#hot deals of usa

[hotdxealsusa]

[alvfr]

listen, I really enjoy this new focus on aftercare for headcanons and stuff but why is everyone drawing their partner a bath as part of aftercare? does everyone like baths? and where do you live where a bath tub is standard??

[rvspecter]

[starry-beetle]

Climate change has affected the state I live in so badly, my allergies haven’t stopped in almost two years now. It’s been ridiculous, so warm and raining during seasons it once snowed and then stayed feet of, until February…

[storeshopping]

The furniture that we need to buy first for the new house

The furniture that we need to buy first for the new house

If we want to beautify our new house with a little wisdom, it can be done within our budget

First of all, we need a beautiful and clean house, then we will try to make it beautiful and clean as much as we need for our living.

Life and travel and lifestyle change daily so the more modern and comfortable you can bring in, the better your home and environment will be.

Of course, you have to make your own ideas about how you will decorate your home and what things you need for your home and where you will buy them and how comfortable it will be for you and how much you can afford and then you will continue to collect them.

First of all, we need to make our list to beautify our kitchen then our bedroom, and our living room and we will try our best to convince the girl then it is most important for us.

Since multi-functional furniture is available in modern times, we can use multi-functional furniture and we can use it separately for our judgment, furniture for the kitchen, furniture for the living room, and furniture for the government.  We can get them at very good prices and if you are looking for luxury also you can get them according to your budget it is best available now on the online side so we can order online so we should keep in mind that if we do  Buy from an online site in many cases there are many offers available and the decoration sites have all the modern collection we need for home decoration and according to your budget you can collect them and order and you can get that order to yourself on time.  

Online especially for furniture sofa beds and for all who need our building or we can get it as well as the decorations for it and for that.

The Best Online Home & DECOR Store

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Any fics where Stiles and Lydia are siblings? I've tried finding some but it's only vaguely mentioned and never talked about after that so I was wondering if you had or could find any fics where it focuses on that more

Hi anon! @kevaaronday made this list for you.

back again (for the first time) but hot_damn_louis (6/6 | 73,083 | Teen | Sterek) “There was a—” Stiles shook his head, unable to believe it himself, “— a ghost.”

It had been years since Stiles had seen a ghost with his own two eyes, and not through a fancy camera or on pictures. He saw it, the column of light, at the end of his bed. If he wasn’t frozen, scared to even move, he might have been able to stretch his leg out and kick it. He was that close to it. 

aka Stiles is house sitting with his sister Lydia for the summer on a farm in the middle of a ranch in Texas. And even though he's a retired ghost hunter, the rumors of the Mad Monk ghost on the Hale ranch are too enticing to stay away from.

The Last Chills of Winter by LeeHan (1/1 | 42,525 | Explicit | Sterek) “He didn’t magically charm me,” Derek shot back in his defense.

“Oh, so he just regular charmed you?” Laura said with a smirk.

“What? No,” Derek growled.

“Was he hot?”

“No! He just—“ He just had a laugh like a sun shower. Fuck.

Better Fortunes by SmallBirds (1/1 | 39,618 | Not Rated | Sterek) When a group of sinister men attempt to kidnap Stiles Stilinski from the Brooklyn apartment he shares with his stepsister, Lydia, Stiles is forced to activate a spell that translocates him to where he'll be safest.

Derek Hale isn't sure what to do about the soaking wet young man he finds wandering down a Beacon County roadside during the middle of a thunderstorm, but he feels compelled to help him. There's something about Stiles that Derek finds fascinating, and before long the two become embroiled in each other's lives.

Despite the threat to his life and the sudden upheaval of everything he's ever known, Stiles is having a hard time feeling too upset about that.

Studying the Blade by never_love_a_wild_thing (10/10 | 16,420 | Teen | Sterek) Figure Skater Derek Hale is going to the Olympics for the last time. Age and an old injury are finally starting to get the better of him, but a number of fresh faces on Team USA, or maybe one face in particular are enough to keep him going.

Stiles Stilinski and his sister Lydia are going to the Olympics for the first time. Between nerves and drama, he's worried that they may be in over their heads, but a veteran skater reluctantly takes them under his wing.

In other words: leave it to Sterek to fall in love in the middle of the Olympic Games.

Memories by idratherwrite (1/1 | 15,739 | Teen | Sterek & Lydia/Jackson) AKA, Lifestyles of the Rich and Oblivious

Rich cousins Derek and Jackson are ready to spend a summer sailing across the Mediterranean. Rich step-siblings Stiles and Lydia are planning to have a great summer traveling Europe on their yacht. Nothing goes as planned, but it gives Lydia and Jackson (and Theo, and Meredith) the perfect excuse to play some matchmaking.

I Need A Hero by sapphireginger (1/1 | 9,501 | Explicit | Steo) Stiles Stilinski and Theo Raeken have been together for almost four years. They're mates but something happens that causes everything to implode. They're no longer together. Why?

Political Animals by FiccinDylan (1/1 | 8,109 | Teen | Sterek) It's the worst day in Stiles' life and the last thing he wants is to deal with Derek Hale's bullshit.

Derek feels pretty much the same.

Red by ZainClaw (1/1 | 4,371 | Mature | Sterek) They’re close now, only a few feet between them, and Stiles can already feel the heat coming off the werewolf’s body. He smells like the forest, a layer of the wilderness forever etched into his skin. Stiles is drawn to him like a moth to a flame, the sound of his pumping heart maddening in his ears as he moves even closer. Desperate to close the final distance between them.

“If you try anything,” the alpha warns him, “I’ll rip your throat out. With my teeth.”

Stiles laughs drily, tilting his head to the side.

“Likewise.”

Man of Honor by Inell (1/1 | 3,454 | Teen | Stiles/Derek/Kira) When Stiles attends Lydia’s wedding, he doesn’t expect to meet two people who are perfect for him. He definitely doesn’t expect them to suggest an unorthodox solution to the dilemma, either.

the odds are in your favor by elisela (1/1 | 1,739 | Teen | Lydia/Parrish) “He was jogging,” she says morosely a week later, kicking her heels off at the door and sinking into the couch after depositing the bag of takeout on the table. “Shirtless. There was sweat.”

“Shoulda licked it,” Stiles says. There’s a movie on the television, something she doesn’t know or care about, and he shoots her a dirty look when she grabs the remote and changes the channel. “Christ, not this again.”

[petermorwood]

Microwave Sponge Cake (eventually)

Long ago, @dduane and I had a Whirlpool combi microwave - micro, grill, fan oven - and It Was Great, big enough to use as a proper oven when what needed cooked in a proper oven was small enough that powering up the big proper oven in the cooker was a bit much.

Still with me...?

IIRC it was one of those Christmas presents where Mum, ever-practical, told us; "get yourselves something really useful but not too expensive (I did say practical!) and I'll go halves."

In 2016, after something like 15 years of pretty-well daily use for one thing and another, the old thing expired by stages, micro first, grill second, oven last - it made great bread up until the end - and went to recycling heaven.

*****

We couldn't find a one-for-one replacement (we needed a free-standing counter-top appliance, everyone was selling built-in), so until once was available (optimism) we bought an ordinary microwave.

