#i'd imagine she's a way more difficult child than she is now.

[gravityglitch-blog]

My contribution to @beauty-beast-week, organized by @firawren, for Day 3.

The prompt was Lavender (relaxation, sleep, baths, summer, scents...)

I imagine this taking place in the movie's timeline, between the "Human Again" sequence and the famous waltz.

INK AND MOONLIGHT

Be careful what you wish for, Belle thought to herself as she idly drew patterns in the frost on the library window panes.

All her life, she had felt different. She'd never considered herself better or worse than anyone else. She was simply...apart.

While everyone around her was down to earth, she was an incurable dreamer. Her mother had been like that, according to her faded memory. Her father, too. She'd spent most of her life sighing over the pages of fairy tales and wishing something fantastical would happen in her own life.

It didn't get much more fantastical than life with a mythic beast in an enchanted castle filled with living, breathing housewares.

How long had she been here now? A few weeks? A few months? Magic had a way of playing with your sense of time.

She sat curled up in a corner of one of the massive library's many window seats. At her back, flames cheerfully crackled in the fireplace, keeping her warm this winter's night and providing a soft glow to read by. She took another sip of the lavender tea Mrs. Potts had been so kind to provide and tried again to focus on the book in her hands. Normally this was no trouble. But tonight, she was distracted by thoughts of the dreams she'd been having.

It was the same dream, every night since she'd been in the castle. She was lost in a beautiful, unfamiliar forest. It was silent as death, and equally endless. She'd start out walking, then running in search of a path, anything to lead her out of there.

And then the man would appear before her.

She could never make out much about him.

His figure was always blurred, like she were trying to see him through a veil of water. She could make out a few details. Tall. Copper hair. The only thing really clear about him were his eyes, the purest blue she'd ever seen.

Her dream self would always ask, "Who are you? Can you help me?"

"I would give anything to tell you who I am," the man would reply, his voice soft and sad. "But I can only help you back to the castle."

She would pull away. "I don't want to go back there. I want to go home."

"I know," the stranger would say. "And I know you have no reason to trust me. But please believe when I say, you have nothing to fear from the castle or anyone in it."

Then he would hold out his hand to her.

She always wanted to ask more questions.

But somehow, in that one heartbeat, her fears would calm. She would reach out...and she would wake up.

It wasn't even enough to call a nightmare, but it left her unsettled all the same.

She wrapped her hands around her teacup to better absorb its warmth. Belle giggled lightly as she felt the teacup snoring against her palms. At least someone was getting a good night's sleep.

A flicker of shadow caught the edge of her vision. She looked up and saw Beast in one of the archways leading to another book-filled chamber. Though her fear of him had mostly dissolved after that night he'd rescued her from the wolves, she still found him a paradox.

There was strength and power in every line of him, and he could move through this castle quick and noiseless as the shadows themselves. Right now, he looked like a child who had been caught staying up past his bedtime.

"You can't sleep, either?" she asked.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," his deep voice rumbled.

"You're not," Belle assured him. "It gets so quiet around here at night, I...I'd be glad of the company for awhile, if you don't mind."

He nodded, and she thought she glimpsed a shy smile, but his expressions were often difficult to read. He took up the other corner of the window seat, farthest from her. He gazed out the window at the gently falling snow, seeming hesitant to look at her. The silence was broken only by the quiet sound of his breath and her heartbeat. Belle studied his reflection in the glass, the only way she felt she could safely look at him for more than a few moments without being rude. She'd been terrified of him at first sight, she had to admit. The setting and circumstances hadn't helped, her father locked in a dungeon while she bargained for his freedom. Later, when she'd tried to escape and run right into the jaws of the wolf pack, she'd witnessed the sheer ferocity and wildness he kept contained. Looking at him now...there was a strange grace about him. She could imagine him as a creature of myth, an otherworldly guardian of some secret or forbidden world. Belle gave herself a mental shake. No wonder the people back home called her a funny girl.

"What are you reading?" Beast asked finally.

In answer, she held out the book to him. Carefully he took it from her and leafed through a few pages. One heavy eyebrow went up. "Vampires? Are you trying to give yourself nightmares?"

Belle shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. "What can I say? I've always found stories of the night fascinating."

He gave a rough snort, his version of a laugh. "No wonder you fit right in here."

She tilted her head. "How do you mean?"

"Can you really not feel it? The magic of this place embraces you like it's been waiting for you all its life."

Unsure what to say to that, she smoothed out non-existent wrinkles in her soft purple dress. Hoping to smooth out the awkward silence as well, she smiled gently at him. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

She gestured at the caverns of books around them. "You're in here nearly as often as I am. What are your favorite kind of stories?"

He turned to look at her then, and this time she was certain of the smile. "You were the one that reminded me how much I enjoy reading. After so long, I'd nearly forgotten how. I don't think I've even thanked you yet for helping me remember."

"You don't have to thank me. I was happy to do it."

He nodded once, then returned to her question. "When I was young, it was adventure stories. Pirates and treasure hunting."

Belle's smile grew wider, her mind conjuring the image of a miniature Beast embarking on imaginary quests across the high seas. "And what about now?"

He drew in a deep breath, as if gathering up his courage. "Would you like to hear it?"

"You want to read to me?"

"It's the least I can do, after you brought it back to me."

"I'd love to hear it!"

He glided over to a shelf nearby and pulled out a green leather-bound volume, more worn-looking than the others in the library. He rested the book on the windowsill, now kneeling on the seat so he could open the book for her. Belle gasped as the pages spread out to reveal a map of the sky, constellations lovingly drawn and named in delicate strokes of ink. Most stunning of all were the illustrations in the center, the sun and moon frozen in a celestial dance. She gently set her sleeping teacup back on his tray, tucking a napkin around him like a blanket, so she could give her full attention to Beast and his story. Taking only the very edge of the page between his claws, he turned to the beginning of the story. Here the ink spun into an icy landscape, not unlike the scene outside their window. The sky in this picture had been replaced by delicately scrawled words. In his low, soft baritone, he began to read.

"Once upon a time there was a poor husbandman who had many children and little to give them in the way either of food or clothing. They were all pretty, but the prettiest of all was the youngest daughter, who was so beautiful that there were no bounds to her beauty."

She thought he glanced at her here, but surely it was her imagination.

Stop being silly, she chided herself.

"So once", he continued, "it was late on a Thursday evening in autumn, and wild weather outside, terribly dark, and raining so heavily and blowing so hard that the walls of the cottage shook again--they were all sitting together by the fireside, when suddenly some one rapped three times against the window-pane."

So went the story of a girl swept away from her mundane world on the back of a white bear, who was truly a prince in disguise, her true love. They were parted by a mistake realized too late. But so strong was their love, that the girl was undaunted, riding the Four Winds until she could rescue her prince.

Belle wanted so desperately to hear the ending. But the lavender tea was working its' magic, and Beast's voice and presence was so warm, that she fell asleep upon her folded arms.

___

Beast heard her first snore before he could read out happily ever after. He suppressed a laugh with all his strength. She had an adorable snore. Moving quietly, he put the book back in its place. Now he faced a dilemma. He didn't want to wake Belle, but he couldn't exactly leave her here, either. Praying that this wouldn't be pushing their newborn friendship too far, he carefully gathered her into his arms until he was carrying her bridal-style. His heart almost stopped when she stirred, but she only pushed her face further into his broad shoulder. "Warm," she mumbled dreamily.

He would have given anything to live in that moment forever. But time never stops, not even within the walls of an enchanted castle.

Beast glided out of the library and up the stairs to Belle's room. He could already hear whispers from a few insomniac servants. There'd be gossip among them by morning. The door to Belle's room kindly (and silently) opened itself for them. He delicately laid her down on her bed. He thought that she clung to his shirt for a moment before settling onto her pillows, but of course that had to be his imagination.

Don't be stupid, he scolded himself.

He pulled the blankets over her, and allowed himself the indulgence of brushing a rogue lock of hair away from her eyes. He made it to her doorway before looking back at her once more. "Sweet dreams, my princess."

He knew he had no right to call her this.

She might never return his feelings. 

Even if she did, a free spirit like Belle would never be owned by anyone, and that was part of what he loved about her.

But he couldn't help it. To him, she was a princess, no matter what happened next.

He softly closed the door and left her to her dreaming.

And dream she did. But this time, instead of the endless ominous forest, Belle dreamt of ink and moonlight and a gentle thundercloud weaving stories at her shoulder.

[iamnotoriginalphil]

The Hurt (Kate Stewart x gn!Reader)

Synopsis: You're just a little too in love with your boss.

Words: 2.4k

Warnings: unrequited feelings, like one swear word

AN: I loved how much Kate we got to see in the last season so I figured I'd see if anyone else loves her like I do.

It shouldn’t be so difficult. It shouldn’t. You sat, and you worked, and if you were lucky you got to go out in the field. You were living your dream. Science that made a difference. Science that could one day change the world. Science unlike anything you could imagine when you’d been doing your undergraduate degree all those years ago. 

It shouldn’t hurt. 

And it wouldn’t, if not for her. The woman who turned your dreams into something not quite so sweet. The only one who made your work torture.

Kate Stewart. Your boss. And the only person in the room you couldn’t look away from. 

She was electrifying. So passionate. When she spoke you couldn’t help but listen. You’d follow her into fire with little more than a single look. The perfect leader, a mix of compassionate and hard working and so smart it blew your mind. She lit up the room and made everyone want to work that little bit harder. 

It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful.

Her commanding presence only added to it. She was intriguing, drawing you in, and if she wasn’t so passionate about her work she wouldn’t be nearly so enticing. Just being in her presence was enough to turn your knees to jelly and have your heart beating too fast. 

The hurt was deeply embedded in your identity, you weren’t sure who you would be without it. 

You weren’t anyone important. One of the brains down in the labs, analysing the tech that came in and learning to replicate it. You doubt she even knew your name. But you knew her and it was slowly destroying you from the inside out. 

You kept thinking that maybe if you put in more hours, if you proved your worth, if you had some massive breakthrough, she might learn your name. 

That was until the love of the job pulled you in again. You were, at your heart, a scientist. Alien technology was like showing a child a magic trick. You were determined to figure out how it was done. It was the kind of playground most scientists could only dream about. And you were one of the lucky few that got to be in the sandbox. 

The point was, it was easy to get lost in your work. You didn’t realise how late it had gotten until you looked up and realised you were completely alone in the lab. Stretching your arms above your head, you felt the ache in your spine. You’d been hunched over too long, fiddling with all the tiny bits of a something that had been dropped off to you that morning.

“I see I’m not the only one burning the midnight oil.”

You startled, almost falling off your stool. Grasping the edge of the bench you righted yourself before turning around. Kate, in all her resplendent glory, not even having the decency to look as tired as you were beginning to feel, was making her way towards you. One hand in her trouser pocket and a small smile on her face, you felt like a deer in the headlights under her amused gaze.

“What are you working on?” she asked.

“Oh, uh… I think it’s some kind of energy… convertor… thing,” you replied, “I’m still figuring it out.”

“Did that come in from the York site this morning?” she asked.

“Mmhm,” you hummed, looking back down at it.

You only looked up when you saw her taking a seat across from you. Even now, in a mostly dark lab, she didn’t look half as tired as you felt. Blonde hair still sleek, brown eyes with the twinkle of curiosity, dressed impeccably. It wasn’t fair when you were sure you looked a mess. 

“You’re often here late,” she said, those warm brown eyes landing on you. 

“There’s so much to learn,” you replied with a small shrug, “sometimes it’s hard to drag myself away.”

“Now that’s a sentiment I can understand,” she said with a small chuckle. 

You weren’t really sure what to say. It was so easy to feel tongue tied around her, basking in her commanding aura, the way she wielded her personality like it was nothing, like it wouldn’t fucking wreck you. When she looked at you the way she was now, all soft edges and familiarity and intimacy, it made your head spin. 

But maybe that’s what made her such a good leader. She could talk to the grunts as if they were just as important as the leadership teams. She could make you feel like she was interested in you. Which was dangerous for a number of reasons. 

“Sometimes I miss being in the lab doing the science. Truth is, this place feels more like home than my desk upstairs,” she said into the silence, looking around the darkened space. 

“You could always come back,” you said then immediately felt a wave of embarrassment. Of course she wouldn’t. She had more important things to spend her time on. Like saving the world, mostly. 

“If I had the time, believe me, I would.” The small smile she sent in your direction had your heart fluttering. 

“I can’t imagine ever giving this up,” you said, not sure if you were talking about your work or the moment you were sharing with her. 

“There’s really nothing you think might be more important or worth your time?” The twinkle in her eye was really beginning to make you feel breathless. 

“I like being in the guts of the thing. Other people are better suited for the brain,” you replied with a small shrug. 

Her laugh was throaty, warm, intimate. The kind of thing you’d hear while sharing a drink in a secluded bar. Not like your boss asking you about your work. Not that she really was. But looking at you from under lowered lashes, in the dim light, lit up by the lamp sitting on your desk to highlight the alien tech, the soft look on her face, it was hard to remember she was your boss.

“Although I think you’re the heart of the whole thing,” you murmured. 

Something in her face brightened, gratification softening every line of her body. The way she smiled was enough to make you willing to do anything to see it again. It was dangerous, the way you would give her every part of you to earn that smile. 

“When I was a little girl, I resented UNIT so much. It stole all of my father’s time and attention and he had none left for me. I didn’t realise what he was building. All I knew was that it was more important than me to him,” she said, voice soft as her mind drifted. 

You froze, listening to her, wanting to hear more.

“But when I did see him, the stories he told. Oh, they were wonderful. Stories of aliens and time travel, and a man in a small blue box. I wanted to know more. I craved it. I dreamt about the universe out there and all the things it held. I wanted to know it all.”

You lent forward. 

“It took a while but I got my degree and I joined UNIT. And I got to do science like I’d never seen before. So many species I'd never even imagined, coming here to Earth and I had access to them here. Not in this exact lab. Back then we were more hidden and a few decades behind technologically speaking, but one like it. I spent hours here. Nights. Weekends. You couldn’t drag me out of here. And then I understood why Dad spent all his time here. It’s an addiction.”

You were nodding. Because you got it. This job, the things you saw, the puzzles you got to take apart and put back together again, it was like nothing you’d ever experienced. Just look at what you’d been working on when she’d found you. You wouldn’t get that working at Google or for a pharmaceutical company. This was the kind of stuff science dreams were made of. 

