#have you heard of the highest noon

[multifandomgirl08]

The Engagement [Mini Verstappen Series]

Dad!Max Verstappen x Fiancée!Reader (Established Relationship)

Summary: He moved his hand over yours, moving the engagement ring that he placed on your finger, side to side.

Warning(s): Fluff

A/N: This was originally on my masterlist months ago and then I took it off because I wasn't happy with it, but after who knows however many months. It's done and I'm happy with it.

Words: 1.4k

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“Hey.” You muttered into Max’s back as he stood on the balcony of the house that you rented out for the last couple of days.

Max didn’t respond, instead just let out a deep breath before you moved your arms up around his middle section.

He moved his hand over yours, moving the engagement ring that he placed on your finger, side to side. It was a weight on your hand that you could definitely get used to.

Max had been outside for a while, looking out into the surf, the glass that was filled with a diluted gin and tonic sitting on the table to his side. You let him have a few moments to himself while you finished up packing the last of your things before you left to go back to Monaco in the morning.

“I’m happy to be going home tomorrow.” He said, turning his head towards you. “I’ve missed Nico.”

Your vacation with Max had been nice, but you also missed the little boy being underfoot all the time when you were all home together.

“I’ve missed him too.” You got up on the tip of your toes and kissed the back of Max’s neck. You could feel his shoulders relax a little more.

“He’ll be excited about the news.” Max said. For a moment you could have sworn you heard Nico’s voice in your head saying, ‘Mimi and Papa are getting married.’

You lightly chuckled, “Be ready for him to come running from the living room when we get home.”

“Yeah, he’ll be a ball of energy until dinner. He’ll be more happy about us getting married than my mum.” He said turning around to pull you close into his arms.

You gave Max a wide smile. In the years you had been dating Max, Sophie had become like a mom to you. She always said that she was a phone call away if you needed someone to talk to, about Max, Nico, or to just be a sympathetic ear. Part of you wondered if she knew about Max proposing to you.

“Does she know about…?” You trailed off, playing with your ring. Max’s eyes went down to your fingers. “Yeah. I showed her the ring just before we left. She sounded happy for me.” Like she approved. You could hear in the silent air.

“Well I’m glad.” Having Sophie’s support was important to you. Max was her only son, and you wanted to make sure that Sophie was okay with you becoming a part of this family.

Max was quick to take your hand in his before moving onto the couch, pulling you into his lap. You both stayed there for a while. Max taking a sip of his watered down gin and tonic before you both went back inside the villa to help him pack the last of the bags and go to sleep for the night. You had a mid-day flight to catch before you would be back in Monaco with Max by your side, and you couldn’t wait to share the happy news with Nico and Sophie.

24 hours before

You and Max were on vacation in The Bahamas and had been locked away sleeping in until the early hours of the afternoon and spending time on the beach when the sun was no longer at its highest point in the sky. Max even had something that resembled a tan instead of his normal almost shell pink color. It was nice being able to spend time with Max, just the two of you. Nico had stayed with Sophie in Max’s apartment so as to not break his schedule while you were gone.

You had missed Nico being Max’s little shadow, however, it was nice to have Max all to yourself for more than a few hours in the evening.

It was your second to last day before you would be going back home. Max had pulled you out of bed at noon for brunch, you hung out on the beach for a bit before going back to the house, showered, took a short nap, and then he told you to get dressed as he had arranged dinner plans.

You had gotten quite the surprise when you and Max had taken a walk to the beach below to see a table set up for two. The private chef that was hired during your stay had made you food. It felt a little unreal, that you got to slow dance in the surf with Max before desert came.

Max led you back to the table where you had managed to take a few bites of the desert, the sand still stuck between your toes. Max wasn’t eating any of it though. He reached over and placed his hand over yours.

“Y/N,” He breathed out. You let your eyes meet his, his hand was slightly shaking before you saw him get up from his seat and drop down to one knee. Max reached down into the pocket of the loose navy pants that he was wearing to see him pull out a dark blue box. Max seemed like he was slightly stumbling to open the box but you just looked at him, seeing the determined look on his face. He was so serious about this with his brows slightly furrowed as he tried to open the box.

God, did you love him.

He pulled the lid open on both sides, revealing the ring. It was a little unreal seeing it after all of the conversations that you and Max had about your future together. When did Max have time to go get a ring?

Max looked up at you, his eyes steel blue as he held your gaze, “Y/N,” He started again. “I’ve loved you for a long time. Of course, being able to spend these last few years with you has meant everything to me. You being able to accept Nico as your own. Loving me, just me. Max.” He said putting a hand up to his chest.

“Without everything else that may come with that.” You knew that there were some less-than-stellar parts of Max’s life.

“I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I know that Nico and I would be lucky to have you as part of our family. I’m asking if you will marry me?” Max wasn’t looking at you, as if he was afraid of your answer.

You nodded yes at his words, “Yes, Max.” 

“Are you sure?” He asked looking up at you. You could see the hope flooding his eyes.

“I’m sure.” You said with a final nod.

Max placed the box on the table before reaching for you. He pressed his lips to yours, his hands moving into your hair, drawing you closer to him.

You pulled away slightly, barely coming up for air.

“I wanted to get it right,” Max muttered, the nervousness slipping away from his tone. “I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.” Max dropped his forehead to yours loving how happy he sounded. “Of course, I chose now. How can I not when you look so gorgeous.”

You couldn’t help the blush that spread over your cheeks. How did he get away with saying things like that?

Max moved back just a step before pulling you out of your chair and onto your feet. He took the ring out of the navy box before sliding it onto your finger. It looked beautiful, like it was meant for you.

“Do you like it?” He asked, looking down at your hand.

“It looks perfect.” You brightly replied.

“You deserve the best,” Max said into your ear.

You put your arms around Max’s neck before looking to meet his eyes. “You’re the best thing that could happen to me. You and Nico.”

“Ik houd van jou, mijn leeuwin.” He said.

“I love you too, Max.” You said back as you and Max walked through the sand with your hands interlocked. You could feel him playing with the band of the ring as you and Max slowly walked back to the house, your hands clasped together. He had pulled you into his arms once you were back in the living room lying against each other. You ended up going to bed late, Max kissing the band of your ring and placing your hand on his chest.

You didn’t get up until the late hours of the morning, and even had to pull yourself away from him as he held you against his chest.

Translations:

Ik houd van jou - I love you

Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun, @smnthnclj, @brekkers-whore, @lpab, @thedecalcomania-blog, @xoscar03, @em-gvf01, @haikyuen, @shelbyteller , @geniusalpaca

[sanguineterrain]

I am FERAL over your knight Jason thought. FERAL!!! Okay check this out: so Jason's ignoring reader because he feels guilty right? Maybe he tried to give them back but the king wouldn't allow it. But maybe the reader misunderstands and thinks they're not doing their "duties" so they make dinner and breakfast and wash his clothes and basically act like a perfect spouse. How would Jason react? 👀

Dear god... I feel another series coming on...

Idkidk, their dynamic is just really interesting to me! it's probably gonna be a bit of a slow burn here. Feel free to send more thoughts about them. I am rotating these two like a rotisserie chicken in my brain.

knight!jason todd x gn!reader. ambiguous time period but just assume it's olden times *gestures vaguely*. tw arranged marriage/forced relationship but it's complicated! jason is full of angst and self-loathing but he's a sweetie as per usual. original post for context.

****

The soldier—Jason—has said four words since you've arrived.

The first was "here," which he said whilst handing you a mug of milk. He didn't look at you as he said it, and that morning, he left for a five-day long station. You only know that because he said, after handing you the milk, "I've been stationed."

You realized it was five days when you heard his horse galloping towards the house... five days later.

You haven't initiated conversation because though you're a commoner, and no one ever had much hope for you to become anything but an old spinster, you know not to challenge knights.

But this is fucking ridiculous.

"Do you like veal?" you ask on your fourteenth day here.

Jason is about to leave, his boots half laced. He freezes at your question and looks up.

You stand tall, chin up. This is a normal question. A question a wife would ask her husband, except you're not a wife, and you're pretty sure this soldier isn't a husband either.

"I like veal," he says carefully, slowly. "Would you like me to fetch some from the market?"

Now, this is where it gets tricky. When the king summoned you, he made it clear that you were expected to care for Jason under his rules. You don't know how to navigate this world. You know what couples in your village do, but you don't know what's expected of you here.

"Actually, I..." Jason looks at you. His eyes are very green. He has a surprisingly sweet face under his helmet. "Actually, I was wondering if I could go. On my own."

"Oh."

You brace yourself for arguing or yelling. True, he hasn't raised his voice once, but he also hasn't said much at all. It's like living with a ghost.

"Yes, of course. Of course you can go." He fishes out a pouch of coins and gives them to you. You take it slowly, waiting for him to realize his mistake. He doesn't.

"Thank you," you say.

He nods and watches you walk.

"Wait."

You stop. Here it comes.

"There's a cargo ship in port today. The guards rotate at noon."

He leaves before you can form a thought. You hold the coins, watching blankly as the door shuts behind him. His horse whinnies, and then he's gone.

The market isn't far from the cottage. It's fantastic to be outside again. No one's noticed your absence, clearly, but that's alright. You've never expected more.

You buy a good cut of veal and potatoes and carrots and apples. Jason gave you more money than any cut of meat would cost, so surely he assumed you would buy other food. Why else would he give you so much?

A ship's horn drones in the distance. You're feeling some oranges when you remember his words. A cargo ship.

The sun is almost at its highest point.

"Oi! Either buy 'em or stop feelin' 'em!" the seller snaps.

You roll your eyes and move on from the orange stand. You can see the horizon of where the sky meets the sea from here. Any moment, the guards will change, and the ship will be...

You stop. Was Jason hinting at your escape?

No, he couldn't have been! That's preposterous. Why would he want you gone? The king took you for a reason.

And where would you go anyway? Once you leave, you'd be a criminal forever. You couldn't make a home on your own. And who knows what could happen in between? Pirates, enemy soldiers, anybody could snatch you up.

This must've been a test. A test to see if you would run. That's why he agreed to you going so easily.

No, your escape can't be planned now. Not when you're so obviously uncomfortable, and Jason knows it.

You ignore the ship and go home with your purchases. You spend the rest of the afternoon preparing veal stew. You warm leftover bread over the fire and set a pot of butter on the table.

Jason comes in louder than he has before, humming quietly. You perk up at the sound, happy for the lack of silence.

You set a bowl of stew at his chair and wait by the fire. As soon as he enters the kitchen, the humming stops.

"Welcome home," you say, wringing your hands. "I made supper."