NB, this and its successors were only used for ordinary microwave things like reheating, defrosting and dealing with freeze-cook stuff. They got nothing like the amount of use of the old combi, mostly because of being incapable of doing a lot of it. As things turned out, this didn't help much.

About eighteen months later, we had to buy another. If a microwave's enamel interior develops a crack (to this day I don't know how), moisture gets in, rust begins and the enamel pulls off the bare metal. That's when you get "sparking".

This demo is deliberate; believe me, when it's unexpected it's even worse.

A private welder show or lightning storm at the end of the kitchen counter when all you want is a hot cuppa is distinctly unsettling. Also, it's only going to get worse, and we could imagine - boy, could we - what "Much Worse" might look like.

To the recycle dump!

(NB, micros with stainless steel interiors don't seem to do this, probably because they're already tuned to deal with the bare metal.)

The replacement, another ordinary micro, Just Up And Died after eighteen months and, guess what, the quote for a check-up and replacements-if-required was as much as the price of a new one.

(Inkjet printers seem to operate on this principal too.)

To the recycle dump again!

We got a third new one (which BTW is still running just fine, because it's been downgraded to Extra, read on), totalled up what we'd spent on ordinary microwaves, said a few well-chosen words about planned obsolescence and the "Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Economic Inequality" and got ourselves a pre-pay credit card whose top-ups were dedicated to Get A Combi Again.

We didn't bother with GACA baseball caps.

That would have been silly.

I don't know if these cards exist in the USA; we treat them as the modern version of a piggy-bank...

...except that to get at the money you need two people acting in accord.

*****

And in 2021 we got one.

Okay, this next bit is going to read like an ad.

It isn't, because the appliance is discontinued. (Whirlpool FINALLY do something similar but not identical.) It's just enthusiastic users discovering there's even more to a gadget than expected.

*****

The New One even bigger than the old one, which had 28 litres capacity; the new one was 33 L (was .99 ft³, is now 1.16 ft³). In non-tech terms, wow, More Room To Cook In.

Reading the figures was no help (to me, anyway) in visualising what a maw the thing had, but opening the door did that and no mistake.

I said something to DD about "bite radius"...

...and she instantly responded with "anyway, we delivered the bomb".

We're a quotesy household. ;->

BTW, The New One does a very good job on seafood, too...

*****

Since we got this, almost exactly two years ago, we've used it from reheating tea to roasting meat to making chilli / goulash / stew / curry (you can run the oven / grill separately or add simultaneous zaps of microwave for much less cooking time) to baking bread.

One of the best things about it is that when the set cooking time is done, the appliance switches off automatically. No risk of busyness, absent-mindedness or out-in-the-garden-ness ending in clouds of smoke, ruined food and possibly even worse.

As for breadmaking, it has a dough-rise setting which is a Time Machine, reducing a two-hour "doubled in size" rise time to about 35-45 minutes...

It also has the most reliable Defrost Butter setting either of us have ever encountered, turning a rock-solid butter brick from the freezer into something spreadable while never - to date - doing the "never mind a butter-knife, give me a spoon or a paintbrush" thing.

*****

However...

There's also a "Chef Setting" where there are some simple recipes. Here's the pastry page.

Basically, you assemble and mix the ingredients, input the correct settings and the machine does all the timing, heating and cooking.

We'd never used this until yesterday, when DD said, "Let's try the sponge cake..."

Yes, this post was entitled "Microwave Sponge Cake (eventually)..." and here we are...

We did all the measuring correctly and checked it by pouring the mixture into a baking container while on the scale, wondering betimes why the recipe says 900g, the ingredients total 925 and what actually poured into the container reads 906... Weird. Really weird.

Then we put the container into the oven, entered the correct code, and let things do what they were going to do.

A little later we discovered something else about the recipe besides a weight anomaly.

It didn't mention the required size of the container. Or or how much the mixture was likely to rise.

It rose...

Let's say more than we expected...

The fluted ceramic container used for baking this one makes it look like a Vesuvius cupcake; not quite a pyroclastic flow, but a lot of flow regardless.

Once it cooled we separated the sponge-cake from the escaped sponge in the same way as sculptors work with wood or marble - "Chip away everything that doesn't look like a cake" - and found that despite its misshapen looks, it tasted pretty good.

So today DD made another, this time using a larger container.

...and this time it stayed put until removed using the cunning base-and-lifting-straps of baking parchment.

It's not the loftiest or best-risen sponge cake either of us have ever seen (a smaller-diameter higher-sided container would probably deal with that) BUT if there's something needing sponge cake in a hurry - this went from cupboard ingredients to done and cooling in less than 55 minutes - that treatment seems to fit the bill.

We're now wondering what other secrets lurk in the simple recipe pages; falafel, quiche Lorraine, stuffed peppers, even Flammkuchen* from scratch.

(*Though I have my own views about Flammkuchen, mostly involving a plane flight...)

And we'll be paying a lot more attention to what size of dish we put them in. :->

[graysbullshit]

a list of brazillian fun facts you might want to know for your qsmp fanfics! (or in general lol)

DATING IN BRAZIL (because I know at least 50% of yall are gonna be writting slash):

Phase 1 can be or texting/talking or ficando (infinitive: ficar), it depends on how shy you are;

Ficando means to be actively seeking a person out consistently with the intent of talking for a bit and then making out (it does not entail any level of loyalty);

Brazillians only consider it "making out" if you french kiss;

Kissing without tongue is considered weird and viewed negativelly;

A little peck on the lips is cute, but not really what we consider kissing;

There are two types of brazillians: the ones that will start dating after a week and the ones that take months to make up their minds;

If a brazillian is interested in you (even if you don't know each other) and you're in a party there is a very good chance they will walk up to you and ask if you want to make out/ask for your instagram handle (it depends on what kind of party it is tbh);

Also, most brazillians kiss and tell lmao;

It is not uncommon for outgoing brazillians to make out with random strangers, especially during carnival;

We are a sex positive country mostly;

We are very sensual, even if we have no romantic interest;

Mock-flirting or Joke-flirting is very common in friend groups;

People who make out/date with the person their friend likes are called Talarica or Talarico;

When you get cheated on you're called Corno;

People usually go on dates after ficar for a whille;

Usually, if you're going on dates with someone it is expected of you to be faithful or to end things (you can't go on dates with a guy while also going on dates with another guy, that's fucked up);

We call dating namorando, from the infinitive namorar which refers back to namorado (boyfriend) and namorada (girlfriend);

brazillians are typically very direct when they are interested in someone, which doesn't mean they will say "oh, i like you" right away, but they will flirt for sure;

in Brazil saying "I love you" isn't a big deal, most brazillians will say it pretty fast and not saying it back (if you're in a relationship) is considered VERY WEIRD;

brazillians have the tendency of being very jealous lmao;

GEOGRAPHY:

Brazil is a continental sized country, being the fifth biggest country in the entire world. It is bigger than the USA, if counting only directly conected land (ignoring Brazil's islands and Hawaii and Alaska);

Because of it's size, brazillian states have a great number of differences in language, culture, food, climate, and politics;

There is as much animosity between states as in the USA (the difference being: brazillians will always defend each other rather than gringos);

The brazillian streamers are all from the Center-West, South-East and South of Brazil (unfortunatly there is nobody to represent the North and North-east);

The south-east is the are of biggest economical impact, while the center-west is known for the capital of the country (Brasília) and the agriculture, while the south has a terrible reputation (they have livestock too, but mostly a bad reputation);

Brazil has two of the biggest cities in the world: the 5º biggest, São Paulo, and the 19º biggest, Rio de Janeiro;

Nobody fucking likes São Paulo (the city) except from the people that were born there or lived there their entire lives;

Brazil has a mostly warm climate, and most brazillians consider anything below 20ºc to be cold (vai sulista, fala que no sul é mais frio, fala);

Brazil's seasons are more often defined by the level of humity, rather than how hot/cold it is;

Brazil is a giant when it comes to agriculture and livestock. We have a lot of grains, and red meat. If you drink coffee and eat meat you have definetly tasted brazillian products without knowning, since we do a lot of exportation (especially to europe);

Brazil has natural diamonds, pre-sal (which can be used in the making of combustives), gold and other precious stones.

