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boarix · 4 years

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Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part XXI

Lost

Trigger Warnings: canon language/violence/gun, drug and alcohol use. Sexual/mature content. Burning/fire.

Please Enjoy!

……

“AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!” Strong’s roar of outrage carried far across the swamps south of West Roxbury Station. He pounded the earth, ripped up trees and threw them away like javelins. “RRRRAAAHHHHAAARRR! COWARD GHOUL, FACE STRONG!”

Terrified of him, Radiance had slipped into a narrow crag and instructed her few remaining ferals to abandon any attempts to attack and flee. There were two glowing ones left in the group and so their light had been what led the super mutant away. For several hours he doggedly pursued them: at first through the many twists and turns of the almost completely dark, rough-hewn tunnels and then on and through to the straight, derelict tiles of the metro tube.

Initially he made no attempt to calm himself. Reveling in his fury, he tore apart the landscape and yelled at the sky. He knew what the plan was: if separated or unsuccessful he was to rendezvous at the Peabody safehouse. He found that he didn’t much care. It wasn’t Alpha’s plan. It wasn’t even Cait’s.

He liked when his alpha went berserk. Her shear power and ruthlessness thrilled him and made him proud. But, he also very much liked the pups that were a part of their pack. Duncan, Shaun, Nat and even Billy Peabody tickled memories of something he couldn’t quite recall and the thought of Wraith hurting any of them, was unacceptable. Finding Wraith didn’t matter so long as Radiance lived and he very much wanted to be the one to kill her. Failure was also unacceptable, and having been around humans for long enough to gain a small sense of personal accountability, he was disappointed in himself.

Strong remembered MacCready telling him about the fight with the behemoth in the swamps around Murkwater, and decided that an epic battle of that nature would help improve his mood so he took up his hammer and slogged away south: looking for trouble.

……

Deacon fell up the basement stairs, bashing his shins and elbow in the process. His uncharacteristic clumsiness carried him through to the kitchen with a sharp countertop to the hip. He paused in the living room to take a couple of deep breaths before racing up the stairs to the room Hancock and MacCready were sleeping in.

He opened the door as quietly as possible before creeping to the bed. Hancock was furthest away and had his back to him. He was fully clothed apart from his hat and boots and was tucked into a fetal position. MacCready, on the other hand, was flat on his stomach, spread-eagle, shirtless, wearing pants and one sock. The young man’s face was tilted to the side, like a swimmer gaining air mid stroke. He had pushed his pillow onto the floor and was snoring and drooling directly onto the bed sheet.

Deacon picked up the pillow and raised it high above his head before swinging it down directly onto the sniper’s head, “WAKETHEFUCKUP!”

Both of them leaped to their feet with weapons at the ready. Hancock stood next to the bed and MacCready on top of it, “DEACON! Goddamnit! You gotta death wish?! You ASSHOLE!” Hancock hadn’t put his blade away when he came around to where Deacon was doubled over laughing. The ghoul dismissed the very satisfying image of stabbing him as soon as he noticed that the spy was also crying, “What? What the hell is going on?!”

MacCready was still standing on the bed, his fierce glare giving over to rapid blinking as he noticed the odd combination of emotion, “Is it Wraith? What’s…? Wraith?!”

“She said words at me!” Deacon nodded and pointed eagerly toward the basement, “To me. She said my…”

“Why is your hand bleeding?” MacCready saw the flash of crimson as Deacon gesticulated.

“Well, she uh, bit me too...”

“I keep telling everyone not to put their hands in the cage!” He scolded him as he pulled on a shirt and crammed his feet into his boots.

The three of them were loud enough to wake the whole household so there was a small amount of shoving when the group bottlenecked at the basement stairway. They thundered down the steps and crowded around Wraith’s cage. For her part she seemed to have once again lost all trace of sanity and was hissing and growling like a cornered alley cat.

“Deacon, if this is some sort of prank, it’s in very poor taste.”

“I swear, Danse. She said, ‘Deacon, don’t leave me’.”

“I told you I could be of help.” Infamy stepped from a shadow and lifted their hood to reveal a smug look on their luminescent face, “It’s just a matter of finding the cracks in the…”

Hancock didn’t let them finish. He seemed to fly across the room, and lifting the surprised glowing one up by his lapels, he pinned them to the foundation wall. When he spoke, his voice was a menacing growl and he punctuated his clipped words by slamming the other ghoul into the wall after each one, “You. Did. Not. Have. Permission.” He let them drop to the floor and he took a step back, flexing his hands.

“We never gave you the go-ahead.” Deacon felt he’d somehow been robbed, “Was that even her?” He was shaking as he advanced on them, “You put words in her mouth? DID YOU FUCK WITH HER MIND?!”

“That’s interesting, coming from you.” Danse’s comment was soft but it cut through the room like a knife.

“Later, son.” Hancock shot him a look that killed any rebuttal.

“You are all very excitable, aren’t you?” Atom’s Assassin pushed themselves up against the wall and into a sitting position, “Not very friendly. No, no. Hahaha!” They dipped their chin and held out their hands, palms up, “I meant no harm. I felt I needed to prove my worth. It’s a very nice cage you’ve made for her; very spacious. Much better than the one you brought her here in. Better than mine. Hahahahaha. Still a jail cell though, huh? How long do want to stand around her prison and watch her suffer? Wraith’s words are her own. It took a great deal just for that much. Quite the effort! You all should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you?! Why, monsieur, you are the cause of all this! Had you not attacked Madame’s citizens she would have never had cause to learn to call feral ghouls. She would have never summoned this Radiance and none of this would have happened!”

“She didn’t summon her.” When all their eyes flashed to him, Deacon waved a hand and shook his head, “Off topic, don’t worry about it. Doesn’t matter.”

“What matters to me is how you got out of your cage.” Piper glared down at them.

“Locks are nothing to me, my dear.”

“I think we should let them try.” Preston was watching Wraith. His face twisted between grief and anger.

“Non, General. Not at least until Dr. Amari has come to give her assessment. As her physician, I will not permit this.”

“Oh, but how will you stop me, sweet child?”

Curie lifted her chin slightly, her voice was as cold as the look in her eye, “I will have you shot if you dare.”

“Well, you are all very terrifying. Whatever happened to the Oath? Hippocrates is spinning in his tomb. Oh, nuts. This didn’t go very well, did it?” They started to rise but thought better of it in the face of seven pairs of glaring eyes, “As you wish. I won’t go poking around where I’m not invited. Do I have to go back to the cage?”

“It’s more than you deserve.” Danse was watching Wraith as she had decided to ignore the mob surrounding her and was remaking her blanket nest. He felt like crying, “Why should you be free when she isn’t?”

“Cage is up to you, but you’re livin’ in the shed until I say otherwise, you feel me?”

Infamy gave him a lecherous sneer, “I think I’d like to…”

As if it was choreographed, Deacon, Danse and MacCready, wearing identical expressions of grim resolution, unholstered their various sidearms and leveled them at Infamy.

“Fine! Fine. I know when I’m defeated. It is by Atom’s will, that I devour this slice of humble pie.” With hands raised above their head, they crept up the stairs and out to the shack.

Piper sat cross-legged on the floor next to the cage. She washed her face in her hands and groaned, “I’m so tired of them. I’m tired of hearing about them. I’m tired of their ghost-in-the-receiver voice...” She trailed off as one by one, four of the other six joined her on the floor. “I have so much work back-logged at home. And I don’t want to leave, but Shaun and Duncan are coming in soon, so I’m heading out in the morning.”

“Thanks for keeping a eye on my son, Pipes.”

She cast MacCready a sideways smile, “’Sokay. I like him better than you anyway.” Preston was to her left and she leaned over and set her head on his shoulder. She smiled again when he reciprocated, “When are you going back to the Castle?”

“Tomorrow. I’m making myself crazy watching her and we are having problems from the groups exiled out of Nuka World. The best I can do is to make sure everything she set up doesn’t come crashing down, just because she’s not here holding it up.”

“Literally.”

Preston smiled at Hancock, “Yeah, literally. Did I ever tell you all about the time when she threw a refrigerator at a Deathclaw?”

“What?!”

“Incredible!”

“No way!”

“Why a refrigerator?”

As Preston settled in to his tail, Deacon, who had remained standing, quietly headed back up to the main level. He intended to follow Infamy out to the shack and rough them up for eavesdropping on his heart-to-heart with Wraith, but his plans were altered for him as the unmistakably heavy footsteps of Danse followed him up the stairs.

“Something you need, pal?”

Danse gestured to the small living room, “I would like to have a word with you, if I may.”

Inwardly, Deacon growled in frustration, “You have a specific word in mind? I’ve always liked ‘spatula’.”

Danse looked confused for a second, “Very amusing…” He sat in an armchair and waited for Deacon to sit on a sofa across from him. He cleared his throat, “We haven’t spoken frankly to each other…”

“Don’t take it personal; I’m not frank with anyone.” He refrained from eye contact and picked idly at the raised floral pattern on the couch’s arm.

God, this thing’s ugly…

“I’m referring to matters of a personal nature that you may have been a party to…”

“Oh, I don’t really go to parties.”

The effort it took to maintain his composure clearly showed on Danse’s face, “By God, man! Please! I’m asking you for information about my being a synth!”

Deacon immediately stood and turned to leave, “Sorry can’t help you.”

Danse reached out and caught the other man’s sleeve. He looked up at him with light brown eyes that were so lost it nearly brought a tear to Deacon’s eye, “Please.”

He sighed dramatically and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay, but not here. Leave a note for Curie then follow me to Quincy. I’ll be waiting in the church.”

……

Deacon paced around in the nave, waiting. It seemed to be taking longer than it should and the spy was beginning to think he’d been stood up. Or, that something else might have happened with Wraith. He decided to head back and almost ran face first into Danse.

“I apologize for the wait,” the large man shook a Minutemen pack above his head as he maneuvered around him, “I talked to Curie directly and she advised I bring us a ‘snack’. She probably thinks we’re both too thin.”

Deacon had to bite back a harsh comment as he felt an intense stab of envy at the look of tender love on Danse’s face, “Yeah, I might have over corrected on my weight-loss plan.” In truth the weeks of worry and hard travel had ate into his muscle mass, leaving him more wiry then when he was in the Commonwealth last, “There fruit leather in there?”

Danse smiled as he passed him a strip, “Naturally.”

Rather than bite into it right away, Deacon held it almost lovingly in his hand. When his vision blurred with tears he quickly turned away from the other man and shoved the whole piece in his mouth, chewing noisily, “Mmmpf. Moorph. Hmmm. Thish batch is pretty good; lots of mutfruit. MacCready make it?”

Danse chuckled, “If there is a specific joke in there, I’m not aware.”

“Hmm. You’ve more a capacity for a sense of humor then I remember.”

Danse rightened a table and pulling up a nearby chair gestured for Deacon to take the one across from him, “As I said earlier; you and I have never had a real conversation.” He took a large bite out of jerky and leveled a rather intense gaze at him as he chewed, “I’ve been told that it can be difficult to authenticate a great deal of the information you share.”

“That’s maybe the prettiest way anyone’s ever called me a liar, Danse. Thank you.”

“I’ve also been told that you have a tendency toward more factual discourse when you aren’t wearing your sunglasses.”

Deacon briefly covered his eyes then pulled them away as if he was playing peek-a-boo, “The eyes tell lies as much as the truth, just so you’re aware.”

“So, it’s just another way for you to keep people guessing?”

“How very perceptive of you.”

The two men stared at each other unflinchingly for several seconds before Danse sighed and reached back into the pack for more food, “Do you want jerky?”

“Why not? You only live once.” He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, “I have to tell you this is not how I thought this was going to go. I also don’t mind telling you that I’m actually pretty tired so…”

“Right, right. Of course.” Danse set his hands together then held them out toward the spy as if he was asking him to set information in them, “Do you remember me as M7-97?”

“No. I wasn’t your handler.”

Danse’s eyes flashed back and forth, searching Deacon’s pale blue eyes for any sign that he was lying, “Are you quite certain? I’ve come to understand that my appearance was most likely altered.”

“It most likely was, but I never forget the synths that I’ve personally helped. And before you ask; no I don’t know who your handler was, or even if they’re still alive. The Railroad has had a high turnover. Probably because groups like the Brotherhood keep blowing us the fuck up.” He hadn’t meant to envenomate his reply to that severity, but found that he didn’t regret it.

“Ut sementem feceris, ita metes.”

“Post hoc ergo propter hoc.” Deacon was not going to back down, “We didn’t have to be your enemy. That was Maxson’s choice.”

Visibly upset, it took several deep breaths before Danse trusted himself to speak, “I wasn’t present during the attack on the Railroad. I had already been exiled. And even more so, I will admit, I did not approve of every order Maxson gave…”

“But you still followed them.” In Deacon’s mind he relived the moment when the light in Glory’s eyes went out, “My friends are still dead.”

“As are Rhys and Ingram and a multitude of others…”

“Others who turned their back on you when they found out you weren’t human.”

Danse slammed his hands on the table and stood, “YES! CORRECT! THOSE OTHERS!” He closed his eyes and swallowed, “I will never be able to take back the things I’ve said and done. I can only not forget and work toward making better choices.” He sat back in his chair and glared at Deacon.

The words struck a chord in him and Deacon suddenly felt ashamed, “That is something I can understand.”

“If I had my memories of being a synth, I’d have never joined the Brotherhood and we’d not be having this argument.”

“That was your choice.”

Danse twitched his head and narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean by that?”

“When the Railroad frees a synth we give them the option of a full memory erasure and face change, in fact we very strongly suggest it, but we never do it without their expressed consent.”

“You’re saying that I asked to have my identity stolen? My very life was ended and I asked you to do it?!”

“I’m not going to debate the concept of Nature Verses Nurture with you, but yes, you would have had to agree. We’ve had a bunch over the years who opted out of both but unfortunately, most were recaptured by the SRB or killed by hatemongering wastelanders.”

Like the UP Deathclaws.