Jason glances at the table, then back at you.

"You came back," he says.

"Why wouldn't I?" you ask, face neutral as you cut the bread into chunks.

"That—did the ship come?"

"Yes."

Jason sits. His face is dirty from training.

"I bought more than veal," you say, and hand him the pouch. "I hope that's alright. We—there were no more potatoes."

He takes the pouch, rubbing the string tied around the top. "You went to the marketplace... and came back."

It's not a question, but it sounds like there might be one behind it.

"Certainly," you say. "I'm loyal to you, Jason. I serve you."

He looks up, blinking rapidly. Then he looks back at his stew.

Oh, right. He's waiting for you to ask permission to sit.

"May I join you?" you ask.

Jason flinches. "You don't... you don't have to ask. I would never stop you from eating."

The words hang in the air. It's like neither one of you can speak right.

You watch him, and he watches you as you serve yourself and sit on the opposite side of the table. Jason takes the first bite, and you eat right after.

"Is the supper satisfactory? Have I done well?" you ask.

Jason stops chewing and sets his spoon down. You're struck by his shift in demeanor. You worry for a moment you've screwed up something as dim-wittingly simple as stew.

His eyes are sad as they fall on you. It's akin to grief, the pain he wears, but you don't know why he's grieving. You silently offer him more bread, pushing it toward him. He takes it.

"Yes," he says quietly and eats another spoonful. "You did. Thank you for supper."

Jason cleans his bowl three times. You have no stew leftover, which pleases you.

But as soon as Jason finishes eating, he gets up, rinses his bowl, and wordlessly leaves.

You don't see him for the rest of the night.

Somehow, you feel lonelier than when you weren't speaking.

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

End of month update - June

Hello, all! This is the end-of-month update, where I post Tumblr’s current top four films that have received the highest percentage of “yes,” “no,” and “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

As of today, the top four films with the highest percentage of “yes” votes are:

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shrek (2001) | Monsters, Inc. (2001) | The Lion King (1994)

Next, the top four films with the highest percentage of “no” votes are:

Sausage Party (2016) | Pinocchio(2019) | Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Finally, the top four films with the highest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes are:

Faat Kiné (2001) | Now Add Honey (2015) | Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) | Dean Spanley (2008)

This top four changed through the new additions of Faat Kiné (2001) and Now Add Honey (2015), which replaced Monica and Friends: Bonds (2019) and Monsturd (2003).

Currently, The Incredibles (2004) is the still the only film to receive absolutely zero “haven’t heard of this” votes.

That’s it for June’s end-of-month update! Remember that you can view last month’s update by clicking here. Additionally, you can view the full ranked Letterboxd lists of movies that have come up on this blog by clicking the following links:

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “yes” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “no” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

Remember to vote on the polls that are currently running: The Road Within (2014) | About a Boy (2002) | Spy Kids (2001) | Frozen II (2019) | High Noon (1952) | Horns (2013) | Im Himmel ist die Hölle los (1984) | In Bruges (2008) | Sideways (2004) | Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) | Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie: Black Dream Hole (1995) | Mamma Mia! (2008) | Down with Love (2003) | Stonehenge Apocalypse (2010) | This is Spinal Tap (1984) | The Kids Are Alright (1979) | Lisztomania (1975) | A Little Chaos (2014) | Redline (2009) | The Stepford Wives (1975) | Blancanieves (2012) | Clerks (1994) | Promising Young Woman (2020) | What's Up, Doc? (1972) | The Apple (1980) | Broken (1993) | The Virgin Suicides (1999) | The Phantom of the Opera (2004) | The Wolf Man (1941) | The Boxtrolls (2014) | Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) | The Perfect Score (2004) | The Man from Earth (2007) | Shapeshifter (1999) | The Lighthouse (2019)

Also, remember that the ask box will open for requests some time before July 4th! There will be a post announcing when it's open, so keep an eye out for that if you'd like to request some movies!

[clockwork-ashes]

@sjmromanceweek

Summary: Elain knows how important the little things are when it comes to her relationship with Lucien.

Elain was humming softly to herself, bright sunshine streaming in through the windows of the small kitchen as she stood on the tips of her toes, grabbing the sugar from the highest shelf.

Lucien had stayed up late the night before, had thrown himself into their bed and had fallen asleep right after giving her a goodnight’s kiss. Lucien had even woken up earlier than usual that morning to close himself in their shared study, not even bothering to eat breakfast.

Elain knew that Lucien was working on finalising a trading contract between the solar courts, and while she cared very little over the details of such business, Elain cared very much about how overworked her husband seemed to be as of late.

Elain would have to speak to Helion about it, she thought.

Adding sugar and milk to her tea, and a lot less sugar and a lot more milk to Lucien’s coffee, Elain checked the time. She had lunch with Nuala and Cerridwen in an hour, something the three of them did every time Elain found herself in Velaris.

Elain stirred her tea and then Lucien’s coffee with the same spoon before she tossed it carelessly into the sink. She always appreciated when Lucien would bring her tea, just the way she liked it, to her desk as she worked, and Elain did the same for him. It was nice, and oddly very flattering, when your partner knew just the way you liked things, Elain thought.

Tucking a stray curl of hair behind her arched ear before grabbing both her and Lucien’s drinks, Elain continued to hum as she made her way to the office. She didn’t bother knocking, bumping the door open with her hip.

Elain had been expecting Lucien to be actively reading over his papers, or furiously scribbling suggestions in the margins of the contract he’d been editing for the past week. Elain had not been expecting Lucien to have fallen asleep, using his arm as a pillow, as he leaned in such an uncomfortable position on his desk.

Elain breathed a small laugh as she walked towards Lucien, setting the drinks down but out of his reach just in case he decided to wake up.

“Lucien,” she said softly, not exactly a whisper but not loud enough to startle him either. Making her way to his side, Elain placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She took a moment to appreciate how lovely he looked when he was resting. “Lucien, wake up.” Surely his back would hurt the way he was sitting, better to wake him up now and send him off to bed, Elain told herself.

She heard Lucien’s sharp inhale and the clicking of his golden eye. “I’m awake,” he mumbled, shifting in his chair, turning his head to blink up at her sleepily.

“I told you, you’ve been working too much,” Elain declared, eyebrows raised.

“I’m awake,” Lucien repeated, blowing a strand of wine-red hair away from his face. “I was just resting my eyes.” He attempted, and failed miserably, to straighten some of the wrinkles on the sleeve of his white shirt.

“Mhm,” Elain rolled her eyes in response, taking hold of her skirts and sitting on the edge of her husband’s desk. “I brought you your coffee.”

Elain had come to find that it really was the little things that made her marriage truly wonderful, knowing each other so well that the mundane and everyday became special.

Lucien smiled at her, the smile that still managed to bring a blush to Elain’s cheeks. “Did you get home from your lunch?”

Elain knocked her slipper-clad foot against Lucien’s leg. “It’s not even noon yet,” she lifted her tea cup to her lips, watching as Lucien scrunched his nose rather charmingly.

“Maybe I have been working too much.” He brought the mug of coffee Elain had left on his desk to his own lips, sighing and relaxing into his chair. “How do you always manage to make the coffee taste like it does in Autumn?” He wondered, more to himself than to Elain.

Lucien did not have to know that she asked Eris regularly for whatever coffee they used in the Forest House, Elain thought. She flashed him a smile as she lifted her shoulders in a careless shrug. Leaning towards him, Lucien met her half way so Elain could kiss him softly.

“I make it with love.”

[canadiannationalfox]

Murder Drones Fanfic - Make Believe Adventures (repost from my dA Missluckychan22)

Tessa, who was now 11, sat mournfully looking at the foggy day through her window. She was being punished for speaking up at breakfast about how she didn't want to practice ballroom dancing. The girl laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You can come out of your room at dinner time, young lady!", the words of James Elliott, the girl's strict father, rang through her head.

Serial Designation J, Tessa's very first worker drone friend sat beside her on the bed. The silver ponytailed robot woman reassured, "Look, I know it's bad but, the day will go by,"

The second fixed one, a sweet little butler named N who had curly white hair responded, "Yeah, we could always play Rummy."

"GIN Rummy," J corrected to N, holding back slugging the littler guy in the shoulder for Tessa's sake.

Tessa sighed and hugged her pillow as she looked out her bedroom window. "I want to go on an adventure, I want to sword fight and explore and do something instead of being trapped in this god-awful prison."

J laughed a little at her thought. "No, that's silly,"

"What is it, J?" Tessa inquired, her eyes full of interest in what her favourite girl worker drone was thinking.

J relinquished her thought for the inquisitive Tessa, relaxing her shoulders as she suggested, "Remember that game we used to play when you were 9 right after you fixed me up?" J knew it was silly, however, if Tessa was interested in what her idea could be, then it was all the more worth it now that she told the girl she admired.

"The Princess and the Mage?" the young Elliot family woman exclaimed, trying not to be loud enough for her parents to hear, "I used to love that game!"

N had heard about this game but he never got to play, he eagerly trilled, "Could I play too? I really would wanna join."

"Maybe if we needed a villain…" J teased.

Tessa shook her head and giggled, "Nooo, not a villain, but a prince! A prince captured by a wicked witch!"

Just then, the newest robot Tessa had repaired after her parents destroyed it, a pretty little robot maid with glasses, came in with Tessa's noon tea and biscuits. The bobbed haired drone greeted politely, "Your noon tea, Miss Elliot."

Tessa piped up as she got off the bed and held V's skirt ever so gently to get the robot's attention, "Please, V, could you join me and my friends for a game?"

V looked to N, her LED display showing little white light blush marks before agreeing to play.

Tessa let out a little squeal of delight and stated, "For real life? Thank you, V! I need you to climb ontop of the wardrobe with N, and I want you to pretend to be a witch who kidnapped a prince."

N helped get the chair from Tessa's vanity desk and put it infront of the large wardrobe cabinet. He giggled, "After you, my lady," as he held his hand out to V.

The sweet bespectacled maid took his hand and hopped up onto the chair before laying down on her stomach attop the furniture where N soon joined her. V had read a lot of fairytales in the library with N, and she was familiar with the role of a witch. She took a decorative spoon she kept with her and held it like a makeshift wand. The little maid cackled and called down to Tessa and J, "Helloooo my pretties! I have kidnapped your precious prince! And if you want to save him from me turning him into a dog, you'll save him before sunset tonight!"