HISTORY:

Brazil was mostly colonized by the portuguese, but there was also a presence of the Spanish, French, Dutch and British. You can tell by the architecture;

Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the Portuguese Kingdom for a little while;

Brazil (much like Mexico) was once an Empire;

Brazil (as it's own coutry) has had only two Emperors;

the Brazillian Empire was a big deal despite ending fairly soon;

Brazil's Empire once eliminated about 90% of the male population of Paraguay during a war, which is def a war crime. We have repayed them for what happened, though;

Cities like Rio de Janeiro have a lot of Imperial architecture, but most of the colonial architecture can be found in states like Minas Gerais;

Brazil sent troups in WWII to Italy, the famous Smoking Snakes;

Brazil was forced into a dictatorship by the USA (surprising no one);

Brazil had a president that decided to develop highways instead of trains (i fucking hate him). It's the same guy that moved the capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília;

Brasília was build with the blood of poor people and it fucking sucks, but it has the shape of an airplane so everything is fine ig /s;

Brazil's first woman president and it's current president were both tortured during the dictatorship;

Brazil is a concervative country, despite everything;

Do not ask me about Brazil's politics, because it's so fucking insane lmao;

GENERAL CULTURE:

Brazillian culture exists on top of three axes: Portuguese, African, and Indigineous;

We take A LOT from Japonese culture (since we are the country with the biggest Japonese population outside of Japan). I've never met a brazillian who hasn't watched anime, even my grandma knows what Pokemon is /srs;

Some other important diasporas in Brazil: Lebanon (we have more lebanese than Lebanon itself lol), China, Germany, Italy, and many different African countries;

Most brazillians listen to funk and sertanejo, but other brazillian music you might be interested in: samba, BRrock, mpb, BRpop, Axé, and Pagode;

Some other famous brazillians you might not know, but you should: Silvio Santos, Celso Portiolli, Rodrigo Faro, Angélica, Eliana, Xuxa, Luciano Huck, Pyong Lee, Mauricio de Sousa, Ariano Suassuna, Clarice Lispector, Machado de Assis, Guilmarães Rosa, Fernando Pessoa, Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho, Mateus Hwang, Tiago Leifert, Tadeu Schmidt, Boninho, Guilherme Briggs, Fernanda Montenegro, Rodrigo Santoro, Wagner Moura, Seu Jorge, etc;

Most brazillians only drink tea for medicinal reasons (like cammomile tea);

Most brazillians love coffee and hate iced coffee;

Most brazillians start drinking coffee at a very young age;

Drinking (alchool) age in Brazil is 18yo, but most brazillians start drinking around 15yo;

Most brazillians love meat and barbecue. Here is a picture of a brazillian brabecue:

Brazil, differently from other American coutries, didn't have potatoes/corn as it's basic food, we had a root called Mandioca. Although it is still very beloved in brazillian cusine, the base for brazillian meals is currently Rice;

In Brazil we usually don't eat a lot during breakfast, but have a big meal (with rice, veetables, meat, and beans) for lunch and dinner. And our dinner is usually around 20h-22h;

We don't use AM or PM;

We use the metric system and Celcius, and we very much deslike the imperial system and what's-his -face is an abhorrent scientific disgrace;

brazillians who suck up to gringos are called "Vira-latas", which can be translated to "mutts" or more directly "eat-trash";

brazillians have mutiple coffee breaks during the day, mostly in the afternoon;

brazillians brush their teeth at least 3 times a day (mostly after every big meal);

brazillians shower at least once a day, some going as far as to shower three times a day during summer;

brazillians do not use snapchat and they think it's obsolete (because it is);

brazillians will pirate anything that isn't made by other brazillians, and I mean ANYTHING. There is no shame in pirating in Brazil and we are very proud of being the country that pirates the most in the world! We will also buy counterfeit products knowing they are counterfeit;

brazillians rivalry with argentinians is REAL. And, although is mostly a football thing, it really translates to everything else (especially if it's online);

brazillians have a hierarchy when it comes down to rooting for stuff, and it goes like this: brazillians, sibling countries, latin americans, other african countries, other third world countries, japan, other asian countries, european countries, anglo-saxon americans, argentina (if it's football), germany, portugal;

[octuscle]

I know you 'produce' a lot of athletes in soccer, football and so on but I'd like to become an ice hockey star - maybe I can replace an actual player and you find another solution for him? I'm open for your suggestions but nice abs are a must 😉

Monday morning. 08:30. Start of duty at the call center. The phones are ringing off the hook. It's going to be another great week, you can feel it. There's still slush on the streets of Berlin outside. Somehow spring is not coming at all this year. After the third caller who berates you for things you can't do anything about, you're already fed up. You greet the fourth caller with a friendly "Grützi". Shit, where does your Swiss accent come from… You're actually from northern Germany… Nonsense! Bern is not in northern Germany. You are proudly Swiss. The other colleagues here have always made fun of your accent…

Thank God you survived this morning. During your lunch break, you go for a run through the park. Your body needs exercise, otherwise you'll get cranky. This morning it was still bloody cold outside in Nashville. But the temperature is rising rapidly. In the early afternoon, it should finally be well over 20 degrees Celsius again. Eh, you mean 68 degrees Fahrenheit, of course. You just can't get used to the strange units of measurement here in the USA. But you'll learn that too.

The afternoon shift at the gym is always relaxed. There are hardly any people working out. Plenty of free space to do a bit of training yourself. You love to confuse new customers. With your roots in the Balkans, most people here think you're an Arab. And when you speak English with your Swiss accent, nobody knows what to believe. After 4 p.m. you have more to do. That's when some of the ice hockey team come to train. They're professionals, they're fun to talk to. Better than overweight pensioners who want to get in shape. Hehehe, but they usually tip better…

The Predators have a public practice tonight. You saw they're looking for a new fitness trainer. Ice hockey was already your passion back home in Switzerland. Now to be under contract with one of the best clubs in the world... That would be a hot deal! And you know a few of the guys quite well by now, maybe someone will put in a good word for you. A few of the less experienced fans ask you if you're an injured professional. Because you're not on the ice. Yes, you really don't look like the typical fan in your jersey….

