parents? Not that they’d have the information in the first place. They wouldn’t have stopped to ask questions in the first place. Dad would probably be trying (and failing) to get a shot in. Mom would probably be doing the same (with more success), but she’d also be working out a plan to capture it for future study or something.

Sam and Tucker? She wasn’t as sure with them. Tucker might try and log in to the security system and trigger the defense system. Sam, for as much as she preached non-violence, would not be hesitating to throw herself into the fight, probably following Danny’s lead.

None of these were options for her. She didn’t have the skill sets of her friends and family. She should know this by now; experience had shown time and time again that she was not exactly cut out for field work. Sure, she’d learned to aim a thermos, and she could fire a bazooka in a pinch, but this was never her forte. She much preferred to stay behind the scenes and provide team support.

Think, Jazz! Another gust of wind blew over her, still lying on the floor, and she had to roll out of the way of the coffee table approaching her. You don’t have their skills, but you have your own! What can you do?

Her main asset was her brain. That was a given. She knew she had a knack for analyzing things and digging to get at the root of the issue. That’s why she loved psychology so much - she loved to pick at people’s brains and figure out why they did the things they did, not just what they did. She could attack a problem better if she knew the underlying reasons for the problem in the first place.

Okay. So. Analyze this situation. To her, it seemed extraordinarily obvious: the ghost was upset because this tower it referred to was ‘gone’ in whatever sense that meant. It could be easily concluded that this tower held a lot of importance to this ghost. Losing something important could lead to extreme emotional duress, especially for people with anxieties or similar disorders.

Except ghosts weren’t necessarily bound to the same rules of psychology as humans. Danny was a prime example of that. But surely, being the souls of the deceased, at least some of the same rules passed over too.

Right?

Throwing all her weight to the side, she managed to roll onto her stomach and prop herself up on her arms. “Can you tell me about it?” she asked, doing her best to ignore the sting of the wind on her face.

The ghost’s eyes faded into the fog of its body and faded back in. They still leaked purple into its form. “T-tell you… about th-the tower?” it whimpered. Its voice was also difficult to hear over the roar.

Jazz nodded. “I want to hear about it,” she hollered, wanting to make sure the ghost heard her. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

The ghost hiccuped (how that was possible for a being without a diaphragm, she didn’t know). “B-but it’s gone…” it repeated. “I broke it…”

If Jazz had ears, they would’ve perked up. Of course! The ghost had said something similar before, hadn’t it? Granted, it had phrased it as “hurt it,” but the meaning had to be the same.

It all made sense! If this tower held such a special place in the ghost’s heart - er, core - and it had inadvertently destroyed it, then no wonder it was having such a difficult time. She wondered if the ghost even realized it was setting off the tornado-strength winds. It seemed horribly distracted by its distress.

So, distract? That could work temporarily, but not necessarily long term, and then they’d both be stuck in this same boat. Try and rationalize with it? Also a possibility, but it did not seem to be keen on listening to reason at the moment.

It needed something else to focus on, but it needed to be constructive. It needed to be something that could serve as a more permanent fix. A coping mechanism, but maybe one that could be used in future situations as well. Perhaps something that utilized its wind abilities, since they seemed to be so closely tied to the ghost.

The idea hit her as strong as the winds.

“Did something happen for you to break it?” she asked. She couldn’t tell if she was breathless because she was excited or because the gale stole her breath away.

It hiccuped again. “I-I didn’t want to,” it said. “I pointed… a-and it broke! I-I hurt it!”

Jazz nodded again. “It’s okay!” she shouted. “Sometimes we make mistakes. I make them too, and I break things I like too!” She absently wondered if this ghost was newer and not yet in control of its powers. The notion that it didn’t realize it was causing the wind was gaining validity.

“Y-you break?” the ghost asked. Was that an actual dip in the wind speed, or was she just imagining it?

Focus on the patient at hand. A psychologist can’t have her attention divided. “Yes! I break things sometimes!” She put her hand over her chest, but she made sure to position it where Danny had shown her a ghost’s core was (at least she hoped she was remembering right). Meet the patient where it’s at. “And it makes me break in here too!”

That caught the ghost’s attention. This time, the dip in the winds was noticeable. She took advantage of the opportunity to push herself up further.

“I-it broke…” the ghost whimpered. “A-and I broke…”

“I know,” Jazz said gently, still taking care to make sure her voice carried. “It’s okay. It’s okay for things to break. And it’s okay if we break, too.”

The ghost’s eyes faded in and out of its body again (possibly its method of blinking?), and the winds died down a little more. “But breaking… it’s bad!”

“No, breaking isn’t bad on its own. But we can’t just leave things broken, right?”

It shook its amorphous head. “N-no…” it said. “That’s bad…”

The books and papers slowly drifted down to the ground, and the curtains slowed to a flutter. “Not bad, just… incomplete,” Jazz reassured, offering a kind smile as she staggered to her feet. In the back of her head, she lamented about how tangled her long hair probably was after the whole ordeal. “It’s okay. We can make it right, but first, I need you to help me. Then I’ll be able to help you fix things, okay? We’ll fix you.” That last sentence wasn’t a phrase she was normally okay with using - all of her books told her that telling patients they needed “fixed” only made things worse - but this ghost seemed to have a limited vocabulary to some degree.

“Fix the tower?”

She hesitated. “How about we start with something smaller first?” she asked, trying to reach a compromise. She still didn’t know what this tower even was; she had no clue if it could even be fixed in the first place. She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep.

The ghost’s eyes shone from the reflection of its ectoplasmic tears and the slightest glimmer of hope. “We’ll go fix it?”

“Absolutely. And I’ll be with you the whole time.” She chanced taking a few cautious steps towards the ghost. Her hands were folded behind her back; she was pretty sure she remembered Danny mentioning something about the motion being a universal sign of submission and peaceful intention for ghosts, especially since many of the more offensive powers needed use of the hands to work. “Do you want to see?”

It eyed her warily. She could practically see the gears turning in its head as it processed what she said.

Finally, as the last of the winds died down, it extended a foggy hand towards her. “Take me?” it asked as if it were a small child and she was its mother.

Smiling, she took the ghost’s hand.

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temper (v.): (1) to moderate or mitigate; (2) to soften or tone down

#danny phantom #dannymay #dannymay2023 #dannymay 2023 #danny phantom jazz #jazz fenton #danny phantom fanfic #hannah writes

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itlivesproject · 1 year

Note

Big long message coming from someone who binged the whole game in two days:

1. Whoever wrote the Abel route deserves to get all the good things in life. His bright and warm personality and natural quirkiness tugged at my heartstrings and I just knew I wanted my MC to stick by him. It's no wonder so many peeps loved his route-- he was super fleshed out and he takes a new spin on the nerd LI archetype. Not to mention, his past with his family is bittersweet, yet it was never used for shock value. It was evident how these experiences affected his character and how he interacts with others, and it never fails to radiate how genuine he is and how much reality was inspired in his making.

(Also that last sex with him was so detailed, raw, passionate, and personal. Everything is scorched on my front lobe and I will nevrr forget it.mE.A. James could never.)

I can feel the good writing for all routes and the whole narrative in general even if I didn't pick them as LIs. The talent of the writing team always oozes, and I can never stop reading. I might retry other routes and I will do that after recovering from the psychic damage I acquired crying and laughing with this story.

2. From what I've read on the net so far, the Mixed Ending was the most well-liked ending, but I beg to digress because I am selfish and delusional and I just want my MC to rest, ok? 😔 I personally favored the successful non-betrayal blood ending.