N laughed and recounted, "Ooh, good one, V!" before doing his best Shakespearian themed voice and recounting, "Alas, oh Princess Tessa, fairest of them all, dost thou wisheth to save me from becoming a common mutt? I shall wait for thee atop the highest tower in the land." ---------------------------------------

The forest was filled with song birds and sunlight, the two friends, a mage and her princess protege rode on the back of a stunning white horse down the forest path.

"I think you should maybe think of saving another prince, my liege," Lady Jay of Umbridge scorned as she rolled her eyes at the princess with the flowing ebony hair.

The lionhearted Princess Tessa Elliot of Manorwood insisted as they rode out of the forest path and into the emerald glenn, "It wouldn't right of me to let him be turned into a dog, he has a throne to return to, as do we. So let us make haste!" The two women rode towards the edge of the valley, towards a dark forest with cawing crows and rolling fog. The horse began to buck and bray, horrified of the dark woods, causing the two to dismount the creature.

"You won't come with us, will you, girl?" Tessa bargained with the ivory coloured mare.

Lady Jay, sighing in annoyance, waved her hands and summoned forth a bunch of fresh garden carrots, shaking one in front of the horse. "Come on, you wouldn't want the orcs to come and turn tho into glue and a meal, woulds't thou?"

The horse brayed arrogantly at the silver-haired mechanical mage, and began galloping to find another way through the dark woods.

"Guess we are on our own, huh, Jay?" the Princess stated before optimistically calling out, drawing a sword out of the scabbard, "Well then, we must press on, we must make it to the tower through the woods."

The two headed, now on foot into the foggy and dark woods. The eerie forest sounds grew louder as they continued on. The two were stopped as they heard wild cackling.

From a small clearing, with thunderbolts and lightning appearing from the skies above, was the vile and wicked witch simply known as Vendetta. The wild eyed witch shot a lightning bolt straight at Tessa, she leapt clear of the blow. "You may be spritely, dearie, but I am more than a one trick pony!" Vendetta laughed as she commanded a tree to come to life before she flew away on a broom stick while calling out, "Good luck, dearies!"

Princess Tessa brandished her sword, standing infront of the towering, monsterous cyprus.

Jay, waited in the wings, she knew what she would need to do, she just had to do like they practiced.

The Princess, despite being in a dress, effortly dodged the swipes at her by the creature as she swung at it, cleaving off the tendril-like branches with her broadsword.

The tree creature reached down and swiped up the Princess before letting out a roar.

Lady Jay ran full tilt at the tree, holding in her hands a single piece of coal. She ran her thumbs across the carbony rock, causing it to ignite. "See you in Hell, foul beast!" the silver haired mage screamed as she tossed the flaming rock at the Cyprus-Tree creature.

The creature dropped the princess in horror as it went up in flames, letting Tessa fall into the open arms of her lovely mage companion.

The two saw then the end of the storm and charged towards the glistening sunlight. At last, out of the scary forest! Princess Tessa saw as her horse came bounding from the edge of the trees towards her. Lady Jay scoffed with a laugh, "Your horse isn't very brave, Princess."

"That's alright, Jay," the princess reassured as she re-sheathed her sword for now, "But we most certainly are!" The two hopped back upon the steed and ventured closer to the ivory tower, hearing a charming man's voice singing from the room near the spire's top.

"It's the handsome and kind Prince Nathaniel!" Princess Tessa proclaimed as they rode closer to the tower.

The prince noticed the two women approaching on the horse, he called down, "Hello Princess Tessa of Manorwood and Lady Jay of Umbridge!"

Lady Jay mocked from the back of the horse, "If you really were a prince you'd get yourself down there."

Nathaniel sweetly replied, "Maybe if I had 20 years, 35 feet of hair and a pair of scissors."

Vendetta, who was also in the tower couldn't help but giggle at that reference and she bargained down to Princess Tessa, "Okay, tell you what, I won't turn the Prince into a dog, if you let me marry him."

Tessa raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Wait what?"

Lady Jay put her arm around the Princess and responded back rudely, "WELL THATS FINE, SHE DOESN'T NEED A STINKIN PRINCE! BUT I'M STILL GOING UP THERE AND KICKING YOUR ASS, WITCH!" she hopped off the white horse and started climbing with her barehands up the tower, insulting the witch every couple feet.

Tessa hopped off her horse and scolded, "Hang on, Lady Jay! You could fall!"

---------------------------------------

J was climbing up the bookshelf that stood next to the wardrobe.

V giggled as she took a stack of books and started throwing them at J.

Tessa called out, "WAIT!" in fright but it was too late, the sound of the books hitting the floor rang out in the room. She could hear her parents shouting from down the hall and the approaching sound of her father's shoes on the mahogany floors. She called to her robots, "Quick, grab a book and sit near my bed!"

Mr Elliot finally came into Tessa's room, he burst the door open and shouted, "I thought we told you, young-lady to…" he stopped his yelling as he looked on at the sight.

J was softly reading a book to Tessa while they sat on the bed.

N sat at the vanity chair that was now by Tessa's bed, pretending to read silently. V stood in the corner with a handful of books, smiling politely to Mr Elliot.

Tessa's father blinked in confusion before sighing and saying calmly, "Carry on," before walking out and closing the door.

The three robots and their best human friend waited silently until they no longer could hear the foot steps in the hall, and they all had a quiet laugh about it. Tessa pulled in N, V, and J for a group hug, giggling happily, "That was the greatest adventure yet, thank you, all of you."

V giggled, "How about another? We could be pirates?"

N did a silly pirate voice and called out, "Avast! Captain Tessa, let us find treasure across the seven seas!"

J put her arm around Tessa and teased happily, "And I could be your first mate?"

The 11 year-old Tessa nodded happily, and soon she and her robot friends were on another make-believe adventure to make it through the rest of the time until dinner.

The End

[otteranha]

High Noon

part 1 Part 2 of Steve tries to get the Party to watch Westerns with him...

Years of waking up at stupid o’clock for swim practice left Steve a permanent early riser. After the movie (Short Circuit- which had just come out and everyone was dying to watch, he probably shouldn’t have tried to compete with that) and playing games until past midnight the rest of the group was still passed out in the living room. The older kids, seeming to sense at least a little bit that Steve’s feelings were hurt, steered them into board games instead of D&D for once and he had actually enjoyed himself. 

Now it was almost 6 in the morning and he was wide awake, Robin snoring quietly beside him, grey light streaming through his window. A sort of sad feeling curled up somewhere between his stomach and his ribs and Steve had the urge to do something he hadn’t done since he was a little kid. He padded down to the living room, navigating around sleeping bodies in his socked feet and took the tape of High Noon upstairs with him. Down the hall, into his parents’ bedroom.

There was a big screen tv in here too, and a vcr although they almost never used it. When Steve was young and they would stay out late he used to curl up on their bed and fall asleep with the tv on. The babysitters always liked to use the downstairs television after his bedtime but Steve had a hard time falling asleep in his own room without at least one of his parents home. They didn’t get mad when they came home and found him asleep, as long as he used the throw blanket and didn’t mess up the duvet, his mother would kiss the top of his head and his father would carry him back to his own room. It was the only way his father ever tucked him in. 

The room now had the church-like silence of someplace that is more for remembering than for living in, despite being meticulously cleaned once every other week. Steve slid the video in and curled up in his old spot in the middle of the king size bed. As the credits played, the door to his parents room pushed open and he heard footsteps. Eleven poked her head around the door and gazed at him.

“Hey, did I wake you?” 

She shook her head no. “Can I stay? she asked.

“You want to watch with me? It’s one of the boring ones from last night.”

“I don’t care. It will be less boring than sitting down stairs awake all alone.”

“Ok.” They watch together in companionable silence for a bit. El makes admiring noises at how pretty Grace Kelly and Katy Jurado are, how they tell the men around them that they’ve made their own decisions about their own lives. After a while Steve senses a kind of restlessness in her. Figures, he thinks, she’s probably bored. 

“Can I ask questions?” El interrupts his thoughts. That is not what he was expecting. 

“Sure, shoot.”

“You won’t mind? Sometimes I have a lot of questions and it makes my friends not have fun watching the movie with me.”

“I don’t mind,” and he doesn’t. 

She asks questions but mostly she just reacts to the movie. Every time somebody else turns Gary Cooper away and refuses to stand beside him against the oncoming villain she tenses. When Grace Kelly professes her belief in peace and her Quaker religion but decides to stand and fight anyway she smiles. Two thirds of the way through the movie, with the tension at its highest she asks him to pause it.

“Mike doesn’t like to tell the endings. That’s called spoilers because it spoils the movie, so you don’t have to tell the ending but can you just say if it’s happy or sad?”

Her little face is so serious it kind of melts his heart. “It’s happy.” They’re almost at the end when the sounds of life can be heard from downstairs. There’s voices in the hall, looking for Steve and Eleven and then Dustin, Mike, Will, Max and Lucas all pour into his parents room. 

“Whoa! You have another tv up here, that’s amazing!” says Dustin. They’re all looking around like they’ve just discovered an ancient pyramid. “How come you never let us in here before?”

“We can watch two movies at once!” says Lucas.

“No,” Steve says, “You can’t. I can, because it’s my house. Everybody out now.” Damn, he’ll probably have to start locking his parents’ door again. It’s almost as bad as when he used to have his old high school keggers, except he’s liable to find random groups of teens in corners painting miniatures instead of doing body shots. “Downstairs now, skeddadle.” The commotion has happily robbed Robin and Eddie of their continued sleep and Steve foists breakfast duties onto them.

As he’s leaving Mike stops and stares at the paused movie. “Are you watching Steve’s movie?”

“Yes,” says Eleven, “It is very good. Please can we finish it before breakfast Steve?”

“Eleven can stay, everybody else go help with breakfast and start putting my couches back together.” They fuss but file out, all except Mike.

“Well if El’s staying can’t I stay too?”

This kid. This has to be his most exasperating kid. “There’s like, fifteen minutes left.” Steve sighs, “Fine, you can stay but you can’t talk- Eleven can talk,” he clarifies, “You, Wheeler- silence. Got it?”

Mike gives him a combination nod and eye roll but he flops at the foot of the bed while they finish the movie and doesn’t make any snarky remarks.

Afterwards, Eleven tells him that it was a very good movie. Steve kind of feels like crying again but it doesn’t feel bad this time. “We could watch the other one sometime, maybe?” Eleven asks. Mike is muttering something that Steve can’t quite hear.

“Sure kid, any time.”

@nelotegreitic @sangrientojoe @its-all-ineffable @moonshadows-13 @fallingleavesinthewind @cornwallisandkerley @inmoonywetrust @samcoxramblings @ineffablecolors @goblin-eddie @theysherobinbuckley

[wedreamedlove]

[FIC] I Love You 115 (14/115)

Rating: M Characters: Osborn/Reader Word Count: 1587

Summary: Saturday mornings are for sleeping in and deepening the bond between a couple.