Danse sat back in his chair, his expressions morphing from disbelief to anger and sadness. When he spoke his voice was low, “Why didn’t you at least give me memories of a family?”

“I could speculate but…”

“I would appreciate any insight you can provide.”

“Okay,” Deacon stood and began pacing, “so first, let’s get one or two things out in the open.” As he spoke he tallied items off on his fingers, “You’re not ageing. Your physicality is above average and… you’re… um… shooting blanks.”

Danse groaned and set his face in his hands, “I don’t even want to know how you ascertained that.”

Deacon had the decency to make himself look abashed, “Yeah, let’s move on. In my humble opinion as an expert in these matters; you were most likely a courser. It wasn’t necessary for you to fit in with the population at large so those items previously listed weren’t included in your design. And when you were given new memories, they wouldn’t involve people whom you would have tried to go look for because that would make you more conspicuous. If that makes sense.”

“So, I never even had a chance to have a family.”

“What do you mean by that?” Deacon let an edge creep into his voice, “What about the family you have now?” When Danse gave him a bewildered look, he grew legitimately angry, “Curie, Wraith, Shaun, Duncan!” He shook a finger toward the safe house, “Preston and Piper. Not to mention your ever-angry little brother MacCready.” He brought his hands up to either side of his head, “Hancock! Oh my god! The scariest being in the entire fucking Commonwealth calls you ‘son’, and you ‘don’t have a family’?! Fucking shit, man!”

“You’re scared of Hancock?”

“Never said that.” Deacon came back to his chair and sagged into it. “’Self-determination is not a malfunction’.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s a quote from someone who could probably help you much better than I can. They were also a courser and were also upset when they found out their life wasn’t what they thought it was.”

“May I speak with them? Or, have they been… reset?”

Taking a bite of jerky, Deacon sat and thought out loud as he chewed, “Maybe only on the vaguest of terms. I could ask them to read a letter from you… have to be anonymous… would take some time… What information do you want?”

“I want to know what M7-97 was like… who they were. Anything you can offer me would be helpful.”

“Honestly, Danse I think it will only be helpful if this lets you move on from your past.” His voice grew soft and low, “We can’t always be living there.” He stood up and stretched, “Now, I need to shut down for a couple of hours…”

“I think I might need a beer… don’t you mean ‘sleep’?”

“Oh, I don’t actually do that.” He flashed Danse a shit-eating grin, “I’m a far superior model.”

……

There was some difficulty with moving the memory lounger to the basement and more still with its power supply, and so even after Dr. Amari’s arrival, it took several more days before they were able to try and scan Wraith’s mind. Curie’s tranquilizer was administered and she was carefully strapped in.

“Are the restraints really necessary?” Nick Valentine had arrived a few days before the doctor, and had been greatly distressed at seeing Wraith’s living arrangements. He frowned as Curie tightened the straps.

“They won’t hold her for more than a second anyway, Nicky.” Hancock was frowning as well and despite his words, he seemed unsure, “It’s to give us a chance to bail outta here if she decides to wake up early.”

“Would she really hurt us?” Valentine had been trying to convince himself that when she had rushed the cage bars when he tried to say “hello”, it was out of a response to fear and not wanton violence.

“She tried to kill me, Valentine.” MacCready’s voice was flat but his dark-circled eyes were sad.

“She must’ve pulled her punches a little. After all, you’re still very much alive and kicking. Though, from the looks of you, not as high.” He looked around critically, “Have any of you been eating properly?”

Hancock patted him on the back, “Yer a dad alright.”

“I don’t know about her holding back, but after I saved MacCready’s very life,” Deacon paused to smile at the sniper’s eye roll, “she responded to me. She even stopped trying to pull my head off.”

“It’s likely that due to the power armor, Wraith would have had no idea who MacCready was.” Danse smirked at Deacon, “Had she failed to give you a chance to speak, you’d likely be a headless corpse right now.”

“Hmm. Not sure that’d be a good look for me.”

“Gentlemen, we should be ready to begin.” Amari turned from Curie and smiled at the five men, “You can stay during the exam if you wish, but I ask that you refrain from any loud conversations.”

“She means arguing.”

“We know what she means, Deacon.”

“And there won’t be any arguing, cause yer gonna keep yer trap shut.”

……

Wraith was watching Glory. Beautiful, powerful Glory. The memory came into focus as her mind filled in details. They were fighting side by side in the Metro. Now they were sitting and talking at HQ. Now they were sharing a beer.

She was in an expanse of white nothingness. Prism like, the memory hung in midair as if it was suspended from an invisible celling by invisible rope. Wraith became aware that there were two others watching it with her.

Philippa was staring intently on one side. In her full Marine dress uniform, she was the very picture of military discipline and order. Her hair was tightly pulled back and up, held fast by a squad of hair pins under her cap.

The other confused Wraith and she narrowed her eyes, “You can’t be here.”

“That’s right; you’re dead.” Philippa was matter of fact, her eyes emotionless.

“If I’m dead then I can go and be anywhere I like, wouldn’t you say?” The dead woman didn’t look away from the memory, “You are in love with this woman.”

“Was. She’s dead. Like you.” Philippa corrected her.

“Probably not like me…”

“I’m not sure if I was in love. I was definitely interested, though.”

“The timing was inappropriate, Wraith.” There was a hint of disapproval in Philippa’s voice.

“Maybe. I wanted to try. I just…”

“Ran out of time.” Philippa finished the thought.

The memory changed. Now it was Deacon; fighting raiders in the rain. He was wearing a white t-shit and his muscles were clearly visible as they move underneath the wet, transparent cloth.

The dead woman hummed appreciatively, “Very nice. I don’t know this one either. You’re in love with him too.” She raised an eyebrow at Wraith, “Quite the harem you would have had.”

“How obtuse. Regardless, he’s not interested.”

“Don’t be stupid, Philippa.” Wraith rolled her eyes at her, “That’s not the problem.”

“Explain.”

“He doesn’t think he deserves to be loved. By anyone. So he… sabotages himself.”

“I’m bored. What else is on?” The dead woman twirled her index finger in the air like she was dialing a phone. When the memory changed to Hancock and Wraith in the midst of strip-tease foreplay, she hummed again, “Now this is something worth watching.”

“Inappropriate.”

“This… this is private…”

The dead woman leered, “My, he is hung nicely for being so tall and slender. And you,” She turned her lecherous gaze to Wraith, “how responsive you are! You can see how you savor his every caress. More!”

“No… get…”

The image changed again with a flick of the dead woman’s finger. Now it was MacCready and Hancock: in a flurry of motion as they passionately kissed while removing each other’s clothes.

“Fantastic. I can appreciate why your eyes would linger.” Her laugh was cruel, “Ha! So much to take in.”

“Not funny. Also, your intrusion is inappropriate.”

Wraith reached out, swatted the memory and as it spun each revolution showed a different memory in a confusing blur, “This isn’t a peep show. Those moments are special. What the fuck are you doing here?! You don’t belong. You’re not me!”

The dead woman pouted, “Aww, just when it was getting good. I want to see more of Hancock’s…”As she reached out to the memory Wraith smacked her hand. In turn the dead woman dealt Wraith a vicious backhand that sent her spinning away through the void. “Know your place!”

In an instant the memory and the two other women reoriented next to Wraith. She rubbed her jaw and slowly stood, “I’m going to kick your ass!”

The dead woman vanished.

“What the fuck?”

“You can’t keep me from him, you know. Hancock, that is.” The dead woman appeared at the very edge of Wraith’s vision then began circling her; like a shark that smells blood in the water. “I’ll have him.”

“I remember… you hurt him. Why?! Leave him alone. Why are you doing this? What do you want?!”

The dead woman’s face twisted into a mask of rage, “You dare ask me ‘why’?”

“It is reasonable.”

The dead woman ignored her. She stopped directly in front of Wraith and held up two fingers, “Twice you’ve destroyed me! You took all that I had; my only chances for happiness.” She folded her arms, a smug look on her face, “So now I’ll take all that you hold dear. Your empire will crumble and your people will die. Then when you are completely lost, you’ll come to my embrace willingly!”

“You’re just like Marie.” Now Philippa circled the dead woman, her modest heels somehow making a tapping sound that was immensely satisfying to Wraith’s ears, “You were never happy. Not in any recent years. You committed murder and engaged in other criminal acts; kidnapping for example. And much like Marie, you blame your loss and shortcomings on Wraith. It’s a classic case of projection.”

The dead woman’s eyes grew shrewd, “One major difference between us is that Marie is dead.”

Wraith paled and took a step back, “What? How…”

“Oh, I believe you know.” The dead woman reached out and spun the memory one more time, “Watch closely now, darling.”

The image of Wraith ripping Marie in half, from the vantage point of her own eyes, played over and over on the prism.

Wraith’s voice was weak, “No…”

“Yes! Look how strong you are. I have never wanted you more than at that moment!” The dead woman raised her arms above her head, exalted, “You are a monster, Wraith!” In a flash of blinding green light, the dead woman became Radiance, “But I am a much, much stronger one!” Grabbing ahold of Philippa, she enveloped her.

Wraith felt the pain as a part of her was being slowly consumed by fire. Her inhuman screams echoed throughout the void.

…..

“I SAID TURN IT OFF!” Hancock clenched and unclenched his fists; seconds away from smashing the memory lounger.

“Mr. Mayor, I am doing my very best to do just that.” Amari had begun shut-down procedures as soon as Wraith started screaming, “There!”

Wraith’s wail abruptly cut off and the ensuing silence was almost as defining. Then, everyone moved and spoke at once.

“Her pulse is stabilizing…”

“What happened?!”

“Oh, Madame! Oh, oh…”

“It sounded like… What was happening to her?”

MacCready and Hancock were each working on a wrist strap and as soon as she was free, Valentine scooped her up and took her back to her cage and laid her on the mattress, “Just what in the Sam Hill was that supposed to accomplish?!”

“I don’t understand these readings…” Amari was frowning at her terminal, “There is a film or some sort of interference. And an overlap of… there are images of two brains here.”

“What does that mean?” Danse was holding on to Curie as if she were a life raft.

“It means that I cannot get a proper reading of the condition of Wraith’s brain.”

“We just wasted so much time.” Deacon sagged into a chair and spoke into his hands.

Curie sniffled, “I am so very sorry. If I had…”

“It’s alright, Baby Bird. There’s no way you could’ve known.” Hancock joined Valentine in Wraith’s cage and he patted Curie’s back as he passed. Reaching down, he laid a hand on the detective’s shoulder, “I know you want to stay with her, Nicky, but it’s not safe.” He walked over to Deacon and stood tapping his foot until the spy looked up at him, “Yer getting yer way now.” Placing his hands on his thighs he bent down so his face was directly level with his, “I can’t hear her screamin’ like that though, you feel me?” If the ghoul still had a nose, it would have been touching Deacon’s, “I am trusting you.”

Deacon swallowed hard, “I… uh guess… I won’t live to you regretting it.”

……

They didn’t let Infamy try right away. The decision to wait after Wraith regained consciousness and had demonstrated at least the same level of functionality as pre brain scan was unanimous. Unfortunately for Valentine it also meant it was past the time he had allotted himself to be away from his immediate family.

As difficult as it was to leave Wraith, MacCready left with him, “I shouldn’t be away from Duncan this long.”

They decided to wait further until MacCready returned and there was a changing of the guard as Cait arrived with a Minutemen convoy. She spent some time trying to talk to Wraith, but after the initial aggression, she ignored her.

“I tried me best, but… How much should I tell Bear? I’m… not for knowin’.”

Outside of Hancock none of Wraith’s ghoul friends were allowed, for their own safety, to visit with her. And consequentially, Hancock wasn’t allowing himself to return to Goodneighbor for fear of bringing further harm to his people. He stayed in contact with Fahrenheit through Radio Freedom, and even had her hold his granddaughter near the microphone so he could hear her burble.

After a few days, MacCready passed Cait astride Gracie on the road, each offering a sad wave to the other. As he was walking through the door, he intended to shout a “hello”. Raising his head he took a deep intake of breath and collapsed, unconscious on the stoop. Deacon, dozing under a book on the couch in the living room, heard the thud and vaulted the furniture to get to him.

“Crap! Curie! HANCOCK!”

He had already started to come around by the time Hancock had picked him up and he batted at his arm as the ghoul was taking him up the stairs, “You can put me down. I’m fine.”

“No, I don’t think so. You are going to get some sleep and let Curie give you some fluids and eat some damn food and…”

Hancock left him to Curie’s care and came down to the kitchen. He muttered to himself as he started to heat up leftovers, “…what if ya fell on the road? Christ! …tryin’ to be all places at once… just alike… the two of ‘em are givin’ me fits! How am I supposed to… shit… fuck… goddamn it!”

“Uh, Hancock? Your shirt. Your shirt’s on fire, man!” Deacon grabbed a dishtowel, extinguished him then proceeded to roll up the mayor’s sleeves, “Not sure if MacCready likes to eat burnt ghoul…” He was surprised that Hancock let him help and it made him nervous for some reason. Especially since the ghoul didn’t say any sort of snappy comeback and just quietly watched with his large, dark eyes; a half smile on his scarred lips. He looked away quickly, angry that he almost blushed, “What?”

“Heh. Nothin’, brother. Thanks.” Deacon returned to the sofa and Hancock worked quietly for a minute before casually calling to him over his shoulder, “You know that floral-nightmare couch you’ve been tryin’ to sleep on jackknifes, right?”

“No?! I did not know that! Was anybody gonna tell me that?!”

…..

“I need total concentration. Complete silence. It would be ideal if you left us alone so I might focus…”

“Absolutely not. We cannot permit this treacherous villain to have any unsupervised contact with Wraith.” Danse stood with his hands on his hips and his chest out.

“Alright, Capt’n Eyebrows, take it easy,” Deacon was having a difficult time clearing the image of Danse in a cape from his mind, “we won’t. Just…”

“STRONG IS HOUND MASTER! BLUE HUMANS DON’T SHOOT!”

“Hey, Strong’s back!” MacCready went outside to bring the super mutant in, “Hey, buddy. Wow! You alright?”