“It’s that moment when it all suddenly makes sense. The fog clears and you understand how something works. All of the long hours and the frustration and the confusion are worth it. And then you know more about this universe and how it works and no one else on the planet has that information. There’s no feeling like it.”

Your breath caught. The way she spoke about it was like she was reaching into your chest and grasping your heart in a tight fist. Twisting your guts. Because that was it. That was exactly it. 

“And that’s not even the parts that make me love science. Unravelling the secrets of the universe is wonderful but it’s not what gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s satiating my own curiosity. It’s understanding the world we live in better. It’s getting the chance to ask questions and find the answers as I give in to my own need to know. It’s looking at something like this…”

One finger tapped the top of your alien device. 

“And knowing just a bit more than the day before.”

Your lips parted as you dragged your gaze back up to her, finding her already watching you. She was leaning towards you, over the bench and you realised how close your faces had grown. You blinked, ready to draw back, put more space between you.

“My father always said ‘science leads’. A quote from the Doctor. But it’s the work being done in this lab and others like it that make my job possible. This work guides the decisions I make for this organisation. And through it I can continue my father’s legacy and build something he would be proud of,” she said, her fingers still on the unknown device on the bench. And still looking at you. 

“I think he’d be very proud of you,” you said.

“Thank you.” Her hand drew back, putting her back on her side of the bench, “I know what I do is important, but I still miss this.”

“Do you want to help with this? Might scratch that itch,” you offered.

When she settled beside you, on your side of the bench, you felt your heart flutter. Shoulder to shoulder, you bent towards the wiring and the metal, her hair brushing against your skin. It was strange, the conflict you felt inside, sitting there with her in the small circle of light. 

On the one hand, she was so confident in the work, almost as if she was able to read your mind. She could predict what you were thinking and what you were going to do with ease. On the other, she was close enough you could smell the perfume that clung to her skin, and the warmth of her body washing over you. It was a very specific kind of torture and one you would willingly submit to every night for just one more moment like this. 

“Your work on that laser bomb was brilliant,” she murmured, “and that report you wrote on the blue tree was beautiful.”

You startled, dropping the tiny screwdriver you’d been holding. Her warm chuckle against your ear was enough to have your heart fluttering without pause. 

“I didn’t think you knew who I was,” you admitted, picking it up again, trying not to let her see the shockwaves of her laughter still moving through your body. 

“You’re one of my best,” she said, so unaware how that one little word made your heart skip a beat. My. A claiming you hadn’t known you’d wanted. Even more than the compliment. 

You turned your head, finding her so close. You were practically sharing the same air. Noses close to brushing. You froze, not sure what to do when she was so close. Her lips quirked up in a small smile and your gaze darted down to them then back up, embarrassment curling in your stomach. But you were only human. And she was so very tempting. 

“Of course I know you,” she whispered.

The moment hung between you, strung out until it was taut. Any moment it would break, time speeding up once more to compensate for the stolen time between heartbeats. But for now, you could marvel at the way she was looking at you, like you’d split open right down the middle, baring your soul to her. Those eyes, never missing a detail, looked at you as if she could see you. Really see you. Right down into all the crevices no one ever bothered looking at. You were splayed open for her to see. 

The way her eyes burned, you thought she might like whatever it was she could see. 

One of the night guards rounded the corner of the hall, whistling loud in the night’s silence. Your breath stuttered in your chest and she lent away from you, disappointment swimming in dark eyes. 

“It’s late,” she said.

“It is,” you agreed, not able to say anything else.

“You should return home, get some sleep,” she said.

“Is that what you’re going to do?” you asked, surprised by the need to know, to be able to picture her once she was no longer standing in front of you.

“I hope so,” she said, that same small smile back on her face.

“Goodnight,” you said with a small nod.

“Goodnight,” she said, her hand coming to rest on your shoulder, “sweet dreams.”

Her hand squeezed, lingering a moment longer, sending heat licking over your skin. She turned, a hand in her trouser pocket, and you watched her walk away from you. The shadows swallowed her, heels echoing down empty hallways as she left you with your work.

The hope that had welled in your chest remained, slow to drain. You could still smell her perfume on the air, feel the warmth of her body, hear her chuckle soft in your ear, more vibration than sound. 

And maybe that was the truth of it. That hope, when it came to Kate Stewart, hurt worst of all.

[lilacqiqis]

Hello! I'd love to see Naruto with a single mama(kid could be hers or she was the baby's Godmother and adopted the child after the parents passed.)

I think he would be such a fantastic papa around little kids. If I could request the kid calling him papa for the first time. 🥺😭🥰 please and thank you!

A/N: Thank you for the request dear <3 Ahh first Naruto request I'm super excited to write this ^^ I'll be going with the second option for this req, I also didn't know if you wanted a fic or headcanon format so I went with a slight combination of both? Idk how to explain lol I'll put it under headcanons tho. so sorry if this isn't up to your expectations i'm super tired rn everyone feel free to request anything- Mod Lilac

Character(s): Naruto

Scenario: Naruto with a single mother S/O and the child calling him "papa" for the first time

TW: Brief mention of death, fem!reader

Naruto with a single mother S/O

more under the cut

Raising a child on your own was hard, of course you had help along the way but for the most part you were winging it with very little experience. You, the godmother of your now adopted child, was the only person who could take them in as the deceased parents had no other connections or relatives who could. It was a large burden to carry as a teenager back then, but you grew past it and pushed ahead.

There were harsh times where it was difficult to even feed the two of you, but you managed to get past and live a rather comfortable life in your small cabin.

Across the time you were caring for the child, you happened to meet a certain gutsy ninja with a rather childish attitude. He was fun, your child immediately gaining an attachment to him. You'd soon realize that it wasn't just your child who had gotten an attachment to Naruto, but you yourself as well.

Naruto admired you. He couldn't ever imagine being a single parent and knew how difficult it could be, so the boy took it to himself to help you as much as he could. Babysitting, teaching, or just general hangouts, he'd always be there to help out and bring joy to the two of you!

Soon, you three were already like a little family. Inside your child's head Naruto was practically their father, and you noticed how clingy they'd get when Naruto had to leave.

He's the sweetest and you can find yourself wondering what if you three were really a family? Naruto coming home from work to greet the two of you... Family trips... Just a thought. Would Naruto be okay with that? Imagining him as your husband...

Of course, Naruto was more than willing to marry you, but he'd never tell you that! Not yet, at least. It's also a dream of his, being able to hold your hand and raise the little one with you. Your child tells all their friends all about Naruto, isn't it just endearing?

So imagine how happy Naruto is when he gets called "papa" by this kid who he saw as his own child for the first time. The boy is grinning his head off as his attention is turned to the small human. You're there watching too, of course, and it warms your heart to no end.

Things move smoothly and naturally once you two finally decide to get together, and your child is more than ecstatic to live with their father figure. Naruto's always been so kind and endearing, so you have no mistake in marrying him <3

[heartbeatbookclub]

yooo do u have any headcanons for what the girls (maybe even mc idk) would do after highschool?

My most confident answer is that I think Sayori would be a teacher. Maybe a daycare worker? I'd even say a child psychologist/school counselor. I've said this before, but I think Sayori would be amazing with kids, and would probably find working with children very gratifying. She's patient, she's compassionate, and she's very receptive. She'd be spending a lot of her time helping children struggling with similar issues that she did when she was young, and I think she'd really take pride in that.

As for her journey to get there after high school, I feel like she'd probably struggle a lot with college, but would eventually find her footing, especially with her support network around her. I don't think she'd want to spend a terribly long period of time getting multiple degrees and fighting for a super good position, either; I get the sense she'd want to start working as soon as possible, which might come back to bite her depending on which career she chooses...

Monika's a bit tough to say. It feels like a bit of a cop-out to say she'd take a coding job, but I do think that's a possibility. I also don't really think something like being a concert pianist would be something she'd seriously consider; in the first place, doing that as a career is inherently volatile, in the second, I don't think Monika would ever really have the confidence in herself to consider playing professionally. I'd imagine one of her friends would probably encourage her to try it, and although she might make some money off of a few gigs, it's always a side thing, and never something she'd consider diving headfirst into.

I get the sense that Monika's high standards for herself probably aren't entirely self-imposed. Girl's got gifted kid syndrome out the nose; I think if any of the girls were seriously considering college, Monika would be the one who felt the most pressure to get in and succeed. Conversely, I think of any of them that would go to college, she would have the absolute worst experience.

Maybe she goes in for a premed program. Maybe law. Maybe something in STEM that is similarly difficult to get through. Something with a high bar to pass, something with a lot of pressure riding on her success. Something likely to put a lot of debt over her head even with scholarships.

And under all of that pressure, she snaps. Maybe she drops out. Maybe she takes a year off. Maybe she fails an entire semester. Regardless, I think she's wont to put a whole lot of pressure onto herself, and then have a nervous breakdown when she can't keep it together, regardless of her support network. I think she'd probably end up in a period where she'd have to reevaluate what her actual goal in life is.

And I think she'd ultimately find it, and be significantly more satisfied with the result than if she just stuck it out wherever she was.

I don't really think Yuri would have very high aspirations. I think she'd hate working in something like fast food or retail, but then again she probably wouldn't enjoy working in general, especially in customer facing environments. Maybe something like a bookstore or coffee shop would be more tolerable. It's kinda funny because I have an old concept of a mild self-insert crackfic which involves Yuri coming to work at my Subway (which is a further offshoot of an old concept of Basil from Omori working at my Subway), so maybe she'd work there.

I think her dream job would be as a novelist, and while I don't really think she'd probably end up being some super famous writer, I do think she'd probably put enough effort into an original work that it would be passable. Now, convincing her to send it to a publisher? Hahaha good luck. In fact, I doubt she'd show anyone for a long, long time. But, with some encouragement, she might self-publish on, like, Amazon. Maybe start a patreon or something related to it, idk. Either way, she'd probably see it as a side-gig similarly to Monika.

I think Natsuki would be in a similar position to Yuri, though she'd have much more dislike of working retail or food-service just because she hates customer service explicitly and lacks a lot of the patience for it. I think there's a number of reasons why Natsuki wouldn't have particularly high aspirations for herself, but that's another story. She'd probably be quick about trying to get into her own place, though.

I think Natsuki would be a Twitch streamer. Completely deadass, I think of anyone in the group she's the most likely, and I think she'd go for it. I think she'd be a Vtuber, and she'd go all in on making her own model. I think that again, this would all be more of a side-gig, but she'd probably enjoy herself doing it, even if she had trouble finding her footing at first.

MC would probably work the most dead-end jobs between high school and a more stable career. I think he'd probably go to college for compsci just because he's a generic man (although they don't call them programmer socks for nothing ;)) and then get a shitty IT helpdesk job which is mostly fixing printers and installing drivers.

[sequinsmile-x]

Everywhere, Everything

Ever since they started trying for a baby she’d felt this pressure that it had to work. That sex was no longer one of the things they did to express how much they loved each other, but it had a functional purpose too. One that so far, didn’t seem to be working. 

AKA - The one where Aaron overhears Emily talk about her concerns about their sex life as they are trying to conceive, and he assures her they have nothing to worry about.

-x-

Hi friends!!

This is a very so slightly early birthday present for the lovely @cloudlessly-light!! It's her birthday tomorrow, and it seemed fitting that I'd write her some filth to mark the occasion.

Thank you for being my friend, for putting up with the constant snippets of fics and photos of my cat, and for generally just being such a lovely amazing person <3 Love you very much!

I hope you enjoy this, I purposely attempted to make it my filthiest fic yet (but with the classic Vic twist of all the feelings)

-x-

Words: 4.7k (we all know I can't control myself)

Warnings: Smut, 18+, pregnancy, discussion around trying to conceive

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

It was starting to get to her. 

She and Aaron were trying for a baby. It was something they’d spoken about for a little while, both of them aware it was something they wanted and something they didn’t have a whole lot of time to make happen. Emily could practically hear her biological clock ticking, every negative test and arrival of her period making the sound louder, reverberating around her head in a way she was struggling to ignore. 

Before she’d allowed herself to get her hopes up she’d spoken to her doctor, Aaron’s hand wrapped tightly around hers as she went through a barrage of tests, to find out if she could have children. If the damage Ian had left behind had impacted her ability to conceive or carry a child, a thought that in her worst moments would make her chuckle darkly, the heavy irony of it not lost on her as it sat on her chest. 

The doctor had assured her that everything looked good, that there was no physical reason why she couldn’t get pregnant, and she let hope take over. She let herself start to imagine it, a little boy or girl who was half her and half Aaron, doomed to be the most stubborn person to ever walk the planet. 

She threw away her contraceptive pills two weeks before they got married. She gets carried away with fairytale thoughts of falling pregnant on her honeymoon, of coming home with more than they’d left with. 

She hadn’t been that lucky. 

It had only been four months since their wedding, and she knew she was being hard on herself, that in the grand scheme of things it really hadn’t been that long, but she could feel the hope start to fade. Sadness starting to creep its way in when she took a test only for it to be negative, her period only ever a few hours behind her making the decision to pee on a stick as if her body was mocking her. 

She’d fallen pregnant the first time she’d ever had sex. A quick fumble with a boy who later blamed her for it all, leaving the decision he’d got to walk away from solely on her 15-year-old shoulders. It felt wrong, almost cruel, that the same wasn’t true now. That it was proving more difficult now she was married to the love of her life, now this was something she could want and have.

She blows out a steady breath and pours herself a glass of wine, rolling her neck slightly as she places the bottle back in Dave’s fridge, mentally preparing herself to slap a smile back on her face and rejoin the merriment in the next room. Pasta nights had become a staple in their lives, something that the team had as often as they could. Usually, she was grateful for it, for the distraction, but right now all she wanted to do was wallow in her misery. 

“Em?” 

She turns to see JJ walking towards her, an empty glass in her hand, “Sorry,” she says, pulling the bottle back out of the fridge, “I should have asked if you wanted something.”

JJ shakes her head and hands her the glass, “No need to apologise,” she says, and Emily can feel her staring at her. She turns and smiles at her friend as she passes her back the now full wine glass, “I thought you were off alcohol.” 

Emily smiles tightly at the tone of her friend's voice, the gentle push to it. She knows JJ would accept any answer, that she’d let her wave it off if she wanted to, but she finds herself sighing, her hip against the counter as she takes a sip of her wine.