A/N: Inspired by the clip below, コネクト by あすとら on Twitter, and the factoid from the official Light and Night artbook that Osborn will involuntarily sleep face down in environments where he feels safe and relaxed.

Sunlight shines through the window walls, gilding everything in a gentle gold and providing just the perfect amount of light and warmth for you to read comfortably on the couch in the air-conditioned house.

Or rather, it would have been perfect if you haven't been staring at the same sentence for five minutes now because the emptiness in your stomach is too distracting. It doesn't help that, in the background, you can hear the family pets push their bowls around as they chase after the last crumbs of their lunch, making you hungrier.

Why haven't you eaten yet? Because you're waiting for Osborn to wake up.

For the past month, he had been overseas preparing for and participating in a cluster of races set on the same continent; meanwhile, you had an important project deadline to meet and this prevented you from taking time off to fly over and see your boyfriend. Naturally, both of you messaged and video called whenever possible with the time difference, but this physical separation only made the longing deepen. On the last day, after seizing the highest amount of points without much suspense, Osborn skipped out on all the celebrations and flew back to you on the earliest flight possible.

However, despite all this effort, he still returned home in the middle of the night and you only remember him giving you a kiss on the forehead before he collapsed in bed next to you and fell asleep within seconds.

And he's still sleeping even now.

Of course you want to let him rest as much as possible but, as your stomach rebels against you with another hunger pang, you finally give up on reading to distract yourself and check the clock for the fifth time. It's almost noon and you decide it should be fine to wake Osborn now.

You get off the couch, sliding into your slippers, and then make your way to the bedroom.

Quietly pushing the door open, the bedroom looks just like how you left it this morning. The curtains block out most of the light, causing the whole room to appear dim and cozy, and nothing can be heard except for Osborn's even and peaceful breaths.

The only difference in the bedroom seems to be that, after you got out of bed, Osborn had abandoned his pillow to grab yours and rolled onto his stomach to bury his face in it. The blanket had slipped down to pool around his waist and his entire back was exposed. You reflexively swallow at how, even in such a relaxed state, the definition of his muscles can easily be seen as well as how all the lines of his body are compact and lithe, from his slender waist to his broad shoulders. Like a predator, even when at rest it isn't difficult to imagine the explosive force lurking in that body.

You walk up to the side of the bed and you aren't able to stop yourself from reaching out to place your hand on his shoulder blade. His skin is extremely warm to touch and feels nice against your cool hand. The muscles are pliable in his relaxed state but still resist against you when you press down slightly and trace the line of his shoulder to his bicep and then down to his elbow.

As your palm slides across his forearm, you hear Osborn inhale deeply from the pillow, his body stirring, and by the time you get to his wrist, he twists his hand to catch you and intertwines his fingers with yours.

You laugh at the awkward position this puts his arm in and lean down to nuzzle his shoulder.

"Mm?" The questioning note comes out mostly from his nose, but it still manages to carry the husky rumble of having just woken up.

"Hungry." You explain in a hushed voice and gently bite his shoulder.

You know you didn't put any force in the action, but Osborn still hisses through his teeth and turns his head to reveal an eye that looks at you with affectionate amusement. "So, you're going to eat me instead?"

"Not yet, but I'll give it serious consideration if you don't get up right now. I've been waiting for you to have lunch together."

Osborn releases your hand so that he can turn himself onto his side and now you can see the smile on his lips that reaches his eyes even as he fakes a yawn and says languidly, "I don't know... the bed is really comfy, I might need something to motivate me to move."

After being together for so long, how can you not know what your boyfriend is aiming for? As you move closer to his face, you see his eyes fall shut naturally, which suits you perfectly, because just as your breaths land on his lips you turn your head to the side and peck the corner of his mouth. Giggling with pride, you attempt to escape out of the room.

The keyword being "attempt".

Sure enough, your professional racer-cum-bounty hunter boyfriend's reaction speed cannot be underestimated because his hand grabs your wrist just as you turn away and, with a force that can't be refused, he pulls you onto him and catches your lower lip in his mouth with a low growl. "That's not even remotely close enough."

Osborn surges up to slant his mouth over the rest of yours and devours you.

His tongue sweeps into your mouth that was already parted in surprise and wraps around your tongue to pull into his mouth, where he sucks on it. The tip of his nose nudges against your cheek as he presses into you, like there's still too much distance between you two despite how your lips rub together, and the breath from his nose scorches as it splays over your skin. It's only when you start to feel your tongue go numb in his mouth that he releases it to slip his tongue back into your mouth to taste your every crevice, making you tremble whenever he strokes over a sensitive spot.

You don't remember when your positions switch but you suddenly feel the contrast of your back sinking into the soft bed and something hot and hard nudging against your inner thigh when Osborn's pelvis settles into the cradle of your hips.

He releases your mouth to hear your quivering gasp when he rocks against you before he kisses you again. The pleasure that races through your whole body makes you boneless and you can feel the saliva in your mouth creeping out of the cracks of your joined mouths, except Osborn swallows this liquid greedily like he really is trying to eat you.

"Os..." You whimper breathlessly.

Osborn pulls back just enough to suck on your slick and swollen lips again and again, and the wet pops as he releases your lips sound abnormally loud in the quiet room as he asks between pants, "Can I?"

The flush on your face deepens when you feel him thrust his hips lightly and the cloth of his briefs, which have already turned moist at the front, slides against your thigh. Just as you open your mouth though, your stomach beats you into answering and growls angrily.

Both of you freeze at this inopportune noise and you can practically see the desire to consume you struggle against the desire to take care of you in his eyes, which have already darkened into a deep ocean-green, until finally helplessness overtakes both emotions and he drops his head into the crook of your neck, exhaling hard.

You reiterate matter-of-factly, "I'm hungry."

Osborn must feel you shaking with silent laughter because he pinches the skin of your neck in his mouth and grinds his teeth on it, making you reflexively pull up your shoulders and yelp as you try to escape the tingling pressure.

Eventually, he releases you after leaving several more marks like this on your neck and shoulder. "Looks like I have to fatten up my meal first before I can actually eat."

"Are you calling me fat?" You try to twist the flesh of his shoulder in objection but grow even more upset when you can barely get any skin between your fingers from the tight spread of muscles that shift and contract underneath your hand as he wraps an arm below your bottom and lifts you up one-handedly into his chest and gets up out of bed.

"Where did I say that? I'm saying you're way too light and need to eat more. I'm about to suspect that a certain someone lied to me when they said they were eating all their meals on time while I was away."

You cough loudly and turn your head to give a sonorous kiss on Osborn's cheek. "Boss Osborn is the best! I can't wait to see what you make for lunch!"

"Tsk, that was the clumsiest change in subject I've ever heard, but who made it so that I always fall for this move every time?" He turns his head to present his other cheek to you. "One more and I can consider forgetting what I just said."

You smack another resounding kiss on his other cheek as he requests and swing your foot as he does drop the subject and carries you into the kitchen. A day only officially begins after the two of you share a meal together and, from the looks of it, today is going to be a wonderful day.

[hanzaikyou]

Ikkei Yamamoto Range Analysis

I'm back with another installment of this absolute rabbithole, this time focusing on Ikkei. Now, noone's made any massive claims about the range of his vocals yet, so let's figure this out before anyone does, shall we?

The Verdict

Based on what we've seen through various stages and musicals, Ikkei has a range of C3-Ab4, roughly one and a half octaves. The upper end is more rarely heard though, with most of his songs landing at a high of F#4-G4.

The Evidence

Again, I used every possible musical I had featuring the man to analyse this, and as such there's a large concentration of Morimyu, as well as his Tenimyu run as part of the 7th Seigaku. It was a little interesting, as many of his songs in Tenimyu are group songs, so I didn't have all that many to go off there. I also had a copy of ENStars Track to Miracle, which I didn't realise until looking it up that he was in. The more you know. Instead of looking for an upper or lower in specific areas, I simply collected the highest and lowest notes in each song I analysed this time.

Lower Limit (C3)

So, I did start with Tenimyu, but the two I'd narrowed down for him (Unseen Thread and Fight&Win) both seemed on the high end of what I've heard him do, so I focused my efforts towards Morimyu.

This turned out to be a good idea, presenting me with lovely examples of his lower register. The songs were consistently hitting lows of D3 (Emotion and his duet with Fred in OP4) and Eb3 (Devotion and the Three Brothers' Secret), so I knew I was close.

But there was one final solo I wanted to look through, being OP1's A Hero's Qualification. Turned out to be a great idea - Ikkei hits his lowest note in there, at C3. Very impressed. 10/10.

Higher Limit (Ab4)

Okay, this one I was able to use the Tenimyu songs as a guide of how high to look for - Unseen Thread came in at an E4, and Fight&Win at an F#4, both of which aligned with what I had heard from him previously.

This was the point that I figured out his ENStars appearance, and managed to track down at least one of his songs - his first, which I believe was called Heartbeat by Trick Star (starting at 7 minutes in) came in at an F4, supporting my previous theories. Also the silver ponytail guy has me in a chokehold, if anyone cares to educate?

It was then I turned back to Morimyu, which gave us some higher ones. First to exceed it was Devotion (which was first because please let's be honest That's My Favourite), where he hits a G4 as part of his higher harmony at the end.

The next to exceed it was The Three Brothers' Secret, giving us our highest note at Ab4, hit as they commit arson basically ehe. It is beautifully done, and rather strong, and I'm kind of curious as to whether he could go further, given the opportunity. But that's all I have evidence for as yet, so Ab4 is to be considered the highest proven limit of Ikkei's range.

What did surprise me is the sheer similarity between Shogo and Ikkei's possible ranges - Ikkei often seems just that much lower, and he's... not? That being said, he has a very rich lower register, and as he's often paired with people who can take the higher harmony (Eiji in the Tenimyu's, Shogo... always) he gets a lot of chances to show it - I also think Ikkei's lower tone kicks in earlier than Shogo's, though I'd have to check for that specifically to back it up. Was interesting in Kokoro wo Daite, though, because by putting his solo part between Hide and Izawa, he sounds rather high pitched; same thing happened in Devotion, where he took the high harmony against Hide's lower harmony... perception really is everything with this, and I mean, he sounds lovely either way slkdf.