Strong sported a fine collection of new scars and one of his eyes was swollen shut, “MACK REE DEE! STONG FOUND A GOOD FIGHT!”

Prompted by a look from Danse, who had followed him up the stairs, MacCready questioned the super mutant about his pursuit of Radiance, but Strong only shrugged and made an assortment of noncommittal grunts.

“We kinda assumed it went that way. She didn’t rough you up like that, did she?”

“No. Glowing one ran. SCARED OF STRONG!”

“Rightfully so. Excellent effort. Glad to have you back in one piece.” Danse was stiff and formal and the words were forced.

An awkward silence descended as the two stared at each other and was only broken when Strong sniffed somewhat disdainfully and muttered something about wanting to see his alpha.

“She’s downstairs, but,” MacCready touched his friend’s big green elbow, “she’s in a cage. It’s so… uh…”

“HA HA!” He smiled, “It’s okay, Mack Ree Dee; Alpha is strongest. Would hurt little humans. Strong would be…”

“Sad?”

The super mutant said nothing, only raised a hairless brow, turned, stomped down the stairs and over to Wraith’s cage. He stood there silently while she growled and threw herself at him. His brutish face softened somewhat and he lowered his voice to a whisper, “Alpha is the strongest.”

Infamy snapped their fingers, “You all trust this big green nasty, right?” The glowing one addressed Strong directly, “Radiance should try and retrieve Wraith. You’d like to rip her asunder, right? Ha! How long can you sit still and quiet, waiting for prey?”

Strong looked over their head to Hancock and MacCready, “What does this ghoul say? Strong stay here?”

“That’s up to you, brother.”

“I agree that Radiance is afraid of him.” Danse actually liked the idea, “She fled as soon as he charged her, despite having numerical superiority.”

“Then shouldn’t he be stationed outside where she can see him?” Deacon was considering using a Stealth Boy to sneak back into the basement regardless of the consensus and was worried that the super mutant might smell him and tattle.

“STRONG HUNGRY! WANT TO EAT MEAT!”

“I’ll hook you up, brother.” Hancock indicated that Strong should proceed him up the stairs before turning back to Infamy, “We’re gonna take shifts keeping an eye on you. I don’t give a flying fuck about what your ideal setup is. You’ll figure it out or I’ll take you apart.”

…..

“Now, this is interesting! Never quite had an experience like this before. Ha!”

“Great. Another unwelcome guest.”

“What’s the matter, Wraith? Not enough room for one more mind? Seems spacious to me. Hahaha!” Finally past the barrier, Infamy spun. They wore a set of clean, hooded, midnight blue vestments with a simple atomic diagram of hydrogen embroidered in gold thread across their back. Raising their arms and twirling in the white void, their robes billowed out behind them.

“You’re not the company I’m looking for.”

They dropped their arms and sagged their shoulders, “It’s so hard being so far from home in a place where no one likes you.”

“Yeah, well, whose fault is that?”

“That is becoming increasingly obscure, actually.” They frowned at her, “Admittedly, I should have done more research into Marie’s claims and less into where your weakness were to be found.”

“I helped the Children more than I hurt them.”

“Ah yes, but you did hurt us.” They grimaced at her, “You look like shit.”

“Hey! Fuck you too, you glowstick-looking motherfucker!”

“I would figure you’d look more like your version of normal. You’re still wearing that deathclaw armor. Hmm. You look worse in here then you do… Well, that is neither here nor there. What was all that yelling about?”

Wraith sat, cross legged on the non-existent floor, “Radiance was… flexing.”

The glowing one sat as well, “She comes and goes as she pleases then?”

Wraith half shook her head, “No, I don’t think she’s actually here. It’s more like she’s left a piece of herself here to watch me, but I’m a little fuzzy on the details.”

Infamy popped up and danced around her, “Drop the barrier then. Come out and play!”

Wraith tilted her head back and laughed; a humorless and unpleasant sound, “It’s not mine!” She suddenly stood and spun around much like Infamy had, “I’m a prisoner. Radiance both loves and hates me. She wants to keep me safe while simultaneously torturing me.” Wraith stood still and raised her fists, “I keep fighting her though. I’m starting to remember real stuff. When she went for Hancock I felt it. I felt him! And I remembered later.” Her eyes went wide and she took Infamy by the shoulders, “Hancock! How is he?!”

Although they felt a rush of fear, Infamy willed themselves not to pull away from her, “All of your rowdy, ungrateful, terrifying friends are fine. Sad to say.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” She let go and returned to the floor, drawing pictures with her finger in sand only she could see, “She wanted me to trigger detonations on the fusion cores, but I just ejected them. It took all the ground I had gained and I pretty much lost it after that.” She smiled sadly, “Except for Deacon. I remember Deacon. He told me he loves me.”

“Well, you can thank me for that! I’ve been chipping away at your crust for a while now. Now that I know it’s not yours, I can be a little harsher. Hmm, I think. Hahaha! Are there any rules for this game we’re playing? I’ll work from the outside and you’ll…”

“Why are you helping me all of the sudden?”

They adopted an indignant expression and put their hands on their hips, “I’ll have you know we do a great deal of charity work! Infamy is very altruistic.”

Wraith snorted, “Right. Just because you don’t charge for your services doesn’t magically change what you do into charitable works by any stretch of the concept.”

“Ha! Well, maybe it’s because you are a Child of Atom? The Mother’s Chosen One even.”

“Bullshit. Who was it that beat you up and made you help? Mac? Not Danse or Hancock; pretty sure they would have killed you outright.”

They stuck out their tongue, folded their arms and turned away, “I’m not admitting to anything.”

“Deacon. If he’s back then he’s the one. He’s an incredible fighter.”

“Yes, yes. As I said; all of your friends are terrifying.”

“But why help me and not Radiance?”

They dropped back to a sitting position and propped their chin up with their elbow, “I don’t think this creature is of Atom. I think she’s on her own, awful agenda. She’s probably going to interfere with my people. Might even send you to destroy us. Perhaps that’s what the Fog Mother meant by you being the Harbinger. As it is, many of our ghoul members have been suffering headaches and even Mother Isolde, a human, felt the pain of Radiance’s insidious intrusion.” They pouted like a child, “Plus, she stole all my ferals, so I wouldn’t wanna help her anyways.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s say that your intentions are honorable…”

“Because they are.”

Wraith rolled her eyes, “Then what should I be doing? Sunny didn’t have much time to teach me... before…”

A brief flash of regret passed over the glowing one’s face, “He surly is with Atom,” They sprang to their feet and twirled again, “but I’m in here with you! You’re so lucky. Hahahahahahaaaa!”

Wraith made a disgusted face, “Great. Now, how do I get out of here?”

“Just what you had been doing I suppose. How clear can you see the barrier?”

“Not well. I’m pushing out all around with no real direction…”

Infamy was impressed.

“I shall be your guide. Follow my light and I will lead you to the vulnerable…”

“Follow your light?” Wraith interrupted, stood and narrowed her eyes, “How do I know you won’t just entrap me the same as her?”

They looked around and held out their hands palms up, “What choice do you have? You are clearly powerful, Harbinger. Fight Radiance. Fight me! Fight, fight, fight!” They raised their fists and shook them in the air in time with their chant, “I’ll aid you on the outside, while you…”

There was a sudden flash of green fire and Radiance was there. She glowered at Infamy, “Hsst. Begone, pest!” With a flip of her wrist she cast them out, smirked at Wraith then vanished.

Left alone, Wraith smiled, “Fight from the inside.”

…..

MacCready happened to be on guard when Atom’s Assassin had their next major breakthrough. He was working on a gun restoration that Cait had brought for him and he felt her looking at him. Glancing up their eyes met and he could see that hers were clear. He jumped up and all but threw the worktable aside to get to her, “Wraith! Wraith! Wraith!” Breaking his own rule, he stuck his arms through the bars and pulled her to him. He cupped her face, kissed her then clunked their foreheads together, “I love you.”

“I… love… you too… Mac.”

He turned away to call to Hancock before kissing her again, “Are you back? Please. Please be back!”

The rest of her friends poured down the stairs with Hancock in the lead. He hugged and kissed her as well before making way for rest of them. He happened to glance at the glowing one and noticed that Infamy had their teeth bared in obvious effort, “Not sure how much time we got...”

Wraith suddenly pulled away from Deacon and turned back to MacCready. There was fear in her eyes and the effort it took to speak was clear, “I… love you, Mac.” When he tried to reciprocate she shook her head, “No… you don’t… understand. I would have… killed you anyway. It doesn’t… matter.” Her eyes filled with tears and she backed away to the far corner of the cage, “She’ll use me… to kill… you all. I love you all… I’ll kill you all… and she’ll… make me see every moment of it.”

“Why is she doin’ this?! Who or what is she?”

“And what does she want with Hancock?”

Wraith’s eyes lost their focus and she was soon back to a snarling beast, but she held on for just long enough to tell them Radiance’s true name, “She’s… Emogene.”

......

Thank you so much for reading! Like what you read? Looking for more? Please see my masterlink post under the Wraith in the Ruins tag (if my tags are working, haha) or my pinned post. As always, my ask is open. If you have any questions/concerns/comments please feel free to drop me a line. I will try to answer promptly and would love to hear from you. =^..^=

#wraith in the ruins #fallout #fallout 4 #fallout companions #fallout fanfic #fanfiction

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sabraeal · 5 years

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The Call Which Carries You Home

He Who Fell in the Sea | Previous Selkie AU

Obiyuki Week, Day 3 Gluttony | Charity

He’s not used to the lights in Lyrias, not anymore.

Sereg may be shoved into the furthest, most godforsaken corner of the country, but it was a military installation, funded for by the crown and kept in the best condition. It would not do for the men on its walls to think more of the contents of their stomach or the lumps of their mattress than what lurked in the dark. It has been a decade since Clarines went to war, but no one has forgotten what they learned. A single flinch could change the tide, when brother fought against brother.

The lamps were always full at the knights’ circle, each sconce blaring like its own sun, every hall lit up like daybreak. But here in Lyrias --

Well, most scholars don’t want to spent their budget on things like candles and lamp oil, not when they only use the dorms for sleeping.

Miss’s back treads before him in the dim, the black of her cloak making her little more than a shape glimpsed through dark waters, a swimmer lost in the fog. Each time they pass a lamp, her gold stitching glitters, outlining the proud set of her shoulders with St. Elmo’s fire. She cuts through shadow as a hull cuts through a swell, never a moment’s hesitation.

He ducks his chin, smothering a smile. Of course. No matter what tricks his eyes play on him, Miss has never truly been adrift in her life. She’s got a compass where her heart should be, and it always points her home.

Welcome home.

A breath rasps out of his lungs, ugly and awkward; a seal’s groan from a human throat. Goosebumps pimple his arms, his legs, and, ah, even his scalp tingles, so tight he’s sure his hair must be on end, trying to figure out which way is up.

If Miss hears, she doesn’t give a sign of it, just forging on through each twist and turn. The slope of her shoulders before him is as familiar to Obi as the ache in his chest, as the beat of his heart. He’d been half-lost at the castle, each step taken on the wrong foot, but he’s hardly been back an hour and already he’s back on course. It’s so much easier to find himself when his north star is just above him.

Welcome home.

She’s right before him and his palms itch, his pelt growing heavier by the step. Obi’s not supposed to touch her, not supposed to get in the way, but he’d seen her in the street, had met eyes with her through the press, raised his hand and --

And he had not known until her gaze hooked his, until her eyes lit with recognition and she took that first trembling step toward him, how long he had been holding his breath. Each one at Sereg had been like gulping down seawater, drowning so slowly he hadn’t even noticed, hadn’t even felt it until he looked at her and took his first pull of air in weeks.

Welcome home.

She had said that to him, to him. His wrists still burn where she held them, and he cannot forget the way his hands felt wrapped around her hips, how light she had felt in his arms --

He shakes his head. Ah, he thought he might be used to her touch by now, but -- her hands in his fur and her hands on his skin are two different things, and though it was muted through the leather of his gloves he still -- still--

He wants her to do it again.

The castle’s sconces set her hair ablaze each time they pass, and he’s sharply reminded of the last time he walked these halls. He had been alone then, dressed for bed, breathless, and she -- she had answered her door the same way, his pelt clutched to her chest.

She couldn’t have known what she’d done, what he’d done, but she’d looked up at him with dark eyes and --

He shouldn’t think about that. The guilt had practically eaten him alive when he was with Master, those thoughts creeping up on him in the silent moments between. They’d snuck in while he traveled to Sereg, while he’d waited for Master to make his decision, while he’d laid in bed with physicians fussing over him, telling him he’d best stay there another week.

Obi had tried, at least. But idle hands did him no good when he had thoughts like these waiting to overtake him.

Miss might scold, but it was worth it to be free of -- of that. Save that here they are again with her right here before him and --

“Your hair got long.”

He blinks, but Miss is already pinking up quite nicely, her hand hesitating over her door. “I mean, longer.”

This, he can deal with. His teeth peek between his lips. “It’s only been a month, Miss.”

“I know that!” She fusses with the knob, flush creeping up the pale skin of her neck. “I just...noticed it. Now.”

He hums, eyeing where her own hair falls on her back. “Yours looks longer too.”

Her hand flies up, fingering the ends of her hair, and though her back is to him, he sees her cheeks round in a soft grin. “It’s only been a month.”

“Well,” he murmurs, far too close, the spice of her soap tickling his nose. “I only just noticed.”

“Go sit on the bed,” she tells him, opening the door. “I still want to take a look at that cut.”

“It’s all healed,” he protests, even though his side tweaks the moment he lifts his arm to fuss at the buckle for his cape. “Clean bill of health.”

Mostly.

The looks she turns on him is dubious. “That’s not what Mitsuhide’s letter said.”

He should have known Sir would tattle. “Well, Sir is not exactly the best judge of...”

Words desert him as he slips tongue though buckle and allows his pelt to slither down his side, and Miss --

Her gaze follows it, heavy and dark, until it hits the mattress with a slump. Even when he starts in on his coat, her eyes are on it, breath coming out in a labored rasp, body unnaturally still. If he didn’t know any better --

Well, he’d say she was holding back. That the look in her eye might be something like hunger.