The consequences of the ending are much more direct than that of the mixed ending and at least it was easier to cope with it because MC still has their support group, but I just really love the closure it provided that my gen!MC (ironic, I know) stayed true to what she wanted, which was to continue the life that was frozen over since the incident. Shadow Ending is honestly the most selfless and poetic ending that gave me crippling depression and I loved its angst. The Mixed Ending was my least favorite because it was the most open-ended one, and I felt unsettled by it because I felt the least secure for my MC's future, esp with their LI. I still have to play through Matthias' route but it's really promising.

3. I can't help but have my curiosity piqued by how everything played out with a similar pattern to how colonisers always end up messing up and undoing the progress of indigenous people's learnings and practices, and their utter disrespect for nature which ultimately blows up in their face but unfortunately, it's those that try to save it that suffer the most. The subtle incorporation of this theme was the perfect piece that really tied together the past of all It Lives book. Loha and Matthias were the perfect characters to resemble this struggle.

What lingers in my mind, however, is that Loha and Matthias, as individuals, are the two sides of the same coin. Both characters have personal strong connections to the Power, have personal gains and goals for it, used, manipulated and forced people to assist them in their cause, and ultimately birthed a person that was meant to be the key to finish their mission.

Though it was true that what Loha did was for the common good vs. Matthias' hedonistic and self-centered purposes, I think Loha is no better than Matthias, (Sorry, guys. I know some of you might fight me.) and I think it is equally hypocritical of Loha to ask MC to lay down her life to heal the breach and feel disappointed when MC doesn't do as she says.

She shared herself how a wisp was so curious of life on Earth that this innocent venture eventually bloomed into all this, so she knew that to an extent, even if the Shadow Ending occurs, it might happen again so long as the Power has free will to choose and explore. Maybe that's why I like the Blood Ending so much, I don't see a point to all the MC's (esp. ILW) suffering so much when they are mortals constantly being tested by a higher power. I think it was best to share the labor for everyone to maintain than just place the burden on one person. (My MC worked her ass off to charm Abel's pants off I simply can't let her down 😔)

4. The team is so resourceful with reusing, mixing, and adding visual assets to the game. Seeing the familiar layout and mechanics such as reusing minor characters really established the familiar Choices foundation of the game, but the impressively added illustrations, wide array of sprite personalization, the unique and diverse character designs, and even the title screens was truly the marks that made this an excellent fanwork. It manages to really immerse the reader and I can never, ever get enough of it.

5. In relation to 4, the programming of the game is superb. There is sensible weight and effects to choices, LIs are equally balanced and don't overpower the narrative, the godsent SAVES, the carefully considered rewards and consequences of all decisions and just everything about the system has made me question all that Choices has done since forever. How can a nonprofit fan team make such a complex system with such delicacy and thought that a multimillion dollar company simply cannot? You raised the bar higher for what interactive stories should look like. THIS is how interactive stories should be, and thanks to the user-friendly programming, the replay value is very high.

These are all I can say off the top of my head and I will always be grateful for this work you've shared to us. This is the most passionate passion project I've had the honor of experiencing, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Should your endeavors include another interactive story (Painted Devils can't come soon enough, please just take my money!), I will be most eager to take part in it.

Sorry if this was long!

(P.S.: Abel mentioned about having people over with his shirt on. *What's his body count?* 🤭☺️)

Thank you for sending this in and sharing your thoughts!! I'm so glad that the game was so meaningful for you <3

#ask #mod win #ilw reviews #wupeepapo

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 11 months

Text

PHOTO OF THE DAY 7-3-23 :: THE GRAND FINALE

f/22 @ 1 sec. ISO 200 :: [Jerry Downs]

* * * *

Our 247th Fourth of July

July 4, 2023

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

JUL 4, 2023

Americans are feeling bruised on the 247th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—with good reason. We are caught in one of those rare moments of retrograde motion of democracy in which temporary setbacks make it appear that we are losing ground. But just as the apparent retrograde motion of the planets is a trick of the eye based on our limited perspective, so too with this moment of fleeting reactionary victories. If we could observe the procession of the planets from outside our solar system, we would see that they never reverse course—they merely speed up or slow down as they move closer to and away from the sun. That variable progress creates the appearance of backward movement, which is merely an illusion for earthbound humans.

True, the reactionary victories are real, and the losses affect the lives of people in devastating ways. But viewed from the perspective of any reasonable length of time in the history of our nation—10, 25, 50, or 100 years—it is undeniable that our nation is locked onto an unchanging path toward greater freedom, liberty, and tolerance. Like the planets, our progress toward greater freedom and democracy is variable, speeding and slowing in response to the pull of momentous events that shape our destiny. This retrograde moment will pass. And, freighted with our losses, we will resume our march to secure the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

How? We simply need to summon a portion of the boldness the Founders demonstrated when they risked their lives, families, and fortunes by signing the Declaration of Independence. No more half-measures or “Yes, buts” or “He’s too old” or “She’s too young” or “Won’t the Republicans turn around and do the same thing?” We cannot set our goals by fearing what Republicans might do in the future. The challenge we face is answering this simple but daunting question, “What are we willing to do now?”

As painful as the reactionary victories have been over the last few weeks, those victories contain the seeds of MAGA extremism’s defeat. The 2024 election will be hard-fought, and we can take nothing for granted. But on nearly every issue of consequence, Democrats occupy the high-ground and have aligned themselves with the desires of the electorate to be free, safe, and healthy. Republicans are fighting losing battles on reproductive liberty, gun safety, LGBTQ equality, voting rights, educational opportunity, the climate crisis, the economy, investment in infrastructure, and protection of Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans are running on false claims that “Drag Queens” and the Walt Disney Company are grooming children, a non-existent border crisis, and tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. If you were a political strategist and could choose a party to work for based on likelihood of success, which side would you choose?

On this Fourth of July, let’s reflect on the boldness of the Founders who—despite their deep flaws and personal failings—managed to step outside of themselves to dare great things. That is all it will take for us to overcome this retrograde moment—set our limitations aside and dare great things. We can do that. We have done that. We need only do it again.

Concluding Thoughts.

I wrote the above introduction in the early afternoon and then left to attend a concert at Tanglewood featuring James Taylor, thinking I would finish the newsletter when we returned home. That was a mistake in planning on my part. Nonetheless, I recommend a few articles that I had planned to discuss:

The Hartmann Report, “Is Student Debt a Crime Against America's Future?” A thought-provoking article that may change your view of student debt.

HuffPost, Amid SCOTUS Defeats Democrats Are Lining Up A New Wave Of Judges.

Talking Points Memo, John Roberts Keeps Wondering Why We Aren’t Done With This Whole Racism Thing Already.

Have a blessed, peaceful, and inspiring Fourth of July as we reflect on the sacrifices that have carried us to this moment in our young nation’s history.

#Robert B. Hubbel #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #4th of July #Independence Day #Student Debt #SCOTUS #racism #the USA Founders

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ravencincaide-words · 5 months

Text

Curiosity

A successful magician is about to end his life when he makes an unexpected acquaintance. Intrigued by her curiosity he promises her his life, the question is; what will she do with it?

Warnings: Mention of suicide, attempted suicide, depression and anguish. Cursing, threats, a future fic idea

Moved here from main blog.

Inspiration: Rainy weather with a single ray of sunshine peeking through.

___________________________________________________________

What could a man, that had seemingly everything, lack so badly that he’d want to die?

He was amongst the strongest magicians in their world, carried a powerful title, unquestionable job security and ability to get away with any crime. He was blessed with good looks; a man in his late twenties with shoulder length dark brown hair layered in a messy wolf cut which framed his face. His bangs which would normally gather at the center of his forehead were longer than usual, curling over his golden-brown eyes. He was honey tan, quite tall with a slim physique that just hinted at some muscle. He had a good mind and sufficient awareness to notice that both men and women desired him. He knew how to captivate, seduce and allure. If he wanted he could get even more than what he already had; more money and more fame. He could manipulate and ruin, or heal and help.