With two of three brothers down, I kind of want to do Kubohide next - again, I'll have a fair bit to draw on between Morimyu and Tenimyu, and I could have sworn I had something else with him in there. We'll see I guess ehe. But thankyou for reading, and see you next time~

[betyloca]

stains and spiders

warnings: harassment / violence / xenophobia / rudeness

summary: while investigating the death of the comedian in New York City you come across a certain masked man with spots

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

It was noon in New York City. You were going straight to work. You were walking among people as if you were a ghost in your backpack. You were carrying new photos for a story for the newspaper about last night's events. Photos of a dead man. It was Edward Blake, known as the comedian .

As you turned a corner you ran into a man who was carrying a sign saying the end is nigh as you passed by him you felt like he was seeing you out of the corner of his eye.

When you got to work, you were bothered by the sound of people running everywhere. You went as quickly as possible to your boss's office, opening the door.

jackson: y/n people are hysterical and I'm starting to lose patience if you have photos of robberies I don't want anything

Y/N: Well, I bring you something better, photos of robberies.

jackson: celebrities better leave

y/n: of the murder of Edward Blake

Jackson: What-

You hand him the photos while he inspects them

jackson: edward blake must have been an idiot to get killed

y/n: it was the comedian

Jackson: The comedian, Ross, we have the front page. I want him to say, "Are they marrying the vigilantes?" y/n you pay 400 dollars now go away

You took your pay and left his office, handing the photos to Rosita.

Rosita: They are good shots.

passing the photos

y/n: thank you

You hear familiar footsteps as you roll your eyes.

Robert: good photos y/n but I would like photos of you with little clothes

giggle: you are a disgusting robert

Robert: I would like you too.

y/n: better look

Robert: He'll look for me, I know.

while he leaves

Rosita: It's unbearable

y/n: I know see you

You tell him as you grab your backpack and leave.

Rosita: Take care

As you left the building you couldn't get your boss's words out of your head. Are they hunting the guards? You would have to be more alert than you always were in a corrupt city full of crimes, you learned to be alert.

Heading to your apartment when you entered you decided to call your friend to see if you were okay.

y/n: carajo, answer dan

Dan: Hello, who's speaking?

y/n: daniel thank god you're free tonight

Dan: Yes, everything is fine.

Y/N: I'll give it to you at night, I'll go to your house.

Dan: It's okay, you're always welcome.

y/n: okay

You hung up the phone, letting out a sigh. You knew something was happening. You ran and grabbed your suit that was in your closet, putting it in your backpack. You left the building, walking through the streets, watching people pass by as if their lives were less complicated.

x: Hey woman, we don't want more Latinos here, go to your country.