She blinks, dragging her gaze back up to his, and flushes under the question in it.

“You should...” She takes a moment to shut the door behind her, and once again she hesitates before turning back, before taking a few more fluttering steps into the room. “You should lay down. It’s on your side, isn’t it?”

He lets out a huff, annoyed, but drops himself to the mattress, rucking up his shirt until it’s up under his armpits. “I should have known he’d tell you.”

Miss hums, buzzing in close, fingers brushing over his skin. His breath catches, tingling where her fingers press, but if she notices, she gives no sign. “It wasn’t him.”

A laugh barks out of him, incredulous. “Then who--?”

“You did.” She flicks him out of those sly glances that makes him want to kiss her. “Outside. Remember? A-tt-tt, my side!”

She’s far too proud of herself. “I don’t sound like that.”

“Mm.” Obi knows every flavor of Miss’s mms, and this one is distinctly not an agreement. “You’ve taken good care of this.”

Praise cuts straight through his annoyance, and he can’t help but preen. “I did promise Miss I would be more careful.”

Her mouth quirks, just the slightest bit. “And I promised I would never let you scar.”

Her hand presses softly to the wound -- one that almost certainly will leave a mark -- and lets out a sigh. Against his skin, he could swear he feels her heart beating its swift tattoo.

“Is it different now?”

He can only stare at her, unsure of what she could possibly mean.

“You hair,” she clarifies. “Is it different, now that you’ve let it grown out?”

It’s a whole new world. He’d thought himself sensitive before, but now colors are brighter, smells are sharper, and he moves as if the world has gained another dimension.

“I don’t need so much spice in my food,” he says instead, because anything else feels too intimate with so little space between them. “And I don’t get myself stuck in tight places.”

She lets out a grunt of a giggle. “You never did before.”

“Ah, didn’t I?” He waggles his eyebrows. “Or did you never catch me?”

Miss smiles, but suddenly her touch is gone, only a memory of her warmth lingering against his skin.

“All right,” she sighs, taking a step back. “You can get up, if you like.”

He doesn’t like; he wants to stay right here, breathing in the soft lilac of her sheets, but Obi also knows a dismissal when he hears one. Doubtlessly Miss has a hundred other things she would rather be taking care of than him.

He levers himself up, rolling the film of his shirt back over his stomach. Next to him, his pelt lays crumpled on the bed, smooth and sable as always, and --

He could keep it. He could wear it every day, a choice he continues to not make, hold his own reins --

“This is yours.” His hand is already outstretched, fur spilling over his fingers, holding it like a small child might hold out a favorite blanket. Miss stares down at it with eyes so wide he can almost see the whites around them.

She won’t take it, he knows. Miss has never liked keeping it away, never liked forcing him to stay when he longed to be elsewhere, longed to be home -- but his home is right here, and if he doesn’t give it to her, if he keeps it and catches the song of his sisters --

Sparks shoot up his spine, his knees nearly going out from underneath him as her hand closes around the edge of it and rubs. A cry tears from his chest, hungry and inhuman, and she can’t possibly have missed it, can’t possibly --

“Obi?” She’s never said his name this way, so thoughtful and yet...more. “You seem tense.”

A breath raggedly escapes from his lungs, and -- what can he say, when all his world had melted away to where her fingers idly trace patterns into his fur, like nails scraping down his back in the most delicious way.

“Would you like me to help you?”

He’s so turned around that he almost thinks she’s offering something else, something Master’s Mistress has no right offering, but then he remembers -- relaxation. Just what they have always done, her hands on his pelt and him laying near, feeling safe in her company.

Or near enough, save for that last time, the night before he left--

“Yes,” he chokes around the knot in his throat. “That...yes.”

It’s been a month, he knows, but somehow it’s too long; the moment she kneels on the bed, pelt spread over her knees and not even touching, he just -- whines. Like a mutt who’s seen a lamb chop through a window.

Miss doesn’t raise her gaze, but her eyelashes flutter and her mouth curves, and he knows she heard.

“You should sit,” she says, and there is far too much amusement her tone for his comfort. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

He sniffs disdainfully, and for the entire circuitous route he takes to her bed, he refuses to look at her. In a fair and just world, she would be seared by his scathing disdain, be entirely repentant --

Instead, her shoulders shake. She’s laughing.

With a huff, he settles himself by the footboard, legs hanging off so the balls of his feet still brace on the floor. It’s a safe distance; any closer and he might smell her, might touch her -- and with the memories of before haunting him, with the way she welcomed him home --

He’s already reading far too much into this. She’s just -- offering comfort, as she always has.

Neither of them speak, but when his weight dips the mattress her lips curl at the corner, and her palms stretch flat on the fur.

He sighs into it, the phantom pressure of her hands warm over the curve of his back. When she moves them, stroking slowly, surely, his head tips back. He’s never felt a touch like hers; every other hand to hold his pelt has set his teeth on edge, but with Miss it’s nearly a massage, working out all the tension beneath his skin.

Perhaps this is the way of it, for his kind. He was stolen from his sisters too young to know, and now --

Well, if he ever saw them again, he certainly wouldn’t let them touch him like this.

Her hands are halfway down his spine when she laughs, and he jolts, nearly topping over. He’d been half asleep, listing where he sat.

“Obi.” Her voice slips over him like her hands do, too warm and inviting. “Why don’t you lay down?”

She pats her lap -- tap tap, just over his kidneys -- and it’s not the first time she’s offered, nor even the first time he’s taken, but --

It feels dangerous, with all these thoughts rattling around in his head, making the air feel heavy with more. Still, it doesn’t stop him; she pats her lap again and he just tips, settling with his head pillowed by her thigh, pelt soft under his cheek.

She starts again, running a hand right along his shoulders, making him sink further into her, face nuzzled right against her belly. It’s better like this, with both his skin and her scent so close to him, more lulling, and she’s barely stroked him twice before he’s drifting again, the siren call of sleep luring him under --

Until he jolts, fingers clutching at the duvet, heart pounding in his chest. Her hands hover, uncertain, as he gasps hard against her belly.

“O-Obi?” Her voice is small, worried. “Did I--?”

“No. Just -- my hair,” he manages. “It’s..sensitive.”

An understatement. If whiskers feel like this naturally, then he’s sorry for every cat he’s ever touched.

“Oh.” It’s hardly more than a breath, her palms settling flat against her thighs. Their phantom warmth presses against his back, and -- that helps, at least, even if he’s still strung tight like a bowstring. “Hm.”

That’s his only warning -- one thoughtful hum, and then her fingers drag deep furrows into his pelt, down and down, towards her knees and --

He arches off the bed with a gasp, writhing as he feels the warmth of her hands around the base of his cock. His breath rasps out of him, humid where he’s pressed himself into her belly, and it takes everything in him not to grind his hips into the mattress, not to get some relief from the way her fingers have sunk into his belly fur --

Her hand lifts, burying itself deep into his hair, nails scraping his scalp, and --

Her grabs her, fingers wrapped tight, purposeful around her wrist.

“Miss,” he rumbles, peeking up at her with a gaze he knows says too much. “Either keep your hand on the pelt, or lay on it.”

Her jaw drops as wide as her eyes, and for a moment he thinks he’s made his point, that she will balk and retreat to the safer boundaries of touch, but -- but --

Haah, no. It’s not in his Miss to retreat. Her lip takes a determined just, and with barely a moment of hesitation she plunges both hands deep into his hair, every nerve in him alight as he bolts upright, meaning to close the space between them as she spills back --

“Obi!”

He leaps back just before the door bursts open, Suzu collapsing breathlessly over his knees. He must have run all the way here. It would have been touching, if, well...

“You’re alive!” Suzu cries out between gasps, hand pressed to his chest.

“I am,” Obi agrees, maybe a little terse.

“What did you expect? I told you I saw him,” Yuzuri complains, tucking herself between Suzu’s arm and the door. Her bright gaze fixes on him, smile curling her mouth, and she opens her mouth --

Only for her eyes to flick to Miss, and then to him, and then to the entire room between them.

“Well, you’ve seen him, Suzu,” she says brusquely, practically shoving him out the door. “You can work easy now.

If anything, this only makes him struggle harder. “But--”

“I think Obi and Shirayuki have things to talk about. Important things!” she says, with the sort of strident, pointed tone that implies he knows exactly what those things are, and he better not ruin it. If only she knew just how well Obi had done that, all on his.

“But--!”

Yuzuri shoves him the last little bit out of the room. “Good, glad we understand each other.” She leans back, smile bright and too-knowing. “Glad to see you’re alive, Obi.”

“Thanks,” he grits out, but it’s covered by the slam of the door. And then once again, he’s alone with Miss.

Only it’s different this time. Tense.

“Obi--”

“Master is looking forward to seeing you,” he says, because he’s never met a good thing he deserved.

“Oh.” her face crumples with confusions. “Did he say that?”

Obi hesitates, before forcing the smile on his face. “He doesn’t need to, Miss.”

Her mouth pulls thin. “He might try, once in a while.”

It’s dangerous being here when she says things like that. Hearing his own thoughts from her lips is too intoxicating.

“I should get going.” The words come out far to breathless. “If you don’t think I’m going to die, His Lordship will want to hear my report.”

“Oh.” She steps back from him. “Right. Of course. Yes. You look..fine. Very healthy.”

“Yeah, I feel it,” he lies. “I should--”

“Take this.” Miss’s arm thrusts out, pelt dangling from the end of it. “You should really...keep it.”

He should, he should.

“No.” His hand curls over hers, clasping it tighter around his pelt. “It’s where it’s supposed to be.”

He can’t bring himself to say what he means, but she pulls it to her chest, looking up at him with such bright eyes, that he wonders if she can hear it.

Home.

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shastelly · 5 years

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Klance Positivity Week - Modern Day/ Historical

So this is for May 27, not sure if I’m going to do the whole week, I’m behind on some other stuff, but wanted to at least get this one out.

Total self indulgent fluffy silliness :)

Modern College AU

"Lance, I don't know about this." Keith grumbled picking at the outfit he was being forced to wear.

"Keith, it's fun, have fun." Lance huffed. He had personally picked the costumes and he thought they both looked damn fine.

"I'm sorry, I just, I feel weird." Keith frowned picking at the red, brown, and black patterned coat think he was wearing. The weird little wooden toggle button things on the front were just funny looking. The black pants were pretty plain, and he had flat out refused to even consider tights, much to Lance's dismay. The only thing he really liked about the outfit was the black belt with a special sheath for his dagger and a place to hand the scabbard for his sword and, of course, the two blades themselves were the only things he really like about the outfit. The black boots were relatively okay, they went up his calf and were soft leather pull on types.

"Well, you look hot." Lance huffed annoyed that his boyfriend was not appreciating his effort, and in all his pouting glory was still completely adorable.

Keith huffed out a breath, he knew he was being a bit of a brat, after all he had agreed to this. Lance had been begging him to take him to the Renaissance Festival since Pidge and Hunk had decided they were going. He had agreed when he'd seen how much Lance wanted it. He really did like to make him happy.

"Hunk's wearing a kilt, you know. I was trying to pick something you'd like and would look nice on you." Lance twirled the fringe on the edge of the cropped jacket he was wearing. It moved around and tickled him when he danced. His broad legged pants gathered at the knee and he lost count on the number of scarves and belts he'd strapped around the waist, with whatever bit and bobbles he could find to spice up his gypsy costume. He had a scarf tied around his head and a fake hoop in his ear and a few bangles and rings to add more flare. The outfit was completed with brown leather sandals that had laces that wrapped around his legs to his knees. He looked sexy and he knew it. He wasn't sure why his boyfriend was failing to notice.

"Pidge is an archer. Her outfit isn't so…stiff." Keith picked at the jacket again.

"Keith. You know what, you're going. You promised. I'm sorry if you don't like the outfit. Next year, pick your own." Lance huffed and crossed his arms. Shiro would be there to pick them up in the van any minute. Keith had come over to his place to get dressed. Allura was with Shiro and they would pick Pidge and Hunk up first because they were at Pidge's dorm. "Besides, you think your outfit is stiff, you should see what Allura convinced Shiro to wear."

"What?" Keith suddenly forgetting his pout for teasing his mentor.

"Well, you know Allura broke up with Lotor last week, anyway, so she begged Shiro to be the matched set for her costume." Lance smirked. "Let's just say Shiro is not too chicken to wear the tights and his jacket makes yours look like a comfy hoodie."

"This I have to see." Keith smiled and finally let go of his nerves enough to appreciate the costume Lance was wearing. His skin looked great against the fabric colors and Keith's fingers twitched with a sudden desire to wrap his hands around Lance's bare midriff.

"Hmph. Well at least you're smiling now." Lance put his arms down and pulled Keith to the door. "They should be here any minute, come on."

Keith took a deep breath. It took a whole lot of love for Lance for him to leave the safety of the room in costume, but he managed it. Cringing and waiting for laughter he made his way down the hall, down the stairs and through the lobby.

"Hey, Keith! Lance!" Ryan Kincaid waved from the lounge area in the lobby. "Looking good! You going to the Renn fest?"

"Yeah." Lance smiled brightly and waved back.

"I went last weekend. It was a blast. The turkey legs were awesome, and I loved the archery area. If you do well at some of the games, you can be a squire or get knighted by the queen."

"Really?" Lance's eyes lit up. "I am so doing that. Or we are, right Keith?"

"Um…sure?" Keith shrugged.

"Don't worry Keith, it's fun." Inna called from the other side of Ryan. "The pirate show was very entertaining, lots of acrobatic action."

"I liked the Mud Show. Seriously, though, do not sit in the front row." James spoke up with a grave look on his face. The rest of his group burst into laughter.

"I have never seen Griff look quite that upset." Nadia laughed. "He was covered in mud."

"So worth it." Inna grinned.

"Traitor." James huffed. "Keith, I don't care what they tell you. Don't sit in the front row. Don't sit in the front six rows, avoid the splash zone."