“I am, mostly,” she says, her smile turning sad, “No need to be for the next few days though,” she shrugs, “I’m definitely not pregnant, so I thought I’d indulge myself.” 

It was slowly becoming a custom of hers, a glass of wine or scotch when she got her period. The rest of the time she avoided drinking, a measure she took just in case. 

“Oh, Em-”

“It’s fine,” she says, waving off the sympathy she doesn’t want to hear, sure it will somehow mean there was something that was wrong, “I know it hasn’t even been that long. My OBGYN said it could take a while. I just…” she shakes her head at herself and clears her throat, “I just want it so much.” 

JJ nods and places her hand on Emily’s arm and squeezes gently, “Have you spoken to Hotch about this?”

Emily sighs, “Yes and no,” she says, blowing out a breath as she thinks of how he’d hugged her tightly in their bathroom just a few days ago when her period started, his lips against her forehead as he told her it would be okay, “It just feels like so much pressure. Sex is already starting to feel a little…regimented. Like there is no spontaneity.” 

Their sex life had always been healthy. They never seemed to tire of each other, and their need for each other hadn’t faded as they moved from a new couple to a long-term relationship to husband and wife. If anything, as time went on she found she wanted him more, something she knew was reciprocated. Something about their life together, about the way they loved each other, making the sex even better than it had ever been. 

Ever since they started trying for a baby she’d felt this pressure that it had to work. That sex was no longer one of the things they did to express how much they loved each other, but it had a functional purpose too. One that so far, didn’t seem to be working. 

She’s pulled out of her thoughts by a crashing sound that sounds like it’s coming from the living room, and she shakes her head, smiling briefly at the thought of Derek and Spencer once again breaking some of Dave’s belongings. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Emily says, taking another sip of her wine, “It’s still incredible, Aaron has never…” She smiles as she clears her throat, well aware her husband wouldn’t thank her for divulging too much, “Let’s just say he’s never let me down.” 

JJ raises an eyebrow, “Never?” 

Emily smiles, “Never,” she confirms, and her smile slips slightly as she shrugs, “I think I just miss how it was before we were doing it on specific days because a stick I peed on tells me it’s the best day to try.” 

JJ squeezes her arm again and smiles reassuringly, “You’ll get there, Em.” 

Emily nods, wishing she could share in her friend's optimism, “Yeah. We’ll get there.”

___

Aaron was worried about his wife. 

He’d watched as she got increasingly disappointed over the last few months. He’d felt her hugs get tighter, more desperate when he’d try to comfort her as she threw a negative pregnancy test into the trash. 

The most recent time had only been a few days ago, and he could still see the tension in her shoulders. He’d tried to get them out of going to Dave’s, offering to make it his fault they weren’t going so she wouldn’t have to explain anything, but she’d shaken him off. Insistent that it was easier to go along and pretend everything was okay.

He’d offered to get her drink for her once she’d finished her wine, but she’d smiled at him and said she was fine and she went herself. Her hand briefly squeezing his before she let go. He watches the time and he starts to worry when she’s gone for longer than expected. He makes his excuses as he leaves the room, desperate to seek her out. To provide whatever comfort he can.

As he gets closer to the kitchen he hears his wife's voice, the way she sighs as she speaks.  “I know it hasn’t even been that long. My OBGYN said it could take a while. I just…I just want it so much.” 

He comes to a stop, frozen in place by how sad she sounds. He knows she’s been struggling more than she would admit. Her disappointment internalised, pointed inwards as if she had done something wrong, a thought he couldn’t seem to free her from no matter how much he tried. 

“Have you spoken to Hotch about this?” JJ asks, and he suddenly feels bad for listening, but finds himself unable to move, wanting desperately to know what Emily was going to say so he could help. 

Emily sighs, “Yes and no. It just feels like so much pressure. Sex is already starting to feel a little…regimented. Like there is no spontaneity.” 

It feels like a punch to the gut, guilt he wasn’t expecting almost knocking him breathless as he takes a step backwards, almost knocking a framed photo from the wall. The sound of it hitting the wall as he rescues it spurs him into action, his body finally moving as he walks away to give his wife and their friend some privacy. 

As he walks back to the living room he starts to formulate a plan in his head. He might not be able to fix it all for her, but he could certainly make some things better.

And he’d start with date night. 

___

Emily lets out a slow breath as she walks into her house, tension seeping out of her shoulders the moment she’s over the threshold. The peace she found here, the first place that had ever felt like home, unmatched.

She shrugs off her coat and kicks off her shoes. She yawns and rolls her shoulders as she does so it’s only when she hears the familiar click in her joint, how loud it echoes around her, she realises how quiet the house is. It was unusual, the halls usually filled with Jack’s laughter or his favourite TV show. She frowns, she knew Aaron was home because he’d seen his car in the driveway. She steps further into the house and calls out. 

“Aaron, honey?” 

“In the dining room.” 

She smiles as she follows his voice, “Where’s Jack, it’s so…” She drifts off as she walks into the dining room, her words stolen as she looks at the set-up in the dining room.

The table was set for dinner for two, the smell of her favourite meal in the air. There were candles in the middle, and a vase with a bunch of wildflowers, the lights in the room dimmed so the candles flickered across the walls. She smiles as she looks at her husband, dressed casually in a polo shirt and a pair of jeans, a far cry from the suit she’d seen him in just a couple of hours ago. 

“What’s all this?” She asks as she walks over to him, her hands skimming his waist as she wraps her arms around him. He smiles softly as he stamps a kiss on her lips. 

“Date night,” he answers as if it was obvious, pulling her close. He runs his hands up and down her back, “Jack is with Jessica for the night,” he says, kissing her cheek and then her lips again, “It’s just us.” 

She smiles and leans in closer, soaking up the warmth and comfort only he could provide, “You know,” she says softly, biting the inside of her cheek, “I’m your wife now, you don’t have to try to impress me anymore.” 

He frowns, furrowing his brows at her, “Of course I do,” he says, kissing her once more before he leads her to her chair, pulling it back for her so she can sit down at the space he’d set. He kisses her shoulder before he stands up straight, “I’ll never stop dating you.” 

She shakes her head at him as he sits down and narrows her eyes, “I’m assuming all of this is why JJ insisted I went for coffee for her after work?”

Aaron nods, “I may have asked for her help.” 

She hums before she leans in to kiss his cheek, “You’re sweet.” 

They sit and enjoy their dinner, talking about anything and everything as they eat. She feels the tension that had been building in her chest ease a little, the pressure she was putting on herself lifting as she simply spent some time with her husband. Eventually, once their food has settled down and the candles have almost burnt out, he reaches for her hand and guides her to stand. He kisses her, stealing the breath from her lungs and she sighs, burying her hand in his hair, scratching at his scalp as she holds him close. He smiles as he breaks the kiss, pulling away just enough that he can link his fingers through hers, gently tugging to guide her away from the dining room table. 

“Wait,” she says gently, coming to a stop, “The dishes.”

He cups her cheek and kisses her again, “I’ll do them later.” 

He leans down and blows out the candles before he leads her out of the room. He’s insistent as they make it up the stairs, his hands on her hips and his lips on her neck, nipping and licking at her skin, drawing out moans she couldn’t control if she wanted to. 

As soon as they are in their bedroom he turns her, his lips against hers as he leads her to their bed. She sighs as he lowers her onto the bed, his weight against her all too briefly before he pulls away, putting space between them as he unbuttons her pants, tugging them down her legs, taking them and her socks off all at once. She pushes herself up on the bed, resting on her elbows as she looks at him, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as he kneels on the floor at the end of the bed. 

He presses a kiss to one of her ankles, groaning at the softness of her skin against his lips, something he still wasn’t used to after all this time. He works his way up her leg, pressing kisses to her skin as he goes, maintaining eye contact with her, watching as her breath catches in her chest as he reaches her thigh. He kisses a bruise he’d left days ago, licking against his fingerprints, proof that she belonged to him. 

She fists her hands in the sheets beneath her as he licks her through her underwear, groaning at the taste of her through the cotton barrier. 

“So good, sweetheart,” he mutters as he pulls away, leaning back in for a moment to breathe her in, wanting nothing more than to get lost in the feel of her, “So fucking good.” 

She lifts her hips as he pulls her underwear down her legs and she takes the chance to pull off her shirt and bra, unceremoniously throwing them somewhere into the corner of the room. She squeals, something she would deny later, when he pulls her further down the bed by her ankles, settling her legs over his shoulders as he knelt back down on the floor. 

He ignores the ache in his knees, the pain he knows he’ll feel tomorrow, because he just wants his. Her. A moment between the two of them that was about nothing other than them. 

They let out simultaneous moans as he licks through her, tasting her directly from the source as he dips his tongue into her. She rolls her hips at his face, her eyes flickering closed as everything except him and the way he was making her feel disappears. She lets him build her up, none of her usual impatience anywhere to be found. He pulls her apart with his tongue and his fingers like he’d written the manual for her body, something he’d been able to do since the very first night they’d spent together. 

She didn’t believe in soulmates, the thought that there was just one person out there for everyone ridiculous, but if she did, she knew he’d be hers. In the moments when she let herself get carried away by it all, by the way he made her feel, she thinks this was what everything in her life had been leading to. Every bump in the road, every crack she’d fallen down and had to climb back out of had been part of her journey to this. To him. To the life they had together. 

He presses his hand onto her lower belly, keeping her hips in place, as she comes. She moans as it washes over her, her entire body on fire as she tips over the edge. For a moment, she loses her ability to think and when she opens her eyes he’s looking at her, unadulterated affection in his eyes. 

“What?” She asks, her voice breathless, and he smiles as he gently lowers her legs down off of his shoulders, her calves shaking as her feet hit the floor. 

“Nothing,” he says, leaning forward to kiss her, pressing the taste of herself onto her lips, “You’re beautiful.”

She smiles, chasing his kiss before she reaches for his belt buckle, but he stands back, putting space between them as he quickly undresses himself, “What?” 

He smiles as she repeats herself, seemingly only capable of one word at the moment, and he steps out of his pants and throws his polo shirt over his shoulder. 

“Tonight,” he says as he encourages her further up the bed, laying on top of her as she widens her legs, letting him settle between her thighs as he kisses up her chest, “Is all about you.”

She doesn’t have a chance to argue with him, to ask what he means, because he steals the breath from her again as he licks over her already hardened nipple, laving at it until she’s sore, squirming beneath him as he switches his attention to her other breast. 

“Aaron,” she mutters, hooking a leg around him, her heel against his ass as she tries to encourage him to stop teasing her, “Please.” 

He smirks against her skin, licking the sweat from her collarbone before he carries on moving upwards, switching between kissing and gently biting her throat and then jaw. When he kisses her, his lips stamped against hers, it’s softer than she’s expecting. She cups the back of his hand and holds him in place, rolling her hips up against his, making them both moan as he notches against her. 

She reaches between them with her spare hand, smirking into their kiss when he groans as she pumps him up and down a couple of times before she guides him into her. They both moan at the familiar stretch, pressing their foreheads together as his hips meet hers, their skin slapping together in the otherwise quiet room.

“Sweetheart,” he mutters, his breath skipping across her skin, “You feel so good,” he says, kissing every part of her he can reach. Her nose, her cheek, her lips, “So good and all mine.”

“All yours,” she says, rolling her hips against him again, a silent request for him to move, something he does immediately, “All yours.”

She knows that no matter how many times they do this, it is still as amazing as the first time, if not more incredible. It was familiar but not in a way that was boring, but in a way that felt like coming home at the end of a long day. A comfort she can’t believe she ever lived without. 

Something she didn’t want to lose, ever. No matter where life takes them. 

They match each other’s rhythm, their hands linked on the bed next to her head, their foreheads pressed together as they look at each other. As connected as two people could ever be, physically and emotionally. He feels her tighten around him, her thighs twitching at his hips, and he reaches between them to circle her clit, wanting nothing more than to make her feel good. 

She comes, her vision going dark as she tips over the edge, and she pulls him in for a kiss. She smiles against his lips as she feels his hips jerk against her, and she encourages him to move off of her, shifting onto shaky arms and legs as she flips over, looking at him over her shoulder, her smile turning into a smirk. 

He kneels behind her, the sight of her like this, ready and waiting in front of him, enough to make him lose his mind. He leans down and licks through her from behind, smiling when she gasps in surprise, looking at him again with a look in her eyes that he could only call feral. He rests his hands on her hips and pushes into her again, groaning at the feeling of her around him, at the way she immediately clenches. 

She moans loudly, her body sensitive but desperate for more as she pushes back, desperate for the stretch of him that feels impossibly bigger from this angle. She lets him set the pace, harder than it had been already that evening, and she moans, never having really had the chance to recover from her previous orgasms. 

He pulls her upright, his arms around her middle as he holds her in place, thrusting up into her in a way that steals the breath from her lungs. She lets out a strangled noise, turning her head to bury her face in his neck, unable to do anything other than roll her hips against his, gasping with every thrust he pushed up into her, carving a space inside of her only he’d ever been able to reach. 

“Aaron,” she says, his name catching in her throat, “I…”

“Are you going to come again for me?” He asks, his voice rough, an indication he is close too. Her only answer is a nod, her forehead pressing into his cheek, and he reaches for her clit, careful as he gently rubs circles on her swollen skin. 

“Fuck,” she moans, her hips stuttering as she rushes towards the edge again, every nerve ending in her body on fire. 

He tips over the edge with her this time, spilling deep inside of her as they both come, the only sound left in the room their heavy breathing. He places his hand on her cheek, his fingers slippery with her and pulls her into a kiss. 

“I love you,” she says, her lips barely away from his, her words skipping over his skin.

“I love you too,” he replies, kissing her once more before he encourages her to sit up just enough that he can slip out from under her. He kisses her forehead as he stands, “I’ll be right back.” 

She nods as she flops back onto the bed, still trying to catch her breath as she looks up at the ceiling. She smiles at him when he walks back into the bedroom with a towel, cleaning them both up before he disposes of it in the hamper in the corner of the room and joins her on the bed, shifting them both to the top so he can pull the covers over them. 

She curls into his side, resting her head on his chest as he pulls her as close as possible. She reaches for his hand and links their fingers together, smiling at the sight of his ring on his finger, memories of the day she’d slipped it on flooding back. She bites her lip as she thinks of the promises they’d made each other that day, of the excited undertones to everything they said as they both thought of the future they were planning. 