The alarm clock rings at 05:30. You're awake two seconds earlier. Even though your family's roots are in the Balkans, you were born and raised in Bern. You are a Swiss precision instrument. Always on time. And your shots almost always hit the mark. Training on the ice starts at 09:00. Before that, you want to do your eight-mile lap and spend an hour on the weights. Last season you weren't fit enough, you missed a lot of time due to injury. That shouldn't happen to you again this season. Hard and controlled training. That's the only way to stay at the top!

Dude, you're a machine! Captain of the team. The first Swiss player to be awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. You're one of the players with the highest advertising revenue. Some attribute it to your eight-pack. Others attribute it to your discipline and reliability. But you still have a little quirk. You call your helmet Roman. You haven't told anyone why…

[alwaysshallow]

— because of you

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x gn!reader

Special "anniversary" with your best friend. (3,1 k)

AO3 version

Category and prompt: roommates/neighbors + "we're not just friends, and you know it"

A/N: Glad to participate in GazFest! To many more like this! @glitterypirateduck

"Got some sugar, neighbor?" you see him, all smiling with empty cup in his hand, when you open the door right after someone knocked.

That certain someone? Kyle motherfucking Garrick, your neighbor. God only know what encouraged him to move in here after two years you did. Your reason to move from UK to Italy? Promotion of work, you were supposed to take care of team – bigger than you had back in the UK, way, way bigger. It felt like a dream coming true, you always wanted something like this, to be… appreciated, that was the good word to that. It would be a dumb from you if you'd decline such a good offer.

It was a success, after all. You could tell after a month. What's more to it, you liked your new place. Not only because it was still Europe (God forbid moving to the USA), but the climate here was just idyllic. Yours, so to speak, even if it was your first visit in that country. People here, their attitude, just matched yours perfectly. It took a few months to adjust to siestas, sure, but overall, you couldn't imagine what other country in Europe would fit you so much.

It was a bit hard to be fluent in Italian, you weren't the best, but after two years you could definitely name yourself almost fluent. It helped that you had to deal with native speakers, not only in work (even if you mostly spoke English here) but around you. With a small smile, you always liked to visit your local store, where the old lady was chatting with you about gossips going around town.

Moving on to your best friend… and his reason. You don't know his reason. His life is mostly military, and being called to go back to work in sick hours, like two in the morning; so being in the UK made more sense than anything else, really. Yet, after two years, when he "visited" you, it was a visit with four big suitcases, and the biggest grin ever. What's more to it, he just happened to find an apartment literally next to you, which you thought was almost impossible.

Like, it was really clogged with people building, and he just found it? What's more to it, you always knew who is going to move in since you are best friends with the owner. You couldn't brush off the feeling that military really helped in things like that.

"Sugar? What, are you baking somethin'?" you raise your eyebrow, trying to tease him a bit. He chuckles, then walks in, so you can close the door after him.

"You know it" he winked. "I mean, gotta celebrate things, yeah?" he nudges you, as he searches for sugar in your kitchen cupboards, making your confusion even more evident right now. Kyle seems to notice that because he lets out a chuckle, and stops his moves for a moment. "'m making you confused, love?"

"I mean, what's to celebrate?" you ask. "Your birthday is in a few months, mine already was two months ago. So, you have some sneaky business here, Mr. Garrick" you muse, the corner of your lip twitching.

Your neighbor laughs, when he takes a cup of sugar, and hides the package swiftly, before turning to you with sneaky smirk.

"You really don't know?"

You roll your eyes, amused.

"Kyle, if I wouldn't know any better, I would think I'm a lousy husband that forgot our anniversary, or something." you joke, tilting your head to the side, when you try to scan his face, in order to find a clue, or an answer to your question.

Nothing here, but pure amusement. Damn his military for that, really – before, your best friend was like an open book to you. You could even make him confess to lying, and it was more than amusing, when he tried to avoid your eye contact.

After military, that high school boy was still here, but more confident, more… hell, was it possible to say more hot? You thought about Kyle like that, obviously, even if nothing official happened between you two, besides a few kisses when you were drunk, but he got even more hot. Standing his ground, giving judgy looks to anyone who seemed sketchy to him.

And, it was a lie about a few kisses. There was a lot of them, not only when you were drunk, but even the morning after that. It was a simple fact that you can't forget about Kyle Garrick's hands, nor lips. Everyone who experienced, just knew.

Nothing besides kisses happened between you two, though – the boundary was here, obviously because you were best friends, nothing else. At least, best friends in theory, practice was a bit… different, considering that best friends usually didn't kiss, or held each other gazes like you two.

"I'm gonna be here for two months straight. Consider this, special gift" he smiles, tugging a strand of your hair behind your ear. "And, you're kinda a lousy husband, though."

"Oh, I am?" you laugh, as you look straight into his sparkling eyes. "I'm pretending I didn't hear that. Two fucking months? You better not joke about things like that." you grin, hugging him tightly. "Venice is waiting for us, then. I promised that I'm gonna take you there for a whole ass week, and now I have an occasion to do that."

"Mm, of course. Just tell me when" he wraps his arms around you, looking down at you. "And, you are. Three years since we kissed, and you don't remember anniversaries like that?"

Your face flush in a second when he says that; before that, none of you mentioned things like that. It was easier to… forget those moments of weakness between you two than talk about them. In your mind, it would only complicate between you two, and you didn't want that, considering… basically everything about your lives.

You were best friends, but maybe you wouldn't get along as lovers? Things like that happened, and you would hate to lose him. He was with you since highschool, so now it was seventh year of your friendship, and it was long. Kyle Garrick was your rock, someone you could count on. So, naturally, you were scared to do things that would go beyond friendship. Next thing, him being in military, it would be… hard, to do things long distance, even if you were willing to try.

And, probably most important point of all – you were only kissing. It's not like he would suddenly have feelings for you, when he continued to do that without confessing, right?

"We kissed a lot. So, forgive me for that" you manage to mumble, looking away for a second, what makes him laugh.

"'Suppose you're right, but we haven't kissed in a while" he nods slowly, still looking into your eyes. "But, I remember that. Party in your parents' house, we were sitting right by the pool. Rings a bell?"

You open your mouth a little.

How, the fuck, he remembers that?

He was wasted. At least, you thought he was wasted, so he wouldn't remember anything. You both laughed about your mutual friend stupidity, where he mixed pure vodka, wine and beer; he vomited like a cat. The rest of your friends were taking care of him, and you two were completely out of people sight, chit-chatting about literally everything. It was fun, it was just pure back then, and somehow, you two got… closer.

Way closer than you ever imagined to be with him – his gaze was on your lips, and his responses got shorter, as he was into something else than a conversation. Before you could say anything, he grabbed your chin, and kissed you, hard, like he was a starved man.

And there was no way that you wouldn't respond to this; you returned the kiss, your hand grasping his thigh for support. This didn't last long though, as your kiss was interrupted by Kelly that asked for help in cleaning the house – so, naturally, you went to help her.

He acted like nothing happened the next day though, so you acted like this too, in order to not make this awkward.

Now, it seemed like he remembers everything.

"I thought…"

He scoffs.

"Just because I don't talk about it, doesn't mean I don't remember." he murmurs, tilting his head to the side. "In general we don't talk about those kisses, yeah? I noticed."

