#hmm we never got you that new tag after we dropped the lesbian one. any ideas

[faggot-friday]

👗 A headcanon about their clothes

Fitz

You get shirts headcanons. Surprise!

Cool colours (mostly blues and greens), breast pockets, hates collars, either just a block colour or anything with a dinosaur on it

[kristallioness]

Two in one

Summary: Kya receives a gift from a new friend.

Word count: 1,651

Author's note: I was just showering and one thought led to another (apparently I get some good fic ideas while showering).. I was thinking about how Katara never really used much makeup - only during the time she and Toph were going to the Earth King's party and that spa in the Upper Ring, also when she disguised herself as the Painted Lady. Even when there were formal events, such as the government elections in Yu Dao, or when she's 34-35 in their family photo she doesn't wear any, which is a thing I really love about her because she seems to believe in natural beauty like me. But her daughter Kya does, so I thought how she could bond with Asami through that (they'd become closer friends and talk more, ever since Kya told her and Korra that she's there for them and she supports their relationship). By then this story began writing itself in my head because I love my lesbian cloudbaby so much and I'm excited for these bisexual ladies and their new story in "Turf Wars: Part Two" (I've seen spoilers and I want my copy to arrive asap because the first part left me with the most unexpected and best feeling ever: like I'd just watched an actual episode of the show). Also, I had major TLOK feels when I went through transcripts and some screenshots for references of Air Temple Island and some other stuff (I NEED to do that rewatch, the sooner the better).

----------x----------

"I'll get it, mom!" Kya exclaimed to the other room as she made her way to the door. A familiar knock let her know that the mailman was there. She opened their igloo door and the middle-aged man greeted her with a big grin.

"Good morning, Master Kya! You have a package from Republic City," he said as he handed her a medium-sized box, which had been wrapped in a pretty lavender wrapping paper and tied together with a magenta bow.

"Morning! And thanks, Boda! Who's it from?" she wondered as she looked at every side of the package.

"I have no idea, but whoever sent it must be really rich. Look at the tag, it's from Future Industries."

Kya grabbed the white label that had been attached to the bow and looked at the familiar logo on one side, her name and address had been written on the other side. She hummed in curiosity and quirked an eyebrow. There was only one person who she knew from that company.

"Hmm.. guess they wanted to surprise me," she replied with a shrug, a loving smile on her lips. Kya wished Boda a good day and closed the door to not let any more freezing air inside. She gently shook the box as she headed to the kitchen to join her mother for lunch.

"Who was it, sweetie?" Katara wondered as she was pouring the tea into two cups.

"Boda brought me a package," Kya said, taking a seat behind the table that'd been set for the second meal of the day. The smell of sea prune stew boiling in a big pot, steaming tofu, fresh blubbered seal jerky on a plate and kale cookies for dessert filled the home of the two master waterbenders. The younger one placed her package on the edge of the table and began unwrapping it.

"Who's it from?" Katara asked, putting Kya's hot cup of tea next to her empty plate before she took a seat on the other end of the small table and started lifting the food onto her own plate.

"I think it might be from Asami. There's a Future Industries logo on the tag."

"Oh, what's inside?"

When Kya had removed the nice wrapping paper and put the bow aside, she unveiled a darker blue rectangular-shaped gift box. She lifted the top, her cerulean eyes widening in surprise.

"Wow! Mom, look at this!" Kya gasped, running a hand over the gifts inside.

"What is it?"

"It's makeup and jewellery. Lots of it. She really shouldn't have.." the younger waterbender said as she picked up a lipstick. The colour seemed to be quite similar to the one she usually wore, complementing her brown skin tone perfectly. There were four more, both a tad lighter and darker tones, plus three pairs of earrings, some eye shadow to complement her eye colour, something to powder her cheeks with and a couple of glittery blue hair ties that she could use to fasten her long grey hair with.

Kya also noticed an even thinner plain cardboard box hidden underneath the accessories after she'd shuffled them around a bit. She picked it up and pulled it open, revealing a letter and a couple of photographs.

"She also wrote me a letter and there are some photos in here."

"Would you care to share with me if they're not too personal?" Katara asked, slurping some of the delicious broth and chewing on the tasty sea prunes along with a bite of tofu.

"Of course!" Kya declared cheerfully. She raised a hand in front of her mouth to clear her throat before she began reading the letter out loud.