She sighs as she tilts her head to look up at him, “Did JJ say something to you?” She asks, making sure her voice is even so he knows she’s not mad, “Is that why you planned tonight?” 

He smiles down at her and runs his hand up and down her back, “No,” he says, kissing her forehead, “No I…I overheard you talking to her at Dave’s a couple of weeks ago,” he admits, smiling tightly at her, “I didn’t mean to, but I did and I heard you say you missed the spontaneity, so I wanted to give you some.” 

She smiles, unable to hold it back as she sits up just enough to rest her arms on his chest, “Wait a minute, you overheard me saying I missed the spontaneous side of our sex life, so you spent two weeks meticulously planning a date night right down to the detail of having my best friend distract me whilst you set it up?” 

He frowns, his cheeks burning with embarrassment at the amused look on her face, “Well,” he clears his throat, “When you put it like that-”

She cuts him off with a kiss, her lips firm against his before she pulls back, “I love you so much. You’re…” she trails off as she shakes her head, lost for words, “You’re the best man I’ve ever met.” 

“I love you,” he says, pushing her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, “And that isn’t dependant on anything. It’s unconditional. I’ll love you no matter what.” 

She hears what he hasn’t said. That he’d love her if they had a dozen children or if it was just them and Jack for the rest of their lives. She hadn’t realised how much she’d needed the reassurance, the doubt and everything else had that slowly crept in over the last few months never too far away. 

She doesn’t want to lose this moment to it, to let it be marred, so she smiles and nods, resting her head back on his shoulder. 

“Right back at you.” 

___

9 Months Later 

It was starting to get to her. 

She groans as she tries to get comfortable but gives up almost immediately, well aware it is a lost cause. 

“Your days in there are numbered, sweet girl,” she grumbles, rubbing her hand over her bump, her skin stretched almost to its limit over her daughter, “Consider this your eviction notice.” 

She smiles as she feels a kick that almost feels like a response, the sass their little girl had seemed to have from the very start, something Aaron said she’d inherited from her, making itself known. There were still moments, no matter how massive and uncomfortable she felt, when she still couldn’t believe that this was real, that she was days away from having a baby. The baby she’d half convinced herself she’d never have. 

Emily smiles as she hears the front door open quickly followed by her husband's voice, “Sweetheart?” 

“In the living room,” she calls back, “Right where I was when you left this morning.” 

He laughs and walks to the living room, his smile only getting wider when he sees her on the couch, one of his old shirts stretched over her belly, “There are my girls.” 

Emily hums as he kisses the top of her head before sitting next to her, his arm immediately around her, “How was work?” 

“It was fine,” he replies, placing his hand on her bump, “The team miss you. How are you?” 

She groans as she rests her head on his shoulder, “The usual mat leave crap. Heartburn, swollen ankles, tears and the odd practice contraction.” 

He kisses the side of her head again, “You won’t believe the number of routes I have planned to get us to the hospital when you go into labour. I have every eventuality planned for.” 

She can’t help but smile, a joke that had formed between them months ago on the night she’s sure they conceived their daughter already on the tip of her tongue. 

“What, you’re not going to be spontaneous? That’s so unlike you.” 

He sighs and shakes his head at her, the glint in his eyes letting her know he was suppressing a smile, “You’re never going to let that go are you?” 

She chuckles, “Absolutely not.” 

“You’re lucky I love you.” 

She leans in and kisses him, her hand on his cheek as she pulls away, “I really am.” 

-x-

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[filhadoboto]

Falling for You

SUMMARY: The intense cold of the North forces Daenerys to take possession of Jon Snow's cloak. (rating: E)

Written for "Jonerys Falling for You 2023" - Day 1 - Wearing his cloak

@iceandfirejonerysdiscord

AO3

Chapter 1 - Wrap me in your arms

“You are wearing my cloak, Your Majesty.” said a familiar voice from behind her and Daenerys Targaryen smiled “And I see that my direwolf prefers your company over mine.”

She looked to the side where Ghost, his direwolf, lay asleep at her feet, sharing his body heat with her. Dany had been amazed the first time she saw Ghost. He was much bigger than she had imagined and, if she hadn't been used to living with gigantic animals, it would have been very difficult to get used to the direwolf following her everywhere as if he were her second shadow.

Dany heard his footsteps approaching her, and when he stood side by side with her before the weirwood tree, she said “I grew up and lived in Essos, Lord Snow. My body is not used to this climate and I fear that even my warmest clothes are not enough to keep me warm. And Ghost volunteered to keep me warm and your cape was abandoned in your study, so I assumed you didn't need it as much as I did.”

Only then did she look at him and see that he was already looking at her. There was something in his gray eyes. Pride? Satisfaction? Presumption? Definitely a mix of all three. Jon Snow was loving seeing her wearing his cape and being protected by his direwolf. And she couldn't deny that she was enjoying it too, to feel protected and cared for.

Not that she didn't feel protected by Ser Barristan and the others in her Queensguard, as well as her Bloodriders and her dragons. She knew that each of them would give their lives for hers, that they would follow her to the death, but the way she felt about Jon and Ghost was similar to the way she felt when Ser Willem or Viserys hugged her when she was a child. It was a feeling of belonging, as if she had finally found her place in the world.

“Even if I needed it, I wouldn’t dare take it from you, Your Majesty.” he said.

She drew his cloak even tighter around her body so that only her face was still exposed to the cold wind and his watchful gray eyes followed her every movement.

“You look adorable, my queen.” he added in a flirtatious tone and there was adoration in his eyes.

Dany felt her cheeks heating up and gave him a shy smile, feeling more like a shy and inexperienced girl in front of her first love than what she really was: a queen who had brought dragons back to the world, freed slaves and convinced the Dothraki warriors to cross the narrow sea talking to one of her vassals.

That must have been the reaction he was hoping to elicit from her, for he gave her a satisfied smile as he watched her with his hungry gray eyes.

“If it is to your liking, I will ask that clothes more appropriate for the cold of the North be arranged for you, Your Majesty, and your handmaids. I believe they are experiencing the same inconvenience.” he offered in a courteous tone.

“I appreciate your kindness, my Lord.” she said with a grateful smile “I will continue using your cloak for now. I promised Lady Arya I'd take her flying this afternoon, and even riding a dragon, I'm going to need the extra heat up there.”

Since her arrival in the North, she used to fly every day with her dragons both to reconnoitre the region and for her dragons to familiarize themselves with the territory and Arya, as her guide, almost always accompanied her.

He smiled when he heard her mention his sister and her heart skipped a beat.

“She told me about it. I have never seen her so excited in my entire life.” he commented in a tender and caring tone.

From the first moment she saw Jon Snow, the then King in the North, and Arya Stark, standing in Dragonstone's throne room, Dany knew they were very attached to each other. If she hadn't known beforehand who they were, she would have thought they were twin sibilings due to their physical resemblance and the fact that they seemed to move in sync with each other. And the weeks that passed between that first meeting and now had only reinforced that impression.

She couldn't deny that she had felt a little envious of their relationship in the early days. While Jon would give his own life to protect his little sister and Arya would also not hesitate to kill anyone who tried to hurt her family, especially Jon, Viserys had sold her and would not hesitate to hurt and sacrifice her if it would bring him closer to getting back the throne of Westeros. Jon was extremely protective and affectionate towards Arya and she shared the same characteristics as her brother, not to mention that they were so in tune with each other that they even used to finish each other's sentences.

Dany had never had a relationship like that with her brother or anyone else really, but during their stay at Dragonstone, Dany and Arya had become very close, shared stories of the journey that had led them there, and quickly realized that they had a lot in common. In one of their first conversations alone, the northern girl had confided that she had been very happy when she heard what Dany had done in what was now called the Bay of Dragons.

The girl was intelligent and cunning and her ferocity soon won over her Bloodriders to the point that Arya managed to convince them to teach her how to wield an arakh and how to fight on horseback like a Dothraki warrior. Perhaps because they were the same age, Arya and Missandei had gotten along very well and the scribe had taken upon herself the task of teaching her Dothraki and perfecting her High Valyrian and Arya, in return, was teaching her everything she knew about Westeros.

After everything the two had told her about the threat beyond the Wall and shown her, even Dany herself had decided it was time to learn how to wield a sword and the two siblings had helped with her training along with Ser Barristan. Not to mention that seeing with her own eyes one of the creatures they had taken with them to Dragonstone had made it abundantly clear that they needed to unify Westeros as quickly as possible or they would have no chance of saving its people.

“This cloak is from my time as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, made to keep us warm even in the cold beyond the Wall.” he explained “I would be honored if you accepted it as a gift.” he offered. “I can ask one of our seamstresses to adjust it to your size.”

He knew her own handmaids could make the adjustments, but she was happy for his concern and care.

Dany gave him a grateful smile “I accept the gift and don't worry about the adjustments. It is perfect the way it is.”

I want everyone who sees me with it to know that it is yours., she thought, but didn't speak.

She saw his cheeks redden and he said, “As you wish, Dany.”

The memory of a stormy night in Dragonstone filled her mind when she heard him call her that way.

Jon had bent the knee a few days ago and, like his sister, was helping her with her plan to take back the Iron Throne and unify Westeros before she could focus all her attention and resources on the war in the North. She was in the Chamber of the Painted Table watching the storm, her thoughts going over the stories her brother and Ser Willem had told about her birth and about Westeros and, because of that and of the noise of the storm, Dany hadn't heard Jon come in and approach her until he was practically beside her. She had seen his shadow before she saw him, and for a few seconds she had feared that some assassin sent by her enemies had managed to get past her guards and get to her. But then she recognized him and felt her body relax and fill with relief.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, my Queen.” he had said “The guards let me in and you seemed lost in your thoughts when I entered.”

She had given him a smile and nodded before asking “What brings you here so late, my Lord?”

“I wanted to inform you that we have started mining obsidian.” he had replied “If we can keep up the pace we will be able to send the first shipment to the North in a week. And, as soon as weapons are ready, we can start distributing them among the brothers of the Watch in the castles spread across the Wall.”

The Night's Watch and the Wall were their first line of defense against the Others, and so they had agreed that they should send the obsidian there first.

She nodded and lightning struck near the window, scaring them both. Perhaps out of battle reflex or just instinct, Jon had pulled her away from the window and kept her pressed against his body until he realized what he had done. But instead of letting her go, he had looked into her eyes as the rumble of thunder roared around them and reverberated through the castle.

There was something so familiar about his face and his eyes, something that made her feel drawn to him in a way she had never felt drawn to anyone else before. With his arms wrapped around her body, Dany felt safe, as if she had finally found something she had been searching for for as long as she could remember: her home.

Her hands that had rested on his chest slowly slid up to his neck, her eyes never leaving his, and she heard herself asking, “Kiss me, Jon.”

His eyes widened and he looked at her lips and back to her eyes before saying in a voice barely audible over the noise of the storm, “I'm afraid I won't be able to stop if I kiss you, Dany.”

She felt a shiver run through her body when she heard it and said “I’m willing to take the risk if you are too.”

Jon looked into her eyes while one of his hands rested on her cheek and his thumb slowly traced the outline of her lower lip. Slowly, perhaps to give her the chance to stop him, Jon leaned toward her and Dany stood on tiptoe to meet him halfway. Their lips met and Jon pressed his own against hers slowly, in a chaste, hesitant kiss, as if he was afraid she would disappear. Her fingers intertwined with his hair and she pressed him against her, giving him access to her mouth and intensifying the kiss.

He then kissed her so desperately, her body curving and molding to his, that it made her feel scared for a few seconds, but then she realized that this was exactly what she wanted and kissed him back with the same desperation. Without breaking the kiss, Jon's arms wrapped around her waist and then he lifted her off the floor and sat her on the edge of the Painted Table.

Jon had broken the kiss and whispered against her lips. “I've wanted to do this since the first moment I saw you sitting on that throne.”

She had smiled and her heart had been beating so fast that she had feared it would burn a hole in her chest and throw itself into his hands. Before she could say anything, Jon had kissed her again and any rational thought had left her mind. For a few minutes, or perhaps hours, they both laid aside the heavy burdens of leadership and survival in Westeros and allowed themselves to be just a girl and a boy experiencing the taste of their first kisses and with their entire lives ahead of them. They did nothing but exchange fiery kisses and sizzling caresses that night, even though they were both burning with desire.

And from the way he looked at her now she had no doubt that he was remembering the same thing as her.

Would it be disrespectful to the old gods if I kissed him there in that sacred place?, she thought, looking quickly at the weirwood tree and then at his lips.

As if he could read her thoughts, Jon closed the distance between them and kissed her. Before she could even think about reacting, her arms had already wrapped around his neck and she returned the kiss with enthusiasm. Dany wished they were somewhere more private, preferably with a bed, as her body burned.

In the weeks that passed until their arrival at Winterfell they had little chance to be alone and, in the rare moments when this happened, on the rare occasions when they could touch each other freely, someone always interrupted them before they had time to do anything other than exchange passionate kisses and sizzling caresses. And since their arrival at Winterfell almost a week ago, this was the first time they had been able to be alone.

This time they were interrupted by Ghost. The direwolf growled softly and the two broke the kiss.

“Someone is coming this way.” he explained looking towards the entrance of the godswood.

Dany couldn't see anyone, but she knew a lot about the strong connection that there was between Jon and Ghost, how he could enter the direwolf's mind, and that at that moment, Jon probably already knew who was approaching because Ghost knew who it was from their scent.

She nodded and forced herself to take a step away from him, her body already missing the warmth of his and his lips against hers.

“Aren’t you afraid of offending your gods?” she asked.

He looked at the weirwood tree and looked at her. “I’m not. I'm sure they've seen a lot worse than a man and a woman kissing, Dany.” he replied and gave her a suggestive smile. “As the gods of nature, anything we do before them would be seen as natural by them.”

A few seconds later Jon's younger brother, Lord Rickon, accompanied by his direwolf, joined them.

The boy greeted them and said “A raven arrived from King’s Landing and Sam asked me to give it to one of you.”

He handed the message to his brother, Jon took the small scroll and, after reading the message, said “Lady Brienne has written to let us know that she, Ser Jaime and the Southern army are ready and will leave for the North tomorrow. She also reports the number of men they had managed to gather.”

The Tyrell and Martell had allied with her even before she left Essos, and with the threat beyond the Wall, they also understood that Westeros needed to unite to survive. The army of Dorne had arrived in King's Landing three days earlier and the army of the West was to join them at the Trident.