you dodge the can of beer that I throw at you

*what an idiot* you thought it happened to you often you just continued on your way towards an abandoned building while you were there you went somewhere to change into your spider suit after putting it on you jumped out of the window swinging across the buildings reaching the highest one to sit down and contemplate the sunset and take note of the possible murderers of the comedian

~~~~~•~~~~~~~•~~~~~

Night had fallen you stared at the stars thinking *okay enough* you thought getting up you looked at how high you were and jumped down you felt the wind hitting your face before shooting your spider web you lowered your mask swinging to Daniel's house

When you arrived you saw the open window of his room and you entered inspecting the area you saw a framed photo of you and Daniel were friends before you became vigilant you had the photo in your hands until you heard the knock of the door you immediately put the photo on the nightstand and started to climb the walls to the ceiling crawling with your camouflage you headed towards the sound coming from the kitchen you saw through the half open door a masked man eating a can of beans what *damn* you thought

You sneaked into the kitchen when the door closed making a noise. The man immediately lowered his mask, becoming alert.

x: who is there?

y/n: who are you?

x: enough games, where are you?

y/n: I like to play

You said, hanging by one hand from the ceiling behind the man.

y/n: I like to play fights

x: then you're going to like me

You kicked him, making him fall to the ground, deactivating your camouflage.

x: spider ghost?

y/n: spider for my amigos

You said, releasing a blow, he dodged it, kicking you in the stomach, making you fall immediately. You threw cobwebs at him, making him fall and getting on top of him.

y/n: who are you and what are you doing here?

x: I'm Rorschach, tell me what you see here

He says as he punches you in the face.

y/n: grrrrhh I see a son of a bitch

You say while you kick him, sending him away from you, he stands up looking at you.

rorschach: you have great strength

while he puts himself on guard just like you

You hear footsteps going to the kitchen, you knew what it was

y/n: dan don't come

~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~

Observe this clown who thought he was vigilant, putting himself on guard just like her until he became alert.

spider:dan don't come

I heard her say, did she say Dan's name? Did she know him? who was

I saw that the door had opened revealing Daniel

Dan: What's happening?

She put an arm in front of him protectively.

spider: don't do what

Dan: calm down, the rorschach, an old friend, everything is fine.

I saw how he lowered his arm little by little while still being alert. I saw Dan walk towards the middle of the two.

Dan: It's good to see you.

Rorschach: I have to talk to you, I think they are hunting us.

dan: what rorsc-

rorschach: Edward blake was the comedian they murdered him I think any of us follow

dan:rorschach I think you're a little paranoid

rorschach: they call me paranoid now

Spider: If you are paranoid, I am too because that is why I came to tell you that, Daniel.

The voltie e ver also: Was he researching the comedian? I was starting to get curious

Maybe it wasn't ink after all or maybe it's with those who made this.

Rorschach: How long have you known her?

dan: since before the Watchmen disbanded

rorschach: why didn't you mention that you were friends with a boy who plays watchman?

Spider: Hello, I'm still here and for your correction I don't play vigilante and I've kicked more ass than the damn police.

She said she could hear the anger in her voice she had to admit she had some fire inside her.

dan: okay okay don't fight in my house please

She turned to see me, crossing her arms.

spider: sorry dan

Dan: Rorschach I didn't tell you why it was a secret I promised Spidy

She said as she walked towards the basement followed by Spider and I saw her shake her head, apparently holding back a curl.

Spider: You promised not to use that nickname in front of others.

dan: sorry

Arriving at the basement she begins to walk towards the tunnel

dan: the vigilantes are over and they should lead a normal life, you should leave this spider and you too rorschach

I saw how she tensed up when Dan said the word "normal life." She turned to look at him, her hands were in the shape of fists.

rorschach: do you think you are normal listening to human cockroaches talking about heroin and child pornography tell me dan do you feel normal

Dan: At least I'm not hiding behind a mask.

I was going to answer her until she spoke.

spider: don't give, you hide in plain sight, take care, dan

With that last thing, she walked away, I followed her, I wasn't going to stay any longer, I had to tell Manhattan and Lauriel about what was happening, she stopped at the exit and turned to see me.

Spider: Hey manchitas , I don't like you that much, but if others think you're paranoid, just look for me, it's better to be with another paranoid.

I stared at her, I didn't trust her, but if Manhattan didn't believe me, I had few options.

Spider: I also have a suspect.

Rorschach: Who?

spider: moloch

Rorschach: Good.

spider: ok comrade it's a date

She said as she left I watched her go and I did the same as I walked I thought maybe it wasn't such a bad idea it would be interesting

~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~

When I walked away from Dan's house I kept thinking about this Rorschach guy if Dan trusts him to break into his house like that maybe I too okay it's time to get ready to see my old friend Moloch

*please I hope you're not in trouble* I thought to myself I hope you're not confused leaving that aside I hope Rorschach finds allies

[asherbakugou]

Khalysi Velaryon, daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon, younger daughter of Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon, 'The Realms Delight', 'Driftmarks Pearl', and cruelly, 'The Dragonless,' was chained to the masts of the pirates ship, thin nightclothes doing nothing to protect her from the icy breeze. Tears stained her face, as she wept, begging the clouded sky to let her family find her.

A part of her wanted to fight, to be like Visenya, but at 10 namedays she had no chance against the older pirates that made up the crew. A strange sound had Khalysi looking up and looking around.

When she looked behind her she found a dragon, bigger than Syrax but smaller than Meleys, perched on the deck, staring at her.

Grey Ghost.

He had cloudy grey scales with a beautiful pearly undertone. His back had armor plates instead of spikes that were a blue-green like the sea when you you looking down. Grey eyes set in a narrow face watched her closely as his long neck swayed slightly. Branching silver horns, arced gracefully catching the little bit of moonlight that shone through the clouds.

Khalysi felt something in her chest urging her closer, so she crawled, legs too weak from the days at sea with little food and water, slowly making her way closer to the beautiful dragon. Once she was close enough, he lowered his head, breathing out a cloud of hot air that warmed her skin.

Every so slowly, she raised a hand and pressed it to the warm scales of his nose. He jerked away but let her hand touch him, and he settled, eyes closing as the bond she'd heard so much about clicked into place.

Grey Ghost climbed further onto the deck, wrapping himself around her and protecting from the icy winds. As he did she remembered the reports.

Ships had been found with no one aboard and no evidence of them being attacked. Sometimes there was blood but very little else. Rhaenyra had suggested it was Grey Ghost but Corlys and Daemon had refuted that, saying the eludice dragon was to shy.

But Khalysi felt it, felt Grey Ghosts bloodlust, his anger towards pirates specifically.

"Grey Ghost. Return. And kill them all."

The dragon snorted in agreement and gently pulled away. In a soundless beat of his wings, he rose disappearing quickly.

------------------

A thick fog, that made the pirate crew nervous, had set in around noon when the sun was high in the sky. But the fog made it seem closer to night, as if the sun had decided to disappear early. Khalysi pressed herself against the mast, waiting. It did not take long.

In less than two hours Grey Ghost had killed them all, and freed Khalysi. She prepared to have him return her hom but something made her pause.

What did she truly have back home? Her brothers would have their kingdoms and keeps, and she would be married off to the highest bidder to have babies.

No, she'd be a Queen of her own making.

A Pirate Queen.

She stole gold, and thick clothes before climbing onto Grey Ghosts back. She remembered an old fairytale that spoke of an island near Old Valyria that had narrowly escaped the Doom. Hopefully it existed.

When she told Grey Ghost he seemed to know what she spoke of and quickly set them on their way.

-------------------

The journey was long and tiring, but peaceful.

Once on the large island, Khalysi rested in a cave of Grey Ghosts choice, hidden from the other creatures of the island. Until she heard the call.

The same call that had urged her to go to Grey Ghost called to her now. And so she followed it.

Deep into the mountain that took up a large chunck of the island rested a dragon. Larger than Vhagar was. But more . . . youthful.

She did not have the flap on her neck, nor the exhaustion that Khalysi had seen on Aemonds newly claimed dragon. Her scales were not dull, in fact, they the opposite.

The scales of her body were all shades of blue, woth the frills along her spine being a paler blue while her belly was dark blue, the same blue that the ocean was at night. Her wings were a beautiful pearly grey with pale green and blue streaks. The spikes along her chest, jaw, and her horns were a beautiful bronze with orange-red streaks, while her tail fins were a solid bronze.

Khalysi was reminded of Daerons hatchling, that she'd never learned the name of, and decided that this dragon was far more beautiful.

Slowly the she-dragon lifter her head, allowing golden eyes to meet murky purple. Khalysi gasped when the dragon gently nudged her and another bond clicked into place. At her back, she could feel the warm presence of Grey Ghost who made not a sound as he watched the older dragon.

"Tessarion," Khalysi decided, smiling at the huff and feeling of amusement from her.

And so her legacy began.

Khalysi Velaryon, Firstborn Daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon, younger sister of Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon.

'The Realms Delight.'

'Driftmarks Pearl.'

'Pirate Queen.'

'Queen of the Sea.'

'Daughter of the Drowned God.'

'Daughter of the Stranger.'

'The Drowned Goddesses Rider.'

'Rider of the Grey Ghost.'

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

Incorrect quotes for you wonderful basement children 🤍✨

Jersey: Hey guys, I found a spider. Cool little lad. Thanks for eating the mosquitos. 
Jersey: Oh no, where did it go? 
Connecticut(Connie): JERSEY WHAT THE F(speaks northeast)?!

============================================

Florida: *About to do something incredibly stupid* 
Loui: I know I can't stop you, but I won't let you go by yourself.

============================================

Jersey: I have a problem. 
Mass: Kill it. 
Jersey: Can you chill for like, two seconds?

============================================

Jersey: Any idiot would know that. 
Florida : I knew that! 
Jersey: See?

============================================

Tex, during a conversation with Oklahoma or California, *turns to NY*: Could you maybe just like… stab me… right in the gut. Just REALLY twist it in there. ‘Cause that honestly seems less painful than this conversation.

============================================

Gov: I’d like to live through a week that’s not a whole new verse of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

*cue an explosion and screams of terror that could be heard from the highest hell*

Gov: But we all know that ain’t happening.

============================================

Gov: I am going to need you to swear- 
Tex: F(speaks Texas).
Gov: 
Gov: ...swear as in promise.

============================================

Tex: Loui is late again. 
Jersey: How did this happen? I called them at 8 o’clock this morning and pretended it was 11. 
Gov: I printed up a fake schedule for them saying we were starting at 9 instead of noon. 
Florida : I set their clock to say PM when it’s really AM. 
Tex: Oh boy. We may have overdone it. 
*Loui bursts through the door* 
Loui *hyperventilating*: WHAT TIME IS IT?

============================================

Mass: Hey, wanna help me commit arson? 
Loui: What the hell!? 
Mass: Oh, sorry, my bad. 
Mass, whispering: Wanna help me commit arson? 
Loui, whispering: Of course. What do you need?

(These two are very good friends in my au and you can pry that off my dead cold hands-)

============================================

Mass: I’m totally useless. 
Jersey: You’re not totally useless. 
Jersey: You can be used as a bad example. *gets tackled*

(I headcanon that Jersey is probably one the most tame NE states)

============================================

Mass: Who the fuck- 
Utah: Language! 
Mass: Whom the fuck- 
Utah: No.

============================================

Gov: Editor's note: What the f(speaks sleep-deprived coffee bean)….

============================================

Aight you hot mOtHeRtRuCkErs~ Hope y’all have a great rest of ur day/night 🙂✨

[lilacwineandthesinkingsun]

Agoraphobic - 1

AN: just being a fan of him... (how could i ever live without him beforeee.....)

WARNINGs: war stuff, violence, guns

Part 2 here.

You've been reassigned.. Again. It was the 4th time this year. Somehow you weren't compatibile with any of the teams they have put you in. Despite being one of the best out there. Then you got a call on a lazy afternoon. You are to report to the main base in RAF Lakenheath for briefing, then be deployed with your new team. To where? You did not know. You packed your gear, put on your famous mask. Fox skull, covering your whole face, only your eyes showing. Vibrant green eyes, shining out from behind the black paint and the mask. You did not put on casual clothing. Having less things to pack if in hurry, always being ready for action.. You were practical on the battlefield. It was a thing to say you were silent. Only talking when talked to. Sometimes not even then. You weren't one for words. Having made no attachments in the field, or in civilian life made it easier for you. If you died there was noone to mourn you. That made you unstoppable in battle. Your sneaky nature, your feather light steps.. The legend was that before taking out enemies you always gave your position away.. (Okay honestly mostly from directly behind them, mere second before blasting their brains out..) with a giggle. The giggle of death. The few who lived long enough would turn, and the last thing they saw was the fox mask with the vibrant green eyes, shaped to smile.

The new team was already in the briefing room when you arrived in the parking lot. The admiral just started briefing them about recieving a new member he thinks they'll have no problem accomodating, since they already had a quiet, deadly, masked member. Then they heard a giggle outside the door. They looked at eachother, then somehow, without opening the door, you leaned between Roach and Soap, scaring the living shit out of them without uttering a single word. Price and Ghost aughed quietly on the otherside of the table, when you locked eyes with Ghost. THE Ghost. Unable to look away, you only heard the Admiral introducing you.

-Well 141, I present you, the Fox.