"Dear Kya,

I hope you had a pleasant trip back home. How's everything at the Southern Water Tribe? I've been busy planning the construction of the new suburb in the northwestern corner of Republic City. The first inhabitants have already moved into their new homes, but we still have a long way to go before this refugee problem is solved. The healers were grateful for your help and wanted to send you, and your mother, their best wishes.

I put together a special makeup kit for you, as a way of saying thanks for supporting me and Korra's relationship. It really means a lot, for both of us. I hope you'll like these newest samples and that I got the right tones for everything. Let me know if there's anything else you might wanna try. Next time you visit Republic City or come to stay on Air Temple Island for a longer while, maybe we could get together and share some tips? I'd love to find out more about Water Tribe traditions so I'd be able to surprise Korra with something I learned from you.

Speaking of surprises, Korra found an old camera from Tenzin's attic and we tested it out. We took several shots in some places, so I wanted to send some of them to you. They're kind of silly, but I hope they'll bring a smile to your face.

Korra also wanted to send hugs to your mother. She specifically told me to tell you to give Katara a big hug for her. Can't wait to hear back from you! Much love and hugs,

Asami."

As Kya reached the last paragraph, she stood up and walked over to her mother to actually wrap an arm around her, still reading the last sentences from the letter out to her. When she finished, she wrapped the other arm around her, too.

"Aww! That was so sweet of her. And thank you for the hug, my little waterbender," Katara said, snaking an arm around her daughter's waist to hug her back. She sat back down to have a look at the photos. She started giggling at the first one.

"Oh-oh-oh-hooo.. this is a good one!" Kya laughed and handed it to her mother, who held a hand in front of her mouth as she chuckled, too. It was a shot taken near the meditation pavilion at the far corner of Air Temple Island. Tenzin was meditating in the background, but Korra had jumped in front of the camera and pulled a funny face. He seemed to be completely oblivious to what was happening around him.

"Hey, here's one of Jinora," Kya said and gave it to Katara, who smiled lovingly.

"Oh my, look at that! That's my young airbending master alright."

The second photograph had both Jinora and her boyfriend Kai in it. Korra supported her hands on their shoulders to hold them close to each other, she was standing behind them. It was taken under the wooden pathway, which connected different parts of the temple on the outside.

As Kya stared at the third photo of the happy couple, she narrowed her eyes and released a long hum in thought.

"Hmmm... Why does this seem so familiar to me?"

"Let me see," Katara turned her attention to her daughter after she'd finished marvelling at the photo of her granddaughter. Kya showed her the photo of Korra and Asami, then continued to browse through the other ones.

"I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't put my finger on what it is exactly.. the location or something?" she shrugged. Her mother's mouth dropped wide open.

"Oh my goodness!"

"What? What's wrong, mom?"

"I know why this is familiar to you," Katara claimed as she slowly stood up from behind the table to head to the living room. Kya dropped the rest of the photographs back in the smaller box on the dining table and followed her. She watched how her mother stepped in front of the cupboard where their photo albums were, pondering for a moment before pulling out one of them. She took a seat on the couch, her little waterbender doing the same.

"What are you looking for?"

"An old photo of me and your father.." Katara explained as she carefully turned the pages of the thick album. It was one that contained shots from her early adulthood together with Aang, when they'd already had Bumi. The photos were taken by a prototype that Sokka had later helped develop into one of the first working cameras. Katara flipped through dozens of pages until she found the right one.

"Here it is," she said as she held the photo of Korra and Asami next to one of her own.

"Woah!.. I can't believe it. That's you and dad in the.. the.. same place," Kya stuttered, her mouth remaining agape this time as she pointed a finger to the picture in the album.

It was a similar photo of Katara and Aang together on Air Temple Island, probably taken near the welcoming gate at the top of the hill. Their home was in the background, behind Katara's figure on the left. Almost half of the temple was visible on the right side behind Aang. They seemed to be laughing at the moment the picture was taken, with Katara's hand holding her husband close to her from his middle and his own supported on her right shoulder.

Kya was awestruck because her parents' poses and faces looked exactly the same as Korra and Asami's. The Avatars shared their signature goofy grin. The angle in which the camera had been positioned was practically the same, hence the background looked the same.

"When was this taken?"

"Your father and I were in our early twenties," the elder waterbender replied, a twinkle appearing in her diamond blue eyes as she gazed at the photos surrounding the one she'd wanted to show Kya, of her being together with her beloved. She blinked away a few tears that the memories had brought on, sensing how her daughter wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Wow.. I guess his spirit really does live on in her."