She nodded. “We’d better inform the others.” she said.

“Arya is in the training yard with Osha, Meera and Missandei. Bran is with Sam. And Ser Davos, Ser Barristan and Lord Tyrion are with Gendry at the Forge.” informed Rickon “I’ll call them.”

“Thank you brother.” said Jon and the boy ran through the godswood with his direwolf in pursuit.

Jon had lost his older siblings, the brother had been betrayed by his vassals and the sister, after betraying her own family, had been executed in the Valley accused of treason and murder. But he had managed to find the three youngest again and, little by little, they were remaking their bonds and relearning how to be a family.

Dany smiled as Jon took her hand and placed a kiss on her gloved palm. It was easy to pretend there wasn't a war ahead as they walked back to the fortress hand in hand.

---

Hours had passed since their meeting in the godswood and Dany could still feel the feeling of his lips against hers, the heat of his body against hers. Not even the adrenaline of flying with her dragons through the Northern skies had managed to dull the memory of the warmth of his skin against hers.

She thought about going to him, but she didn't know if he was in his quarters or somewhere else in the fortress. She looked at the direwolf lying comfortably in front of the fireplace and had an idea.

She went to him, knelt down and said “Ghost, I need your help.” the direwolf immediately focused his attention on her and Dany continued “I need you to find Jon and bring him to me.”

Ghost got up and walked to the closed door. Before allowing him to leave, she stroked his ear and repeated, “Bring Jon to me.”

The animal licked her hand and she let him out. She told her guards that she was waiting for Jon and that they should allow him to pass.

Dany took a deep breath, feeling nervousness begin to spread through her body. To fend it off and continue carrying out her plan, Dany took a sip of mulled wine. The heat from the drink helped her and she began to take off her clothes. When she finished she undid the braid Irri had made and placed Jon's cape over her naked body. About fifteen minutes later she heard a light scratching at her door followed by the voice of a confused Jon. She smiled and opened the door.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” he said “Ghost practically dragged me here.”

She looked at the direwolf who was watching them intently and said, “Thank you for the favor, Ghost.” she patted his head “You’re a great boy!”

Jon watched the scene looking even more confused, which made her conclude that Ghost hadn't let him see what she had asked him to do, and she gestured for him to come inside. He complied and, after closing and locking the door, she turned to him and explained “I asked Ghost to bring you to me.”

His face filled with concern “Did something happen, Dany? Was someone disrespectful to you?”

She gave him a serene smile. “No, everyone has treated me with the respect and deference that their queen deserves.” she replied “Actually I need your help.”

"Anything." he said.

She looked him in the eyes for a few seconds and took a step and then another towards him. “I need help taking off your cloak.” she said in an innocent tone and his eyes fell on the strings that held the cloak together. The cape was held in place by a simple loop and all he had to do was pull one of its ends to release it.

The two were silent for what seemed like an eternity and her heart quickened when his eyes met hers. With two steps Jon closed the distance between them, his eyes still on hers. Her body immediately reacted to the proximity of his. Slowly, Jon brought his hands to the strings of his cloak and, only then, did his gaze shift to the task. He held both ends of the bow while Dany kept her eyes on his face and could see that his cheeks were flushed.

Triumph filled her body as Jon pulled on both ends of the noose and Dany let the cape fall behind her. His eyes widened when he saw that she was naked and she smiled with satisfaction when his gaze slowly wandered over her naked body, as if he were memorizing every detail. Even though the room was warm, Dany felt her body shiver when his eyes met hers again.

She saw Jon swallow hard before saying, “May I be of further service to you, my Queen?”

“Oh, I do not wish to prevent you from returning to your responsibilities, my Lord.” she replied in an innocent tone.

Jon gave her a mischievous smile before saying “There is nothing more important at the moment than serving my queen in whatever she needs.”

She smiled in satisfaction. “In that case, I would love for you to help me finish what we started so many months ago on that stormy night in Dragonstone.”

Jon gave her an incendiary smile before saying, “Your wish is my command, my Queen.” he closed the distance between them, placed his hands on her face and whispered “My Dany.”

Being called that way made her feel wanted and safe and her body shuddered when his lips touched the skin of her neck. Jon placed soft kisses on her skin interspersed with whispers of 'my Dany', his hands caressing her waist and when he knelt before her, she looked at him in confusion.

He gave her a serene smile before saying, “Let me worship you like the goddess you are.” She nodded and he kissed the valley between her breasts.

His warm, soft lips against her skin left a trail of heat as he trailed down her abdomen and lower and lower, past her belly until he reached the silvery hairs between her legs. Jon looked at her, his fully dilated pupils made him even more beautiful, and said, “I have fantasized and dreamed of this moment so many times.”

That was one more thing they had in common. She had been attracted to him from the moment she saw him and after what happened between them that stormy night in Dragonstone she had spent a lot of time daydreaming and fantasizing about the man on his knees before her. However, none of her fantasies had come close to the perfection of what was happening.

“You weren’t the only one who spent hours awake fantasizing.” she admitted and Jon gave her a smile that almost made her heart stop.

His lips kissed her thighs and Dany felt the wetness between her legs increasing. She moaned softly when he used his tongue to lick up that wetness and before she could recover, Jon focused his attention on her clit. It didn't take long for his attention and skill to bring her to orgasm and Jon held her while Dany let herself be swept away by the wave of pleasure. When she opened her eyes, Jon was still on his knees watching her with a proud smile and hungry eyes.

“You’re so sweet, Dany.” he said.

Her hands cupped his face and she leaned in to kiss him.

“I knew you were a man of many talents, Jon.” she said against his lips “But I never knew your tongue was so good at anything other than convincing people to do things your way.” Jon smiled against her lips and she continued, “I can't help but wonder what other surprises you hide.” she kissed him once more before helping him up and said, “You’re still wearing too many layers, Jon.”

“You distracted me.” he said with a satisfied smile.

Dany helped him undress and, if she hadn't already known about their existence and the story behind them, seeing his scars, especially the one over his heart, would have distracted her from her task of filling every bit of his exposed skin with kisses. Jon kissed her again when they finally freed him of all his clothes. Without breaking the kiss, Jon took her in his arms and carried her to the bed. He placed her on the furs carefully, as if she were something fragile, precious.

“You're so beautiful that sometimes I'm afraid you're not real. I'm afraid this is all a dream and I'll wake up back on the Wall.” he said.

She reached out, brushed his hair away from his face and placed her hand on his cheek. “I'm real and I'm exactly where I belong. Here with you."

Jon blushed, turned his head and placed a kiss on her palm.

“Do you have any idea the effect you have on me?” he asked, looking into her eyes “Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to devour you in front of everyone?”

She smiled, took his hand and slowly guided it to her wet pussy. His eyes widened when his fingers felt her wetness.

“I guess that makes us even, don’t you?”

His hand remained there and his fingers began to trace her wet folds and spread her open, leaving her center exposed for his exploration. Her hand found his member and she grabbed it at the base and her hand slid to the tip, feeling it get even harder under her touch. He moaned, kissed her lips and then her neck and as he kissed her, she guided the head of his member to her wet folds and passed it between them a few times, spreading her wetness on it. Jon gave another moan when she positioned his member at her entrance.

He looked into her eyes before slowly entering until his member was completely buried inside her and they both stared at each other as her body adjusted. Her legs wrapped around his hips and they made love looking into each other's eyes until they both reached their climaxes within seconds of each other.

Jon held her in his arms as they both caught their breath and she felt herself freeze when she heard him whisper against her hair. “I love you, Dany.”

Until that moment, Daenerys Targaryen hadn't thought about putting a name to the feeling she had for him, but love seemed like a good name. It seemed like the right name.

She pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes “Jon? What did you just say…” she started to say but stopped when his eyes widened and he tensed.

“I should go, Your Majesty.” he said, sitting on the bed “It won't be good for the future of your alliances for people to know that you shared your bed with a vassal. Especially a bastard like me.”

“Let me worry about my future alliances, Jon.” she asked “Being a bastard or not doesn’t make you lesser than others nor does it diminish everything I feel for you.”

“But I…” he began, but she silenced him with a kiss and he let her make him lie down again.

“I propose that, for now, we worry about surviving.” she suggested as their lips parted and she looked into his eyes before adding, “And know that I love you too.”

Jon stared at her with wide eyes filled with a mix of hope and disbelief “You love me?”

She smiled and nodded “I love you.”

Jon gave her the sweetest of smiles, and when he kissed her and made her feel like the most loved and precious person in the world, Daenerys knew that if they survived the coming war, nothing in the world would make her give him up.

[fallout4-reacts]

How about the fo4 companions (including DLC companions) reacting to a S.S. who was an Ex-Paladin for the BOS and had killed their team after being ordered to kill a synth child and went AWOL, taking the child under their care as a backstory?

I didn't do Ada or Longfellow because I didn't get to know them very well. We can imagine Ada didn't really give a shit and Longfellow just accepted it. He is old, he has wisdom... and he is probably drunk (for all I know of him)

Cait : "Bad-ass! I couldn't do better myself, kids not kids. But I take it's a warnin'. Dinnae violate yer morality by...not touchin' a child?"

Codsworth : "So this is what you were doing the entire time you were missing?"

"Yes. I was on the Capital side. I was completely disoriented after what happened to Nate/Nora. I had no idea what to do. And I couldn't bear seeing all I knew... altered in that way. I continued walking towards the capital without pausing. I couldn't find anything better on the road, so I decided to join the BoS. Seek out a place to live and some semblance of civilization. But they're all monsters in the end."

"Except for Danse..."

Sole tries to hide their smile, but they shake their heads and return to their solemnity.

"However, the reason I'm talking to you today is that my responsibilities as a General are taking up more and more of my time. I frequently put myself in dangerous situations. Also, the closer I go to the Institute, the more scared I am of never returning. I would not want my other child to be abandoned or without means."

"Do you still have him with you?"

"I hid him close to Sanctuary. I try to see him as much as possible, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. He requires a healthy environment, and Sanctuary has transformed into a haven of peace and tolerance..."

"Don't say anything else! I'd be delighted to look after this little one while you're away! We will always be at home to greet you back."

Sole expected nothing less from their butler, but seeing his joy warms their heart. The child does require a stable environment. Besides, having a location to return to and be welcomed back would be great for them.

Curie : "How dreadful. Betraying your vows by having to kill all of these individuals. Please be sure that I understand. But betraying a vow must be horrifying."

Sole sighs. Curie is only familiar with Hippocrates' oath. They are well aware that the synth cannot consider betraying it. But they appreciate how she handled the story. After all, these murders and betrayals have been weighing on them for a long time, and it feels nice to finally have someone to talk to.

Danse (Post BB) : "This story was told from time to time in the dorms. But I never imagined it was true, and I never suspected for a second that it was you. I now have a better understanding of your situation. But how is it that Maxson has never had a doubt? And why are you back?"

"It was another era, another time. They had not yet performed ADN testing, so how could they have known? And I needed the BoS to get into the Institute. But if you want a completely honest response, they are simply incredibly stupid."

"I recognize it now."

Deacon (romanced) : There were always moments. Sole vanished from his radar for a few days, then reappeared. They were impossible to trace. He now understands. Sole would never have allowed them to be followed in order to expose the location of this synth child's hiding place. And Deacon has more admiration than ever for this person to whom he has now dedicated his life.

Dogmeat : Love the child. Everything else is nonsense. It's a dog. He simply loves the child... and guards him like a mother wolf.

Elder Maxson (romanced) : Cade is formal. The soldier is the same. But how could it have taken him so long to identify them? How could his officer be so careless? He's not sure how to react now. To set an example, he must surely execute Sole immediately. But can he truly? He doesn't have a choice. As soon as Sole returns to the ship, he will arrest them and hand them over to a firing squad.

He doesn't have a choice...

But what if...

He makes an effort to think. He attempts to figure out who on his team could handle such a delicate mission for him. Then he finds out. Heylan, the scribe, came naturally in his mind. He is aware that she covered Danse. He had been aware of it, yet he accepted it since he himself was hesitant. Because a large part of him was hoping for a loophole in this tricky situation. Because he cared so much about Danse. And now, once again, a dossier in which his emotions and his responsibilities collide. Is this bad luck? When the scribe enters his quarters, he requests that she close the door behind her.

"This discussion never happened, and if you mention it, I will deny everything and you will face justice."

Haylen had not anticipated such a welcome. She was already worried about appearing before the Elder, her nerves had now reached new heights. But she nodded, waiting for what the leader of her organisation intended to do.

"You will return to the ground and follow Sole's trail, trying to find their allies and visiting their colonies. You must deliver a message from me: "I know, never come back."

Haylen cocks her head to the side, unsure, but she nods once more.

"Good, sir."

"Be really discreet. If you do not send this message before Sole returns to the airport, I will be forced to execute them. Do you realise the significance of what I'm asking?"

"Sir, yes. I completely understood."

"Danse trusted you, Sole trusted you, and so do I. Don't betray that trust."

"Never, sir."

And now all Maxson has to do is wait and hope. He did everything in his power. May fate now look after Sole.

Hancock : "Killing BoS? Help a child? And you were unwilling to brag about it?"

Sole frowns and shakes their head.

"There's more to it than that. I deserted my companions; I betrayed those who had placed their trust in me. They were under my command, and—

"You put your duties as they must be. This ends the debate. Is he all right, the kid?"

"Yes, yes, yes. He lives not far away. I hid him in... well, I hid him. I try to see him as frequently as possible."

Hancock's keen stare falls on them, becoming somber.

"Are you too afraid to tell me where he is?"

His friend, embarrassed, lowers their head.

"Understand! I… For so long, I've lived as a renegade, and I've kept our path hidden. It's difficult to put faith in anyone on this subject."

With a slight smile on his face, the mayor shakes his head.

"You've just pointed out your betrayal, your massacer, and its existence to me. It's odd that you paused right before asking me to send Fahrenheit to babysit."

"Pardon?" Sole and the bodyguard inquire.

"Yes, keeping him secure. So many sacrifices, why not give him a life worth saving?"

"Not in Goodneighbourhood! Never!"

"So what? Isn't this the town of outcasts and fugitives?"

Sole mulls on what Hancock has just said, but they sighs deeply.

"No. This is not the kind of life I want for him."

"So it's better to hide him?"

"I'm not sure, but your girlfriend doesn't appear to agree with your plans."

"Fah is my daughter, not my girlfriend."