Keith looked slightly horrified, but Lance just laughed.

"I am not letting him fall for that, not when I put so much work into this costume." Lance almost giggled, "Though it would have been funny."

Keith glared at him and Lance and the other four laughed a little more.

"Anyway, have fun. We'll have to compare notes after class tomorrow?" Ryan asked. He and Lance shared a geometry class and were study buddies.

"You bet. We got to get going. Shiro has the team van to haul us in." Lance waved and they headed out the door. Shiro was the assistant swim coach and frequently asked permission to use the van to haul students around. Lance and Keith were both on the swim team, while Pidge was on the dive team, and Hunk was a student coach and lifeguard.

Pidge was a crazy high diver and it amazed Keith how many times she could flip between the platform and the water. She was also completely fearless. She was currently a double major in Software Engineering and Physics. She'd started university two years early and was a certified genius.

Lance was the best swimmer on the team and swam breaststroke, butterfly, a couple relays, and long-distance freestyle. He was majoring in education with an emphasis in literature and art and had told Shiro he wanted to be a swim coach someday.

Hunk was a student coach. Lance joked if they didn't go to school inland, Hunk would be the star of the surfing team. He told them repeatedly Hunk was a crazy strong swimmer, just not fast. He'd watched Hunk surf enough and even had his own butt hauled out of the water when he'd taken a bad fall off a surfboard. Hunk was an engineering major, but he was also a lifeguard and was training as a paramedic.

Keith was also a good swimmer and did a lot of the short distance freestyle, relays, and the only one he could beat Lance in - backstroke. At first, they'd really clashed, but after Shiro forced them on the same relay team, things had really turned around and they went from enemies, to a great team, to boyfriends. Keith was majoring in psychology and sociology. He wasn't sure what he wanted to be when he finished, just that he wanted to help people. Lance had gushed and said it was sweet when he told them.

Shiro and Allura were graduate students. Shiro was a physical therapy major. Allura was a law student. Their classes didn't really overlap, but they were both very active on campus and currently the co-leaders for the campus Habitat for Humanity group.

When the blue and red van pulled up, Pidge slide open the side door and they climbed in. Lance was practically preening at the compliments the others made to their costumes. He in turn complimented Shiro and Allura on their noble costumes and how authentic they looked. He also complimented Pidge on her costume, letting her know he particularly liked the caplet and hoped she might let him borrow it. Hunk's costume deserved to be raved about due to the leather armor pieces and the pattern in the kilt, though Lance gave the most compliments on Hunk's legs making Hunk sputter in embarrassed pleasure.

Keith spent the entire time sitting behind Shiro poking at the ruffled collar and laughing.

**pics of the costumes at the end of the fic :)**

They arrived at the festival before it opened. Pidge had gotten their tickets online, so they didn't have to wait in the line or anything. There were players from the faire moving through the crowd doing gag routines and talking up the crowd. It was a fun atmosphere and Keith felt himself relaxing. There were a lot of people in costume, almost half of the crowd. Lance told him several other would be in costume after they went in because there were places to rent costumes.

Keith even found himself laughing at a couple of swordsmen up on fake castle wall. They were clashing blades and laughing and making jokes. Keith thought it looked like fun. Lance had whispered into his ear that he was not allowed to climb the wall. He'd blushed.

They had gone to show after show. There was singing and sword fighting and acrobats. He'd remembered not to sit in the front rows of the Mud Show and was able to laugh at the mud-splattered attendees that had sat in the splash zone.

They'd done some shopping. Lance bought some weird handmade creams and candles. Hunk got a new mortar and pestle that he was going to use for herbs for his cooking. Keith bought a new dagger, which surprised no one. Pidge got a kit to make a mini trebuchet. She planned to use it to scale up for a large one. Allura bought a flower crown. Shiro had picked up a wax seal set.

They'd eaten turkey legs. Pidge had looked particularly ridiculous tearing into hers. Shiro and Allura drank mead. Hunk had gotten steak on a stake. Lance and Keith split a bread bowl stew. Pidge found some kind of deep-fried cookie dough.

"What now?" Keith looked around. He hated to admit it, but he was having a great time. He'd been especially enthralled when Lance had joined the belly dancers on the stage and managed to pull off several of the moves they had showed him.

"Now on to the tests of skill!" Lance yelled and pointed to the section of the faire with most of the games. "Remember what Ryan said? We need to become knights!"

"What kind of tests?" Keith frowned, remembering the conversation, "I'm not good at archery."

"Well, there are knife, axe, and spear throwing," Lance looked back with a grin and a wink, certain Keith would be happy with some of those choices.

"I can throw an axe?" Keith's eyes widened.

"Yep." Lance popped the "p".

"Well, let's go!" Keith grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him along toward the games. The rest laughed and followed along.

Surprising no one Keith was awesome at the knife throwing. He was okay with the axe; Pidge beat him at that one and Allura tied her. Lance put so many bullseyes into the archery area that he'd gathered a crowd watching him. Hunk and Shiro both aced the spear throwing.

They all earned high enough marks to be knighted by the queen. They talked to some people and made arrangements to be knighted after the evenings final jousting event. They all sat together during the joust cheering on the knight for their section. Allura was up on the bench yelling for the knight during the sword portion. Lance jumped up and joined her and Keith felt like crawling under the bench, but he noticed that no one around them seemed to mind and were just looking on with smiles. He slowly relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy their antics.

After the joust they were called out with a few others to approach the Queen and her court. She stepped down onto the bottom step of her raised viewing area. She held a sword and carefully knighted each person as they approached.

Allura was first and the Queen gave her a tight nod and a smile for her prowess with the axe. Pidge was next and earned a round of laughter from the crowd when it was announced that she too had shown prowess with the axe. She glared and aimed her bow at the audience and the Queen asked that the brave warrior not injure the ignorant crowd of peasants. Pidge lowered the bow with a smile and strutted off to Allura's side. Hunk and Shiro were also honored for the spear throwing. Keith received a special award for high marks in two categories. The Queen declared him one of her guard and gave him a rose and a medallion. Lance was last and the Queen made a point to say he was the first gypsy she had ever declared a knight, but to welcome him into her service. Lance smiled and bowed deeply before spinning and twirling in a dance over to the others using some of the moves, he'd learned from the belly dancers. The crowd loved it and there was thunderous applause for the new knights.

Lance slipped his arm around Keith's and snuggled into his shoulder, his face warm from the sun, but he was shivering a little in the evening breeze. Keith smiled wrapping his arm around him and pulling him closer. They all walked out to the van a little sleepy in a dazed happy kind of way. Lance said something from under Keith's arm, but he couldn't quite make it out.

"What?" He murmured into Lance's hair.

"Did you have fun?" Lance looked up at him, so worried and hopeful that Keith's heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest.

"I did, you were right, Lance." Keith smiled and was rewarded with the brightest beaming smile Lance had to offer. He couldn't help but lean forward and press his lips to that smile.

Lance laughed happily into the kiss. Pidge made barfing sounds.

"I think you mean Sir Lance, don't you Sir Keith?" Lance ignored Pidge's sounds and just snuggled in as close as possible.

"That must be what I meant." Keith laughed. "I think what I meant was no matter if you're a knight or a student or an old man, I'm going to love you no matter when."

"Aw!" Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's neck.

"That was very sweet Keith." Allura patted his back and smiled as she walked by and got into the van.

"You are so gross." Pidge stuck her tongue out and climbed in.

Hunk walked by with tears in his eyes and gave Keith two thumbs up.

Shiro just smiled quiet like and nodded to him.

They climbed into the van, Lance barely loosening his hold on him. He curled into his side and was asleep before they were out of the parking lot. Keith rested his head on Lance's and found his own eyes drifting closed. It had been a very good day.

For a visual idea on Keith's costume:

From <https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=PHJGFRWx&id=6B806DC18E93F94C684B93FEADD4C1A346A9334D&thid=OIP.PHJGFRWxGEuk9mrwRxP-HQAAAA&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fimgs.inkfrog.com%2fpix%2fgdalsf%2fRoyal_Court_Doublet.jpg&exph=600&expw=378&q=Renaissance+Faire+Costumes+Men&simid=608009201531359138&selectedIndex=7&mode=overlay>

For an idea on Lance's costume:

From <https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/7b/27/327b27ea213a54b5226cce02ec4449d7.jpg>

Visual Aid for Hunk:

From <https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c6/e9/98/c6e9986404368183e7ca2883cd9fb35c.jpg>

Visual Aid for Pidge:

From <https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5d/d1/3f/5dd13f742963d767cac4a7bc31fdf736--viking-warrior-warrior-women.jpg>

Visual Aid for Shiro and Allura:

From <https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b8/25/ed/b825edbf9f723ca45349eef860b1a302--renaissance-clothing-renaissance-fashion.jpg>

#monthlyklance #klance #fluff #voltron fanfic

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wendylianmartin · 5 years

Note

I'm about to read castle swimmer for the first time, but by glancing at some fanart the gold scaled mermaid with the wavy brown hair is adorable like ahhhh i keep imagining a bunch of goldfish hanging around and admiring the sparkling tail and tiny minnows swimming through the warm chocolate-y hair and tickling ears~~~ who is your fave character's design?

I hope you like it! I don’t know if I have a favorite, but you can figure out which characters I like the most by how much screen time they get lol.

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smile-smile-ichthys · 5 years

Text

A Princess’ Choice - Chapter 8

Game: Be My Princess Pairing: Oh who’s it gonna be? MC X a butler maybe, or a prince Genre: Comedy, fluff, drama MC Name: Kia Rating: I’m sure this will be ok as a 15 but it MAY change in the future, depends on where I want to take this fic…I really should plan better.

Summary: Kia Michael is Lord Nobel Michaels hidden granddaughter and she has a huge responsibility in being heir to the throne, finding a husband is one. She knows marrying a prince from another kingdom would be hugely beneficial to everyone…but what if it’s a butler who captures her heart instead?

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Again tagging @hifftn took a little longer to edit!

“Come with me princess, I have a surprise for you” Roberto said, my hand firmly in his as he guided me down the long hallways of his impressive castle.

I did wonder what he had install for me, was it more of that amazing cake we had the other day? Or maybe something new entirely? Nervous and yet excited, I couldn’t wait to see where he was taking me. The corridor got darker and darker as we went. The lights dimming.

“Erm, think there’s a black out?” I asked.

“Nah we don’t get those” he simply replied, but not sounding like himself anymore. Was he ok?

“Roberto?” I asked, pulling at his hand to check on him.

“Who’s Roberto?” he turned around and suddenly everything around me warped. It wasn’t him anymore, it was the leader of Edwards government. The grip on my hand tightened and I couldn’t shake free. “You will be ours princess! Whether you like it or not”

“No, let me go!” I demanded, pulling harder and harder “Zain!”

“He’s not here, just us, you will marry Prince Edward! Even if we have to spread a thousand rumours for you to vanquish, we will keep them coming until you agree!” he laughed more and more when a door next to us opened, revealing Edward in his uniform at the altar, also looking unhappy. No, this wasn’t real, clearly, but it was still frightening me. What did he mean about them spreading rumours? What the hell was going on? I wanted Zain. He always protected me, looked after me. Zain, please!

OW!

“Milady?!” Zain asked.

Why was I on the floor? Oh…bad dream, of course. It just all felt so real.

“Milady, are you alright?” Zain said, carefully helping me up from the floor to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I’m fine, bad dream, sorry” I rubbed my arm gently and smiled at him. I just couldn’t shake the dream.

“You seem uneasy, are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, sitting next to me.

“I dunno, it was just a dream but…do you reckon you could do a little digging for me?” I asked “it may be absolutely nothing”

“Always worth checking” he said.

“Could you possibly find out where those rumours started from? The ones the newspapers here got” I asked.

“I can certainly try, but you know how gossip goes, it’s hard to trace” Zain explained.

“I think it may have originated from Charles, again I don’t know why but that dream felt too real to ignore”

“I will try my best for you”

“And you always do an amazing job Zain, seriously, thank you” I smiled kindly at him as he bowed, giving me a quick smile in return before heading out to start digging.

If that dream was in some way real, if it was the Brotherhood behind those rumours, what were they up to? I mean, obviously wanting me in their clutches to do what they wish with my country, that’s easy. But, I was more worried about what they were capable of. I had to be careful. I couldn’t just run into this headstrong as I usually did, this was going to take tactics and patience.

Marriage to me was bound to be the question on everyone’s lips, in every country. Last thing I wanted was to marry for convenience, and I know my grandpa had told me several times I need to marry for me, not for our country. And yet, I had started to feel a sense of duty towards my people over the years of my training. I loved them all so much, I wanted to do right by them. I knew that marrying Edward under the influence of the Brotherhood was NOT an option. They were dangerous. But marrying without love? I wasn’t sure I could do that. I needed to cool off, distract myself. Roberto had said they had a lovely pool, so maybe a swim would help clear my head.

I had no idea Roberto had the same idea. And for once I could see a serious expression plastered his face. Was he still worrying about the gossip? When he spotted me joining him in the pool, his face changed to his happy go lucky one and swam over.

“How you feeling today Princess?” he asked.

“As good as can be, I’ve sent Zain to dig a little further into the rumours” I told him, easily treading water.

“I thought those had been stopped? Has something else come up?” he asked, genuinely worried.

“Oh no, just a possible lead as to where they might have started” I smiled “nothing to worry about, promise”

“Ah in that case!” he suddenly splashed me and quickly dove under the water.

“OH you are so on!” I dove under the water too. I saw how far he had already escaped and followed as fast as I could. Damn he was a good swimmer, well he had a nice body to match, wasn’t going to lie!

I resurfaced for air and kept swimming after him. When we reached the shallow end of the pool, he still hadn’t resurfaced. I began to worry.

“Your highness? Prince Roberto?” nothing. I glanced around “Roberto”

“Yes?” he jumped up and splashed me again. I screamed in shock and he grabbed me tightly around the waist. “No, no stop ah!” he began to tickle my sides, causing water to go everywhere.