"Of course it does, she's the Avatar," Katara said proudly.

[niuxita21]

And since I’ve started blogging regularly about TV shows again after about a couple of years of finding my happy place in women’s football, I just need to be intense about the season 2 premiere of El Embarcadero for two seconds and then I’ll be fine.

I was legit terrified of watching this episode lmao because the s1 finale left me SHOOKETH and there were just so many ways to go from there but I was only going to be OK with a couple of them so for me there was a lot riding on how they chose to develop things after Alex’s shocking confession in the last few seconds of the finale and the new development of her possibly having realized her feelings for Verónica. My worst case scenario was a time jump of like a year or so to account for the passage of time in real life (maybe?) So IMAGINE my surprise and delight when the episode starts and it picks up right where they left off (even a few seconds earlier), like, I knew it was going to be a good episode when just a few seconds in and I already approved of the decisions being made.

The fact that we got a redo of the bed makeout scene but this time better shot and with NO ÓSCAR anywhere to be seen like ???? Did someone read my innermost thoughts and find out that I was a bit disappointed in the eclectic camera work that didn’t let me see shit and in Óscar being interspersed with Alex and Verónica kissing for the very first time in the finale? WHO SAID god is not real????

The confrontation post-confession went about exactly as I’d hoped/imagined it would with Verónica getting mad and kicking Alex out almost immediately without letting her explain. I did enjoy the glimpses we got of their fight before Alex left, with both of them getting super intense and in each other’s faces, made all the more delicious by the height difference. That said, I had to LOL at Alex’s “You came into my house and stole the love of my life, you can’t kick me out of your house!” bc LMAO gurl, I love you to pieces but whaaaa?? Lots to unpack here but bottom line, it’s OK, you did just makeout with a hot lady for the first time in your life, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t be thinking straight (ha!)

Verónica deciding that the best way to deal with her anger at being betrayed by “Martina” is to BURN ALL HER SHIT LMAO. That is a totally sane and healthy reaction to a friend breakup, shall we say, and not at all an indication of some deeper feelings there. Nope, not at all.

I loved that Alex said in therapy that she thought what happened to her with Verónica with respect to her inability to pull away from her was the same thing that happened to Óscar, because that’s what I’ve always thought. Like I can totally see why Óscar and Alex would be drawn to each other, they’re both hot, adorable, type-A nerds, so it also makes sense that they would be drawn to the same type of person who comes into their lives and puts everything completely upside down just by virtue of being like no one they’ve ever met before. Also, Alex saying she’s having trouble dealing with Verónica’s absence, nawwwww. This show is just committed to giving me everything I want and it’s only episode 1!!!

The scene between Verónica and Conrado was interesting on a couple of levels. 1) He finally showed his true colours as the typical man who appears to be a cool and understanding dude until something comes between him and a woman he has decided he wants and then the aggressive, possessive alpha-male jumps out. Bit disappointing ngl because I thought he was one of the good ones. And 2) Verónica’s “What do you want with [Alex]?” (roughly), just a few shades from being jealous, and “I’ll step away if I want to” made me think that she was legit gonna pursue something with Alex just to piss off Conrado, but thankfully that was not the case. I did like that it was a subtle continuation of the way she’d been tuning into the thing between Alex and Conrado in the last two episodes of season 1. I always thought it was the beginnings of jealousy because she was starting to develop feelings for Alex so we’ll see if I was right and she ever brings it up when they get together for real.

THE BATHTUB SCENE. Possibly my favourite moment between these two in the entire series so far, dethroning the hug at the beach in the season 1 finale. I mean, UGH, where do I even start. The way Alex looks down at Verónica naked in the bathtub with such tenderness and asks her if she’s OK. Her “I’m not leaving, I can’t be away from you” in response to Verónica kicking her out. The way you can see the wheels turning inside her head and weighing the options of doing what Verónica is ordering her to do or staying and continuing to fight to get her back, until the latter finally wins out and she straight up TAKES HER SHOES OFF and gets into the bathtub with her. Like, she doesn’t say a single word, but that’s her grand gesture right there and it does all the work for her because a few seconds later, Verónica breaks down and pulls her into the tightest softest hug and at this point I DON’T KNOW HOW I AM STILL ALIVE. Also, this shot:

Like what kind of epic love story shit is this??? And then:

How TIGHTLY Verónica is wrapped around Alex I can’t deal with any of it.