But why did the world feel so meaningless?

Standing in the middle of the lake the man stretched out his arms and looked up at the bright moon. The night was windless and quiet. The lake that was always full of fish and fireflies was completely still- as if even in his final moments the world refused to look at him. He was certain that if it could, the underwater rock that he was perched on would have abandoned him too. The rock he was parched on was the only thing keeping him above water; a step further and he’d either have to sink or swim.

And he didn’t have the energy for the latter.

Even if he did it would only be a momentary struggle; the clothes he wore would ensure that. The heavy sand coloured jeans would cling to his legs, the combat boots with steel toes tied tightly around his ankles would weigh him down. He wore a dress-shirt and a black vest on top which was covered in metal details, medals and stars. But it sat so tightly that he could barely raise his arms. Finally he wore his favorite long coat that would tangle around his body like an octopus before pulling him down into the depths of the lake.

He was not weak neither physically nor magically but he was tired. His neck was completely bandaged from his last- failed- attempt of taking his life and so were both of his arms. If he wanted to live he would have no problems saving himself- either with one of the potions in his pockets or the mere flick on the wrist which would teleport him to somewhere safe. But he didn’t. Drowning like this felt like a welcoming and peaceful death. No suffering, no pain. Just a sweet lull.

And like a thirsty man clinging to water, he craved that sweet sweet end.

He was a deadman walking awaiting his relief, and salvaging the feeling right before the plunge.

Suddenly, he could hear footsteps approaching quickly- the sound made him want to scream in frustration. He swore that if he saw either a ginger, a brunette or blonde head belonging to one of his so-called friends then he was going to lose it. Why couldn’t they just let him fucking die in peace already?

That was all he ever asked for. But if he took the step now it would all be meaningless because they would just drag him back out and then tighten the looks on his room. They would monitor his every waking moment for days on end. No, it was better to pretend he was okay. Pretend he just came out here for a drip in the lake- that way he might still get a chance to try again tomorrow.

But instead of a familiar figure he was startled to see a young woman come out of the forest. She stopped at the riverbank, neither coming closer nor leaving. He could see her out of the corner of his eyes; dressed in a long summer blue and white dress with a blue ribbon around her waist and a white a scarf around her shoulders. Her long coloured hair, which was dark at the roots and a sea glass teal at its lengths, was pulled back into a braid which snaked over her shoulder and down to her waist. He couldn’t tell her exact features but he could see that she was young, late teens or early twenties at oldest. She was much younger than him- a child in his eyes.

“ Oh were you also planning to go for a swim, mister?” her voice shook ever so slightly. He was certain she was crying.

He didn’t bother giving her a reply. In fact he barely looked at her as he considered what to do. She was smaller than him, so it would take very little effort for him to either ignore her presence or scare her away. Perhaps if he acted violently or insane enough for her to run then he could carry on. Somehow carrying on while she was there did not feel like an option- if she was an innocent bystander he didn’t want to burden her with his death or the sight of his lifeless body bobbing at the surface of the water. Even less he wanted her to try and save him.

He lowered his arms in resignation.

“ Is the water cold?” she asked more herself than him as she splashed it with her hand.

“ A woman shouldn’t be alone with an unknown man. Do you know what could happen to you?” He growled as he turned his body towards her and did his best to appear threatening. But the bandages and the wet clothes defeated that purpose.

“ Then, do you want to keep me company?” the girl asked, sitting down on the back of the river and placing the scarf next to her. She didn’t seem to care what happened to her. Or maybe she didn’t understand what he meant.

No he could see the shaking of her porcelain hand still playing in the water, and could practically smell the fear of her. But she didn’t leave. And it wasn’t like he wanted to carry on with her watchful eyes. But he also did not want to leave entirely- because something in his mind whispered that she was here for the same reason as him. Although the body count wouldn't make a difference on his already blood soaked hands, he was not one to carelessly waste a life- especially one so young.

He moved to the spot she pointed out and sat down next to her, neither happy nor annoyed at the bothersome situation any longer.

He just felt numb.

“ I’m curious,” the girl started after a while of just staring into the water where he once stood. “ There are millions of people out there; men and women, fat and thin, beautiful and ugly, young and old. Straight or gay. Married or single and everything in between. There are proteges and failures. Magus and Mundanes. There are people who have a good and easy life, who have everything they ever want and those who struggle in pain, misery and suffering each and every second of their existence. And yet they all cling to life with every ounce of power in their body as if it's the most marvelous thing in existence. Isn’t it a curious thing?”

“ That's nothing to be curious about,” he answered flatly.

“ Then do you think it's instinct- the same as having partners or getting kids?” She asked tilting her head a bit to the side “ Or do you think they see the world somehow differently? I’m curious because there are millions and millions of people who find life meaningful and enjoyable and it makes me wonder what makes them do that? And for those who don’t- are we somehow faulty? And what is it that’s so faulty that we can’t seem to see and feel the things that others can?” her voice raised with every question into a shout until it finally died away into silence.

“ Life Is meaningless and painful- a repetitive cycle. There’s no solution to that- meds or otherwise’” He finally sighed “ I see no point in being curious about something that won’t make a difference.”

“ Then do you see the point of living a life by doing something that will make a difference?” she stated slowly before she finally turned to look at him “ Then how about you live for me until I’ve satisfied my curiosity?”

His eyes widened ever so slightly as the sensation of surprise and shock washed over him- the first emotion he felt in a long time within his numb existence. It was such a meaningless thing that this child asked him and yet it felt like she was trying to find the answers to the world's riddles. In doing so he felt as if she tied a noose around his neck and all he could do was follow.

He reached his hand out to her in a handshake; “ Xavier” he introduced himself. She seemed hesitant at first before she finally raised her pale and still somewhat wet hand and placed it into his.

“ Aurora” she mimicked his introduction as he shook her hand once before turning it over and bringing it closer to himself. He placed a kiss on her wrist, never once breaking eye contact.

“ Well Miss Aurora, this life is now yours to command.”

#creative writing #writing #first meeting #practice writing #short story #dark #angst #original work #original character #original fiction #fantasy writing #fantasy #realistic

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isabel3710 · 1 year

Note

Rescue mission

Sorry for the long wait!

-------

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Prompt: Rescue Misson

Masterlist

-------

It had been almost two months since Mason Pines’ disappearance and thanks to that little video proving that the young man wasn’t dead they knew where he might be held. Officer Green hadn’t told the Pines family that they might know where Mason is or that they were planning on trying to rescue him today.

The last thing Officer Green wanted was for their hopes to go up only for them to fail, nothing that he was planning on failing but you never knew what might happen. The department had gotten the help from a man named Jake. He was a former security guard for the organization who they believed was behind all of this. Jake had come to them and offered to tell them where he believed Mason was being held in exchange for immunity.

“Okay remember” Sergeant Smith said “this is our one shot. If we fail we could lose Mason forever.”

“How come?” A rookie asked.

“Because if they know people are looking for him,” Officer Green said, “then they’ll kill him or move him, and if that happens then we have to start all over again.”

“Oh, right.” The rookie said.

“Let’s move out," Sergeant Smith said.

The plan, at the surface level, was simple. The main goal was to find Mason but they were also to arrest anyone else they came across. While rescuing Mason was the main goal they also wanted to put the people behind his kidnapping behind bars.