"It's hard to not notice that" you quip, and that makes him roll his pretty eyes with a smile. "What? I'm just sayin'!"

"Yeah. And I'm sometimes wondering why are we not talking about it."

"Well" you chuckle, looking away for a moment. "Mostly, we're friends, Kyle. So, if I'm the one that has to guess, it's probably because we don't want to… Ruin it. What we have" you explain, in the probably simplest words possible. "And sometimes, kissing just… happens. Mostly when we're drunk."

He raises his eyebrow though, looking at you with shocked expression, like he wants you to say it again because he can't quite believe it.

"We're not just friends, and you know it. We haven't been for a while" he shrugs, and he makes it sound like it's the most obvious thing in the whole world. "You don't want to admit it, but we're not just friends."

"So, friends with benefits, then? Or friends who occasionally kiss?" you raise your eyebrow too, mimicking him.

"What? No, I didn't-"

"-because the last time I checked, you haven't asked me out or anything. It's not like I don't want to admit it, you're not admitting it either."

Garrick takes a breath and he grips your waist tight. Even if it's uncomfortable, it had to be said; you don't want to call it anything, but friends, trying to grasp onto that last strings of pure friendship, before…

Before what?

So many possibilities what could grow out of it.

"Why do you think I moved here?" he asks, so suddenly that you blink a few times, as he catches you off-guard.

"What?"

"Answer me." his tone is firm, like he demands an answer.

"I don't know. Maybe you had enough of boring UK, so you've decided to copy your best friend?"

He gives you a polite look; he seems amused despite it, though.

"Because of you. I moved here, because of you."

You can't help but feel stupid right now, when he tells you that. It seems like the simplest reason why he is here in the first place; because of you. Yet, that vision seemed funny every time when you've thought about it, so it wasn't an option to you. More of a… wild imagination.

To this moment, at least. Kyle Garrick was nothing but proving you a point, that you were mistaken in so many parts of your life that you wonder what else you could be wrong.

"I wanted to do this for a while, but you know how military is. Constantly being sent to places, not having even time for yourself to think. Not even to mention finding somewhere to live near you in Italy." he shakes his head to himself, before he looks at you, once again.

His gaze is full of… emotions. Positive ones; hope, happiness, something that makes you feel at peace, and makes you feel excited in the same time. It's such an indescribable feeling, when you look at him, and he shows it all. Heart on his sleeve.

"My point is. Always wanted to do something with… this" he points at you and him. "Ask you out, whatever that would help us go through this, but the time wasn't right. Either you had a date with someone, or you just were busy, or I was deployed, it's…" he laughs, not quite believing how everything was against you two; you join him in that.

"I would cancel date for you, and you know it, Kyle" you whisper, smiling softly.

"Well, I didn't know that back then, pardon" he nudges you playfully, making you sit on the couch with him; specifically, on his lap. "Someone pretty like you ain't exactly my league, you know."

You let out a huff.

It is irritating to even hear that he could really think that way; does that man ever looks in the mirror? Kyle, in your eyes at least, is the equivalent of beauty, and maybe, just maybe you are a little biased, but everyone would tell him this. Little wrinkles around his adorable eyes that he had always when he smiled, or his perfectly shaped face, like a work of Michael Angelo. The smile that he was known for. Smile that you love. Smile that makes your heart melt every time, and every bad thought is brushed immediately. His delicate hands that despite his tough work in military, always brought you comfort.

For fuck's sake, you can even write a whole essay about his body and lips, but in a soft moment like you two have right now, it wouldn't be something appropriate.

"I would say otherwise." you shrug, your thumb caressing the side of his face. His facial hair grew a little since the last time that you saw him, so it stings a little, but you don't mind that.

"Well, you don't get to say things like that, pretty." he sticks out his tongue, and you automatically roll your eyes. "Boys were jealous, you know? Of those letters you sent to me. Every time we got to pick up our mail, I had something. They asked if I bribed you to do this or something." he chuckles.

It makes your heart flutter; you indeed were writing to him, every time that he was deployed and you knew where to write, with hope that's gonna be delivered to him. It was like a conversation over a phone that rarely happened, so letters became your friend, when you could write down every little thing you wanted to say to him. Old fashioned? Much so, but it's easier than trying to call him, no?

Sometimes you thought you could easier get to call the Pope than Kyle – and with letters, you had more certainty that he will get everything, sooner or later.

And, you wouldn't forget so many things if you would write them before waiting on call with your best friend.

"Well, proud to say I wasn't bribed. Only missed your annoying ass."

Kyle grins widely, nodding.

"That's what I told 'em. And, other thing."

You raise your eyebrow.

"Other thing?"

He, once again, nods.

"That I want to take you out on a date. Real one, when I'll have time. And, I have now." he added quickly, like you were about to interrupt him. "So, I'm asking you, love, do you want to go out with me? On a real deal thingy, without… acting, like we are only friends. We are not."

You can't help but laugh; this man had you in chokehold for a good time right now, and now, you are just finding out that he actually told his friends that he wants to… take you out? When the time is right? Hell, it felt like a Keeping Up With Kardashians episode, not your life. Mostly because you don't have so much luck with your love life, nor with friends becoming your lovers, yet…

Yet, Kyle was the exception to it all. Sweet one because when he was looking you with those innocent eyes, you were on the cloud nine. All smiling, like an idiot that won the lottery.

It was kinda this way.

"I want to, yeah."

And you can't even add anything else if you want to… because just like the first time, Kyle grabs your chin, and kisses you. Hungrily, like he was afraid that someone would take you from him, even if it's impossible.

Your heart almost jumps out of your chest, when he smiles against your lips because you're the happiest person alive. Kissing him feels like observing the fireworks on the night sky when you were a kid; mesmerizing, addicting, making you want more of that sweet poison. It's almost amusing how long you've waited for another kiss to happen – his lips belonged on yours, and that was a fact.

The only difference between that kiss and the others?

You know that you will go out on a date, you know that both of you are willing to try to make something out of this friendship, other than a "friendly" kisses.

It makes your heart go wild, honestly. Younger you wouldn't believe that, not in a million years; younger version would probably laugh at you, thinking you're making a joke. What is beautiful about this situation is the fact that Kyle Garrick, Gaz for his comrades, was more serious about this date than about anything in his life.

"So what you had in mind to bake? Before we got a little… carried away." you ask, when your forehead is against his after this little make-out session.

At first, Kyle looks at you like he doesn't know about you are talking about, at all. Before you could answer, his face lights up, and he lets out a little ooh.

"Well." he laughs. "I don't know. I lied."

"You lied?" you raise your eyebrow, holding back a laugh that lingers on your tongue. "Sugar was the main reason you came here in the first place, loverboy."

"Loverboy, huh?" he smirks, as he kisses your cheek a few times, lovingly. It's like he wants you addicted to him already, even if he doesn't say it out loud. You just know. "Yeah, I lied, love. Needed a reason to see you and have this conversation, honestly."

"You could just tell me that we needed to talk. I really thought that you're gonna bake something and you'd share, ya know?" you tease, kissing the tip of his nose.

"Mmm, it wouldn't have that dramatic effect, if I'm bein' honest with you." he shrugs, and that makes you grin, widely. "What do you want to eat, though? Cookies seems good to bake together, if you're hungry."