And then Verónica pulls Alex down with her and all of a sudden they’re CUDDLING IN THE BATHTUB WITH ALEX FULLY CLOTHED AND LAYING COMPLETELY ON TOP OF A VERY NAKED VERÓNICA BECAUSE OF HOW TINY SHE IS LIKE HOW IS THIS A REAL THING THAT I’M WITNESSING WITH MY OWN TWO EYES I CAN’T EVEN. And then Verónica apologizes to Alex for ruining her marriage and Alex quips that she never even found out and they both laugh and like, it’s amazing that they’re already at a place where they can joke about that like it’s nbd I’m just :))))

That said... it did feel like Verónica came around way too quickly. IDK it seems to me that Alex would have had a bit more explaining to do before Verónica felt like she was OK with forgiving her like, no offense to that tiny, possibly lesbian disaster, I mean, I love her, but what she did to Verónica was messed UP even if she WAS her husband’s mistress, and at the very least I feel like Alex needed to apologize for deceiving her like that. Maybe the key to all this is that mysterious message Alex said she left for Verónica but that we didn’t listen. Maybe she apologized and explained herself at length knowing Verónica probably wouldn’t let her do it in person? That makes sense to me. Hopefully we get to hear it in later episodes, given how timey-wimey the storytelling is on this show.

ALSO, Verónica calling her “Alejandra” for the first time. Ugh, I love this song. As a sidenote, I always headcanoned that, once Verónica found out who Alex really was, she would always call her by her full name and not by her nickname. It just seems to jive with what we know of her character so far. Let’s see if I’m right.

The whole sequence of Alex, Verónica, and Sol having a happy family afternoon riding the horse, playing tag on the beach, and having a tortilla de patata contest all set to that happy-go-lucky “Suspicious Mind” song is what serotonin is made of. My goodness. It’s impossible not to smile while watching it. And my biggest takeaway is Alex’s big ass SMILE:

She’s SO HAPPY. This little family that she conned her way into makes her so genuinely HAPPY and it melts my heart. 

Alex telling Verónica she thinks Óscar was murdered and then “If you think someone killed him, I’m gonna help you find whoever did it.” Like DO YOU KNOW how much I wanted these two to team up and try to figure out what really happened to Óscar together??? I just figured, if it ever happened, it would be like halfway through the season at the very least, because that’s how long I imagined it would take Verónica to forgive Alex for deceiving her, so to have it happen already? IS IT MY BIRTHDAY OR SOMETHING??? And just, like, the amount of TRUST she already has in Alex, like not 24 hours have passed since she found out who she really is but she’s already willing to follow whatever theories she has and assuming she’s right. It makes me so happy.

Alex not being able to sleep next to a topless Verónica because she’s so attracted to her? Brilliant, fantastic, amazing, showstopping, spectacular, *chef’s kiss*, etc.

That whole morning scene when Alex wakes up and starts freaking out because Sol is gonna be late for school, like, she’s already acting like such a MOM to her, I can’t handle it. But my favourite part was how she asks Verónica “Did you burn ALL my clothes?” with not an ounce of reproach in her voice, she just wants to know if there’s anything in that house that she can wear to her meeting to save time, and Verónica’s like “I can lend you something” and Alex, “Something appropriate for a meeting with architects?” and Verónica fake ponders, “Hmm... let me think... nope,” clearly pulling her leg. I just ADORE how, now that the jig is up and Alex is being herself with Verónica, this new dynamic is starting to take shape wherein Alex can be all type-A with Verónica and Verónica just teases her about it without Alex even getting mad, the same way she did with Óscar.

Verónica dropping in on Alex at her work to tell her about the tickets to Óscar’s car. OK 1) The way Alex SMILES when she sees Verónica was probably my second favourite moment of the episode. There this show goes again subverting my expectations. When I saw Verónica walking in, I thought we were in for their first disagreement because Alex would be embarrassed about having Verónica there, since she’s always been very zealous about keeping her life at the albufera and her life as Alex separate. But NOPE, not this show!

skdfhkjdhk tattoo that smile on my forehead like???? I mean I thought I had a pretty clear read on Alex’s character so far, but she’s just throwing me for a loop here, lol. I guess being in love really does that to people IDK. (Sidenote: how GORGEOUS is she??? She’s got that classically Spanish dark hair and intense dark eyes that just drive me crazy.)