As the team of officers and Sergeant Smith made their way towards the location where Jake had told them Mason was being held, tensions were high. They knew that they were walking into a dangerous situation, one that could end in success or failure, and possibly even cost them their lives.

The officers moved swiftly, taking out the guards with precision and stealth. They made their way through the building, clearing each room as they went. It was a tense and nerve-wracking experience, but they remained focused on their objective.

Once they got inside the building they all separated into teams of two so they could cover more ground. Officer Green and his partner, Detective Anderson, the two of them ended up running into a woman and arresting her. Though when questioned she refused to share where Mason was being held.

As the two led her outside Officer Green’s radio crackled to life “Hey Andy,” the voice on the other end said “does this guy we’re looking for have any discernible features.”

Officer Green, or Andy, rolled his eyes “did you not pay to the debriefing?” He sighed “but yes, Mason Pines has a birthmark on his forehead that looks like the Big Dipper.”

“Oh…” Anderson said “well I think I found him.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, he’s in this little cell.” The officer said “He’s unconscious but alive.”

“Where?” Andy asked, waving over the paramedics.

Officer Anderson rambled off a set of directions and Andy headed that way with the paramedics and sure enough they found this tiny little cell and Mason laying on the floor, unconscious. The paramedics got to work and Andy took a couple pictures for the future court case. The cell was a small, concrete room without any windows and had a thin mat and a slot in the bottom of the door for food.

Mason looked rough, he was pale and thin and his hair had been shaved off. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit. “How is he?” Andy asked.

“He’s alive” one of the paramedics said “we got him stabilized but not much more we can do besides transporting him to a hospital.”

“He’s also heavily malnourished and dehydrated,” another paramedic added.

“Sounds good.”

The paramedics got Mason onto a stretcher and wheeled him outside onto the ambulance and headed off to the hospital. The task force finished searching the building and taking care of arrests.

Later that night Officer Green sat at his desk at the station and grabbed the phone and dialed a number. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mabel? This is Officer Green.”

“Yes,” Mabel said “hi. Do you have any news?”

“I do,” Andy said, “we found him.”

“You found Dipper?” Mabel yelped, sounding hopeful “is he okay? Is he alive?”

“Yes,” he said “he’s a little worse for wear but they think he'll make a full recovery.”

—-----

Mabel hung up the phone and just sat there for a long moment. “Mabel?” Ford walked in “are you alright?”

“They found Dipper.”

“What?”

“They found Dipper” Mabel repeated “he’s at the hospital right now.”

“That’s great!” Ford grinned “did they tell you which one?” Mabel nodded “good, I’ll go grab Stan and we’ll head over right now.”

-------

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait, I had trouble writing this one and I've been pretty busy with classes.

PXCCOHG

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Tag List:

@badthingshappenbingo @zkang288 @julietwiskey1 @syn-northpine @libraryadia

#bad things happen bingo #fanfiction #gravity falls #gravity falls dipper #whump prompt #dipper pines #whump #gravity falls fanfiction #fanfic #stanford pines #standford pines #Mabel pines #gravity falls mabel

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

Note

i'm sorry in advance that i'm sending you this wall of text. but i've been rereading and rewatching the yorknew arc that now i have /so/ many thoughts on how the succession war arc could mirror and contrast the former wrt the phantom troupe that i wanted to share. also i love reading your hxh theories and meta, they have really helped me gain a better understanding of the characters and themes of hxh. feel free to ignore this tho if it's too much.

when the troupe are gathering to yorknew they remark that it's the first time in years that all members have been together. they also mention that two of their members have been replaced. i think that when they finally gather on tier 1 after several weeks on the black whale two of their members will have been killed.

which members? well back in yorknew chrollo did not send the following members to infiltrate the underground auction: pakunoda, hisoka, kortopi, phinks and bonolenov. on tier 1 the first three won't be part of the mission for obvious reasons, but once again phinks and bono will be absent bc they are already dead.

at the auction franklin and shizuku are the only ones shown killing people (feitan and uvo torture info out of that poor security guard but that's all offscreen). after reaching tier 1 those two will be killed. symbolically franklin is the voice of reason and helps to settle disputes while shizuku cleans up their messes so their deaths would further destabilize the group. tho if shizuku really does die then i hope togashi will never touch machi bc it'd suck of all the female members were killed.

chrollo will again attempt to get close to the heir of a powerful family who has a future based hatsu (neon/tserri) but will fail either bc he'll be unable to gain tserri's trust and/or bc tserri's nen beasts can sense chrollo's intent and attack him.

the ten dons sent the shadow beasts to prevent the pt from stealing the treasures but ultimately they were killed by uvo. in contrast the guardian spirit beasts will succeed in protecting their princes from the pt (my predictions are basically just the pt taking Ls one after the other lmao)

after kurapika finds out that the pt are on the black whale he will confront chrollo but instead of a deathmatch he will strike a deal. in yorknew kurapika was hired as a bodyguard to protect neon from threats and was collaborating with hisoka against the troupe. now kurapika will strike a deal with the pt to help him guard oito and wobble, in exchange he will help the pt find hisoka.

i've seen the theory that nobunaga will want to fight kurapika since he was the most upset about uvo's death. but it think it's interesting that during the hostage situation nobu was willing to follow kurapika's orders to keep chrollo alive. it was phinks and feitan who were opposed to following kurapika's orders. so when kurapika approaches the pt with his proposal i think nobu will agree to it if it's benefical to the troupe while it's feitan who will protest the most.

chrollo will have a rematch with hisoka. he'll probably have assistance from at least one of the spiders, after all he was only able to beat hisoka the first time with help from shalnark and kortopi. most likely machi since she seems to have the strongest connection to hisoka out of the pt. but before chrollo and machi can land the killing blow illumi will intervene and save hisoka's life.

ok i think that's all i've got for now. thank you so much for your time.

Hi!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It is entirely possible this arc will mirror Yorshin to an extent, even if I am not sure of the details!

Similarly, I think Kurapika and Chrollo might be forced to form an alliance, even if I don't know how it comes to be. And I agree about wanting something for Hisoka and Illumi, even if I am expecting it to be fucked up :P

In short, I agree with the general idea you have, but I am not sure of the details or if it will mirror Yorshin in such a precise way :)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

#hxh #cacciato #asksfullfosugar

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mymelodyisme · 1 year

Text

Quick Recap: Mys!

Born and raised in Zuzu City, Mys was always an exceptionally loving girl. And she certainly looked the part. Born with pink hair, pink eyes, and the biggest love for the color.

Unfortunately, in high school Mys met Myles, and it seemed like she had found true love, but as soon as high school ended, and they went off into the world together, things soured. Myles was dead set on what he wanted out of his future and out of her. Instead of going to school Mys helped Myles start up a company. But things fell though, and Myles certainly wasn’t happy about it. He wanted to be successful, and if he wasn’t it was somehow her fault.

All Mys wanted was to be loved, to get married, and maybe start a family. Myles avoided this by promising her they would get married when he finally could buy her a ring.

Well Myles did have things work out in his favor. He worked his way into the Joja Company and soon enough he and Mys were living in a nice apartment and he spoiled his girlfriend daily, he even got her a comfortable telephone job. The issue ? Well Myles always wanted soemthing in return. Their relationship has burned into a business transaction over time. For every item, he wanted her devotion. And before a ring, he wanted her.

She wasn’t ready for that. In fact, she tried to appease him but it never felt right. She asked him to marry her, but it always came back as a no. “We’ll marry when we’re secure.”

Ring after ring, none of them what she wanted.