You nod, before sitting down, closer to the admiral. Crossing your right leg on the left, waiting for the briefing.

The 141 looked at eachother again, while Ghost just stared at you, as you at him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the chopper you sat between Soap and Price.

-So, Fox, you have a real name too? - asked Soap smiling at you.

-I have. - you answered. You never told your name to anyone though. That lead straight to attachments.

-What's your headcount? - asked another one, even more cheery than the one next to you.

-34 205. -you stated as a fact, as if it wasn't the highest of them all. A mere woman in a mask, and to be so deadly. Ghost's head shot to you.

-Damn girl. - said Roach with a single clap. You smiled to yourself, looking down in your lap. This was too much conversation already.

Arriving in the base, the chopper had not even stopped or landed for that matter when you jumped out, knife in hand, disappearing into the halls. No matter that this was a base occupied by other teams, you always checked every nook. The 141 were your new team, you were responsible for them as well. It doesn't matter you did not know a thing about them, you weren't gonna let any of them get hurt.

The next they saw you was after dinner. Price walked up to you as you smoked. Your back to him.

-Afternoon Captn'. - you said, earning a chuckle from him.

-Afternoon Sergeant Fox. We missed you at dinner. - he stated.

-Been securing the field sir. - you stated in a monotone voice, before offering him a cigarette.

-How'd you know it was me? - he asked. Ghost was like this too, but he never gave away the secret.

-Your steps. Everyone is easily identifyable from their steps.

He hummed. You opened up to him a little more. You were the little sister of his wife. The only thing you didn't know that he knew. He would remember those eyes everywhere.

-See you in the cot Captn. - you said putting out your cigarette.

-(Y/n).. - he said, making you stop in your tracks. -this is not your average team. These people are a good fit for you. The world won't end if you open up a bit. - he said, making you nod, and leave. So he knew.. you thought. Perhaps you should start wearing glasses. When you entered the sleeping quarters, you saw they've all got settled in, Ghost sharpening his blades beside yours. An MRE packet on your cot. Soap said in turning:

-Missed dinner, saved you the good one. - he said.

-Thank you Sergeant. - you said.

-Soap. - he motioned with his hand in the air as if saluting.

This really was different from all your teams before. They seemed okay with your ways. The quietness, the mask, the weird stuff. Perhaps you'd stay. You picked up the MRE, and walked out, feeling Ghost's stare bore a hole into the back of your neck.

Next day you were in the forest outside a russian occupied base. They lost sight of you for the past 5 minutes.

Then when contempltaing to enter or not, their comms were filled with a gentle whisper.

-141 do you copy?

-Where are you Sergeant ? - asked Pierce.

-To your 3 Captn, roof. Three agents to my 6, 5 to my 11. Base has around 22 more.

-Great, Roach, come with me, we'll take the 3 on the ground, Ghost, Soap, up the roof, we'll meet in the middle.

-Copy that. - sounded in unison.

By the time they got to the roof, you took out all 5. As you entered the base with them, they dealt with the ones in front of you, while you made sure Price and Roach could enter without problem. You felt safe. Ghost's presence behind you constantly gave you a sense of safety. You heard from him. Christmas with family every one in a few years, the legends your previous teams told eachother. He was just as good as you. Price was fond of him. Then when the gunshots stopped there was silence. A single click could be heard, before the infamous giggle.

You stood behind Price, with your knife to a russians throat who had a gun pointed ad him.

-You would be wise to put down your gun. - you whispered to his ears. And he fucking trembled in your hold. Your team turning towards you. Your eyes meeting Ghost's. By the look of it, he was smiling, probably proud.

-The only thing keeping me from slitting your throat is that we need information. - you whispered in the ear of the enemy in russian. His eyes going wild.

-Лиса. - he whispered in a trembling voice.

-What'd he say? - asked Soap.

-Fox. - you stated. Of course you were infamous in their circles. You took out more of them than they can replace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you left the interogation room, passing Ghost, you stopped beside him.

-All yours big guy. - you said before leaving.

He took in a sharp breath, much to your liking. Then he proceeded with the interrogation. You were out in the back smoking, Price appearing again.

-Good work today Sergeant.

-Thank you Captn'.

-You can leave some of the work to us you know. - he chuckled.

-If i can get the team out of there without any scratches, i'm gonna make sure they do Capt'n. With all due respect, without me you'd be dead.

-That is true, i meant before that. You do not have to carry this team on your shoulders. These men are the bests out there, and i am glad you ended up with us as well. 141 is now unadmittedly the deadliest team out there.

-Glad to hear Cap.

-So what do you think?

-What do i think of what?

-The team.

-With all due respect sir, i am not here to make friends. I am here to do my job.

You said before leaving. An MRE was on your cot again. As you picked it up, Soap already saluting in the air with his back to you.

After you ate, you went out to the roof for one last smoke when Ghost joined you. You wordlessly offered him a cigarette he took it, as you both sat there in silence. You felt his stare on your face, and you were afraid of looking him in the eye. The fucking Fox was afraid to look a man in the eye. You felt he would stare into your very soul, extracting your secrets. So you didn't turn. When you finished, he lent a hand to you, to help you stand up wordlessly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your next mission was a stake out. You, Soap and Ghost, in a shack out in the woods, near suspected routes. To make it seem abandoned you could not light a fire, so no heat, no warm food. You sat by the window, smoking quietly, Soap fast asleep in the next room. You felt a presence behind you, then weight on your shoulders. Ghost put a blanket around you. He still didn't talk, and you appreciated it. He was the only one who did not try to talk to you, yet you had an understanding. Communicating almost only with stares. His eyes held so much pain, yet somehow still soft, there was a kind of longing. His stare bore deeper these days. You did not know that yesterday, he had mistakenly opened the door to the bathroom, just as you opened the water on yourself. He saw the scars littering your body, your form, your hair falling on your back. He did not see your face, but he sure was a man. In that moment all he wanted was to take your dogtags in his hand and urge you closer to him.. perhaps walking up behind you and pressing your back to his front. Some warmth he experienced long ago.. He quickly left though. Ever since then he did little acts of kindness, he himself did not understood.

As a week passed and you felt yourself opening up to him a bit more. Sometimes you even talked. Soap too.

-So what's with the mask? - Soap asked. You briefly looked at Ghost.

-Being unidentifyable helps. Both with enemies and teammates.

-Why would it help with teammates?

-You wouldn't recognize me in civil. Easier to not get attached, not being friends. Isn't it? - you asked with a chuckle, lighting another cigarette.

-I agree with that. - said Ghost.

-You're unbeliavable. I can't believe i am stuck with two Ghosts. - laughed Soap. You and Ghost looked at eachother with hidden smiles. That night Ghost was who took the "night shift". You were sleeping on the couch beside him, not being able to sleep with Soap snoring beside you. When he noticed russians on the perimeter of the forest. He slowly grabbed your ankle. You woke up immediately. He signed to you that there are enemies nearby. You took a hold of your knives, strapping them on you, locking the door on Soap. It had no windows, he would be safe there. You took your sniper rifle heading for the upper floor. Ghost killed them one by one from the living room, you from the first floor. When you didn't see any more, you went down, getting ready to go out, search them and the forest nearby for any survivors.

He had the same thought, but caught your forearm before you opened the door. He moved your back, pressing you to his chest,his hand on your arm, the other going to rest gently on your waist, as he pressed his forehead to the back of your head, rendering you motionless.

-Careful out there. - he whispered.

-Not getting rid of me so easily. - you said standing still. He inhaled slowly. The scent of peaches. He never knew he would like it. Nod slowly, letting go of you.

You searched the perimeter on opposite sides of the shack. Then you heard gunshots. You ran. There were about 11 men in total. You took out as much as you could. Then you saw one firing at Ghost. A bullet grazed his side, but he moved just as unfazed as you would've. When all the men were dead, you ran up to him, Checking his side.

-I'm fine.

-You're not. C'mon, I'll patch you up.

-I can do it myself.

-You got hurt under my watch, I'm.. i'll help.

-It was my watch, and i am your liutenant. Step down sergeant. - he said with emotionless voice.

You looked him in the eyes, guilt in his, hurt in yours. You nod and turned around, walking back to the house.

When he got back he only hear Soap shouting at you for locking him in instead of waking up. When he entered Soap turned to him in silence.

-I am so fucking fed up with you masked asshats thinking you're better than anyone of us. I'm not some kid you're babysitting.

-Oh fuck off. - you said before leaving the shack again. Ghost staring after you. You were maybe mistaken about this being a fitting team for you. Anyhow in a few hours a chopper will come and take you all back to the base.

The way back was silent. Each of you were silent for a different reason. Soap was furious, Ghost did not know what to say, nor did he want to, and you.. you were hurt.

Back in the briefing room Ghost as the highest rank amongs you three, told the captain what happened. The whole team there. When he finished the Captain sighed and moved to speak.

-Sergeants, anything you want to add?

You stood up, clearing your throat.

-Requesting reassignment Captain.

-On what grounds? - he asked while every eye shot to you.

-Conflict of interest. Can't work with individuals not accepting clear, logical reasoning of help. - you stated.

Ghost scoffed.

-Anything to add Lieutenant? - Price sighed. He knew this wouldn't be easy, but you to already want to resign after 2 months... he was frustrated. He promised your sister to keep you here, and keep you safe.

-Sargeant Fox is refering to me, refusing her help to stich up my side after the attack. I think it is not a reason for reassignment.

-Lieutenant i think i am perfectly capable of deciding if i have a reason for reassignment or not. - you fought back.

Your stare off with him was disturbed by Roach whispering to Price.

-This is the most i've heard them speak in months. - making Soap laugh. You both looked at him, and he threw his hands up in surrender while smiling.

Price cleared his throat again.

-Request to reassign denied. See you all on the chopper back to the main base at 0700.

You furiously left.

Soap looked at you, then at Ghost staring after you with an emotion in his eyes he never saw before, before he shook his head, leaving.

-I think that's progress. - he said to Price.

-You call that progress?

-Have you seen any of them talk this much or so this much feeling? - he laughed before leaving.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You felt him staring at you the whole way to the base. YOu refused to look at him. Good thing he didn't know you, or didn't have ways to contact you. Spending christmas at home, with your family, and now your Captain was enough.

-How's Simon? - asked your sister from her husband. You did not remember a Simon on the team.

-He's fine. Strong headed as ever. I invited him over for new years eve if thats fine.

-Course he's fine, i'm actually quite hurt you didn't invite him for christmas.

You rolled your eyes. So much formality and feelings. Maybe you could skip new years eve this year.

-No, I know what you're thinking again.. You cannot skip it. - said your sister with a smile to you, making you sigh.

-Fine. Just don't try to push your friends at me.

Price just smirked. He knew what you did not. You're gonna meet with Simon on New Years eve, and none of you will know the other without the masks.

[krabmeat]

putting the existential gay religion poem under a cut for folks who don’t like religious shit :]] (heads up all of my poetry is written with the spoken word intention so if it sounds a bit odd then that’s why !!)

God,

What is your word?

It’s something I’ve heard

Over and over

Again,

And each time

The pastor said

That my queerness is queer

And my knees shall buckle down to you

Sought for forgiveness.

Is that what you said?

Your word is sacred,

Did you know this?

Your word is slew in hatred

And greed.

Latin written words said in gospel

Spread by the churches.

Tithes, indulgences-

Did you send Jesus for this?

For the holy and the pure

To tax the people

Your son died to live as?

What did Jesus endure?

The people couldn’t read your preach.

The words reach

Went as far as your faux disciples

And filtered context to the people.

Please know that I’m feeble.

God, know that I’m feeble and confused.

I want to love you

But I don’t know if your words are even true

Because they’ve been twisted

And turned

And every time

I arrive to the house of Christ before noon

The blood in me feels hated.

And the guilt rises

When I feel I should be elated by your presence

But where is it?

Where are you?

Certainly not in your people?

They preach of life yet want to take mine away,

They preach of love yet ridicule mine,

They preach of forgiveness yet never fail to be so unforgiving,

They preach of trust yet all I see are unfair shields

And god,

God,

I don’t wanna hear them anymore.

God,

They’re telling me what you have in store

For me,

And it makes me terrified.

God,

I’m so scared of you.

So I arrive to the church

In modesty and grief,

And I wash my hands.

I’ve been told I’m undeserving of a pillow

So my god-given-knees rest on hardwood,

And i plea.

I plea to you, god.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for my dishonesty

In calling myself a true disciple of you.

I’m told I’m nothing but a ruse

A hoax, disgrace to the highest degree,

God,

But I’ve been told too much.

Please, bless me.

Bless me with the grace of your voice,

Your words flowing through my ears—

Tell me you hate me

And in turn I will redeem.

Tell me you hate me,

And in turn I will scream your gospel.

Tell me you hate me,

And in turn I will shout amen loud enough for you to hear it from the heavens.

Tell me you hate me,

And in turn your people will have valid reason to revere.

But until then, god,

You made me queer.

Until then,

I’m holy until proven unholy.

Because you made this life for me.

Hand crafted with hands made of love.

I was built by you,

And god, I was built in love.

I was built to love, god.

My arms were built to embrace,

They were built so lovingly

And they search for people to love.

My lips speak of

Love unrestrained to man or woman,

Because you create with love

Therefore love is everyone.

My body is made of

Undefined

Because you made me this way for a reason.