The both of them just sitting around in Alex’s office doing some amateur detective work re: Óscar’s speeding tickets and the mysterious town where he seemed to be coming and going, casually being like, “I’ve never seen him do that” “Neither have I” like they’re talking about a mutual friend and not about, idk, the man they were both in love with (and who is now dead) is freaking WILD, man, but also EXACTLY what I’d been wanting to see at some point and I still can’t believe the show is giving it to me so soon. Lastly, Verónica saying, “We should go to [that town]. Together.” makes me laugh because the “together” was COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY lmao but hey, Vero, if it makes you feel good to constantly restate the fact that you and Alex are in this TOGETHER then who am I to criticize. These two, I swear.

The way Katia comes in and, instead of scrambling to find a logical explanation, Alex is just casually like, “Verónica, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Katia,” which, ngl, just raises a whole slew of questions lmao. Like, does this mean Katia already knows Alex came clean to Verónica? Or are we supposed to assume that that random introduction was all Katia needed to realize things had shifted between them? Hopefully we’ll find out later in a proper conversation. My favourite part, though, was Verónica’s “Katia, huh?”, like the last piece of the puzzle that was Alex’s lie finally clicked into place. I loved that Katia apologized for yelling at her when impersonating Alex and Verónica, in her classic Vero way, just brushed it off like it was nbd. I mean, we know how much Katia’s words affected her when she thought they came from Óscar’s wife, but now that she knows who his real wife is and that she would never actually feel that way about Verónica, it’s like the power those words had over her evaporated the same way that “Martina”’s persona did. IDK, I just loved that exchange.

LASTLY, when Alex and Verónica are at the mysterious town Óscar was going to and they find the house where he supposedly lived, and Alex says they need to call Conrado and Verónica tells her about him finding out about them and that he’s mad at her and Alex tells her he found out because she talked about it in therapy. First of all, I like how this sets up a future scene between Alex and Conrado where you KNOW he’s gonna try to slut-shame Verónica like, “I don’t know what she told you but she always does that to get people into bed with her” or something and it will backfire spectacularly on him with Alex no doubt defending her and perhaps even getting mad at him for treating Verónica like that. CANNOT WAIT. And secondly, the way Verónica LOOKS at Alex while saying “You went to therapy... to talk about how we kissed a couple of times?” I’m--

She’s just SO AMUSED bless her little heart. Again, I thought she’d get mad at Alex for divulging her intimacy like that, but I should probably know Verónica better by now. The fact that she doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what people think of her is what makes her such a compelling character.

Alex being like, “I went to therapy to talk about how I kissed my husband’s mistress, yeah”, basically like “What of it?”, and then ADMITTING SHE LIKED IT!!!!!!! What I loved, though, was the matter-of-fact way she says it. It wasn’t a grand, sweeping love declaration, nor was she expecting Verónica to reciprocate or respond to it in any way. She was just explaining why she went to therapy to talk about it. IDK I just found it so refreshing that she’s basically admitting to feeling more than friendship towards Verónica and it’s not weird or anything anymore because they’re way past that. Also, I liked getting confirmation that nothing happened beyond kissing. I strongly suspected it just from the way it was shot, but I’m glad I don’t have to wonder anymore. This also means I still have their first time having sex to look forward to. We just keep winning!!!

“Maybe you’re a lesbian.” “I hope so! At least I’d have ONE thing clear!” I’M SCREAMINGGGGGG. But also, I like how this implies that kissing Alex wasn’t something new to Verónica or something she lost any sleep over. Like she only talks about redefining oneself post-makeout in the second person, like Alex is the only one who needs to change the way she sees herself after realizing she enjoyed kissing another woman. Ever since she told “Martina” early in season 1 that she’d slept with a lot of “people,” I figured she was bisexual, so I’m taking this as confirmation just because I can.