She couldn’t even tell anyone about it. She had no friends. Myles had become her entire life. With the exception of Celia, a woman that Myles brought to his team in the early days of his failed company. She was tall, blonde, and looked amazing in blue. Celia wasn’t that great of a friend either, but Mys, lonely, overlooked all of her mean comments and gestures.

Eventually, one day, Mys is at work when she gets a message. Myles broke up with her. It was nothing new if she was honest, he must have been stressed out. She replied but didn’t get an answer. All day she tried to get a hold of him but nothing. She went home worried, found Myles had taken all of his things (and some of hers), and thought about what she could have done wrong. She figured he would be back eventually, right?

She turned to Celia who was there for her then, it seemed genuine. She thought things were going to be okay.

But soon enough Celia disappeared too, and Mys was forced to move into a cheaper apartment, and she was fed up with her job, and she didn’t know what to do. So she tried to move on, tried to live. But once again, she found herself at work, with terrible news.

Myles and Celia had eloped. The crushing weight of her entire life coming down upon her was more than enough to kill her, but the added whispers and stares that entered her ears as she passed down the glaring gray hallways entirely broke her spirit.

With nothing left to live for, nothing to lose, she decided to move to Pelican Town. Her grandfather had left her a letter, the deed to his property. He wanted her to move there when she was ready, and how ready she was. She sold every last bit of Myles’s spoils and used it to fund her move. She was wished off by her parents, who gave her her grandfather’s broach. Before leaving Mys told them how to reach her, and dumped any connection she still had to Myles and Celia. She was ready to start over. But…

Mys had no idea just how life changing this move would be, however.

At 24, she moved into a broken down farmhouse, and had to learn how to be a farmer. She didn’t really think it through, but she was happy to be her own person again. Robin, the local carpenter was so kind, Mayor Lewis seemed like someone who really cares about his townspeople. Surely, she thought, that everyone would be the same.

And then she met Shane. Meeting him for the first time was like meeting your own demise, but it was something far different. She had met her future with a snare, a grin, and a truthful observation.

Little did they both know, they would become each other’s entire world.

From mean words and unhappy tears, to sharing pizza and lemonade in the saloon, to singing drunk love songs that maybe meant a lot more than they thought, to drunken kisses they’d dare not acknowledge under the moonlight, to being separated by a new relationship and finding their way back, Mys and Shane found comfort in one another. For the first time, they both knew what love was.

Love was the other’s happiness, and the hope that they could be included within it.

#stardew valley: poochencia farm #myshane♥️#farmer mys #🧎🏽‍♀️ MY MYS MY SWEET ANGEL

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xxruinaxxmcu · 2 years

Text

Jack Thompson x Reader

What Lies Before Us

Masterlist (Book 1 and previous chapters)

Chapter 10

“You don’t really think they want to pull a Lincoln on Truman?”, Jack asked, visibly irritated after hearing Y/N’s explanation about the meaning of the 5th of November.

“I have no idea what it means, if it’s literally or figuratively”, she shrugged, “But it means meddling with politics, that’s for sure. And if Peggy’s intel is right, they already killed a president once in 1901.”

“And you think they work with the mob for that?”, he questioned sceptically. Again, Y/N wasn’t sure about it – after all, all she had to go on was a piece of paper.

“I don’t know”, she replied, “but if you would want to kill someone, having the Mafia do it is arguably the best way to do it. The public can easily be fed an alternative explanation as to why they targeted the person in question, whether that is Truman himself or some other guy in a suit.”

Though they had very little to go on, Thompson decided to inform the Secret Service about it, in order for them to make sure that they did thorough background checks on their members, and to make sure no actual assassination plot would be successful. They needed more time to figure out what the actual plan was, and he really didn’t want it to end with the Commander and Chief being killed.

Y/N attempted to make contact with Lorenzo, but she had to make sure that it would not be seen as a meeting with federal agents, and she didn’t exactly have his phone number. She did remember a restaurant he often frequented when she initially met him, so she hoped his taste hadn’t changed. She pretended that she had found his wallet in the establishment, asking for an address or a number so that she could return it to him. She was lucky – they did have an address left behind, so she went to check it out, making sure she wasn’t being followed or observed by anyone, to verify that it was actually his address. Rather than waiting for him there, which she found too risky in case he came home with another mobster, she decided to disguise her note in a letter that looked like an electricity bill. Which was technically forgery, but who’d check that?

She left behind a post box address to which he could post a letter to, which, again, she found safer than meeting him in person. It would take considerably longer, but then again, it was for his own safety, too.

Jack was still figuring out how he was supposed to have a life next to his job – during the war, combat was all that really mattered. Sure, he had his friends to worry about, to have fun with when they weren’t in action, but essentially, there was no past, there was no future. Everyone knew that they could be dead the next day if they were in the field. But that also meant that whenever he took up his weapon, that was all that mattered – getting that next mile of territory, securing the next position. He thought a lot about home, never getting to see his family until the war ended. Or Y/N. In the first months at the SSR, actually, until he was shot, that’s how he continued. It was always about work, about closing the next case, and it felt like he couldn’t stop for one minute because the world hung in the balance.

Unfortunately, he realised, the world would almost always hang in the balance. If he waited for ‘things to pass’ to have a life, he’d be dead before he’d know it.

“Sousa, SSR.”

“Couldn’t make it any shorter, Danny-boy?”, Jack asked with a grin, placing his feet on his desk.

“Jack. Anything on the Arena Club? Peggy mentioned something about ‘5th of November’.”

“Yeah, apparently it’s some English poem about a guy who wanted to kill the king, but failed”, Jack explained, “it could be what they’ve got in mind. Just that we’re not a monarchy.”

“They’re after Truman?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out, genius.”

“Right”, Daniel exhaled audibly, “If we find anything on our end, I’ll let you know.”

“You nervous?”

“What?”, Daniel asked, obviously confused, “Why should I be? It’s politicians and mobsters, Jack, by now, that’s our most common gig.”

“I didn’t mean the case”, Jack specified, “I mean your future.”

“The wedding?”, Sousa asked to confirm, “Uhm, no, I mean, it’s just a change of formalities, essentially. Why’d you ask? Terrified of asking yourself?”

Jack grit his teeth. It wasn’t that he was afraid Y/N wouldn’t say yes, he was just… unsure about the circumstances. “Don’t you wish for your life to be, ya know, less dangerous before tying the knot?”

“Then I should’ve set out to marry someone very different to Peggy, Jack”, Daniel stated amusedly, “a boring life and her don’t really go together.”

Rubbing his chin, Jack nodded, remembering after a second that Sousa had no way to tell that he was, so he added: “Yeah.”

“Look, we might never get a month off, but you’ll be able to find one day to get married. It doesn’t take much. If you’re lucky, your girl won’t drag you half-way across the world to do it, too.”

“Ha, I bet you’re ecstatic to meet Family Carter”, Jack grinned.

“You kidding?”, Sousa shot back, “I couldn’t imagine something more terrifying than that!”

“You’ve probably never been disliked by anyone in your entire life, Danny-boy, so I don’t think you’ve got reason to worry.”

“There was a time I was pretty sure you hated me.”

“Yes, Sousa, I think there was a time where apparently everyone thought I hated them”, Jack retorted, both sarcastic, as well as intently self-aware.

Sousa seemed to think for a second what to say, and eventually he replied: “I’m sure Y/N never hated you.”

Jack scoffed: “You’d be surprised. I’m quite sure the one time I almost knocked a guy’s tooth out because he’d groped her back in high school, she did kinda hate me.”

“You’ve always had a charming temperament, then”, Sousa said and Jack could picture his grin by the sound of his voice.

“My most winning attribute, I’m sure. Had to practice throwing a punch somewhere, I guess.”