Sole's eyes widen in disbelief. Hancock busts out laughing.

"A secret for a secret. Where do you plan on putting down roots, for the kid? I mean, seriously."

Gage : "What on earth does that have to do with conquering the Commonwealth?"

Sole grimace. That was something they should have expected. Gage is unconcerned about his last sock. The past is the past, the raiders are not children of the heart, and Gage's objectives are more essential than humans leaving by the side of the road. Sole does not and will never insist. But one day, like this, Gage returns to them, perplexed.

"You know, boss, I've been thinking about something. You betrayed your old patrol for a child who isn't even human. There may be children present when we invade the Commonwealth colonies. Are you sure you're not going to do it backwards?"

Sole's eyes widen in amazement. Then they softly shake their head and smile.

"No way, Gage, never."

But after that, their lieutenant was shot in the head the moment he turned his back.

MacCready : "Killing BoS and protecting a child synth. Yeah. You like risks, it’s twisted, but who am I to judge?"

He sighs and shrugs.

"Say, regarding the events in Vault 81... I hope you don't hold my view in the same regard, and that you're not planning to gut me in my sleep."

"Did you request that this child die? You were upset that I saved him, but you didn't ask for his death. That's not the same."

"No, I didn't... I didn't mind that you saved him! I'm disappointed that you didn't save yourself for whatever reason!"

MacCready is suddenly interested in his weapon, which he disassembles to lubricate the mechanism.

"However, I am not surprised. In fact, an imbecile capable of giving up healthcare in favor of a child's life may well debunk BoS without guilt in order to rescue one."

"It was my team..."

"That was the motto. The past is gone. Winlock and Barnes were both killed by me. You heard me; I don't pass judgement."

Nick Valentine (romanced) : He had a good time that evening. Conversations about the past, Sole in his arms, starry sky over their heads. But, for once, Sole didn't bring up the pre-war topic. They described this horrific event from their recent history nervously, almost fearfully.

"And the kid, what's he become?" The detective inquires flatly.

"Always safe and hidden. I try to pay him visits every few days. But I'm always worried that he'll be discovered."

Sole looks up to Nick, and he sees their anxiety. He strokes their cheek gently.

"Your secret is safe with me. I will never betray you. In the meanwhile, we'll consider where we can best place the child. Perhaps one of your settlements. I suppose he could be quiet at Sanctuary, and you could stop constantly glancing over your shoulder."

Sole's eyes are now bright with joy. They had already considered it, but because this secret had always been closely guarded, they frequently pondered if it was a poor idea without anybody else talking about it. The fact that Nick agrees with them gives them comfort. Yes, perhaps it's time for this poor child to resume his normal existence. And now that they're thinking about it, they're certain that Sanctuary would be the ideal location.

Piper : "Wow! What a tale! I'm not supporting genocide, but these Brotherhoods are viciously slaughtering anything that isn't like them."

"It was not a genocide."

"A slaughter? Don't try and tell me it wasn't a slaughter."

"Do you intend to write an article about this?"

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not stupid enough to put you and the boy in danger, and it could eventually lead to an open war with the Brotherhoods to expose to them that the Commonwealth Minutemen General is a former traitor to their organisation."

Sole gently shakes their head, a small smile on their lips. Piper's intelligence should never be underestimated. She comprehends things better than anybody else, and they were right to put their trust in her.

Preston : "But really, you had to kill these men back then?"

Sole sadly shakes their head.

"They refused to listen to reason. They'd track me down and kill me. I was his single chance to living a free and happy life. I had no choice."

The Colonel nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the Prydwen.

"I see what you're saying. And I completely understand your distress at seeing this ship. Okay, if diplomatic visits are necessary, I will make them. Meanwhile, return this sad child to Sanctuary so he can have a decent home. It's a disgrace to keep him among the ruins, fearful, when we can give him a better future."

Sole can't keep a smile from appearing on their lips. They were completely right in telling Preston of everything.

Strong : “Boring. No need so much words. Protecting child. Good. Strong strong. Strong will protect child of human.”

Sole smiled slightly. It felt good to talk about it. And as usual, Strong’s simplistic philosophy reinforced their convictions. And now they have one more ally to protect their child.

X6-88 : Sole is sad now. They have since developed a trusting relationship with the Courser. They had placed their trust in his friendship. They assumed that X6 had progressed past certain phases of the Institute. That he had changed. So, they confided in him about everything. Their companion's reply did not take long. He demanded that Sole hand over the infant to the Institute. There have been relatively few synth children created, and they are extremely valuable for research advancement. Sole refused, as they had before refused to follow X6 in some "homework," but the Courser did not sweep the subject with the back of his hand this time. He made a threat against Sole. He threatened them, and everything about his demeanour indicated that he was serious. He stated thoroughly that it was the final straw. If Sole continued to refuse to behave in the Institute's best interests, they would be judged to have chosen to be an enemy. When Sole refused to cooperate, X6 opened fire, claiming that he didn't need Sole to find the child but couldn't afford to have them in his way. Sole is sad since they have to kill someone they thought a friend.

[littleclownopinions]

The Haunting Perfection of Ballora

Slight Content warning: Mentions of child murder

With Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 releasing sometime next month, we will be seeing the return of everybody's favourite ballerina, so I thought this would be a good time to start talking about her again. Now, as much as I hope this will mean the inclusion of some much needed lore for our girl, this is not what I wish to solely focus on today. Although we will touch on the topic, I'd mostly like to talk about Ballora's overall design and how she left such an impact on me in the short amount of time we had with her.

Ballora is arguably the single most humanoid animatronic in the game's canon. While Circus Baby is obviously human-like, Ballora is especially human because of her proportions. Her figure, her hands and her facial structure all really bring her to life. Now, here is where I will briefly interject to mention the "who/why" of it all because I think regardless of how little we know about Ballora, these questions play an important part in understanding her human appearance. Circus Baby is the only other humanoid animatronic we have in the game, but we know her place. Being modelled after and later killing William Afton's daughter, Elizabeth, she is an important character to the story and lore. So then, who is Ballora and why is she so human? Well, although I don't have any definitive answers, many have speculated that Ballora is, in some way, connected to/representative of Mrs. Afton. As a result, it's become difficult for me personally to separate her from the image of a motherly figure, which I think adds some layers to her creep-factor. I mean, a mother is supposed to keep children safe, right? ...Right?

Now, in Sister Location we get the following blue prints.

Points B and C are pretty self explanatory. Ballora can stabilise herself and alert herself to any objects that may cause a collision to prevent accidents. However, points A and B are a little trickier to discern any actual meaning from at first glance. For a full run down of all the Sister Location blueprints as well as theories on how the animatronics work together to fulfil their 'purposes', I'll refer you to this post by an unfortunately deleted user. The important takeaway is as follows: Ballora is all about audio. She can sing, play music and she herself can even hear. However, she doesn't use these features for killing, at least not primarily. She, like Funtime Foxy, is more of a lure for kids and adults alike, to gather them away from Circus Baby and/or Funtime Freddy as they are the designated killers. She uses her voice and her music related functions as bait to aid them. I highly recommend checking out the post if you get the chance.

Moving on, I wanna talk about Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery. Scott Cawthon said on a steam post in 2016 "I would imagine that she actually glides on a track most of the time, but after leaving the track she uses all four limbs to crawl more like a spider." This is exactly what we see in Special Delivery. Ballora is one of the only animatronics to crawl at the player, rather than the usual walk/run. As Scott mentioned, it gives her a spider-like quality that I think contrasts her elegance in a super neat way. She becomes this really unsettling, distressing creature, rather than the dainty and beautiful ballerina we came to know in Sister Location. We also see in both games the long, sharp teeth that fill out her mouth under her face plates which I think add to what I mentioned above. Here's a lovely image of what her crawl looks like for any previously lucky readers than might have never seen it before. :)

I think Ballora is a really intriguing character to talk about. On one hand I do think there's a point to be made about her having some connection to the Afton family. Afterall, the other Funtime Animatronics are pink, the colour most associated with ballerinas. So, why was Ballora given a purple and blue colour palate instead? She was also built around the same time as Circus Baby, a character that was modelled after the likeness of a specific someone, so, surely she, being so humanoid, must have been modelled after someone too? Don't even get me started on her song. The amount of ways you can interpret the first 4 lines alone is something I think we all still struggle with. That said, I do understand people not buying into the theory. There hasn't been much tangible evidence to properly give the theory legs, none of what I've said can sustain it alone.

Regardless of where you stand with her in terms of the lore, I still love Ballora's design and overall aesthetic. The sad ballerina left dancing through the halls of an empty gallery, struggling to find her place in the story or the world she was born into. She has a melancholy about her but, as we see in Special Delivery, she also has this animalistic nature that makes her incredibly nerve-wracking to come face-to-face with. Overall, I think Ballora has a bone chilling design and I hope we see a lot more of her in Help Wanted 2. I don't think she was given the time of day to truly shine and reach her potential, but here's to the future of FNAF, I cant wait to see what it has in store!

[irkimatsu]

I saw another person ask about this for someone else for husk dating Alastor's sister

Your writing is so good I'd love u see ur take on it

First off, fun fact, Alastor's an only child! (Source!) I know things can change over years in show development, but it's something I'll take as canon unless proven otherwise, and I'm a real stickler for canon. So, while I didn't write about a sister by blood, I decided to give him a childhood friend who views him as a brother.

Maybe that view is too rosy for her to see what kind of person Alastor really is and always has been... that's going to make things difficult for Husk...

Third-person; sorry if you wanted reader-insert, I wasn't sure! I wanted to give the sister more detail than I typically give reader-inserts anyway. Kind of Husk/OC, but more for establishing that a relationship like this is going to be rocky as hell. SFW. About 1.5k words.

Her name was Clara.

Husk didn’t believe in love at first sight - that was a fairy tale he left behind long ago, along with all his other dreams from when he was young and stupid. Still, even if he wouldn’t call it love right away, something about her struck his interest the instant she walked into the hotel and sat at his bar. She was a short, black bear demon, her soft facial features reminiscent of a teddy bear. She wore a green floral dress, and had the heart of a charming Southern belle. Her bright smile and light voice even made Husk almost not care when she scolded him for swearing for the twentieth time. She’d only been here for about an hour, and already Husk was looking forward to how things would progress over her stay…

…and then Alastor showed up.

“Clara, my dear, it’s been ages! How has my darling little sister been?”

She happily ran into Alastor’s arms and accepted some affectionate scritches on the head from him, and Husk had no idea what to make of the situation.

Further conversation revealed that she wasn’t really his sister, not by blood, but their bond during life was no weaker for it. She was about five years younger than Alastor in life, though she’d died over a decade after Alastor had. She’d often jokingly comment that she was technically the older sibling now, but as Alastor always insisted, “once a little sister, always a little sister!” In their youth, she had tagged along with him for woodland excursions for as long as she could remember. He was always happy to have her along for the ride and teach her everything he knew about outdoor survival. 

Husk couldn’t help but notice that Alastor never brought up certain other activities from his life whenever Clara was in listening distance.

God, Husk hated the way he’d steal her attention. He’d be having a nice chat with her, managing to forget exactly who she was, only for Alastor to butt in and ruin the mood. As they reminisced about living experiences that Husk had no input for, he couldn’t help but wonder if Alastor was trying to distance them on purpose.

Was it to punish Husk, or to protect his reputation from Clara?

Whatever the reason, Husk’s eventual solution was to start meeting Clara in her room. Not for any inappropriate reasons, he insisted to a scandalized Charlie and an intrigued Angel; he simply knew Alastor’s manners wouldn’t let him burst into his own “sister’s” room unwanted, granting them some privacy as long as Alastor had no suspicions of whatever they spoke about.

Husk promised him to keep certain things secret. Alastor’s leash on him forced him to make that promise loudly and clearly.

Why would he want to spend his time talking about Alastor, anyway? He got enough of that asshole in his daily life. He just wanted someone to talk to about music and films from his time period and to share opinions on food and drink with. She was a very cultured woman, and could follow a conversation about anything Husk could imagine; if she didn’t know something, her curious mind knew which questions to ask to keep the topic interesting. The hours melted away whenever Husk got a moment uninterrupted with her.

Over time, maybe he did consider taking things a little further. To take her hand and invite her to dance, to kiss her at the perfect moment over the swelling strings of a strategically chosen song…

But before he could ever make that happen, a subject couldn’t be avoided anymore.

“Why do you put up with Alastor?”

Husk’s question was sudden, breaking a brief silence before Clara could cover it with more interesting but overall irrelevant conversation. He lazily swirled his glass of whiskey as he spoke, a glass he so desperately needed right then after another argument with his “owner” had gone poorly.

“What are you talking about?” Clara asked. “I’ve known him for almost all my life. He’s practically my brother. Why wouldn’t I want to ‘put up’ with him?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of what he’s been up to since he got here?” Husk asked before gulping down his glass and topping it off again.

“...okay, well…” Clara said, laughing nervously. “I know he’s built up a bit of a… reputation down here…”

“And you’ve seen how he treats me.” No, she hadn’t seen the worst of it; as far as Clara knew, Alastor’s comments about keeping his pet Husker on a leash were purely metaphorical. But she’d heard all the condescending nicknames, seen all the condescending touches that Husk would growl and pull away from. Husk’s disdain for the man wasn’t exactly subtle.

“Oh, he teases everyone,” Clara said, laughing and waving away Husk’s concern. “You just gotta grow a thick skin!”

Husk growled. “You saying I’m thin skinned?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that-”

Husk huffed before draining another glass of whiskey as quickly as he could pour it. “Did he ever tell you about how he died?”

“Why would he need to tell me?” Clara asked. “I was alive when it happened. A hunter saw him in the woods, thought he was a deer, and shot him. The hunter ran back to town to get the police, they found his body right where the hunter said, and the whole thing was wrapped up as a tragic accident. What else is there to know?”

“Did he ever tell you why he was in those woods that day?” Husk pressed further.

“He never needed a reason. He always loved those woods, ever since we were kids. Knew them inside out. Knew all the places to hide, whether he wanted to hide himself or bury a treasure.”

Husk couldn’t help but scoff at how far this was going over her head. “He’s told me what he was doing in the woods that day plenty of times. Sounds real damn proud of it every time, too.” Another chug of whiskey; his brain was starting to shut down, and good for it. “Someone oughta dig that place up if they haven’t already…”

“...I don’t understand…” Clara’s voice trembled enough to make Husk wonder if she understood more than she wanted to admit.