ANYWAY, like I said, I needed to be intense about this episode. There was just SO MUCH to unpack and I don’t feel like I even put all my thoughts on here, but this is still quite enough, lol. TL;DR I was afraid the show would build on the reveals of the season 1 finale in a direction I wouldn’t like and that would ruin my enjoyment of this season (having Alex and Verónica take until at least episode 4 to become friends again and perhaps even later to start working together to solve Óscar’s murder, let alone start inching towards a romantic relationship or, worst case scenario, a time jump in which I’d miss the immediate confrontation between them and Alex trying to win Verónica back) but, instead, they gave me everything I wanted already in episode 1, including something I didn’t know I wanted, which is putting them in a place where they’re really close but still very much in the friend zone such that I didn’t miss the moment their relationship shifted into romantic territory and, best of all, I’ll still probably get to see a few moments of sexual tension (like that amazing scene with Alex being unable to sleep) until that finally happens.

UGH, THIS SHOW. Very, very few times have I been so satisfied with a single episode of television and the decisions made to resolve a cliffhanger. Usually, even when the writers give me what I want or my ship gets together, there’s still something I would have done differently or that the show missed and I didn’t get to see, but not here. I can’t think of a single thing that I would add or change because I was hoping I’d see it but it wasn’t shown. Like on the one hand, this is good because it means that I’m less stressed about the upcoming episodes and I’m content to just watch everything play out because I already got to see everything I wanted between these two in terms of a resolution to last season’s cliffhanger and there’s nothing I’m worried we won’t be shown. But, on the other hand, that just probably means it will all be downhill from here, LMAO. 

[themostfinalofpams]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/F

Fandom: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Relationships: Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Serana Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Serana Serana/Reader

Characters: Serana (Elder Scrolls) Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn Reader Maramal

Additional Tags: Dragonborn Reader Weddings lesbian Serana mild violence Kisses Cuddling Mostly Fluff