“Thompson, you better get your act together after basically arranging my ceremony”, Sousa urged, “And don’t you say ‘when it’s quiet’, because that’ll never happen, clear?”

“Cristal.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“Eventually, sure”, Jack evaded, now very eager to end the call. “Well, Danny-boy, I’ve got to come up with a speech for your day. And call me if you find anything on our case.”

“I’ll beat your ass with my crutch if you don’t get your act together by my first wedding anniversary, I swear to God, Thompson!”

Jack grinned before ending the call. That gave him at least more than a year to play with. Though he doubted that his nerves would dramatically improve over time.

…….

With their plane currently somewhere over the Atlantic, Y/N eyed the water intently. It felt strange heading back to Europe after a few months away, it felt like returning to something one wanted to leave behind for good, but which was a different place already since her last stay.

“You’re fidgeting.”

She looked at Jack, who apparently had woken up to provide her with an analysis of her gestures.

“Didn’t think I’d be back so soon, if I’m being honest”, she remarked, though she was grateful that they’d be headed to London, rather than Paris or Berlin.

Jack tilted his head back, closing his eyes. “Tell me about it.”

“About what?”

“About London. What did you do there? I’ve been there once, for virtually a day, to get Peggy’s – or not Peggy’s – file. What’s it like?”

Y/N didn’t really know how to answer that, it was hard to describe a city.

“It’s… old. I mean, for us, from America, it’s just an old city. They’ve got castles from the Middle Ages everywhere”, she began, and trying to recount the city made her feel less on edge, “they’ve got these very typical townhouses, most, I think, from the Victorian period. They’re drafty as hell, though.” She laughed at the memory of the tiny corridors of the houses, where, for some reason, it always felt like an air current was present. “The river Thames is pretty muddy, I have to say. But they have beautiful bridges everywhere, London Bridge most famously. It has a lot of parks, but be careful. The squirrels inside are so used to humans, they practically want to sit on your shoulder. Otherwise… a lot of the city has to be rebuilt. The Blitz definitely scarred it.”

“How long were you there?”, he inquired, noticing how talking about it took her stress away.

“Several months, for training purposes. It was rather odd, though, considering we were training for something without having expertise to go on. There were no veterans for us to ask about technique”, she shrugged, “We had to make it up on the fly.” She paused: “And then, at the end of the war before being discharged. Was strange to go back there, seems like so much had changed in relatively short time.”

Opening his eyes to take a look at her, Jack continued his questionnaire: “What’s your favourite spot in the city?”

“Not really original, but Hyde Park. I loved spending time at the pond that they built there”, she said with a smile, “It reminded me of Central Park.”

“I bet you sat there reading”, he guessed – and her laugh told him that he had guessed correctly.

“In all fairness, I had to become perfectly fluent in a language. I had to read Goethe somewhere. Da steh’ ich nun, ich armer Tor und bin so klug als wie zuvor, and all that.”

He huffed amusedly. He half-remembered that line coming from one professor way back when, and he was fairly certain that it was in Faust. A book he never bothered to read, even with an English translation available.

“Right, your turn”, she said, “Tell me about your time outside of combat.”

He pulled a face: “A lot less scenic, I’m afraid. In early 1944, we were brought to Camp Pendleton. It was hot and humid, like California is. Were damn glad when we could leave that place, or at least I was. But I guess it helped me in the long run, the weather in the pacific was also hot and humid.”

“Just what you love”, Y/N commented with a grin.

“Yes, so next time Sousa and Carter ask us to fly to L.A., we meet them halfway in – whatever – Kansas.”

“Nothing’s in Kansas.”

“I’m sure we’d find some case there”, he remarked with a shrug.

“You think the Mafia has a new offshore company in Wichita?”, she asked amusedly.

Again, Jack only shrugged: “Maybe they’re interested in planes, too.”

After all the talk of humid and hot weather, London posed the exact opposite. It was mid-November (and yes, the 5th of November came and went without an assassination, confirming Y/N’s suspicion that the riddle was more a hint than a plan), and the weather in England’s capital was windy and chilly – so not that different from New York, to be fair.

And, of course, for good measure, it was raining.

“Merry old England”, Y/N announced when stepping off the plane and pointing to Jack’s hat, “Hope that sits tight, ‘cause otherwise it’ll end up in the Thames, for sure.”

The actual ceremony would be near Green Park, at St. James Church, which was a small, but picturesque church in the city centre. They had flown in with only a night to spare, the next day, they would have to be ready – well, especially Jack had to be ready with his silly (or so he thought) speech that Sousa had asked him to deliver. Why, he still wasn’t quite sure. There had to be a thousand more qualified men in Sousa’s life for such a role, whether from his time at school, or even from his time in the army. Did he really think his best choice was him? Jack Thompson, who called him ‘our biggest yo-yo’ after Krzeminski’s death?

If so, Thompson felt a bit sorry for the guy. But, he was a responsible man, nonetheless, so naturally, he tried to muster up a speech that would at least be considered okay-ish.

“Can I see it?”, Y/N asked once they were in the hotel room as she watched him go over his lines again.

“No”, he replied with a small smile, “I think these types of things are supposed to be surprises to everyone, no?”

“To the groom and the bride, maybe, but not to me!”, Y/N protested, but for once, she was unsuccessful at getting him to falter. Instead, she faltered to his invitation for a kiss.

“Why me?”

“Why he asked you to give that speech?”, Y/N asked back, guessing what he meant, “I suppose you’ve worked together on saving the world, that’s something.”

“No, I meant you”, he sat down on the bed behind him, his gaze interrogating her, “why’d you stick with me?”

“What?” Y/N wasn’t sure if she heard correctly – sure, Jack Thompson was often harsh, and pushed people away, and rude, and conceded, but he was also – well, he was Jack. Why wouldn’t she have stuck with him, when she knew what he could be? “Why are you asking me this?”

He shrugged, as if the question wasn’t weird at all: “Just tryin’ to understand your rationale.”

“I don’t really think about it”, she confessed with a scoff, “I mean, when you do something particularly reckless, like getting shot, then I might think to myself – why did I fall in love with a madman? But on normal days?” She shrugged: “I guess I don’t. I didn’t have a particularly cordial relationship to my parents since adolescence, and being a spy makes any real relationships impossible. I guess you’ve been the closest to a constant I’ve had, and yeah, we argue, but we both love to argue.”

She expected a sarcastic remark back, but was greeted with nothing but a nod. A bit irritated, she sat down next to him and took his hand with a dry smile: “And if it means anything, as much as I stuck with you, you stuck with me for some reason, too. I try not to think about your reasoning, either, otherwise, I’d just terrify myself.”

Now, that was something Jack could really not understand. Because Y/N was Y/N – not only was she quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, though his metrics might have been off, given that ever since high school, he had believed no woman could compare with that. But it wasn’t just her beauty, she was brilliant, which was both impressive and frightening, brave, which was definitely terrifying, strong, arguably even more stubborn than he was, and despite everything she’d seen, been through and even done, she was still kind.

And there he was, the bogus Navy Cross winner with the nightmares he couldn’t shake, with the inability to let people close, the medallist who was rewarded for his cowardice, and the idiot who repetitively trusted the wrong men, getting Dooley killed, getting Krzeminski killed, and nearly causing the Second Coming by siding with Vernon. This really was no competition, and he had no idea why he was still in the game.

……

The two of them left Piccadilly Circus station, and unfortunately, Jack was not yet used to the traffic being on the wrong side of the road, so when checking for traffic, he looked in the wrong direction and was greeted by a very annoyed Brit honking at him and Y/N.

“Why the hell did they think it was smart to drive on that side of the road?”, he complained annoyed.