“Stop? I don’t think so” he laughed and I started to tear up with my laughter.

He eventually stopped and we stared at each other, catching our breath. You know? He was incredibly handsome, well-toned, even with wet hair plastering his face.

“Have I got something on my face?” he asked, breaking my trail of thought.

“Oh no, sorry!” I chuckled.

“Careful, don’t want you falling for me” he winked “gotta give the others a chance first”

“Of course” I smiled.

“I don’t want to pry but, do you think you could really marry one of us?” he asked “I mean, I personally couldn’t marry without being in love, I know the other prince’s laugh at me when I say that, but I just know I couldn’t”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about today” I answered honestly “I always dreamed of a fairytale wedding, marry a prince and live happily ever after, but there’s so much more to it than that, I know for a fact some of the prince’s would do it without hesitation, but what kind of a marriage is sleeping in separate rooms? Only having sex to make an heir? For one thing that means the sex would be rubbish!”

Roberto belly laughed at the last comment.

“Gotta have good sex right?” He grinned from ear to ear “I understand what you mean, I think that’s why we’re better off just being friends, best friends!” he admitted. I stared at him. “What? Come on Kia, I know you don’t have feelings for me, and you know what? I am fine with that, ‘cause I feel the same”

“You do? Oh thank GOD!” I smiled.

“Imagine our sex life!”

I couldn’t help but imagine. I could see two options. I thought he would have been polite, gentle, make it about me a lot of the time. He’d be slow, steady, insist I came first to ensure I enjoyed myself before doing his job. It wouldn’t be exciting, or hot, or steamy, just to do what was intended. Or he could easily be clumsy, awkward, so comfortable being friends, sex felt…weird. Probably lots of foreplay and very little actual sex. Hand job to get him ready, enter and done. I chuckled.

“Oh I can imagine” I laughed. Was that my future though? Not just the sex part, but the living apart? Only coming together to make an heir and also talks about kingdom stuff? Could I do that? Truly?

“How did it go with Edward?” Roberto asked, snapping me out of my worry again.

“Fine, I really enjoyed Charles and he’s such a good man, attractive, passionate about the arts” I explained.

“Can’t help but feel there’s a but there” he said.

“But…the way his country is run is…”

“A bit shit isn’t it?” he said for me, I nodded “yeah, that Brotherhood of his, it’s messed up, I don’t know how they formed and stuff but, it’s all a bit too controlling for me, but hey, your holiday is not over, you’ve tamed me, you have a few other prince’s to meet yet”

“That I do…” I sighed. I didn’t know what to do. My heart felt heavy and I could feel myself tearing up.

“Hey” Roberto hugged me tightly, kissing the top of my head “Kia, you don’t have to marry any of us if you don’t want to, we will all respect that decision” he pulled away and brushed his thumb lightly over my cheek, clearing the tears away “please, don’t marry for politics, marry for love, I will if you will”

I smiled and nodded, wrapping my arms around him again. We just stood there in the warm water together for a while. My heart heavy for the next meeting, Prince Joshua.

#bmpp #bmp #be my princess #fanfic #butler zain #prince roberto #chapter 8 #voltage

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dontstopbereaving · 6 years

Text

I don’t have a story

The podcast I co-host got sponsored by a new-wave bra company that champions body positivity and body diversity, and as part of our advertising agreement I had to order a bra from them. I was very interested and excited in this, because bra shopping has more or less been a non-question for me. Blessed with what would probably be a 36AA if such a bra was ever manufactured — I am wide and flat and should have been a swimmer, probably — the adolescent horror and thrill of suddenly having boobs to manage and shop for has never really been on the table. I remember so vividly, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, staying with an old friend from middle school and hanging out in her bedroom. She was lying on her bed and reading a magazine and said, apropos of nothing, "ugh, don't you hate it when your boobs slide down to your armpits when you're reading?" I nodded, having no idea what she was talking about.

Anyway, this bra company didn't carry a 36AA, but after taking a quiz about what $68 expertly engineered bra would be perfect for me, I ordered whatever they recommended. It arrived wrapped in delicate pink tissue paper, and I took it out and held it up and felt my heart sink. I knew from looking at it that it would look ridiculous on me; trying it on confirmed that. They had a number to call where you could talk to a "fit specialist" and of course I did that, and some nice girl in the Bay Area told me that if that bra didn't fit me, they had a selection of leisurewear bralettes.

But I don't want a bralette, dammit! I am not a tween, and though they aren't much to write home about I do have breasts that must be managed. This company's advertising seems to trumpet the arrival of a "bra for every woman," and even within their progressive spectrum of what that means, I fell on the outside of it. The whole process carried a lot more gravity than I expected.

The bra arrived in the heat of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation firestorm, which had me on edge and moody all week for both the obvious reasons and reasons that I was more confused about articulating, or whether or not I should. The prospect of an attempted rapist and alcoholic being given a post in the highest court in the land is the most harrowing and torturous chapter of the MeToo world we now live in, and the stories from my friend and peers and people I don't know but follow on Twitter started being dropped almost hourly. Most women I know have been raped or sexually assaulted in their lives. The most visible and audible woman's experience right now is that of the victim; those with platforms and followings are being encouraged to share their story in solidarity, in order to shore up the most prominent, contested ones, to create a narrative that yes, this does happen, it happens all the time.

I don't have a rape story, and I don't have an assault story. In the past year, wondering why I don't has led me down a weird guilt spiral that inevitably ends with the re-realization that there's no reason that I don't. There's nothing I did right. It just didn't happen to me. This is disconcerting to me, in the context of a life where I have always felt left out of the things that supposedly comprise the experience of being a woman. It's not just the bra thing, though that's a useful metaphor. I've always felt left out of femininity, I've always had more male friends than female friends, going back to early childhood. Girls tormented me as a child, and as an adolescent, and as an adult; on the whole I have felt the emotional violence of other women more acutely than that of men. And yet, I know the latter exists.

Sometimes it feels like sharing one's own story of assault is the only powerful tool a woman can have against a patriarchy in its violent death throes, which often leaves me feeling useless in our social media-driven dialogue. The stories of sexual violence coming from women both famous and not, while harrowing, has also, to this outsider at least, appeared as a kind of global bonding experience. Which is really important for those who have been victims. But I want there to be a language for women to be advocates for each other that goes beyond "me, too" in its most literal sense. Because I cannot honestly say "me, too," and yet, nearly any woman I've ever been close with enough has told me about that time in college, or that date that went bad, or that time in eighth grade. I believe them, and I believe women I've never met before, not because it's happened to me, too, but because I know how the world works and I believe them.

I want to tell one story that is not a rape story, but it is a Hollywood story, and it's a story about a powerful Hollywood man. This story might not end the way you think it will!

When I was in college, a male classmate of mine wanted to cast a famous actor, let's call him Gary, in his thesis film. His dad had some connections, and I had gamely signed on to be my friend's AD, which meant when he went to a swanky event with the purpose of being introduced to this guy and hopefully turning it into a collaboration, he asked me to come along. I was excited, we were very young and to land this actor for a student film would be a coup; it felt like a bank heist. On the way over we were giddy and silly, "what if Gary says yes? What if he wants to do a feature?" etc etc. It was fun to at least be party to a young white man's Hollywood dreams on the cusp of coming true.

We went to the venue with his father. I expected that at some point my friend's dad would introduce us to Gary, and then let us take the lead and talk about this film my friend wanted to make. But my friend's dad didn't seem to know how to go about it. Maybe he didn't really know Gary at all. Who knows. My friend had also frozen up, and I remember sitting at the bar, my gaze going from this father and son, over to Gary in the corner of the room, who looked all too approachable. "You guys are too scared?" I asked incredulously. "Why don't you go over and charm him with your feminine wiles," my friend said. It was a joke, but of course it wasn't, and I felt like I had a lot to prove, so I went over and introduced myself to Gary.

I don't remember much about our conversation, I remember his eyes on me, and I remember feeling giddy and high with the power of his attention. I should maybe emphasize — Gary is extremely famous. You all know who he is and you probably love him. He has a pretty stellar reputation. I didn't have a particular thing for him, but after that conversation I remember feeling like I understood what real stardom was about. I had "dated" a minor TV star very briefly before that but this was on another level. Still, I was very mission-oriented, and made sure the conversation came back to praising my friend's script, and how awesome the film was going to be. I told him he had to see the film he had worked on with his dad, that had played at Berlin — Berlin! — so he could appreciate their genius. Gary seemed amenable to this. I had some little note cards from a Japanese stationary store in Little Tokyo on me, and I wrote my phone number down on one of them and gave it to Gary, who seemed beyond charmed. Then I went back to my friend and his dad, buzzing, but cynical enough to shrug. "I'm sure he'll never get in touch, but we'll see!"

We left shortly after. I remember wondering if this had been the plan all along, to throw me at Gary like in order to have an audacious, talked-about thesis film. I probably felt more flattered at the time than anything else to be considered worthy bait.

I remember where I was when Gary called my little Motorola flip phone — in my cubicle at the camera shop I worked at, probably reading Jezebel. I remember the surreality of his voice — that voice! — coming through the speaker. "This is Gary," he said. Duh, I thought. He wanted to know if I wanted to see a movie with him, maybe get dinner after. Ever the professional, I asked if we would talk about my friend's film. He seemed uninterested. I also, it should be mentioned, had a boyfriend at the time, and though I was starstruck I was not starstruck enough to just go to dinner and a movie with Gary with no pretense of artistic ambition on the table. I refused politely, but said that if he ever wanted to watch the film, I would get him a copy.

My friend, obviously, was tickled beyond belief by all this. This had become a secret extracurricular, a spy mission we would whisper about in between classes. My friend was adamant that we get Gary a screener of my friend's father's film, and soon I had negotiated an arrangement, with the stipulation that I now wonder about the legitimacy of, that I could not just leave it with him. I had to watch it with him, at his house, and take the DVD with me.

I remember driving up the winding hills to Gary's house, playing M.I.A.'s Kala extremely loudly to pump myself up. I remember being buzzed in at the gate and walking up a staircase through tropical plants and water features until I arrived at Gary's modernist, castle-like home perched in the hills. I remember how empty his home was, how sad it seemed. He asked if I wanted anything to drink, and I said, water, and he opened up his impressive Sub-Zero which contained a Brita pitcher and a lone tray of grocery store sushi.

We went to the living room, me clutching the little plastic DVD case like it was the one legitimizing thing in the whole room. I was there to help my friend, I was there to help my friend. I gave it to Gary, and he put it in the DVD player — shockingly, the DVD player in the living room didn't work. We would have to go to the one in his bedroom.

I don't remember if I could see right through this at the time, certainly by the next day I could. Gary put in the DVD in his bedroom entertainment system and then laid back on his California King bed, his lanky legs crossed over the fur throw. He held out one arm, beckoning me, and I pretended not to notice. There was a small ottoman at the foot of the bed, and I sat on it, hunched forward throughout the entirety of my friend's dad's stupid awful sophomoric Berlinale-approved movie, sipping on my water, being so good and professional and helpful.

Gary eventually turned down the opportunity to be in my friend's UCLA undergrad thesis film, no fucking shit. I never heard from him again. I wonder if what would have happened if I would have joined him on the bed, and if my friend would have had Gary — THE Gary, in his thesis film, and if it would have set him off on an exciting idiosyncratic career as a young auteur. How great that would have been for my friend.

I got a lot of mileage out of that story for many years — the time I went to Gary's house and he tried to get me to watch a movie with him in his bed. I played it up for laughs. I was certain that I looked like the cool person in that story.

A few things I appreciate a decade after the Gary incident:

Gary never tried anything with me. I sat on that ottoman, and there I stayed. I took the DVD with me when I left, he kissed my cheek, and that was that. Gary, in my experience at least, was a good guy in a Hollywood full of bad ones, and I was lucky.

My friend 100% tried to offer me up as bait to get Gary to be in his UCLA undergraduate thesis film, and so did his adult father, and this was funny to them.

Yes, I was good and drank water and sat on the ottoman, but Gary is a big person, and if he wanted to change that he could have. It wouldn't have mattered what I did right

Whenever I see Gary in a film — or in person, which has happened a few times because of my job — I get incredibly anxious and crazy feeling, despite the fact that he was good and really didn't do anything wrong — because I remember being in that weird empty luxurious house, and now I can look back and realize how young and dumb I was and how one of my young dumb male peers decided to use that to his advantage.

The MeToo movement has me reinterrogating events like this and others, where I was powerless but the worst didn't befall me. Why, why, why? It's a stupid question. Is there something about me that just doesn't attract violent men, socially or romantically? Is it my AA tits? My general left-behindness in all things popularly understood to be a part of the "female experience?" I've been so stupid, so many times, and experienced plenty of degrading shit that still doesn't fall into the category of assault and isn't something worth airing because it doesn't torture me; I don't have PTSD, it hasn't meaningfully disrupted my life. (My own brain does that on its own.) This is not the moment for non-stories like mine.

But I absolutely believe that there was nothing particularly game-changing that kept any of that from happening to me. And I understand the dynamics of a scene like that — where you're alone in a guy's house way up in the hills and he's the one with all the power, when you're alone with a guy in his car and he won't unlock the door to let you out, when you black out and find out a guy you thought was your friend was throwing himself on you in your absence. Any of those guys could have been rapists, and they weren't. Nothing about me or my actions would have changed that.

I have felt pent up with all of this for a year, as soon as it became apparent that the dominant dialogue among women would be sharing stories of trauma and violence. Because I don't have a tale of horror to peel off and lay before the reading public, but I have just a regular-ass life experience that absolutely corroborates all those tales of horror. It is not much — and I hope it stays that way. But I thought I'd share it.

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calmlypanicking · 1 year

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Posted a fic earlier, posting again for later night scrollers lol

#tickle #tickle community #tickles #tickl #castle swimmer

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crimscned-a · 6 years

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❄ event: pyukumuku panic

❄ Red didn’t remember why they were a boss at the Battle Tree. It was pretty clear that they weren’t qualified for the position- after all, they hadn’t done anything to earn it. Red wasn’t on the Hall of Fame’s list of champions (they’d checked the PC just to make sure), and they certainly didn’t have any badges. They were just a wandering trainer, traveling the world with their Pokémon friends and immersing themselves in the beauty of nature- all while documenting their experiences on a personal blog.