You spoke to Serana about a great many things that day, but it wasn't until the two of you began to discuss your companionship with one another that you finally had the courage to finally ask her what had been on your mind for a long time. "Serana, have you ever thought about marriage?" You blurted out. You weren't sure you'd ever work up the courage again unless you asked her now. You were friends and companions, so you knew the beautiful vampire was fond of you, but you didn't know if she cared for you in a romantic way. You didn't know for sure if she was interested in other women in a romantic way. (Serana had never brought it up and there'd never been a good way for you to bring it up.) "Oh, I get it. Is that why you're wearing an Amulet of Mara, [Y/N]?" Serana said with a slight frown. "Y-yes. I was hoping you might want to talk about it. With me." You stammered. "Look, I care about you. A lot. And I'll come with you wherever you want to go. But... with everything in my past, I don't think I could bring myself into go to a temple and ask for that kind of blessing. It's just... not for me." She was sad and a little wistful as she spoke. "I understand. If I'd been through what you had, I wouldn't want to enter another temple as long as I lived...Can I ask...even if we can't get married in the traditional Skyrim way do you... do you love me?" "I told you, I care about you a lot." Serana wouldn't look at you. You pressed a cool hand against Serana's cheek and cocked your head to the side so your eyes met hers. You hoped your question would sound as calm and soft as in your head. You didn't want to prod Serana endlessly in hopes of the getting the answer you wanted or to upset her needlessly, but you needed to know if she felt the same. "I know, but as a friend or something more?" Serana leaned forward, pressing her mouth beside your ear. "Both." she whispered. The next thing you knew, your back was pressed up against the slimy cave wall and your hands were tangled in her long black hair. Serana trailed kisses up and done your neck and across your collarbone and you felt her fangs scrape across your bare skin every time she moved her mouth. You gasped a little at first, but realized she hadn't drawn any blood. Her lips were cold and soft. She moved her mouth up to meet yours while her hands fumbled with the straps on your breastplate. Serana had succeeded in unbuckling one strap, when she stopped kissing you. She had a look of concentration on her face and her eyes kept darting back and forth around the cavern. "Serana? What is it?" "Don't you hear it, [Y/N]?" You stopped to listen, but heard nothing. "Your hearing must be keener than mine." You picked up your broadsword. Serana had already leapt up, dagger trained on something you couldn't quite make out in the distance. She hurled the dagger into the dark. Whatever it was let out a piercing squeal that seemed to go on and on. Serana swore under her breath. She turned back to you and mouthed "Run!" Answering squeals resounded throughout the cavern. A horde of frostbite spiders rushed in, knocking Serana down. You hurled fire ball after fire ball at the enormous creatures, but there were too many of them. Several of them leapt on top of you, pinning your limbs to the ground. "Don't touch her!" Serana yelled, but she, too, was overwhelmed by the frostbite spiders. You took a deep breath then roared "Fus Ro Dah!" The powerful Dragon Shout hurled most of the spiders backwards with a sickening crunch. You stood up stiffly and limped over to Serana who was still on the ground. You offered her your hand and she took it. She winced as she stood. "Are you alright?" You asked. "Fine. What about you?" Serana said. "Well enough. Let's get out of here before they come back." Night fell and as you laid down to rest for the night, a thought occurred to you. "Serana," You mumbled, halfway asleep. "Yes?" "What if it's outside instead?" "What? I don't know what you mean?" "What if our wedding was outside instead?" You fell asleep before you could hear her answer. Months past. Your quest to defeat Serana's father, Harkon, felt so long ago now. For a brief time Serana had been melancholy and less lively, but soon became her normal self again. Knowing the kind of man Lord Harkon had been and what his actions had done to Serana's family, you shouldn't have been surprised that she didn't grieve long.  You took a break from quests for a bit to build a house with Serana in Falkreath Hold. With the two of you of you together, it wasn't long before it was livable. You began living together in the house and sleeping in same room. As you got closer emotionally and proximity-wise, you thought of asking Serana to marry you again. But every time the thought occurred, you felt selfish. You were content with the way things were in your relationship, why get married when you already knew you were going to be together with Serana as long as you lived? One night you were curled up in bed reading a book (Serana read over your shoulder; sitting with her chin resting on your shoulder and her arms wrapped around your waist), when Serana said "I've thought about your suggestion, [Y/N]. It's a good compromise. I'd be willing to do it that way." "Suggestion?" "I suppose you wouldn't remember. It was a few months ago and you fell asleep right afterwards... You suggested getting married outside instead of in a temple. I would be willing to do it that. I want to be with you always, [Y/N]. I love you." "Do you mean it?" You asked softly. You felt your heart race. Is this happening? Serana pulled you even closer. "Of course I do." She planted a cold kiss on your cheek, then buried her face between your neck and shoulder.  "I love you, too, Serana." You said. You spent the next week few weeks setting up preparations for the ceremony. It had been hard to convince Maramal, the priest of Mara, to agree to hold the wedding outdoors at first. "And what if Mara withholds her blessing from you for this?" he'd asked. "My betrothed is afraid of going before Mara in her temple and asking for her blessing... she doesn't have a good history with temples." You had told him. "Hmm... I see I can't persuade you otherwise, Dragonborn." Maramal had agreed, on the condition that he would still include a request to Mara to bless the two of you in his service. Sending out invitations had been easy; neither of you had many close friends or family members. In lieu of buying expensive new clothing you knew you were only going to wear once, Serana suggested you both wear the clothing you were wearing when you first met. "That feels so long ago now. I feel like we've known each other forever." You said. "Not to me. It feels like yesterday, but maybe that's just how it is if you've lived as long as I have. I remember everything about that day..." Serana smiled. Since the wedding was to be held so late at night (so Serana could stand outside comfortably), you decided against a feast. Instead you decided to pay for all the guests' drinks at the local tavern. Everything was coming together nicely and both