“If it came to it, and you had to choose. Who would it be?” Husk asked.

“Huh?”

“Me or Alastor?”

“Why would I have to choose? I care about Alastor, but he may as well be my brother, and even if he wasn’t he’s never cared about relationships anyway. But you, Husk…” Clara smiled, her damned gentle smile, as she rested her paw over Husk’s. “You mean something different to me. Something special…”

Husk’s heart thumped against his own judgment as her soft, warm paw closed around his own. “I was actually thinking that maybe we could… if you were interested…” Her coy act was so rehearsed, but in different circumstances, it may have won Husk over.

These were not those circumstances. He growled as he yanked his hand away. “No. Not if being with you means I have to keep putting up with that fuckhead.”

“If you really care about me, then why can’t you accept someone who’s so important to me, who I’ve had since I was alive?” Clara asks. Husk was too drunk to decide whether or not the tears in her eyes were genuine or not.

He truly wished he could care more, but without the whiskey doing its job at numbing his emotions, this conversation might have turned even uglier than it already had.

“There’s a lot he’s keeping from you, Clara, and I’m pretty sure you know more than he realizes you do. And until you can come to terms with who that bastard really is, this ain’t gonna work between us.”

“Husk…” she pleaded, gazing at him with dark, tear-filled eyes. “Please… please understand my situation… no matter what he’s done, you can’t really expect me to let go of someone who’s taken care of me for so long…”

“And you can’t expect me to forgive someone who’s been treating me as badly as he has for so long.” Husk went to pour himself another drink, but found to his irritation that the bottle was empty. “Fuck it. I’m going back to the bar.” He moved to stand up from her bed, but with those eyes still transfixed on him, he found it difficult to move.

…fuck. Fine. Just one more thing.

“Before I go…” He rested a paw on Clara’s cheek, and slowly leaned in for a kiss. She accepted his mouth on hers, firmly holding still for a few seconds before he pulled back. She tried to place her paws on the back of his head and pull him back in for more, but he resisted and finally stood up.

“If you want me to do that again, then figure shit out.” With that, Husk was gone from the room, headed back to the bar in the hopes that he could drink her taste out of his memory.

[mushroomnoodles]

So Simon is just gone just like that!? That must've been horrible Morri to see when he woke up!😢 like imagine saying goodnight to your dad and thinking what you'll do the next day together and he's just...gone. And how did Marceline react to Simon's death and Morri now down a parent?

tw parental death, grief, angst in general, god kid is raising themself

churning out some of these questions that i wanna answer with no art, mostly because i want people to know what happened/my thoughts even if i don't feel like drawing or don't have time to.

it was absolutely horrible for little 13 year old (250 year old) morrigan! they were very distraught and confused, because simon didn't even age or give them a warning. a thing they won't forget is the coffee machine was still on, with a full pot.

the emotional devastation sorta kickstarted their dormant god powers, and when they were silently trying to preserve simon's body (they didn't want him to rot, they wanted him to stay with them forever) they initially turned him to stone. morri has been highly intelligent since conception, so they don't exactly think like a teenager, more like a naive adult i'd say, but they're also still a child if that makes sense? they want their papa, they feel safe around him, they love him.

after their initial bewilderment they realized they could sort of force his body into whatever they wanted (remembering those long past memories of grasping for things with their powers while simon was still carrying them, changing those objects and hearing simon react to it) and turned his corpse into a crown that they could hold onto.

they couldn't really bear to be in the house, and they just wanted their dad back, so they simply left with some stuff they thought they'd need (they did want to be an adventurer when they were younger, so they had a loose idea of what to take).

when their judgement wasn't so clouded by leave me alone, my dad is dead, they were afraid pb would do things like she did when they were still in the womb without simon to protect them and also feared that they would be suspected for simon's death due to their. uh. nature. and they didn't want to tell marceline.

morri chose to navigate their puberty alone (and it was such an itchy one, growing spikes and claws) and when more powers came in (portals to other parts of the world, portals to other universes, floating) with no stable guide of their own they took to.. less than healthy coping mechanisms when they found bringing their dad back to life was going to be a lot harder than anticipated. every now and then, they'd hear of marceline looking for them, and they'd avoid her, ever so determined to "fix" things so they could go back to normal and their family would be fine.

morri did have a few on and off parental figures, especially when they were younger- kind strangers looking out for them for a bit before they scampered off again.

marcy, by the way, was having an equally terrible time. from her point of view, simon and morrigan both up and disappeared without a trace. why? how? she couldn't find simon, and with morrigan's inability to be physically documented, it was very difficult to pinpoint where her little sibling went. at first she thought GOLB had something to do with it, and sort of still does. but the thought that simon has died has crossed her mind many a time.

marcy is a bit harder for me to characterize so i think i'll leave it there for her.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Idk if you know but Izutsumi is actually 17. It's not stated in canon but it's in the adventures guide so

oh huh i had no idea... i know falin must be 20 cause laios said hes 23 and im p sure they are 3 years apart, and laios said tallmen/humans however u wanna call them reach adulthood at 16 but idk if he meant his country or the race as a whole, so im not sure if that makes izutsumi a minor or not? also idk if it changes due to her being beastkin?

i mean ofc from our perspective she would be, but this is a fantasy setting w different ages of maturity, for example chilchuck said halflings reach adulthood at 14, due to their shorter lifespans, im just curious if for izutsumi adulthood would also be 16 like laios or if maybe eastern standards in the world of dunmeshi is different?

If it's the same, while she's not a minor that is still a three year age gap for izutsumi and falin, with izutsumi barely being an adult, add to that the fact idk how old marcille is or when she wouldve reached adulthood, i can see ur concern.

ill leave them out due to the blurred lines there, but in general i think its important to remember fantasy people dont necessarily age the same way we do, if beastkin age anywhere as fast as halflings, at 17 izutsumi would be older than a 17y/o tallman. thats all hypothetical ofc, and not really an attempt to justify the age difference, more so genuine curiosity about how ages work for her since idk if thats established? im still shocked a 29y/o halfling is old enough to have 3 adult kids for example, but then again they live an average of 50 years so it makes sense? I think the differences are really interesting! because despite only being 6 years apart, chilchuck is inherently a lot older than laios due to their racial traits and customs. Laios is a young adult and chilchuck is more like a middle aged man. Meanwhile, to Senshi and Marcille, 29 sounds like a baby, which means a 29y/o elf or dwarf would probaably be perceived by their own race as younger than even laios is to other tallmen, if that makes sense? at 30 smth senshi was treated like a kid by an older dwarf, maybe thats equivalent to their teens?

Now im just rambling though, i know that's not what the ask was about, it just had me wondering. In a context like this age can be more than a number due to racial traits and lifespans, but since izutsumi is probably closer to a human and idk if beastkin age differently or not, i'd agree that shes quite young especially compared to marcille who's probably a bit older than falin herself (well shes a lot older by literal decades but i imagine only a bit older if you consider elves probably reach adulthood a lot later which likely means marcille is a young adult herself?)

i also havent finished the manga so its difficult to form more concrete opinions on the matter but i hope i explained myself well? i do very much think a 17 year old in real life is a child, i was just rambling about this fantasy world and wondering how different things might be. if their 16 is our 18 then their 17 is our 19 and their 20 is our 22. I dont remember how mature I was at 19 but as a 22y/o i dont think id have felt comfortable dating someone 3 years younger personally? i still dont tbh

oh wow i scrolled back and realized i rambled too much im sorry about that its just my brain is full of dunmeshi!! still, let me know if i misunderstood the age mechanics of this story! Regardless, ill leave them out, thanks for letting me know!

[sprnklersplashes]

uhhhh don’t even know if i’m doing this one right but talk about nbr if you want 🙏 anything you want about it my brain is empty i just like new hyperfixation lore

the not beyond repair director's commentary let's goooo!

So I knew the general structure of it from the beginning and the main plot and relationship beats, such as Martha and Heather coming together because Martha was tutoring her, JD's mum's death coming up at some point. I didn't initially plan for it to become a chapter for each month type of structure, but I think it was the best way to tell the story.

I'm 99% sure I only gave Claire's POV once, in chapter 14, which on the one hand I'm like "sorry bb girl" but on the other, it feels important that we get Claire's POV when JD is at his lowest.

I also didn't know what Claire's last name was going to be until I wrote chapter 17, but I can't imagine it now being anything other than Monroe.

My favourite chapter to write was probably Chapter 12. Not because I'm a sucker for Christmas but it was because I loved the soft friendship moments and the progress of JD and Veronica's relationship

It was super important to me that I emphasise Martha and Ronnie's friendship. Not just because I am a Martha Dunnstock warrior but also because I hate the trope in media of valuing romantic relationships over platonic ones. And if I may say so myself, I think I did it justice.

It was also important to me that Claire and JD's relationship isn't quite like a parent-child dynamic. When writing it, it felt more like they're buddies or maybe closer to siblings. They can't really put a label on it, which is one of the reasons he still calls her Claire and not 'Mom'. It's not that he doesn't love her, he does, it's because their dynamic is different to a typical family.

Okay another Claire note; I also wanted Veronica to kind of be closer to Claire than she is with her own parents. Claire is just housing these wayward teenagers like it's her job.

If I may be critical of myself for one second, if I were doing it again I'd split the chapters up and make them way shorter. So it'd probably be 35-40 chapters rather than 20. I'd also give Dunnmara some more focus but I guess that's what time won't fly is for.

Something I really wanted to dig into when writing it was the themes of the original movie/musical while putting my own twist on them. Looking at the idea that high school feels like forever while you're in it but as the characters get closer to graduating, they realise it isn't and that life goes on outside of it. Hence the moments of Duke and Chandler at prom and graduation starting to mature and step out of their roles of Queen Bee.

On that, if the adults in the original exist to show adults not taking teenagers seriously, Claire is the antithesis to that.

I forgot this until recently but I realised that Veronica started calling JD 'J' and I think it's neat.

Initially I just listened to the Heathers soundtrack while writing this, but when Taylor Swift dropped Lover it became the unofficial soundtrack for this fic.

I love the Martha+JD friendship that emerged from it. SO much. I love that they (to me) felt like they could be friends outside of JD's relationship with Veronica.

I do find it significant that the last few chapters start revolving around the future and how uncertain it can be and growing up and they were written a) during my last year of uni and b) in a pandemic.

Overall I still cannot believe I wrote this. Despite my small criticisms with hindsight and things I'd do differently now, I still consider it one of the best things I've ever written. And personally, I wrote it during such a difficult time in my life. Like the fact that people are still invested in it and still revisiting it and commenting on it four years later is... mind-blowing to me. Truly.

[isfjmel-phleg]

October 2023 Books

Tales from the Oakenwyld by R. J. Anderson

A collection that makes me want to revisit these series! I'd read two of the stories before in other forms, but it was nice to have them all in one volume, and the additional material involving earlier versions of the novels was a fascinating look at how the world and characters evolved during the writing process.

The Ages of the Flash: Essays on the Fastest Man Alive edited by Joseph J. Darowski

Some of the articles were more interesting than others, and the book could have been more carefully proofread, but I really enjoyed getting to read a scholarly take on these characters, especially the discussions of them in context with the eras in which they were written. (The concept of the YJ kids and their contemporaries as innately Gen X--with Bart as an anticipation of a Millennial--is a concept I'd like to explore more, especially in light of why the current fanon versions of these characters seem almost nothing like the originals.)

Not All Supermen: Sexism, Toxic Masculinity, and the Complex History of Superheroes by Tim Hanley

An interesting overview of the history of some very relevant and persistent issues in comics. I don't see eye-to-eye with Hanley on everything, but it was refreshing to get an acknowledgement of how poorly both writing and art has depicted female characters, for instance.

The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth

Maybe the most Rebekah Bait book I've read in quite a while. It's told from the POV of a twelve-year-old military child with a very active imagination, a passion for journalism, and a love of comics (specifically for Lois Lane, who is her hero). She initially supposes that a mysterious boy in her neighborhood must be some kind of superhero, but as she gets to know him and pieces together more about his situation, the truth turns out to be quite dark, and she must take some difficult steps to do the right thing. The book addresses a real-world issue that is quite dark for a middle-grade novel, but Hollingsworth handles it in a way that is both informative for young readers while remaining age-appropriate.

There are well-drawn characters, and themes of misjudging others on first acquaintance, and themes of child exploitation (not only of the mysterious boy, but the protagonist herself, whose mother runs a popular blog and sometimes uses her daughter for content in ways that are invasive or embarrassing), and it sounds dark but it really is a hopeful book, and I enjoyed it a lot.

(Also the combination of the Superman motifs with the themes of child exploitation really made me want to reach into the book and ask the protagonist if she was familiar with Superboy, unintentional poster child for exploitation--the themes would interact with each other so well, and that got me wondering if what Cadmus is doing with their cloning is basically human trafficking, and...well, I have questions. And thoughts. I'll stop now, thanks for humoring me.)

The Refuge by Monica Hughes

I heard about this one from an article that discussed it alongside The Secret Garden. It's a middle-grade Canadian novel from the late 1980s that has its own take on the young-person-in-difficult-circumstances-experiences-growth-through-interaction-with-a-secret-place (in this case also a garden), and goodness knows I fall for that plotline every time. This one took a turn that was a bit unusual for this sort of story, but on the whole I enjoyed it.

The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones

I don't think this one is quite as well executed as some of Jones' other works, but it was enjoyable overall, and I appreciated the angle of the initially dreadful-seeming stepfamily turning out to be not so villainous after all.

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny

Creepiness warning if that's a concern, but what a delightful monster book. The world and people are dark and scary and full of hostility, but the answer is compassion and understanding, and that's beautifully portrayed.

(I don't know how you'd like the book, @brown-little-robin, but there was one character in particular--the most monstrous and yet the most human and sensitive of them all--who really struck me as the one you would like.)

Quicksand Pond by Janet Taylor Lisle

I have liked other books I've read by this author, but this one didn't do much for me. It felt incomplete, not fully developed, like reading an early draft.

The League of Regrettable Sidekicks: Heroic Helpers from Comic Book History! by Jon Morris

Exactly what it says on the tin. A light-hearted overview of the bizarre choices in sidekick-creation that comics have made over the years. A lot of what on earth.