❄ Pikachu, however, kept insisting that Red return to the Battle Tree with Green, where they belonged. ‘Come on! We became champions together! Don’t you remember?’ But Red simply had no memory of that ever happening, wondering why their best friend kept asking them about it. Pikachu eventually realized that asking Red about it constantly wouldn’t jog their memory, so he decided to leave the issue alone for the time being.

❄ Red now finds themselves on a short cliff, overlooking a beautiful Alolan beach. Red’s eyes widen, taking in all the sights: the Pikipek sneaking around, hoping to snatch snacks from unsuspecting beachgoers; the Sandygast blending in with the kids’ sand castles; and the Pyukumuku being tossed around. “Pikaaaa!” the little electric mouse cries out, in awe of the view. The beach truly is one of the most beautiful things about Alola.

❄ One of the kids, Red notices, is fascinated by the Pyukumuku, holding one in his hands- though Red can sense that the Pyukumuku is a little bit bothered from being handled. “They’re so COOL!” he exclaims, showing one off to his friends. “I wish I could play with them even more!”

❄ Suddenly, a huge wave begins to form in the distance. The lifeguard calls the swimmers to shore, making sure everyone is safe. As the wave crashes on the sand and recedes, hundreds of Pyukumuku begin to swarm the beach, squirming, bouncing around, until it becomes impossible for anyone to move freely. Several Pyukumuku nuzzle against the boy’s legs, tickling him with their slimy bodies and causing him to giggle. But the other beachgoers, and even the boy’s friends, are clearly horrified.

❄ Red, of course, finds all of this amusing, and writes down their observations in their journal, chuckling to themselves as the lifeguards beg for help. Pikachu isn’t sure what to do, since he knows from experience that messing with a Pyukumuku can be dangerous. So he peeks his head around, wondering if any other travelers notice the commotion.

#❄ open starter #❄ timeline: event [ a winter wish ]#❄ timeline: inspiration & reflection [ sun/moon ]

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ladyofroses · 7 years

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Blackthorn Beach Day

- Even though they live right on the beach, someone yelling "Beach Day" still gets everyone excited, as they don't often go as a whole family

- As soon as the words are sounded everyone runs around frantically "What do you mean you can't find the sandcastle tools?" "Where are our towels?"

-Helen stays calm and efficient, but it's hard to keep the smile off her face as she sees how excited everyone is

- Tavvy sits on the ground outside in his bathers just repeating "beach beach beach" over and over again while bouncing up and down

- Livvy is squealing with excitement and lugging tons of equipment into the pile in the garden, with Ty helping her

-He's not the biggest fan of the beach, but anything to make Livvy happy

-Dru's not sure about wearing bathers, but Livvy knows how to pick exactly the right swimsuit and words to make Dru feel better

-They hug, and when Dru comes down everyone tells her how pretty she looks (she's gorgeous, but what's even better is the confidence and the smile on her face)

-Julian oversees the whole thing (it's a little hard with everyone rushing around like whirlwinds) but someone has to get rid of the useless stuff "I mean, do we really need an ice cream maker?"

-Ty knows they do need all this stuff, after all, it's better to be prepared than unprepared, and Mark nods in agreement (he doesn't mind how they convince Julian as long as he gets his ice cream)

-Julian grumbles but agrees, resigning himself to the fact that he's going to be the one carrying everything down but how can he say no?

-When they finally get to the beach, everything is dumped on the sand and it's a race to the water

-Livvy gets in first, she can sprint like anything, and she jumps in with a huge yell of joy and a splash

-Matching her in energy is Tavvy, bounding along, and running away from Julian who holds various safety equipment in his hands

-Julian catches Tavvy and throws him up in the air, then sets him in a life jacket. Tavvy squirms the whole time and the second he's out of Julian's arms he's in the water, laughing and giggling

-Helen and Dru arrive at a more leisurely pace, setting down their towels neatly before running off to join the others in the water

-Mark is happy to do whatever, he's just happy he's here with his family, and lets Ty take him over to the rock pools where they coo and examine different creatures

-Eventually Mark slips while walking on some rocks and falls in the water

-He's not hurt, he just rubs his head sheepishly while everyone laughs

-Then he's the annoying one swimming underwater and grabbing ankles to scare people. He gives Helen a fright and she splashes him in his face as soon as he surfaces

-Then it's a full out war, splashing and shoving each other into the next wave. Everyone is laughing and smiling, and Julian joins them

-He's a terrific swimmer really, with gorgeous strokes, but sometimes a wave hits him unprepared and he exaggerates shaking his head to make Tavvy giggle

-Livvy is the best damn surfer around, body or board, and everyone cheers each time she does something, even if she completely wipes out (she goes down with a spectacular battle cry)

-It's Dru who suggests the idea first and then forget about her boards, Livvy is over there instantly, hopping on Mark's shoulders

-He staggers a bit and threatens to tip her off, much to her squeals of joy

-Julian carries Dru, and Helen Tavvy, and the the competition has started for who can knock each other off first

-Mark and Livvy, Julian and Dru are merciless with each other, but gentle when Tavvy and Helen walk over, tickling their younger brother as he yells

-Livvy and Mark take advantage of Julian and Dru's distraction and with a push, knock them over into the water

-They come up spluttering, and laughing with good humour

- At last Helen needs a break, she goes and lies on her towel as Tavvy builds sand castles

-Ty comes over to help, and it ends up looking so magnificent they're loathe to destroy it

-It's beautiful, structurally sound, with different decorations on it, and even little sticks and feathers to represent each of them in the family

-That doesn't stop Livvy, Dru and Tavvy jumping on it when they leave

-Ty shrugs, it was always going to be impermanent, and he'd rather see his siblings happy

-Everyone stretches out on the sand for a few minutes, soaking in the sun and the atmosphere, exhausted but joyful at the same time

-Mark jumps in the water one more time before they leave, after everything is packed up and he's got his clothes on, and then proceeds to go hug everyone in his now soggy clothes much to their protests "Mark! I just got dry!" "Mark! Are you in your clothes?" "Angel save me from silly brothers"

-When they arrive back everyone collapses and the mood is too good for Julian to protest about the amount of sand being trodded into their house (next morning is a completely different issue)

movie night

#the dark artifices #tda #julian blackthorn #mark Blackthorn #helen blackthorn #Livvy Blackthorn #dru blackthorn #tavvy blackthorn #lady midnight #lord of shadows #queen of air and darkness #cassandra clare #the mortal instruments #the shadowhunter chronicles #tsc #tmi #blackthorn #headcanons

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visitturkeytr-blog · 7 years

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Best Beaches in Turkey

New Post has been published on http://www.visitturkey.in/best-beaches-in-turkey/

Best Beaches in Turkey

Best Beaches in Turkey. When you’re a country with coastlines along the Aegean and Mediterranean seas you’re bound to be spoilt for choice when it comes to decent beaches and that’s certainly the case with Turkey. Some, like those around Marmaris, are well-known to foreign visitors and come with all the amenities a holiday-maker could ask for. Less developed options also abound, like those on the Datça Peninsula, while some, like those on the islands of Bozcaada and Gökçeada, are hugely popular with Turks but only slowly gaining a reputation with visiting holiday-makers.

Travelers looking for a beach vacation may want to consider the Turkish Riviera. Guests are surrounded by luxury, not to mention a wide variety of water activities from waterslides to windsurfing to just lounging on the beach. Or they can relax with a spa treatment or traditional Turkish bath. In addition these resorts offer many international cuisines along with fitness centers to work off those calories. Most of the best beach resorts in Turkey can be found between Antalya and Alanya, with a few near Bodrum and Oludeniz.

Travellers’ Choice Awards. Find out what the best Beaches in Turkey are as awarded by real travellers.

Kaputas Beach, Kas, Antalya

1- Kaputas Beach, Kas

Kaputas Beach Kas; The beach is situated at a distance of 20 km from Kaş and 7 from Kalkan, at a point where an extremely narrow valley towered by steep cliffs and forests joins the sea shore in the cove of the same name as the beach (Kaputaş). The beach is quite popular among visitors to the region due to its untouched natural beauty commanded by a view from the heights traversed by the State road D400 between Kaş and Kalkan.

Iztuzu Beach (Dalyan)

2- Iztuzu Beach (Dalyan)

Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan; Good beach, with or w/o logger-head turtles. The town, 8 km (5 miles) NW of Dalaman Airport, the river, cliff tombs and Caunos ruins are a nice bonus.

Iztuzu Beach is backed by the Dalyan Delta. Iztuzu’s six kilometres of golden sands are just a fifteen-minute drive from Dalyan Town. Perhaps for this reason, the beach is rarely crowded.

The beach is a fine strip of white sand that juts into the water. Backed by Dalyan Delta, it is a stunning and natural place.

If you are seeking complete isolation, turn left on your way to Iztuzu and follow the off-road tracks into the mountains. You’ll travel through lush forests and isolated mountain villages, and eventually you’ll find a number of isolated, stunningly beautiful beaches.

Alanya: Kleopatra (Cleopatra) Beach, Perfect Sand, Summer

3- Kleopatra Beach, Alanya

Kleopatra Beach, Alanya; The town (115 km/72 miles east of Antalya) is busy and crowded, but the beaches are so long (22 km/14 miles to the east) that there’s plenty of sand for everyone. Great Seljuk castle, too

Blue Lagoon (Oludeniz Beach), Fethiye

4- Blue Lagoon (Oludeniz Beach), Fethiye

Blue Lagoon (Oludeniz Beach), Fethiye; Ölüdeniz (Fethiye) Very fine, with good hotels, restaurants and bars, but because it’s Turkey’s most famous, it can get crowded.

Oludeniz Blue Lagoon Turkey is a wondrous place famous for its beautiful beaches and historical sights. It should be mentioned that Oludeniz beach resort is a rather quiet and peaceful place, so you won’t find some noisy disco-bars and shows. In fact, tourists come here for other reasons.

So where is Oludeniz in Turkey located and how to get to Oludeniz beach? Oludeniz resort (Olu Deniz) is located near town of Fethiye in the province of Mugla in Turkey. You can easiliy get from Fethiye to Oludeniz by dolmus – mini bus. So how far is Fethiye from Oludeniz? The distance from from Oludeniz to Fethiye is 13 km and road goes through Ovacik and Hisaronu. Olludeniz dolmus timetable will not make you to wait for bus to go for more than 30 minutes or you always can take Oludeniz taxi. Sometimes holidaymakers from Marmaris, Bodrum, Antalya is comeing for a day to Oludeniz Blue Lagoon Turkey. Abswering the question how far is Oludeniz from Marmaris we must admit that Oludeniz to Marmaris is 137 km.Aas for the distances to other resorts: Antalya to Oludeniz is 201 km, Bodrum to Oludeniz – 244 km, Icmeler to Oludeniz – 145 km. The closest to Blue Lagoon Oludeniz airport is Dalaman which is located in 63 km from the resort.

Ancient city and beach of Patara in Turkey

5- Patara Beach, Patara (Fethiye)

Patara Beach, Patara (Fethiye); 50 meters/yards wide and 20 km (12.5 miles) long, this beach 75 km (47 miles) south of Fethiye is Turkey’s finest. Accommodations—and shade—are limited, though.

Patara was founded in the V century BC and soon became the largest port of Lycia.The Temple of Apollo with oracle, that was considered the second most important temple after the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, was attracting pilgrims from all the Greek cities of Asia Minor.

So where is Patara in Turkey located? The Patara ruins and Patara beach are located approximately in 10 kilometers west of the modern Turkish town of Kalkan in province of Antalya (actually Patara is much closer to Fethiye than Antalya – there are 225 km from Patara beach to Antalya). The distance from Fethiye to Patara Turkey is 75 km.

During the wars between the successors of Alexander the Great the Patara city was the major naval port and shipyard. In 42 BC Brutus gave an ultimatum to residents of Patara – he promised to spare all citizens of Patara and even release previously captured captives for the surrender of the city otherwise he would arrange a similar to Xanthos massacre. Patara chose to give up.

The Roman emperor Hadrian used to live in Patara for some time. The Apostle Paul and the Luke the Evangelist stayed here and on the way to Rome. In 138 BC the population of the Patara city was about 20,000 and Patara was the second most important city after Ephesus. Patara is also the birthplace of St. Nicholas (270 AD) – Archbishop of Myra and the prototype of Santa Claus.

Today Patara Turkey is mostly known for its beautiful white sand beach. Patara Beach Turkey is a strip of white sand of 500m width stretching along the Mediterranean coast for 20 km. There are sunbeds, changing rooms, several places to eat and have fun on the beach. It is a place where tourists can relax in a quiet secluded atmosphere amid the stunning seascapes. Beach and the sea is maintained in perfect cleanliness as Patara is the National Park and protected by the government. Patara Beach in Turkey was recognized as the best beach in Europe by British weekly journal The Sunday Times. You can get to Patara beach from Fethiye by car on D400 – coastal road to Antalya.

Ilica Beach, Cesme

6- Ilica Beach, Cesme

Ilica Beach, Cesme;

Ilıca is a large resort area near Çeşme in the extreme western tip of Turkey, in İzmir Province. A township apart in practically all its aspects, Ilıca administratively depends the municipality of the district center of Çeşme, at a distance of 5 km to the west.

Ilıca started out as a settlement towards the end of the 19th century, initially as a retreat for wealthy people, especially from İzmir, during summer holidays. Today, it is a popular destination for many. Its name makes reference to its famed thermal springs, some of which are in the sea. As the thermal waters come out of the sea bed and mix with the sea water adding minerals very close to the Ilica Beach, swimming at Ilica Beach is ideal for the skin. Ilica is also home to mud baths which is known to cure many illnesses such as rheumatism, metabolism illnesses and gynaecological diseases.