of you were pleased with your decisions. You barely slept the night before the wedding. You had so much pent up energy and excitement that you decided to go hit some practice dummies for a bit. You must've been making more noise than you realized, because you felt a hand touch your shoulder. You were momentarily startled until you turned around to see your betrothed. "Couldn't sleep?" Serana asked. "No," You said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" "No. I couldn't sleep either. I was going to go upstairs to go read in the library. I thought if I read something particularly boring, it might tire me out. Then I heard you out here and I thought I'd make sure everything was fine." "I'm glad I'm not the only one who's nervous... I'm not afraid that I made the wrong choice choosing to proposing to you, I'm just... anxious to start our lives together. And also a little anxious that a dragon might drop in during the ceremony." "That would be our luck, wouldn't it?" You chuckled, "Yeah, we're probably jinxing it just by bringing it up." There was a brief pause, then you said "I don't think this is helping tire me out. I'm going to go back to bed and see if just lying there will help." "You could come up to the library with me and I could read to you. When I was a little girl my mother... my mother used to read to me when I had trouble sleeping. If that helped me, why not the Dragonborn?" Serana said. There was a teasing note in her voice. "Eh, why not? I haven't tried that yet. And besides... you have such a lovely voice." You said with a grin. You took her hand and kissed it. Serana bit her lip, trying not to grin back. If she could've still blushed, her face would've been a deep red. She took your hand and led you upstairs to the library. You sat down on the nearest chair while she looked for something to read. "Aha!" She said in triumph, holding up a dusty old tome. You made to move to another chair as Serana approached yours, but she motioned for you to stay. You laid your head in her lap and she stroked your face as she read to you. It was a boring book, but the way Serana read it, in her alluring voice, it was the most interesting thing you'd heard in years. Still, you were tired and you fell asleep after about twenty minutes. The last thing you saw before your eyes closed was her face. Serana was smiling. A real, genuinely happy smile like you'd never seen on her face before. I love her so much. You thought as you drifted away. When you woke up, you were still lying in Serana's lap. Your betrothed was asleep, breathing softly. "What time is it?" You mumbled. You weren't yet properly awake and you stumbled as you stood. You were careful not to disturb Serana as you headed downstairs. Morning light streamed in through the windows. It was too bright. You drew the curtains. "'Least I didn't sleep through my own wedding. My great-uncle did that once..." You mused. It was early still, but you weren't tired enough to go back to sleep. You rummaged through the kitchen, grabbing some cheese and deer meat, before returning back to the library. Serana was still asleep, so you ate quietly and leafed through a new spell book. By the time you were done skimming over the pages, Serana was starting to stir. "G' mornin'." You said through a mouthful of cheese. "What time it?" Serana asked. "Early. There's plenty of time to get ready and such." "Good, there's... something I need to do before the ceremony. I may be several hours, but I'll be back in time. I promise, [Y/N." "Are you sure? I could come with you." You said eagerly. "It's something I have to do alone. It's kind of a... tradition in my family." She gave you a quick peck on the forehead then left. You finished eating and started getting ready. You went for a swim. You put on some makeup and jewellery. (The circlet Serana had always admired on you, your favorite ring.) Then you located the armor you'd worn when you first met Serana. You didn't wear it much anymore so it was nearly buried. Seeing it again brought back memories of that fateful day. You smiled to yourself before putting it on. It was getting closer to dark and Serana still wasn't back yet. You were ready at this point and had headed down to the Bee and the Barb. As you waited for your betrothed, you drank some mead and ate a bowl of vegetable soup. Guests began arriving. They congratulated you and you thanked them. Maramal arrived and began setting up outside. All the while you wondered where Serana was. Maybe we need to reschedule. Maybe she's lost or hurt and I... don't have the slightest idea where she is. Serana could be anywhere in Skyrim. You were about to tell Maramal this when you saw a hooded figure approaching. Could it be? The figure took off her hood and you saw her beautiful, glowing eyes in the dark. Serana had made it. She raced over to you. "Sorry... I didn't know it would... take that long," Serana panted, "Here... take this." You took the small box from her hand. It was black and wooden and decorated with tiny, ornate carvings. It was hard to make out in the dim lighting, but it looked to be the Volkihar family crest. "I know we already have rings, but this... is special. It's been passed down in my family for generations, from Volkihar to Volkihar to give to their spouse. It was harder to find than expected. Mother wasn't even sure she still had it." Serana said. "Serana... it's beautiful." You breathed. And it was. The details were astonishing. It was a golden dragon made circular to fit around your wrist. Yellow stones (the same color as Serana's eyes, you noted) were implanted in its eyes and in place of spines on its back. Individual scales were carved onto its body and wings.   You handed it back to Serana and she fastened the bracelet on your wrist. "Ahem," Maramal coughed, "I believe there is a still a wedding ceremony for me to perform before the day is over?" You moved apart and stood across from each other on either side of Maramal. "It was Mara that first gave birth to all of creation and pledged to watch over us as her children. It is from her love of us that we first learned to love one another. It is from this love that we learn that a life lived alone is no life at all. We gather here today, under Mara's loving gaze, to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship. And though they refused-- for personal reasons-- to hold this most important ceremony in Mara's temple, may she still give her blessing. May they journey forth together in this life and the next, in prosperity and poverty, and in joy and hardship. Do you agree to be bound together, in love, now and forever?" Maramal intoned. Serana held out her hands to you and you took them in your own. She looked deeply into your eyes as she said "I do. Now and forever." "Do you agree to be bound together, in love, now and forever?" Maramal asked you. As you looked back into Serana's eyes you knew that no matter what, Serana was the only person in all of Tamriel you wanted to spend your life with. "I do. Now and forever." You said, then leaned in to kiss your new wife.