(Apparently 1950s!Superman had a plotline in which he adopted a child who became his sidekick but for...reasons? the adoption wasn't feasible longterm, so the poor kid got left on a street corner, fate uncertain, tearfully parting ways with Superman, who tells him, "I'll never *choke* forget you, Jimmy!" ...which would have been a lot more effective if the boy's name weren't Johnny. The Silver Age was wild, guys.)

Robin and the Making of American Adolescence by Lauren R. O'Connor

You've probably already heard me rant about this one, but the short version is that O'Connor chose to examine the character/role of Robin primarily through the lenses of sexuality, gender, and race--mostly ignoring three of the Robins altogether (even if some of them would have relevant to her points), and glossing over Damian's ethnic background because it would have complicated a point she was trying to make about race with someone else. I didn't personally find this approach interesting or incapsulating of what makes these characters so effective, and I would love to see further scholarly discussion from others that would explore the Robins as characters, not just symbols of social concerns.

The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

I was satisfied with the ending but have nothing intelligent to say about this series and no particular interest in venturing into the spin-offs.

The House in the Square by Joan G. Robinson

A weird story, I guess, but atmospheric and compelling. I need to track down my own copy someday.

Secret of the Missing Footprint by Phyllis A. Whitney

Unlike the others I've read of Whitney's middle-grade mysteries, this one is told in first-person by the teenage protagonist, who has a bad case of I-can-fix-him with a troubled neighbor boy, and I love that Whitney absolutely demolishes that mindset, while still allowing both characters to be nuanced.

[Two books that I am omitting from naming in this list because they weren't really my taste but I know the author and don't want to give her any negative publicity]

Comics

Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 2

I read these online quite a while ago, but it's nice to have them in volume form. Don't go into this expecting characterization and relationships that accurately reflect those in the source material (these versions of the characters tend to talk more like they want to get a good grade in therapy than their comics counterparts), but it's good fluffy fun.

Stop drawing Bart as looking exactly like a young Wally, though. They are not interchangeable.

The Ray (1992 miniseries, not to be confused with the longer-running 1994 series, which I haven't read much of)

I plan to read all of DC's 90s teenage hero solos eventually, so after finishing Damage, I started this one. I'm acquainted with Ray from Young Justice and appearances in other things, and he kind of rubs me the wrong way (slapping and yelling at Bart for something trivial, repeatedly asking what's in it for him and acting put-upon when Grant turns to him for help, that sort of thing), but I was prepared to get perspective from his solo.

...and I was left with more questions than perspective. Ray has an utterly bizarre backstory--raised to believe that he had a condition that made him deathly allergic to sunlight and growing up hidden away indoors and only active at night, only to learn at age eighteen after his father's death that he has light-activated powers and his real father was a superhero. There's a lot to unpack there. But the narrative was more interested in the action and Ray's adjusting to his powers than his adjusting to life in the real, sunlit world and how his upbringing would have lingering effects to live with/work through. Maybe this gets explored more in the other solo, which I'll get to eventually. But for now I'm still in the dark on this guy.

Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.

I know Courtney Whitmore from appearances in other things I've read. Loved her in Stargirl: The Lost Children. But in this series, which introduces the character, she is...a lot less likeable. In fact, she's rather a jerk, going beyond ordinary teenage angsty orneriness to being just plain malicious and spiteful (everything from trying to deliberately sabotage her mother and stepfather's marriage to generally being rude to everyone, even people who are on her side). Clearly character development does happen eventually, but it doesn't unfold very believably in this series, which made it a difficult read for me.

The Flash 1987 #62-118

I'm in the process of reading Mark Waid's take on Wally, and it's overall very good! Waid has an almost literary style that's atypical for similar comics and which is delightful to read. His Wally is a flawed but human and likeable character, and the stories feel grounded despite bizarre premises (for instance, Wally's backstory, as established in the Silver Age, is that he acquired his powers the same way as Barry in a massive coincidence--but Waid finds a clever way to justify even that) because characterization and emotion are handled realistically. So far, some plots have been better than others, of course, but I've been enjoying this and will keep up with it as far as it goes whenever I find time.

[being-worthy]

Guns N’ Roses - 3½ hour concert (and a long Slash guitar solo)!!

(This is my 2nd attempt writing this because Tumblr's automatic saving is shitty.)

I know, I know... I'm soooooooooooooooo freaking late with this...

But I had some issues, health and mostly to do with work, and my dumb manager who changes his mind more than a Kardashian changes her clothes in a day. (I hope to quit it soon and hopefully with a new/better job in the horizon.)

But without further ado, let's get to the GNR concert.

The concert was at the Cívitas Metropolitano on Friday, 9th June 23 in Madrid. The weather was nice and warm, a bit cloudy but no rain thankfully, since it had been raining cats and dogs at the beginning of the week. Although there were around 40,000 people present, the home stadium of Atlético Madrid was not fully filled, sadly.

Let's start with the negative parts...

The music started, and I don't mean GNR, but the opening act was not until almost 4 hours later(!!) than its scheduled time.

Apparently, and this is just a rumour. Still, I heard this from many many many security staff members, volunteers, and last but not least, even GNR staff members that it was because Axl was being a little diva and didn't show up until like an hour later after everyone had already been at the venue for rehearsal. The security staff couldn't even have their lunch break on time but only 2 hours later! Imagine these people are on-site since the wee hours of the morning and might have water and a snack here and there, but not proper food in them and you've to wait an extra 2 hours for your lunch and the guys for the next shift. Once I was at the entrance of the venue, I could hear Axl practising which was great but I wanted them to get some food and to get to the main event already!

Moreover, they were supposed to practise the day before but this was cancelled due to rain and I WAS THERE to check out the venue (and totally not because my silly butt mistook the dates 🤣) and the supposed "rain" was like a few water drops and some wind. Now, I'm not an expert, but I don't see that for a little water, which I wouldn't even consider rain, it'd be necessary to cancel the whole band practice, especially if the whole thing is under a roof and the venue is known for being one hell of a place to get the sound right. I don't consider this very professional, particularly, the part that Axl was late which I was also told that it wasn't the first time (the previous one was that everyone was at the place in the morning but he said that he had to finish his lunch and didn't appear until way after lunchtime). I could've overlooked this if anyone not even necessarily Axl, just anyone had apologised right when the concert started. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be a GNR concert without its shenanigans, I guess.

The organisation left a lot to be desired (again). It was the same story that the GNR staff didn't communicate with the venue staff like last year which I don't understand why this is something so difficult to do? And hundreds of people didn't know where they had to go in order to wait to get inside.

There were some sound problems, especially, because they didn't practise enough and this stadium is known for being difficult and requires a lot of rehearsal (at least, a full day), but it wasn't as bad as last year despite most opinions I've heard, mind you I was front row, like literally in front of the horn which Axl always toots right before Nightrain.

And the last thing, the stage was way too high up compared to the previous year. I could barely see them when Duff and Slash sat in front of the drums and play. I’ve got no clue why they’d raise it up so high. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Now about the positive aspects...

The opening was done by The Pretenders and they were a G-O-O-D F-R-E-A-K-I-N-G choice! They were amazing and brought me many children's memories back 😊.

Chrissie Hynde's voice was so ethereal and she sounded so great!! I loved them so much as a child and I'd like to see them again.

Once the stars of the event appeared, I wanted to smooch Axl sooooo badly!! He started greeting my home with his enunciation in English saying "Spaaaainnnnn" with that "n" nasal typical of him.

There was a moment when Slash was lying on top of the equipment and I wanted to throw myself on top of him 😂 - don't blame me for this, I know I'm not the only one who probably had the same thought.

I loved that they played Yesterdays, Patience, and You Could Be Mine which are some of my favourite songs of them. 😭❤️

But what really really made this event so special and unique to me was when I blew a kiss to Duff and he gave me a full-teeth smile from ear to ear and he look so good and sweet!! I was trying not to pass out of how delicious Slash was with his shirt wide open, glistening from all the sweat (I never wanted to be a drop of sweat so bad in my life like in that moment) and his arms and hands and veins, god dammit his arms!! YUMMY!!!! 🤤 And when I blew a kiss to Slash too... I thought I was done for it for real!! 😍😍😍 He gave me a sexy and devilish smirk combined with a wink and made this gesture but showing his long and big tongue fully out:

I was ready for heaven/hell to take me.

And yes, my loins were very on hellfire at that moment!

The concert ended around 0.57 am and it was quite an adventure to get back to my accommodation and fight my way through thousands of people to get to the last train of the day.

Here's the list of the songs they played:

It’s So Easy

Bad Obsession

Chinese Democracy

Mr. Brownstone

Slither (Velvet Revolver version)

Welcome to the Jungle

Pretty Tied Up

Reckless Life

Double Talkin’ Jive

Hard Skool

Absurd

Live and Let Die (Wings version)

Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb version)

You Could Be Mine

Estranged

Down on the Farm (UK Subs version)

Rocket Queen

Anything Goes

T.V. Eye (The Stooges version) (and baby boy Duff sung! He should sing more!)

There Was a Time

Don’t Cry

Shadow of Your Love

Civil War

Long Slash guitar solo

Sweet Child o’ Mine

November Rain

This I Love

Locomotive

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan version)

Nightrain

Extras:

Yesterdays

Patience

Paradise City

I'd have preferred it if everything had been better organised and if there had been some more interaction from Axl and the rest with the audience. I mean, it's not that difficult to include your audience one way or another. We didn't even get a 'thank you' at the end, but one thing I want to tell everyone is to stop comparing then and now, whether you've had the honour to see them in the past or not, just enjoy it as much as possible and stop saying crap like "he sounded better back then and now he sounds like a chipmunk" or "they've gained so much weight", or any other nonsense like it. To everyone saying shit like this, bugger off!! 🖕

Overall, I give the concert a solid 9/10.

Last picture credits to Guns N' Roses.

[hirsuteandcute]

Do you have any tips to get my mum to stop trying to shave my moustache it's new and I'm very proud of it but she dosent like it

Do you have any advice to get my mum to leave my mustache alone

She keeps trying to pluck it without my permission 😒

Sorry I missed your first message last month 😣 I wish I had some magical advice that would just get her to stop but I know mums can be really hard tbh. I know some people can stand up to their mums but I really can't, honestly. If I try to present a rational argument or discussion to her I feel like she gets angry because she basically still sees me as her property so I should obey her no matter what, even at 27.

Whether you feel able to confront her about it is something that is entirely up to you, I don't want to give you advice that might put you in a difficult situation with your mum. Ideally you'd be able to tell her that this is a decision you've made and you're happy with, and it's not your responsibility to conform to other people's desires, but if your mum is anything like mine, I know that may not really be possible 😬

Is she like physically coming at you with hair removing tools? That's insane wtf (parents do crazy things like that sometimes tho so I'm not really surprised). It's actually sad she'd go to such extremes to remove your hair as physically trying to force you like I can't imagine doing that to anyone let alone my own child.

I guess the only other thing I can say is that maybe if you just quietly continue to show her that you want it to stay and continue to live your life without removing it yourself, she'll eventually tire out and stop harassing you so much. That's basically been the situation with my mum. When I was younger she'd be like "the wax pot is on, get over here now so I can wax you" and I'd be like "okay mum :(" because I was young and scared and insecure, but now she knows she can't force me anymore.

Her comments still hurt, especially since she's so critical of so many aspects of my appearance and always has been, but now I just ignore them and they bother me less over time. Actually I feel kind of sorry for her, I know it's only because she's been conditioned to believe hair on women is a horrible, ugly thing that needs to be gotten rid of that she's like this. I actually think I'm more free and happier than her because I'm not scared of all these unimportant things like body or facial hair. If I have a moustache or sideburns or a unibrow I don't panic, it's just like whatever, whereas she panics if her eyebrows are a little bit overgrown. What a sad way to live, always worrying if you have a little bit of hair on your face or body.

Anyway, I hope if nothing else this has given you a little bit of comfort, I pray that some day in the not too distant future you'll be at a point where your mum can't bother you anymore and you can just live a happy life with your moustache. Love from me, your hairy friend xxx

[moomoorare]

Rare it is so crazy to remember that pome and mari were on their own without rain or Millie for a while 😭 whatthe hell… is there anything you wanna talk about in regards to their relationship?

Oughh oh god. I mean like, Michelle and the girls all were kids together except for that one time I was like um do i include Michelle. Yes yes i do and will. Michelle is literally the first so lol and Pomme being the middle child here plays with both a lot, but Michelle likes to spend more time with the older kids rather than with Marigold. I think that's why Mari gets attached to Millie immediately, other than the fact that they're both explosively playful, even if Millie appears calmer when they're not playing together. Mari constantly bothering Rain and riling him up to get a reaction and start bickering. Oh Mari. ANYWAYS to really answer your question, they get along pretty well and Mari gets Pomme to act a little rebellious and cause chaos together, but Pomme is a Lot calmer than her and prefers less messy playing. So Mari likes to rile her up and Pomme can get so nervous that she tears up and gets overwhelmed and hides away in the garden. Mari's not trying to be mean, so she apologizes always, she just doesn't give up easily, since half the time, Pomme ends up having fun causing minor chaotic messes. Like, putting dirt in their favorite glasses to plant flowers, bringing many ants in the kitchen, breaking toys by throwing them out the second story window onto the garden bushes, tearing curtains, jumping from the sofas to chairs to kitchen counters. Kids playing ya know. And she does many times shield Mari from the blame, though Puffychu know them well, so they let it slide easily.

Gooooooood, characterization is so difficult, especially when i make SO many kids and siblings. They have to make sense and especially the puffychu kids make a lot of sense to me i relate to how they act, probably cus i have 3 siblings and we all have different ages, my little brother being half my age. So it's not so weird that my piratecove au characters have so much lore and characterization and i created them in early January, meanwhile my flowerpot au kids I've been drawing since September (the twins) and October (Finch) and I'm just now really giving them some backstory and characterization. But also, the Piratecove au family is way messier and chaotic, which reminds me of mine really, and the Flowerpot au family, is just, so calm and peaceful, its really comforting to me, what I'd imagine I'd love having. So i don't wanna, idk, "taint" them with trauma. But i realise, they gotta have some everydya stuff going wrong at least, or bickering, or stuff like that. And then i wrote Finch's backstory Ough. Anywayys The twins are playful but very composed and calm, Finch is a distinctively quiet kid, who looks grumpy most of the time and likes to play alone and quiet places, i don't think he'd enjoy playing with Mari lol L, How did i get here why am i rambling