“First of all – I think they were first, and I doubt your rant will make them switch”, she replied with a grin, “so you might be better off just looking in both directions next time. But don’t worry. Happened to Churchill too, when he visited America.”

The church was already decently filled, most people, neither Jack nor Y/N knew – Angie aside, together with the Howling Commandos, who Jack vividly remembered. Some others, given their accent, Y/N guessed were friends of Sousa’s, possibly from his time in the army. And somewhere in the mix were the parents of the soon-to-be-weds, too.

The two of them were ushered into the front part, as Jack would have to make his way on stage for his speech at some point.

The proceedings began with the onset of music, which muted the talking of all the attendees. Jack, to be completely honest, paid very little attention to the pastor leading the service – in hindsight, he realised that his mother would have been appalled. But he was too busy staring at his notes, eventually earning an elbow to the side by Y/N.

“You’ve done it for Stark with like five minutes’ notice, you’ll be perfect”, she whispered barely audibly.

He only clenched his jaw – these two things could hardly compare. Besides, the speech he had given for stark might just have been the Oxford Dictionary definition for awkward.

What brought him back to reality was seeing Sousa standing in front, obviously nervous, too. So, to be a good friend, Jack tried his best to appear calm.

Peggy looked beautiful. Her dress’ skirt was loose, the top had a beautifully embroidered neckline and bust, and the sleeves were cut just below the elbow. She looked fantastic. Jack knew when the vows were exchanged, though he paid so much attention. And for a moment, it wasn’t that he was thinking about his stupid speech, no, he was thinking about Y/N. Would she be willing to do the same? Did she want it?

He glanced to the side, meeting her eyes and she gave him a bright smile. Did that mean yes? Did she read his thoughts yet again? Or was she just happy for Sousa and Carter?

Then, he had to go. Luckily for him, it was a bit like turning a switch. He might be nervous before, but once he knew he had to run, he’d run. No point in being nervous anymore.

Standing in front of the gathered, in front of the newly-weds, and in front of Y/N, he cleared his throat.

“When I was asked to deliver this speech by Daniel, I have to say, I pitied the guy”, he began with a sarcastic remark, which Y/N could only scoff at, “As our work together doesn’t really leave much time for cordial exchange. But possibly, it’s exactly these moments that test a person’s true character. Repetitively, Daniel has proven to be the man you want on your team when catastrophe strikes, and the man who’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone else safe.” He paused for a moment, looking at Carter: “It’s – unfortunately – a quality Margaret shares, which ends more often than not in a competition of sacrifice. Both of them have saved countless of lives, mine included. There’s very little about either of you that’s conventional, and I’m sure, that’ll be the tale of your marriage, too. Margaret, Peggy, I doubt you’ll ever be what your grandmother might have envisioned her granddaughter to be. It won’t be easy for some to accept that. But one thing, I can say, both as your former boss, as well as – if I may say so – your friend. The US, and the world, can only be grateful for your unorthodoxy.” He gave her a lopsided smile, as she pulled a sarcastically surprised face when he called himself her friend. “Sousa”, he then continued, “we’ve had our share of disagreements in how to run operations, but I’ve never doubted that you’d one day be a great husband. I’m not sure if you’ve gotten lucky, or if I should warn you, probably both, but you know Peggy better than I do – if you expect her to agree with you on everything now, just because she wears a ring, you’re sorely mistaken. In any case, it has been my upmost pleasure to work with the two of you, and despite the name-change, I hope, for the sake of country and president, that we will continue our cooperation into the future. Thank you, and, Peggy, Daniel, good luck, and congratulations.”

He had forced himself to not lose sight of the two, because he suspected that if he had looked at Y/N during his speech, he would have forgotten his lines. Returning to his seat, Y/N gave him a reassuring smile: “See? You did great.”

He returned her smile, though he was curious to know if she had figured out his reason for being nervous. He hadn’t been afraid to screw up his lines and mess up Sousa’s and Carter’s big day, though, if he could avoid that, that’s obviously preferred. No, he was afraid because he knew what he had to do next, and it had nothing to do with his friends’ wedding. Did she suspect anything? She’s a spy, theoretically she could’ve gone through his things without him noticing. But she wouldn’t do that, right? He noticed he was fidgeting with his hands – she had even told him that she knew that he did that every time he was uncomfortable. So he forced himself to stop, spending the remainder of the ceremony being incredibly self-aware of every fibre in his being.

…….

Y/N was a bit confused that Thompson had scheduled their return flight for about 48h after the ceremony concluded, which left one day with hardly anything to do – it wasn’t like they could hunt down leads on the New York Families in London, albeit the crime levels were high in this city, too.

“And you’re sure you don’t want me to call the airline to check if they have an earlier flight?”, she asked the next morning whilst brushing out her hair, “I’m sure Stark could get us on a different one.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure I don’t want Stark’s help”, he scoffed, “he’s the last person I want to be indebted to, and I’m sure McKinley and the rest can handle another 12 hours without my in-person supervision. They know how to reach me, I left them the hotel’s address.”

Y/N shrugged, accepting his decision.

She liked London, despite it feeling incredibly self-indulgent to her spending time here, knowing that they had an open, incredibly important case on their desks back in New York. But she also didn’t want to fight with Thompson over workload, considering he hardly had a life outside of work. His overtime alone would probably be sufficient for a month of holiday, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Thinking about Mr. Hayes and the rest of the goons in suits?”, Y/N guessed during breakfast, noticing Jack’s tense stare into his coffee cup.

He blinked, as if he had barely heard her, but then replied: “Yeah.”

“We’ll figure it out”, she said positively, “I’m sure of that. I’m less sure of how that will affect our company’s reputation, though, considering some of them are basically our employers.”

Thankful that she had went with his half-hearted response, Jack had now paid attention to her and decided to go with it. “That’s true, but I doubt they’d have the leverage to get to us. Unlike other agencies, we actually found our moles. And we brought down Underwood, that should count for something.”

“I hope you’re right”, she agreed with a small smile.

Jack grabbed for his coat and hat, having made peace with his life in that moment. He’d just have to get it over with, because he was in no shape to continue this mental game with himself for longer. And the big downside of dating a spy, so he realised, is that it was incredibly difficult to keep secrets – well – secret. “C’mon”, he said with a grin, “You’ve got to show me the city. All I know so far is a church and a pub.”

“Then you’ve got the top experiences down already”, Y/N replied sarcastically, getting her own coat and hat before leaving the establishment. They were lucky – today, it wasn’t raining, and for it being mid-November, it wasn’t even that cold. They spent the morning around Covent Garden and Strand, before, after lunch, they were approaching Marble Arch.

“That over there, that’s Hyde Park”, Y/N said, pointing at the large park behind the monument.

“The Park you went to?”, he asked, though, in all fairness, he had memorised the name. after all, it wasn’t a long one, and he was cultured enough to know Jekyll and Hyde, so he could easily remember the name.

“Exactly. Practically learnt German under these trees.”

For a while, they walked quietly through the park, headed towards the pond that was built within the park.

“Can’t say life has exactly gone as I would’ve imagined it in High School”, Jack eventually scoffed, “Neither being shipped off to war and fighting an unknown dark matter, nor having to travel to a different continent for a wedding, nor having to hunt down some shady mafia connection of some American millionaires.”

“That last part is arguably the least surprising”, Y/N replied with a grin. “And yeah, neither did I. But here we are”, she sighed slowly, “and with all the drawbacks and the dangers, and all the nightmares… I don’t think I’d change a thing if I could. I don’t want anyone else to do it in my stead, and to be honest, I don’t think I could do anything better than I can do this. Whatever that says about me.”