So generous of you

To allow me to experience the joy of creation.

My blood bleeds red.

My blood splatters just like his.

My blood will be written in martyrship just like his

Because you’ve made it my mission

To hear your voice.

To hold your hands and feel the blood flowing under your skin

Because you’ve shown me so much love

And it feels like the peoples gospel is just that:

The peoples.

But if it turns out to be true,

Then hell awaits me.

My uncertainty of you

Will have me damned

To a man

You deem just as undeserving of you as I am.

And I will close my eyes,

And I will fall back,

Satisfied.

Because at least then, your truth would be your truth.

And if there’s one thing I’ll pray for,

It’s a closing statement.

In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

[hoursofreading]

I was an atheist for 27 years. I don't necessarily agree with the other poster who mentioned quantum mechanics. I'm a physics bachelor, so I've taken 2 senior level courses in QM, and I don't believe it is incompatible with a purely physical universe. I don't believe there is absolutely any physical evidence or proof that can ever be used to "prove" God, or "prove" an Intelligent Design or anything like that. I think a created universe and an uncreated universe are not in principle distinguishable from each other. I am, have always been, and remain a perfect agnostic, in that way. Personally, my conversion was very philosophical, and I continue to view Christianity more as a philosophy than as a system of mere intellectual belief. Namely, it is the philosophy that Love (Agapē) Is the Highest Good. I went through some major upheavals in my life, and I was forced to stare my nihilism in the face. I was forced to look on the yawning meaningless of a universe where there is no Highest Good, no Purpose for existence. And I realized there was absolutely zero reason to stay alive in such a universe. I was nothing more than a slave of my genes and neurotransmitters, in that universe. There was no good and evil, in that universe, only dead dust. The only truly free action I could take in such a universe, the only way to declare my independence, the only way to escape that prison, would be suicide. I kept thinking about the Holocaust. I was already a leftist and an antifascist. I regarded the Holocaust as an act of intrinsic evil. But finally, forced to stare a godless universe in the face by the loss of everything I had held dear and lived for, I found myself wondering: What actually made the Holocaust evil? Was it all just nothing more than carbon being converted into another form of carbon? I thought of the children who died in the gas chambers, the pictures I'd seen of their fingernail markings embedded in the concrete walls of the rooms where they died. Did noone hear their screams? Were their deaths meaningless in the grand scheme of things? We won the war; we hanged all the Nazis; we told ourselves justice was done. But was it really? Would it have been any comfort to those children, to come to them in that chamber as they were choking on Zyklon-B, and say, "Do not fear! The allies will win, and put all the people who did this to you to the rope!" Did killing the Nazis make right a single one of their wrongs, in the end? After all, it wasn't really justice that won, was it? It was force of arms. It was military might. What if the Nazis had won that war? What if we had never heard about the Holocaust? Does good really depend on strength to win in the end? On material victory? And what about 1000 years from now? What about 1,000,000 years from now? What about 1,000,000,000,000 years from now, when our planet has been swallowed up by our sun and the sun and every star in the night sky has gone dark, and all that is left is dead cold atoms and space, and there are no more history books, no trace or memory, no minds left that remember the Holocaust? When the Nazis and the Jews and the Allies and everyone who has ever lived, the good and the evil alike, have all returned to dust? Will justice have been done then? Christianity, to me, is nothing more than a hope. It is nothing more than the choice of rebellion against that dead, dark, nihilistic universe. It is the choice to say, "Love Is my God. I will not live as a slave to material things, the things of this world that are passing away. I will choose to resist entropy, and build up my neighbor in love. I will choose to live in the hope that love is not in vain, that love will be victorious in the End." That's all it is for me, anyway. Just a hope. I chose it, instead of death.

u/elenjays

[edenjohansson]

Chapter 19

fifty shades of red

Bella's pov :

We were almost 10 000 vampires ready to fight. I took care of some members of the Avengers team like Fury, Maria and others. I called the wife of Clint and the girlfriend of Thor, Jane. Everyone was safe and under my protection. Even if lately my protection was more like a strainer than a shield.

"Bell', we are almost ready. Do you have everything?" Mary asked me, worried.

I walked towards her and hugged her tightly. She let out a small sigh and I felt herself trying to not cry right now.

"We are going to get them back. I promise Mary"

She nodded against my shoulder. I stepped back away from her and took my black sword in my hands. I have had this sword since I won against my mother when I was 21. I hung it behind my back and crossed it with my second sword, a white one, the only one I forged myself.

"Let's go. They are waiting for us" I said to Mary, confident.

We walked out of my bedroom and got down in my living room. I found my highest vampires around and talked to Klein about everyone.

"We have 10 000 vampires right now, 5000 of them are over 1500 years old but only 500 of them already know the battlefield" Klein said to me, reading his papers.

I walked and stopped in front of my table, which was now a huge map of Senka's territory. Her castle was the center of it. I already visited it many times but it was a long time ago.

"We have to leave the newborn vampires behind for the first attack. I want the spies first" I started and looked at one of my highest vampires, his name is Noon, he's in charge of all the spies "Then the archers and if we passed through all of this we sent the soldiers. Ema, I want you to watch over the newborn and make sure their safe"

Ema was the most recent high vampire transformed and was really kind with the young one. I watched over my visionary, Camille was capable of seeing the future but only briefly and was never wrong.

"Did you have some information for us, Camille?" Klein asked her, knowing her power.

She shook her head, sometimes she didn't see anything, sometimes it was just before the attack and sometimes in the middle of the battlefield. I trusted her to tell me right away if she saw anything. We continued to discuss our plan and decided to move.

The road was long and we had to pass through a portal to reach Europe. We were divided into 3 groups, mine with Mary and the spies, the second with Camille and the archers and finally Ema with the soldiers and the younglish. We decided that my group was the first to pass the portal and when we cleared the road we called the rest of us.

We ran for almost 2 hours to finally reach the portal. At first sight there was nothing but when we had a vampire's vision we saw a crack large enough for a car to pass. I looked at my team and then at the others, nodded and gave the signal to pass through it.

I stepped on the other side and quickly adapted my vision and hearing to see if there was any threat. I confirmed and Mary followed me. The spies ran and took position on some tree close to Senka's house. They let me know that there was no one outside. I found it strange, Senka never leaves her house without protection.

"What if they're not here?" Mary asked me, looking around us.

"I feel the bond. I know they are here. You don't feel anything?"

"I feel anxious right now. But there's something else"

"Tell me about it" I asked her, knowing that it's the first time for her to feel something like that.

"Like a rope who wants to pull me towards her" She said with her hands on her chest.

"That's the bond Mary. It feels like that when you are away from your mate"

She nodded, she was worried since we started running because it was the first time she was on the battlefield but I was sure she was going to be perfect today. I heard my spied telling me that nobody was around the house so we could start moving. I gave a signal to Camille so she can pass through the portal too with the archers.

They all ran and positioned themself next to the spies, ready to attack. With Mary we moved to the border of the forest. Camille was going to stay behind so she could warn us later. I tried to pay attention to the sound inside the house. I started to ask myself if there were people.

I stepped a little closer and saw something moved on the floor, a branch. My foot was on it but the end of it was different. Like if there was a wall between me and the end of that branch. I reached out my hand and saw my fingers changing colors.

"What the hell is that?" I asked myself.

I moved further and saw my hand disappear behind this magic wall. I got my hand back and admired it without seeing anything weird. Senka created an entire wall around her house so nobody can enter.

"Change of plan" I said to Mary and my troops behind me "We attack by surprise now".

I heard my soldiers passing through the portal behind me. I looked at Mary.

"We found the Avengers and we left right away. The soldiers take care of the possibility of some attack back" I said to her.

I took her hands and let my powers roll inside of her head to let her know that I'm with her and that nobody will hurt her. She nodded with determination in her eyes. We passed the wall and reached behind, in front of an army of vampires ready to attack.

"Well, I lacked exercises these days" I said to them sarcastically.

"Don't play that much bitch. We just finished eating some delicious human's blood so we are faster and stronger than you" One of the vampires said to me.

"You see, you shouldn't tell me that because you made me very angry" I responded with my powers all around me "Let's play".

[infiniterichesinalittleroom]

August

Dull August! Maiden of the sultry days, And Summer's latest born! When all the woods Grow dim with smoke, and smirch their lively green With haze of long-continued drought begot; When every field grows yellow, and a plague Of thirst dries up its herbage to the root, So that the cattle grow quite ribby-lean On woody stalks whose juices all are spent; When every fronded fern in mid-wood hid Grows sick and yellow with the jaundice heat, Whilst those on hill-sides glare with patchy red; When streamlets die upon the lichened rocks, And leave the bleaching pebbles shining bare, And every mussel shell agape and parched, And small snail-craft quite emptied of their crews; When not one angel-cloud is to be seen To image coolness and the coming rain, But all the air with stour and dust is filled, Through which the sun stares with a pallid face On which one long may look, and turn, and read Some prophecy of old with eyes undimmed; When every morn is fiery as the noon, And every eve is fiery as the morn, And every night a prison hot and dark, Where one doth sleep and dream of pleasant snow, And winter's icicles and blessed cold, But, soon awakes, with limbs uneasy cramped, And garments drenched, and stifled, panting breath; When life itself grows weary of its use, And mind is tarnished with the hue of things, And thoughts are sickened with o'erdàrkened food; When man uneasy strolls, a listless mome In museless misery, a wretch indeed— Say, fiery maiden, with the scorching eyes, What hast thou left to chain us to the earth? Ah, there are busy forms which, all unsought, Find yet a relish in thy scanty store. And, for that blooms are scarce, therefore the bee Wades knee-deep in the purple thistle tops, And shares their sweetness with the hungry wasp. Therefore the butterfly comes sailing down, And, heedless, lighting on a hummer's back, Soon tacks aloft in sudden strange alarm, Whilst bee and wasp quick scurry out of sight, And leave their treasures to the plodding ant. The beetle in the tree-top sits and sings His brassy tune with increase to the end, And one may peep and peer amongst the leaves, Yet see him not though still he sits aloft, And winds his reedy horn into the noon. Now many a sob is heard in thickets dim, Where little birds sit, pensive, on the spray, And muse mayhap on the delights of Spring; And many a chitmunk whistles out its fear, And jerks and darts along the panneled rails, Then stops, and watches with unwinking eyes Where you do stand, as motionless as death; But should you wag a finger through the air, Or move a-tiptoe o'er the crispy sod, 'Twill snudge away beneath the balsam brush, Quick lost and safe among the reddened spray. Now one may sit within a little vale, Close to the umbrage of some wood whose gums Give heavy odours to the heavy air, And watch the dusty crackers snap their wings, Whilst gangs of blue-flies fetch a buzzing teaze Of mad, uneasy whirlings overhead. Now one may mark the spider trim his web From bough to bough, and sorrow at the fate Of many a sapless fly quite picked and bare, Still hanging lifeless in the silken mesh, Or muse upon the maze of insect brede Which finds a home and feeds upon the leaves Till naught but fibre-skeletons are hung From branch to branch up to the highest twig. And many a curious pleasance may be seen And strange disport. Of such the wondrous glee The joinèd gnats have in their headlong flight; The wild'ring quest of horse-flies humming past In twos and threes, and the small cloud of wings Which mix and throng together in the sun. A num'rous kin dart shining o'er some pool Spared from the general wreck of water store, And from the lofty woods crow-blackbird trains Chuck o'er the barren leas with long-drawn flight. Far o'er the hills the grouse's feath'ry drum Beats quick and loud within a beechen copse, And, sometimes, when the heavy woods are still, A single tap upon a hemlock spire Dwells with the lonely glades in echoes deep. Then with the eve come sounds of varied note. The boys troop clam'ring to the woods, and curs Yelp sharply where the groundhog's lair is found. The horn has called the reapers from the fields, And, now, from cots half-hid by fruited trees, The homely strains of fiddle or of fife, Which distance sweetens with a needed art, Come dropping on the ear. And sometimes, too, If sparks are deemed sincere, and rustic love Run smooth, the merry milkmaids sing A fallow's length with pails at elbow slung, Or, while they thrust the draw-well dangler down, 'Gainst which the swains oppose their yielding strength, Laugh loud and long, or scold with mimicked heat. These find a pleasure in the waste of days, And strive against the mis'ry of the time With am'rous snares and artifice of love. Not less those faithful ones who look upon This weather-sorrow with sufficing joy— The old, who still would linger with their seed, And snatch a little comfort from the earth. Still would they gaze upon the simmering sun, And take the warmth into their aged bones, Nor cavil with the hindrances which stay. The lethal hour when death shall come and bend Their reverend heads into the restful grave. Hail August! Maiden of the sultry days, To thee I bring the measured meed of praise. For, though thou hast besmirched the day and night, And hid a wealth of glory from our sight, Thou still dost build in musing, pensive mood, Thy blissful idyls in the underwood. Thou still dost yield new beauties, fair and young, With many a form of grace as yet unsung, Which ripens o'er thy pathway and repays The toil and languor of the sultry days.

by Charles Mair