"Mmm… cookies. Chip chocolate ones?" you suggest, knowing that this man just loves them to the core.

"Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely." he points at you, and then, practically runs to the kitchen, with you in his arms, bridal style.

And when you observe how he prepares everything, you think how lucky you got to have a best friend like that. Best friend who gets excited on the thought of chocolate chip cookies, when you just made out five minutes earlier.

Best friend that was on the way to be your lover, now.

[hotdxealsusa]

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[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for reporting my shitty college roommate to the FWS and her teacher, and possibly getting her suspended/expelled/jailed/fined?

CW for brief dead animal mention

For context: I live in the USA and all native species of birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to kill, harm, etc. native bird species and/or possess parts of them including molted feathers, bones, nests, etc.

Also: The FWS is the Fish and Wildlife Service and is a government agency that deals with animal and plant conservation and habitat protection.

Anyways, I (F25) live in a dorm room with two other people, Ally (F26) and Sammy (F28) (not their real names obviously). Sammy is a nice roommate, she's very considerate and kind, and we get along really well.

Ally, on the other hand, is a nightmare.

Very self absorbed, rich parents, "white witch" privileged white girl type, treats Sammy and I like maids instead of roommates.

Ally and I are both art students, I'm pursuing 3D animation and she's doing... Something. I have no idea. Sculpting?

I do digital modeling and animation so I can just do that in my room on my PC, but she needs a specific area to do her sculptures, which is fine!

Except that she does NOT clean up after herself. Leaves material all over the place, there's bits of clay stuck to fucking everything, and she does it right in the living room.

She's also burnt sage INSIDE THE APARTMENT despite Sammy having asthma. She did not warn us beforehand, we found out when we walked in and Sammy started coughing and wheezing and we had to go back outside. She was 100% aware of Sammy's asthma because she saw her use her inhaler once and asked about it.

She then asked if she "could try it" which... Girl what. "Can I try it?" Has now become an inside joke between Sammy and I about her inhaler.

Coming from a rich family, I can tell she's never faced any consequences for her actions. Ever. She thinks she's untouchable and that mommy and daddy will pay for everything and make all her problems go away.

Sammy and I come from families who are not ungodly rich, and that's resulted in her treating us like live-in maids. She does none of the chores, none of the housework, absolutely nothing. Constantly inviting her friends over to peruse her "art gallery". Regularly keeps Sammy and I up at night with her music and friends.

We rent an apartment near our college, and we don't live in the dorms so we don't have anyone to complain to besides our landlord, who's an incredibly sweet elderly woman that we're all hesitant about bothering.

Except for Ally, who's prepared to bother her about everything, including but not limited to: Apartment being too hot. Apartment being too cold. A weird smell. Noise from the street. Neighbors dog barking. Front door being creaky.

We basically went "Haha hey Ally don't worry you're SO busy lol we'll talk to her for you okay!" just so she doesn't bother the poor lady.

We're mostly just afraid that if we kick out Ally, her parents will tear that woman apart. Sammy and I are both unconfrontational anyways and don't want to bother anyone.

Ally is working on her latest sculpture for finals (basically the big report due at the end of a semester). It actually looked pretty cool, but something about it was... Off.

Oh yeah, it's absolutely covered in native bird feathers and a nest. A real one, not one of those fake ones you can buy at a craft store.

She came home one day after going out with her friends for HOURS, and she had two big bags full of stuff. I asked what she was up to and her response was sort of "It's a secret teehee, it's for my art piece ;)" so I was just like haha okay.

So, it turns out her and her friends went out into the woods and spent HOURS picking up molted feathers (all of them are very witchy do-no-harm types so there's no way any of them killed live birds. Ally refuses to even kill bugs, I have to catch them and let them out). She also mentioned her friends parents have tons of bird feeders at their house, which means LOTS of molted feathers.

Also, instead of cleaning them in her bathroom sink she washed them off in the kitchen sink, meaning we couldn't do dishes for a few hours. So that was cool.

I actually collect and clean animal bones in my free time, so I'm very familiar with the laws. I know which species in my state are protected, which species I can possess with a permit, etc. I also know that the MBTA is a thing that exists.

I've met her art teacher before, and I know that the woman's not stupid. She will DEFINITELY notice that the sculpture is covered in blue jay, cardinal, grackle, etc. feathers.

I was going to keep my mouth shut and just let Ally dig her own grave, but I did mention it to her through text. I said "Hey, I love your sculpture but I just wanna let you know that using those feathers is actually illegal, since they're from native species of birds. My parents own chickens and ducks and I can get you a lot of really cool feathers for your project if you want! Sorry for the bad news but I just don't want you to get in trouble :("

She messaged back and said "Um, thanks but I don't want feathers from gross barnyard animals, Mother Gaia gifted me these beautiful feathers. Besides, I actually have money to take care of my problems."

What the fuck.

I didn't know what else to do besides message back "Oh! Okay!"

Those "gross barnyard animals" she mentioned include breeds like dominiques, copper marans, both gold and silver sebrights, Yokohama, and a few cayuga ducks, all of which have absolutely gorgeous feathers. I was also going to surprise her with some peafowl feathers because my parents' friend owns them.

So here's where the AITA part comes in.

I was furious with her constant classism, treating Sammy and I like shit, and blatantly disregarding laws (especially ones literally put in place to protect "Mother Gaia's" creatures) just because her parents have money.

So after she went to bed I went out into the living room, took pictures of her sculpture, and then not only sent the pictures to her art teacher but the FWS. I let the game warden know I also emailed her teacher and vice versa. I also sent screenshots of our conversation where I told her about the law, so they had proof she was 100% aware of it but ignored it anyways.

I let Sammy know, and her response was "That's a thing? Well, her teacher would have reported her anyways I guess."

A few days later, we get a knock on the door. It's a game warden. I let him inside, went to my room, and proceeded to listen to Ally doing her "I'm a poor innocent victim how could you do this to me!" crying. I mostly just felt bad for the poor game warden for having to deal with her.

The only thing I could hear from the other room was her wailing like a banshee and him going "Ma'am, please calm down. Are you alright ma'am? Ma'am..."

A few days later Sammy and I came back from the store to see all of Ally's stuff gone. All of her clay, supplies, clothes, etc. were gone and her room was totally empty except for her bed frame (which came with the house).

I have no idea what happened. I'm sure she wasn't allowed to turn in a sculpture covered in illegal feathers for her final, so Idk if she was suspended/expelled or if she just had a tantrum and moved out?

On one hand it was really fucking nice seeing her face consequences for her actions, but the other part of me feels bad about possibly getting her suspended/expelled/fined/jailed over feathers and a nest.

The EPA website states that punishment for MBTA violations for misdemeanor offences (which I believe she committed since I don't think she planned on selling anything, and I know she didn't kill any of the birds) can range from up to $5,000 in fines to no more than six months in jail.

So, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[multiverserift]

I came across the question: If the USA is so bad, and Cardassia is meant as a metaphor for USA, there surely are a lot of illegal refugees wanting to come to Cardassia and become Cardassians, RIGHT?" Let's dissect that. I think the whole question is asked under a false pretense. Because Star Trek cultures are not meant to display "real" feeling cultures. We rarely see cultural diversity in a Star Trek culture. Because they mostly represent an archetype. Klingons all have something to do with honor. Vulcans have something to do with logic. Sometimes those broad strokes of cultural aspects are used to tell the story of a stray (Ferengi scientist Dr. Reyga in TNG: Suspicions) or someone caught between worlds (Spock, T'Pol, Worf, Quark), yes. But the cultures in Star Trek are mostly a canvas for a big problem or aspect, an idea.

The Federation is about hope and humanity. The good in humans won. We did it. The utopia is achieved, it is challenged, from within and without.

The Romulans were about the Cold War. About secrecy, militarism. More about them in a bit.

The Klingons are a bit more complex, because their role in the Star Trek universe changed over the years. Focussing on TNG era Klingons, they were the Proud Warrior Race© of Star Trek, the problems with that culture as a concept. Also, most Klingon stories in TNG were used to grow the character of Worf.

Now to the cultural aspect of Refugees. Ironically, we are first introduced to this concept by the Bajorans, violated by Cardassia. We see them through the eyes of Ro Laren (the one who assimilated into the Federation) and Captain Picard. Refugees, and Picard gives them blankets. How nice of him. Double ironically, we later in DS9 see the Bajorans deal with their own refugee dilemma enbodied by the Skrreeans in DS9: Sanctuary. And it's problematic, to say the least.

Where else do we see refugees in Star Trek? In PIC, and they are Romulans (here they are again). Sadly, PIC isn't very good at tackling those human condition problems, so it's all a bit superficial. Or maybe I should watch S01 PIC again. But I don't want to.

We also have the Caatati, the refugees disenfranchised by the Borg in VOY: Day of Honor, and they are desperate and aggressive, but we get a very Star Trek solution to the problem. Technology and Empathy, and it's kind of okay. Also, there is VOY: Counterpoint. But the refugee stuff is more of a background canvas for Janeway's boyfriend story.

Now to the Cardassians. Short answer to the question "Are there refugees that try to refuge into the Cardassian Empire?" is: We don't know. Long answer: We don't know because it's not the point of the Cardassians. What's the point? Easy: Fascism and Authoritarianism. And the stories about refugees in fascist states are more interesting when refugees try to get OUT from there. Which is what we get in DS9: Profit and Loss and DS9: Ties of Blood and Water.

We see Cardassia lose its authoritarian state to (kind of) moderately democratic rebels, only to get usurped by Dukat, sold out to the Dominion and get eaten by a merciless war machine. Which is ironic, because this is the heart and core of many authoritarian states. Which is, also, kind of the point.

The point is not "refugees". Because that topic isn't a Cardassian topic. Then there would be the topic of the refugees that Cardassia CREATES. Which is also interesting when I'm writing from a western country (Germany here), because, let's face it, we are not exactly the good guys here. Maybe there should be a few Star Trek episodes about this.

So to understand Star Trek, you have to understand that the races mostly embody a central aspect. Ferengi? Predatory Hypercapitalism. Betazoid? British MILFs. Vulcans? Horny math teachers trapped in the bodies of apathetic decathlon athletes. And don't get me started on Andorians, because to understand Andorians, I'd have to get into the context matters of ENT and oboy, it's a deep hot pocket of interesting facts. Lower Decks also did some nice things with Orions and Tendi. ENT failed the Orions. Man, I would have loved to see live action Tendi in SNW. I could ramble on but I stop now. Also, slightly altered repost because I still have no clue how the reblog distribution system of tumblr works.

[anghraine]

The BFF wanted to celebrate Independence Day by watching Independence Day, the formative film of his childhood (we're the same age but it wasn't so much Young Anghraine's thing), so he, Ash (our housemate, his other closest friend, who had never seen it), and I just finished watching the whole thing.

I knew of its reputation for being jingoistic but the rumors fell so far short of the reality that noticing it started to feel less like shooting fish in a barrel and more like shooting fish in a fishtank. I don't think I've ever seen a more U-S-A! U-S-A! film in my entire life.

I do appreciate that a) nukes turned out to not be the answer; RIP, Houston, b) there was emphasis on the mysterious murderous aliens being basically "just like us" (even their extreme resource extraction is readily comprehensible to the characters, though there's ultimately not really much to talk about with them even through the rachni-style conversation), c) the heroes don't actually prevent quite a bit of the damage to life and infrastructure, and the world is facing apocalyptic disaster no matter what, d) the explosions still look good even if they can be escaped by dogs and small children, and e) Jeff Goldblum was a bit of an obnoxious manchild yet also enjoyable in a vaguely "dude Entrapta with very slightly more social skills and a lot more environmental concern" way. Will Smith is also fun as the most intensely US American human being imaginable. And the use of Earth's own satellite system by the aliens was genuinely interesting as a device. It was kind of morbidly funny that they keep bringing up President Bill Pullman's unsightly youth and unpresidential sense of decency, though.

Mostly I laughed a lot at the sheer silliness of almost everything and the film's profound disinterest in anything happening outside a) the continental USA or b) space. (Me: It's been awhile since they heard anything from London, hope it's okay!) The BFF's childhood dream was growing up into Jeff Goldblum's character (a hot Jewish environmentalist geek hacker with minimal ambition but a lot of competence) and we definitely enjoyed him and his dad the most. (The BFF has decided "Nobody's perfect" will now be his standard response to dealing with Christian nonsense, lmao.)

Anyway I'm surprised a bald eagle didn't spontaneously materialize in our house or my pride flag turn into a star-spangled banner, but it was a good time for what it was.

[storeshopping]

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[two-white-butterflies]

post mortem | part five

Description: Six thieves gather hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain - a criminal mastermind by the alias of the Dragon manipulates the police to buy them enough time to print money. (money heist au)

Pairing: Daemon Targaryen x Reader, Aegon Targaryen x Reader, and Aemond Targaryen x Reader.

Rating: Mature 18+

series masterlist | part four

(BEL-AIR, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. COLE ESTATE.)

Alicent Hightower knew the price of fortune - all of the material things she had in this life was because of her hard work. She was born in a small village; Bohoniki. It was engraved in her mind that the only way that she'd escape poverty was to study hard. - and study, she did.

Studied so hard that her eyes were strained after a few years - and when the exam results came out - she was thrown away, casted aside for some hot-shot heiress that would probably waste the opportunity of going to college. That was the day that she vowed to work - to step on whoever's corpse it took to have what she wanted.

But she was a woman.

She always had to be a victim against other people's actions. She worked hard to get accepted into a new university, but she ends up falling in love with her Economics Professor. He was beautiful - with silver hair that went past his shoulders. She was enthralled with the way that the words spewed out of his mouth. She had three beautiful children with him - same in temperament, same in looks.

You could take a girl out of the cold, but not the cold out of the girl.

Sooner or later, she'd become the abuser too. She left her family for a businessman - a man that could provide the life that she desired - was it her fault? Partly, but now it's come to bite her.

"Aegon has always been a mischievous child. I don't know why - we always provided him everything that he wanted. Maybe, that was the reason - he had everything and nothing in this world made him happy. But stealing made him happy - he says that it excites him." Alicent cleared her throat, stirring her tea clockwise.