“Probably that, by all your talk about me being reckless, you’re probably not the most risk-averse person, either.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow: “But at least I try everything I can to minimise it. You, on the other hand, have a tendency to barge into a room of people with the intention of killing you without a bulletproof vest.”

“Now you’re grossly overstating it”, he smirked.

“Nah, I find it a pretty accurate representation.”

She heard him huff in response. “You wouldn’t change a thing?”

She thought about the question for a while, watching the pond in front of them. Sure, there were many things that she messed up on the way, that would have been nice if they didn’t happen. That would have saved her from pain, or that would have saved someone’s life. But she was too realistic to know that even if she hadn’t made a single of the mistake that she did, other mistakes would have happened, and some people still would have been hurt. Possibly, the outcome would have been even worse.

She shook her head: “…No, actually. I think I have made peace with most of my mistakes. And every decision, good or bad, every time I managed to save a life, every time I failed to do it, every time I took a life, it all led me to this place. And I’m content with that.” If she hadn’t made these choices, if she hadn’t entered the SSR – if she hadn’t gone to L.A., then he would be dead. So even if it was irrational, but every mistake was worth it if it got her here. They had given her the chance to save him.

Lost in her thoughts, in memories both painful and joyful, she had completely ignored Jack next to her. Granted, she had seen him move from her peripheral vision, the pattern closely mirrored someone bending down to tie one’s shoelaces, so it didn’t get her to turn her head.

“Well, I would change something.”

“Huh?”, Y/N was brought back to reality, turning her head around – and freezing mid-way. All she could see was Jack on one knee in front of her, grabbing a box from the inside pocket of his coat whilst clearing his throat. She could see his hands shake – funny, why she noticed these miniscule details, even though she herself was in complete shock, she couldn’t say. Perhaps it was that it had become second nature to her by this point.

“I thought of what to tell you, and nothing came to mind. You’ve been with me every step of the way, even on the beaches of Iwo Jima. You know me better than anyone, and to be completely honest, that is actually terrifying”, he cracked a nervous grin, “(Your Full Name), will you marry me?”

Pedestrians had stopped in their tracks to watch the scene. Yes, that was the downside of a proposal in public, but good for them – no one knew them, so at least they’d never run into these people again.

Y/N worked quickly to overcome the initial shock, knowing that she had to say something. She felt a burning sensation in her throat, but she didn’t feel the need to cry.

“Yes”, she croaked – at least, she thought she did, though it wasn’t as bad as she had imagined it – whilst feeling an urge to laugh, “Yes, of course!”

The little gathering of pedestrians that had waited for her response started clapping, which both Jack and Y/N found quite embarrassing, but also somewhat charming as Jack forced his hand to remain still to put his mother’s engagement ring on Y/N’s finger.

Standing up, he kissed her, albeit fleetingly, as he really didn’t want to give the British public a first-row seat into their intimate relationship, but despite the circumstances, he felt like the weight of the world had just fallen off his shoulders.

Y/N had reached for his hand, sliding up to his wrists, and laughed before she whispered: “Why were you that nervous? Did you think I’d throw the ring into the pond?”

“Trust me, I’ve been through every possible reaction in my head at least ten times, and that would not have made the top ten of the worst outcomes”, he replied with a grin.

The crowd started to disperse, until only one elderly man remained behind who walked up to them, sternly looking at Jack before saying: “Good sir, you do understand this was a decision for a lifetime?”

“Yes, sir. I do intend to make it last just as long, too.”

The old man started to smile, before tipping his hat and walking away.

Jack turned around, looking in awe at Y/N – in awe for many reasons. He didn’t quite understand how he got so lucky in life. Sure, he did a job that should count for something, tried to fight the good fight, but he was far from perfect. In some sense, he was above and below average at the same time – his brilliant moments were far above what normal soldiers or agents usually did, but his worst moments were far worse than just little hiccups. They got people killed, or even worse, he killed people that didn’t deserve it. He was moody, and had a short temper, was quick to judge, and stubborn beyond belief. He was quite certain that Y/N could have easily gotten a better deal in marriage, not just in terms of personality, but also in terms of prestige and stability. He hardly exuded luxury.

Nonetheless, he was also just in awe from her reaction.

“I think that is the first and only time I will ever witness you at a loss of words”, he remarked with a grin before leaning in to kiss her again – now, without an audience, it could be just a bit more than a fleeting kiss. But, regrettably, they were still in public and open display of affection was, in Britain as in the US, scorned upon.

“I expected a lot, Mr. Thompson, but I must admit, to my shame as a spy, I didn’t expect this!”

“I have to say, it was also something in between having it planned for a while and a split-second decision to actually do it, because if I had planned it more in depth, I was fairly certain you’d figure it out”, he replied sheepishly, causing her to laugh.

“When did you even find the time to buy the ring?”, she inquired whilst looking at it.

“Didn’t have to, pop gave me the one ma once wore.”

Y/N stared at him wide-eyed – first, she was touched by the sentimental value of the ring, but she also wanted to know when that happened: “What?? But… when? You only saw him that once during dinner!”

“Yeah, and apparently ma should have been a spy, too”, he shrugged, “Cause she wasn’t at all convinced by that co-worker story. So she gave him this to give to me when you two left the room.”

“I can’t believe it”, Y/N laughed, “she didn’t even truly know we were more than friends!”

“She’ll probably be over the moon”, Jack guessed, knowing how often his mother had historically asked him about girlfriends and family plans.

“And they’ll never know that you ended up proposing to the one ‘fishing a bullet out of your sternum’, which is truly unfortunate”, she lamented jokingly.

“Maybe if you’d held on to the bullet, we could’ve made our wedding rings out of it.”

“Thompson!!”, Y/N elbowed him, not mentioning that she, in fact, did hold on to it, “That would have been macabre and probably bad luck! I don’t want a thousand diamonds, but I don’t want to have a constant reminder of death around my finger, either.”

He chuckled, finding her outburst rather amusing. “I’m sure we’ll find something less traumatic.”

……..

The two of them walked into Peggy and Daniel in the hotel lobby, who were just as confused as Y/N had initially been that they were still here, rather than having left right after the wedding.

“L/N, Thompson, what are you still doing here?”, Sousa asked, brows raised, “I would’ve bet you left England as soon as possible.”

“Why, do we seem so partial on New York?”, Y/N asked back, “Of course, no city can truly compete, but still.”

“Oh my God.”

Y/N had been too focused on Sousa to notice Peggy investigating her from head to toe – though her investigation abruptly halted when she had reached Y/N’s hands.

Sousa followed his wife’s stare, only for Thompson to take Y/N’s hand to practically hold it up to their eyeline.

“There you go, Danny-boy.”

“You two”, Y/N said with a laugh, “Are absolute idiots.”

“Agreed”, Peggy chimed in, and all four of them laughed, knowing that both of them weren’t too serious.

“But hey, at least you’ll get to visit the wonderful city of New York at some point in the future”, Jack remarked, picking up on Y/N’s earlier comment.

“Oh, yes, I already started to miss the unparalleled friendliness of New York”, Sousa retorted.

“That’s why we work there and it’s Jack’s office”, Y/N said with a dry grin, “that’s exactly our kind of crowd.”

A/N: First of all, I hope you enjoyed this rather different type of chapter!! Also, yes, all the details about the location in London is the product of first hand experience, as I walk past this church every single day! We’ve reached about the half-way point of book two, I think! So still approx. 10 more chapters to look forward to. I’m so excited for you to read the next - let’s just put it that way. England’s not the only foreign location this story will take Y/N and Jack! As always, every comment, heart and reblog is extremely appreciated!

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