Mentioned by Pausanias and Charles Texier, Ilıca thermal springs are also notable in Turkey for having been the subject of the first scientifically based analysis in Turkish language of a thermal spring, published in 1909 by Yusuf Cemal. By his time the thermal springs were well-known both internationally, scientific and journalistic literature having been published in French and in Greek, and across Ottoman lands, since the construction here of a still-standing yalı associated with Muhammad Ali of Egypt’s son Tosun Pasha who had sought a cure in Ilıca before his premature death.

Ilıca also has a fine beach, about 1.5 km long, as well as favorable wind conditions which make Ilıca, together with the neighboring Alaçatı, an internationally prized location for windsurfing.

“Go to Calis if you want a relaxing break!”

7- Calis Beach, Fethiye

Calis Beach, Fethiye;

Konyaalti Beach Park – Antalya (region) – Tourism

8- Konyaaltı & Lara Beach (Antalya)

Konyaaltı & Lara Beach (Antalya); Big, l-o-n-g pebble/coarse sand beach using the Blue Flag System to certify cleanliness

Konyaalti Beach Park

Walk on the multicolored pebbles and feel the warm waves tickle your feet in this scenic beach park with views of distant mountains. Konyaalti Beach Park is a vast stretch of pebbles with a stunning backdrop of mountains. Showers, restaurants and the sea offer sunbathers respite from the sweltering heat. Make this your favorite spot for watersports, swimming and relaxing by the Mediterranean Sea just outside the city center. Sunbathe on deck chairs while the kids play on the beach. Rent umbrellas to shade you from the sun while you lounge on a beach chair. Dip your toes in the water or go for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Look for the blue flag indicating the water is clean and safe for swimmers. The Beydaglari Mountains loom powerfully over the horizon as a reminder of the country’s scenic and varied landscape. Capture photos of the rocky giants hanging over the sea. Stay at one of the hotels with a view of the beach. Take part in watersports, such as Jet Skiing and parasailing, for a small price. Choose snacks at the many vendors’ stands along the beach. Buy nuts, ice cream and sodas to share with family and friends. Sit at a restaurant for a meal accompanied by the soothing sound of crashing waves. Behind the beach you will find a park with paths, trees and vast grassy area where you can play games. The Antalya Aqualand Water Park next to the beach is packed with thrilling slides and waterfalls. You do not have to pay to enter the beach and park, which is always open to the public. Remember to wear appropriate footwear, as the pebbles can get quite hot on summer afternoons. Konyaalti Beach Park is about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) west of the central area of Antalya. You can drive to the beach, which has a large parking lot for visitors, in less than 15 minutes. The beach is next to the Miniature Culture Park, Antalya Aquarium and Antalya Museum. Ride the tram to the stop next to the museum and walk for 2 minutes to reach the beach. Buses also take passengers to the popular beach.

Olympos beach Antalya. A secluded beach 50 miles southwest of Antalya.

9- Olimpos (Antalya)

Olimpos (Antalya); The opposite of the others: small, secluded, atmospheric, backed by a forest filled with Roman ruins. 79 km (49 miles) southwest of Antalya

Laid on the Mediterranean coast in Antalya province, Olympus beach is famous as the place to see Chimera – natural flames issuing from the rocky mountains.

Getting there

To get to the beach from Antalya you can use a rented car. In this case, the trip is possible using a narrow road off the D400 highway. Also, there is a public transport service, although not direct.

Hotels and pensions are available in the villages of Cirali and Olympus, and getting to the beach from these villages is just a matter of a 15 min walk.

Side has sandy beaches, East and west

10- Side (Antalya)

Side (Antalya); The once-idyllic village 65 km (40 miles) east of Antalya is now crowded and noisy, but the beaches are still fine and unspoiled. Roman ruins abound

BODRUM PENINSULA BEACHES & COVES

11- Bodrum Peninsula

Bodrum Peninsula; Beaches in the towns are not great, but good smaller ones abound: Ortakent Yalısı (coarse sand & pebble), Turgutreis (surfy), and gem-like Gümüşlük

BODRUM PENINSULA BEACHES & COVESBODRUM PENINSULA BEACHES & COVES ADA BOGAZI (AQUARIUM) On the Bodrum peninsula between Gumbet and Bitez is the Akvaryum Cove, stretching for three kilometres towards the south. In front of it is Gorecik Island, which is also called ic Island. Between the Bodrum Peninsula and the island there is an area forming a strait and the cove, It is called Aquarium because of its crystal clear waters.In the open waters the sea floor 30 m. below can be seen with the naked eye. Throughout the day it get hoards of Daily Boat Trips and at night boats that anchor there. AKYARLAR COVE This cove with its wonderful beach and crystal clear waters is 13 km from Bodrum. It is one of the best places in the world to surf. Its ancient name is Arhialla. ASPAT BEACH Rising out of the shores of the Aegean and mentioned often in Turkish folk music, the real name of Aspat is Aspartos. Evliya celebi writes of Aspat in his Chronicles. Built upon a barren rock, the perimeter of Aspat Castle measures 700 paces. Here one may see the remains of a civilizations dating back to the Classic Age and continuing up until the present day. BAGLA BEACH With one of the best coves and beaches on the peninsula, it is an excellent place to camp and is 14 km from Bodrum. BARDAKCI BEACH Bardakçi is 500 m. from Bodrum. One can reach to Bardakci most of the time by sea. Its crystal clear sea is well-known for its springs. BITEZ BEACH One of the most beautiful coves on the peninsula, it is 10 km from Bodrum and has warm waters and sandy beaches. It is a beautiful quiet corner where blue and green reach out to touch each other in the tangerine orchards which stretch from the village to the sea. GOLKOY Located 13 km north of Bodrum, this beautiful cove blends the green of olive, tangerine and pine trees with that of palms. Because it faces the north, it is always lush and the water in the cove is cooler than that in the other coves. GUMBET BEACH About 3 km west of Bodrum, its waters are very shallow. It is an excellent place for beach surfing. Bardakci is a mere 1000 m. from Bodrum. Most people go there by Boat. It is known for its beach and the water, which is as clear as glass, as well as the fresh water spring there. GUNDOGAN Located 18 km from Bodrum, Gundogan cove is one of the coves that has been least changed by man and which still preserves its beauty in the most natural way. Its tangerine orchards are famous. GUMUSLUK It is one of the oldest settlements on the peninsula. It is still possible to see in places the underwater remains of the old harbor wall which connected Tavsan Island to the mainland. The sea and fish here are famous. Watching the sun set here amidst the lush green vegetation will be a life-long memory. GUVERCINLIK BEACH A cove of unusual beauty with every conceivable tone green and blue, it is located 25 km from Bodrum. Salih Island, located right across the water, only serves to enhance the natural appeal of this beautiful cove. KADIKALESI The sandy beaches of this crystal clear sea are surround with citrus orchards. Situated 23 km from Bodrum, it gets its name from the remains of a nearby castle belonging to the Hellenistic era. KARAINCIR Situated 16 km out of Bodrum, its 500 m. beach is one of the best in the area. ORTAKENT – YAHSI BEACH Located 14 km from Bodrum, its waters are warm and it has sandy beaches. Its tangerine orchards are quite famous. It is one of the best vantage points from which to view village life in Bodrum.

TORBA BEACH peaceful little village just 5 km from Bodrum, it is a charming yet lively place where the shining sea melds with the green pines and olive trees. There are boats going to Didim, Milet and Priene from here. TURGUTREIS BEACH Situated 20 km from Bodrum, the town is famous for its tangerine orchards. It is named for the famous Turkish admiral, Turgut Reis. In terms of population, it is the second most populous area after Bodrum. It is known for its unforgettable sunsets. TURKBUKU BEACH Situated beside Golkoy, at a distance from Bodrum of 15 km, it resembles Golkoy in almost every way. It is one of the places preferred by people looking for peace and quiet. YALIKAVAK BEACH Yalikavak impresses with its combination of alluring traditional charm and a sense of recognition of the importance of contemporary comforts desired by today’s discerning visitor. This is what makes Yalikavak attractive to those who care for both, the old and the new.

About Bodrum Peninsula

The ancient Bodrum peninsula is a beautiful port city on the Turkish Aegean Sea and is one of the most enchanting places in the region. It’s an attractive destination for wealthy Turkish families, jet-setters and European vacationers. The busy harbor is always littered with yachts and the area is bordered by white villas and palm trees

12- Kemer (Antalya)

Kemer (Antalya); Very mod-resorty, but near a lot of interesting day-trip possibilities

13- Pamucak (Ephesus)

Pamucak (Ephesus); Big, broad, dark sand, only 7 km (4 miles) west of Ephesus, relatively clean with a few cig butts and bottlecaps

14- Sarıgerme (Dalaman)

Sarıgerme (Dalaman); Very near busy Dalaman Airport, this well-kept beach is somewhat undiscovered, quieter, great for families and those interested mostly in beach time.

15- Kızkalesi (Silifke)

Kızkalesi (Silifke); Known only to Turks and savvy foreigners, this beach 25 km (16 miles) east of Silifke is sort of small but the castle out at sea makes up for it.

16 Sinop

Sinop; Sinop Nice beaches, never crowded, because the Black Sea water is usually pretty chilly.

17- Kuşadası (Ephesus)

Kuşadası (Ephesus); Nice enough Aegean beaches, but small and very crowded

18- Samandağ (Antakya)

Samandağ (Antakya); W-a-y down near Syria (26 km/16 miles) southwest of Antakya, but has a trash problem.

19- Anamur (Alanya)

Anamur (Alanya); Good beach that only Turks seem to know about, 127 km (79 miles) southeast of Alanya. Interesting Byzantine ghost town nearby.

20- Çalış (Fethiye)

Çalış (Fethiye); Long beach near the city cradling yacht-happy Fethiye Bay, good but somehow un-charming, and famous Ölüdeniz is just 10 km (6 miles) away over the hills.

21- Blue Flag Beaches

Blue Flag Beaches; The Blue Flag beach hygeine system has been adopted by some Turkish beaches. You should know about it to protect your health.

22- Icmeler Beach, Marmaris

Icmeler Beach, Marmaris;

23- Cirali Beach, Cirali

Cirali Beach, Cirali;

Antalya, Turkish Riviera

The Turkish Riviera is the most stunning part of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast with its perfect sun, clean beaches, ultra luxury resorts, nature and history. Antalya is the largest city on the Mediterranean with its charming harbour. It is typical of Turkey, a thriving modern city, with a historic heart in the centre of Kaleici, within the old city walls. This area has seen something of a renaissance in recent years, with many of the wooden Ottoman mansions being restored and turned into boutique hotels. The symbol of Antalya is the Yivli Minare built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat in the 13th century. Culture lovers will find plenty of interest in the Archaeological Museum which has artefacts fro m the Paleolithic Age right through to Ottoman times.

Antalya has a backdrop of stunning mountain scenery, and the city is set high on cliffs, with many of its grandest hotels overlooking the sea on the outskirts of the town. The beach area of Lara, approximately 12 km to the east is home to the best beach in the area, known for its golden sand, which is rapidly becoming a resort in its own right. To the west, the long pebble beach of Konyaalti is also popular. Heading up into the mountains, you can make the most of the beautiful scenery by visiting the spectacular Duden or Kursunlu Waterfalls to see a completely different side to the Turkish landscape. Antalya has a large number of five star hotels, many of which have meetings facilities, and this, together with the Pyramid Congress Centre which can hold up to 3000 delegates make it a popular venue for conferences.

Patara Another must see for any summer traveler to Turkey is Patara Beach. Located in Antalya, the Patara is one of the Mediterranean’s longest beaches at 18km in length, and under protection by the Turkish government for nesting sea turtles. Curvy, sweeping sand dunes, surrounded by ancient ruins along with stiff coastal breezes for excellent wind surfing takes Patara Beach to the top of lists of World’s Best Beaches for both natural beauty and great value.

Belek Belek is Turkey’s premier golf resort with its spectacular long, golden sandy beaches, and a backdrop of mountains. Belek has won awards for environmentally friendly development and there are many rare species of plant and wildlife indigenous to the area. Accommodation is mostly of the five star variety with all facilities laid on including sporting and other activities, spa treatments and entertainment. Many of the hotels are also set up to cater for children with kids clubs and other facilities.

Kemer Kemer is one of Turkey’s first multipurpose resorts, carefully planned to blend in with the surrounding scenery. At its heart is the attractive marina, a stopping off point for gulets on the blue cruise. Around it are sophisticated shops, bars and restaurants catering for the resort’s well-heeled clientele. Kemer has a clean pebble beach, but the main resort areas are on the beaches located a little further out, namely Kiziltepe, Goynuk, Beldibi, Camyuva and Tekirova. Surrounded by pine forests, they offer a range of accommodation including five star hotels, all designed to blend in to the natural environment.

Alanya Alanya is a modern resort, famed for its beautiful sandy beaches. Its harbour is dominated by the Red Tower, which protected the dockyards in Seljuk times, the remains of which can still be seen in the waters. High on a promontory is the old fortress with its well preserved walls, towers and Byzantine church. It takes about an hour to walk up but it is well worth it for the views alone. Alanya itself has lots of blue flag beaches and has a full range of accommodation with plenty of good shops and restaurants, together with lively nightlife.

Side The old town of Side is set on a peninsula with sandy beaches to either side, surrounded still by the ancient city walls. It boasts an impressive ancient Hellenistic theatre, the largest in the area, with seating for 17.000, overlooking the sea; a charming museum and the stunning Temple of Apollo, a romantic spot at sunset. Side has something for everyone: great beaches, history, an abundance of shops, lively nightlife and a good choice of restaurants.

Olympos – Cirali (Çıralı) Olympos is in a charming spot set on a 5 km long beach amidst unspoilt nature, and the ruins include baths, a temple, Roman theatre and necropolis. To the north of Olympos, past the attractive beach front hamlet of Cirali, high on the hillside is the legendary burning flame of Chimera, literally burning stone.

Olympos Bey Mountains Coast National Park Koprulu Canyon National Park

READ MORE: http://www.visitturkey.in/best-beaches-in-turkey/

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