"- it's not the first time that the cops have knocked on my door." she chuckled bitterly, assuming that what had happened was a minor thing - a small shoplifting incident that would be fixed with a few hundred dollars.

"What Mr. Aegon Targaryen has done - is of a different level, Congresswoman. We'll need your help to get him back." Corlys smiled. The government airlifted him to USA the moment they found out about Aegon's identity. What they were doing needed to be stop - before it could become a precedence for other terrorists.

"Get him back? Is he lost?" Alicent joked again. Corlys' demeanor shifted, and he leaned back on the sofa. "He is a terrorist," he said bluntly, and the atmosphere slowly turned dull. "Is this about the PETA Organization again? He's a soft hearted boy," she reasoned and the man shook his head, placing a yellow file on the coffee table.

She quickly placed the teacup beside her - hands shaking as she reached for the file. "The Royal Mint of Spain: Currently Occupied by Terrorists." the headline read out, a picture of her son in the bubble beside the drawing. Her lips shudder, fingers touching the picture.

How long has it been since she's last seen a photograph of her son? Those chubby cheeks still remained, but his eyes were down-set and his eye-bags were more prominent. "This is not real, whatever game you're playing Inspector Corlys - it's not funny. Especially now that election season is moving closer." her voice turned stoic.

"I am afraid that it is not a game - The Government of Spain is losing money in their attempts to quell this act of terrorism. One of the accused is your son, and you will help us if you want to win the reelection." he threatened, placing the deal more bluntly - aware of how politicians could turn and twist narratives. "I can just deny his existence, there are no records that the boy is mine." Alicent's face suddenly turned cold.

Corlys resisted the urge to roll his eyes - the Congresswoman's poker face was as stupid as her platforms. "You and I both know that you're not going to do that. Parents love their children more than anything, even when they are the shackles that bind us." he stated, taking a nonchalant sip of his chamomile tea. Alicent breathes a sigh of relief, partly afraid of what they'd ask her to do next.

"How am I going to help you? In Aegon's eyes, I'm good as dead." she scoffed, unable to entertain the notion that her children still loved her. She didn't deserve their love, neither their time. "What year did you leave Spain, congresswoman?" Corlys inquired and her teeth burrowed into her lower lip. "Twenty-one years ago," she answered.

"Your son was 2-3?"

"4 or 6. I'm not sure," she replied - in a tone that told her that she still loved her children. "A little too young, but still old enough to realize that you abandoned him." he further explains, taking something out of a separate folder. He places it on the coffee table. In all bold letters, she could barely make out the outline of her son's name.

MY MOTHER, MY HERO By Aegon Matthew Targaryen

Her eyes trailed up - until she was staring deep inside of the Old Snake's eyes. She'll do everything it takes to save her son, even risk her political career.

(EIGHT HOURS INTO THE HEIST.)

"Is he going to be alright?" Rhaenyra couldn't help but inquire. She's only been around her brother as much as there were fingers in her hands, but she's grown to love him. She loves him the same way that a woman loves her son. The thought of him possibly dying - it didn't sit well with her. "There's a bit of bleeding, but Mysaria had it fixed." Daemon responded, and his niece raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we weren't allowed to use real names?" she placed a hand on his collar, straightening his zipper with rehearsed ease. "Force of habit," he shrugged while freeing himself from her grasps. It was impossible to stay sated around his niece - around a beautiful girl. When she came into his life - he rebuked her. He couldn't understand why his older brother would adopt his ex-wife's daughter.

Aemma cheated on him with a barber - now after she's died of Cancer. Viserys still loves her. Loves her more than he loves Daemon. He couldn't stand the girl, that's why he left for college - he'd rather live in another country than watch his brother play house.

"Does the Professor know that his son is bleeding?" Rhaenyra asked, staring into the camera - knowing that her father was watching from behind it. "He doesn't need to know, worst comes to worst, we'll need better medical care." Daemon took a sip of his cappuccino. "Does that mean that he's stopped bleeding?" she frowned and he shook his head. "Stop babying him, it's a fucking scratch." he placed the mug loudly on the ceramic table - carefully retreating into the halls before anything else happened between them.

Daemon prepared another cup of instant coffee, surprised to see Aemond cleaning his bandaged wound. "What are you doing?" his nephew sanitized the skin around the gash, Daemon takes a mammoth stride towards the window - watching the police prepare their camp around the Royal Mint. "Just because we're on the clock, doesn't mean that there isn't time for slacking off." he responded.

Turning to look at his nephew - whose attention was plastered back into that bleeding piece of skin. "I hope you don't mind, but I haven't told Volantis about this little injury yet." he pointed at the young boy and Aemond frowned. "Why would she need to know?" he acted oblivious, adding more fuel to Daemon's anger.

"You're clearly together," he gritted his teeth - voice full of envy. It was unfair! He fucked the girl first, but his nephew was reaping late game rewards. "We're not." Aemond responded bluntly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. "Explain to me why there's always a moaning contest in her room, then?" Daemon scoffed. "Is she always stretching? Watching a horror movie perhaps?" Daemon antagonized, watching his nephew throw a piece of cloth angrily.

"I don't care if she's learning pilates or watching fucking Annabelle. I just want to get my money and get out of here." Aemond could feel his patience running thin. "You wouldn't mind then, if I made her my wife?" Daemon smiled mischievously. Aemond was just about to reply, but Aegon suddenly barges inside the room.

"You have to look at what's happening outside. It's urgent!" the boy's panicked voice caught their attention. "What is it?" Aemond groaned - aware that he was unable to walk due to his injury. "Mother." Aegon whispered, and the room's atmosphere dulled.

(TWENTY-TWO YEARS BEFORE D-DAY.)

Alicent couldn't stand staring at her children. They'd cry all the time - and she couldn't stand their constant need for her attention. "Aemond please stop crying, I don't know what to do." she cried, holding her son close to her chest.

It was going to be four hours before her husband returned, and by then, he was going to be too tired to take care of children. It was unfortunate because he was the only one who knew what to do. Viserys was the only one responsible enough to maintain a home.

"He's probably hungry," Aegon peeked through the dark living-room. Alicent could feel more tears flow out of her irises. Her son needed milk, and she was too stupid to even think about that. "Yeah, yeah. Uhh Aegon can you please call Peepaw for me. I-I need help." she stuttered - ashamed of her stupidity.

---

"You shouldn't have called me at this time, I had a sermon today." Otto scolded his daughter, removing his coat and placing it on the rack beside the door. "I didn't know what to do - the kids haven't stopped crying since their father left." she sobbed.

"I always told you that having children this young was a mistake. Imagine, you're only eighteen and you already have two-children? It is an abomination, Alicent." her father scolded, and she could only bow her head in the face of his criticism. She severely needed his help.

He reached for Aemond who was fussing in Alicent's arms. "I didn't have a choice, you told me that I'd go to hell if I didn't marry Viserys." she grimaced, and his dark glare returns. "Premarital Sex, Alicent. I couldn't allow you to sin." he gritted his teeth. His face softened, seeing the familiar figure of his favorite grandchild. "Aegon," he smiled before turning to his daughter.

"Go and rest, I will handle everything."

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